Caledon Chamber of Commerce hosts 2025 Fall Business Summit

November 6, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Caledon Chamber of Commerce held its 2025 Fall Business Summit at Mount Alverno Resort last week.

The business community enjoyed a day of networking, guest speakers, and themes of growth, economy, and Artificial Intelligence.

Multiple speakers from various areas of expertise spoke to local businesses about how to harness AI to unlock opportunities, navigate Ontario’s evolving economy, and strengthen local business resilience.

The keynote speaker of the summit was Daniel Tisch of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

Tisch has been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contributions to the community, the province, and the country.

He said he has attended more than 60 local Chamber events in the last year-and-a-half, and that these local events tell him the stories behind the numbers and data he sees from his office, “the highs and lows and needs and preoccupations of businesses, the people I’m here to serve.”

“It was particularly valuable to be in Caledon, because it’s a community at the crossroads of Ontario’s growth,” said Tisch.

He noted that Caledon’s economic base is broad, spanning manufacturing, agribusiness, logistics, and innovation.

“Thanks to economics, demographics and geography, you find people with both a deep commitment to a small-town quality of life and the ambition to be part of North America’s economic heartland, a player in the global economy,” said Tisch.

At the Ontario Chamber, he said they believe that strong businesses make stronger communities.

“Chambers are special because they attract two types of people: those who are leaders in their community today, and those who aspire to be leaders in their communities tomorrow,” he says.

After his keynote speech, he said he hoped that Caledon businesspeople would “see the connection between their involvement in their chamber and the voice of business across Ontario and Canada.”

“Business has an opportunity to lead, in partnership with the government, the non-profit sector, and the community. When we stand together, we are a voice that’s incredibly wise for the government to heed, and incredibly foolish for the government to ignore.”

“If we can make our business environment more competitive, invest in the industries and infrastructure of the future, and attract, retain and develop our talent, we can lead the world.”

As a voluntary organization, Caledon Chamber of Commerce has come a long way from where it was to where it is today, and President Marion Upshall spoke about how proud she was to see the Chamber’s growth.

“I also know that we have more growth to come,” added Upshall. “Our foundational work is done.

“We’ve got a great Board of Directors in place, and we can only go up from here. We can only strengthen more from here, and we can only connect more from here, and that’s what it’s all about: connecting all of Caledon. I’m very proud of how far we’ve come in a short period of time, and we’ve got greater growth to happen.”

She shared the event itself that day was very well received, which she says is partly due to the speakers they chose for the businesses there.

“It’s down to the messages that we needed to get to our business community on a local level, on a regional level, and on a provincial level,” said Upshall.

Upshall said the summit was important for the businesses to understand that the Chamber is there to support them.

“We’re here to support them, and we’re here to lift them up. We’re here to encourage them, and in any way that we can assist with any challenges that they may face, we want them to know that we’re here for them,” she said

One major part of the day Upshall spoke on was the return of the Business Excellence Awards, something that hasn’t been a part of the Caledon Chamber of Commerce since 2017

“It’s a long time coming, and they do deserve the accolades, and it’s a very proud moment for us, and I believe for our business community as well,” said Upshall.

For the Consumers’ Choice Awards, dining went to Symposium Café Restaurant and Lounge, retail went to both Caledon Creamery and Shine N’ Drive, and service went to Crown Commons.

The New Business /Entrepreneur /Start-Up Award also went to Crown Commons.

The Impact Award went to Caledon Community Services (CCS), and Business of the Year went to Husky Technologies.

Shine N’ Drive held its grand opening this September as Caledon’s first full-service carwash, after being known as Bolton Classic Car Wash for 20 years.

After winning the Consumers’ Choice Award for retail, Manager Jagnoor Grewal from Shine N’ Drive said, “All the days of a lot of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat, and literal tears have now kind of felt a little bit rewarding.

“We’re glad that everyone was able to enjoy it just as much as we did, and we’re glad that the community feels the same way that we do, that we want to give a really good, great customer service to every single customer that comes, regardless of who it is, and continue to do this for years to come.”

He shared that they attended the Summit that day to give back to the businesses that had supported them.

“A lot of these people were supporting us before we even existed as an old car wash, and a lot of these friendly faces are now back here to celebrate our achievements and accomplishments, and we couldn’t have done it without everyone involved.”