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PUBLISHED BY THE GREATER GREEN BAY CHAMBER FOR CHAMBER MEMBERS
Content
SUMMER 2021 | ISSUE 33
Collective Impact is published quarterly by the Greater Green Bay Chamber, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A, Green Bay WI 54303. Collective Impact is supported by advertising revenue from member companies of the Greater Green Bay Chamber. For information about the advertising rates and deadlines, contact sales at 920.593.3418. Collective Impact (USPS 10-206) is published quarterly for $18 a year by the Greater Green Bay Chamber, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A, Green Bay, WI 54303. Periodicals postage paid at Green Bay, WI. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Collective Impact, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A, Green Bay WI 54303. PH: 920.593.3423. COMMERCIAL LITHOGRAPHY
03
Board chair message
04
President’s message
06
Board of directors
08
Economic development
16
Membership services
22
Talent & education
28 Chamber member anniversaries ADVERTISERS 00 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College 02 UnitedHealthcare 09 Greater Green Bay YMCA 10 Investors Community Bank 10 Neville Public Museum 15 Miron 17 Julie M. Gile Photography 21 Vye 25 McMAHON Engineers & Architects 27 Jackie Nitschke Center 27 Loyality 29 Prevea Health BACK COVER Cellcom
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2 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
Board chair message
Pat Schillinger Vice president state legislative & local affairs, Wisconsin Public Service Corp.
I
became chair of the Greater Green Bay Chamber board of directors in September 2020. We were coming off a summer in which it seemed the pandemic was waning. Then the fall and winter arrived and with it the reemergence of the virus and all its negative implications. Steve Baue did a great job leading the board through arguably the most difficult period of the Chamber’s history during the much-heralded pandemic’s “unprecedented times” of economic and personal uncertainty. Laurie Radke and her team stepped up in that year to provide the services, assistance and information for our members in a virtual environment. Like many of our members, the Chamber had to completely alter its way of doing business in order to assist our business community in any way possible. We’ve now begun holding more in-person events and conducting meetings live rather than just through video or conference calls. The Chamber has built on the lessons learned during the pandemic and is in a great position moving forward to provide even more meaningful resources to our businesses and communities. Not only have I been impressed with the manner in which the Chamber has been able to pivot during the COVID crisis, but also the resiliency with which our businesses and communities responded during this period, demonstrating the strength, creativity and attitude of this area.
A chamber of commerce is nothing without its members. To each of you who have maintained your membership with us, I say thank you. You are the heart of who we are. During this past year, I’m sure it would have been easy to cut costs by dropping your membership. We’re pleased to report most of our members did not do that. I’m sure it is in large part due to the services and benefits you receive as a Chamber member. But more than that, it speaks to the type of leaders we have in the business community willing to continue investing in the Chamber because you know the vital role we play in enhancing our community for everyone. We appreciate the continued trust you are placing in us.
when necessary to advocate for policies that will be beneficial to our members.
We will continue working to keep your trust.
Thank you for the trust you’ve place in me as board chair. Thank you to our board members for serving with us, and thank you to Laurie and her staff for your dedicated work. And, a special thank you to every one of our members for standing with us as we battle through these challenging times.
The Greater Green Bay Chamber focuses on economic development; both retaining the great businesses we already have and investing in programs to assist new, start-up businesses. Our goal is to improve the economic well-being and quality of life of our communities. We partner with our local school districts to assist the next generation of workers with the necessary educational and vocational tools necessary to compete in the workforce of the future. We monitor issues that may impact the business community in Greater Green Bay at the local, state and national level and add our voice
The Chamber’s board of directors reviews, approves and leads the direction of the Chamber, and I want to thank the members of the board who volunteer their time, knowledge and resources to assist us. We have a strong board of directors. However, it’s the great staff – led by Laurie Radke – who do all the heavy lifting of ensuring the goals we have in economic development, education, workforce development and government affairs are met. We can all be proud of the outstanding talent we have at the Chamber doing all this work on our behalf every day.
While there are still challenges ahead, we know we are going to come out of this stronger than ever! Here’s to another great year at the Chamber and for the Greater Green Bay business community.
Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 3
Looking forward Our “why” is our focus Laurie Radke, president/CEO, Greater Green Bay Chamber
A
s I enter my 10th year as Chamber president and CEO (where has the time gone?), it gives me reason to pause and reflect on both where we have been and where we are headed.
for my 10th fiscal year with the Chamber, we are listening to what you are telling us you need and working hard to fill any gaps. Our assessment process always begins with that simple but powerful question, “Why?”
I suspect I’m like a lot of you in that I am always looking forward – which is an absolute must! But sometimes, we must stop and look around us at what we have accomplished and celebrate that as well. It is a must for us to report out to our boards of directors and other stakeholders as well as our hardworking staff members.
