Downtown Kindersley Association to merge with Kindersley Chamber of Commerce
By Joan Janzen
Last week, the Downtown Kindersley Association (DKA) voted to merge with the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce. The voting results took place at the DKA's monthly meeting last week.
Randy Irvine has been a member of the DKA since the 1980s and has witnessed many changes throughout the years. "There are not as many retail stores as there were years ago," he noted. Many of the downtown outlets are occupied by professional services, which changed the dynamics of the downtown association.
Kevin Martin is Executive Director for the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce. As the Downtown Kindersley Association moves forward and merges with the Chamber, Kevin Martin welcomes DKA members to obtain a Chamber membership if they haven’t already done so. Kevin’s office is located at the Kindersley Museum. Photo by Joan Janzen
The association exists to attract people to the downtown area by hosting various events. "Even beautifying the downtown area with lamps and plants was always connected with the Downtown Association," Randy noted.
Although the association had a good number of members, they often didn't have the necessary participation. "For a while now, the Chamber executive has been requesting that we take a look at merging since it's a similar entity in many ways," Randy said. Now that merger is moving forward. "Our membership due date is the first week in September, so we'll carry on as we have until that date."
Jeff Soveran, President of the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce said, "We're really excited about it!" Although many DKA members are currently members of the Chamber, Jeff is hoping the remaining members will take the opportunity to join the Chamber. "It's a bigger force of people promoting businesses, with one membership price instead of two." He stressed that every member is important and no one will receive special treatment.
The Downtown Association holds many promotions throughout the year to draw people to Kindersley, and those promotions will continue. Randy noted that the Chamber will now be coordinating the events with help from downtown merchants.
"We hope to work together with the Chamber and support the community as a whole," Randy concluded.