"Autumn is a second spring, where every leaf is a flower"
~Albert Camus~
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The Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce continues to provide regular updates and information for all of our newsletter subscribers and chamber partners. If you have business or community updates, events, or other informational items to share please let us know! Let's work together to keep Whitewater a great place to work, live, learn, celebrate, and grow! |
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Chamber Events & Happenings |
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Ghoul's Night Out
Thursday, October 28th
4 pm - 7 pm
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We are looking for businesses along the Main Street corridor in Whitewater to participate in this year's Ghoul's Night Out. Please fill out the interest form below to let us know that you want to participate. |
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New Whitewater Cares Posters Available for posting in your business.
If you are interested in having one of the new posters for your business contact the Chamber! You can come to pick it up or we can deliver one to you. If you want to print one yourself simply click the image to download the document.
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Event Volunteer Opportunity
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Community Events & Announcements |
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The Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce (WACC) has a great event calendar on our website available for public use. We encourage all community partners to submit events to the calendar. Click the link below to see/access the calendar and the submission link. If you have questions please contact us at info@whitewaterchamber.com.
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UWW to offer free Vaccination Clinics at the Whitewater & Rock County Campuses |
UW-Whitewater Homecoming
October 25-30, 2021
UW-Whitewater’s Homecoming Steering Committee invites Whitewater businesses and organizations to participate in 2021’s Halloween-themed Homecoming A Nightmare on Main Street (October 25th-30th). Please consider participating through participation in the parade and/or sponsorship.
For more information, please contact the committee at homecoming@uww.edu or 262-472-1471. Thank you for your support as we look forward to this year’s Homecoming!
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Walworth County Division of Public Health has launched their 2021 Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Planning Cycle with the theme: Connecting Communities.
Here is how you can get involved:
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Complete a Community Health Survey: https://bit.ly/2VELNzc
- Help spread the word about the Community Health Assessment by:
- Follow Health and Human Services on Facebook and share posts on your social media account.
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Post printed material in your offices. (Flyers attached).
Visit the Community Health Assessment and Improvement page,
and stay current on the progress and new ways to become involved in the health of your community.
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Arts, Music & Theater Happenings |
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CONCERTS IN THE PARK & FAMILY FUN NIGHTS
FINAL NIGHT
September 14th, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm
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UW-Whitewater Photo/Craig Schreiner |
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Chamber Partner News & Information |
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Voting will begin on Sept. 14th |
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The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin is back for the sixth straight year. WMC is partnering once again with Johnson Financial Group to highlight the manufacturing industry and ultimately determine what is the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.
You can participate in this contest right now by visiting www.madeinwis.com to vote for your favorite product made in Wisconsin.
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FCCU has changed its
business hours effective
Monday, August 30th.
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Lobby Hours:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Saturdays
Drive-Up Hours:
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Saturdays
Phone Hours:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Saturdays
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Geneva Lake West Chamber
to host
Annual Autumn Food Festival
October 9th & 10th
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SEPT 26th, 2021 6am-9am
Walworth County Fair Grounds
411 E. Court Street
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Whitewater Grocery Co. Survey
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“Our future community-owned grocery store has 4 questions for you as they begin taking note of what our community looks for in their shopping experience. Please take a few moments to answers these for the Whitewater Grocery Co. crew so they can develop a store that best reflects our community’s desires. Thank you!” |
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Many businesses in Whitewater are hiring right now! If you or someone you know is searching for work pass the word. Visit each business's website for details on the positions they are hiring for. Some of the images below have documents linked to them. |
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Education & Training Opportunities |
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Downtown Whitewater, Inc. and Wisconsin DATCP offering
Virtual Community Training Classes
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Landlord Tenant Law
9/17/21 @ 11:00am
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Home Improvement Contracts
9/29/21 @ 6:30pm
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Business ID Theft
11/3/21 @ 8:00am
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The Business Law Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin has initiated a program to provide free legal consultation on business matters to small businesses and their owners. This free consultation is provided virtually so this service is accessible statewide.
Business owners and organizations needing free non-litigation business law services they could not otherwise afford can set up a virtual appointment with a volunteer attorney with business law experience. The Section is particularly interested in assisting those who are low-income or serving low-income communities. Please see Small business assistance which outlines the program and the process.
Services: Eligible participants can receive brief assistance on a wide variety of business law matters including:
- Finance and lending
- Insurance claims/coverage
- Commercial leases and contracts
- Tax
- Labor and employment
- Real estate
- Commercial debtor/creditor
- Regulatory compliance, including privacy and COVID-19 related requirements
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Build, Grow, and Boost
Your Small Business Online
Navigating how to effectively start or develop your business online can be overwhelming. We are here to help guide you through this process by identifying the best solutions for your unique e-commerce needs and providing you with a roadmap to implement an effective online strategy.
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Get Free, Expert Insight For Your Small Business
3-Day, Free Virtual Summit
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Upcoming Partner Training
Mon., Sept 13 – Wed., Sept 15,
Choosing the Right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software (SBDC)
2nd Latino Chamber Economic UnSummit (hosted by the Latino Chamber of Southeast Wisconsin), Milwaukee. SBA's Associate Administrator, Mark Madrid, will be speaking. Sept 24
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Entrepreneurship Education
Training Programs Lending, Coaching, Financial Impact
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Department of Workforce Development
Grant Program Announcement - Workforce Equity Grants
The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) - Office of Skills Development (OSD) has released a new Workforce Equity Grants Program Announcement (GPA). Up to $577,350 in grant funds is available for proposals ranging from $5,000 to $400,000.
