ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Fernie Chamber of Commerce

102 Hiway 3

Fernie, BC V0B 1M0

250.423.6868 | FERNIECHAMBER.COM

FERNIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VISION

A vibrant organization recognized for its valuable contribution to the community.

MISSION

Strengthening commerce in the Fernie area.

WHAT IS A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

What does a Chamber do, and how does it add value. The Chamber value can be broken down

into three main categories, 1) confidence benefits, 2) social benefits, and 3) special treatment.

Confident consumer know who you are and trust you. A study by the Schapiro Group in 2012

found that Chamber members experience a 68% increase in patronage and 73% increase in

consumer awareness.

Communities benefit as Chambers promote economic development and act as business

advocates building strong business communities.

Members get special treatment in forms of product discounts, group health insurance savings,

exclusive member offerings and networking opportunities.

THREE LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP

EXPERIENCE

The Fernie Chamber of Commerce was established in 1902 as The Fernie Board of Trade. It was

established as a non-political and non-sectarian organization that would be purely for the

benefits of the town. At the time, there was a goal to lobby BC Government to bridge the Elk

River and Coal Creek, and to make good roads to the CPR Mill and other necessary

improvements.

Rich in history, the Fernie Chamber of Commerce was a founding member of the Canadian

Chamber of Commerce.

From the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual Report

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE It is my honor to deliver a review of the 2015

year for the Fernie Chamber of Commerce.

I would like to thank the Board of Directors

for their dedication, hard work and their

commitment to the mission and goals of the

Fernie Chamber in helping our members

grow their businesses in the Fernie area.

I would like to thank our staff, Patty Vadnais,

Renné Hooper, Amy Levesque, Stacey-Ann

Jones Clark, Michelle McMahon, Jordan

Mitchell, and Christine Thompson for all of

their hard work in growing the services that

the Fernie Chamber of Commerce and the

Visitor Information Centres offer to the

businesses and visitors to Fernie.

Our team worked hard this year meeting our strategic goals. Through new ideas, sponsorship

opportunities and the support of our partners we were able to offer enhanced services to our

members and visitors. Two new networking opportunities have been launched with great

success. Coffee and Convos is the first Wednesday of each month and Banter, Business, and

Beer is the third Wednesday of each month. These events are your opportunity to network, see

your neighbor, discuss topics of concern and see what The Chamber is offering.

We worked with members, citizens and the city by providing relevant information on mobile

food vending resulting in the adoption of a new bylaw in December. A number of focus groups

were brought together to work on items like labour shortages, the creation of the Ambassador

Program, and Angler Management. A Business Retention and Expansion survey has been

initiated with support from the City of Fernie, the Columbia Basin Trust and the Rural

Development Institute. This will provide the City and the Chamber with an economic baseline

for Fernie, as well as provide information to support policy decisions and grant proposals.

To all of the volunteers who helped the Fernie Chamber with its many events throughout 2015,

we could not have done it without you, thank you! Please continue to be generous with your

time in helping us promote great events and enhancing commerce and tourism in the Fernie

area.

To our Members, we are a membership organization, it is only with your support and

membership that we are able to strengthen commerce in Fernie.

To our partners, the City of Fernie, the Province of British Columbia, Columbia Basin Trust and

the Federal Government, thank you very much for your support in aiding us to provide the

services that we offer to our members.

Global Economic forces, and the value of the Canadian dollar are only a few of the factors that

continue to impact the success of our businesses in the Elk Valley. We will continue to look for

valuable ways to support each of you and the businesses that you represent.

In 2016, we will continue to strengthen the brand of the Chamber in Fernie, find more ways to

serve our members, focus on advocacy for our members, lobbying to ensure that policies are

effective for those within our membership.

In closing, my wish is for the Fernie Chamber of Commerce to see every business in the Fernie

area become a member, recognizing and supporting the work and goals of each of you and

contributing to the success of Fernie.

I look forward to what 2016 has to offer.

Sheila Byers Board President

MEETING OUR STRATEGIC GOALS The 2015 Strategic Plan was comprised of five key result areas: Financial Sustainability,

Membership and Membership Services, Advocacy, Chamber Brand and Governance.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY SUCCESSES:

Financial management that resulted in modest surplus

Secured funding for new projects including the Ambassador Program and the Business

Retention and Expansion Survey

Fund-raising events were profitable including the 2015 AGM and 2015 Community and Business

Excellence Awards

MEMBERSHIP & MEMBERSHIP SERVICES SUCCESSES:

Created two new networking events for membership (BB&B and Coffee & Convos),

with 230 attendees at the year’s events.

