Chamber Newsletter - February 2019
Volume 24 - Issue 2
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Chamber Chat with Amanda
Dear Chamber Members,
It has been a busy start to 2019 at the Chamber office! Our Visitor Guides are printed and ready for distribution. I want to thank everyone at The Print Shop (especially Diane Heusi) for all the hard work on the guide. The finished product looks fantastic. I believe this is the earliest we have ever had the guides completed. We wanted to get them done so they could be distributed at trade shows around Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota.
We recently mailed a copy of the new guide along with 2019 membership plaque stickers to all members. Please take a look at the guide and give us any feedback you have. If your membership plaque is full, let us know and we will get you a new one.
If you stop in our office, you will notice a big change. We had all of the walls painted! While the white walls and stencil designs were ok, it was definitely time for a change! We are very pleased with the new color. We also did some rearranging of our brochure racks. We plan to fill some of the bare walls with large local photos of our area that were submitted to us during our photo contest.
We are also getting ready for the Chamber Annual Banquet which will be taking place on Tuesday, March 5th at Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls in the Bingo Hall. Social hour begins at 5:30 pm, dinner at 6:30pm and the presentation starts at 7:30pm. We will give a summary of Chamber activities from 2018 and a preview of what's to come during the rest of 2019. If you would like to register for the banquet, be a corporate sponsor or donate a silent auction or item, you can download a form
HERE. The Annual Banquet is one of the Chamber's largest fundraisers each year. We appreciate your support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the Chamber. Together we build business, create community and promote tourism.
Sincerely,
Amanda Gunn
Executive Director
Black River Area Chamber of Commerce
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2019 Chamber Annual Banquet
The 2019 Chamber Annual Dinner is coming up on Tuesday, March 5 at Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls. Please join us as we highlight our 2018 accomplishments and preview what’s to come in 2019.
There is still time to reserve your spot! Social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $30 per person. The cost for a coporate table of 8 is discounted to $225.
Thank you to those who submitted nominations for our annual awards. We had many great nominations and that made selecting the winners very difficult. Reviewing the nominations is always rewarding because it is a great reminder of all of the amazing businesses and organizations we have in our area.
You will hear more about all three of these fantastic recipients at the Annual Banquet, but the winners are:
Business of the Year Award: Regal Beloit Corporation
Customer Service Award: Mr Pita
Service Organization Award: Jackson County Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers
Congratulations to the winners!
We are also still collecting donations for our silent auction. If you have a donation, please drop it off at our office or give us a call and we will come and pick it up. Proceeds from this auction are an important fundraiser for the Chamber.
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Career Fair and Community-Wide Job Fair will be held on Tuesday, April 9, 2019!
The Black River Area Chamber of Commerce, Department of Workforce Development and the Black River Falls High School are planning a Career Fair and Community-Wide Job Fair at the Black River Falls Middle School.
We appreciate your partnership on this day to help grow your current and future work force.
The schedule for the day will be:
10:00am – 11:00am -
8
th
Grade Career Fair
11:00am – 3:00pm -
High School Career Fair and Lunch
3:00pm – 5:00pm -
Community Wide Job Fair
*The School District will provide lunch and snacks for all folks running a booth.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out the online registration form
HERE
or download and print the form
HERE
.
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Save the Date - Work/Life Balance Program with Catherine E. Link, CPPB, CAM - March 28, 2019
Why is Work/Life Balance so important? There is no shortage of surveys, studies, commissions and task forces striving to draw attention to the fact that U.S. workers are increasingly stressed out and overworked. Even the Senate took note in 2003, when it passed a bipartisan resolution declaring October as National Work and Family Month, stating that, “reducing the conflict between work and family should be a national priority.”
During this interactive presentation, you will gain an understanding of what work/life balance is, assess your present work/life balance or imbalance as the case may be, and the causes and consequences of imbalance. We will also develop a plan and discuss ways to achieve balance.
