In This Issue
This month, we look forward to hearing from Steve DuVall, Owner of Permanent Progress, about Breaking the Barriers to Sustainable Growth at our upcoming Executive Series.
March 2023
Upcoming Events
From The Desk Of The Executive Director
Another Chamber Champions Gala has concluded and what a beautiful night it was. We were thrilled to celebrate the successes of more than 86 nominees in 10 categories for accomplishments in 2022 and to hear inspiring stories from each of our winners throughout the evening. We also had a special treat with the Echoes of Camp Randall Marching Band, aka University of Wisconsin Marching Band surprise guests! They played several songs, including On Wisconsin as they lead guests into the dining room for dinner. Of course, we had to finish off their performance with Jump Around! Thank you to all who participated in this special evening. Without the assistance of volunteers, sponsors, and of course a strong business community, we would not be able to make this night happen. Congratulations again to all our nominees and winners!
Deidre Martinez
“Spring is a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can be” – unknown
We cannot wait for the snow to melt, the cold to move out, and spring to arrive in just a couple of weeks. The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce continues to make updates and additions to our offerings to ensure we are providing our members with the resources and support they need. We’ve recently launched our new website, making the user experience for chamber members and community members a more streamlined experience. We also launched the Creating Inclusive Workplaces: A Professional Development Opportunity, with the first
session taking place in February. We had more than 40 people join us to hear speaker Andres Gonzalez talk about the benefits of Creating Inclusive Workplaces and how other employers can create inclusive workplaces and strengthen their ability to attract and retain talent. We will offer five more sessions throughout the year, with the next being available April 19th. These are free sessions for all chamber members, but we do ask that you register as soon as possible so we can better prepare for participants and make sure we have enough seating available.
Our small and large conference rooms are available to chamber members free of charge and continue to be in high demand with more than 250 utilizing them in 2022. We would love to host your next team meeting, strategic planning session or focus group. If you are interested in using these spaces, please reach out to Klohie at klohie@sheboygan.org to reserve today.
Our annual celebration of Young Professionals in Sheboygan County, Best Under 40, will be here before you know it. Save the Date for Thursday, May 4th! Do you know who you will be nominating for Top Young Professional of the Year, Community Volunteer of the Year, or Entrepreneur of the Year? Nominations will open soon, and we want to make sure no one missed out
We want you to Think BIG (betterment, improvement, growth), Influence Local! The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce is committed to providing expertise for fostering dynamic organizations throughout Sheboygan County. We are truly Better Together!
Kierra Brooks - Special Events Coordinator & Office Assistant
Hello all! A lot has happened since I spoke with you last and we’ve been a busy bunch lately!
I’d like to start by thanking those who volunteered with us at A Million Dreamz. Together, we made a positive impact for our community members who will use the services they offer and had a good time doing it. We will have many volunteer opportunities in the coming months, so keep an eye out, especially for our next volunteer opportunity in April.
We hosted our first social networking event of the year at Elevate Yoga this month. It was my first-time practicing yoga, and I really enjoyed it, as did everyone else who attended. It was relaxing and peaceful to join the yoga community and share snacks and participate in get-to-know-you games afterwards.
Finally, we had our Chamber Gala! There were over 700 people there, making it a recordbreaking year. Thankfully everyone got there safely and did not let the nasty weather stop them from having an amazing night! If you have not been, you would love it. It’s a perfect opportunity to network and meet the people behind the awesome businesses we have in Sheboygan County.
What’s to come? I am overwhelmed with excitement as I have begun planning YP month. In May, YPs programming will be full of opportunities to meet up and get to know all your fellow YP’s. It’s a month to celebrate, grow together, learn from one another, and create memories. I’m happy to announce that we will host two events a week for the entire month. YP month will start off with Best Under 40, on May 4th 5:30-8pm. Best Under 40 showcases local leaders and the talents they bring to Sheboygan County. The month will conclude with a Young Professionals Mini Conference May 24th 3-7pm. YP groups from various cities in Wisconsin will be in attendance offering a great networking opportunity with those outside of Sheboygan County.
As always, if you are new to town or just new to Coastal Young Professionals, feel free to reach out to me at kierra@sheboygan.org to help answer any questions you may have or if you just want to know someone before attending an event.
Remember there are no membership fees & no commitments to join us! If you have not already, sign up for our newsletter on Sheboygan.org and like and follow us on our social media. You can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook at our handle @coastalypnetwork! Monthly calendars with all our events are posted and kept up to date.
Also check out our new Young Professionals video linked below! It’ll tell you what we are all about!
https://youtu.be/E1gh4wzdfNM
That is all I have for you today. Remember to stay connected! Until next time Sheboygan!
Scott Kuehn - News From The Director Of Membership & Workforce Development
Welcome to March! Now we’re only 20 days away from the first day of Spring…hang in there. I know we’ve had a few snowstorms pop up here and there, but hey, it’s been a pretty mild winter and the end is near! #THINKSPRING
I hope everyone had a wonderful time at our Annual Chamber Champions Gala. A special shout-out to Christy Jacobs, who did an absolutely fabulous job in organizing and executing a great event! Congratulations to all award winners, thanks to all our Sponsors, The Osthoff and everyone who registered. Without you, this event doesn’t happen!
