Chamber & CBU Alumni Co-Host Luncheon with General Rick Hillier

Presentation - “Leadership in Tough Times”

Volume 15, April 2008 |

In this issue:Member Directory - 3Business Survey - 6

Growing Your Business - 10Community Counts - 15

List of new members - 16Bill Clinton Event - 18

Members in Spotlight - 2009 Cruise Ship Schedule - 27Message from President - 29

Date: Thursday, May 7, 2009Time: 11:45 am - 1:00 pmLocation: Victoria Park Drill Hall, SydneyPrice: $60 per seat + HSTTickets can be purchased from the Chamber of Commerce by emailing anne@sydneyareachamber.ca, or by phone at 564-6453.

For official biography on Gen. Hillier, see page 24.

Presenting Sponsor

Owen Fitzgerald, President

Joyce MacDougall, Executive Vice President

Raymond Tynsky, Vice President

Aubrey Rogers, Vice President

Sean Burke, Vice President

Diane Humphrey, Treasurer

Irene Carroll, Secretary

Bruce Meloney, Past President

Mike MacSween,Executive Director

Anne Marie Singler,Executive Secretary

Sheila O’Neil-McKinnon,Membership Development

Coordinator

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Message from the Executive Director

I’d like to thank you for checking out our publication. The Chamber of Commerce continues to expand in terms of capacity, whcih we hope you have noticed as a member. You’ll notice that we have some new contributors to the newsletter (as you will see), and more are always welcome. The Chamber is a great way to market not only your business but yourself as an individual businessperson - make the most of it. We continue to be busy, with a number of big events planned for April and May. The event with Rick Hillier is going to be spectacular, and you won’t want to miss it. Other event notices will be distributed as per usual (some are included in this edition).

Our Business After 5 series has been catching some steam, and we intend to make these functions even bigger and better. The next one is scheduled for May 14th at the Cape Breton Radio Building, and it should prove to be fantastic. Our last one at Boston Pizza attracted a capacity crowd, and everyone seemed to enjoy them-selves. It was great to see the Chamber membership enjoying the benefits of our organization.

Enjoy this issue of Chamberlink, and look forward to our next issue to be released in June, prior to the Summer hiatus.

Best Regards,

Mike MacSween, Executive Director

Want to Advertise in Chamber Link?

A terrific opportunity to market to the business community.

Contact the Chamber at 564-6453 for more details, or check out our rates at www.

sydneyareachamber.ca

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New Chamber

Membership Directory

Here is a sneak peak at our upcoming Chamber Membership

Directory cover, designed by Icon Communications, and fea-turing a beautiful photo of Wen-tworth Park by Warren Gordon. The look of our directory is in

line with our new branding, and reflects the level of optimism

and professionalism of our or-ganization. Also new is the fact that it will be full-colour from end

to end, making it much more vibrant than the last edition.

Printing should be completed by mid May.

Page 44

Funding announcement has Cape Breton energized

Cape Breton heard good news from the federal government on March 29. Peter MacKay, Min-ister of National Defence, with responsibility for the Atlantic Gateway, and Minister of Natu-ral Resources Lisa Raitt, visited Sydney to announce $4-million in funding for the Atlantic Energy Gateway.

The initiative, a combined ef-fort of the federal government and all four Atlantic provincial governments, various areas of the private and public sectors and energy providers - will help build an enhanced strategy for harnessing energy from the region’s renewable sources. MacKay and Raitt also announced the development of a new Atlantic Energy Gateway Advisory Com-mittee. Members will come from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Natural Resources Cana-da, and all four Atlantic Provinces. The Committee will explore both foreign and domestic markets in terms of renewable energy generation, with particular interest in New England. This news comes at an exciting time for Cape Breton’s energy industry, which is currently flourishing in terms of research and development for renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, and tidal. Eleanor Anderson, Executive Director for the Atlantic Coastal Action Program of Cape Breton, wel-comes the news, stating, “Although the project is ‘big picture’ in scope, it looks promising for providing people with employment along with the concept of being able to sell power to other markets.”

