Members of the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce joined returning President Dan Kutcher and the 2017 board of directors to mark the beginning of a new Chamber business year at the annual President’s Dinner January 23rd.
Dan and incoming VP Sean Aylward, owner of The Humble Barber, were sworn in before a crowd of about 120.
Also on the agenda were Jeff Poirier, president of Vector Aerospace, Engine Services – Atlantic and former Summerside mayor Basil Stewart.
Journal Pioneer: Returning Summerside chamber president, says group on cusp of interesting things
Jeff provided his audience with an overview of how the company’s emphasis on core values, quality measures and employee engagement has fueled its growth from a humble start of 6 employees to a global business with 680 employees.
“We all understand that if a wheel falls off a car, it can have disastrous consequences. But if an engine falls off a plane, that’s a much more serious situation” he said. “Consequently, our employees are totally immersed in our culture of quality and that’s been a big factor in our growth.”
He also spoke of the company’s role in the community, noting many of the 475 employees at the Summerside location are from the Island. “This is where our employees live, raise their families, shop and enjoy their free time,” he said. “It’s important to us that we give back to our own community.”
Basil Stewart was awarded the Chamber’s Lifetime Member award. The Chamber board has the discretion to make this award each year to someone who has made a substantial contribution to the growth and well-being of our economic community. Basil is well known for long-term his role as the City’s mayor and has been recognized many times over the years for the work he has done on a variety of special task forces and committees including induction to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Honour Roll, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and Summerside Citizen of the year.
Thanks to our sponsor Cox & Palmer for their continued support of our Chamber.