2017 Annual Report

Mike Jordan President Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Board of DirectorsRolly 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

On behalf of the Chamber Board of Directors and staff, thank you for your support in 2017! 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 changeddramatically in 2017. 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.

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,

Mike Jordan President

Chamber StaffJackie Boos Tourism Director

Michelle Farrow Membership Coordinator

Kelly Kuechenmeister Administrative Assistance

Maranda Mahr Programs Director

Allison McCullough Marketing Design Coordinator

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.

28 Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies

135,144 Annual Website Visits

704Business After Hours Attendees

670Total Members

61New Members

Year in Review

June Dairy DaysMore 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 EducationAt 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 OutingOur 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 FallsThis 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.

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

Class of 2016-2017Travis 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

Schools2SkillsDuring 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 ValleyA 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 HoursThe 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.

Vision 2020Community 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.

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.

Oktoberfest

Festmeistern Kim Senn & Festmeister Darrin Senn

THE TOURISM DIVISION OF THE CHAMBER

G O C H I P P E W A F A L L S . C O MPAGEVIEWS IN 2017330,147

TOP STATES

2

3

5

14

TOP COUNTRIES

2 Canada

3 Russia

4 United Kingdom

5 Brazil

1 United States1

2

3

4

5

Wisconsin

Illinois

Minnesota

New York

Texas

OVER11 ,000FOLLOWERS

22% Increase in 2017

46% Increase in 2017

45% Increase in 2017

80% Increase in 2017

VISITORS CENTER

3,493WALK-INS

OVER

30,000PRINTED

OFFICIALTRAVEL GUIDEDISTRIBUTION

NATION-WIDE2,000 +STATE-WIDE10,000 +

LOCAL EVENTS& BUSINESSES

15,000 +VISITORS CENTER3,000 +

M A R K E T I N G E F F O R T S

90%OUT OF MARKET

ADVERTISINGTRAVELWISCONSIN

PARTNERWITH

OVERNIGHTHOTEL STAYS

ECONOMICIMPACT

BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY

OUT OF MARKETSTATE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL

IN MARKETLOCAL ADVERTISING

BRANDAWARENESS

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

EVENTSUPPORT

C H I P P E W A C O U N T Y . C O MPAGEVIEWS IN 201780 ,792

3,0 0 0TRAVEL KIT

REQUESTS MAILED

28,000PRINTED

2017OFFICIAL ATTRACTIONSGUIDE

20% Increase in 2017

AmbassadorsJason Brandner Wipfli, LLP, ChairJackie Sadler Chippewa County, Co-ChairEmily Anderson EMA DesignsTrina Banks B & G Liquor WarehouseMelissa Bowe Royal Credit UnionCindy Boggess Northwestern Bank Mike Crawford Access Security Inc.Rolly Enderes ChemCeed LLCTom Hubbard Cedar Falls Building SystemsHeather Gubrud Royal Credit UnionJoan Kinnick United RentalsBen Lane Wiley Law S.C.Benjamin Lindberg Eau Claire Ford LincolnCarrie Nielsen Royal ConstructionSteve Pregent Chippewa River Business ParkJosh Rizzo HSHS St. Joseph’s HospitalGeorge Rohmeyer Rohmeyer Realty & Real Estate AuctioneerTami Severson Spectrum BusinessMichael Shillin Fries Financial Group Raymond JamesTyler Sperry Mower InsuranceMichael Strubel Marshfield Clinic Health System FoundationTiffany Thompson Leinenkugel’s Leinie LodgeJim Woodison Mid-State Truck Service

Ambassadors serve as extention of the Chamber through their service in recruitment, supporting members, and welcoming new businesesses at ribbon cuttings and ground breakings.

Festmeistern Kim Senn & Festmeister Darrin Senn

THE TOURISM DIVISION OF THE CHAMBER

G O C H I P P E W A F A L L S . C O MPAGEVIEWS IN 2017330,147

TOP STATES

2

3

5

14

TOP COUNTRIES

2 Canada

3 Russia

4 United Kingdom

5 Brazil

1 United States1

2

3

4

5

Wisconsin

Illinois

Minnesota

New York

Texas

OVER11 ,000FOLLOWERS

22% Increase in 2017

46% Increase in 2017

45% Increase in 2017

80% Increase in 2017

VISITORS CENTER

3,493WALK-INS

OVER

30,000PRINTED

OFFICIALTRAVEL GUIDEDISTRIBUTION

NATION-WIDE2,000 +STATE-WIDE10,000 +

LOCAL EVENTS& BUSINESSES

15,000 +VISITORS CENTER3,000 +

M A R K E T I N G E F F O R T S

90%OUT OF MARKET

ADVERTISINGTRAVELWISCONSIN

PARTNERWITH

OVERNIGHTHOTEL STAYS

ECONOMICIMPACT

BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY

OUT OF MARKETSTATE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL

IN MARKETLOCAL ADVERTISING

BRANDAWARENESS

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

EVENTSUPPORT

C H I P P E W A C O U N T Y . C O MPAGEVIEWS IN 201780 ,792

3,0 0 0TRAVEL KIT

REQUESTS MAILED

28,000PRINTED

2017OFFICIAL ATTRACTIONSGUIDE

20% Increase in 2017

1 N Bridge Street Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 715-723-0331