Story by Scott Purdie, contributor to Chamberlink

Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay (centre) with, from left, Joyce MacDougall, Executive Vice-President, and Owen Fitzgerald, President of the Chamber of Commerce

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Chamber to conduct survey of all businesses in CBRM

The Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce is undertaking a project that enlists the support of businesses throughout the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The goal of this project, funded by Service Canada, is to garner a current snapshot of the overall status of the business community within CBRM. “The Chamber is an advocate for economic development, putting forward ideas based upon our judgement, and providing insight as a private-sector representative organization,” says Executive Director, Mike MacSween. “Stud-ies of this nature help us in the construction and reinforcement of our ideas and policies.”

The data collected will be compiled into an online

database that will range from basic contact infor-mation to more complex information such as em-ployment within the different sectors and project-ed employment growth. As part of the Chamber’s mission to foster business and economic growth for CBRM, MacSween says the database will al-low the Chamber to make better decisions when putting on future events, programs, and services catered to the needs of the business community. The Chamber also plans to develop advocacy priorities based on the survey findings.

Service Canada funding has enabled the Cham-ber to hire four individuals working on this project through the Job Creation Partnership Program.

Pictured are the team conducting the survey, from left, Glenda Slade, Susan Grant, and Bertha Ann MacLean. The coordinator (seated) is Ebrima (Ebou) Secka.

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The team, led by a Research Coordinator, will carry out the project in the following manner: con-struction of the survey, testing questions, ongoing database maintenance, and implementation of the survey. Ebou Secka, Research Coordinator for the business survey, says that approximately 3,000 businesses throughout CBRM will be contacted with questions ranging from business climate to employment outcomes. “This survey will help the Chamber improve its services to its members and potential members,” said Secka. “For instance, we will be able to identify the num-ber of companies hiring in the future and possible office space that is for sale or rent.”

Even though participation in the survey is not mandatory, MacSween encourages all business-es to get on board with this project. “We hope members of the business community will see the relevance of organizations such as the Chamber

by helping us obtain the best data possible. This will assist greatly in moving our priorities and objectives forward. We play an important role in putting forward ideas for economic development and lobbying for these ideas with all levels of gov-ernment.”

A final report detailing the specific findings of the survey will be produced and will highlight any significant trends that may be identified among the results.

Story by Scott Purdie, contributor for Chamberlink

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Growing Your Business

By Rob Calabrese

Rob Calabrese is a newscaster with 89.7 The Coast, a regular contributor with The Community Press, and the founder of Spotsmith.com. Now, he will be a featured columnist with our Chamberlink Newsletter, with insights and perspective designed to better inform businesspeople on how to improve their business.

Should Your Business Be Online?

Here’s a question from Paul in Sydney:I know I am supposed to have a website. That being said, I don’t sell products, my business provides a service. I have no plans to sell online; I just don’t see the need for a site. My business has been around forever and we have done just fine without one. Am I wrong? — Paul

In a word, YES!

Last month, my dad and I were doing some ama-teur plumbing. We spent a full day working on a stubborn leaky pipe, which involved a lot of con-torting, sweating, and cursing. After changing the pipe and sealing up the wall it was time to reward ourselves with some take out, as we were both too tired and grubby to start cooking. I remem-bered a restaurant my friend had recommended last week, so I went online to see if I could check out a menu. Yet try as I might, I couldn’t find their website. It finally dawned on me that they didn’t have one. We had no idea what to order, so, we decided to get a pizza from the place on the

corner.

That’s why every small business has to have a website.

Can you do e-commerce if you are not online? No. Can customers who heard about your busi-ness check you out later on the Internet if you don’t have a site? No again. Can current custom-ers find out what your new offerings are if you lack a site? Strike three. Is it hard to get a web-site? Luckily, the answer again is no, in fact it’s easier than ever.

Let’s take a look at some numbers:

• Half of all small businesses with less than 10 employees do not have a website.• 7 out of 10 solo businesses do not have a web-site.

This is a bit puzzling, considering that Canada ranks fourth in the world in terms of Internet us-

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ers per capita, (we are behind Holland, and two countries with tiny populations, Bermuda and Greenland, who have barely enough people to field a softball team). We are also online more with 80% of us now spending as much time on-line as we do watching television.

Having a website in 2009 is essential to attracting new customers, should they be from Greenland, Newfoundland, Port Hood, or Port Morien. Hav-ing a website is as important today as having business cards or a telephone number.

So the question is then, how do you do it easily and affordably?

There are three ways:1. Use an online service - Online services are great because, not only do they point and click you through an easy process, but the best ones will also help you grow your business. You can easily design and create an elegant, profes-sional website in a few short clicks with content management systems like Joomla (www.joomla.org) and/or blog templates like Word Press (www.wordpress.org).

