Voice of Business Newsletter

Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce

October 2007

In This Issue

October Survey

President's Message

Business After Business

Centennial Ball

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

JobWave

Group Insurance

Monthly Survey Question Penticton Chamber

The Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce wants to know what you think!

Click here to view this month's survey question.

Thanks to all those who responded to last month's survey question.

President's Message by Chris Browne

Annual General Meeting

We are very excited to have Curtis Webb, General Manager for the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC) and the Trade and Convention Centre as our speaker for our Annual General meeting. Curtis will tell us how the SOEC is progressing and what his future plans are for the Trade and Convention Centre.

The AGM will take place on November 14, 2007 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort at 11:45 am. Tickets are $20 each and must be purchased in advance by calling the Chamber offices at 492-4103.

This year, convenient online voting will be available to members. Stay tuned for further details.

October 31^st is our deadline for nominations for positions on the Board of Directors. If you have an interest in becoming an important force in the growth of the community please put your name forward. Directors on this Board provide leadership, direction and expertise from year to year to maintain a high standard of advocacy, services, programs and opportunities delivered by the Chamber. In addition, the Directors play an important role in enhancing the business and economic climate and quality of life for Penticton.

Most importantly, this Board allows you to be part of a vibrant group of business leaders that affect change in our community. I encourage business owners and professionals to consider a term on the Board. Call us for more information.

Nomination Form

Business After Business

On Thursday October 11, 2007, we held our Business after Business at the SPCA, 2200 Dartmouth Drive, in Penticton. It was a great evening of networking, food, refreshments and tours. Simon St-Laurent, Chairman, and Tracy Westmoreland, Office Manager, offered tours of their new state-of-the-art facility, along with very interesting information on upcoming fundraisers for the SPCA. You can visit the SPCA website at www.spca.bc.ca/penticton/ for more information. A big thank you to all who attended!

Pictured above: (foreground) Annette Gramiak of Baby Bouquets & Gifts Ltd; (left to right) Jennifer Trudeau of Primerica Financial Services Ltd.; Joel Kostelnik of Primerica Financial Services Ltd.; Lisa Facca of Dominion Lending Centres; and Don Brown of DB Financial Group Benefits.

Centennial Ball

Celebrate Penticton's Centennial by going to the Ball!

Order your tickets now for one of the major events of our Centennial Year. Canada's King of Swing, Dal Richards and his Orchestra, will make this a memorable evening of dining and dancing. Corporate tables are encouraged, a wonderful way to show your appreciation to customers and staff who make your business the success it is. And we're Celebrating a Century, so take this opportunity to dress to celebrate the fashion of any era between 1908 and 2008. Door prizes and favours will ensure that everybody enjoys a Celebratory Party.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Penticton Trade and Convention Centre

6 p.m. Cocktails, with music by Penticton's Yvonne Wadden

7 p.m. Dinner

8:30 p.m. Dancing till the midnight hour

Tickets: $100 available online at

www.penticton.ca/centennial

Tables: 100 tables of 8

These are sure to sell out fast, don't delay, order today!

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Dollar parity: Canadian Chamber wants action on Canada's competitiveness

Ottawa - September 20, 2007

As the Loonie reached par on September 20th for the first time in thirty-one years, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce renewed its call for Ottawa to help Canada's economy become more competitive.

"All companies are facing growing dramatic changes in the marketplace, and the stronger dollar will add to the pressure on manufacturers who are forced to cope with low cost foreign competition and weakening U.S. domestic demand. There will be a new Throne Speech on October 16. The government should use it to set out its plan to help Canadian companies become global champions," says Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Read Entire Article

Thinking about Hiring?

Hiring new employees is one of the most time-consuming and difficult tasks small businesses face in today's market. Here are some of the pre-hiring checks you can follow to help find the right person:

Know what the job is. Take the time to write down a detailed job description and ask for input from other staff.
Define the qualifications. Identify the "must have" skills for the position. These might include personality traits, education or previous work experience.
Look in the right places. Seventy-five percent of small businesses rely on referrals when looking for new employees - it's an effective screening process you can generally trust. This is where JobWave can help you. We are your local network to candidates who are pre-screened to your criteria. These candidates are interviewed for exceptional attitude by JobWave placement coordinators who understand BC small business.

To find out about hiring through JobWave, call 1-888-JOBWAVE or your Penticton Employer Solutions Representative, Don Strang at 276-1002.

Office Overhead Relief

For Disabled Business Owners

Most business owners buy insurance that provides them with a personal income if they can't work because of an illness or accident. But if you can't work, how do you pay expenses that will keep your company intact until you can get back to it? With the Chambers Plan, you choose Business Overhead Benefits, along with your disability coverage.

Business Overhead coverage is designed to pay the actual expenses you normally incur running your business. The benefit takes effect 30 days after you become disabled, and continues for up to 18 months. If you're a partner, rather than a sole owner, the coverage pays your assumed portion of eligible expenses.

What bills can the benefit pay? The broad range includes office rent, power, and phone expenses. For salaries, the benefit pays the people who do not generate income for your company but are essential to its operations while you're disabled.

Business and property taxes are eligible, as are license fees, leasing and amortization (including your company vehicle), and the professional services of an outside accountant.

Even regular office supplies and postage are included, as is interest on mortgage payments, lines of credit and unpaid bills. Your Chambers Plan agent can walk you through a complete list of the coverage's many included items.

Choose Business Overhead and you'll tailor your plan to the level that suits your expenses. You can apply for benefits in increments of $100, from $500 to $2,000 per month.

So don't let an accident that happens to you disable your business, too. Plan to cover key expenses through your Chambers Plan group benefits.