While You Worked in Your Business, the Chamber Worked for You!
2021 was a year of uncertainty, challenges and opportunities for the business community. If your business renewed its membership or became a member of the Yorkton Chamber, you viewed the membership as an investment in your business. As a Chamber member, you were able to work on your business while the Chamber looked after the bigger concerns facing businesses in Yorkton and area. The Chamber Board and Staff are proud of the work they did in 2021 for the betterment of the community. Below is a summary of the 2021 highlights.
Advocacy: Informing the various orders of government of policies or legislation having an impact on the business community:
Education & Networking:
Let the Chamber Work for Your Business in 2022
7 Steps: How to Think like a CEO
- Author Unknown
Since the beginning of the pandemic crisis, much in our lives, both personal and business or professional, has changed. While cleaning some files, I found this article, author unknown, that I had taken from the Swift Current Chamber of Commerce website a few years ago. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!” Now seems to be the right time to begin taking those steps to think as a CEO.
As a business owner, you should be working “on” the business, not so much “in” the business. You should be focusing on your company’s purpose, directions, strategy, structure, systems, people, goals and accountability processes.
Your goal as owner is to design and shape a business that serves you and works independently from you – a business that is systems-dependent and not owner-dependent. You want a business that runs nearly on autopilot and spits out cash. Instead of shuffling papers or doing the bookkeeping, spend time trying to make your company different, better, more profitable and more systems-oriented. Like a business architect, try to shape your business to satisfy your vision, dreams and needs.
To gain greater freedom, fulfillment and financial success, you must function as a leader instead of as a doer. As a leader, you need to be more strategic, long-term focused and less tactical/technical, day-to-day fixated. If you don’t focus on the entire business, no one else will. It will just drift or run aground. So how you stop thinking and acting like and employee or technician? Here are seven steps to consider seriously.
At the Business Summit in March, key note speaker Ben Voss, CEO & President of Morris Industries, challenged the businesses of Yorkton to focus on what differentiates Yorkton from cities of similar size.
When we say Yorkton is the place where good things happen, it’s the truth. It’s the hub of east central Saskatchewan. Two railways run through it; four highways lead to it and it has a certified airport. Yorkton is home to the Regional Hospital and a host of medical specialists. Provincial and federal government offices are located here.
Yorkton is a hub for manufacturing and food processing. In recent years, both the Richardson and Louis Dreyfus canola crush plants have expanded their capacity since opening. Grain Millers began an expansion project that will see their capacity nearly double when it’s complete and will add 25 to 30 jobs. Harvest Meats is ramping up its production which will result in the addition of 10 - 12 full time positions over the next 6 months. In the past couple of years, TA Foods has doubled its work force and added the processing of camelina and hemp oil to its line of products. Over the course of the next four months, it will double its capacity in oil production. Leon’s Mfg Company and Ram Industries have been cornerstones of Yorkton’s manufacturing sector for decades.
In the agriculture sector, Parrish & Heimbecker recently built a new Crop Input Centre just north of the city. In the past few years, Morris Industries has invested over $30 million on improving its manufacturing process. It currently exports to 34 countries.
As for construction projects, a large commercial space is in the construction phase on the east side of the city and new restaurants are under construction on both the east and west side.
A number of small businesses have opened over the past couple of years offering a variety of retail and personal services.
Yorkton has 8 elementary schools and 2 high schools. The Parkland College Yorkton campus offers a variety of courses including some 4 year university degree programs and s the home to the Trades & Technology Centre.
In terms of tourism, the Western Development Museum, Godfrey Dean Cultural Centre and Painted Hand Casino are popular with residents and tourists alike. The Yorkton Arts Council’s Stars for Saskatchewan attracts people to Yorkton from all across the Region. The Yorkton Cardinals of the Western Canadian Baseball League, attracts players from all over Canada and the United States as they play summer collegiate baseball. And the Yorkton Terriers have attracted people to Yorkton for years. The Film Festival, Summer Fair and the upcoming PowWow are also large economic drivers in the city.
A safe community, Yorkton hosts a variety of sport, recreation and cultural activities. It’s a beautiful city with parks, hundreds of trees and in the summer, dozens of planters of flowers.
Investors like places where there is optimism and the appearance of prosperity. It’s time to talk about all the positives in Yorkton. Show your pride in Yorkton by sharing all that is good in the city. Yorkton – it’s a place where good things happen!