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2018
Business on the green KEEP CALM AND LEAD ON
Entrepreneur takes home $2000
NETWORK DEVELOPMENT portagecountybiz.com 1
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715.387.1122 715.387.1122
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CONTENTS MAGAZINE 5 network development Our innovation will be even more critical as the demands on employee retention and attraction grow. As your chamber and economic development organization, we continually look for solutions through engagement, partnerships, leadership and innovation.
9 Business on the green The Ambassadors Club of the Portage County Business Council will be holding their 29th annual golf outing, Business on the Green on Monday, June 4, 2018
12 Cut it out ambassadors
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The grand reveal of the remodel and expansion of The Pineries Bank took place on April 24th and members of our Ambassadors Club and PCBC staff were there to take part in the ribbon cutting celebration.
13 two businesses and one leader awarded One Portage County business, one nonprofit organization, and one industry leader in the county’s business community were singled out for honors Thursday, April 26th at our Creative Excellence Awards Breakfast. Nearly 100 people attended the event at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center.
15 Hatch winner has been chosen
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In partnership with the BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation and NEWaukee, Stevens Point hosted the first regional Hatch event on May 16 at Eron’s Event Barn.
17 stay calm and lead on Leadership Portage County participants closed out 10 months of time together on Thursday, May 24 with a graduation celebration in their honor.
18 Students get real with a REality Shop Volunteers gathered at Stevens Point Area Senior High on May 10 to play the role of vendors, selling students varying items in a Reality Workshop. In this exercise, students are given three job offers based on their chosen career field.
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WOMEN IN BUSINESS THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2018 11:15AM to 1:00PM Stevens Point Country Club, Club House, 1628 Country Club Drive,
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Join us for our June Women in Business as guest speaker Pam Jewell, President of Blenker Construction. About our Speaker:
Presented by Presented by the Women’s Fund of Portage County, an endowment of the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin
Mark Your Calendars for these future Women in Business Events: Thursday, September 20, 2018 To be held at Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center Presented by Wisconsin Public Service
women
IN Thursday, December 13, 2018 BUSINESS To be held at Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center Presented by Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection
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First of all, who calls themselves “The Queen”? Pam does! Pam attended school for Interior Design at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. There, she learned techniques in color design, kitchen layouts, and lighting specifics. Although architecturally designing homes has been the bulk of what she does, her first love is the interior design of any home. Every home should be welcoming to those who live there and reflect the spirit of their lives. Pam has received recognitions including the UW-Stevens Point Housing and Interiors Outstanding Alumnus Award, Golden Sands Home Builders Association – Builder of the Year; Presidents Award; Leadership Award and Outstanding Member. In addition the Wisconsin Builders Association recognized her with Life Director Award, Rising Star Award and the Hall of Fame Award. She is Past President of many organizations including the Portage County Business Council, United Way Board of Portage County, Recycling for Tomorrow, Amherst Area Foundation, Tomorrow River Quilters, Amherst PTO
and Founding member of the Tomorrow River Community Theater group. About the Event: An opportunity for women in the Central Wisconsin area to network, talk about issues that affect their daily professional lives, learn something new and have fun doing it. This event will includes a lunch, swag bag, door prizes and networking. A 50/50 raffle will also be played. “Women in Business” is open to the public. Plated Luncheon includes: Dinner Salad, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, served with freshly baked garlic bread, and delicious classic Cheesecake for Dessert. (Vegetarian or Gluten Free Options available upon request) Don’t miss this event! Special thanks to our Media Sponsor – Midwest Communications Radio Group
For questions contact Karen Schanock at 715-344-1940 or kschanock@portagecountybiz. com.
