Traveling Cowboys: Getting Ourselves Checked at Man Day at Crossfield Farmers' Market, Alberta

A Food Experience

The Crossfield Farmers' Market does a few things right. For a start, they care about the men in the community. They also care about food - lots of home-made, fresh, delicious locally produced products. We found the whole pantry and more in one afternoon at this little market.

Cheryl Shea invited for Man Day on 18 August to see what makes this small market so unique and to get our prostates checked. Yup, they needed checking, we were told.

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The Crossfield Farmers Market runs June to September every Thursday from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm. It is located in Banta Park, Crossfield, Alberta. The 2017 Season marks their 42nd year!

As an Alberta Approved Farmers' Market, Crossfield pride themselves in offering the best of local handmade items, fresh baking, and locally grown produce. Since 2014, and with the help of volunteers like Cheryl, the Crossfield Agriculture Society put in an extensive effort to bring the market back to its roots.

They succeeded. The goal is to offer a family friendly and interactive environment with shopping and fun events for all market goers. The Market features local artists, farmers, and bakers. On this occasion, the market also featured BBQ, axe throwing, and hosted the MAN VAN, which is Canada’s first and only free mobile men’s health clinic offering PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood testing.

Observations

Time flies when you are having fun. Indeed, we had fun at Crossfields.

What stood out for us was the variety of food vendors for the small size of the market. There was everything from gourmet doughnuts, jams, juices, seafood, sauces, mustards, ice cream, and more.

Alberta Health Services, bylaws and regulations make it hard for small producers to bring food products to market. To have a farmers' market like Crossfield, that embraces food vendors, is a win for food producers in our province. It makes it a little easier for entrepreneurs to take the initiative and make something delicious and unique when they know they have a place where they can find customers for their wares.

We also had ourselves checked by the MAN VAN. Men, in general, are skittish when it comes to discussing their prostrates. Since I turned forty a few years ago, my Doctor developed a fixation for my nether regions. The MAN VAN offers a refreshingly different approach to having our prostates checked, and yes, it is all legal. They do it with a simple PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test.

We are glad to report that we are still as healthy as ever and in outstandingly good condition. The checkup showed us a little over weight. We attribute it to our healthy appetite and healthy love for our beer. Two healthies makes a very healthy in our books!

Crossfield Farmers' Market is a must in Alberta. We rate it amongst our favorites.

Hendrik van Wyk

Healthy Cowboy

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Glass River

Gourmet!

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Alberta Produce!

Future Millionaires 

Lost Texan

Two Cowboys: Renewal and Reinvention With the Third Generation of Buckle Makers at Olson Silver, High River, Alberta

Renewal and Reinvention

If there is an incentive for people to produce, then what is the driver for it to happen?

In 2013 High River was one of the small towns in Alberta devasted by flash flooding. The nearby Rocky Mountains had a larger than usual snow pack. Spring arrived early with the first rains. Everything melted faster than usual.

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Overnight, rivers and creeks turned into raging torrents. Like many other communities in the Foothills of Alberta, High River was in the way. Its downtown core and many of its small businesses, which already faced economic uncertainty from a faltering oil industry and globalisation pressures were caught in the deluge. We thought that the town will never recover. The character of High River, which was the pinnacle stop on the Canadian Cowboy Trail would forever be altered.

It is now almost four years after the floods. The good news is that High River recovered and reinvented itself in the process. It now stands as a symbol of the enterprising nature of the people of Alberta. It is open for businesses once again.

Albertans find new ways to move forward when they face adversity. They are builders that work with their fellow community members to reinvent and take charge of their destiny. They make lemonade when they have lemons. Brew beer and distill Whisky when the oil price is down. They build better towns when those are destroyed by flooding.

Olson Silver Company was one of the businesses severely affected by the flood. They are located in High River. The company has grown from a hobby of Jim Olson’s in the early 1960’s into the largest belt buckle manufacturing shop in Canada. The third generation is still making everything in the same shop, with very little reliance on outside suppliers.

Olson belt buckles are some of the most sought after trophies at many rodeos, from small town amateur events to the Canadian Finals Rodeo and all levels in between. It is an authentic and inspirational business that reinvented itself after the floods and as a consequence of it.

