New voices at the Chamber table

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BI-MONTHLY
WWW.BMTINSURANCE.CA
CAROL
SWEEZEY
(LAFRANCE)
Agente D’imm / Sales Rep
705-360-8123
SEPTEMBER 2012
Pager
264-5364
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A TIMMINS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PUBLICATION
Chamber unveils
event schedule
New voices
at the Chamber table
The last of the votes have
been counted, and the
members of the Timmins
Chamber of Commerce
have officially elected six
businesspeople to represent
them at the heart of city’s
largest business organization.
Coming from a range of
business sectors and backgrounds, these six individuals will now sit on the
Chamber’s 21-member
board, and will help provide
direction and guidance to
its advocacy and member
service efforts through the
coming Chamber year.
They will be officially
sworn in during the
Chamber’s Annual General
Meeting, due to be held at
the Timmins Days Inn on
Sept. 19.
“Once again, there is a
terrific amount of expertise
and experience at the core
of this year’s Board of
Directors, and I’m more
than pleased to be working
alongside them,” said Art
Pultz, incoming president
for the 2012-2013 Chamber
year.
“This is a truly motivated
and passionate group, and
Christine Leclair, immediate past president of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce, hands the gavel
to Art Pultz, president for the 2012-2013 Chamber year.
Chamber members should
rest assured that their board
representatives will work
hard over the coming year
to ensure that Timmins is a
great place to do business.”
The new additions to the
Board include Ginette
Nakashoji, partner at Fuller
Jenks Landau; Christine
Bender, campus manager,
Northern College; Jason
Perratt, owner, Logikal
Code; Andrea Griener, partner, Clearlogic Consulting
Professionals; and Roland
Magnan, director of operations — Ontario and
Quebec, Eastlink.
Having served on the
board last year, Timmins
Family YMCA Executive
Director Wayne Bozzer was
also elected to return on the
2012-13 board.
Electronic and print ballots were sent out to each of
the Chamber’s 1,320 eligible voting members, who
had one month to place
their vote for their board
representation. Each board
member serves a two-year
term, after which they can
apply for re-election, for a
maximum of three terms.
Meet the 2012–2013 Board of Directors
PRESIDENT: Art Pultz,
Rogers Communications (Q92/EZ Rock)
PAST PRESIDENT: Christine Leclair,
Leclair Planning Consultancy
TREASURER: Rick Briand, BDC
BOARD MEMBERS:
Phil Barton, Lucid Networks Corporation
Christine Bender,* Northern College
Kurt Bigeau, Sun Life Financial
Andrea Griener,* Clearlogic Consulting
Professionals
Wayne Bozzer,** Timmins Family YMCA
Terry DiTullio, Norfab Metal & Machine
Ginette Nakashoji,* Fuller Jenks Landau
David Foster, Riopelle Griener Professional
Corporation
Claude J. Gagnon, Claude J. Gagnon
Professional Photography
John Labine, Lake Shore Gold Corp.
Jason Laneville, CTV Televison Inc.
Tony Leggett, Xstrata Copper
Bill McMillan, Pocupine Gold Mines –
Goldcorp Canada Ltd.
Jason Perratt,* Logikal Code
Shannin Metatawabin, De Beers Canada –
Victor Mine
Peter Murray, Ontario Power Generation
Roland Magnan,* Eastlink
Alan Thorne, Tembec
* Denotes election to the 2012-2013 board of
directors. ** Denotes re-election to the 20122013 board of directors.
ROSS, POPE & COMPANY LLP
Chartered Accountants
101 Cedar St. South
Timmins ON P4N 2G7
Tel: (705) 264-9484 Fax: (705) 264-0788
E-mail: [email protected]
“Helping You Achieve Your Goals In Your Business Is Our Goal In Our Business”
With its new year starting in September, the
Timmins Chamber of Commerce is unveiling a
full slate of nearly 50 events for the 2012-13 season.
Mixing time-tested classics with new programs, the Chamber’s new events calendar
offers something for all members. As a not-forprofit organization that strives to be valued as a
contributor to its members’ business success,
the Timmins Chamber of Commerce seeks to
provide the tools they need through these various programs and services.
Leading off the Chamber’s major events is the
Annual General Meeting and President’s Dinner,
which will be held at the Days Inn on Sept. 19.
Featuring keynote speaker General Rick Hillier,
Canada’s former Chief of Defence, the event will
also introduce the Chamber’s full board of directors while honouring some of its most important
volunteers.
New this year is the Chamber Connections program, a casual, relaxed after-business networking
series that gives members the chance to make
new acquaintances and build relationships. These
are set to take place from 5 p.m.–7 p.m. at the
Schumacher Lions’ Club on every third Thursday
of the month, and will kick off Oct. 18.
Mirroring that approach is the new Young
Professionals Connextions networking series,
which will be held on the first Thursday of
every month, as of Sept. 6. At these events,
young professionals from throughout the community are openly invited to attend Boston
Pizza from 5 p.m.–7 p.m., where they can get to
meet new people and get to better know their
peers.
Also returning to the calendar is the Timmins
Regional Economic Outlook (TREO), a bi-annual
event initially scheduled for early 2012 but was
delayed due to the rash of local forest fires.
Instead, the event will take place through the
afternoon of Oct. 15 and the morning of Oct. 16,
featuring a wide variety of speakers representing
industry from throughout the region.
This is just a small sampling of the many
events the Chamber will be hosting throughout
the coming year, events that have been selected
and organized based on the input of its member
businesses.
For more details on the events to be held through the first
few months of the Chamber year, turn to Page 12, or visit
www.timminschamber.on.ca.
“Your End-to-End Computer Solutions Provider”
101 Cedar St. South
Timmins ON P4N 2G7
Tel: (705) 264-9484 Fax: (705) 264-0788
E-mail: [email protected]
ROSS POPE INC.
Consultants
2 - SEPTEMBER 2012
inside business
Evening in Italy: An end of an era
Event comes to a close after 20 years
After 20 years and more than 30,000
plates of food, Timmins Chamber past
president Rick Gutcher is hanging up his
Evening in Italy apron, officially bringing
an end to this eternally popular Chamber
event.
With the Polish White Eagle Hall —
the traditional host location of Evening
in Italy — having been sold to a local
business, Gutcher decided it was time to
lay the event to rest rather than weaken
it by hosting it in a different location.
“We came to the conclusion that if we
tried to it elsewhere, it would fail; we
needed just the right venue to truly do it
justice,” said Gutcher, who has come to
view the building as a member of the
Evening in Italy family.
“It was ultimately all about thanking
the members by giving them a good meal
at a low price in a place that lets them
get together. That’s how it started 20
years ago, that’s how we’ve carried it all
these years, and I’m happy to say that it’s
also how it ended.”
As the lead organizer, head chef, and
driving force behind the annual dinner
celebration for Chamber members,
Gutcher has closely overseen the lowprice, high-quality feast since coming up
with the idea with fellow past president
Brian Blahey all those years ago.
Initially designed as a “little dinner” to
thank members for their year-round support of the Chamber, the inaugural
Evening in Italy featured pasta, sausages
and more, all cooked entirely from
scratch and served buffet style.
To organizers’ considerable surprise on
that first cold winter’s night, the line-ups
began early and continued until attendees were soon out the door and around
the block.
Once inside, the 200 attendees had so
much fun that the 6 p.m. dinner crowd
didn’t want to leave by the time the second sitting showed up at 8 p.m.
“We learned a lot from that first
night,” said Gutcher with a laugh. “But it
was an awful lot of fun.”