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NET W OR K DEV E L OPMEN T - SERI OU S LY! TODD KUCKKAHN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I don’t want to break my arm patting ourselves on the back, however the Portage County Business Council (PCBC) excels in network development. Sometimes it might be to our own detriment, but more on that later. As the fifth of our sixth value in this series I am writing, our network development focuses on connecting member employees and promoting the interaction of those networks. Our other five values are engagement, growth, innovation, leadership and partnerships. On a monthly basis we offer the opportunity for our members and prospective members to connect at Business After Hours (BAH), Business X-Change (BX) and SalesNet (SN). BAH offers a business and/or partner business the chance to showcase what they do to 75-150 participants and gives the participants the chance to meet others in the business world and community. BX offers a member business the chance to showcase their expertise on a topic and for 1530 participants to learn how to grow their business and meet others with similar challenges. SN gathers sales people together to share leads, ideas and a special topic of interest to the 10-20 participants. If you are reading this and haven’t attended, why not? If you are a prospective member, feel free to stop by. It is a great way to start testing the waters. We also have some showcase annual events that educate, entertain and provide networking experiences. They include our Business On The Green golf event coming up on June 4 and held on the Stevens Point Country Club AND SentryWorld courses. Wines of the World is held in October with over 300 attendees. Our Annual Dinner has over 350 attendees who help celebrate our accomplishments. We hold two agriculture celebrations
with our Ag Tour and Ag Banquet. Our job fair offers community members the chance to have face-to-face engagement with businesses who are looking to hire for their enterprises. PCBC also numerous specialized networking opportunities. On a quarterly basis, we host a sponsored event called Women In Business with speakers relevant to any business. Our #WON (Women Owner’s Network) group is for women business owners who address various challenges they face in running a business. Twice a year we hold an invite only Executive Roundtable for our top two levels of membership where we address community challenges to the business environment. Our Breakfast With The Board brings in a special speaker and gives our three membership levels the change to interact with our Board. The final group of network development events are those that are more unique and only happen occasionally. On May 23 we brought in the “5 Levels of Leadership” presentation through the The John Maxwell Team. We have partnered with the Small Business Development Center to co-host with PABA an educational series. We’ve also teamed with businesses on special topics, such as the one coming up in September on FMLA Basics, a daylong workshop. In March we led the effort on the New ERA Workshop 2.0, bringing the community together to discuss and learn more about employee retention and attraction. These are all educational and give members the opportunity to engage and grow with others in the community. Besides those more chamber-specific experiences, we also offer a great deal of network development in our
role as the economic development leader and Ignite. We are in the middle of a BRE (business retention and expansion) initiative bringing various sectors of our economy together to discuss relevant challenges and opportunities in their business. Ignite, our young professional group, offers opportunity to network, educate and make a difference in the community. With all of these activities, we are sometimes seen as an event organization and transactional in nature. There are many programs that are transformational that I haven’t outlined here since their focus is not network development. Inspire and Partners In Education are two that come to mind immediately and focus on connecting education with the business community. As we continue to meet the demands of our region, we will continue to offer more transformational experiences, programs and services to help businesses meet their needs. If we are not in your eyes, please let us know how we can do more! Photo Credit:gevme.com/blog/
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Business after T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e | 2 0 1 8
Hours
MONDAY, JUNE 18 - 5:00PM TO 7:00PM Hosted By
REGISTER You are invited to attend our May X-Change... • Wednesday, June 13, 2018, 7:30am – 8:30am • Portage County Business Council, Foundation Conference Room • While there is no cost to attend, the value of the information may be priceless • Continental Breakfast Provided Topic: “Expanding the Definition of Student Achievement”
Dan Lathrop Lead Teacher Point of Discovery School
Location of Event: 3601 Main Street, Stevens Point Our host for the June event will be offering a variety of complimentary hot and cold appetizers, refreshments including wine, beer, soda & water; several door prize giveaways, and tours of their beautiful new remodel and expansion. A 50/50 raffle will also be played. What is Business After Hours? A social event designed for and hosted by Business Council members to give business professionals an opportunity to network, share ideas, and have their facility seen by other members. The member host furnishes refreshments and hors d’oeuvres for the evening. A different Business Council member hosts Business After Hours every month. Members are welcome to co-host the event with another Business Council member. Please call Karen Schanock at 715-344-1940 or email at kschanock@portagecountybiz.com to book the month you are interested in.
RSVP by Friday, June 15, 2018. Click Here to register online. Click Here for map.
About the Program: Student Achievement is typically defined as how well students perform on reading and math tests. Despite gains for many students in those areas, universities and businesses are nearly unanimous in their declaration that students are not prepared for life beyond high school. What can public schools do to bridge the gap? As a result of attending this X-Change, participants will be able to: • Describe an expanded view of student achievement. • Explain why expanding the definition of student achievement is critical to students, schools, businesses and communities. • Explain how schools can change to better accommodate an expanded definition of student achievement. What is the Business X-Change? A roundtable presentation which allows business owners and their employees the opportunity to discuss pertinent topics, learn from local industry leaders and, most importantly, learn from each other. Business X-Change meets regularly throughout the year from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. at the Portage County Business Council office. Special THANK YOU to Skyward for its sponsorship of this program.
