Town Square Publications
Chamber
Executive Wisconsin Digest
April 2016
Janesville business leaders hope video attracts young
professionals
A video designed to showcase
Janesville to potential newcomers, particularly young professionals and
families, has gained a great deal of attention online.
The video, called "Janesville:
Community of Choice," was commissioned by Forward Janesville, a group that
promotes business in the city.
Forward Janesville
posted the video on its Facebook page earlier this week. By Friday,
it received nearly 2,000 shares and more than 60,000 views.
It was produced by Stephen and
Cameron Pickering, a Janesville couple who run Drywater Productions, a video production company.
Cameron Pickering said the goal of
the video is to show that Janesville's reputation for being a boring, run-down
town isn't true.
"Janesville gets a negative
view, even among people within Janesville, that there's nothing to offer for
families, and that there isn't anything to offer for young professionals,"
she said. "We wanted to show that there is a lot to offer."
Stephen Pickering said the video
took over a year to shoot and shows many events and places even locals might
not know about.
"We really wanted to show
something that shows some of what people don't see," he said.
"We've actually had a lot of
comments. People said, 'I didn't know we had that here,' or 'I didn't know that
we had the oldest 4-H fair in the nation,'" Cameron Pickering said.
John Beckord, president of Forward
Janesville, said he hopes employers can use the video as a recruiting tool for
prospective employees.
"There are a lot of open
positions," Beckord said. "If we want our companies to grow, we need
to do whatever we can to help them hire the talent they need." Read
more: Channel 3000
Chamber partner: Large grant will
help Madison School District launch new career exploration project
The
Madison School District and a group of community partners have been awarded a
$400,000 private grant for a new effort to better prepare high school students
for college and careers.
The
grant, announced Thursday, is from the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation, which
focuses its charitable giving on projects in the Great Lakes region.
The money
will go toward creating what the school district calls “personalized pathways.”
The pathways will “provide all of our students with opportunities to explore
who they are and what they are passionate about through their learning,”
Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham said.
Students
will be able to earn college and high school academic credit as well as obtain
specific industry credentials through a pathway, said Jack E. Daniels III,
president of Madison Area Technical College, one of the partners.
The other
partners are the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, the
Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and the city of Madison. Read more: Madison.com
Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce
Legislative luncheon planned at Glitz & Go
BELOIT — A Legislative Luncheon with featured speaker U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, will be held starting at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Glitz & Go, 3311 Prairie Ave.
The event is presented by the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce to give members an opportunity to get an update on legislative matters.
The cost for the event is $15 for chamber members and $25 for non-members. Read more: Beloit Daily News
Chamber dialogue: Future Wisconsin
Project
What will Wisconsin look
like in 20 years? What will our workforce look like? What sort of businesses
will thrive in our economy? How will our tech colleges and universities stack up
to those in other states? What sort of jobs will be available? Will we be able
to grow our economy if we can’t find the labor to fill the jobs?
WMC, in partnership with
the following partners, is embarking on a process to help us identify, answer
and be prepared for the outcome of questions like that.
- University
of Wisconsin System
- Wisconsin
Technical College System
- Wisconsin
Economic Development Corporation
- Wisconsin
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
- Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
- Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development
The six Competitive
Quality Indicators to focus on include:
- Talent
Development, Attraction and Retention
- Business
Competitiveness
- Global
Engagement
- Government
Effectiveness
- Life
Quality
- Entrepreneurial
Spirit
The Future Wisconsin Project set four goals for
2015.
- Support the
state’s Academic and Career Plans through the Future Wisconsin Communities
- Develop
better labor market data to support career planning and counseling
- Establish a
set of benchmarks for the state
- Evaluate
the feasibility of branding Wisconsin. Read more: WMC
#Chamber interest: School
District of Milton: FACT completes second 'data dump' meeting
The Facilities
Advisory Community Team (FACT), the self-nominated team helping the School
District of Milton decide what to do next to address facility concerns, met for
the second time last Wednesday.
