JUNE 2014 | Volume 15 | Issue 2

CHAMBER

JUNE 2014 Volume 15, Issue 2

FOX CITIES

CHAMBER AND OMNI RESOURCES PARTNER TO CONNECT BUSINESSES TO SCHOOLS THROUGH TECNOLOGY • MILLENIALS ARE CHANGING THE WORKPLACE • HOW OFFICE DESIGN ENGAGES YOUR TEAM • EMPOWERMENT: CULTURE CAN TRUMP STRATEGY

LEADERSHIP FOX CITIES CLASS OF 2014 PAGE 24

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this issue

VOLUME 15, ISSUE 2 | JUNE 2014

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4 Every Issue 2

News

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE Views from Chamber President/CEO Shannon Meyer Full

18

Community Spotlight

20

Economic Development

22

Advocacy

28

NEW MEMBERS

23

30

OUT AND ABOUT

24

32

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Cover Story 4

Chamber and Omni Resources Partner to Connect Businesses to Schools Through Technology

Fox Cities

24 Featured Columns 10

Changing Generations Mean a Changing Workplace

12

How Office Design Engages Your Team

Octoberfest

13

Empowering Your Team

Leadership

14

Being Green in 2014

15

Charting the Work/Life Balance

Highlights 29

Businesses of the Month

28

Diamond Member Honor Roll

On the cover: (left to right) Patty Milka, competitive workforce director for Fox Cities Chamber; Monika Elzey, Senior, Appleton North High School; Jeff Lang, managing director for OMNI Resources Photography by: Craig Augustine Photography

Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Fox Cities Chamber Business (v 259180). Published quarterly by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 125 N. Superior Street, Appleton, WI 54911. PH 920-734-7101.

WEB www.foxcitieschamber.com. Periodical postage paid at Appleton, WI. Annual subscription fee to members for Fox Cities Chamber Business is $9 and is included in dues.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: Fox Cities Chamber Business, 125 N. Superior Street, Appleton, WI 54911.

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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president’s perspective

D

ear Members, The ability to attract, retain and develop talent is the driving concern for a majority of our members. It doesn’t matter if you have one-to-two employees or 10,000 employees; every business is dependent upon a highly skilled, successful team.

Area companies are facing numerous challenges pertaining to talent, including: Obstacles in attracting high level IT, engineers and senior level management to this region from outside the state Not enough skilled workforce in the pipeline causing delays or inability to increase production A high concentration of seasoned business leaders exiting the workforce and no succession plan The future pipeline is not currently filled with the number or type of qualified workers and high school students interested in careers necessary in our region Due to these concerning trends and the increasing demand from our members and partners for workforce and talent development, the chamber and the Fox Cities Regional Partnership are proactively investing more of our resources into expanding our talent attraction and retention and leadership development programming.

Retaining our future talent begins before students even start high school.

Our 8th grade Career Fair engaged more than 2,700 8th graders in career opportunities available right here in the Fox Cities. They were amazed at the high-tech, hands-on, “cool” careers happening right in their backyard.

Through a strong partnership with Omni Resources, a company that

• • • •

Leadership and professional development gives our local talent the tools they need to continue to do great things in our community.

knows first hand how difficult it is to find and attract highly skilled talent, we’ve developed, implemented and began marketing a software platform called Connect-A-Career. This web-based resource serves as a one-stop shop, linking businesses of all types to educators and students that need work-based learning opportunities.

We’ve taken a very hands-on, personalized approach to attracting talent to our region, including a new program called Concierge Plus. This program is designed to address challenges businesses face during the recruitment or acclimation stages of top-level talent. We are currently piloting the program with Kimberly-Clark and Affinity Health Systems. In essence, the chamber reaches out to the candidate or new hire as a personal concierge to them and their spouse/guest/family. Our goal is to duplicate or exceed their existing quality of life. After an initial discovery phase with the individual, we identify the local resources they want and need and connect them to those resources, including: • Business and/or community leaders • Arts and/or cultural opportunities and venues • Volunteer opportunities • A personal network of friends Concierge Plus is a highly individualized program; the resources and relationships utilized will be very specific

Chairman of the Board Kip Golden Miron Construction Co., Inc. Chairman-Elect Daniel P. Ferris SECURA Insurance Companies Past Chairman Greg Bell WHBY Secretary/Treasurer Bruce Zak JPMorgan Chase, N.A. Board Members Kevin Eismann Epiphany Law, LLC Robyn Gruner AT&T Mayor Gary Henke City of New London Sharon Hulce Employment Resource Group Inc. Dave Jansen ThedaCare Dennis Jochman The Bechard Group Lyssa King W by Worth John Krause Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP Vic Lutz McMahon Jen Wagner Mauk Affinity Health System Robert Pedersen Goodwill NCW Jay Shambeau Calumet County Monica Vomastic Landmark Staffing Resources

Publisher Shannon Meyer Full Editor Kristin Sewall Design Coalesce Marketing & Design, Inc. Photography Craig Augustine Printing JP Graphics Inc. Advertising Sales Dawn Nowakowski, 920-734-7101

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

to the candidate or new hire’s needs. We will be ready to launch this service to the general business community in the fall 2014.

The Talent FAM tour is another attraction program in development that will target college seniors or recent graduates within a five state Midwest area that are educated in vocations lacking in our region. For example, area businesses have identified a need for IT professionals and engineers. We will use a collective approach to appeal to the Deans of Universities, offering an exploration opportunity for the students that include a two-and-a-half- to threeday, all expenses paid, trip to our region.

As the host, we help them experience our community culture first-hand; engage them with our Pulse Young Professionals Network; take them to a sporting, music or community event; and finally, visit each of the participating businesses so they can meet and experience the corporate culture of these companies. A pilot program for IT will be launched in Fall 2014, with an Engineering pilot to follow in the spring.

Leadership and professional development gives our local talent the tools they need to continue to do great things in our community. We continue to improve upon our traditional, executive and youth leadership programs, giving our local talent the tools they need to excel on their path to personal and professional excellence. The Cultivate – Business Growth Series continues to focus on tactical/practical business tips that you can start using in your business or position immediately. One of the biggest assets to our organization is our Pulse Young Professionals Network. We also strive to engage young professionals and young entrepreneurs in exciting opportunities that recognize their accomplishments

and connect them with seasoned business professionals with events like Future 15, CEO Breakfast and monthly Lunch & Learns.

If you are interested in any of these programs, or have an identified need that we can assist with, please let me know!

Also if you are interested in participating in any of these talent experiences, we welcome your involvement and engagement.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, as I focused this perspective on talent, I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize one of our greatest talent assets here at the chamber, Thom Ciske. Thom has been the VP of Government Affairs for us for 24 years. He is embarking on a well-deserved retirement on May 29th. Thom has been an integral member of our team, a vocal and visible spokesperson for the business community, and a friend to many. He will be truly missed, and I wish him and Mary Ann all the very best in their many endeavors. I only hope that he will stop by on occasion and take me to Sam’s Club for a hot dog (his favorite place for lunch).

Move beyond the

ME

to strenghthen the

WE

Remember your commUNITY. Give now and for future generations

Shannon Meyer Full President/CEO

We can help

Jason Henrich, WI Financial Wealth Management, and Thom Ciske.

920-830-1290 cffoxvalley.org

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

SCHOOL-TO-BUSINESS NETWORKING GETS

TECHNOLOGY BOOST

By Jaime Leick, Contributing Writer

Little Chute sophomore Hannah Dornfeld is pretty sure she wants to be an engineer. What kind of engineer? That’s not so clear. So Dornfeld did three job-shadowing days this past school year, visiting a chemical engineer at Bemis, an architect at Hoffman and an electrical engineer at Kimberly Clark.