It now combines the traditional, tried and tested approach of high-quality craftsmanship with new talent and designs. Two young brothers joined Greg Hitchner's team, after the flood. Greg is the owner, custodian and chief maker currently presiding over the company's legacy of beautiful and famous Cowboy style buckles and silverware. With new talent comes a new energy for tradition. They also bring an enthusiasm for inventing, new designs and for the art of making something beautiful, valuable and authentic that is from Alberta, our home.

Observations

Greg and his team made beautiful decorative buckles for us that we wear proudly.

It is a symbol of the tradition and values that we stand for as the Two Cowboys & A Camera. The buckles are tokens of our commitment to the makers in our communities. It showcases the integrity, tradition and authenticity that comes from buying and using local products. These are people we support and that supports us.

Manufacturers in foreign markets can churn out thousands of buckles an hour. Making buckles is no longer an art only reserved for a select few talented artisans. Some of these factories may even come close to the quality and design of what Olson Silver produces. If it was only about the buckle, it would probably not have mattered when one buys a cheaper version made elsewhere. However, it is not only about the buckle. Buying something made by a local artisan comes with a much bigger story.

Wearing an Olson Silver buckle tells the story of the company, its people, the town of High River and the resilience of the many makers in our communities. We hope to encourage more people to shop locally with these and other makers. If we support local producers we are creating employment, character and capacity for growth. We are building our community. We are ultimately investing in ourselves.

Order your buckle from Olson Silver Company. It is something personal, and they will make it exceptional.

Hendrik van Wyk
Silver Cowboy

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Two Cowboys: Last Market for 2016 at Home with Canmore Christmas Artisans' Market in Alberta, Canada

At Home

Christmas is at home this year. Home is where the heart is. Home is also the place where friends and family work all year to support themselves and contribute to their community.

Canmore's Christmas Artisans' Market is our local Christmas market in this beautiful Rocky Mountain town. It is the market where we have our Chocolatier, Coffee Roaster, Potter and Woodcarver. Eighty local and visiting crafters attend the two-day market each year, which is in its 21st year.

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The Market was created in 1996 as a fundraising event for the parent-cooperative Canmore Preschool Society. It has been a successful annual event ever since that takes place on the third weekend in November. Vendors come from Invermere and across Alberta to spend the weekend in the mountains with Canmorians.

There is a high standard for goods at the market, and Artists and Artisans are carefully selected for their creativity and craftsmanship in addition to balancing the variety of offerings available at the market. Because it is a local market, Bow Valley residents receive preference. All goods are handmade and sold by the person who made them.

The market continues to be the largest annual fundraiser for Canmore Preschool and takes place at the Canmore Collegiate High School.

Observations

We attended on Sunday morning, the second day of the market. We were due to fly out to Auckland New Zealand the afternoon for our last visit to the Islands. We just couldn't pass up an opportunity to quickly check in on our friends. Every possible space was filled with the creativity of another artist or producer. Some were at their usual spots and others were newcomers. It included many familiar local and out of town faces from previous years.

The market is almost like a giant reunion for crafters. Vendors become friends as they attend market after market, year after year. They connect and take stock of their year's achievements. It is also an opportunity to make one more last sale before packing in for the Winter, and a welcome break with family and friends.

Because the market is well attended by the same vendors year-after-year, it provides an opportunity to see the Artisans' development. They display new and innovative products. You can witness improvement in their craftsmanship. The wares are often made just a little bit better than
the year before.

Attending the market is not so much about shopping as it is an opportunity to visit good old friends. That is why a local market is such an attraction for us. It brings people together. We love visiting our markets and tell the stories of the people that make the market a local market. Our market.

Thank you for supporting our market indulgence. We appreciate you sharing our content and rely on your continued support and sponsorship in 2017 when we will revisit our familiar places, meet with folks, friends and add to our portfolio of market coverage across Canada and New Zealand.

We do it because our local markets are the souls of our communities. It is where businesses ultimately begin. It is where we invest in ourselves.

Hendrik van Wyk
Artisan Cowboy

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We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more for you, your business, event or community.

