After receiving more than 150 nominations, we are pleased to announce the Finalists for the 2019 Sylvan Lake Business Awards as selected by a panel of judges who evaluated and scored each application. The award winners will be announced at the upcoming Mermaid Ball + Business Awards on Saturday October 26th, a 300 person formal event to be held in Sylvan Lake.  Please join us in congratulating this year's finalists....

Employee of the Year Award

• Donna Amo - Boston Pizza
• Ingrid Soanes - Sylvan Lake Community Partners
• Taylor Bohn  - Bukwildz
• Tiffany Stoyles - Sylvan Agencies - A Division of Rogers Insurance
• Grace Woods - Good Earth Coffeehouse

Business Woman of the Year Award

• Cathy Forner - C4ner Management
• Debby Bach - Sylvan Olive Co.
• Kathryn Blair - Undercurrent Brewing
• Leah McIntyre - Sylvan Agencies
• Priscilla D'Mello - Murdoch D'Mello Insurance + Financial Services - the co-operators

Young Entrepreneur Award

• Kjeryn Dakin - Bukwildz
• Dr. Lance McAffe - Sylvan Family Chiropractic
• Skylar Murdoch - Murdoch D'Mello Insurance + Financial Services - the co-operators
• Travis Jones - Sylvan Lake Physical Therapy

Environmental Stewardship Award

• Sylvan Lake Aqua Splash
• Good Earth Coffeehouse
• Sylvan Lake Community Partners Association
• Undercurrent Brewing

Visitor Friendly Award

• Good Earth Coffeehouse
• Snake Lake Brewing Company
• Sylvan Olive Co.
• Sobeys Sylvan Lake
• Sunsport Recreation

Customer Service Excellence Award

• ATB Financial
• Good Earth Coffeehouse
• RoyAl Glass
• Sylvan Agencies
• Western Business Solutions

Marketing Excellence Award

• 7 Points Media
• Good Earth Coffeehouse
• Lapp Realty
• Snake Lake Brewing Company
• Canadian Tire - Sylvan Lake

New Business of the Year

• A/T Tire + Performance
• Good Earth Coffeehouse
• Murdoch D'Mello Insurance + Financial Solutions
• C-4ner Management
• Neighbour by the Lake
• Uptown Parties + Balloons

Small Business of the Year (under 10 employees)

• ATB Financial
• Picky Painter
• Rapid Auto Solutions
• Saks Shoes
• TD Bobcat

Large Business of the Year (10+ employees)

• Bukwildz
• Canadian Tire -Sylvan Lake
• Sylvan Steam + Spa
• Sylvan Agencies
• Servus Credit Union
• Coverdale's No Frills

2019 Business Satisfaction Survey Now Underway

The Town of Sylvan Lake has engaged the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce to conduct a Business Satisfaction Survey. The survey collects data on several topics related to the economy, business operating environment, and Town of Sylvan Lake business-related services. The level of satisfaction will be utilized as a baseline figure in the Municipal Sustainability Plan (MSP).

$100 gift card draw will be made at the conclusion of the survey

As an incentive to make the time to take the survey, each business will be entered into a draw for 100 dollars. Only one representative per business may take the survey, ideally the business owner or most senior manager.  Please note that this survey will remain open until September 5th, 2019.

Take the survey

Past surveys of Sylvan Lake Businesses were conducted in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the results of which are posted below.

• 2015 Home Based Business Survey
• 2015 Waterfront Commercial District Survey
• 2016 Retail Survey
• 2017 Professional Scientific and Technical Services Survey
• 2018 Oil + Gas and Manufacturing Survey
• 2019 Response Town Administration Response

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. Who participates in the Business Satisfaction Survey?

All businesses in Sylvan Lake, including home-based businesses may take the survey. Only one person per business may participate. The survey discusses high-level issues and is designed for the business owner, CEO/President/Vice President/Primary Manager.

Q. How is the Business Satisfaction Survey conducted?

The survey is web-based. Questions were approved by the Economic Development Officer and the Business Recruitment Team (BRT). 

Q. Are the responses confidential?

Yes, all responses to the Business Satisfaction Survey are confidential. Business names are not individually identified and will not be included in the final report. Results are aggregated.

Q. What are the results used for?

The survey is shared with Town of Sylvan Lake Council, administration and the business community.The level of satisfaction will be utilized as a baseline figure in the Municipal Sustainability Plan (MSP), and allows the Town to be made aware of challenges faced by businesses in Sylvan Lake.

The Passport to Christmas Program encourages local shopping during the holiday season - and 2018 is the first year the Chamber has organized such an initiative.

How does it work?  For each $10 spent at a participating local business the customer receives a stamp on their passport.  Each passport, when filled, can be dropped off at any participating business in order to be entered to win the grand prize of a $500 West Jet Travel Gift Certificate.

The program will run from November 15th until December 20th, when the draw for the grand prize will be made.

It is entirely free this year for any Sylvan Lake business, whether they are a Chamber member or not, to get in on this program simply by lighting up the exterior of their business.  

For more information or to become a participating business, please contact the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce: 403.887.3048 / info@sylvanlakechamber.com

The Government of Canada is committed to advancing gender equality, women's economic empowerment and supporting women entrepreneurs through the new Women Entrepreneurship Strategy announced in Budget 2018.

