march 2014 | volume 15 | issue 1

competitive

collaboration

relationshipsrelevance

ideasgrowth

skills

knowledge

confidence

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: HOW TO LEARN, DEVELOP AND LEAD

• ADVOCACY INITIATIVES ANNOUNCED• 4 FUNDAMENTALS OF SUCCESS• DEVELOPING A STRENGTHS BASED COMPANY CULTURE

FOX CITIES FUTURE 15 HONORED

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Fox Cities Chamber Business | MARCH 2014 1

Fox CitiesChamber of Commerce & Industry

2 PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVEViews from Chamber President/CEO Shannon Meyer Full

23 NEW MEMBERS

26 OUT AND ABOUT

32 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

16 Four Fundamentals of Success

17 Developing a Strengths-Based Company Culture

18 Consider these Online Tools for Business Efficiency

20 The Current State of Facebook Marketing

21 How to Find, Use and Create Useful Content

24 Businesses of the Month

25 Diamond Member Honor Roll

28 4th Annual Fox Cities Future 15 Young Professionals Awards a Success

8 Leadership

9 Education

10 Octoberfest

11 Economic Development

12 Advocacy

14 Community Spotlight

4 The Many Benefits of Professional Development

Featured Columns

Highlights

News

Cover Story

Every Issue

Fox Cities Chamber Business (v 259180). Published quarterly by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 125 N. Superior Street, Appleton, WI 54911. PH 920-734-7101. WEB www.foxcitieschamber.com. Periodical postage paid at Appleton, WI. Annual subscription fee to members for Fox Cities Chamber Business is $9 and is included in dues. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Fox Cities Chamber Business, 125 N. Superior Street, Appleton, WI 54911.

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this issue VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1 | MARCH 2014

2 Fox Cities Chamber Business | MARCH 2014

Board MembersKevin Eismann Epiphany Law, LLC

Robyn Gruner AT&T

Mayor Gary Henke City of New London

Sharon Hulce Employment Resource Group Inc.

Dave Jansen ThedaCare

Dennis Jochman The Bechard Group

Lyssa King W by Worth

John Krause Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP

Vic Lutz McMahon

Jen Wagner Mauk Affinity Health System

Robert Pedersen Goodwill NCW

Jay Shambeau Calumet County

Monica Vomastic Landmark Staffing Resources

Chairman of the Board Kip Golden Miron Construction Co., Inc.

Chairman-Elect Daniel P. Ferris SECURA Insurance Companies

Past Chairman Greg Bell WHBY

Secretary/Treasurer Bruce Zak JPMorgan Chase, N.A.

Dear Members,As we enter into a new year, I have

many members talking to me about retaining their top quality talent even more this year. As we all know, it is getting harder and harder to keep our good employees, and because of a very tight labor market, companies are becoming even more creative on how they can empower their employees and build even more loyalty. One of the greatest tactics being used is developing employees through local professional and leadership development opportunities. This is one of the critical niches of the Chamber.

We have made significant investments in our advancement opportunities for professional and leadership growth. We know that we need to offer solid opportunities for your team members to gain tactical, practical business and leadership skills. We also know that we must provide these services in a very professional manner, taught by some of the best national, regional and local experts, yet still make it affordable for businesses to engage.

The opportunities we have created are expansive yet very focused on key audiences. In this publication, you will learn about the expansion of our Leadership Fox Cities program to include a traditional, executive and youth program. The traditional program has a long history of graduating 35-40 business leaders each year. This allows them to become more familiar with the community, while creating a strong external network, and gaining strong leadership skills that they can use in their day-to-day activities. The executive leadership program was recently added based on a need for CEOs and top level management to engage with others at that level, learn about the community

and create a network. To accommodate busy executives’ schedules, the executive leadership program is held after work hours in a condensed timeframe, including a guest, spouse or partner, which adds a very different dynamic to the conversations. Finally, the youth program is focusing on increasing the awareness of the assets we have in this community for high school students and developing their “soft skills” leadership traits.

Another successful program that has been developed and is gaining tremendous momentum is our Cultivate business growth series. This was developed out of a demand for giving business leaders tactical and practical tips that can be implemented in all types and sizes of businesses. This very intense half-day leadership series highlights a national or regional speaker along with more than 15 breakout sessions taught by local business experts. More than 150 business leaders attended our last session and highly rated the vast knowledge presented through Cultivate.

Finally, some of the very best professional and leadership growth happens not in a program setting but within the interactions that occur throughout our volunteer committees, networking opportunities and other programming. I would highly recommend that you take advantage of these vast opportunities, find one that fits your needs. Develop your team utilizing the programming of your chamber, and leverage your membership and this

We know that we need to offer solid opportunities for your team members to gain tactical, practical business and leadership skills.

Publisher Shannon Meyer Full

Editor Melody Lane Buller

Design Coalesce, Inc.

Photography Craig Augustine

Printing JP Graphics Inc.

Advertising Sales Dawn Nowakowski, 920-734-7101

president’s perspective


organization to its fullest extent.I am extremely passionate about developing my

own team as well, and am constantly looking for new opportunities to do this, so I welcome your suggestions. What have you attended or sent your team to lately that has been beneficial? Do you have ideas on topics or speakers that could help us grow and strengthen our offerings? Would you like to help us as we continue to develop our programs? Please let me know your suggestions. After all, the stronger we all are, the better we are as individual businesses and as an entire community.

Shannon Meyer FullPresident/CEO

The Art of Wow: Driving Extreme Client Loyalty

Information & Registration at www.CultivateEvent.com

March 20, 2014 7:30 am - 1:00 pm

Holiday Inn Neenah Riverwalk

Discover how to spot key opportunities to deliver WOW experiences and turn clients into raving fans.

Keynote Speaker:

Rona Gilbert, Director of Janus Labs

• Technology’s Influence on Traditional Media and Advertising

• Get Your Head Around It: A Course in Critical Thinking

• Successful Trade Show Strategies

• Achieving Dreams/Avoiding Regrets

Session 2

• Integrating Values Into Everyday Business

• The Current Reality of Social Media Marketing

• Affordable Care Act and Your Business

• Failed Email and a Fresh Perspective

Session 3

• Creating a WOW Employee Benefit Program

• Networking Like a Rock Star

• Game Theory

• Grassroots Marketing: Making your dollars count

Session 1

Leadership Fox Cities Government

Media Day

Networking at the Economic Outlook

Breakfast

Fall 2013 Cultivate Business Growth Series


As our economy, workforce demographics and career opportunities continue to evolve, investing in your own professional development is now more important than ever.

“In today’s competitive climate, organizations are under constant pressure to increase outcomes with the same or fewer resources,” says Dale Walker, Director of Business and Industry Services at Fox Valley Technical College. “Through the wise investment in the skills of their employees, organizations can leverage technology and improve processes that contribute to meeting organizational objectives.”

Consider the many benefits and I think you’ll agree – active participation in conferences, training sessions, seminars and programs is the key to developing your personal and professional self.

Stay Relevant in Your Profession

Professional development can also lead to job security. “Complacency of any sort in the business arena leads to a loss of relevance,” says John Swartz, with the Construction Productions Group for Miller Electric Manufacturing Company. “Unfortunately, when you become

irrelevant, you also become replaceable. Professional development needs to be an ongoing process to ensure that the skills and insight brought to the table are valuable and continue to be relevant.”

In the last decade, the way we consume information has shifted drastically, forcing organizations to evaluate how they do business and how to assess current trends in order to stay competitive in their markets.

Attending professional development events offer opportunities to hear from the best innovators, and learn best practices from your colleagues and competitors.

