Testimonials

“I am a brand new member of the KW Chamber and loving every minute of it. I first met Lisa McDonald and she took the time to meet with me and present the chamber as more than “The Networking Place”. She went into great detail into the chamber member benefits and what I could do to become involved in various community events and grow my business as a mortgage agent. Every experience engaging with chamber members and staff has surpassed anything I could have expected. Such a warm reception and willingness to engage and share best practices and personal stories: I felt like family. Within my first week I attended two events: “Speed Networking & Advocate” and “More Clients Peer2Peer”. The format for the speed networking was very efficient and user friendly having only used it for the first time; I met dozens of great people with whom I have built strong relationships personally and professionally. In building my business the chamber has been integral in numerous ways. Providing hefty discounts on consumables such as office supplies as well shipping of which I take full advantage of. I am an advocate for the chamber and would recommend to anyone at any stage in their business development.”

MacDaniel Phillips, Mortgage Agent – Dominion Lending Centre Expert Financial

 

“When I had made the initial decision to hold off on joining until our business was getting customers, you saw the immediate need for us to join more then I did. You explained to me that a small investment today could actually drive the missing business we were looking for now rather than waiting, and you were absolutely right! As soon as we joined the KW Chamber of Commerce, we immediately started making connections that would have taken us weeks if not months to get. We are so thrilled to be a part of the Chamber and will be apart of it from here on out.”

Michael Dunn, Co-Owner & CMO – Cart2Curb

 

“We, Home Care Assistance, have been a member of Greater KW Chamber of Commerce for more than 5 years. The Chamber has be very supportive to its members during the pandemic of providing relevant and meaningful information and support services. We have advertised in their publication, Advocate, digital platforms and also supported healthcare related programs. Bonnie Frank, Don Critelli and Dana Walton have been true champions of local businesses. I highly recommend to any small to medium business owner to take advantage of the membership and expand their network through active engagement.”

Matt Vijayan, President & CEO – Home Care Assistance 

 

“The KW Chamber of Commerce has been instrumental during the start-up of my consulting business. The people and events provide exposure through the high-touch networking and continuous company profiling. Just when I thought I had been integrated into all of the Chamber’s networking opportunities, another new invitation is received. Our membership adviser has been very involved with ensuring our integration and the cornerstone of the value delivered by the chamber.”

Steven Bate, Managing Partner/Sales Architect – PROACT Sales Management

 

“Since joining the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce, I have been impressed with the wide variety of members, the large number of events and networking opportunities, as well as the engagement level of the Chamber with it’s Members. My representative, Lisa McDonald, along with all the staff, do a fantastic job of updating us on opportunities to advertise, legislation and COVID-related changes affecting local businesses, and advertising opportunities. Lisa also checks-in with me periodically to ensure I am receiving the communications from the Chamber but also to see how my business and I are doing. Despite being socially isolated for the past year, I feel very much apart of the Chamber community.”

Sheryl Scott, Independent Associate & Small Business Specialist – LegalShield

 

“As a small and relatively new charity in Waterloo Region, we knew that connecting with our community through the KW Chamber of Commerce would get us in front of our local business leaders. Our goal this year was to bring awareness about the important work we do feeding our region’s children living with chronic hunger and raise the funds required to do it. We know that sending our flyers with the Advocate Magazine gets our message in front of the top decision makers here in the Region and will let them know we are affiliated with the KW Chamber.”

Kelly-Sue Oberle, Executive Director – Food4Kids Waterloo Region

 

“Being part of the Chamber has allowed us to meet new people to help build our business. From local charities to like minded businesses, we’ve been able to work through an especially trying time while mutually supporting other local businesses. Lisa has worked amazingly to engage us and keep us posted on the many events occurring monthly to help us to continue to meet new people and learn through growth and communication.”

Kyle Squazzin, General Manager – State & Main Waterloo

 

“The Greater KW Chamber was helpful in providing avenues to inform other members about our new division. In choosing the blog post format, they easily used the promotional information we had written and included additional features like our video link and logo. We are very happy with the professional look of the blog and that it was included in the GKWCC social media feeds. This allowed us to effortlessly share the blog with our followers.”

