BJ Arnold, Provincial & Community Relations Lead at TC Energy, knows the value a Chamber membership can bring to an organization. In 2014, TC Energy first began to get involved with The Chamber on a more regular basis.
BJ Arnold, Provincial & Community Relations Lead at TC Energy
“At the time we were proposing some large infrastructure in the area and it was a great way to engage our stakeholders and the business community as a whole,” said BJ. “As a company, we have been in Manitoba for over 65 years and take pride in delivering the energy people need in a sustainable way. It has been a great relationship and we always look forward to supporting the Chambers yearly events.”
Throughout the last year, many organizations had to re-think where their money is being spent and sometimes a Chamber membership is something they can no longer afford. While some organizations have been able to continue operations throughout the shutdown, there are some who haven’t been as lucky.
That’s where businesses like TC Energy and Education Canada Group come in.
Both organizations have graciously stepped up to cover the cost of membership dues for several of our members.
“We were thinking about a way we could provide additional support through the Chamber for local businesses,” said BJ. “The last year has been very difficult on everybody, especially the business community and even more local business. Membership and involvement in The Chamber helps businesses progress and we wanted to do everything we could to support that.”
The Plain Bicycle Project run by Winnipeg Trails
Anders Swanson, Executive Director of Winnipeg Trails, was honoured when they found out they were being offered a sponsored Chamber membership, but they didn’t take it. Instead, they are re-gifting it.
“While the early pandemic hit both our organization and all of our programming hard, just like it did everyone else, slowly but surely, we recovered and it was partially that decision to start a bicycle-based business that allowed us to stay afloat,” said Anders.
“When we were informed that we were gifted a membership, it was clear that it was not an offer we could take. While non-profits typically need to take funding wherever it is offered, we knew that it is other small businesses that were hurting more.”
Anders and the team at Winnipeg Trails see the value in The Chamber membership and have since joined to continue to help grow their business.
“Being a member of the Chamber is a point of principle and pride for us. We value our connections to the more traditional for-profit business community and thought it was important to join,” said Anders. “Our membership allows us to connect with innovative people, organizations and programming.”
Another organization TC Energy sponsored was Ronald Mcdonald House Charities (RMHC) Manitoba.
“RMHC Manitoba is deeply grateful to TC Energy for recognizing and valuing our mission to support families with sick or injured children,” said Wendy Galagan, CEO of RMHC Manitoba.
“Being a part of The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce enables an important connection to business and community leaders. Amid a challenging time, the generosity of TC Energy allows RMHC Manitoba to maintain that connection.”
Concept design of the new Ronald McDonald House.
On March 16th, RMHC Manitoba broke ground on a new Ronald McDonald House to help more families. For the past years, RMHC Manitoba often operates at or over 100% occupancy. The new House will mean, no family is turned away. By the summer of 2022, a new Ronald McDonald House will open to provide a home-away-from-home for sick children and their families.
Construction site of the new Ronald McDonald House
TC Energy plans to continue to give back to the community, in particular through Empower– TC Energy’s workforce giving and volunteering program that supports and encourages the TC Energy team to give, volunteer and make an impact, with the company supporting them through matching dollars
“We have been fortunate to have “virtual coffee” with a couple of the sponsored organizations to hear their story and what being a member in the Chamber means to them,” said BJ. “They also informed us and it was great to hear that through Empower, our local workforce was also supporting their organizations through personal contributions – over $40,000 in 2020.”
BJ and the team at TC Energy hope to continue to advocate for businesses to become involved with The Chamber.
“Winnipeg has a great sense of community and support. The Winnipeg Chamber, from my perspective, embodies both of these traits,” said BJ.
“The organization truly cares about the people and the businesses in the community. Everyone needs a cheerleader and support from time to time, and The Chamber is exactly that for Winnipeg businesses.”
At the end of the day, it’s all about your business. You want to see your business succeed and grow and that’s why we’re here.
Providing a platform to help local businesses in Winnipeg thrive is what we stand for – whether it’s advocating for you, connecting you with the right people at the right time or setting you up with the support and programs you need to grow.
CLICK HERE to join The Chamber today!
