2020 Year in Review

YEAR IN EVIEW R 2019-2020

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce 4-Star Accreditation in November 2018. Fewer than three percent of all chambers in the nation earn the accreditation designation.

PROGRAM & EVENT HIGHLIGHTS ANNUAL DINNER

BUSINESS WEEK

More than 270 members attended the 2019 Annual Dinner held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rib Mountain on October 10. Barry Alvarez, legendary UW football coach, was the keynote speaker at the event.

President/CEO Dave Eckmann also spoke about his vision for the Chamber in the new program year.

This week was rescheduled from April to August and included a variety of virtual events, including the Small Business of the Year Awards, a program on what’s next for the region, a Name That Jingle Virtual Game Show, a roundtable with Congressman Tom Tiffany and the Small Business of the Year Recognition Ceremony.

THE BRANCH The Branch, a workforce development initiative introduced in the summer of 2016 saw 14 college students participate in the fall 2019 session. The spring 2020 session was unfinished due to the coronavirus.

This skills accelerator is built to retain talent in central Wisconsin.

BUSINESS PM EVENTS Nine networking events provided an opportunity for members to showcase their business in an informal ‘open house’ atmosphere. An average of 57 individuals attended each event.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

41 graduates in our Leadership Excellence program were recognized on August 25 at a ceremony held at the Wausau Country Club in Schofield.

More than 400 women attended the sixth annual conference to discover their highest level of personal and professional development.

This conference was held on January 15 at the Central Wisconsin Convention + Expo Center in Rothschild.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

RIBBON CUTTINGS 34 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.

The Greater Wausau Economic Development Strategic Plan provides strategies and actions to enhance the region’s economic competitiveness and growth for the next ten years. The Plan outlined four desired outcomes: talent development and attraction; retention and expansion of existing industries; increased private sector investment and robust employment growth. The Greater Wausau Prosperity Partnership (GWPP) was formed in 2019 to serve the leadership role in the implementation and execution of the Plan. The GWPP will fulfill four roles including the assessment and prioritization of Plan initiatives; the establishment of expectations and accountability related to actionable tactics in the plan; financial resource development for execution of the plan; and to assess the effectiveness of tactics.

VIRTUAL PROGRAMS Four virtual programs were held as part of the Ready. Let’s Grow! campaign. There were also eight Virtual Nothing But Networking programs held between April and August. These virtual programs offered a safe method to educate members and offer an opportunity for them to network in a digital setting.

AWARDS AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR AWARD The Ambassador of the Year Award is presented to an Ambassador who contributes countless hours of service to the Chamber at ribbon cuttings, ground breakings, programs and events. The 2019 Ambassador of the Year Award was presented to Renee Hodell.

RUDER WARE INNOVATOR AWARD IN MEMORY OF G. LANE WARE Created to honor Lane G. Ware and to recognize outstanding individuals who personify the spirit of entrepreneurship, this award is given to an individual who demonstrates excellence in the way they conduct business. Jane Janke Johnson and Jim Janke, co-owners of Janke Book Store, were recognized with the award at the 2018 Annual Dinner.

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 2019 ATHENA Award was presented to, right above, Mona Fox of Ameriprise Financial - Wausau - Cornerstone Advisors.

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 2019 ATHENA Young Professional Award was presented to, left above, Lora Bladow of RE/MAX Excel.

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.

LB Medwaste Services, above top, (Business-to-Business), K-tech Charities, above middle, (Charitable Non-Profit) and Wausau Smiles Dental, above, (Business-to-Consumer) were named as the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Small Businesses of the Year recipients. The awards have been given annually since 1981 and were presented during the Chamber’s Small Business Week in April.

STAFF

Sharon Baumann Special Projects Manager

Dave Eckmann, Ed.D. President/CEO

Renae Krings

Stacy Livernash

Brian Otten

Judy Pitek

Sue Wokatsch

Economic Development Specialist

Programs & Events Director

Marketing Manager

Member Relations Manager

Finance Director

Dave Eckmann Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce

Jack Hoogendyk Hope Life Center

Robin Hegg Ki Mobility

Director at Large

Director at Large

OFFICERS

2019-2020

Michael Loy North Central Health Care

Nicole Williams QPS Employment Group

Dr. Jeannie Worden Northcentral Technical College

Chairperson

Treasurer/Secretary

Immediate Past Chairperson

SPECIAL THANKS

President/CEO

THANK YOU to all of our member businesses.

