Voice of Business Newsletter

July 2010

Photo by David Szabo Photography

IN THIS ISSUE

July Survey

Economic Development Report

Penticton & Wine Country Tourism Report

Penticton Visitor Centre Report

Membership Services Report

BC Chamber of Commerce

Monday Morning Memo

Monthly Survey Question

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

Click on the question mark to view this month's survey question regarding the impact of the HST.

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 priority for Penticton & Wine Country Tourism's next 5 year Marketing Plan?"

Sports Tourism 31%
Outdoor Adventure 38%

Wine Touring 23%

Arts & Culture 8%

Peaches & Beaches 46%

Note: percentages may not always equal 100% because more than one answer may be chosen by each respondent.

Economic Development Report by David Arsenault

The Penticton Regional Airport has been in the news for the past few weeks as many would like to see it reach its potential. The recent announcement by Canadian Helicopters www.canadianhelicopters.com is a step in the right direction for the community. This multi-million dollar expansion to their business in the community comes at the right time as a city lead airport task force will soon be working on a strategy to expand direct air services to Calgary and Edmonton. The expansion of operations at Canadian Helicopters will add new jobs to our economy and will have a significant spinoff effect to the local economy. The task force will also look at servicing at the airport to expand upon airport related business at the airport.

The high tech sector in Penticton has also received some good news as PSST www.psst1.ca a safety equipment innovator is close to the commercialization of their product for the public market. PSST systems have developed a safety device using RFID (radio waves) to eliminate contact incidents between people and mobile equipment. The product is capable of determining exact distances between moving mobile equipment, people and/ or objects. This company and its innovative product will not only save lives but it may be the right fit for those looking for an investment opportunity in local industry.

Saltworks Technologies Inc. is working on breakthrough Thermo-Ionic™ desalination technology harnessing renewable energy sources - dryness in the atmosphere and heat from the sun - to provide sustainable, low cost desalinated water with minimal environmental impact. Saltworks Technologies is positioned to commercialize a breakthrough desalination technology during a time of increasing freshwater scarcity, rising energy prices and mounting concerns over carbon impacts. The company is currently working on their product development at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory Penticton Research Facilities (DRAO) on White Lake Road. www.saltworkstech.com

Click Tributes has moved into Penticton's high tech incubator on Ellis Street. Click Tributes provides digital website solutions for the funeral industry. This product provides the industry with interactive functional software and better online features without rebuilding a website and aPro Multimedia Solution that provides unique graphic design, dynamic pages, interactive features, SEO, E-commerce, data base, corporate identity, logo, scriptwriting, integrated multimedia such as animation, video, sound --- and room to grow! www.clicktributes.com

Monarch Exterior Specialists, a Calgary based company, is expanding into the Okanagan and leasing space at the old Canwood site. Monarch is a supplier of siding soffit and fascia, Vinyl Brick, Stone and Fishscale Siding Specialty Vinyl Decking and Railing Products Eaves trough Supplies Aluminum Columns, Insulation, Siding Accessories, Tools, Louvers, Shutters and More.

As a community we continue to attract innovative and entrepreneurial individuals that see Penticton's potential: we are more than a place to visit, but a place to live and grow business. If you have the time, visit our innovative business community in the industrial sector to see for yourself that we are more than a one industry town.

Watch for more information on Penticton Economic Services and check out our website www.imaginepenticton.ca for more local business announcements. Stay Tuned!

David Arsenault MBA is Penticton's Economic Development Officer and a former college professor with Okanagan College. If you have good news stories related to business in Penticton contact 250-493-3323 or email

darsenault@penticton.org

Penticton & Wine Country Tourism Report by Jessie Campbell

I'm delighted to share with you my first report as Marketing Manager with Penticton & Wine Country Tourism. With Penticton as my hometown and a background that includes tourism marketing and PR for clients such as Tourism Yukon, I couldn't be more passionate about pushing Penticton's tourism industry to new heights.

July is shaping up to be an extremely busy month. A public "idea session" was hosted July 7, where all tourism stakeholders were invited to share their vision for the future. The outcome? Solid priorities identified for wine, culinary and cultural tourism, the traditional family beach vacation experience, sport tourism, and outdoor adventure, as well as meetings and conventions. Another prominent theme: taking advantage of marketing Penticton as the centre of the idyllic and unique South Okanagan region.

