Strategic Plan

VISION 2020: LEAD THE WAY

VISION

The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce will lead the way as the voice of business advancing economic prosperity for its membership and the business community.
 

MISSION

The SSM Chamber of Commerce will lead change for the benefit of the business community by engaging and educating the Chamber membership, empowering economic prosperity, amplifying the voice of business for business friendly public policy, and meeting membership performance expectations.
 

VALUES

• Membership Focused
  • ​We exist for the sake of our membership and all our decisions are membership centric.
• Respect
  • We value the dignity and uniqueness of every individual in our organization and membership, and act courteously and with an appreciation for diverse perspectives.
• Integrity
  • ​We behave with honesty, integrity and fairness in all our interactions. Our words, decisions and actions must comply with all applicable legislation, Chamber policies, processes, principles of integrity and must also be ethical.
• Excellence
  • ​We are committed to the highest standards of service delivery and membership fulfillment. We value and recognize the contribution that each individual makes to this end. We are engaged in the constant and passionate pursuit of quality people, programs and services, including ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Teamwork
  • ​We value each other’s ideas and are not untowardly judgmental. We work collaboratively to achieve shared goals through participatory decision-making, promote cooperation and encourage strong partnerships. We promise respectful attention to the ideas and opinions of others
• Accountability
  • ​We are committed to personal and team accountability for outcomes. We make evidenced-based decisions, and implement appropriate management techniques to ensure that we provide optimal value for the investment made by the membership
• Transparency
  • ​We value an environment of reciprocal dialogue and open and transparent decision-making. We respect and promise active and honest sharing of information and ideas.
• Sustainability
  • ​We hold ourselves accountable to ensure the future fiscal viability of the Chamber and strive for responsible stewardship of the Mission, Vision and Values of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce.
• Innovation
  • ​We are committed to keeping pace with rapidly changing society and workplace, and strive to be leaders in innovative and creative business practices. We pursue collaborative partnerships and entrepreneurial opportunities to achieve our Mission and Vision.

ENGAGE

We will engage our membership and business community with opportunities to learn, participate, exchange ideas and expertise, create lasting relationships and support each other to generate economic prosperity.

• Priority Initiatives
  • Create Invaluable Membership Services
  • Build strong membership relationships
  • Create revenue generating opportunities for members
• Measurement
  • Grow New Membership by 10% Annually
  • Reduce Controllable Membership Cancellation by 5 Members Annually
  • Increase Member Participation by 10% Annually
  • Increased Member Satisfaction by 20% Annually

EMPOWER

We will bring together the membership, private sector, community stakeholders and all levels of government to work toward self-determined economic prosperity for Sault Ste. Marie.

• Priority Initiatives
  • Create sustainability, economic resilience and independent business growth
  • Develop and collaborate for a consolidated unified vision for the economic prosperity of SSM
  • Collaborate to develop and implement a business friendly downtown development plan
  • Create initiatives for member growth, prevent member closures, and ensure succession
• Measurement
  • Be the leading community stakeholder in the development of an economic prosperity plan for Sault Ste. Marie
  • Establish a working group with Queenstown BIA and the Municipality to established a vison for the downtown of Sault Ste. Marie
  • Co-deliver 12 educational and business related workshops in collaboration with EDC, SSMIC and CDC, and other stakeholders, annually
  • Increased member performance, effectiveness and viability

AMPLIFY

We will consolidate “The Voice of Business” and “Lead The Way” to prosperity by advocating for the development of business friendly policy, at all levels of government, that will improve the competitiveness of business, create dynamic economic infrastructure, increase productivity and reduce economic inequality.

• Priority initiatives
  • Create a pro-business climate through solutions based advocacy
  • Creating awareness of the impacts of public policy on the competitiveness of business
  • Raise the profile and influence of the SSM Chamber locally, provincially and federally
  • Use and develop technology for the membership to identify issues, discuss and resolve
  • Support economic developments that leverage Sault Ste. Marie’s competitive assets leading to prosperity
• Measurement
  • Improvement in and advancement of public policy in support of economic prosperity
  • Amendment or abandonment of public policy negatively impacting economic prosperity
  • Increased media exposure, social media, and communications impacts
  • Membership adoption rate of technology to connect to identification and action of issues
  • SSMCOC Policy Resolution development and acceptance by members, the OCC and CC
  • Advancement of the Port of Algoma, Steel Industry Cluster, Lottery, Gaming and the OLG Data Centre, Clean Technology, Tourism, Agribusiness and beneficial opportunities as they arise

PERFORM

We will ensure a healthy Chamber through the advancement of the Business Plan and the alignment of financial, staff and physical resources to meet the expected strategic outcomes.
 

• Priority Initiatives
  • Achieve Accreditation with Distinction from the Canadian Chamber Accreditation Council
  • Modernize the web site, modes of communication and internal systems
  • Achieve financial sustainability
• Measurement
  • Business plan goal attainment annually
  • Accreditation with Distinction 2017
  • 10% Increase in total revenue year over year
  • Achieve net positive cash flow year over year