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The Global Business Opportunities Community, a group set up through the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce with the cooperation of other local organizations intent on helping businesses do business beyond the borders of our community, is continuing to build momentum.

With that in mind, GBOC is hosting the first of a monthly morning networking session where both experienced and beginner exporters in the area will be able to share referrals, experiences and opportunities with others.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 31 and will take place at the Hampton Inn in Point Edward beginning at 8:15 a.m.

Representatives of Global Affairs Canada, Export Development Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada, FedDev Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade are expected to attend the event.

As part of the format, each attendee will speak for one-minute about their business, an export goal they have, a funding opportunity, or whatever they think would be of interest to the group.

There will be a 10-minute presentation from one of the attendees, followed by questions and a round of referrals, where attendees can make recommendations to others based on earlier discussions.

“The GBOC is making strides when it comes to helping area companies develop their export profile and readiness to compete internationally,” said Chamber president and CEO Shirley de Silva. “We’re delighted to begin testing out ‘tried and true’ networking opportunities such as this one, where informal sharing can take place that will help grow our exporting community.”

As those who are familiar with one of the signature monthly events for the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce will know, Wednesday, January 16 is a date worth marking on the calendar, and the owners of Sitara Indian Cuisine, located at 1308 London Rd. in Sarnia are looking forward to opening their doors for this special event.

The Business After 5 is a great way of reconnecting with fellow Chamber members and diving right into a New Year from a networking standpoint.

Volunteer members of the Chamber’s Business After 5 committee are working hard to make these events a memorable part of your Chamber experience and the expectation is that our visit to Sitara will be a great way to begin 2019.

As anyone who has already visited Sitara will attest, its menu of authentic Indian cuisine is sure to bring lots of smiles.

We look forward to welcoming you at this month’s Business After 5—Wednesday, January 16 beginning at 5 p.m.

It’s been nearly nine years since Jean Xu joined the staff of Imperial Oil at its Sarnia Manufacturing Site, where she is now the site IMPACT, Risk & Chemical Quality Coordinator.

A year ago, she joined the board of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce and brings a distinctively international perspective, having worked for ExxonMobil’s affiliates in China and Singapore for several years as well as at a Dow Chemical plant in China.

Today, Jean and her husband, who is now retired after owning a chemical plant in China, have one married son and are making a new home in Canada.

We’re pleased to have Jean’s international perspective on the board of the Chamber!

The Sarnia Lambton Workforce Development Board, which has very strong connections with the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, is reaching out to area employers with its Employer One Survey, designed to collect information on a range of issues, including recent hires made, hiring intentions, recruitment strategies and challenges.

The organization is also seeking to understand employer perspectives on candidate skills, education and training.

After analysis, the data is released to local schools, community partners, government agencies, and the public, which further enhances the overall understanding and helps provide a roadmap to future initiatives.

The survey, which is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario, can be accessed by clicking HERE.

When Karen Fischer first arrived in Sarnia a little over a year ago, it was for family reasons.

But with her background in business and management, Fischer’s knowledge and experience have made her extremely portable, which means as a partner in RK Fischer & Associates she continues to build business relationships throughout Canada and beyond.

As a member of the board of directors at the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, Fischer is also giving back to our community, offering insights into best practices in business and a unique perspective.

Having built a career that has included marketing, sales management and executive roles at some of Canada’s leading telecom and software companies, Fischer is also an accomplished management consultant and educator, having recently taught digital tools at Lambton College, and before that, digital marketing Durham College just east of Toronto.

Since moving to the Sarnia-Lambton area, Fischer, who works with her husband Rudy (the “R” in RK Fischer & Associates), has increased her network connections and volunteers as a member of the Chamber’s Business After 5 committee in addition to her board duties. She is also a volunteer mentor for the Cube, the incubator program at Lambton College.

We’re happy to have her in the area and grateful for her unique contributions to the board of directors.

NOVA Chemicals, which won the “Business of the Year” honours at the Chamber’s 2018 Outstanding Business Achievement Awards gala, has been busy working on its $2.2 billion expansion since the announcement of a doubling of its polyethylene capacity was made about a year ago.

The proud Chamber member has marked that anniversary with an update (and a video) that highlights some of the changes that are taking shape at its new Rokeby site in St. Clair Township.

With preliminary work started in late 2017, since then the site has undergone a dramatic transformation.

Highlights include:

—A berm that was built to mitigate sound coming from the future facility.

—Trucks have delivered over 60,000 tonnes of gravel to create roadways and parking lots on-site.

—Rokeby Line was upgraded to accommodate increased traffic volumes.

—The new main access road into the site was built and opened.

—Piling work continues to lay the foundation of the new facility.

—1,200 trees have been planted and a natural woodlot is starting to take shape, designed to recreate the woodland features previously in the area before construction began.

As part of the update, NOVA officials talked about how important staying in touch with the community continues to be.

“Being a good neighbour in our community is an important goal for us. With construction ramping up, our desire to achieve this goal is stronger than ever. Our Good Neighbour Program establishes our specific commitments and actions to manage the impact of our construction activities. We and our contractors are all committed to strategies that proactively consider impacts and opportunities for stakeholders and build positive community relations.”

NOVA officials say they expect to be completing on-site parking lots and roadways and delivering cement to progress foundations. They will also be continuing with tree planting and the beginning of equipment deliveries, including structural steel.

The company has produced a YouTube video, which can be seen below, to show how construction is progressing.

Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development has responded to Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce officials on a request for the government to create a national bioeconomy framework and continue to support bioindustrial companies and projects through business accelerators and venture capitalists.

Minister Navdeep Bains said the government is incorporating the input of the Chamber and its members into its action plans.

“The Innovation and Skills Plan adopts a multifaceted approach,” said Bains in a letter to Chamber CEO Shirley de Silva and Board Chair Charles Fisher. “In particular, innovation support programs were expanded to new areas, including bioscience industries, as part of the Strategic Innovation Fund, and investments for the clean technology sector were increased substantially.”

Bains also pointed to the government’s $1.89 million in spending around transforming bio-mass into value-added products, including advanced biofuels.

He reminded business leaders, through his letter, of last January’s launch of the Clean Growth Hub. That initiative has a mandate to help clean technology producers and users navigate clean technology programs.

Bains suggested that members email the Hub’s team of experts if they would like to receive more information about the Clean Growth Hub.

Shirley de Silva said it’s important that the Chamber initiate discussions such as this on an ongoing basis to remind government officials at all levels of the views of business.