Amidst turmoil, the Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau hired a new director. So far, so good.
Tim White stops in the middle of a sentence often during a recent interview at Whitewater Music Hall. “Oh that’s a great band, I saw them live,” he’ll comment, before continuing his thoughts. White is the new director of the Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau. He’s been charged with turning around the organization after a major fallout involving the previous director. It’s no easy task. Or is it? New contracts are being put in place, the books have been opened, so to speak, information once held under lock and key suddenly seems forthcoming and municipal leaders suddenly seem bullish on an organization they’d bristled at only months ago. A recent meeting of the Room Tax Commission might have given viewers a hint as to why. White laid out his plans for Wausau, and one thing was immediately apparent: White is on another level. His plans are something totally new to the Wausau area, and he’s bringing a different mentality to the organization as it rebuilds. And rebuild he must, as the organization was left in pretty rough shape.
Music roots
White’s love of music is apparent as we talk from the couches at Whitewater Music Hall; and it’s immediately apparent that this isn’t your typical CVB director. It turns out White spent time in the music industry in the 1990s. He managed artists for and later owned Chicagoland label Fundamental Records, a label that included Henry Rollins and Black Flag amongst its stable of artists. There’s more than a cool factor there. White says he
PSYCHIC SOLUTIONS BY AMANDA
by B.C. Kowalski
learned how to connect an artist with an audience, and dove into the tech side of the industry. He put together a cloud-based tool to help artists keep track of their shows and appearances which made booking much simpler. They also built specialty stores for artists to sell to their fans; the way White describes it, it comes across like an early version of Patreon. He de▲ Tim White, the Central scribes an artist who writes Wisconsin Convention and Visitors 60 songs a year. “Most of Bureau’s new director. those won’t make an album, but there is a rabid fan base that wanted everything he did.” He also ran a media school in Chicago and was a pastor long before that. He has done work with CNN and ESPN. His LinkedIn profile goes on and on - as in, you’ll get sick of clicking the “show more experiences” after a while. White came here originally to do business coaching through the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce. But when a recruiter for the CVB director position saw his resume and reached out, White thought “what the heck?” It turned into a months-long process, and sometimes a confusing one. The fact that the CVB bought a new building for a new location didn’t come up until White’s first day. The organization bought the old Shakey’s building in Rib Mountain, which is in pretty rough shape. Whether it can be renovated or will just be a complete rebuild is yet to be determined, White says.
Calming the storm
That White has turned around the opinions of municipal leaders so quickly is no small feat. Relations were bad. Prior to an incident with the city involving Expedia, the previous director Dick Barrett drew the ire of some Wausau leaders. Barrett attempted to move the organization’s pond hockey tournament from Marathon Park to the Wausau Airport. But there was a problem, a harbinger of bigger ones to come. At an airport meeting about the potential move, Parks Director Jamie Polley pointed out that the CVB had not paid its bill for the previous year’s tournament. That rattled the Airport Committee, which rejected the idea of hosting the
tournament there (there were other reasons having to do with the logistics of holding an event at an airport, but the non-payment was a major concern). So when the city learned that the CVB under Barrett’s watch had accepted room tax dollars from Expedia and kept that quiet until city leaders learned what had happened and demanded their money, the fall started. Municipalities pulled out of their contracts with the CVB, with Wausau leading the charge. Barrett retired in January. Talks about new contracts with the CVB started after that. Some board members, including the former board president (who lived in Minocqua), also left; or rather, some of them were nudged on their way out. That cleared the way for new leadership to take hold. It didn’t help matters that one of the first actions the board took when the Expedia incident occurred was threatening to sue the city for pulling out. That set up a stage for a difficult situation as many municipal leaders felt antipathy toward the organization. Which is why it’s impressive that White came in and built trust so quickly. “He’s come in and he’s taken a very thorough view of the organization,” Mayor Katie Rosenberg told City Pages. “That’s really important. He’s had some strong things to say about the leadership of the organization and I think that’s hard for some of the board members who have been around longer than me.” Rosenberg says White is someone who wants to “get %$&$ done,” and is transparent about it. “He’s not playing politics,” she says. Another thing Rosenberg points out is that he’s really “elevated the staff” — meaning instead of treating them like minions, “he gives them credit, he invites them to the meetings, he brings them along. Which is something I don’t think they had before.” Rothschild Administrator Gary Olsen made no secret about his misgivings about past CVB practices, but told City Pages he’s optimistic about the change in leadership.” We have been impressed with Tim White so far also,” Olsen says. “We still want to wait to be sure everything is moving in a positive direction before we start negotiations again with the CVB, but we have been impressed and like what we see so far.” White met with leaders of the CVB in Portage County, to study what’s working for them. Leadership had good things to say there. This from Executive Director Sara Brish: “Tim White brings a tremendous amount of leadership skills to the table based on his impressive resume. Tim did
Come Join Our Team We’re Hiring!
LENTEN ORGAN MEDITATIONS
at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ 426 Washington Street, Wausau, Wisconsin 54403
Fridays from 12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Come for a time of meditation and music during the lunch hour
March 11 – George Felty March 18 – Susan Schaefer and Jason Zell
2102 North 6th St., Wausau
50% OFF All Readings with coupon Expires 2/15/22
Astrology Readings/E.S.P. Psychic Readings Tarot Cards Palm Readings
Also available for Parties & Special Events. True Gifted Psychic 99% Accuracy All readings are treated with complete privacy and confidentiality
715-298-6176 121987
8
CiTY PAGES
February 3-10, 2022
March 25 – Irene Beethe & Kartika Putri April 1 – Daniel Larson April 8 - Patrick Burkhart and Jim Holt Sponsored by the Wisconsin River Chapter American Guild of Organists website: agohq.org/chapters/wisconsinriver Facebook.com/AGO-Wisconsin-River-Chapter154526781226983 Free Will Offering
124120
at New Location
OTR Truck Driver
Lincoln Wood Products is currently seeking an OTR Truck Driver. Drivers are home weekly! Hub mileage pay and drop/ pick-up pay. Candidates need to be 21 years of age or older. Possess a class A CDL. Have a minimum of 1 year Interstate commerce driving experience with 100,000 verifiable miles. Good driving record. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer offering a competitive salary and benefits package. To apply for this position, send your resume to Lincoln Wood Products, Attn: Human Resources, 1400 W Taylor Street, Merrill, WI 54452 or email Amanda at alreidinger@lincolnwindows.com.
Apply IN PERSON Today!
Lincoln Wood ProductsEmployment Office
1400 W Taylor Street, Merrill, WI 54452 Mon-Fri, 7:00AM – 3:30PM or by appointment We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
81303
A new direction
COVER FEATURE
