CALEB NICKERSON
QUYON April 23, 2018
On April 23, the Quyon Lions put on a dinner for members of the local business community at the local Legion hall. About 50 people turned out for the event, enjoying good food, networking opportunities, and even a little fiddle music.
Organizer and charter member of the club, Laurie MacKechnie, said that event was a spin on their typical bi-monthly meeting.
“I’m the one looking after this. We don’t normally meet here but the Legion was good enough to let us use this [hall] to hold our meetings,” he said. “People get the impression that there aren’t many active businesses in town, and we want to bring them together. Hopefully it will stimulate some business.”
MacKechnie knows all about the business world, having worked in real estate and as the owner of the local grocery store.
After a meal, Lion Eddie McCann thanked the attending business owners and elected officials.
“Thanks for your presence tonight and for your support throughout the year,” he said, noting that the Quyon club had just celebrated it’s 50th anniversary.
McCann went on to describe some of the many projects the Lions have backed over the years, such as the beach barn and lights for the Quyon ball field. He then turned the floor over to the guest speaker for the evening, local notary and president of the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce, Mireille Alary.
She gave a short talk about ways that local businesses can work together to overcome the challenges posed by a rural area.
“Small businesses need to look at each other as partners and not competitors,” she said.
Alary also pointed to an uptick in demand among younger people for ethically- and locally-sourced goods, which is something that savvy entrepreneurs will promote.
She concluded by giving an anecdote from her own business experience that illustrated her point. When she was a young notary, fresh out of school, MacKechnie had been the first to come through her door and give her a file. She related how, just by giving a new entrepreneur a chance, he had helped launch a long and prosperous business relationship.
“I was so excited that I had just one file,” she said. “Twenty-five years later, I now have a successful business in Shawville.”
Municipality of Pontiac Mayor Joanne Labadie related some of her own experiences starting a winery, and affirmed her support for those that choose to set up shop in the region.
To close out the evening, widely-renowned fiddler Bruce Armitage fired up his bow for a jam session with Lion Rolly Bernier.