2. Use design software – This requires a bit of computer savvy, but certainly nothing your neighbour’s 14-year-old can’t handle for a few bucks. Coffee Cup Visual Site Designer is a good one that will run about 50 dollars. Realmac RapidWeaver 4.1.3 is easy to use if you have an Apple Computer.

3. Hire a web developer – There are several

professional web developers right here in the CBRM that fit a wide range of budgets. Not only will they give you the added benefit of having someone to bounce ideas off of, they can also provide valuable insight as to what you will need, and what works.The point is that there is no reason for any small business not to be online, and not just online, but online in a professional, powerful way. If you take one thing from any of my articles, I hope it is this... if you have a business, you need a web-site. If your competitors have websites, you’ll need one to compete, if your competitors do not have websites, you need one to get the jump on them. That way, when a couple of desperate junior plumbers, or anyone for that matter, wants to learn more about your product or services, it’s easy to do. If not, they’ll probably go somewhere else.

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How to Pick a Website Name

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” Juliet is absolutely correct. On the web, however, it’s a different story.

It may not be like a Shakespearian romance, but picking a domain name is like getting married. You are going to have to stick with it till the bitter end. People that use your site will come to know it by the domain name. Repeat visitors will often simply type in the domain name to get to the site, better known as “type in traffic”. As an example, do you search for “Ebay” when you want to buy a slow cooker, or do simply type in ebay.com? If Amazon were to change its domain name to awholebunchofstuff.com, there would be a lot of confusion. The same goes with your domain. Once you pick something, stick with it. Choosing a name for your website is of paramount impor-tance when it comes to creating a website for your business. A good name may promote your brand name, increase traffic flow to your busi-ness, and maximize the impression of your site.

The longer the domain name, the harder it is for potential customers to remember it. This is the reason why a domain name like bicycle.com is much more valuable than TheNicestBicycle-ShopInTheWholeWideWorld.com. As a rule of thumb, always strive to pick a domain name that is short and easy to remember. For example, The Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament have a web domain named vinceryan.ca, which is much

more user friendly than thevinceryanhockeytour-nament.ca.

If promoting your brand name is a very impor-tant part of your business, incorporate it in your domain name. If it is not, it helps to have a more practical domain name that will maximize the likelihood of it being searched. For example, if T-Bone Bob sells jewelry but the name of the business is not particularly important, use Beauti-ful-Jewelry-Store.com instead of T-BoneBob.com.

If you are shooting for a particular keyword phrase, you may be better off using that keyword phrase in your domain name. Google, for in-stance, looks at the domain name when evaluat-ing a site. If your business focuses on a very spe-cific area, strong consideration should be given to using relevant keywords in your domain name. A good example would be an industry like home inspections. If you are a home inspector, you’re not selling your service to people in Boston or Botswana, the bulk of your work will be done on homes in Cape Breton. When I was looking for a home inspector in the fall, I didn’t search for “home inspection” in Google, which would have given me results from all over the world. I searched “Cape Breton Home Inspection”, which gave me results from this area.

So a possible web site name may be capebreton-homeinspection.com, even if that’s not the name of your company. Upon checking I found a high capable firm whose name matched my search words.

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Finally, your domain name should end in “.com”. The simple fact is that when people think of sites, they always type in .com. Yes, there are other ex-tensions and .ca, .net, .biz, etc., which may seem unique, but it kills your traffic. Pavlov and his dog experiments had it right. People have been men-tally conditioned to type in .com, so don’t select any other ending. If you do, a web savvy competi-tor will register the .com version of your name to get some free traffic.

On the same line of thought, do not forget to re-new your domain name as it is not uncommon for expired domain names to be snatched up. And getting it back can be a real pain.

How to Make Testimonials Work for Your Business

Word of mouth is a powerful marketing force here in Cape Breton, so how can you put that force to work for you online? When done right, testimoni-als can be a strong ally in establishing the cred-ibility of your website. When done wrong, they can actually do more harm than good.

You don’t have to watch TV for very long to come across phoney testimonials about how people get better sleep in a certain bed, or how their medi-cal insurance company was there for them when Katie needed braces. You and I know they’re bogus, and that hurts their credibility. I’m sure you’ve also seen websites and print ads loaded with testimonials that all sound as though they

were written by the same advertising copywriter. Breathless, urgent, loaded with supposedly “hypnotic” sales trigger words - and completely unbelievable. All this aside, when done properly, testimonials can increase a potential customer’s trust in you.