An Exploration Gap

What’s particularly notable about Dornfeld’s experience is that she organized the job shadows on her own, thanks to the new Connect a Career site developed by Omni Resources, in partnership with the Competitive Workforce Alliance (an affiliate of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce).

“That destination becomes the foundation for the coursework decisions they make in high school. Once they choose, they’re kind of committed,” explains Jeff Lang, managing director at Omni. “But we noticed an exploration gap. Students don’t know what they want to do, and they don’t really understand all the options that are available.”

Built as a pro bono project for the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, the site is designed to connect teachers and students with the area business community. The goal is to build connections and streamline work-based learning activities like job shadowing, company tours and guest speakers.

Goal: Connect high school students to work-based learning opportunities driven by local employers concerned with the future of our region’s skilled workforce.

Learn more at foxcities.connectacareer.com

As students enter high school, they quickly begin discussions with their counselors and teachers about preparation for their lives after high school. Will they go directly into the workforce, the military, a four-year university or a two-year technical program?

Connect a Career makes it easier for students and teachers to learn about, and engage with, area businesses. They can log on to find guest speakers and facility tours, as well as job shadows, internships and youth apprenticeship opportunities.

Patty Milka is the competitive workforce director for the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce. Before Connect a Career, Milka served as a central clearing house for work-based learning.

“It was all manual,” Milka says. “Teachers would email me, ‘Do you have a lab tech? Do you have a nurse practitioner?’ and I would have to look it up in my database.”

Milka’s idea was to take the same information she kept in her database and make it publically available so that area businesses and teachers could find each other, and eliminate the middleman. But more than that, Milka saw the tool as a

L-R: Patty Milka, Director, Competitive Workforce for Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce; Pat Heideman, Senior Solutions Architecct, Omni Resources; Gail Ondresky, President, Omni Resources Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014 5

Building a Future Workforce Connect a Career was developed in 2013 and tested in the classroom during spring 2014.

Official rollout began last fall with a limited focus on the career and technical education teachers in the five school districts that belong to the region’s Competitive Workforce Alliance.

In its first four months, Connect a Career had the following impact:

665 USERS

way to help area educators understand the local labor market.

“We used to be considered the Paper Valley, but we’re so much more than that,” says Milka. “What goes on in those big boxes out there? What is a Miller Electric? What is Faith Technologies? Our educators aren’t really aware of the jobs in these companies.”

Lang himself speaks at area high schools and career fairs, and he echoes Milka’s concerns.

“I’ve done a few talks about the technology profession, and everyone says they had no idea there was so much diversity in the jobs available,” Lang reports. “The other comment I hear a lot is surprise that these types of careers are available in northeast Wisconsin, rather than a major metro area like Minneapolis, Chicago or the coasts.”

More Time with Students Anna Schlimm is the school-to-career liaison for Little Chute Career Pathways Academy, the charter school Hannah Dornfeld attends. Schlimm’s job is to help students explore potential careers, and she was one of the first area educators to pilot the Connect a Career tool.

155

BUSINESS LISTINGS

(Including 282 opportunities for speakers and tours)

91 JOB SHADOW OPPORTUNITIES

“Before, I’d have to do a lot of cold calling to drum up businesses interested in hosting students,” she says, describing the process as “selling” businesses on the idea. “But now, all that work is done and I can spend more time with the kids, rather than behind my computer and on the phone.”

Dornfeld believes Connect a Career is opening new doors for students like herself.

“This website helped me find job shadows that I think would have been very hard to find and set up on my own or with the help of Miss Schlimm,” Dornfeld wrote in an email interview. “It’s helped me find careers that I want to explore more and find careers that I didn’t like as much as I thought I would.”

Peter Worley, youth apprenticeship coordinator for the Appleton Area School District, helps students find more intensive work-based learning experiences. And he starts by having students sign on to Connect a Career to do some exploring.

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STUDENTS ATTENDED FACILITY TOURS

For more information, visit foxcities. connectacareer.com. To learn how you can get involved, contact Patty Milka at 920-734-7101 or pmilka@foxcitieschamber.com.

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

Once students decide on a company they’d like to work with, Worley helps them set up a job shadow. After that, the students have to put together a resume and cover letter (Connect a Career has templates for those) and go through a mock interview before they get the go-ahead to pursue a full apprenticeship.

“What I was doing before was basically word of mouth,” Worley says, “going out and finding employers that are looking for workers. I’d make the connections, and I’d set the students up to talk.”

Patti Zeske, Software Quality Assurance Manager,Omni Resources; Monika Elzey, Senior, Appleton North High School

Now, when Worely talks about Connect a Career, he uses words like “streamline” and “structure.” But he also talks about how the tool empowers and educates his students.

“It saves me time, and it puts some of the weight on the kids,” Worley explains, “They have to go do some exploring, instead of me doing all the legwork. It makes them more responsible for what they want to do.”

The Next Big Social Network?

Milka and Lang definitely see potential to expand Connect a Career beyond the Fox Cities. In fact, the Fox Cities Chamber has already licensed the tool to another multicounty region on the western side of the state, and they have interest from other economic regions.

“The site currently keeps the regions independent of each other. This was originally done by design,” Lang says.

“However, I’d like to see us create additional opportunities to experience careers in other regions.”

For example, a student in Chippewa Falls might want to do a summer internship for a unique opportunity in Menasha where his or her grandparents live.

“If we can’t keep our talent in our local communities,” Lang says, “let’s at least keep them in Wisconsin.”

Many benefits: • By showcasing their industry, businesses have the opportunity to excite local students on the interesting and trending careers right here in the Fox Cities.

• Educators are able to give students a hands-on experience through work-based learning without the lead-in time it takes to organize the experience.

• Students get a first-hand look at the different careers in our region, as well as local labor market information.

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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featured column

Changing Generations Mean a

Changing Workplace N

o matter how many years you’ve been employed, recently your workplace has changed rapidly. New technology makes it possible to meet and collaborate with coworkers all around the world. It also moves your inbox from the corner of your desk to your pocket – that means you can no longer leave those messages behind when you head home from the office.

In addition to technology, generational shifts have wrought an equal change in the workplace, and the effects of these changes are just beginning.

Workplace culture is being turned on its head by the arrival of the newest generation of workers into the office.

You may know them as Millennials, Generation Y, Digital Natives or the First Globals. No matter the moniker one thing is for sure, they are already changing the face of work in ways equal to the Baby Boomers and Generation X who came before them.

In the last few months, polling and research heavyweights like Zogby and Pew have published comprehensive findings about the attitudes and opinions of the Millennials, and how they differ from their predecessors. This newest generation is more connected (one word: Facebook), more indebted (student loans now exceed consumer debt) and less politically active than other generations. They are also more passionate about making a difference

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

and contributing to their community (by many defined as Planet Earth) than others.

While some of these findings may correlate to the “idealism of youth,” there are other trends that are undeniably changing the workplace in profound ways.

1. Location First: Researchers like Richard Florida have long told us that the “creative class” will find the place they want to live first, and then worry about finding a job there. This makes community development and quality of life a top priority for regions that want to compete for scarce talent. Employers, Chambers and local governments are teaming up to cultivate the kind of experiences and opportunities that will attract the new generation of highly mobile workers.

2. Untethered to the Desk: New technology means no longer having to work in the office most of the time, or at all! In fact, young entrepreneurs find settings like a coffee shop or co-working space (see the Millennial Glossary nearby) to be preferable to a traditional office. They can get calls, email and documents on their mobile devices, and attend webinars or Skype calls on their laptop anywhere they have a Wi-Fi signal.