Along with hosting numerous visits from media, being part of the organizing committee for Duncan Keith's Stanley Cup Tribute on Saturday, July 17 at 12 noon at the SOEC (be there!), Penticton & Wine Country Tourism's efforts are firmly focused on the development of our new marketing strategy. Watch for more in the next newsletter!

For more information, Jessie can be reached at

(250) 490-2464 or by email jcampbell@penticton.org

Penticton Visitor Centre Report by Sherrie Burechailo

The Visitor Centre had a busy June and is looking forward to an even busier July! Just fewer than 11,000 visitors were tracked coming through our doors in June, slightly below last year's numbers at this time. Overall, tourists were waiting for the warmer, drier weather before heading to Penticton.

On behalf of the Visitor Centre staff and myself, I would like to extend a warm thank you to all of the attractions and accommodations who welcomed our staff to "familiarization" visits. FAM tours are important as they give our staff a first hand experience for accurate recommendations for our visitors.

It is easy to give our visitors plenty of options to choose for entertainment; live theatre, open air markets 4 days a week, cruises and tours, and the Penticton Speedway, just to name a few. For Hockey fans, a few notable events are coming up: the BC Hockey Hall of Fame July 24^th and further ahead the Canucks Training Camp / Young Stars Tournament and the World Junior Championships are sure to charge the SOEC with action!

This is an exciting and busy time of year in the Visitors Centre! Drop in and say hello if you have any questions about any of the services that we offer, or contact me at the information below.

Enjoy our fabulous Okanagan summer!

Sherrie can be reached at (250) 493-4055 or by email supervic@penticton.org

Membership Services Report by Andrea Davison

Twin Lakes Golf Business After Business

Business After Business

Our final Business After Business before the summer break was held on June 24th from 5 - 7 pm at beautiful Twin Lakes Golf Course. Over 120 people attended and there were many surprises and giveaways.

Business Excellence Seminar Series

May saw the implementation of the educational "Business Excellence Seminar Series." This undertaking has been designed to bring in a series of ongoing workshops that offer a broad range of topics to enhance and educate our members with the necessary tools and techniques for today's ever changing business markets. Designed for business owners, staff and individuals, these seminars offer everything from brushing up on customer service skills, to social media, current taxation information, human resources, conflict resolution, office computer software training and upgrading, with more in the works.

Each seminar under the "Business Excellence Seminar Series" umbrella is $45 for members and $65 for non-members. Watch for upcoming seminars in the fall!

New Website

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website www.penticton.org. Check out the great new look today!

BC Chamber of Commerce

From the Chair, Mike Watson

The AGM & Conference
The 2010 AGM & Conference held May 27-29 represents a significant shift for the BC Chamber. I would first like to thank everyone who attended. The enthusiastic participation and tremendous value which you brought to the AGM and policy sessions are what continue to drive the BC Chamber and make it the strong membership organization it is.

I also want to outline what made this past AGM so crucial for the future direction of the BC Chamber. We will now be moving forward with a new, more efficient Board governance structure. This change was driven by our membership and approved in a referendum ballot in late February. It will radically improve the Board's effectiveness and provide greater value to both our Chamber and business members. This is a stream-lined organization with a renewed mandate and I am very excited to be a part of it.

Central to the AGM was the number of new policy resolutions that were passed. Key among these is the new policy priority area you established, Reform of Local Government. This represents a departure for the chamber network in that we will be required to develop a coordinated approach to ensure that we are advancing shared solutions to shared problems at the local, as well as, the provincial level. This represents a unique and exciting opportunity for chambers across the province to work with us to advocate solutions that will ensure strong, sustainable and prosperous communities.

The three-day event was a busy one, with many well-received sessions each day tackling a wide range of issues. We had insightful and engaging presentations from a diverse array of speakers, including Olympians, the Premier, Cabinet Ministers and a Federal MP, "Cutting Edge of the Ledge," and inspirational entrepreneurs. It was an outstanding conference, our most important event of the year, and one of the best received conferences we have ever held. Building on this success, we are already turning our focus towards 2011 in Prince George.