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| Monthly Survey Question
The Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce wants to know what you think!
Click here to view this month's survey question regarding Downtown Enhancement.
Thanks to all those who responded to last month's survey question.
Here are the stats from last month's survey:
What do you believe should be the main priority of the new provincial government?
Economy 75%
Healthcare 12%
Education 6%
Environment 6%
Other 6% |
| President's Report by Jason Cox
Photo courtesy James Miller, Penticton Herald
Chamber President Jason Cox was on hand at the recent Okanagan College Foundation Donor Recognition event at the Penticton campus, where a $28 million dollar Centre of Excellence will be built.
On behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and the Penticton Board of Trade Building Association, Jason presented the college with a $30,000 dollar contribution to the development of the centre.
"This is a very important project for the community and it will have a lasting impact for many of our members," said Jason. "We see our support as a signal of the business community's commitment to the future of higher education in the region."
Once completed in 2011 the Centre of Excellence will be able to serve 500 additional students and the building will almost triple in size. |
Manager's Report by Lorraine Renyard
Merchant Seminar
I attended the morning session of the Merchant Seminar hosted by the Bank of Canada and Interac Association. Held at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, the seminar provided participants with excellent information on how they can prevent themselves from being victims from the latest Interac Fraud/Skimming techniques and counterfeit bill detection.
Joanna Schoneveld from the Interac Association and Farid Salji conducted the seminar. Some of the tips that participants received regarding debit card fraud include:
Treat you PIN pad like cash. The PIN pad is just as valuable to fraudsters as cash.
- Keep PIN pads out of sight when not in use.
- If you have a separate terminal that is not integrated with your cash, lock it up at the end of the day.
Transitioning to Chip Technology Over the next several years, debit cards, ABM's and point-of-sale devices will be evolving to a new generation of payment card technoloy, known as chip technology, which will make a safe payment system even more secure. For more information, please visit www.interacchip.ca
Checking for Counterfeit Bills
Security Features:
Raised ink or intaglio - Touch
Metallic stripe or holographic stripe - Tilt
Ghost image or watermark - Look through
Puzzle number or see-through number - Look Through
Dashes or security thread - Tilt
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Economic Development Report by David Arsenault
It has been a few weeks since the EDS department has embarked on a new direction and during that time the Economic Development Services Advisory Committee and I have been working towards setting a new vision and some tangible actions that will move the organization forward. While it is a bit premature to provide some details into the direction, we can all agree that there are some priorities that we need to address immediately.
The foundation of any good economic development plan relies on three core areas of concentration that being business enhancement, business retention and finally business attraction. Strategically the development of these core activities requires a lot of discussion and preparation prior to a release of information to the public. With that said we will be releasing information to the public in the next few weeks.
As the new EDO I can say that we are working on some specific projects in partnership with a number of community groups and businesses in the City Of Penticton. Working with the Downtown Penticton Association we have been working to submit an application for funding to the federal government for downtown revitalization. We are also involved in Okanagan College's development of their Centre of Excellence. Both of these projects are key opportunities to economic revival in Penticton. A vibrant downtown core is a reflection of business in the community and the innovative approach taken by the College to lead the way in developing green technologies can be the impetuous to attract new and exciting business opportunities to the City. Stay tuned! David Arsenault can be reached at 250-493-3323 or darsenault@penticton.org |
Visitor Centre Report by Aaron McRann 
Be A Tourist In Your Own Town!
The Penticton Visitor Centre has produced an excellent coupon book with over 40 amazing discounts. Come in today to get your book and "Be A Tourist In Your Own Town!"
The first 2,000 books will be free, but when those are gone the books will be $2 each. In the last three days we've given out more than 800 books so don't delay. Come in to the Penticton Visitor Centre at 553 Railway Street and get your book before they're gone! |
| Business After Business
On May 28th, over 100 members enjoyed refreshments, appetizers and the Chocolate Fountain at the Morpheus Graphics Business After Business. Beautiful weather made the event an even bigger success! Thank you to all that attended.
The last mixer before the busy summer season was  held at the Kettle Valley Station Pub Patio. Although Mother Nature did not cooperate a good time was had by all!
Have a great summer and we will see you in September! |
| Literacy Now
Literacy Now was part of the Children's Festival in May and hopes to be a regular participant in the future. What a great venue to spread the word to families about the value of literacy and the many learning resources in our community.
Please click on the link below to view the entire newsletter.
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Crime Tip of the Month 
The Face of Fraud - It's not who you think
Believe it or not, there is no typical
fraud victim in Canada, but research finds that fraud victims are likely to be educated, informed, relatively affluent and involved in their communities.
Your risk of becoming a fraud victim is not linked to your age, ethnicity, income or geographic location. Scammers don't care about any of that - they just want your money.
You wouldn't fall for it?
Thousands of Canadians are defrauded each year. Scam artists are up to date and well organized. They use the latest trends and sophisticated techniques:
- Professional marketing materials;
- Well-crafted and researched telephone scripts, which are traded among criminals;
- Friendly tone and "generous" offers;
- Believable answers for your tough questions;
- Ability to impersonate legitimate businesses, charities, and causes; and,
- Expertise to use your own emotions against you.
These are professional criminals. They know what they are doing and, unfortunately for their victims, they do well.
For more comprehensive information, visit
www.bbbvan.org. |
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How to Make Your Store Interesting
Romance of Shadows, Curiosity of Vertical Planes |
Illumination and Proximity are 2 of the 12 languages of the mind.
Your feelings about an item are affected by the way it's illuminated.
Feelings of romance, intimacy, prestige and adventure are triggered by the hot spots and shadows of a campfire, a fireplace or a candle in a dimly lit room. Hot spots and shadows send signals that are rich, textured and varied. Upscale retail stores and restaurants, museums and cathedrals are filled with hot spots and shadows.
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VOICE OF BUSINESS
E-NEWSLETTER ADS
Advertising Space:
One Issue: $50.00
Two Issues: $42.50
Three or more Issues: $37.50
- Ads include a link to your website
- Reaches over 800 members and businesses via email
- Newsletters are posted on Chamber website
- Specifications: 200 x 400 pixels. JPEG, GIF or PDF format
Space is limited. Please call the Chamber at 250.492.4103 to book your ad. | |
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Photo by David Szabo Photography
NEW MEMBERS
Lee's Overseas Restaurant
John & Michelle Lee
139 Westminster Avenue W.
Penticton BC V2A 1J7
250-492-7172 |
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