Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce

Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce
Founded 1893
Founder Harry Brown French
Type Advocacy group
Focus Business Advocacy
Location
Area served
Mission, British Columbia, Canada
Slogan The Voice of Business in Mission
Website MRCC Website

The Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce (MRCC) is a Canadian non-profit organization that acts as an advocate for economic development in the region and promotes area tourism to visitors and locals.[1]

It serves the businesses of Mission, British Columbia, and acts as a Chamber of Commerce, similar to a Board of Trade.

History

The MRCC was created on June 19, 1893[2] as B.C.'s fourth Board of Trade[3] by Harry Brown French, an American sent to Mission after the town's founder sold land to a New York railway corporation. French was elected the Board of Trade's first president, and upon its creation the Board took out advertisements in local newspapers, offering a package of free land, free water, free power and property tax exemptions to potential industrialists, as well as offering to construct factories, mills and other commercial buildings at no charge.[4]

In 1946, the Board of Trade suggested that a Strawberry Festival as well as a Soapbox Derby should be held on June 26. The event was successful and visitors travelled from different areas of the Fraser Valley to attend the event.[5] The festival was held annually until 1951, despite an interruption in June 1948 when the Fraser River flooded causing the event to be postponed until July in its third year.[6] In 1951, Langley, BC became the new host of the Strawberry Festival after the decline of berry farming and the increase in employment in the forestry industry in the Mission area.[4]

The organization operated under the name of the Mission City and District Board of Trade until 1961 when its name was changed to the Mission City and District Chamber of Commerce.[7] That name stuck until 1970 when it was changed to the Mission City Chamber of Commerce. In 1977, it was suggested by the organization's Vice President Dave Kenyon that the Chamber of Commerce should be terminated[8] due to poor attendance and lack of participation by members.[9] The Chamber persevered, avoiding termination, and in 1979 the name was changed for the final time to its present name, the Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce.[3] Since then, the MRCC has continued to serve the businesses of Mission and now houses a visitor centre.[10]

Description

The MRCC describes its mission as to “foster a network for entrepreneurial leaders to partner in representation, communication and education." [11] It acts on behalf of local businesses, and as an unbiased advocacy group, they serve as a direct liaison between their members and the local government. They also provide their members with networking opportunities, group benefits, educational seminars, as well as marketing and advertising opportunities.[12] The current president, as of 2012, is Elyssa Lockhart of the Lockhard Law Corp.[13]

The MRCC is a member of the BC Chamber of Commerce.[14] It currently has 450 members and prints a monthly newsletter titled “The Business Track”.[12][15] It hosts the Annual Candlelight Parade, the largest nighttime Christmas Parade in Western Canada and draws approximately 13 000 spectators every year.[16]

The original Mission Soapbox Derby is still held annually by the Mission & District Soapbox Derby Association.[17]

Current President

The current president of the Chamber is Sean Melia, manager of Prospera bank in Mission.

Past Presidents

Year President
1893 Harry Brown French[4]
1920-1921 F.J. Roche
1922 Hope Alanson
1923 S.H. Crosby
1924 W.G Gamble
1925 Hope Alanson
1926-27 A.B. Noble
1929-30, 36 Rex Cox
1931 J.Yool
1932-1933 A.( Alf) Clark
1934 Jas. Muir
1935 L.R. Wilson
1936 J.A. Catherwood
1937 G.V. Ogle
1938 A.D. McRae
1939 A.N. Lawrence
1940 James Muir
1943 F.C. Lightbody
1944 Peter Grant
1945 W.H. Monk
1946 C.S. Thompson
1948 A.C. Fisher
1949 Harry W. Davis
1950 C.I. McMurdo
1951 Albert McMahon
1952 Frank Kearney
1953 K.A. "Ken" Shore
1954 N.S. Thompson
1955-56 E. "Ted" Boulter
1957 Percy Buckle
1958 R.L. "Bob" Fletcher[18]
1960-61 Lang Sands [7]
1962-1963 Laurie Wainwright
1964-1965 Vic Wallace
1966-1967 Vic Wallace [4]
1977 Bert Chapman [9]
2002 Lynn Christensen
2002–2003 Ted Adlem [19]
2004 Stacey Crawford
2005 Cal Crawford
2006 Sheron Vallance
2007 Stuart Rosenberg
2008–2009 Sean Melia [20]
2010 Helen Secco, ASM Printing Inc.[13]
2011 Cal Crawford, Landmark Realty Corp., Mission BC[13]
2012 Elyssa L. Lockhart

| 2013 || Sean Melia, Prospera Credit Union |} | 2014-2015 || Ann Harper |} | 2016 || David Sawatzky, Nutek Sign Creations

MASCOT

Stan the Sturgeon is the Ambassador for the Mission BC Visitor Centre. His primary role is to advise on all up-coming community events and to promote tourism within the region. This is achieved through social media outlets including Facebook and Twitter. Stan is regularly booked to attend local events and school field trips. Find him via Facebook - Mission BC Visitor Centre or Twitter Stansturgeon1

References

  1. ↑ "Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce Website:About Us". Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Old Document Reveals Board Founded in '93", The Fraser Valley Record, Mission, BC, Canada, 19 April 1945.
  3. 1 2 Kask, Glen. "First board of trade in B.C.", The Fraser Valley Record, Mission, BC, Canada, 16 June 1993.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Schroeder, Andreas (1991). Carved from Wood, Mission, B.C. 1861-1992, p. 20-21,173,193. D.W. Friesen, Altona, MB, Canada. ISBN 1-55056-131-6.
  5. ↑ Cherrington, John (1974). Mission on the Fraser, Patterns of a small city's progress, p. 33,172. Mitchell Press, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ISBN B0006CL344
  6. ↑ Robertson, Betty, Marcellus, Catherine, Dandy, Betty (1992). Mission's Living Memorials, p. 141. Friesen Printers, Altona, MB, Canada. ISBN 1-55056-205-3.
  7. 1 2 "Chamber of Commerce Replaces Trade Board", The Fraser Valley Record, Mission, BC, Canada, 11 January 1961.
  8. ↑ "Chamber of Commerce may face extinction", The Fraser Valley Record, Mission, BC, Canada, 26 October 1977.
  9. 1 2 "Mission Chamber Seeks New Identity", The Fraser Valley Record, Mission, BC, Canada, 30 November 1977.
  10. ↑ "Tourism BC: Mission Visitor Centre". Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce Website:Chamber". Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce Website:Join". Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  13. 1 2 3 "Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce Website:Board of Directors". Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  14. ↑ "BC Chamber of Commerce: Directory". Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce Website: Newsletters". Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Tourism BC: Festivals & Events". Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Mission & District Soapbox Derby Association". Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Past Presidents Honored by Board of Trade", The Fraser Valley Record, Mission, BC, Canada, 19 November 1958.
  19. ↑ "At Pete's Place, we love what we do", The Mission Record, Mission, BC, Canada, 30 June 2011.
  20. ↑ "bclc Mission Community Engagement Report" (PDF). Retrieved August 21, 2011.
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