3. Flexible Schedules: Given their embrace of creative places and

the power of mobile technology, a top consideration for young workers choosing an employer is a flexible schedule. Late mornings, mid-day yoga classes, early evening happy hours and late night brainstorms are all normal for Millennials, and none of these have to get in the way of productivity.

Their passion for results and “making a difference” means they are just as motivated to get things done as any other worker – they just want to get it done at the time that is convenient for them.

Whether you meet these trends with glee or dread, one thing is certain: they aren’t going away. The successful employers will be the ones who figure out how to incorporate these realities into their work culture and leverage the immense power and energy of the next generation of employees.

Josh Dukelow, Fox Cities Chamber, Vice President of Public Policy and Leadership

The Millennial

GLOSSARY Autonomy:

Fail Fast:

Co-Working Space:

The Cloud:

Setting out the destination, but not defining the route to reach it.

A desk in an office for a person without an office.

Slacktivism:

Supporting a cause or advancing a movement by doing #virtuallynothing.

LifeHack:

Just do it; it’s better to try, fail, learn and try again, than never to try in the first place.

Access to all of your music, cat videos and selfies from any device, anywhere.

Innovate:

Putting wild ideas to use to solve the world’s problems.

Solving a problem using what’s available at hand, a la MacGyver.

Disruptive:

Facetime/Skype:

Crowd-Funding:

Remember the video phone from the Jetsons?

It’s like that.

When everything changes all at once. You’re welcome.

Financing your startup with money from many small investors. In essence, digital begging.

“ Fox Valley Tech is a key contributor in growing and developing our region’s workforce.”

Kim Wetzel Foundation Director Bemis Company Foundation

Post your job openings on Wisconsin TechConnect, your online resource for Wisconsin technical college graduates. It’s fast, easy to use, and free!

Wisconsin TechConnect

Student Employment Services

www.fvtc.edu/ses-employers (920) 735-JOBS (5627) ses@fvtc.edu

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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featured column

Inspiring Multiple Generations:

How Office Design Engages Your Team D

id you know that 10,000 baby boomers are retiring every day?

Seriously, 10,000 EVERY day! It’s true, and according to the Pew Research Center, this trend will continue for the next 19 years. Leaders are struggling to rebuild their teams with a new generation of workers, in a time when attracting top talent is challenging.

Does your business have what it takes to attract and retain workers?

Many business leaders that I meet express their dilemma of creating a workspace that speaks to all of the generations competing for space in our current workforce. Recently, a local business owner told me that their work environment was so unappealing, that it was nearly impossible to hire young people. Millennials would apply for jobs, interview, visit the facility and never come back. Although it’s tempting to replace your cubicles and private offices with a completely open space, consider a balanced approach instead.

There is new research from the Gensler Workplace Survey that shows employees spend only 24 percent of their time collaborating and 54 percent

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

of their day doing individual or “heads down” work. In order to attract, inspire and engage your employees, our research found the most effective tactic is a “people centered” approach we call Productivity Based Design™. This design incorporates a variety of spaces into every floor plan, giving your team the needed visual and acoustical privacy, while also allowing the flexibility to quickly move into a more open, collaborative space when needed.

A dynamic office must balance individual space with collaborative space. We recommend a ratio of approximately 3:1 (three individual spaces for each collaborative space).

One of the most popular spaces transforms an underutilized lunchroom into a practical all-day multifunctional area called a “work lounge.” This space encourages both scheduled and spontaneous meetings to take place in a coffee shop atmosphere. It’s a great use of costly real estate.

Today, only one in four workers are in optimal work environments. The rest are struggling to work effectively, which results in lost productivity and reduced employee engagement.

Take a look at your office. Is your space cluttered with mismatched furniture, dated carpet, fabrics and finishes? Do your tables and chairs look like they were purchased in 1970? Given the long hours people spend at work, it is more important than ever to design a space that is welcoming, inspiring and motivating.

Since 1947, BSI has been helping businesses improve their office interiors. Our Design∙Build∙Furnish platform provides a comprehensive one-stop shop experience for clients in corporate, healthcare, financial, hospitality and retail. Contact Kate McLaren at kmclaren@buildingservice.com.

interiors for business

Kate McLaren, Director of Sales BSI (Building Service, Inc.), Appleton and Milwaukee.

featured column

Empowering

Your Team A true account of how culture trumps strategy

I

n 2008, we recognized an opportunity to enhance the level of person-centered care and service provided within the St. Elizabeth Hospital Emergency Department in Appleton, Wisconsin. Market-share data and patient surveys identified areas for improvement to which hospital leaders responded. Recognizing our commitment to deliver excellent clinical care with high reliability in safety and quality, we chose empowerment as a strategy to enhance operations.

It’s well known that “culture trumps strategy,” and that healthcare outcomes are managed best at the point of care. In order to strengthen the culture, we created ownership and a “seat at the table” for the emergency department team consisting of administration, physicians and nurses. This team met every two weeks to develop vision, strategy and improvement plans. Collectively, they agreed that improving care and service was more important than building a new department. We knew if we could make improvements in the existing emergency department we would really have an impact when the new one was completed.

It was inspirational to watch the team take ownership and bring creative solutions to the table. Our first step was to engage a service coach who worked

weekly with the department associates to help implement new tactics and identify where improvements could be made. Our approach included visual management, daily huddles, video practice of patient scenarios and development of the lead role.

Our visual management model facilitates open and consistent communication and information sharing among team members. To accomplish this, we installed white boards in patient rooms for each nurse and physician to write status updates to help keep the patient better informed.

At the beginning of each shift, the team holds a huddle to ensure consistency in new tactics and daily flow, and to address issues to ensure we perform well as a team.

One of the most valuable tools we use is video monitoring to practice patient scenarios. To introduce ourselves to patients, we utilize an acronym called AIDET: Acknowledge the patient, Introduce yourself, inform them of the Duration of any test or stay, Explain what is taking place and finish with a “Thank you.” Practicing this consistently is more challenging than it sounds. The team enlisted volunteer patients from the community and videotaped each other practicing their AIDET skills. Then the team reviewed the videos together and coached

one other.

To change a culture and sustain high-level goals, frontline consistency is imperative across all shifts. With that in mind, we created the Nurse Leader role. The key elements of the role include accountability to achieve metrics and outcomes while managing 24x7 operations, ensuring workload balance and consistent use of the tools by all associates.

Sustaining this strategy is dependent upon data and positive feedback. Our team begins each meeting with celebrations and recognizes every success along the way.

As a result of this empowerment strategy, our patients rate customer service in the 90th percentile and the department has experienced a 19 percent increase in growth.

Additionally, our team was invited to Atlanta to receive the national Studer Award for an Outstanding Emergency Department.

Tom Veeser, CNO Ministry Health Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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featured column

Being Green A

s a business owner, you may be thinking that this will be the year when you make a thoughtful effort to incorporate sustainability into your facility. Studies have shown that using sustainable materials, systems and methods can contribute to a more productive workplace, increased profitability and decreased longterm operational costs. Plus, costs for green products are comparable or sometimes less than their conventional counterparts. You know it’s a good idea, but where do you begin?

First, know what resources are available. There have been many significant advances in sustainable building materials, and over the last 10 years, the options for green products have multiplied. These products can help provide significant improvements in building performance such as indoor air quality, use of natural light, and energy and water savings when used appropriately.

Next, take the proper steps to ensure your facility’s insulation is adequate and doesn’t experience heat loss. An energy assessment can help identify weak areas where adding

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

in 2014

insulation or sealing can be beneficial.

Evaluate windows to see if any repairs to loose frames or total replacements need to occur. If windows need to be replaced, select windows that insulate the building in winter and reduce excessive heat gain in summer.

Once the facility’s structure has been addressed, you are ready to determine what equipment will help maximize energy efficiency.

