Chamber Blog

The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce has just been recognized as the second fastest-growing chamber in Canada among medium-sized chambers with 500 or more members.

The Executive Director for the Chamber is Tessa Masi, and she says they are thrilled.

“We’re so excited as a team. What a surprise. Who knew?”

With new businesses joining consistently, it’s clear that Steinbach’s business community is thriving.

“I’ve had some people reach out and say ‘What are you guys doing that’s different? We’re losing members or we’re having a hard time retaining what we have,’ and so we’ve been spending a little bit of time thinking about it.”

Masi credits this growth to two main factors.

“If I had to put my finger on two things, I’d say that I think the benefits that we’re offering to our Chamber members are great. And then I also think that the networking opportunities, which is definitely one of those benefits, would be one of the things that people are really drawn to and super excited about.”

The networking opportunities have proven to be a game-changer, especially for new businesses trying to establish themselves in the community.

“We’re having new businesses join the Chamber membership weekly, and some of them are brand new coming into the community and saying, ‘How do I get connected? Ah, here, the Chamber. Let’s do it’.”

Another benefit for members is the Chamber’s “Member-to-Member” deals.

“A Member-to-Member deal is that any member or business can post on our website, and then we highlight a different one in each weekly newsletter. They highlight a specific deal that if you’re a Chamber member, you can get that deal.”

Masi shares some exciting upcoming events that will keep the momentum going, including the popular “Taste of Steinbach.”

“We have a mixer that’s coming up. We have a tour with Manitoba Chamber that they’re coming out and putting on, so there’s going to be news on that shortly on our website and in our newsletter. But then, of course, Taste of Steinbach is one of our most fun events that we have just around the corner. Ticket sales are going out soon. We are trying to level up every year and kind of continue to surprise our guests with new things.”

This year, Taste of Steinbach is set to take place at the new Southeast Event Centre. She adds that the move to the Event Center will be a nice change from the usual outdoor setting.

Beyond networking and events, the Chamber plays a crucial role in advocating for Steinbach businesses.

“It’s really important just to have a voice at the right table and just to be next to the people that need to hear what’s important to Steinbach businesses.”

Steinbach’s thriving business community plays a key role in the Chamber’s success, and Masi believes their strong engagement sets them apart

“I think that the fact that we were the second fastest-growing medium-sized chamber across Canada speaks to how the business community wants to be a part of something that’s happening, that’s great. Participation levels are very high, the engagement level in the business community is higher than other communities that we have spoken to. And I think that’s because we like to network, we like to share information, we like to learn from each other, and we want to be part of something.”

With many years of history behind it, the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce continues to build on the foundation laid by previous leaders.

“It’s just really exciting for us as a team to be able to just build on the momentum that’s already been built over the 70 years since the Chamber has been a chamber, that already is incredible. Just the history that we hold. Myself and some of the other team members get to come in and just be excited about the fact that other people have paved the way and done really hard work, and now we get to pick it up and continue to bring great benefit to our members.”

The Chamber looks forward to continued growth within both the organization and the Steinbach business community.