It’s perfectly okay to solicit testimonials. Ask your customers for feedback, and include the best comments on your website. However, do not un-der any circumstances give in to the temptation to write your own testimonials or to hire someone to write them for you.

You probably get sales letters and flyers all the time with testimonials from alleged “satisfied cus-tomers” identified only by their initials. Just today, I saw a television ad with testimonials from folks identified with just names and generic titles such as “businesswoman” and “professional.”“Professional what?” I wondered. Professional actor, most likely.

For each testimonial you should include, at mini-mum, the customer’s full name and location. If they’re speaking on behalf of a business, include the business name. Mention if they have any professional certifications or titles that would enhance their authority. If they have a website, a link to it will also help establish that this is a legiti-mate testimonial. This can be especially effec-tive here, given Cape Bretoners’ ability to identify who you are, where you went to school, and your favourite ice cream based solely on “What’s your father’s name?”

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When reading over testimonials about your prod-uct or service, try to pick comments that address a specific benefit or positive result brought about by the use of your product or service. These are much more powerful than generic compliments.

For instance, which of these makes a stronger testimonial?

“The Pier Deli is great! I just love them!”

...or...

“Our previous caterer went out of business just a week before our annual company awards ban-quet, leaving us with no food service for our 200 expected attendees. On extremely short notice, The Pier Deli came through for us with delicious food, impeccable service and excellent presenta-tion.”

You could start by creating a testimonials page on your site. Prospective customers may find a long list of favourable comments from all your previous customers to be very impressive and helpful. But to best increase the impact of your testimonials, try also interweaving them with the content on your main pages.

Site visitors may skip or accidentally overlook a separate testimonials page. Testimonials that are interwoven with the body copy or in a sidebar have a better chance of being read by more of your site visitors.

If your testimonials are focused and specific, this

can be a powerful technique to improve your sales conversions by directing attention to the benefits of your product or service.

There are few marketing tools more powerful than word of mouth, but you can’t fake it. Ge-neric, questionable or obviously phoney testimo-nials will do you no good, and may actually harm your reputation. On the other hand, succinct, believable, benefit-specific testimonials from real people, properly placed on your web pages, can enhance your website’s credibility, and you won’t even have to include your father’s name.Rob Calabrese is the founder of Spotsmith.com, based in Sydney and offering affordable online solutions to help small businesses reach their goals. Send your questions or comments to rob@spotsmith.com

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Evidence for Your Evidence-Based Decisions

The figures don’t lie! Good decisions are based on good information! These may be clichés, but all too often, important strategic and operational decisions are made without adequate informa-tion. Sometimes this is simply because the data you need is not available or readily accessible. Now there is a free and fast solution to many of your data dilemmas.

Nova Scotia’s Community Counts initiative pres-ents an easy to use and free solution to finding much of the socio-economic information your business or organization requires. Nova Scotia Community Counts presents downloadable statis-tics on income and labour force activity, health, population and other data that illustrate the unique nature of each community in Nova Scotia. Community Counts also allows comparisons of community resources among regional, provincial, and national levels which is great for benchmark-ing purposes.

Interested in knowing more? Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation will sponsor a Lunch and Learn at the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club on Thursday, April 30 at 12pm to introduce the local business community to the Community Counts data. A Community Counts trainer will present the material. To register contact the Chamber of Commerce at 564-6453 or email anne@sydneyareachamber.ca. Deadline for registration is Tuesday, April 28 at 5pm.

When: Thursday, April 30, 12 noonWhere: Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club,

Esplanade, SydneyCost: Free

Why: To learn how Community Counts data can help you with your business.

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New Chamber Members since September 2008

While we’ll be publishing our new Member Directory soon, we thought we should feature some of the newest businesses to join our Chamber of Commerce since September of 2008. Our most up-to-date listing of current Chamber Members can always be found on our website, in our ‘search members’ section. A special thanks to all of our newest members - welcome aboard!

