By Chad Ingram

Published Nov. 8 2018

Realtor Andrea Strano has been elected the new president of the board for the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce.

“I feel proud and honoured to step up and serve in this role” Strano told the Minden Times .

“It’s really important that the board continues to focus on building upon the initiatives that our past president Richard Wannan and our board began working on like local procurement and communicating with our local politicians the Buy Close By shop local initiative and communicating with our members” Strano wrote in an email. “This chamber belongs to its members and it’s very important that the members’ voices are heard. Our board is comprised of a group of very wonderful individuals that are volunteering their time because they truly care and I’m sure new ideas will be coming to the table on how the chamber can better serve and support our members. It’s very important to me that our board functions well as a team and communicates and I plan on introducing some team building exercises.”

With Small Business Week a celebration of local businesses that included a series of educational workshops taking place Oct. 15 through 19 Strano said the next big item on the chamber’s calendar is preparing for the annual business achievements awards gala.  The chamber is seeking volunteers to assist with the gala as well as sit on other committees.

“I can’t express enough how much the volunteers are appreciated and we can definitely use some more volunteers to help with our gala advocacy and member services committees” she wrote. “Volunteering on a committee is a great way to connect with other business owners be an active part of the Chamber without a huge time commitment and have some fun as well.”

Strano first got involved with the chamber of commerce in 2013 and quickly realized the importance of making connections with other businesspeople in the community.

“Being a part of the chamber I felt supported and a part of a large group with a common goal… helping each other succeed and thrive in a small community” she wrote. “There are many challenges in small town business communities and being supportive and communicating with each other is key. We need to embrace change embrace technology embrace our community to ensure our long-term success.”

Strano also recognized the contributions of chamber staff – manager Jennifer Locke and administrative assistant Angela Jones.

“We are lucky to have such an amazing support staff” she wrote.

Board directors for the chamber are elected for one-year terms and no director is allowed to serve more than eight continuous years with the exception of past president.

For more information on the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce visit www.haliburtonchamber.com.