Peterborough, ON, August 22, 2016:
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has announced the three finalists for the 2016 Canadian Chamber Competition:

• Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
• Burnaby Board of Trade
• Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Each year members of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce gather for their Annual General Meeting, the 2016 meeting is taking place in Regina, Saskatchewan, September 16 – 19. As part of the AGM the Canadian Chamber holds a competition based on a relevant theme. This year the theme was “Membership in the Age of Google, How Our Chamber is Reinventing ourselves”. The aim of the competition is to profile chambers of commerce that are innovative in their approach, particularly as it pertains to the theme.

The Peterborough Chamber submission focussed on the rebranding of our chamber under the “Strengthening Business” banner, as both a slogan and a way of doing business. The key elements included:

The advocacy/lobbying work we do on behalf of our members, including:

• A weekly full page newspaper column
• A weekly 3-minute television feature
• A new annual event called The Power Hour, featuring all four locally elected leaders
• A new annual event called The Business Summit, targeted at professional development
• Amplifying our efforts with a strategic marketing plan
• The call for a #TeamPtbo approach to economic development

​A renewed focus on member fulfillment, helping our members by:

• Helping them take advantage of our marketing opportunities, such as:
• Utilizing our Social Media channels
• Attending our award winning PBX events
• Providing relevant free education/training programming
• Dealing with issues specific to their business

The creation of the Holistic Group, providing programming to health and wellness practitioners

The rebranding project has helped increase awareness of the Chamber and the core work we do.

“Our members drive us, and channeling the collective strength of the business community gives us a focused voice on a variety of issues. Apart from the lobbying work we do, helping our members grow helps the local economy.”  Stuart Harrison, President and CEO Peterborough Chamber of Commerce

“This is well deserved recognition for the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, reflecting the business community's engagement in the community where they do business, as well as the great work by the staff at the Chamber who nurture discussions on how we can continue to grow our businesses, thereby improving the overall health of our community. Peterborough's strength is built on the incredible efforts of the many volunteers, community groups, businesses and organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce. Well done.” Daryl Bennett

For further information contact:
Stuart Harrison, President and CEO
Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
E-mail: stuart@peterboroughchamber.ca
​Phone: (705) 748-9771 ext.202

PETERBOROUGH: The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the finalists for our 13th Annual Peterborough Business Excellence Awards, which publicly recognize and honour local businesses that have demonstrated a passion for excellence.

These companies will be recognized, and the recipients revealed, at the 13th Annual Excellence Awards Dinner being held on Wednesday, October 19that The Trentwinds International Centre, 264 Lansdowne Street East from 5:30pm to 10pm.  Awards will be handed out in 18 categories, plus the 4-Under-40 Profiles, Student Business Leadership Bursaries, and the prestigious Business Citizen of the Year Award.  

Tickets can be ordered online at www.excellencepeterborough.ca or by calling the Chamber of Commerce at 705-748-9771 x0.

The Chamber gratefully acknowledges the many members of the organizing committee and the strong commitment from our sponsors - our event sponsor, Bell; our Business Citizen of the Year sponsor, Nexicom; and all individual category sponsors.  Please see the attached list of categories and sponsors. 

The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is a member-based organization serving around 900 businesses in the Peterborough area.
Our main focus is to channel the collective strength of the business community to improve the economy.    

Contact:
Sandra Dueck, Policy Analyst/Communications Specialist
Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
705.748.9771 x215
sandra@peterboroughchamber.ca