Name of Business Principal ContactA New Ancient Earth Rachel HaggettAids Coalition of Cape Breton Jo-Anne RollsAllegro Jared WolfAnn Terry Society Ann McPheeArbonne International Shauna RatchfordAvis Car Rental Pearl MacKeiganBMO Financial Groups Todd GrahamBob Inglis Print & Promo Bob InglisBulk Barn Kim PopwellCanadian Tire North Sydney Brett PayneCape Beton Cake Decorators’ Specialties Frances AlteenCape Breton Flight Institute Bill GardinerCape Breton Fudge Company Dana LewisCape Breton Trailer Sales Bruce MarshCAPE Society Lynn McCarronCeltic Colours International Festival Mary Pat MombourquetteCeltic Financial Solutions Tom MoriartyChant Rowe Shaw & Associates Len ShawCIBC Robert MacAulayClearskin Laser & Skin Treatment Judy O’HandleyCrossroads Club House Colleen Cann MacKenzieD.M Rogers Transport Limited Darrell RogersDemeyere Properties Ltd. Sean DemeyereDomhnal Consulting Darren MacDonaldEastside Marios Ajay VirikFamily Windows & Doors Sean DemeyereFlavor Scott MorrisiOnFreedom 55 Financial Wayne BanfieldFreedom 55 Financial Scott ClementsGlace Bay Shoe Store Cecil SaccaryGovernor’s Restaurant Ardon MoffordHarbourview Montesori Michelle VanHEAL Cape Breton Lisa MacDougallHuman Resources Assoc. of Nova Scotia Sheila OlyerIntact Insurance Rheal AucoinJP Financial Ltd. James PrinceKempt Head Institute Parker DonhamKiwanis Swimming Pool Ralph JeansLaguna Pools Paul WhittyMarcato Digital Solutions Darren Gallup

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Masa Medico Inc. Anthony MagliaroMicrotel Inn & Suites David RobinetteN.S. Co-Operative Council Mark SparrowOurTownEarth.com Darlene RoseParks Canada Agency Chip BirdPaula Hines Counseling Paula HinesPier Community Funeral Home William LauriePier Deli & Restaurant Patty MelnickPost Net Greg PopwellPower Talk Communications Inc. Jeff WallPrinter Works Joe BurkePrince At Prince Hotel Suites Limited Doreen BloisPro-Active Health Care Recruiting Inc. Barkaat AhmadProvincial Energy Ventures James GrahamR. Kennedy Limited Josephine KennedyRita’s Tea Room Wade LanghamRockwood Painting and Drywall Stewart MathesonRomard Sound Disc Jockey Services Jeff RomardRSI Management Solutions Rany Ibrahim Seascape Aerial Photograpy Anthony KingShot on Site Media Darcy Campbell Simply for Life Colleen MacDonaldSki Ben Eoin Kevin MacInnisSOCAN Tim HardyStrong Chiropractic Darren StrongSydney Chiropractic David DunnT. & J. Demeyere Properties Jim DemeyereT. Coady Alarms Electric & Home Ventilation Ltd. Tony CoadyThe Community Press Robin CurtisTime Machine Candy Works David GrantTo Your Max Sean DemeyereUnited Rentals of Canada Darren IngramUnivera/Matol Wendy KingIndividual Kathy Cameron

Representative Changes: Atlantic CAT Brian FitzgeraldBoston Pizza Ashley CraneCanadian Coast Guard College John ButlerCanadian Coast Guard College Louis GuimondCape Breton Post Robert RedshawCape Breton Regional Municipality Derek MombourquetteEDS Brian ChiassonN. S. Power Paul MacKayQuality Inn David ColsonRatchford Photographic Studio Lorena CapstickSamuel & Co. Ellen GromickSpringboard Design Studios Inc. Albert BaggsStream Natalie Paris

New Members continued...

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The Atlantic Provinces Chamber of Commerce Presents:

The Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce (APCC) are pleased to present an opportunity to see the Honourable President William Jefferson Clinton on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 4:00pm at the World Trade and Convention Centre.

For a limited time, APCC members (and guests) are eligible to participate in this extrordinary ses-sion at an advance member rate.

Register general tickets today at an “early bird” rate of $99 plus HST (A savings of $30 off the public rate of $129). VIP executive tickets (preferred seating) are available at $169 (a savings of $30 off the public rate of $199). Call today because these tickets will sell out fast.

To Register: Call Toll Free 1-866-883-6568, and ask for Joseph

Group Rate: Register 9 tickets and receive a 10th complimentary.

