MESSAGE
FROM THE PRESIDENT
We can be very proud of our 101st Annual General Meeting
that was held on March 9th, 2006, to celebrate last
year’s many accomplishments. This was the largest
turnout ever, and it has only been possible through
your contributions and commitment, to attend this important
event. We had the fortunate opportunity to have Mr.
Len Crispino, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber
of Commerce, speak to us about the importance of being
a member, and being inter-connected with other Chambers
including the OCC. As mentioned at our AGM, our membership
represents approximately 25 percent of the businesses
in the County, which is approximately 300 members and
growing strong.
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My vision is to increase membership ranks to over 500 by
the year 2010. This is only possible with your support and
the Chamber’s hard work. The Chamber should be representing
the majority of the businesses within the County in order
to provide proper representation. PECCTAC is in the business
of supporting businesses and we ask for your continued participation.
You can be confident that our commitment and responsibilities
lie with our members. We will keep you informed as to our
continued progress in striving towards outstanding achievements
for the community. I look forward to your continued support.
Thanks again to our AGM sponsors, RBC, Scotia Bank and Welch
& Company.
The 1001 Annual General Meeting
Introduction of the 2006 Board of Directors:
L to R: County Council Representative Barry Turpin,
, Adam Holgate, Darlaine Foley, Geoff Church, Lynne
McMullen, Rick Jackman, Ian Scrimshaw, Rick Caruso,
Peter Birtwistle, Julia Skillen. Not in picture –
Slavica Bogdanov, Bryan Persaud and Peter Doyle. |
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| GENERAL
MANAGERS REPORT |
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Exciting News to Report!
In the Prince Edward County Business Survey (BR+E) that
was released last fall, lack of training was found to
be one of the key findings. PECCTAC has partnered with
East Central Ontario Training Board (ECOTB) to offer
business training seminars & workshops. The first
of our series to be offered will be on June 6th and
will be a one-day workshop on Building Customer Relationships.
The trainer is Sue MacLaurin, a previous resident of
Prince Edward County, who has over 20 years experience
in the adult education field. Space is limited so please
sign-up ASAP. Please read further about our first workshop
on “Building Customer Relationships”.
We would like to hear from our members of what you
would like to see in the form of training. Contact me
at manager@pecchamber.com |
Lawrie Ackerman, General Manager
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What’s up with Water Regulation
252?
Please see the enclosed article written by Garrett
Klassen of The 3 Bears Bed and Breakfast in Elora,
ON. If Water Reg. 252 effects your business, please
read and get involved.
New Membership
Benefit
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is proud to introduce
their new promotional partner, BidNavigator.com. This
exciting benefit will help businesses in development
and expansion
BidNavigator.com provides
a cost-effective way for companies to access information
regarding government contracts relevant to their business.
BidNavigator.com publishes government bid information
from all levels of government across Canada (including
Municipalities, colleges, and universities, school
boards and health agencies) and disseminates the information
to their subscribers daily via the Internet. There
are approximately 1,000 contract opportunities posted
on BidNavigator.com at any time.
The OCC has negotiated a special price exclusively
for our members and there is a 30-day trial of the
service with no obligation. Please see the enclosed
brochure outlining further information on this very
exciting new benefit.
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Caution
- NO Phishing!
The rise of online fraud brought the RCMP, the Competition
Bureau and Visa Canada together to launch a consumer
awareness campaign in November 2004. According to the
Visa survey of 1,200 Canadians, the majority of respondents
with an e-mail address and Internet access have never
heard of "phishing," despite increased reports
of phishing incidents. If their bank or credit card
company requested personal information via e-mail, nearly
60 per cent of those surveyed admitted they would likely
supply that information.
How to avoid getting "phished" in.
Don't respond to e-mails requesting your personal information.
Legitimate companies do not ask their customers for
confidential information, such as passwords and account
numbers, in an e-mail.
Bad spelling and grammar are giveaways that an e-mail
isn't from a reputable company, says the RCMP's Cpl.
Danis Lafond. Phishers will often make an urgent claim
such as "your account will be closed" or use
other attention-grabbing messages in an attempt to get
you to reply quickly.
