In this issue . . .
OCTOBER 2017
Ribbon Cuttings Business PM Schedule Member News Calendar of Events New Members
Updates on a pair of important topics
By David Eckmann, President/CEO he Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce is uniquely positioned to convene and collaborate with community stakeholders. Our diverse membership, coupled with our role to help shape the well-being of our region with other organizations, is core to our work. As we head into our program year, there are two topics that you should know about. It should be no surprise that the topics relate to the need to develop, attract, and retain talent in our community.
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In recent months, the Chamber has been invited to participate in United Way’s effort to create a family-friendly program which will support organizations of all types in their efforts to recruit and retain talent. Essentially, the United Way of Marathon County is employing their capacity to support early childhood development and their ability to develop programs that help organizations of all types to enhance the quality of life of employee’s families. The work we do to develop, retain and attract talent cannot be done by one organization alone. It is incumbent that organizations like the Chamber and United Way work together to build a stronger, more vibrant community. On Wednesday, November 15, the United Way will host
an event at Northcentral Technical College to welcome business leaders to participate in a discussion and to learn about the importance of building a family-friendly workplace. Please visit this link for more information. United Way is doing very important work and we are happy to help where we can. On another note … Earlier this week, the UW System announced the proposal to merge the two-year college campuses with geographically affiliated comprehensive four-year universities. If approved, UW-Marathon County and UW-Marshfield – Wood County would be affiliated to UW-Stevens Point. This is an important development for our community. Over 100 years ago, land-grant education institutions were developed in Wisconsin. Now, in 2017, our community has the opportunity to participate in re-inventing the UW presence in the greater Wausau region. With the high level of excellence of Northcentral Technical College and the transformation of the UW, the greater Wausau region will be positioned to effectively compete in the 21st century knowledge economy. The Chamber has been invited to participate in a dialogue with UW-Stevens Point and UW-Marathon County. As we move forward, we will keep you apprised on progress and offer information sessions on this transformational opportunity.
www.wausauchamber.com