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The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce is proud to salute a broadly based, highly collaborative initiative that was announced just last week, made up of key business organizations from both the public and private sector that share a passion for raising the profile of the Sarnia Lambton region as a community for innovation-led industries.

The initiative—Innovation Bridge—came about as the result of a brainstorming session involving leaders who realized that investors were spending a good deal of time having conversations with groups with a common purpose: to help nurture those investors and to help create momentum.

By creating an innovative alliance, the founding partners can support targeted efforts in investment attraction, business retention and expansion, cluster development and entrepreneurship.

It’s clear to anyone who attended Friday’s announcement that the fingerprints of the entire business community were visible.

The partners represent key players—from industry, government, academia, tech incubators and accelerators—coming together to create an environment like no other.

Those partners include:

—The Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership;
—Lambton College;
—Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park;
—Bioindustrial Innovation Canada;
—Bluewater Energy Park and Bio-industrial Park; and
—Bluewater Regional Networks.

Together they provide a $30 million research facility, 9,000 square feet of laboratory space, 11,500 square feet of pilot plant space, and 68 hectares of production space that companies can use for world-leading collaboration, and innovation.

“These are clearly exciting times for Sarnia Lambton and we congratulate the bright and passionate minds that have put in place Innovation Bridge,” said Chamber CEO Shirley de Silva. “Members of the Chamber, many of them already represented at Innovation Bridge, will certainly be among its strongest supporters.”

Thursday, March 8 is International Women’s Day and for members of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, it’s one day worthy of celebration, and not just because of the many, many women who make their companies strong (some as owners, others as key members of the management team).

It’s also a time when we can look to a future where gender equality and a commitment to parity in the workplace.

This year’s theme—#PressForProgress—has much to do with an overwhelming commitment to accelerate progress, something that is especially important given a World Economic Forum 2017 Global Gender Gap Report that suggests gender parity may be more than 200 years away.

Many of us at the Chamber believe that is simply unacceptable, which is one reason we’re joining in the push, doing what we can to lend our support to the global momentum that is striving for gender parity.

Of course, this won’t happen overnight. But, with individual decisions and the continuing commitment, by women and by men, to support the push for positive gains, day by day, change can be real.

It’s more than hope. It’s a commitment to make a difference.

So don’t be complacent. Push forward.

And think of ways YOU can demonstrate a commitment to gender inclusivity.

International Women’s Day is bigger than any one organization, community, or even country.

It’s an event that belongs to all of us. Be tenacious in your commitment to accelerating gender parity.

And Press for Progress.

A well-crafted elevator pitch is THE most valuable piece of marketing your business can offer.” This is what Terry O’Reilly, marketing guru had to say when he recently spoke to a sold-out crowd in Sarnia.

Karen Minty has helped dozens of people craft their elevator pitch through her three-hour workshop that she is once again offering on March 7 from 9 a.m.-noon.

So what exactly is an elevator pitch? It can be your reply in a job interview when asked to describe yourself. It can be your introduction at networking events that gets the conversation started.

So what exactly is an elevator pitch? It’s a mini-speech, a way to tell your story in approximately 30-60 seconds (about the length of an elevator ride) that explains who you are, what you’re about and what you have to offer. While it’s most commonly used in a sales setting, its value extends much further. It can be an introduction when someone asks, “what do you do?” It can be your reply in a job interview when asked to describe yourself. It can be your introduction at networking events that gets the conversation started.

But honestly, the real value comes from the process. To borrow a term from Terry O’Reilly, it is “forced clarity.” In order to be so concise and succinct, you must dig deep, straight to your core value and decide what makes you unique. Then be able to articulate it in a few sentences in a way that grabs someone’s attention, resonates with them, and compels them to take an interest and ask more questions. This can result in increased sales, making better connections with the right people or landing that job. (It even works in dating!)

The elevator pitch workshop is a hands-on, step by step process of writing an elevator pitch. Karen Minty is often described by her workshop participants as a wordsmith who can chisel away the excess and wordsmith the content to creatively grabs people’s attention. While the process is the same for everyone, the end result is a unique, authentic pitch that accurately reflects who you are. By the end of the workshop, you will walk out with a polished ready-to-go 30-second pitch that can be adapted to any context or situation. A well-crafted elevator pitch is worth its weight in gold. Do you have one?

The next Elevator Pitch workshop takes place on Wednesday, March 7 from 9 a.m.-noon at the Chamber of Commerce board room, 556 N Christina Street. The cost is $45 + HST. To register, email karen@fortyhours.com.

