To borrow from the wisdom of Proverbs, without vision the people will perish. Our modern story could include, without the ambition and bold ideas of the Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce, the once promising Manitoba town could have missed out on becoming the influential and emerging city that it is today.
Every community has people that desire to be a part of something significant, to rise above simply surviving and put their stamp on the world. Communities need people who will dream big, cast vision, and instill a confidence in the people so that what seems impossible can become their reality. A team that will battle the flood of naysayers and rally the people to a cause that will meet the needs of many and push their way into a better future.
The Chamber started as the Winkler Board of Trade and was first organized in 1922 to combat the negative effects of a nationwide recession. The group was organized by local businessmen in order to support the community through creating jobs and overall economic development. The Board was very dedicated to the task and encouraged efforts to diversify from the community’s wheat-dependent economy and incorporate dairy production and livestock as part of their economy. They even brought in experts on the subject and hosted workshops for the community to attend. They lobbied for better road and highway conditions and signs that could lead potential shoppers to Winkler. Further initiatives led by the Board included hiring a full-time policeman, while also bringing twenty-four-hour telephone service to the community.
By the mid 1920s, the ill effects of the recession had been forgotten in Winkler, as agriculture and businesses were buzzing and a great energy could be felt all around. The Board of Trade had been very active in these years and had helped build a community that could be the hub of Southern Manitoba.
The Great Depression of the 1930s would bring great economic hardship to the area that no community could escape. The village of Winkler struggled greatly, as farmland was mortgaged and sold off, many stores and businesses closed their doors and families migrated elsewhere, looking for a better life. It was a time of simply trying to survive.
Everywhere you looked, the depression had taken its toll on the village, even sapping the life out of the once vibrant and active Board of Trade. John J. Loewen, the first leader of the Board, had been the one to champion its earlier achievements in the community. His passing in 1932 would mark a significant downturn in the Board’s involvement for the next couple decades.
The end of the war in 1945 marked an economical shift for many communities, with a great demand for goods and products that were unavailable during the war. As other communities started to grow and even thrive in this new industrial age, there was a fear that Winkler was falling behind due to their lack of industry. A change was needed. The newly named Chamber of Commerce took up the cause and began touring other communities’ success to learn how to bring industry back to Winkler and advocated for their discoveries to be implemented.
Walter Siemens is a former Chamber president and has a long history with the Chamber of Commerce. He remembers the first big industrial initiative taken by the Chamber which showed their ability in supporting the community’s overall growth and well-being. “They recognized a need at that time in Winkler,” said Walter, “there were not enough jobs corresponding with the amount of highschool graduates.” The goal from the start was to try and create as many jobs as there were graduates, which at that time seemed like a hopeful wish. Their starting point was to focus on developing a garment factory with the help of local businesses. The Chamber approached local businesses to see if they would invest in the community and towards this project. “Of course the project didn’t come about overnight,” said Walter of the initial response to such an idea. The group kept trying and stayed committed to their goal, with much of this perseverance stemming from the Chamber’s strong leadership. “Once momentum started, other companies in the community invested funds into the factory,” said Walter. Eventually forty-five thousand dollars was raised by businesses that had a membership with the Chamber. The garment factory was built in 1960 and immediately provided one hundred and fifty jobs, many of these jobs going to women.
The factory, later named Winkler Apparel, was a huge success and at its peak was close to supplying six hundred jobs for the community. “The Chamber was able to prove to the citizens of Winkler that if we set our mind to it, we can achieve anything,” said Walter. The small town couldn’t believe how busy the factory became and the number of jobs that came to the community. It continued to grow to the point where there were not enough people to fill all the roles. This led to the factory again relying on the Chamber, this time on their quest to bring people to the area. This achievement built a relationship between the Chamber and many local businesses, as it was clear that they had the business community’s best intentions in mind and were willing to do what was necessary to support them.
The successful initiative to start Winkler Apparel marked a change in the relationship between the Chamber of Commerce and the City Council, as the Council was now more ambitious to help carry out their vision and ideas. “The city and Chamber have always needed to work together,” said Mayor Martin Harder. “It is the city’s responsibility to make an environment where businesses can flourish and the Chamber’s responsibility is to make sure they do flourish.”