For questions on this X-Change please contact Karen Schanock at 715-344-1940 or kschanock@portagecountybiz.com. 6
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Member News Welcome New Members! Travel By Meribeth Sweet Tea Clothing Co. Plover Sweet Tea Clothing Co. Wisconsin Rapids MBM Precision Glass and Door LLC Re/Max Central Wisconsin Realty Entropics Design Tactical Escape 101 Target Leah Greiber Pilates LLC Join us for a European Cruise! PCBC is partnering with the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce to offer our first-ever travel trip! See amazing sights, indulge in delicious cuisine, and enjoy world-class accommodations. Click below for the brochure with more details. Share with friends and family-this tip is for EVERYONE- not only PCBC Members. Bon Voyage!
Click Here for Brochure! Call PCBC with any questions: 715-344-1940
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Professional Development Summer Workshop Series T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e | 2 0 1 8
Ensure your knowledge and skills stay relevant and up to date. Attend one or all three of our professional development summer workshops to sharpen your skills and add to your knowledge base. How to Get What You Want (Persuade Without Selling)
Successful Marketing and Fundraising for Non-Profits
Networking for People Who Are Afraid to Talk to People
Thursday, June 7, 2018, 9 a.m.-noon
Thursday, June 28, 2018, 9 a.m.-noon
Thursday, August 9, 2018, 9 a.m.-noon
Learn to influence people to do what you want without being a “sales person.” Learn to appeal to the subconscious mind rather than trying to force people to do what you want. Properly done, they will “want” to do what you “want” them to do. Help them, don’t sell them! Ideal for anyone - especially business professionals, educators, and parents. Sales professionals welcome!
Great marketing will allow you to better achieve your mission. You will learn how to identify two markets: who you are trying to help and who is most likely to help you. You will also identify a message they will want to hear and finally figure out how to implement your plan to maximize the benefits you can provide. Ideal for church groups, schools, youth organizations, and activists. Business professionals also welcome!
We all know networking is important, but how do you actually do it? How do you break the ice with strangers? What do you say? What if you are an introvert? To be successful in any field, people have to KNOW, LIKE and TRUST you. This workshop will make it happen! Ideal for anyone who needs to step outside their comfort zone.
COST PER WORKSHOP - $49
Register Today: uwsp.edu/conted/ConfWrkShp
SUPPLIERS
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CONNECTING
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Make locating suppliers as easy as entering a few key strokes. • Search for suppliers or potential customers via targeted industry sectors, business capabilities, certifications and ownership.
• Highlight company capabilities. Do you want new customers to find you? • Be found via keywords and category of business. Do you want to reach new markets? • Connect companies for business-to-business transactions.
Need a supplier? • Post an RFP or Call for Innovation today! The marketplace automatically Need an innovative solution? notifies companies that fit the capabilities you are seeking.
Explore new marketforopportunities and diversify into new growing • Organize suppliers new go-to-market opportunities. industries by joining the Supply Chain Marketplace! It’s FREE!
Make locating suppliers as&easy entering a few key strokes. • Check out the Industry News Eventsas page.
• Promote company news and job openings. • Highlight company capabilities. • Easily update and edit your profile often. • Be found via keywords and category of business.
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DON’T MISS OUT!
DON’T MISS OUT! Join the Supply Chain Marketplace today!
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• Check out the Industry News & Events page. • Contact suppliers directly from Marketplace profiles.
• Promote company news and job openings.
Join the Supply Chain Marketplace today!
•• Search suppliers or potential customers via targeted industry sectors, Contactfor suppliers directly from Marketplace profiles. business capabilities, certifications and ownership. • Enter your profile to be included in go-to-market opportunities. • Post an RFP or Call for Innovation today! The marketplace automatically notifies companies that fit the capabilities you are seeking.
ROBUST SUPPLIER • Enter your profileNETWORKS to be included in go-to-market opportunities. MAKE SOURCING EASY!
