Sherbrooke Chamber of Commerce absorbs Fleurimont’s ODACE

At a special general meeting Thursday, the members of ODACE, formerly known as the the Fleurimont Chamber of Commerce (CCF), approved an agreement with the Sherbrooke Chamber of Commerce (CCS) that will see the two bodies unite under the single banner of the CCS.AS a result, the CCS will from now on represent the interests of all ODACE members.

There was a recent meeting between the two presidents, which revealed that the visions and issues of the two organizations could easily be married and were closer than various conflicts in the past had suggested.

"It was time to move on and the momentum was there for ODACE members. Sébastien Lussier, former director general of the CCF, is now part of the CCS board of directors. In addition, François Desmarais, also former director general of the CCF, is also well-established at Commerce Sherbrooke. ODACE'S board of directors now believes that its members and Fleurimont merchants will be well defended and represented,” commented President Patrick Pinard.

“The CCS is committed to ensuring harmony among its members and advocating for the causes supported by ODACE. Networking "without a tie", which was the strength of our organization, will be maintained through future activities of the CCS. If we want to demonstrate to our elected representatives that a duplication of structure is useless, we must show ourselves as the example,” he added.

The agreement between the two organizations provides that all membership fees and partnership agreements currently in place at ODACE will be honored by the CCS. Finally, it is also expected that Patrick Pinard and Patrick Rahimaly, both merchants from the East and members of the Board of ODACE, will present the group on the Board of Directors of the CCS to ensure continuity.