ProfessionalDevelopment

By Kristin Sewall

Many Benefits

of

the


Perfect Your Communication Skills

Active participation in professional development events is an opportunity to get comfortable and gain confidence talking about your company’s attributes or your professional objectives to other event goers. Perfecting this skill will help others to easily and quickly understand your profession or business.

The flip side of that is learning to actively listen to colleagues discuss their organization’s objectives. This is an equally important and learned communication skill.

Build Professional Relationships

Development programs are the ideal environments to create a network of colleagues you can turn to for collaboration. One way the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry helps facilitate this is through Leadership Fox Cities.

“Leadership Fox Cities gives participants a chance to continue discussions outside of the course,” says Sandy Drexler, a graduate of the Fox Cities Chamber Leadership Fox Cities program and Vice President of Resource

Development at United Way Fox Cities. “Three years later, my small team and I still meet and recount our experience.”

Maintaining those professional relationships not only makes it easy to pick up the phone when you need quick advice on how to put out a proverbial fire, but celebrating success is more gratifying when shared with colleagues.

Generate New Ideas

One of the best ways to get a fresh perspective on your career is to step out of your day-to-day routine and immerse yourself in an environment completely out of your comfort zone. The direct benefit to your organization and yourself is returning with ideas and solutions to current problems, as well as justification for strategies your organization currently employs.

Create Your Professional Development Plan

In order to accomplish your professional development goals, it’s important to have an action plan. One idea is to become a speaker at an upcoming conference, or one of the panelists at the next panel discussion.

Here are some other ideas that you can implement in your own plan:

• Identify opportunities in our community to get involved in professional activities

• Volunteer on a committee that plans conferences or creates programs

• Share your knowledge freely by contributing to professional blogs in your community or starting your own

• Join a professional association in the area and make some new connections

• Nominate your business or organization for awards and recognition

Playing an active role in your personal and professional development is about using what you are learning to better yourself and make a positive impact on your peers, your colleagues and your community. Now get out there and learn something!

“Professional development events

that promote networking, best practice sharing and hands-

on application of the content being taught are invaluable.”

– Dale Walker, Director of Business and

Industry Services at Fox Valley Technical College

“Investing in professional

development means that our staff will be poised to

deal effectively with whatever they encounter.” – Sandy Drexler,

United Way Fox Cities and graduate of the Leadership

Fox Cities program


Leadership Fox Cities: Traditional ProgramsThese programs of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce provide a hands-on approach to leadership and professional development. Participants gain insight into the interconnectivity of various business and services in the community. They also work in small groups to define, plan and carry out a community service project. www.foxcitieschamber.com

Leadership Fox Cities: Executive ProgramThis program of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce provides newly recruited or relocated C-suite and VP level executives and their spouse or guest a platform to build relationships with other participants, learn about the community’s arts and cultural offerings, and engage in volunteer opportunities. www.foxcitieschamber.com

Cultivate Business Growth SeriesCultivate is a professional development event that brings you a topical keynote speaker followed by 3 breakout sessions with 4 speaker opportunities in each session that offer attendees practical, tactical tips they can implement into their business immediately. www.CultivateEvent.com

E-Seed ProgramE-seed™, an entrepreneurship training series offered through the Fox Valley Technical College, assists start-up, early-stage entrepreneurs and experienced small business owners in developing management and planning tools for their ventures. Participants develop a business plan through completion of weekly activities and business planning templates. www.fvtc.edu

Fox Cities Workforce Development CenterFox Cities Workforce Development Center is for individuals looking to start a new career or get back into the workforce. The center offers professional development events and employment resources for those looking to start a career or get back into the workforce. www.foxcitiesworks.com

Fox Valley Chapter Society for Human Resource Management (FVSCHRM)This is a membership organization that holds workshops covering all things workforce, i.e. 401k, unemployment, workplace flexibility, etc. www.fvshrm.org

SCORE: Fox CitiesSCORE is a network of volunteers that provides small business mentoring, local workshops and events to connect small business owners with the resources they need to start, grow and maintain their businesses. www.foxcities.score.org

THINC! Technology and Human Innovation Networking ConferenceThis annual event is ideas told in bursts of insight. Enjoy a light breakfast at the EAA, then hear four thought leaders share provocative “THINC! Talks” designed to light the innovative spark and build a groundswell for a more risk-taking culture in the New North. www.thinkinnovationevent.com

The New North SummitThis annual event brings together leaders from around the region and state to connect with network contacts, share economic development updates and more. www.thenewnorth.com

Northeastern Wisconsin Association of IT Professionals (NEW AITP) A membership organization specializing in new technologies, solutions for existing IT challenges and opportunities to interact with other area IT professionals. They hold monthly educational meetings, networking events and more. www.new.aitp.org/new-aitp

Check out some of

these great events and resources to help you get started on the

path to professional and personal success.


Defining Leadership Fox CitiesThe Leadership Fox Cities

programs are community driven leadership programs. They appeal to both long-time residents who want a deeper connection to their community and newcomers who want to connect with their new hometown.

These programs provide a very unique hands-on approach to Leadership and professional development. They are not designed to give “sit and get” types of instruction, but rather an opportunity to put the things they learn into practice immediately.

During the year, participants work in small groups to define, plan and carry out a community service project. They learn how to get involved in the organizations that match their

own passions. These projects not only benefit the community at large, but they teach the participants how to identify team members’ strengths and how to work effectively as a team.

Leadership Fox Cities graduates excel in their careers; they sit in the seats of city government and county boards, making budget decisions that pit the needs of the underserved with requests to fund the arts and other quality of life programs. They trek the trails at local nature centers while weighing the cost of conservation against investing in economic development. They take a deep dive into health and wellness from a community perspective and how the current issues affect us as a community. As a result they are able to see the big picture and base their everyday

decisions on that broader, community-focused knowledge base.

Learning the skills that we teach through this program help the participant to search for answers to challenges in a broader way, thus helping the organizations in which they work as well as enhancing the community.

Joy Kapheim, Leadership Fox Cities Program Director

“Leadership Fox Cities helped me to create a much stronger network of business professionals from outside my industry that I would never have been exposed to otherwise. This to me is the intangible benefit.” — John Swartz, Construction Productions Group, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company.

leadership


The Competitive Workforce Alliance is a collaborative

group of leaders from secondary education, post-secondary

education, business and industry who understand the need to

address the workforce shortage we face as a region. They have

identified challenges in the private sector, the K-12 system,

the post-secondary arena, and are implementing strategic

solutions to improve our approach to talent development,

attraction and retention.

The Alliance is providing local labor market information

and trends to students and educators through two avenues.

We begin with the Fox Cities 8th Grade Career Fair where

2,700 local 8th graders are inspired by more than 100

professionals through conversation and hands-on activities.

As students transition to high school they have access to

our work-based learning web-site “Connect a Career.” Connect

a Career is a data driven web-based resource that streamlines

the process of connecting business and education. The

primary goal of the Connect a Career website is to facilitate

student discovery and exploration of work-based learning

activities, such as, but not limited to, job shadows, mentoring,

internships and youth apprenticeships.

The Competitive Workforce Alliance’s technology partner

Jeff Lang, Solutions Group Managing Director at OMNI

Resources, says, “This website allows students entrance to

exciting career options available right here in the valley.

Students at the

8th grade career

fair were very

surprised by

the cool ‘careers

behind the

$0.99 App’ that

our company

offers.”

The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce will host 2,700 students from 18 schools at the Fox Cities 8th grade Career Fair on Wednesday, April 8 at Players Choice, 3035 Edgewood Trail (Cty Road JJ), Appleton. More than 100 adult volunteers representing 55 different business disciplines will present to students.

The Competitive Workforce Alliance works closely with schools to ensure that this is a valuable experience for both students and presenters. Students take a career assessment to help determine three career clusters they will visit.

