ESTEVAN – The Estevan Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting (AGM) on March 19, highlighting a year of transition and growth for the organization while introducing a new board of directors.
The event, hosted by the Western Star Hotel and catered by EB’s, included reports on financial performance, governance updates, and reflections on the past year’s successes. Outgoing chamber president Denise Taylor called the meeting to order.
Merissa Scarlett, who was hired as executive director in October, delivered the State of the Chamber address, emphasizing 2024 as a year of both celebration and transition. She noted that the chamber marked its 120th anniversary with the Southeast Success Summit and Banquet, where Premier Scott Moe announced the Estevan area as the potential site for small modular nuclear reactors.
“It was a very exciting way to open our year,” she said.
Scarlett also acknowledged the departure of former executive director Jackie Wall, who served nearly a decade. The board of directors responded with a new strategic plan extending through 2025, aimed at enhancing member services, hosting high-quality events and strengthening the region’s business landscape.
Financially, the chamber reported a strong position, with a 96 per cent membership retention rate and a net income of $8,013 for 2024. Treasurer Linda Mack presented the financial report. Scarlett credited the success of major events such as the Farm Family of the Year Banquet, Networking on the Green and the Business Success Summit for bolstering revenue, and Mack outlined all sources.
“Our main income is from membership sales which are around $90,000,” Mack said. “Second biggest revenue item is project revenue, which actually consists of eight different items. The largest revenue earner in 2024 was the annual golf tournament; the second largest revenue earner was the business summit held last year; and the third biggest revenue for our chamber is the Chambers of Commerce group insurance plan. We do get to earn a commission from that, many of our members partake in that plan and we gain a lot of members thanks to that plan.”
Scarlett also celebrated JS Truckmart’s recognition at the provincial level, winning two Achievement of Business Excellence (ABEX) Awards in the Saskatchewan chamber’s competition last year.
“When a business from our region is recognized at this level, it shows the rest of the province that Estevan and southeast Saskatchewan is a great place to do business,” she said.
The meeting saw the election of new board members. The new board consists of president Tania Hlohovsky Andrist (Southeast College), past president Taylor (TravelOnly), vice-president Ashley Gallaway (Wil-Tech Industries), treasurer Mack (REMAX Blue Chip Realty), and board members Twyla Ferron (Western Star Signature Hotel and Conference Cetre), John Williams (Glazed Catering), Cody Schraeder (RBC); Alan Nixon (Revelation Engineering), Travis Frank (Graphic Press), Daniel Espelein (Case by Case Benefits), Jasmin Dionsio (Microtel Inn and Suites), and Christa Morhart (JS Truckmart).
Proposed amendments to chamber bylaws were also approved, including clarifications on executive committee selection and the formalization of the past president’s role.
Hlohovsky Andrist, in her first remarks as president, outlined goals for the year, including supporting Scarlett in her leadership role, completing policy revisions and strengthening community engagement through events.
“Keeping the chamber top of mind means finding benefits for our members,” she said.
The meeting concluded with a presentation by guest speaker Curtis Adair with MNP, talking about the challenges and benefits of artifical intelligence for business.
Come back to Â鶹´«Ã½ later this week for more on the presentation.
Estevan chamber is hosting Farm Family Banquet on March 28 and their annual golf tournament in July. Fall will see the Estevan Business Excellence Awards celebration on Oct. 24, with nominations and sponsorship opportunities set to open in the coming months.
