The past year has been extremely busy for the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. We began the year receiving a member survey that was commissioned in late 2010 which queried current members, past members and non-members about the Chamber and its role and activities. The results have already been seen by a number of positive steps the staff has initiated with members at events and with our communications. And there will be more to follow. A major initiative was developing a relationship with the Ottawa Business Journal and co-hosting and (in some instances) combining events. The response from the business community has been extremely positive and we hope, as a result, we have minimized the number of events and differentiated those that may have seemed similar in the past. The results – increased attendance at all events and increased interest in joining the Chamber. The other significant event in 2011 is that the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce is now back downtown -- 328 Somerset West. We have continued to serve the needs of the business community through events, advocacy and media relations. Examples included presenting our views (and support) to Council on the LRT revisions, 2012 budget and economic development.
So what’s in the works for 2012? We continue to discuss a more formal arrangement with the OBJ. We will be revising our strategic plan and examine our current governance model to determine if the board is the right size and the right composition to represent the diverse segments of the business community. As the chamber of commerce for the national capital, we intend to have a stronger voice in the policy proposals brought to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Under the city’s economic development plan, OCRI is undergoing a major transition. We think there is a role for the Chamber to assist with this transition as OCRI changes both its membership and events approaches and we indicated that the Chamber will assist as best we can. We would like to see a student (or junior) mentorship program commence in the fall of this year.
One of the things I’ve learned over the past year is that the issues the Chamber faces are diverse and sometimes unplanned. However, we have a strong dedicated board and an extremely competent and knowledgeable staff so we are confident in our ability to continue to represent the business community in Ottawa.
Biography
Dave Donaldson is Dean of the School of Business at Algonquin College and previously, Dean of Hospitality, Business and Music at Vancouver Community.
In addition to teaching and managing at the post-secondary level, he has been a marketing practitioner with Huronia Historical Parks, Ontario, Procter and Gamble, Microtel Learning Services and a range of consultant projects from cruise travel agencies to restaurant operations and to leisure videos.
Dave has a Bachelor of Education degree from McGill University and a MBA from Simon Fraser University. In addition to being the 2011 Chair of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, he is a member of the Tourism Development Council of Ottawa Tourism and a past director with that organization, the Vice President of Fund-raising with the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, co-chair of the Bon Appétit Silent Auction and a director with Bon Appétit and Vice Chair, Association of Canadian Schools of Business. BC experience included Vice-Chair, BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, Vice Chair, Council of Tourism Associations of BC, steering committee member, Yes 2010 referendum and Director, Tourism Vancouver.