Winkler Chamber President reacts to recent capital investments announced for the City

Millions of dollars in new capital investments announced last month in the City of Winkler are a reflection of the thriving business environment.
    
That is according to Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce President Hank Froese.
    
Froese says the thriving environment has produced a lot of growth among existing businesses but is also what attracts new investments.
    
In July, a joint venture between Progressive Group, which owns Winkler Meats, and United States-based Johnsonville Sausage announced a $52.8 million expansion to Winkler Meats that will transform it into one of the country's premier pork processing facilities.
    
"The continued growth and development of our local community serve as a statement to the favorable conditions and opportunities for companies and investors in the community," said Froese. "And it's a reflection of fostering a business-friendly atmosphere, as well as, you know, the efforts of businesses and the community members to create that environment of growth."

Froese says the Chamber is always working with businesses, looking for ways to support them, whether they're new or established. He says they do that in a number of ways, including providing opportunities to network.

The Chamber also offers programs like group insurance, education sessions, and other resources alongside an Advisory Board. "We recently did a manufacturing survey and we plan to roll out more of those to get a feel of what's going on in the different business sectors," noted Froese. "So when we see a need within the business community, we work together with our staff to determine how to best support the members."

In terms of Winkler's continued growth and the recent announcement by Winkler Meats that it will be adding about 100 permanent full-time jobs to the local workforce, Froese says there are some priorities that will be at the forefront. He says it's always a challenge to make sure the right type of housing is available for the people coming to the community to accommodate that, as well as transportation.

He says the Winkler business community is working around that and toward that to make sure that infrastructure is in place for the expansion. 

- With files from Abby Wall -