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“Truly, we are excited by our progress and look to the horizon with great enthusiasm and renewed confidence.” CEO Iain Black’s Year in Review, pg. 4
AUGUST 2014 • VOLUME 54 • NUMBER 7
Board looks ahead at 127th AGM
THIS ISSUE WestJet CEO touches down at VBOT · 2 Board weighs in on Granville Island’s future · 2
YWCA Metro Vancouver CEO Janet Austin sworn in as new VBOT Chair BY GREG HOEKSTRA
Lower Mainland chambers release landmark report · 3
Minister Shirley Bond on LNG opportunities · 7 Minister James Moore on internal trade barriers · 7 VBOT stands behind Vancouver Aquarium · 9 Insights from McKinsey’s Dominic Barton · 11 @boardoftrade /VancouverBoardofTrade
boardoftrade.com
It was a celebration 127 years in the making. On June 20, more than 200 members of The Vancouver Board of Trade gathered at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel for the organization’s 127th Annual General Meeting, aptly titled “A Celebration of Successes.” The event began with a formal business portion, during which the 2014-15 slate of directors was elected, the audited financial statements were approved, and Janet Austin, CEO of YWCA Metro Vancouver, was officially sworn in as Chair for the next 12 months. Fo l l ow i n g t h e b u s i n e s s portion, members moved to the foyer for a premier networking reception, which included live music by the Scott Robertson Trio, a photo booth by Butter Studios, and a chocolate tasting station provided by Purdy’s Chocolates. The AGM’s present-
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ing sponsor was CN. The Vancouver Board of Trade’s President and CEO, Iain Black, welcomed guests to the annual event, before outgoing Chair Elio Luongo took the stage, to reflect on the many successes of 2013-14. In his speech, Luongo recalled some of the past year’s highprofile speakers — including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Leader of the Liberal Party of
Canada Justin Trudeau, and former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton — as well as our historic merger with the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce. Luongo also reiterated that The Vancouver Board of Trade signed up a “staggering” 1,006 new members in 2013-14, growing our new members for the first time in years. “What does all this mean?
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It means that The Vancouver Board of Trade has some serious momentum at the moment,” concluded Luongo. He then called Austin to the stage, to formally pass over the ceremonial gavel, and officially kick off the 2014-15 year of The Vancouver Board of Trade. To read Austin’s priorities for the coming year, turn to page 5. For a photo spread from the 127th AGM, turn to page 10.
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Janet Austin, CEO of YWCA Metro Vancouver, speaks to members of The Vancouver Board of Trade after being sworn in as 2014-15 Chair on June 20. More photos on page 10. Photo by Butter Studios
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