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Jelly Friends 

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Two Cowboys: Okotoks Market Square Christmas Market 2016 in Okotoks, Alberta

The Season is Here

We are all for markets in our local communities. In Okotoks, the people are too.

Andrea Wilton-Clark and her team at Okotoks Market Square found another excuse to bring together 135 vendors and thousands of people over the past weekend to prepare for Christmas in the traditional way: By shopping!

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It is shopping with a difference because it is shopping locally with artisans. These are people that make things in their barns, their basements and sometimes in their living rooms. You won't find their products in retail stores because, most of what they do costs so much to make that they simply cannot part with the little profit that is left. This is not a bad thing at all. Let me explain.

Artisans make their products with good quality, high-end materials. They engage with their customers personally. There is simply no way that you can sell something if you know it is not of quality. Your friends, your family and your community support you. That is why you, the consumer is assured of the best possible product when your local Artisan makes and sells you something. They have to face you personally and stand up for their product.

There is another difference. What you buy is often unique, one-of-a-kind items. Even if it looks similar, every item is lovingly crafted by hand and comes with something a little extra: A bit of the Producers soul.

Lastly, if it breaks and needs repair, is finished and needs refilling, or must be replaced because it simply managed to make it to its end of life, then you can always look up the master maker. The person who's hands crafted you your favourite item or product is the best person to help you get it back in working order, refilling your jar, or replacing it with the next generation hand-crafted model.

That is why we shop at our local markets. That is why we appreciate the things our Artisans made us.

I must confess. I didn't know just how lively the Artisan maker scene is in Okotoks until I started to do a bit more research about Andrea's endeavours at The Market Square.

Market Impressions 

Okotoks MarketSquare was established by Adriana Bratu and Andrea Wilton-Clark in 2010 with a vision to create regular community events and to bring better exposure to local artists, artisans and small businesses in the region.

MarketSquare's first event was a small cluster of local vendors showcasing unique products with local musicians entertaining the crowds on a grassed park area in downtown Okotoks. The events quickly grew in size and popularity. Today MarketSquare offers five major market-style indoor as well as outdoor events and works with over eight hundred locally based vendors and small businesses.

MarketSquare now offers an extensive online platform with a directory and detailed profile, information, photo galleries, and website links to local artisans and boutique small businesses.  See it here: https://www.themarketsquare.ca

The online directory makes it simple to connect with vendors before as well as after events.  Andrea is also publishing articles on the site to tell the stories of our local artisans to bring continuous attention to them throughout the year! Soon you will find more videos as well courtesy of the Two Cowboys & A Camera.

We applaud her and her team. We look forward to featuring more of their events. Most importantly, we look forward to meeting more of the Artisans that make it possible for Andrea and us to do what we do and for you to get something of quality made locally.

Hendrik van Wyk
Market Cowboy

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We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more.

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o-CNN: Destination Marketing Just Tanked in Canmore, Alberta

The Mountains Are All We Need

Or is it?

Canmore Business and Tourism (CBT) packed it in, closed, retired, ceased operations and left the building. The voice of, and for Canmore business is silent. Call it what you will, but things are not going to be what they've been before.

I am not going to make this a long post. Watch the video for our thoughts on the matter. 

Alberta's businesses are hurting, and as a result its people are hurting. For a short while, here in the mountains we thought we may be immune to the contagion that is murdering the enterprising spirit of Entrepreneurs and Producers in the rest of the province. Business is good in Canmore we tell ourselves. Tourism is up. We are lucky. People can work. While it is famine everywhere else, the mountain towns are thriving. 

It is then unfortunate that here too finally we have to face the reality that maybe our own community is not really as immune as we thought. No, we are not referring to the fall in oil revenues as the driver for our misfortune and the supposed cause for the Alberta recession. Rather, we are pointing to a lack of realization and understanding of what makes a community and a Province's future possible and successful in the first place: It is its Producers, the entrepreneurs, their businesses that follow, the jobs that are created as a result, and the opportunities it presents for people to move here, live and thrive. We profile them and make videos of what they do. You can see who they are on this site.