ACCESS TO MULTIPLE MARKETS MULTIPLE SECTOR SUPPLY CHAINS ONE PORTAL
ONE COMPANY PROFILE Aviation and Aerospace
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Thank you to our Diamond Sponsors
BUSINESS ON THE
JUNE 4TH
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GRE
EN
You have a great opportunity to be further involved in Business on the Green event scheduled for Monday, June 5th by taking advantage of a Sponsorship…only a few spots remain! Don’t miss this! Click here for the sponsorship listing. Contact Karen Schanock at kschanock@portagecountybiz.com or at 715-344-1940 TODAY for more details. Other opportunities are also available… Hole Event Prize Sponsors Corporate donation of prize(s) for special event games on golf course(s) • Company name on signs during the event at two courses and signage at the 19th Hole Networking Event • Verbal recognition at 19th Hole Networking Event We appreciate your consideration and support of this event.
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WE T h e THANK A c t i v e V oOUR ice | 2018 SPONSORS TO DATE… Diamond Sponsor SOLD OUT: Corporate sponsors of 19th Hole Networking Event CliftonLarsonAllen LLP Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa Sentry Insurance Solarus Gold Sponsors Only 1 Remains (either Gold or Gold 2) Corporate sponsors of one hole at the golf event with foursome package Advanced Disposal Services Midwest Anderson O’Brien Bull’s Eye Credit Union Community First Bank Del Monte Foods Inc Delta Dental of Wisconsin Ellis Construction Express Employment Professionals Figi’s Companies Inc Hausmann Johnson Insurance Klasinski Clinic Orthopaedics Point After Pub & Grill Rettler Corporation River Valley Bank Schulist’s Custom Cabinets Inc Sentry Insurance / Point Insurance Agency Simplicity Credit Union Skyward The Pineries Bank
Gold (2) Sponsors Corporate sponsors of one hole at the golf event ABR Employment Services Ansay & Associates LLC Blenker Construction Inc Corex US LLC Country Inn & Suites Keller Inc Knight Barry Title Services Lakeland Care Inc Pat’s CARSTAR Auto Body Peoples State Bank Precision Cellular & Sound Secure Heritage Insurance Agency / Everwell Benefits Simplicity Credit Union Stevens Point Brewery Team Schierl Companies Hole-in-One Sponsors SOLD OUT Corporate sponsors of Hole-in-One contest Mark Motors Automotive Inc The Portage County Bank Beverage Sponsors SOLD OUT Corporate Beverage sponsors of all beverage carts at two courses First Weber Inc – The Steve Lane Sales Team Investors Community Bank Mitchell’s Hilltop Pub & Restaurant Pointe Precision Inc Regnier Consulting Group Inc Stone Innovations Inc US Bank
Lunch Sponsors Only 1 Remains Corporate sponsors of Luncheon at two courses Altmann Construction Company Inc Aspirus CoVantage Credit Union National Wellness Institute Steel King Industries Inc Lunch Bag Sponsors SOLD OUT Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Michael Smith & Associates Members Advantage Credit Union Silver Sponsors SOLD OUT Corporate sponsor of Runner Carts at both courses Donaldson Company Rack Industrial Putting Sponsors SOLD OUT Corporate sponsors of Putting contest Associated Bank Paper City Savings Tote Bag Sponsors SOLD OUT EO Johnson Company Mid-State Technical College Paper City Savings Portesi’s Italian Foods Inc WAOW Television Inc This opportunity for sponsorship is on a first-come, first-served basis. To confirm your sponsorship, please contact Karen Schanock at 715) 344-1940 or kschanock@portagecountybiz.com. We appreciate your consideration and
It’s Time for Some Business on the Green 10
T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e |
Is Your
Foursome Registered?
$130 per Golfer at the Stevens Point Country Club and You Receive: • 18 Holes of Golf (includes green fees) at the Beautifully Re-Designed Golf Course • Motorized Cart • Range Balls • Two Beverage Tickets (for domestic beer or soda) • Lunch on Course (ham wrap with crisp lettuce and Swiss cheese, bag of chips, pickle spear, and a cookie) • Golf Bag with goodies inside • Lunch Bag • Hole Events • Hole-in-One Event at the Stevens Point Country Club and chance to win a $10,000 Hawaiian Golf Vacation including 8 days / 7 nights at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. Package includes roundtrip airfare for two, four rounds of golf per person and $1,500 spending cash, compliments of Mark Motors Automotive.