As we prepare to celebrate the Chamber’s 139th Annual Dinner, we posed that question as part of our planning process for it. Given what we have endured – and overcome – this past year and a half, we wanted this year’s Annual Dinner to be a celebration for our community. To that end, it will be even more of a celebration with the Brass Differential band; after the formal awards program, we will kick up our heels alongside you, celebrating the grit, resiliency and tenacity it has taken all of us to reach where we are. Something that has become very apparent to me through my tenure at the Chamber is how collaborative and caring our community is; we want to take this night to simply unite and celebrate.
After 10 years at the Chamber, and an introspective look, I can say our mission statement – as we head into a new fiscal year starting Sept. 1 – is relevant and reflective of our goals and work. This is an important fact as our mission statement guides us, acting as a beacon we look to when assessing whether to add something new or in reevaluating an existing program for its continued relevance. On the flip side, our vision statement is – as vision statements are intended to be – more aspirational. It’s like this article: a focus on looking to the future and anticipating what we need to do as the state’s second largest chamber of commerce to serve all our members. I can assure that, as we plan
4 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
As I look to the new fiscal year, there is so much for us to celebrate as a Chamber. In late fall, we will provide an update to the powerful and action-oriented Greater Green Bay Economic Development Strategic Plan. We also are in the thick of work with the first cohort
of The Blueprint Green Bay, powered by the Chamber and New North. This accelerator program is geared to minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses and entrepreneurs to encourage, and retain, innovative new businesses in the Greater Green Bay area. We recognize startups are an integral part of our economic development, and these entrepreneurs are a fundamental piece of that alongside continuing to bolster use of our Startup Hub (the front door to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Greater Green Bay) and the Urban Hub co-working space and entrepreneurfocused programming. In that same vein, our Tundra Angels angel investor group is helping to make entrepreneurs’ dreams a reality by infusing much-needed capital into several startup businesses. On our talent forefront, we are excited to expand the work in our talent and education programming, something we had the forethought to add to our mission statement in the inclusion of the phrasing “workforce development” about 10 years ago. For the coming year, that will include building on our Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program by adding a second Youth Apprenticeship manager to serve even more businesses seeking YA students.
President’s message
Vision
The Greater Green Bay Chamber will be acclaimed as a leader in building prosperous businesses and a thriving community.
We clearly understand that talent is top of mind for everyone – recruiting, retaining and developing alike – and expanding our program is fundamental to further building a pipeline of employees for business. We are also excited to unveil a very researchdriven talent attraction brand for Greater Green Bay. This entailed out-of-state and instate surveying as well as extensive input and feedback locally. It is no small feat to capture and share the story of our entire community, but after much painstaking work, we have created a brand for Greater Green Bay and the first outgrowth of it, a talent attraction website. Time and again, we have heard from local employers who ask how to market the community to job seekers so they will consider Greater Green Bay for their next career move. As employers recruit talent from all over the world, they need a strategy for selling the community in addition to their company. On Sept. 8, we will unveil the Greater Green Bay brand and website as part of a day highlighting the growing need for talent, updating the community on new initiatives and continuing the conversation as a region during our first-ever Talent Day. The intent of Talent Day is to
raise awareness of the challenges employers face and have a community conversation about solving the problem. We will welcome Chris Czarnik, an award-winning international speaker on talent, hiring and employee development, a hands-on workshop for the manufacturing industry and a community conversation on talent. All of these tie back strongly to the Chamber’s “why.” Aligned with the Greater Green Bay brand is a purposeful effort to align our services and programming for talent development and retention. The Greater Green Bay Concierge program is a great example of that as our director of talent works side by side with employers to help secure their top candidates and provide valuable community integration assistance.
and ideas, to discover insights on leadership, to proactively relationship build and positively discuss issues of the day with elected officials and to create better links to our national and regional economies. And membership provides the gateway to accessing all these particularly relevant and timely opportunities to expand our horizons. Read on in the membership section of this issue to learn more specifics about these offerings. The common denominator in all these examples and many others: They all refer to living our why. I am as passionate about living our why in the 2021-2022 fiscal year as every other and look forward to continuing to lead and serve you, our members.
