Brandon’s new Chamber of Commerce president, Spencer Day, is taking over during a extremely challenging time for business.
He says while it’s been rough, a positive arising from the crisis is how the chamber and local businesses have been able to connect to help create COVID-19 benefit programs and guidelines.
“It’s presented an opportunity for us as a chamber to connect with members more at a virtual level – to connect our members with government decision-makers on ‘Zoom’ platforms, and things like that, to really have everyone’s voices really heard,” says Day. (It’s also allowed us to) “provide more value to our members, and have a place for them to turn for credible information, at a time like this, and really help us kind of stick together and push through this together.”
Day says despite some easing of provincial public health restrictions, it’ll continue to be challenging for sometime creating events and driving our own revenues.
“It’s going to be an interesting next 12 months and beyond,” he says. “We’re pivoting and adapting every day, like everybody else is – there’s no specific blueprint right now for anybody I don’t think – but we’re here with our phones on, and we want to help everyone through this as best we can.”
Day says looking ahead, he sees the need for Brandon businesses to become ‘hyper local’ – “Not only shop local, but think local. Everything you’re buying, where it’s manufactured and right down to the raw material. How can we make that more local?”
Day is co-owner of Brandon sanitation supplies, and equipment company, ‘Progressive Westman’.