Greetings Fellow Members of the Dufferin Business Community!

I hope that between the time when I write this and you read it that the sleet, snow, freezing rain and wind that we’ve experienced the last few days have turned to some sun and nicer weather. This winter much like Covid doesn’t want to completely let go.

Your Board of Trade has been busy over the last several weeks planning for the Industry Luncheon this Thursday, April 7^th with our partners from the Greater Dufferin Homebuilders Association and the Rotary Club of Orangeville. It is great to see this event return and it will be better still to see so many of you at it in person. It promises to be a great event that wouldn’t be possible without our many sponsors.

Next month DBOT will be holding its annual general meeting and I hope that many of you will tune in to see all of the hard work that gets done behind the scenes (mostly by our wonderful staff)! I urge you to participate in our board and consider one of the two openings that we currently have. It is a great group and I am sure that you would enjoy working with them as I do.

They are a little further down the line but planning is already underway for the Business Excellence Awards as well as municipal all candidates events both provincially and municipally in the fall.

If there is anything that DBOT can do to help your business thrive or to advocate on your behalf we will do our best to be there for you!

Doug Harkness BA, MBA

Chair-elect, Dufferin Board of Trade

doug@dufferinbot.ca

We have two upcoming vacancies on our Board of Directors. We are looking for local business owners or managers who can provide governance to our organization, help shape our strategic plan and priorities, and help local business.

Our board meets six times a year. The time commitment of a director is about 2-4 hours per month on average.

Email our Executive Director for an application form.

Meet over 30 of Dufferin's youngest entrepreneurs at the Dream Big Youth Market. Vendors aged 12-25 will be selling their handmade items while learning about running a business. Show your support for our young entrepreneurs and find some unique, locally-made treasurers.

Join us via Zoom for our 2022 AGM

We'll recap our successes from 2021 and share our exciting new projects coming up in 2022.

Redeem on a range of our great products and services.

No monthly service fee on your business chequing account for one year.

After the first year, save 30% on service fees for your business chequing account for as long as you're a Chamber member.

Dufferin County announces the return of the Bill Hill Scholarship program. Introduced by former Warden Hill in 2015, the program recognizes seven students who pursue post-secondary education and training in the areas of science and technology, business and social sciences, agriculture and environmental studies, arts, and skilled trades.

To qualify, students must submit a 300-word essay and proof of admission to a post-secondary institution or training program by May 15, 2022.

For more information and complete application details, click below.