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PROFILES

‘We can do just about anything’

My training was ‘here’s the log in to your
computer’ and ‘here’s the key for the
door’,” laughs Greg, admitting he had no
idea what being a Chamber president
entailed. “I think that was brilliant. I came
in looking at what can the Chamber do,
not what it’s supposed to do.”
It was a philosophy that would serve
him well in this new role and running
an organization that had now seen its
expenses dramatically rise due to its
move into the new 8,000-square-foot $1.2
million facility in June of 2001.
“We had been a very small and lean
organization. We were now going from
$10,000 annually in costs to $100,000 with
an incredibly tight budget so that was very
unnerving,” admits Greg. “But the business
community stepped up and at that time I
had some public notoriety a ter being in
Chamber President & CEO Greg Durocher politics and many people stepped forward
who had supported my campaign.”
He had already sold his portion of his
He had already sold his portion of his Chamber membership began to grow,
family-run Conestoga Insurance business
family-run Conestoga Insurance business more than doubling from 700 to about
to his brother, Gerry, two years prior and
to his brother, Gerry, two years prior and 1,700 members within six or seven years
was toying with potential business ideas
was toying with potential business ideas a ter Greg took the helm, giving it the
when this new opportunity emerged.
It has been nearly needed financial resources required
25 years since Greg Durocher “Richard talked about what the Chamber to introduce new programs and build
was doing regarding building its new home
accepted a lunch invitation that on Hespeler Road and I thought it might community connections. And as the
Chamber grew, so did his perspective of
would not only change his life be kind of fun; not running the Chamber what the organization could accomplish.
but the future of the Cambridge but building a new building,” laughs Greg, “What it did was enlighten me to the fact
Chamber of Commerce and its referring to The Gateway Centre located that in the Chamber world, we can do just
relationship with the community. at Hespeler Road and Highway 401. “I was about anything,” says Greg. “We have no
always a handy guy and while going to
“I had just come off losing the mayoral school I worked in construction during the bumpers or guard rails on what we do
election race and literally the next day summertime and loved that kind of stuff because there can’t be any guard rails
while cleaning out my campaign office, so I thought it would be great.” when you’re trying to build a community.”
Richard Hall, the Chamber’s board chair In terms of building Cambridge, the
called and said he wanted to sit down and Twenty-eight days a ter his political Chamber has been involved with many
have lunch with me,” says Greg, adding that career came to an end, Greg became economic and social initiatives during his
lunch led to a job offer to head the not- the Chamber’s first President and CEO, a tenure. These include bringing together a
for-profit business organization. “It was position formerly referred to as General consortium of business leaders who went
never on my bucket list, and I immediately Manager, taking over from Ann Gray who on to create the University of Waterloo
said I don’t think so because I didn’t see had been fundraising for the project as School of Architecture to Cambridge a ter
myself as an association manager.” the Gateway’s campaign director and had a plan to convert the former Tiger Brand
been acting for several months as interim
It was mid-November of 2000, and Greg Chamber leader and wanted to move on. Knitting plant on Melville Street South
was in the process of weighing his options to upscale lo ts fell through, as well as
a ter having served as a city councillor “I started on a Monday and remember Ann becoming a key proponent of having
for three terms before losing the mayoral came in to organize things for me since Drayton Entertainment build a downtown
seat to fellow councillor Doug Craig by 26 she was leaving that a ternoon on a three- theatre to boost the local economy.
votes. week cruise.

20 Spring 2024 www.cambridgechamber.com