For Complete details, please visit:

www.powerwithin.com/pdf/HalifaxBC_jk.pdf

All sales are final. Tickets are transferable. Please add $7 service charge per transaction. Online registrations do not qualify for the member rate.

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Members in Spotlight

With each edition of Chamberlink, we will feature stories about Chamber Mem-bers. With this issue, we are featuring a number of relatively new recruits to the Chamber of Commerce. If you have suggestions of members who should be spotlighted, feel free to suggest them to us!

Dana Lewis Cape Breton Fudge Company

What motivated you to start the Cape Breton Fudge Company?Feedback from bus tours and other sources suggested there may be a need for a locally produced food product that tourists could snack on or buy to take “a taste of Cape Breton” home with them. We thought a confectionary product would be ideal. Fudge seemed to be the most popular option, so we decided to give it a try.

We started making and sell-ing the fudge wholesale to a store on the Sydney water-front and to a gift shop/café in the area. The demand was there, so we decided to set up a storefront. The Cape Breton Fudge compa-ny opened November 15th at 15 Prince Street, on the lower level of Smart Shop Place.

We also saw the demand for gourmet products pro-duced in Cape Breton, so we are always looking for

locally made goods to add to the items we sell at our storefront. Jams, jellies, and sauces made by Galloping Cows in Port Hood are a popular addi-tion to our inventory. We recently added gourmet products from other countries, such as specialty oils from France. When people travel they see different items but could never get them locally, so we decided to bring in some of these products. We have a line of cookies from Israel as well as toffees and sweets from England. It gives Cape Bretoners a taste of foods from other countries, and local people are curious to see what we have in stock.

What is unique about your Fudge?The great thing about fudge is that you can add local ingredients to it. For example, our Breton Whisky fudge is made with whisky from Glenora Distillery. For the Maple and Maple Walnut fudge, we add Highland Gold maple syrup produced in Boisdale. Local ingredients give our fudge a Cape Breton taste. We name our fudge products with Cape Breton in mind: Rocky Cabot Trail, Acadian Maple Walnut, Highland Chocolate, and Celtic Mint to name a few.

How do you plan to market your Fudge?Our products will be sold at our storefront as well as wholesale to gift stores throughout Cape Breton. The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum is plan-ning on selling one of our products, Cape Breton Coal (dark fudge with walnut and pecan nuggets). We package the “coal” in a small coal bucket to give it a genuine look and feel. We also plan to continue selling our fudge wholesale to a store on the Sydney waterfront in order to help capture the

business of cruise ship passengers.

How is the product packaged?Cape Bretoners are always sending packages to friends and relatives who live away, so we came up with a gift crate as a unique alternative to traditional gift baskets. The crates are handmade right at the Cape Breton Fudge Company. Not only are they designed to hold your gift items, but you can ship in them as well. These sturdy wood crates have a rustic look and urban warehouse feel and are approximately 9 inches long by six inches wide by six inches high. They are a per-fect size for tourists to take home with them or for locals to send around the world. Our crates have been shipped as far as Europe, South Africa, and Australia. Everything within the crate, along with the crates themselves, are made in Cape Breton.

How has being a member of the local cham-ber of commerce assisted your business?Being a member of the Sydney and Area Cham-ber of Commerce has given us exposure to other businesses in the area. This helps us market to other businesses as well as find out what ser-vices and products these businesses are offering locally.

Interview by Mark MacDonald, a contributor to Chamberlink

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Cecil & Rita Saccary - Glace Bay Shoe Store

Providing quality footwear, footwear ac-cessories, along with friendly customer service has made the Glace Bay Shoe Store a great place to shop. Since opening its doors in May of 2001, Glace Bay Shoe Store is the only retail outlet that special-

35 years, whereas Cecil was a general merchan-diser for CO-OP for 20.

Over the past year, Cecil and Rita decided to have their store become a member organization with the Sydney and Area Chamber of Com-merce. Cecil said being a Chamber member has many benefits, which include networking opportunities through professional develop-ment sessions, discounts from many businesses throughout CBRM, access to Chamber event information, and inclusion in group medical insur-ance coverage. “As a member of the Chamber of Commerce, you have more buying power as a group when it comes to medical and life insur-ance coverage for staff – that aspect itself is an excellent reason to belong”.

