In This Issue This month, we look forward to celebrating nominees at our ATHENA Leadership Awards Dinner.
Novem ber 2023
From The Desk Of The CEO “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the leader is a servant.” – Max de Pree The leaves have fallen, and the temps Deidre Martinez have dropped, but we have so much to be thankful for. As we roll into “thankfulness” season, it is a great time to reflect on all the things we are thankful for in our lives and businesses, starting with the people. The people we serve as customers externally and the people we serve as customers internally (our staff). Without people, we have no business! With the cold weather also comes holidays and holiday shopping. We have hundreds of local businesses that are ready and excited to help you with all your holiday shopping needs. Let’s remember to keep it local Sheboygan County! This year on Small Business Saturday, I am excited to race through the County and surprise local shoppers with free Chamber Cash as a thank you for keeping Sheboygan County dollars in Sheboygan County. Where will you be shopping on Small Business Saturday? Will you be a lucky recipient of free money? Later this month, we are looking forward to celebrating more than 40 people and organizations nominated for the ATHENA Leadership Awards. We have changed our celebration from a lunch hour event to an evening dinner on Thursday, November 30th from 5:00 – 8:00 pm at Pine Hills Country Club. We hope you will join in the celebration and take this time to connect with other Chamber members. To learn more and to register, please click here. Be on the lookout for the Annual Economic Outlook Survey! Your participation in completing this survey helps us to make more informed choices on how we support all of you, the types
Upcoming Events
11.06.23
Coastal YPs: City Insights #1
11.07.23
Ribbon Cutting: Ramirez & Sons Auto Repair & Towing LLC
11.08.23
Ribbon Cutting: Vene’s Pancake House
11.08.23
Out to Dinner w/ Coastal YPs: Las Brisa’s
11.09.23
vibe@5: Longhouse Axe Bar
Upcoming Events [ Continued ]
11.14.23
Ribbon Cutting: Positive Impact Properties
11.15.23
Coastal YPs: Chutes & Ladders First Time Homebuyers Game
11.29.23
Out to Lunch w/ Deidre Martinez: The Horse & Plow
11.30.23
ATHENA Leadership Awards Dinner
Roundtable Meetings: 11.08.23 WORKSITE WELLNESS 11.08.23 TRIAL MID-DAY ROUNDTABLE 12.04.23 SALES & MARKETING PROFESSIONALS 12.06.23 NON-PROFIT
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of tools and resources that will be made available, and helps us better understand trends. Be sure to Save the Date, the results of the annual survey will be shared at the Economic Outlook Breakfast and Annual Meeting on the morning of Thursday, January 18th. Lastly, we are pleased to announce our 2024 travel to Ireland. All information Chamber Travel can be found at sheboygan.org/chamber-travel. 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 Let’s welcome November! A month filled with gratitude! Hello Everyone! I hope you all enjoyed October and the fun and interesting things it brought. October was busy for YPs as we had OktoberFeast, our biggest one yet, Kierra Brooks at The American Club in Kohler. This was a night to remember, as there were many restaurants new to Sheboygan County, and it was a chance to taste the wonderful creations they have to offer. Congrats to our winner, Local Press Eatery, for being voted the “Best of OktoberFeast.” We also had our annual Brews & Brainstorming event. This is an event that helps give the YP Committee and myself ideas of what kind of programming is wanted from our very own YPs in the community. It was a successful event, and we have our work cut out for us! Coming up for YPs, we have two professional/personal development events this month. First, is our City Insights event on November 6th, which is a meet and greet with our Common Council and sitting through a Common Council meeting. Second, is a Chutes & Ladders First Time Homebuyers Game event, which is a walkthrough of the process of buying a home for the first time. We will have many professionals/facilitators there to answer questions and give scenarios during the event. Lastly, we have our monthly Out to Dinner series that will be at Las Brisa’s on November 8th. This is a perfect way to get to know fellow YPs in the area in a relaxed setting. You can find all our events on sheboygan.org within the events calendar or on any of our social media. Please reach out to me kierra@sheboygan.org if you have any questions/concerns about registering. Hope to see you all soon. In the meantime, stay warm and make it a month full of gratitude!
