Wendy McDougall is settling into her new role as the executive director of the Fernie Chamber of Commerce, with her appointment announced on Dec. 2.
She recently offered some thoughts about the state of commerce in Fernie and her new role in an interview with The Free Press.
“I think commerce seems strong going into the winter season,” she said.
McDougall said their recent Holiday Kickoff event was a success.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: ‘Absolutely beautiful’ Holiday Kickoff in Fernie for 2022
“We had 38 businesses participate despite the weather, a lot of people came out and shopped local, so I think that was really successful.”
Throughout the holidays, she says the Chamber still encourages people to spend in Fernie, to inject money back into the community.
“I think a lot of businesses have communicated that their businesses are growing,” she said, adding that she thinks there’s a lot of people still coming to Fernie and that shoulder season seemed short this year.
She said she is looking forward to getting to know local businesses and community partners and building relationships with them.
“Some of the areas of focus for the Fernie Chamber are addressing the housing attainability, making Fernie more livable, sustainable, and inclusive, and just making it easy to do business in Fernie.”
Being new to the role, McDougall said she is in the process of absorbing a lot of information.
“As a resident, I’ve always been curious about it, and wanted to make a difference, so now I’m in the position that I can,” she said.
“So, I’m just getting the information so that I can be a part of it.”
READ MORE: Fernie Chamber of Commerce appoints new executive director
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