Having recently handed over their massive Festival of the Grape (FOG) event to the Oliver Tourism Association, the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce is turning its attention towards business advocacy, training and education, and business-to-business networking in an effort to help businesses thrive in the South Okanagan.
“Events planning is something that the Chamber has done very well in the past, but organizing something as large as the FOG takes up a lot of personnel and a lot of time,” said Chamber President Brian Highley. “We are looking forward to more time on the ground engaging with our membership to help us to develop policy to bring to the province, as well as focus on economic development for our region.
To this end, the Chamber’s board of directors announce that it is dismantling the executive director role on the heels of the resignation of Denise Blashko, who has filled that position for the last year and a half.
The Chamber plans to staff for administrative tasks, while contracting out specific projects, such as its recent Rural Dividend Fund initiative.
“The current executive director job description is really not a one-person job,” Highley said. “We will sunset that role and hire a number of contractors to focus on specific projects and programs,” he noted.
Blashko said she is happy to see that the Chamber is revisiting the current executive director role.
“I believe fully in the important role that the Chamber plays in this region and I’ll be supporting them wholeheartedly through this transition.”
Contributed