The full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. Current female entrepreneurs face unique barriers as they move along the business cycle. As a result, women own fewer than 16% of businesses and are underrepresented in the economy.

By addressing women's economic empowerment through initiatives such as the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (the Strategy), Canada will have the potential to add $150 billion in incremental GDP by 2026 and reach its goal of doubling the number of majority women-owned businesses by 2025.

As part of the Strategy, the Government is making funding available directly to women entrepreneurs through the Women Entrepreneurship Fund. The objective is to provide support to women to grow their businesses and facilitate their pursuit of opportunities in markets abroad. The Fund is a $20 million investment providing up to $100,000 in non-repayable contribution funding for 12 months.

The Women Entrepreneurship Fund will fund women-owned and women-led businesses to invest in activities that focus on:

• Supporting pursuit of market opportunities abroad (e.g. international marketing strategy, supply chain integration, promotions, business advisory services, online presence/website development)
• Supporting Scale-up, Expansion and Growth (e.g. product/service development and improvement, inventory management, value stream mapping, upgrades to plant and equipment, process and technology improvements
• Additional activities that support the objectives of the Women Entrepreneurship Fund

The Government of Canada invites eligible businesses to submit their innovative proposals for funding under the Women Entrepreneurship Fund.

The deadline is this November - for more information about the selection criteria and how to apply visit their website.

MORE INFO

It was our honor to reveal the 2018 Sylvan Lake Business Award winners at the annual Mermaid Ball on Friday October 12th.   This year the Mermaid Ball was also the platform to announce the FCSS Youth Friendly Business Award which went to Timber Coffee Co. 

Thank you to the many volunteers and sponsors who helped make the evening possible - and congratulations to the 2018 Award Winners!

View Winner Video

The 2018 Waterfront Winter Village is only possible with your help!

In 2017 the  Waterfront Winter Village was spearheaded by volunteer members of the Waterfront Commercial District (WCD) Revitalization Committee, a subcommittee of the Sylvan Lake Chamber in partnership with the Town of Sylvan Lake. From December through March the village lit up nightly. Outdoor fire pits blazed, and business and community got involved. 

This year, plans are well underway to extend the attraction and put new ideas into action that encourage community interaction and attract visitors. But it should be noted that lighting up Sylvan Lake does not begin and end lake-front; we encourage all of Sylvan Lake to light up their businesses and homes to make Sylvan Lake a spot people want to come for seasonal activity and spirit.

Some of this year’s inclusive plans include:  Starting a Passport to Christmas Program for all businesses in Sylvan Lake with a storefront to participate in, doubling the Christmas Planter Parade, lighting up even more of the pier, new permanent fire pits at the site, new incentives for sponsors.

In December the attraction may have a Christmas/Holiday Village feel, but this initiative extends through March and is intended to draw people to experience Sylvan Lake as we embrace the winter season.

Our hope is that you will choose to partner with us now and into the future to help build this legacy for Sylvan Lake. For this reason we have enhanced what we offer our sponsors: In addition to on-site signage (presence determined by level of sponsorship), we offer social media acknowledgement, a banner on the Chamber website and an exclusive “sneak peek” event before the public light event.

The three levels of sponsorship include: Platinum $1000, Gold $500, Silver $250.  If you wish to become a sponsor you can do so here.

Thank you from all of us at the Sylvan Lake Chamber, Waterfront Commercial District Revitalization Committee and the Winter Village Committee for helping us make some magic happen.

September 10, 2018 - Alberta’s minimum wage will increase to $15 on October 1 — the highest rate in Canada. The provincial government argues the increase — the third in as many years — will benefit workers and businesses alike, but not all owners agree.

“Businesses telling us that they’re going to take steps in order to try and survive the issue of increasing prices, the [issue] of reducing staff, reducing staff hours, reducing benefits — those are all things that businesses told us that they were going to do."

“This is another increase that’s going to make it much more difficult to survive for a number of them,” - ACC President & CEO Ken Kobly

 View the full article and video

Read: ACC Policy Brief | Impacts of Significant Minimum Wage Increase

"EnergyNow is pleased to publish this letter that was recently sent to Justin Trudeau by Deidra Garyk, who works in the Canadian energy industry. 

If you agree with Deidra please share her letter on your own social media channels. We must keep up our collective voice to make sure the majority of Canadians are heard. The project is vital to getting a competitive price for our CANADIAN oil and generating tax revenue for a federal treasury that benefits all of Canadians."  Read Letter

Here's what the Alberta Chambers of Commerce have to say: 

"Alberta businesses are discouraged by the court decision", said Ken Kobly, president and CEO of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce.

LISTEN:  Global News - 770 CHQR: Ken Kobly talks with Peter Watts on wide-ranging implications of Trans Mountain for Canada and Alberta

In 2019 Sylvan Lake has the honor of hosting SHiFT, an intensive 3.5 day course that will help tourism entrepreneurs design new and unexpected visitor experiences.  There are very limited spots available for this course which will be offered to tourism operators in Central Alberta (or anyone WITH a tourism idea) - so act soon to secure a spot.

Share this with your colleagues or any entrepreneurs in the Central Alberta looking to get into the Tourism business, expand their existing product or that you may recommend for this program. There are limited (24) spaces open for this training program next March.

On October 1, this invitation will be available to all tourism operators in Alberta so get your registration done early!

Download Flier

Register to attend

A MESSAGE FROM THE WESTERN ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION CANADA