 Carman
McClelland officially took over from Linda Ford (Access
Career Solutions Inc. and Temporary Measures Inc.),
now the Immediate Past President, on July 1, and will
serve for a one year term as President until June 30,
2009.
As the new President of Brampton’s leading business
association, Carman brings a wealth of business knowledge
and experience as well as extensive community leadership
to this important role representing local business.
Carman McClelland is a graduate of York University and
the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. After practicing
law in Brampton for a short period, he was elected as
Member of Provincial Parliament for the Riding of Brampton
North, serving from 1987 to 1995. Since 1995, Carman
has been practicing law in Brampton. McClelland Law
is located at 202 Main St. North.
Carman has been a very active member of The Brampton
Board of Trade since joining its Policy & Government
Relations Committee in 2000, and was elected to serve
on the organization’s Governing Council in 2004. On
the Board of Trade’s Executive Committee he has served
two previous years as V.P. Policy.
In addition to contributing to the Board of Trade, Carman
also actively volunteers in local charities and minor
sports. Carman serves as V.P. on the Board of Directors
of the Peel Law Association, has been a member of the
Brampton Youth Hockey Association Board of Directors
and Rogers Cable 10 Community Advisory Board, and is
active in leadership roles at North Bramalea United
Church.
In his profession, Carman places a tremendous emphasis
on commitment to customer service that he believes is
also integral to the ongoing success of The Brampton
Board of Trade. “As a membership-based organization,
The Brampton Board of Trade must continue to be responsive
to the needs of its members, to strive to continually
identify and inform the interests of business, and to
advocate effectively to help businesses prosper,” says
McClelland. “The strength of our organization and our
voice for business comes from the support of an increasing
number of businesses. The fact that our organization
has been in existence for more than 120 years and that
it continues to grow is a testament to our leadership
in the community and the benefits that membership in
The Brampton Board of Trade offers.”
Carman looks forward to the year ahead with great optimism.
“We have ambitious plans, and a dedicated and enthusiastic
group of volunteers and staff that are committed to
strengthening our association, its programs and services,
advocacy and strategic initiatives with other community
organizations,” says McClelland. “The Brampton Board
of Trade is a highly respected organization with a long
established history of leadership that I am extremely
proud to be serving as its President.”
Brampton Board of Trade CEO leaving
>Press
Release (PDF)
 The
Brampton Board of Trade announced today that Chief Executive
Officer, Sheldon Leiba, has tendered his resignation,
effective July 25, to take on the role as President
and CEO of the Mississauga Board of Trade. Mr. Leiba
has been at The Brampton Board of Trade for over seven
years, serving the past four-and-a-half years as CEO.
“Sheldon Leiba has been instrumental to the growth and
success of The Brampton Board of Trade, demonstrating
exceptional leadership on issues affecting business
and supporting business development in our community,”
says Carman McClelland, President of The Brampton Board
of Trade.
In May, The Brampton Board of Trade was recognized with
the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Advocacy
Award, and over the past two years has also won provincial
awards for its connecting employers and skilled immigrants
initiatives and its membership directory. The Brampton
Board of Trade has also recently been notified by the
Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada that it will
receive “Chamber Accreditation with Distinction” status
having satisfied the highest level of chamber of commerce
standards and practices.
“We are extremely proud that The Brampton Board of Trade
is in a very strong position. While Sheldon will be
missed, he has built a strong organizational and personnel
foundation upon which the Board can build for the future.
We also look forward to working with him in his new
capacity and wish him the same professional success
that he achieved with The Brampton Board of Trade, and
also wish him and his family ‘all the best’,” says McClelland.
The Governing Council of The Brampton Board of Trade
has established a selection committee to commence a
recruitment process to identify a suitable replacement
for the CEO position.
The Brampton Board of Trade is the leading business
association in Brampton, representing over 1,150 member
organizations of various sizes and sectors.
Brampton
Business Expo a success!
More than 500 Brampton business people attended what
turned out to be a very successful first annual Brampton
Business Expo, presented by The Brampton Board of Trade.
The full day event was held at the Holiday Inn Select
Brampton and included more than 30 exhibitors in the
Business Expo Tradeshow and four trade organizations
including the Canadian Arab Business Council, Canada
China Business Council (CCBC), Canada-Pakistan Business
Council and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in
Toronto.