This program is free for Chamber members and a $10 fee for non-members. Contact the Chamber office to register for this program. RSVPs appreciated by March 25.
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2019 Black River Country Visitor Guides
The 2019 Black River Country Visitor Guides are printed! We have boxes available for distribution. If you would like a box, stop in our office or give us a call and we can drop them off to your business. Here is a sneak peek at the beautiful cover!
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Customer service training helps ‘bring fun to life’ in Wisconsin
Story by Kyle VonRuden/Banner Journal
For residents of other states, Wisconsin evokes images of cheese wheels, frosty beer mugs and camouflage jumpsuits. And while that’s all well and good, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism (WDT) is seeking to add a much broader concept to that list: fun.
Julie Fox, WDT regional tourism specialist, visited the Comfort Inn and Suites Thursday, Jan. 24, to host a customer service training in collaboration with the Black River Area Chamber of Commerce (Chamber). While the session provided strategies for interacting with customers of all stripes, there was a particular focus on how great customer service can be a valuable tool in promoting tourism in Jackson County and furthering the WDT’s mission of “bringing fun to life in Wisconsin.”
“I thought there was a great turnout,” Fox said. “It was wonderful to see a wide variety of folks. I always like to find out how people who feel they aren’t directly associated with tourism can benefit from these trainings. We’re just pleased so many people were able to attend.”
According to WDT statistics, Jackson County realized $57.9 million in total business sales in 2017 (complete 2018 data is not yet available). $38.3 million came from direct visitor spending, an increase of 6.9% from the previous year. By WDT’s count, those sales generated $4.5 million in state and local taxes and sustained approximately 554 jobs within the county.
It is the responsibility of Fox and her 23 colleagues at the WDT to make sure those numbers continue to trend upward by leading statewide and regional marketing initiatives, supporting and disseminating tourism-related research and providing resources that help local businesses keep the visitors coming back to the state year after year.
“We just want customers in our communities to have a great experience, whether they’re returning to the bank they’ve used all their lives or visiting a new business for the first time,” said Fox. “Everyone should have a great customer service experience.”
To that end, the training session offered tips that small businesses, public entities and civil society groups can utilize to provide a warm, welcoming atmosphere for customers/patrons and build relationships that lay the groundwork for long-term success. At several points during her two-hour presentation, Fox also emphasized how visitors consistently rank Wisconsin as the top state in the region in terms of being a fun, affordable and family-friendly tourist destination.
“Tourism is an essential part of the state economy, and local businesses’ daily interactions with their customers really contribute to the big picture,” Fox explained. “Even if visitors don’t remember every attraction or every place they stopped to eat, they tend to leave with the general perception that they had a really great time while they were here. That’s what makes them want to come back.”
Representatives from several local small businesses attended the training, while others came on behalf of organizations as diverse as the Ho-Chunk Treasury Department, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and the BRF Public Library. Even though these groups don’t participate directly in retail, customer service is still an important element of what they do.
“At the library, our patrons are our customers,” said Vicki Fisher, services coordinator at the library. “The services we provide are what brings them in, and they wouldn’t be as useful or accessible if it weren’t for our knowledgeable staff. Customer service is very much a part of what we do. Even though we aren’t selling anything here, we still have a product, which is our staff and the assistance we offer to the community on many different levels.”
Amy Studden, business services consultant with the DWD, also attended and said the training session was well worth her time. “As a member of the Chamber, I feel it is important to support Chamber events. My customers are Wisconsin businesses, and this training was particularly valuable not only in refreshing my customer service skills, but also providing a networking opportunity to help me connect local business leaders to DWD and to the [Department of Vocational Rehabilitation] business services.”
Chamber director Amanda Gunn echoed the comments from Fisher and Studden, emphasizing the holistic character of local economies. According to Fox’s presentation, 68% of customers cite “an attitude of indifference or rudeness by the owner, manager or an employee” as the reason they choose not to return to an establishment. And visitors tend to form perceptions of entire communities rather than individual locations, Fox explained, so a bad interaction at a fuel station at one end of town may, for instance, prevent a scuba diving enthusiast from returning to Lake Wazee next summer.