The inaugural event was a wild,
unquestionable success — so much so
that the Chamber membership pleaded
for the event to be revived the following
year. And so Gutcher agreed to “just one
more time” again the year after, and the
year after, and so on and so on; before he
knew it, 20 years had gone by, and
Evening in Italy had become a Chamber
institution and a legendary local event in
its own right.
“It was 20 years longer than we had
planned it to be, so we had a pretty good
run.”
There’s little wonder as to why: anyone
who’s spent a few boisterous hours surrounded by friends, laughter, song, and a
seemingly endless stream of eye-popping,
mouth-watering Italian dishes knows just
how easy it was to fall under the spell of
an Evening in Italy.
This popularity was most obviously
reflected in its annual ticket sales: every
single year, the event was sold out almost
as soon as it was announced, making
Evening in Italy one of the most coveted
tickets in town. All told, more than 5,000
people were fed throughout the event’s
20-year run.
Although designed as a break-even
event, Evening in Italy’s overwhelming
and immediate popularity soon
created a problem that most
event organizers dream of: profitability.
Gutcher’s solution was simple:
Just spend more on giving the
members the best possible dining
experience. This meant adding
more courses, better food,
more decor, and better
atmosphere.
“In spite of ourselves, we
made a whole lot of money
over the last 20 years, but we
certainly worked hard to
spend it.”
This didn’t mean that
there weren’t efficiencies to
be found along the way.
Real plates and cutlery
eventually shifted to plastic, and some of the
preparatory food was
sourced from other local
kitchens, such as sauce from
Toffanello’s. The buffet approach
changed over to multiple-course
table service, and the idea of
hosting two sittings gave way to
serving one large, single group.
The quality of the food,
though, never changed, becoming more elaborate and more
refined, said Gutcher.
By the time it reached its final
evening in March 2012, the event
featured a full nine courses spanning an
incredible range of eye-popping, fanfavourite dishes. Menu items in recent
years ranged from rosemary pork tenderloin to roasted Portobello mushrooms to
jumbo marinated shrimp with lemon
mayo.
Despite the sprawling, seemingly
chaotic nature of the event, organization
was practically second nature for
Gutcher and his core team after 20 years
of practice.
Even the order of the courses was well
planned, alternating between warm and
cold courses. Because the cold courses
could be prepared in advance, this switch
would ensure that the kitchen staff
would have that time during the event to
begin plating the next round of food.
“We really had it down to a science,
where we’d have one planning meeting,
we’d have the event, and we’d have one
post-event meeting. So there’s not a lot of
other time commitment that was there,
as we had it fine-tuned pretty good at the
end.”
It’s something that’s not only brought
full stomachs and good times for countless members, but it’s also attracted recognition for Gutcher himself. In
2008, the Chamber awarded him
with the Alex Klimack Award for
his efforts, while the province of
Ontario awarded him a Volunteer
of the Year Award in 2009.
What matters most to Gutcher,
though, aren’t the accolades, or
even the endless hours spent
whipping up new and delicious
dishes; instead, what he enjoyed
most vividly was the people that
helped out every step of the way.
While daily life often makes it
difficult to connect, Evening in
Italy represented an annual homecoming of sorts for organizers and
long-time volunteers, who were
made up of numerous Chamber past
presidents, board members, staff,
and their respective spouses. Even
Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren
made a point of pitching in as the
event’s regular dishwasher.
“I have a fond memory of all
those people,” said Gutcher.
“The more I think about it, there are so
many people that came through and had
such a great time. Today, finding people
to volunteer is a tough thing to do —
their lives are busy, they got things to do
— but if you make a phone call and say,
‘Hey, I need someone for Evening in
Italy,’ then boom, they’d be right there.
Kinda makes you feel good.”
“
It was ultimately all about
thanking the members
by giving them a good
meal at a low price in a
place that lets them get
together. That’s how it
started 20 years ago,
“that’s how we’ve carried
it all these years, and
I’m happy to say that
it’s also how it ended.”
RICK GUTCHER
head chef and lead organizer
of Evening in Italy
inside business
Looking back
With past Timmins Chamber
of Commerce president
Christine Leclair
Q: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you got involved
with the Timmins Chamber of
Commerce.
A: As a strategic and systems planner
and owner of Leclair Planning
Consultancy, I provide project specific
and ongoing planning support to organizations and committees within Northern
Ontario. Planning support includes
developing strategic plans, exploring the
feasibility of an idea, developing a service
delivery framework, assessing an issue
from a multi-sectorial viewpoint, evaluating the outcome of newly implemented
projects or exploring means of improving
how services are co-ordinated and delivered. Because of my understanding of the
region, I was encouraged by a number of
business leaders to get involved in
Chamber activities.
Q: Which of your accomplishments
from your year as Chamber president
are you most proud?
A: The Chamber as an organization
has evolved significantly over the past
four or five years due to its ability to
leverage the diverse knowledge of its
board of directors and the skillset of its
small but extremely capable and productive staff. There is a lot of attention given
to our various networking events, which
we are always improving based on member feedback, but in light of my professional background, it’s the progress that
has been made in our policy and advocacy efforts and our ability to align our
strategic priorities with those of our community and greater Chamber networks
that I am most proud.
Participating in provincial and national
chamber events as president has really
opened my eyes to the support that we
can leverage as a business community by
linking with other Chambers. I am very
proud of the Timmins Chamber’s ability
to positively influence governmental discussions regarding issues such as energy
rates, wood supply allocation, unification
of the environmental assessment process,
funding parity for first nations education
and competitiveness of our industries
through fuel tax rebates for off-highway
road transport, to name but a few important areas. While we are a small northern
chamber, we have a very loud voice and
bear considerably more influence than
most realize.
Locally, we have strategically aligned
our priorities as a Chamber with those of
our municipality and economic development corporation, given that our needs
are significantly interrelated. We are
engaged heavily in Timmins 2020, a
“
CHRISTINE LECLAIR
2011-12 president,
Timmins Chamber of Commerce
strategic planning initiative that sets the
stage for our collective future as a community. We have sought out and brought
forth the perspective of our business
members in these discussions and are
now actively contributing to the implementation of various strategies.
Q: What was the biggest challenge
that you faced this year as Chamber
President?
A: This past year, the main challenge
brought forth by our local businesses is
the growing labour shortage. We need to
look at our ability to compete as a community as it pertains to recruitment and
retention, address our limited housing
supply, and expand upon our recreational or quality of life offering, among other
factors. It a complex issue that requires a
collective effort, yet we find ourselves
stepping outside of our traditional activities and are reminded that we are a
member-driven organization.
Q: What advice do you have for
incoming president Art Pultz?
A: Art and I have worked very closely
over the past year as we prepare for his
transition into the role of president.
Consistency is what we both agree the
organization needs. We must build upon
our activities year over year. To that end
we have been working on the development of a five-year strategic plan that
will help the 2012-13 Board of Directors
and staff ensure that we are resourcing
activities that are focused on our vision
of making it easier for business to succeed in business.
o/b BMT Insurance Brokers Limited
Looking forward
With new Timmins Chamber
of Commerce president Art Pultz
While we are a small northern
chamber, we have a very loud
voice and bear considerably more
influence than most realize.”
Insurance &
Financial Services
SEPTEMBER 2012 - 3
Q: Tell us a little bit about your
background.
