A new president and a new vice-president were elected for the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC) at its annual meeting on March 27.
Jodi Smith, who served as vice-president for 2011-2012, was elected unanimously to succeed Kevin Plemel as its president for the year 2012-2013. Andre Krueger, also a member of the board of directors, was voted in as vice-president for the one-year term.
Both Smith and Krueger said it was a great honour to accept these roles for the Chamber.
It will be a busy spring for Smith, who is also involved with the organizing committee for the RBC Cup in May, but she anticipates the Chamber will continue to grow and to run smoothly with its new board during her presidency.
"I don't see that a whole lot is going to change being that I'm president this year," Smith told the media after the meeting. "We've got a great board - the folks that are on it are hard-working and really enjoy what they're doing."
Chamber board members are elected for three-year terms, and this year there were six positions up for renewal and eight people running for them. Kent Flavel is the only board member who declined to run for a position on the 13-member board after his term was up in March 2012.
The agenda for the meeting included reports from the president, and from the chairs of three committees that meet regularly throughout the year to discuss projects and initiatives that were undertaken to better help its members.
The president's message from Kevin Plemel reinforced the goals of the HDCC as an organization that works for the enhancement of the economy of the district and the betterment of the community.
Plemel said that over the past 12 months, the HDCC has been actively promoting the area as a "local hotspot for business," through a variety of mediums such as Facebook, YouTube, and the city's local radio station. He said the Chamber plans to continue to market Humboldt as "a great place to live, work, and invest."
Stacey Leroux, chair of the public rrelations and promotions committee, spoke about the different ways the HDCC acknowledged community businesses in 2011: it presented four businesses with Courtesy Service Awards for 2010, held its annual Mark of Excellence Awards banquet, and hosted successful events for local businesses such as the annual Tradeshow and the Festival of Lights.
Greg Velanoff, chair of the business retention and expansion committee, said he felt they had achieved two important projects in 2011. The first was the MBA project, a study undertaken by a graduate student of the University of Saskatchewan's Edwards School of Business. Its aim was to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the business community, identify areas of opportunity and improvements for HDCC members, and provide a document to assist potential investors identify the needs of our community. The results of the study are currently available on the Chamber's website.
The second was the introduction of a new scholarship for a student at either St. Peter's College or Carlton Trail Regional College. To qualify, the student must be working or have worked in the past for a Chamber member. Velanoff also said the committee was now accepting nominations for the 2012 scholarship.
As chair of the tourist booth and campground committee, Kent Flavel spoke about the Chamber's success in operating these two properties since it signed an agreement with the City of Humboldt April 1, 2011. He said the campground operated at full capacity and was a strong revenue generator for the HDCC, and one that allows it to promote the city and its businesses to visitors.
While the HDCC signed a 10-year agreement with the City to operate the campground, the agreement to operate the Visitor Information Centre was only for one year, until March 31. Flavel noted that the City has renewed this contract.
Before the meeting was adjourned, the new board of directors for 2012-2013 was presented to Chamber members.
