Redeemer celebrated its many partnerships with Hamilton’s corporate community at the 13th Annual Business Partnership Open House on October 17. More than 150 people attended the event hosted by Redeemer’s Advancement Department featuring refreshments provided by Redeemer Conference Services. Guests, many of whom brought displays, enjoyed the opportunity to network with each other and with students, faculty and staff. Redeemer’s president, Dr. Hubert Krygsman, opened the event by pointing out that Redeemer has a significant role in the Hamilton economy, contributing more than $62 million in total business volume. Mayor Bob Bratina also acknowledged that Hamilton’s healthy economic outlook, including its low unemployment rate, is due in part to the educational and community contributions that institutions like Redeemer make. Mayor Bratina also noted that Redeemer students are very active in volunteer and service opportunities throughout the city, but especially in the downtown core. “There are two main reasons we host the annual Open House,” says Janet Mulder McKenzie, Redeemer’s Annual Fund Coordinator and one of the key organizers of the event. “We want to thank all of our corporate partners for their support of Redeemer, and we want to share with them some of the services and programs that Redeemer has to offer.” Both of those elements were noted by Clarke Perry, who has been at the Open House for ten years. Now Vice President at Blue Print Agencies, a full-service marketing provider, Clarke has long supported, and benefited from his partnership with, Redeemer. “We’ve done a lot of business with the institution,” he noted in his remarks, “and we’re proud to have been able to support them in their mission. Redeemer has also provided us with Nathan De Haan, an outstanding co-op student. The co-op experience really solidified for me the caliber of education and people that work so incredibly hard for this organization. If you have not gotten involved with the co-op program at Redeemer, I strongly recommend it. For us, this is a win-win relationship.”