Replace outdated and inefficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment with a more energy-efficient system.

Provide individual heating and cooling controls to reduce overheating or overcooling.

Maximize the use of natural light and task lighting so less overhead electrical lighting needs to be used during the day.

Replace inefficient electric lighting with high-efficiency fixtures.

Install occupancy sensors so lights are only on when a room is in use.

Replace existing plumbing fixtures and faucets with high-performing, low-flow fixtures.

•

• • • • •

Knowing which materials to select that will meet your sustainability goals can be challenging. Consider partnering with an outside source that has experience selecting, installing and monitoring sustainable products so you are sure to get the right equipment for your facility that will perform at the level appropriate for your space.

Making sustainable changes will help reduce your monthly utility bill as well as your company carbon footprint.

If it all seems a bit overwhelming, consider developing a sustainability plan that lists action items and when those items will be accomplished as time and budget dollars allow. You’ll be glad you did!

Miles Girouard, President, Owner Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, Inc

featured column

Charting the

Work/Life

Balance

A

s working professionals, we are under a constant barrage of demands on our time: do this, report that, deadlines are looming, do you think you can handle more? We have to ask ourselves, how much is too much? It’s difficult to pin down an answer as even the goals of life are, at best, vague and ill-defined. Perhaps a better question is this: are there any facts, data or evidence to help us know which of our decisions we’ll regret, which will be most important to us and how we might strike a good work/life balance?

As it turns out, there is.

The unpleasant first: regrets. In Bronnie Ware’s “Regrets of the Dying,” she lists the most common sorrows of those at the end of life. Her work speaks of the saddest unchangeable of the human condition: the could-havebeen. Her list includes time missed with family and friends, spending too much time working, not letting ourselves be happy each day, and failing to have the courage to make the positive changes we know we should.

Okay – regrets aside, what will cause

the greatest happiness? Dr. Martin Seligman, director of the Positive Psychology Center, finds that happiness comes from three main sources: enjoying what’s around us, being wholly engaged in activities that command our attention and working on causes bigger than ourselves. Interestingly, this last one is most powerful: when we volunteer for a good cause, we also make top-tier contributions to our own lasting happiness.

Now, there’s no doubt that our careers can be important to us – that’s not in question. And of course we can find ourselves in careers that engage our attention and contribute back to society. However, we still need to find time for these other worthy things.

One thought is to set healthy boundaries. Put a limit on the amount of time you devote to work each week.

Mine is set at 50 hours – no more, and usually not much less. If you can’t get all your weekly work done, make a note of it, and plan future activities accordingly. Otherwise, when that time’s up, it’s up. Go home. Enjoy those

other parts of life that are waiting to be enjoyed. Spend time with family and friends. Volunteer. Eat, play and rest.

If you do, you may find the return to work more enjoyable, more positive, more productive and just a little more balanced.

Dr. Ranen McLanahan is an assistant professor with the UW Fox Valley / Platteville collaborative engineering program that grants a B.S. degree in mechanical and electrical engineering locally in the Fox Cities. He is also the Codirector of the Center for Device Design and Development (3DC) and the creator of the McLanahan Solidarity Project that offers soft-skill seminars to local organizations and the public.

Dr. A. L. Ranen McLanahan UW-Fox Valley Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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lifestyle . corporate . conceptual . product . industrial . architectural

C raig

www.craigaugustinephoto.com . 920.810.2616 Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014 17

community spotlight Culver’s Restaurants to Sponsor Fundraiser for Honor Flight

Modern Woodmen Members “Join Hands” to Make a Difference

Culver’s of Little Chute was among the more than 170 Culver’s restaurants in the Midwest that participated in a fundraising effort for the Honor Flight Network, a non-profit group created to honor America’s Veterans by transporting them to Washington, D.C. to visit their war memorials.

The participating restaurants donated 10 percent of their sales on May 20, 2014 to the Honor Flight Hub that serves their respective areas.

“This is an opportunity for us to give back to those who served for all of us,” said Craig Culver, co-founder of the restaurant chain. “For many veterans, time is running out to say thanks.”

The Honor Flight Network gives top priority to senior Veterans, such as World War II survivors and those terminally ill who fought in later conflicts. Since 2005, Honor Flight has honored more than 100,000 veterans to thank them for their service to our country.

Local Modern Woodmen members helped make a difference in the Fox Cities during Join Hands Day in early May. The members volunteered to help landscape the Neenah Animal Shelter.

Join Hands Day is a national day of service designed to bring youth and adults together to plan and implement volunteer service projects in their communities. As the generations work side-by-side, they learn more about each other, sparking a new level of understanding and respect.

The volunteer project, sponsored

by Modern Woodmen of America and other fraternal benefit societies, had approximately 13,000 volunteers nationwide.

“Modern Woodmen is proud of the thousands of volunteers, across the country, who give back on Join Hands Day,” said Steve VanSpeybroeck, Modern Woodmen’s fraternal director.

In 2013, Modern Woodmen’s nationwide participation and volunteer service was valued at more than $777,000 on Join Hands Day. Annually, Modern Woodmen provides more than $20 million and more than 507,600 volunteer hours for local community projects.

The philanthropic legacy left by the late John J. & Ethel D. Keller has reached a new philanthropic milestone – $40 million in giving. The landmark was celebrated with a $40,000 grant to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin (FAEW) presented by the J. J. Keller Foundation (JJKF).

Last year, FAEW distributed 20 million plus pounds of food to approximately 1,000 hunger relief organizations, more than 60 of which are located in the Fox Valley. The $40,000 operational funding grant will allow FAEW to continue its support of these local organizations.

“Feeding America is a strong partner in the continuum of care that exists for people struggling with hunger in the Fox Valley,” said Robert (Bob) Keller, president of the JJKF Board.

The JJKF Board presented the check to FAEW during a Hands Against Hunger event. Community leaders helped bag and distribute 30,000 pounds of food purchased with an additional $3,500 grant from the JJKF at a mobile food pantry in Appleton.

Since the foundation’s start in 1990, the Keller family has grown its annual giving from an average of $50,000 to $3.5 million each year.

Local Modern Woodmen members volunteer at the Neenah Animal Shelter during Join Hands Day.

The J. J. Keller Foundation presented Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin with a $40,000 donation.

Do you have a story that highlights social collaboration?

Keller Family Giving Hits $40 Million Mark

Contact Kristin Sewall at ksewall@foxcitieschamber.com for details on how it can be a featured “Community Spotlight” in the September issue of Fox Cities Business.

18

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

Coalesce Marketing Works 2GETHER•4GOOD for Local Non-Profits Coalesce Marketing & Design provided pro-bono marketing assistance to three Fox Valley non-profit organizations during 2GETHER•4GOOD, a 24-hour marketing and design workathon, on May 22-23.

The agency’s eight employees worked non-stop to create marketing materials and creative deliverables for three local non-profits, including: Spierings Cancer Foundation, COTS, Inc. and the Boys’ & Girls’ Brigade of the Fox Valley.

“2GETHER•4GOOD allows us to thank the community for helping us grow, and provides an opportunity for our team to work together for the greater good,” said Lisa Piikkila, Coalesce Marketing owner and creative director.

Charitabli created a 24-day online fundraiser benefiting 2GETHER•4GOOD applicants. Individuals can donate money to participating non-profits at charitab.li/ events/2gether4good through June 24.

Several area businesses also volunteered their time and resources, including: N.E.W. Printing, BConnected, Crimson Creative Group, Dave Jackson Photography and Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. The value of the services provided is more than $40,000.

More information can be found at 2gether4good.com.

Coalesce Marketing created 2GETHER•4GOOD to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, and extend its mission of growing together with its clients, community and team.

