The new board chair for the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce has said he wants to “enhance” the value of the organization for its members.
Ryan Organ started the new role last Wednesday. Going into his fourth year as a board member, the Enbridge Gas employee said his priorities and his work on a strategic plan will be based on feedback from chamber members.
“When I say that, we’re talking about things like reviewing our committees to make sure they’re aligned with the needs of our membership and enhancing our programs and services with more of a focus on membership advocacy,” he said.
Organ said he also sees the value in continuing networking events and the chamber’s awards programs, calling them “great opportunities to showcase what we have here.”
Organ, who moved to Chatham-Kent from Halifax about 16 years ago, said he has come to see how “well-connected” everyone is. He and his wife recently had a house built and the contractors, plumber, cabinet installers and others were familiar.
“When you can go into those types of things and you trust the people on the other end, it’s a special thing,” he said. “It really does add to the local community.”
Member surveys have already identified challenges facing Chatham-Kent businesses, Organ said. The top three are taxation rates, red tape and labor shortages, he said.
“We see opportunities there, though,” he said. “I think we have a great relationship with the local government and we want to continue to have that collaborative relationship with them to help work on these issues.”
Coming from a “large office, corporate mindset” in his role as the manager of large volume billing and collections for Enbridge, Organ said his perspective helps with strategic direction and priority alignment.
However, he said he always has to keep in mind that the “vast majority” of chamber businesses have fewer than 20 employees.
“I rely heavily on the other folks around the table to bring a small business perspective,” he said. “I’m just here to help in any way I can to move the agenda forward.”