Volunteers from business and industry will staff 54 booths in 16 different “career clusters.” They’ll explain their roles, including required education and the necessary communication skills needed to interact with coworkers. Presenters offer a short interactive activity or display. This experience helps inspire students to choose appropriate high school courses for their future careers.

Cluster areas include: Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, A/V Technology and Communications; Business, Management and Administration; Education and Training; Finance, Government and Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety and Security; Manufacturing; Marketing; Sales and Service; Science; Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; and Transportation, Distribution and Logistics.

For more information, or to see how you can be part of this event next year, please contact Patty Milka at the Fox Cities Chamber by calling (920) 734-7101 or via email at [email protected].

Developing Our Future Workforce

Engaging Students to Their Future at the 8th Annual 8th Grader Career Fair

Patty Milka, Director of Workforce DevelopmentFox Cities Chamber of Commerce

left to right: Andy Preissner, A to Z Machine Company, Inc., Jeff Lang, OMNI Resources

Career Fair 2013 Career Fair 2013

education


CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates received a

$1,700 grant for the advocate volunteer training. CASA works in partnership with the Outagamie County court system and Department of Health and Human Services to ensure at risk children are placed in a safe and permanent home. Local judges appoint the volunteers after completing the 40 hours of training to advocate for abused or neglected children. The volunteers commit to an 18-month period and help build community bonds between business sectors, neighborhoods and socioeconomic classes.

Octoberfest Grants Awarded January 2014

FOX VALLEY SYMPHONY: FVS along with the new Voices (formerly White Heron Chorale) received a $4,000 grant to bring Carmina Burana to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on May 3, 2014. They will also be pairing with the Lawrence Academy Girl Choir, which will be bringing more than 200 local musicians together for the performance. This improves the Fox Cities because the vast majority of the 71 members are musicians who reside in the Fox Valley Region. New Voices develops creative, collaborative programming that expands beyond traditional forms. They also create a sense of social connection and joyous exchange by working with other regional organizations and non-pro� ts. This helps the Fox Valley area because major corporations tout the region’s strong arts and cultural community when they recruit talent.

HECKRODT WETLAND RESERVE: Received a $1,000 grant for their mission to preserve and educate people on the importance of conserving the natural resources

while promoting the reserve’s many recreation opportunities. The grant will be used for their free summer series called “Nature Friends till Summers End.” The series is designed to get families outdoors and experience nature to learn that preserving and protecting the environment is important but is hampered by lack of public awareness. The free programs offered this summer with funding from grant sources will help create more awareness among community members. The Octoberfest logo will appear on all printed materials and they will publically thank program supporters via Facebook and include a link on our website.

VSA WISCONSIN: VSA Wisconsin uses the arts to expand the capabilities, con� dence and quality of life for people with disabilities. The VSA Choir received a grant of $600 to support their music program. Participating choir members develop increased self-esteem and improved music skills that will stay with them throughout their lives. Individuals with disabilities and those in need of intervening services are considered an underserved population in Wisconsin. The grant will support the choir for a year, which impacts nearly 30 individuals with disabilities. They have 2 performances scheduled for 2014, which will have people from around the Fox Cities in attendance. There is an active and enthusiastic community involvement with support of many volunteers that help with choir performances, rehearsals and photography.

octoberfest

920.996.0000 4211 N. Lightning Dr., Appleton, WI www.epiphanylaw.com

Epiphany Law Welcomes Attorney Daniel Hurst

Epiphany Law is pleased to add Attorney Daniel Hurst. Dan comes to Epiphany with 20 years of experience. He will lead the firm’s litigation practice, representing businesses and individuals who must resort to the courts to enforce or defend their legal rights.

Dan currently resides in De Pere with his wife and three daughters. He has been recognized by Wisconsin Super Lawyers as one of the top lawyers in Wisconsin.


compliance, employee training, disaster preparedness, marketing, international trade, intellectual property protection and much more. Tools for Business Success can be found under the “Business Resources” menu tab on the Regional Partnership home page.

Under the same menu tab, the user will find a reference to “Benchmark Your Business.” This page is a recent addition to the website, and should prove valuable to our local business base. This program will allow a local business to compare itself to industry competitors regionally, state-wide and nationally. Points of comparison include revenues, salaries, competitive effectiveness, revenue per capita, turnover rates and employee count.

Should you wish to assess your advertising program, the “Benchmark Your Business” page stands ready to assist—using GIS data to recommend the best places to target your next campaign.

Yet another function of this particular web page provides businesses with competitive intelligence—providing the ability to plot a company’s competitors, suppliers and customers using heat map technology. Finally, the user can construct a demographic profile report to better understand the population that lives and works in the area.

The Fox Cities Regional Partnership exists for the purpose of strengthening the local economy by supporting the retention, expansion and attraction of quality primary jobs. We believe that our website should, and in fact does reflect that mission—with extensive community data for use by site selectors in evaluating the appropriateness of the Fox Cities for new business; as well as housing a wealth of useful information for our existing companies as they look to become more competitive and successful.

We invite you to take a look yourself, at www.foxcitiesregionalpartnership.com.

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of a state-of-the–art website to an effective economic development program. Whereas the process of promoting primary job creation within a given community remains largely a relationship business, there is no denying that the advent of online resources began changing site selection nearly two decades ago.

Prior to widespread use of the internet, community information, labor data and the like was transmitted largely by what we irreverently refer to today as “snail mail.” Later, leading edge organizations employed fax machines to respond to requests for the types of information critical to the site selection process. Today, any economic development organization that expects to successfully compete for jobs without a quality web presence is delusional. The reality is that communities are now routinely critiqued on the basis of what they make available on their websites, and either qualified or disqualified for further consideration without knowing that they have been considered for an employment project.

The Fox Cities Regional Partnership launched its website last summer. Built by a firm that specializes in constructing websites for economic development groups, our target audience is site selection consultants—those professionals who work with employers seeking to find the best possible location for their industry expansion or relocation project.

The site includes a sophisticated GIS-enabled property search element that allows the user to search for an available building or parcel of industrial ground by size, type or location. Once a user focuses on such a site, they can construct a detailed demographic report for the surrounding area—at a radius of their choosing, measured either by miles or by commute time. In addition, the user can generate wage and salary data on 200 occupations locally, a consumer expenditure report, a local housing profile, and a business census that details all businesses by name and by type within the selected radius.

While all of this would seem to support the notion that the Regional Partnership’s website is solely directed at the attraction of new companies to our area, the fact is that there are functions on the site that are specifically targeted at our existing companies—large and small, regardless of type.

One such resource is a page entitled “Tools for Business Success,” a literal smorgasbord of valuable information on best practices for all businesses—whether they happen to be in retail, finance, construction, manufacturing or service. A small sampling of the types of information available on this web page include search engine optimization, business formation and planning, location and tax incentives, government

Larry Burkhardt, CEcDExecutive Vice President

Fox Cities Regional Partnership

Website Allows for Self-Directed Business Assistance

economic development


The Northeast Wisconsin Chambers Coalition (NEWCC) is comprised of five chambers that collectively represent more than 5,000 businesses, employing more than 300,000 Wisconsin taxpayers. This legislative agenda outlines NEWCC’s priorities and initiatives for attracting and retaining employers, thus setting a course for Wisconsin’s economic prosperity for all residents.

Listed below are some of the NEWCC legislative initiatives for the current year. You can find the agenda in its entirety at www.foxcitieschamber.com.

Workforce Development A world-class educational and

workforce development system is essential to compete in the global economy. High quality education systems are critical to economic development. Workforce retraining and all types of adult education, graduate and continuing education programs must be strengthened and targeted for those skill sets most in demand by employers.