Contrary to (more recent) popular belief: Without a healthy and thriving business base, there is no community. As they say in the country of my birth - Africa: "If you eat the chicken, you have no more eggs." Give businesses a reason to be here and Entrepreneurs the encouragement to establish themselves, and see how well the rest of the people do as a result. Why is this so hard for our politicians to get? Market this destination.

Every weekend, thousands of cars drive by our town. Thousands of opportunities are lost until we flag them down and tell them our story, and show them what we have on offer. Canmore Business and Tourism was tasked to do this job, and they've done well with what they had at their disposal.

While the model for Canmore Business and Tourism was less than ideal, its motive, commitment and results were exemplary. Surely, there was a way to make it work then, Mr Mayor?

Canmore is not a business friendly town. Ask any entrepreneur and established business owner that tries to start or operate here, and they will testify to the hazards of navigating high operating costs, stupid property lease fees, labour shortage, skewed zoning laws, high living cost, autocratic and overbearing permitting, and a less than business friendly Town Council. Then add the more recent Provincial Government's taxation and legislative agenda, and it is a wonder any business is left in Alberta.

It is sad to see the one party, who was seen to be standing for the success of businesses in this town decide to call it quits. I personally don't blame them.

CBT just had to finally do what most businesses do under similar circumstances: They close down and/or leave. As a community we are going to be worse off for it. I cannot fathom what our Town Council was thinking to let this happen. Someone will have to take this one for the team.

Hendrik van Wyk

Canmore Business Owner

P.S. If Canmore Town Council think they can step in and do the job of destination marketing, then it will be time for us to reconsider our commitment to this lovely town too. I hear Nordegg is looking for new businesses... and they have mountains!

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

o-CNN: Market Day in Cochrane, Alberta

A Market Community is a Healthy Community

The Two Cowboys were fortunate to visit with Valerie McCracken, the volunteer organizer of the Cochrane Farmers' Market. Over the last two weekends we had a taste of what Cochrane's micro businesses have to offer and we loved it!

The Cochrane Market is an Alberta Approved Farmers’ Market. It comes with rules and regulations that help distinguish the market from a typical "Flea Market" or "Public Market". For example: eighty per cent of the vendors are Albertans who meet the "make it, bake it, grow it" criteria. This means you are buying from the community's producers and product makers, directly. The remaining twenty per cent of the vendors are selling products that complement the market mix, within the discretion of the organizers. 

Another key differentiator is the organization of the market. An "approved market" is sponsored by a not-for-profit community group, local Chamber of Commerce, municipality or agricultural society, or have formed their own not-for profit society under the Societies Act. Hence, the market is a collaborative effort for the benefit of all the participants. It even has a vendor meeting to include the participants in the decision making. The "approved" status plays a distinguishing role to define the character of the types of businesses that participate in the market and how the activity is organized. 

The Cochrane Environmental Action Committee sponsors and operates the Cochrane Farmers’ Market at the Cochrane Ranche Historic Site. The market runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Saturday, rain or shine, from the beginning of June until the end of September. The market just celebrated its 18th birthday. They continue to grow, and each year is better than the last, with a downtown evening market added this year! 

Somehow, as Valerie mentioned in a her interview, Cochrane may have managed to get something right after eighteen years of trying to have a vibrant and healthy market. This year is the first year where the rest of the Cochrane retail and business community started to recognize, that to survive the onslaught of the national and multinational big box store invasion in small town Alberta, Cochrane has to turn to its own. The Farmers' Market was invited into the downtown core to help attract customers with products that make Cochrane unique as a destination, and inspiring as a community.

I make no mystery about the fact that I think markets are the critical, and often missing foundation of a community's character. A community with a healthy market and locally originating commerce is one that thrives in other areas too. It shows the societal health of a place when people come together to interact and trade the value they create. 

A market shrinks complicated value chains by offering direct access between producer and consumer. Markets overcome commerce imbalances in a community, which are often caused by an over representation of real estate reliant retailers stocked with out-of-town goods. Retailers offer a simple and safe tax base for local governments, and is therefore favoured over the complexities of the organizational overhead, and transient nature of market vendors. 

