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ns id eh al to n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 8, 20 18 | 24 NEWS Former chamber president says he loved the unique glimpse of the world the job gave him John Sawyer gives advice to successor DAVID LEA dlea@oakvillebeaver.com After more than a de­ cade of bringing prime ministers, premiers and other high profile people to Oakville to meet the local business community, Oak­ ville Chamber of Com­ merce president John Saw­ yer is calling it a career. In a press release issued Jan. 19 the chamber an­ nounced Sawyer, their president of 12 years would be retiring. Former Queen's Park adviser Drew Redden as­ sumed the role Feb. 5, how­ ever, Sawyer will stay on until the end of March to help with the transition. Chamber staff have said that under Sawyer's leader­ ship the chamber has grown to more than 1,200 member companies that collectively employ more than 42,000 people. He has also received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal; been recognized by local rotary clubs as a Paul Harris Fellow and been named Chamber Executive of the Year for 2017 by the chamber executives in Canada. With that in mind why leave now? "We've all seen politi­ cians who run in one too many elections, actors who do one too many movies and athletes who stay one too many seasons," said Sawyer. "I had made up my mind a while ago to go out when we were on top. When ev­ erything was really good and I could turn it over to someone when everything was in good shape. That's us right now." Sawyer also said he wants to spend more time with his family including his wife Marianne and his three-year-old grandson. "I don't want to lose that time," he said. "At the same time it is really hard to leave. It real­ ly is because I love what I do." Sawyer's path to the chamber was a winding one. Following his gradua­ tion from Sheridan College the longtime Oakville resi­ dent worked in design in a variety of print shops and even did communications work for the research and development department of the Ministry of Trans­ portation. After that Sawyer worked 15 years for the Jim Patterson Group in posi­ tions ranging from region­ al manager to vice presi­ dent and beyond. The skills he gained during those years in the areas of advocacy work, public speaking, presenta- John Sawyer tion development and com­ munity relations, made Sawyer an obvious choice when the role for Oakville Chamber of Commerce president became avail­ able. Sawyer talked about what he loves about thejob noting it gives him the op­ portunity to serve the com­ munity and meet amazing people while staying en­ gaged with the business community. "I really think we help build a better community," said Sawyer. "The other thing I like is the behind the scenes look I get at how things work . I get a unique glimpse at the world." Sawyer used the exam­ ple of Michael Ignatieff who spoke to the Oakville chamber shortly after be­ ing elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. The former chamber president said Ignatieff was a gracious guest who began his visit by thanking all the volunteers who made the event possible. During his speech, how­ ever, Sawyer said Ignatieff failed to tailor his message to the business oriented audience he was speaking to. "I thought then, 'It's not quite resonating with the audience.' Later on as you watched him through his leadership, that was his problem. He couldn't con­ nect with people," said Sawyer. "We got an inside glimpse at that." Ignatieff would ulti­ mately lead the Liberals to a crushing defeat in 2011. When asked about his proudest moment Sawyer reflected on pulling off a 2010 event hosting then fed­ eral finance minister Jim Flaherty. Sawyer noted word that Flaherty could attend came at the last minute giv­ ing Sawyer and his staff just three working days to promote the event and make the necessary ar­ rangements. He said chamber staff worked through their weekend to make it hap­ pen, but the end result was an audience of 500 people attending the event. Sawyer said Flaherty himself was amazing, tell­ ing Sawyer that because of the allotted time he had on­ ly expected a small event of 50-60 people. Another point of pride was getting then prime minister Stephen Harper to speak at a chamber event in Oakville in 2006. Sawyer noted this, to the best of his knowledge, was the first time a sitting prime minister had ever come to Oakville. He said another thing he likes about the job is that it allows him to help people by bringing them together with other people for their mutual benefit. One example of this was when he was able to bring then Ontario premier Dal­ ton McGuinty and then Ford Canada CEO David Mondragon together to talk about the auto indus­ try at the time of the eco­ nomic downturn. The meeting, which took place in the chamber boardroom was supposed to last 15 minutes, but went for nearly an hour- much to the chagrin of McGuinty's staff who needed to get the premier to other events. "I'd like to think that those connections we helped make helped get us through that very difficult time," said Sawyer. When asked how a chamber in a mid-sized community like Oakville with a relatively small business base could pull in the high profile visitors it has, Sawyer noted, "You have to ask." Having chamber mem­ bers like Ford and Tim Hortons also goes a long way to help Oakville punch above its weight says Saw­ yer who listed his ability to build relationships as an­ other secret to his success. What comes next for Sawyer is currently up in the air. Depending on the wish­ es of the new chamber president Sawyer may stick around in a behind the scenes capacity possi­ bly doing business devel­ opment or government re­ lations work for the cham­ ber. Beyond that Sawyer says he's not sure what comes next, noting he plans to take some time off to figure that out. "I'll get engaged with something. I don't know what it is yet," he said. "I have all kinds of op­ portunities in front of me . There will be a little bit of travel, but I actually like to be home. I am most at rest when I am at home." Sawyer said he would miss the staff at the cham­ ber. When asked if he has any advice for Redden he had this to say. "You will constantly be pulled in a hundred direc­ tions and it is vitally impor­ tant you stay focused," said Sawyer. "Don't try to be all things to all people. Do a few things really well." Oakville chamber announces new president Former Queen's Park adviser Drew Redden chosen as new chamber president The Oakville Chamber of Commerce has an­ nounced the appointment of Drew Redden as its new president. In a press release issued Feb. 5, the chamber said Redden would start imme­ diately, succeeding long­ time president John Saw­ yer. "We are very pleased to make this appointment," said Ken Nevar, chair of the board of the Oakville cham­ ber. "Drew has a strong back­ ground in strategic commu­ nications and government relations, and is passionate about our business commu­ nity. We know he will con­ tinue building on the Oak­ ville chamber's strong foun­ dation." Chamber staff said Red­ den brings a variety of pub­ lic and private sector experi­ ence to the role of president of the Oakville chamber. He previously served as a senior adviser to a cabinet minister at Queen's Park. He was also the Ontario lead for community rela­ tions at CN Rail. Chamber staff noted that in his past roles, Redden was engaged with chambers of commerce and boards of trade throughout the prov­ ince. "I am very excited to join the award-winning Oakville Chamber of Commerce and have the opportunity to work with the staff, board of directors and volunteers of this impressive organiza­ tion," said Redden. "I look forward to meet­ ing with our members and the chamber's many com­ munity partners over the coming months, as we set our priorities to build on the legacy left by John Sawyer. We will be focused on ensuring that the Oak­ ville Chamber of Com­ merce remains a leading voice in the chamber net­ work across Ontario and Canada." Oakville Chamber of Commerce President Drew Redden mailto:dlea@oakvillebeaver.com 24 NEWS Former chamber president says he loved the unique glimpse of the world the job gave him