In our membership space, we have proactively added value to your membership and help fulfill members’ desire for learning and development through a variety of new offerings and opportunities. These include our Chamber Membership Academy, Chamber Book Club, Council on Foreign Relations and the (BYO) Lunch With Legislators, all new offerings this fiscal year. Among other things, these offer opportunities to engage in the exchange of information
Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 5
2020 - 2021 Greater Green Bay Chamber
Board of directors
Mike Alexander University of WisconsinGreen Bay, Chancellor
Dave Bishop UnitedHealthcare, Director of account management
Pete Augustine Korber Tissue North America, President
Steve Baue ERC: Counselors and Consultants/Steve Baue, LLC, President & owner
Paul Belschner Base Companies, LLC, President, CEO
Cole Buergi Brian Charlier Leonard and Finco President & chief executive officer for Hospital Sisters Health System – St.Vincent Hospital/St. Mary’s Public Relations, Inc., Hospital Medical Center, Senior vice president Vice president
Eric Genrich City of Green Bay, Mayor
& chief operating officer for Prevea Health
Mark Graul Arena Strategy Group, Owner 6 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
Mike Hartjes Humana, Vice president, actuarial risk management
Jeff House Oneida ESC Group, President/CEO
Mike Kirschling Prevea Health, Division corporate counsel
Ryan Krumrie Hager, Dewick & Zuengler, S.C., Partner
Jim Michels CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, CPA/principal
Stephen Murley Green Bay Area Public School District, Superintendent of schools
Troy Murphy Green Bay Community Church, Lead vision/teaching pastor
Dan Pichler Wipfli LLP, Partner
Dave Pisani Camera Corner Connecting Point, EVP of operations
Vinith Poduval Schreiber Foods, Senior vice president & chief innovation officer
Aaron Popkey Green Bay Packers, Inc., Director of public affairs
Brighid Riordan Nsight & Cellcom, CINO & VP of emerging services and public affairs
Pat Schillinger Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Vice president state legislative & local affairs
Troy Streckenbach Brown County, Brown County executive
Erik Swan Associated Bank, NA SVP, corporate banking team leader, commerical banking
Brad Toll Discover Green Bay, President, CEO
Cindy Treleven Menn Law Firm, Ltd., Partner
Lynie Vincent NEW Plastics Corp., Owner, V.P. sales & marketing
Randy Van Straten Bellin Health, Vice president, business & community health Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 7
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Greater Green Bay Economic Development Strategic Plan updates “As Greater Green Bay emerges from a very challenging 2020, it’s been fantastic to partner with the TIP Strategies team to take stock of the dynamic and important work being done by local community leaders in our task force groups to continue accelerating Greater Green Bay forward. You can feel the energy and enthusiasm of our members, and I have no doubt our efforts will continue to drive positive and meaningful change that will benefit those throughout the Greater Green Bay community!” - Lauren Cooling, taskforce manager
“There are lots of artists living and working in Greater Green Bay, but making money outside the region. Greater Green Bay is poised to maximize the economic potential of the arts, especially if local corporations recognize the value of investing in arts as part of the region’s talent attraction efforts.” – Kent Hutchison, arts & culture leader, Hutchison Art and Design
“Downtown Green Bay is coming off its two biggest years ever—2018 and 2019—right before the pandemic, and the Titletown District is a fantastic complement to downtown.” – Alignment & conferences task force member “There is a sense of energy in our entrepreneurial ecosystem that wasn’t there 3 years ago.” – Innovation task force member 8 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
“Greater Green Bay is positioned to accelerate its economic momentum and build an even more prosperous economy over the next five years. The region’s diverse industries—manufacturing, transportation & logistics, healthcare, sports & entertainment, and a growing professional services/tech sector—have helped it weather the recent economic turmoil. The Chamber and its partners have made tremendous strides in key areas including business development, innovation & entrepreneurship, and downtown development & placemaking. The next few years will require continued focus on these areas, along with a greater emphasis on attracting, retaining and developing talent, accelerating the development of sites and infrastructure for business expansion and housing development, and pursuing new approaches to increase diversity, equity and inclusion. Personally, I am most excited about the region’s progress on building a fertile environment for startups and highgrowth companies. Several years ago (when we started the process of creating the initial EDSP in 2016 and 2017), the entrepreneurial landscape in Greater Green Bay was diffused and lacked visibility. Today, the area has become a well-connected and highly-visible innovation hotspot thanks in large part to the Chamber’s efforts through the Startup Hub, Urban Hub and Tundra Angels and the Packers’ leadership role in TitletownTech. We now point to Greater Green Bay’s entrepreneurial efforts as a ‘best practice’ example—alongside Asheville and Chattanooga—for other mid-size client communities around the U.S.” – John Karras, VP, business development, TIP Strategies
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |
Greater Green Bay Startup Ecosystems
Startup Hub 49 clients 11+ exits
TitletownTech
Green Bay Ecosystems
19 startups
131+ startups
3+ exits
40+ exits
5+ Women-founded/led
7 Women-founded/led
Professional services
53%
74%
59%
Healthcare
18%
26%
18%
Manufacturing
14%
21%
14%
Transportation
8%
21%
8%
Notes: Exits are defined as acquisitions or IPOs and are limited to transactions found in Crunchbase, with the exception of the count of Startup Hub client exits, which were provided by Startup Hub administration. Crunchbase is a crowdsourced dataset and is not comprehensive. The Greater Green Bay ecosystem includes clients of Startup Hub, TitletownTech startups and startups founded after 2000 based in Greater Green Bay. Sectors of a company are estimated by TIP research team based on reviewing online profiles and databases. Sources: Startup Hub; TitletownTech; Crunchbase; and TIP Strategies research.