A: My background is basically in
media, which I’ve been in all my life,
and it’s what I’ve done since I left highschool. I’m a radio guy, but I also have a
background in promotions, publicity,
and things like that. I came to Timmins
in 1983, and was not going to stay here
long, but that changed once I got
involved in the community: I served as
the vice-chair of Crimestoppers, I was on
the hospital foundation committee, I
worked with the United Way and the
Canadian Mental Health Association and
any number of organizations through
the years.
Q: How and when did you first
become involved with the Timmins
Chamber of Commerce?
A: I first heard about the Chamber
when a gentleman by the name of Keith
Alvey, who was with Air Ontario and a
past president of the Timmins Chamber.
He told me I should become involved
with the Chamber, that it was a great
organization, and a great opportunity to
expand my horizons. So I filed that in
the back of my mind, because I was busy
with other committees and obligations;
about six years ago, I was approached to
run and threw my hat in the ring, and I
was fortunate enough to be elected. I’ve
also been emceeing the Nova Awards
since its very first event in 2003.
Q: How do you feel your background
has prepared you to be successful in
your role as Chamber president?
A: I’m not sure it’s any one thing that
will help, but my knowledge of the city
and the people in it will definitely be an
asset, as well as my personality in dealing
with them. By virtue of what it is that I
do, I get to know a lot of folks around
Timmins, and that allows people to
know me well in return.
Q: What are you most looking forward to accomplishing during your
term?
A: What I’d like to see is consistency.
Christine Leclair (immediate past president) has done an excellent job of organizing the board of directors, and I’d like
to take what she’s started and bring it
forward and bring consistency to that. I
think that Keitha Robson, manager of
the Chamber, is a tremendous asset not
only to the Chamber but also to the
community of Timmins and I’d like to
see more people know who Keitha is,
although she’s definitely well known in
certain circles. If I do one thing, I’d like
to see her step forward and take her
rightful place, so to speak, and have the
“
We have a lot of knowledgeable
businesspeople in this city, and if
we can tap even into 1% of that
to help benefit all businesses, I
think we’ll have done our job.”
ART PULTZ
2012-13 president,
Timmins Chamber of Commerce
general public realize that she’s a major
asset to Timmins. If I’ve done that, I
think my term will have been a success.
Q: What have you learned from previous Chamber presidents?
A: They’ve all had major strengths that
they bring to the table — look at a guy
like Fred Gibbons, for instance, who you
have to marvel at; how did he find the
time to run Northern College and serve
as president of the Chamber? Christine
Leclair comes with a great deal of enthusiasm, while Marilyn Wood came with a
great deal of expertise in her area, and
the same as Rob Galloway. From them, I
think what I’ve learned most is how to
respect the different personalities around
the table, and how to properly chair a
meeting, and really respect the time that
people invest in the Chamber as volunteers.
Q: What could the Chamber do to
further help business?
A: These are exciting times for business, given the speed at which information is passed along, and technology:
take a look at Tweed & Hickory, which is
a major success story of Internet marketing. It tells us something about how we
can better market our many other member businesses, as there are many terrific
stories to be told. There’s also a lot of
business expertise we need to make use
of; we have a lot of knowledgeable businesspeople in this city, and if we can tap
even into one percent of that to help
benefit all businesses, I think we’ll have
done our job.
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inside business
4 - SEPTEMBER 2012
Chamber members
have their say
The inability to properly attract and
retain qualified skilled staff is the greatest
challenge currently facing Timmins’ business community, according to a Timmins
Chamber of Commerce membership survey.
This insight is just one of many
gleaned from the survey, which is part of
the Chamber’s regular efforts to engage
the membership and determine how better to serve them; this annual survey
helps to explain what works, what doesn’t, and how things can be improved.
This brief survey was issued through
the summer months, and the 49 respondents represent a cross-section of the
Chamber membership, ranging from
retail firms to media to industrial and
manufacturing sectors.
These respondents provided their perspective on a series of questions, which
also asked them about what areas they’d
most like to see the Chamber become
involved in.
For example, when asked about the
Chamber benefits that matter most to
them, the majority of respondents
answered policy and advocacy work,
business education and development,
and opportunities to increase their business. Having access to networking
events, and marketing and advertising
opportunities were also popular responses.
Opportunities to change the
Chamber’s approach to member-oriented
events also arose.
When asked what type of event they’d
like to see more of, the top three answers
were Lunch ’n’ Learn and Ask the Expert
events (where local experts are brought
in to talk about subjects of interest), as
well as social opportunities. Based on this
information, the Chamber has adjusted
its calendar of events for the coming year
to include greater chances for these types
of information and interaction.
The usefulness of Chamber communication and information sources was also
explored through the survey. The most
effective sources, according to respondents, are Chamber Inside, the
Chamber’s weekly e-newsletter; Inside
Business, the bi-monthly newspaper produced by the Chamber and distributed to
all businesses in the Timmins area; and
event flyers and reminders. These were
followed by Chamber e-mail sendouts
and the member directory.
In order to help focus some of the
Chamber’s additional policy and advocacy work in the coming year, the survey
also focused on inquiring about the
greatest challenges facing Timmins’ business community.
As previously mentioned, access to
skilled staff stood as the dominant
response, according to nearly 50 percent
of respondents. This also feeds into the
second- and third-most popular responses, which include a perceived decline in
the local population, and the ability to
grow their market.
As a whole, these answers will help
feed into the Chamber’s action plan for
the coming year, as the organization
seeks to remain responsive to members’
needs.
To see the full range of responses,
please download the survey results at
www.timminschamber.on.ca/2012
Membership Survey Report.pdf.
GOOD
NEWS
Northern College sees bump
in enrolment
The ongoing demand for skilled workers is good news for Northern College,
which is seeing double-digit increases in
its first-year confirmation of acceptance
to its trades and technology programs.
The school’s Electrical Engineering
Technology program has seen a 15%
increase over this time last year; the
School of Engineering Technology and
the School of Welding Engineering have
seen similar growth.
“The increase in first-year confirmations to technology and trades-based
programs is good news given the current
and forecasted skilled labour deficit,”
said Fred Gibbons, president of Northern
College, in a release. “Northeastern
Ontario is enjoying the benefits of the
mining boom and skilled tradespeople
are in high demand. Northern College
has been steadfast in promoting the
skilled trades to prospective students and
is committed to meet the needs of local
employers.”
First-year confirmations are also up by
11.5% for Northern College’s Kirkland
Lake campus, largely due to new pro-
grams or on-site access to existing programs such as the Bachelor of Science in
Nursing program.
While confirmations to the Haileybury
campus are comparable to 2011 figures,
its School of Veterinary Science — and
its Animal Grooming program in particular — has seen a “significant” increase.
Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement
mark important milestone
Forest industry and conservation
group representatives have come together to create an action plan that strengthens cutting rights in the Abitibi River
Forest while preserving habitat for woodland caribou.
Signatories to the Canadian Boreal
Forest Agreement (CBFA) — whose numbers include CPAWS-Wildlands League,
Greenpeace, Resolute Forest Products as
well as Timmins Chamber member
Tembec — have jointly created a plan
that allows for a greater level of wood
supply in the area over the next 30 years
than has been proposed by the government. It also allows for an enhanced
level of protection for woodland caribou,
whose habitat protection was at the
heart of the government’s initial proposal.
As part of the CBFA plan, over 2.2 million hectares of the Abitibi River Forest
would remain open to forestry, with the
remaining 800,000 hectares to be preserved as habitat.
The CBFA was first formed in May
2010, and includes nine environmental
organizations, as well as the Forest
Products Association of Canada and its
19 member companies.
A photograph of the group’s presentation in Timmins is available on page 11.
