The new president of the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce looks towards maintaining and developing Sooke’s “wild by nature” brand.
Kerry Cavers, who joined the chamber last year as a director, replaces Sean Dyble as president.
She said she’s excited to follow through the groundwork that past chamber presidents laid down with community development, and that now it’s time to finish what they’ve started.
“We have a gem of a town, so I think with a little bit of elbow grease, we can really set ourselves well for the future. I want to contribute to that.”
Cavers and her husband moved here from North Vancouver four years ago. She loved Sooke because it reminds her of the town she grew up in: Tswwassen. She pointed out that another part of the reason of moving here was to relive that small-town experience and get involved more with the community.
And involvement will surely be critical of the chamber’s overall role and success, Cavers noted, adding that a clearer and louder dialogue needs to get going between the chamber, the business community and the District of Sooke.
She also pointed out that in Sooke, there are more than 180 organizations, many of which are “siloed” in their initiatives.
In that respect, she hopes to raise the level of involvement and cooperation.
“We need to be working together more to be able to increase our general buying power,” Cavers said, adding that the chamber is planning a collaboration meeting at the beginning of February, inviting representatives from all local businesses and organizations to come together and discuss how one can help the other.
Another of the chamber’s overarching goals is to promote Sooke and its “wild by nature” brand, including its unique businesses and volunteerism, but there are a few things that Sooke, and indeed the chamber, needs to do to maintain that.
“I really want to see Sooke’s character be maintained and developed, and I want our businesses here to thrive, because right now many of them are struggling,” Cavers said, adding that diversification of services offered and identifying every stream of income is something the chamber will focus on in the coming months.
She said there are several projects planned, but the first few are about bringing people to Sooke and getting them to experience its full potential in a very “organic” way, and that they are interacting with the town.
For more information on the Sooke Chamber of Commerce and how to join the discussion, please visit sookeregionchamber.com or contact Aline Doiron, Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce office manager, at 250-642-6112 or via email at info@sookeregionchamber.com.
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