The Weyburn and District Chamber of Commerce had predicted that 2010 was going to be a strong year, and now are "pleased to have its predication come to fruition," said Jeff Richards, Chamber Manager.
The Weyburn and District Chamber of Commerce had predicted that 2010 was going to be a strong year, and now are "pleased to have its predication come to fruition," said Jeff Richards, Chamber Manager.
"Going into 2010, we were confident that our community was going to be strong regardless of the world's economic condition," added Richards. "Growth and development in Weyburn and the surrounding region have been tremendous."
"We have seen more investment and people moving into the community than ever before and we're expecting this to continue. The Chamber will continue working hard to represent our businesses by providing resources for them, and by continuing to address issues that are affecting our community."
Some highlights in 2010 for the Chamber included having its 60th president sworn in at the annual general meeting. "From the Chamber's first days in 1940 to now, it truly is exciting to be where we are today," said Twila Walkeden, Chamber president.
"Weyburn is experiencing the greatest growth in its history, and we are encouraged to see our members growing and investing to meet those demands," added Walkeden. "The Chamber has had a great year and we are looking forward to serving our members in 2011. As the member of the Chamber present their concerns to us, we will continue to work diligently on working towards solutions."
In addition to welcoming a new president in 2010, the Chamber also presented two annual awards. The Golden Spike was awarded to April Sampson, and the Golden Sheaf was presented to Keith Kaufmann.
Business excellence was also celebrated in 2010 with the bi-annual WEYBEX awards. Southern Industrial and Truck was the Business of the Year, as well as the winner of the New or Expanded Business award. United Centrifuge received the award for Community Involvement; Canadian Tire received the Golden Service award; and Don Kraft won the Business Leader of the Year award.
Four businesses were inducted into the Chamber's Business Hall of Fame and they included Aldon Oils, Barber Motors, Terry's Cycle and the Weyburn Review. Three of the WEYBEX winners advanced as finalists to the provincial ABEX awards, and these included Southern Industrial, United Centrifuge and Don Kraft.
"Looking forward into 2011, the Chamber expects even more growth, and we feel our businesses are ready for the challenge," added Richards. "We will continue to work on behalf of our members to ensure that the business climate is good, and it is with optimism that we move into the next year."
