Supporting Our Chamber Community

As a local resident and businessperson, I am excited to be taking on the role as Chair of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. I want to thank Adam Smith for his leadership in the Chair position through the past two challenging years and Ian and the Chamber team for their continued focus and support.

After first moving to the region to attend the University of Waterloo and staying here to start our careers, my wife Cara and I spent time in Wellington, New Zealand and London, Ontario before getting the chance to move back to Waterloo in 2015 with our two young children, Maryn and Declan.

Waterloo has been a great place for us to raise our children, to establish meaningful careers and to give back to our community. Since returning to the region, I have had the privilege of volunteering with the Chamber as part of the Business Excellence Awards nomination committee, before joining the Chamber Board of Directors, finance committee, and eventually the executive committee. I have also been able to give back as part of the audit committee for Carizon and through assisting with my children’s sports teams through the Waterloo Minor Hockey Association and Waterloo Girls Minor Hockey Association.

Our PwC office in Waterloo has a number of charitable and not-for-profit organization clients that keep us tied in with the community that continues to invest in building social infrastructure across the region. My wife Cara is also active in supporting our community through her role with Thresholds Homes & Supports, assisting with the inaugural Scotland’s Yard Road Hockey tournament, and volunteering through the hockey associations.

We are very fortunate in the region to have a culture of community-building and giving back with a large number of great organizations helping to build and maintain social programs in the region. Having a strong Chamber of Commerce is key – the Chamber helps our community prosper by advocating with all levels of government, working on economic development, essential public services, local health care services, education and labour. Over the course of the pandemic, the Chamber was a key voice in our region to provide guidance and support to a number of organizations throughout the community. As the community moves forward from the pandemic, there are a number of new challenges that we all face relating to inflation, labour shortages, and rising interest rates.

Our key community organizations will be increasingly important in helping Region of Waterloo residents and businesses continue to grow and prosper. Not-for-profits like the Food Bank, The Working Centre, Waterloo Region Community Foundation, YMCA of Three Rivers and the House of Friendship are critical to ensuring the success of our region by maintaining and improving our social fabric.

I would encourage all Chamber members and Region of Waterloo residents to find a way to get involved with one of your local community organizations. Volunteering is a great way to feel a sense of belonging in your community as well as to meet new people. After returning to the Region, volunteering helped me to expand my business network and make new friendships, while increasing my knowledge of the Region and what matters to it and feeling pride in contributing to the community in whatever small way possible.

By supporting our community, you can help continue our culture of giving back and keep the Region of Waterloo a great place to live and work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Scott Gilfillan

CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Scott Gilfillan is a chartered professional accountant and a partner with PwC in assurance, as well as their Waterloo Market Leader. Scott focuses on providing clients with audit and accounting advice while acting as a trusted business advisor.