Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of fourteen individuals. The Chair presides over a volunteer Board consisting of the Vice-Chair and 10 Directors. In addition, the immediate Past Chair, Chief Executive Officer and the Treasurer of the Chamber shall each be ex-officio members of the Board. Each member of the Board shall have one equal vote in any proceeding of the Board, other than the Chief Executive Officer who shall be a non-voting member of the Board. The Treasurer oversees the finances of the Chamber with an Annual Budget and Statement of Accounts presented at each Board Meeting. The daily administration of the Chamber is handled by staff at the Chamber office.

Photos by Butter Studios.

2021 Nominees for Board of Directors

The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce relies on the leadership and expertise of our Board of Directors. The following individuals want to help us shape the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce’s future. Stay tuned for more information on the nominees.

Board members will be voted in on Thursday, December 10, 2020 at the Annual General Meeting.

Andrea Jabour, Creative Rain Communications

Andrea has a BA in Tourism Management and a BA in Communications (majoring in Public Relations) but careers with the Calgary Flames and the Pacific National Exhibition kept her busy in the event planning and facility management business. She moved to BC to manage short track speedskating and figure skating World Cup events at Pacific Coliseum in the years leading up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. After the Games, Andrea returned to Calgary and helped open TELUS Spark, the new science centre, but her heart was still on the coast so back to BC it was! Now the owner of Creative Rain Communications she assists small business, solopreneurs and not-for-profits with their marketing efforts. For the past two years Andrea has been a Chamber Board member and represented the Chamber on the Coquitlam Foundation Board.

In her spare time, Andrea is a frequent attendee at local events with her family and enjoys trips exploring BC and beyond!

Jennifer McKinnon, Port Coquitlam BIA

Jennifer is moving into her 5th year on the Chamber board. Responsible, currently, for chairing the membership committee, she previously sat on Communications, Economic Development and chaired the Women in Business. When not running the Downtown Port Coquitlam BIA as their Executive Director, you can find her running her own business, Creating Culture-focusing on goals setting, HR, business and life coaching. She also teaches yoga in her spare time and is the mother to an incredibly witty and hilarious 16 year old daughter.

Although travel is not in the cards currently, she spends her evenings mentally pre-booking her next vacation while tasting wines from said region, and building a new home with her family.

Hogan Song, HS Law Corporation

Hogan is a lawyer with HS Law Corporation, which is located at Golbey Law, Port Moody. Jason Golbey and Hogan have a long-standing friendship and a mutually beneficial business arrangement.

Hogan has been an entrepreneur his whole adulthood, including while attending the University of Alberta. He has owned/invested/operated various small and medium-sized enterprises in a variety of industries, such as retail, industrial, hospitality, technology, and consulting. Living over a decade abroad, Hogan’s international legal and business dealings have been with people and organizations situated in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Upon returning in 2016, Hogan has primarily focused on rebuilding his legal career with a mindset to help foster relations, despite conflicts. Hogan practices as both a solicitor and barrister in wills and estates, real estate, and corporate/commercial areas of law as well as litigation in general and these areas of law.

Hogan has always believed in contributing and providing value to his community in the most beneficial way for everyone. He volunteers as a member of various organizations and committees reflecting his areas of legal practice, including the Economic Development Committee of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce. As a father, he is also active in kids’ sports and academics as a coach/manager, including Coquitlam Minor Hockey Association, Port Moody Soccer Club, and Odyssey of the Mind.

Vineet Verghese, Royal Bank of Canada

Belén Welch, Business Development Bank of Canada

Belén Welch is the Senior Account Manager with Business Development Canada (BDC) in the Tri-Cities area. Her background includes Advisory for over 14+ years and growth Financing for SME’s. Her past experiences include managing a busy business incubator and business accelerator with over 70 entrepreneurs and mentors per year as well as working for the provincial government in NB, on investment attraction, talent and immigration projects. Belen has worked at municipal, provincial and Federal levels, and her approach is unique, just like BDC, with the sole purpose of supporting Canadian entrepreneurs and their companies to grow through proper advisory and financing. Belen also sits on the board of the Canada to Europe Women in Business, she recently was part of the advisory committee for “Investment Readiness” for the Vancouver Foundation, and recently nominated for “Young Women to Watch for” by Vancouver Board of Trade. she spends her weekends playing tennis or running in the Tri-Cities area where she lives and plays with her family.

Jenifer Wright, Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club

Jenifer Wright is the General Manager of Westwood Plateau Golf, a company comprised of two golf course, two restaurants and a second to none banquet facility. Having been with Westwood Plateau since 2012 and with over 10+ years in the hospitality and golf industry Jenifer has extensive knowledge of food and beverage as well as golf operations, business development and human resources. Prior to pursuing a career in golf management, Jenifer studied at The Vancouver Art Institute. Earning a diploma of Interior Design Jenifer free-lanced in the industry for two years before returning to her passion for golf. With her love of golf in mind Jenifer started working at Westwood in a Guest Service Desk position and quickly climbed the ranks through roles such as Tournament Coordinator, Assistant Golf Operations Manager and finally General Manager. In her role Jenifer has accomplished such achievements as the creation and implementation of a unique membership program and the continued growth and success of Westwood’s banquet facility with over 110 weddings per year. Having been an active member of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce since 2014, Jenifer has made Chamber and Community involvement in the Tri-Cities one of her companies’ top goals since becoming General Manager of Westwood in 2015.