The next big idea from the Chamber was to assist the retail community through organizing a massive community-wide sale which doubled as a festival. All of main street was turned into a shopping party with unbeatable sale prices promoted as vendors and merchandise lined the streets. Coined as “Old Time Value Days” the festival launched in 1963 and proved to be a great success, bringing tens of thousands of shoppers to Winkler while providing a memorable celebration for its residents. Food stands were present for hungry shoppers and games and prizes were set up for the kids while stages were set up for evening entertainment acts. There was even a pageant where the Old Time Value Days queen would be chosen. The festival has changed a lot since its inception, with a new name, location and focus as the Winkler Harvest Festival.
By the mid 1970s Winkler was booming with many established industries and showed no signs of slowing down as aggressive plans for land development and expansion were laid out for the industrial park. As a current industrial superpower in the province, it is difficult to believe the doubt and uncertainty surrounding Winkler’s future less than sixty years ago. Martin Harder has been involved with the Chamber for many years and has been the Mayor of Winkler since 2006, leading the city into many new projects and overseeing the significant growth in these years. He recalls the years when Winkler was thought to go nowhere and maybe even die out. “In those years, the provincial government had released a study of Southern Manitoba, outlining which communities were most likely to succeed and which communities were going to die out” said Martin. “According to them, the surrounding towns were going to succeed and Winkler was going to die.” The reason for Winkler’s turnaround success was found to be their ability to work together and refusing to have “I can’t” as part of their vocabulary. “If it is shown that there is a need to be met, the people of this community will come to the table” said Walter, outlining what has been a consistent theme in Winkler’s history. “If I look at all the projects that have been done in the past, the one thing in common has been they have never had any money to start with.” Yet the job has always been finished.
The trait of unity and generosity is still alive and well today with recent evidence coming from how the city has navigated Covid 19 and the difficulties of the last couple of years. Keith Gislason is the current Chamber President and has had a front row seat to the unexpected teamwork and generosity between rival businesses. “There is so much that goes on behind the scenes” said Keith, “I wish some people would let me tell the stories of direct competitors helping out businesses that couldn’t get parts or borrowing labor to a competitor because they had so many people get sick.” It’s a trait unique amongst a usually cut-throat business world, but has been a consistent part of the culture of the Winkler area and a big reason they have been able to weather storms, even thriving in the chaos and uncertainty.
Tanya Chateaneuf is the current director of the Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce and has recognized that while businesses in the Winkler area have achieved a lot, you won’t hear them touting their accomplishments. “We have a very modest business community,” said Tanya, “they will do great things but will never brag about it.” This is where the Chamber has set up a way to recognize outstanding businesses in the community. Nominations are taken for a number of business awards with the winners then chosen by a selection committee. The awards are presented at the year-end business gala put on by the Chamber in order to honour business leaders in front of their peers and the community. “This is the fun part of my job,” said Tanya, “being able to celebrate these businesses for their hard work and generous contributions.”
More recent Chamber initiatives over the years have been promoting tourism in the area, helping foster Regional Connections and the immigration services they offer along with the “Be Kind” campaign. Included in the latter was the pooling of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars by teaming up with the business community and the Manitoba Chamber in order to purchase gift cards from small businesses that had been hit the hardest over the last couple years. “Our Chamber has not been afraid to try new things and create new initiatives,” said Tanya. While some initiatives take off, others might only be around for a season, as the Chamber is always looking to find new and creative ways to best serve their business community. “Right now, we are doing a lot of research on how to help businesses in this new and changed world,” said Keith. He is also aware that the challenges the community will face are much bigger than what the Chamber can do on their own and that collaboration will be necessary. “In order to be successful, the Chamber needs to work together with the Healthcare Board, Economic Development, the Community Foundation, and the city, as well as many others.”
Along with new initiatives, the Chamber continues to offer innovative and relevant workshops and learning opportunities for its members. Many topics are covered from human resource management to technology skills as the constantly changing business landscape requires business owners to continually educate themselves.
This year the Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce celebrates one hundred years of serving the business community and offering new solutions to current needs. Through it all, they have been able to maintain a great relationship with the city and have built a reputation to be proud of. With its long and rich history, the Chamber is a trusted voice which inspires action and innovation while fully embodying the city’s new slogan of “Dream, Build, Live.”