Wednesday evening was a busy one as the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce held its Annual General Meeting, with six new members confirmed by election to the board of directors and incoming Chair Charles Fisher taking the reins of a revitalized organization.

Along with the customary reports from CEO Shirley de Silva and outgoing Chair Michael John Kooy (who presented his by video), the Chamber had two special guest speakers, Dr. Katherine Albion, executive director of the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park, and James Temple, chief corporate responsibility officer at PwC Canada.

It was a great evening, with networking taking place before the formalities began shortly after 7 p.m. and Justice Deborah Austin swearing in the executive, which included Chair Charles Fisher (Mainstreet Credit Union), First Vice Chair Ryan Bell (George, Murray, Shipley, Bell LLP), Second Vice Chair Mary Jean O’Donnell (MJ Waste Solutions), and Third Vice Chair Mike Service (Certified Windows & Doors).

Kathleen Mundy (Little Caesars) is the Chamber’s Hon. Secretary/Treasurer and Michael John Kooy takes on the role of Past Chair on the board.

Directors this year also include Jon McEachran, entrepreneur; Kurtis Gray, Lambton College; Karen Fischer, RK Fischer & Associates; Tammy Maure, London Road Pharmacy (Pharmasave), Judy McKeegan, JDW International; Jean Xu, Imperial; Andrew Merrick, Rose Paving; and Laura Hanlon, MPW Chartered Professional Accountants.

Ex-officio members are: Shirley de Silva, Chamber CEO and president; Karen Sanders, Lambton Federation of Agriculture; Joyce Doyle, Blue Water Chamber of Commerce (Port Huron); and Stephen Thompson, Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership.

Charles Fisher issued an impassioned vision of what’s ahead for the Chamber this year:

You can feel it in the air—Spring is right around the corner.

While the threat of a late Winter may not be totally behind us, one thing is for certain: the Chamber’s March Business After 5 is sure to warm some hearts and help us usher in Spring, if only for one night.

We’re talking about Wednesday, March 21, and the place to be will be Smoke & Spice, located at 1399 Exmouth St, Sarnia, for an event hosted by Sun Life.

Be sure to limber up your networking muscles and get ready to make new connections, renew relationships that may have been hibernating the past few months, and bring on a sense of promise that only a gathering like Business After 5 can generate.

These are some of the greatest opportunities to create momentum that could last a lifetime, so don’t miss it.

We’ll see you there, at Smoke & Spice on Wednesday, March 21. The fun starts at 5 p.m. and runs through 7 p.m. Admission for Chamber members is complimentary. All others $10.

Don’t you dare miss it!

A limited number of sponsorships remain for an upcoming coffee table book designed to highlight our area in a visually dramatic fashion.

The book, titled “Sarnia Lambton Simply Sensational,” is being produced by Richard Bain, a renowned Canadian landscape photographer, in partnership with the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce. The foreword to “Simply Sensational” is being authored by now-retired astronaut Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to command a mission at the International Space Station and who was born and raised in the area.

We expect demand for the book to exceed supply, with Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley and Lambton County Warden Bill Weber having offered their enthusiastic support for the project, which will be completed in the second half of 2018.

Richard Bain’s work has included a number of similar projects, completed successfully in partnership with several regional groups, including Chambers in Stratford, Niagara, London, Guelph, and Kitchener-Waterloo. Without exception, those with whom he has worked have seen positive results from those projects.

Sponsors—which may include businesses, organizations seeking visibility in the area, and local municipalities—will have several copies of Simply Sensational which can be distributed to clients, employees and others. Additional copies will be made available through Ontario bookstores or directly from the Chamber.

If your organization would like to ensure your spot on the list of sponsors, contact Shirley de Silva, president and CEO of the Chamber, directly at (519) 336-2400, ext. 1, or by email: sdesilva@slchamber.ca.

It’s almost time—for the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting.

In addition to the swearing in of our Board, we have two special guest speakers at this year’s event, which takes place Wednesday, February 28, 2018, in the Gateway Room of the St. Clair Corporate Centre, 265 Front St N., Sarnia.

Networking will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the call to order and formalities, including various reports, begins at 7 p.m.

Attendees are asked to REGISTER NOW for the event, a courtesy that will help Chamber staff plan for seating and refreshments.

The two special guest speakers at this year’s AGM are Dr. Katherine Albion, the newly appointed executive director of the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park, and James Temple, chief corporate responsibility officer at PwC Canada.

It will be a great time to find out all that’s happening at the Chamber and the exciting times ahead. We hope to see you there!

• Click on the following links to see a copy of the agenda and also the minutes from the 2017 AGM