L to R: Tamara Gorin, Owner, Western Sky Books, within the Downtown PoCo BIA; Leslie Courchesne, CEO, Tri-Cities Chamber; Matt LeRoy, Board Chair, Downtown PoCo BIA; Jennifer McKinnon, Executive Director, Downtown PoCo BIA; Nicole Lauzon, Membership Manager, Tri-Cities Chamber
(PORT COQUITLAM) November 7, 2022 — The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce is welcoming close to 300 member businesses from the Downtown Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association (BIA), thanks to a joint membership agreement between the two organizations.
"The Chamber and the Downtown PoCo BIA have been excellent partners over the years, supporting our local businesses and enhancing local prosperity," said Leslie Courchesne, CEO, Tri-Cities Chamber. "I am thrilled we are bringing all BIA members on board so they can leverage the robust services, advocacy, benefits, resources, and connections that our Chamber has to offer. My sincerest thanks to the Downtown PoCo BIA leadership team for working with us on this groundbreaking partnership."
"As an advocate for the business community in Downtown Port Coquitlam as well as being a six-year board member with the Tri-Cities Chamber, I know the value of a Chamber membership but also how hard additional memberships for small business and solopreneurs can be," said Jennifer McKinnon, Executive Director, Downtown PoCo BIA. "This collaboration not only gives membership benefit opportunities to our businesses that may not otherwise be able to afford or prioritize it, but it creates a great opportunity for the Chamber and its members to experience a more diverse membership. The BIA is proud to offer our members this one-of-a-kind collaborative membership to enhance their visibility and participation in the Tri-Cities and expand their business network.”
"As small businesses, we have to make tough choices about which business groups and associations to join," said Tamara Gorin, Owner, Western Sky Books, within the BIA. "This new partnership will allow Downtown PoCo BIA members access to the benefits of the Chamber, which can only strengthen and support us as a small business community."
The new BIA members will grow the Tri-Cities Chamber to surpass 1,000 member organizations for the first time in its 50-year history, placing it among the top five largest Chambers and Boards of Trade in the province.
The BIA and Chamber worked together on this new partnership for the BIA to purchase a group membership with the Chamber at no additional cost to BIA member businesses. BIA members who are existing members of the Chamber can opt to transfer into the complimentary group membership.
The Downtown PoCo BIA area includes both sides of Shaughnessy Street from Lougheed Highway to Wilson Avenue, extending further to the northwest at Marpole, Elgin, Kingsway and Lougheed, and the area bounded by Shaughnessy, Kingsway, Mary Hill and Wilson. View the BIA boundaries map here.
This new membership agreement is for two years, through to October 2024.
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Since 1971, the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce has been the largest business association serving Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore, and Belcarra, now representing 1,000+ organizations from every sector. The Chamber works to foster economic development, provide connections and benefits, and influence public policy at all levels of government to ensure strong business and strong communities. The Tri-Cities Chamber is an active member of the BC and Canadian Chambers of Commerce.
For more information, contact:
Leslie Courchesne, Chief Executive Officer
Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce
ceo@tricitieschamber.com
604.468.6870