Launched the Member Profile Facebook post to highlight members social media

Advertising Mix providing a cost effective marketing option for members to increase their

community exposure

The Chamber welcomed 33

new members in 2015

ADVOCACY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUCCESSES:

Worked alongside the City by providing relevant information on mobile food vending, supported

the City’s adoption of a new bylaw in December 2015

Angler Management – wrote letters to MLA on behalf of angler members for the adoption of the

new Angler Management Plan

Initiated the Business Retention and Expansion survey. The Chamber sought support of Council

to complete a BR&E that will provide the City and the Chamber with an economic baseline for

Fernie, as well as provide information to support policy decisions and grant proposals.

Co-ordinated and hosted federal election forum for Elk Valley in collaboration with Sparwood

and Elkford Chambers.

THE CHAMBER BRAND SUCCESSES:

A new marketing committee was called that has been working on Chamber image and

messaging. Changes will continue to roll out in 2016.

Increased frequency of e-newsletter to keep members up-to-date on Chamber activities and

success as well as community events.

Introduced the Community Planning Calendar. This calendar is designed to help people save-

the-date for big events and avoid planning two big events on the same weekend.

http://www.ferniechamber.com/whats-new/calendar/month

GOVERNANCE SUCCESSES:

A renewed focus was put on being a policy governance board. The board has approved

individual board performance and board performance evaluation forms.

Adopted in early 2016 was a complete Governing Policies document.

Board is focusing on strategic direction and overarching goals while staff is seeing to operations.

OUTLOOK TO 2016

2016 STRATEGY AT A GLANCE OUTCOMES OF SUCCESS

In November of 2015, the board of directors gathered for a day-long strategic planning session

professionally facilitated by Steve Baines. The board felt the pillars of Financial Sustainability,

Membership Services, Advocacy and Economic Development, Chamber Brand, and Governance

were still relevant from the 2015 plan. The outcomes for success under each pillar were

reviewed and updated. Chamber staff has built action plans and goals to achieve the outcomes

listed above.

Financial

Sustainability

Membership

Services

Advocacy &

Economic

Development

Chamber

Brand

Governance

Diversified

revenue

streams, non-

dues

Financial

controls and

expenses

management

Strong

membership

structure

Profitable

events

Valued

programing:

m2m benefits,

mentorship,

discounts

Connecting

network events:

b2b, b2gov’t

Engaged

membership

Effective

communication

Effective

membership

structure

Issues

identification

process

Red tape

reduction

Member driven

advocacy

Relationship

with all gov’t

levels

Be the Hub

Consistent

messaging

Effective

communication

Calculated risk

management

and expanding

boundaries

Accountability

Team building

Educated

governance

Representation

of membership

views

Vision

Development

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

MEMBERSHIP 254 members

85% Retention rate

39 members are taking advantage of the Chamber of Commerce Group Insurance Plan.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS The program celebrated and honored Fernie

business excellence.

Sold out Awards Gala hosting 250 guests

The community submitted 125 nominations

with 60 businesses nominated

15 excellence awards were presented to

community and business leaders

CONNECTING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY Hosted a Business to Business tradeshow; sold out with 15 member exhibitors in May 2015.

Coffee and Conversations - Introduced in June 2015 as a way to connect with the membership,

the Chamber hosted 11 throughout the year with 78 attendees. .

As members expressed the coffee meetings may be a bit early for some, the Banter, Business,

and Beer option began September 23 and seven have been hosted at member businesses with

152 attendees.

SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

Customer Service Excellence Seminar

Recruitment and Retention Seminar

Winter Planning Forum

New Member Orientation

Seminars and Workshops in 2015 had 70 attendees

SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH Facebook - 387 to 582 likes by December 2015

Twitter - 860 followers to 1010 by December 2015

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sheila Byers President Park Vacation Management Ltd.

