The Bulletin... by mail: Information from the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade

February, 2015

The Bulletin... by mail: Information from the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade

A conversation with your 2015 President

In this first edition of our Bulletin…by Mail for 2015, we have chosen to take

the opportunity to introduce you to your 2015 President, Denise Jones, CPA, CA. Denise is taking the reins from her capable predecessor, Paul Przybylo of Walker Head Lawyers, who will serve as our 2015 Chair.

Denise is a partner at Collins Barrow Durham LLP. Collins Barrow is Canada’s largest association of Chartered Accounting firms and the eighth largest group of chartered accountants in Canada. She began her career at KPMG LLP, moving to Durham Region in 2001 for a change in lifestyle. Living and working locally has provided Denise the opportunity to become more involved in Durham Region with many professional and community service involvements. She was involved with the University of Ontario Institute Of Technology at its inception as a Governor for both the university and for Durham College, sitting as the Chair of Audit and Finance for these institutions. As a RAN ONE Master Business Advisor, Denise is focused on results and always takes into account the individual needs of her clients to structure tailored solutions to address their business challenges.

Jones graciously agreed to be interviewed for this publication and here’s what she had

to say.

How long have you been active with the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade?

Our firm has been a long-standing member of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade for many years; I became actively involved in 2009 and joined the council in 2011.

You’ve served on the APBOT council for some time. What do you hope to see the Board accomplish during your term as President?

The council revisited our strategic plan in June 2014 and reaffirmed our focus on membership and advocacy.

Increasing the membership strength of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade is key to our success as the voice of business and to our continuing to provide opportunities for our members. We need to retain our

current membership and attract new businesses, while ensuring diversity, and creating innovative ways to engage our existing members. This is not an easy task but if you look at our stats, in our first 60 years, we have grown 800% from an initial 85 members to 677. We have over 4,000 businesses in our community so there is a huge pool to draft from.

Collins Barrow Durham is involved with many of the

local boards of trade and chambers of commerce. Why is membership in these organizations important for Collins Barrow?

Collins Barrow Durham LLP believes in being actively involved in our communities. Boards of trade and chambers of commerce provide us with a great opportunity to combine our business expertise with our community involvement. Membership in groups like APBOT keeps us in touch with business issues that have an impact on our clients.

It would be good to get to know a little bit about you. Besides accounting and the Board of Trade, what are some of your other interests, hobbies and passions?

Time with my family is the highlight of my

APBOT’s new president, Denise Jones

See ‘Denise’ on page 2...

2015 APBOT President Denise Jones, CPA, CA of Collins Barrow Durham LLP

“The council revisited our strategic plan in June 2014 and reaffirmed our focus on membership and

advocacy.”

implementing these initiatives can be huge—socially, strategically and operationally. Businesses need to be the leaders in establishing effective sustainability practices.

What do you think the role of a 21st century board of trade or chamber of commerce should be and how, if at all, does this differ from times

gone by?

The business environment is rapidly changing and if businesses are unable to adapt, they quickly fall behind.

That said, I believe a key role of the Board of Trade is to keep businesses abreast of the impact of prevailing issues, policies, and developments

that affect business and the community. Then, as the voice of business, to actively engage and lobby all levels of government on relevant issues as they arise.

Moreover, boards and chambers still provide an ideal forum for local business professionals to connect and to pursue their collective and individual

business interests.

Now, more than ever, we interface with the board of trade virtually through online event registrations, an informative website, e-bulletins and active social media channels, but while the methods of service delivery are constantly evolving, the value equation remains as relevant today as ever before.

Thank you for taking the time

Denise Jones, CPA, CA of Collins Barrow Durham LLP is the 2015 Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade President.. “...while the methods

of service delivery are constantly evolving, the value equation remains as relevant today as ever

before.”

...Continued from page 2.

Our organization has been well served over the past six decades, by a strong and committed group of volunteer presidents. From 1955-1977, our presidents served the Ajax Chamber of Commerce and from 1978 to the present, they have continued to serve under the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.

Ajax Chamber of Commerce Presidents 1955-1977

1955 - K.D. Morley1956 - Vic Williamson1957 - Tom Clark1958 - Bill Thompson1959-1960 - Robert Thompson1961-1962 - Cyril S. Thompson1963 - Howard Goddard1964 - Jack Bignell1965 - Matt Millar1966 - Robert G. Talmey1967 - William J. Norris1968 - R. Sage1969 -1970 - J. Hills1973 - Harry Smith1974 - 1975 - Robert J. Mitchell1976 - 1977 - Mondeau Beauchamp

Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade Presidents 1978 - 2014

1978 - 1979 - Gary Klassen 1980 - David Whalen 1981 - 1982 - C.J. Williamson1983 - Heinz Raedisch1984 - 1985 - Michael Danks1986 - Tom Williamson1987 - 1988 - Myrna Picotte 1989 - Dennis Gazarek1990 - Wally Chillman1991 - 1993 - Ralph Bradley1994 - Doug McKay1995 - Denise Wiese 1996 - 1997 – John Wiersma1998 - Doug Wilkinson 1999 - Kate Zarins2000 - Sherry Robinson2001 - Roger Alexander2002 - Pat O’Brien2003 - Nigel Allen2004 - 2005 - Joan Wideman2006 - Tracy Paterson 2007 - Diana Hills-Milligan2008 - Don Terry2009 - John G. Smith2010 - Jason Cameron2011 - Donna McFarlane2012 - Gary Strange2013 - Bill Zolis2014 - Paul Przybylo

