Erika Sherk
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Coming out of a season of financial hardship, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce is now looking to a brighter future.

Business world inhabitants met last Thursday to discuss the goals for "the voice of business in Yellowknife." They also decided who would be in charge of that voice.

First, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce looked back at the past eight months.

Efforts during the first part of the term were focused on the chamber's finances, said president Jim Eirikson

"Basically we had a lot of unpaid bills that sort of took us by surprise," said Eirikson, in a later interview.

It was a "dismal situation" when the board was first elected but it is improving, he said at the meeting.

The treasurer, Linda Benedict, said their fight is not over - there is still work to do with the chamber's finances.

"(Our finances are) not that great yet, but they're better than they've been," she said.

Most recently, grants from the GNWT as well as a loan from the Akaitcho Development Corporation that is being renegotiated are helping to balance the chamber's books, said Eirikson.

"It'll be a while before we can be called a financially-stable business, but we're on our way," she said.

Now that the money issues are being dealt with, the chamber can look ahead to the future, said Eirikson.

Education is going to be a big part of the chamber's efforts in the coming 12 months, he said.

"Education seems to be the buzz word of everything," he said, adding that more job skills training is desperately needed in Yellowknife.

"We've talked to businesses out there facing great problems getting skilled workers," he said.

The chamber is working with the territorial government and Aurora College to improve the training available to Northerners, he said.

"It's not quick fix, but it's important," he said.

The chamber elected its new board at the meeting. Directors Jeromy Ball, Rhona Stanislaus, Kelly Hayden, and Matt Mossman left the board and new directors Andreas Tesfaye, Neil McDougall, Chris Kauffman, and Deana Twissell were appointed.

Kelly Hayden, who left the board after nearly three terms as a director, was presented with an award of recognition at the meeting. He and his company WAM Development Group North headed up an effort to move both the Yellowknife and NWT Chambers of Commerce, as well as the NWT Construction Association, into a central location downtown last year.

"I wanted to get all three together in a place where the business community could find them," said Hayden in an interview.

WAM donated $50,000 for furniture and other set-up materials and leased a building, formerly the Cunningham Building, to the organizations. The building was then renamed the NWT Commerce Place.

"All were difficult to find before," said Hayden, "now they're in a very strategic corner of Yellowknife."

With the territorial election coming and discussions on the Mackenzie Gas Project, new roads, and bridges, "the coming year will be one of the most important we've had in a long time," said Eirikson.

"We're in for some very exciting times," he added.