Graeme Nunn Vice-President Rockies Law Corp

Tristan Woods Treasurer TD Canada Trust

Todd Fyfe Past President Fernie Real Estate Company

Paul Arcoite Director-at-large Urban Settler

Anita Palmer Director-at-large College of the Rockies

Steve Preston Director-at-large Scotiabank

Alicia Clarke Director-at-large Grow Children’s Boutique

Vanessa Croome Director-at-large Claris Media

Ryan Frazer Director-at-large ReMax Realty

Geof Hare Director-at-large BoardStiff

Tammy Ogden Director-at-large TECK

COMMITTEE LISTING

GOVERNANCE, Sheila Byers, Vanessa Croome, Todd Fyfe, Graeme Nunn, and Tammy Ogden

MEMBERSHIP, Vanessa Croome, Aysha Haines, and Geof Hare,

MARKETING TASK FORCE Vanessa Croome, Phil Gadd, Scott Gilmet, Andrea Horton, and Abi Moore

BUSINESS AWARDS COMMITTEE Aysha Haines, Rebecca Hall, Renné Hooper, and Randal MacNair

STAFF LISTING Patty Vadnais Executive Director

Renné Hooper Membership Services Coordinator

Amy Levesque Visitor Information Counsellor (summer 2015/winter 2016)

Jordan Mitchell Visitor Information Counsellor (summer/fall 2015)

Stacey-Ann Clarke Griz Days Event Coordinator (contract position)

Christine Thompson Visitor Information Counsellor, downtown

Cory Dvorak Visitor Information Counsellor, downtown

PARTNERSHIPS British Columbia Chamber Executives

British Columbia Chamber of Commerce

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

City of Fernie

Columbia Basin Trust

Elk Valley Economic Initiative

Fernie and District Historical Society

Fernie Arts Council

Imagine Kootenay

Regional District of East Kootenay

Resort Development Strategy Advisory Working Group

Tourism Fernie

MEMBERSHIP LISTING 1st Choice Realty 6:8 Photography A&W (Fernie Burger Company Inc.) Align Surveys Ltd. Alpine Cougar Chalet Alpine Lodge Fernie (Associate - Yamagoya) Alpine Toyota Alpine Trails Mountain Community Amundsen Electric Angela Morgan Inc. Ann's Independent Apex Power & Automation A-Z Contracting Barbara Lynn's Country Inn Barkside Pets Best Western Plus Fernie Mountain Lodge Big Bang Bagels Birch Meadows Lodge B&B Black Pine Builders Boardstiff Boston Pizza / Crocus Foods Brecan Building Supplies Bridge Bistro Buds & Blooms Build Train Contracting LTD/ D's Drywall Bull River Adventures/ Total Outdoor Adventures Canadian Tire Canyon Raft Company Capasiti Consulting Causeway Bay Sparwood Hotel Cinch Homes City of Fernie Claris Media Clarkson Contracting Ltd. Clawhammer Press Coal Town Goods College of the Rockies Columbia Basin Trust Columbia Copiers Community Futures East Kootenay Community Listing Service Cook's Electrical Services Ltd. Copper-Tip Plumbing and Heating

CP Catering Crumbs Cakery & Café Delyea Art DLC East Kootenay Mortgage Down to Earth Excavating Dr. Karley Denoon, N.D. (Naturopath) East Kootenay Community Credit Union East Kootenay Motel Ltd. Edge of the World E-KNOW Elevation Industries Elk River Guiding Company Inc. Elk River Mountain Homes

Elk Valley Bookkeeping Elk Valley Denture Clinic Ltd. Elk Valley Electrical Elk Valley Employment Centre//Canadian Mental Health Assoc. Elk Valley Family Chiropractic Ltd. Elk Valley Hospice Elk Valley Painting & Decorating Elk Valley Pizza Shoppe Elk Valley Precision Carpentry Etheridge Law Evolution Health and Fitness F.I.R.E. Fernie & District Arts Council (Arts Station) Fernie & District Historical Society (Museum) Fernie Alpine Resort Fernie Arts Co-op Fernie Athletic Therapy and Rehabilitation Fernie Auto Parts Fernie Bookkeeping Fernie Brewing Company Fernie Cardlock Fernie Central Reservations Fernie Child Care Society Fernie Chrysler Fernie Complete Cuisine and Catering Fernie Creative Minds Preschool Fernie Ford Sales Ltd. Fernie Forge, Eye of the Needle Fernie Garden Centre Fernie Ghostriders Hockey Fernie Golf & Country Club Fernie Home Building Centre Fernie Lodging Company Fernie Meat Market Fernie Mountain Bike Club Fernie Mountain Lawn Care Fernie Mountain Spirits Fernie Optometric Clinic/ Rocky Mountain Optometry Fernie Professional Firefighters Fernie Property Care Fernie Public Library Fernie Puppy School Fernie Real Estate Company Ltd. Fernie Rentals Ltd. Fernie RV Resort

