Brooks, AB – October 7, 2025 – The Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce is proud to reflect on a year of community investment, commerce, and civic engagement across the Brooks-Newell region.

As a member-driven, member-led not-for-profit organization, the Chamber continues to champion the voice of business across eight municipalities, covering nearly 20,000 square kilometers and serving a population base of 109,000 with close to 900 member businesses.

The Chamber recently concluded its first Municipal Election Forum for Brooks, one of 8 in the region, hosting 11 Council candidates and two Mayoral Candidates in Brooks. The Brooks Municipal Election Forum, held on October 1 at Griffin Park Theatre, brought together residents and businesses to hear directly from council and mayoral candidates, fostering informed decision-making and community dialogue. The questions were generated from pre-submitted questions the Chamber received, along with questions collected from the floor. While not all questions could be asked during the forum, the Chamber committed to sending out additional questions to candidates with responses posted to the Chamber's Vote Prosperity election page when responses are received

In addition to civic engagement, the Chamber celebrated the success of its second Brooks Fall Home + Leisure Trade Show, which featured over 100 exhibitors, including 22 in the new Mezz Market, and introduced a new Community Commons, sponsored by Servus Credit Union. The show welcomed nearly 2,000 consumers with positive reviews from both exhibitors and consumers. The Chamber was pleased to receive interest from many exhibitors to book into the show in 2026 with the goal to expand the show next year. This event exemplified the Chamber’s commitment to connection and economic vitality in the region.

As part of its fiscal year-end on August 31, the Chamber was proud to report a local investment of $109,258 into the Brooks-Newell economy, generated from Chamber proceeds across the region, with a return on investment of 150%. This marks a significant increase from the previous year’s $48,105 investment, demonstrating the Chamber’s dedication to reinvesting the revenues received in the communities it serves and working to invest in expanding its reach and services for the Brooks-Newell region.

“We aren’t Government, but we influence the decisions that Government makes that impact business. We aren’t a bank, but we help businesses find the support they need. And while we don’t receive Government subsidies, we continue to invest in our region because we believe in the power of business to shape a thriving future,” said Rob Goldade, local business owner and Brooks business representative on the Chamber of Commerce Board.

Nearing the 2-year mark into the Chamber’s expansion into the Brooks-Newell region, approaching the expansion as a fresh start to business support services that Chambers across the Country are equipped to provide, the Chamber brought on 65 members in the Brooks-Newell region, attended multiple community events, hosted two trade shows, and onboarded some local business benefits and discounts, deepening relationships with local businesses. The Chamber has also committed to local ‘boots-on-the-ground’ with Naomi Zacharias, Business Development Coordinator, who has been on the Chamber team for 20 months. Naomi is the designated representative for the Brooks-Newell region to connect with local business, ensuring the Chamber remains committed to respecting the unique identity of Brooks-Newell while delivering responsive, member-focused support.

“There are various policies and advocacy efforts the Chamber has developed over its 125 years of business that could be applicable within the Brooks-Newell region, but we want to ensure that the priorities that we focus on are member-driven, so we need input and engagement from the business community in order to move those priorities forward”, stated Chamber President, Aaron Fleming.

Celebrating 125 years of service, the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce continues to be a catalyst for growth and prosperity. Guided by values of integrity, collaboration, innovation, inclusivity, advocacy, engagement, and excellence, the Chamber remains steadfast in its mission to empower and support the business community through connections, influence, and innovative solutions.

Please direct all media inquiries to:

Aaron Fleming
Chamber of Commerce President, 2025-2026
Phone: (403) 527-5214 ext.225

The Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven, volunteer-led organization, proudly representing the interests of businesses in our region, and working diligently to stimulate a strengthened and vibrant economy through our connections, support and influence. For over 125 years, the Chamber has stood for promoting business, monitoring government and championing managed growth in the local economy. The Chamber represents close to 900 businesses in our region and is aligned with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC), which represents over 24,000 businesses, the Canadian Chambers of Commerce (CCC), which represents over 200,000 businesses and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), representing over 45 million companies in more than 170 countries. With the largest and most influential business organizations locally, provincially, federally and internationally, the Chamber network is the most unified, valued and influential business network in Canada and works together to shape policy and programs that will make a difference to businesses in our region.