It’s been a busy start to our year for the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce (PRDCC). With our new Board of Directors in place, being lead by our new President Chad Cunningham, we started the planning for our upcoming year.
For the second year in a row, the PRDCC had a Past President Council Meeting. The Chamber has found this invaluable to have the experience of these past presidents to draw on. The discussion involved the previous year and upcoming goals.
With the insight and contribution of our Past Presidents, we started a very productive Strategic Planning session. At the Strategic Planning meeting the Chamber decided to once again survey its members as the Chamber wants to align its priorities with that of our members. The Chamber does this in order to work on the issues that matter most to our over 200 members.
The resent survey looked at two key areas: Advocacy and Membership Services.
Survey Results:
The results of the Advocacy survey showed that “Economic Development” was a key priority area for members and they thought the Chamber should focus its efforts in this area. Eighty-one percent of respondents felt that this was “very important.” Another area of significant importance to our members, coming in at 47 per cent was “Business Taxes (Municipal)”.
In the Member Services Survey, three strong areas showed up in results. Starting with Roundtable discussions (35 per cent), Speaker Series (34 per cent) and Business after Business Networking Events (32 per cent).
As our board now goes back to our committees, we will have a better understanding of what our members want from us. This may come in many forms, like strategic partnerships with other groups.
Recently the PRDCC signed a MOU with Community Futures of the Pacific Northwest. This partnership provides access to additional support and resources available to business in our community.
These survey results will be key in the planning and direction for the upcoming Chamber Events this year. Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce wants its members and the business community as a whole to value the work the Chamber does on their behalf. The Chamber hopes to see a change in the direction of the business community in Prince Rupert & District to see all sectors grow into a vibrant economy.