“There are so many different industries in our area, and most of them relate directly or indirectly to tourism,” Gunn said. “It’s important to always provide top-notch customer service to everybody, whether that’s a local resident or a tourist from another state. I thought the training provided a good refresher on the dos and don’ts of how to interact with customers.”
And while some feel ubiquitous technology and changing social mores are diminishing the value of treating customers well, Fox believes that all employees are capable of great customer service regardless of background or personality.
“Depending on their role in an organization or business, some people have to spend a little more time becoming comfortable interacting with customers,” she said. “But that can be all taught. Sometimes employees are introverted, but perhaps at work they need to be more of an extrovert. Knowing what they need to know and being able to provide that customer service in whatever role they have, that’s really a life skill that can be taught. That’s why we do this, to teach people and help people who teach others.”
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Events to Share
Please send us information on any upcoming events your business or organization is hosting. We will get them posted to the calendar on our website and in the printed calendar we distribute at our office. We also share many different events on our Facebook page!
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Brochures, Rack Cards and Business Cards
Make sure to drop off a supply of your brochures, rack cards and business cards at the Chamber office. Help us help your business by passing along information to both our out-of-town visitors and to local residents who come to the Chamber. If you can't make it to the office, give us a call and we will gladly pick them up at your business!
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Goody Bag Items Needed
Throughout the year, we put together goody bags for our Karner Blue race, new teachers, hockey tournaments and other events. We are asking businesses to donate goody bag items. If you have items such as pens, magnets, key chains, coupons, etc that you would like to donate, give us a call. It is a great opportunity to advertise and promote your business!
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February Business After 5
Thank you to everyone who attended the February Business After 5 and Ribbon Cutting at UMOS on Wednesday, February 13. Members enjoyed delicious food and beverages. We had a great turnout and everyone had a wonderful time!
Remember - all employees of any Chamber member business are welcome to attend Business After 5.
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UMOS
Transitional Jobs Program Acting Manager and Employment Coach Lori Jayne Carlson (center) cut the ribbon during the Business After 5 event.
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There will not be a Business After 5 event in March!
We have an opening for April Business After 5! The date is Wednesday, April 10. It is the only opening we have in 2019. If your business is interested in hosting, give us a call!
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Interact Club Receives Charter
Rotary Club of Black River Falls celebrated the newly formed Interact Club of Black River Falls High School on Monday, February 4, 2019. Interact clubs are student-led and bring young people together to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self – Rotary International’s motto.
Rotary Club President, Kristin Franks stated, “We are excited to celebrate the official certification of the Interact Club of Black River Falls. This is especially meaningful for us because we were officially chartered in October of 1928, and 90 years later in October of 2018, the Interact Club was officially chartered.” Rotary District Governor, Bill Hoel, joined in the celebration to officially welcome the Club.
The benefits of having an interact club include connecting with area leaders and to make a difference in school, in the community, and around the world. Students also discover new cultures and make new friends in the process. Interact clubs organize at least two projects every year; one that helps the school or community and one that promotes international understanding. Rotary club members mentor and guide Interactors as they carry out projects and develop leadership skills.
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Interact President, Grace Engebretson (center) and Treasurer, Lois WhiteEagle (right) display the certificate from Rotary International acknowledging the newly formed Interact Club of the Black River Falls High School. District 6250 Governor, Bill Hoel, (left) was present at the ceremony. Also celebrating the event were (back row l-r) Kristin Franks, Rotary Club President and Tom Chambers, Rotary member and Interact Advisor.
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BRF School District Looking to Increase Internship and Apprenticeship Opportunities
The School District of Black River Falls would like to increase internship and apprenticeship opportunities for students in our area. Career Coordinator Ryan Johnson can meet face-to-face with employers, help coordinate and support interns and apprentices in local businesses and assist with finding and developing training opportunities for student workers. If your business would be interested in having student interns/apprentices, contact Tom Chambers at 715-284-4324 ext 2001 or by email at
Tom.Chambers@brf.org
or Ryan Johnson at 715-284-4324 ext 6511 or by email at
ryan.johnson@brf.org
.