Yet, many successful producers and businesses started at markets. A market offers a safe place with low entry cost and low tax overhead, where government regulations and compliance costs are delayed a little longer, before it exercises its potential to kill the entrepreneurial spark of budding entrepreneurs.

Not only is the community's market a meeting place for town folk, it is the first place where budding entrepreneurs get to show their ideas, offer their products, and solicit feedback from potential customers. It is a place where you usually get something unique, delicious and practical while meeting friends and exchanging the week's news. 

With a healthy market, people have a chance to belong, a chance to contribute, and a chance to count on the support of those around them. Show me a community's market, and I will show you the health of its people.

Why then do we in Canada, mothball our markets during the long winter months? Granted, winter impacts agricultural pursuits, but that is not all you get at a vibrant market. These very important months is exactly the time when there is more opportunity for adding value to the season's harvest and inventing and making new products. 

I make the case that we need more markets (approved or not), and that these markets should be given the opportunity to operate year round in Canada. It is a community's prerogative to have its market, and you have the support of the Two Cowboys to help you make the case. We are so enthusiastic about markets that we are going to devote more time to this topic during the second half of this year when we travel to New Zealand to see how it is done in a country that thrives, thanks to its local micro producers, and its markets.

Hendrik van Wyk

Local Market Advocate

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My Place

Market Fanatic

Rock Face 

Dozens and Dozens

Ouma's Preserves

Hand Made

o-CNN: Young Entrepreneurs Doing Lemonade Day in Okotoks, Alberta

Parents Learn the Value of Business

The Two Cowboys had the privilege of attending Okotoks' second annual Lemonade Day on Saturday 10 June, 2016. At the outset we were blown away by the enthusiasm of this growing community for encouraging entrepreneurship in their children. Why do they do it?

Let's face it, Alberta Province is hurting financially and socially at the moment. The economic downturn is leaving deep financial and emotional scars in our communities. Folks are out of work, and many are without hope. 

The question that is on everybody's mind is: "Do we leave for a job elsewhere, or do we see it through, waiting for the good old days to come back?" The answer is simple. This time the prosperity of the oil industry in Alberta is unlikely, to return to previous levels soon, if ever. Maybe, now is the time that we take ownership of our destiny, and reinvent ourselves and our community once and for all. Maybe it is time to say goodbye to the concept of someone else having a "job" waiting for me, and hello to the concept of taking charge of my own destiny: of being a Producer, and an Entrepreneur.

Production Over Jobs

For too long, Alberta's been a "one trick" pony relying heavily on its energy assets and income from the oil industry. I am sure you are tired of hearing this tune, but it needs to be played loudly and clearly again.

Many people locally and nationally became complacent with the good fortune of the availability of well paying jobs, and not enough people to do them. When you travelled the oilfields you found people from all professions and locations across Canada, stepping out of their chosen industries, and into easy oil money. This is no longer the case.

Also, our Governments, Locally, Provincially and National followed suit by growing public services and bureaucratic overhead out of proportion on the easy energy revenue, taxes and royalties that could be milked from oil profits. People either worked for an oil company, a business servicing an oil company, or a public service made possible thanks to revenue from oil. Jobs are still around while these institutions are in denial, and banking on borrowed money. This cannot continue. Someone eventually will have to pay for it.

There is a positive story in all of this. We, the Two Cowboys traverse the business and community landscape in this beautiful Province, and we see hope and realization flickering. You can see some of the inspiration in the Producer Profiles we produce and the community events we feature. 

If Alberta is to turn itself around and prosper again, it has to recognize that it is not going to be the oil industry, or the Government that is going to hand us jobs, grants, or subsidies. Rather it is time for the people of Alberta to recognize the value of its Producers, and exalt these people that will do it: The Entrepreneurs. The Business owners. They will reinvent Alberta. The rest just need to get out of the way.

That is why we encourage and celebrate our Producers and Entrepreneurs. That is why we involve ourselves with communities and people that focus on making it possible for people to make something of value, earn from it, and share some of it. That is why it is good to encourage our children to choose entrepreneurship over employment. That is why we are ecstatic about Lemonade day in Okotoks, Black Diamond and Turner Valley. It's been long overdue!