According
to FACT co-chair Barry Brandt, the first two meetings have been mostly a “data
dump” from district administrators and representatives from J.P. Cullen,
Plunkett Raysich Architects and Ehlers, the district’s financial adviser.
Before
the second meeting, many FACT members took an abbreviated, hour-long tour of
Milton High School, which was led by principal Jeremy Bilhorn.
At
the end of the second meeting, which lasted about 2 ½ hours, the committee
received answers to some of its questions from the first meeting.
ECONOMIC
IMPACT STUDY
One
question was whether there has been a study done on the economic impact of
hosting a specific event at the high school. FACT member and Milton Area
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dani Stivarius said MACC has not done a
study, but as an individual, it would be a “no-brainer” to do one. Read more: HGN NEWS
Door County Room tax provides marketing for
tourism
Working together is better than working alone with it comes
to tourism marketing in Door County, and there are statistics to prove it.
Since the Door County Tourism Zone Commission (DCTZC) formed
in 2009, there has been a 20.51 percent increase in filled rooms, which equates
to over 90,000 more stays, according to Commission data. Between 2009 and 2014
visitor spending in Door County increased by over $56 million.
It might be surprising to learn that tourism was declining in
the mid-2000s in Door County. As this is a place of natural wonders, the arts,
shopping, dining and outdoor recreation, Door County seems like an obvious
choice to stay for a weekend or week or month for that matter.
Noticing the decline of visitors and overall tourist
spending, the Door County Strategic Marketing Coalition had a study done with a
consultant, which indicated the county needed a large marketing push to
get people back to the Door. To have a comprehensive marketing initiative, funds
are necessary.
Modeling the Sturgeon Bay area's room tax, the DCTZC formed
and in 2009 all 19 Door County municipalities adopted ordinances to impose a
5.5 percent tax on transient lodging. "Transient lodging" is defined
as rooms rented in hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, through AirBnB,
Vacation Rental By Owner or any place where people stay for less than 30 days.
The funds from this room tax are broken down into three
parts: 66 percent is distributed to the contracted tourism entity (the
Door County Visitors Bureau), 30 percent is given to the municipality where the
lodging location is and 4 percent is used for Tourism Zone administrative
expenses.
“Each municipality is part of the Door County marketing
plan,” said Kim Roberts, DCTZC administrator. “They each benefit from
expanded exposure, and more people are paying attention to the county as a
whole.”
The Tourism Zone collects and distributes the funds, but to
eliminate the opportunity for fraud, the Tourism Zone works with Kerber Rose
Accounting and Schenk for accountability and audit services.
DCTZC chair Josh VanLieshoult said on the bottom line, with a
more central tourism marketing strategy and funding, the average room and
occupancy rates should continuously increase.
“No business has the capital to put $3 million into
marketing, and the Door County Visitor Bureau has reach across the nation,”
VanLieshout said.
Roberts said with more targeted marketing more people come to
the peninsula, benefiting businesses outside of lodging including the dining sector,
retail and campgrounds.
The Tourism Zone is a great partner of the DCVB, as they
are the enforcement of the room tax legislation, ensuring proper permitting
and collection and payment of the tax DCVB President and CEO Jack
Moneypenny said.
“They do the heavy lifting for us to make sure those tax
dollars are collected to market the county,” Moneypenny said.
He said prior to 2007, DCVB’s marketing budget was $200,000
and was primarily made up of membership dollars. Today the marketing budget is
about $2 million.
“The tax gave Door County the marketing boost we needed,”
Moneypenny said. “It helps us to find new visitors to try Door County to see if
this is a good place for them.”
In addition, DCVB puts 11 percent of the 66 percent of funds
received from the tax into the Strategic Community Partnership Fund (SCP),
which is allocated for local marketing entities like the Sturgeon Bay Visitors
Bureau and the Egg Harbor Business Association.
The SCP was formerly known as the Community Marketing Fund,
and was made to create a bridge for alternate funding for municipalities that
already had a room tax and had money ingrained into their communities,
Moneypenny said.