GREAT SUMMERS
START AT THE Y! » TRADITIONAL DAY CAMP » URBAN DAY CAMP » OVERNIGHT CAMP
www.greenbayymca.org Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 9
This Month’s Guest:
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10 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
www.ICBK.com
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |
Business retention & expansion The second initiative of the Greater Green Bay Economic Development Strategic Plan focuses on the support of existing businesses in our community. The Chamber’s economic development team has taken an active role in the support of existing businesses through the work of the business retention and expansion (BRE) program led by Eric DeKorne. The BRE program is an integral part of economic development because up to 80% of new job growth and investment comes from existing businesses in the community. The BRE program supports and builds relationships with local businesses and connects them to resources for continued growth. Eric DeKorne (right) during a visit with Joe Beausoleil, president, Gemini Plastics, Inc., a local business that highlighted their innovative approach to an ever-evolving manufacturing environment.
By the numbers: More than
More than
businesses were visited as part of the BRE program
of the business visits resulted in a referral to a solution provider partner organization
Main issues reported: Availability of skilled talent/workforce Availability of industrial space or developable sites for expansion
Example of a social media post on LinkedIn by Eric DeKorne (left) after a BRE visit with Pomp’s Tire, a local 3rd generation familyowned business which has experienced tremendous growth and expansion. There, he met with Joel Hansen, chief financial officer.
Projects:
Partnership with Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation
Capital investment estimates
direct jobs created
2.7 million
sq. ft. of developed/ redeveloped space
Economic Development Scoreboard GreenBayMade.com is the economic development scorecard for the Greater Green Bay area which highlights key metrics and data regarding industry, workforce, and target industries.
The Greater Green Bay Chamber and Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation entered into a partnership to mutually promote the economic diversity and growth of Kewaunee County. Kewaunee County is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of 326,000 people; as such, the Greater Green Bay and Kewaunee economies are intertwined. Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 11
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Startup Hub and Urban Hub – Catering to entrepreneurs
The Greater Green Bay Chamber, in collaboration with several partner organizations, introduced a business representative-staffed Small Business Resource Hotline to answer small businesses’ back to business-related questions resulting from COVID-19 – from accounting questions, to CARES Act compliance, to PPP Loan assistance. • The hotline was a collaborative effort initiated by the Greater Green Bay Chamber’s Startup Hub, along with partners Associated Bank, Wipfli LLP, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Small Business Development Center, Green Bay SCORE Chapter 508 and Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation. (WWBIC). • The hotline, staffed 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, was answered by representatives of the sponsoring organizations.
Back to Business Grants help to sustain small businesses The grant was created in response to statistics that show more than
of small businesses sought financial support during COVID-19.
Grants were awarded in amounts up to of Chamber member businesses employ fewer than 100 employees.
$10,000 $276,500 was awarded to
local businesses supported the grant program and supplied funding.
12 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
Two rounds of grants offered to Brown County businesses with fewer than 50 FTE employees who also fit other criteria.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT |
The Audible and TechConnect pitch events
*Chad Hendricks, Experienced Associates
Both events were hosted in November as part of Startup Wisconsin Week, a statewide initiative focused on supporting high-growth entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the community. The Audible pitch event: Chad Hendricks of Experienced Associates delivered the winning pitch for The Audible, receiving the $1,000 prize provided by the New North and advancing to the regional pitch competition hosted by the New North. Hendricks’ pitch focused on mitigating the professional truck driver shortage, helping trucking companies recruit experienced international truck drivers through the EB3 Visa program. Second place: Lovin the Skin I’m In, a community organization for girls of color in Northeast Wisconsin, received the second-place prize of $500 and advanced to the regional pitch competition hosted by the New North.
*Rhonda Chandler, Lovin’ the Skin I’m In
12 entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges. TechConnect reverse pitch event: • Startups pitch an audience of developers and designed regarding what they need from a technical perspective. • Four startups pitched at the event in November 2020. • Three of the four startups found their tech lead or technical co-founder as a result of the event. These startups are based in De Pere, Neenah, Sheboygan and Milwaukee.
Coffee Break educational series serves up small businessfocused conversations In November, we kicked off the first in our Coffee Break series with Wipfli LLP, providing educational opportunities in a casual conversation, small-group format format on topics of interest to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The event has since moved monthly, showcasing Wipfli’s tax, accounting and financial insights. Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 13
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Urban Hub new initiatives and updates
In May, the Urban Hub hosted a celebration of the coworking space and announced new initiatives and updates. More than 20 companies call the Urban Hub home and use the 24-hour coworking space as their home base.
