OLDS — The COVID-19 pandemic blew a hole in revenue anticipated by the Olds and District Chamber of Commerce, forcing revenue and expenses to be slashed last year and this year.
That information was reported in the chamber’s financial statements, conveyed during the chamber’s annual general meeting, held March 10 via Zoom.
Total revenue in 2021 is budgeted to be $72,000, down from $109,844 in the 2020 budget. The actual 2020 revenue totalled $62,150.
Total expenses in 2021 are projected to be $62,000 resulting in an anticipated surplus of $10,000, compared to an actual surplus of $8,483 on expenses of $53,667 in 2020.
President Clare Janitz explained that the primary difference in the figures is due to the fact that projected revenues are down primarily because several companies have dropped contracts for highway signage coordinated by the chamber in order to cope with lost revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Expenses were down sharply last year and are projected to be low this year because executive director Caroline Bodmer’s hours were cut to cope with lost income, again as a result of the pandemic.
Bodmer said this year, a large portion of the chamber’s expenses will be incurred by plans to focus on its Member-to-Member Shop Local promotion and e-commerce.
"We are really going to focus on ways of promoting our business community,” she said.
The chamber also plans to update its website and hopes to hire students via grant funding or bursaries to make that happen. Those students would also work on getting more businesses onto the e-commerce platform.
A question arose as to whether the chamber could have obtained federal CEWS (federal Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy) funds to cover Bodmer’s wage.
Bodmer said they didn’t apply because she was a contractor, not an employee on payroll, so “CEWS did not apply to us.”
Auditor Dale Mackie said he and fellow auditor Bill Hall found that the book keeping for the chamber “appeared to be accurate and in order with no discrepancies or irregularities.”
He and Janitz praised board member Josh Schroh who looked after the books after former chamber member Judy Schlichenmayer passed away last fall.
Mackie and Hall were reappointed as auditors for 2021.
Several members were chosen by acclamation to sit on the Chamber’s board of directors.
They were Cassidy Kirsch of Scotiabank, Karly Boom of MNP, former Chamber president Doug Rieberger who runs Ultimate Safety, Mukhdeep Mangat, a new chamber member and partner in Cannabis company Emprise Canada Inc., as well as past president Mark Johnson of Success Innovations, a current board member who let his name stand again.
Other members of the board are Janitz of Olds College, Tash Bieber of Home Hardware, Sundai Cody of Cody & Company Law, Murray Elliott of Mountain View Publishing, town council rep Mary Jane Harper, and Charlotte Hogarth of Century 21 Real Estate.
Janitz noted the slate includes a few new board members.
“It’s so exciting to have new people joining the board, so thank you,” she said.
Other members of the board in 2020-21 were Jennifer Bittner of Carstar, John Armstrong of Foothills Natural Gas Coop, and Schroh of ConnectFirst Credit Union/Mountain View Financial.
The chamber's executive is expected be chosen when the board meets on March 17.
Board member Murray Elliott paid tribute to Schlichenmayer who served on the board for many, many years and passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 21, 2020.
“She was a good friend to many; well known by just about everybody in Olds and the backbone of many organizations in Olds and area, the chamber included,” Elliott said.
“She was the chamber’s treasurer and went above and beyond all expectations and you’ve heard us reading between the lines. We’ve struggled to cobble together all the work that she has done.
“On a personal note, I was chairing a Kiwanis (Club) meeting at Judy’s establishment at Torrock (Towing) one evening and she said ‘here, sign this.’ And when Judy asked me to sign something, I always signed it. And she said, ‘great, you’re on for a three-year stint on the chamber. Thanks for signing.’
“And that’s kind of the way Judy worked. She got things done and I just – it's tough to thank somebody who has brought so much to the community and certainly the Chamber. She’s left a huge void and will be sorely missed.”
Janitz thanked Elliott for his tribute.
“Great words,” she said. “Judy is very much missed.”
Janitz thanked all the chamber’s corporate sponsors for their support.
