Chamber hopes to make yearbook annual project

Work is underway on the first edition of the publication and, as of Aug. 26, about 35 to 40 businesses had indicated they wanted to be included, said Jim Greig, the chamber’s executive director.

The initiative is a fundraiser for the chamber.

If things go as hoped, the chamber would look to build on the project’s initial success in the coming years.

The plan is for the directory to include not just information about businesses but also photographs of their staff.

He notes that similar projects have been undertaken, successfully, elsewhere in the province.

“They’re attractive because they involve people,” he said, referring to the photographic aspect of the directory. “It puts a human face on business.”

Things had been a bit slow this summer, he said, given factors like people being on vacation, but the chamber is optimistic about how the project will turn out.

“We’re pretty excited about it going forward,” he said.

Transcontinental – owners of a chain of newspapers in Nova Scotia (including The Vanguard) and publications elsewhere – will produce the directory.

The Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce has about 200 members, Greig indicating last week that eight or 10 new members had joined in the past month or so.

Formerly based in downtown Yarmouth, in recent years the chamber has operated out of an office at the airport.

Given that transportation traditionally has been – and continues to be – the biggest issue for the chamber, the organization would seem to be in a fitting location.

Securing an air carrier for the Yarmouth area remains a priority for the chamber, as do solidifying the ferry link with New England and improving the highway system.

Business development is another priority for the chamber and Greig notes that getting businesses to come to the Yarmouth area hinges to a significant degree on transportation.

“One comes with the other,” he said.