MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR & CEO
2022 was an incredible year! Our priority this year was member service, we continuously asked ourselves, what our members needed and curated information, events, and conditions to deliver on that expectation.
The Board of Trade team and Board of Directors made substantial improvements to modernize the administrative and governance structure of the organization to allow us to represent our members more effectively.
Notably, the Board of Directors, led by our Governance Committee, completed the thorough process of updating and modernizing our association’s by-laws; taking into consideration best practice governance and ensuring the Board of Trade is positioned to be a sustainable, diverse, and successful organization that reflects its membership.
This past year we also focused on member data collection—providing us with a better understanding of our membership, and enabling us to more effectively configure our services, communications, and benefits to amplify our support and help our members succeed.
As 2022 allowed many things to return to ‘normal,’ we found more ways to gather with our members, to share valuable information, and to celebrate successes. In early spring, we brought members together to hear their feedback and suggestions for how we can be more successful in attracting immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador. On the heels of Budget 2022, we hosted a luncheon with Minister Coady so that our members could hear what the first surplus in over a decade meant for the businesses of our province. In May, we re-branded our annual conference and launched a two-day interactive Business Bootcamp!
The second half of the year was just as eventful. In July, we hosted the Federal Minister of Natural Resources for a robust round-up of all our provincial energy and natural resource opportunities. A month later we, along with many of our members, were in Stephenville for a landmark Canada-Germany Hydrogen Alliance signing ceremony with Prime Minister Trudeau.
As the fall approached, we continued to engage and inform our members. We hosted a candid conversation with St. John’s Mayor, Danny Breen and discussed the expectation that businesses have for the city to be open and collaborative, as well as the pros and cons of adopting shared services models.
Continuing our goal of informing members, we launched a new inaugural signature event: State of the Province. This sold-out event provided the opportunity for our members to engage with Premier Andrew Furey, as he addressed the business community and candidly answered questions about pressing issues facing business leaders today.
To end off our robust year, we once again celebrated the pure brilliance and resilience of our members at the 2022 Resilience Award Gala.
Reflecting on the year and all that we have learned and discussed together, it is clearer than ever before that we must continue to look for opportunities
to collaborate and share success. True collaboration is critical to our collective success—the success of our city, our province and of the region. The Board of Trade will continue to look for ways to collaborate; to find ways to connect our members to opportunities, and to make sure our members are aware and informed to make decisions and act. Of course we can’t do this alone, we will continue to work with our members and our Corporate Partners and sponsors—without your support we would not be able to do any of the work we do—thank you for your continued support.
As we move into 2023, you can expect us to remain focused on delivering value to you. We understand that a healthy and growing economy is critically important to the success of your business, your family, your friends and your customers. We will remain laser-focused on delivering on our values as we work to ensure our province, our economy and you are positioned for success.
Sincerely,
The St. John’s Board of Trade is Newfoundland and Labrador’s business advocate. We are a community of almost 700 members, combining the collective power of industries, sectors, and diverse perspectives. Together, we’re developing a thriving business community.
We exist to serve our members across a variety of sectors and industries, and advocate on their behalf. We are a driving force of progress in our community. To put it simply, our job is to foster growth, innovation, and success for all. We do this by:
• Bringing smart solutions for challenging times.
• Serving as a catalyst for business opportunity and connection.
• Connecting business leaders and big ideas.
• Advocating for conditions that allow all businesses to succeed.
• Providing the tools and information our members need to elevate their business.
We are a member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – the primary and vital link between business and the federal government, to advocate for public policies that will foster a strong, competitive economic environment that benefits businesses, communities, and families across Canada.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR & CEO ABOUT US Governance
AnnMarie Boudreau Chair, St. John’s Board of Trade CEO, St. John’s Board of Trade
Norm Dimmell
2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
• Norm Dimmell | Chair
• Alex Gibson | Senior Vice Chair
• Kevin Casey | 1st Vice Chair
• Byron Chubbs | 2nd Vice Chair
• Tarah Schulz | Treasurer
• Justin Ladha | Immediate Past Chair
• AnnMarie Boudreau | Ex-Officio and CEO
BY-LAWS
• Anna Cook | Director
• Blair Benoit | Director
• Clarah Germain | Director
• Geoff Spencer | Director
• Heather Dalton | Director
• Kristina Ennis | Director
• Paul Currie | Director
Over the past two years, the SJBOT’s Board of Directors has undergone a process to update and modernize our association’s by-laws. This process has been led by the Governance Committee of the Board and has taken into consideration best practice for governance to enable building a sustainable, diverse, and successful Board of Trade that reflects its membership.
