June 2008 “Business after Business”

I have had some questions in regard to why we are selling tickets for this month’s “Business after Business” being held at Boston Pizza on June 18 at 5 pm. This meeting is not a typical “Business after Business” where the host supplies the refreshments and food, and attendance is usually a maximum of 40 people or so. We have sent out close to 200 personal invitations to non-member businesses and are hoping that there will be anywhere from 60 to 100 people attending. In addition, Boston Pizza is closing their lounge to the general public, and I will be meeting with the manager this coming Monday to finalize the details of what exactly will be served. This is not a fund-raising event for the Chamber and I am confident that Boston Pizza will provide us with an excellent meal. We need to sell advance tickets so Boston Pizza will have an idea of how many people will be attending and they know how much food to prepare.

We will also be having a silent auction and all money raised will be donated to the Nicola Valley Food Bank as they are struggling right now. We also want to mention that the Chamber office has a box for donations of non-perishable food items for the Food Bank and you are welcome to drop donations off at the office.In partnership with the Community Policing Office, they have arranged for a representative from the Bank of Canada to do a presentation from 5:30 to 6 pm on Counterfeit Detection, and will be providing material on credit card fraud, check and money order theft, and counterfeit money.Through the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, there is a new Elearning Program that will be introduced along with a brief presentation on Chamber Benefits.We will be launching our new WEB SITE which will further enhance your membership and will benefit the Merritt business community in general.Chamber members who attend will have an opportunity to WIN a 2009 membership and we also have some door prizes to give away. You can purchase tickets for $14.00 ($20.00 at the door) at Country Bug Books & Gifts, Boston Pizza, Coldwater Office Supply, and the Chamber office. This will be the last Chamber event until September so we want this to be a fun and informative evening.

3-Minute Survey

You may recall that last month, we asked members to fill out a survey concerning your membership with the Chamber. We only had 20 responses sent in, but we have summarized them and attached it for your review. We are always wanting to hear from you concerning any comments or suggestions regarding Chamber membership, so please do not hesitate to contact us with your concerns.

Merritt Street Mall

Chamber staff will be assigning the spots for the street mall next week, so if you have not paid for your spot by Monday, June 9th, we cannot guarantee you a spot. We have more vendors than anticipated so we will be extending the street mall. It will run along Quilchena from Voght Street to Charters Ave.

Mountainfest Beverage Garden Volunteers

We are still looking for volunteers for the beverage garden at Mountainfest as the response has been slow. We have found it necessary to advertise in Kamloops, so if you are interested in receiving a free pass for the festival and can volunteer to work the beverage garden, please come down to the Chamber office and fill out an application.

MOUNTAINFEST 2008 would like to offer the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, members, friends and family an exclusive offer for event tickets and/or camping reservations. For details on this special offer or to purchase tickets, please CLICK HERE!

New Members

We are very pleased to welcome the following new members:

Canada Café – located downtown on Quilchena serving Chinese and Canadian food

Middlesboro Pub- enjoy their outdoor patio and steak sandwiches

Merritt Liquor Store – located at 3623 Dewolf Way

Black’s Pharmacy – another successful downtown business

A & C Auto – located on Nicola Ave – repairs to all makes and models

Members who attended the AGM may recall at that time, the Chamber only had 106 paid members. We are very happy to report that we now have 165 paid members.