VISA & MasterCard

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH?
VISA - 1.68%
MasterCard - 1.79%

Call PECCTAC at 613.476.2421 or e- mail mailto:pec@reach.netto find out how you can get these rates.

Newsletter Insert

Let all your fellow members know what your business is doing or special features/events that are coming up.

For $50.00 you can insert a flyer/brochure into the PECCTAC newsletter.

Call Jan @ 613.476.2421 for information on size and quantity.

PECCTAC Business Information Survey

The Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism & Commerce is requesting insight from its members as we develop a new strategic plan.

We are also reviewing our offered programs and services with the hopes that we can tailor them more effectively towards our members needs.

Please take a few moments to provide us with the following information about your business.

The results of this research will help focus future planning on areas members think need improvement and or change.


Thank you for your continued involvement and support.


To enter the Survey please:

The Survey is closed now!

PECCTAC Christmas Meet & Greet

The last Meet & Greet and Christmas gift auction was a wonderful experience at beautiful Browns Manor B&B.

Thanks to our hosts, Diane and Ross Lindsay we had a great time with homemade pizzas, Artisan Cheese and complimentary wine (again!) from Del-Gatto Estates Bella Vigne.

The exciting auction raised close to $700.00 for the CAS campaign which PECCTAC supports for the last years. Thank you all for your donations and enjoy the gifts you bought.

At the end of the season we wish you all the best, Merry Christmas!

(For more pictures please look at the slideshow at right)

Message from the President December 2009

From the Desk of Dave Ashton

As some of you might know Rainer Prill of LARP Consulting has announced his retirement. Rainer has been PECCTAC’s go to person for all IT related concerns and developments. He has been instrumental in developing PECCTAC’s website and on-line accommodation availability and reservation system.
He has ensured the sites to be state of the art and current.
On behalf of the Board of Director’s and membership I want to thank Rainer for his dedication and support over the last 9 years.

A strong membership makes strong Chamber members.

Dave

Welcome New Members

Blossom Ridge Farm Vacation
Del-Gatto Estates Bella Vigne
Hinterland Wine Company
Humanity Calls Centre for Learning
Laurie Nadeau – Commerce Advertising & Marketing
MTO - Glenora Ferry Service
Scott Wentworth Landscaping Group Ltd.
Skypower
The County Tack Shop

Meet & Greet Successes 2009

A great turnout at the October Meet & Greet held at Loyalist Lofts.

Julia Latendorf Owner of Loyalists Lofts hosted the event.



Gillian Chapman, Business Development Manager from Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation (PELA CFDC) was on hand to announce the winners of the 5 year $50,000 Business Plan award.

Congratulations to McDougall Stanton Insurance for

receiving this award.

Winners of the $5,000 regeneration competition went to:

East & Main Bistro,
Armstrong Glass Works and the Side Street Gallery.


CHRISTMAS MEET & GREET



Everyone enjoyed the wonderful festive evening at Brown’s Manor B&B. With the talented auction master Rick Caruso, members raised $675.00 for the CAS Christmas Angel Campaign. A big thanks to all that could make it and special thanks to our hosts Diane and Ross Lindsay and Pat from Del-Gatto Estates Bella Vigne Winery.

2010 Meet & Greets

April 12th – Saraswati Spa
June 14th – Moontide Studio & Gallery
October 19th – Casa Dea Winery
December 14th - TBA

Winners of the 2009 Quinte Business Achievement Awards!

CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners of the 2009 Quinte Business Achievement Awards held at the National Air Force Museum of Canada on Friday October 23rd, 2009.
Prince Edward County was well represented at this year's GALA event with many Prince Edward County winners:

NEW BUSINESS AWARD:
DIXIE LEE CHICKEN & SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & COUNTRY FARM MARKET

SERVICE PROFESSIONAL AWARD:
INDULGENCE SPA & SALON

RETAIL AWARD (LARGE):
PICTON HOME HARDWARE

HOSPITALITY/TOURISM AWARD:
MILFORD BISTRO

MANUFACTURING AWARD:
THE CARRIAGE HOUSE COOPERAGE

For all the details please go to: http://www.qbaa.ca/winners_2009.html

Special thanks to all the members that attended and congratulations to all the nominees. You are all winners.


Deb Izumi, Indulgence Spa and Mayor Leo Finnegan

Remembrance Day 2009

Brian Munro, PECCTAC Vice President and PECCTAC member Tamara Porter of Design Planet ready to lay their wreaths.