On November 22, the Board of Directors held a Special Meeting of the Members to review and vote on new by-laws for the St. John’s Board of Trade. We are pleased to report that the proposed new by-laws passed with 100% of the votes of the members present.
STRATEGIC VISION
The 2021-2024 Strategic Plan was developed, and will continue to be actioned, against a backdrop of what has been an incredibly challenging few years for businesses to navigate and survive. This strategy identifies the directions and initiatives that will propel the St. John’s Board of Trade forward and solidify its position as the organization that is creating an environment for business to succeed in Newfoundland and Labrador. It will be reviewed and assessed annually by the Board of Directors and will drive our operational plans and activity.
VISION
Establish Newfoundland and Labrador as the most sought-after place to do business in Atlantic Canada.
MISSION
Helping business succeed.
VALUES
• Leadership: We are leaders because our members have placed their trust in us. Our leadership defines our reason for existing and is central to every choice we make. More than just a series of actions, it is a mindset. We embrace our role as a convenor of business and strive to inspire through innovation and advocacy. We are disciplined, consultative and, when necessary, outspoken.
• Community: Everything we do is in service to our communities. Our membership is our primary focus, but community in all senses—our city, our friends and family, our province—are in our consideration set when developing programs. Local-first is not an afterthought, it’s a guiding principle. Additionally, ensuring that all the diverse viewpoints that can be found in our communities are heard and respected is essential to being true leaders.
• Prosperity: We are growth-focused for our members’ businesses, for the business community, for the city and for the province. A successful and prosperous business environment increases confidence for all of our citizens and attracts investment in the region. We act to increase prosperity because the benefits to everyone are valuable and widespread.
• Adaptability: We are innovative in our ideas and approach, driven to move business forward, and quick to adapt to new challenges and circumstances. We are inclusive, responding to the needs of our diverse membership. We recognize that ‘the way it’s always been done,’ is rarely the way it should be done now.
GOALS
The St. John’s Board of Trade will pursue 10 goals for the 2021-2024 strategic plan, all of which will be supported by several key initiatives.
1. Redefine and re-introduce the SJBOT to the business community.
2. Establish and/or strengthen effective and productive two-way relationships with industry and community partners throughout the province, including government, associations, post-secondary institutions, and chambers.
3. Increase proactive outreach to current and prospective members, incorporating their voice and opinion into the work that we do and value we deliver.
4. Create moments of connection between businesses, associations, members, government, etc. within our province.
5. Create opportunities for members to share their expertise and knowledge to grow their business.
6. Collect, interpret, and share information that can aid our members’ success in a timely manner.
7. Set a tone of positivity and collaboration for the business community in Newfoundland and Labrador that balances reality with optimism.
8. Amplify the stories and successes of members with our own unique, professional, and polished voice.
9. Increase the number of SJBOT members.
10. Advance our position as the resource you rely on for up-to-date and accurate information relevant to business in St. John’s.
YEAR IN REVIEW 2022
2022 was a year of transition – from difficult pandemic years to implementing a “new normal” in our workplaces. It’s hard to believe we started the year in a lockdown but ended it gathered with our members celebrating resilience. As we have done since 2020, we found that being nimble and evolving our offering to best serve our members was key to another successful year at the St. John’s Board of Trade.
In addition, 2022 was filled with many exciting opportunities to gather in-person, evolve our service offerings to match a post-pandemic world, and celebrate many newsworthy announcements and new industries emerging in our Province to build upon for economic recovery, prosperity and future success.
Our goal from the very beginning of the pandemic was to be a partner to our members and the wider business community – to keep an eye on what was needed and help in any way we could to provide it. This year, advocacy, in-person events, timely assistance, and connections were our focus. We worked hard to express our members’ concerns and share their stories to help establish and support conditions that allow all businesses to succeed. We believe when we work together, we can develop a thriving business community.
