North Bay’s Bobby Ray has been honoured with a provincial award for his efforts to increase engagement in the chamber network through his successful program called #FiftyTwoCoffees.
Ray accepted the Richard Dolphin Community Service Award at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s 107th Annual General Meeting and Conference in Muskoka and said, “I am pleased to accept this award and encourage all young professionals to be engaged in their community through the Chamber and other organizations that promote growth and prosperity for our communities and Ontario.”
The award recognizes a chamber board member whose dedication to community service and the chamber network has led to chamber success.
Ray is a director on the North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce board and the chair of the Young Professionals Committee for the Chamber, as well as the manager of the North Bay Granite Club and highly involved community supporter through numerous different organizations.
#FiftyTwoCoffees is an initiative created by Ray and the response from participants has exceeded expectations. In 2019, 84 individuals under the age of 40 committed to meet, one-on-one and face-to-face, while sharing each others’ stories through social media for the community to see.
Each week, they meet a new person in the program, allowing them to make connections throughout the year and inspiring collaboration and to strengthen the local business environment that “WE, the next generation of impassioned citizens, will be inheriting,” as stated in their program outline to participants.
“The #FiftyTwoCoffees program serves to harness the power of modern technology and social media while at the same time re-engaging young professionals in the effective practice of building relationships with peers through human conversation,” said Ray.
North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce Chair Charles Elliott said, “Bobby Ray has been an exceptional addition to our board this year. He is a true leader and has brought even more young professionals to the table. The Young Professionals are the emerging community leaders and we are pleased to see their engagement in the Chamber network, ensuring their voices are heard as the business world changes and grows.”
While the #FiftyTwoCoffees program was only introduced to those young professionals in our community that are under the age of 40, Elliott noted, “We’ve had numerous other members that would like to see this program expanded in the future.”