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Jackson County Named Wisconsin Active Together Community
Let’s Walk, Ride, and Roll our Way to a Thriving Community
Jackson County starts the New Year recognized as a Wisconsin Active Together Community for efforts to promote active lifestyles and for their pledge to do more--because in addition to celebrating accomplishments, communities can make resolutions to foster health too!
Where we live impacts our wellness and the newly named Wisconsin Active Together Communities, now reaching 1.4 million Wisconsinites across the state, know that even small changes in the landscape and in promoting being active can add up to creating lasting changes for everyone’s benefit, impacting both health and the economy.
Jackson County, through the efforts of JacksonInAction.org (community healthy living coalition) has demonstrated their commitment to advancing strategies for safe places to walk, bike, and be active and now joins 20 others to be called a “Wisconsin Active Together Community.”
Developed and supported by a network of local coalitions and statewide organizations, Wisconsin Active Together is also proud to announce the other newly named Wisconsin Active Together Communities (
#WIActiveTogether
). Get to know Jackson County’s efforts more through the community profile at:
as well as the other communities and coalitions:
·
East Central Wisconsin; East Central Regional Planning Commission
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Fitchburg; Bike Fitchburg
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Ft. Atkinson; Fort Healthy Wellness Coalition
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Greater Green Bay / Brown County; Wello
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Manitowoc County; Healthiest Manitowoc County
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Middleton; City of Middleton
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Oregon; Oregon Area Chamber of Commerce
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Sheboygan; Mayor's Neighborhood Leadership Cabinet
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Sun Prairie; Sun Prairie Moves, Inc.
·
Cambridge; Cambridge Wellness Collaborative
·
City of Verona; City of Verona & the Verona Chamber of Commerce
·
Walworth County; Walworth County Healthy Eating Active Living
·
Whitewater; City of Whitewater
“This initiative is an opportunity to work locally while being part of something larger happening across the state,” Jen Walker, healthTIDE Active Communities team lead and Wisconsin Active Communities Alliance coordinator said. “We want to celebrate local progress in promoting opportunities to increase physical activity, through community design that creates safe ways to walk and bike and more places to play and be active.”
“Our community coalition has been building on active lifestyle opportunities through a coordinated multi-agency effort with many key stakeholders at the city, county, private and public level. We are very pleased to receive this recognition which spurs us to continue to grow,” explained Nicole Schweitzer, Chair, Jackson In Action.
“The Wisconsin Active Together application is easy to complete and gives you a comprehensive review about walking, biking and active lifestyles,” stated Dawn Jacobson, Jackson In Action member. “The results of the application provide us with new insights into areas to build upon to help improve the activity levels of residents in our county.”
So for 2019, JacksonInAction.org encourages people to work to make Wisconsin Active Together! Here are a couple of things you can do: Visit
JacksonInAction.org
and learn more about their initiatives; Join the coalition in advancing local strategies for safe places to walk, bike, and be active!
To view Jackson County's Calendar of Activity Events -
Click here
To participate in the 2019 Year Long Fitness Challenge -
Click here
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Downtown Black River Falls will have new Christmas decorations thanks to the Downtown Association
Story by JoDee Brooke/Banner Journal
Following the advice of Black River Falls (BRF) Lions Club members, the BRF Downtown Association (DTA) recently purchased new decorations that will light up Main Street for the holidays next year. Lions Club members have been helping to extend the life of the old decorations by replacing the burnt out bulbs for the past few years. It was in 2017 when Lions members said that was the last year they’d be able to replace the bulbs.