During the last two years, it has been challenging to plan ahead – things changed moment to moment. Thankfully, during 2022 things began to stabilize, and we saw our province embrace opportunities for growth and prosperity, with the emergence of new industries and continued focus on economic recovery. We saw our members embracing new, innovative events like Business Bootcamp and State of the Province. We also heard that our members were looking for tangible solutions – leading us to develop new, and communicate more about, our Members Only Savings Programs - helping our members save money and enhance workplaces.
As we continue to tackle the realities of economic recovery and look ahead to the many exciting emerging and growing industries and opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador, we will continue to listen and learn, support, and champion our members for years to come.
Q1 Business Roundtable on Immigration Opportunities
In March, we hosted an important roundtable discussion with the Honourable Sean Fraser, Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Federal Minister of Labour and Joanne Thompson, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East, to discuss how Newfoundland and Labrador businesses can bridge the gap between our professional employment needs and our immigration opportunity.
This was a wonderful opportunity to share our members’ experiences and perspectives about the opportunities that exist in Newfoundland and Labrador for immigrants, and what we can do to provide meaningful employment and a welcoming community.
Q2
Post-Budget Luncheon with Minister Coady
On April 8th, we welcomed members to a sold-out luncheon following the release of Budget 2022 at the Alt Hotel, featuring The Honourable Siobhan Coady, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance.
This event was Minister Coady’s first engagement after delivering Budget 2022 in the House of Assembly just one day earlier. So, there was lots to discuss and learn. She provided an overview of the highlights including what is most relevant for businesses in our community and answered questions from the audience.
Business Bootcamp
On May 9 and 10 we welcomed 250 members to our reimagined annual conference – Business Bootcamp! This event was built for busy businesspeople who don’t have time to sit back, zone out, and take it all in. Instead, it was a roll-up-your-sleeves, fast-paced look at topics that help businesses grow and thrive.
Just like everything at Business Bootcamp, we innovated lunchtime as well by hosting a LOVE LOCAL LUNCH, featuring many stars of our local food and beverage scene who came together to prepare and serve a networking luncheon like no other.
Our expert workshop facilitators, panelists, and keynote speakers brought big ideas and tangible solutions to attendees, while the M2M Marketplace and networking sessions offered folks a chance to connect and sell.
Together, we learned so much over the two-day event.
Notably, we learned about finding purpose from Verafin Founder and CEO, Jamie King in our keynote session. He shared how he and his team challenged themselves to develop Verafin’s unique purpose of “fighting crime” and explained how every business can uniquely differentiate itself – simply ask why you do what you do to drill down to your core purpose. What do you help with? Where is the meaning?
We also learned that our network is more than the people we exchange business cards with –that it’s more than transactional – from Hasan Hai. His lesson that “your network is a rich tapestry of people you’ve met in big and small ways throughout your lifetime” was evident at the event, where friends old and new came together to do business.
Overall, for us here at the St. John’s Board of Trade, our purpose is to “help business succeed.” Business Bootcamp was built on that premise and promise and aimed to connect members to share expertise and actionable information.
Q3
Summer Kickoff Social
One June 22, our members gathered at Gahan House Harbourview for a fun afternoon chat and cheers – coming together in a smaller group to network and connect before a jampacked summer.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Energy Future
We were delighted to welcome The Honourable Johnathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, to our luncheon on July 5th! This event was Minister Wilkinson’s only speaking engagement while in town, and we were pleased to host a wonderful discussion about Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy future.
The discussion covered topics such as critical minerals, services, infrastructure, wind energy, and more. Overall, Minister Wilkinson believes Newfoundland and Labrador has an abundance of what is needed for an energy transition and he is enormously optimistic for Canada to take advantage of global opportunities. However, we need to be proactive and take a bit of risk to do so.
Minister Wilkinson encouraged our members to engage – to take the opportunity to bring forward advice and ideas. Here are two of the best ways we can do that right now:
Overall, we heard from Minister Wilkinson that the opinions and expertise of our Province’s business community are welcome, and that he believes we can take a leadership role in defining the economic future of this province. Together, with input from many groups and stakeholders, we can determine how we best use our resources, knowledge, and technology to responsibly reach our full potential as a province as we move away from carbon-intensive industries.
