Guelph Chamber of Commerce
{{ infobox | above = Guelph Chamber of Commerce | image = | abovestyle = background-color: white | headerstyle = background-color: gray | header1 = Facts | label2 = Location | data2 = Guelph, Ontario | label3 = Founded | data3 = 1868 | label4 = CEO | data4 = Lloyd Longfield | label5 = Chair | data5 = Janet Roy | label8 = Email | data8 = chamber@guelphchamber.com | label9 = Website | data9 = http://www.guelphchamber.com/ }} The Guelph Chamber of Commerce is an organization that involves members from a wide variety of businesses and organizations from the town of Guelph, Ontario Canada. Their goal is to address public affairs on behalf of the businesses of Guelph in order to create a better community. Its purpose is to help businesses and organizations develop a network with other local businesses.
The Guelph Chamber of Commerce is located at 111 Farquahr Street, 2nd Floor, in Guelph, Ontario. The president and CEO of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce is Lloyd Longfield. The board of directors consists of 15 people and the Chair of the Board is Janet Roy. They have over 8 different committees aimed towards different plans to help further improve the goals of the Chamber. These committees are made of up people from different businesses and organizations.
History
The Guelph Chamber of Commerce has been around for over 140 Years and was founded on March 4, 1868. This organization was created to help boost economic growth and businesses in the town of Guelph. The original name called, "The Board of Trade" was changed in 1919 to the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was able to help even with the terrible economy which occurred from 1866 to 1871.
In 1924 the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and other fellow members helped to found the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. In 1911, Guelph was one of 45 members to form the Associated Boards of Trade of Ontario, renamed on June 1, 1953 the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce Week was pronounced by Mayor Ralph W. Smith in 1970 and recognized as a beneficial part of the community. The Chamber still strives after 140 years to make Guelph a community for businesses, organizations and people to work and live in.
Membership
The Guelph Chamber of Commerce members involve many different people in various industries including those from apparel to specific members of the Agricultural & Biotech Research. There are more than 800 members who represent over 50,000 employees from the Guelph area.
There is a fee for joining the Chamber however it is dependent on the type of business joining and the number of employees on the Board. Applications for memberships are done through the Chamber's website. When becoming a member, the Chambers ten promises are followed through with entitlements to Chamber benefits including discounts, networking event invitations, and marketing/promotional resources, all of which are provided through connections and partnerships with other businesses and organizations.
Initiatives and Events
The Chamber re-releases many events in an effort to promote and strengthen the Chamber's values and interactions within the community, some of which events are listed below:
- Trade shows such as the Chamber's Tabletop Trade Show. The event is made to allow local businesses to showcase their products and services to Chamber members and the general public, often focusing on promoting the products and services of small businesses such as web development sites located within Guelph
- Pub NiGHTS hosted at various restaurants around the community as informal events to promote networking between Chamber members
- Career Pathways is an event created for the main purpose of providing over 1,600 grade eight students with career information, education, and opportunities within Guelph and the surrounding area
- Guelph Awards of Excellence gala is an annual event held by the Chamber and its partners to showcase individuals and businesses who have done exceptional work within the community
Partnerships
The Chamber has many partnerships locally and with many organizations around the province.
City of Guelph
The Chamber is closely tied with the City of Guelph in promoting and funding local events. In 2011, Guelph was selected as one of five communities in Ontario to participate in the 2011/12 artsVest Ontario program. This program will offer free sponsorship training to help Guelph’s cultural organizations build mutually beneficial partnerships within the business community specifically by partnering with the Chamber of Commerce and the Guelph Arts Council. The Chamber is also involved in the city's budgeting decisions that may affect businesses around the local area. The Chamber also acts as an adviser when the City of Guelph aims to "get the private sector involved in municipal projects" developed by the city.
Guelph Women in Networking
The Chamber made an alliance Guelph Women in Networking (GWIN) in 2004 so that women within GWIN had the opportunity to expand their business arena by taking advantage of the Chamber's resources and connections while the Chamber was able to grow their network by learning about the businesses held by woman within the GWIN organization.
Rogers TV
For example, during the municipal political campaign in 2010 and 2011, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce partnered with Rogers TV to broadcast live debates with the candidates that were running in the election. Called "The Guelph Riding Debate", these live debates were presented to local viewers to help citizens make informed decisions on election day.
Award of Excellence Partnerships
The Chamber also hosts a local annual Award of Excellence which showcases exceptional businesses and individuals in Guelph. Though this event is hosted by the Chamber, the awards given out are by the Chamber and their partnership with several other local prominent organizations. For example, in the 2011 annual Award of Excellence event, the Chamber partnered with the City of Guelph to present their "Guelph Mayor's Award". The Chamber collaborated with Innovation Guelph to present their "Innovation Guelph Award", with United Way of Guelph and Wellington's to present their "Campaign Awards", with Downtown Guelph to present the "Volunteer of the Year Award", and with the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario to present the "Heritage Conservancy Awards"
Business After 5 and the Regional Trade Show
In collaboration with the other city Chambers like the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and the Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, Guelph's Chamber hosts a regional tradeshow open to the public for the opportunity to learn more about regional businesses and to allow businesses to market their products and services to a wider population. They also host the Business After 5 event locally with just Guelph Chamber members for the same opportunities.
CanBiotech and BioOntario collaborations
With a long-term goal of enriching science and biology educational, developmental, and educational values within the city, the Chamber has established partnerships with CanBiotech and BioOntario. The Chamber is hoping to become one of the top three centers of excellence for bio-life sciences in North America by making agri-food technology, agriculture technology, and bio-life science technologies a focal point in the community.