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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, November 25, 2011 · 32 The Oakville Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed Wendy Rinella as its new chair, Tuesday night, during the 57th Annual Chair's Dinner. Rinella, vice-president of corporate affairs for First Canadian Title, succeeds outgoing chair Mark Brown. Speaking before an audience of around 400 people at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre, Rinella thanked Brown and his predecessors for the amazing institution she inherited and spoke about what was needed to succeed as chair. "First, you need a very supp portive family, y, second, , a supp portive workplace and third, a very strong board and staff," said Rinella. "The real challenge of the chair is really to get out of the way and let them do their jobs." Rinella pointed out the chamber is entering a new era of leadership. For the first time in its history, there are actually more women serving on the board than men. Rinella emphasized the importance of working to benefit one's family and community, something she said she learned from her father. "For those of us in the audience who have the fortune to own their own company p y or work for a large corporation, I think most of us would agree that we go to work every day for the benefit of our family," she said. "From my perspective, having a healthy business community here, so I can live in work in Oakville, is fundamental and having a chamber that supports that is an important backbone for our community." Rinella said she would strive to keep the momentum the chamber has enjoyed for the past few years moving forward. In addition, her work with First Canadian Title, Rinella serves as the vice president of public affairs for the Title Wendy Rinella Insurance Industry Association of Canada. She served on the Oakville Chamber of Commerce Board for four years and has been on the boards of the Responsible Gambling g Council, , Arthritis Society (Ontario), Ontario Federation of Agriculture, 4-H Society, Stop 103 (a Toronto food bank), and the Advisory Committee of the Consumer's Council of Canada. She has also been a Big Sister. Rinella lives in West Oak Trails with her husband and daughter, and said she is thrilled to be taking on the new role. Looking back on his time in office, Brown said much was accomplished. "We did increase your participation in our networking, small business week and educational programs for the third straight g year," y , said Brown. "This year in the municipal election we did make sure that economic and business issues were discussed actively and, as part of our advocacy program, the chamber has initiated a series of meetings with the mayor to review common issues." Brown wished Rinella good luck in her term as chair and pointed out that while there are considerable economic storm clouds on the horizon, there are also opportunities within those storm clouds that just need to be seen. Apple and Mircrosoft, he pointed out, were both founded during g recessions. Christmas House Tour Fr rid day, ay Decemb De mber 2, 20 2011 11 ev even enin ing g fo follow wed by a c co ock c ta tail re ece ceptio ion n at Oakville Golf Club for $1 $100 0.0 .00. 0 Sa urd Satu rday ay, y Decemb mbe er 3, 2011from 9: 9 30 30-4:00 fo for r $3 $35.00 00 St. Andrew's Tour 8 beautifully decorated homes in Oakville. Each home is decorated for the Christmas Season by talented local designers! Tickets are on sale now! Visit www.standrewshousetour w r.ca toda ay! P oc Pr ocee eds d fo or the tour will be donated to Ian Anderson n Hous use and d The Oa Th Oakv k ille Marlins Special Olympics Sw wim Team am For tick ket inf formation plea ase contac ct Ann at 905-842-5265 We sell the most homes in Canada. Let us help you sell yours. w.remaxaboutowne.com Aboutowne Reality Corp., Brokerage 905-338-9000 (Downtown Office) 905-842-7000 (Uptown Office) Independently owned and operated.