Making the Urban Hub the home of the Tundra Angels angel networking group; the group made its third investment in a startup business this spring (see more on next page)
Introducing Lamarr Banks, Urban Hub community manager
Adding additional dedicated desk space
Introducing…The Blueprint Green Bay powered by the Greater Green Bay Chamber and New North • First-of-its-kind accelerator program targeting minorities, veterans and female-owned businesses in the Greater Green Bay area and surrounding region. The goal: to offer these entrepreneurs additional avenues of access to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and encourage and support their success. • The targeted businesses are those in business fewer than five years with annual revenue of one million or less. The Blueprint Green Bay provides seed capital, entrepreneurial training and technology training for startups. • The first cohort of Blueprint will be hosted this fall. 14 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
Welcoming new banking partner Greenleaf Bank
Launching of The Blueprint Green Bay powered by the Greater Green Bay Chamber and New North
NEW MIRON CONSTRUCTION OFFICE
Tundra Angels invests in two companies – Octane Coffee and COnovate
GREEN BAY, WI
In the past fiscal year, the Chamber’s Tundra Angels angel investor group invested in three opportunities. Two of them:
*Octane coffee
Octane Coffee is the first business in which Tundra Angels angel investor group invested, and the Waukesha-based business hopes to be first fully-automated robotic coffee drive-thru in the nation. They plan to launch in Pewaukee in fall 2021.
BUILDING COMMUNITIES After years of building dreams in the Green Bay area, we’re thrilled to be settling into our sixth satellite office located in Titletown. With a home base in the heart of the community, we will be able to better serve our clients and contribute to exciting growth in the area. This, is Building Excellence. LEARN MORE AT MIRON-CONSTRUCTION.COM An equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.
COnovate, a Wisconsin-based company developing a novel anode material for lithium-ion batteries. COnovate, and its patented COPHITE material, represent a new frontier in the battery industry. It’s a patented 2D material that is the first solid form of carbon monoxide that exists at room temperature and pressure. The team has demonstrated a 2x better battery capacity and 6x better charging time than current graphite-based batteries. Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 15
| MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Membership highlights 2021 saw the Greater Green Bay Chamber launch new programs to promote member retention:
1. Chamber Membership Academy: The goal of the Chamber Membership Academy is to engage more members in the exchange of information and ideas in a setting that allows for interaction and discussion on concepts, best practices and new approaches to tackling issues facing different organizations. The rediscovery of community resources and the development of new relationships that help in navigating the unique challenges of the business world today is at the heart of what the Membership Academy is about. People connecting with people, businesses connecting with businesses; all in effort to grow individually and to grow collectively. 2. Chamber Book Club: Designed to engage interested Chamber members in dialogue around leadership development, personal motivation, business ethics and other pertinent topics for business professionals.
The Chamber Book Club launched in May 2021 with a four-week study of “Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times.” Using sticky notes, participants shared personal stories and anecdotes related to their readings and engaged in lively conversation. The Chamber Book Club provides an opportunity for members of the Chamber to discover great insights on leadership from the wisdom shared by an author through a book as well as from others in the community sharing their own unique and insightful interpretation of the material. Too often in today’s world we interact and discuss through social media or email. The Chamber Book Club is counter-intuitive to the current quick-hit reactionary ‘conversation’ style prevalent in our society, allowing instead for thorough and deep discussion, the sharing of ideas, all while generating a level of camaraderie and closeness within the group.
By the numbers Number of new Greater Green Bay Chamber members (September 2020 – May 2021)
50 New member revenue
$30,891 16 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
The Chamber Book Club will continue throughout 2021 with a different book study every other month. 3. Operation We Care: This program was designed to support Chamber members impacted by the indirect effects of the COVID-19 virus. The Chamber contacted more than 100 local company owners and leaders regarding the economic impact the pandemic had at their organizations. Chamber staff members Rick Sense, vice president of development and government affairs, and Allison Rodriguez, new membership manager, reached out to offer to meet, support and assist these individuals and organizations as they worked through the economic challenges the pandemic created in their daily operations and long-term planning.
Chamber member employee count
Number of Chamber member businesses (as of June 16, 2021)
133 members 65 members
1,106 Chamber member business employees (as of June 16, 2021)
87,150
133 members
122 members
352 members
280 members
Number of employees 0
6-20
51-100
1-5
51-50
100+
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES |
Greater Green Bay Chamber Ambassador roster 2021 Joleen Allard Green Bay Newcomers & Neighbors Barb Braun Foth Mary DeChamps U.S. Bank Mark Dunning BConnected LLC Terry Hetzel Oneida Nation Tony Hoslet Hoslet Consulting d.b.a Sandler Training Kasha Huntowski Neville Public Museum Foundation Aubrey Immel CBD American Shaman Jim Knopf Service Professional d.b.a. ServPro of Brown County
Vanya Koepke Schneider
Eric Sponholtz The Volunteer Center of Brown County
Stew Koskinen UnitedHealthcare
Nancy Steffel Seroogy’s Chocolates
Sue Lagerman Brown County Library
Kierstin Thompson Jones Sign Co.
Joe Malcore Camera Corner Connecting Point
Tanner Thorne Family Insurance Center
Sue May Heartland Business Systems
Justin Trepes Spectrum Insurance Group
Susan Nowak Wisconsin Job Center
Heather Van Vonderen American Cancer Society
Patrick Olejniczak Kress Inn/F.K. Bemis International Center
Tori Grant Wellhouse University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Jonie Panick Healthy Home Heating & Cooling LLC
Jessie Wensink Flex-Staff Inc.
