Feb./Mar., 2014

Volume 14, Issue 1

KawarthaChamber.ca

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

President’s Message .......................... 2

Annual General Meeting .................... 3

Congrats, Welcome & Goodbye ......... 3

Your Local Guide to Business ............ 4

Membership Investment Options ....... 4

Business Assistance Services ............. 5

Member News .................................. 6

National Media Visiting ...................... 7

Ontario & Canadian Chambers .......... 7

Winter Festivals ................................ 7

Coming Events ................................. 8

BRANDING INITIATIVE

Many thanks to the over 30 people who attended our January Business After

Hours which was a Branding Session. Sponsors for the evening were: Lead the

Way Group of Clinics, Lakefield Foodland and the Royal Canadian

Legion, Branch 77. The Ladies Auxiliary prepared a super batch of chili!

Our new Strategic Plan was approved in the fall of 2013. You can review the

completed plan and our five directions here. Our ‘membership to value’

direction (see page 11 of the Plan) calls for a review of the Chamber’s name,

tagline, brand identity and brand story to ensure that it resonates with and is

championed by members. Our ‘destination with appeal’ direction (see page

12 of the Plan) indicates that to better serve our members, the Chamber will

strengthen its role in the promotion of the region as a destination for seasonal

residents, day trippers and tourists. These are the two directions that are being

addressed during the Branding Initiative.

Membership to Value: We will be considering the name and corporate identity

of the Chamber as an organization. During the Strategic Planning process we

gathered some useful feedback and comments with respect to this. More

feedback will be requested on this aspect as we move forward.

Destination with Appeal: We are looking at this with the broadest definition of

‘destination’ – both the physical place as a destination as well as our website. We

also intend to focus on a broad market – not just the ‘true tourist.’ We want to

make sure that seasonal residents and those in nearby communities, such as the

City of Peterborough, are aware of the services and products that the businesses

in our region have to offer.

It was also acknowledged during the Strategic Planning process that

implementation of these two directions would require a significant refresh or

complete redesign of our website. The thinking here is that the current site is

very corporate and it focuses on providing information that is of interest to our

members. This information is certainly still required on the Chamber’s site, but

the Home Page and many other pages would become more consumer focused –

attracting consumers to and making it much easier for them to find the

businesses in our Directory, special offers and coupons offered by the

businesses, events & activities, etc.

Please do not hesitate to forward any questions or thoughts you might have to

Sherry Boyce-Found (generalmanager@kawarthachamber.ca) or any member of

the Branding Task Force: Heather Sadler (hsadler@ecovueconsulting.com), Kris

Keller (kris.keller@rbc.com), Gillian Exton (gill@two-fish.ca) and Alan Pinn

(alanpinn@cogeco.ca).

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Chamber Board Mtg. - Mon. Feb. 10th

AGM - Wed. Feb. 19th

BAH: New Member Welcome - Tue.

March 4

Chamber Board mtg. - Mon. Mar. 17th

BAH: Lakefield College School & Greater

Peterborough Chamber - Tue. April 1st

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Well, is it cold enuf fer ya?

What a winter it has been, but of course that is a good thing for all those who enjoy the snow and the cold crisp days here in the Kawartha Lakes! After several very poor years for snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and snowshoe-ers, it couldn’t be better!

Winter is a time for the rest of us, those who are less keen on freezing temperatures, to catch up on inside things and to plan for the warmer days that come with springtime. It’s also a time for some of us to escape to sunnier climes for a few days, weeks or even longer, if we are able. Safe travels to those who are headed south in the coming weeks!

Over the course of this winter the Chamber has been continuing to reflect on how we can best serve our members and our member’s customers over the coming year/s. We can’t do it alone, so along with our consultants Small World Marketing, we will be continuing to ask for your ideas and reactions to suggestions as our Branding Exercise unfolds. We are wondering, “How should we describe who we are, what we do, what we can offer and what makes us special?” Once we have that figured out, we will be in a better position to effectively communicate that information to others near and not so near!

We recognize that sometimes it is difficult to tear ourselves away from the business of running a business. Often it is hard for us to put our finger on how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, how each of our own businesses are connected to others. Living within the “East Kawartha” community and typically within smaller communities such as Woodview, Hall’s Glen, Lakehurst, Galway, Douro and Youngstown, we are connected in ways that are very special.