Making Lemonade

Lemonade day is an initiative that ensures that youngsters are set on a path early to value what it means to be in business. It celebrates the personal value, the financial value, and the community value that comes from entrepreneurship and production. The concept was first introduced in Houston, Texas in 2007 to provide children and young adults with a collection of entrepreneurial skills not taught anywhere in the education system. 

Since 2007, almost 750,000 kids have participated in cities across North America. This year it is expected that over 150,000 students in over 50 cities will be participating in this tremendous program. Okotoks' business community is right up there with the best of them, taking the lead in teaching young Albertan's the value of entrepreneurship. The program is in its second year in Okotoks and has exploded in popularity amongst the children, and also amongst the supporting businesses of the area.

Successful societies were, and still are built on the back of small business. Entrepreneurs take risks believing they can realize their dreams if they work hard, take responsibility and act as good stewards of their resources. Everyone benefits as a result. Today’s youth share that optimism, but lack the life skills, mentorship and real-world experience necessary to be successful.

In 2007, founder Michael Holthouse had a vision to empower today’s youth to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs through helping them start, own and operate their very own business: A simple lemonade stand. Through this journey, children are encouraged and coached in preparation for the important role they will one day play in the success of their community.

By attending Lemonade Day in Okotoks we found people celebrating the opportunity of business, learning the values and skills that comes from being in business, and ultimately the hope that comes from taking charge of ones own destiny. The community is better off as a result. Everyone is.

The people of Alberta is taking charge of its own destiny in the realization that we ourselves are responsible for our prosperity. Our future Producers will make it possible. We need to make more lemonade.

Hendrik van Wyk

Lemonade Fan

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

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Drink Your Lemonade

Fashionade

We Were There

Happiness!

Hanging Loose

o-CNN: Small Town Coffee Roasters in Canmore, Alberta

Spoiled for Choice

In Canmore we are spoiled for choice when it comes to coffee. The Two Cowboys checked in recently with two local roasters that produce their coffee for the Bow Valley coffee shops, and consumers in the surrounds of the Foothills of Alberta. We have good coffee in Canmore.

Rave Coffee is the newest addition to Canmore, and brings knowledge, experience and a solid track record from operations in the U.K.

 Mountain Blends Coffee Roasters is the longest established in the Bow Valley, and now under the careful management of owner: Jennifer Web. They existed in Canmore, long before the Bow Valley knew the difference between Cappuccino or Latte. 

How can there be two roasters in a small town like Canmore? 

Firstly, as you saw in our previous instalment, Canmore likes its coffee. We have a discerning clientele that visits from all over the world, and we need to ensure they get the best we can offer. 

Secondly, because competition is a good thing. Canmore can have even more coffee roasters so that they compete to be better. If there is competition, then there is innovation and progress. It is a simple principle of business, and of life. We applaud our producers for that. As consumers we are better off with better coffee.

Enjoy our introductions to our proud small business producers in the coffee business in Canmore, Alberta.

Hendrik van Wyk

Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Two Cowboys on a Journey: District Chamber of Commerce Okotoks, Alberta

The Chamber of Commerce 

It is a form of business network, for example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses.

Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community. Local businesses are members, and they elect a board of directors or executive council to set policy for the Chamber. The board or council then hires a President, CEO or Executive Director, plus staffing appropriate to size, to run the organization.

The first Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1599 in Marseille, France. Another official Chamber of Commerce would follow 65 years later, probably in Bruges, then part of the Spanish Netherlands.

The world's oldest English-speaking Chamber of Commerce, in New York City, dates from 1768. The oldest known existing Chamber in the English-speaking world with continuous records, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, was founded in 1783. 

As a non-governmental institution, a Chamber of Commerce has no direct role in the writing and passage of laws and regulations that affect businesses. It may however, lobby in an attempt to get laws passed that are favourable to businesses. They also work closely with a number of other youth organizations in the country about the value and role of business in our society today.

Okotoks and District Chamber of Commerce

The Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce mission is to actively promote, facilitate and strengthen the business climate by providing: Leadership, representation, networking opportunities, service and education to their Chamber members. Their vision is to be a committed, visibly supportive organization contributing to the ongoing health of the Okotoks and District business community.

