2017 Annual Report
On behalf of the Chamber Board of Directors and staff, thank you for your support! Over the past year our community has seen many opportunities and challenges. Your Chamber is committed to capitalizing on the opportunities and addressing the challenges. The landscape of Chippewa Falls changed dramatically. New businesses in our industrial parks, great progress on our riverfront and new developments on our south side. This adds up to new jobs, new tax base and greater prosperity for our community. Mike Jordan President Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Rolly Enderes ChemCeed, LLC, Chair Neil Mathwig Earth Blind, LLC, Chair Elect Ben Lane Wiley Law S.C., First Vice Chair Jamie Leibrandt Northwestern Bank, Treasurer Janice Lemminger C4 Solutions LLC, Immediate Past Chair Mark Broses Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. Lindsey Everson Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company Amy Forcier Pabst Royal Credit Union Tim Fries Fries Financial Group-Raymond James Tom Hubbard Cedar Falls Building Systems Sue Kern Mason Companies, Inc. Erin Lorberter Country Inn & Suites John Lynn TTM Technologies Mike Olson Micon Cinemas Mayor Greg Hoffman Ex-Officio Chamber Staff Progress also creates some challenges. Workforce and housing are two challenges we need to address. Through partnerships with our schools and our members we have made significant progress on addressing our workforce shortage. We will continue to advance the Youth Apprenticeship program and our School2Skills program in 2018. We will also continue our social media marketing to attract alumni and former residents back to Chippewa Falls. Chippewa Falls has truly become a destination for visitors. It is a great sight to see our downtown streets filled with cars. We anticipate 2018 will again be a very busy tourism year. We could not accomplish all that we do without your assistance. Over the past year, more than 800 volunteers have participated in Chamber functions. I would like to extend my appreciation to our Chamber members, our Board of Directors, and every committee member who has volunteered to make the Chamber what it is today. In 2018 we will again work to aggressively promote and grow our business community and attract visitors to our community. Thank you for supporting the Chamber in 2017 and we look forward to a prosperous 2018. Have a great new year! Sincerely, Jackie Boos Tourism Director Michelle Farrow Membership Coordinator Kelly Kuechenmeister Administrative Assistance Maranda Mahr Programs Director Allison McCullough Marketing Design Coordinator Mike Jordan President
Year in Review 670 61 Total Members New Members 28 Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies 135,144 Annual Website Visits 704 Business After Hours Attendees Our Mission The mission of the Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce is to improve the quality of life in our community by providing leadership to coordinate, support and promote the business interests of our membership. Our Vision The Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will be the recognized leader of the business community by providing value through member benefits, quality programs and political leadership resulting in a solid return on investment for our members.
June Dairy Days More than 2,200 attendees joined us for a fun evening, great food, music and friendship at our annual June Dairy Days Dinner. Over 1,500 tickets were donated by area businesses to local farm families, providing a venue to join urban and rural families together to celebrate the importance and continued success of local farmers. Excellence in Education At the 32nd Annual Excellence in Education Banquet, the Chamber recognized 21 Seniors for being the top 5% of the graduating classes. More than 39 businesses and organizations sponsored the event so that the students, their families and honored teachers could be guests at the banquet. Chamber Golf Outing Our Fifth Annual Golf Outing held at Lake Wissota Golf & Events was a giant success. First timers and seasoned golfers enjoyed a beautiful day filled with nine holes of golf, casual networking and a dinner with prizes donated by our members. Leadership Chippewa Falls This program acquaints participants with a broad understanding of community issues and civic challenges facing our community. They meet key leaders in these areas, discuss the challenges within the community and determine how these challenges might be resolved. Class of 2016-2017 Travis Austad Boys & Girls Club of the Chippewa Valley Cheri Barna Xcel Energy Dena Clark Chippewa County s Sheriff s Office Lona Cook Cook Chiropractic Connie Fedie Chippewa County Tena Hoag Advanced Laser Machining Alexander Jerry Schleppenbach Janitorial LLC Jessica Joyce Great Northern Corporation Nancy Kaeding TTM Technologies Alyssa Kellagher Chippewa Valley Boy Scouts Katy Kiley Chippewa Valley Technical College Thomas Lea Royal Credit Union Lucas Lucier Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services Brian Micolichek Chippewa Falls Police Department Lisa Poeschel Sponsored by: Sleep Inn & Suites, 29 Pines Family Restaurant Craig Ritzinger Mason Companies, Inc. Josh Rizzo HSHS St. Joesph s Hospital Jaclyn Sadler Chippewa County Katie Zehm Royal Credit Union
Schools2Skills During the 2016-2017 school year, Chamber businesses hosted 215 students on tours. This program includes manufacturers, STEM, and health care tours. New this year was the addition of a construction tour. The goal is to inspire students, parents and educators to learn more about jobs available in Chippewa County including career paths, salaries and the education required to succeed. Young Professionals of the Chippewa Valley A personal and professional development program of the Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire Chambers that encourages young business professionals ages 21-40 to interact socially, exchange ideas, share common interests, learn more about the area s business community and engage in the community s future. Political Advocacy The Chamber works hard to represent its members interests at the city, county, state and federal levels of government. Annually, representatives of the Chamber joined Eau Claire and Menomonie Chambers for the Chippewa Valley Rally, where the group traveled to Madison to meet with legislators about issues important to the Chippewa Valley. Business After Hours The Chamber worked with local businesses to host and sponsor monthly networking events. Business After Hours is the premiere networking event drawing an average of 100 attendees each month. t Vision 2020 Community leaders throughout Chippewa Falls join together to further enhance the quality of life and economic future of the area. In 2017, the committee hosted a nonprofit networking opportunity in which more than 30 local nonprofits took part in. Through their effort, an Art in the Park policy has been created for the City.
Ambassadors Ambassadors serve as extention of the Chamber through their service in recruitment, supporting members, and welcoming new businesesses at ribbon cuttings and ground breakings. Oktoberfest Festmeistern Kim Senn & Festmeister Darrin Senn Jason Brandner Wipfli, LLP, Chair Jackie Sadler Chippewa County, Co-Chair Emily Anderson EMA Designs Trina Banks B & G Liquor Warehouse Melissa Bowe Royal Credit Union Cindy Boggess Northwestern Bank Mike Crawford Access Security Inc. Rolly Enderes ChemCeed LLC Tom Hubbard Cedar Falls Building Systems Heather Gubrud Royal Credit Union Joan Kinnick United Rentals Ben Lane Wiley Law S.C. Benjamin Lindberg Eau Claire Ford Lincoln Carrie Nielsen Royal Construction Steve Pregent Chippewa River Business Park Josh Rizzo HSHS St. Joseph s Hospital George Rohmeyer Rohmeyer Realty & Real Estate Auctioneer Tami Severson Spectrum Business Michael Shillin Fries Financial Group Raymond James Tyler Sperry Mower Insurance Michael Strubel Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation Tiffany Thompson Leinenkugel s Leinie Lodge Jim Woodison Mid-State Truck Service Over 11,000 attendees made their way to the Northern Wisconsin State Fair Grounds to attend the 15th Annual Oktoberfest, September 15-17th. Over $20,000 was donated back to the community organizations that volunteered with the event. An additional donation of $25,000 was made to the Chippewa Riverfront Captial Campaign. To date, over $329,000 has gone back to the community and various local nonprofits. The event continually brings new visitors to the area and has a $1 million dollar economic impact on the Chippewa Valley. Festmeistern Kim Senn & Festmeister Darrin Senn
THE TOURISM DIVISION OF THE CHAMBER GOC H I PPE WAFALL S.CO M 330,147 TOP STATES 1 Wisconsin 2 3 4 5 Illinois Minnesota New York Texas PAGEVIEWS IN 2017 5 3 1 2 TOP COUNTRIES 4 1 United States 2 Canada 3 Russia 4 United Kingdom 5 Brazil VISITORS CENTER OVER 3,493 WALK-INS OVER 11,000 FOLLOWERS M A RKE TING E FFO R T S IN MARKET LOCAL ADVERTISING OUT OF MARKET STATE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL 22% BRAND AWARENESS EVENT SUPPORT ECONOMIC IMPACT OVERNIGHT HOTEL STAYS 46% 45% COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 90% OUT OF MARKET ADVERTISING BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY PA RT N ER WITH TRAVEL WISCONSIN 80% 3,0 0 0 TRAVEL KIT REQUESTS MAILED OFFICIAL TRAVEL GUIDE DISTRIBUTION 30,000 PRINTED 3,000 + VISITORS CENTER 15,000 + LOCAL EVENTS & BUSINESSES 10,000 + STATE-WIDE 2,000 + NATION-WIDE 2017 OFFICIAL ATTRACTIONS GUIDE 28,000 PRINTED C H I PPEWACOU NTY.COM 80,792 PAGEVIEWS IN 2017 20%
1 N Bridge Street Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 715-723-0331