As 2012 draws to a close, it's interesting to look a back at the many accomplishments over this past year for the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce. Staff and the board of directors have worked diligently on several initiatives to foster the Chamber movement in Chilliwack.

There have been many fun things-the annual Envision Business on the Green Golf Tournament-hosted as a partnership between the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Chilliwack. The Business Excellence Awards held this past October shined a light on the amazing membership and business community we are lucky to serve. The monthly social gatherings, Chamber Connections, have been an excellent networking opportunity for all members-and continue to run strong month after month.

There has been a fair amount of nitty-gritty work as well-largely in the policy area of the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce.

The Fraser Valley Chambers introduced the mobile business licence model which is now approved and is, or will be shortly, in full swing making it easier for businesses to work in a legal and safe manner anywhere in the valley. A special thanks to the City of Chilliwack and other Fraser Valley municipalities for endorsing and implementing this cost saving and timesaving initiative.

One of the most exciting aspects of this year has simply been membership growth. The Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce has seen a significant spike in new members-specifically over the latter half of the year. This is a testament to the effort that staff and the board of directors have been undertaking to provide a positive atmosphere for business to prosper. Welcome to all new members to the Chamber-I hope you get out of your Chamber membership as much or more than you put into it!

I would like to send a sincere thank you to Mark Andersen, vice-president of the Chamber for his hard work and dedication. The board recently received Mark's resignation as he has chosen to take on a significant role at the provincial level with the BC Realtors Association.

I know Mark's tenure has been cut short but the opportunity was too much to pass up.

Kirk Dzaman has moved into the vice-president role and a second VP will be appointed prior to the end of 2012. If you are interested in joining the Board of the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce, our nomination committee is actively looking for new board members for various terms. Simply contact the office or visit the website for more information.

I hope 2013 continues in the positive way 2012 has ended off.

Kevin Gemmell, President Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce president@chilliwackchamber.com