Happy New Year!
I trust that you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!
As 2017 gets underway I want to share with you what Standardbred Canada will be focussing on during the calendar year.
Our team and Board of Directors have created a very ambitious, yet doable agenda of goals and action items that we will strive to attain for you this year. Although, the following are in no specific order I hope that these will resonate with you as being focussed and on the mark to the needs of our members and industry.
Customer/Member Value
Creating value-add for our members is paramount in assisting you in being successful in the industry. Although we won’t pre-suppose what this is for you, we will work to identify how best to provide value-add to you as a Standardbred Canada member. Promoting and protecting the standardbred breed and the persons who breed, own or race standardbred horses is a large part of our mandate and we will be working with you during the year to ask, listen, and develop programs that can assist you going forward. It all begins with you, our member, and will result in asking your opinions and working with our team at head office to design and develop meaningful programs and services that you can reference going forward.
Technology
Our Director of Internet Technology Janet Cookson along with the IT team will continue to roll-out and implement a brand new upgrade to the Standardbred Canada computer system which will be more user-friendly and flexible for the end user. This includes working with our stakeholders to assist in the training and successful launch of the Gaitway system.
People
At Standardbred Canada, our people are our biggest asset and we want to focus on tapping into the incredible brain-trust that the team possesses via their years of knowledge, expertise and skills to further assist in serving our members going forward. This will be a result of ongoing engagement and focus groups with our team as they help to design and chart the course of the association’s overall direction.
Industry Growth and External Relations
We will continue to build a framework that includes networking and partnering with our related associations and stakeholders across Canada to support and promote initiatives and overall plans. This includes developing a roadmap to improve our government relations at all levels and looking at ways to increase and improve media relations for our sport.
Also, in 2017 we will celebrate our 150th anniversary as a nation and 250th year of horse racing in Canada. This year, Standardbred Canada will play host to the World Trotting Conference in Prince Edward Island, and the World Driving Championship (taking place across the country) in August. This international conference features over 14 countries around the globe discussing industry topics like; Breeding, Animal Health and Welfare, Marketing and Wagering. The conference will culminate with the final leg of the World Driving Championships during the week of the famous Gold Cup and Saucer at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino in Charlottetown, PEI.
Financial
Last but not least, like any successful association that serves its members we will maintain our focus on fiduciary responsibility by re-evaluating our organization, its operations and policies, and we will continue to exercise fiscal restraint by looking for opportunities to ensure that we deliver on services and programs in the most efficient and effective manner.
I believe that 2017 is going to be an exciting and rewarding year for our industry and although there will be ongoing challenges, it is my hope that we will be able to assist you in achieving your dreams and goals for the year by continuing to serve you and focussing on constant and never-ending improvement going forward.
Thank you for your continued support, and on behalf of Standardbred Canada we wish you a healthy and prosperous New Year and look forward to meeting and seeing you at a racetrack, training centre or farm throughout the year.
Dan Gall
President & CEO, Standardbred Canada
[email protected]