Update from the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council

THE POWER OF CO-OP MARKETING
The Bay of Quinte Tourist Council invites you to participate in an exciting Tourism initiative to help your business expand and enhance your marketing dollars. The Bay of Quinte Country website is currently undergoing an innovative remake which will represent the entire region, designed to interlink with the businesses and tourism attractions that surround us. As a stakeholder you will have a voice in how you wish to see the Bay of Quinte region promoted and through the innovative Bay of Quinte Country website bring business to your door and enhance economic growth of the entire region. All the details of this extraordinary opportunity are on our website at www.pecchamber.com

Contact Alison Dickey, BQTC Marketing Coordinator 613.813.3702
info@bayofquintecountry.com for more information.

The Bay of Quinte Tourist Council is made up of representatives from the Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism & Commerce, Taste the County, Belleville & District Chamber of Commerce, Quinte West Chamber of Commerce, Brighton & District Chamber of Commerce, and the Napanee & District Chamber of Commerce.

New PECCTAC Website Offers Outstanding Member Opportunities

The Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism & Commerce is pleased to announce that we are undergoing a complete new look to our website. The redevelopment includes:
· Email Forwarding
· Site Design
· Articles Module
· Newsletter component
· Membership Management
· Directory Management
· Email System
· Ad Management
· Event Registration
· eCommerce
· Forms & Surveys

The new website, expected to launch in the New Year, will include opportunities for members to increase their web presence through "company profiles".
All members in good standing are listed in the database under their classification or category as part of their membership.
Each member ‘listing’ containing pertinent contact information has the ability to be “Expanded”, offering a direct route to their existing website and acts as a mini-website for smaller firms who have no web presence at all.
“Enhanced Listings” will include a Company profile page, Google map, photo gallery plus printable coupons and articles page. The new website will have video capabilities.
Also available will be banner ads throughout the website itself for optimum exposure. All ads will be included in a monitoring system which will track ‘hits’ and ‘visitors’.

To get more information about our new website and how to improve your on-line presence call us at 613.476 2421

JUST TO LET YOU KNOW
WEB hits on the www.pecchamber.com in July 7,516 per day and August 5,656 per day

YTD average per day web hits 3,889!

The new entrance is ready

As announced earlier, the Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism & Commerce (PECCTAC) has received $15,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to provide wheelchair access to the Visitors Information Centre located at 116 Main Street, Picton.
“Chamber Members can feel proud that wheelchair accessibility will be addressed as our Visitor’s Centre is located in a very prominent building in our community, states Lawrie Ackerman, General Manager.”
“Our organization is very cognisant of the needs of our visitor’s as more and more senior’s and person’s with limited mobility are visiting our area. We want everyone to be welcomed and have a positive experience.”

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the government of Ontario.

A special thanks to the Scott Wentworth Landscaping Group Ltd for the excellent craftmanship!

The Power of CO-OP Marketing

With an exciting, new Tourism initiative presently being implemented, the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council (BQTC) is looking to expand and enhance upon it.

You are cordially invited to become a stakeholder with the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council in their ongoing endeavours to promote the Bay of Quinte Country region.

The success of past projects including the Bay of Quinte Golf Map, the Bay of Quinte New Angling Adventures Map, and other destination marketing eff orts has already generated higher market visibility but this is just the tip of a much greater marketing initiative.

CLICK HERE to view this new marketing option!

Remembrance Day 2009

Remembrance Day 2009

Laying the reef at the Cenotaph in front of the PECCTAC Office.

PECCTAC Vice President Brian Munro.

Quinte Business Achievement Award 2009 - The Winners

At a great Dinner banquet at the Air Force Museum in Trenton the following Prince Edward County businesses received a 2009 Quinte Business Achievement Award:

New Business Category:
Dixie Lee Chicken & Seafood Restaurant & Country Farmer Market

Category Service/Professional:
Indulgence Spa & Salon

Category Retail (Large Enterprise):
Picton Home Hardware

Category Manufacturing:
The Carriage House Cooperage

Category Hospitality/Tourism:
Milford Bistro

Congratulations to all Nominees and Winners!

(see also Slideshow at right)

Fall Meet @ Greet

Thanks to the owners of LOYALIST LOFTS in Picton for a great yet another well attended Meet & Greet. This Fall Meet& Greet included the Award Ceremony from PELA CFDC for the 2009 Regeneration Awards winners.

Thanks as well to Del-Gatto Estates Bella Vigne for a free wine tasting!

See you at our Christmas - End of the Year Meet & Greet on Dec 8 at Brown's Manor B&B on Johnson Street, Picton!

Message from the President October 2009

From the desk of Dave Ashton:

We hope all our members have had a successful summer. Your Chamber provides excellent opportunities for its members and we are pleased to present the following information sessions to help your business:

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS
A representative of the Bank of Canada has offered our members a free training session so you can protect yourselves from receiving counterfeit currency and credit card fraud.
The training session lasts approximately an hour and is a hands-on event. They will provide genuine and counterfeit currency so attendees can see and feel for themselves the effectiveness of the security features on Canadian currency.