Daniel Reed Northwestern Mutual
Lynn Zettel Relyco
Lynn Schad Wisconsin Public Service Corp.
JULIE M GILE PHOTOGRAPHY Branding & Lifestyle Photographer
"Impactful photographic marketing for businesses to make your brand story connect." WWW.JULIEMGILEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM E: JMGILEPHOTOGRAPHY@GMAIL.COM @JMGILEPHOTOGRAPHY Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 17
| MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Events Special events offered a blend of in-person and virtual events this past fiscal year – with a few even being offered in a hybrid in-person and virtual offering.
Highlights
A sold-out 39th Annual Chamber Golf Classic hosted in August along with the opportunity to take golf lessons with the newly-introduced Whiskey, Wine & Wedges events leading up to the Golf Outing.
The Annual Dinner and Annual Luncheon (splitting the event into two allowed for social distancing) drew more than 300 attendees.
A hybrid Business Recognition Luncheon welcomed nominees and their nominators in person while others attended virtually.
A sold-out Business After Hours at the TitletownTech Rooftop in July as well as well-attended Business After Hours at The English Inn and The Automobile Gallery.
Two virtual Job Fairs hosted on a new technological platform.
Several Blitzr speed networking events allowed for meaningful connections even when people couldn’t connect in person.
Monthly Power Networking Breakfasts hosted virtually as well as in-person when we could, moving to the National Railroad Museum to allow for the growing number of attendees.
A well-attended, virtual workshop series focused on various aspects of social media.
Even with limitations, we celebrated 16 ribbon cuttings!
18 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES |
Awards 2020 Annual Dinner Award recipients: • Daniel Whitney Award: Kasha Huntowski, Neville Public Museum Foundation • ATHENA Leadership Award: Jenene Calloway, Schreiber Foods • Ambassador of the Year Award: Lynn Schad, Wisconsin Public Service 2020 Business Recognition Award recipients: • Business Person of the Year: Steve Van Lannen, president and chief operating officer, American Foods Group • Cornerstone Award: Wipfli LLP • Entrepreneurial Award: Black Sheep Pub & Grill & Wedding Hall • Growth Award: American Tent • Special Accomplishment Award: Neville Public Museum Foundation • Resiliency Award – Small Company: Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau (now known as Discover Green Bay) • Resiliency Award – Medium Company: Vye • Resiliency Award – Large Company: St. Norbert College 2020-2021 Future 15 & Young Professional Awards recipients: • Ashley Bethke, community engagement program officer, Greater Green Bay Community Foundation • Billy Korinko, director of the Cassandra Voss Center, St. Norbert College • Brad LaPierre, production manager, Infinity Machine and Engineering Corp. • Bryan J. Carr, associate professor, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay • Cameron Teske, visitor center director, Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau (now known as Discover Green Bay) • Cassandra Erickson, Green Bay Rights for All organizer, American Civil Liberties Union • Cathryn Siolka, human resources generalist, KerberRose • Chelsea Kocken, director of sales and marketing, Thornberry Creek at Oneida • Diana Delbecchi, community schools resource coordinator, Green Bay Area Public School District • Joshua Kohnhorst, wealth operations associate, Nicolet National Bank • Joshua Loritz, senior community relations coordinator, Familia Dental • Kathryn A. Trulley, academic advisor, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College • Kim Westover, external vendor/brand coordinator, Belmark, Inc.
• Marissa Heim, grants and outreach manager, Golden House, Inc. • Meredith Hansen, campus education and prevention project coordinator, St. Norbert College 2021 Young Professional of the Year presented by KBX Logistics: • Diana Delbecchi, community schools resource coordinator, Green Bay Area Public School District 2021 Young Entrepreneur of the Year presented by Nicolet National Bank: • Katrina Magnuson, owner and winemaker, LedgeStone Vineyards 2021 Next Generation Best Place to Work presented by PAi Retirement Services: • UnitedHealthcare 2021 Golden Apple Awards recipients: • Jessica Bernard, Nicolet Elementary School • Brooke Hoffman, Bay View Middle School • Dave Landers, Pulaski Community Middle School • Jenna Mixer, John Dewey Academy of Learning • April Neuville, Father Allouez Catholic School • Sara Shefchik, Bay Port High School • Abie Vang, Washington Middle School • Ashwaubenon High School Literacy Team: Lindsey Hilgemann, Crystal Sandman and Emily Steuck • Pulaski Community School District Full Online Learning Second Grade Team: Tracey Brewczynski and Tracy Wiedeman 2020 Legacy of Leadership Award recipients: • John M. & Meredith B. Rose Business Leadership Award: Cellcom • Leo Frigo Leadership Award: John Hager, attorney and co-founder of Hager, Dewick & Zuengler, S.C. 2021 Legacy of Leadership Award recipients: • John M. & Meredith B. Rose Business Leadership Award: Bank First • Leo Frigo Leadership Award: Heather Heil, director of special events and guest services at The Children’s Museum of Green Bay and president and founder of Bark N’ Blue Foundation 2021 Brian LaViolette Scholarship recipient: • Braden (Brady) Wittig, senior at Ashwaubenon High School
Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 19
| MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Government affairs
T
he Chamber’s consultative approach to government affairs work focuses on convening key players to work on solving problems and improving opportunities in our community. Home to two former congressional staffers, a director at a State of Wisconsin agency and holders of numerous county and local government elected and appointed positions, Chamber staff is uniquely qualified to help members with their concerns and issues when interacting with government at all levels. Staff’s real-world experience in government provides a level of expertise and access to the legislative process. This past year, they helped to provide one solution to the talent needs of the Greater Green Bay area; staff, working with a state legislator, helped to identify an opportunity to attract more veteran workers to our area. Efforts led to the introduction of legislation that will make the state more attractive to men and women leaving the military.
