Exciting things are on the horizon with the Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce. If you haven’t had a chance, stop by the office and see the changes we have made. We are excited to have more space for our Executive and Admin assistants to work. Not only have we gained more space, we have real momentum going with the executive and board of directors. This dynamic group of volunteers has committed their time in making a stronger presence in the community at large. You can expect to see us at local events; town council meetings, municipal planning committee meetings, fundraisers, town events, as well as extending our office hours to accommodate the growing business community. Effective May 1^st, our hours of operation will be 9-4 Monday to Friday.

Our guest speaker for April 18^th is Tim Stobbs. Tim is the Manager of Municipal Enforcement, for the town of Okotoks.  Tim will be talking to us about Crime prevention, and what we can do to assure we keep our businesses safe. Call the chamber to reserve your seat today. 403-938-2848. Please join us at D’Arcy Ranch, 11:45 am to 1 pm and the tickets are $20.00.

The chamber is partnering once again with the Town of Okotoks, Community Futures Highwood, Bow Valley College and Servus Credit Union to bring you a Speed Networking event.  This is a great opportunity to meet other business people in our community, take the time to network and make new business contacts. This event has been very successful  the previous times we’ve done it, and everyone takes something away to benefit them. It’s on May 8th and pre-registration is required as seating is limited. It starts at 5:45pm for refreshments and appetizers with the program portion commencing at 6:15, ending at 8:45pm. Tickets can be ordered through Community Futures.

The chamber would like to take this opportunity to give a BIG thank you to Marg Cox.

The chamber and the town have been very fortunate to have Marg working so hard to bring so many events to the town. She is a tireless volunteer and a huge supporter of the town. If anyone in town was looking for anything, she has been the ‘go to’ person for everything Okotoks. Marg has decided to retire and take some time for her and her husband Bernie. Congratulations Marg on your retirement, thank you for your dedication and best wishes for all that you do.

Don’t forget to attend the sold out Trade and Lifestyle show April 20^th  and 21^stat the Okotoks Rec Centre.  The show runs Friday 5 pm-9 pm and Saturday 9 am-4:30 pm . We have 9 restaurants confirmed for the Foothills Festival of Flavours, which runs Saturday from 1pm – 3pm. Stop by the chamber booth and enter to win some great prizes. We have many new vendors this year, showing off their products and services. Admission to the show is FREE and parking is FREE, You can also pick up a nomination form for the ever popular Service Excellence awards. It’s never too early to nominate someone in your community that gives excellent service. I hope to see you all there.

Cheryl Actemichuk
President
Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce