Marty Sveinbjornson has taken the reigns as the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce鈥檚 new president for 2021.
For Sveinbjornson, the chance to be president is a chance to give back to an organization that has helped him and his business, SveinCo Developments, from the beginning.
鈥淎s soon as I started my business, I became a member of the Chamber. I tell everybody this, I put an ad in the Courier, and being just a start-up business, just that one little ad in the Chamber courier created so much interest and gave me relevance in the business community. I鈥檒l always remember that, how much help it gave me. So I thought at one point I would be giving back.鈥�
The coming year will be a challenging year for businesses in the community, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues into the new year. Sveinbjornson said that they鈥檙e also looking forward to a turnaround, as vaccines begin to roll out and businesses are able to reopen or open more fully.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to helping our members get back on their feet and take advantage of opportunities that are before them.鈥�
They are in constant consultation with Chamber members, said Sveinbjornson, and also have constant consultation with government on all levels, to advocate for business and look for opportunities, especially in the current environment when businesses are looking for any opportunities they can find.
Sveinbjornson is also excited about the other Chamber directors, both those with experience and those who are new. They are always looking for new ideas and fresh approaches, and Sveinbjornson said that whether it鈥檚 new businesses or new Chamber directors, they鈥檙e also looking for fresh perspectives.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a really great group of directors again. We鈥檝e got some new faces this year, some new ideas. We just had our annual kickstart meeting, we鈥檝e got a lot of energy within the group. We鈥檙e excited to keep rolling this year.鈥�
The pandemic is at the forefront at everyone鈥檚 mind right now, but Sveinbjornson is looking forward to the future, and one of the goals of the Chamber is to start organizing networking events and education events as soon as they are able.
鈥淲e really do feel, as a Chamber, that those are important things. That we can get together, and learn from others, and be able to meet again and network. That has been lost in the last year, and we鈥檙e looking forward to that.鈥�
