YORKTON – Business leaders, entrepreneurs and community members gathered in Yorkton for an evening of inspiration and connection as the Chamber of Commerce hosted its 26th annual Business Dinner, featuring guest speaker Jennifer Barroll.
Barroll, a leadership consultant, author and former media personality, shared insights on how to build strong teams, foster connection and lead with purpose.
Speaking to attendees, Barroll said her presentation focused on three key ideas: capacity, connection and creation.
“One of the things we want at work from a leadership perspective is for people to have maximum capacity — to bring their best to their jobs,” she said. “I’m going to talk about how, from both a leadership and connection perspective, we can do that not just for ourselves but for others, too.”
Barroll, who is releasing her first book, Make Work Not Suck: A Conscious Leader’s Guide for Building Teams That Thrive, this fall, said her goal was to help people recognize their ability to shape their own environments.
“We have the power to create things through our energy, our conversations and our values,” she said. “Sometimes people don’t realize they have that superpower — that they can affect change. When we take ownership of what’s going on in our lives, we create something pretty amazing.”
The Calgary-based consultant blended personal stories and humour with practical advice, drawing comparisons to athletes who learn from failure. “Take the Blue Jays, for example,” she said. “They’ll review the tape after a tough game, not to complain, but to see how they can get sharper and stronger. That’s how we grow — through the hard stuff.”
Yorkton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Juanita Polegi said the strong turnout demonstrated the local business community’s high value for events like this.
“It’s wonderful to see such a good crowd,” Polegi said. “It means we’re finding speakers who resonate with employers, businesses and employees. When people mix, mingle, and network, that’s how business relationships are built.”
Polegi said the goal each year is to provide both inspiration and practical takeaways.
“If everyone goes home with just one nugget of information, we consider that a success,” she said. “Our speakers have always managed to inform and entertain our business community, and Jennifer was no exception.”
The Yorkton Chamber’s annual dinner continues to serve as one of the city’s key business networking events, blending insight, connection and community spirit.
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