“Promoting local business through communication, networking opportunities and information sharing, and to advocate for the interest of members and recognize business excellence of members.”
That’s the Burns Lake & District Chamber of Commerce’s new mission statement, one of several components of its strategic plan.
Adopted earlier this year, the two-page document includes five strategic goals: promoting local business, advocating on behalf of members, serving as a hub for information sharing in the community, providing vision and encouraging excellence here, and delivering a level of excellence at the Visitor Information Centre.
It also includes a new vision statement: “Prosperity, pride and potency of the Lakes District built around the vision and unity of the business community.”
“The strategic plan is a diagram to take the chamber from the present to a better future,” the plan concludes. “It should be used in business meetings when deciding on how to allocate human and financial resources.”
Developed by the chamber’s board, staff, and membership, the strategic plan is the culmination of a series of workshops undertaken over the past few years, according to Susan Schienbein, acting administrator for the organization. The next step in the process, she said, will likely be development of an operational plan.
“I’m assuming that the chamber will use this strategic plan to form an operational plan with some clearly articulated goals,” she stated. “For the board, this will involve building governance processes: policy reviews, committee, charters, etc. For staff, this will involve implementation of activities and programs that support the strategic plan.”
The operational plan will also provide activity templates for annual chamber initiatives such as BC Chamber Week, Small Business Week, and Canada Day. At the same time, Schienbein explained, it presents the opportunity to outline reactive programs, e.g., vandalism prevention.
“Operational plans create efficiency by having a structured approach to activities… that allow the chamber to be more nimble and address current issues,” she concluded.
The Burns Lake & District Chamber of Commerce has nearly 150 members. Its current president is Greg Brown of Burns Lake Home Hardware.