If in doubt, phone the business in question.
Use a phone number that you've obtained from a reliable
source, and not from the suspect e-mail.
Don't open attachments or download files. Phishers can
use these to infect your computer with a virus or spyware.
Don't click on links inside e-mails.
If you're uncertain about a website address that appears
in an e-mail, go to your browser and enter the legitimate
address manually. Phishers can use links to point recipients
to a "spoofed" site, using an address similar
to a real bank's URL.
Protect your computer. Use updated anti-virus software,
load the latest security patches for your operating
system and browser, and install a firewall to help protect
your system from unwanted attention. Anti-spam software
can help stop phishing e-mails from getting into your
inbox.
Report suspicious e-mails. Notify
the legitimate company if you receive any e-mails that
you think might be fraudulent. If you think you've been
reeled in by phishers, and provided confidential information,
contact the companies that hold those personal accounts
as well as the police department, says Cpl. Lafond.
You can also file a report with reportphishing@antiphishing.org.
Review your credit card and bank statements every month
to check for errors or unauthorized transactions.
Exerpt from CBC Marketplace Canada. For more information
on this topic and others please go to www.cbc.ca/marketplace
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| Next Meet &
Greet:
Tuesday May 9 - Oeno Gallery
Tuesday June 13 - Riccaro Jewellery
Tuesday July 11 - Fields on Westlake
Tuesday August 8 - Elizabeth St. Merchants
Tuesday September 12 - The Miller's House
Tuesday October 10 - Huff Estates Winery
Tuesday Nov. 7 – Regent Theatre
Tuesday December 5 – The Waring House
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April 11, 2006:
Meet & Greet at the Grange of Prince Edward Estate
Winery
Don’t miss our next Meet & Greet
at the Oeno Gallery
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| If you are not coming out to our Meet &
Greets you are missing a great opportunity to meet fellow
business members and promote your company. We had a great
turnout at The Grange of Prince Edward Estate Winery.
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PECCTAC is proud
to present:
Building Customer Relationships
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When a customer comes into your establishment –
whether it is a retail outlet or a local B&B –
your first moment of truth is this: the first impression
made on the customer can have a lasting effect. The
effect may not only be on you and your business, but
also may spread out to apply to the whole Prince Edward
County community. Given the scope and the intent of
the Business Community, it is important to understand
how these moments can make or break a prosperous season.
Will that customer come back to this area, and come
back willing to spend his or her hard earned money?
Will that customer recommend the County to friends,
or caution them against coming here?
Relationship Influence – Focus on Building
Customer Relationships allows each participant to
understand their own communication style – what
helps or hinders relationship building – and
provides an easy to follow step-by-step process for
communicating with difficult customers.
Workshop participants will be able to:
+ Identify key strategies in those first meeting moments
– the moments of truth,
+ Choose to take responsibility for their communication
style – what is it, its impact on others,
and how to “flex” their response manner,
+ Apply a customer learning model.
This interactive workshop is designed to develop
awareness around the customer’s needs, your
communication responsibilities during the customer
interaction, and strategic knowledge to maintain customer
focus.
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| Join
us on June 6, 2006
9 am to 5 pm
The Restaurant on the Knoll
Cost per person:
Members - $35.00 pp
Non-members - $45.00 pp
Inclusive of taxes and gratuities.
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Sue MacLaurin
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Sue MacLaurin has
facilitated group-learning environments, team-building
interventions, and data-collection activities for the
past 20 years. She has earned the honour of facilitating
in India, Australia, Mexico, and the U.S.A., and across
Canada from New Brunswick to Alberta. As an entrepreneur,
Sue has been President of her own company, Ourspace
Incorporated, since January 1994.
Her expertise as a credible and authentic adult facilitator
is known throughout the Ottawa area. Recently, Sue was
selected to facilitate over half a dozen professional
development programs for Carleton University’s
Sprott School of Business. In addition, she was asked
to project -manage several long-term university-organization
contracts, demonstrating the sponsors’ belief
in her competence and trustworthiness.
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RSVP by calling Jan at 613.476.2421
or e-mail pec@reach.net |
Our thanks to our sponsor – East Central Ontario
Training Board.
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