“Two years ago they said they were done with doing this, as the lights were getting so bad, they just didn’t like doing it,” shared BRF Parks and Recreation director Steve Peterson. “Last year, we ran out of extra bulbs. We had to make a decision. Do we replace or do we buy another bunch of bulbs and replace them ourselves? It was going to cost at least $1,500 for the bulbs. To the rescue came the DTA. They knew the lights were getting bad and they also were looking for options.”
Peterson remembered when the idea to place Christmas lights on Main Street came to light. “Roland Jenni and I originally started this project with assistance from Milt Lunda,” remembered Peterson. “The original thought process was to just get lights put up on the bridge. However, Milt thought a continuation of the decorations all the way up Main Street would tie in nicely. Milt said he would pay for them if we came up with a good proposal.”
Peterson said it took a couple of trips to Lunda Construction with their proposals before Milt agreed on the “right one.”
“Milt had the foresight to make sure we bought a good product that would last many years,” said Peterson.
The original lights were purchased in 1989 from Wayne Manufacturing, Inc. out of Iowa. “Before we could start putting the lights up on the bridge, we need wiring to do so,” recalled Peterson. “That was a process that needed to be worked out. Eventually, we got Quick Electric to do the wiring. Over the last 10 years, we have had the fortune of the BRF Municipal Utilities helping in replacing some wiring and some of the bulbs to keep the decorations looking good.”
Last fall, a decision was made by the DTA to replace the old Christmas decorations. DTA secretary Dana Olson explained the DTA recently purchased 29 new lighted decorations; 11 will line Main Street, 11 will line Water Street and six or seven will line the bridge. Total cost of the new lights was $12,800. “We may apply for a grant later, but the best deal to purchase them was now, so we went ahead with that,” explained Olson.
“I think the new decorative wreaths with LED lighting will be very beautiful for this coming Christmas season,” said Peterson.
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Monroe County
Economic Development Conference
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The 2019 Monroe County Economic Development Conference will be held February 27-28 at Three Bears Resort in Warrens, WI.
Some of the topics featured at the conference include:
Workforce issues & possible solutions
Creating a "team" atmosphere in the workplace
Leadership leads to successes!
Time & stress management
Apprenticeship, internship, Inspire Program, veterans, disabled & re-entry employee possibilities
Childcare & housing - impacts on businesses & workforce
First impressions - a difference maker for your tourism business
Business spotlights
Marketplace
Networking, networking, networking!
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USDA Rural Business Development Grants
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Rural Development is now accepting applications for the 2019 Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program!
This competitive program supports technical assistance, training and other activities that help develop or expand small and emerging private businesses in rural areas. Eligible applicants include towns, communities, state agencies, nonprofit corporations, tribes, and institutions of higher education.
Application materials and the governing program instruction 7 CFR Part 4280, Subpart E, can be found by visiting our
website.
Applications must be submitted and/or delivered by
March 29, 2019
to the Rural Development State Office at 5417 Clem’s Way, Stevens Point, WI 54482.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Kristin Peterson, Business & Cooperative Programs Specialist with Rural Development. She can be reached at 715-345-7640
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7 Rivers Alliance Updates
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Inspire Program
With a new school year underway, the Inspire 7 Rivers team has taken initiative to grow its network of employers and students. Inspire is a way to link together education and industry to help students and job seekers achieve their goals and address communities’ workforce development needs. Inspire 7 Rivers is launched in school districts within Black River Falls, Holmen, Tomah, Hillsboro and Blair-Taylor, and over the next three years, the program will expand to include school districts throughout the entire 7 Rivers Region.
The Inspire program is now up to over 100 employers and 80 coaches that collaborate with over 1,000 active students in the area.
Our team continues to communicate about the benefits of the program to local organizations. We are currently working on creating a more effective, user friendly registration process for employers to join. If you or any employer is interested in learning more please email Jeff at
Jeff@7riversalliance.org
.
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WisConnect is your source for Wisconsin internships!
Employers can recruit interns on WisConnect to enhance their skilled talent pipeline. Create an employer profile, post internships, search for Wisconsin college students and find resources to build or expand internship programs. It's easy to get started.