Chamber members are invited to engage in valuable networking events to exchange ideas, make new business contacts, solve problems, lend support and plan for the future growth and direction of the business community. 

The Chamber offers industry and business insight and information at our monthly member luncheons, participate in community initiatives such as Parade Day, Community Clean-up and municipal events. 

They provide members with a monthly newsletter of Chamber events, and activities. They host and present The Okotoks Trade & Lifestyle show, Business Excellence Awards and other events throughout the year to connect people to their local business community.

Standing Up for Business

Where will our society be without people that produce, add value and exchange this value freely through trade?

This should not be a rhetorical question, it should rather be a statement that exclaims the significant role Producers play in making our civilized society possible. If you have any doubt, there are many examples of countries where business departed, were confiscated, curtailed, depressed, annexed, overtaken and real Producers stopped producing. All of those societies imploded, and some countries that disregarded this, are now facing these dire consequences. 

It still happens every day. Ask any business owner (not just the Producers) how hard it is to start, operate, progress and grow business in today's supposed Developed and Free Market world. Ask the small businesses in the little towns in Canada how easy or difficult it is, and you may be surprised by their answers.

We now live in a society where most people is quite content with abdicating control and responsibility for their daily lives, health and welfare to a federal, provincial or local government. Public spending and services are growing at an alarming rate, and secure employment (or hangers-on businesses) in these services are fast becoming the norm for all student-debt-laden, mortgage-loaded, credit-card-carrying graduates. Starting a business that does not benefit from government handouts, or working for such a private employer is risky business, and less attractive than ever before.

Most businesses (that are not government endorsed, sponsored, initiated, granted, protected or controlled) are at odds with this transition and monopolization of value creation. It should not be government's job to look after people. Instead people should be free to create, produce and exchange value without the interference of an authority. People should look after people and be rewarded to do so by allowing them to be recognized for their contribution.

It is becoming more and more obvious from the amount of taxes, regulation, tariffs, licenses and other stumbling blocks that are placed in the path of entrepreneurial producers, that production and the free exchange of value is not a priority in the majority of our society anymore. 

We are all poorer for it financially, and also mentally. There is inspiration in making something that you value. There is even more inspiration when, what you make is of value to others. Now, all we need to do is restore the opportunity for people to make something, start businesses and freely exchange this value without having to get the permission of a government.

The fact is, that these businesses need all the help they can get. This is where a Chamber of Commerce comes in.

Hendrik van Wyk

Producer 

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All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

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Big Rock

Since 1904

New Old Town

The View

Two Cowboys: First Three Months in Review - Motivation, Inspiration and Appeal

The First Three Months

Hendrik van Wyk
Producer

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Smithbilt Hats, Calgary - Alberta

The White Hatters of Calgary

(Learn: **** Inspire: ** Amaze: **** Live: ****)
(The Two Cowboys Subjective Rate-o-Meter.   )

The company Smithbilt Hats Inc. has been crafting hats since 1919. After doing research on what type of business to open, a young entrepreneurial Morris Shumiatcher went to his local bank and borrowed $300 to buy Calgary Hat Works, and Smithbilt Hats was born. This means the company is actually older than the ninety-seven years it had its name.

In 1946 they've made the first white Cowboy Hat. The White Hat would become the internationally recognized symbol of the Calgary Stampede and the City of Calgary. In 1949, Mayor Don Mackay donned a White Smithbilt on a mission to promote Calgary and began handing out the White Hat to visiting dignitaries. The City of Calgary continues this tradition today. 

Most Calgarians know this story already, but do we still remember what it is all about?

Today, not many people wear hats and even fewer wear cowboy hats. This changes in this part of the world during Stampede, which takes place the first weeks of July every year. For this event, everyone in the region dusts off their cowboy hats and for one amazing week they are all Cowboys and Cowgirls again.

Every year, as we put away our hats after the festivities of the Stampede, I cannot help but wonder if there is still a place for a Cowboy in today's world? Is there still significance to the symbol of a Cowboy hat in today's Calgary and western society in general? 

