About Us
President's Message
President's Message of July 22, 2008
For a printable version of the 2008 President's Message - Click Here
For a printable version of the 2007 President's Message - Click Here
Welcome to our Website!
EFFORTS
I am proud to announce that our Chambers objectives for 2007/08 were accomplished *1 , and wish to express special thanks to the Swiss Consul General in Vancouver, Mr. Walter Deplazes and to our past Executive Director and present Director on our Board, Mr. Erich Amgwerd, who have demonstrated great initiative and devoted endless hours towards our organization. Many thanks also to all other SCCC Board members, our Sponsors and of course to you, our members. You were all instrumental in the development and growth of the Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce here in BC.
EVENTS
The SCCC organized and/or participated in 15 events in 2007/08, some in coordination with other local Swiss Organizations, ranging from Swiss Business Cocktail Receptions, through to the new Dinner & Drinks "DIN" Series and the traditional Summer Night Reception. The Swiss Olympic Evening, held together with VANOC boasted an attendance record of 300 guests, and was made possible through the initiative of the Consul General of Switzerland in Vancouver, in collaboration with the Presidents of the various local Swiss Associations, numerous volunteers and generous sponsors. 2007/08 proved to be our most active year in more than a decade, and was filled with many business development opportunities for our membership. This momentum is carrying over to 2008/09 and offers exciting initiatives with increasing focus on Immigration, Environment and Education.
ENVIRONMENT
After a 12-year interruption, our Chamber once again participated in the bi-annual Globe Environmental Conference (Globe 2008, here in Vancouver), representing various Swiss and Swiss-Canadian companies in the Swiss booth, which was organized by Mr. Urs Heutschi of URANG Gmbh - Umwelt Perspektiven. We attracted delegates and visitors from all over the world, and brought to light some of the leading Swiss Technologies in the Environmental Sector. We already are working towards participation at Globe 2010, and will represent Switzerland once again, showcasing and enhancing links between Swiss and Canadian-Swiss organizations and various government departments. Our Chambers "Go Green" support was also showcased on July 3, 2008 with the sponsorship of the Swiss SolarTaxi Event here in Vancouver, held at the Telus World of Science, for our membership, special guests, the Swiss Consul General, the media and representatives of Canada's Federal, BC's Provincial and local city Government.
MEMBERSHIP
Our membership has more than doubled over the past year, with new Corporate Members representing a variety of industries, such as Environment, Retail, Banking, Risk Management, Insurance, Real Estate, Tourism and Hospitality. Our Corporate Membership consists of several small to mid-size companies but also includes some global players operating in BC as well as AB. They have been offered opportunities to further develop business, create brand awareness and market presence, especially through our networking functions, events and website traffic.
GOVERNMENT
Our Chamber has been in direct contact with the Swiss Ambassador, His Excellency Werner Baumann, who visited with us again last month from Ottawa, and expressed his continued support for the Chamber's business oriented objectives. We are also intensifying our communication with several Canadian Ministerial Departments and enjoy special support from His Excellency Robert Collette, Canadian Ambassador in Berne.
EFTA - CANADA
On January 26, 2008, the EFTA - Canada Free Trade Agreement was signed with the following countries in alphabetical order: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. This agreement will help to increase business activity between Switzerland and Canada. *2 Info on EFTA Canada
GROWTH
Due to the growth of Chamber activity and several pending projects, we are now exploring resources to fund employment of at least 1 professional for our not-for-profit organization.
CHANGES & FOCUS
2008/2009 will be a dynamic year during which our actively participating Members will experience distinct advantages of being part of our Chamber. We have increased our Board from 7 to 11 members and expanded our activity focus to include Alberta, which increases our geographical reach and critical mass within the vibrant Western Canadian Economy. We are also in process to expand our networking with Swiss Canadian Chambers in Eastern Canada and Switzerland. Our new "Gold Corporate Membership" provides businesses with excellent opportunities and we encourage interested parties to review our website in more detail or to call us at (604) 688-7947.
Yours truly,
Thomas Amgwerd
President
PDF Version of Letter
For a printable version of the 2008 President's Message - Click Here
For a printable version of the 2007 President's Message - Click Here
--
Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce (B.C.) Inc.
Vancouver & Calgary, Canada
Building business links between Switzerland, British Columbia and Alberta