Focus on Calumet
A bi-weekly update on economic development opportunities in Calumet County
and the region for businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities.
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Recap of 2020 Support for Calumet County Businesses and Entrepreneurs
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The challenges faced by most businesses in 2020 have been unprecedented, and the Calumet County Community Economic Development staff offers our sincere thanks and appreciation to all the local businesses that faced those challenges head on and persisted through incredibly difficult circumstances. The following is a brief recap of some of the ways we’ve been able to serve you in 2020.
Calumet County’s Community Economic Development Program provided direct assistance to over 90 businesses, the majority of which focused on COVID-19 financial assistance. This includes:
- Made low-interest, payment deferred Disaster Response loans of up to $5,000 to 10 existing businesses.
- Wrote support letters for 52 We’re All In Phase 1 business grant applications. Ultimately, 171 Calumet County businesses were awarded grants of $2,500 – representing over $425,000 in state grant funding.
- Promoted the We’re All In Phase 2 grants of $5,000 to local businesses, and provided support for those who asked. (List of recipients not yet available.)
- Helped five start-ups with site location and preparation as well as getting connected to local resources.
- Supported over 20 existing employers in connecting with their future workforce at local schools.
- Sent bi-weekly newsletters like this one and special correspondence to local businesses especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide locally specific assistance.
Calumet County has an ongoing relationship with the Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) Business Development Specialist. In 2020, SBDC:
- Assisted 59 businesses for 29 total hours of assistance with COVID-19 specific issues; those businesses received $244,000 in assistance through capital formation and COVID-related loans/grants including PPP, EIDL, WEDC, etc.
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Supported 46 existing businesses and start-ups for a total of 126 hours, and assisted with $730,000 in capital formation; since 2015, the SBDC has assisted Calumet County start-ups with $4.23M in capital formation.
Calumet County and our service provider partners look forward to continuing to serve you in 2021, no matter the circumstances. You’ve proven to be a tenacious bunch, and we remain committed to doing what’s necessary to meet your needs (although it’s safe to say most of us will probably be at least slightly relieved if 2021 is a bit less demanding!) Happy New Year!
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Realtor.com’s 2021 National Housing Market Forecast and Predictions: Back to Normal
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To say 2020 was a year of surprises is an extreme understatement. What started off as a bright year for the housing market and the economy was soon derailed by a global pandemic and severe economic recession. As detailed by George Ratiu, the economic rebound has been sharp, but is by no means complete and created distinct winners and losers among sectors in the economy.
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One of the big winners has been the housing market, which saw home sales and prices hit decade-plus highs following decade lows in the span of just a few months. We expect housing’s winning streak to continue in 2021 as seasonal trends normalize and some of the frenzied momentum fades thanks to fresh affordability challenges.
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Governor’s Rural Prosperity Report
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The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity has released “ Rural Voices for Prosperity: A Report of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity,” which calls for coordinated measures across state government to meet the needs of Wisconsin’s rural communities like Calumet County. The report features 10 overarching recommendations that would commit state government to a comprehensive approach to rural prosperity, create new partnerships with rural and tribal communities in designing and delivering state services, and invest more thoughtfully to address rural Wisconsin’s critical challenges and most promising opportunities.
Gov. Evers created the 12-member commission in January 2020 as part of his State of the State address. Commission members are community leaders from across the state who reflect the breadth of rural and tribal economies, professions, and populations. From August through mid-October, the commission conducted three virtual conversations open to all rural Wisconsinites, invited anyone to submit written ideas through the Commission website, and met in-person or virtually with stakeholder groups. Over 500 people from across the state provided their ideas to the Commission.