Fernie Snowmobile Association Fernie Wilderness Adventures Fernie Wood Finishing Finning Canada Foothills Silva Culture Inc. FR Rentals Free Press, The Freshies Coffee Gather Dust Gearhub Enterprises Ghostrider Motorsports Ghostrider Trading Co. Giv'er Shirt Works Gloria Doehle Bookkeeping Goldstar Cleaning Services Good Earth Natural Alternatives GPI Chartered Accountants Graceland Builders Gravelle, Marian - Notary Public Grow Children's and Maternity Haddad Financial Services Happy Cow Ice Cream & Desserts Healing Hollow Hempire Hospitality Associates Hub International Barton Insurance IGS Value Drug Mart Inspired Living Design Interior Envy Intermountain Specialties Inc. Ion Integrity Consulting Inc. ISL Engineering and Land Services Island Lake Resort Group Inc. Isosceles Business Systems Jordan Earl Contracting Josie Majury Design Jude Smith Keenan Development Group Kimberley Riverside Campground Knox United Church Koocanusa Lake Campsite & Marina Ltd. Koocanusa Publications Ltd. Kootenay Taxi Ltd. Larsen & Whelan Enterprises Inc. Leffler Law Office Leppard Technology Solutions Lilac Media

Linda Krawczyk Lizard Creek Lodge Loaf Bakery Lunchbox Lysh Hair Salon Majic & Purdy McDonald Ranch and Lumber McDonald's Restaurant McElhanney Melanie Wortley CGA Minifie, Vincent B.A. CGA Mountain High River Adventures Mountain High Travel and Tours Mountain Ink Mountain Ledger Mountain View Dental/Dr. D.P. Demmings Mow and Snow Land Care NCL Installations Inc. Nevados Restaurant Newgate Sandy Shores Resort NonStop Ski Not Just Pizza Nufloors Oak on Fire Coaching Odyssey Clothing OCD Adventures Old Nurses Residence B&B Oolichen Books Parastone Developments Ltd. Park Place Lodge (associate) Park Vacation Management Patti's Party Tent Rental PEAK Speech Language Partners Perfect Circle Management Polar Peek Books and Treasures Predictive Inspections Ltd. PropertyGuys.com East Kootenay & Crowsnest Quail, Douglas Quality for Less Furniture Inc. R&K Contracting Bobcat Service Raging Elk Hostel Re/Max Elk Valley Realty Red Tree Lodge Rigby Built Construction Rigby Sign Rivercity Woodworks & Mountain Homes Rockies Law Corporation

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Rotary Club of Fernie, The Royal Lepage East Kootenay Realty S2 Builders Ltd (formerly 'From the Ground Up') Salvation Army Sandman Inn Cranbrook Savage Marketing Save-On Foods Schnell Carpentry Scotiabank Seekers Media Ski Base aka - Red Tree Sports Snow Valley Consulting Snow Valley Motel Snow Valley Spa & Leisure Snowy Peaks RV & Trailer Court Soar Cycle Studio South Country Services Ltd. Southeast Contracting and Disposal Spa 901 (J.L. Spa Therapies) Sparling East Medical Centre Stanford Inn Starbucks Coffee Company Stephanie's Glass and Art Studio Subway Fernie

Representing 254 successful and diverse

businesses and organization in Fernie and area.