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

19

economic development

T

he Fox Cities Regional Partnership was established as an affiliate of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce in 2012, with the objective of stimulating economic growth within its service area of Outagamie, Calumet and northern Winnebago Counties. Specifically, the goal of the Partnership is to support the creation of 1,200 new primary jobs by the end of 2017.

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh determined that this number of jobs would generate an additional $75 million in annual payroll, and provide an overall $141 million annual boost to the Fox Cities economy.

While an estimated 5,000 similar organizations operate throughout the United States—some with 25 or more years of experience—the Fox Cities Regional Partnership represents the first economic development organization to focus its efforts on the Fox Cities Region. As such, the concept of regional economic development had not generally been top of mind,

and has required significant explanation and promotion in order to develop support. That support has come in the form of financial investment from 19 local governments and 44 private companies. Collectively, these Investors contribute to what is a $650,000 annual operating budget for the Regional Partnership.

Primary employers are defined as those that derive the majority of their revenue from the sale of products or services outside the region. The dollars resulting from those sales are the source of support for the retail, service and professional sectors of the local economy. As such, primary jobs generate a “multiplier effect,” affecting additional job growth by way of indirect and induced economic impacts, and are essential to the health and vitality of the local economy.

The work of the Regional Partnership is focused around two specific programs: The first, existing industry retention/expansion, recognizes the value of those primary employers that are successfully engaged in a variety of business operations in our region. Because of the existing infrastructure and investment already made, this established base of employers is typically credited with 70 percent or more of new primary job growth within most communities. The Regional Partnership exists as a single point of contact for these employers—addressing needs that represent constraints and providing access to resources that exploit opportunities for further growth.

The second program, industry attraction, is an essential

•

•

KEY FACTS about the FOX CITIES REGION

22%

MANUFACTURING REPRESENTS

OF THE REGION’S EMPLOYMENT BASE

$54,290

AVERAGE FOX CITIES MANUFACTURING WAGE

1,114

NET NEW JOBS IN THE PAST YEAR* ADDED BY THE FOX CITIES REGION MANUFACTURING SECTOR

MANUFACTURING SECTOR GREW AT:*

3.3% 1.0% 0.7%

IN FOX CITIES REGION

IN WISCONSIN

IN UNITED STATES *Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3rd quarter 2013

20

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

60-MINUTE COMMUTE FROM DOWNTOWN APPLETON:

>775,000 >432,000

POPULATION WORKFORCE

Rate per 100,000 Source: fbi.gov

component of a successful economic development program.

Recognizing that change is constant, communities intent on maintaining and improving as desirable places to live, work and play must continually seek to expand and diversify their primary job base. Though highly competitive, the quest for expanding or relocating companies from other areas can be transformative for communities.

Because the Fox Cities has not previously had an organization working to market the region for job attraction to outside markets, a critical task for the Regional Partnership has been to establish brand awareness within the national and international marketplaces. The Partnership’s initial marketing efforts have included a two-pronged approach.

Recognizing that economic development is a relationship business, the Regional Partnership has prioritized the nurturing of relationships with site selection consultants across the country—professionals who are engaged by employers looking for professional assistance in identifying the right location for their business expansion or relocation project. If these consultants are not aware of the Fox Cities Region and what it has to offer, it stands to reason that we will not receive consideration by the site selectors and their clients.

As a tandem piece of our marketing of the Fox Cities Region, the Regional Partnership launched a website that has both extensive data important to industrial clients, as well as a GIS-enabled property search site. The property search function allows users to search an inventory of existing buildings and industrial sites by size, type and location. In addition, visitors to the site are able to access customized demographic reports, wage and salary data, housing reports, and a business census that can be sorted by business type. This website—www.foxcitiesregionalpartnership.com—becomes the organization’s most important marketing tool.

To date, the Regional Partnership has worked in support of six company expansion and relocation projects that collectively have announced the creation of more than 220 new primary jobs throughout the Fox Cities. These companies represent a mix of types, sizes and locations throughout our service area. Regional Partnership staff is currently working with several additional companies that are in various stages of project development— companies that hold the promise of additional job creation announcements this year and beyond.

COMPANIES ASSISTED BY FOX CITIES REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP Thiel Cheese St. John cheese producer acquired new equipment that significantly expanded processing capacity.

Galloway Foods Liquid processing of concentrated dairy blends and sweetened condensed milk. The company is the largest manufacturer of frozen dairy dessert mixes in Wisconsin.

The company recently embarked on a significant expansion of its Neenah facility.

Amerequip Contract manufacturer producing equipment for OEM’s, including Toro, John Deere and others. Company has established fast growth plans, and announced a 35,000 sq. ft. expansion and 103 new jobs in Kiel.

Technical Prospects Grand Chute company established around providing Siemens imaging equipment replacement parts.

Expansion includes construction and operation of new training facility that will bring technicians from around the country to learn repair and operation of the equipment.

PolyFlex Plastics blow molding company headquartered in Walworth. Company growth demanded more production space. Decision made to build 59,000 sq. ft. new facility in Kaukauna with an initial employment base of 40 positions.

Winona Foods Cheese processing company headquartered in Green Bay acquired smaller cheese shredding company in Kaukauna. Acquisition will trigger move of Wisconsinbased production operations into Kaukauna, along with operations currently located in four states.

Larry Burkhardt, CEcD

Executive Vice President Fox Cities Regional Partnership

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

21

Leveraging Regional Resources to Grow the Regional Economy Josh Dukelow Fox Cities Chamber, Vice President of Public Policy and Leadership One thing that makes the Fox Cities Region unique is the amount of municipalities we have so close together. A Fox Cities resident might live in Harrison, send their kids to Kaukauna schools, shop in Grand Chute and work in Appleton. During the course of a normal day we cross dozens of municipal boundaries without a thought.

Valley Transit is a great example of how the communities in our region work together to address a common need. Public transportation helps commuters, students and shoppers get to where they need to go – no matter which municipality is their final destination. Local employers also rely on Valley Transit to provide their employees with affordable transportation options, and bring in workers from neighboring cities.

During visits with local employers, I have heard about difficulty filling open positions.

Employers weigh setting up new operations in Green Bay or Fond du Lac to tap into the workforce in those communities. However, a public transit alternative could offer those workers an affordable way to get to open jobs in the Fox Cities, and create additional jobs in our area.

To meet these needs, I am working with Valley Transit leadership and stakeholders to develop a strategic plan for regional public transit. For the first time in decades, the needs of riders, employers and municipal leaders will be collected and woven into a comprehensive strategy. This plan will guide the development of new services, and ensure that existing needs are met while anticipating how public transportation will function in the future.

Bringing the voice of local employers into this discussion saves them the time of having to participate personally, and allows many diverse needs to be represented at once. The Fox Cities Regional Partnership connects public entities like Valley Transit with employers to help them better serve their customers. No single community can address these challenges alone, so a regional perspective is essential.

22

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

advocacy

Three Decades of Public Policy and Pro Business Advocacy In the remaining days prior to my retirement, I look back at the many important issues with which the Chamber has been actively involved in on your behalf over the years.

1984 The Chamber supported the concept of limiting the length of time an individual may serve in any one elected position. The goal was to create a corps of public-spirited citizen-legislators eager to do the public’s business.

1987 The Chamber supported a plan by the Department of Public Instruction to strengthen the General Educational Development (GED) plan by providing flexibility for adults to meet the requirements for obtaining their high school diploma.

1990 The Chamber began its initiative to encourage local units of government to investigate any and all opportunities for consolidating services across municipal boundaries. The Chamber helped fund feasibility studies that paved the way for a consolidated police force in Kimberly, Little Chute and Combined Locks, as well as a joint fire department serving the communities of Neenah and Menasha. The Chamber also supported efforts to create the Tri-County Recycling facility.

