Why Every Okotoks Business Owner Needs the Chamber of Commerce

What does it take to build a thriving local economy from the inside out? 

Carlin Lutzer sits down with Dawn LeMaistre, Executive Director of the Okotoks and District Chamber of Commerce, for an eye-opening conversation about the power of community commerce and local connection. 

Dawn walks Carlin through why every business owner in Okotoks should be plugged into the Chamber, how its 400-plus members support one another, and the surprising scope of advocacy work happening behind the scenes. 

From saving struggling businesses to influencing provincial highway decisions, this episode reveals that the Chamber is far more than a networking club. 

For anyone building a business or building a life in Okotoks, this conversation is essential listening.

Listen for:

1:28 Why should every Okotoks business owner consider joining the Chamber of Commerce?

5:16 How has Chamber membership helped struggling Okotoks businesses turn things around?

7:51 What events and programs does the Okotoks Chamber run throughout the year?

11:36 How does the Chamber advocate for Okotoks businesses at municipal and provincial levels?

18:26 What does Carlin's gym membership analogy reveal about getting real value from the Chamber?

Connect with Guest: Dawn LeMaistre, Executive Director, Okotoks and District Chamber of Commerce
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Connect with Carlin

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Transcript

Announcer

(00:00)

This is the Okotoks Podcast, rolling in like the Big Rock and sponsored by Carlin Lutzer Real Estate.

Carlin Lutzer

(00:17)

If you're a small business owner in Okotoks, you've probably asked yourself this at some point. What's the point? What's the point of joining the Chamber of Commerce? Is it just another membership fee? Another logo on a website? Another monthly meeting I don't have time for? Will my business actually benefit? Will I make real connections? Will it help me grow? Or is it just something you're supposed to do as a local business? Today on the Okotoks Podcast, we're having that exact conversation. I sit down with Dawn LeMaistre from the Okotoks and District Chamber of Commerce to unpack what the chamber really does. We talk about networking, advocacy, real success stories, cost-saving benefits, and how local businesses in this community quietly support one another more than you think. If you're an entrepreneur, a side hustler, or a seasoned business owner wondering whether membership is worth it, this episode is for you.

(01:23)

Let's dig in. Dawn, thank you for joining me again.

Dawn LeMaistre

(01:26)

Well, thank you for having me, Carlin.

Carlin Lutzer

(01:28)

Yes. And Dawn, because I am a small business owner, I'm kind of ashamed to say, I guess, that I've only been a part of the chamber for two months, but I'm wondering if we can have a little bit of a conversation where you can kind of walk me through why you think business owners in Okotoks need to be a part of the Okotoks and District Chamber of Commerce.

Dawn LeMaistre

(01:54)

Absolutely. I mean, it's ... Where do I start? I guess start with the fact of just the simple making connections and the opportunity for collaboration as probably the big piece right off the hop. People look to us and kind of are asking, "Well, market my business, help me sell my business, help me grow my business." We'll give you all kinds of opportunities through networking events, registered events, different activities that you can do that. But as the business owner or the business leader, you're going to have to put in the work to do it. So we're here to be a platform, but definitely allow you to create new and fun connections, new guests that can come to your business or come on your podcast and just help you make connections, look at collaboration. So you may have somebody that you can do business with, that your business can support their business or vice versa, and just create awareness because we have so many unique little businesses here in Okotoks that people aren't even aware are even there.

(02:59)

So if you're looking for a carpenter or electrician or something like that, you've got your big ones, you've got your Bold Electrics, your Quigley Electrics and all that kind of stuff, but there's probably another 20 to 30 sole proprietors with maybe one or two staff that are working out of their shop on their acreage that do an amazing job as well and are able to help support the local community. So we're just here to kind of create that awareness piece. So that's where I would think someone like yourself, Carlin, where you're looking to grow your business and you're just getting started, that's probably a big piece of it — just creating the awareness that your business is here in our community and what you do while you're here.

Carlin Lutzer

(03:45)

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I was surprised when you said that there are over 400 businesses a part of the Chamber of Commerce.

