The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce is hosting a lunch session on April 30, 2026, to help local business owners strengthen customer loyalty and employee engagement through community connection. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Tap Room in Tapestry Hall, located at 74 Grand Ave S in Cambridge.
The session features guest speaker Paul Born, a social innovator and co-founder of the Tamarack Institute. Born, the author of Canadian bestsellers such as Community Conversations and Deepening Community, will join Chamber President and CEO Greg Durocher for a discussion on why building local ties is essential for business success. Born contends that a company’s prosperity is linked to the overall health of its city, noting that businesses struggle to attract and keep staff if the surrounding community is not strong.
The discussion comes at a time when research indicates Canadians are becoming increasingly disconnected. According to data from the Imagine Canada report based on recent surveys, roughly 3 million fewer Canadians are donating to charity compared to 2018. Additionally, volunteering rates have seen a significant drop, with up to 65% of organizations reporting shortages in volunteers. Born’s own research reflects these challenges, showing that people are volunteering less, donating less, and often do not know their own neighbours.
Beyond traditional community building, Born will address the role of technology in the workplace. While he acknowledges the place for artificial intelligence in business operations, he maintains that human relationships remain irreplaceable. He suggests that businesses can use artificial intelligence to create conditions that make human-to-human interactions easier, rather than replacing those connections.
This event is part of the Conversations That Matter speaker series hosted by the Chamber. Durocher, who has led the organization for over 24 years and received the James Gordon Carnegie Memorial Award in 2023, will moderate the conversation to help local leaders gain practical tools for fostering deeper allegiance among their customers and staff.
