The Beausejour & District Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1938 by dedicated business leaders of our community.  Unfortunately, records prior to 1975 are no longer available; how our business leaders of that era maintained an active role in the community's growth and wellbeing.

Over the years, commercial leaders of our community have served to provide education, leadership, unity,  marketing ideas and entertainment for the betterment of our area.

Chamber's Objectives:

• To serve Commerce and the Beausejour & District community, take and express positions and opinions on public issues on behalf of its membership
• To promote the economic, civic, educational and cultural interests of the Town of Beausejour and the surrounding area
• To communicate information of topical subjects of interest to the Chamber members
• To facilitate business and social contact amongst members of the Chamber
• To undertake and carry out projects and activities consistent with the foregoing objectives

The Beausejour & District Chamber of Commerce is an incorporated body of commerce minded individuals who fill the positions of President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer and a hired position of Executive Director. There are also six Director positions who lead various committees and projects involving Membership, Civic & Public Affairs, Retail Merchants, Tourism and Agriculture.

Over the years the Chamber's membership has cycled with rises and falls of the economic health of the Beausejour area.  Membership has varied from 48 to a peak of 104 members, and there has been a few minor lapses of activity from time to time.  The majority of the last 74 years the operation of the Chamber was dedicated to promoting and marketing commerce in the area, providing training for businesses, town beautification and leading and lobbying major civic changes in the district.    

The activities of the Chamber have varied over the past 74 years and our involvement has been from that of a leadership role to that of an information source for the RM of Brokenhead, Beausejour Council and various departments of the Provincial Government. Some, but not all, of the activities are listed below in the order of involvement from 1975 thru to the present time. We hope that you have enjoyed being involved with at least some of them:

• Hosting the Agricultural Fair (1975)
• Maintaining snowmobile & CPTC signs
• Farm Promotion (especially during the Agricultural movement of the mid seventies)
• Off street parking and the issue of parallel parking since 1975
• Promotion of Beausejour and District
• Sales and Service Seminars (Chuck Ries)
• Store business hours at Christmas
• Monday shopping issues (1976)
• Lobbying for the four lane #44 highway (1977)
• Tourism building
• Income tax and marketing courses
• Tourism promotion
• Community Hall promotion
• Organized the first of the local Trade Shows (1978)
• Sponsorship of the “Hire a Student” program (1978 to Present time)
• Implementation of the Group insurance program
• Shop lifting seminars (1979)
• Bookkeeping Courses
• Town beautification promotion
• Parking meters
• Relocation of the Beausejour Liquor Mart
• Park Avenue Parking, parking meters, and Traffic controls (1982)
• Off street parking
• Library Building
• Summer Games (1988)
• Phasing out the Beausejour Business tax (1988 thru 1990)
• Promoting the new Correctional facility at Milner Ridge (1988)
• Creation of the BBDC
• Promotion of the Splash Swimming pool
• Promotion of the New Motel for Beausejour (1988)
• All Candidates meetings for all elections (1989 to present)
• Moonlight madness
• Power toboggan right of ways in the RM of Brokenhead
• Area maps
• Sands swimming pool project
• Harness racing (1993 & 94)
• Summer Sizzle
• 0% Christmas loans for businesses promotion (1994 thru 1998)
• Canada day celebrations
• Agricultural Fair
• Community Round Table Committee
• Side street reconstruction
• Yellowhead route & Laverandra Trail (Started in 1975 thru 2009)
• Winter farewell (1997)
• Snowmobile access to Beausejour
• Beausejour Bucks
• Christmas tree lighting (1997 to present)
• Beausejour Monument
• Chamber parade float
• Chamber golf tournament
• GMC 500 mile race from Beausejour to Bemidgi Minnisota
• Car show
• Duck races (2001)
• Area welcome packages
• Snowmobile access to Beausejour (2010)

The Beausejour and area has been home to many businesses throughout the years.  As travel became easier and economic changes occurred some businesses disappeared and others replaced them.  Some of the major employers in the area have been the Glass Works factory, AECL Research in Pinawa, Milner Ridge Radar facility, Polaris Industries, Sewing Factory and the Beausejour Co-op and North Eastman Health Association.

