A pioneering Chamber of Commerce
by KIM REID
the Georgian
When Newfoundland joined Confederation back in 1949, holdovers from the British business system left two boards of trade: one in St. John's and the
other in Halifax.
These two boards were the main bodies of businessmen in the Atlantic region.
In Stephenville there was the Businessmen's Association, which was the
only organized body for business in this small community.
Local resident Leo Bruce decided that this wasn't going to help the local economy or growth of the community so he a local chamber group with an aim to begin an organization which would be open to any community minded persons.
Apparently some in St. John's weren't happy when they heard of these plans being made by the Stephenville business community and feared they would lose control of the town.
Leo Bruce, the first chamber president, told a newspaper years ago, while recalling the earliest years of the chamber of commerce: "they even sent an individual to pretend he was drunk at one of the first meetings."
Mr. Bruce said this attempt did not deter the Businessmen's Association from forming, in 1954, the first chartered Chamber of Commerce established in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Stephenville Chamber of Commerce later went on to charter the Chamber of Commerce in Comer Brook and sponsored a chamber in Grand Falls-Windsor.
The early group of business people had also pushed to see the organization of a Town Council. Leo Bruce later went on to serve as mayor on the Stephenville Town Council for two terms after it was established.
Members of the new chamber went to work over the next 47 years to push for improvements in business and the infrastructure of the town, tourism, industrial development, the fishery, forestry, oil and gas and more.
Ray Maclsaac, current treasurer, joined the chamber in 1986 and says he's seen the chamber go through various circles of great involvement and some of lesser involvement but the chamber has always been an active group in this region.
He recalls that in 1988 that the chamber took a more professional long term approach and laid out a three year strategic plan to promote growth, trade and commercial and economic development.
The Stephenville Chamber began to work on an approach to promote a greater sense of Bay St. George as a regional entity and it was through this three year plan that the region integrated.
It was around this period that the chamber looked into changing its name from the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce to the, Bay St. George Chamber of Commerce.
"The chamber was a central driving force in building the regional approach to this area, preceding the formation of the federal and provincial frameworks such as the community futures board or Regional Economic Develop Board," says Mr. Maclsaac.
He adds that because the chamber was able to build such a strong consensus
they were able to take an early lead in a progressive approach on business development when the province was beginning to organize into regions.
Stephenville was also the first community in the province to have what is today known as the Business Improvement Area, which for Stephenville is the Main Street and Prince Rupert Drive area. (This is despite claims sometimes made that St. John's was the first.) The chamber was the major driving force behind the project.
When Air Canada pulled its services out of the Stephenville Airport in 1989, the chamber was there pushing with the town and other organizations to see that every effort was made for the appropriate replacement services to keep the airport alive.
It was around this time the Stephenville Airport Corporation was developed and the airport received international designation status.
The chamber was a major player in almost every board and initiative related to economic development such as the RED board, the creation of the W.E. Cormack Centre, or the tourist chalet which they raised the money to build and maintain every year.
Before the tourist chalet was taken over by the current chamber, the Jaycees junior chamber members) were the driving force behind the old hexagonal shaped chalet near Steel Mountain Irving.
The Jaycees were mainly a group of young entrepreneurial driven individuals most of whom later went on to own their own businesses: Fred Pottle of Pottle's Enterprises, Bob Byrnes of Byrnes Shoes and Sportwear, Cyril McCann of McCann's Esso. The group disbanded late in the 1980's as other community groups grew, taking interest away from the Jaycees.
The current chamber president, Fred Pottle, says that the Bay St. George Chamber has qualities unlike other chamber in the province.
"Our chamber is very unique and broadly oriented. We're full spectrum, nothing is ever off the table," says Mr. Pottle.
"Everything in this region is all a part of what the chamber is concerned with, whether it's the hospital, the Status of Women, community groups or schools. We're an advocate of everything and not just hard core business and economic development."
Mr. Pottle adds that since the chamber was founded 47 years ago, this area has never missed the presence of a board of directors.
The chamber may have had its quieter moments, but it's been here supporting the community since its birth.
The W.E. Cormack Centre houses a number of offices directly related to business and development in the Bay St. George area.
The centre gets its name from William Epps Cormack, an explorer who traveled across the island, met with Beothucks along the way and arrived in Flat Bay on Nov. 1, 1822.
The Reg Diamond Room, a board room located in the centre, was named after Mr. Diamond, a previous chamber president, as a tribute to his passion for a collaborative and regional focus in promoting all of Bay St. George.
In recognition of the first chamber president, the Bay St. George Chamber of Commerce began a new award of recognition last year. Late in October, J.M. Delaney was the first area entrepreneur to receive the Leo Bruce Entrepreneurial Award for his outstanding community service and spirit.
All memberships in the Bay St. George Chamber of Commerce are voluntary and have been on a steady rise with major employers such as Abitibi Consolidated and the College of the North Atlantic on the board.
The chamber hopes to hit 130 members this year and is looking forward to continuing development and growth in this area.
"It's remarkable to see the things that have evolved from a planning process involving the partnerships with a number of municipal and other organizations."
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