The Ambassadors Club of the Portage County Business Council invites you to their 29th Annual Business on the Green golf outing. The event is scheduled for Monday, June 4th with a shotgun start at 9:30am at SentryWorld and 10am start at the Stevens Point Country Club. After the golf outing, golfers are invited to join us at our Monopoly Madness at PCBC Railroad 19th Hole Networking Event, taking place at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, 1001 Amber Avenue, Stevens Point beginning at 3:00pm with a plentiful buffet style service featuring Carolina Avenue Pulled Pork Sliders, Oriental Avenue Asian Cabbage Rolls, Mediterranean Avenue Hummus & Pita Chips, Kentucky Avenue Bourbon Meatballs, Atlantic Avenue Smoke Salmon Dip, and Pennsylvania Place Chocolate Mousse for Dessert, cash bar, raffle prizes, and awards to entertain those attending.
2018
Plus 19th Hole Networking Event including: • Raffle Drawings • Hole Event Announcements • Golf Team Prizes • Cash Bar • Plus Much More To register for golf: SentryWorld – Sorry, SOLD OUT CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AT THE STEVENS POINT COUNTRY CLUB Not a Golfer, but want to join in on the fun… DINNER ONLY PACKAGE: Plan to join us for an afternoon/ evening filled with great food, friendly conversation, and an opportunity to win some great door prizes. 3:00PM Social, Cash Bar, Dinner Buffet and Prize Giveaways Dinner Only Package @ $25 per person
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER For questions, please contact Karen Schanock at 715-344-1940 or kschanock@portagecountybiz.com.
Golfers in this year’s outing have the opportunity to choose from two highly rated Wisconsin courses. The Stevens Point Country Club, a beautifully re-designed private course built in 1925, is an 18-hole Bent grass course and home of the 2000 Wisconsin State Open. SentryWorld, a corporately owned public golf course and sports complex. This Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed course features the stunning signature flower hole harboring 50,000 flower
• Hole-In-One Event at SentryWorld and chance to win your very own 2018 Can-Am Defender or any new power-sport equipment at Donahue Super Sports, compliments of The Portage County Bank.
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New member RE/MAX Central 3080 Village Park Dr. Plover, WI 54467 715-544-4881
Located in Plover amid the Village Park Square, RE/MAX Central provides the full spectrum of real estate services. Backed by the nation’s largest and most powerful real estate company, RE/MAX Central is well equipped to serve all of central Wisconsin. Residential, commercial, land, buyer brokerage and much more are all among the many services we provide. Our in house technology and design center allow for custom tailored property presentations carefully crafted to maximize property exposure along a variety of advertising platforms. Our competitive pricing methods allow us to treat each property owner individually without simply charging them a standard fee like many competitors. In addition to a professional and yet personal touch, Remax.com offers the single most heavily visited real estate company website in the world. Over twice as many online real estate searching individuals use Remax.com over the next closest company. And the numbers are continuing to grow. www.remax.com.
WSAW-TV Wins Station of the Year at Wisconsin Broadcast Association Awards WSAW NewsChannel 7 was named Station of the Year at the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association 2017 Awards Gala. The event recognizes excellence in broadcast journalism in radio and television statewide coverage. WSAW was honored with a total of 17 awards, including nine first-place accolades. “We are honored to be recognized by our peers for the outstanding work we produce,” said WSAW Vice President and General Manager Al Lancaster. “Providing quality content for our viewers is our mission!” WSAW was also recognized as the Small Market News Operation of the Year. “The WSAW Newsroom is proud to live in and cover Central Wisconsin,” said News Director Sarah Gray. “We are dedicated to telling our viewer’s stories in a way that is fair, accurate and ethical. We are so proud to be honored for our work.”
Ambassadors and PCBC Staff Show Their Support
The grand reveal of the remodel and expansion of The Pineries Bank took place on April 24th and members of our Ambassadors Club and PCBC staff were there to take part in the ribbon cutting celebration. The bank is located at 3601 Main Street, Stevens Point. 12
On April 26th members of our Ambassadors Club and PCBC staff attended the ribbon cutting celebration for the grand re-opening of the DigiCOPY Stevens Point store located at 428 Division Street.
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Business Council Honors Two Businesses and One Industry Leader
NEWSROOM
One Portage County business, one nonprofit organization, and one industry leader in the county’s business community were singled out for honors Thursday, April 26th at our Creative Excellence Awards Breakfast. Nearly 100 people attended the event at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center.
the lives of Portage County residents. The center currently serves over 10,000 individuals per year who attend free activities including movies, senior meals, community art fairs, concerts, and local theater.