LEARN MORE ON HST/PST/GST
The Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation will host an information session on HST/PST/GST. Have questions? This is your opportunity to learn more.
If you are interested in attending one or both of these information sessions please contact PECCTAC at 613.476.2421.
Date and time will be determined upon interest in these information sessions.

A strong membership makes strong Chamber members.

Trillium Funding Announced

The Prince Edward County Chamber of Tourism & Commerce (PECCTAC) has received $15,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to provide wheelchair access to the Visitors Information Centre located at 116 Main Street, Picton.

“Chamber Members can feel proud that wheelchair accessibility will be addressed as our Visitor’s Centre is located in a very prominent building in our community, states Lawrie Ackerman, General Manager.” “Our organization is very cognisant of the needs of our visitor’s as more and more senior’s and person’s with limited mobility are visiting our area. We want everyone to be welcomed and have a positive experience.”

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the government of Ontario.
“Accessibility is an important feature for all visitors to Prince Edward County’s Visitor Centre,” said Leona Dombrowsky MPP, Prince Edward Hastings.
“Trillium grants $125 million per year to worthwhile projects all over Ontario”, states Kay Manderville, Ontario Trillium Foundation.
“We are pleased to be able to help the Chamber of Commerce expand their services to the people of Prince Edward County and beyond.”

Scott Wentworth of The Scott Wentworth Landscape Group LTD will begin construction in October. Scott was instrumental in revitalizing the Cenotaph Park and his landscaping plans for the Visitor’s Information centre reflect the parks design.

(Picture: L to R:
Brian Munro, PECCTAC Vice President; Lawrie Ackerman, PECCTAC General Manager; Leona Dombrowsky, MPP Prince Edward Hastings; Kay Mandeville, Trillium Foundation; Scott Wentworth, Scott Wentworth Landscape Design )

News from Ministry of Community and Social Services

The Final Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard, as part of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, has now been posted on the Ministry of Community and Social Services’ website.
The Initial Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard was developed by an external Accessible Information and Communications Standards Development Committee (SDC).
This external committee included representatives from the disability community as well as the public and private sectors.
The initial proposed standard was released for its mandatory public review period from November 17, 2008 to February 6, 2009.
The committee then revised the initial proposed standard to reflect the public’s input resulting in the Final Proposed Accessible Information and Communications Standard. The final proposed standard has now been submitted to the Minister of Community and Social Services for consideration.
Those interested in reading the SDC’s final proposed standard can find more information on the Ministry of Community and Social Services’ website at :

English:
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/pillars/accessibilityOntario/accesson/business/information/

French:
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/french/pillars/accessibilityOntario/accesson/business/information/index

Dates to Remember

Next Meet & Greet:

October 20: Loyalist Lofts

December 8: Brown's Manor B&B


If you want to host a Meet & Greet next year please let us know.It is a great way to showcase your business

Welcome New Members!

+ Automated Business Concepts
+ Black Pig Gallery & Suite
+ Cherry Valley House
+ Cottage Advisors Canada
+ Dixie Lee Chicken & Seafood & Kemp’s Country Farm Market
+ Fair Trade Quinte (10,000 Villages)
+ Industrial Perk Café
+ Lift Haus Winery
+ Prince Edward County Arts Council
+ Ramlih Cottage+ Sleepy Hallowell Bed & Breakfast
+ Sign*A*Rama
+ Saraswati Wellness Spa & Bed & Breakfast
+ The Milford Bed & Breakfast
+ Wood Dragon Bed & Breakfast

Thank you for your support!

QBAA Nominations and Banquet

Congratulations to the following members on their nomination for the 2009 Quinte Business Achievement Award.

Business of the Year:

Angelo’s Restaurant Batawa Ski Hill
Blumen Garden Bistro
Browns Manor B&B
Copper Kettle Chocolate Company
Dixie Lee Chicken & Seafood Restaurant & Kemps Country Farm Market
Duck & Loon Bed & Breakfast
Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company
Hilden Homes
Indulgence Spa & Salon
Isaiah Tubbs Resort
Kathy’s Collection
Lacey Estates Vineyard
Mark Heating & Cooling
Merrill Inn
Milford Bistro
Mindful Movements
Moonlight on the Lake B&B
Pat Guernsey Insurance Services Inc.
Picton BIA
Picton Home Hardware
Samlyn Enterprises
Scout Design
The Carriage House Cooperage
The Shieling Bed & Breakfast
The Source
Travellers Dream B&B

Business Person of the Year:

Andrew MacKenzie
Bev Skidmore
Jeanette Arsenault

Come out and join your fellow business members on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at the Quinte Business Achievement Awards banquet and help celebrate the outstanding business people in Prince Edward County. This year the gala dinner will be at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton. There will be an opportunity to tour this wonderful museum prior to dinner.