• Support and improve experiential learning for youth in the workplace internships, apprenticeships, cooperative learning, senior year job experiences, company mentoring, in-plant charter schools and other types of applied learning programs

• Support a statewide program to recruit and retain skilled/talented employees to Wisconsin

• Use data to identify sectors of greatest need and enhance occupational information available to students

• Support workforce training and other educational programs for incarcerated individuals so they have valuable job skills upon their release, i.e. Advance Manufacturing Mobile lab, a self-contained training lab used to deliver curriculum in manufacturing, a sector that is in high demand.

Human Resources Wisconsin employment regulations

often times go above and beyond the legal requirements of the federal government. This places an onerous burden on employers, who must comply with two sets of differing regulations, adding to the cost of doing business and increasing regulatory complexity.

• Support efforts to achieve Workers Compensation claim payouts that are commensurate with similar group health insurance claim payouts

• Support efforts to align Wisconsin’s wage and hour reporting requirements with federal law, so that Wisconsin companies are not required to report the hours of salaried employees

• Reform Wisconsin’s Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to align with the federal standards

Government Regulation Although a number of

advancements were made to streamline and reform the rulemaking process in previous legislative sessions, more must be done to address the multiple layers of government regulation which intrude on the success of businesses.

• Align Wisconsin employment and environmental regulations with corresponding federal requirements to eliminate the additional cost and complexity of complying with overlapping regulations (examples of this would include FMLA laws, wage and hour laws and phosphorus mitigation standards)

• Support streamlining the permitting process through the increased use of general permits and expanding permitting exemptions for small facilities

Taxation Wisconsin is consistently ranked

in the top ten highest taxed states. Higher property and income taxes have increased the cost of doing business and reduced the buying power of Wisconsin

families. A taxing system which encourages economic development will give Wisconsin a competitive edge.

• Eliminate the sales and use tax on aircraft parts and labor

• Fully fund the manufacturers and agricultural tax credit

• Support lowering personal income taxes and corresponding businesses taxes

• Phase out, with the state’s economic growth, the personal property tax. This tax is difficult to administer and costly for companies to comply with.

Economic Development Our economic development

strategies must position Wisconsin in a way that invests in employers who in turn will grow jobs. The State of Wisconsin must provide the appropriate tools for job creation and an expedited permitting process.

• Increase the funding allotted to the state-leveraged venture capital fund to make Wisconsin competitive with other state venture capital programs

• Support TID legislation, which would allow municipalities to require the Department of Revenue to re-determine the tax incremental base of a TID that is in a decrement situation to close poorly functioning TIDs early

• Support the acceleration of the pace of technology transfer from Wisconsin’s public and private universities to harness the economic benefits of academic research and development, and transform that research into useful patents and start-up companies

Transportation A strong transportation

infrastructure is crucial to our economic prosperity and quality of life, including roads, rails, ports and airports. Yet our system faces growing challenges such as increased usage, inadequate federal funding and the past diversion of state funding. Properly funding maintenance and

2014 Legislative Initiatives Set

advocacy


repair for our state and local transportation infrastructure must always remain a high priority. Businesses depend on multi-modal transportation to move goods to domestic and foreign markets at a reasonable expense. A degraded transportation network results in higher transportation costs and a competitive disadvantage.

• Fully fund our state’s transportation infrastructure needs

• Support funding for upgrades to the interchanges at highways 41 and 441 and highways 41 and 10

• Support funding for the southern bridge corridor to connect highway 172 with highway 41 with interchange access to US 41

• Support the completion of the US 41 to Interstate 41 conversion, including the grandfathering of the weight limitation

We are working on a new program that will share insights on how you can become more actively engaged in the political process: Political campaigns – how to help, how to finance, how to manage, how to be a candidate. The program will include conversations surrounding the importance of personal involvement, basic skills required, the political complexity of the area, ethics and conflict resolution, media relations, creating campaign strategies, the how’s and why’s of raising money, and more.

Potential program participants would include individuals interested in learning more about the politics of the area, discovering how to manage a campaign, the in and outs of funding a run for public office, developing platform issues, becoming a more viable candidate, media relations, and more. Whether your interests lie in being a candidate, or working behind

the scenes to elect a candidate, the insights gained will be invaluable. The program will be open to all interested individuals regardless of political persuasion.

We been working with the Great Lakes Metro Chamber Coalition for some time in an effort to secure a number of meaningful updates to the Water Resources Development Act. Unfortunately, lawmakers were unable to settle the differences between the House and Senate updates before the holidays. One unresolved issue is the difference between the bills’ treatment of project selection – whose projects get done and in what order. The Conference Committee is expected to reconvene later this month and will hopefully put together a conference report so that attention can turn to highway funding. We have been following up with Great Lakes legislators to remind them how important this legislation is to our region.

Fox Cities Chamber Advocacy initiatives:

3001 East Venture DriveAppleton, WI 54911

Phone 920-733-4483Fax 920-733-1700

www.jpinc.com

Printing ... as Promised

Did we catch your eye?


Mission Investment: Giving back to the community has tangible benefits!

community spotlight

There are more than 700 non-profits in the Fox Valley area, all of them under the constant pressure of raising enough funds to provide the quality services and programs that residents in our community have come to expect. Even during the best of times organizations are perpetually struggling to stay afloat, but what would happen if non-profits were given the chance to replace tight margins and work with unrestricted capital? Staff could then divert time and resources from chasing funds to growing their programs and services, leading to a more responsive and efficient organization.

This fundraising challenge is all too familiar to The Building for Kids Children’s Museum. “Our community has kept a close eye on our recent struggles, but we have worked hard this past year to refocus on the customer’s experience,” says Executive Director Bobbie Schmidt. “We addressed patron concerns, exhibit repairs and additional training for front-line staff, and our board took a hard look at finances to make sure we are being fiscally responsible. We are ready to grow our programs and services to serve the maximum number of children that we can, but we need partners within the Fox Valley to make that financial commitment to reinvest in our children’s education.”

In January, The Building for Kids unveiled Everybody Play, an all-inclusive play exhibit featuring internationally-recognized Snug Play equipment.

This exhibit encourages parents and children to play together practicing their physical and problem-solving skills, while developing their skills in communication and cooperation. “In an age where computers and electronic gadgets dominate our time, it is important that we interact

by Carey Behnke

with our children and take an active role in their education,” says Schmidt.

The in-house exhibit would not have been possible without the generous support of Jewelers Mutual Insurance who stepped up to provide the initial donation to purchase the equipment. This gift and the support of the Community Foundation and the Wisconsin Chapter of King’s Daughters and Sons enabled The Building For Kids to re-establish Spectrum Saturdays, an outreach program that is held the third Saturday of each month for children on the autism spectrum.

“We expected about 30 parents and children to come to our first event, but we’re delighted when more than 85 parents and children showed up to play,” says Schmidt. “Because of the success of this program, our education committee is looking to expand our services to include other underserved populations.” Future events could include days that focus on different cultures, people who speak English as a second language, and other handicaps or accessibilities.

The Building for Kids is looking for investors who believe in the mission of building children’s imagination, creativity and confidence through play. For more information on how to support the Building For Kids, contact Development Manager Carey Behnke at 920-734-3226 ext. 22 or [email protected].

Have a story to share that highlights social collaboration? Contact Kristin Sewall at [email protected] for details on how it can be a featured “Community Spotlight” in the June issue of Fox Cities Business.

