CHAMBER CHAT - Week of February 24
Breakfast Chat with Cornerstone Recipients
Wilf Wilkinson & Kristin Crowe
A small but enthusiastic group of members gathered at our February breakfast to hear a bit more from Wilf Wilkinson and Kristin Crowe of their journey in business. While both have been recognized for their impact on the community as people, the conversation focused on the challenges of running and growing a business.

The message they shared in response to three basic questions was...
1) the bad times are the learning times and through them you get better
2) being involved in the community helps opportunity find you
3) never say no to an opportunity despite the fear or risk

And ultimately, never say no. Period. Give of yourself to the community, your team, your industry and you will end up feeling lucky.

Words to live by shared by Wilf, who at 90 (retired 20 years) but still actively working on his volunteer portfolio with Rotary - and Kristin, who a bit more than half his age, echoed wholeheartedly. Very different businesses, very different industries, very different circumstances - but the story of success they shared was the same.

We look forward to another panel in November!

March 25 Breakfast - what's happening with the local labour market?
sponsored by Centre for Workforce Development

April 29 Breakfast - MPP Todd Smith
sponsored by Ramada by Wyndham

May 27 Breakfast - Mayor Mitch Panciuk
sponsored by Bell
Peter Malone
- PCM Global Support Services -
got "Plaqued"
Celebrating his 10th anniversary in 2020!
Congratulations!!
Michael Carlesimo from the Belleville Senators is looking forward to tackling his 'honey-do' list with his brand new drywall saw gadget - courtesy of PCM Global.
Fari Munjana from Agilec is pretty excited about her magnetic screwdriver - courtesy of PCM Global
CONGRATULATIONS
- CLOUD BOOKKEEPING -
on your new home
@250 Sidney St.
LAST DAY TO APPLY!!!
It's almost MARCH!!!
It's time to get your spring wardrobe ready...
• The fourth annual Ontario Economic Report (OER) reveals opportunities where both business and government can focus to create an environment more conducive to small business success.
• The inaugural Small Business Friendliness Indicator (SBFI) measures Ontario’s competitiveness from the perspective of small businesses.
• For 2020, the SBFI score is -9, (on a scale of 100 to -100) indicating that the business environment poses some challenges for firms with fewer than 99 employees.
• However, through measures such as investment in online services and support for regulatory compliance, industry and government could improve that score.
• The SBFI is intended to provide an assessment of the ease of business in Ontario across seven different metrics; this year the scores for three metrics were positive: the helpfulness of the Province in starting a business, the ease of licensing, and the delivery of useful training and networking programs from a variety of sources. o The SBFI also revealed that small business owners are eager to embrace more online services from government, especially with respect to regulatory compliance.
• The Ontario Economic Report, including the Small Business Friendliness Indicator, is a useful tool to inform government on where to reduce barriers and increase investment to support business competitiveness across the province
Downtown District BIA
has a couple of TVs for sale... @$200
NOT VINTAGE (did it make you look?)
great wall mounts