If you have any good news or business success
stories you’d like to share, please call the Timmins
Chamber at (705) 360-1900, or email
Nick Stewart at [email protected].
CONTRACTING INC.
• Mechanical
• Civil
• Commercial
[email protected]
1425 Government Rd. S.,
Phone 705-360-4333
• Piping
• Structural
www.swmcontracting.com
Timmins, ON P4R 1N4
Fax 705-360-4310
Visit our Facebook page
facebook.com/
TimminsChamber
www.timminschamber.on.ca
inside business
SEPTEMBER 2012 - 5
Chamber golfers hit the links
in Annual Member Golf Tournament
Another bright summer’s day greeted the
160 golfers who participated in the Timmins
Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 Annual
Member Golf Tournament, held July 12 at
the Spruce Needles Golf Club.
Good sportsmanship and good humor
were on full display throughout the day,
which was made possible by the many
member businesses who sponsored holes,
mid-game snacks, and even the tournament
itself; others donated prizes, all in the name
of ensuring a great time was had by all.
The day closed off with a delicious meal at
the Spruce Needles Clubhouse, where the
various tournament winners were
announced.
While a specific few were celebrated for
their achievements on the links, every player
walked away with prizes in hand as a
“thank you” for taking part.
Taking home the title
of Winning Team — Me
n this year was the
N. Lacroix Plumbing &
Heating Ltd. Team.
Winning
mins team took home the
The Credit Bureau of Tim ther consecutive year.
ano
Team — Ladies title for
Winning Team (Ladies): Credit Bureau of Timmins
Winning Team (Men): N. Lacroix Plumbing & Heating Ltd.
Winning Team (Mixed): Standards for Success, East Side Mario’s
Longest Putt (Men): Shannin Metatawabin, De Beers Canada
Longest Putt (Ladies): Leanne Kohtala, Timmins Source for Sports
Longest Drive (Men): Bob Vezeau, CGV Builders
Longest Drive (Ladies): Lynn Gauthier, Credit Bureau of Timmins
Closest to the Pin (Men): Rick Bertrand, ATCO Structures & Logistics
The Mixed Team
Tournament w winner for the 2012 Annual
as the Standa
rds for Succes Member Golf
Mario’s team.
s/East Side
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The Timmins Chamber of Commerce thanks the many sponsors
and volunteers who helped to make this event a reality:
HOLE SPONSORS
➤ Al Poulin & Associates
➤ BMT Insurance
➤ Davidson de Laplante
➤ De Beers
➤ Detour Gold
➤ Eastlink
➤ Goldcorp
➤ Gorf Manufacturing/Contracting
Inc.
➤ Grand & Toy
➤ Kia of Timmins
➤ Lake Shore Gold Corp.
➤ M.O.E. Commercial Accounting
Network Inc.
➤ Northern College
➤ Northern Credit Union
➤ Northern Environmental Services
➤ OPG
➤ Panels & Pipes
➤ Paul Ayotte Insurance
➤ Paul Davis Systems
➤ Porter Airlines
➤ RBC Royal Bank of Canada
➤ Riopelle Group
➤ Ross, Pope & Company LLP
➤ The Rental House
➤ Thunder Airlines
➤ Worlds Best Cream
➤ Wyatt Image Solutions
➤ Xstrata Copper Kidd Operations
PRIZE SPONSORS
➤ Acklands-Grainger Inc.
➤ Air Creebec Inc.
➤ Al Poulin & Associates, Financial
Services
➤ ATCO Structures & Logistics
➤ BDC (Business Development Bank
of Canada)
➤ Bercell Integrated Technologies
➤ BESTECH
➤ Car Quest
➤ Cedar Meadows Resort & Spa
➤ Clean Air Plus +++
➤ Collins Denture Clinic
➤ The Corporation of The City
of Timmins
➤ CTV Television Inc.
➤ Davidson de Laplante Insurance
Brokers Ltd.
➤ Days Inn — Timmins
➤ De Beers Canada Victor Mine
➤ Dr. Bill Chisholm Optometrists
➤ Dynamic Advertising Technologies
➤ Eastlink
➤ GCR Tire Centres
➤ Gorf Manufacturing/Contracting
Ltd.
➤ Grand & Toy
➤ Hampton Inn by Hilton Sudbury
➤ J&B Cycle & Marine
➤ J.L. Richards & Associates Ltd.
➤ La Caisse Populaire de Timmins
Limitee
➤ Lanny’s Chili Hut & Fries
➤ M.O.E. Commercial Accounting
Network Inc.
➤ MADDON
➤ Maslack Supply Limited
➤ Mikey’s
➤ Murray OK Tire Sales
➤ N. Lacroix Plumbing & Heating
Ltd.
➤ NEOnet Inc.
➤ Northern College
➤ Northern Environmental Services
(NES)
➤ Panels and Pipes Incorporated
➤ Part Source
➤ Paul Ayotte Insurance Broker Ltd.
➤ Porcupine Canvas Inc.
➤ Porcupine Dante Club Inc.
➤ Porcupine Gold Mines — Goldcorp
Canada Ltd.
➤ Porter Airlines Inc.
➤ Provost Roofing Ltd.
➤ Quality Inn — Sudbury
➤ RBC Royal Bank of Canada
➤ Riopelle Group Professional
Corporation
➤ Spruce Needles Incorporated
➤ Thunder Airlines
➤ Tim Hortons
➤ Timmins Chamber of Commerce
➤ Timmins Economic Development
Corporation (TEDC)
➤ Timmins Inn & Suites
➤ Timmins Source for Sports
➤ Toffanello’s Fresh Pasta
➤ Topper’s Pizza
➤ Town of Kapuskasing
➤ Union Gas
➤ Waste Management
➤ Wyatt Image Solutions
➤ Yu Law Office
Every time you donate your good quality, unwanted clothing or household
items you help the Canadian Diabetes Association
77 Waterloo Rd, Timmins, ON, P4N 8M4
ph: 705-268-7701 fax: 705-68-7928
www.valuevillage.com
Follow us on
www.twitter.com/TimminsChamber
TOURNAMENT SPONSORS
➤ N.Lacroix Plumbing & Heating
➤ Chamber Group Insurance
➤ Porcupine Springs
➤ CGV Builders
➤ Toppers Pizza
➤ Timmins Source for Sports
➤ Wyatt Image Solutions
N
TRIAL EEDS UND
S
U
D
ER ON
IN
E ROO
YOUR
F
O
L
F
AL
w w w. b e s t e c h . c o m
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
➤ Barbara Black
➤ Don Wyatt
➤ David Foster
➤ Gary Marriott
➤ Pierre Corbeil
➤ Joel Bergeron
➤ Wayne Bozzer
➤ Bruce Stewart
➤ Keitha Robson
➤ Carmen Swartz
SERVICES
ƒElectrical Engineering
ƒEnvironmental Monitoring
ƒMechanical Engineering
ƒElectrical Safety
ƒCivil/Structural Engineering ƒPower Systems
ƒAutomation
ƒEPCM
ƒResearch & Development
ƒIT/IS
PRODUCTS
ƒNRG1-ECO™
ƓVentilation-On-Demand
ƓEnergy Management
ƓControl of DPM
ƒROPEINSPECTOR™
ƓAutomated Visual Rope Inspection
ƒAQM™
ƓAir Quality Monitoring
Timmins
705.268.6255
Sudbury
705.675.7720
inside business
6 - SEPTEMBER 2012
Dedicated to decor
Fun is something Perfect
Settings takes very seriously.
