by admin | Jun 17, 2019 | Chamber Blog
I’ve been working at the Burlington Chamber of Commerce for about 15 years now and I’ve noticed a fairly common misperception about what a Chamber of Commerce actually is.
Often when I’m out at an event, someone will ask me what I do for a living. When I tell them, I work at the Chamber of Commerce, it’s not uncommon for them to respond with a remark about city hall; they think the Chamber is a department of the city and that the Chamber is paid for with city taxes. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Burlington Chamber of Commerce is NOT a department of city hall, nor does it get any funding from city hall. The Chamber is a fully independent, non-profit business association. All of the Chamber’s funds come from membership dues and other activities (like many of the events that we host). Simply stated, your tax dollars do not fund the Chamber of Commerce.
As a matter of fact, Chamber by-laws do not permit any elected officials to sit on our Board of Directors (Board members must step down if they decide to run for office). This eliminates any conflicts of interest that could arise when the Chamber Board discusses policies that will be delivered to various levels of government. While the Chamber is not a part of city hall, we do work with city hall on behalf of our members. Our job is to act as an advocate for our members and represent our members’ views and needs to government; that is the extent of our relationship with city hall (and all levels of government). The role of the Burlington Chamber is to make Burlington a better place to live and work.
The separation between the city and the Chamber of Commerce is clear. They are two distinct organizations, each with its own mandate. The Chamber of Commerce is a completely separate entity from the city and exists solely to support the needs of its members.
by admin | Apr 5, 2019 | Chamber News
The 2019
Business Excellence Awards were presented at the Burlington Chamber of Commerce
Business Awards Gala on April 4 to the delight of the 510 business people in
attendance.
John
Goodwin, Chair of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, was
proud to announce the winners of the 2019 Business Excellence Awards. This year’s winners are:
- Manufacturer (Medium) Award: Battlefield Press
- Manufacturer (Large) Award: Umicore
- Retail / Wholesale Award: Global Fuels Inc.
- Not-for-Profit: Shifra Homes
- Service (Micro): FarAway Greens Indoor Golf
- Service (Small): Fairview Tire AutoPro
- Service (Medium): Thrillworks
- Service (Large): A.S.P. Security Services
- Young Entrepreneur Award: Erika MacKay, Niche for Design
- Employer of the Year: Innomotive Solutions Group
These 10
Burlington businesses demonstrate excellence in business leadership, community
contributions, entrepreneurship, sustainable environmental practices, employee
welfare, innovation and growth.
“Each
year a dedicated team of Chamber volunteers works countless hours into choosing
award recipients,” said John. “The calibre
of businesses operating in Burlington becomes more impressive each year. All of
tonight’s winners and finalists should be proud of their accomplishments.”
The
Chamber’s Business Awards Task Force is meticulous in its award criteria
and selection process. Through this process they sometimes find that in some
categories there are no nominated companies that met the highest standards
required for an award resulting in no award in that category. This speaks
not only to the integrity of the process, but to the high calibre of the
finalists and the winning companies.
Other
award winners who were honoured at the Gala were:
- Mayor’s Community Service Award – Business: Cogeco Connexion
- Mayor’s Community Service Award – Not-for-Profit: Burlington Food Bank
- Mayor’s Sustainable Green Business Award: Stratus Building Solutions
- BEDC Award for Excellence in Innovation and Technology: Precision Record
Pressing
- Tourism Builder Award: Barbara Teatero
The
Burlington Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business in Burlington and
advocates at the local, regional, provincial and federal levels on behalf of
1,000 companies representing 30,000 employees. The Chamber provides valuable
networking and education opportunities for its members by hosting over 80
events each year.
