The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce is already planning its professional development events for later in 2011.
Chamber director Paul Sayers updated the board Jan. 18 on the progress for attracting speakers. The Chamber may partner with the North West Enterprise Region to host an event this year. North West Enterprise Region is interested in contributing matching funds, Sayers said, and the funding is in place and ready to be used.
Sayers says current negotiations are exploring bringing in Donald Cooper as a guest speaker this fall to talk on the range of topics including management and succession planning.
The name "Donald Cooper" may not ring a bell right away, but he was one of the Coopers who established the hockey clothing company of the same name. He was involved in that company along with his father and brother, and since then has gone on to other ventures including hugely-successful women's clothing stores.
He has been active on the speaker circuit, teaching businesspeople how to build and market a business and think outside the box. Sayers said he visited with Cooper in Kindersley and was impressed with what he had to say. An October date for that event is being looked at.
No final decisions were made at the Tuesday night meeting, although the board seemed interested in the ideas put forward and particularly in NWER's possible involvement in providing funding and other assistance for such events.
In the past few years the Chamber has hosted a number of professional development events for the business community, attracting Barbara Glanz to speak on customer service last fall and the Disney Institute in the previous two years.
