A delegation from the 2019 Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM & Convention held in Saint John, N.B. in September 2019. (submitted)
2019 brought a significant spike in membership at the Saint John Region Chamber as 85 new businesses joined last year.
“The Chamber’s continuing to maintain relevance in the region for the businesses and continuing to help them move the needle on some of the things in which they’re interested,” said CEO David Duplisea.
He says the Chamber created visibility through its lobbying efforts with all levels of government on tax reform, municipal tax reform and double taxation.
“Those types of issues allow us to interject the business perspective on this and allow us to represent our membership,” Duplisea said.
We are honoured to be the recipients of the Large Meeting and Convention of the Year in Saint John, NB! The success of #CCCAGM19 would not have been possible without the community and especially @TheChamberSJ. Read our full media release here: https://t.co/ZUWtn7SSw0 pic.twitter.com/BScXKE0Wm7
— Canadian Chamber of Commerce (@CdnChamberofCom) November 12, 2019
Hosting the 2019 Canadian Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting last September was another feather in their cap.
“Attracting 450 of Canada’s top businesspeople to Saint John. That raised our visibility as well and got us a lot of exposure,” Duplisea said.
Another reason is a lot of regional cooperation with groups like Economic Development Greater Saint John and Opportunities New Brunswick.
“We are raising the bar for everyone. That speaks volumes. Single messages to government. Single focuses on economic development and everybody assisting where they can and that’s showing in a positive way,” Duplisea said.
Duplisea says the Chamber added more businesses from the hospitality sector along with businesses started by newcomers.
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