Rose Goodall, Marketing Leader – Part Time CFO Services

 

“Lisa McDonald has been my rep at the Chamber for quite some time now. Working with her has been such a pleasure. She goes out of her way to get to know each member she works with and I so appreciate the periodic phone calls to check in to see how everything is going. Lisa has also been wonderful in recommending businesses for my podcasting show to help feature some of our amazing local businesses. She never hesitates to connect people that she thinks might be a good connection to help further their business. The Chamber is very lucky to have someone like Lisa on their team. She is simply fabulous! The Chamber has also done a phenomenal job with its members to help keep businesses informed of current developments and also to help continue the networking events. Although in-person events have stopped, they were so quick to turn to online platforms to keep Peer2Peer groups and networking events going. The Chamber has made me feel like I’m a valuable member of this business community. I’m so proud to be a member!”

Kathleen Beauvais, President – KARY Tech Solutions

 

“The KW Chamber has been a reliable resource over the past year, not only for me in my business but helped support me answering questions that my clients were coming to me with. The KW Chamber has been offering consistent communication and updates that kept me informed of the face-paced changes occurring. Lisa McDonald was very supportive in checking in regularly to ensure I was up to date on new programs and events that would provide me opportunities to get involved.”

Crystal-Lee Olson, Sales & Leadership Strategist – Crystal-Lee – Transformational Coach

 

“Our recent advertisements with the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce were instrumental in growing awareness of our board governance boot camp. We were able to reach an influential and important constituency in Waterloo Region.”

Andrew Wilding, Director of Operations – Capacity Canada

 

“When I connected with Lisa McDonald at the Chamber, her enthusiasm and positivity in speaking about all the opportunities and resources available to me made the decision to join an easy one. She’s connected me with other business owners and helped me make invaluable connections I probably wouldn’t have made otherwise. It has been a truly positive and inspiring experience. I’ve been a member for roughly six weeks now and am looking forward to meeting more of KW’s business owners and taking part in the different events they put on. If anyone is considering joining, the answer is: Do It! You’ll become a part of a like-minded community that has your best interests at heart. The opportunities to expand your network and learn are endless.”

Michelle Lewis, Owner – Walk Tall Promotions

 

“I am part of the Thursday Chamber Plus Networks (CPN) group that (pre-Covid) meets on Thursdays at the Charcoal Steakhouse. (Currently we meet bi-weekly on Zoom). A great Charcoal meal plus a sales leadership and networking meeting where I engage with other people and other businesses. Sales leads are an integral part of each meeting and the majority of CPN leads become orders (way better than cold calling!). The Chamber started CPN in the late 1990’s and I am one of the original members. One of the best things of CPN is watching the growth of new members (i.e. from timid and/or no confidence to becoming skilled in their presentations). I still have customers that were members 20+ years ago. While many have left CPN for various reasons, I continue to see the value, both personally and for my business. The membership cost is nothing compared to the value that I get out of CPN – mentorship, leadership, networking skills, a continuing growth in my referral network and orders.”

                                                 Dave Potje, Owner – Twin City Dwyer Printing

 

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, our organization has been working hard to find new ways to bring our events and programs to the community in a way that keeps everyone safe. The Chamber has been an invaluable partner in that effort, providing information about resources, first-hand knowledge and advice on how to run successful virtual events, affordable options for marketing and the kind of support you can only get from a true partner who shares our goal to create a positive impact for our local small business community. Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest was thrilled to be a supporter of the 2020 virtual Chamberfest event, and we look forward to continuing to work with the team of passionate professionals at the Chamber, who understand that being a part of your local community is good for business!” 

Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest

 

 “The Member Profile was an immediate success for us. We had over 150 people visit our website in the first week and that led to 4 in person meetings with quality leads. What I didn’t expect was all the old connections I had reaching out and wanting to reconnect too which was a great bonus. I highly recommend other members to take a look and see if this is a good fit for them.”

