Businesses helping businesses makes for a stronger community

On Thursday morning, a group gathered in front of the Whitecourt & District Chamber of Commerce office to take a picture with a big check. Thanks to a donation from Max Fuel, in partnership with Petro Canada, and Brogan Safety Supplies, some safety kits are being made available to area businesses to help them deal with the extra costs of purchasing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). “We donated this money to help provide safety equipment to businesses around Whitecourt who have had trouble reopening due to the COVID-19 crisis we’ve been under,” explained Tim Newman, the Senior Regional Sales Manager for Max Fuel Distributors.

“Following today, businesses will be able to go up to Brogan Safety, get a safety package for free and be able to use that to deal with COVID implications.” Max Fuel donated $2000, and Brogan Safety Supplies matched the number of kits that the $2000 would buy. In total, the duo donation will make 46 kits available. Newman said that getting to give back to the businesses affected by COVID-19 is a way to help keep people employed. “It helps keep the machine running here in town, which is valuable to all of our families.” He said that Max Fuel has faced struggles during the pandemic and that they had to do temporary layoffs. “Luckily, we’ve been able to bring most of our staff members back at this point. Each one of those people is important. Each cog in the wheel is not just a place filler but rather a person with a family at home, and we came about them.”

He said smaller businesses need extra support right now. “We feel extremely empathetic to the smaller businesses because they don’t have quite the same resources that larger businesses do. We rely on those smaller businesses and are in partnership with a lot of those businesses. It is tough when you see your neighbours struggling, so this is a way to keep our business community healthy, starting from the bottom up, and providing resources that people didn’t budget for at the beginning of the year.”

Newman was joined by Rick Young (Operations Manager in Whitecourt), Miles Courchesne (HSE Officer), Marc Shayer (Branch Manager of Brogan Safety Supplies), and Mark Dickin (President of the Chamber of Commerce). Since the start of the pandemic, Max Fuel and Petro Canada have partnered to give out a total of 12 thousand dollars to various groups around the province including The Salvation Army, The Rotary House, Spirit River FCSS Support Services, The Native Friendship Centre Food Bank, the Peace County Gleaners and now the Whitecourt Chamber of Commerce too.

Shayer is no stranger to community involvement as he has taken part in numerous fundraising opportunities and has also volunteered on the Chamber of Commerce board in the past. He said that joining Max Fuel’s donation was an easy yes. “I thought it was cool on their part to come forward and volunteer to do this. At the end of the day, it is your community. If you are talking about the community, then you are talking about yourself. So, what are you doing about it? That’s what it comes down to.”

He said that he sees other people helping with different needs all the time and that if everybody did a little bit then, “we will start solving problems.” He added that common sense is a big part of it and that everybody getting on board to do something would be a massive benefit to all. “If you can volunteer some time, and then someone else volunteers some time, then it gets down to the end-user, and that end-user is the people that live here. We have seen businesses close already. We do not have to wonder what this will look like anymore because we are now watching it. If 46 kits can help make a difference then, let’s do it!”

Shayer said that the Chamber of Commerce is a big part of supporting those who need it. “The Chamber doesn’t find a solution, but it does connect people who do have the solutions.” The Whitecourt Chamber’s Executive Director, Dana Severson, said that they would be posting to social media to let business owners know that the kits are available. The packages include a bottle of hand sanitizer, a box of disposable gloves, face masks, and a bottle of disinfectant spray. Severson said that local businesses have shown a lot of resiliency and that the community is extremely fortunate for that. “A lot of people have been thinking outside the box, and many have been able to switch gears.”

Whitecourt Chamber President Mark Dickin said that they were honoured to play a part in the donation. He also said that having two great local companies step forward and choose to assist other local businesses is tremendous. “We really appreciate them doing this. Compounded with low oil and gas prices and a poor economy, the COVID-19 pandemic has really brought a lot of businesses to their knees. I know they’ve been relieved to have some government assistance to help make ends meet, but what I really hear is that businesses would like to get back open in a safe fashion and get back to serving their clients.” Any business owner that feels they could use a boost, and that picking up one of the kits would be beneficial to them should do so.

The Whitecourt & District Chamber of Commerce supports businesses by advocating for them at multiple levels. “We provide a voice for advocacy so that our elected officials and community know that our businesses are here. Our members are all listed on our website, which is a form of advertisement for them.” He said that listing the members enables other members to be connected to those on the list and utilize their services. “Fellowship, advocacy, business development purposes, and common goal sharing are solid reasons to consider joining the Chamber,” he said.

The Chamber is actively looking for more members, including those interested in being on the board. Newman is in his first year on the board and encourages others to join too. The PPE will be available at Brogan Safety Supplies until the supply is exhausted, and anyone interested in taking advantage can stop by or call. Residents and business owners are also encouraged to follow the Chamber of Commerce on social media for more information. 

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Two local businesses teamed up to provide 46 PPE kits for free. The kits were put together to give local businesses some help, especially those struggling with purchasing their own. Max Fuel, in partnership with Petro Canada and Brogan Safety, held up a big check last week as they took a moment to commemorate the donation.