Whether it’s working on a
dressed-to-the-nines party for 650
or a quiet family get-together,
this decor business led by energetic entrepreneur Estelle Demers
is intent on ensuring that every
event is a memorable one.
“It’s something you can’t help
but enjoy doing,” said Demers.
“Just knowing that someone’s
going to be happy because of
what we do makes it all worthwhile.”
Her current level of success
wasn’t something she could have
predicted 12 years ago when she
first took the reins of her current
home-based business.
Having spent several years in
payroll and office administration
before becoming a stay-at-home
mom, Demers wanted to get back
into the workforce, but only with
a job that challenged her while
letting her express her creativity.
When the opportunity arose to
buy out an existing decor business, all it took was one day on
the job to see that it was exactly
what she’d been looking for.
With the tireless support of
her family, she’s since grown the
business from a solo affair to an
on-call staff of 12, taking it from
a seasonal hobby to a full-time,
year-round business. Her client
base has also grown beyond
Timmins to events throughout
the region, including places as
NTH
JULY MEMBER OF THE MO
From left to right: Carmen Swartz, member development and events specialist, Timmins Chamber of Commerce; Art Pultz, chair, Timmins Chamber
Marketing and Communications Committee; Estelle Demers, owner, Perfect
Settings.
North Bay, Iroquois Falls,
Matheson, and even Moosonee.
This continuous growth has
also created a never-ending need
to expand and change her inventory to ensure that partygoers will
not see the same setup twice.
What once fit in an 8-by-10foot space 12 years ago has since
spilled over into ever-growing
areas around her home. Her
inventory now fills a storage unit,
a shed, a sea container and a
garage, and that doesn’t include
whatever is being laundered or in
use at events at any given point.
This kind of space is needed to
house more than 1,500 chair
covers, “thousands and thousands of feet” of material, as well
as table settings and much more.
This dedication to keeping
things fresh and appealing for
her clientele has helped to keep
her incredibly busy, meaning
that few people have their pulse
on what’s happening in
Timmins quite like Demers.
In fact, forget about construction statistics or job growth
reports: the true health of
Timmins’ economy can be
measured in events, according
to Demers.
As she quite literally sets the
stage for countless events, she
scoffs whenever she overhears
someone complain that there’s
never much going on around
town.
“You can talk about the downturn in the economy, but people
are still throwing big parties,
companies are still looking to
recognize their employees,” said
Demers.
One recent celebration that
Demers looks on with particular
pride is Porter Airlines’ muchtalked-about “grand opening”
event held at the Timmins Days
Inn in January. With a scant nine
days to prepare, Demers and her
team were able to transform the
hotel’s ballroom into a relaxed,
atmospheric throwback to a different time, complete with a hazy
blue-and-white theme matching
the company’s official colours.
So stunning was this transformation that people have commented to Demers about the
fine work some “Toronto professional decorating company”
must have done — something
she quickly clarifies with an
interruption and a chuckle.
This level of quality has been
on display throughout numer-
ous other high-profile events in
which Perfect Settings has been
involved, seen most recently in
the Porcupine Dante Club’s
60th-anniversary celebration, as
well as the Downtown BIA’s Sass
in the City.
She’s equally proud of her
involvement in various volunteer events, to which she lends
her creative expertise. Over the
years, this has included providing event advice to the likes of
the Canadian Diabetes
Association, the Heart and Stroke
Foundation, and the Canadian
Cancer Society, to name a few.
Of course, Perfect Settings is
also known for its work with the
Chamber’s own Nova Awards,
with which Demers has been
proudly involved since its second year in 2003. This year’s
awards were particularly important, said Demers, as Perfect
Settings was the recipient of the
2012 Service Excellence Award.
“It’s not just what we do; it’s
what everybody does together,”
said Demers. “I can provide the
linens and chair covers and centrepieces and whatever else, but
it’s also about the creativity of
the committee and everybody
pulling together, from the lights
and sound to the food.
Everything is put together to
make something a success.”
For more information visit
them at www.perfectsettings.ca,
or call (705) 235-3210.
Timmins Chamber of Commerce
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inside business
SEPTEMBER 2012 - 7
Culture and class: Six decades at the Dante Club
The chandeliers are hanging,
the floors are installed, and the
smiles are ear to ear.
Just in time for its 60th
anniversary, the Porcupine
Dante Club has completed a
five-year $600,000 renovation
project to bring the cultural
club’s facilities into a new era of
class and competitiveness, and
its officials couldn’t be happier.
“We’re very proud of the fact
that all of this is from volunteers, hard work, and labour,
and it’s an unbelievable feat,”
said Sam Rizzuto, general manager of the Dante Club.
“The people that started it
would be in wonderment today
to see what’s happened to it:
We’ve taken it from a point
where the ladies were coming
out of the kitchen to help out
with weddings, to what’s now a
multimillion-dollar business. We
are a force to be reckoned with
in this area, for sure.”
As the first major renovations
since adding two halls and a
lounge in 1974, these changes
will allow the Dante Club to
enhance its status beyond an
Italian cultural club and eternally popular host of countless
social events.
With the installation of stateof-the-art videoconferencing systems and its growing staff of 30,
the facilities are now fully ready
to compete for a full range of
event-hosting opportunities,
including business meetings and
conventions, says Rizzuto.
AUGUST MEMBER OF THE
MONTH
From left to right: Sam Rizzuto, general manager, Porcupine Dante Club; Art
Pultz, chair, Timmins Chamber Marketing and Communications Committee;
Christine Leclair, president, Timmins Chamber of Commerce; Vince
Purificati, treasurer, Porcupine Dante Club.
The move has already paid
off: bookings have started to roll
in for events as much as two
years in advance.
“We’re not scared now if anybody opens up. We’re ready and
prepared for the next five, 10
years.”
This significant growth is a far
cry from the club’s humble origins six decades previous, when
it was established as a gathering
place and cultural touchstone for
the growing number of Italian
folk moving into Timmins.
“There was a huge population
of Italians here at that time, and
not knowing how to speak
English that well, they needed a
place to congregate, to play
bocce, to play cards, or just to
get together and have a drink
and kibbitz about the war years
and everything else,” said Vince
Purificati, Dante Club treasurer.
“That’s how things got started,
and just continued through the
generations, and here we are 60
years later, still going strong.”
These days, the Dante Club
still upholds its local role in
maintaining the Italian culture,
something it achieves through
courses and events for its paid
membership, which is also open
to non-Italians.
The changing times are not
without their challenges, however. With less immigration
flowing into Northern Ontario,
there are less people of Italian
descent making their way into
the Dante Club.
Luckily, the 60th anniversary
celebrations have put a major
spotlight on their efforts, which
in turn have shown the younger
generations the immense value
of the club, said Purificati.
What’s more, because it is run
as a club without having to
answer to owners or shareholders, its costs are kept low. This
means that the money is poured
not only back into the club but
also the community through the
Canadian Diabetes Association,
the Canadian Cancer Society,
MADD Canada, local sports
teams, scholarships at local
schools, and much more.
This deep community
involvement has also helped to
draw attention to their handmade food — something in
which officials take tremendous
pride, as it has long stood as a
symbol of the Dante Club’s
incredibly broad public
appeal.
Starting every morning with
the basic ingredients like flour
and eggs, the kitchen works to
produce its own pasta, meatballs,
lasagna and much, much more.
It’s a tradition that’s carried on
for the club’s full 60 years, and
something on which it has built
a sterling reputation as one of
the greatest meals in town.
