Prince Edward County’s Chamber of Commerce has had an eventful year in 2024.
One of the big events of the year was the chamber’s new CEO, Duarte Da Silva, stepping into the role. He took up the mantle in April, following the departure of former CEO Leslie Lavender.
Since becoming CEO, Da Silva lead the chamber through several projects. First came the renewal of their accredited chamber status, which is granted by the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada.
“They’ve reviewed sort of all our policies, procedures, sort of where we stand on leadership, governance and operations, and that we’ve met this very high bar as a chamber nationally recognized among our peers,” said Da Silva.
Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce is one of 78 municipal chambers of commerce to receive the accreditation.
However, the year hasn’t been without its challenges. Da Silva says that high inflation, rising cost of goods, and rising interest rates have put pressure on many of the businesses the chamber represents, with some of them having to choose whether to pay their bills, or pay their employees.
“A lot of our businesses, 60% or so have one to four employees, and a lot of those are just self-employed entrepreneurs,” said Da Silva. “So when you have all these pressures, these cost pressures, it could be difficult to decide where you’re going to allocate some money.”
The chamber has been working to support its members through the rougher parts, with a focus on growth and sustainability.