1991 The Chamber drafted a position statement in 1991 acknowledging the finite nature of the earth’s natural resources, and calling for a long range National Energy Policy that would decrease our reliance on foreign oil and gas, increase energy efficiency, and renew America’s commitment to the development of alternative energy sources.

The Chamber took part in conversations regarding the inability of the existing state transportation funding mechanism to fully support growing needs. The Chamber recommended exploring every possible revenue source, including tolls. Twenty-three years later, some advances in funding have been made, although need continues to outpace revenue.

1992 The Chamber recognized that health care costs were rising two-to-three times faster than most peoples’ income and adopted a position statement supporting national health care reform, provided that it contained the following: universal access to defined benefits, reduced variation in the delivery of care, a plan for bringing costs system-wide under control, recommendations for insurance, malpractice and tort reform, a plan for simplification of administration and claims payment, and a nongovernmental board made up of industry, health care providers, insurers and consumers.

1995

1998

The Chamber identified the need for immediate congressional action related to the eventual collapse of Medicare as the result of costs rising faster than the overall rate of inflation and the shrinking pool of contributors. The Chamber called for bipartisan discussions, modernizing Medicare by adopting market based strategies successfully being used by private employers, and the creation of a fraud and abuse task force empowered to pursue and prosecute fraud.

The Chamber strongly supported the proposed construction, by Wisconsin Electric Power Company, of a 300-megawatt peaking power plant for use during periods of high-energy demand. The Chamber believed that the plant would enhance reliability, improve the business environment and promote growth.

1996 The Chamber was in support of electric utility restructuring in Wisconsin, suggesting that it would provide improved service, lower prices and increased choices without compromising the state’s current level of environmental protection, reliable service and favorable utility rates.

1997 The Chamber went on record supporting President Clinton’s request for renewal of Fast Track authority in order to negotiate foreign trade and investment agreements. Without that authority, America would have forfeited its long-held trade advantage in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

The Chamber took a lead role in efforts to acquire an American Heritage River designation for the Fox River with the belief that it would encourage acquisitions, enhancements and restoration along the river and lock system. This was the same year that the Chamber spearheaded a campaign to defeat efforts by the Environmental Protection to declare the pending cleanup of the Fox River as an EPA Superfund project. The Chamber feared that, among other things, the designation as a Superfund site would lead to a protracted legal battle over funding.

1999–2014 The Chamber was engaged in efforts to: Construct the Kampo Bridge over Little Lake Butte des Morts and the USH 441 southern bypass around Appleton Upgrade USH 41 to Interstate standards Pass a bill giving local communities the ability to create a Regional Transit Authority Find an equitable solution to the PCB clean-up of the Fox River There are many more pro business initiatives the Chamber has been involved in. All of these efforts/actions were undertaken as the result of conversations with our members and work done by Chamber committees populated with members of our business community who took time away from their busy days for the betterment of their community.

Thank you for your time, your interest, your expertise and your continued financial commitment.

We trust you feel they were resources judiciously allocated.

• •• •

Thom Ciske

VP Government Affairs

Octoberfest Grants Awarded March 2014 Appleton Downtown Inc. received $5,000 grant for the new Lunch Time Live event to experience Houdini Plaza and enjoy live music during the lunch hour. It will support local musicians and organizations like the Appleton Rock School.

Building for Kids received a $1,000 grant for the annual Children’s Parade.

Fox Cities Book Festival received a $1,000 grant for the annual Book Festival.

Markoff Youth Ballet received a $3,000 grant for costumes for the annual Nutcracker Ballet.

Mile of Music received a $10,000 grant for the second year of the event.

YMCA received a $1,200 grant for the Healthy Kids Day event.

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

23

leadership

Congratulations Leadership Fox Cities Class of 2014!

Dear Leaders, driven this unique community You’ve made it through u’ve for all of you is that yo pe ho y M . m ra og pr leadership me of its eat community and so gr r ou of e ar aw ore m may become allenges. As a result, ch its of e m so as ll start accolades, as we get more involved and to u yo e ov m at th s s. you find thing your places of busines d an ity un m m co e th leading in nt the alumni first hand how importa ow kn I ni, m alu an As y interest in s of this program. M es cc su re tu fu e th to unity are tions I had with comm sa er nv co om fr e m ca I’m the program uates. As the director, ad gr st pa re we o wh members m, but my ation about the progra orm inf e ar sh to y pp t. ha always being a past participan om fr es m co m ra og s. The passion for the pr by you – its graduate ld so re d an ld so is This program the best and you share prove to be at th es nc rie pe ex d stories an cruiting. ve when it comes to re ha we l too ive ct fe ef most planning committees.

C LF r ou on rve se s te Many gradua d design o interpret, develop an grateful They are the people wh ssions. I am sincerely se C LF re tu fu r fo ing programm continued ee members for their itt m m co C LF e th d of to all . I am so blessed an ort pp su d an t en itm m . dedication, com ese people my friends th er id ns co to le ab happy to be g up with look forward to meetin I ! ain ag s ion lat tu ra Cong you in the future. hest regards, Leaders, my very hig

Joy Kapheim

ership Fox Cities

Program Director, Lead

Jana Baehman Appvion Steve Barry First National Bank Fox Valley Karlyn Barthel Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley Tiffany Behnke Appleton Police Department Sara Bell ThedaCare Kurt Biese Associated Bank

Devin Meyer MRA – The Management Association Megan Mudge UW-Fox Valley Emily Mueller Coalesce Marketing & Design Dawn Nowakowski Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce

Suzanne Brault Pagel United Way Fox Cities

Dave Pauly Appvion

Cheryl Brooks Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Trevor Rabbach Bank First National

Matthew Busch Valley Packaging Industries Tonya Dittman Miron Construction John Egan Affinity Health System Bridget Erwin Sigman, Janssen, Stack, Sewall & Pitz Cindy Flauger Goodwill Industries NCW Rose Fochs Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

Cindy Schlichting Community First Credit Union Tom Simon Greater Fox Cities Habitat for Humanity Rosie Sprangers Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Susan Stellmacher Lawrence University Gregg Syring Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation Steve Teofilo Gannett Wisconsin Media Amy Van Straten Fox Valley Technical College

Jaime Kriewaldt Boys & Girls Club of the Fox Valley

Steven Voskuil Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Adam Landsverk BMO Harris Bank

Carol Wedig SECURA Insurance

Adam Lange BLC Community Bank

Tara Wickersheim Miller Electric

Matt Longmier Alliant Energy

Landon Wiese Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Philip Lont Sadoff Iron & Metal Company Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

Chrissy McCosky Miller Electric

Kathryn Blom Epiphany Law, LLC

Rachel Gonzalez Radisson Paper Valley Hotel

24

Class of 2014

Keeley Winkel Aascend Pain Institute

leadership

Congratulations Leadership Fox Cities Youth Class of 2014!

The Leadership Fox Cities Youth Class of 2014 recently celebrated its graduation at UW-Fox Valley’s Barlow Planetarium. This year’s class was comprised of 23 students from Appleton, Menasha, Kimberly and Little Chute Area School Districts.

Leadership Fox Cities Youth is a community-driven program for high school juniors educating students through experience, thereby giving our young leaders the confidence and understanding they need to take an active role in their community. The program also teaches them about soft skills needed to develop in their future careers.

The students planned and executed

community service projects for four local non-profits this year, which benefited Best Friends of NeenahMenasha, the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, Harbor House and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

For Health Day, students went to Festival Foods and were given instructions to plan a meal for a family of four with twenty dollars. A Festival Foods dietitian reviewed their choices after they shopped. During this exercise, the students learned about the soft skill of accountability, since they were accountable for budgeting, using the resources and finding a nutritious option that maintained good health in order to avoid potential future common

health-related issues.