5:30 pm Cocktails - 7 pm dinner8 pm awards
Tickets $45 per person.

Tourism Update

Do you have any information on Turkey?
This is just one of the more interesting questions the PECCTAC staff answered this year.
Some other interesting stories from our summer students:

From Elyse Platt:
“What is there to do on a rainy day?” seemed to be the popular question of the summer. Fortunately for me, after two years of working at the Chamber, I have gotten quite good at answering. It’s a good thing for us that the County specializes in tasty county cuisine and wines to warm up damp spirits.
The weather maybe didn’t cooperate with us this summer, but the crowds of happy vacationers continued to pour through our doors.
One of the delights of this job is the opportunity to meet dozens of new people everyday. People come from all over the world to enjoy what the County has to offer. A typical page in our guest book reads “Toronto, Montreal, Toronto, Spain, Switzerland, Montreal, the Netherlands”!
It was interesting to see a newspaper brought in by one visitor, covered in Chinese symbols with “Lake on the Mountain” written in large letters at the top.
Needless to say, working at the Chamber makes me even more thankful that I live in the County.I would like to thank all of our members for being so friendly all summer. Whether you popped by the office, or I spoke to you on the phone, it has been a pleasure working with all of you. Thanks for another great season!
Elyse


From Jarrod Keogh:
It’s been a fast and fantastic summer!
Throughout the last few months, I have had the honourable post of representing and promoting the fine businesses of Prince Edward County.
As a born and bred “County” native, I’ve had the unique experience of watching Prince Edward County develop and blossom into the tourist haven that it is today.
My position at the Chamber this summer has exposed me to many of the exceptional people of Prince Edward; whether they are long-time entrepreneur, migrated business-person, or temporary resident, the sense of teamwork on display as been dazzling and unforgettable.
This job has been an eye-opening experience since the beginning.
Firstly, I learned that my knowledge of the County needed some touching up.
The first time someone asked me where they could go to swim on a sandy beach with little to no people, no parking fees and a place to pitch a tent for free, I was speechless.
Of course, the answer to that question, as I quickly became aware of, is no where.
Thank you to all the members for being helpful and polite. Although it is not a condition when you join the Chamber, we sincerely appreciate everything you have done to make our job a little easier.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed my experience at the Chamber. Would I go as far as to say that it has been spectacular?
No, I would probably have to say this it has been a PECCTAC-ular summer!
Jarrod

From Dylan Marecak:
These are just a few of the answers I gave out this summer:• No, this is not “Sandbanks, Ontario”.• No, you won’t be able to see the 1000 Islands, Sandbanks, Canada’s Wonderland and Wasaga Beach all in one day.• No, there aren’t any single cottages that will accommodate both your 17-person family and your brother’s 19-person family.• No, those real estate prices you’re looking at are not misprints.

Thanks for a great summer,
Dylan

Picture:

L to R: Lawrie; Jan; Elyse; Jarrod; Dylan

News from the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council

The Bay of Quinte Tourist Council is pleased to announce that Alison Dickey has been hired as the marketing coordinator.
Alison’s priority will be to jump start initiatives set in place to increase tourism efforts in the Bay of Quinte region.
Working out of the whole region, Alison will be approaching all potential partners in Tourism in the coming months with new strategies to boost all efforts in making the Tourist Council’s goals realized. Of those goals, creating greater partnerships, instilling a powerful new website, and working with the region for a central new Tourism centre are of most importance.
“We are very excited for what is to come with Bay of Quinte Tourism” states Council President Lawrie Ackerman. “For the first time, we are able to have an individual who will be able to bring everything together for the greater good of the entire region”.
“We are sitting on a goldmine”, notes Director Ryan Williams. “This entire region, as we all know, is one of the most undiscovered in Ontario. Working alongside amazing initiatives seen through Taste the County in Prince Edward County, and Comfort Country in Tweed, Cambellford, and Madoc, Bay of Quinte Tourism will define the region not just in Tourism, but also as the great place it is to work and live.”
Partnerships are the key to Tourism’s success. The Bay of Quinte Tourist Council is a premier partnership in itself, having been formed in 1982 and made up of all Chambers of Commerce and Tyendinaga.
Alison is from the Quinte Area, attending Loyalist College with her diploma in Broadcast Journalism, and completed an internship with Quinte Broadcasting before working in Sales. She presently resides in Carrying Place. Look for her soon!