The city of Sturgeon Bay had a room tax for 10 years running
before all of the Door County communities joined the Tourism Zone and
implemented the same room tax.
Mariana Gibson of the Washington Island Chamber of Commerce
said the town of Washington gives the Chamber half of its tax monies to promote
the Island. Last year they received about $10,000 and noted that occupancy
rates increased between 2014 and 2015.
“Before the room tax, it was very hard for us, and now we can
do more than print fliers,” Gibson said.
Some new aspects to their marketing includes ads in Midwest
Living Magazine and a new Chamber website with mobile capabilities. In addition
to their regular advertising in local media publication, the Chamber also went
to represent the Island at Canoecopia, a conference in Madison for paddling
sports enthusiasts.
“It’s really helped our Chamber, when you get that extra
money, you can find good things to do with it,” Gibson said of the Tourism Zone
and room tax. Read more: Green
Bay Press-Gazette
Green Lake County Chamber of
Commerce 2016 Guide & Map
The Green Lake County Chamber
of Commerce 2016 Guide & Map is available at the Green
Lake County Chamber! Thanks to the Green Lake County chamber team for
their help and direction putting this together!
Town SquarePublications (www.townsquarepublications.com)
can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community profile
or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman
at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.
Heart of Racine County photo contest underway
The Union
Grove Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for photos from the public for its
next community guide. Photos should emphasize the area by featuring the people,
places and things that make the Heart of Racine County special. Suggestions
include people participating in area recreational activities, having fun at
local events, enjoying local entertainment, visiting local attractions and
shopping in the greater Union Grove area, which includes Union Grove,
Yorkville, Raymond, Kansasville and Dover.
Each
photo submitted has the chance to be used in various Greater Union Grove
Chamber publications and on the chamber’s website to promote the communities.
All
photos must be submitted by March 10 and will be judged based on content and
quality. The winner will be featured on the cover the 2016 Union Grove Area
Chamber of Commerce’s Community Guide.
Contest rules
1.
Anyone is eligible to enter the contest. However, the photos
must be taken in the Greater Union Grove Area.
2.
Photos must not feature the intellectual property of others
(i.e., a registered trademark) and must be in good taste.
3.
Entries must be received no later than March 10 to be eligible.
4.
Photos must be submitted as digitally via CD or e-mailed to
heartphotocontest@gmail.com and be at least 300 dpi in JPEG with a maximum file
size of 3 MB. Read more: MyRacineCounty.com
Chamber Chuckle - Wacky Wednesday Weirdest Chamber Requests
Are there alligators under the cars there? (from a Wisconsin chamber)
Are there alligators under the cars there? (from a Wisconsin chamber)
#Chamber delight: Everything’s comin’ up roses at the Museum of
Wisconsin Art
Nearly
three years since moving into its award-winning building at 205
Veterans Ave. in West Bend, business is booming at the Museum of Wisconsin
Art.
The
31,000-square-foot museum opened at the new location in April 2013.
Laurie
Winters, the museum’s executive director and CEO, said Wednesday the museum’s
operating budget ended 2015 in the black for the third straight year.
“If you’re
in the museum field you know how significant that is,” Winters said. “Most
museums that do an expansion or an addition really struggle. A lot of museums
will be open for five or six years after a new addition or a new building and
they haven’t made their operating budget.”
It’s “kind
of unprecedented,” Winters said.
She also
said funds have been committed to pay off the building.
“The total
building project was $11.3 million,” she said. “We’ve raised the 11.3 million.
We’re still waiting for some of those pledges to come in — some of them will
finish up this year and the last will come in in 2017. We’ll pay the bank back
completely in 2017.”
Craig
Farrell, executive director of the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce, said the
museum has had “a tremendous impact” on tourism.
“It’s an
amazing building, the perfect style for something that encompasses all of
Wisconsin art,” Farrell said. “It was one of the best kept secrets when it sat
over off of Poplar, (but) the fact that it is now in a more public setting
right off (Highway) 33, more people are aware of it.” Read more: GM Today
Lake County (IL) Chamber, RAMAC,
Kenosha Area, Antioch, Round Lake Area, Union Grove Area, Waterford and North
Chicago Chambers Regional Connections
Join us and get connected with
members from other Chambers.This multi-chamber event is designed to connect
people from around our region and is beneficial to all doing business between
Milwaukee and Chicago, as well as those businesses that would like to.
