IN THIS ISSUE
2020 Overview, Leadership Update, ATHENA Winners Annouced, Chamber Champions Gala Update
DECEMBER 2020 UPCOMING Events A Letter From the President December 2020 is finally here. One thing that is certain is we all can breathe a big sigh of relief that 2020 will soon be in the past. I think it might be a bit presumptive to think that 2021 will be so much better, but something in me feels quite welcoming of the New Year. And, for now, that may just serve as my silver lining.
12.07.20
Sheboygan Lutheran High School Expansion @ Lutheran High School (LHS) Martha VandeLeest
The positive I think we can all draw from this bizarre year is the demand for each of us to escape our comfort zone. We’ve been forced to learn to use technology we have never used before; to learn to be more attentive to our health and in many cases to completely change the way we do business. Our normal behavior is no longer normal. Day-to-day life seems to be more challenging, frustrating and enlightening all at the same time. This year will surely be unforgettable for all of us. As I complete my agency’s budget for 2021 and look forward to what’s next, I feel a mixture of anxiety and excitement. When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready for the public? When will we be able to lay down the mask and gather again? Will our businesses and families recover from all the setbacks? All these questions race through my head, and I cannot help but yearn for a “give.” I continue to tell myself that “Something has gotta give!” So, again, who else is searching for a silver lining? I think you, too, will find there is a silver lining still to be had in most things. We just have to look hard enough. All of us at the Chamber wish you a blessed holiday season full of joy, love, compassion and good health!
12.08.20
Virtual Happy Hour
12.15.20
Sheboygan County Safe Restart A Virtual Conversation with Sheboygan County Division of Public Health
CHAMBER HOLIDAY HOURS
Office closed to public December 24th returning on Monday, January 4th, 2021
from the desk of the executive director A year in review and a reminder to keep Sheboygan County dollars in Sheboygan County! It is no secret that we’ve experienced a year that we’d all like to move past. Although challenging, we’ve learned a lot as an organization and our ability to transition quickly in the face of adversity.
ROUNDTABLES MEETINGS:
Deidre Martinez
12.07.20 SALES & MARKETING 12.08.20 HR MANAGERS 12.09.20 BOSS
from the desk of the executive director continued Throughout this year, we’ve partnered with Sheboygan County Division of Public Health, hosting more than 15 virtual conversations, so our members could stay informed and have access to our Public Health team to ask questions and better understand what was happening in our community. We were also blessed with the support of Dr. Rai and Prevea Health during this period. Dr. Rai joined us for six virtual conversations throughout this period to share with us additional health information. We hosted virtual conversations with local financial institutions, CPA’s, and technology partners to share best practices and educate our membership as we were all faced with transition very quickly. We were also able to transition our Roundtables to a virtual platform and have seen a 12% increase in attendance so far through 2020. This has shown us that regardless of a pandemic, it is important for our members to have more choices in how they can engage with member benefits. So even beyond this Covid chaos, we are looking at how we can upgrade our technology to truly be able to offer a high quality online or hybrid experience for meetings like Roundtables and Deep Dives.
Sheboygan
County Chamber
Raising Money for Sheboygan County Small Businesses When you choose your gift set, you’ll have the option to add a gift card. The sales of every gift card goes directly to your business of choice. Your support is appreciated now more than ever! Shop Local Bundle
$25
ORDER ONLINE
Destination Bundle
$25 Gift Card Available
We were able to raise money for local businesses and nonprofits through the Better Together T-Shirt campaign earlier this year, to help even a little bit recover some of the losses they’ve experienced. And currently we are seeing great success with our Better Together Gift Box Sets available online and delivered to your door. These are just a few of the things your Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce has been able to accomplish in 2020 and we certainly could not have done it without all of our members supporting us the whole way through. As we look forward to the holidays and the new year…who’s ready for 2021? We want to again remind you how important it is to keep Sheboygan County dollars local. As we embark on the holiday season, it is more important than ever that we lift up our local businesses and keep our dollars right here, in our Sheboygan County communities. We have some phenomenal retailers, restaurants and service providers to patronize. We recognize this has been a crazy year and we are certainly not out of the woods, but our local partners are creative and want to ensure their employees, families and community members have a safe experience while shopping small. Everything from the curbside pick, contactless delivery, additional cleaning procedures, limited capacity and everything in between. Still unsure? The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce has launched an online store to purchase Sheboygan County fanfare while also helping your neighborhood businesses through the purchase of gift cards.
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These can be ordered from the comfort of your home and shipped wherever you would like them to go. Sounds easy right? You can also add a gift card to a local business, local businesses will receive 100% of the proceeds of gift card sales. So as you begin your holiday shopping journey, remember to keep it local and let’s keep our hard-earned dollars right here in Sheboygan County. Get your Sheboygan County pride attire, by clicking here. The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce is committed to providing value to our members, increasing economic vitality and the well-being of the business climate in Sheboygan County through, providing opportunities in Professional Development, Relationship Building, Governmental Affairs, Workforce Development and Young Professional Development. We are truly Better Together! Happy Holidays Sheboygan County Chamber Members! Wishing all of you and your families a wonderful, healthy holiday season!
