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One of the great benefits of beingthe President of the Chamber isthe opportunity to meet with and listen to members of the business community, politicians and residents of Halton Hills. Over the past 3 months of my presidency, it has been a privilege to share the Chambers new strategic plan with our members, in addition to gaining a better understanding of the issues that our community is facing. What I have heard is that there are a number of matters that are of importance to us all the environment, the growth and sustainability of our community, customer service and opportunities for our youth. The Chambers role is to link business and community and we take this responsibility seriously. As a Chamber, we make available information and create opportunities for discussion and debate, by fostering diversity of opinion and open, honest, transparent dialogue. I believe that growth and change is inevitable. However, we, as businesses and residents of this town can influence the pace and nature of this growth. We must take accountability to understand the issues, to help find solutions and to take action to effectively manage this change. The reality of our current limited water supply is a perfect example of this. The Town continually struggles to meet the growing service needs of our business and residential community. Conservation must form part of the solution to help accommodate the growing service needs of our town. Customer service was also highlighted as an area of concern. I have personally received great service from local merchants. I believe in shopping locally and I show my appreciation for great service by being a repeat customer. As consumers, we should not have to compromise the convenience of shopping locally. If you receive great service from a local merchant, tell us about it. The Chamber regularly takes the opportunity to celebrate great customer service in our community through our selection of the Business of the Month. The Chamber also provides opportunities for youth by making Junior Achievement programs available to students from Grade 3 to Grade 12. The youth of today are our leaders of tomorrow. Through the JA programs, our Achievers learn the fundamentals of business and are provided with the opportunity to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit. The Chamber remains deeply rooted in the community, from Acton to Georgetown and all the hamlets in between. We represent the voice of the business community and work hard to strike an appropriate balance between where we live and where we work. As a Chamber, we are seeking your input. The opinions from both the business community and the residents of Halton Hills are important to us and we want to understand your issues and concerns. Tell us - what do you want your Halton Hills to be? I look forward to your comments, which can be sent to me at jamie@haltonhillschamber.on.ca. I want to hear from you. Jamie Schumacker, President, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce A Quarterly Official Publication of Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce 328 Guelph Street, Halton Hills, ON L7G 4B5 Tel 905.877.7119 Fax 905.877.5117 Email info@haltonhillschamber.on.ca www.haltonhillschamber.on.ca Editorial Committee Editor: Cor Baarda, Knowledge Management Business Resources: Beverley King, Halton Hills Public Library Chamber News: Sue Walker, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce Whats News: Cor Baarda, Knowledge Management Features: Marnie Hughes, Communication Artistry Graphic Artist: Amanda Zylstra, Studio 19 New Members: Wendy Hue, Partners In Progress Production & Printing, The Independent & Free Press Steve Foreman, Director of Advertising, Dolores Black, Production Assembly, Horizon Packaging BusinessLink is the official publication of Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce. Unsolicited material is not eligible for payment. Opinions expressed are those of the author, not necessarily those of the Chamber, its Board of Directors or its membership. It is distributed free to all Chamber members and through The Independent & Free Press. Neilsons Dairy has beenrecognized as a leaderin a variety of areas over the past twenty-five years. As a member of the Mayors Green Task Force initiative, Neilsons are continuing that reputation for leadership by spearheading new and effective environmental initiatives. Going green is a good connection point with employees, says Mike Cote, VP Logistics. They are forward-thinking and concern for the environment is something that has always been part of their lives. Environmental responsibility is a regular part of communication with employees. Neilsons Dairy recently underwent a major retrofitting to install a high efficiency lighting system in order to systematically control the lights and HVAC systems. With the high efficiency fixtures (T8s) combined with timed control, the company has already seen benefits. Energy costs have decreased but not just because of lights turning off when people leave the room and during down times. In refrigerated areas, the high efficiency lights give off substantially less heat, meaning the cooling system doesnt have to work as hard and thereby saving energy. The retrofit was a two and a half month project that is not only saving the company money, but is having a positive effect on employees. They say that their work environment is brighter now and that makes their work area more pleasant. Neilsons is working with their vendor community to reduce packaging and improve efficiencies in production processes. The benefits of going green and being environmentally conscious are having the positive side effect of reducing costs. For example, the thickness of the bags used for milk has been reduced year over year significantly decreasing what hits the landfill. Neilsons were also proud supporters of the Porch Light program providing 1500 homes with compact fluorescent light bulbs helping Halton Hills residents save on their energy bills. Mike would recommend to any business, large or small, to consider looking at their environmental footprint and developing a sustainability plan. To those who are intimidated by the potential vastness of any green initiative, Mike advises, Take one thing at a time and run with it. Environmental consciousness is here to stay. Embrace it. If you dont know where to start, begin by asking questions. Your vendors can be a wealth of information. Do research about your industry on the internet. Join committees or groups of like-minded individuals to help put a plan together. Find conferences to attend and learn everything that you can. Part of the Neilson plan over the coming years is to take a close look at their water consumption. They are actively looking for ways to improve in this area. Education is a key part of the scope document on sustainability and reduction goals must be practical and achievable. The document will outline the kinds of things that they can do within their control and they will share it with their employees, vendors, and customers. Neilsons is the largest dairy plant in Canada providing fluid milk since 1981. They are one of the largest employers in Halton Hills delivering to all of southwestern Ontario and as far north as Barrie. Neilsons Dairy Goes Green BusinessLink, Wednesday, January 16, 2008 3 Jamie Schumacker President Were on board! By Marnie Hughes, Communication Artistry Neilsons Dairy