Fox Cities Chamber Business | MARCH 2014 15www.craigaugustinephoto.com . 920.810.2616

Craig

lifestyle . corporate . conceptual . product . industrial . architectural


Google “success” and you’ll be inundated with insights and stories shared by scholars, business legends, experts and entrepreneur rock stars about success and how to achieve it. Although different in experience, perspective and enterprise, common fundamentals in these success stories emerge. Consider these common fundamentals as you navigate the path to success: define what it means to you, articulate your vision, execute your plan, take time to celebrate and extend gratitude.1. Define it. Search the web for a literal

definition of success and you will find a familiar definition: “achievement of intention: the achievement of something planned or attempted.” Determining your own success is a huge first step, which may even require some soul searching. Don’t be afraid to rely on insight from those who have been there. This is an elegant aspect of success, the opportunity to define what it personally means to you. Think about a specific project, strategy or business you are working on. What are you and

your team’s intentions? How have you defined success?

2. Create and articulate your vision. As you know, the path to success is often times more grind than glamour. A clearly articulated vision will be the source of strength and encouragement to buoy your spirits and boost your confidence when the path is challenging, while keeping you grounded and focused when the path is smooth.

3. Develop a plan. Successful American composer, conductor and author, Leonard Bernstein once said, “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” I couldn’t agree more; Bernstein encapsulates this essential component of success. In the end, it’s not the plan that determines success, rather it is the process you go through to develop your plan that will enable your success. This step forces you to look at the big picture, consider key questions, allocate resources and identify metrics. The plan becomes a tool for communication and a guidepost to benchmark progress.

4. Recognize and celebrate success when you manifest it. Reach out during the journey and certainly when you realize your definition of success and extend gratitude to all those who helped you along the way. Taking the time to acknowledge your team’s contributions is an important final step. Rarely is success realized because of our individual efforts. More often than not, behind a successful person, project or business is a team of talent whose combined ideas, know-how, skill and hard work helped achieve success.

Turns out the secret to success isn’t a secret at all. Like most things in life, adhering to simple fundamentals is the key.

Amy PietschDirector, Fox Valley Technical College Venture Center

4Fundamentals of Success

featured column


Michelle Richard, PresidentCause & Effect LLC

When is the last time you asked yourself the following questions: “What are my strengths? What am I really good at? How can I get more of this at work?”

Understanding your strengths is a key to job satisfaction. However, often times our natural talents go untapped.

A Different ApproachFrom a young age, we’re taught

to be hyperaware of our faults. As children, teachers corrected our papers using bright red pens. During a work performance review, a well-meaning boss zeroes in on our weaknesses. As a result, professional development and training programs tend to focus on these infamous “areas for improvement.”

A bestselling book called Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath turns this notion on its head. The author believes that the best way to get ahead in your career and be satisfied in your job is to focus on developing your strengths. No matter how hard you try, you really can’t improve your weaknesses. You are wasting time and energy trying to do so. The best thing you can do is discover your strengths and then find a role that allows you to use them.

3 Steps to Start Building a Strengths-Based Culture

Strengths often go underutilized in an organization simply because we

Developing a Strengths-Based Company Culture

are not fully conscious of them. The following outlines three key steps to becoming more aware of your team’s strengths: 1. Buy the Strengths Finder 2.0* book

and take the 20-minute online assessment. Inside the book, you will find an “access key” that enables you to take the online assessment that will identify your top five “Strength Themes” from a list of 34. Examples include: Achiever, Ideation, Maximizer, Responsibility, Positivity, Harmony. Evaluate your current job in terms of your strengths.

*Note: Personality assessments are designed to label and categorize which is why I recommend taking several of them. The resulting mosaic is more valuable than just one assessment. Other options include: Myers-Briggs and DISC.

2. Buy a Strengths Finder 2.0 book for each member of your team. (Investment = $15/person). If you’re committed to developing a strengths-based company culture, have your entire team take the test.

3. Combine results into a matrix & review with the team. Encourage discussion about areas in which each person excels and what they bring to the team. This exercise will enable team members to get to know one

another better. You will learn how you can all work best to get the job done.

From here, you can start incorporating strengths-based strategies into your organization. This may include things like how you approach performance reviews to how you talk to prospective customers about the benefits of working with your team. You can even use this as a basis for recruiting new team members with strengths that may be missing from your organization.

Bottom LineIn the end, when an entire team

of people is operating out of their strengths, they will feel happier, be more productive and accomplish great things.

featured column


Finding ways to work efficiently versus quickly is the key factor in many businesses’ successes, no matter the size. Efficiency has a hand in the tools we choose to use, from lean principles to basic organization. It’s the tools that are the fun part!

Let’s explore some hot trends with online technology that play a part in making you more efficient and therefore more successful:

• Google Business Apps — Google has set up an arsenal of online tools from email management to company cloud storage to video conferencing. For a small monthly fee per user, you can expand, control and organize your internal communication companywide. And the best part? You can access your data from any internet enabled device (desktop, tablet, smartphone, etc.). No more excuses when you don’t have a document, contract, meeting minutes or an important email to reference. If taking this leap seems a little too daring for you then consider alternatives to cloud storage (storing documents online

that you can retrieve from internet enabled devices). Alternatives include Dropbox, Microsoft’s SkyDrive, or Amazon Cloud.

• iCloud — Your iPad dings. Then an alert pings on your Macbook. And finally your iPhone notifies you of a text message. Integrated communication is now. iCloud is just one form of data storage that syncs up all iOS devices. iCloud gives users the ability to sync music, photos and any other files across devices that you enable with a singular iCloud account.

• DocuSign — Going paperless is one of the fastest growing trends for various industries from real estate to business services to the mom and pop establishments. If this concept intrigues you, consider an application like DocuSign. DocuSign is a provider of cloud-based electronic signature technology (meaning you can sign with your finger!) that facilitates exchanges of contracts, tax documents and legal materials. As its website states, “DocuSign accepts Word, Excel, PDF and many other file formats. Grab documents from your hard drive,

Consider these Online Tools for Business Efficiency

Amanda Betts Marketing DirectorStellar Blue Technologies

popular sites like Box, DropBox, Google Docs and Salesforce, or choose a DocuSign template.” Meaning you can have clients sign contracts on your tablet. Then send your office and theirs an electronic copy for record keeping and go on with your day! No paper, no hassle!

The above are just three examples of how online tools have allowed businesses and organizations to explore new media to increase efficiency, productivity and communication. Now the question that remains is, which tool do you plan on exploring?

featured column


Airport


When we look at social media marketing in general, there is always one platform that jumps into our minds – Facebook. The landscape of Facebook marketing, however, is changing. We as businesses need to be aware of the trends, results and strategies that go into our efforts. Take a step back and look at your overall social media marketing efforts.

Here’s the reality: when Facebook was a growing social media platform that was privately held, it was relatively easy to start a page, interact with customers and grow a following. Ever since their company has gone public, they have taken gradual steps towards driving more revenue to please their shareholders. Slowly but surely they have made it harder and harder to have a business presence on Facebook without paying by adjusting the algorithms they have in place that determine what you see when you log in to Facebook.

For instance, a year-or-so ago the industry was batting around 15-20 percent as the number of fans that

Brad CebulskiOwner – BConnected, LLC

actually saw your content when you posted it, which had declined from a year earlier. The latest study to be done (courtesy of EdgeRank Checker) shows that the number has dropped to 12.6 percent on average. Facebook has come out and made a couple things clear:

“We expect organic distribution of an individual page’s posts to gradually decline over time as we continually work to make sure people have a meaningful experience on the site.” (Organic meaning “not sponsored”) and “We’re getting to a place where because more people are sharing more things, the best way to get your stuff seen if you’re a business is to pay for it.” (Courtesy of AdAge, Yahoo Business, sales deck from Facebook for partners)

This is a fancy way for Facebook to say, we are going to make you pay us more money.