             Jeff Horst, Business Development Manager – echosims

 

“Being a Chamber member during the pandemic seemed like a huge challenge. With Lisa McDonald as my representative checking in with me on a regular basis, it has been great to know that my business is supported by the Chamber community! Lisa has provided me with advice and tools to help my business thrive. For instance, she pointed me toward the Access Student Talent Program. I hired two students (both part-time) to help my business with online tasks. When Lisa asked how my business was faring and I expressed a need for social media and online store assistance, she had the answer – without her regular check-ins, I would never have known about a program that works very well for my business. Thank you Lisa!”

Andrea Kiff, Owner – ajar designs ink.

 

“Lisa has been an amazing Kitchener Market champion. We have enjoyed our partnership for Vine and Dine. Also, when our vendors were in need and struggling with online shopping. Lisa offered support through your online platform The newsletter increased our exposure to the community and we appreciate this very much! Lisa is an excellent connection, and we value our relationship with the Chamber.”

Michele McBride Roach, Event & Program Coordinator – Kitchener Market

 

“Being a Chamber member has allowed us to make new connections with like-minded companies and individuals in the community. Not only have we been able to grow our business through networking and other Chamber events, but we have benefitted from many of the learning opportunities and expos. Whether it be a regular event like CYP, Business After 5, or annual events like the Business Expo, the Chamber helps us get out there!”

            Kris Ronan, Director, Intrigue Media

 

“At The Generous Host, we value our online presence and are actively looking for ways to make sure that our brand is reflected well online. SLN is an integral part of this experience. We value the service they are providing. If you have questions or concerns, the SLN team responds very quickly and professionally. They are truly making digital marketing simple and easy.”

Ian Peers, Sales Manager at The Generous Host

 

“Our company had been contacted by a Toronto firm regarding potential business locally. I asked how they found out about Berzins and was told by a search on the Chamber’s online Business Directory. That just goes to show you… It works!”

Scott Leggatt, Business Development Manager at Berzins Creative

 

“Being co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Committee at the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce has been a fantastic and rewarding experience for me. I have come to know and greatly respect the group of professional women who dedicate their time, energy and expertise in helping organize top notch events that address current issues and topics that are relevant to women in our community across industries and sectors.

Also, having attended numerous Chamber functions and events these past few years I did not feel alone in dealing with the common challenges many small business owners face. I consistently found Chamber members and speakers to be generous with their support, time and expertise and I always leave the events feeling re-energized and motivated. Thank you for being such an invaluable resource in our community.”

Nahla Kor, Owner, Kor Capabilities Consulting

 

“When we founded TribeHR, we knew that in order to build an award-winning business, it would be critical that we be part of an active and vibrant business community – the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce has been integral to helping us realize that vision. Both directly (through awards and recognition) and indirectly (through initiatives like the physician recruitment program) they have helped us build our business and attract the right talent. We’re thrilled to be members of the Chamber and we look forward to a long partnership together.”

Joseph Fung,  CEO & Co-Founder of TribeHR

 

“In December 2010 I met with Membership Manager David MacLellan to discuss the benefits of joining the GKWCC. His advice was simple, ‘To realize full potential from membership, you need to get involved’. So I did. Since then I have attended most Chamber events. I am also a member of a CPN group and the Networking Breakfast Committee. As a result of these activities, I have had high-quality interactions with dozens of new contacts and solid business relationships are developing with several Chamber members. Active membership in the GKWCC opens a lot of doors and creates many great opportunities. I heartily endorse it!”

Greg Schott, Principal at Schott Resolutions

 

“The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce’s work in physician recruitment is critically important. As the population of Waterloo Region expands, we require world-class health care facilities and professionals to ensure we can attract ad maintain businesses and employees for an emerging knowledge-based economy. I commend the Chamber for their efforts to date and am confident we as a community can continue to address these issues.”

Murray Gamble, President at The C3 Group of Companies

 

“We couldn’t have been happier with our experience advertising in the Chamber’s Advocate publication. After taking out a half page ad for an upcoming event we were hosting we saw a dramatic increase in interest and registrations immediately after the Advocate was published. We wouldn’t hesitate to use the Advocate as a valuable marketing tool in the future.”

Chris Farrell, Manager at Waterloo Region Small Business Centre