Their dedication to bettering our local community is another element that makes all three award winners unique and valuable parts of the Portage County business community. We salute your work and congratulate you on these well-deserved awards!
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Mission Coffee House, owner Russ Ehlinger. Mission Coffee House was selected from
The center organizes several events that help build our local tourism, including an annual River Run where over 1,200 from all over the country participate, a Youth Soccer program for over 300 children every spring. several nominees by the Business Council’s Selection Committee based on their: • Growth and financial stability • Dedication to customer service and community needs • Personal commitment • Innovative efforts to identify a market niche.
A new award, Ignite Young Professional of the Year Award was presented to Brittany Von Ebers, Director of Development & Marketing for the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County. Brittany has always had a desired to give back to her community while being involved
Russ opened his first business doors at 2860 Post Road in Plover in June, 2015. Then on January 2, 2018 his second location in the Adventure 212 building opened, followed by his third location opening on April 16, 2018 in the AIG building. The Portage County Charitable Community Award was presented to The Jensen Community Center in Amherst for their work in enriching
at “Make a Difference Day”, and the Women’s Fund as a board member advocating for women and children who need it most. As evidence of her profession and involvement, Brittany has a passion for local youth and this community.
Representative Katrina Shankland and Senator Patrick Testin were in attendance to hand out State of Wisconsin proclamations to the award recipients.
Portage County Executive Chris Holman was the guest speaker for the event. His presentation was entitled “Re-Imaging Culture and Community Toward New Economies”. The corporate sponsors of the event included Anderson O’Brien, BMO Harris Bank, CliftonLarsonAllen, Community First Bank, First Law Group, Regnier Consulting Group, US Bank and Wisconsin Public Service.
with Woodlands Church as a Sunday school teacher and volunteer, with the Ignite Young Professionals group
The media sponsor of the event was NRG Media and Aleese Fielder from NRG Media acted as Master of Ceremonies of the event. 13
Delta Dental Announces New Hire and Promotions
NEWSROOM
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business service organization, and director of accounting for corporate services. Aittama is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor of science in accounting and finance from the School of
Delta Dental of Wisconsin is pleased to announce the promotion of Doug Ballweg to Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer, Craig Aittama as Vice President of Finance, and Lynn Selissen to Director of Professional Relations
He is licensed as a certified public accountant by the State of Wisconsin. Ballweg is an active volunteer in central Wisconsin, currently serving president of the United Way of Portage County board of directors and past president of the Portage County Business Council board of directors. Management. Lynn Selissen Delta Dental of Wisconsin has again promoted Lynn Selissen, most recently from manager, network development to the position of director, professional relations. Selissen joined Delta Dental of Wisconsin (DDWI) in October 2013 and has held increasingly progressive roles.
Doug Ballweg Ballweg joined the organization in August 2010 as vice president, finance and chief financial officer. Prior to Delta Dental, Doug was a partner with Strohm Ballweg, LLP, and even earlier a senior manager for McGladrey & Pullen. Between 1990 and 2010, in his public accounting roles, Ballweg also served Delta Dental as a valued consultant. As the chief operating and chief financial officer, Ballweg provides direct leadership and support to the organization’s finance, compliance, individual administrative services, and infor mation technology departments. A graduate of the University of Wisc onsin - Madison, Ballweg holds degrees in both accounting and administrative management.