This means the average user is seeing less of a pages’ content. However, with more and more people actually using Facebook, we shouldn’t consider dropping Facebook marketing. Instead, take a strategic approach that accounts for Facebook marketing advertising

The Current State of Facebook Marketing

Facebook Facts:

dollars. By promoting your content and keeping it engaging, you are still getting the same effect, but it is much easier to see results. You still want to be where the fish are, and the fish are still swimming in the Facebook pond.

Keeping a well-rounded approach to social media marketing is essential. Staying connected with customers and prospective customers through social media channels is more valuable than ever. By staying on top of platform changes and keeping your strategy current, you’ll continue to stay ahead of the game.

Facebook turned 10 on February 4, 2014.

1,310,000,000 = Total number of monthly active Facebook users (Facebook, Jan. 2014)

22% = Increase in Facebook users from 2012 to 2013 (Facebook, Jan. 2014)

57% = All adults who use Facebook (Pew Research Center, Feb. 2014)

38% = Facebook users who have purchased something after sharing it on the site. (Vision Critical, June 2013)

100% = Business decision-makers who use social media for work purposes (Forrester Research Inc., Q1 2013)

featured column


Knowledge is an advantage, and the Internet makes it possible to know all about your industry, so there’s no excuse to say, “I don’t know.” Unfortunately, most online content is crap. It’s superficial, redundant and leaves you wanting more. How do you make time to sift through the web to find good content, let alone consume and apply it?

At Optimal, we spend 10-20 percent of our time honing our skills by reading articles, watching how-to videos, summarizing our findings and sharing them internally.

Here’s how we do it:1. We subscribe to authoritative

blogs with Feedly. Recent articles are instantly added to our reading queue. Some of our favorites are Moz, Copyblogger, SearchEngineWatch, and A List Apart.

2. We let social media work for us. We find and follow authorities on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. They find and curate useful articles for us.

3. When we find useful articles online, we save them for later reading in the

Erik KielischContent Strategist, Optimal Digital Marketing

Pocket app. Then we open the app on our tablets or phones when we have more time and read through them.

4. We save useful PDF guides to a shared Dropbox folder.

5. If an article is useful, we save it in a shared notebook in Evernote, so we can all read our latest finds.

6. And if we find a great video on YouTube, we add it to our Plex (like Pocket for video) account to watch later and share with each other.

But to truly develop yourself, you have to do more than just consume content. You have to create it, and nothing helps you learn like teaching others.

Instead of writing a lot of superficial articles, write a few authoritative ones on topics you want to be known for. People are getting skilled at recognizing and ignoring fluffy articles. Content marketing is only effective if you have something truly useful to say. Done right, content enriches readers, establishes your expertise and leads to new business. For example, one of my blog posts led to thousands of dollars in new business,

and one of our founder’s how-to videos on YouTube has over 12,000 views.

To help you create useful content, ask yourself two questions: “Does it solve a real issue?” and “Would I read it and reference it?” If so, then go for it. If not, then try a different idea.

The best places to share your expertise are on your company’s blog, through your social media, on YouTube and in webinars. If you think you don’t have anything to teach others, think again. You probably have experiences and expertise that would help others.

Now let’s learn, teach and repeat.

How to Find, Use and Create Useful Content

Some of our other favorite resources include: awwwards.com (design ideas)unbounce.com (conversions)whichtestwon.com (A/B case studies)

smashingmagazine.com (design, UX)Elements of Style (writing book)Don’t Make Me Think (UX book)Getting Stuff Done (productivity book)

featured column


Our people

KNOW BUSINESS.That’s why they’re our people.

There’s a difference between bankers who “do” business banking and bankers who know business. At First Business we’ve built a team whose expertise extends to specific types of businesses and the unique challenges they face. We know why businesses succeed—and what makes them fail. What we’ve learned working with hundreds of successful businesses can help your business thrive. Call us today.

Member FDIC www.firstbusiness.comFox Cities: 920-734-1800Oshkosh: 920-231-2400Green Bay: 920-435-5442

Commercial Lending : Treasury Management : Equipment Finance : Specialized Lending : Trust & Investments : Private Banking

(L-R) Mickey Noone, PresidentTim McKeag, Vice PresidentFirst Business Bank - Northeast


The American Club ResortSherry Wolff419 Highland DriveKohler, WI 53044-1514(920) 912-7125americanclubresort.comRESORT & CONFERENCE CENTER

American Heart AssociationAnnie Bongiorno2850 Dairy Drive, Suite 300Madison, WI 53718-6742(920) 265-8578heart.orgNON-PROFIT AGENCY

Anything Media GroupJoshua Murphy2337 Jackson Street, Suite AOshkosh, WI 54901-1809(920) 968-7759anythingmediagroup.comMEDIA COMPANY

Gather Americana RestaurantJohn Chastain213 S. Nicolet RoadAppleton, WI 54914-3938(920) 327-1515RESTAURANTS

Innova TechnologiesJeremiah School2300 Lineville Road, Suite 200Green Bay, Wisconsin 54313(800) 533-1396weareinnova.comTECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS

Insight Creative, Inc.Jim Van Hoff1816 Sal StreetGreen Bay, WI 54302-2114(920) 468-0830insightcreative.comADVERTISING

KJDT, LLC DBA BageliciousKyle Fritz101 E. College AvenueAppleton, WI 54911-5710(920) 380-9097RESTAURANTS

NeuroEconomic ManagementDon Anderson8467 Samuel DriveLarsen, WI 54947-9767(941) 526-7469NeuroEconomicManagement.comCONSULTANT

Perk It Up! CafeChris Sloane4780 Integrity WayAppleton, WI 54913-8464(920) 830-2010RESTAURANTS

Signarama-NeenahSteve Ransbottom1164 Westowne DriveNeenah, WI 54956-2175(920) 727-1100signarama-neenah.comSIGNS

Women’s Care of WisconsinRebekka Smith2501 E. Enterprise Avenue, Suite 200Appleton, WI 54913-7805(920) 729-7105womenscareofwi.comHEALTH CAREPHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

Wons Background Investigations, LLCJim Schwartz 5639 Executive CircleLittle Suamico, WI 54141-9082(920)826-2335wonsbackgroundchecks.comMANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

Zounds of AppletonDon Schroeder3525 E. Calumet Street, Suite 1000Appleton, WI 54915-4167(920) 882-9700zoundshearing.comHEALTH & WELLNESS

new member welcome | november 2013 — january 2014

920-830-1290 cffoxvalley.org

We can help

Move beyond the

MEto strenghthen the

WERemember your

commUNITY.

Give now and for future generations


Frank Pierri, the “Frank” behind Frank’s Pizza Palace, was a second-generation Italian who grew up in Chicago. His father worked in a meat shop in Chicago and made his own sausage. Much of the sausage that Frank’s father made ended up on pizzas that began to grab the attention of American’s following World War II. Frank’s father gave the young Pierri the recipe for sausage, something that he would use in later years. Frank relocated from Chicago in 1955 and Frank’s Pizza Palace was born.

After 45 years of award-winning pizza, his daughter Jeannie Pierri-Brice bought the shop and continued the family tradition. Jeannie continues to carry on traditions that have lasted decades. Tens of thousands of pizzas have been made by local scout troops in quest of their merit badges. These were all given free to the scouts. Nothing sums the effort up more than a comment from a father, “Your dad taught me to make pizza when I was a

Boy Scout, now you’re teaching my ten year old Scout…that’s cool.”

Jeannie has won numerous Golden Fork and People’s Choice awards for the best pizza in the Fox Cities as well as the ADI Business of the Year Award. It’s not just because the pizza is amazing it’s because it’s a great place to work. Jeannie works tirelessly alongside her staff to ensure quality product and a wow experience for her guests.

