Small Business Week in St. Albert kicks off today (Oct. 12) with the theme: Think Global. Act Local!. The message to all businesses in St. Albert is to think about ways to market their own work as well as to encourage customers from outside the city boundaries.
“We chose that theme because we know our competition is no longer just the guy down the street. As businesses, we need to be involved in the world at large. But we also need to think locally about what as a business we are doing in our community to make it better,” said the Chamber’s vice president of operations, Jennifer McCurdy.
McCurdy said that even a small business owner should be thinking about the environmental footprint they are creating and Small Business Week may be an opportunity for them to learn about new global trends in their industry. It’s also a time to learn about how other businesses give back to their community through employment or through charity.
St. Albert Chamber of Commerce organizes the week-long activities to celebrate the importance of small businesses in this community.
“Small Business Week is a national program and the Chamber has been organizing it here for over 10 years,” said McCurdy said.
National Small Business Week organizers, Business Development of Canada figures show that small and mid-sized businesses make up 99.7 per cent of all Canadian companies. They suggest that 90 per cent of private sector workers are employed by small to mid-size companies.
While she has no local numbers to support those statistics, McCurdy suggests you simply have to look around to see that smaller-sized businesses are the mainstay of St. Albert’s business community.
“That’s easily the mix in St. Albert with the majority being small or medium-sized businesses,” she said.
The specially designated Small Business Week is important to all citizens, not just business owners, McCurdy stressed because all of us need to support the local economy.
The public is welcome at all the festivities (listed on the Chamber website at www.stalbertchamber.com). Hosts of Small Business Week events include the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce as well as both St. Albert Rotary Clubs, the Northern Alberta Business Institute, St. Albert Staples and the St. Albert Public Library.
The kick-off begins with the Chamber luncheon today (Oct.12) from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Apex Casino. Tickets are $30 for chamber members and $40 for non-members.
“This is when we announce the nominees in the eight business award categories. It’s an opportunity to support those businesses which have been recognized as the best in our community, ” McCurdy said.
Award categories include: Business to Business; Community Leadership; Ignite Award for newer businesses; Young Entrepreneur Award, which recognizes young business owners; Marketing Award; Outstanding Customer Service; Youth Work Experience/Apprenticeship and the Small Business Award.
“This year we have more nominees than ever before. The nominations come from within the community and we have 55 nominees in the eight different categories,” McCurdy said.
For business owners, the various activities provide an opportunity to network and to learn new ways to increase their global reach. They may also see how their business measures up with their St. Albert competitors. For the public, it’s a good time to see and learn about the very best businesses in town.
“This is a celebration of those small businesses. Small Business Week gives people a sense of community pride because those business owners work so hard to excel,” McCurdy said.
