High-tech IT honchos from San Antonio and Mexico will be heading for Calgary this fall for a trilateral conference on developing their e-commerce strategies.
It’s a feather in the cap for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the beginning of a challenging year for new chamber leader Barry Rempel, who took over the reins this week from outgoing president Kevin Gregor.
Rempel, 45, is the CEO of Aviatas Ventures Inc., a private company which uses the Internet to act as a broker in moving cargo. He was formerly VP of cargo at Canadian Airlines, where he worked for 26 years.
Calgary’s burgeoning high-tech community is of special interest to Rempel, and he says this September’s chamber-organized conference on information technology — two others are planned to follow in San Antonio and Mexico City — is an example of the kind of initiative which can help further develop this city’s technology community.
“The goal of the first one is to make connections, which is what the chamber is about; to help the IT sectors learn a little bit more about each other, particularly in a NAFTA environment; and to help the government understand what the impediments are to doing business between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in the high-tech area,” says Rempel.
The idea for the conference was sparked in part by the U.S. consul general in Calgary, Roy Chavera, who met with Rempel and Gregor last August. Rempel says partnering with San Antonio is a natural considering its relationship to neighbouring Mexico, where “there’s a lot of potential, particularly in sourcing high-tech product.”
Between 1993 and 1998, the Texas city added 6,400 high-tech jobs for a total or more than 20,000. Calgary, in comparison, has an estimated 51,000 workers in advanced technology areas.
Rempel says a chamber organizing committee is now ironing out the details for the conference, tentatively set for Sept. 14-15.
Meanwhile, the new chamber president, ushered into office at a President’s Ball held last Saturday night, says he’ll also work to build its 3,000-plus membership.
“I view membership as the scoreboard,” he adds. “What we’re trying to do is do the best we can for our community, in growing the particular sectors. We believe this is one area (high-tech) that’s important. The high-tech sector fits so well with what’s happening globally, and in our own economy. Oil and gas need high-tech and the high-tech sector is important to our connectability with all our major customers around North America and the world.”
The Manitoba-born Rempel, who has also served as Edmonton’s chamber president, credits Gregor for helping build on the chamber’s strengths — its volunteer base and its strong advocacy role.
When he’s not busy with chamber affairs, Rempel says he likes to cruise around town on his motorcycle or spend time with his wife, Janice, and Tess, his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel whom he describes as a “love sponge.”
But a busy year beckons as the chamber enters the second year of its three-year plan, which includes taking chamber business out into the community and better addressing the specific needs of different sectors in Calgary’s economy.
“The strength of the chamber isn’t the president,” Rempel points out. “It’s the volunteers and the committees. I’m just fortunate they’ve asked me to represent them.”