The goal and mission of Leadership Fox Cities Youth is to develop young individuals to be the next generation of community leaders through a handson, experiential forum.

Leadership Fox Cities Youth thanks this year’s program sponsor Appvion and graduation sponsor UW-Fox Valley.

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

25

pulse

Pulse Update

by Cindy Champeau, Pulse Program Assistant It’s hard to believe that Pulse, the Young Professionals Network, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary! Since it’s inception in 2004, this program has grown into a successful network of young professionals passionate about professional development, community service and making new connections with other business-minded people.

The CEO Breakfast is an example of one of the successes. This experience is an opportunity for young professionals to learn from and talk with four seasoned, local CEOs of major Fox Cities companies. The CEO Breakfast began eight years ago with 30 attendees and has grown into a highly anticipated annual event with more than 200 young professionals. The 8th Annual CEO Breakfast will be in October 2014.

We asked our young professionals how we could improve upon this already great program, and based on their comments, Pulse launched a monthly professional development series designed to educate attendees in a condensed timeframe. The Lunch & Learn series gives young professionals an opportunity to gain valuable insight on trending and relevant business topics, without the half- to full-day commitment of a professional development conference.

Did you know Pulse also offers the Mentor Match program exclusively for Pulse Members? We connect experienced business leaders with local young professionals in a formal mentoring program. The match is based on similar interests, areas of skill the mentee would like to strengthen and goals the mentee would like to achieve within their professional career. The mentor and mentee meet at least monthly over the course of one year.

I encourage you to check out Pulse if you have not yet. Come connect, discover, explore, be part of the journey and get involved. Pulse members are eligible to sit on the various Pulse Councils, including marketing, events, connections, Leadership and Membership/Ambassador.

As we look back over the last 10 years, we remember how Pulse started – with a few young professionals passionate about the quality of life in the Fox Cities and dedicated to sharing that passion with others. That handful of young professionals has grown into a network of 700 members and growing!

The Fox Cities area is truly a remarkable area for young professionals to get involved in Pulse and we will help you get involved in your community!

Pulse Volunteer event at St. Joseph Food Pantry.

Thank you!

26

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

June 11:

Lunch Lunch & Learn – os with the Kangaro e (Sponsored by th t) an Kangaroostaur

July 16:

Golf Etiquette & Outin g (18 or 9 hole option) Winagamie Golf Cours e, Neenah

August 14:

Timber Rattler’s Game with the Appleton Jaycees

For more event details and registration, visit www.foxcitiesregionalpartnership.com

2014

Fox Cities Chamber

GOLF OUTING

Presenting Sponsor

Winagamie Golf Course Golf Cart Sponsor

Winagamie Golf Reception Sponsor

Beverage Sponsor

July 16, 2014 3501 Winagamie Drive, Neenah 18 holes - 10:00 am 9 holes - 1:00 pm (on the Highlands area) •

Optional etiquette lesson prior to outing (8:30 - 9:30 am)

•

Lunch served on the course by our culinary partners

•

Complimentary beer, soda & water on the course

•

Live music at the hors d’oeuvres reception

•

Win cash and prizes (buy raffle tickets at the Chamber)

Package Deals 18 holes 9 holes

Hole-in-one Sponsor

Lunch Sponsor

*All in One

$600

na

4-Some

$500

$240

Individual

$125

$60

Hole Sponsor

$400

$100

*4-some plus hole sponsor

Culinary Partners Bagelicious Culvers Fox Banquets Rivertyme Catering GingerRootz Milwaukee Burger Van Abel’s Information & Registration Susan Vanden Heuvel | 734.7101 svandenheuvel@foxcitieschamber.com www.foxcitieschamber.com

new member welcome

| february — april 2014

A to Z Machine Co., Inc. Andy Preissner 2701 E. Winslow Avenue Appleton, WI 54911-8647 (920) 993-0640 www.atozmachine.com MACHINE SHOP

Forward Service Corporation Jennifer Marks 1050 Midway Road, Bldg. A, Unit B Menasha, WI 54952-1116 (920) 886-7070 www.fsc-corp.com NON-PROFIT AGENCY

Kwik Trip, Inc. Brenda Waldera 1626 Oak Street La Crosse, WI 54603-2308 (608) 793-6434 www.kwiktrip.com CORPORATE OFFICE

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #685 Eric Forbes 4085 E. Calumet Street Appleton, WI 54915-4196 (920) 749-9551 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

A to Z Vending Service, Inc. Jill Budde-Freund 560 N. Rolling Meadows Drive Fond du Lac, WI 54937-9700 (920) 929-8040 www.a-zvending.com VENDING SERVICES

Gordon Food Service Lee Ireland 301 N. Bluemound Drive Appleton, WI 54914-5745 (920) 739-3963 www.gfsmarketplace.com WHOLESALERS/DISTRIBUTORS

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #200 Jessica Hartjes 2120 E. Edgewood Drive Appleton, WI 54913-9784 (920) 830-1609 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #887 Matt Dolan 4735 Converters Drive Appleton, WI 54913-7944 (920) 830-3189 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

ARCpoint Labs of Appleton Stephen Calder 3315 N. Ballard Road Appleton, WI 54911-8499 (920) 264-0900 arcpointlabs.com/Appleton HEALTH CARE

Graef-USA Inc. Patrick Skalecki 1150 Springhurst Drive, Suite 201 Green Bay, WI 54304-5947 (920) 592-9440 www.graef-usa.com ENGINEER CONSULTANTS

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #359 Bryan Edwards 650 W. Northland Avenue Appleton, WI 54911-1930 (920) 731-6955 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

Sam Brulos Pub & Grill Heather Hofacker 3775 W. College Avenue Appleton, WI 54914-3913 (920) 997-9690 sambrulos.com BAR/RESTAURANTS

AVI Systems, Inc. Bill Mullarkey W1266 Appleland Way Kaukauna, WI 54130-9767 (920) 522-4333 www.avisystems.com IT SERVICE & SALES

Great Lakes Roofing Corp.

Doug Pettit 1605 Drum Corps Drive Menasha, WI 54952-1298 (920) 996-9550 www.greatlakesroofing.net ROOFING

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #412 Joe Schultz 3825 W. Wisconsin Avenue Appleton, WI 54914-5739 (920) 996-0780 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

Baylake Bank Matthew Lemke 333 S. Nicolet Road Appleton, WI 54914-3948 (920) 731-4440 www.baylake.com BANKS

Holidays Sports Pub & Grill Scot Grishaber 1395 W. American Drive Neenah, WI 54956-1996 (920) 886-0069 www.holidayspub.com RESTAURANTS

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #452 Bryan Hartjes 3721 W. College Avenue Appleton, WI 54914-3913 (920) 993-9089 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

uBreakiFix of Appleton Tim VenHaus 2442 W. College Avenue Appleton, WI 54914-4602 (920) 733-2000 www.ubreakifix.com/locations/ appleton ELECTRONICS

Comfort Suites Kate Drews 3809 W. Wisconsin Avenue Appleton, WI 54914-5739 (920) 730-3800 www.wiscohotels.com HOTELS/MOTELS

Ignite Payments a First Data Authorized Partner Chris Severson 3126 Jaguar Lane Green Bay, WI 54313-9240 (920) 569-3531 www.ignitewithintegrity.com CREDIT & DEBIT CARD PROCESSING & ATM’S

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #639 Steve Brunner 2175 S. Memorial Drive Appleton, WI 54915-1435 (920) 734-9260 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

Dream Lighting Company Greg Navin 3327 Osprey Lane Green Bay, WI 54311-6117 (920) 469-1030 www.dreamlightingcompany.com SOUND, LIGHTING, VIDEO & STAGING

Kimberly-Clark, Kimtech Plant John Opiela 1109 Henry Street Neenah, WI 54956-3218 (920) 721-3301 kcc.com MACHINE SHOP

diamond member honor roll The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce relies on its members to continue its work in promoting business interests in the Fox Valley region. Without these committed members, the Chamber would not be able to provide the high quality services it is known for.