Craig Aittama Delta Dental of Wisconsin welcomes Craig Aittama as vice president, finance effective April 30, 2018. Aittama is responsible for planning, directing, and leading the operations for Delta Dental of Wisconsin’s finance department and subsidiary companies. He fills the role recently vacated by Doug Ballweg who was promoted to chief operating and chief financial officer of DDWI. A finance leader in the healthcare industry, Aittama arrived at DDWI with more than 25 years of increasing resp onsibilit y wit h M inist r y Health Care and now Ascension Wisconsin. His roles included vice president of financial accounting and reimbursement, vice president of accounting and treasury for the
As the state’s number one dental plan, Delta Dental of Wisconsin (DDWI) provides dental insurance to more than two million members. In this role, Selissen is responsible for relationship development and account management for dentists and corporate dental offices, contract negotiation, recruitment and credentialing. Prior to DDWI, Selissen was employed as clinic supervisor at Dental Associates, and earlier enjoyed a long employment with American Dental Professional Services where she oversaw sales and marketing of all services and networks. She has also served as vice president of business development at HealthEOS/ MultiPlan. Selissen holds a bachelor of business management degree from Cardinal Stritch College. 14
T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e |
entrepreneurs showcased their business ideas, one winner selected
NEWSROOM
2018
In partnership with the BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation and NEWaukee, Stevens Point hosted the first regional Hatch event on May 16 at Eron’s Event Barn. Hatch is a community-based startup pitch platform to help develop “napkin” ideas into early-stage companies. At the event businesses pitch their ideas, local jurors ask follow up questions, and choose one company to receive a $2,000 prize to further their business idea. All winning businesses, and a few wildcards, have a chance to pitch for a $5000 grand prize again in the fall. The voting at the Stevens Point event was tough. The jurors deliberated for quite a while and ultimately the fan vote led to the decision of which business would take home $2,000. The winning company is Michael More with The Scape. The Scape is a new product that combines the successful attributes of mobiles, light projectors, and sound machines in a small form factor that lulls infants to sleep. The patterns are rooted in natural rhythms like the frequency of ocean waves or the sun’s magnetic resonance. Roughly the size of a football, The Scape sits next to the baby’s sleeping area and projects a high-contrast kinetic pattern of light and shadows onto the ceiling and is accompanied by coordinating sounds.
Other pitches included: • Karen D. Orr - iMyK9 iMyK9 is a portable, cellular “baby monitor” in cars for dogs. • Nick Coglianese - Key Collector Comics Mobile App Key Collector Comics Mobile App Key Collector Comics (KCC) is the world’s first and only database and price guide that solely features the comic book industry’s most valuable books - known as “key issues.” I personally created the database, by hand, over the course of two years because collectors deserved a better experience. The database contains over 7,000 books, is free on iOS and Android devices. • Katja Marquart - Flowpath Flowpath is a yoga exercise system integrating yoga with meditative labyrinth walking. The system allows users to create a yoga experience by selecting a series of poses graphically represented on small yoga mats. These mats are placed at specific points along the pre-defined path and users walk the path while doing the yoga poses. This system is easy to use, can be modified in countless ways, and has growth potential. A website will serve as the POS offering accessories and other services.
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Michael Bridgeforth HairHoncho HairHoncho is a mobile app, that hairstylists can manage their businesses smarter and connect to more clients with easy to use technology, so they can spend time doing what matters.
Special thanks to Eron’s Event Barn for hosting the event, to our jurors, and to everyone who attended the event to support entrepreneurship. Jurors were: • •
• •
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Mike Wiza Mayor, City of Stevens Point Missy Skurzewski Servant, PhD - Dean, School of Business & Technology at MidState Technical College Dan Blumenstein Director of Client Support at Rack Industrial, LLC Jenny Resch Interim Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Economic Development at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Will Emory Director of Customer Support & Community Engagement at Red Arrow Labs Todd Sobotka Managing Partner BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation
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T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e |
THAT’S A WRAP FOR LPC!
2018
LEADERSHIP PORTAGE COUNTY Participants in the 2017-2018 class came together for their final session at Wisconsin Lions Camp on May 17, 2018. Highlights included sharing our personal mission statements, climbing new heights on the climbing tower, and ending the day with a pontoon boat ride on Lions Lake. It was a great end to 10 packed sessions in Leadership Portage County.
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Keep calm and lead on
LEADERSHIP PORTAGE COUNTY
T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e |
2018
Leadership Por tage Count y participants closed out 10 months of time together on Thursday, May 24 with a graduation celebration in their honor. A casual picnic was held at the Pfiffner Building along the Wisconsin River where participants and their families came together to eat, drink, and share stories of their time in Leadership Portage County. Congratulations to the 2017-18 graduates! Holly Beauvais Gregory R. Pederson Wealth Management Advisor
Rob Luecht EDC Management Corp
Andrew Boden Kessler & Greer Law Office
Derek Nest CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP
Alexis Bushman Skyward, Inc.
Zoe Kujawa Midstate Independent Living Choices, Inc.
