Hello! 

My name is Jeff Palmer, and I am proud to announce that I am the new President of the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce. Joining me are eight dedicated directors, as well as a brand-new executive team, Kate Douglas and Khristie Looy as VPs, and Serena Reid as Treasurer.

This is a new era for the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce. 

As a new board, we are focused on the basics and building upon the foundation that the former board worked so hard to provide us. We are entering this year with a fresh mindset and new perspectives, ideas, and passion for our business community. In this, we strive to nurture and provide value to our current members, extend a warm welcome to new members, work at rebuilding trust and value within our community and reconnect with former members who may have felt disconnected in the past.

Recent years have been filled with transition, discovery and dare I say - a little bit of triage. We are in a better place than we were last year, however, there are still some challenges that we currently are working through. Our admins – Kass (who is currently on maternity leave) and Pamela (her replacement) have been nothing short of fantastic. Our team is diverse and driven, great things are ahead. 

Our goal is to create a Chamber that truly serves its members through consistency, transparency and integrity – one that listens, supports, and advocates for the success of Sylvan Lake businesses. Over the coming months, we’ll be working to enhance communication, improve member engagement, and ensure that the Chamber is a valuable resource for all. 

Some of our short term focuses include:

• Implementing a brand new website that will be not only user friendly, but will be able to better communicate the benefits, streamline membership sign up/renewals and be an open source of information. 

• Decommission our app and utilize the website for advertising and communication.  

• Reevaluate the membership tiers and explore value added benefits through partners, members as well as the Alberta Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 

• Create policies that are not currently in place for day to day operations with a system of checks and balances. This includes updating our bylaws.

• Build the framework for successful events such as mixers, lunch and learns, the Chamber Awards and, our Golf Tournament. 

• Build a long-term financial framework that will allow us to pay off our CEBA loan, utilize grants and other opportunities and build financial resiliency in our organization.

• Utilize our short term strategic plan while we construct a strategic plan that fosters growth within the organization and establishes a metric of long term success. 

We are open and receptive to your feedback and invite you to share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas with us whether it is via email, phone call or a conversation over coffee. Together, we can make the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce a strong and united force for local businesses. I look forward to connecting with you and working toward a bright future for our beautiful town of Sylvan Lake. 

Sincerely, 

Jeff Palmer
President
Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce