APICA hosts podcast on everything Aylmer
The Aylmer Association of Professionals, Industrials and Merchants (APICA) hosted a two-hour podcast last week, focusing on the pandemic’s impact on the sector and expectations of what the future holds for local businesses.
Co-hosted by APICA’s General Manager, Nathalie Rodrigue and board member and owner of Transistor Media, Steven Boivin, the virtual event titled [italics] Zoom sur Aylmer took place on November 5. Hosted via Zoom, the event took place from 6 to 8 pm. Covering a number of different local topics, the virtual networking session also featured guests, including Aylmer district councillor, Audrey Bureau and 5e Baron co-owner, Jacob Barrette.
Attracting consistent participation throughout the show, Boivin was happy with the level of engagement. Not knowing what to expect going in, the event was quite a success, Boivin said. “People showed up,” Boivin said. “A lot of APICA members, and a lot of new members and future members.” With Zoom meetings become more and more common, and public gatherings remaining prohibited, Boivin said the podcast was intended as a way of getting local business people and community representatives together to chat about how their respective situations and their plans to deal with the crisis.
Noting that APICA regularly hosted member networking events prior to the pandemic, he believes the show was an ideal replacement since COVID-19 safety measures remain in effect. “We were looking into ways of doing something that was interesting,” Boivin said. “It was a bit like a radio show where people call in.”
APICA General Manager, Nathalie Rodrigue, told the Bulletin that “it was great to get together with a bunch of familiar faces”, noting that APICA hadn’t held a social activity for its members since the start of the pandemic. She believes the meeting provided a wave of optimism for APICA members, despite the economic and commercial negativity surrounding COVID-19. “We spoke about the joys of living in Aylmer, the beautiful parts of Aylmer,” Rodrigue said. “We really put the emphasis on everything positive. There was a super great energy the whole time.”
For Boivin, one of the most refreshing aspects of the event was how participants largely spoke about topics and solutions that concerned the whole sector rather than promoting their own operations – noting that it demonstrated Aylmerites’ sense of community engagement. “There’s a common passion throughout the meeting,” Boivin said. “It was evident that everyone was passionate about Aylmer.”
Having recently joined the association, Boivin said he’s impressed by how APICA is rapidly becoming a positive force in contributing the local economy’s resurgence due to strong collaboration among its members.