This status was strengthened
years ago when a separate dining area was established in the
club as an outlet for the public
to test and taste the Dante
Club’s menu, and to allow
kitchen staff to work some additional hours. Its popularity was
such that it was soon transformed into a full-blown restaurant, offering lunch and supper
by reservation only on
Thursdays and Fridays.
While sheer demand would
allow for the restaurant to be
open more frequently, the club’s
hectic banquet business keeps
the schedule from opening up
further.
The public will soon have
another way of accessing this
unique culinary jewel, however,
as the Dante Club will be offering an external catering service.
To help with this and to bring
additional sophistication to
their menu, two new chefs have
been added to the kitchen.
“In the past, we had beautiful
Italian ladies who were hard
workers, but they were limited
to what they did, though they
were really good at what they
could do,” said Rizzuto. “Now
we have chefs, and not only do
they have the skills that the
ladies taught them, but they
also have a vast expertise of
their own that will greatly
expand what we can do. It’s an
exciting time.”
For more information on the
Porcupine Dante Club, please
call them at (705) 264-3185, or
visit them at 162 Cedar Street
South.
inside business
8 - SEPTEMBER 2012
How to ease your marketing stress
BY JENNIFER LATHAM RICHARDS
A marketing plan is the road
map to business growth, but
marketing doesn’t have to be as
difficult as people sometimes
make it out to be. It’s understandable how business owners
get overwhelmed: there are an
overwhelming amount of
options to choose from when it
comes to marketing your company, and it can all seem rather
dizzying. But a marketing plan
doesn’t have to be a 50-page
document costing tens of thousands of dollars; it can be a concise, easy-to-read, easy-to-follow
document that simply maps out
strategies for a one-year period.
Whether you are a B2B or B2C
company, marketing strategies
for small businesses have the
same essential components.
However, every business is different. Here is an easy six-step
process to determining what will
work best for your company’s
marketing needs.
Determine a marketing
budget. A good rule of thumb is
to spend 5-10% of your gross
annual sales on marketing.
Beginners are often amazed at
how much marketing costs.
Although there are many
avenues for promoting your
company for free, remember
that you will need to spend
money on promotion, whether
you like it or not. Remember
that marketing costs include:
➤ The cost of traditional
media such as newspaper, radio,
television and magazine ads;
➤ Printed materials, such as
business cards and pamphlets;
➤ Direct mail pieces;
➤ Mailing costs;
➤ Trade show materials and
entrance fees;
➤ Sponsorships;
➤ Store signage;
➤ Logo design;
➤ Website design;
... and a whole host of other
promotional materials.
You will not likely need all of
these marketing avenues, so
when developing your marketing budget, you need to know
exactly what forms of advertising and promotion you’re going
to use.
Know your target market.
Taking time to adequately
research your customer base will
help you make decisions about
which media to use in your marketing activities. If you’re a B2B
company, for example, your customer base may be a purchasing
agent or wholesaler. The buying
behaviour of business customers
differs greatly from everyday
consumers. Often, in business
transactions, decisions need to
be made through a pipeline of
people. Determining what drives
those clients to want to make a
purchase is key to how you will
be able to market to them.
Consumer purchase behaviour,
although different from business
buying behaviour, is just as
complex. Thoroughly research
your target market’s buying
behaviour before you start
shelling out money for advertising that might not even reach
your intended customer.
Determine your goals. Every
marketing plan or campaign
needs to have goals in place
before embarking on the plan.
Look at your past marketing
activities and see what worked
and what didn’t work. Then
look at what you want to
achieve with this particular campaign. Make sure your goals are
quantifiable. Setting a goal that
says “We want to increase the
number of sales this month” is
useless. Your goals need to be
specific, measurable, realistic,
and timely. A goal that says
“Our goal is to increase visits to
our website from a daily average
of 50 to 100 by Dec. 31” meets
all the criteria.
Develop a schedule. When it
comes to marketing, your calendar needs to be your best friend.
I recommend spending at least
one hour a day on marketing
activities, whether that is
revamping your marketing plan,
posting to social media, or writing a weekly blog. Have a separate calendar specific for your
marketing activities. Determine
what you need to need to do
each month based on the goals
you have set. Then write down
what you’re going to do each
day to help achieve that
goal. When you have a schedule
to follow, it keeps you accountable. You’re no longer just
“winging it.”
Create a consistent marketing campaign. This is the most
important element that needs to
be adhered to when it comes to
marketing. All of your promotional material must have a consistent message. Word it differently, but make sure it always
has the same look and feel as all
of your other promotional materials. Your website should be the
most easily accessible point for
any customer to find you. Use
your website as the centre of all
of your marketing activities and
develop everything else to coincide with your website.
Evaluate. Remember those
goals you made earlier? You
won’t know if you’ve met your
targets if you just promote like
crazy but never track the results.
There are lots of ways to evaluate your marketing activities,
which really depend on the
goals you have set. Your marketing needs will often change
throughout the year, so re-evaluate your goals every month or
so.
Use this guideline to start
your marketing planning for the
upcoming quarter. The busiest
time of the year for businesses is
often Q4, so start planning now.
Jennifer Latham Richards is the owner
of the Timmins-based Small Business
Marketing Solutions.
FREE MARKETING WEBINAR
SERIES
It’s not just back to school for the kids.
Now you can learn a few new things too !!
Join the owner of Small Business Marketing Solutions,
Jennifer Latham Richards for a 4 part series on how to
market your small business.
September 5th 1 PM
4-step Process to Effective Marketing
September 12th 1 PM
Finding the Balance Between
Social Media and Traditional Advertising
September 19th 1 PM
How to Turn Customers into
Brand Ambassadors
Registe
r today
at
info@s
-b-m-s.
ca!
September 26th 1 PM
Community Marketing
What It Is and How It Can Help You
392 Snub Avenue • Timmins, ON • P4N 7P5 • 705-363-7580 • [email protected]
inside business
SEPTEMBER 2012 - 9
New member profiles
Acme Analytical
Laboratories
MINING COMPANIES AND
CONTRACTORS
(705) 360-5232
AcmeLabs is a service company that
provides mineral preparation and laboratory testing services for mining, minerals
exploration and research. Sample preparation is a large part of our business
because most samples require preparation
prior to analysis and because correct
preparation is critical to obtaining appropriate and correct results. Without good
sample preparation, the analysis is wasted. Acme routinely processes a wide
range of sample types including rocks,
drill core, drill cuttings, soils, stream sediments, till, clay and water. Acme also
provides a wide range of tests including
fire assay for precious metals to
Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and
ICP Mass Spectrometry. Acme is a leader
in minerals analysis methodology and
instrumentation, and operates one of the
largest laboratories in the world. We routinely handle precious metals testing,
base metals testing, uranium analysis,
rare earth element analysis, as well as
many others. Acme provides services
through 19 offices in 11 countries
throughout North and South America
and Turkey.
Bluewood Homes
CONTRACTORS AND CONSTRUCTION
COMPANIES
(705) 579-2084
Affordability. Reliability. Quality. With
traits such as these, it’s no surprise that
Bluewood Homes has rapidly become a
leading home builder in Ontario and
beyond. Our principles, company values
and assurance of quality home building
have expanded our growth from a local
builder to a well-known provincial
builder.
What distinguishes Bluewood Homes
from other home builders? Our homes
come equipped with an extensive list of
included features that other builders consider upgrades such as decorative lighting
packages, finely crafted wood cabinets,
granite counter tops, imported tile, exotic
hardwood, luxurious master bathrooms,
and of course BluWood. Bluewood
Homes is also a “green” home builder.
