The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce is awash in entrepreneurial excitement.
There has been a changing of the guard. Rob Warburton, co-founder of co-working space and real estate investment company CloudWorks, has taken over as president, effective Oct. 12.
He takes the reins from Tim Syer, a lawyer at Lawson Lundell.
Syer will continue to serve on the board of directors, in fact he’s giving one of the lunchtime presentations that are part of the chamber’s Small Business Week programming tomorrow afternoon, Oct. 19. It’s called Principles of Military Leadership for Small Business Managers and it runs for registered chamber members from noon to 1 p.m.
He leaves “big shoes” for Warburton.
“I’m quite excited to step in and fill the big shoes of Tim Syer,” he said. “This is quite a challenging time for business. So there’s a lot moving and a lot going on here. We’re trying to adapt here, as everybody is as well, with all the new information coming out. The core advocacy work is still the priority for the chamber, and we’re pushing on those points.”
Deneed Everett, the chamber’s executive director, pointed to Warburton’s experience.
“Rob’s entrepreneurial experience and knowledge of municipal issues and community development will strengthen the Yellowknife chamber’s advocacy work and support our goal of creating greater prosperity through growth – increasing our population and attracting more business and investment to Yellowknife,” she said.
Despite the excitement, Warburton is a bit nervous with starting the new position. However, he is eager to learn.
“Of course, going into a new role is always a bit of a shift,” he said. “The very first thing I did was go into a meeting with the GNWT around the new vaccine mandates and goals for business.”
“It’s just jumping in with two feet,” he continued. “I was a little anxious to do that, but I’ve been advocating in different ways for the city for years. So doing it now in a presidents role is just a bit of shifting gears.”
On top of volunteering for the chamber and being the co-founder of Cloudworks, Warburton is also the founding partner of the Yellowknife Car Share Coop, sits on the City of Yellowknife’s Community Advisory Board of Homelessness, and is a member of the GNWT’s Tourism Marketing Advisory Board.
“I am honoured and excited to lead the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce during such a pivotal time for businesses. The pandemic has reminded us of the importance of community, the power of collaboration and the resilience of Yellowknife businesses,” he said. “I look forward to engaging with our membership and working with partners and stakeholders to continue strengthening the Yellowknife business community.”