Cecil cited the recent downtown revitalization project in Glace Bay in recent years has been good for their business. “Our store is a lot more modern looking than it was when it first opened. It is much nicer and pleasant to shop in and I think

izes in family footwear on Cape Breton Island. The store carries a wide variety of top name brands including Wolevrine, Cat, Avia, Brooks, and Adidas. They also carry an assortment of top-quality hand bags too.

The managers of the Glace Bay Shoe Store are a husband and wife duo, Cecil and Rita Sac-cary. Both have worked in the retail industry for nearly 70 years combined. The past eight have been with their current operation. Rita previously worked for Agnew where she was a manager for

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that has enabled more people not only from Glace Bay but from all over the Island to shop at our store”.

Despite the global economic downtown, Cecil said he is not too concerned about the local effects and he remains opti-mistic things will get better eventually. “Our business has been down a bit this past year – especially over Christmas but then again it was down everywhere. This time of year is typically our slow period and I’m positive business will pick up once the weather warms up.” He added that even though his sales may be slightly down this year compared to last year, it is business as usual.

Cecil also pointed out that the main rea-son why the Glace Bay Shoe Store is in business is due to excellent customer service. “Our attitude is everyone who walks through that door is my bread and butter. People come in our store be-cause they need something and we do our best to satisfy their needs. We don’t force our products on anyone. Instead, we educate consumers on our products and I think that’s the customer service people are looking for today.” He added that people can rely on their service if anyone has a problem - especially if an item is not in stock. “We do our best to

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Science Degree. After completing his armour officer classification training, he joined his first regiment, the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) in Petawawa, Ontario. Subsequently, he served with and later commanded, the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Canada and Germany.

Throughout his career, General Hillier has had the privilege and pleasure of commanding troops from the platoon to multi-national formation level within Canada, Europe, Asia and the United States. He has worked as a staff officer in several headquarters; first at the Army level in Montreal and later at the strategic level in Ottawa.

In 1998 General Hillier was appointed the first Canadian Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, US Army in Fort Hood, Texas. In 2000 he took command of NATO’s Stabilization Force’s Multinational Division in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In May 2003 General Hillier was appointed as Commander of the Army and subsequently, in October 2003, he was selected as the Commander of the NATO-led In-ternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan. General Hillier was promoted to Chief of the Defence Staff in February 2005.

General Hillier and his wife have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and a new grandson. He enjoys most recreational pursuits but, in particular, runs slowly, plays hockey poorly and golfs very well as long as he does not have to sink the ball.

Biography - Gen. Rick Hillier:

General Rick Hillier was Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff – the highest ranking position in the Canadian Forces – from February 4, 2005 to July 1, 2008.

In September of 2008, he joined TD Bank Finan-cial Group as a senior advisor.

Born in Newfoundland and Labrador, General Hillier joined the Canadian Forces as soon as he could. He enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1973 through the Regular Officer Training Plan program, and graduated from Memorial Univer-sity of Newfoundland in 1975 with a Bachelor of

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Charitable Events Spotlight

This is your invitation to participate in the 7th Annual Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion on Sunday June 14th at Victoria Park in Sydney.

The main event is presented by Scotiabank, and features teams of five racing against the clock through an obstacle course that tests dexterity, maneuvering techniques, basketball skills and painting abilities. The fastest team wins. Sound easy? Perhaps not…you have to do all of this in a wheelchair!

The Cape Breton Wheels In Motion event includes a wheel/walk for family and friends, entertainment, a barbe-cue, and of course the Wheelchair Challenge. Quite simply, it is a magical day.

Partnering with Wheels in Motion is an opportunity to reach your customers and engage and inspire your em-ployees. It’s an excellent team-building activity and it demonstrates your commitment to making a difference in your community. At the same time it raises funds to help improve the quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury (SCI).

You should know that 55% of money you raise in Cape Breton stays right here. And a further 25% is used to directly affect the lives of all Canadians living with SCI through participation in clinical trials and testing of in-novative devices.

Wheels in Motion is an important part of the Rick Hansen Foundation’s ongoing commitment to making Cana-dian communities accessible and inclusive for people of all abilities.

In the past five years the Cape Breton event has contributed more than $32,000 to:

• Construction of docks at Two Rivers Wildlife Park so people in wheelchairs can go fishing with family and friends.• Purchase of vehicle hand controls for a young man in Margaree, a pressure mattress for a Donkin resident, and a wheelchair for a man in Glace Bay.• Accessible seating at the Savoy Theatre for people with disabilities.• Emergency financial assistance to ensure access to home and community through the Aid-to-Para fund of the Canadian Paraplegic Association Nova Scotia.