Sukha Lifestyle Studio Super 8 Motel (Peacock Hospitality) TD Canada Trust TECK Telus The Brick House The Castle on First The Chopstick Truck The Curry Bowl THE DRIVE- CJDR Radio-Jim Paterson Group The Fernie Academy Society The Fernie Hotel and Pub The Green Petal The Guides Hut + Fernie Bike Guides The Old Hamilton Bank Building The Quest Outdoor Sports The Royal

The Tipple The Vogue Theatre Three Sisters Day Spa Tim Hortons TJ's Autobody Total Maintenance Services Tourism Fernie Travelodge Three Sisters Urban Settler VM Travel Adventures Western Financial Westland Insurance White Ladder Painting Wildsight/Elk Valley Branch Will-o-bend Golf & RV Wortley, Paul Yamagoya Japanese Restaurant

SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS

VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS – TOTAL VISITORS Between the highway and downtown locations was a 6% increase of visitors in 2015 over 2014.

The two locations welcomed nearly 30,000 visitors to Fernie.

HIGHWAY VISITORS 2012 ....................................... 11,887

2013 ....................................... 12,501

2014 ....................................... 11,998

2015 ....................................... 11,049 -7%

DOWNTOWN VISITORS 2012 ....................................... 15,106

2013 ....................................... 12,569

2014 ....................................... 12,431

2015 ....................................... 14,928 20%

The Visitor Information Services provided by the Chamber of

Commerce are part of the Visitor Service Network administered

by Destination BC. It is exciting that Destination BC has

confirmed their financial support to Fernie’s Visitor Information

Center for the next three years. This is a change from the

previous year-to-year decisions being made.

The Chamber continues to secure and pursue other funding

options to assist in visitor service operations including wage

subsidy programs through Columbia Basin Trust, retail sales, and sani dump donation.

Looking forward to 2016, there will be a focus on continuous improvement to the guest

interactions, stats collections (on-site and at events), and financial management.

The working relationship

between the Fernie

Museum and Chamber is

strong. Together we have

been able to find creative

solutions to ensure full-

time work to staff. This

has allowed us to keep

valuable, trained staff

while maximizing dollars

available.

“Visitor Centers are always

my first stop in a new town. I

saw the big i coming into

town and followed it.”

Kim Anderson,

Hailey, ID

COMMUNITY PLANNING CALENDAR Under the Visitor Center umbrella, the Chamber started the Community Planning Calendar –

found at http://www.ferniechamber.com/whats-new/calendar

This simple calendar list major events and activities happening in town. Our visitor information

counselors seek out information on annual events and post them. Event organizers can use the

calendar to plan large events and avoid overlap in competing events or create synergies

between complimentary events.

SUMMER SOCIALS This year we introduced a new format to the Sunday

Socials. Each Sunday, with exception of the first, had a

theme which supported the organizations invited out as

well as the activities on the street. This in-turn made the

streets lively, full of action and benefited a local non-

profit by way of a fundraising BBQ.

Patios were full and lively, businesses such as Elevation,

The Guide’s Hut, Nevados and Big Bang noted being busy

with customers. Vendors like 6:8 Photography felt the

Sunday Socials were a great way to get their name out

there for photo booth rentals.

Attendees were a mix of locals and tourists, both of

which had positive comments about the event, activities and community spirit it put forth.

Visitors from Calgary said they loved the idea of a community art day and thought it was

fantastic to see people of all ages take part in painting the derby car.

GRIZ DAYS 2016 The 39th staging of Fernie Griz Days took place March 4-6, 2016. The festival featured events all

across town and at Fernie Alpine Resort. Joining old favorite events like the Extreme Griz and

Dummy Downhill were new events like the Griz Pub Crawl and Ski with Griz. Griz Days also

launched a website this year - www.ferniegrizdays.com and started a magazine that went out

three weeks prior to the event which contributed to better event attendance all weekend.

60 volunteers put in over 175

volunteer hours

Griz Days is a community wide event. This year, a number of organizations benefited from fund-

raising efforts during the week. Some community impact examples include:

Elk Valley Hospital Foundation Raised over $15,000

Griz Days Country Stomp II

Shelter Box Raised $4,785 with the Griz Jail

Fernie Food Bank $1500 from Griz Pins proceeds

Fernie Adaptive Ski Program $1500 from Griz Pins proceeds

Fernie Hustlers Hockey Team $300 from Refreshment Garden profits

Association francophone des Rocheuses du sud $300 from Refreshment Garden profits

Christian Youth Association $500 Donation for Pancake Breakfast

Fernie Girl Guides Over $350 from concession at Station

Square - Friday

Fernie Pet Society Over $300 from concession at Station

Square – Saturday

IN THE NEWS

THANK-YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS: