Submitted by Melody Land, Part-Time Coordinator, Connecting Albert County
The Albert County Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Connecting Albert County in sponsoring this publication. In addition to our regular content, the ACCC supplied multiple articles and stories due the efforts of Sarah Burtt, their Administrative Summer Student. We thank them for their commitment to the community and for their partnership.
As a part of our new session of CAC: In Conversation, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Eric Lawson, volunteer president of the Albert County Chamber of Commerce, and Sarah Burtt, the Chamber’s summer administrative assistant. We talked about who they are, what brought them to the Chamber, and the important role the organization plays in supporting local businesses.
Eric’s connection to Albert County goes back many years. Originally from Newfoundland, his family moved to the area when he was seven, and Albert County became home. Although work later took Eric and his family to Central Canada for a number of years, the East Coast eventually called them back.
That return eventually led Eric to the Chamber. After interviewing former Chamber president Annick Butland for a story in his community newspaper, the “River Views”, Eric was encouraged to join the board. Two years later, he is serving as president.
The Albert County Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Connecting Albert County in sponsoring this publication. In addition to our regular content, the ACCC supplied multiple articles and stories due the efforts of Sarah Burtt, their Administrative Summer Student. We thank them for their commitment to the community and for their partnership.
As a part of our new session of CAC: In Conversation, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Eric Lawson, volunteer president of the Albert County Chamber of Commerce, and Sarah Burtt, the Chamber’s summer administrative assistant. We talked about who they are, what brought them to the Chamber, and the important role the organization plays in supporting local businesses.
Eric’s connection to Albert County goes back many years. Originally from Newfoundland, his family moved to the area when he was seven, and Albert County became home. Although work later took Eric and his family to Central Canada for a number of years, the East Coast eventually called them back.
That return eventually led Eric to the Chamber. After interviewing former Chamber president Annick Butland for a story in his community newspaper, the “River Views”, Eric was encouraged to join the board. Two years later, he is serving as president.
For Eric, the Chamber’s role is particularly important because of the number of small and family-owned businesses in our region.
“We have a lot of small SMEs, a lot of them mom and pop, family owned and operated, many of them seasonal, many of them related directly or indirectly to tourism,” he explained.
He sees the Albert County Chamber as an important voice for these businesses and as part of a larger network of chambers throughout the province and Atlantic Canada.
Sarah’s connection to Albert County is even more straightforward—she was born here and has lived here most of her life. She is currently a third-year commerce student and joined the Chamber this summer to gain local work experience connected to her future career interests in finance or accounting.
Her summer with the Chamber has given her opportunities to do things she had not experienced before, including writing articles and learning more about local businesses.
One of the things that surprised Sarah most was just how interconnected the Chamber’s membership is.
“I’ve looked at like 100 members [on] the members list. I am surprised I’ve recognized a lot of them,” she said.
And the membership is diverse. It includes tourism businesses, gift shops, craft businesses, hotels, mechanics, coaches and many other types of small and medium-sized enterprises.
That diversity is one of the things that makes a local Chamber valuable. It provides opportunities for businesses to connect, share knowledge and build relationships. As Eric pointed out, those in-person connections can be particularly meaningful.
The Chamber also provides advocacy for local businesses and is looking at expanding its training opportunities for members. One potential area of training is the impact of artificial intelligence on small businesses—how it can be used effectively, what the benefits are and what pitfalls businesses should be aware of.
Another major focus this year is the Chamber’s Business Excellence Awards Gala, which will take place in October.
For Eric, there is also a desire to bring back more promotion of individual Chamber members, using resources such
as the Chamber’s website and local media to help tell the stories of the businesses that contribute so much to our communities.
One thing became very clear during our conversation: the Chamber of Commerce is about much more than a membership list or an annual awards gala. At its heart, it is about people—local business owners, entrepreneurs, employees and community members who are all connected through the work they do.
That is one of the most valuable things about doing these conversations. We often know the businesses in our community, but we don't always know the people behind them or the organizations working behind the scenes to support them. Connecting Albert County looks forward to seeing what the Albert County Chamber of Commerce continues to build, to continued partnership with them, and to celebrating the businesses and people who help make our community such a great place to live, work and grow.
“We have a lot of small SMEs, a lot of them mom and pop, family owned and operated, many of them seasonal, many of them related directly or indirectly to tourism,” he explained.
He sees the Albert County Chamber as an important voice for these businesses and as part of a larger network of chambers throughout the province and Atlantic Canada.
Sarah’s connection to Albert County is even more straightforward—she was born here and has lived here most of her life. She is currently a third-year commerce student and joined the Chamber this summer to gain local work experience connected to her future career interests in finance or accounting.
Her summer with the Chamber has given her opportunities to do things she had not experienced before, including writing articles and learning more about local businesses.
One of the things that surprised Sarah most was just how interconnected the Chamber’s membership is.
“I’ve looked at like 100 members [on] the members list. I am surprised I’ve recognized a lot of them,” she said.
And the membership is diverse. It includes tourism businesses, gift shops, craft businesses, hotels, mechanics, coaches and many other types of small and medium-sized enterprises.
That diversity is one of the things that makes a local Chamber valuable. It provides opportunities for businesses to connect, share knowledge and build relationships. As Eric pointed out, those in-person connections can be particularly meaningful.
The Chamber also provides advocacy for local businesses and is looking at expanding its training opportunities for members. One potential area of training is the impact of artificial intelligence on small businesses—how it can be used effectively, what the benefits are and what pitfalls businesses should be aware of.
Another major focus this year is the Chamber’s Business Excellence Awards Gala, which will take place in October.
For Eric, there is also a desire to bring back more promotion of individual Chamber members, using resources such
as the Chamber’s website and local media to help tell the stories of the businesses that contribute so much to our communities.
One thing became very clear during our conversation: the Chamber of Commerce is about much more than a membership list or an annual awards gala. At its heart, it is about people—local business owners, entrepreneurs, employees and community members who are all connected through the work they do.
That is one of the most valuable things about doing these conversations. We often know the businesses in our community, but we don't always know the people behind them or the organizations working behind the scenes to support them. Connecting Albert County looks forward to seeing what the Albert County Chamber of Commerce continues to build, to continued partnership with them, and to celebrating the businesses and people who help make our community such a great place to live, work and grow.
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