It was a different transition to a new chair at the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce in 2021.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still going full blast, the chamber has sworn in new chair Melanie Roberts in a virtual Chair’s Luncheon event held live on the Zoom platform Tuesday.
Roberts, who is director of programs at North West College, has been active on the chamber as a director since 2015 and as vice chair over the past year.
In her remarks, Roberts looked forward to “supporting the business community not only with continued pandemic challenges but also in their recovery and resiliency to provide a great foundation for the years to come,” she said.
Roberts said she is a believer in Shop Local, and said as a leader her priority was investing in people. “Empower them to be their best, and give them the tools to thrive.”
Roberts takes over from Harris Sutherland of Gold Eagle Casino who served as chair during the past year.
Sutherland had presided over the chamber during the disruption-filled 2020 pandemic year, with several events postponed or having had their formats radically adjusted to comply with pandemic restrictions.
It was no different for the annual induction of the new chair, which saw several changes compared to previous years.
Instead of a banquet, the event was held in a virtual online format during the noon hour, with lunch delivered to participating businesses by North West College staff.
The induction was also combined with the chamber’s Annual General Meeting, which took place immediately prior to the swearing in ceremonies.
Apart from that, the format of the induction was much the same as past years, although there was one notable exception - there was no opportunity to “pass the gavel” from the old chair to the new, with everyone appearing virtually from different locations.
The program included pre-taped remarks from guest speaker Jeremy Harrison, minister of trade and export development for the province, as well as greetings from MLA Jeremy Cockrill.
“You are setting the bar high for events done virtually in the Battlefords,” said Cockrill of the chamber’s efforts, but he added, “I do hope we are back in person next year.”
The swearing in of Roberts was administered virtually by longtime friend Mark Millar, a lawyer from Kindersley who has known Roberts for 40 years.
Also sworn in were the new Vice Chair Derek Schmidt and Second Vice Chair Kayla Petersen.
There was tribute paid at the event to the departing chair Sutherland, who will stay on the board as past chair.
“This year, like everyone said, has been unusual. Wouldn’t change it for the world, though,” said Sutherland in his remarks.
He said it was a “real honour and pleasure” to serve as chair and looked forward to serving another year as the past chair.
