PROGRAM & EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
ANNUAL MEETING:
AN EVENING WITH THE FALLOWS
The 2023 Annual Meeting was held on September 21 at the Grand Theater and featured a conversation with best-selling authors James and Deborah Fallows. More than 135 attendees attended the event.
GOLF OUTING
The annual Golf Outing was held on June 24 at the Wausau Country Club in Wausau; more than 160 golfers participated in the sold out event which was followed by a awards dinner.
FUN@5 EVENTS
Six networking events provided an opportunity for members to showcase their business and offer after-work fun to attendees.
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
57 graduates in the Chamber’s Transformational Leadership program were recognized on May 7 at a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Rothschild.
RIBBON CUTTINGS
52 members took advantage of a ribbon cutting or ground breaking opportunity this year. These members celebrated one of the following successes at their business: broke ground or opened a new facility, moved to a new location, remodeled an existing facility, welcomed new ownership or underwent a significant re-branding or name change.
BUSINESS MONTH
Several events were held in April and included a Civics Bee, the Small Business of the Year Awards, the Business EXPO 2024 and the Fun@EXPO networking event. The Small Business of the Year Awards were attended by more than 170 individuals.
BUSINESS EXPO
Thousands of attendees visited Business EXPO 2024 on April 18. Visitors learned about the products and services provided by our members. Four members were recognized with Best In Show awards at the event.
REGIONAL SUMMIT ON ECONOMIC THREATS
The Chamber hosted an event with a variety of speakers on May 29 at the Jefferson Street Event Center in downtown Wausau. This summit aimed to raise awareness of the long-term challenges posed by shrinking demographics, the limited labor pool and the lack of childcare services in rural areas. More than 90 were in attendance.
WORKFORCE HUB
Quarterly meetings brought together members to learn about the workforce solutions available in our region.
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
More than 500 women attended the ninth annual conference to discover their highest level of personal and professional development. This conference was held on January 17 at the Central Wisconsin Convention + Expo Center in Rothschild.
GREATER WAUSAU MARKETING HUB
Quarterly meetings brought together members to connect with other marketers and learn new skills and strategies.
FINANCIALS
Affiliate Contracts: Contracts with other organizations for the Chamber to provide administrative services.
Salaries, benefits, operating expenses, technology and marketing
Occupancy: Rent, property taxes, utilities and depreciation
STAFF
OFFICERS 2023-2024
Chairperson
Aspirus Chairperson Elect
SPECIAL THANKS
Treasurer/Secretary
Immediate Past Chairperson
THANK YOU to all of our member businesses and organizations.
We want to acknowledge the volunteers who assist with the Chamber’s various committees, programs and events.
We also want to thank all of the members who sponsored the Chamber’s programs and events over the last year. These members provided critical support for ongoing services and for the expansion of Chamber programs.
Sharon Baumann Special Projects Manager
Dave Eckmann, Ed.D. President/CEO
Brian Otten Marketing Director
Lukas Lindner Workforce Development & Advocacy Director
Kathy Peterson Member Director
Sue Wokatsch Finance Director
Owen Jones Tommy Dock Products LLC
Jeffrey Wicklander
Laura Huggins Connexus Credit Union
Nicole Williams QPS Employment Group
Dave Eckmann, Ed.D. Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce President/CEO
Charlotte Skinner Granite Peak Ski Area Director at Large
Sean Wright Performing Arts Foundation Inc Director at Large
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023-2024
Heidi Fischer Partnership for Progressive Agriculture Inc
Chris Pfender Intercity State Bank
Greg Fisher Granite Peak Ski Area
Keith Hilts Wausau School District
Lance Leonhard Marathon County
Steven Lipowski Ruder Ware LLSC
Carrie Strobel Greenheck
Dennis Tan Schooley Mitchell
Gerald Klein City-County IT Commission
Dr. Darren Ackley Northcentral Technical Colllege
Kimm Weber MCDEVCO Inc
NEW MEMBERS
These members joined the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce between Sept. 1, 2023 and Aug. 31, 2024:
100% Relaxing Station Massage
712 Creative
AA Seamless LLC
