The Kitimat Chamber of Commerce has been hosting a ‘Virtual Lunch & Learn’ for Chamber members and local business owners every Wednesday afternoon in July, as part of the Economic Recovery Task Force (ERTF) initiative for Kitimat.
“The purpose of the Lunch and Learns is…to help [local businesses] along with the pandemic,” Kitimat Chamber of Commerce Director, Laurel D’Andrea, said. “We’re just having businesses share best practices that they’ve instituted in their industry, and we’re hoping that some of stuff that they share will filter into other businesses so they can utilize it as well.”
Each week, a different business was chosen to discuss a topic related to the workplace, to provide information to local business owners.
Presenters included SpruceTree Media, Rio Tinto, and WorkSafeBC, speaking on different topics such as safe customer operation in the COVID-19 context, workplace harassment, and the importance of businesses staying up-to-date with news online.
“So, it’s just businesses helping businesses,” D’Andrea said.
D’Andrea said the ERTF provided a questionnaire to local business owners soon after the task force came about, to see what sorts of things they needed or wanted for support during the pandemic.
“So through conversations, emails, and talking to businesses, [we looked at] barriers and issues that they have and how they could be addressed,” D’Andrea said.
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The Lunch & Learn sessions are part of Phase One of the ERTF initiative, which includes five individualized campaigns to help support businesses in Kitimat. Phase One also includes the ERTF giving out free PPE to local businesses who need equipment. Visit the District of Kitimat website or the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce Facebook page for more information.
For local businesses wanting information from the Lunch & Learn presentations, or to speak with any of the presenters about the presenters’ business or their own business needs, contact D’Andrea at the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce.
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