The Fernie Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting is April 20, and this year’s special guest is Val Litwin, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce.

This will be the first visit of a BC Chamber executive to Fernie according to current board members. As the chamber builds is activities locally, it is also looking to be more involved with the provincial chapter of the chamber. Bringing the president and CEO of the BC Chamber to speak to Fernie members is important to understanding what chamber membership means at a provincial and federal level.

Val will be speaking about B.C. within the larger Canadian economic context, the emerging chamber network brand and our leadership opportunity moving forward.

Previous to his role with the BC Chamber of Commerce, Val served as CEO of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce for three years. During this time, he grew its membership base, reinvigorated the chamber’s brand to the point where Whistler had one of the fastest growing membership bases last year, and launched a world-class educational partnership with the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria.

In January, Fernie Chamber members who attended the Moments of Power session with Dr. Mark Colgate experienced firsthand part of that partnership developed by Val and his team in Whistler.

In 2007, Val co-founded a first-to-market concept, Blo Blow Dry Bar, which has since grown to more than 70 locations worldwide. In 2011, as Vice President of Franchise Operations at Nurse Next Door, Canada’s largest home care company, he helped drive the franchise system’s fast growth into the U.S. market – adding almost 70 locations to the brand in under three years.

Val is also well versed in the social enterprise space. In 2002, he co-founded Extreme Kindness and launched volunteer tours and a web series based on committing random act of kindness across Canada and the U.S. The tours evolved into a best-selling book on corporate social responsibility and the power of communities to build social capital.

Registration for the AGM is now open and members can call the office to register at 250-423-6868 or visit ferniechamber.com/agm to find registration details.

The Fernie Chamber of Commerce is a membership-driven organization representing over 260 business in Fernie and the Elk Valley. Its mission is to strengthen commerce in the Fernie area and is guided by principles of membership, integrity, best-practices, business excellence, and non-partisanship. The Fernie Chamber of Commerce is “The Voice of Business in Fernie.”

Fernie Chamber of Commerce

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