Annual report 2016-Final Nov-14

ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 2016 |
Leaders’
Message
Brampton is poised for greatness, and your Brampton Board of Trade is leading the
way.
Business people came together at the Board of Trade
this past year like never before. Together we worked on
initiatives that not only support one another’s success
but also build our community and Board of Trade. Thank
you for that.
Brampton is emerging as one of Canada’s truly global
cities. This past year, the Board led important strategic
collaborations with regional partners including Canada’s
Innovation Corridor and the Global Cities Council. Together
with our local elected leaders and colleagues across
the country, The Board is advocating for investment in
a number of areas, including infrastructure, innovation
and skills so that Brampton can harness its full potential
and continue to grow in a healthy way.
Brampton is Canada’s 9th largest city and the nation’s
fastest growing major city. It has the country’s youngest,
most well-educated and diverse
workforce. This year we welcomed
new companies like Amazon;
Canon and Habib Canadian
Bank to our business community.
Young, dynamic business
leaders are playing a big role
in shaping the future of our
community and Board of Trade.
Wise counsel from past-presidents and representatives
of business families that have been in our community for
decades has also helped define the new and improved
Brampton Board of Trade.
“Together with our local elected
leaders and colleagues across the
country, we are advocating for
investment in a number of areas.”
$50,000 toward the new Peel Memorial Centre for Health
and Wellness which will be opening in the new year.
Thank you to all of our partners that made significant
contributions to the success of our business community.
The Business Excellence Awards Gala, State of the City
Lunch and all signature events in the first half of 2016 were
sold out affairs. One of the most rewarding highlights of
this past year was the 34% increase in engagement by
our members, not only in terms of their attendance and
sponsorship of meetings, but also through the contributions
of their time and talent on important advocacy issues.
Our success is due in large part to the dynamic volunteer
corps at the Board. It is interesting to note that almost
40% of the directors on the Board are first-generation
Canadians. Now more than ever, the Brampton Board of
Trade is a diverse and inclusive organization. Businesses
represented in our membership are
diverse not only by size, sales and
sector but also ownership (gender,
culture, ownership-model: franchise,
independent, family-owned, or
publicly-traded), and includes both
importers and exporters - those
that serve customers in Brampton
and around the world. 62% of
Board of Trade members are small businesses such as
T By Daniel and Holley Electric and 80% of Brampton’s
leading employers are active and engaged in the Board’s
economic development initiatives.
Through focus on relevant business issues like helping
you better serve your customers, cutting through government
red tape, facilitating important meetings and
connections, our association was able to make a positive
difference in the fortunes of our members and quality of
life in our community.
Another important contribution this year was completion
of the Board of Trade’s health care pledge, donating
We are very optimistic about Brampton’s future. Thank
you committee volunteers, staff, sponsors, advertisers
and attendees for making 2016 a spectacular year. Special
thanks to retiring directors and volunteer committee leaders
Victor Winney, Keith Medenblik and Vibha Vohra-Bolla. We
wish the very best to Evan Moore, incoming Chair and next
year’s Board of Directors. As we look ahead, Brampton is
truly poised for greatness.