Frank’s Pizza Palace is part of the fabric of the community, woven into the threads of history with strong values and traditions. Children grow up coming here and as adults bring their families here. This is a timeless tradition of family. “We try to hook them for life,” Pierri-Brice says.

That really says it all. Time honored tradition of excellence in business. She is proud to say one of her sons will be graduating from UNLV with a degree in hospitality management and she is looking forward to a new generation of family in the business.

Frank’s Pizza Palace815 W. College Ave., Appleton, WIwww.frankspizzapalace.com920.734.9131Open daily at 4pm, 7 days a week

business of the month | december 2013

Whether you are still working and accumulating assets, preparing for retirement or experiencing the complexities of a major life change, it is important to enlist the guidance of knowledgeable financial professionals. As an independent wealth management firm with more than 75 years of combined experience, you can trust Paul Hoffman & Company to help simplify your financial life.

Our innovative team approach to financial planning enables us to address a wide range of financial needs and take a holistic view of your unique situation. We provide thoughtful financial insights, honest communication and personal service – the element we

consider essential for building lasting relationships.

Our Advisors are on salary, not commission, so you can rest assured that they have your best interest in mind. Managing over $1 billion in brokerage and advisory assets as of July 1, 2013, our advisors represent a wide range of financial disciplines and assist all clients in response to their specific needs. We work with a broad spectrum of clients across all income and investment levels, and strive to provide exceptional service to each person we serve.

Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, member FINRA/SIPC.

Paul Hoffman & Company1213 N. Superior St.Appleton, WI 54911paulhoffmanandcompany.com920-882-1362

Paul Hoffman & Company

Frank’s Pizza Palace

Pictured left to right: Carlye Pierri, Mrs. Claus, Jeannie Pierri-Brice, Santa Claus, Rachael Pierri, Riley Brice.

business of the month | november 2013


business of the month | january 2014

diamond member honor roll | march – may 2014

The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce relies on its members to continue its work in promoting business interests in the Fox Valley region. Without these committed members, the Chamber would not be able to provide the high quality services it is known for.

Diamond Members are companies that have supported the Chamber and community for more than 40 years. We’d like to express our gratitude to the following Diamond Member businesses for their membership and support to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce.

• Albany International• Amusement Devices, Inc.• Appleton Trophy & Engraving, Inc.

• ARAMARK Uniform Services, Inc.• AT&T• AZCO INC.• Badger Plug Company• Calnin & Goss, Inc.• Christensen & Wisnet, Inc.• Coldwell Banker The Real Estate

Group, Inc.• Crane Engineering Sales, Inc.• Eagle Supply & Plastics, Inc.• Fox Tire Company, Inc.• Fox Valley Truck Service, Inc.• Grant Thornton LLP• Harris & Associates, Inc.• Korth Financial Services• M&I Support Services Corporation• Mechanical Contractors

Association of North Central WI

• Memorial Florists & Greenhouses, Inc.

• Michels Power• Miron Construction Co., Inc.• OMNNI Associates• Pierce Manufacturing, Inc.• Radiology Associates of Appleton,

S.C.• Schroeder Moving Systems, Inc.• The Boldt Company• The News-Record• The Post-Crescent• Thiel Insurance Group, LLC• United Way Fox Cities, Inc.• Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.• Willis of Wisconsin, Inc.• Ziegler Investment Services Group

Cellcom is an innovative wireless company that provides nationwide service for its customer base throughout Wisconsin and Michigan. We work to find a wireless solution that meets customer needs whether it’s in person, by phone or through one of our online resources.

As a Wisconsin-based business, Cellcom is committed to being a strong community partner and serving the neighborhoods where they live and work. The strength of our communities largely impacts Cellcom’s success, and each year we work to support a variety of programs, initiatives and events that have a positive influence in our area. In 2012, Cellcom, along with its parent company Nsight, provided financial and in-kind support to more than 470 programs, projects and initiatives, including a total of $175,295 in labor

and equipment to support the 2012 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and the Community First Fox Cities Marathon.

Another Cellcom community initiative is the Green Gifts Program, which is a cell phone recycling program. Money made through recycling cell phones is donated to green non-profit initiatives. This initiative has generated over $163,000 for local charities. Recipients include: 1000 Islands Environmental Center (Kaukauna), Paine Art Center & Gardens – Education Fund (Oshkosh), Mosquito Hill Nature Center (New London) and Heckrodt Wetland Reserve (Menasha).

Trust your cell service to a company that lives, works and gives back in your community. For more information contact Jeff Arps at [email protected].

Cellcom3428 W. College Ave., Appletonwww.cellcom.com800.236.0055

Cellcom

Tracey Koenig, Executive Director at Heckrodt Wetland Reserve accepts a donation from Jeff Arps, Cellcom Sales Manager from their Green Gifts cell phone recycling program.


Ear Nose and Throat Surgical Associates team at BizBlend

BizBlend

Holiday Business Connection

Regus Ribbon Cutting 2013Live Life Smiling -

Welcome to the Chamber

out and about


Leadership Fox Cities Retreat

Accelerate Your Membership attendees

Leadership Fox Cities Hoop House Group project

Leadership Fox Cities Pac N Cheese Group

Future 15 Award Recipients

Future 15 Awards

Economic Outlook Breakfast


pulse

Presented By:

PREMIER SPONSOR:

PULSE IS A PROGRAM OF:

Fox Cities Chamber of

Commerce and Fox Cities

Regional Partnership

CONTRIBUTING SPONSOR:

EVENT SPONSOR:

AWARD SPONSOR:

Pulse Young Professionals, a program of the Fox Cities Regional Partnership in collaboration with Post-Crescent Media, recently honored the top 15 young professionals.

The Fox Cities is fortunate to have thousands of young professionals who excel in their career and in the community living in the Fox Cities region. These young professionals also have a hand in attracting and retaining young talent to the area.

Future 15 recipients were chosen based on their dedication, strong sense of vision for the Fox Cities, and understanding of the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community. With a 24 percent increase in nominations over last year, it is

clear that our community and our professional peers continue to value the wealth of young professionals in the Fox Cities.

What makes young professionals unique is their passion for finding creative ways to become advocates for their vision. Learning from their mentors, they are developing into exceptional leaders that will help shape the next generation of leaders.

Some advice for the next Future 15 nominees – Find something you are passionate about and get involved!

For more information or to get involved with Pulse Young Professionals Network, please contact Brooke Parish at (920) 734-7101 or [email protected].

LIGHTING SPONSOR:

4th Annual Fox Cities Future 15 Young Professionals Awards a Success


Allison SchmidtU.S. Venture, Inc.

Todd HealyBMO Harris Bank

Monica RicoLawrence University

Melissa Kraemer BadtkeEast Central WI Regional

Planning Commission

Jason HendersonOrchard Financial LLC

Karen SchlieveRed Shoes PR

Amanda BettsStellar Blue Web Design LLC

Jason HenrichWisconsin Financial Wealth

Management

John SwartzMiller Electric Mfg. Co.

Brad CebulskiBConnected LLC

Kyle LangeAmerican Family Insurance

Matt Ten HakenFox Cities Convention & Visitors

Bureau

Jessica DennisCharitabli

Kim NeherNutritional Healing LLC

Andrew WilsonCOTS

The maestrosHear from those who have been through the process. Our panel of principals and advisors will share their experiences recently buying or selling a business, their lessons learned and the best practices they recommend. Plus, we’ll provide an update on the latest trends in the marketplace.

