TORONTO: The Burlington Chamber of Commerce has earned a Chair’s Award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) for the development of the “Economic Uncertainty Seminar Series”. The award was presented at the OCC Annual General Meeting & Convention in Windsor on the weekend.

The Burlington Chamber organized a series of seminars to help businesses deal with the unique challenges posed by the economic downturn. The series was a direct response to calls for help received by the chamber from its members. Members were looking to the Burlington Chamber for guidance on how to run their companies during difficult times. A total of ten seminars were offered, one-per-month from January to October, 2009. The seminars were offered at no charge to make them available to as many members as possible.

“2009 was a difficult year for many businesses in Ontario but the economic uncertainty seminar series developed by the Burlington Chamber is exactly the kind of leadership companies have been looking for,” says Len Crispino, President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The seminar series was very well received by members with most events running at full capacity. The seminars resulted in the renewal of many members and based on the success of the series, the Chamber ran a similar series to help members with the implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax.

The Chair’s Awards were among several awards presented to chambers for their leadership and innovative programs and services. The OCC Annual General Meeting and Convention is the main policy-setting conference of the chamber network in Ontario.

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