FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK
SUBMITTED BY MIKE CARTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ALBERNI VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
I’m not totally convinced, but I assume we should all be pleased that the groundhog is predicting an early spring in Canada. At the Visitor Centre we are already experiencing more visitor traffic. Some are heading out to storm and whale watch on the west coast and many are looking for directions to sporting events such as the Alberni Invitational Wrestling Tournament (29th annual). Next month we expect a real spike in numbers as the BC All-Native Junior Basketball Tournament hits town with 50 teams taking part, March 18th - 23rd. That computes to over a thousand participants, officials, friends and family in town - a real economic generator. We hope the local community throws its support behind this huge event.
It’s also the time of year when the new City Council looks at budgets and conducts strategic planning sessions to identify short and long term priorities. The Chamber is lobbying to see up-town revitalization and the much-needed industrial road move up the priority list along with water and sewage up-grades. We are also working to maintain the zero increase in the business tax which Port Alberni has maintained for some ten years now.
Coming to a mail slot near you will be our Chamber of Commerce invoice for your membership dues. No increase for 2012. We hope you and your colleagues continue to support the Chamber in its lobbying efforts, the Ambassador Program, Visitor Centre operation, Community Excellence Awards Dinner and the growing list of services offered through membership. A detailed list of membership benefits is available on our website, avcoc.com. Our effectiveness on behalf of the business community is directly proportional to our membership numbers. If you have any questions regarding Chamber membership, just give the office a call at 724 6535.
Nominations are now open for the April 12th Community Excellence Awards Dinner. Nomination guidelines and forms are available on our website or drop by the office to pick the forms up. Congrats to Sharie Marie Francoeur, Mortgage Broker, for her Vancouver Island Business award!
Thought for the Week:
“Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.” Nakita Khrushchev

FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK
SUBMITTED BY MIKE CARTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ALBERNI VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
A great percentage of travellers driving through Port Alberni are destined for the west coast and specifically, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. We are improving on our challenge to stop some of them for a while to utilize our services and visit our attractions. Passers-through are now discovering that we have something to offer if you take the time to get off the beaten track, and they are planning vacations here, in a more central and affordable destination. This is precisely why we built our high-profile new Visitor Centre. Meanwhile there have been

FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK
SUBMITTED BY MIKE CARTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ALBERNI VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The chamber is looking ahead to another great season working with our volunteer Ambassadors aboard the Frances Barkley, in the grove, at the Visitor Centre and around town during special events. This year will be extra exciting as we celebrate all that goes along with our 100th anniversary. We are putting the call out for new Ambassadors to sign up for this gratifying pastime and in particular, we are looking for a call-out coordinator to maintain the schedule for Cathedral Grove Ambassadors. Organizer extraordinaire, Gerry Fagan, will be focused on scheduling the Frances Barkley volunteers and he will be glad to teach a new Cathedral Grove coordinator the ropes in order to take over those duties for 2012. Call Gerry (723 8793) or the office (724 6535) for more information if you’re motivated to give something back to your community and meet a plethora of new friends from around the globe.
The chamber would like to congratulate the many local businesses

FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK
SUBMITTED BY MIKE CARTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ALBERNI VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
To kick off our centennial year, the Chamber of Commerce would like to throw open nominations for our annual Community Excellence Awards Dinner. The event is scheduled for Thursday, April 12th at the best Western Barclay Hotel. You can pick up nomination papers at the Visitor Centre or by accessing the chamber’s website, avcoc.com. Last year’s categories and

FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK
SUBMITTED BY MIKE CARTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ALBERNI VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
It’s Port Alberni’s centennial year! Yeah, we’re a hundred! Do you feel that old? We are working with the Centennial Committee to promote the special events planned for the year. Watch your emails for a poster you can display and the first draft of an events calendar. Local clubs and organizations should be planning special centennial events (tournaments, annual general meetings, picnics etc.) and working with the Centennial Committee to coordinate the year’s events and promote them. If you would like to volunteer with the Centennial Committee, contact Gareth Flostrand (724 5918 or gflos@telus.net).
The Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all the participating businesses that took part in the Shop Alberni campaign during