The business community will gather for a meet-and-greet hosted by the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 22.
Designed as a way for current chamber members to network with one another and give potential members a chance to learn what the chamber is about, the meet and greet is open to any local business owner to attend. It will be held at the Harbour Wealth Management office in the South Cariboo Business Centre on Oct. 22, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
"There's going to be some wine and cheese, and this is a great opportunity for those in the community, whether they are a part of the chamber or not, to start networking and stay connected," said Jamie Gauvin, the president of the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce. "Having a full house is always successful - but even if we can have at least 10 or 14 (attendees), that would be our goal for this event."
Gauvin added that the chamber likes to hold as many meet-and-greets as possible throughout the year to raise awareness about what they do. Put simply, the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce is a voice for businesses in the region, Gauvin said.
"(We provide a) network, networking, being connected, having a voice and credibility. We are here to help businesses succeed in their endeavours," Gauvin explained. “We also partner with other businesses and organizations in the community such as the simplymastery and CaribooRadio.com to organize and host community events."
Benefits of joining the Chamber of Commerce include special offers, discounts and marketing opportunities, according to Gauvin. As a business owner who operates Northern Lights Tanning, she knows the perks that come with membership.
Gauvin noted they want to grow their membership so they can do more in the community. This includes potentially bringing back the chamber's Business Excellence Awards, which have not been held since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
"COVID really slowed a lot of businesses and a lot of events that were happening in the community. So we weren't able to carry forward. Now with our new board members, we would like to present this forward again," Gauvin explained.
However, she added that without the support of the Chamber's board members, they cannot facilitate such a show. Gauvin stated that she would still like to try something online first before they bring the awards back as a large-scale event.
"Those types of events cost thousands of dollars, so we need to be able to make sure we build up our businesses here in 100 Mile before we can do something like that."
Anyone looking for further information about the meet and greet or the chamber are invited to reach out to them via 250-395-6124, check out their new website southcariboochamber.com or email manager@southcariboochamber.org.
