Chamber Newsletter - January 2019
Volume 24 - Issue 1
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Chamber Chat with Amanda
Dear Chamber Members,
Please join us for the 2019 Annual Chamber Banquet on
Tuesday, March 5
at Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls in the Bingo Hall as we highlight our 2018 accomplishments and preview what’s to come.
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/person. The cost for a corporate table with 8 reservations is discounted at $225. Register by February 22 to be entered into a drawing for a $25 Chamber Buck that will be given away the night of the banquet!
As in previous years, the Chamber will announce the Business of the Year Award, Customer Service of the Year Award and the Service Organization of the Year Award. Nomination forms with the criteria and a list of past award recipients were mailed last week. You may also submit nominations electronically on our website.
Nominations must be submitted by Tuesday, February 19
. The winners will be announced prior to the event and will receive recognition in the local media in advance of the event, at the dinner, and throughout the year. Self-nominations are encouraged.
We will be holding a Silent Auction, a 50/50 raffle and we will play ‘Heads or Tails’ for a prize basket. We are looking for donations to add to our Silent Auction and the Heads or Tails Basket and for dinner sponsors. Please consider these inexpensive opportunities to advertise your business and help the Chamber with the dinner costs.
Dinner reservations will be accepted through the day of the event
.
You can access forms and submit nominations by clicking the link below:
Please send registration forms and nominations to
BRACC, 120 N. Water Street, Black River Falls, WI 54615
, fax to
715-284-9476, or email to chamber@blackrivercountry.net
. If you have questions, contact our office at 715-284-4658.
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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Chamber Officers Elected
The Black River Area Chamber of Commerce elected board officers at its meeting January 17. Robert Crampes of Land O'Lakes Inc was re-elected President. Dave Meyer of WWIS Radio was re-elected Vice President, Matt Streeter of Black River Memorial Hospital was elected Treasurer and Justin Dougherty of Dynamic Audio & Video LLC was re-elected Secretary.
We welcome Keith Brown from Farm Urban Realty, Wendy Trautsch from Pine View Terrace and Joe Williams from Theisen's who joined the board.
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Customer Service Training with Julie Fox from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism - January 24, 2019
Bringing Fun to Life in Wisconsin
Research shows that 68% of your customers may not choose to return to your business, not because of the product that they receive, but because they experience an attitude of indifference or rudeness by the owner, manager, or an employee. While marketing our state as the Midwest’s premier destination for fun, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism recognizes that in order to deliver on this brand and have visitors return to our state and your business, our customers must receive great customer service. To support this, a customer service program has been developed for businesses and communities throughout Wisconsin. While the premise of the program is rooted in service for the tourism industry, the basic customer service skills discussed apply to owners and employees in all industries. This session will provide attendees with the basic knowledge and skills to deliver outstanding customer service experiences.
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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
The 2019 Black River Country Visitor's Guides are currently being printed! We will have boxes available for distribution soon. If you would like a box, stop into 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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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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January Business After 5
Thank you to everyone who attended the January Business After 5 and Ribbon Cutting at Millie J's Boutique on Wednesday, January 9. Members enjoyed delicious food catered by Revolution BRF and beverages from Sand Creek Brewery and Ripp Distributing. 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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Millie Hoffman (center with the scissors) cut the ribbon during the event.
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Chamber Ambassadors from left, Cathy Link, Vee Price and Chris Bush
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From left, Millie Hoffman, Kathy Tomter and Sonia Hicks enjoyed the delicious food and beverages.
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Join us for the next Business After 5 event at UMOS Wednesday, February 13th from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. There will also be a Ribbon Cutting at 5:15 p.m. We hope to see you there!
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Pizza Hut
666 Highway 54 E
Black River Falls, WI 54615
Phone: 715-284-4000
At Pizza Hut, we don’t just make pizza. We make people happy. Pizza Hut was built on the belief that pizza night should be special, and we carry that belief into everything we do. With more than 60 years of experience under our belts, we understand how to best serve our customers through tried and true service principles: We create food we’re proud to serve and deliver it fast, with a smile.
Hatfield Resort (Formerly Northwoods Resort)
W8215 County Rd J
Merrillan, WI 54754
Phone: 715-333-6600 or 608-632-2238
We have everything you need to keep you on the 200+ miles of ATV trails in Jackson & Clark Counties. Located at Hatfield Resort are many ATV/UTV amenities like 24 hour gas, washing stations, food, drinks & more!
High Voltage Entertainment
N4281 Tucker Way
Black River Falls, WI 54615
Phone: 815-529-4287
We provide turnkey event and entertainment services that drive revenue for your business & unique experiences for your customers.
Coulee Tech, Inc.
1111 Linden Drive
Holmen, WI 54636
Phone: 608-783-8324
Coulee Tech, Inc. specializes in giving manufacturers IT support and app development. We service La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
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Rotary Club of Black River Falls Donates to the
Black River Falls Area Foundation
The Rotary Club of Black River Falls recently made a donation to the Black River Falls Area Foundation for their Impact Scholarship Program. These scholarships are awarded through Western Technical College, but may be used at any Technical College in the state. Rotary Club Treasurer, Mary Beth White-Jacobs (left) presented the check to Julie Murray, Executive Director of the Black River Area Foundation.
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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
·
Fitchburg; Bike Fitchburg
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Ft. Atkinson; Fort Healthy Wellness Coalition
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Greater Green Bay / Brown County; Wello
·
Manitowoc County; Healthiest Manitowoc County
·
Middleton; City of Middleton
·
Oregon; Oregon Area Chamber of Commerce
·
Sheboygan; Mayor's Neighborhood Leadership Cabinet
·
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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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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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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February 13:
UMOS
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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