The Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce’s monthly mixer is on July 9 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Esquimalt Chamber office, 1249 Esquimalt Rd.
Non members are welcome to attend to learn more about Chamber activities and share new ideas, says Chamber Executive Director Adrian Andrew.
There are approximately 640 businesses in Esquimalt and roughly half of those are home-based, Andrew said. The Chamber currently has 170 members.
“There is a need for a Chamber, definitely a desire for a Chamber here,” said Andrew. “It’s just a matter of getting people in.”
He’s been on the job in Esquimalt for a year and his goal is to reach 195 members by the end of the year. “More and more people are seeing the potential of Esquimalt and more people are stepping up to do things,” he said. “Right now it’s like raw putty, you can mold it into whatever you wish.”
He also hopes the recent sale of the English Inn to Vancouver-based Aragon Properties will help boost economic growth.
“We just need one place to start and suddenly everybody else will be saying, ‘wait a minute, what does Aragon know about Esquimalt that we don’t know?’”
Andrew has been in Greater Victoria for years working in a variety of positions including at the Victoria Chamber of Commerce. Living and working in Esquimalt, he says is the best of both worlds.
“I love urban living but for me, everything in Esquimalt is not that far away. It’s a slower pace, I can walk everywhere – you can get to know people better.”
To learn more, call 250-590-2125 or go to esquimaltchamber.ca.