We want to acknowledge all of the volunteers who assist with committees, programs and events.

We also want to thank all of our member businesses who sponsored our programs and events. They provided critical support for ongoing services and for the expansion of Chamber programs in the last year.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2019-2020

Keri Anne Dawn Bernatz Connaughty Church Mutual Insurance Company, The Samuels Group S.I.

Paul David Aspirus

JoAnn Draeger IncredibleBank

Thomas Felch J & D Tube Benders Inc

Ted Fox Ameriprise Financial - Cornerstone Advisors

Tom Frank Greenheck

Rebecca Frisch Marathon County Conservation, Planning & Zoning

Bill Gleason Retired

Cory Heckendorf Wisconsin Kenworth

Keith Hilts Wausau School District

Al Lancaster WSAW/WZAW

Paul LaPree Miron Constructon Co Inc

Yengyee Lor Faithful Consulting LLC

Craig Timm Domtar Paper Co LLC

Cory Tomczyk IROW Shredding Recycling & Consulting

NEW MEMBERS 4 Seasons Golf of Wausau

Life Leadership

Bassett Mechanical - Wausau

Marathon Flooring, LLC

Bautch Chiropractic East

Mountain View

Bellevue University Best Western Plus Bone & Joint Physical Therapy - Weston Burn Boot Camp CG Schmidt, Inc. Chippewa Retreat Resort Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation Edward Jones Investments - Wausau - Grand Ave EstesGroup Everest Party Rentals GiGi’s Playhouse Wausau Glenn’s Ginseng Sales LLC Golden Land Ginseng (USA) Inc Green Valley Septic Heartland Equity Partners Homes for Independent Living, A MyPath Company IdleKnot Property Group Brokered by eXp Realty Imperial Industries Inc In The Lite Electric Inspect It Right Home Inspections LLC IRONBULL INC Jefferson Street Event Center Ki Mobility

Mulligal LLC Patriot Auto Repair PAW Health Network, Inc Perspektive Media Group LLC Provident Insurance Group - Wausau Redwood Street Roasters Rib Mountain Cycles Inc Rib Mountain Inn Roastar Sales and Income Tax Advisory Network LLC Schooley Mitchell Symmetry Natural Health TeamLogic IT The Boldt Company - Stevens Point The Highground Veterans Memorial Park Timekeeper Distillery Tommys Express Car Wash - Wausau Tommys Express Car Wash - Weston Tuley Trails LLC U.S. Cellular Valley Communities Credit Union - Mosinee - Western Ave Vine Vest North Inc Wildlife Patrol LLC

Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co Inc

Wisconsin Grown Ginseng LLC

Kolbe ServicePro Inc

Wisconsin River Partners

K-tech Building Maintenance A Vonachen Family Company

Workforce Solutions LLC

FINANCIALS REVENUES: Programs 27%

Affiliate Contracts 1%

Other 7%

Membership Investment 64%

Grants 1% EXPENSES: Other 5%

Occupancy 11% Programs 18% Operations: Salaries, benefits, operating expenses, technology and marketing Occupancy: Rent, property taxes, utilities and depreciation

Operations 66%

Our Mission To strengthen our member businesses and enhance our community by building business success.

Our Vision We are the region’s indispensable source for business connections, opportunities, and solutions.

Contact Us Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce 200 Washington Street, Suite 120 Wausau, WI 54403 715-845-6231 www.wausauchamber.com

Minneapo St Paul

lis-

Eau Claire

WAUSAU

Green Bay Appleton

La Crosse

Madison

e Milwauke

IC ECONOM REGION WAUSAU PLAN GREATER ENT STRATEGIC E AND MCDEVCO ERC DEVELOPM CHAMBER OF COMM WAUSAU

REGION

The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce and key stakeholders have engaged economic development consulting firm TIP Strategies, based in Austin, in the creation of economic development strategic plan for the Greater Wausau Region. The plan was unveiled at the Economic Outlook program held on March 14, 2019.

View the entire plan at WausauChamber.com