Starting with industry

A tour of Cranbrook’s Industrial Park helps build connections between businesses

The chamber is on the move through Cranbrook’s Industrial Park. — Tanya Laing Gahr photo

Anyone who has ever attended a chamber of commerce luncheon in Cranbrook, British Columbia, knows that the chamber members do not fit into a cookie cutter mould. Every level of industry is represented, from ranchers and resource workers to retailers and realtors. One of the mandates of the Cranbrook & District Chamber of Commerce is to help build connections between the different sectors of business that can create more local opportunity and revenue.

To that end, the chamber organized a tour last fall of several member operations in Cranbrook’s Industrial Park. Twenty-five participants signed up for an industry tour, which included stops at the Anywear Garment Company, Gipman Millwork & Design Ltd., Martech Electrical Systems Ltd., Playpen Pet Boarding & Grooming and New Dawn Developments.

Following the tour, participants were treated to a barbecue dinner at New Dawn, where they got a chance to network with some of the business owners and participants. Attendees were impressed with the diversity and resilience of the businesses in the city, and chamber president Sean Campbell was pleased with the turnout.

“The tour was an important initiative for the chamber as a way to bring some of our members into the spotlight with an opportunity to talk about the products and services they offer, the challenges they face and how they define success,” said Campbell. “What the chamber can take away from the tour is a better understanding of some of the common challenges and where we might work to help members address these issues.”