Corporate Spin at Studio VERSO
On a sunny Friday in August, our members were treated to a free HIIT spin class and social at Studio VERSŌ. This event featured their corporate rates and private event opportunities for businesses, and our members loved every minute.
AnnMarie was excited to attend the industry trade show and landmark Canada-Germany Hydrogen Alliance signing ceremony in the beautiful town of Stephenville in August.
While there, she had the opportunity to discuss our green energy potential with many other business leaders, government officials, and association CEOs. Her top takeaways from the event were:
1. Excitement for an Emerging Industry: The trade show featured hydrogen and ammonia manufacturing and processing and wind energy businesses. AnnMarie had the chance to speak to many of the exhibitors and learned about the tremendous potential for projects and employment in our province.
2. Urgency in Action and Commitment to Change: Prime Minister Trudeau said, “we can be the reliable supplier of the clean energy a net zero world needs” and stressed the importance of acting quicky and strategically to make it happen. This urgency is in line with what we heard from the Honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, at our luncheon in July. At that event, Minister Wilkinson shared that he believes Newfoundland and Labrador can determine how we best use our resources, knowledge, and technology to responsibly reach our full potential as we move away from carbon-intensive industries. The feeling that we could take a leadership role on a global stage felt very true at this event as industry partners and players shared their visions for the future.
3. Collaboration is Key: During her visit, AnnMarie had the opportunity to attend roundtables and participate in conversations with multiple industry proponents and global CEOs, all with the goal of coming together and doing this the right way. Overall, seeing four Atlantic Premiers, Prime Minister Trudeau, and countless stakeholders representing industry, municipalities, and all levels of Government, it was clear we must work together with the best interests of our Province in mind as we move forward.
Chief Brendan Mitchell encouraged us all to collaborate and connect, asking business and government to plan adequate engagement with the community on wind energy. True to this statement, the businesses that came to the table shared that they are not competing with each other—they are competing with other countries to be first-to-market and seize the opportunity to build a robust, global industry here in our home province. Ample collaborative spirit, optimism, and investment were in the air.
Golf Classic
We hosted another successful SJBOT Golf Classic on September 8th. We welcomed close to 200 members to The Wilds for a day of networking, games, and good times, and we can’t thank our members and sponsors enough for coming out.
Breakfast with Mayor Breen
An important part of running a business in St. John’s is partnering and collaborating with the City. We’ve been hearing a lot, and talking a lot, about doing business in our city these past few years, so we were delighted to gather for an in-person open discussion with Mayor Danny Breen in September to dig into some tough topics affecting business.
Leading Through Economic Volatility: A Breakfast Conversation with Victor
G. Dodig, Moderated by Zita CobbIn October, we were delighted to welcome members to a special event and collaboration with CIBC featuring a conversation with Victor Dodig, President and CEO of CIBC, moderated by Zita Cobb, Founder and CEO of Shorefast. It was a lively, hopeful conversation about Victor’s approach to managing the over 47,000 person CIBC team and their outlook for the future. Here are some of our top takeaways from the event.
The power of technology is boundless and, when used in the right way, it moves people forward.
Victor and Zita had a fascinating conversation about how to build relationships in the virtual world. The simple answer? We can’t. Not completely, anyway. What we can do is strengthen our in-person human connections with virtual tools.
Transactions big and small are of equal value and importance.
Our speakers shared that 90% of employment in Canada is through small and medium sized businesses, and that these businesses are the backbone of the economy. Big business matters as well, of course, but we can’t forget SMEs. Solving obstacles for small and medium sized businesses is something we all need to focus on; we must keep in mind that bigger is not always better for a diverse economy. Victor noted that we need a tax system, pension plans, and policy to change to incentivize SMEs. He went on to say that we need more capital to help SMEs start up and grow, and we need to set up incentives to bridge the gap, and private capital will follow.
Canada is in an enviable position of having the resources to fuel and feed the world; but we need to act urgently to make it happen.
The world is reconstructing, and globalization will look different following the current conflicts we’re seeing overseas. Canada, and Newfoundland and Labrador, need to find our place. Examples of wheat, oil & gas, wind, and communities were noted as how Canada can contribute to the global economy in a meaningful way.