Join us for Regional Connections
and get connected with Members from other Chambers! Regional Connections is
presented by State Bank of the Lakes, a Wintrust community bank. This
multi-chamber networking event is designed to connect people from around our
region and is beneficial to everyone doing business between Milwaukee and
Chicago, and for those who would like to!
Registration and open networking
start at 11:00am, Lunch at 11:30am, followed by speed networking. Afterwards,
there will be time to chat and make appointments with your new connections.
Make sure to bring a lot of business cards!
Chambers from NE Illinois and SE
Wisconsin are invited to participate. Current participating Chambers include:
Antioch, Kenosha Area, Lake County, North Chicago, Racine (RAMAC), Round Lake
Area, Union Grove Area, and Waterford.
Read more Read less When Wednesday,
April 6, 2016 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (CDT) - Add to Calendar Where The Club at Strawberry Creek - 14810 72nd
Street, Kenosha, WI 53142 - View Map
#FamousChamber of Commerce Quotation: Reinvent The Member
Experience
Reinvent Your Guest Experience - “Someone
will always find a way to do what you do for less expense. But people
will pay more for an exceptional experience with you.” - Clark
Howard
Chamber partnership: Entrepreneurs
get new boon in Wausau
College students with ideas for new
businesses and ideas to solve existing business problems can now do that
through a collaborative project called The Branch at Northcentral Technical
College.
It's a "skills
accelerator," which means it gives college students training, connections
and experience through collaborative projects with other students and with
businesses. The goal: develop innovative employees and entrepreneurs in central
Wisconsin and keep them in the local economy.
The Branch is modeled after a
similar program in Milwaukee called The Commons and the pilot was spurred and funded
by Church Mutual Insurance Co. The Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce,
NTC and several other colleges and community partners kicked it off Monday at
NTC's Information Technology Entrepreneurial Center.
"It's here to create an
environment of entrepreneurship and higher business skills and technical skills
for future employees," said the chamber's President and CEO Aaron
Kapellusch.
The program will educate
entrepreneurs and "intrapreneurs" — people with entrepreneurial
skills employed in existing companies, said Kimberly Reed, an NTC instructor in
information technology and business management. "They're going to help you
think of what the next step is in your business," Reed said of those
intrapreneurs.
Businesses can apply to have The
Branch students tackle some of their problems, she said. And as the students
get to know local businesses and build connections to the community they may
opt to live and work here after graduation. Read more: Wausau Daily Herald
12 on
Tuesday: Former GMCC exec Mark Richardson
Mark
Richardson has parlayed a career in tourism and economic development into a
business as a career counselor and entrepreneurship facilitator. The business
he co-founded last year, GigBlender, uses technology to connect companies with
talent.
Name your
top 5 MCs.
Tupac,
Dre, Kanye, Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys), Jay-Z
What
motivates you more, doubters or supporters?
Doubters
tend to be more of a catalyst than motivation, especially if I’m working on
something new. People telling me that I “… can’t …” is a great way to start
something. But supporters are much more motivation for me – they tend to be
more committed.
What does
it mean to be Black in Madison?
I can
only speak for what it means for me. And for me it means: that I have to be
better than good, because good isn’t good enough. It means that WHOM I know is
at least as important as WHAT I know. It means that I am working uphill most of
the time. It means that I can’t miss opportunities to change perception. It
means that I have to be more careful … AND take more risk. It means I have to
find ways to work with some people who don’t want me at the table. It means
that I engage with many, but I surround myself with a trusted few. And it means
that I have to be ready to push in the ways that I can.
What
three leaders in Madison under 50 have impressed you the most?
Everett
Mitchell, Rebecca Ryan, Brandi Grayson
What’s
the biggest stumbling block in Madison to turning the corner on our
racial disparities?
