Our location in July will be St. Anne's Centre as Central Community Health Centre takes our stage to showcase their services and some of their community partners to local businesses and employers. 
We're using the large auditorium space at St. Anne's to include 8 displays by a variety of related community services.
As always, we promise some great door prize draws, tasty hors d'oeuvres and your favourite beverages. BONUS:  we're also featuring extra prize draws at each of the displays.
As always, admission to Business After 5 is FREE and open to any person from any business or organization that is a Member of the St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce.
Please plan to join us!
 

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Business After 5 - Wednesday August 26

Up On The Roof!
The St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation is an incredible centre of community service and support. With the largest fundraising campaign in Elgin County history underway now, Foundation staff and volunteers will host a special Business After 5 on-site event at OUR Hospital to update our Members on progress and to showcase some dynamic events on their calendar.
Our location for this special edition of Business After 5 will be the large rooftop patio area adjacent to the Atrium.  Here's a preview of the activities to be previewed: 
Calendar Girls - The Elgin Theatre Guild (ETG) and the St Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation have joined together to create a 'Calendar Girls' 2016 calendar to benefit the Great Expansion at the Hospital.   
Railway City Road Races - The 2nd annual race takes place on Sunday, September 20 from the CASO Station.  Proceeds support orthopaedic surgical equipment. 
Black Tie & Pearls with special guest Chef Michael Smith - Saturday November 21 at St. Anne's Centre in support of the Patient Resource Centre. 
T14OT - Take One For OUR Team, Family Day weekend 2016 - OUR newest and most ambitious event to benefit OUR Special Care Nursery.  
 

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St. Thomas Uncapped - Saturday August 29



Our annual St. Thomas Uncorked wine-taste event each January, a sell-out each year since it began, is the inspiration behind a new summer event with BBQ foods and craft beer. The new event is called St. Thomas Uncapped.

Keep this date open:  Saturday August 29, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  We're delighted to confirm our location for St. Thomas Uncapped will be the large, 3,000 square-foot showroom, plus additional plant & boardroom space, at GCW Custom Kitchens and Cabinetry at 95 South Edgeware Road. It's a perfect space with lots of parking - and wait 'til you see their showroom displays!
Also included in the event will be custom food prep demonstrations (using craft beer, of course!) by Chef Terrance Tew of St. Thomas Golf & Country Club.
St. Thomas Uncapped will be a one-price/all-inclusive event. All food sample and all beer samples all included! Smoky, tasty, yummy foods from the grill and smoker, like wings and sliders; big, hot fresh pretzels; deli meats and cheeses... virtually anything and everything that goes well with beer. Tickets will be $40 per person (plus) HST and go on sale next week but Members can make reservations now by calling the Chamber office at 519-631-1981.  Office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. but voice mail works 24/7 and we will gladly call you back to get details.
Keep watching this space in Green Mail each week. We will add details each week and soon release ticket and admission info, plus news on participation by 5 area breweries and much more.
 

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Advance Planning / Register Now
- Shop the Neighbourhood November 28

The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce will join with hundreds of other Chambers and business partners across Canada to promote and participate in the 2015 edition of a national promotion you will likely remember from last year called "Shop The Neighbourhood".  It's specifically placed between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and completely focused on something the Chamber strongly supports - support for local business.  In the coming weeks we will share details on how Chamber Members can connect, get free promotion, and items such as banners and signs, and much more.

Registration is open now. Click here to get started.

Business & Chamber News

Great Idea... from a Member!

Hi all... Chamber CEO Bob Hammersley here, and happy to share an email I have received from St. Thomas Fire Chief Rob Broadbent.  Thanks, too, to our Member who connected with the Chief at Business After 5.  If I knew who you are, I'd thank you in-person. It's amazing what we can do when we talk to each other!