The 10 overarching recommendations include:
- Create and appropriately resource a place within the Wisconsin state government that understands and champions the unique attributes of rural Wisconsin—including Native Nations;
- Continue the governor’s efforts to make the needs and priorities of rural communities and Native Nations a forethought, rather than an afterthought;
- Take an “all-of-government approach" to doing right by rural and tribal communities;
- Ensure rural places and Native Nations in rural Wisconsin get a fair shake in accessing state and federal resources;
- Look beyond Wisconsin’s borders for good ideas;
- Unleash the full power of communities to innovate and act by updating state laws that restrict local agency;
- Reinvest in the Wisconsin Idea and the University of Wisconsin, its satellite campuses, and our state’s network of community and technical colleges as unique and valuable assets;
- Rebalance state business incentives to ensure economic development prioritizes the assets of Wisconsin people, communities, and businesses;
- Invest in vital ingredients for our better future; and
- Continue the work of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity.
In addition to the 10 overarching recommendations, the report summarizes what residents told the Commission – including challenges that are stifling rural prosperity, how the state and local governments have been helpful, and promising ideas worth exploring. Those ideas include:
- Establishing a strategic roadmap for Wisconsin’s forestry sector;
- Investing in agricultural supply chain gaps that inhibit market development, such as meat processing infrastructure and workforce development;
- Supporting childcare professional development, mentoring, and information sharing;
- Elevating success stories from rural Wisconsin communities that have succeeded at providing better broadband and coverage;
- Examining how the state could encourage more investment in renewable energy projects; and
- Boosting state support for outdoor recreation project implementation.
The commission hopes to continue the discussion with rural Wisconsinites beyond this report – and for opportunities to move forward with ideas discussed in the report.
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New North Inc. Unveils Talent Hub and IntelTracker
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A pair of dynamic, new workforce-related tools – the New North Talent Hub and the New North IntelTracker – have been created by New North Inc., the regional economic development corporation serving the 18 counties of Northeast Wisconsin. Both tools are operational and ready to assist current and prospective members of the workforce, employers in the region, area educators, government and economic-development organizations, and industry associations.
The New North Talent Hub is designed to meet the region’s current need for reskilling and retraining of a large portion of the workforce, facilitating moves into in-demand jobs. Workforce experts say that many of the positions lost in the service sector may not return for some time, if ever. The Talent Hub addresses K-12 and higher education through Inspire and other career pathways initiatives. It also identifies work around Diversity and Inclusion to ensure that all have access to skills development opportunities, along with expanding resources to assist those who are incarcerated.
The New North IntelTracker, integrated into the Talent Hub, is designed to complement its efforts, collecting and analyzing data and information for trends, disruptions and opportunities. The results are published on a public platform that provides a forward-looking, strategy-informing resource for businesses, government entities, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations within the New North region.
Funding support for the New North Talent Hub was provided in part by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Thrivent. Skyline Technologies built the websites of both the Talent Hub and the IntelTracker.
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Calumet County Offers COVID-19 Testing Site
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Calumet County currently offers a FREE drive-thru testing site utilizing a federal mobile testing unit operated by ThedaCare. This “self-swab” and appointment-only registration process operates at Christ the Rock Church Community Church every Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Christ the Rock Community Church is located at W6254 US Highway 10/114
in Menasha. Anyone experiencing symptoms, those who believe they may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, and anyone who is worried about possibly having the virus can be tested. The site is open to anyone regardless of county of residence, and testing is not limited to ThedaCare patients.
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Calumet County Business Assistance
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Ray York of the Small Business Development Center serves Calumet County with business assistance to existing and start-up businesses throughout the county. Small Business Development Center services are available at no cost to businesses. Ray’s goal is to provide opportunity to clients by guiding them to make informed decisions to start, expand, or transition their business. He can be reached by phone at 920-946-9379 or email.
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Demolition at Former Chilton Plating
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Employees at Badgerland Demolition & Earthwork Inc., DePere, have started the demolition of the former Chilton Plating building on East Main Street in Chilton.
Chilton Journal, December 24, 2020
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Hilbert Village Meadows Subdivision
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Interest in the village’s new Village Meadows Subdivision – south of the Hilbert School Stadium and off of south Eighth Street (State 57/32) – is growing, with a second home going up now.
Four lots have been sold since the subdivision went on the market last spring, and two of them were sold through Kendall Thiel of Thiel Real Estate. The village board expressed its happiness by extending Thiel’s right to market lots in the subdivision for
another six months.
