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Abbotsford's Giesbrecht named BC Chamber of Commerce Chair

Abbotsford resident is the first-ever local to chair the group
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Abbotsford's Patrick Giesbrecht was appointed as the chair of the BC Chamber of Commerce on May 30.

Abbotsford's Patrick Giesbrehct is moving on up in the Chamber of Commerce world.

Giesbrecht was installed as the chair of the BC Chamber of Commerce, by Minister Steve Thomson, (Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Opportunities) on May 30. He is the first BC Chamber Chair to come from Abbotsford.

The appointment follows his role as President of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce in 2011 and the elected position of BC Chamber of Commerce Director in 2013,

"Patrick has been actively involved in the public engagement process through the Chamber Network and will bring a depth of experience to his role as BC Chamber Chair," said Allan Asaph, Executive Director of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce.

Giesbrecht assumed his new duties on May 31 at the BC Chamber of Commerce's Annual General Meeting in Kelowna. During his address, Giesbrecht was applauded for focusing on a 'new chamber for a new generation'.

He was quoted as saying, "We have had the opportunity to learn from some amazing men and women. I stand here today knowing I stand on the shoulders of giants. I wouldn't be here taking on this role if I weren't passionate about what we do or felt a deep purpose in how we serve our members and fulfill our mandate to be the voice of business in BC. However, I recognize that we are at a crossroads. We are witnessing the coming of age of the largest generation ever, which we refer to as the millennials—larger than the baby boomers. Millennials represent the future of our network in BC and around North America. They are entrepreneurial and support local businesses, have strong values, crave community and love causes. Seemingly, we are perfect for each other and it's a great opportunity for us to grow, but we need to speak their language and bridge this generational gap."

Josh Bach, President of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, said, "It's great to have our Abbotsford Chamber past President at the helm of the BC Chamber. Patrick has been passionate about business issues for many years, and is well connected to help our BC Business community move forward. We look forward to working together with the BC Chamber for the benefit of business."

Giesbrecht is the principal of Giesbrecht and Company, a public and government relations firm serving medium to large organizations throughout BC. Giesbrecht and Company specializes in advocating to municipal and regional governments for market, social housing, and industrial developments in addition to developing and executing public relations campaigns, focused on risk management, crisis communications, public and stakeholder engagement, and media relations.