Dawn LeMaistre

(03:54)

Yes. We have over 1,800 businesses in Okotoks. I believe about 60% of those businesses are home-based businesses. So when you look at the business number from a brick-and-mortar standpoint, it's not as high as that 1,800, but we do have over 400 members now with us here at the chamber. It's the highest we've been in a couple of decades. So it's pretty cool and it allows the opportunity ... The more our membership grows, the more opportunity for the members there are. And I think that's one piece that people miss is, well, I don't see the value in it. Well, if you and a hundred other people don't see the value, well, that's a hundred businesses that we don't get the opportunity to learn about and be a part of collaborative pieces and different things like that. So yeah, I mean, that's kind of a different way to look at it — making sure that people know what's here and just giving that opportunity for everybody to learn about what you do.

Carlin Lutzer

(04:52)

Right. Just for someone that's listening, do you have an example? Now this is really putting you on the spot, Dawn, I didn't ask you about this, but do you have an example, a story to share of a local business owner that maybe was struggling a little bit and then decided to join the Chamber of Commerce and because of the connections that they made, it actually kind of grew their business a bit?

Dawn LeMaistre

(05:16)

I wouldn't want to say one specific business or anything like that. Certainly we have all kinds of really cool little stories around how chamber membership has benefited businesses. But one example — I know we were at a business and they were brand new, decided to host one of our networking social events and we're kind of all standing around. They're talking about the struggles they're having with their business structure and they're just trying to create some more awareness, which is why we were there helping them with the social. And we had, I think, about 30 people there. And out of those 30 people, there was probably about 15 suggestions from other business owners and leaders of, "Hey, have you thought about doing this with your business?" Or, "Here's an opportunity that maybe you can get into this path to utilize your same space, but create some additional revenue by subleasing or contracting out or partnering with," or "Yeah, we're looking to do this, so how about we partner on this piece?" So it really is all about the conversations.

(06:18)

And we had a business owner go from looking potentially at closing the doors within the next two or three weeks to making a go of it and continuing on with their business and it being successful. So yeah, those happy stories are out there all the time, but I think it's also learning about how to work on your business, not just in your business. And there's so many people that don't understand the difference and can't get out of being in the business to be able to work on it. So sometimes it just takes a room full of business leaders and owners to have some conversation of, "Well, I did this last week and I left my lead hand in charge of doing everything and you know what? It turned out all right." Or, "I need to give them some more tools. They don't have this. Does anybody have any suggestions?

(07:08)

And has anyone done anything?" Staffing struggles is a constant conversation that our members have when they're connecting with each other. So yeah, it's just trying to figure out the landscape for what the Okotoks business community — what the beat is — and then how you can work within that beat as well.

Carlin Lutzer

(07:26)

Right. I know I've only been a part of the chamber for a couple of months and it's already amazing to me just how many events the chamber puts on, little things and big things. On a kind of a higher level, can you tell us a few things that you guys do throughout the year and that you guys are a part of?

Dawn LeMaistre

(07:51)

You bet. Well, last year alone, we did 19 free networking sessions throughout the year. We're on target to do probably close to 26 to 30 this year. So that's a great opportunity. No registration, no financial commitment. Just come and go as you please, highlighting different businesses throughout the town. So getting an opportunity to support those businesses while we're there doing the networking with them. We have moved to kind of a — I guess it's five signature events throughout the year. So we kick off the year with our Trade and Lifestyle Show that'll happen up at the Okotoks Recreation Centre on April 25th and 26th, and we'll bring over 200 plus vendors on the trade show as well as the artisan market side to that show space. And for anybody who's been to that show, we're completely flipping it on its head and giving it a new brand, and it's going to be a great outdoor fun time with live entertainment, beer gardens, and a whole bunch of outdoor activities as well with the trade show.

(08:54)

So it won't be one to miss. And then we're hosting two golf tournaments this year. One is a charity golf tournament in support of 18-plus nonprofit charities, and then a corporate tournament that'll support our youth scholarship program. And then we do our small business week where we have a full one-day conference. We bring in guest speakers and panelists to help do personal and professional development for our business leaders in the community. And then we have a really fun little Christmas social that we try to get everybody engaged with before the holiday season. And then we do all kinds of things in between. So we have like nine innings at the Dogs games and we try to get to the Okotoks Oilers games and just different activities. Any time we can have an opportunity to bring people together to collaborate, we do our best to do that for them.

Carlin Lutzer

(09:37)

Yeah, absolutely. And even this week — and I'm sure by the time this airs, this will have already passed — is a breakfast basically with the mayor. Sorry to cut you off, but it's not just for members. Members do get a better rate than a non-member, but non-members can show up to these events as well.

Dawn LeMaistre

(09:57)

Absolutely. And that's a great way to kind of test and see if your membership is of value, right? So we always put on our registered events and offer a member rate and a non-member rate. But yeah, every year we get an opportunity to do the business town hall with the mayor and CAO. So it's coming up here — well, it depends when the podcast airs. It's on Tuesday, February 10th. And then we also did a meet and greet with the new mayor and council in January, which was a great opportunity to have our local business community get an opportunity to meet everybody. So we try to do those pieces together. We're also working on a collaborative event with MLA R.J. Sigurdsson and MP John Barlow, to have them in the same space at the same time to talk about what's happening in the Highwood and the Foothills constituencies here and just kind of do our part to be advocates for our business at all levels of government.

(10:47)

And that's kind of how we get involved to do that.

Carlin Lutzer

(10:50)

Yeah, right on. And you guys are also very involved with Light Up Okotoks, and then even the events after — this year you guys did basically the whole, I think it was like almost five or six weeks of weekend activities. Now I don't think, unfortunately, the weather wasn't the best. It would've been nice to have the weather we're having this winter, but yeah, it certainly doesn't go unnoticed. Now, I'm sure that there are some people that are even members right now that are kind of on the fence a little bit, again, regarding their membership. Maybe they're not fully aware of or feeling the need to take advantage of everything that the chamber offers. What would you say to those people, Dawn?

Dawn LeMaistre

(11:36)

A big piece about the chamber is it's not just about the events. The events are just extra opportunity for you to grow and make connections. We're really here in the best interest of business and our business community here locally in Okotoks and in the Foothills. So we advocate at municipal, provincial, and federal levels. Our big provincial push over the last four years has been the interchange at Highway 338 and Highway 2 right there by Integrity Post Structures and the Saskatoon Farm. So we've been pushing for four years every time we're in front of provincial government, which is two to three times a year through the Alberta Chambers. We get the opportunity to ask the question, so where's the project at? Is it in the budget? Of course, working with administration and the municipal team here locally to make sure that we're lobbying for what makes the most sense for the community and the plans up in that northeast manufacturing corridor that the town's looking to develop up there.

(12:32)

But yeah, it's really — I mean, it's pieces like that. At the federal level, we do a lot of stuff around ag and of course tariffs are a big topic with the federal government right now, as is interprovincial trade.

(12:44)

So just trying to make things easier for things like local breweries to be able to engage in interprovincial trade and not have to worry about shipping their product overseas right now and saving on those costs. So what people don't realize is the chamber is here to provide you with supports to do your business as cost-effectively and efficiently as you possibly can. So we have a ton of value-added partners that give you discounts if you're a chamber member for services — from group benefits plans to insurance, home, auto and business insurance, to Purolator shipping and Petro-Canada fuel cards and everything kind of in between. So if you really wanted to get the full value of a chamber membership, you would put all those pieces together. So use your value-added partners, get your discounts where you can to save your money. Most of the time you'll save enough money to make up for the cost of the chamber membership.

(13:41)

So it's a wash, or if not a win from a savings standpoint with our value-added partners. Again, understanding how we're here advocating for everybody. We did a lot of conversation with the economic development team in the town around the construction this past summer and how it was impacting the businesses. And of course, we will be right into the thick of things this summer with the next segment of the downtown revitalization and what that looks like and how it's going to impact the businesses there. So changes in signage bylaws, land use bylaws, different things like that — we propose policies to have them take a look at what changes could be made to make it better and easier for our business community to conduct business, or address limitations that they have, which could be on construction, renovation, new build, you name it.

