The evening of Wednesday, November 15th was a big one for the business communities within Martensville and Warman as two separate Chambers of Commerce officially united as one. Approximately six months ago, discussion between the two groups began regarding an amalgamation and taking what each Chamber has to offer and combining them to be able to provide more benefits to their members and to each of their communities. From there, the board made it their goal to complete the amalgamation by year end; a daunting task indeed, but with determination and hard work, they were able to achieve their objective. On October 4, 2017, members of both Chambers of Commerce voted in favour of the amalgamation, which was necessary in having this goal become a reality.
This amalgamation is putting our region on the map and someday we hope to be able to help other Chambers through this process. – Jaimie Malmgren, Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce Executive Director
Throughout the past six months, the board has worked tirelessly to ensure that the amalgamation process would be successful. In order to do this, a steering committee consisting of Gary Moore, Stephen Nicholson, Elise Hildebrandt and Tracey Fesiuk was established to help guide the process. Additionally, there were numerous consultations held with non-profit experts that provided recommendations and amalgamation best practices. “We were connected to a handful of Chambers that became mentors for us through the amalgamation process; however, when I attended the CCEC Conference in Fredericton, the power of networking was reinforced. It was astounding the number of Chambers I met, of all shapes and sizes that had successfully amalgamated. It was invigorating to discover this and reassuring that while no other chamber in Saskatchewan had done it, we have a large network of Chambers that have been through it and are willing and able to help us out. This amalgamation is putting our region on the map and someday we hope to be able to help other Chambers through this process,” Malmgren added. As the membership of any Chamber of Commerce is the driving force behind all decisions, there were open houses held, which allowed members the chance to ask questions, express their concerns and provide feedback.
One of the biggest challenges for amalgamation was deciding on a new name and logo. “Finding a name that didn’t include our cities names but still represented our area was certainly a challenge,” added Malmgren. On November 15th at the unveiling, the new name and logo was announced as Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce.
The Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce board of directors is: Elise Hildebrandt (Chair), Tracey Fesiuk (Vice-Chair), Tracy Cocks (Treasurer), Janna LaRochelle (Secretary) and Stephen Nicholson, Trent Ens, Shanine Sealey, Jaime Holowaty, Gary Moore, James Dietrich, Darla Schwartz, Josh Fedorowich and Tamara Bell. Currently the PSCC consists of approximately 200 members, ranging from the region’s biggest employers, small and medium sized businesses, as well as home based businesses, entrepreneurs and more.
“This amalgamation is all about value to the membership; business has no borders and having these two successful organizations working in harmony will be a huge asset to the current membership and future Chamber members. It brings together the expertise, collective knowledge and vigor of each to make the most of our collective contributions. That is how we will succeed and how we will improve the business climate of Warman, Martensville and the entire region,” said Malmgren.
For more information about the Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce, email contact@prairieskychamber.ca, or contact (306) 292-7066.