Get in tuneFollowing our panel presentation, attend breakout sessions specific to issues of buyers and sellers. Sessions include:• It’sallintheapproach:tipsforbuy-sidesuccess• Preparingforasale:howtoenhancethevalueofyourbusiness• Knowingwhatyou’reworth:howtocalculatebusinessvalue

© Schenck sc 2014 2.14

Composing Your Future The 2014 M&A ForuM

Whenyoulooktothefuture,whatdoyousee?Ifyou’replanningtobuyorsellabusiness,you’llwanttojoinSchenck

for the 2014 M&A Forum: Composing Your Future to learn how to make the transaction a success for all involved.

March 20 • 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. with a social to follow • The Bemis Center • St. Norbert College • De PereVisit schencksc.com/2014maforum for more information and to register.

A “Public and Private” Partnership2014 FOX CITIES CHAMBER GOLF OUTINGS

Ridgeway Country ClubPrivate Course

Single shot gunJune 16, 2014, 10:30 am

2913 County Road IINeenah

ContactSusan Vanden Heuvel

[email protected] 734.7101

Registerwww.foxcitieschamber.com

Due to overwhelming demand, we are now offering 2 golf outings: one on a private course & one on a public course.

Enjoy 18 holes of golf with cart, an hors d’oeuver reception and lunch served on the course by several local food vendors.

Ridgeway Winagamie Both*All in One $800 $600 $1200

4-Some $700 $500 $1100Individual $175 $125 $275

Hole Sponsor $400 $400 $600*4-some plus hole sponsor

Winagamie Golf CoursePublic CourseSingle shot gunJuly 16, 2014, 10:00 am3501 Winagamie DriveNeenah

Presenting Sponsor

Golf Reception Sponsor

Golf Cart Sponsor

Bundle and Save!



Business AwardsCall for Nominations is now open!

Expo BoothsRegistration forms to reserve booth space are now available. Visit foxcitieschamber.com or call 734.7101.

Business Expo Passport TripGet your passport stamped by vendors at the expo and be entered to win a:• Vacation to Mexico from Funjet Vacations

and Fox World Travel• 4 nights at the Riu Palace Peninsula

Business Trifecta: Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Expo Exhibitor Seminars at Chamber office• 60 Tips in 60 Minutes Seminar (Free)

Thursday, April 3, 2014 – 7:30-9:00 a.m. Targeted towards those that are new to being in an expo or for those exhibitors who need to renew some skills.

• Exhibitor Tool Kit Seminar (Free) Thursday, May 1, 2014 – 7:30-9:00 a.m. You’re in the show; now learn how to promote your business and booth for increased traffic at the event, including social media exposure.

Business ExpoPresenting Sponsor

Premier SponsorsCapital Credit Union

Contributing Sponsors

Business Connection5-7 p.m. hosted by the Radisson

Paper Valley in Appleton


Fox CitiesChamber of Commerce & Industry

MarchPulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, March 12

Business ConnectionTuesday, March 18Hosted by Community Foundation & Post Crescent MediaHeld at Appleton Beer Factory, 603 W. College Ave., Appleton

Cultivate: Business Growth SeriesThursday, March 20Holiday Inn Neenah Riverwalk

AccelerateThursday, March 274:30 to 6:00 p.m. at Marian University

Business Awards Call for Nominations now open

Registration now open for Business Expo booths, Business Awards Luncheon and both Chamber Golf Outings

AprilBusiness Expo Seminar – 60 Tips in 60 minutesThursday, April 3Chamber Office – Octoberfest Room

Career FairTuesday, April 8 Player’s Choice

Pulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, April 9

Business ConnectionTuesday, April 22Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel 1000 Cameron Way, Neenah

MayBusiness Expo Seminar – Exhibitor Tool KitThursday, May 1Chamber Office – Octoberfest Room

Octoberfest Non-Profit Food Vendor Applications OpenThursday, May 1octoberfestonline.org

Leadership Fox Cities GraduationTuesday, May 13

Pulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, May 14

Business ConnectionWednesday, May 14Hosted by Paul Hoffman and Company, held at Grand Meridian, 2621 N. Oneida St., Appleton

AccelerateThursday, May 29Marian University, 720 W. Association Dr., Appleton

JuneBusiness TrifectaWednesday, June 4Radisson Paper Valley HotelBusiness Expo hours – 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Business Luncheon – 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Business Connection – 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

US Chamber Small Business SummitJune 10 thru 13Washington D.C.

Pulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, June 11

Business ConnectionTuesday, June 11Wisconsin Distributors Appleton, LLC, 3010 N. Zuehlke Dr., Appleton

Golf Outing (private course)Monday, June 16Ridgeway Country Club, 2913 County Road II, NeenahSingle shotgun start – 11:00 a.m.

JulyPulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, July 9

Golf Outing (public course)Wednesday, July 16Winagamie Golf Course, 3501 Winagamie Drive, NeenahSingle shotgun start – 11:00 a.m.

Business ConnectionTuesday, July 22Stone Cellar at Riverview Gardens, 1101 S. Oneida Street, Appleton

Octoberfest Vendor MeetingsWednesday, July 30Radisson Paper Valley Hotel

AccelerateThursday July 31

AugustPulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, August 13

Business ConnectionWednesday, August 20Waverly Beach N8770 Firelane 1, Menasha

SeptemberBusiness ConnectionTuesday, September 9Appleton Yacht Club, 1200 S. Lutz Dr., Appleton

Pulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, September 10

Leadership Fox Cities RetreatSeptember 11 & 12

AccelerateThursday, September 25

License To CruiseFriday, September 26

Octoberfest Saturday, September 27

OctoberPulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, October 8

Business ConnectionWednesday, October 14Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, 4321 N. Ballard Road, Appleton

Pulse CEO BreakfastWednesday, October 22

NovemberThe Event Celebrating BusinessWednesday, November 5Radisson Paper Valley Hotel

Business ConnectionTuesday, November 11Miron Construction 1471 McMahon Drive, Neenah

Pulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, November 12

AccelerateThursday, November 27

DecemberBusiness ConnectionTuesday, December 9SECURA Insurance 2401 S. Memorial Dr., Appleton

Pulse Lunch & LearnWednesday, December 10

Go to www.foxcitieschamber.com for up-to-date event details.

2014 Calendar of Events


When Brent Buss and Tyler Skibba graduated from chiropractic school and decided to start a practice together, they checked with several financial institutions before choosing Community First Credit

Union. Brent summed up our cooperative effort saying “It’s been

awesome to partner with Community First”

---------------------------------------When you’re ready for a local financial partner for your big

dreams, contact us for:

• Local Lending Decisions • Business Checking that

Pays Dividends • SBA Preferred & SBA Express Lender

• 401(k), SEP & SIMPLE Planning • Merchant Credit Card Services

• Investment and Insurance Services • Free 24-Hour Online Account Access

NEENAHDE PEREHOWARD WAUPACA

APPLETON OSHKOSHDARBOYGREENVILLEFOX VALLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE: Appleton Campus

Visit any of our 20 Convenient Locations

NEW LONDONNICHOLSMANITOWOCTWO RIVERS

“We wouldn’t be here without Community First.”Brent Buss & Tyler SkibbaThe Chiropractic AdvantageMember/owners

Dream Big.Partner Locally!

www.communityfirstcu.com (920) 830-7200 or Toll-Free 1-866-273-2328

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:Fox Cities Chamber Businessc/o Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc.125 N. Superior StreetAppleton, WI 54911

F O X C I T I E S C H A M B E R

Contact our industry experts today! www.fvtc.edu/bis • Appleton (920) 996-2949 • Oshkosh (888) 458-0449

Services for Business & Industry

Customized. Innovative. Solutions.

“Fox Valley Technical College understood our needs and developed a program that worked for us.”

Luke BenrudDirector of Operations

Dura-Fibre

march 2014 | volume 15 | issue 1

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