Fear of
failure.
What are
your top three priorities at this point in your life?
My
friends & family, my entrepreneurial efforts, and mentoring young
professionals
What made
you take the risk to start your business, GigBlender?
Two
things: First, I knew it was time to invest in my own vision, the same way that
I’d invested in others along the way. Secondly, it was an opportunity to build
a team and create a working culture from scratch.
You’ve
worked at the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Urban League of Greater
Madison, and the State of Wisconsin Department of Tourism. What did working in
those different organizations teach you about Madison?
It taught
me a lot of things, but among the most important things it taught me was a) how
important professional relationships are, and b) how to bring my unique skill
set with me no matter what sector I might be working in or with. Read
more: Channel3000.com -
Content from our partner - Madison365
Rhinelander Chamber event: Ideas for promoting downtown presented
Former Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. executive director Maggie Steffen was among several people who pitched ideas for promoting the Rhinelander business district during the estimated $9.79 million downtown infrastructure improvement project.
Steffen recommended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the construction because the city's moving forward.
"Involve the whole community so that they realize it's a big deal and a positive thing," Steffen said.
The ideas came out of a brainstorming session the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce held Wednesday morning at the Hext Theatre.
Thirty people, including representatives from the city, chamber of commerce and DRI, along with merchants, attended the session.
Bill Clow, executive director of the chamber of commerce, expanded on Steffen's idea of making the downtown project a positive event.
"We need to create a sense of curiosity about the downtown and bring people in," Clow said. "We don't want to say, 'pardon our dust.' They're going to be able to see that." Read more: River News Online
Former Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. executive director Maggie Steffen was among several people who pitched ideas for promoting the Rhinelander business district during the estimated $9.79 million downtown infrastructure improvement project.
Steffen recommended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the construction because the city's moving forward.
"Involve the whole community so that they realize it's a big deal and a positive thing," Steffen said.
The ideas came out of a brainstorming session the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce held Wednesday morning at the Hext Theatre.
Thirty people, including representatives from the city, chamber of commerce and DRI, along with merchants, attended the session.
Bill Clow, executive director of the chamber of commerce, expanded on Steffen's idea of making the downtown project a positive event.
"We need to create a sense of curiosity about the downtown and bring people in," Clow said. "We don't want to say, 'pardon our dust.' They're going to be able to see that." Read more: River News Online
Dodgeville Chamber event: Wisconsin Dairy News -
Grilled Cheese Championships
It's the fifth year for the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championships and in this segment of Wisconsin Dairy News we're giving you a preview of what's going to happen at the annual competitive event.
On Saturday, April 23, inside the Ley Pavilion at Harris Park in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, chefs and home cooks from across the state will converge to show off their Wisconsin Cheese grilling abilities.
"We bring professionals and amateurs together so the neat part about that is you don't have to be an expert to come in and have fun," said Lynn Price, Executive Director for Dodgeville Chamber of Commerce.
The competition is divided into four categories; Classic- which is a sandwich with just Wisconsin cheese. Classic Plus One- which is cheese plus one ingredient. Classic Plus Extras- which is cheese and unlimited ingredients, And Classic Dessert. All sandwiches must contain at least 60% Wisconsin cheese!
"It's a great way to spend the afternoon to celebrate the heritage of the dairy industry, the great state that we are."
The family-friendly event offers plenty of activities for all ages!
"We have a live band, Point Five. We have the kids activities center. We have photo opportunities, we have food vendors, we have exhibitors. So there's a little bit of something for everyone." Read more: WXOW.com
It's the fifth year for the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championships and in this segment of Wisconsin Dairy News we're giving you a preview of what's going to happen at the annual competitive event.
On Saturday, April 23, inside the Ley Pavilion at Harris Park in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, chefs and home cooks from across the state will converge to show off their Wisconsin Cheese grilling abilities.
"We bring professionals and amateurs together so the neat part about that is you don't have to be an expert to come in and have fun," said Lynn Price, Executive Director for Dodgeville Chamber of Commerce.
