The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce has hired Ben Dueck as its new executive director. Dueck comes to the chamber from Steinbach Bible College where he was in charge of fundraising and alumni relations. He also runs his own homebuilding company. Dueck says there were a couple of things that appealed to him about the chamber of commerce posting.

"One is being able to work together with a team of people, both in the office but also the chamber at large, to make a difference, not only in their businesses but also how that will then affect and enhance the community of Steinbach itself. Those two things, working with the team but also enhancing the community, were what stood out to me."

Dueck says Steinbach has an impressive business community that is built on hard work and mentoring. He also notes how the chamber of commerce has been growing in recent years and has become a real agent of change.

"That's one of the reasons that I was excited. It stood out to me as an organization that is moving forward and making a difference. I also think that are always ways to improve an organization. I'd like to see how we can continue to provide solid value to the current members but also look at how we can reach out to the businesses in Steinbach that are not part of the chamber and see if there are ways for us to connect with them."

Dueck says a lot of the success in the Steinbach area is based on a really strong work ethic.

"And that's from a lot of the people who come here, including through immigration. They come with really wanting to make a difference, establish themselves and be able to have a fresh start. Looking back over many years, we've seen that in this area quite a bit. That has contributed a lot."

Dueck will work part time at the chamber office until he wraps up his work at Steinbach Bible College next month. He succeeds Linda Peters who has retired.