We hope you will consider entering a team in this year’s event. If you have any questions please contact:

David Reynolds Team Recruitment Phone: 902-674-2799 Cell: 902-565-6287 Email: davidgale@ns.sympatico.ca

Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion

Think you can tackle an obstacle course, race against the clock or shoot hoops? Now, can you do it in a wheelchair? Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion is your chance to have a lot of fun trying—and you’ll be making a real difference in the lives of people with spinal cord injury at the same time. Join colleagues, friends or family and participate in this excellent team building activity in your community. Wheels In Motion is for people of all ages and all abilities. Register a team in the wheelchair challenge or come out and cheer on your favourite group. No one is left on the sidelines with on-site activities to get everyone moving including wheel/walks, wheelchair sport demos, kid’s crafts, main stage entertainment and more.

The seventh annual Rick Hansen

Wheels In Motion event will be held

on Sunday, June 14th, 2009.

Register online at www.wheelsinmotion.org.

Making a Difference in the Lives of Others

Wheels In Motion has touched hundreds of lives through unique quality of life projects, with entire communities benefiting from the funds raised. By removing barriers and creating more accessible neighbourhoods, we are helping individuals with disabilities live life to its full potential and making our community stronger, richer and more vibrant. Since the inception of Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion in 2003, Canadians have raised over $9.6 million. These funds have supported more than 800 quality of life projects and research aimed at discovering a cure for spinal cord injury, but we still have a long way to go. The people of Cape Breton came together last year to raise funds for many projects, including renovations to the Savoy Theatre. Funds raised assisted with renovations to the Savoy Theatre to provide accessible seating for people living with disabilities. Funds also supported the Canadian Paraplegic Association Nova Scotia’s Aid-to-Para fund which provides emergency financial assistance to people with spinal cord injury for equipment that allows them to access their homes and communities.

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Sydney Ports Corporation Cruise Ship Schedule 2009

The Sydney Ports Corporation has a bumper crop of cruise ships scheduled to visit the Port of Sydney

over 2009, beginning May 16. For your information, the tentative schedule is as follows. Lets make sure

to extend a warm and hospitable welcome to all visitors to our community in 2009, and in particular those

visiting during these scheduled cruise shop stops in Sydney.

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Cruise Ship Schedule Continued...

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Message from Outgoing President Owen Fitzgerald

It has been an honour to serve as President of the Chamber of Com-merce over the past two years, and I would like to thank you for your

continued membership and support for our organization over this time.

One of my goals as President has been to ensure that the Chamber is relevant to the business community, and serving a positive role in helping

to guide and shape the economic and social development of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. While no organization can perfectly fulfill

the mandate it aspires to, I would like to think that we have had some suc-cess towards this end.

We have been an advocate for such things as the upgrade of Route 4, the dredging of Sydney Har-bour, the construction of a new Marconi Campus in downtown Sydney, the cleanup by DND of the

New Dawn properties, and public funding for innovative start-ups in our community. We continue to pursue these goals, and continue to seek out new priorities to pursue as well.

The Chamber has been well served in the hiring of an Executive Director – the first one in 20 years – who has helped to improve our level of service and organization. Collectively, we have updated our

Constitution and Bylaws, developed a new and improved website and newsletter, started two new speaker series – the Scotiabank Breakfast Series, and the Progress Series with CBU Alumni Asso-

ciation, and improved our Business After 5 networking model with the help of sponsored advertising and venues. We have also enhanced our financial reporting and accounting processes over this

period.

The Chamber of Commerce has experienced significant growth in terms of activities and member-ship, to which I am proud to have played a role. We have aimed to “Bring Business Together,” as our

motto states, which is in my view essential for our economic well-being. It is vital that the business community have an organization that represents their interests and serves to unite us all under one common umbrella – the Chamber has excelled in playing this role, thanks in large part to each and

every one of our members. It’s important to be working collaboratively with one another.

The Chamber, at the end of the day, is what you make of it. Take advantage of your Chamber mem-bership – get involved, draw light to issues affecting your business, and take part in Chamber events.

Finally, my thanks to our mighty staff of three, our Board of Directors and Council, and all Chamber members for your continued support.

Yours truly,

Owen Fitzgerald,Outgoing President

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