Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 04/98) - Bank of Montreal's Gord Van Tighem will head up the city's chamber of commerce, it was announced Friday at the organization's annual general meeting.

Van Tighem, former chamber first vice-president, has been Bank of Montreal's territorial manager for six years in Yellowknife.

Asked about the progress the chamber has made, Van Tighem said, "About four years ago, we started a strategic plan to realign the chamber making it much more pro-active and reactive."

He cited the chamber's early involvement with the development of the city's budget as an example.

Going forward, Van Tighem said the chamber will continue with its existing committee structure.

The chamber has business development, government affairs, municipal affairs, education and member services committees.

This is Van Tighem's first stint as chamber president but he has served on several committees here before.

As well as being the chamber's most recent vice- president, Van Tighem is a founding member of the Stanton Regional Hospital Foundation and is involved with community events like the Floatplane Fly-in Airshow, Wildlife Federation, Sport North and Arctic Winter Games.

The rest of the chamber executive includes:

* Yellowknife Inn general manager Terry Ward, who served as treasurer until the annual general meeting Friday, takes over as first vice-president.

* New second vice-president is Tracy St. Denis, Air Canada's NWT area sales manager. St. Denis chairs the chamber's government affairs committee.

* New treasurer is John Ondrack, manager of financial and administrative services at accounting firm Avery, Cooper & Co.

* Rounding out the chamber's 1998-1999 board of directors are: Dave McCann, Treeline Planning Services president; Jerome Babyn, Northlands Utilities manager; Yola Marshall, sales and marketing director Regency International Hotels; Maureen Crotty-Williams, Home Electronics partner; Andrew Wong, tax consultant at MacKay and Partners; Norma Heslop, Langlois owner; John Williston, Subway Sandwiches owner; Mike Piro, president of Kam Lake Enterprises -- the Piro family also owns the Prospector -- and Valerie Vrisk, Canadian North sales representative.

On the revenue-raising front, move over Yellowknife-opoly, the chamber is considering rolling the dice on a new board game featuring the NWT.

The chamber is looking at a March release of its NWT monopoly game, just before division.

It remains to be seen what the new game will be called. But Bob-opoly appears to be out.

No matter what the name, if the city reacts the same way it did to Yellowknife-opoly, the chamber will have rolled a winning number.

Yellowknife-opoly raised $58,749, according to the chamber's annual report for the year ending Dec. 31, 1997.

Of the $58,749, $35,900 came from retail sales while $22,849 was raised by selling spots on the board to city businesses. Businesses snapped up the spots quickly and the game was a huge success, especially as a Christmas gift.

In total, the chamber generated $359,689 in revenue last year, up from 1996's $245,350.

The largest revenue generator was membership fees, amounting to about one-quarter of the total.

Year expenditures rose to $351,604 in 1997 compared to $233,050. Some of the increased revenue and expenditures reflect the triennial Prospects North conference.

Overall, the chamber finished 1997 $30,100 in the black, a $72,298 increase in its cash position.

The chamber is predicting its 1998 budget will come in at $381,800, while expenses are expected to be $368,600 for a $13,200 surplus. This would improve the chamber's cash position to $43,100.