Our past presidents

The Bulletin... by mail: Information from the Ajax-Pickering Board of TradeThe Bulletin... by mail: Information from the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade

Denise Jones takes the reins at APBOT...Continued from on page 1achievements. I grew up on a farm, so I love to be outside and active with my family (George, Liz and Nick) and our golden retriever (Myah).

We are travellers. Each year, we try to go to at least one new place. Last year was Puerto Rico and Hawaii the year before. We must be doing something right as my teenagers still want to come.

Aside from those things, I really enjoy reading, so that would be next on my list.

The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade enjoys a good working relationship with the municipalities of Ajax and Pickering. How important is fostering and maintaining these relationships?

The good relationships with the municipalities of Ajax and Pickering, as well as with the Region of Durham, are very important to APBOT. It keeps the lines of communication open between business and local government. Because we have cultivated these long-standing relationships, municipal officials are willing to listen, and in turn, include us in discussions on potential plans and issues that may impact our members.

We have already met with Mayor Ryan, Mayor Parish, and Chairman Anderson in 2015 to discuss their respective jurisdictions and issues of importance to local businesses.

Some members may not be aware of the work the Board of Trade does on policy and advocacy. How has APBOT distinguished itself in these areas?

APBOT has a very strong and committed Government Relations Committee. That committee and its issue-

specific working groups like the Transportation Task Force, spends countless hours following complex policy issues and defending the interests of the business community of Ajax, Pickering and Durham.

In fact, in 2014, APBOT won the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Bronze Award in its Voice of Business competition for the significant work the group has done on transportation and transit advocacy in recent years.

Because of the good working relationships mentioned in your previous question, APBOT was able to bring the mayors of Ajax and Pickering, as well as their respective municipal councils, to consensus on a common list of transportation priorities. We have subsequently articulated those

priorities to the Ontario Minister of Transport and other stakeholders.

Whether we are talking about transportation and transit, health and wellness, the Seaton development, the 401 and 407, the Pickering Federal lands, Pickering Nuclear repurposing, broadband connectivity, accessibility or Regional representation, the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade ensures that it is a vocal stakeholder around the table, working constructively and effectively in the interests of its members.

Collins Barrow Durham LLP is a certified Eco Business. Do you think environmental sustainability means as much to businesses today as it did prior to the 2009 recession? Should it?

I believe environmental sustainability is among the more important areas of attention for business today. Some took their eye off this during the downturn for lack of time and money, maybe; however, the payback from

“We have already met with Mayor Ryan, Mayor

Parish, and Chairman Anderson in 2015 to

discuss their respective jurisdictions and issues of importance to local

businesses.”

APBOT member logins are here!

By the time you are reading this, you will have received an email notification from the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade letting you know that you now have a member login .

Your unique login will allow you to take control of your brand on our online directory. For example, if you have an enhanced listing, you can now edit your own online bio, upload your logo, change employee contact information and more! You can also now view your account with us and review and pay outstanding invoices. Check your email for instructions and contact us at 905-686-0883 or email Nicole Gibson at admin@apboardoftrade.com if you have any questions.

APBOT Executive Director Kathy McKay with Jones at the 2015 President’s Inaugural Dinner at Deer Creek.

2015 APBOT President Denise Jones, CPA, CA presents a special APBOT hockey jersey to 2014 President Paul Przybylo. Przybylo will serve as the 2015 APBOT Chair. See ‘A conversation’ on page 4...

Thank you to all of the members that promptly renewed your membership for 2015. Renewing your Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade membership has never been more convenient since you can pay directly via the invoice in your email inbox. Remember to renew promptly to avoid interruption of your valuable membership benefits. We no longer send paper invoices, so if you haven’t seen the email renewal invoice, be sure to call the office at (905) 686-0883 or email Admin Coordinator Nicole Gibson at admin@apboardoftrade.com.

Remember to renew

Call for submissions! Share your expertise on our new APBOT blogAs a business professional,

you likely have knowledge that would benefit your fellow APBOT members. Sharing your expertise is a great way to enhance your profile, establish credibility and contribute to your local community. The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade’s blog will consist primarily of content written by members, for members. We are looking for useful and sharable content that would be relevant to a wide variety of business people.

Our ideal blog posts will be 250-400 words, original (written by you) and exclusive (not previously published elsewhere on the World Wide Web).

We want to share these blog posts with our members and in relevant LinkedIn groups. Who knows, your article might just go viral.

If you would like to contribute a blog post, please email APBOT Communications Specialist Nathan MacDonald at nmacdonald@apboardoftrade.com or call him at 905-686-0883.