In addition, government affairs introduced these new offerings this past year:
(BYO) Lunch with Legislators Looking to foster a closer working relationship between businesses and their representatives, the Chamber launched the (BYO) Lunch with Legislators series. Held monthly, these sessions are an opportunity to foster discussion and grant businesses the opportunity to interact with their representatives. The (BYO) Lunch with Legislators is an opportunity to proactively relationship build and positively discuss issues of the day with those who have been elected to represent us within government. Egalitarian in nature, the group is meant to share information, discuss viewpoints and agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
20 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
Council on Foreign Relations This program is designed to engage principals and experts in current global affairs for a unique, open and candid dialogue and a respectful exchange of ideas regarding important topics like trade, foreign aid and economic growth. Developed to help participants better understand our continuously changing and shrinking world, the Council on Foreign Relations encourages our participants to view the world with a less regional focus and a more world-centered lens. Meetings of the council began in late June 2021 with an eye toward discussion of trade and economic development in the region. The first session was held on July 16 and featured Wisconsin State Representatives Joel Kitchens (WI-01) and Kristina Shelton (WI-90). This was followed by the Aug. 20 session with Wisconsin State Representative John Macco (WI-88) and Wisconsin State Senator André Jacque (WI-01).
Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 21
| TALENT & EDUCATION
Talent and education The demand for talent is rampant and universal. Every business and industry is searching for best practices in attraction, recruitment, development and retention of people. The talent and education team is at the center of this work and prepared to support these efforts throughout Greater Green Bay.
Greater Green Bay Community Concierge program Launched in May 2021, the Community Concierge program was developed to assist employers with talent attraction and retention. When job seekers are considering new employment in Greater Green Bay, they must also envision themselves as a part of our community. Our director of talent, Morgan Doshi (pictured front, second from right), has already assisted numerous businesses with their hiring process and helped dozens of people connect with their new community .
Here are a few concierge program success stories from the past year:
Concierge service: New hire family integration assistance “The concierge program was such a blessing to our family. We relocated from California unsure what this move would mean for us but trusting we would be welcomed into the community with open arms. Aurora BayCare Medical Center ensured we were connected right away. Our concierge made us feel welcome and a part of a new community, as if we were her own family. Thank you, Green Bay. We are here to stay!” -Tracey Fuller, director of inpatient nursing at Aurora BayCare Medical Center
22 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
TALENT & EDUCATION |
Greater Green Bay Community Concierge program signature sponsor:
Concierge service: New hire customized community tour “Having recently relocated from St. Louis, I found the tour to be very helpful and fun to learn about opportunities and places I would not have found on my own right away or otherwise. Thanks to ERC: Counselors & Consultants and the Chamber, I have a better feel for the ‘lay-of-the-land’ and have a go-to list of resources, local shops and restaurant recommendations, as well as connections with community network opportunities. The connections through this program seem to be the most impactful and where I can see the most value in establishing a network and gaining familiarity within the community.” - Eric Downs, client care specialist/resident EAP at ERC: Counselors & Consultants
Concierge service: Candidate customized community tour “In partnership with the Chamber, Bellin Health has been serving and positively impacting the community for many years. As a Bellin physician recruiter, we take great consideration and pride in sourcing and securing top talent across our health system. We do this through demonstrating our culture and strong commitment to patient care and the communities we serve. The customized tours benefit our candidates and their families by showing them all Greater Green Bay has to offer. Who better to welcome our new talent than the Greater Green Bay Chamber through the Community Concierge program!” - Sharon Leitzke, physician recruiter, Bellin Health System
Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 23
| TALENT & EDUCATION
Leadership Green Bay Leadership Green Bay is a community-based, nine-month experiential leadership program and is designed to help leaders grow and become more engaged in our community. The 37th class completed the program in 2021, and they made a strong case to be known as the “best class ever.”
