Delta Chamber to employ new strategy to better serve members

Scan the business landscape of Delta and you will find a rich variety of enterprises encountering unique challenges and goals.

And for a chamber of commerce to meet the needs of its membership, it requires a different strategy to keep in step with the times.

Delta Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Peter Roaf says the traditional "one size fits all" approach is not effective in Delta. That's why during Chamber Week (Feb. 20-24) and leading up to the chamber's AGM on March 14, a new structure and way of reaching out to its members is being unveiled.

"When you look at Delta and the area the chamber covers you have very distinct communities each with their own requirements," said Roaf, adding there are six which can be identified.

Included in that are Delta's three town sites—Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta. Add the two major industrial areas of Tilbury and Annacis Island. Then include the long-standing farming community to round out the half dozen.

As an example of how the areas differ, Roaf outlined some of the concerns to local business.

"In Ladner we are supportive of the harbour re-development and of course dredging the river, which was one of the orders of business at the very first meeting of the chamber back in 1910," Roaf said.

In Tsawwassen, the issues focus on town planning and how the business community there can be affected.

A somewhat similar situation presents itself in North Delta.

The industrial areas share concerns about crime—ongoing metal and equipment thefts prompted the formation of an action team to work with police officials to better protect businesses suffering losses.

And the farming sector has concerns over land use and accessibility, to name just two.

All in all, it's a broad area to try and cover, Roaf said.

"What we want the chamber to do is be as representative at the board level as we are with the communities we serve," said chamber chair Ian Tait. "The issues are different, but the interests are very common just in terms of economic prosperity and looking for the best opportunities for their business in Delta."

"You look at other places that have a chamber of commerce at the centre of their community," Roaf said. "We may be centrally located, but the concerns are widespread and varied."

That's why the chamber has developed a number of Community Action Teams to address each area.

The teams will be tailored to offer specific expertise from the chamber's representatives, as well as include two to three of those team members who live in the community being focused on.

Since this is a far-reaching and new strategy, Roaf said results are unlikely to be immediate, "But we will be working hard towards that."

Tait said the new approach is unique to Delta.

"What I always like to point out, and in brackets lament, is the fact we're all those different communities, we're divided by highways, we're in two different federal and provincial ridings, and we're in two different phone books, and we don't have a common newspaper among us. So, with that, there's no homogenous, cookie-cutter approach."

And how is the membership expected to react with the innovative approach?

"Well, the minute you get closer to your membership and potential membership, there's a greater degree of communication and a greater degree of openness, sharing, and connecting directly with the chamber board members that are resident in each of those communities."

One other area where the Delta Chamber of Commerce is planning to serve its membership is with the emergence of the Tsawwassen First Nation's commercial enterprises—namely a pair of shopping centres that when built out are expected to cover 1.8 million-square-feet on TFN land.

Roaf said there has been concern in the business community about the potential effect that may have on existing businesses in Delta, so the chamber will be examining ways and opportunities they can benefit from the coming development.

"We want to help our membership take advantage of the growth at TFN and explore opportunities for the future," Roaf said.

Roaf added he is optimistic the chamber's membership will embrace the new approaches as Delta's business community works towards a prosperous future.

The Delta Chamber of Commerce AGM is March 14 at the Delta Town and Country Inn (6005 Highway 17).

Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. Lunch and the meeting commences at 12 p.m.

The event includes business networking opportunities, a "state of the chamber" address, and a forum for members' issues.

Delta Mayor Lois Jackson is also scheduled to make a brief address.