Able Distributing Company Inc
Advantage Group GA
Adventure Awaits CrossFit
Alpine Insurance Brokers
AnSer Business Support Center
AT & T - Wausau
Auto Skins LLC
Balance for Growth Counseling
BalancePoint Chiropractic, LLC
Benedictine
Beyond Blessed Therapies LLC
Breakfast Bear
Bull Falls Radio WXCO
Caribou Coffee
Casa Amigos Mexican Restaurant
CFS Brands
Children’s Imaginarium
Consolidated Construction LLC
Cousins Subs- Wausau
Death Grip Motorsports
Dime and Dollar Thrift Store
Edward Jones-Peter Gunn
Elevate HR Solutions
ELS Escort Limousine Service
FlipSide Graphics LLC
Floors By Angie
Forward Bank
Forward Beverage
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop
Geared Equity LLC
Gorski’s Catering
Graff Mercantile
Helene’s Hilltop Orchard
Inn at the River, LLC
Jersey Mike’s Subs
Johnson Electric Coil Company
Keeney Home Services
LeafGuard of Northern Wisconsin
Learn Build Fly
LERDAHL Inspired Workplace Interiors
Lighthouse Pentecostal Church- Wausau
LINK Healthcare
Madison Marketing Group
Mike Beck
Milwaukee Burger Company
Money Saver Magazine mon
NAMI Northwoods
Occupational Chaplains of America
PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Wausau
Pix & Pieces Photo Management
Positive AlternativesMarathon County
Public Safety of Wisconsin
Public Service Credit Union
Quality Resource Group IncSchofield
Rib Falls Waterjet
Rogers Behavioral Health
Rolling Paws Pet Care LLC
SDS Painting Company
Spectrum Benefit Solutions of Central Wisconsin
Spectrum Reach - Schofield
Spotless Commercial Services, LLC
St. Croix Hospice
Star Business Machines Inc
Stine Aesthetic Laser Center LLC
STIR Mobile Bar
Stonemark Wind Energy Center
Strategy Leaders
StrongBridge Wealth Advisors
Sweet Ride LLC
Sylvan Crossings on Evergreen
The Good Feet Store
The Gospel TLC
The Pinery Coffee Co.
Unifide Scale Systems
UniFirst Corporation
Vino Latte - Wausau
Visionary Design Concepts
Wausau Academy of Dance
Wausau Cyclones
Wausau Manor
Wausau Spine and Rehab LLC
Weston House Cafe
Weston Psychiatric
What’s The Buzz? Barbershop & Family Haircare
Wisconsin Conquerors
Football Club
AWARDS
ATHENA LEADERSHIP AWARD® PROGRAM
The ATHENA Leadership Award® Program recognizes members of the community who have played an important role in business, our community and the advancement of women. The ATHENA Award is presented to a person who has demonstrated professional excellence, taken part in community service, and actively assisted women in attaining leadership skills that have helped them advance professionally.
The 2023 ATHENA Award was presented virtually to, right above, Amber Gober of Peoples State Bank.
The ATHENA Young Professional Award is presented to a woman who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in her business or profession, provides valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in her community and clearly serves as a role model for young women both personally and professionally.
The 2023 ATHENA Young Professional Award was presented to, left above, Jessica Scharfenberg of HealthFirst.
CIVICS BEE
Middle school students from Wisconsin had their opportunity to compete in the National Civics Bee for the first time in 2024. A regional competition was held in Wausau in April.
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERS
Three graduates of the program were honored with Transformational Leader of the Year awards in May: Emily Moore, from left, Geoff Mondroski and Melissa Vergara.
BUSINESS EXPO BEST IN SHOW AWARDS
Exhibitors at the EXPO were judged by a panel of volunteers on how visually exciting their booth looked, the originality and uniqueness of their display and how well it creates traffic.
Overall: Weinbrenner Shoe Company
Best Theme: Jim Kryshak Jewelers.
Attention Strategy: Ho-Chunk Gaming – Wittenberg
Eats & Treats: Fun Factory Sweet Shoppe
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARDS
The Small Business of the Year Award recognizes business growth, community involvement, and innovative efforts in the Wausau Region. This award is also an opportunity to review the best business practices of successful entrepreneurs and set a benchmark of excellence for the years to come.
Van Ert Electric Company Inc, above, (Business-to-Consumer) and the Christmas in July Charity, below, (Charitable Non-Profit) were named as the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Small Businesses of the Year recipients. The awards were presented at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rib Mountain during the Chamber’s Business Month in April.