Tracy Bell: Chamber to hold first-ever State of the Region

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It’s been a month now that I’ve been in my role at the chamber and a couple weeks ago I asked our membership – entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the Saint John region – to share how they’re doing.

Thirty meetings in thirty days was the ask.

What I got back was requests to meet from dozens of people: owners, operators and administrators from sectors ranging from retail to restaurants, technology to tourism, manufacturing and not for profits. From solopreneurs and startup founders to owners with decades of service. Notes from newcomers to the region and to the country, with a desire to build something impactful in the place they’ve chosen to call home.

I’ve met with 25 of them so far – learning what drives the community the chamber exists to serve, also what keeps them up at night.

There have been some really heavy conversations. It’s been a hard few years for a lot of businesses, and the effects of those societal shifts, marketplace fluctuations, legislative barriers and lingering uncertainty is a lot.

There are some fundamental changes we’re going to have to make in this province if we are to become a place where businesses can survive and thrive – reducing roadblocks to entry, access and growth among them.

Improving our systems at all levels of government so those organizations solving big problems and delivering real-world value can get their solutions and ideas into the market and into the hands of those they stand to benefit.

Despite the obstacles, here’s the piece I want to highlight from what I’ve heard so far. It’s the common thread in every single conversation I’ve had this month, with businesses of all sizes and sectors.

There is a shared desire to come together in pursuit of a big vision for the region, and to renew our collective pride of place. To celebrate progress and feel the momentum of a rising tide that lifts all boats.

As my friend Eleanor Austin so eloquently put it to me this week, “There’s a clarion call for hope in the region right now.”

So how do we get there? I’m not sure any one person could answer that with any kind of confidence at this point. There’s still too much to learn.

A starting place, I would assert, however, is there is value in getting the key players in a room to express a joint desire and commitment to progress and problem solving. Also to look at our assets and explore how we can aggregate, amplify and accelerate the momentum around those pieces of infrastructure and bodies of knowledge that exist here already and are working.

There’s so much good taking place in the region, and more in the works. You don’t have to look further than the Saint John waterfront to see evidence of an awesome trajectory in exciting revenue-generating ways, ranging from transportation and tourism (Port Saint John) to culture and entertainment (Area 506 / International Culture Fest) to creating the framework for a lived example of a highly livable city (Fundy Quay Development).

The work being done today – those investments in infrastructure, service capabilities and creative endeavours – will have life-changing impacts for the region as a whole, and spur on new opportunities that will benefit our communities in meaningful and measurable ways for decades to come.

An idea, then, is to identify ways and means to effectively build on that momentum. To rally together around those projects, people and perspectives that stand to shape our collective future.

Something I’ve been hearing in that regard is the importance of proactively bringing each other into the loop as much as possible, so we can pull in the same direction versus staying heads down on our individual projects and plans.

To that end, the chamber is going to do something we haven’t done before. Next month, on May 22, we’re organizing a State of Region event.

It’s a chance to bring people and ideas together and talk about areas of mutual interest and affirm the ideals we share.

While we’re still fine-tuning the details, here is what we have planned so far:

Local elected officials spanning from Hampton to St. Martins will join business and community leaders at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre to talk about their collective vision for the future as well as the special projects and plans they have in the works individually that contribute to making this region the best place in Canada to live, work and do business.

I met with that group this week and they’ve done some commendable work internally in that regard already.

We’re going to hold the get together for a couple hours over (an extended) lunch on the 22nd. And make it as interactive as possible, with time to connect informally before and after.

We’ll have a panel discussion with the mayors, including time for Q&A from the room. Also, displays showcasing those developments in the works and on the horizon across the region.

If you’re interested in what’s going on in the region, I hope you’ll come.

If you’ve got something big and exciting people should know about, let’s hear it and see if there’s a way we can give you a venue to showcase it.

If you’ve got questions, concerns or ideas that should be brought to light and considered, let’s start the conversation so we can problem solve together. Because, I think we can all agree, we’ve got a big job ahead.

Certainly, no single one of us holds the answers to the extraordinary challenges we face in housing, health care, or homelessness. Not to mention the work ahead in increasing our headcount – to attract and retain talent as well as bring back those who have left to gain the skills and experiences that stand to benefit our organizations.

What I do know, and what has been reinforced during my conversations with members, is by creating the space to ask questions, we’re building consensus in identifying those areas where we can effectively create change, and getting closer to the answers.

I believe – now more than ever – if we’re all invested in achieving a common outcome, we’ll be in a much stronger position to realize the kind of growth and pride of place I’m hearing the business community needs right now.

For the chamber’s part, our small and mighty team will keep the conversation going by re-examining the role we can play, and by bringing the relevant people together at events such as the planned State of the Region.

My encouragement and ask of those reading this, is that you’ll consider (1) what you have to contribute to the dialogue and (2) putting your hand up to help.

Tracy Bell is Chief Executive Officer of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce. Her column appears monthly.