Looking back on her time at the helm of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Sandra Ferri said she’s proudest of helping businesses navigate the pandemic.
“I think our businesses would say we were incredibly supportive of them, and that’s something I think I’m incredibly proud of, because, you know, getting calls at night and on weekends from businesses that were struggling, we advocated for them, had regular meetings with the government on all levels.”
“But I think it was more the one-on-one hand-holding that we did, that really made a difference for our chamber, and I think that’s what people felt.”
After seven years as the chamber’s president and chief executive officer, Ferri announced she plans to retire at the end of the year.
Ferri said there were some challenges for the chamber itself during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of members dropped. Those numbers have since recovered, and Ferri said she was proud of the way the chamber adapted to COVID.
Ferri helped in securing provincial funding to create a video hub for entrepreneurs to access skills training.
The chamber also offered one-on-one consultant support to entrepreneurs, connecting small businesses with local experts in areas like marketing, operations or sales, to help them get advice. The program offered support to more than 40 Aurora entrepreneurs, another point of pride.
“What we always hear is that we care, we're the chamber that cares,” said Ferri. “I think (director of operations) Allison (Mumford) and I are both really proud of that and we want to make sure that’s how they continue to feel.”
Challenges facing Aurora businesses
Moving out of the pandemic, Ferri said the business landscape is “probably healthier” than when she first took on an executive role with the chamber in 2017, with mid-size businesses (around 100 to 500 employees), particularly in manufacturing, thriving.
But she said a number of challenges remain for Aurora businesses.
One of the biggest challenges is finding and retaining staff, particularly for the town’s restaurants.
“I’m not sure what happened to all the employees, but people were really struggling to find people to fill positions,” she said.
To help tackle this, the chamber ran middle management training programs, in partnership with the Schulich School of Business, to give employees training so they could move into management roles, and help mid-size companies retain employees.
“Affordable housing is something everybody talks about, we need that in town to make sure we can have employees who want to work here also live here, so they’re not commuting an hour-and-a-half,” she said.
Ferri said Canada as a country should be doing more to incentivize businesses to stay, whether that be grants, subsidies, or lower taxes.
Allison Mumford, the chamber’s current director of operations, is set to step in as executive director and plans to further efforts to support mid-sized businesses.
Ferri will not be leaving the chamber for good come the new year, as she’s staying on in a consulting role until next summer.