This is a partial listing of the many businesses that existed in the Beausejour area:

• Glassworks factory
• Sewing factory
• Military Radar Base at Milner Ridge
• Multiple Farm equipment Dealers –Minneapolis, John Deere, Masey, Masey-Fergusen, Alis Chalmers, Ford, and Oliver.
• Multiple Grain Elevators – including Pool, Agri-tel, Bialek’s, Agri Cor, and United Grain.
• Multiple Car Dealers  & Auto Services – Dominion Motor (Dodge), Pine Motors (Ford), Stephaniuk’s Garage (GMC & Pontiac), Gretsinger’s Garage (Chevrolet),  Agassi Motors (GMC & Pontiac, Beausejour Chrysler Dodge, Cam's Automotive, Bumper to Bumper, Sobetski Tire and Melnick’s Motors (Chevrolet & Pontiac).
• Polaris Industries
• Black Smiths and Machine shops (Mazur’s & others)
• Grocery and convenience stores – Rumaks Grocery, Kaatz Grocery, Phil Shuster’s Grocery, Murray Shuster’s Grocery, Jacks Meat market, Melser’s Creamery, Beausejour Creamery, Beausejour Sausage, Food Fare, 7-11 Convenience, Bergie's Convenience, Crosstown Convenience, Co-op.
• Lumber & Hardware Stores – Co-op, Macleod’s,  Marshal Wells, Adam’s Hardware, Home hardware, Beaver Lumber, Beausejour Lumber, North American Lumber and McMunn & Yates.
• Gas stations – Gulf, Texico, Shell, Esso, Co-op, Price Rite, Domo, Petro Can. At one time there were 9 gas stations operating in Beausejour.
• Several Barbers, Hair salons and Tanning shops
• Lyric Theater
• Hotel – Beausejour Hotel, Howland Hotel, Steve’s Bar & Grill, Beausejour Motel, Super 8 and Superior Inn.
• Several Laundromats
• Florists and Photography – Hobans, Park Avenue Rose, Anthony’s, Beausejour Photo.
• Restaurants – Clariss’s, Gateway, Bus Depot, Green Gables, Vickies, Len’s Chip Stand, Howland Hotel Restaurant, Beausejour Hotel Restaurant, Pappy's, Country Bumpkins, Hobans Restaurant, Beausejour Bakery, Lyric Lunch Bar, Chicken Delight, Copper Pot, Co-op lunch bar, Lee’s Chinese Food, George’s, Dairy Bar and Sun Rise Café.
• Hatcheries – Beausejour Hatchery and Funk’s Hatchery.
• Cement – Beausejour Redi Mix, Green Oak Gravel.
• Tailors and Dry Cleaners
• Banks – Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, South Interlake Credit Union, Sunova Credit Union.
• Drug Stores – Pharmasave, Rexal, Beausejour Pharmacy.
• Shoe stores and shoe makers
• Pool Halls and Bowling Alleys.
• Funeral Chapels – Russel’s, Soberings and Kynsh Funeral Chapels.
• Retail – Mitchell’s Electric, Johnies Electric, Oh Susannah Sunshine Movie & Game Rentals, Saans, Dollar Store, Scoop-a-lot, Neyedleys, Bargain Shop, Fields, Prairie Scrap Booking,
• Multiple Lawyers – including Bellen, Waslyn, Middelton, Hawranik.
• Multiple Doctors and Dentists.
• Corrections Institution at Milner Ridge.

The following is a list of the dedicated business personnel who have taken the position as President of the Chamber to lead our Commercial structure.  The years in which they served will precede each name.  How many of them do you remember?

1938                     Founding of the Beausejour & District Chamber of Commerce

1939 thru 1972      No records

1973                    William (Bill) Kozyra

1974                     No records

1975                     Bill McClean

1976                     Ken Boettger and Walter Helper

1977                     Bill Kolbaba

1978                     Peter Riopka

1979                     Arnold Birch

1980                     Arnold Birch

1981                     Vacant

1982                     Gerald Denisiuk

1983                     Gerald Denisiuk

1984                     Vacant

1985                     Vacant

1986                     Howard Joyce

1987                     Larry Swain

1988                     Larry Swain

1989                     Fred Kazina

1990                     Fred Kazina

1991                     Brian Beger

1992                     Brian Beger

1993                     Harvey Giesbrecht

1994                     Harvey Giesbrecht

1995                     R. Leclair

1996                     Reg Black

1997                     Reg Black

1998                     Chuck Reis

1999                     Unknown

2000                     Unknown

2001                     Unknown

2002                     Larry McGonigal

2003                     Doug Sobering

2004                     Doug Sobering

2005                     Glen Lowery

2006                     Glen Lowery

2007                     Doug Germaine

2008                     Doug Germaine

2009                     Ken Zirk

2010                     Ken Zirk

2011                     Mrs. Kerryleegh Hildebrandtt

2012                     Mrs. Kerryleegh Hildebrandtt

2013                     to be filled