We use building materials and suppliers
that embrace sustainability and resource
conservation. These “green” features
make for a cleaner home and save you
money each month on utility bills by
using less energy and water.
Additionally, Bluewood Homes delivers
smart house plans that match your specific needs, preferences and personal
style. Choose from a wide variety of
plans that range in size from a modest
1,000 square feet to a more spacious
12,000 square feet. Bluewood Homes also
offers an array of affordable housing,
townhomes and multi-family homes for
the investor.
[www.bluewoodhomes.com]
Christopher’s Coffee House
RESTAURANTS/DELIS AND CATERING
SERVICES
(705) 268-7274
Christopher’s is a family-owned business, where we believe that family,
friends and great coffee are important.
Our coffee beans are 100% organic and
fair trade. Our beans are roasted weekly
in Northern Ontario. We serve specialty
coffee, gourmet desserts, sandwiches,
wraps, soups and a few fine things in
between.
CreeWest Limited
Partnership/CreeWest Air
ABORIGINAL ORGANIZATIONS
(705) 268-2733
CreeWest General Partnership (GP) Inc.
is a privately held Ontario registered corporation based in Moose Factory,
Ontario. CreeWest GP Inc. is the operating arm of the CreeWest Limited
Partnership and CreeWest Air.
CreeWest GP Inc. ownership communities consist of Weenisk First Nation (FN),
Attawapiskat FN, Fort Albany FN and
Kashechewan FN, and is governed by a
four-member board of directors. In addition, the board has appointed three nonvoting advisors. The CEO reports directly
to the Chairperson of the board of directors.
As a First-Nation-owned business, we
are committed to the advancement of
general partnerships and joint ventures
emphasizing First Nation employment
and subcontracting opportunities wherever possible.
[www.creewest.ca]
Day Group of Companies
MINING COMPANIES AND
CONTRACTORS
(705) 268-7250
Day Group of Companies was founded
in 1954. We are now a diverse mine services transportation, construction and
environmental company that leads in
trust, reliability and customer service —
and throughout, safety is always number
one. We serve Northern Ontario from
corporate locations in Greater Sudbury
and Timmins.
Our advanced technology has made us
a leader in environmental and safety initiatives. Our trained and certified
employees, working with our fleet of custom equipment, heavy equipment, highway trucks and trailers or specialized
services, meet the many demands of our
customers.
Day Group of Companies — the right
people and the right equipment.
➤ Meeting your mine services needs;
➤ Meeting your construction needs;
➤ Meeting your transportation needs;
➤ Meeting your environmental needs;
➤ Meeting your pits and quarries
needs;
➤ Meeting your rail services needs;
➤ Meeting your driver training needs;
➤ Meeting your pipe fusing needs.
[www.daygroup.ca]
Edward Jones
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
AND SERVICES
(705) 360-4343
Whether you want to plan for retirement, save for university, reduce your tax
bills, or ensure you have income to cover
your expenses, we provide personalized
service and investment strategies that
have proven themselves over the long
term. Discuss your goals during a financial review; contact Dalton MacFarlane
today.
[www.edwardjones.com]
Inflatable Amusement Rentals
RENTAL SALES AND SERVICES
(705) 266-3997
Inflatable Amusements is a Timminsbased family-run company. We believe
today’s youth need activities and fun
which include the outdoors, physical
challenges and interacting with their
peers. We have a great selection of
bouncers, obstacle courses and events
geared to bring back good, old-fashioned
fun!
Newbie Media Inc.
COMMUNICATION SERVICES AND
ADVERTISING
(705) 268-0696
Newbie Media is a full-service boutique
advertising, marketing and consulting
agency. Our goal is to help you create
company and product awareness for the
demographic you wish to reach, be it
local, regional or national. We help put
you on the map and drive clients to your
business. We help take your business
image to the highest level. We are experienced in creating strong brand recognition that reflects the true nature of your
business and products, and we are proud
to work with small businesses to promote
local economic growth. We believe in
building community, one successful business at a time. Our service include, web
design, logo and brand design, billboard
ad design, billboard rentals, newsletter
services, promotional campaigns, consulting, newspaper ad design, advertising
campaigns and photography.
[www.newbiemedia.ca]
RH MH Heating
+ Air Conditioning Ltd.
HEATING/PLUMBING AND AIR
CONDITIONING
(705) 531-3311
We install and service furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters.
Schumacher Lions Club
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
(705) 288-0188
Looking for a venue to host a party?
The Schumacher Lions Club hall is available for rent. With a hall capacity of 150
people, the Lions Club hall is the perfect
size for birthday parties, wedding showers, bridal showers, stag and does, and so
much more. The cost to rent the hall is
$382.50 (HST included) for a full day or
$100 (HST included) for an afternoon
rental. A bartender can be provided for
an additional fee of $150.
Items provided with rental of hall
include:
➤ Wheelchair accessibility;
➤ Free parking;
➤ Use of kitchen (stove top, oven,
microwave, fridge, dish washer); and
➤ Tables, dishes, and chairs (supply
own linen or rentals available).
Contact the Schumacher Lions Club
for dates or more information.
[www.schumacherlions.com]
SMS Equipment
HEAVY EQUIPMENT SALES AND SERVICE
(705) 264-4300
About us: SMS Equipment holds a
unique position in the industry as a onestop supplier of the most complete range
of equipment. We offer only worldrenowned brand names that meet your
standards of reliability and productivity.
We also offer a select range of production
attachments for specific market segments
such as construction, forestry, mining
and utility industries. SMS continuously
analyzes the market and listens to our
customers in order to provide them with
all the equipment they may require in
the completion of the most diverse applications. We support world-renowned
brands including Komatsu, Wirtgen,
Kleemann, Vgele, Hamm, Genesis,
Indeco, Sandvik and others. With over 40
locations to serve you across Canada,
SMS Equipment is your local equipment
and solutions provider.
Company history: On May 12, 2008,
three Canadian equipment dealers
(Federal Equipment, Coneco Equipment,
and Transwest Mining Systems) merged
to become SMS Equipment, one of the
largest Komatsu dealers in the world with
a network of business centres across
Canada. Though the name SMS
Equipment is relatively young, the industry experience brought together from the
alignment is vast. With Federal
Equipment founded in 1952, Coneco in
1966, and Transwest in 1986, the cumulative experience brings you some of the
most creative, unique, and productive
solutions in the construction, forestry,
utility and mining industries.
Timmins branch history: In operation
at 1961 Riverside Dr., since April 1998.
Continuous improvement, progressive
growth along with a healthy economy
since that time has seen the operation
increase in employees from five back in
1998 to our current level of 16. Timmins
branch covers a large territory from the
Quebec boarder/New Liskeard area, Hwy
11 corridor up to Longlac, Hornepayne,
Wawa, Chapleau, Gogama, and Timmins.
Testmark Laboratories Ltd.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES
AND SERVICES
(705) 531-1121
Testmark Laboratories is a Canadianowned, privately held environmental
testing lab. Testmark provides accredited
and licensed testing to all interested parties in the environmental, industrial and
government sectors. Testmark’s scope
includes organic, inorganic, microbiological and toxilogical testing.
[www.testmark.ca]
Managing Editor: Keitha Robson
Published by:
(705) 360-1900
Email: [email protected]
Timmins Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 985, Timmins, Ontario, P4N 7H6
(705) 360-1900
Fax: (705) 360-1193
Editor: Nick Stewart
www.timminschamber.on.ca
Advertising Opportunities: Carmen Swartz
(705) 360-1900
Email: [email protected]
(705) 360-1900
Email: [email protected]
Inside Business is an information package provided to members of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce and businesses at large. The positions expressed in by-lined columns are the opinion of the
subject editor and do not reflect the position of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce unless specifically stated. The Timmins Chamber of Commerce assumes no responsibility for statements or
claims made by advertisers. “Inside Business” is published 6 times per year by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce. Issue dates are January, March, May, July, September and November.
