Chamber Blog

The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce Board and Staff are pleased to announce the recent hire of Anna Mondor as Steinbach’s first Director of Economic Development. This recently created position is part of a five-year pilot program developed in a public/private partnership between the City of Steinbach, Steinbach Chamber, and a stakeholder group comprised of 26 private business owners. A governing committee has been formed, with representation from the private stakeholder group and Chamber to oversee the development, function, progress and success of the project.

“There has been much anticipation from community stakeholders and business members regarding this position becoming a reality,” said Chamber President, Christine Beaumont. “We are pleased to partner with the City of Steinbach for this program and thrilled to have Anna onboard to further develop economic growth and stability in our community. Building strong relationships with both business and government organizations will facilitate a strong growth trajectory, and Anna has a great track record in building relationships like these.”

In photo (left to right): Christine Beaumont – Steinbach Chamber President; Mayor Earl Funk – Mayor of City of Steinbach; Anna Mondor – Director of Economic Development; Michelle Bezditny – Executive Director of Steinbach Chamber

Mondor joined the Steinbach Chamber and City of Steinbach in December 2021 and has already conducted a preliminary economic assessment. Mondor brings over 10 years of experience in the economic development field and over 15 years of experience working in the private sector. Her vast experience in economic development, international brand management and marketing and a project management will prove a great asset. Mondor has a Master of Science Degree in Engineering with a Major in Industrial Management and Economics from Gdansk University of Technology (Poland). She also has a Master’s in Business Administration from Asper School of Business and a Master Certificate in Project Management from the University of Winnipeg & Schulich Business School of Toronto. Passionate about economic development, she is actively involved in the Economic Developers Association of Manitoba (EDAM), having served as second vice-chair, and currently serving as a member of EDAM’s Education Committee overseeing the certification of Economic Development Practitioners in Manitoba. Under Mondor’s previous tenure with Beausejour Brokenhead Development Corporation (BBDC), BBDC received a Community Initiative Award from Community Futures Winnipeg River in 2017 and was recognized for the rural investment attraction initiative by Minister Jim Carr in 2019.

“At this stage, we are focused on collecting data as Anna gets to know the community and connects with key stakeholders,” said Beaumont. “Economic development is about the well-being of the entire community. It involves strategies for immigration, job creation, providing growth opportunities to existing businesses as well as preparing to attract new investment to Steinbach. Moving forward, we are visioning for the future and putting an economic strategy in place to provide sustainable economic growth for the City of Steinbach.”

“Steinbach has tremendous growth potential,” said Mondor. “The Southeast region covers only 30 percent of the $3.5 billion dollars total demand of the region. There is significant room for our local industry to grow and expand. Currently, we have a very low vacancy rate (1.2%) that shows a strong demand for housing development in the region. Along with developing an Investment Attraction Strategy, our city needs a good tourism plan to help attract thousands of new visitors every year. We have a lot of work ahead of us and with our knowledgeable stakeholder team, I believe only the sky is a limit.”

Collaboration with City of Steinbach elected officials and staff as well as communication with other levels of government is already underway. The Chamber is thankful for the partnership with the City of Steinbach and recognizes the incredible advantage provided by the leadership and commitment of an invested stakeholder group bringing their wealth of industry-specific knowledge and experience to the project. The combined strengths of the public and private sector will be foundational to the future success of the community’s economic development plan.

Reference Links:
https://www.steinbach.ca/notices-and-announcements/new-economic-development-pilot-program
https://steinbachonline.com/local/steinbach-hiring-an-economic-development-officer
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/the-carillon/local/Pilot-program-to-hire-economic-development-officer-approved-573940631.html