The Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce is happy with how Moose Jaw weathered the year, saying that closures were lower than feared and that increased local shopping helped sustain local businesses.
The purpose of the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce is to be a voice for the local business community. It offers its members a variety of benefits such as a group health insurance plan, discounted shipping rates, assistance with web design, and social media campaigns.
Chamber of Commerce CEO Rob Clark says the “Live. Love. Local.” campaign which has been running for about seven or eight months has made great progress in supporting local businesses through the pandemic. The Chamber’s social media regular highlight and advertise local businesses and participate in promotional activities.
“It’s all about supporting and shopping and living local, etc.” Clark told MooseJawToday.com in a phone interview. “I think we probably hit over 100-120 businesses that were part of the campaign… and I think it resonated, I think a lot of people stayed in (Moose Jaw) and are shopping local.”
As of this week, the Chamber boasts 541 business members, which Clark says they’re very happy with. The member directory is on the Chamber’s website at www.mjchamber.com, categorized by industry or service.
The Chamber also has access to COVID rapid test kits, which they’ve been handing out to anyone in the community who needs them. Clark said they have handed out around 10,000 rapid test kits so far, translating to 50,000 tests facilitated by the Chamber since September. The Chamber is currently out of stock on test kits, but will have more in the new year.
“It’s great that the community is coming to get them and stay safe and maybe slow the spread (of COVID),” Clark added.
Current Chamber President Aaron Ruston said “Rob (Clark) and Heather (Bergdahl) have been absolutely amazing in initiating so many different projects. The city is truly blessed to have them heading up the Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce.”
The Chamber of Commerce was saddened by the businesses forced to close due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, Clark said the local economy proved more durable than expected, with relatively few closures and a decidedly positive outlook for 2022.
Ruston agreed, saying that “I’m excited for the future of Moose Jaw. 2022 is gonna be a smokin’ good year.”