2021 was the program’s 37th year
43
1,358
Companies with alumni in program:
Completed community projects:
409
174
graduates
alumni
Class projects • Books for a Better Tomorrow • Hygiene Hub at Howe Community Resource Center • Encompass Nurses Station and Family Advocate Space
Books for a Better Tomorrow 24 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
• Wequiock Falls Park Trail and cleanup • Exceptional Equestrians • Playground at Admiral Court Apartments
Hygiene Hub at Howe Community Resource Center
Wequiock Falls Park
TALENT & EDUCATION |
Current Young Professionals As the second largest young professional (YP) program in the state, Current exists to provide a platform that inspires, challenges, and empowers young professionals to drive meaningful change in Greater Green Bay. Here is where we’ve been and where we are heading!
Impact story We hosted our 10th S.O.U.P event (Support of Urban Projects), raising a record $2,166 for Lovin’ the Skin I’m In, a nonprofit that empowers and uplifts girls of color ages 7-18 who identify as African American, black or biracial.
Nearly
More than
corporate members
individual members
Almost
hours of YP professional development delivered in the last year
37 in-person and virtual events this past year
Solutions that bring the Vision of our Communities to Life
920 751 4200
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| TALENT & EDUCATION
Youth Apprenticeship Helping students explore career pathways early on helps them make better decisions about their future. The Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program connects juniors and seniors with business and industry to provide experiential learning while connecting employers with their future workforce
126 students employed with
112 different employers
Alex Jolly, Youth Apprenticeship graduate Alex was surprised this with a toolbox, presented by his employer, Broadway Automotive, valued at $10,500. Alex will continue working at Broadway while further his education at NWTC to earn his technical diploma.
Alex Jolly, a senior at Preble High School, would recommend Youth Apprenticeship (YA) to any fellow student. He believes in the program and its ability to help students explore careers and gain experience allowing them to identify their strengths. Alex participated in both The City Stadium Automotive and Youth Apprenticeship program. This winning combination of education (Northeast Wisconsin Technical College coursework taught at Green Bay Area East High School) and applied on-the-job learning at Broadway Automotive have been critical to Alex’s ability to jumpstart his career path.
Top industries: Architecture and construction
Manufacturing
Agriculture, food & natural resources
Health sciences Transportation, distribution & logistics 26 Collective IMPACT | Summer 2021
Presley Biwer, Youth Apprenticeship student
Like many professionals in today’s workforce, Presley Biwer, a junior at Pulaski High School, enjoys having flexibility in her day. As a student in Youth Apprenticeship Presley’s week includes work, high school classes and courses at NWTC. Presley works at Capital Credit Union where she says she’s not only learning critical skills in finance but also key professional skills for today’s workforce. She has learned how to manage her time and says since joining the program she’s become a well-rounded person and established a solid work ethic. As a student in the YA program, Presley has been taking college classes at NWTC and is confident she is prepared to pursue a degree in agribusiness thanks to this experience.
TALENT & EDUCATION |
In a year like none other, we were thrilled to celebrate to celebrate excellence in education at the 2021 Golden Apple Awards.
Substance Addiction & Mental Health Treatment Green Bay, WI Residential and Outpatient Treatment Options Individual Counseling • Affordable Recovery Housing Family Education and Support • Free Consultations Available Insurance Accepted • Financial Assistance Available
Call now for more information or to schedule a speaker for your organization
920-435-2093
www.JackieNitschkeCenter.com Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 27
SEPTEMBER 2021
OCTOBER 2021
NOVEMBER 2021
40 years Mark D. Olejniczak Realty, Inc.
35 years Green Bay Insurance Center, Inc.
35 years Green Bay Newcomers & Neighbors
35 years YWCA Greater Green Bay Hillcrest Homes & Properties, LLC William A. Hein Construction Company, Inc.
30 years Rock Garden/1951 West/Comfort Suites Hotel & Conference Center
20 years Aurora Baycare Medical Center
20 years Kress Inn Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
30 years Fairchild Equipment Georgia-Pacific Kadant GranTek Inc. Green Bay Police Department Green Bay Botanical Garden
15 years Insight Creative, Inc. Séura, Inc.
15 years Holiday Inn & Suites – Green Bay Stadium 10 years OSMS - Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists 5 years Koch Industries
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10 years Joseph A. Interiors Alliance Construction & Design, Inc.
5 years North Star Mohican Casino Resort von Briesen & Roper, S.C. Residence Inn Green Bay Downtown Hinterland Brewery Webfitters
15 years Green Bay Emergency Medicine Services, S.C. Investors Community Bank 10 years Stellar Blue Technologies The Bar – Lime Kiln Road The Bar – Holmgren Way Graystone Ale House Rennes Health & Rehab Center – De Pere The Renaissance Assisted Living 5 years Lodge Kohler Packerland Veterinary Center Ltd.
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Summer 2021 | Collective IMPACT 29
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