News & Updates
Sometimes there's just too much information to fit into one monthly newsletter. February is a short month but there's lots happening. Please read on.
Upcoming Event
The 59th Annual Meeting of the Altona & District Chamber of Commerce Members will be held in mid-March via a virtual platform (either ZOOM or Recorded). It will include presentations by both Mayor Al Friesen and Reeve Don Wiebe, Greetings from MLA Josh Guenther, reports and finances. Plans and ideas for 2021, the Chamber's 60th Anniversary, will be discussed.
Please watch this space for further information and plan to join us
Shopping Local Made Easy
The Altona Chamber Bucks programs has been around for a long time. Did you know that anyone can purchase Chamber Bucks? Did you know they are available at the Chamber Office, the Town of Altona office and at the Sun Valley Co-op Gas Bar? And here's the best part: they can ONLY be spent at Altona Chamber Member businesses!! Get in on this fantastic local promotion - become a Member today.
Is a Chamber Membership
The Best Business Investment of 2021?
Value in Membership with thanks to Frank J. Kenny
We experienced a lot of firsts in 2020 and most of them weren’t great. But it was also a decent time of growth for some businesses. However, in most industries it was circumstances, not something that happened organically. You couldn’t have come close to predicting what the best business investment would have been if asked in January.
Many are struggling with the reality of COVID and are just feeling the raw emotion, the disappointment, the loneliness, the frustration. We may not fully comprehend it all until we’re able to look back years from now.
For businesses to be successful in the coming months, they will need to tailor their offerings to their audience’s needs and continue to evolve with those needs as restrictions and orders change.
Chamber membership has always been a good value but in 2020 and beyond it is essential. Many small businesses can no longer afford to do what the Chamber can do for them on their own, including:
  • advocacy
  • education
  • introductions and networking
  • marketing
  • promotions
Many businesses understand how the chamber provides these things but they may not yet realize how it can impact their businesses during this pandemic and through the recovery.
Chamber membership is always a sound business investment but in 2021, with many businesses watching where every dime goes, many are talking themselves out of joining. Even a few hundred dollars right now can seem enormous.
But if these businesses understand that the benefits from joining the Chamber and investing in the community outweighs the cost of not joining or they can see the value in the dues, they’ll be more likely to join. One of our local initiatives as it relates to the pandemic was to telephone many Altona businesses and asked how they were doing and what they needed to get through this and be successful? We provided information on the many federal and provincial government and local programs offered. We understood that many simply don’t have time or resources to figure this out on their own.
2021 does have the potential to be a year of growth; it all depends on where you choose to invest your resources.
We believe that the best business investment for 2021 is your Chamber Membership.
Please feel free to contact Cheryl at the Chamber office 204-324-8793 or email manager@shopaltona.com for more information.