Molly, Coastal YPN Liaison Hello Coastal Nation! Welcome to December! As we wrap up this year, I wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who participated, helped and spoke to our network throughout the year. We truly would not have been able to make our events happen without everyone’s help! I would also like to give a thank you to our committee members who took their time to volunteer for our events and committee! A special thank you to one of our committee members who is ending her term this year, Jenny Zalewski. Thank you for sitting on our committee and giving your expertise for the years you were here. You are so appreciated and we hope to continue to see you at our events in the future!
Molly Talaska
As 2020 ends, we are very excited to look ahead to 2021. To those who sent us people interested in being on our committee, I raise my hat to you as we have so many new additions that will make our network and our events even stronger than they were before. We are excited to announce the addition of seven people to our committee ranging from all different backgrounds of professional and personal life. Bring on 2021! May you all have a wonderful holiday and a fabulous new year! As always, ~Stay Wavy Coastal Nation~
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News from THE DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Well, here we are. Thanksgiving is over, and December has arrived. I hope everyone had a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving, and you’re now looking forward to a joyous and blessed Christmas! It’s that time of year to embrace your beliefs, and pray 2021 will be a total and complete reversal of 2020 so we can all be together once again! With 2021 in mind, our new Sponsorship Opportunities Guide is now available! Weare a member centric organization which relies exclusively on memberships andsponsorships. These two avenues allow us to “do what we do”, which includes multiple signature events, over 180 other annual events, provide networking and professional development, and workforce development, just to name a few! Please send me an email at scott@sheboygan.org or give me a call to get involved today! Final thoughts as we finish 2020 and look forward to 2021…
Scott Kuehn
• If you haven’t joined a Deep Dive yet, there are still openings for all groups. Start 2021 by engaging with other members of the Chamber from various business sectors. Health care, real estate, banking, insurance, painting and staining, attorneys, and many others are represented by exceptional people living in your county. Join a family of Deep Divers today! • 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 any one 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! Dates in 2021 for Business After Hours are being requested now, so don’t wait, give Carol Pringle a call at (920) 395-8706 to schedule your BAH today! There are only (4) months left so call today! Please remember to support our small businesses, restaurants, salons and many others that have been hit hard by this pandemic. They all need us now more than ever. Shop local, and stay healthy, because we are so much #BETTERTOGETHER! Have a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!
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2020 ATHENA Leadership Recipients Announced We are pleased to announce our 2020 Athena Leadership Award recipients. Congratulations to all nominees! 2020 Athena Award Recipient Emily Rendall-Araujo Top 5 Honorees Cynthia Howley – Kohler Company Leslie Laster – Moraine Park Technical College Dione Knopp – Sheboygan County Mary Schueller – St. Nicholas Hospital Lindee Brill – Samaritan’s Hand
Emily Rendall-Araujo
Cynthia Howley
Leslie Laster
Dione Knopp
Mary Schueller
Lindee Brill
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Leadership Sheboygan County Session Experiences - Completed Virtual Session IV Health & Social Services Day session goal is to provide participants with a basic awareness of Health care and Social service trends and general knowledge of programs available to both individuals and businesses. The Class started the day with a virtual non-profit fair showcasing several local non-profits discussing information on their respective programs. They then met with the Sheboygan County Drug Treatment Court Team including a Sheboygan Police Department officer and the Drug Treatment Court Coordinator; with details given on what to expect at the weekly Drug Treatment Court Session observed later in the afternoon. Ending the session was a sobering presentation on Human Trafficking with a retired City of Sheboygan Police Officer and an Advocate Aurora Health Forensic Nurse Coordinator.
chamber champions gala call for nominations! This is your chance to nominate the best of the best! Tell us how a Sheboygan County business, organization or project really hit a home run this year. Each qualifying nominee will be honored at the Chamber Champions Gala in 2021. The show must go on...the red carpet will still be rolled out on February 18th, 2021. Click HERE to submit your nomination. ACT NOW! Nominations now close Tuesday, December 15th, 2020 at 5:00 PM. CATEGORIES INCLUDE: -Manufacturer of the Year -Culinary Star of the Year -Services Organization of the Year -Retailer of the Year -Nonprofit Charity of the Year -Working Together Award -Safety Leader -Resilient Business Award (new)
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Chamber Office Update For the time being and with safety in mind, the Chamber office is not open to the public due to the recent COVID-19 health concerns in our community. This is an effort to keep our community safe as COVID-19 cases rise. The office will reopen to the public in 2021. We are still working! Please call, email or Facebook Message us for any questions or ways we can assist YOU.
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Sheboygan County Chamber
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Need Chamber Cash? No Worries! Chamber Cash is still available by appointment only at the Chamber office or you can purchase at Festival Foods on Taylor Dr. and Piggly Wiggly in Plymouth! Give us a call for an appointment at (920) 457-9491. We are happy to assist.
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stay up to date!
Sheboygan
County Chamber
Newsletter sponsorship opportunities now available! Please contact Scott Kuehn at 920-918-1315 or scott@sheboygan.org for more information.
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