Create a free WisConnect account
to start your search for interns today. Once registered, you can build your employer profile to showcase and attract interns, post internships and search for qualified interns who meet your talent needs.
College students are joining WisConnect daily. Visit the site frequently to make new talent connections.
Students can seek internships to gain valuable job skills and launch their career. Create a professional profile, upload your resume, and search for internships with Wisconsin employers. Create a free WisConnect account to start your internship search today. Once registered, students can search for internships, explore Wisconsin businesses that offer internships and identify opportunities to gain valuable job skills. New internship postings are added frequently. Visit WisConnect often to find new opportunities.
For more information visit the link below!
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Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation News
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THINK•MAKE•HAPPEN IN WISCONSIN
Throughout our history, we’ve shown that if you
THINK
big and strive to
MAKE
your mark, anything can
HAPPEN
in Wisconsin. From our nationally recognized education system and our renowned work ethic to innovative thinking that fuels ground-breaking discoveries, our culture and traditions create opportunities for personal and professional fulfillment.
To further guide our approach, we conducted a national survey of business leaders, investors and people representing the general population. Among the insights this study uncovered is the fact that Wisconsin is a state well-known for its thinkers, makers and doers. You can
view a summary of our research findings here.
There are several ways to engage with Think-Make-Happen:
- Join the conversation on social media using hashtag #ThinkMakeHappen.
- Share your story and what you love about Wisconsin.
- Check out our library of Wisconsin Stories and Wisconsin alumni testimonials and share them through your social media networks.
- Just for Wisconsin alumni: Click here to tell your story and share what you love about Wisconsin.
- Employers are encouraged to use the Think-Make-Happen video in their employee recruitment efforts. The video promotes opportunities in Wisconsin and why the state is a great place to live and work.
- If you would like to adopt Think-Make-Happen In Wisconsin® messaging to help promote business and talent initiatives in your area, please contact us.
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Made in Wisconsin
High-Quality Products from Hard-Working People
When something is produced in Wisconsin, it is a point of pride for those who had a hand in its creation. WEDC created a cost-free logo for businesses to use to proclaim their products' Wisconsin origin. The Made In Wisconsin logo can be adapted to reflect a company's production process.
Join the hundreds of companies who are already participating in the Made In Wisconsin program by filling out an application
here
!
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2019 Business After 5 Calendar
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March: No Business After 5 in March
April 10:
OPEN - CONTACT US TO RESERVE THIS DATE!
May 8: Black Creek Lodge
June 12: Lunda Community Center
July: No Business After 5 in July
August 14:
WWIS Radio
September 11: Dale's Refrigeration & Heating
October 9: Co-op Credit Union
November 13: Revolution Coffee House & Wine Bar
December 4: Black River Area Chamber of Commerce
We have ONE opening for Business After 5 in 2019. We also have
a few
openings for Business After 5 in 2020. Give us a call today to reserve your spot!
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2019 Chamber Board of Directors
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President -
Robert Crampes, Land O'Lakes
Vice President -
Dave Meyer, WWIS Radio
Treasurer -
Matt Streeter, Black River Memorial Hospital
Secretary -
Justin Dougherty, Dynamic Audio & Video LLC
Board Members
Karman Briggs, Western Dairyland
Keith Brown, Farm Urban Realty
Kristin Franks, Edward Jones
Grady Gutknecht, Jackson County Board Rep
Sue Miller, Co-op Credit Union
Melissa Porter, Ho-Chunk Gaming-Black River Falls
Scott Johnson, Aptiv
Tamra Soto, Comfort Inn & Suites
Carrie Timp, Revolution BRF
Wendy Trautsch, Pine View Terrace
Joe Williams, Theisen's Home-Farm-Auto
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From left: Lynette LeGarde, Samantha Windsor, Kathy Kopp and Amanda Gunn
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Black River Area Chamber of Commerce
120 N Water St
Black River Falls, WI 54615
715-284-4658
www.blackrivercountry.net
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