Small Business Week Barbecue held at Rotary Peace Park in Vegreville
Michelle Pinon
News Advertiser
The Vegreville & District Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures Elk Island Region and the Town of Vegreville jointly hosted a barbecue for local business owners on Oct. 21 at Rotary Peace Park.
Chamber President Marc Bredo said they wanted to host an informal get together with members to celebrate Small Business Week. Bredo said the last couple of years have been extremely challenging for small business owners and that it was a nice way to be able to connect once again.
The Chamber will also be holding its annual Very Vegreville Christmas event and its annual Christmas Party this winter.
Chamber General Manager Roxane Bordyniuk said they provide a variety of information, support services for in-town and out-of-town businesses as well as advocate on their behalf. Currently, the Chamber has 135 members.
Jamieson Brown, Manager for Community Engagement and Economic Development, said, “The Town of Vegreville is always thrilled to partner with the Vegreville & District Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber does a great job promoting and supporting our businesses and when entities like the Town, Community Futures – Elk Island Region, and the Chamber all work together, it only enhances those efforts.
The Small Business Week Barbecue was a casual and intimate way of thanking our local businesses for being an integral part of our community. It’s sometimes easy to forget that a local business doesn’t just provide services and/or goods, it employs our residents, it keeps our local economy moving and, more often than not, it supports our non-profit and charitable organizations and that’s why it’s so important to support them whenever possible.”
Community Futures Elk Island Program Coordinator Kathy Dmytriw said, “Community Futures Elk Island is dedicated to building an economically diverse future for the communities of our beautiful region of Lamont County, Minburn County, County of Two Hills, and rural portion of Strathcona County.
Dmytriw pointed out that, “Through the Regional Relief Recovery Fund, (RRRF) 27 CF offices throughout Alberta loaned a total of 85 million dollars. A total of 1,700 businesses were assisted through the COVID pandemic and helped to maintain 9,500 jobs.
Most recently, Dmytriw said Community Futures is, “Working to identify and create opportunities for people and businesses with interest in our food economy. We are reaching out with several approaches, including virtual and in person events, to provide opportunity for those who have a stake in the local food system to offer input in developing our local food community.” To that end, they will be hosting a special workshop in mid-November in Vegreville.