One of my more exciting and rewarding activities is that of Executive Manager for the Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce. The organization has its roots in the late 1800's and has close to 120 years of commitment to business and to the community at large.
To say the Cornwall Chamber is an active body would be an understatement. Scarcely a month passes without some kind of program or event taking place, whether it’s an exclusive member activity or, one for the participation and benefit of the entire community.
The Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce is a multifaceted organization offering a broad range of benefits and programs for its members. Highlights include our popular VIP program, preferred VISA and MasterCard rates, group insurance plans, discounts for marketing event participation, a cross reference business directory and regularly published newsletter.
The City of Cornwall has a dynamic and diversified business and industrial sector. Its growth and positioning in the global marketplace deserves recognition and the Chamber does so with its prestigious Business Excellence Awards Banquet. Held each February, this glittering affair attracts close to 300 of the City’s professionals who gather to recognize the best of their peers in a number of business categories.
In conjunction with the Awards Banquet is the annual Citizen of the Year. Each year, the Chamber recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community and to everyone who lives and works here. The winner is honoured during the banquet and a plaque is mounted along the Pathway of Honour in the City’s beautiful waterfront Lamoureux Park.
Chamber members also get the benefit of preferred rates at two premier marketing events: the annual Spring Home & Garden, and Fall Home and Harvest Shows. The events attract close to 10,000 visitors from across the region and are among the largest events of their kind in Eastern Ontario.
Members also enjoy the Business to Business Showcase, held in October during small business month. It’s an outstanding networking event giving local business an opportunity to showcase goods and services amongst their peers. Events of a more social nature are not overlooked, either. One of the more popular is the Chamber’s annual golf day which attracts close to 250 golfers and hackers alike.
Serving the community at large is an important component of the Chamber’s mandate. Community focused activities include an MTO Licence Bureau, Commissioner of Oaths (vehicle transfer), O.M.V.I.C. testing centre, and Boater Operator Training & Certification.
The Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce enjoys a positive profile in the community because of its services, events, and commitment to the City’s growth and prosperity. Its close to 600 members are active, not only in Chamber activities but in the affairs of the City as well. It is a synergy that is fast making the Seaway City a preferred centre to work, to live and to play.
Lezlie Strasser
Executive Manager, Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce