The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce has recommended that, with a slate of 11 candidates for 11 positions on the board of directors, no ballot vote be taken this year.
Annually, approximately half of the 20 board positions are open and available for member nominations to be included in the election process.
For 2015-16 there are openings for 11 member candidates to serve. Five of the 11 are incumbents currently serving on the board.
Incumbents who have stepped forward to serve are Kelly Atcheynum of the Gold Eagle Casino, Ruebecca Fiddler of Loraas Environmental Services Ltd., Trent Gatzke of Scott Campbell Dodge Ltd., Meghan Kennedy of TD Canada Trust and Bill Volk, individual member.
Non-incumbents are Terry Caldwell of Carpet Superstores, Mitchell Cooper of Demmans Baldwin Friedman Frank, Leanne Ducommun of Battlefords and District Co-operative Ltd., Rod Forman of Anderson Pump House Ltd., Melanie Roberts of North West Regional College and Jordan Solomko of Ventures West Charters Ltd.
Nominations closed Nov. 20. With enough candidates to fill the required seats, the board recommended no ballot be taken, says a letter to chamber members from president Ryan Moe and Executive Director Linda Machniak.
The letter also stated the Chamber of Commerce has committed to conduct a governance review in 2015-16.
“Any recommended and approved changes are likely to take a two-year term to roll out and, therefore, the nomination committee was less aggressive in recruiting candidates, but rather looking to build capacity moving into the review and rollout phase,” states the letter. “We have been overwhelmed and extremely pleased to see that so many members voluntarily stepped forward and agree to serve the membership in a leadership role on the board of directors.”
Directors who have one year remaining on their current terms are Ryan Moe of G&C Asphalt Ltd., Brendan Boothman of RBC Dominion Securities, Jay Bottomley of Oil Can Charlie’s Ltd., Darla Conley of SaskTel, Ed Lee of M&M Meat Shops, Warren Williams of Bralin Technology Solutions, Trevor Watts of Eternal Memories Funeral Service and Crematorium, Gwen Renwick of Innovation Credit Union and Jeff Graham of Rock’N Fossils.
Following are the 11 individuals on the new slate of directors:
Kelly Atcheynum
Kelly Atcheynum is the general manager of the Gold Eagle Casino and a member of the Sweetgrass First Nation. He graduated from the Comprehensive High School in North Battleford and continued his education at Lakeland College for Business Administration. He has also completed an executive development program conducted in Reno, Nev.
After 20 years of playing music, he decided to pursue a career in gaming. In April of 1997, he obtained employment with the casino as a cashier. Over the years he has been promoted up to the position of general manager.
“I take pride in our employees and how the Gold Eagle Casino is a positive business within the community,” he says.
His family is active in the rodeo circuit and has also branched out by raising top line quarter horses.
“I feel the Battlefords is a great place to raise a family, and feel honoured and committed to improving the Battlefords.”
Terry Caldwell
Originally from the Battlefords, Terry Caldwell relocated to Red Deer, Alta. in 1991 to further his career in the flooring industry. He established a specialty flooring installation business employing 18 full-time installers. In addition, he designed and manufactured a specialty RV product that is still distributed with great success today.
In 2010, he moved back to the Battlefords and opened Carpet Superstore in North Battleford. In 2013, he relocated and expanded Carpet Superstore into the former SuperCycle building, which has become the largest flooring showroom and warehouse store in Saskatchewan, employing 14 full time employees and was nominated and won the 2013 BBEX award for Best New Business Venture.
Early 2014 saw the development and launch of Empress Furniture and Décor, which wholesales and retails an exclusive, unique collection throughout Saskatchewan. Caldwell is excited for the future of the Battlefords and would love the opportunity to work with fellow business people through the Chamber of Commerce to further the continued growth and success of the Battlefords. After living through the explosion of Red Deer in the 1980s and '90s, Caldwell has a good understanding of how business needs to be flexible to adjust for growth. He feels qualified to offer his experience in business creativity, being involved in research and development, manufacturing, retail, small and start up business as well as larger organizations.
His main goal is the establishment of the Battlefords as a place where its young adults want and are able to stay after high school and secondary education, and as a “hub and destination” far and near, the place to go to shop and do business.
Mitchell Cooper
Mitchell Cooper is 26 years old and originally from Regina. He attended university in Edmonton, studying political science and economics and graduated from law school at the University of Saskatchewan in 2014. He recently moved to the Battlefords to start his legal career with the law firm Demmans Baldwin Friedman and Frank.
Cooper has a background in both business and government sectors. He hopes to contribute to the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce in areas of advocacy, government relations and business attitude. Cooper believes the Battlefords is Saskatchewan’s next frontier for major growth and believes an active Chamber can promote the region.
Leanne Ducommun
Leanne Ducommun joined the Battlefords and District Co-op in February of 2012 as the marketing and communications manager. She is responsible for Co-op's the marketing, communications and business development efforts. In addition to strategic business development, she directs media relations, branding and advertising, plus website and social media development. She also manages and oversees sponsorships, events, charitable contributions and more.
Prior to joining the Co-op, she was the sales manager with Battlefords Publishing which brought her over 12 years experience in the sales and marketing industry.
In her free time, Leanne enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling and meeting new people.
Ruebecca Fiddler
Ruebecca Fiddler, branch manager of Loraas Environmental Services Ltd. (LES), came to the Battlefords in 2011 to assist with the opening of the North Batttleford branch. LES is a Saskatchewan owned and operated company with strong family values and a pride in community.
Fiddler is a director for the United Way and volunteers for various charities and non-profits. She and LES both believe a strong economic foundation is key to positive growth in the community.
"I am looking forward to being a part of the positive growth and am eager to assist with the continuous improvement in not just our business community but our community as a whole."
Fiddler has sat on the board on a one year term due to a resignation and would be happy to sit on the board for a whole elected term to continue to grow, develop and be of service to the community.
“I believe that the Battlefords are growing in such positive ways with new businesses, expansions, growth, developments and it will be an exciting time for not just the Chamber, but for the Battlefords as a whole.”
Rod Forman
Rod Forman was raised in Saskatchewan, but has spent the past 33 years in Vancouver, B.C. He moved back to the Battlefords in May with his wife and five-year-old daughter and they are all very excited to be here.
With 20 years of experience in the high tech industry, moving to Anderson Pump House has been a steep learning curve for him, but he is enjoying the challenge of his position as assistant manager.
Forman is excited about this opportunity to work for the Chamber and contribute to the business community of the Battlefords. You can find him on LinkedIn at http://www.linkenin.com/in/rodforman.
Trent Gatzke
Trent Gatzke was born and raised approximately one hour north of North Battleford and grew up in a business environment as his parents owned and operated their own business in the small community. He moved to North Battleford in 1982 to start his own career in an industry that he is still in today. Gatzke has 25 years experience as an automotive technician. Five years of that he owned and operated his own automotive repair business. The last seven years have been spent at Scott Campbell Dodge Ltd. as the fixed operations manager.
Gatzke is also currently involved in the Kidsport organization and has been active on the curling club boards as well as having volunteered and coached minor sports.
He and his wife Lindy have raised their family in North Battleford, and are proud to call this their home.
Gatzke feels his background in business and the community will be a valuable asset to the Chamber of Commerce aiding with the decisions facing the Battlefords business community. He is also a strong believer that it is important to promote and provide a positive environment for business to excel.
Meghan Kennedy
Meghan Kennedy relocated to the Battlefords in 2009. She is employed as the branch manager at TD Canada Trust. This role has allowed her to meet many local business people and to share their desire for success. Kennedy focuses on providing superior customer service and coaching the great staff at her branch.
She is an avid runner and loves skiing and spending time with her puppies. She also enjoys numerous volunteer activities throughout her community. She also represents the RiversWest District for Sport, Recreation and Culture as a director on their board.
Over the past two years, Kennedy has enjoyed her time with the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce and has been a strong voice within the organization. Through continued involvement with the Chamber, her goal is to promote the Battlefords and to continue fostering the development of a strong community.
Melanie Roberts
Melanie Roberts was raised and has spent most of her working life in rural Saskatchewan, so she has a great understanding of small towns and cities and the value of community.
"Most of my 27-year career was spent in management roles in health care and education," says Roberts. "The past 14 years I have been working for North West Regional College with my current role as the director of programs."
She and her husband Glenn have 12-year-old twins – Gavin and Courtney. They are involved in scouts, archery, synchronized swimming and baseball.
"My husband and I are big advocates for giving back and are teaching our children this through our actions and involving them in one of our favourite charities, Telemiracle."
The Roberts family also enjoys the beauty of the Northwest and spends as much time as possible at their cabin at Turtle Lake.
Jordan Solomko
Jordan Solomko is 27 years old, from the Battlefords and married with two children. In 2012, he and his wife Jen started their own company – Ventures West Charters Ltd. Ventures West Charters is a charter bus company that accommodates everyone from sports teams, to wedding parties and even casino tours.
"When I lived in Saskatoon with my wife, I worked for STC (Saskatchewan Transportation Company) driving bus and that’s when I realized I’d love to have my own company running charter buses. That’s what brought us back to the Battlefords. We are glad we made the move and made this our home and started our business here," says Solomko. "I’d like to be on the Chamber because I like to help out in our community and give back when I can. I feel like this a way to do that and more."
Bill Volk
Bill Volk was born and raised on the family farm at Denzil. He is married with three grown children. He and his wife Carol have resided in the Battlefords since 1988 and have raised their family here. They have had many good years in the community, have found it a great place to live and raise a family, and have no desire to live anywhere else.
Volk has a wealth of knowledge and educational background in agriculture, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1975. He has owned and operated many successful ventures, one being Norsask Farm Equipment. After selling Norsask in 2008, he enjoyed a couple of years relaxing, spending a bit more time with family and travelling. He found total relaxation just a bit too much, and now serves as a director on the board of Innovation Credit Union. He is also currently developing retail space in the former Norsask Farm Equipment property.
Volk is active in the Lions Club and has previously held the positions of president, secretary, director and membership chairperson with the organization. He has served on the Board of the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce for the past several years.
