Kimberley and District Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
The Voice of Kimberley Business

December 2009
Seasons Greetings from Your Chamber Board

Left to right: Craig Campbell (Kimberley Raft & Adventure Co.), Tod Caton (Backside Tours), Ingrid Liepa - VP (The Connecting Link), Schaun Goodeve - President (Green Dimensions Consulting), Allyson Blake (Mountain Spirit Resort & Spa), Laurel Ralston (Consultant), Karly Berry (Sun Life Financial), Sioban Staplin - Exec. Director, Jason Andrews - 1st VP (Edward Jones Financial), Kathy Merkel - Treasurer (Kootenay Savings Credit Union), Jason Mitchell (Empower Energy Solutions), Doug Schneider (RCR), Matt Thompson (Driven Media).

President Schaun Goodeve and the Board and staff of your Chamber extend warmest Holiday Greetings and sincere wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2010!

We thank each and every one of our member businesses, The City of Kimberley and our partners for their ongoing support and we look forward to serving our business community as we work to build a vibrant economy for 2010.

Schaun Goodeve - President
Kootenay Chamber Classic Golf Tournament
Our Third Annual Kootenay Chamber Classic Golf Tournament raised $3,000 for the Kimberley Helping Hands Food Bank.  A warm thank you goes out to the hardy participants and our Generous Sponsors:

   RCR - Summit Fund       OKKO Communities

   EK Realty                      Kimberley Promotions
   Backswing Tours            John Scott Golf        

Border Holdings                Barefoot Wines              Husky Fruit Market     

St. Eugene Golf                 Golf Kimberley              Rocky's Ride & Glide
Mrs. Palmers Pantry          Old Bauernhaus             Koocanusa Publications
Kootenay Knitting Co.        Liana Shaw                   Springbrook Resort
Northstar Mountain Village


We look forward to having you join us for our Fourth Annual Tournament!

For results and pictures from our 2009 tournament click on the link below:
www.kootenaychamberclassic.com
Thank you for a Successful JulyFest!
JulyFest is the Chamber's major fundraiser and as always it is a monumental undertaking. It would not be possible without our legions of hardworking and fun-loving volunteers!
While each and every volunteer is worth their weight in Gold, there are those who went above and beyond the call of duty.  A huge Thank You goes out to Joanne Kitt and her Bocce Beverage Service crew, Jeff Kiever and Brock McClure our amazing Bocce Masters, and Tim Park and Simone Desaultels for their monumental efforts in the Arena Beverage Service and as referees.  A big thank you as well to the Rotarians and friends as ticket sellers, all of our parade volunteers, set-up and take-down crew, bocce referees and one and all.

Warm appreciation goes out to our sponsors:
Okko Communities - KidsFest              Mountain Spirit Resort & Spa
Kimberley Alpine Resort - RCR            The City of Kimberley
David Bellm & Co. Insurance               Labatt Brewery
Sprout Grocery                                  Peacefrog Designs
Mountain Spirit Resort & Spa               PB Audio
January Beverages & Business Cards 
Mingle Event

Thursday January 21, 2010
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Our Hosts & Sponsors:
The Alpen Cafe - 1690 Warren Avenue
A Wise New Year's Resolution
Your health and wellbeing and that of your staff are one of your businesses most valuable assets.
The Chamber's of Commerce Group Insurance Plan is made for small businesses just like yours. Whether you are a single proprietor, a partnership or have 1 or more employees, our plans can provide you with benefits and peace of mind.  Our local service providers are:
Haddad Financial Services.  Call today for a no-obligation personal consultation and quote: Call Cora at 250-426-4221 ext. # 2211 and click on the link to find out more. BC Chamber Benefit Plans
Find out today why the Chamber's of Commerce Group Benefit Plan is #1.
Business Excellence Awards
Our 2009 Business Excellence Awards were a huge success as 10 fine Kimberley businesses and organizations received honours.  Look for our 2010 Nomination Forms coming out in the new year and plan to attend our Kimberley Business Excellence Awards Gala this spring. We wish to once again congratulate our winners and thank our generous sponsors:

RETAIL BUSINESS of the YEAR
Sponsored by Kootenay Savings Credit Union
Rocky's Ride & Glide

TOURISM EXCELLENCE AWARD
Sponsored by Tourism Kimberley
Kimberley International Old Time Accordion Championships

FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRY AWARD
Sponsored by Edward Jones: Jason & Heather Andrews
The Old Bauernhaus

TRADESPERSON-CONTRACTOR of the YEAR AWARD
Sponsored by Mountain Spirit Resort & Spa
New Dawn Developments - Chad Jensen

COMMUNITY BOOSTER AWARD
Sponsored by the City of Kimberley
Bob McWhinnie

EMPLOYEE of the YEAR AWARD
Sponsored by St. Eugene Golf Resort Casino
Sharon Ablett - Kootenay Savings Credit Union

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD
Sponsored by Wildsight
Sprout Grocery

ENTREPRENEUR of the YEAR AWARD
Sponsored by Community Futures East Kootenay
Buddha Belly Deli & Catering

BUSINESS of the YEAR SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD
Sponsored by Kimberley Daily Bulletin
Bavarian Sports - Home Hardware

YOUTH-FRIENDLY BUSINESS AWARD
Sponsored by SPARK  Youth Society
Black Bear Books & Video

Thank you to David Bellm & Co. Insurance - Sponsor of Rick Voisey our entertainer.