28

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

Kwik Trip Convenience Store #678 Terry Pierce 3232 S. Oneida Street Appleton, WI 54915-7030 (920) 830-0353 www.kwiktrip.com CONVENIENCE STORES

United States Alliance Fire Protection Kayleigh Daigle W6264 Contractor Drive, Suite A Appleton, WI 54914-8403 (920) 836-3344 www.usafireprotectioninc.com FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Watters Plumbing, Inc. Cal Watters 1303 Midway Road Menasha, WI 54952-1129 (920) 733-8125 www.wattersplumbing.net PLUMBING WI Self Storage Matthew Baker 1117 W. Washington Street Appleton, WI 54914-5223 (920) 449-3737 www.wiselfstorage.com MOVING & STORAGE

| june — august 2014

Diamond Members are companies that have supported the Chamber and community for more than 40 years.

We’d like to express our gratitude to the following Diamond Member businesses for their membership and support to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce.

• • • • • • •

Appleton Awning Shop Inc. Community Blood Center, Inc. Creative Group, Inc. George’s Steak House Silton Seifert Carlson, S.C. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Van Eperen Painting, Inc.

Life Smi e

li

ng

Liv

business of the month | february 2014

Family Dentist r y

Live Life Smiling Family Dentistry

3913 W. Prospect Ave., Suite 101 Appleton, WI 54914 920.944.2596 llsmiling.com/appleton-location

For more than three decades, Dr. Rob Asp and his experienced team of dental professionals have been providing high-quality, affordable dental care to patients of all ages with one goal in mind: they want everyone who walks through their doors to be able to “Live Life Smiling.” By creating beautiful life-long smiles with the best technology and services available, this goal becomes a reality.

With locations in Appleton and Hilbert, Dr. Asp and the Live Life Smiling team offer a complete range of dental, orthodontic and children’s services under one roof. Their state-ofthe-art offices house the newest and most-advanced technologies the dental industry has to offer – from Invisalign invisible braces to the advanced Smile Simulator, which lets patients see what their smile could look like

with treatment. Dr. Asp is Northeast Wisconsin’s leading Invisalign provider and one of the only dental offices in the area with the iTero digital impression system which allows for full mouth scans to be taken without patients having to deal with messy forming materials or uncomfortable bite trays.

Along with providing excellent care to more than 1,500 families in the area, Live Life Smiling Family Dentistry is dedicated to bettering the Fox Valley through community outreach. With an active role in fundraising and volunteering for many well-deserving local and statewide organizations, it’s no wonder it was voted the Best Orthodontic Facility and runner-up Best Dental Office in the Post-Crescent’s 2013 Best of the Valley Reader’s Choice Awards.

business of the month | april 2014

Bold Salon

207 W. College Ave., Suite 200 Appleton, WI 54911 920.931.2737 salonbold.com

Bold Salon owner and operator, Abigail Kuehl, started her professional career as an apprentice. She decided to further her education in cosmetology and attended Vici Aveda Institute in Milwaukee, Wis. Since then, she’s attended fashion week in New York City, where she worked with Jon Reyman on hair for runway models.

Using her experience and love for fashion, she decided to start her own business with a simple goal in mind: keep it small and familiar. Using her vision and style she opened Bold Salon, and now enjoys translating high fashion hairstyles into everyday life.

Bold Salon is a boutique salon located in downtown Appleton.

They use an exclusive product line called Davines, which is a familyowned company that works with our

community to help benefit non-profit organizations. Bold Salon takes great pride in using environmentally safe products for their guests, and like their product line, they too are a familyowned company that gives back to the community through local non-profit support.

The staff at Bold Salon prides themself on providing customers with the most fashion forward trends and innovative and cutting edge styles in the beauty industry. “We believe hair is a form of expression and style. Like a painting, it is our canvas,” says owner Abigail Kuehl. “We are inspired by the poetic beauty of hair and the dynamic fashion industry surrounding it. We are committed to creating the perfect style for every guest.”

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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out and about 8th Grade Career Fair

8th Grade Career Fair

8th Grade Career Fair

Business Connection Business Connection

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

GFS Ribbon Cutting Haven of Hope Ribbon Cutting

Appleton Beer Factory

Leadership Fox Cities Retreat

Optimal Digital Marketing Ribbon Cutting

Legislative Dialogue Breakfast Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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Fox Cities

2014 Calendar of Events

Chamber of Commerce & Industry

June Pulse Lunch & Learn Wednesday, June 11, 2014 Business Connection Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Wisconsin Distributors Appleton, LLC, 3010 N. Zuehlke Drive, Appleton

Golf Outing Monday, June 16, 2014 Ridgeway Country Club, 913 County Road II, Neenah

July Pulse Lunch & Learn Wednesday, July 9, 2014 Golf Outing Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Winagamie Golf Course, 3501 Winagamie Drive, Neenah

Go to www.foxcitieschamber.com for up-to-date event details.

Business Connection Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Business Connection Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Octoberfest Vendor Meetings Wednesday, July 30, 2014

September

Stone Cellar at Riverview Gardens, 1101 S. Oneida Street, Appleton

Radisson Paper Valley Hotel

Accelerate Thursday, July 31, 2014

Waverly Beach, N8770 Firelane 1, Menasha

Business Connection Tuesday, September 9, 2014 Appleton Yacht Club, 1200 S. Lutz Drive, Appleton

Location TBD

August

Pulse Lunch & Learn Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Pulse Lunch & Learn Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Liscense to Cruise Friday, September 26, 2014

Pulse Timber Rattlers Game with Appleton Jaycees Thursday, August 14, 2014

Octoberfest Saturday, September 27, 2014

Fox Cities Stadium, Grand Chute

AAA A

Wednesday, november 5th

radisson Paper valley hotel

5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Cocktail & heavy hors d’oeuvres reception

7:00 – 11:00 p.m.

Program, awards & entertainment More details to come on this night of high-rolling fun!

Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014

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spons

Dream Big.

Partner Locally!

When Carmella’s Italian Bistro shopped for a financial partner, they liked what they found in Community First…a locally-owned credit union for their locally owned business.

In fact, Nicole says, “We met with several banks and we knew right away we wanted to go with Community First, they treat us like family.”

When you’re ready for a local financial partner for your big dreams, contact us for: • Local Lending Decisions • Business Checking that Pays Dividends • SBA Preferred & SBA Express Lender

irst is “Community F We r. a great partne ing can’t image be !” anywhere else

• 401(k), SEP & SIMPLE Planning • Merchant Credit Card Services • Investment and Insurance Services • Free 24-Hour Online Account Access

en DeFranza Nicole & Krist n Bistro & Carmella’s Italia wner CFCU Member/O

Visit any of our 20 Convenient Locations APPLETON NEW LONDON NEENAH OSHKOSH NICHOLS DE PERE DARBOY MANITOWOC HOWARD GREENVILLE WAUPACA TWO RIVERS FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE: Appleton Campus

www.communityfirstcu.com (920) 830-7200 or Toll-Free 1-866-273-2328 Fox Cities Chamber Business | JUNE 2014 33

FOX CITIES

CHAMBER

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Fox Cities Chamber Business c/o Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. 125 N. Superior Street Appleton, WI 54911