The Chamber wants to help strengthen those ties and to help to build new ones, so that together we can go forward from a point of strength.

I hope you will be able to join us for our Annual General Meeting on February 19, at 5:30 pm at the Village Inn in Lakefield. As always, you have the chance to weigh in on how we are doing. Our Annual Report will be circulated to you and copies of the financial statements will be available at the meeting. We will share some news about the Branding initiative and other activities around the area. I look forward to seeing you there.

Meanwhile, try to stay warm and think spring!!!

Heather

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Heather Sadler,

Board President

“How should we describe who we are, what we do, what we

can offer and what makes us special?”

AGM, Wednesday,

February 19th

5:30 - 6:30

The Village Inn

39 Queen St.

Lakefield

2014/15 Slate of

Directors

Those beginning the

second year of a two-year

term:

Bryan Kingdon, Irwin,

Sargent & Lowes

Dan Rosborough,

Rosborough Accounting &

Consulting

Esther Inglis, Gallery on

the Lake

Heather Sadler, EcoVue

Consulting Services

Kevin Dyck, Kingdon

Timber Mart

Those nominated to renew

or begin a two-year term:

Brian Harrington,

Clearview Cottage Resort

Chris Wilson, Let’s Get

Digital

Gillian Exton, Stuff

John Penny, JC Penny

Accounting & Tax Services

Kathy Newton, Eastview

Property Management

Kris Keller, RBC

Tom Podd, Ennismore

Automotive Repair

Tracy Logan, Logan Tree

Experts

The Board encourages all members to join us for the AGM, Wed. Feb. 19th, 5:30 - 6:30 at the Village Inn, Lakefield. The agenda will include:

2013 highlights

Nominating Committee will present

the slate of directors for the coming year (see list on right). Nominations from the floor will also be accepted. While the slate meets the minimum number required, additional Directors can be

accommodated. Contact the office for more details.

Executive will be elected at the first

meeting of the new Board - on March 17, 2014.

Network with fellow members over

light refreshments.

Draw prizes! If you wish to

contribute an item, please call the office.

The Annual Report will be

circulated prior to the AGM.

If you’ve ever considered volunteering for a committee or the Board, the AGM is an excellent opportunity to meet the current Board and chat with them about some of the things they

do and what it means to contribute to the Chamber in that role.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

CONGRATS, WELCOME & GOODBYE

The Chamber’s Business Office has had some comings and goings since our last Newsletter.

Jasmine Sager, Marketing & Membership Coordinator left us the end of December to make ready for her new bundle of joy, Hadley Dawn, who arrived on January 14th. Jasmine’s professionalism and easy going nature will certainly be missed.

Tammy Underwood, our Administrative Assistant will be acting in the Marketing & Membership role until we move forward with filling the position. This will happen once future directions are determined with the Branding Initiative.

We welcome Angie Butwell, who joined us in January as the Acting Administrative Assistant. Angie and her family live locally so she has a great sense of the community. She brings experience as a bookkeeper and frontline staff member. Be sure to introduce yourself at the AGM.

At the end of January, we bid farewell to Jacob Tarala, our Co-op Student from Lakefield DHS. We greatly appreciated Jacob’s help during our very busy fall period with Gala preparations and we put his computer skills to good use. Some members also benefitted from Jacob’s assistance with special projects. Jacob

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Angie

Hadley

2014-2015 YOUR GUIDE TO LOCAL BUSINESS

Are you looking for some cost effective advertising for your business? How does 1.25¢ per copy for a

1/4 page ad sound?

This year’s edition of the Directory has many different options available for promoting your business.

The Directory will be delivered to 13,500 homes, businesses and

high traffic areas in Douro-Dummer, North Kawartha, Selwyn and Trent Lakes.

Save 20% - pay for your ad by Feb. 26th

Save 32% - upgrade your membership to a Standard or Select level

Save 40% - on a premium ad by

upgrading to the Select level!

Upgrade your membership and receive many more value added bonuses! (See below.)

For more details on these great rates, click here for the ad rate sheet, or contact Tammy at the Chamber office.

