The Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to the future with new energy.
“Coming out of the pandemic, people are excited about the direction we’re going in,” said Tamara Garreau of business in the region. Garreau is the new executive director for the chamber, who took on the role starting in July. She came to the position from over 20 years with the Cariboo Friendship Centre and social services.
Paul French, president of the chamber, said Garreau is an incredible person to have in the facility to support both the chamber and tourism.
For her part, Garreau said coming from the social services sector means she takes things in stride and while the role at the chamber is busy, she enjoys the opportunity to lobby government in a more direct way and talking to businesses is a new lens for her.
“Learning that area is interesting,” she said.
The chamber provides a collective voice for businesses in the region, maintaining relationships with all the local area politicians and French noted Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson attends their monthly meetings.
Members of the chamber fund the organization, which French explained works on behalf of businesses to look out for their interests in relation to upper levels of government. Businesses range from smaller home-based businesses all the way up to industrial mill operations. Funding from the city of Williams Lake provides support for operating the building itself and the tourism facility.
Garreau said she enjoyed attending the 2023 AGM and Conference of the BC Chamber of Commerce Conference in Whistler, learning about how chambers from across the province work together to submit proposed policies to the government.
There will be no big awards gala this year for the local chamber while Garreau gets situated in her role managing both the chamber itself and the building for the Tourism Discovery Centre, but the business excellence awards will return next year.
As Garreau and French updated the Tribune on the chamber, the building was set up and decorated to receive Interior Health staff for an event.
The building is rented out for events regularly, and Garreau had back-to-back events that week, with more to prep for this month, like the chamber social on Oct. 20, open to everyone, as well as the chamber AGM on Oct. 26. The social will include live music and refreshments and is being held as a way for people to connect with local businesses. The cost to attend is $35 for non-members, $30 for members.
The chamber itself hosts monthly meetings for information sharing amongst members, and brings in speakers to provide support for business owners from funding opportunities for businesses to educational opportunities. Chamber members have access to online resources as well, including access to an online summit hosted by the BC Chamber of Commerce with five different training sessions on topics such as transforming your organization with artificial intelligence, how businesses can engage in reconciliation and how to use social purpose to drive growth.
There are currently around 225 member businesses at the chamber, having dropped from around 300 before Covid.
“We’re hoping to get that number back up,” said Garreau.
READ MORE: Williams Lake Chamber Expo coming up Sept. 16
READ MORE: Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce announces new executive director
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