MELFORT — Cam Lee, a former radio broadcaster, has been hired as the executive director for the Melfort Trade Alliance Chamber of Commerce.
Lee, who grew up in Melfort, worked in the news department at CJVR for 18 years, with 15 years as news director.
In 2020, he ran unsuccessfully for city council.
“I’ve been here for a while and I thought it would be a great opportunity,” Lee said.
“I believe having a chamber of commerce back in Melfort will be a huge benefit for local businesses and the city as a whole.”
As the executive director, some of his roles will include fostering relationships with local businesses, gaining new chamber memberships, and listening to concerns from the business community.
Lee said one of his first projects will involve visiting local businesses to outline the benefits of chamber membership.
“I’ll be going very quickly door to door to businesses in Melfort to explain why having a chamber is so important and some of the things the chamber can do for them,” Lee said.
“Just being an advocate for local business and ensuring their concerns and what they go through is being heard on a local scale and possibly soon on a provincial scale as well.”
The Trade Alliance announced in July that it was undergoing plans to shift their focus to becoming a Chamber, before gaining the official designation in January from the Saskatchewan Chamber.
This was the first chamber in the city since 2018, when it was revealed the city’s previous chamber had a number of debts, including $36,000 in unremitted payroll expenses.
Lee said that should any business wish to reach out, they can contact him directly at 306-921-3273 or by email at trademelfort@melfort.ca.
“We also hope to have our social media sites more updated as the days go on,” he said. “It’s really early in the process right now, but as the days and weeks go ahead we’ll start to gain more momentum and be more visible in the community.”