Basic Level - $165.00

Includes:

Listing in printed,

online and mobile directories, including social media info online

Business card or

literature displayed in Chamber locations

Use of “Proud

Chamber Member” Logo in your marketing

Member only

referrals

Preferred rates on

group insurance, ESSO programs, Member to Member discounts

Ability to post

consumer coupons

A voice at all levels

of Government in decisions that impact business.

Standard Level - $295.00

Add these extras:

Enhanced online

listing with colour blocks, photo/s on your information page, and map locator on search results page

40 word business

description in print and online (searchable text)

Additional keywords

to improve online search results

Additional online

category with business description

An online display ad

in rotation on search and results page

Two NewsFlash

messages

One business card

sized ad in a Newsletter

Select Level - $595.00

Even more extras:

Priority placement in

search results

Business logo

displays on search results page

Two additional

online categories with business descriptions (4 total)

Video capability on

your listing page

One 15 second ad

for six months in our 3 monitor locations

Your business logo

in rotation on the Chamber home page, linked to your listing

Two additional

NewsFlash messages (4 total)

One more business

card sized ad in Newsletter (2 total)

MEMBERSHIP INVESTMENT OPTIONS

Below is a snapshot of the three different membership options with EKCC. You may upgrade your membership at any time, even if you have already renewed for this year. Take advantage of some great savings on advertising in our Business Directory by upgrading now! Contact Tammy for more details.

As low as

1.25¢

per copy

for 1/4 pg. ad

Save

20 - 40%

on your ad!

Remember to

Update Your

Business Listing by

Feb. 7th to have

changes reflected in

2014/15 printed

Directory.

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According to Statistics Canada, the

failure rate for small businesses in

Canada is alarmingly high. While 85

per cent make it through their first

year of business, only 51 per cent

survive through year five.

Small business owners know that

they can use some help, with two-

thirds wanting help with financial

planning or tax payments and over

half wanting to learn more about

cash flow, as reported by the 2012

Sage North America's financial

literacy survey. The survey of 300

also revealed three quarters of

owners do their own invoicing and

over half of owners do their own

payroll and accounting.

Expert opinions can be expensive,

and most small businesses cannot

afford to have a full-time accounting

specialist on hand to solve financial

issues and offer advice on how to

manage company finances.

That's where the Chambers of

Commerce Group Insurance Plan's

Business Assistance Service

(BAS) can help. BAS is a confidential

service that provides up to six hours

of access to professional accounting,

legal and human resource experts

who understand the challenges small

business owners face.

The Chambers Plan BAS is a free

service built into every Chambers

Plan benefit program. Owners simply

contact BAS by telephone or email,

and a trained specialist will ask some

basic questions to determine which

services will best resolve the issue. A

counselling appointment will then be

arranged for the owner with a

Certified Accountant, Certified

General Accountant, professional

Lawyer or a Human Resource

Specialist.

Advice from a professional enables

owners and managers to strengthen

management and control functions

through expert counsel. BAS can help

owners obtain the answers and

recommendations to solve business

accounting challenges, make

informed compliance decisions and

resolve employee issues. And all at

no cost; a part of every Chambers

Plan package.

One-on-one consultation is often

financially out of reach for many

businesses, but with the Chambers

Plan BAS, owners have access to

expert advisors able to help their

business grow.

If you wish to know more about the many benefits of the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, please call Brian, The Life Insurance Guy at 705.741.1400. You can also view buychambers.ca and chambersgroupplan.com

A HELPING HAND WITH BUSINESS

ASSISTANCE SERVICES

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Up to six hours of access to professional accounting, legal

and HR experts - FREE to Chambers Plan clients.

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MEMBER NEWS

DUENORTH KENNELS

DueNorth Kennels is launching DueNorth Dog Training Academy. Come out for our open house in our new location, 3165 Lakefield Rd., Creekside Plaza, Unit #3, Saturday, Feb 15th from 9 to 5. There will be refreshments and demonstrations of obedience, and canine scent detection. Please feel free to bring friendly dogs by for a visit or an assessment. duenorthkennels.ca

45 YEARS OF SERVICE

Township of Douro-Dummer Mayor

J. Murray Jones presented CAO Dave Clifford with a certificate at the end of December commemorating 45 years of service with the Township. Dave began his career with Dummer Township in 1968. Congratulations Dave! Here’s to 45 more!

VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER

Fredrick’s at Beachwood is coming out of hibernation for Valentine’s Day Dinner with a delectable four course menu. beachwoodresort.com

WREN ANTIQUES IS MOVING

Beginning February 1st, I will be partnering with Brittany ‘N’ Bros, 15 Queen St. Lakefield! We’re both really excited about the move and hope to make the location a destination with appeal! Drop by my new location, check out my window display and come in to see all we have to offer.

FREE HORSEBACK RIDING

From our Family to Yours. Again this year, Buckhorn Riding Academy is offering FREE FAMILY DAY RIDES! Monday February 17th from 10 am-3 pm..... book a time by calling 705.772.9332, email buckhornridingacademy@yahoo.ca or message us on Facebook.

We will again be supporting Kawartha Food Share on this day so any donations of non-perishable food or cash will be gratefully accepted. Located minutes north of Peterborough...2185 Buckhorn Rd (first farm on the east side just past Selwyn Rd.)

AN AWARD WIN & AUDITIONS FOR DRAGONS DEN

11-year old Faith Dickinson, the creator of Cuddles for Cancer, has been named one of 12 recipients of the 2013 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award. Each recipient goes above and beyond what is expected of someone their age. The award will be presented at a special ceremony in the spring. Congratulations Faith!

On January 29th, Faith loaded up her “cuddle” blankets and stood in line at Trent University to pitch her organization to Dragon’s Den. She was the only youth in line and received lots of well wishes from her fellow entrepreneurs.

Faith asked the Dragons for $25,000 in return for 25% of her ‘company.’ The producers indicated that she would be notified in four weeks if she was successful in her quest to meet the real Dragons.

If she makes it to the Den, filming would occur in March/April, but even that doesn’t guarantee that her pitch would be aired.

Best of Luck Faith!

Municipal elections will take place for all of Ontario on Monday, October 27, 2014.

Below is an unofficial list of declared candidates for Council, as of date of circulation. School Board Trustee nominations can be found on the municipal websites.

Mun. of Trent Lakes

Mayor - Janet Clarkson

Councillor at Large - Peter

Franzen

Councillor for Harvey Ward

- Peter Raymond

Twp. of Selwyn

No candidates have declared for Council as of circulation date

Twp. of Douro-Dummer

Mayor - James Murray

Jones

Deputy Mayor - Karl Moher

Councillor Ward 2 Dummer

Ward - Shelagh Landsmann

Twp. of North Kawartha

Mayor:

Barry Rand

Jim Whelan

Rick Woodcock i

Deputy Mayor - Doug

Hutton

Councillor Chandos Ward 1

- Jim O’Shea

Councillor Burleigh-

Anstruther Ward 2 - Carolyn Amyotte

Councillor at Large:

Richard Lote

Roman Miszuk

MUNICIPAL

ELECTIONS

NATIONAL MEDIA VISITING THE REGION

Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism (PKT) has successfully secured the

opportunity to host the 2015 Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC)

Conference & AGM in Peterborough. The EK Chamber was pleased to provide a

letter of support for their bid. This will be the first time the association has

chosen to host its conference in a rural destination, and will result in significant

media coverage for the area.

TMAC is comprised of 450 members who are experts in the field of travel across

Canada, consisting of writers, photographers, filmmakers, bloggers, social media

mavens and highly respected representatives of the travel industry. The annual

conference is a place for members to gather story ideas, to explore new

destinations and to keep-up-to-date on skills, trends and techniques.

In the near future, PKT will be looking for community partners and sponsors with

an interest in helping to showcase the best this region has to offer. Businesses

and organizations interested in receiving information about sponsorship and

partnership opportunities are encouraged to send an email to

tmac2015@thekawarthas.ca.

ONTARIO & CANADIAN CHAMBERS

Read the Ontario Chamber’s submission to the Minimum Wage Panel and Panel’s

Recommendations here. Read the Canadian Chamber’s Annual Report including

an update on their progress tackling the Top 10 Barriers to Competiveness.