The purpose of this grant is to reimburse southeastern Wisconsin employers or consortiums comprised of employers and eligible workforce solutions providers for the expenses to design and to implement training programs and post-training support to under-served populations. Training programs should provide education, skills training, post-employment support, and placement in occupational training in high-demand occupations. Post-training positions must have a clear career path, identified advancement requirements, and should have minimum post-training wages of $15/hour.
This grant opportunity focuses on training workers of under-served origins in specific southeastern Wisconsin Workforce Development Areas (WDA) that exhibit racial and education disparities. Employers located in WDA 1-Southeast (Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth County) and WDA 2 (Milwaukee County) are eligible and highly encouraged to apply. For the purposes of this grant, under-served populations are defined as Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, and those that reside in WDA 1 and WDA 2.
Applications are due by 3 p.m. CST on Monday, October 4, 2021. For additional information or to download an application, please consult the Grant Program Announcement and related grant program materials at https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/det/
If you have questions regarding this announcement contact:
Sara Tupper, Program and Policy Analyst
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WUSD Launching
Youth Apprenticeship Program
Is your business/company looking for young eager workers, ready to learn your trade? Then you may be interested in this program. More details here.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Top Workplaces Program
Nominations Now Open!
Qualifying is easy and open to all businesses with 50+ employees in Southeastern Wisconsin. All eligible organizations that submit will enter the employee survey process and based on the results have the chance to be named a Top Workplace within the small, medium, and large business categories. All businesses are to go to https://jsonline.com/nominate to nominate their company to the 2022 Top Workplaces program.
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WI Humanities Recovery Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts and the WI Humanities organization are making available funds to help the arts and culture sector recover from pandemic disruptions. Click the image above for details on their grant programs.
Deadline to apply is October 15th
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Supplemental Grants for Shuttered Venue Operators OPEN
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WI Emergency Rental Assistance Program
The Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program (WERA) provides up to 15 months of assistance with current or overdue bills to help households that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic avoid eviction. More than 13,000 Wisconsinites have already received help with rent and utilities statewide. Despite the recent eviction ban extension due to rising COVID-19 cases, help is still available for eligible households through WISCAP agencies and Energy Services. The program is funded by the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
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$10,000 Main Street Bounceback Grants Applications Now Open! |
The Main Street Bounceback Grants program provides $10,000 to new or existing businesses and non-profit organizations moving into vacant properties in Wisconsin’s downtowns and commercial corridors. The program is open to new or existing businesses opening a new location or expanding operations in a vacant commercial space as of January 1, 2021. Grant funds are available as part of the American Recovery Plan Act and will be distributed by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) regional partners. Businesses must apply through the partner organization for the region in which they are located. Applications are open through June 30, 2022.
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Restaurant owners start with a dream of turning their passion into their profession. However, there are many aspects of running a profitable restaurant — made even more challenging by the pandemic. Stretched thin by multiple demands, owners do not always have the resources available to operate at peak profitability. We are here to help with free, expert consulting. |
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Wisconsin Help for Homeowners - Program Launch and Public Hearings
The Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) program is currently under development, aiming to provide $92.7 million in grants to owner-occupied households who have experienced a COVID-19 related financial hardship, based on income level. Eligible types of expenses under this program may include: mortgage and interest payments, real estate taxes, condominium and association fees. Vacation homes, rentals, cabins, and second homes are ineligible for assistance through WHH. Once approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, WHH will be funded through the federal homeowner assistance fund program established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Two virtual public hearings for input regarding the State of Wisconsin’s plan to implement WHH will be held on August 31, 2021, one at noon and another at 6 pm CT.
Additional information about the hearings and program details is available here.
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24/7 Access to Small Business Resources |
Initiate is an online business resource with over 100 interactive tools, templates, videos, and guides. Exclusively available to small businesses working with participating organizations, such as WWBIC. More details here!
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Healthy Workplaces & Communities
Information & Updates to Keep Our Community Safe & Healthy
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If you or a business you know are in need of assistance please reach out!
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We’re here to answer your vaccination questions.
We’re connecting Wisconsin business owners with experts in employment law, human resources, and financial management to provide timely insights on how to bring COVID-19 vaccination into your organization. The 5-episode Wisconsin Employer Vaccine Forum will tackle common questions, like “Can employers require the COVID vaccine?” and highlight the dos and don’ts all business owners should consider. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is here to help you safely and successfully navigate the pandemic recovery.
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New County Recognition Program
Businesses that follow the County's Covid-19 Guidelines benefit the community in the following ways:
- Supports a sooner return to normal post-pandemic
- Help keep businesses open and thriving.
- Reduces risk of illness among employees (Less sick time/time off taken)
- Allows for other businesses to observe and implement best practices in promoting health and safety during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Essentially, this is a stamp of approval that lets your customers and employees know that you are protecting their safety. If you would like to apply for the county's Business Recognition Program, click HERE. There are no costs for the program, and the application only takes a few minutes to complete.
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Workplace outbreak guidance
The Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) have released guidance for employers related to preventing and managing COVID-19 outbreaks in the workplace.
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Walworth County Public Health offering on-site vaccine clinic opportunities at YOUR
business or organization
Typically, facilities need a space large enough to have about 15-20 people, socially distanced, at a time. A large break room, outdoor space, or training room would work. If interested fill out a request form (link below).
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Did you know? Eligible businesses that allow employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine can receive a tax credit. Partner with a vaccine provider to host an on-site vaccination clinic.
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Discover Whitewater
Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce
Whitewater, WI 53190
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