#BETTERTOGETHER
The Community Resource Guide is filling up quickly, we have multiple ad sizes you can choose from, so don’t wait! We need all ads in hand by March 17th to meet publishing deadlines. If you have any questions, please email, or call me at 920 395-8705. Don’t forget, you can post events, introduce new employees, and many other topics via Member News.
Member news is part of your membership, so at no additional cost you may post every day, every week, etc., whatever makes sense for your business and staff. Please reach out to me if you’ve never posted before and we can walk through this process, or you can send me what you’d like to post. It’s quick, easy and it’s a great way to let everyone in Sheboygan County know who you are, what your business does or if you’ve got an event coming up!
Some other things to think about as we move into 2023:
• Deep Dive opportunities are a great way to meet new Chamber members and their respective businesses and gain referrals in the process. Every member is from a different business sector, so no two members are alike in any one group! Who do you want to do business with? People you know and trust of course. Join a Deep Dive today! Check out a short video at www.sheboygan.org to learn more about Deep Dives.
• Roundtables are a terrific way to meet others within your business sector. Whether it’s Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Not for Profit, and others, you’re sure to learn something from your peers. These peer-to-peer networking groups can help anyone of your employees, or yourself, accelerate your learning curve, and minimize potential setbacks within your organization. Our own John Rogers does an outstanding job keeping each group on task, and always shares his own wealth of knowledge. Contact john @sheboygan.org and join a Roundtable today!
• Our Young Professionals network goal is to attract, engage and retain young, diverse talent to Sheboygan County by providing opportunities for young professionals to design their social culture, serve as civic innovators and community stewards, and develop into the next generation of leaders for Sheboygan County. If you are interested in joining the YP network, please contact Kierra Brooks at kierra@sheboygan.org. Have a wonderful month and hoping to see you on the golf courses before you know it!
#BETTERTOGETHER!
Christy Jacobs - Director Of Events
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’”
— Robin WilliamsWell, if that is not the perfect quote for someone who plans events, I don’t know what is.
I first want to start by saying “thank you” to all those that volunteered, attended, sponsored, and partnered with us to make the 2023 Sheboygan County Chamber Champions Gala such a huge success! Despite the weather, Sheboygan County attended the event of the year in their best finery and celebrated 86 nominees in style. Really, any event that has the Echoes of Camp Randall performing their famous 5th quarter show is a hit!
Next, let’s talk about Spring! We have some new programming that has started during the 1st quarter. The first new program is Professional Development Opportunities. This year the focus will be on Creating Inclusive Workplaces. There are 6 sessions throughout the year that will be held at the Chamber starting at 8:00 a.m. Our first was February with Andrés Gonzalez discussing, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): A Business Imperative. It was a packed Chamber conference room. Andrés will be returning on April 8th at 7:30 a.m. to discuss Inclusive Leadership: Key Differentiator during Unprecedented Times. Register early to guarantee a seat. Free to chamber members and a small fee for non-members. Our next, newly revised program is the Friday Forum Discussion Panel. These panel discussions will be replacing the original First Friday Forums. Each quarter will focus on a topic specific to the Sheboygan area under Governmental Affairs and Business Advocacy category. The first quarter is: How Health and Healthcare are Affecting Businesses Locally, to be held on March 24th, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Elks Lodge of Sheboygan. A few of our panelist will be Dr. Rai, President and CEO of Prevea Health, Kristin Blanchard Stearns, CEO of Lakeshore Community Health Care, and Nikki Miller, Director of Kohler Water Spas. The discussion will focus on healthcare programs, how they affect the bottom line of a
business, types of programs businesses are implementing to help lower costs, and any other questions you, as an attendee have. This panel will be all about open discussion and participation. Inquiring minds want to know!
Lastly, March 23rd we will be welcoming Steve DuVall for our spring Executive Series: Breaking the Barriers to Sustainable Growth, held at Pine Hills Country Club, registration at 7:30 a.m.
In this workshop, you will learn the essentials to breaking the barriers to growth:
• How to attract and hire the right people for the right roles (so they not only perform but stay)
• How to create your own “blue ocean” strategy that massively differentiates and drives sustainable growth quickly
• How to create daily work routines & habits that eliminate unnecessary drama that kills productivity so you can get more done in less time
• How to increase profitability and double the rate of cash flow. An informative and educational program for anyone in the business world. Registration is now open.
To register for any of these events visit our new website: www.sheboygan.org
See you at the next event!
~Christy
Jon Ploetz - Business Manager
Welcome Jon Ploetz!
Hello everyone! I was born in Houston, TX, but have lived in Sheboygan primarily my whole life. After graduating from Sheboygan South in 2009, I attended college at UT-Austin, Texas State-San Marcos and graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 2016 with a BBA in Accounting. My experience is diverse and encompasses both industry and public accounting roles. I also have experience in concrete construction and food manufacturing.
I have two dogs, Axl (full name Axl PupRose) who is a 3-year-old German Shepard. My other dog, Odie, is a rambunctious 2-year-old Texan blue heeler. In my free time, I’m at the gym, fishing, kayaking, or going to see live music of any kind.