CHAMBER SUPPORTS WINTER FESTIVALS

PolarFest, in the Township of Selwyn, certainly had a winter atmosphere for a

weekend of fun activities, Jan 31 - Feb 2. Once again the Chamber supported the

ice carving in Lakefield, Bridgenorth & Ennismore. More PolarFest photos can be

viewed on our website. Be sure to check out the Apsley Winter Carnival

schedule (Feb. 21 - 23) and the Skijoring event that the Chamber sponsors.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Check out upcoming community

and business events including

Heritage Day, Apsley Winter

Carnival and the Chamber’s

New Member Welcome

Curling Event.

Click here to be taken to the

events page of our website where

you'll find information on those

great events and so much more.

If you have upcoming events that

you would like posted or

mentioned in an upcoming

NewsFlash or Newsletter submit

them to Tammy via email.

Jenny McKenzie,

Lakefield Pantry, Polar

Paddle Organizer

2014 Polar Paddle Champions -

Team Stuff

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LOCATIONS

Business Office

12 Queen St. Lkfld., PO Box 537 P: 705.652.6963 T: 1.888.565.8888 F: 705.652.9140 ServiceOntario Office

133 Water St. Lkfld., PO Box 537 P: 705.652.3141 F: 705.652.0134

Apsley Information Centre

Rustic Roots in the Kawarthas (Ask at Tucker’s Marine for access.)

COMING EVENTS

2014 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Wednesday, February 19th, 5:30-6:30 pm

The Village Inn, 39 Queen St., Lakefield

The Board of Directors encourages you to attend the AGM. The evening will include an overview of 2013 Chamber highlights, a presentation of financial statements and the election of Directors for 2014. Join fellow Chamber members for refreshments, networking and prizes!

A minimum number of members in attendance is required, so advance registration is appreciated. Click here to register.

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

Welcome New Members - Try some Curling!

TUESDAY, March 4th, 4:30 - 7:00pm (Note day & time.)

Ennismore Curling Club, 555 Ennis Rd., Ennismore

We welcome all members to join us for our annual New Member Welcome event! This year you will have the opportunity to try your hand at one of the world’s oldest team sports. Local curlers will be on hand to give some instruction on the rules of the game and how to play. All that’s required of you is a clean, scrubbed pair of shoes and the desire to have a great time! The number of curlers is limited so register early.

We will curl from 4:30 - 6:00pm and network over refreshments from 6:00 - 7:00pm. Can’t join us for curling? Then come for the networking.

All new members (since March 2013) are encouraged to bring brochures or business information for display.

No experience is required - our focus will be having fun and meeting new people to expand your business network. Bond with your colleagues and register your own rink, or ask to be matched with curlers from other businesses.

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

Peterborough Business Exchange

TUESDAY, April 1st, 4:00-6:00 pm (Note day & time.)

Lakefield College School, 4391 County Rd. 29, Lakefield

Join us as we partner with The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce for Peterborough Business Exchange (PBX). This event is a chance for EKCC

members to network with Peterborough Chamber members and the LCS Faculty and Board. Take a tour of Lakefield College and enjoy their hospitality as host of the event. Refreshments and a major door prize to be given away! Register here.

BOARD MEMBERS

Executive

Heather Sadler, President EcoVue Consulting Services Kris Keller, Vice President RBC Kawartha Lakeshore John Penny, Interim Secretary-Treasurer JC Penny Accounting & Tax Services Scott B. Davidson, Past President Hendren Funeral Homes Directors

Kevin Dyck, Kingdon Timber Mart Gillian Exton, Stuff Leslie Graham, Viamede Resort Esther Inglis, Gallery On The Lake Kevin James, Health Insurance & Financial Advisor Bryan Kingdon, ISL Insurance Tracy Logan, Logan Tree Experts Tom Podd, Ennismore Automotive Repair Dan Rosborough, Rosborough Accounting & Consulting

STAFF

Sherry Boyce-Found

General Manager generalmanager@kawarthachamber.ca

Tammy Underwood

Acting Marketing & Membership Coord. membership@kawarthachamber.ca

Angela Butwell

Acting Administrative Assistant info@kawarthachamber.ca

ServiceOntario Office

Deb Lowcock, Supervisor Krista Laidley, Assistant Supervisor Carla Hunt, Customer Service Rep. Jennifer Kidd, Customer Service Rep. Laurie McGee, Customer Service Rep. Deb Yandt, Customer Service Rep.