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Josh Aschenbach - Director Of Membership & Workforce Development Not to sound cliché, but October absolutely flew by. I suppose that is to be expected when you’re preparing for a massive event like STEAMfest, which occurred on October 12th at the UWGBSheboygan Campus. For those unfamiliar, STEAMfest (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) is a workforce development initiative that originated Josh Aschenbach from the Business Education Partnership (BEP) Committee. The primary aim of STEAMfest is to provide 4th and 5th graders in Sheboygan County with hands-on STEAMbased learning and opportunities to explore potential careers. To make this a reality, we invited all Chamber members to offer STEAM activities for students to engage with. This event is all about introducing our future workforce to the career possibilities that exist right in their own communities. This year at STEAMfest… - 1,520 4th and 5th grade students and 176 teachers/chaperones registered, for a total attendance of 1,696 - 28 public and private schools attended from Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls, Kohler, Plymouth, Howards Grove, and Random Lake, in addition to a large Sheboygan Area Homeschool Group - 36 local businesses and schools set up 51 total STEAM experiences. Additionally, MilliporeSigma provided their Curiosity Cube and other outdoor experiences - 9 businesses and schools sent 16 total volunteers to ensure the quality and safety of STEAMfest Thank you to our amazing Platinum STEAMfest Sponsors! Acuity Insurance, Johnsonville Sausage, and MilliporeSigma. If you want to discover more about STEAMfest or any other BEP initiatives, such as Explore Your Future and Financial Literacy, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at josh@sheboygan.org. We’d also be thrilled to welcome a few more businesses to the BEP Committee if you’re enthusiastic about bridging the gap between business and education. If you had to miss STEAMfest but still want to get involved in other student-oriented opportunities, be sure join us for Explore Your Future. This annual event is designed for 7th and 8th-grade students to connect with career experts and subject matter specialists based on personality assessments. Keep an eye out for a registration email that will be sent in the next few weeks.
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Christy Jacobs - Director Of Events Hello Chamber Members! I can’t believe that we are entering into the last two months of 2023. This year has flown by with the many changes we have witnessed over 2023. New Chamber members, new staff, and new programs. It has been a whirlwind of excitement and new experiences. One thing that has been exciting with this change, is the desire for Christy Jacobs new members to showcase their businesses with ribbon cuttings. October was the host to four ribbon cuttings and a vibe@5. That is a busy month with the giant blue scissors! All those experiences were wonderful. We are so grateful to be able to meet our new members in their space. November will be the host for three ribbon cuttings and a vibe@5. Don’t miss out on any of these events. Check the Sheboygan County Chamber event calendar and register to show your support for these members. ATHENA will be wrapping up November for us in 2023. This year, we will be celebrating and honoring those who excel in their profession and provide valuable service to our community while actively assisting women in the attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. We have three categories this year: ATHENA Leadership, ATHENA Young Professional, and ATHENA Organizational Leadership Awards. Each category has unique criteria but has a common thread among them: the empowerment of women and the desire to improve the quality of life for others in our community. Please join us in recognizing and celebrating the nominees for the ATHENA Leadership Awards on November 30, 2023. I look forward to seeing you soon! Cheers! Christy
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October In Review
October 5
October 10
October 11
vibe@5: Senior Helpers
Ribbon Cutting: Anna’s Unique Boutique
Ribbon Cutting: Samaritan’s Hand
October 12
October 12
October 16
STEAMfest 2023
OktoberFeast 2023
Ribbon Cutting: Sheboygan Harbor South Breakwater Repair
October 17
October 18
October 19
Ribbon Cutting: Merit Financial Advisors
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Creating Inclusive Workplaces Session #5
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Wisconsin’s Chamber Business Day in Madison
October 19
October 24
October 25
Ribbon Cutting: Third Coast Vascular
Best of Ireland Information Session
Out to Breakfast w/ Deidre Martinez: Harry’s Diner
October 25 Coastal YPs: Brews & Brainstorming
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Newsletter sponsorship opportunities now available! Please contact Deidre Martinez at 920-457-9491 or deidre@sheboygan.org for more information.
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