SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Members of the NWT Chamber of Commerce want to see more young people get involved in their local chambers, helping to build their local business community for the future.

Lee Smallwood, president of the Inuvik Chamber of Commerce would like to get more young entrepreneurs involved with the Inuvik chamber. On May 6 as a part of Inuvik's Chamber of Commerce AGM they will hold a gala to show that business can be fun. - Kevin Allerston/NNSL Photo

The chamber held it's annual general meeting last week at the Yellowknife Inn from April 18 to 20 and the topic of youth involvement was something Lee Smallwood, president of the Inuvik Chamber of Commerce, said was an important one for business communities across the territory. During the community reports section of the AGM he spoke about the importance of involving youth in the chamber in order to have a strong business community in the future.

"Not just the Inuvik chamber, but all chambers should be making sure that young people are a part," said Smallwood. "We are baby boomers, as they say, and pretty soon we will expire. There has to be a generation to hand off this responsibility to and if we don't engage the young people there will be no one to hand it off to," said Smallwood.

Smallwood said the Inuvik chamber has planned a gala event the day after their annual general meeting, scheduled for May 5, to help get younger business people involved in the chamber.

"We are doing the gala as a fun event where new entrepreneurs can come out and see that the business community is not just a bunch of stuffed shirts and that business can be fun," said Smallwood.

Smallwood is also looking at creating a mentorship program to help young people who may have just graduated from school or a trades program get a foot in the door through teaming up with more established business people who can show them the ropes.

Janet-Marie Fizer, first vice-president for the Hay River Chamber of Commerce, echoed Smallwood's sentiments. She said more youth involvement in the Hay River chamber and across the territory would be good for the NWT business community.

The annual general meeting also featured the NWT Chamber of Commerce business awards. Robert Carroll, president of Trinity Helicopters, was on hand to accept the award for business of the year. Trinity Helicopters came into the market in 2009 and has since established itself a pan-territorial helicopter company with bases in Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, Whitehorse and Yellowknife and in 2010 they began undertaking an expansion of their Yellowknife hanger and recently announced expanding into the Sahtu region.

"It’s incredible to receive this kind of recognition so early in our operations, and we’re grateful to the Chamber of Commerce for the honour," said Carroll. "But it’s also a testament to the effort we’ve been making – and the success we’re already enjoying – to establish Trinity as the go-to helicopter company in the North.”

Warren McLeod, head of civil engineering with Yellowknife-based FSC architects, received the business person of the year award for his commitment to developing every community in the NWT and for being a role model for young northerners.

The chamber also elected a new president at the AGM. Chuck Parker of Discovery Air was elected as the chamber's new president after he ran unopposed for the position.

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