December 2025 - Message from Your CAMA President

It’s Time to Close a Chapter and Start a New One

It is that time of the year when we close the chapter in our lives known as 2025 and plan and look forward to starting the next chapter know as 2026. In talking with many of our members throughout the past year I am comfortable in saying that 2025 has been a good year for our industry. In saying that, we don’t want to move into 2026 resting on the successes of the past year, we need to continue working hard and be open minded towards new opportunities that will be presented to us. Our industry is vibrant and everchanging with new technology and opportunities for growth and development.

For those of you that don’t know me personally, I am an operator in Winnipeg that proudly works with two of my son’s, Jeremy and David. We have and continue to attend industry events so there is a good chance many of you have met all of us. David oversees business development, and I want to quote a post he recently made on Linked in.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of your business. “I don’t have time” is an easy excuse for not attending networking events, trade shows, or participating in industry associations. We have seen time and time again that this participation pays off. Putting yourself in front of the right people can lead to invaluable relationships, leading to your business being on the national stage. If I walked into a Costco and offered our services, I’d be a nobody…but here we are installing a micro market at one of the biggest Costco stores in Canada.”

I have taught my boys the importance of networking and they “get it”.

Everyone has heard the phrase, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. There is proven truth to that phrase and being connected to our industry suppliers and fellow operators will always be an asset to your business plans for growth and development. So, if you have not been engaged in our industry, now is the time to get started. You can start by becoming a CAMA member (if you are not) and make plans to attend our in-person events like our annual trade show in March. Make 2026 the year to get engaged in our industry and benefit by the relationships it has to offer. Keep a close eye on our website for posted events and updates on what’s happening in 2026.

I would like to thank all our advertising sponsors that have supported and made our CAMA newsletter a huge success over the past year. We couldn’t have done it with out you. We look forward to your continued support for another successful year in 2026.

As we all get ready to start a new chapter, let’s plan on making networking a priority. Keep in mind that CAMA is your association, and your continued support is needed to keep it strong and working for its members.

I personally, along with your CAMA Board of Directors would like to wish all our members.

A Very Merry Christmas and all the Best in the New Year!