PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

“Most new jobs won’t come from our biggest employers. They will come from our smallest. We’ve got to do everything we can to make entrepreneurial dreams a reality.”
Ross Perot

Entrepreneurial dreams…… what are the dreams in your business? Where will you take your business this year? Where will it take you? What will be your business’s reality?

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce’s (FCOC) reality is shown in some of our statistics:
• We are the second largest chamber in Atlantic Canada (920 members and growing)
• 92% of our membership have 20 employees or less
• We represent ___ sectors – including not for profit, manufacturing, IT, government, retail and restaurants.

Entrepreneurs and thus their spirit are very important to the Fredericton business community. Having these types of people and businesses here, growing in Fredericton helps our economy grow strong. Enabling entrepreneurs the atmosphere to work on their dreams and producing results is the sort of thing that FCOC encourages.

What is the dream of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce?

Our dream is to become a 21st century chamber (in services, vision and direction) and your premier business association choice. Fiscal year 2012-2013 is about continuing to turn those dreams into goals by building on the successes already achieved.

As business owners who take the entrepreneurial journey each day by adapting our business plans into actionable directions, we all can benefit from a business association that supports that type of ‘dream turned goal turned profit’ mentality.

Our Fredericton Chamber of Commerce continues to prove each year that it is the place for businesses and owners with entrepreneurial dreams. Our many programs – improved by member feedback – target our entrepreneurs to endeavor to provide them with additional skills, insights, education and networking opportunities to further their entrepreneurial aspirations right here in the Fredericton business community.

Our economic growth, not only here in Fredericton, but also in our province, our region, our country and globally will be fueled by private sector businesses such as yours being able to have the right place to incubate and to turn your dreams into goals and into reality. Fredericton is a great incubator of business ideas and the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce fosters the growth of those entrepreneurs to do just that!
This year we can do a lot towards those goals (and thus dreams) by working together. As your local conduit, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is your voice of business on a local level, an Atlantic level through participation in the Atlantic Provinces Chamber of Commerce (APCC) and on a national level through support and work done in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CAC).

I encourage each and every member to become more involved, to take advantage of the many programs and opportunities within the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, and to refer other businesses ….let’s make Fredericton a place where businesses can turn their entrepreneurial dreams into goals and into reality!