Closing date is the second Friday of the previous month. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission.
inside business
10 - SEPTEMBER 2012
Making progress with Timmins 2020
As the roadmap for the city’s strategic
planning over the next 10 years,
Timmins 2020’s implementation is now
fully underway, with many community
partners — including the Timmins
Chamber — working together for its success.
Following extensive community consultation and approval by Timmins city
council, the Timmins 2020 plan was
launched in January 2012; since then,
various individuals and organizations
have helped to initiate related projects to
make Timmins more economically
diverse, socially aware, and commercially
competitive.
Although many members and staff
already sit on many of the implementation committees, the Timmins Chamber
hopes to be able to further expand its
involvement in the Timmins 2020
process in the coming months. More
information on these plans, and the role
that members can continue to play, will
be provided as they are made available.
To help provide its members with an
update on some of the current projects,
the Timmins Chamber has asked the
Timmins 2020 implementation team,
Clearlogic Consulting, for their point of
view on the status of these initiatives.
Jessica McVety, Clearlogic Consulting
Branding Strategy:
Timmins is currently discovering its
“Brand Story.” Consultations are underway with members of the community,
and social media campaigns are being
conducted on Facebook and Twitter. Be
part of the conversation! Leave a comment on our Facebook page or connect
with @Timmins2020 on Twitter using
#TBS.
Cochrane District Social Planning
Council was established in late 2011 to
promote community discussion of socioeconomic issues, and gather and share
information to raise social awareness.
Their Interim Committee is coordinating
procedures for the Council and appointing members from across the Cochrane
district.
Tourism, Culture
and Recreation Master Plan:
2020 Engagement:
This unprecedented project has been
making headway this summer. Three
committees have been established to
guide each portion of this plan, and an
RFP is being developed for release in
September 2012.
Housing Strategy:
The Housing Committee is currently
working towards the development of a
housing inventory for Timmins. They
will also be identifying the housing
needs of various demographic groups in
the city, covering the entire spectrum
from homelessness to home ownership.
Worker Recruitment:
The Employer Council, an initiative of
the Timmins Economic Development
Corporation and Timmins Local
Immigration Partnership, has been helping to attract new workers to Timmins.
They can be credited with the re-launch
of the jobsintimmins.com and immigrationtimmins.com websites. Their next
goal is to develop a “New Residents
Guide” to help welcome the newcomers.
It’s important that those helping to
move Timmins 2020 forward are able to
report their progress to the City and
other residents. For this reason, Timmins
2020 maintains and regularly updates
their website, Facebook page, and Twitter
feed. News blogs are frequently posted on
the website, including interviews with
locals involved in ongoing projects.
The Timmins 2020 Team invites all
Timmins residents to get involved!
To download the full Timmins 2020
document, which includes a complete list
of specific priorities, goals and activities,
please visit timmin2020.ca.
Youth Engagement:
The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council is
being revamped to encompass a larger
portion of the youth sector. The aim will
be to mentor young people to become
responsible and loyal citizens, while
empowering them to speak up on local
issues that affect and interest them.
Social Planning:
Hosted by The Venture Centre, the
Come home to a one-of-a-kind, beautiful kitchen!
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Anything you want, we can make it happen!
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SUPER CITY CLEANING SYSTEMS
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and detailing services
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Professional Bookkeeping • Personal & Business Tax Returns
M.O.E. = Profits
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Phone: 268-4474 • Fax: 264-0011
Maurice E. Proulx email: [email protected]
Looking for
government information
and services?
Try www.ServiceOntario.ca
Or Ask a Librarian
Main Branch Reference Department
320 Second Ave., Timmins ON P4N 8A4
705-360-2623 X8537
C. M. Shields Branch
99 Bloor St., South Porcupine ON P0N 1H0
705-360-2623 X8590
Paid for by the Government of Ontario and your local Library
inside business
SEPTEMBER 2012 - 11
Landmark forestry
agreement signed
Anna Baggio, director of conservation planning with CPAWS-Wildlands League, looks on as
Al Thorne, chief forester for Tembec’s Ontario operations, outlines some of the changes proposed
in a new action plan put forth by the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, to which they are both
signatories. The plan proposes to increase industry access to fibre while protecting greater
amounts of woodland caribou habitat. For more details, see Good News, page 4.
Saying goodbye
The Timmins Chamber of Commerce would like to say a fond farewell to Alisha Luxton,
who as of late July has completed her one-year contract with the organization as
member engagement co-ordinator. Her contributions to the Chamber in that time have
been numerous, her efforts have been tireless, and her results have always spoken for
themselves. The Chamber board and staff wish her the best of luck in her journeys.
12 - SEPTEMBER 2012
inside business
Making the most of
Chamber events
BY CARMEN SWARTZ
Every year, the Timmins Chamber of
Commerce organizes more than 50 different
and unique events, each of which is carefully designed to encourage professional development and networking.
These events represent unique opportunities for Chamber members; however, to
really make the most of them, there are a
few things to keep in mind.
Attending the event is the first and most
obvious step. Even just by showing up,
you’ll likely benefit by learning something
new. Once you are there, you can really get
around to making the most of it.
In fact, you will feel that you’ve gotten
your money’s worth if you leave at the end
of the event knowing you’ve made a new
business contact or that you’ve signed a
new client.
As evident as it sounds, showing up is
indeed half the battle. Given, there is definite value in spending money advertising
your product or service; you can be on all
social media sites and advertise in the media
to build awareness about your company or
organization. But talking to someone faceto-face will strengthen the relationship you
have with those you’re trying to connect
with, or trying to sell your product or service. If someone is going to do business with
you, they need to know who you are, what
you do and what you can do for them.
Come to the event with co-workers, but
leave your “circle” and walk over to someone new and introduce yourself. Don’t register at the door and simply sit at your table;
instead, walk around and meet people. You
should introduce yourself: first name, last
name and what organization/business you
work for. Hand them your business card.
The next step is often the most difficult
for people: Once you’ve introduced yourself,
you must say something else. Avoid the
obvious, and resist talking about the weather. Instead, you can ask them if they’ve participated in a similar Chamber event, or
other events in which you’ve taken part. It’s
a simple thing, but the conversation should
flow from this point forward.
Once you’ve attended an event and met a
few new contacts, you’ll know someone
when you walk into the room at the next
event you attend. When leaving the event,
ask those at your table if they plan to
attend the next one and let them know
you’ll see them there.
I always endeavor to introduce myself to
all event attendees. If I haven’t met you,
please come introduce yourself to me. Tell
me who you are, what you do, and how I
can help you make the most of your attendance at an event. I will always play matchmaker — if you haven’t met a Chamber
member who I believe could be a client or a
good business contact for you, I will introduce you.
At each event the Chamber hosts, we
always allow enough time for networking.
Make the most of it. Set a personal goal for
yourself. For your first event and the first
time you step out of your comfort zone,
plan to introduce yourself to two new contacts. Ensure you give out your business
card and that you ask for each of their business cards in return.
The Chamber has an exciting calendar of
events schedule for the upcoming Chamber
year. Make the most of your membership:
get involved.
Carmen Swartz is the Timmins Chamber of Commerce’s
member development and events specialist.