Outgoing Chamber of Commerce President gives presentation at AGM

By Kate Winquist

The Kindersley Chamber of Commerce held its 2023 AGM on Friday, February 10, at the Kindersley & District Plains Museum.

Executive Director of the Chamber, Kevin Martin, welcomed those in attendance and called the meeting to order.

Rick Miller has now concluded his two terms as Chamber President. Jeff Soveran now moves from vice-president to the President’s Chair.

The Vice-President position remains open. Current board members are: Anna Polsfut, Nancy Ternes, Kelly Nash, Eugene Hritzuk, Glen Sitter, Mark Van Den Berg, Cheryl Ehresman, Nikki Meschsnick, Chantil Cooke and Kim Sautner.

PHOTO: Rick Miller speaks to a small group at the Kindersley Chamber AGM.

Rick Miller gave a presentation entitled, “Your Town is Dying” - a speech that he had done the night before at the Biggar Community Hall in front of business owners and interested community members looking at re-establishing a Chamber of Commerce for the west-central town.

Miller, who had spent the previous four years as the Kindersley Chamber President, said that it has been a challenge and his concern that it is not over.

“Small towns are in trouble - we’re next. We can’t be naive to think that we won’t be next,” Miller said. It happens faster than you think. It starts with job loss because of lack of business, or the owner is retiring, or the owner gets sick. Or worse, the owner just closes his doors.”

Miller stated that succession planning - finding a new buyer or entrepreneur starts way too late. “Think of the owners in your town that are 60 years are older and have no plan for selling their business or working on retiring. Business owners that have not changed the way they do business - the younger consumers have different mind patterns as well as business - we are not matching up to our consumers.”

“We need to get big. We need to be online. Let your customers know what products you have, said Miller. Kindersley’s businesses need to band together more than ever. Because without business, there’s no town.”