Surrey Board of Trade

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James Stewart
46th President of the Surrey Board of Trade

A lot has happened since my friend and predecessor, Inde Sumal, started his term as President a year ago.   Looking back, it seems at first that the world then was a different place.  But, of course, it really wasn’t.  It was the same world, but at that time, many had yet to reap the bitter fruit that had been sown throughout that world by over-confident managers of enterprises as large as some countries, and by many of the rest who were blinded by their apparent good fortune.  Unlucky?  Not really.  Unwise is more like it.

But there was also sweet fruit sown and we will benefit from that.  There have been wise managers and careful planners and we will benefit from their wisdom and their caution.  We are benefiting from their wisdom and their caution.  Of course there are difficulties and all is not sweetness and light, but Canada is better off than most of the industrialized world and Surrey is better off than most of Canada.

We have leadership in this City.  We have a strong and charismatic Mayor.  We have an energetic council.  We have an able and talented City staff working in concert with and believing in the vision of the Mayor and council.

With the election behind us, we have stability on the provincial front and a record number of MLAs representing our community in Victoria.  We have MPs with the ear of the federal government to champion our concerns in Ottawa.

We have the largest school district in the Province and two universities, SFU and Kwantlen Polytechnic, to lead our children into the future.

And we have the leadership of the Surrey Board of Trade.  As a business organization the Board of Trade has evolved over the last few years, and it continues to evolve as the community it represents grows and develops and becomes more and more sophisticated.  We have a focused and able CEO.  Is anyone more involved than Anita Huberman?  We have a dedicated and talented staff.  Due to the efforts of past-Presidents and Boards, we have a strategic plan based on four pillars that is as strong and relevant now as it was when it was first adopted 2 years ago.  And we have an exciting new Board of Directors with the expertise and connections and drive to serve in this complex time.

The Surrey Board of Trade is a valuable resource – not only for members, but for the whole community.  It is an advocate for business and for the community in which that business operates, since the two cannot be separated.  The Surrey Board of Trade is proactive and reactive.  It is connected.  The networking and other benefits that it offers are more important than ever in these interesting times.

But remember – the Surrey Board of Trade is a tool.  It is a tool for you, and as many of your friends and associates as possible, to use.  If you don’t use it, much of what it has to offer will be lost to you.  You need to participate.  The more you put in, the more you will get out.   Take advantage.  Come to events.  Join committees.  Take classes.  Get others to join.

These are interesting and challenging times, but I believe that we have strong leadership in a strong community and that we will prosper.  I believe that the future does live here. 
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