Some may argue the city has lost its heritage in favour of becoming a typical North American metropolis, that it is indistinguishable from places such as Denver or Houston. Just a smaller version. Have we become what many feared may come from the multicultural melting pot, where everyone is somebody and nobody is actually anybody? What happened to the real Cowboys among us?

If you ask the older folk, they tell you quickly about the value system of the typical Cowboy. There are many versions, but it usually goes something like this:

• Honour: No one carries honour like a cowboy. To him, it's like breathing. It is who he is.
• Loyalty: He rides for the brand, for his family and for his people.
• Independence: The west and what it stands for is inbred in a cowboy. Some may call him a rebel. The pioneering spirit is what sets him apart.
• Bravery: A cowboy, whether working or rodeo, faces elements and dangerous animals without fear. He perseveres with his conviction and is ready to face the consequences, whether they are good or bad.
• A sense of Self: A cowboy has a unique ability to be himself. As Paul Brandt put it in his song for Alberta: "Independence in their veins." A person identifies himself with Cowboy is a person that knows who he is, and can be.

I reason that these are values that still prevail in today's world. In our travels, we've found them often, and in particular, prevailing amongst the people that make things: The Producers. The people responsible for the foundation of our economy and our society: 

• Honour: Producers realize that you don't take something that doesn't belong to you. You earn what you have through honourable hard work, by building something that provides value to the people around you.
• Loyalty: They are loyal to their identity, family, workers and communities. They are particularly loyal to the people that value who they are and appreciates them for what they do.
• Independence: The Producers are the people that ask: "Why not?". Their independence moves creative innovation and drives us forward to find better ways to live, care and look after ourselves and our world we live in.
• Bravery: Ask anyone that dares to establish a producing and manufacturing business just how hard it is to be successful. While you fight for a place in the market you are confronted with heavy taxes, levies, licenses, legislation and regulations. Every non-producer and service provider out there is determined to milk you as Producer, in every way possible for the very last drop of benefit they can extract from your efforts. Producers are the bravest among us.
• A sense of Self: Every Producer and maker know the satisfaction and value they derive from what they make. Many will tell you, they would be doing it, even if they cannot make a living from it. They have a rare gift of self-worth. Their skills and values cannot easily be taken from them.

For the similar values between that of a Cowboy and a Producer, I wear my Cowboy hat proudly - now a Smithbilt hat. I subscribe to the values of a Cowboy, and I salute the Producers amongst us, who dare to make something and make a difference.

Impressions

We thought we had the wrong building when looking for the Smithbilt shop and factory. We drove by a number of times before we realized that this is in fact where we should be. The Smithbilt branded truck outside confirmed our suspicions. The five-decade-old sign outside the building finally gave up the ghost this winter, which didn't make it any easier to know if we've arrived. You really must know the folks at Smithbilt personally, or be very, very committed to find the home of Calgary's white hat, to get to it.

Brian Hanson, today's proprietor, greeted us at the door in typical Cowboy fashion with a strong straight handshake and a firm look in the eye. We commented about the sign, and he assured us that Smithbilt is finally heading to a new building later this year. They are still debating if the sign should come along. 

When you see the photographs against the wall of this iconic company you realize just how profound a place this is. Even the Dalai Lama has one of Smithbilt's hats, and he wore it (for the photo opportunity at least), which goes against his faith. 

As Brian took us through their manufacturing processes we saw equipment and processes that are decades old. All are still doing the job for which they were originally invented, designed and built. 

I will let the video tell the rest of the story. 

The most pivotal observation of the day is the recognition that Smithbilt Hats is a piece of Calgary and a piece of what remains of the Cowboy values and heritage. Brian and his team of investors are only caretakers of this iconic brand, which will hopefully survive another one hundred years.

One proud part of me want Smithbilt to be the biggest hat business in the world, and for everyone to know about this amazing business, its heritage and its people. The other part wants to keep it a secret and preserve what it is. It is our brand, my Smithbilt. A happy place for a weary Cowboy in need of a new hat, and an opportunity to reminisce over the good times.

Hendrik van Wyk

Smithbilt Cowboy Hat-Wearing Producer

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Quality Control

It Fits Now

The Original

Hatters

For Hats

White Hatters