Heather Carter Roberts & Associates Physical Therapy, S.C. Allie Dorshorst Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Wisconsin Paula Erickson Delta Dental of Wisconsin Anna Golackson UW-Stevens Point Libby Heidmann Northcentral Technical College (UW-Stevens Point) Jennifer Hess UW-Stevens Point
Nevada Pazdra SentryWorld Abby Pockat Skyward, Inc. Kristy Stremkowski Bulls Eye Credit Union Hannah Testin Pacelli Catholic Schools Rob Tishim Great Lakes Higher Education Kelly Zywicki Stevens Point Area Public School District
Al Hintz Stevens Point Area Public School District Jennifer Hoerter Investors Community Bank Betty Kitzerow Delta Dental of Wisconsin 17
T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e | 2 0 1 8
Students get real with a REality shop
Volunteers gathered at Stevens Point Area Senior High on May 10 to play the role of vendors, selling students varying items in a Reality Workshop. In this exercise, students are given three job offers based on their chosen career field. The job offers present differing compensation and benefits. This gives the student a chance to see that the most high paying position,
is not necessarily the best choice. The students are also randomly assigned a family scenario including spouse (or perhaps single or divorced) and children. Given the family scenario and their wage information the students work through a monthly budget, making choices on purchases such as vehicles, housing, insurance, childcare, etc. This is truly a
memorable experience for both students and volunteers. Volunteers often comment on how fun it is to see the students work through the experience, realizing just how much things cost in the “real world”. Special thanks to each volunteer who helped at Reality Shop. Save the date! The next Reality Shop at SPASH will be Thursday Jan. 10, 2018.
8th graders attend mock interviews
To cap off their college and career readiness course, students in Arthur Greco’s College and Career Readiness Course at Ben Franklin Jr. High put on their best business attire and (for most students) participated in their very first interview experience on Friday, May 25. 14 students were matched with interviewers from a variety of companies in our community. Interviewers 18
asked students questions and rated their responses as part of their final exam. Interviewers spent time giving each student feedback on what they did well and what could use improvement. The students participated in two rounds of interviews, giving them a chance to immediately put into use the feedback from the first interview. Following the interviews, students and interviewers ate
lunch together (courtesy of Todd Kuckkahn’s Thrivent Action Team dollars) and debriefed the experience. Interviewers shared real life examples of interviewing challenges and successes. Overall, the students gained experience outside the classroom and the volunteers enjoyed spending their morning with these very professional 8th graders! Thanks to all who volunteered!
T h e participate A c t i v e V o i c e in | 2LPC? 018 Why should you To join a group of dynamic leaders who are focused on bettering themselves and their community. You can be part of this amazing experience next year. APPLY ONLINE
Never stop learning and challenging yourself with new things! This wonderful group of people you’ll spend the next year with are a great resource – use them – and enjoy them.
Leadership Portage County offers a thoughtful and supportive environment for learning new concepts and ideas you may have never considered before. Take risks with your ideas, thoughts and goals. Doing so makes for some great discussion and memories!
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! It is so worth it! This is a great opportunity to make community connections, meet some awesome people, and develop lasting friendships! Have fun and enjoy each and every moment! This program has the opportunity to change you as a person and be a more engaged member of any group you belong. Take challenges and put yourself out there because those are some of the best opportunities to grow. Make the most of your time together and have fun this year! Contact Kayla Rombalski, talent@portagecountybiz. com or 715-344-1940, for more information. 19
U P COMING EV EN TS T h e A c t i v e Vo i c e | 2 0 1 8
CALENDAR
JUNE
JULY
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BUSINESS ON THE GREEN
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BUSINESS X-CHANGE
07
BRE INITIATIVE
15
IGNITE SUMMER EVENT
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BUSINESS X-CHANGE
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BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
19 SALESNET
14 SALESNET 16
IGNITE VOLUNTEER WITH MREA
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BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
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WOMEN IN BUSINESS
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IGNITE EVENT
contact us Portage County Business Council, Inc. 5501 Vern Holmes Drive | Stevens Point, WI 54482 715-344-1940 | www.portagecountybiz.com Todd Kuckkahn Executive Director tkuckkahn@portagecountybiz..com
Kayla Rombalski Director of Talent Development talent@portagecountybiz.com
Karen Schanock Director of Programs & Events kschanock@portagecountybiz.com
Tonya Kowalski Director of Business Engagement tkowalski@portagecountybiz.com
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Portage County Business Council @PoCoBiz Portage County Business Council
Angel Whitehead Marketing Communications Coordinator admin@portagecountybiz.com