(14:32)

So yeah, it's just — we work really closely with council and administration. Our board meets twice a year with the CAO and the mayor, as well as economic development, which meets with us at our board meetings every month. So we have direct contact with them. And then I myself meet with Elaine Vincent, the CAO, four times a year. So outside of just normal weekly conversations that we have, we have these opportunities to be at the table and actually have an agenda with items that need to be addressed and talked about that have been brought to us by the members and non-members. So one of the important pieces I would say is whether you're a member or not, the Okotoks Chamber is supporting you as a local business in Okotoks and the Foothills and we will continue to do that whether you cancel your membership, don't sign up as a member, or continue on as a member. But there's a lot of extras there that you can tap into if you do take the plunge like you did, Carlin, and become a member, and you should be able to reap the benefits sooner rather than later by doing it.

Carlin Lutzer

(15:33)

Right, for sure. No, well, you certainly educated me more today on everything that the chamber is involved in. And yeah, no, it certainly is something that I think is very crucial for people for networking purposes, to kind of keep a touch on what's going on in this community. The chamber is so valid and valuable to business owners. So we do thank you for what you guys are doing and everything that you guys are involved in. It's certainly a great thing that you guys are doing. So thank you, Dawn.

Dawn LeMaistre

(16:12)

Well, thank you. It's fun to be a part of the local community and watching it grow. It's incredible to talk to business owners as they're growing and expanding or moving locations or starting up. Nobody's more excited than an entrepreneur. The tricky part is nobody's more taxed and stressed than an entrepreneur. So that's what we're here to help with — taking some of those stresses away to be able to help them navigate through what life is like as an entrepreneur in our local business community.

Carlin Lutzer

(16:43)

Yeah. It is such a risk, obviously, taking a step out to start a business, but the rewards can be so great. And that's why — obviously one of the reasons why this podcast exists — is to highlight some of those businesses that people may not know about, or they want to know the story, they want to know what's going on.

Dawn LeMaistre

(17:07)

I think that's a piece that's super important about our unique and eclectic, cool little town — everybody loves the backstory. And if you have a story to tell, having a platform to be able to share that story with other business owners and entrepreneurs is a great opportunity for any business. So yeah, I mean, there's just so many cool little stories with respect to how businesses have ended up in our community, how businesses have survived in our community, and what businesses are looking to do in the future. So yeah, it's a pretty cool place to be a part of. And all the concerns of growth aside, growth is important and valuable. And I think it's a good thing that we allow our businesses to continue to grow, to be able to support our local community, because we want to keep them here shopping. We don't want them to go to the city because they don't feel they have the right amenities here to satisfy their needs.

(18:02)

So the more we can keep in tune with how our province is growing — not just our community — we're never going to be one of those big towns. Our community flare and uniqueness will never allow that. So don't worry about that. Just enjoy the local businesses that are around and take it all in while you can.

Carlin Lutzer

(18:21)

Absolutely. Dawn, thanks for your time today.

Dawn LeMaistre

(18:24)

My pleasure, Carlin. Thanks for having us again.

Carlin Lutzer

(18:26)

You bet. Being part of the Chamber of Commerce is a lot like having a gym membership. You don't get stronger just because you signed up. You don't build muscle because your name is on the roster. You benefit when you show up, when you go to the events, when you shake hands, when you ask for help, when you offer help, when you actually use the tools that are available to you. The chamber provides the equipment, the connections, the advocacy, the space to grow, but growth happens when you participate. If you're a business owner in Okotoks and you've been on the fence, maybe this is your nudge — not just to join something, but to engage in something — because this town thrives on collaboration. It thrives on shared stories and it thrives when entrepreneurs support one another. Thanks for listening to the Okotoks Podcast. If this episode brought you value, share it with another local business owner who might need to hear this.

(19:34)

And as always, keep building, keep connecting, and keep investing in this incredible community we call Okotoks.

Announcer

(19:43)

That's all from the Okotoks Podcast, where we keep it grounded just like the Big Rock. Thanks to Carlin Lutzer Real Estate for the support.