BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE

Over the past two months as Chairman of the Board of the Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce, I have taken a good, long look at the Strategic Plan of the organization and have developed a business plan focusing on the policy direction outlined by the Plan.

The Chamber’s Strategic Plan – referred to as a “blueprint for the future”  – will serve as our roadmap over the next three years. Formulated by the Board to allow the Chamber to play a more significant leading role in advancing the interests of the area’s businesses (small and large), the Plan was designed to make the Chamber more member-responsive and the prominent source of initiatives, opinion and reference for the business community we serve.

Our challenge for the next six months is to take the general intent of the Strategic Plan and build upon it. Specifically, the thrust of the Plan is to emphasize action and initiative rather than reaction. This will take a great deal of involvement and commitment from the members of our Standing (Policy) Committees – Environment, Finance & Taxation, Government Relations, Membership Services & Development and Transportation – all of which will be asked to identify issues of importance to our membership. Be it cross-border issues, infrastructure, municipal taxes or brownfield cleanups – we are looking to highlight areas of concern, research these issues, develop resolutions and, ultimately, articulate these to the relevant levels of government.

The Strategic Plan has also dramatically inverted the way the Chamber is governed. Rather than the Chairman of the \Board, our Membership is now at the top of the organizational structure and the Board will report to the Membership.

As a consequence, another important step in carrying out the vision of the Strategic Plan is the start-up of a new Membership Services & Development Committee. The Board of Directors recently appointed Susan Easterbrook, Principal of Easterbrook & Associates and Past Vice-Chair of the Chamber’s Finance & Taxation Committee as Chair of this new committee. Susan will bring an enthusiasm and commitment to the table that will lead committee members in their task of taking a look at the issues that impact new members and helping to identify our strengths and weaknesses in matters involving member retention.

As part of its Terms of Reference, the Committee will oversee an annual membership survey to determine the value of the current program, gaps that may exist, and ways to improve the Chamber’s effectiveness. In an effort to retain current membership levels and identify approaches to attract new membership, the committee will assess major competition for our membership dollars. The general public’s perception of the Chamber will also be evaluated with a focus on how the Chamber is fostering an entrepreneurial spirit within the community. The committee will recommend new services and programs and the discontinuation of current services based on the value to the membership to the Board but, most importantly, the committee will work towards relevance for all members.

This is an exciting opportunity for the new team of volunteers – through polling members and conducting focus groups – to look at the services we provide and how we provide them and then develop creative ideas to increase the already high quality of services available to members.

It is going to be a time of significant change for the Chamber – for volunteers, membership and staff – but the challenge will result in the Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce becoming a stronger, more insightful and informed voice for the business community in which we serve.