Voice of Business

Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce

Welcome

New Members

Riverside Fitness & Health

Visitors' Choice - Penticton, Oliver & Osoyoos

New Beginnings Church

P.E.A.C.H.E.S Daycare

Phone: 250.493.7299

Credible Cremation Services Ltd.

Ten Thousand Villages

Mills Basics

Konanz Chiropractic

Phone: 250.493.8929

Mossy Rock Hemp & Natural Knits

Phone: 250.496.5070

Okanagan Barter Network

Central Interior Traffic Control 2004

Phone: 250.488.0860

Quick Links

General Manager's Report by Erin Hanson

HST

Ballots for the June 24^th HST referendum will soon be in British Columbia mailboxes. The tax format is a key aspect of the future landscape for BC business. Your Chamber believes the HST is in the best interests of the provincial economy as a whole because it lowers business operating costs and is an investment attraction. It is critical that voters understand the full implications their choice in the referendum will make. A 'no' vote means not only loss of the value-added tax system benefits but also significant costs to put the old PST and GST system back in place. I want to encourage our members to weigh the facts, consider what is at stake, and engage in the decision. Follow the links on our website www.penticton.org for HST facts and referendum details.

April 18^th All-Candidates Forum

This is a great opportunity to hear the different perspectives of your regional candidates. Join us Monday at 7:00pm sharp at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre, Salon C. The Chamber wishes to thank the BC Tree Fruit Association for their co-sponsorship of this event.

Erin can be reached by calling 250.492.4103 or via email at ehanson@penticton.org

Economic Development Report by David Arsenault

It is not always easy to build a business in a small market and that is why Penticton Economic Development Services is hosting a "Going Global' workshop on May 3^rd, 2011. If you are thinking about expanding your market and building your business then this event is something that you do not want to miss. The going global workshop will focus on several key aspects of doing business internationally, including:

the current forces of globalization
how business conditions and practices differ from country to country
market entry strategies for exporting to foreign direct investment
exchange rates and getting paid and risk management
market and competitive intelligence

Find out more on how the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service with offices in over 150 international locations can help you expand your potential and assist you in reaching new customers.

Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Time: Registration at 1:30 pm

Seminar begins at 2 pm and will be followed by a networking reception at 5 pm

Location: Chamber of Commerce Boardroom

Cost: $25/person and includes the networking reception

Call 250.492.4103 to register today!

Our Okanagan

We are lucky to have such diverse products and services here at home in the Okanagan valley. Despite the fact consumers could walk down the street of any Okanagan town and have products and services available to them locally, many consumers choose to shop online.

BIA/Kelsey research found in their latest survey that 97% of the respondents go online to source products and services. Unfortunately when Google searches the net, local companies are often bypassed in the search.

As we come out of an economic downturn, shopping local is more important than ever to keep businesses open and jobs in our communities. Our Okanagan is an easy way to see what we have locally.

If you're a business in the valley, www.ourokanagan.ca provides you the opportunity to source local suppliers, as well as to be sourced as a local supplier if you register a profile.

Bookmark www.ourokanagan.ca and use it often, and create a profile to showcase your products and services valley wide.

Literacy Now

Literacy Now South Okanagan Similkameen actively supports members of our communities and helps people find out about literacy activities, services and programs across the region.

One of Literacy Now's priorities is Workplace Literacy. Check out this month's Buzz to find out how local businesses have been rewarded for supporting their employees.

Workplace Literacy Recognition Program

Do you know of a business that puts its employees first? Literacy Now wishes to recognize businesses that support a learning environment for staff. Are staff encouraged to increase their basic skills? Are schedules flexible to allow for upgrading or essential skills training? If you know of a business that supports employees in this way, please fill in the nomination form and let us provide the recognition the business deserves.

Nomination Form

Please click on the link below to view "The Buzz on Literacy" monthly newsletter.

April newsletter

Our Attraction to Brands

Brands are extensions of belief systems. You are attracted to a brand when it stands for something you believe in.

We buy what we buy - most of it, anyway -
1. to remind ourselves and
2. tell the world around us who we are.

Brands are identity reinforcement, just like art and architecture and music. Brands are a way of shouting "This is me!"

Does it make you uncomfortable for me to suggest that we are such shallow and uncertain creatures that we feel the need to anchor our identities through purchases and acquisitions?

I'm sorry. I'll change the subject.

Want to Contact Us?

Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce l 553 Railway Street l Penticton, BC

Phone: 250.492.4103 l Fax: 250.492.6119 l admin@penticton.org l www.penticton.org