David Swanson – Chair, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
Influential Icon: Architect of business
To kick off his tenure as board chair of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in mid-January, David Swanson opened the group’s new $1-million business centre and hosted separate functions for Conservative leadership hopeful Belinda Stronach and Canadian Krispy Kreme Donuts CEO Roly Morris on the following days.
Swanson, a senior manager with Graham Edmunds Cartier architecture firm, has kept up that frenetic pace since assuming the chamber’s top job. Unassuming and analytical, Swanson has proved a quiet but effective lobbyist who has indulged his instincts to stay out of the limelight. Instead, Swanson chooses to let the facts such as 600 new memberships in the chamber – which now represents more than 2,200 businesses and 3,400 individual representatives – speak for themselves. Under his leadership, the chamber also participated in a project to hire immigrants to work at its business centre as part of a broader effort to attract skilled workers to the city’s tight labour market.
Q: Immigration appears to be a major part of the solution to the province’s unmet demand for skilled labour. Calgary, in particular, welcomes a significant number of new workers each year. What role do you believe business should play in creating an environment where new people can be integrated successfully?
A: The role of business is really to find and recruit people. From a chamber perspective, we’ve put in place a position that not only business be proactive but government, regulatory agencies and self-regulating professional bodies be more open to allow people to transport their skills and credentials to this province.
Q: What one situation do you wish you could have the chance to face again and how would you respond differently?
A: At this point in time, I really have no regrets about what I’ve done. I’m a lucky guy to be in the shoes that I’m in.
Q: What keeps you sane?
A: Keep a balance in my life, especially by spending time with my wife Francine.
Q: What is the best thing about living in Alberta? What’s the most frustrating thing?
A: The best thing is the urban areas are small, concentrated and vibrant and surrounded by beautiful rural areas, such as the majestic Foothills. In a word, it’s the landscape. The most frustrating thing is the politics of central Canada versus the rest of the country.
Q: Which of these best describes you: Dreamer, Decision-Maker or Doer?
A: Probably a decision-maker.
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