Looking at Newfoundland and Labrador, the conversation focused on population and the reality that our economy will shrink if our population shrinks, and the urgent need to fix this. Victor pointed out that we have an abundance of what the world needs here in NL, but we need to actively recruit folks from Europe to set up their businesses here, and we need to ensure we have the housing and services required to house new people.
Overall, we heard loud and clear, as we have in many recent conversations, that now is the time for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to grab opportunities for companies to set up and invest here due to our unique place and opportunity in the world. We need to recognize that we can’t just complain about what’s happening. We need to focus on what we can do. At the very least, Zita and Victor, very wisely, suggested we “stop calling each other bad names as a start.”
Thank you to Victor and Zita for sharing your wisdom and good humour with our guests and thank you to our guests for taking CIBC up on their invitation to join us for breakfast on such a lovely, sunny morning in Newfoundland and Labrador.
State of the Province
The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, spoke to members of the St. John’s Board of Trade at a sold-out luncheon on October 20th. This new event for Newfoundland and Labrador, called State of the Province 2022, is the start of an annual checkup on the health of our province.
Premier Furey discussed a variety of topics – from hydrogen to healthcare. Overall, we heard a theme of momentum and coming together to quickly make change for the better. We also heard Premier Furey when he welcomed us to come to him with examples of red tape, and his commitment to cut it. We encourage our members to bring their ideas to us or directly to the Premier, and to challenge the status quo.
We were so happy to host this event and provide our members with an opportunity to hear from the Premier, and learn about the provincial government’s priorities. Our members care about what’s happening in our province; they want to be helpful and ensure we’re positioned to be successful.
Walmart Canada, the title sponsor for State of the Province 2022, announced a donation of $50,000 to Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador in honour of the event, more than doubling last year’s annual donation and reinforcing their commitment to the communities in which they operate.
Don’t Get Dieppe’d | Stallmark Card Collection
The Don’t Get Dieppe’d campaign is intended to get consumers thinking about where they purchase from and why by focusing on the challenges of buying out of province. We know that when we order from away, we can’t control things like shipping delays, hidden fees, and damaged or lost parcels. On the other hand, we know that by shopping here at home, we get our items right away, in perfect condition, and from someone who is investing in Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy.
Don’t Get Dieppe’d has also been winning big in the marketing/communications awards circuit! We have been amongst good company with some of the best campaigns in the country.
• Award of Excellence at Communication Arts
• Gold at the Strategy Marketing Awards in the Creative Catalyst category
• Shortlisted for the Strategy Marketing Awards Public Service Advertising category
• Small Community Integrated Campaign award at Applied Arts
Thank you to Target Marketing & Communications for your partnership and big thinking, and to our members for embracing this campaign and proving time and time again why shopping local is so much better than shopping from away!
Business Resilience Awards
On November 24th, the St. John’s Board of Trade announced the eight winners of the 2022 Business Resilience Awards at a gala award show at the Delta St. John’s, proudly presented by RBC.
It was a wonderful evening of celebration, comradery, and storytelling where we not only celebrated our eight award winners, but also all 29 businesses that submitted nominations for the 2022 awards show.
This year, we introduced a new award category – Culture Creator. The category saw the highest number of nominees, proving it is an essential and timely topic in the celebration of excellence in business.
2022 winners
Opportunity Seeker: Community Champion (20+ employees): Community Champion (1-19 employees): Service Star: Business Builder: Boundary Pusher: Culture Creator: Business Resilience Award:
2022 BUSINESS RESILIENCE AWARDS
Piatto Pizzeria + Enoteca Deloitte
Newfoundland Growlers Catalyst Health Solutions
Fort Amherst Healthcare
Port of Argentia CoLab Software Studio VERSŌ
I am in awe of our members and the things they are doing to continually forge ahead with creativity, ingenuity and resilience. The stories that we heard at this year’s gala are truly heartwarming, it is so clear to see that we, as a community, are focused on caring for each other, our employees and our province— it’s just incredible.
- AnnMarie Boudreau, CEO St. John’s Board of TradeThe Resilience Awards recognize the ways our members have evolved and adapted to deal with the ever-changing circumstances they face. Our members are meeting adversity with big ideas, imagination, and vigor, and our province is benefiting from their tenacity and effort.
- Norm Dimmell, 2022 Chair, St. John’s Board of Trade
