You're writing about business in Prince George.
300-800 words.
Guidelines but no strict rules of engagement.
Copy delivered by Tuesday for Thursday's column.
These instructions seem harmless for most people but delivered to someone like me, a blatant communications junkie/business professional/political enthusiast with a tendency to publically share too much with others and you've just created a recipe for...well, readership hopefully.
"Business in the Black" is a new column meant to provide readers with the word on the street when it comes to business in Prince George. This source for business news will be delivered to you by that ubiquitous and somewhat nebulous descriptor 'the voice of business', coined as such by the Chamber of Commerce network. In reality, the 'voice of business' behind the Wizard of Oz's curtain will be mine and I will do my best to represent the local news and announcements for more than 870 businesses that are part of our active Chamber membership.
You can expect to read announcements on businesses that have changed location, undergone a renovation, introduced a new product line or service, merged, or received public recognition. This column will also be your source for upcoming Chamber events, news and business workshops. For example, we consistently hear that the reputation and profile of Prince George is a barrier to doing business particularly as it pertains to employee recruitment. Never mind what outsiders say about Prince George, we need to recognize the potential of our city and the talented individuals that choose to live here. If we are going to change public perception, the second part to this equation is to proudly tell others why Prince George is desirable. To help the Chamber deliver this good news, if you know someone, under the age of 40 as of December 31, 2012, who you think is a bright light in our city make sure to nominate them for our 'Top 40 Under Forty' publication being printed in the fall and distributed throughout B.C. Nominees will be short listed based on a range of criteria including professional achievement, experience, innovation, leadership and community involvement. The nomination form is available on the Chamber homepage.
Complementing the general information that this column provides, I will also include opinions and news on topics facing the Prince George business community. There has been lots of buzz around the introduction of the PST legislation and what the tax transition will mean for local businesses. Several of our new Chamber members have never even existed under anything but the HST system and so transition rules and guidelines will be very important to them. If you are looking for information on how the recently announced tax changes will impact your business or industry, register for the next Chamber Speaker Series breakfast entitled "Return to PST" taking place on June 28 at the Ramada, sponsored by Deloitte and Touche. Guest speaker Angela Chang, senior manager in the Deloitte and Touche Indirect Tax Practice, will offer tips on how to prepare for the reinstatement the PST as well as suggest some strategies to help your business come out ahead.
As always, online registration for all Chamber events is available at www.pgchamber.bc.ca and if you've got business news or announcements to share, please feed them to me at [email protected] for inclusion in future columns.
Until then, stay in the black and keep coming back.