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Tecumseh Razing Plan becomes Clearer
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It appears the City of New Holstein is still on schedule to have the former Tecumseh Products Company facility razed starting sometime around April, according to information presented at the Wednesday, Dec. 16 meeting of the New Holstein Common Council.
That information included a detailed plan on how the demolition will be financed,
presented by Phil Cosson of Ehlers, Inc. The bidding process is expected to take
place in late January or early February with funds being available in late February or March, after which demolition could begin. Cosson said city officials are currently
using the figure of $2.3 million in costs associated with the demolition, a figure
which already has been lowered from original projections. A more definite number
will be available after bids are received.
Cosson told aldermen a key part of paying those costs is the $910,660 Community
Development Block Grant Close funds which the city was notified it would be receiving. Those funds will allow the city to pay down a large part of the demolition
debt quickly, thus saving interest costs over time. Several other financial avenues are likely to be used as well to pay off the remainder of the debt.
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Stecker named New Holstein Person of Year
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James “Jim” Stecker has been named the New Holstein Distinguished Person of the Year for 2020 for his lifetime of volunteer service to the community and the area.
Members of the New Holstein Area Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Person Committee made the announcement on Friday afternoon.
Stecker has touched the area in numerous ways during his life. As a military veteran, Stecker has been a longtime and active member of the New Holstein American Legion.
While his son Dennis designed the New Holstein Veterans Memorial along Hickory Lane in Kiwanis Park, Jim assisted in the process and has been instrumental in keeping up the appearance of the memorial.
Much of Jim’s lifetime has been spent keeping areas of New Holstein beautiful—with much assistance from wife Ruth and children Dennis and Candy. He was the longtime maintenance supervisor of the Homestead nursing home back when it was owned by Calumet County. He also is a leader with the New Holstein City Cemetery Association and assists with maintenance of the cemetery, and also has been responsible for many years for buildings and grounds maintenance at Zion Lutheran Church, where he has volunteered in a variety of other areas as well.
Stecker also served as one of New Holstein’s representatives on the Calumet County Board for a number of years.
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Freshly Milled Flour adds Flavor, Nutrition to Holiday Baking
Jennifer Rude Klett, Special to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Flour is often taken for granted.
Remember, just a few months ago the sheltering housebound were shocked to find none on the grocery shelves just as the urge to bake surged.
Since then, some have changed the way they regard this basic but crucial recipe ingredient. They turned to local Wisconsin flour producers or even began milling their own flour at home so as not to rely on typical Big Food supply chains.
“It was a major, big wake-up call,” said Dave Meuer, farmer and miller at Meuer Farm in the Town of Brothertown near Chilton. Meuer said his ancient grains and flour sales doubled and at times tripled in 2020 as the demand skyrocketed for local foods.
“People were just panicking,” he said. “People want fresh. People want local. More and more people are going back to cooking and baking.”
Right now, flour takes on even more importance with holiday baking in full swing. It’s a good time to assess flour availability and quality. Flours are not all alike and drastically differ in freshness, flavor, nutrition, protein content, consistency and baking uses.
There is much to learn about flour. It is one of the last ingredients bakers should take for granted.
A living thing
Turns out, whole grains, called berries, are shelf stable. But those same berries ground into flour are not. Whole grain flour is highly perishable, so Meuer grinds only enough to meet demand. His flour is only a few days old when he sells it. “Flour is a living thing,” said Meuer, a fourth-generation farmer. “So, we try to keep it alive.”
Meuer and his wife, Leslie, grow, harvest, stone-mill and sell a wide variety of flours including rye, spelt, soft red winter wheat, oat, durum, einkorn, emmer and corn for polenta. They also sell berries for home grinding.
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Multi-faceted Business has New Location
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Amy Jo Stevenson’s Shirts n Giggles business is back in New Holstein—although it really never left. After operating out of her rural New Holstein home for the past four years, Amy Jo and son Derek have now purchased the building many longtime New Holstein residents will remember as “the Red & White” at the busy intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Calumet Drive (STH 32/57).