The competition is divided into four categories; Classic- which is a sandwich with just Wisconsin cheese. Classic Plus One- which is cheese plus one ingredient. Classic Plus Extras- which is cheese and unlimited ingredients, And Classic Dessert. All sandwiches must contain at least 60% Wisconsin cheese!
"It's a great way to spend the afternoon to celebrate the heritage of the dairy industry, the great state that we are."
The family-friendly event offers plenty of activities for all ages!
"We have a live band, Point Five. We have the kids activities center. We have photo opportunities, we have food vendors, we have exhibitors. So there's a little bit of something for everyone." Read more: WXOW.com
Fox Cities Chamber to host
workforce forum
The Fox Cities Chamber will host
its first workforce event, The Forum 2016: Investing In People, on April 12.
The half-day event features business, education and community leaders discussing best practices in developing and maintaining a thriving workforce in the Fox Cities.
The event runs 7 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.April 12 at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton.
“This is going to be a very important day for our community. Our goals at the chamber include investing in people, strengthening business and inspiring community. The Forum will tie together these three objectives so we can determine the challenges in our area and strategize the best solutions to develop, attract and retain our workforce,” said Shannon Full, chamber president and chief executive officer.
Keynote speaker Jeff Sachse, director and senior economist for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, will give an overview of critical needs facing the Fox Cities economy and how collaborative partnerships can build the talent pool.
The event continues with additional speakers, breakout sessions and a panel discussion. Read more: Post Crescent
Top Five Daily Postings in the last month at Midwest Chamber of Commerce
blog – click to go there or Google search “Midwest Chamber of Commerce blog”
|
Mar 23,
2016
|
313
|
|
Mar 18,
2016
|
134
|
|
Apr 1,
2016
|
99
|
|
Apr 14,
2016
|
90
|
|
Apr 4,
2016
|
Last Month’s Stories
UW Parkside Chancellor: Debbie Ford: Appreciating the power of
regional partnership in Southeastern Wisconsin Kenosha News
Chamber interest: Just released - Chicago Fed Survey of Business
Conditions Read more in the report.
Walker, Johnson highlight Business Day event The Star
Friday: 157 Rules for Executive Success in
Organization Management (and your Chamber of Commerce) by Patrick McGaughey - Rule #84 If
we can't afford a planning session, the last one failed. Chamber Mentor
Milton Area Chamber partnership: Wally's Music Fest will bring
’80s music and more to Milton HNG NEWS
New Arrival: New
Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce 2016 Community Map - The New Castle-Henry County Chamber
of Commerce 2016 Community Map is available at the New Castle-Henry
County Chamber today! Thanks to Missy Modesitt, Mary
Campbell and the chamber team for their help and direction putting
this together!
Forward Janesville/Chamber interest: First
Janesville City Council candidate forum scheduled Gazette Extra
Greater Beloit Chamber Ambassadors grant: Caritas offering new
services Beloit Daily News
Sparta Area
Chamber of Commerce Career Fair Sparta Chamber
Chamber issue: Milton School District officials address resident
concerns at listening session GazetteExtra
If you would like
delivery of a 2016 chamber directory, community profile or map in
October/November of 2016, please contact me at your earliest convenience, or Click
here
John
John Dussman | Chamber Manager
jdussman@tspubs.com | 847-427-4633 | Town Square Publications
Daily Herald Media Group
155 E. Algonquin Road | Arlington Heights, IL 60005
jdussman@tspubs.com | 847-427-4633 | Town Square Publications
Daily Herald Media Group
155 E. Algonquin Road | Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Do you have a story idea?
If you know of a chamber news item that you would like to be included in the CHAMBER EXECUTIVE INTELLIGENCE REPORT or the MIDWEST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE blog, please email me at jdussman@tspubs.com or call me at (847)-427-4633. Thank you.
If you know of a chamber news item that you would like to be included in the CHAMBER EXECUTIVE INTELLIGENCE REPORT or the MIDWEST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE blog, please email me at jdussman@tspubs.com or call me at (847)-427-4633. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.