Being a board director of the Chamber of Commerce is a position of significant responsibility and leadership within the local business community. As a board director, you are entrusted with the task of guiding the strategic direction of the Chamber, advocating for the interests of its members, and fostering economic growth and prosperity in the region. This role involves active participation in decision-making processes, collaboration with fellow directors, engagement with stakeholders, and representing the Chamber in various public forums. It also requires a commitment to upholding the values and mission of the Chamber, promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity in all endeavors. Ultimately, serving as a board director offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the business landscape and contribute to the overall well-being of the community.
If you are interested in being a board member click this link
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2024- 2025
Executive
President – Steve Latimer – Beattie Dodge Chrysler Ltd
Steve is a Brockville native that has spent his working career in business. He graduated from Thousand Islands Secondary and went on to St Lawrence College here in Brockville to earn diplomas in both Finance and Marketing. Started working at Beattie Dodge when he was a teenager washing cars and fell in love with the car business. He worked for 1000 Islands Toyota for 20 years as Comptroller and in the fall of 2016 returned home to Beattie Dodge as CFO and a minority partner. Steve sat on the board and was Treasurer for the United Way for 5 years.
Started on the board: March 2018
Vice President – Teanne Larocque -Calian
Experienced recruiter with over 15 years of success at creating search strategies and executing talent acquisition plans. Passionate about providing meaningful insights and uncovering ideal candidates.
Teanne was raised in Brockville and is passionate about the community and its success. She joined the Brockville District Chamber of Commerce Board to better help assist businesses in our area with resources, collaboration and partnerships.
Started on the board: March 2021
Past President – Orlando Spicer – Modern Brock Group
Orlando is a Real Estate Broker, co-owner of Modern Brock Group Realty Brokerage and a real estate investor.
He has been selling real estate between Kingston and Ottawa since 2012, focusing mainly on Leeds and Grenville. His business has been built on an exceptional level of customer service. His business model emphasizes the quality of his services as he works by referral. Orlando was awarded the 2014 Brockville Young Professional of the Year Award by the Chamber of Commerce for his business acumen and community service. Orlando is passionate about the community and has been involved on many levels. He helped lead the growth of the Brockville Young Professionals Network and has been a Director at the Chamber of Commerce since 2014. He is a past board member of both the United Way of Leeds and Grenville and the Brockville Winter Classic Committee. Orlando is passionate about the economic future of Brockville and looks forward to continuing his work on the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Started on the board: March 2014
Secretary/Treasurer – Christina Covey- Shannon – Royal Bank of Canada
Christina Covey-Shannon has lived in the Brockville and surrounding area for most of my life, I am very passionate for the community. Completed Business Administration – Accounting at St Lawrence College, here in Brockville and have worked for RBC for 33 years in a variety of different roles. Currently as a Financial Planner – Investment Retirement Planner, I assist clients in creating a financial plan that is customized to their own situation, looking at accumulating their savings and then how best to use those funds in retirement. I also help clients making pension, severance, retirement income and other related decisions while considering tax efficiency throughout the process. I have been on the Chamber board for 4 years. I enjoy being part of all the great initiatives and help the Chamber offers to the many businesses in the area. I, along with my family enjoy giving back by volunteering our time in many different areas, whether it is with Girls Inc monthly with my daughter, Brockville Hydroplane Race weekends, participating in parades with work, or being on the many different committees within my children’s primary school, Relay for Life, Brockville Women in Business and Brockville Minor Hockey.
Started on the board: Sept 2020
Michael brings over a decade of experience in the post-secondary education sector, having held various roles in Student Services, Employment Service, Career Services, and Student Engagement. With a Bachelor of Business Administration (honours), Michael possesses a deep understanding of workforce needs and student development. Through his employer-facing role in Career Services, Michael has fostered strong connections with the local employer network, hosting large-scale career fairs and employer-focused workshops. In his current role, Michael is spearheading the implementation of college-wide co-curricular and student leadership programming. His experience collaborating with internal and external stakeholders has provided him with valuable insights into the qualities and skills employers seek alongside academic credentials. He is highly passionate about packaging these insights into accessible pathways for students to develop their overall career readiness and answer to the evolving needs of the employer community. His proactive nature, coupled with a knack for collaboration and resourcefulness, makes him a valuable connection point between the Chamber and the College. Born and raised in Brockville, Michael has a strong sense of pride for the region and, as the son of entrepreneurs who benefited from the Chamber’s support, he understands its vital role in enabling growth. A father of two young boys, Michael, and his wife, Loni, recently moved back to the area to raise their family.
Started: March 2024
Born and raised in Leeds & Grenville, I have a strong appreciation for the strength of rural Eastern Ontario. My desire to serve this community began at an early age and ultimately lead me to pursue a life dedicated to the social services.
After leaving Leeds & Grenville to complete my post-secondary education, I returned to the community to begin my career. I have had the privilege of working at various local agencies serving children/youth, families, pre and post natal women, victims of abuse, and those involved with the criminal justice system. This work, combined with my passion for collaboration, has allowed me to develop relationships with countless local agencies and service providers while harnessing my aptitudes in client advocacy. The opportunity to work with our community’s most barriered populations has provided me with me a keen sense for systemic deficiencies and awareness of opportunities for both local and wide spread change.
My commitment to volunteering and community service reached new heights in 2016 when I joined the board of directors with Connect Youth Inc. My time on this board (from 2016 to 2020 inclusive) allowed me to gain significant knowledge regarding board governance practices, risk management and strategic planning. During this time, I was working at John Howard Society of Kingston implementing the Bail Verification and Supervision Program in Leeds & Grenville. These worlds collided when both agencies joined forces in pursuit of an amalgamation of services; an effort designed to increase supports for clients in Leeds & Grenville while providing much needed economy of scale.
Ultimately these agencies joined forces in 2023 as a result of an amalgamation of services in an effort to increase supports and provide necessary economy of scale to those in Leeds & Grenville. Following the merger, I moved into the position of Assistant Executive Director of JHSKD – overseeing all Leeds & Grenville services. JHSKD now offers a comprehensive range of system navigation, housing, and justice services for youth and adults ages 12+ in our community.”
On the outset of the merger, my role of Assistant Executive Director has been focused primarily on diversification of funding, service expansion and long-range planning. Most notably, I have been the project lead on our capital build occurring at 125 Stewart Blvd; a project that will create a mixed-model facility of office/programming space with residential units for clients experiencing homelessness.
I remain actively involved in many local tables including Every Kid In Our Community’s Lead Table and Developmental Assets Workgroup, Brockville Housing Partnership, By Name List Leadership, and more. I remain committed to collaborative approaches and deeply believe that we are stronger when working together.
Outside of work, I continue to live in Leeds & Grenville with my husband and two daughters (ages 11 and 5). I enjoy reading, crafting, and I continue to volunteer whenever possible. I hope that my skills and experience in the non profit sector would be of benefit to the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce.
Started: March 2024
Director – Keeley Patterson ( O’Farrell Financial Services)
Keeley has been working in the financial industry for over 35 years, she is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and worked in the Personal and Commercial Banking sector for over 20 of those years. She has helped countless individuals and business owners make important financial decisions through the years, so it was a perfect match when she joined O’Farrell Wealth & Estate Planning in the spring of 2009, as a partner.
Thanks to Keeley’s time in the industry, she has worked with numerous financial statements and partnered with lawyers and accountants to help her clients make solid decisions. Her experience provides her with a unique perspective when she is providing financial and estate planning services to business owners as she is deeply familiar with both the challenges that arise and how to handle them skillfully. As a financial planner, it’s fundamental to know what is truly important to her clients. She then designs ways to help them attain the lifestyle they want, the protection they need and achieve the clarity to make great decisions for their businesses, for the next generation, and beyond.
I have been involved with Chambers for over 25 years – it is a great way to meet people, other businesses in our community we want to do business with and give back to an organization that is easy to work with. I am very passionate about living, working, and dealing with local businesses – the Chamber is the best place to do that. Chamber Board is the voice of business, if your business wants to be part of the local business network, advocacy, and economy – you need to get involved with your local Chamber.
Started on the board: March 2015
Director – Kent Henderson (Royal Bank of Canada)
Worked for RBC since 1998. My current position has been a mobile residential specialist since 2012. Started as an assistant manager personal banking working in Thunder Bay, ON and then to Stoney Creek ON. Moved to Niagara on The Lake, ON to be Branch Manager of RBC Branch there for 3 years. Moved Back to Brockville in 2004 as a Financial Planner then moved to current position in 2012. Since moving back to Brockville, I have been on the fundraising committee for United Way. Sat on Board of the DBIA and was chair for about 3 years. Co-Chaired a waterfront task force committee which was in collaboration with the Brockville Chamber. Have sat on the Chamber Tourism Advisory Committee for the past approx. 10 years. Chaired the 1000 Islands Regatta since it’s reincarnation in 2008. Grew up on the St Lawrence River so an avid boater. Race Hydroplanes. Have a wife and 2 young kids. We love to travel.
I joined the Chamber as I was curious of the workings of the Chamber and wanted to find out more about what the Chamber did. Have stayed on the Chamber board as I feel that we do make a difference to business in the Brockville and area.
Started on the board: March 2018
Director: Kelly Brintnell ( Brockville Tourism)
In the newly created Tourism Development role, Kelly Brintnell will strive to create and evolve innovative tourism products, experiences and services for the market, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge in the tourism and hospitality field, more specifically within DMO’s.
With over 15 years of experience, Kelly’s career in sales, customer service, and tourism industries has focused on corporate, government, conference and trade sectors, with a proven track record of project management and developing business.
Most recently, Kelly worked with Explore Waterloo Region maintaining business events and sports while developing the travel trade market, before realizing her passions remained in Eastern Ontario. Prior to that, she worked at Queen’s University and was formerly with Tourism Kingston where she successfully managed all aspects of the Meetings & Conferences and Travel Trade portfolios including but not limited to budgeting and tactical planning. With her background in hotel sales as well as her trade of hairstyling and makeup artistry, Kelly has a wide range of networks and connections across Ontario.
Known for specializing in all facets of people management including communication, stakeholder relations and thoughtful partnership development, Kelly has consistently delivered effective outcomes for companies. Kelly is a firm believer in facilitating meaningful and collaborative discussions, emphasizing in community involvement and impartiality, while exploring new strategies to grow the City’s reach. She is dedicated to fostering a culture of positivity and professional courtesy within the team.
In her new role with the City of Brockville, Kelly will leverage her expertise in implementing growth initiatives in order to drive the items outlined in the Tourism Master Plan. Her strategic mindset and appetite for identifying tourism opportunities and leading event attraction campaigns, working with local event coordinators, align seamlessly with the visions detailed in the Plan.
Her heart lies in volunteering with local organizations that give back to the community and is dedicated to the success of the region as a destination
Started: March 2024
Director – Zeke Cox (TD Commercial)
Zeke is a University of Toronto Alumni. His career history includes commercial real estate management in the western United States and enterprise software sales across Canada. He and his Wife, Jaime, then owned and operated a full-service marina in Gananoque for 13 yrs. Following the sale of their business, Zeke joined the Business Development Bank of Canada and has been a Senior Commercial Lender in southeastern Ontario since 2015. Having owned his own businesses, Zeke is passionate about supporting the growth of small and medium sized businesses. He has worked extensively in the Brockville area, providing financial support from the “tens of thousands” to the “tens of millions” across a variety of industries and has also volunteered his time for local initiatives such as the Otter’s Den. During his personal time, you are most likely to find Zeke boating on the St. Lawrence River with family & friends, golfing, or struggling to pursue the mysteries of the twelve bar blues.
I wanted to join the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce Board because the focus has always genuinely been on the business community, especially small business!!
Started on the board: March 2021
Director – Andrew Melchers (IN Engineering & Surveying)
Andrew is the president of IN Engineering + Surveying which provides integrated surveying, land-use planning and engineering consulting services to Brockville and Eastern Ontario. Andrew was born and raised in the Lyn, having only moved away while studying his Bachelor and Master of Civil Engineering at Carleton University. He started his engineering consulting business in 2018 and in 2020 purchased and merged with Collett Surveying Ltd. Andrew loves the lifestyle the area affords and is raising his two young girls with his wife Amber in the community.
I wanted to join the Brockville Chamber of Commerce to give back to the community that has provided so much to me. The chamber has an important history of representing local businesses. Part of my vision for the organization is to lead it through its digital transformation so it can continue to be an important part of the business community for the next 100 years.
Started on the board: March 2021
Director – Rich Muir (3M Canada)
Rich is currently Plant Director of the 3M Brockville manufacturing facilities. He has over 30 years of manufacturing experience, including 27 years with 3M Canada. He started with 3M Canada in Perth, Ontario as a manufacturing engineer in the mid 90s, after graduating from Queen’s University and working for 2 years in solvent purification in the Toronto area. Rich moved through various positions in 3M Canada, including production supervisor, Six Sigma Black Belt and planning manager in 3M Canada facilities in Perth, London and Brockville. In 2009, he became the Plant Manager of the Perth Tape facility and has held Plant Manager positions in Brockville Tape and London, before moving back to Brockville in 2021 in this current position.
Rich has been a member of the Leeds and Grenville Big Brothers/ Big Sister board and joined the Brockville District Chamber of Commerce Board to help contribute to our local business community.
Started on the board: April 2024
Director (YPN) – Melissa Hindman
Melissa enthusiastically supports local businesses professionally through events and initiatives focused on enhancing our community. With an inclination toward civic engagement and passion for communication, she joins the Chamber Board of Directors with enthusiasm.
Melissa established herself locally as a Young Professional when she returned from college in 2011 and commuted to complete her BA in Psychology at Carleton University while working full-time and running a small business. Melissa has participated in Brockville & District Chamber events since 2016 when she was looking to become more involved with the community and has since become the Media Director for the Brockville Young Professionals Network in 2020 and has succeeded in further building their network.
Most recently Melissa has started a family and it has only enhanced her perspective and drive toward supporting opportunities that build a strong economic environment for our community members and businesses.
I wanted to be a board member to work more closely on initiatives that benefit young professionals and Downtown Businesses. I’ve gained more experience and insight than I ever thought possible in such a short period of time!
Started on the board: March 2022
Director (YPN) – Taylor Dunster (W.C. Burgess)
Taylor Dunster is currently a Broker with W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd. located in Brockville. She has been immersed in the insurance world for her whole life, and is a third generation Broker, who considers herself a jack of all trades in the insurance space. Her experience is rooted in working within Personal, Auto, and Commercial Lines, but her specialty is Farm Insurance. Prior to getting into insurance, Taylor graduated from Fleming College with an advanced Diploma and is a Child and Youth Care Practitioner (CYCP). She has had the opportunity to work full time as a CYCP supporting a male teenage group home involved with Children’s Aid Society (CAS). After 3 years in this career, she pivoted to insurance and has been in working in this capacity over the last 4 years. She loves the industry because it allows her to make meaningful connections with her clients, and it offers endless opportunity for education and growth which provides for a lot of variety to her day to day. Outside of work, she is very passionate about continuing education and is constantly looking for new ways to support her community. To support her continuing education, she is currently completing her CAIB (Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker) accreditation. Fun fact: Taylor’s husband is a Dairy Herdsman on a large dairy operation, and in her spare time on the weekends you can find her milking cows or tending to their hobby farm at their home.
“I wanted to be a board member to make better connections and lasting relationships within the Brockville Business Community. To help provide a voice for our local businesses.”
Started on the board: March 2023
New Policy – Feb 2021
Diversity & Inclusion Policy
This policy is intended to provide a framework for inclusion to promote diversity and inclusion at the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce. The Board of Directors of the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce believes in the benefits diversity brings and it recognizes that diversity of thought contributes to the formation of a strong organization. This has been demonstrated across the business community of which the BDCC serves. The board recognizes that the most innovative and successful businesses, communities and economies are the most diverse. Having a board, management and staff that are composed of people with diverse skills, experience, backgrounds and perspectives can contribute to:
- a robust understanding of opportunities, issues and risks
- inclusion of different concepts, ideas and relationships
- enhanced decision-making and dialogue
- heightened capacity for oversight of the organization and its governance
- sustainability of the organization
For purposes of this policy, diversity includes, but is not limited to:
- skills and experience
- sex and/or gender identity
- race
- culture/ethnicity
- sexual orientation
- income
- disability
- age
- language
The board and management team will make good use of these differences and distinctions among individuals to determine the optimum composition of the board, management and staff. All board, management, and staff appointments must collectively reflect the diverse nature of the environment in which the organization operates and be made on merit, in the context of the skills, experience, independence and knowledge which the organization requires to be effective. The board is committed to ensure and maintain diversity and to diligently act to effect change. This policy applies to the board, management and staff of the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce.
Principles
Diversity of thought is enhanced through intentional effort. The Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce will be intentional in ensuring diversity and inclusion. Credibility is enhanced through board and leadership diversity. There is a significant relationship between board and leadership diversity. Therefore, the BDCC will pursue a well-rounded, diverse, and credible approach to ensuring board and leadership diversity.
The board values a diversity of voices and sees the value that they can contribute to creative and innovative thinking within the organization. To ensure the diversity strategy of the organization is viewed as a legitimate process, all appointments will be made on merit. However, the board acknowledges that there are many different skills and knowledges that will enhance the organization, its decision-making, and successful delivery of its mandate and so understands that merit is relative to the needs of the organization. Being transparent and public about the BDCC diversity and inclusion strategy is a helpful step in holding the board and management accountable, setting an example for both members and stakeholders, and providing thought leadership in the sector. Accessibility is enhanced through a powerful, collective voice. The board will balance the intent of this policy with the need to be a powerful voice for diversity in all of its forms.
Process
To achieve its diversity aspirations, the board will:
- ensure the board’s composition considers the balance of skills, experience, knowledge, perspectives, independence and characteristics in alignment with the strategic needs of the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce and the environment in which it operates
- identify suitable candidates for appointment to the board, considering candidates on merit against objective criteria, and with due regard for the benefits of diversity on the team
- continue to maintain an ongoing list of potential candidates for board positions
- work with management to ensure that all aspects of the organization, including its talent recruitment and business practices reflect the diversity and inclusion objectives of the board
- monitor and report annually to the membership, both at the Annual General Meeting of the organization and on the BDCC website its progress with respect to this policy
- work with management to encourage Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce members to adopt similar diversity and inclusion policies, practices and goals, and ensure that the organization continues to educate its membership about the merits of building and maintaining a diverse workplace and inclusive business practices.
Review
Annually by the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
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