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Phil Kubichka (left), vice president of the New Holstein Area Chamber of Commerce, presents a welcome plaque to Amy
Jo Stevenson and son Derek of Shirts n Giggles which has moved into the building on the busy corner where Wisconsin
Avenue and Calumet Drive meet. Employees Monica Falk, Sheila Diefenthaler, Alyssa Fajardo, and Olive Flaskrud were
joined by Chamber members Mike Hartman, Dave Amel, and Deneen Mueller in the ceremony. (Mark Sherry photo)
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Stevenson has operated her business out of several locations in the city of New Holstein in the past. The combination of not wanting the business to take over her home and the great location opportunity spurred her to make the move. Her family and employees helped move into the new location on Nov. 9 and the purchase of the building was closed on Nov. 23.
Stevenson said “it was a bit much” to have the operation run out of her home as it has expanded in recent years to be a uniquely multi-faceted business.
She and her employees are still operating the core business of Shirts n Giggles which does screenprinting and embroidery on a wide variety of apparel items. That includes items sporting the colors and logos of New Holstein, Kiel, and Chilton high schools.
Apparel for businesses large and small—as well as individuals—is a key part of what Shirts n Giggles does. A small showroom in the new building is open Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. While people can buy off the rack, Stevenson said that was not the primary purpose for moving into the new location. People also can see what Shirts n Giggles has to offer and make purchases via its website, shirtsngigglesonline.com.
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The holiday season started earlier than ever this year and a large volume of sales got pulled into October from November. Even so, November and December sales have remained strong and just when retailers didn't think things could get any stranger, shoppers are exhibiting some unusual late season spending behaviors that bode well for profits.
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Virtual Entrepreneurial Training Program
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Whether your business is growing or brand-new, writing a business plan is critical to building a profitable venture, especially to attract financing from lenders or investors.
The Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP) is nine efficient sessions to help you develop a plan for a thriving, profitable business. In this program, you will learn to identify customers, determine their needs and analyze that information into a feasible plan for starting or growing your business.
- Organize and better manage your business.
- Identify opportunities and market your business.
- Understand and get your business financials in order.
- Get funding for your business.
- Write a detailed, comprehensive business plan.
- Network with other entrepreneurs.
- Develop a network with small business support services.
Your cost is only $250 if you complete an accepted business plan. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) provides the remaining $750 in tuition assistance. That's $1,000 worth of business training for $250! Applications are available by calling 920-366-9065. You must both register online and apply for the grant here to by fully registered for this course.
Orientation: Thursday, January 28, 2021 – 5:30-7:00 pm
Class Dates: February 11, 18 & 25; March 4, 11, 18 & 25; and April 1 & 8
Time: 5:30-8:30 pm
Platform: Zoom
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2021 Governor’s Conference on Economic Development
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Equity in Economic Development
The 2021 WEDA Governor’s Conference on Economic Development, which will be held VIRTUALLY this year on February 3 -5, will address equity in economic development while exploring ways to support businesses, large and small, during difficult economic times. The conference will highlight Wisconsin businesses that have met the new demands of this past year with creative, collaborative approaches and explore the unique challenges faced by minority and women-owned businesses.
The Governor’s Conference is the biggest WEDA education and networking event of the year. Be sure to take a look at this year’s comprehensive agenda and plan to attend. We look forward to having you join us!
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Registration is Now Open!
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Future Fox Cities 2021 is 100% Virtual!
Join us Wednesday, March 3, for our annual career fair in a new virtual format, that you will LOVE! Future Fox Cities Career Expo 2021 will feature:
- An event landing page and lobby
- A virtual auditorium with employer led webinars
- A scavenger hunt and leader board
- Employer profiles and other downloadable content
- A virtual help desk
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Explore Starting a Business
January 13, 2021
February 10, 2021
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Work for Yourself at 50+
January 13, 2021
February 9, 2021
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Lean Coffee
January 28, 2021
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Calumet County Community Economic Development contact information:
Mary Kohrell, Community Economic Development Director
Connie Leonhard, Program Assistant
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