Good Afternoon Bob,
Through the City of St. Thomas, we have offered a ‘Couch to 5K” beginner running program for the past 3 years to any employee working for the City. It’s been a very popular part of our wellness program. The Couch to 5K (C25K) program is designed to introduce the sport of running to those who may have never done it or haven’t run in a long time. As the name suggests, it is designed to take you from sitting on the couch to being able to run 5 Kilometers in about 8 weeks. C25K is a professionally designed program led by volunteer leaders from the City staff.
 
We will be offering a new session starting in early July with a goal of having participants be ready to register and run in the Railway City Road Races on Sunday September 20, 2015.
 
We would like to open this session up and invite Members of the Chamber and community to participate with us. This idea came after being asked about it by one of your members while I was attending a recent Business After 5 event. They wanted to know if they could participate with us. Absolutely!
 
All you need to participate is a desire to get off the couch and improve your fitness level, a pair of decent running shoes (don’t go buy a new pair if you don’t have a good pair, we can give you some advice on what to buy so you don’t buy the wrong ones), shorts, a t-shirt. All we ask is that you let us know you are coming. We meet at 12:10 p.m. on the steps at City Hall Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, ready to run. We start out slow and going short distances with a walk /run program and by the end of 8 weeks we’ll cover 5K. Please allow about 40 minutes for each session.
 
Any Chamber Member can contact me for further information. I will send you the start date as soon as we have determined that.
 
Thanks for your help with this.
 
Rob
 
Robert Broadbent
Fire Chief
City of St. Thomas Fire Department
305 Wellington St.
St. Thomas, ON   N5R 2T2
519-631-0210  
Click here to connect directly via email

 

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Major Events - What's Next?

Events & Activities Update
Significant events in and around our community are always things we encourage employers and everyone involved in local business to note, for a couple of reasons.  Some have the potential to impact employees, shipping & deliveries, and general business through temporary road closures and additional traffic. They can also be opportunities for community engagement and participation or sponsorship.  Here’s a list of things happening in the coming months that we see as significant and involving 500 or more people each day:
 
Canada Day Celebrations
Tomorrow - Wednesday July 1 - full day, St. Thomas' Pinafore Park
Fireworks Display starts at 10:00 p.m.

Nostalgia Nights Car Show
Saturday July 11
This event involves closure of a section of Talbot Street in downtown St. Thomas, 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Organized by the Downtown Development Board, last year this event attracted 500+ vehicles and over 3,000 spectators.  Details at www.nostalgianights.ca
 
Thomas The Tank Engine
The Elgin County Railway Museum presents “A Day Out With Thomas 2015”
Thomas appears on a 5-day schedule this year:  Saturday & Sunday July 18-19 & Friday to Sunday July 24 – 26.
Location: St. Thomas – Elgin Memorial Centre, 80 Wilson Avenue, St. Thomas
Tickets: On sale now via Ticketweb.ca for $25 each + HST. (Children under 2 yrs. are free)
Contact: Dawn Miskelly (Museum Manager) 519-637-6284
More info and FAQ at: http://ecrm5700.org/DOWT2015/Thomas_Main.html
 
St. Thomas Rib Fest
Friday July 24 to Sunday July 26, Pinafore Park
 
Iron Horse Festival  
Thursday August 20 to Sunday August 23, 2015. Contact: Paul Corriveau, email: pcorriveau@railwaycitybrewing.com, phone: 519-207-4000, http://ironhorsefestival.com/contact/
 
33^rd Annual St. Thomas Fire Muster Days  
Labour Day weekend, Friday September 4 to Sunday September 6, 2015.
Contact: Daryl Smith, email: stthomasfiremuster@gmail.com, phone: 519-631-3260 or 519-631-0210.  www.facebook.com/FireMusterDays
 
National Small Business Week
Sunday October 18 to Saturday October 24
Various local events, plus hundreds of others across Canada.
- The Chamber’s Business Sample Show, St. Anne’s Centre, Wednesday October 21
-  myFM’s Annual Spirit of St. Thomas Awards, St. Anne’s Centre, Friday October 23

Optimist Santa Claus Parade
Saturday November 21, 2015. Evening parade starting at 6:00 p.m. Contact: Ken Clarke, Parade Chair. email: kendalgc@yahoo.ca, phone: 519-633-7213 http://www.optimistsantaclausparade.com/
 
Holiday Fantasy of Lights
Saturday November 28 to Thursday December 31, 2015
Contact: Brenda McLellan, email: hfoflights@gmail.com, phone: 519-631-4536
 

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Board Secretary Required

The Board of Directors of the Great Lakes International Air Show (GLIAS) is seeking an individual to join the organization and assist the Board of Directors as plans begin for the 2016 Air Show at the St. Thomas Municipal Airport.
 
The GLIAS Board of Directors is a volunteer group of 11 senior business and community leaders, each with specific responsibilities in the development and delivery of the next edition of the Air Show in June 2016.  The Board is seeking a Board Secretary to accept responsibility for preparation and distribution of monthly meeting agenda packages and serve as the Recording Secretary for the Board. This is a volunteer position that will be of interest to individuals with strong administrative or corporate experience in a computerized environment, and a desire be part of team delivering a community-focused event that thrills and entertains thousands of people.  Time required will be approximately 10 hours per month with additional office hours in the first half of 2016.  The GLIAS will provide a notebook/laptop computer, peripheral equipment and supplies, office space and all essentials for support and service to the Board.  The Board Secretary will work closely with the Chair of the GLIAS Board of Directors to ensure timely preparation and distribution of information and material to the full Board.
 
Although this position is a volunteer post, the GLIAS Board recognizes the importance and value that a skilled Board Secretary will bring to the organization and will ensure that successful performance is rewarded through an annual honorarium or other mutually acceptable recognition.
 
Please submit a resume/application on or before July 10 to this email address.
For additional information on our organization and past/future events see our website.

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$724,058 - That's Quite a Year!

On May 6, the Chamber had the honour of recognizing the work of staff and volunteers within the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation for 30 years of community service with a presentation in our annual Free Enterprise Awards Reception. Yesterday afternoon, the Chamber received more visual proof confirming the validity of our action, in the picture below. The Foundation's annual year-end transfer of funds to "OUR Hospital", ceremonially done on June 19, was $724,058 and raises the total dollar value of funds raised since the Foundation started in 1985 to over $40 million.  Bravo!

Pictured above, l to r, STEGH Foundation staff & volunteers. Front row: Ken Gadsdon, Susan O'Brien, Bill Brown, Joanne Beaton; middle row: Chris Stinson, Carrie Ford, Pat Mellor; top row: Tony Sheldon, Mary Stewart, Lloyd Churchill, Paul Jenkins, Paul Bode, Lyle McLean, Steve Knipe, Dr. Bill Abbott, and Lois Hamilton.

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Our Esso Fleet Fuel program reduces your gasoline price by 3.5 cents per litre at more than 1,000 Esso stations in Canada and over 18,000 Exxon or Mobil stations across the US.  You can now register as a business or organization, or as an individual.  For details just click here.

Two great group insurance plans... One for people, one for property and vehicles:
Perhaps you've seen our ads in the last few weeks on BNN, the Business News Network, promoting our national Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Program. It brings huge savings on personal insurance such as life insurance and drug/dental plans.  Get in the pool! Last year, we welcomed 3,200 new businesses choosing the Chambers Plan for their employees. At April 1, we included 30,506 businesses and 132,543 employees across Canada as Chamber Plan customers. ARC Financial Group, with offices in St. Thomas and London, is licensed to handle all local sales and service work on the Plan on our behalf.  See their website for more.

Our NOVEX Group plan brings big savings on property and vehicle insurance. It's offered locally through Reith & Associates Insurance and Financial Services.  For more information on our Novex group plan and the new my Driving Discount call 519-631-3862 or CLICK HERE.

 

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New, Lower Rates EXCLUSIVELY for Chamber Members
Credit Card & Debit Card processing & services worth switching to!

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