Strategic Planning has been a long-time business practice of The Brampton Board of Trade that is taken very seriously. At the beginning of each fiscal year, Governing Council and management dedicate a significant amount of time towards strategic planning, including developing and updating our plan, or focusing on specific aspects of the plan.

The Brampton Board of Trade’s 2002 Strategic Plan stimulated many new programs, services and initiatives including: the Early Morning Trade Show networking program (that received an Ontario Chamber of Commerce Award for best new program or initiative); new cost savings and affinity programs; new committees such as the Business Development Committee and Multicultural Committee; new strategic relationships with organizations where there were mutual interests; and the governance and committee structure of The Brampton Board of Trade was strengthened. We also worked on programs to increase the profile of The Brampton Board of Trade in our community; and enhanced policy advocacy initiatives on issues such as the Highway 410 extension; hospital development; preservation of employment lands, downtown revitalization, and more.

Over the past year, your Governing Council and management has once again gone through a very extensive organizational review process that has culminated in a renewed Strategic Plan for The Brampton Board of Trade.

The new Strategic Plan (that can be found on our website at www.bramptonbot.com) confirmed six key service areas for our organization: Member Relations; Advocacy and Policy Management; Business Relations; External and Government Relations; Community Relations; and Administrative Management. These will be the areas where we will focus our personnel, volunteers, and financial resources.

We have developed new Vision and Mission Statements that will always be kept at the fore of everything we do:

Vision – The Brampton business community will be a thriving, vibrant and diverse economic force.

Mission - The Brampton Board of Trade will proactively serve the interests of its members and the business community in Brampton through advocacy and business development.
In discussing our key service areas, we created and prioritized five Strategic Goals:
1. Provide services and programs to meet the diverse needs of the membership
• Lead and support the development of relevant and timely programs and services
• Provide information and resources that will support businesses
• Create and implement a process to assess membership and business needs
• Develop and implement a process for evaluating each program and service

2. Be a leader in advocacy and on policy issues that affect Brampton businesses
• Actively influence policy issues at all levels of government that impact business
• Engage business in the identification of key policy issues
• Promote the employment integration of immigrants
• Promote improvement of transportation

3. Increase awareness and profile of The Brampton Board of Trade
• Strengthen the membership recruitment and retention strategy
• Strengthen communication vehicles
• Enhance The Brampton Board of Trade’s presence in the media
• Communicate successes more effectively
• Strengthen The Brampton Board of Trade’s presence in the multicultural business community

4. Enhance strategic partnerships and alliances
• Work in partnership with existing and new business associations
• Assess and align current and future partnerships and alliances

5. Strengthen the overall performance of The Brampton Board of Trade
• Develop a member satisfaction measurement program
• Ensure financial sustainability
• Enhance operational effectiveness
• Ensure documentation of policies and processes
• Attract and retain high performing employees

For each of these Strategic Goals and sub-goals, very specific projects and initiatives are being identified, that will be regularly monitored and tracked for progress. All decisions and activities of The Brampton Board of Trade, from Governing Council, committees, management and staff, will be measured against the Plan.

All new initiatives must fit within the service areas and goals of the strategic plan.

Hopefully Brampton Board of Trade members and potential members alike will appreciate the value of this organization having such a strong and effective Strategic Plan that meets the long-term needs of this organization to be self-sustainable and relevant, and meets the needs of our members and our diverse business community.

We continue to welcome your input and feedback on how we can make your Brampton Board of Trade better – write us, send us an email, give us a call, or come for a visit.

Wayne Waters is President of The Brampton Board of Trade and is the Operations Manager at Waters & McDonald Associates, 31 Stafford Dr.; Tel: 905-459-0373; Email wayne.waters@watmc.com.