(Image Credit: BC Chamber of Commerce / YouTube)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

PANDEMIC BUSINESS NAVIGATION

BC Chamber of Commerce Director highlights importance of communication, advocacy during pandemic

May 31, 2020 | 2:14 PM

KAMLOOPS — In the midst of a period of economic uncertainty during a global pandemic, a Kamloops woman has taken on a new leadership role for B.C business advocacy.

Aleece Laird has been at the helm of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce in the past, and was vice-chair of the B.C Chamber last year. Now, her involvement in the provincial scope of business has grown, as she was recently sworn-in as the Chair of Board of Directors with the B.C Chamber of Commerce.

On a regular basis, the B.C Chamber of Commerce relays surveyed information to the provincial government, and advocates for businesses and policy improvements, but Laird says that role has been even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it’s really an opportunity that I’m embracing because it actually really signifies the important change and work that Chambers can do, and boards of trade around the province,” she says, “So for me, it’s one where we can actually really show the value of the Chamber and what it can do to help businesses not only survive through these next weeks, months, and years ahead, but really to help those businesses thrive.”

Aleece Laird, now sworn in as Director of the B.C Chamber of Commerce. (Image Credit: BC Chamber of Commerce / Facebook)

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Taking on a larger leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic means staying on top of communication with businesses, governments, and the public. Laird is well-suited for that kind of engagement, given her background in communications with her company – Amplify Consulting Inc.

Lately, Laird says she’s noticed more and more businesses working to boost their communication to customers, and gather more feedback from their clients.

“So they are finding out in real time from their customers, ‘What is it going to take to make you feel safe to shop here again?’,” She notes, “It’s going to make business maybe a little more difficult, but I think it’s actually going to culturally open the lines of communication even that much more between the business owner and the customer, and I think that’s a really good thing.”

With further developments in the Chamber’s information gathering and advocacy role, Laird says their online survey system, BC MindReader, has helped them understand business challenges around B.C.

“This platform really allows us to engage with businesses across British Columbia instantly essentially. Get their feedback, and help government make the changes that they need to to some of the current programs that they have.”

The Chamber had conducted three of these surveys this spring, and Laird says those were useful in relaying to the province how impactful the pandemic had been on businesses.

Minimum wage in British Columbia is set to rise to $14.60 an hour tomorrow (June 1), as part of the provincial government’s pledge to eventually bring the rate to $15.00 an hour. With that, Laird says they’ve heard from many businesses who would have preferred to wait on this hike until the economic situation improves.

“Our members are telling us that they understand this. There is some understanding, but they need it to be rolled out in a way that they can actually plan for.” She explains, “Obviously it makes it a lot more difficult in the economic environment in which we find ourselves in now, but that’s really what businesses have told us throughout our surveys and the information that they were sharing.”

In the last few weeks, Phase Two of re-opening of B.C’s economy has proven to be tricky for businesses to navigate. According to Laird, the most recent MindReader survey found that only 26 percent of businesses surveyed said that they were well prepared to restart, and were able to open and be profitable.

“75 per cent of the businesses surveyed said that attracting customers was going to be their biggest challenge. 49 per cent said that having enough operating cash for expenses was going to be their biggest challenge. And then 31 per cent said (the challenge) will be to meet safety standards.”

Laird said many business owners are willing to meet the new safety standards, but are struggling to find a feasible way to do so, particularly with bringing in adequate protective gear.

Moving forward, Laird hopes to lead the B.C Chamber, and local bodies of the Chamber network to listen and communicate even more than they have in the past, to develop strategies to make it out of the pandemic on top.