Board of trade opens new office , News Jul 30, 2008 07:37 PM
By: Sandra Bolan
The Bradford Board of Trade was created to help local businesses, but it also wants to extend its reach beyond Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Which is why part of the proceeds from its golf tournament in September, will be donated to the Southlake Regional Health Centre’s pre-natal unit.
“I think it’s important to give back to the community (and) we want to be about the community at large,” board of trade president Martha Marton said.
In an effort to better connect with the community, the board held an open house and barbecue Tuesday to show off its new office, on the second floor of the treasury building at 61 Holland Street East.
The board has no set office hours yet, but that will change in September.
The same goes for staff.
The board is run by volunteers, who also happen to be local business owners, so no one is on-site to man the office. That is expected to change come next spring.
Although the board has no staff, it does not mean its members are unreachable.
Each person’s voice mail generates an e-mail that can be picked up from anywhere.
“It’s not ideal, but it’s better than a recording you don’t know when will be checked,” Ms Marton said.
Along with the golf tournament, the board will hold a mad hatter networking event that month.
“It will be an education on how to better network, instead of just hoping you connect,” she said.
Two events are planned for October: the first is a seminar entitled Surviving in a Big Box World: How to Compete with Wal-Mart and the other one is Mystery Shopping, which will deal with “how to go about it and find out what your competitors are doing”, Ms Marton said.
Press Release, May 07, 2008 09:19 PM
Bradford Board of Trade president Martha Marton presents the board’s first membership certificate to Rick Nesbitt, representing Cathy’s Crawly Composters. She made the presentation during the Bradford West Gwillimbury business networking breakfast at the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre last week.
News
May 07, 2008 09:19 PM
By: Sandra Bolan
When Martha Marton joined the Bradford Board of Trade working committee last year, she had no intention of becoming the board’s first president, but that’s exactly what happened.
“The more input she had and how involved she got, it became clear...that she was a natural choice to become the president,” Tina Sibbald, the board of trade’s director of communications, said.
A registered insurance broker with Tupling Insurance, Ms Marton takes the board’s helm with plenty of experience, including a stint as the president of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts. Ms Marton has also served as a member of the United Way’s board and on the Toronto government affairs committee. She is currently a member of the Barrie Chamber of Commerce’s government affairs committee.
“I like to be involved in the community. I like to help people,” she said.
Plans to create the Bradford Board of Trade came about last year after the Bradford and District Chamber of Commerce stopped operating.
“As business members of this community, we noticed there was a big void,” Ms Sibbald said of the chamber’s collapse.
Giuseppe Strazzeri of The Mortgage Centre served as president of the board’s working committee.
The Board of Trade’s mandate, among other things, is to provide its members with promotional, purchasing and networking opportunities. It is also an advocate for local businesses when dealing with all three levels of government.
“Two to three businesses upset with the municipality doesn’t have the impact a board of trade does,” Ms Sibbald said. “We are a resource; we are a lobbying voice, but at the same time, a partner, not an adversary, of the municipality.”
The Bradford Board of Trade is currently accepting new members.