The theme “Global Thinking for a Global City” provided
an opportunity for Brampton businesses to connect and
explore business relations around the world.
The sold-out luncheon with keynote speaker David Robinson,
Vice President New Business Planning, Rogers Wireless
focused on "The Evolution of the Wireless Internet
- Challenges and Opportunities"
Six experts led informative and interactive business
seminars on a range of business topics including: Expanding
your markets; North American Economic Outlook; Global
opportunities for Canadian business; Financing for Small
Business; Brampton, a great place for business; and
Doing business in emerging markets.
The day concluded with an After Business networking
event from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Title sponsor for the Business Expo was Rogers Communications.
Other sponsors included the City of Brampton Economic
Development Office, Holiday Inn Select, CIBC, RBC Royal
Bank, Deloitte, TD Financial Group, BDC and The Marketing
PAD.
“This was a unique opportunity for business people
to come together and explore Brampton’s place in the
world. We have set in place a foundation for future
Expos and can build on the success of this event,” says
BBOT CEO Sheldon Leiba.
 BBOT
President-elect Carman McClelland, President Linda
Ford and CEO Sheldon Leiba received an Advocacy
Award from Ontario Chamber of Commerce Chair Shane
Smith. |
“Save our hospital” campaign wins
provincial advocacy award
The Brampton Board of Trade (BBOT) has received provincial
recognition for its “Save our Hospital Campaign” with
an Advocacy Award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
Concerned about the impact of the closure of Peel Memorial
Hospital, and not satisfied with assurances that the
hospital would remain open, The Brampton Board of Trade
spearheaded a campaign in the fall of 2007 to save the
Peel Memorial Hospital from a potential permanent closing.
“The Brampton Board of Trade’s multi-layered advocacy
strategy presented a strong credible voice on an issue
that affected the entire community,” said Len Crispino,
President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m sure the success of their efforts in positively
influencing this issue was reward enough but we’re also
happy to recognize the professionalism of this project
with our provincial Advocacy Award.”
The “Save our Hospital” campaign was a multi-tiered
campaign that began with a letter to the Premier and
developed into a dedicated website, petitions, advertising,
media events, interviews and public speaking engagements.
Not only did the campaign heighten awareness but, it
helped to achieve a much needed commitment from the
Provincial Government for the redevelopment of Peel
Memorial Hospital.
“Naturally we are thrilled to win recognition for our
advocacy work and in particular this important campaign,”
says President Linda Ford. “Advocacy is the foundation
of our organization as the Voice of Business for Business.”
BBOT CEO Sheldon Leiba said the Save our Hospital campaign
resonated with members. “Health and hospital care is
a fundamental issue in any city and community. We think
our campaign was able to raise public awareness, and
influence and accelerate discussions around the future
of Peel Memorial Hospital. It’s important that The Brampton
Board of Trade have a voice in the pivotal issues that
make Brampton an attractive community in which to live
and work.”
The Advocacy Award was presented to The Brampton Board
of Trade at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Annual General
Meeting and Conference.
 The
Brampton Board of Trade Motor Vehicle Licensing
Bureau raised $2,500 for The BBOT Brampton Civic
Hospital Fundraising campaign. Left to right, Vevienne
Gregory, Sarah Taylor, Diane Luff, Subrina Punsammy,
Heather Chipman, Tyrone Williams, Rekha Bajjera.
|
BBOT and friends raise $8,000
The Brampton Board of Trade and friends raised $8,000
for the Brampton Civic Hospital during its Casual Day
campaign May 5-9 and the BBOT-operated Motor Vehicle
Licensing Bureau raised more than a quarter of the total.
The Brampton Board of Trade has pledged to raise $50,000
for the naming of Brampton Civic Hospital’s Outpatient
Oncology area. To help reach that target the BBOT asked
businesses to dedicate Friday, May 9, or a day in that
week, as a dress down day and to collect a toonie ($2)
from each participating employee.
“We had a great response with more than 30 companies
participating and we are truly grateful for their support.
We all understand the importance of health care in our
city and these people stepped up to the plate,” says
BBOT Operations Manager Carrie Andrews
“We are incredibly proud of our own staff at the Motor
Vehicle Licensing Bureau. They raised $2,500 alone and
that’s an incredible achievement considering the number
of staff. Bravo, a job well done.
|
