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So far Charlie Walker has created 335 blog entries.
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Human-Machine Team Managers Wanted

Truly, we live in a very competitive world. Our local businesses all have to compete for workers. In fact, one can say that the quality of their talent will determine how successful their businesses will be in the future. As robots continue to emerge and more advanced Artificial Intelligence heads our way, it only makes sense to have discussions with our children about the importance of STEAM. S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, and was created to foster passions for the arts and sciences in children. These areas of education are all similar in that they require critical thinking for problem solving, and have many avenues of inquiry. Teachers use hands-on projects and real-world scenarios to help students come up with innovative solutions that they can apply throughout their lives. [...]

Human-Machine Team Managers Wanted2022-02-08T12:19:08-06:00

CEDC Investor Hosts BEAR Discussions Listening Session

Alliance Plastics engineers and fabricates custom plastic extrusions for a wide array of applications and industries. Established in 1987, the company continues to experience steady growth and has expanded their operations several times in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. As a major investor and supporter of the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), they had the opportunity to host the most recent Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) Discussions Listening Session. One of the most important things that an Economic Development Organization (EDO) can provide is a platform or channel to educate, provide feedback, and help form policy decisions that improve or maintain a healthy business climate. These discussions provide an opportunity for our existing businesses to meet with policymakers about the issues that impact their operations. In the past, BEAR Discussions Listening Sessions helped form and [...]

CEDC Investor Hosts BEAR Discussions Listening Session2022-01-25T14:02:11-06:00

Music to Our Ears

A few of our friends took a vacation to Honduras to do some fishing. They had a blast and a great time. But it got us thinking about the value of having folks visit the Chippewa Valley: they are important and have a huge impact when they come to camp, fish, hunt, snowmobile, and listen to music. The more opportunities we have for visitors to experience our venues, the better our economy becomes. These venues form the fabric of the product that CEDC promotes. We work hard to - no pun intended - see to it [C 2 It] that these venues and activities are highlighted to company executives and business owners in our marketing campaigns. They know that workers and talent gravitate to areas that offer an abundance of quality of life [...]

Music to Our Ears2022-01-20T12:12:09-06:00

Environmental Health & Safety Update

While OSHA does have the ability to set workplace safety standards, the United States Supreme Court recently found that their Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) went too far and beyond the organization’s scope, and that it is a “significant encroachment in the lives and health of employees.” OSHA was created to set workplace safety standards and not to set broad public health measures. However, the ruling leaves entrepreneurs and small businesses wondering how they can protect their workers and ensure a safe workplace in the wake of the pandemic. Anticipating a ruling one way or the other, CEDC hosted a BEAR Lunch & Learn to highlight the importance of OSHA and the EPA’s impact on small businesses. As a part of CEDC’s Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) program, these lunches are [...]

Environmental Health & Safety Update2022-01-19T14:10:43-06:00

Berlin BEAR

On a snowy morning last week, Chippewa Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) welcomed Nicola Michels, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)’s Trade Representative in Germany. Nicola is from Berlin, Germany, and is a WEDC consultant working to help Chippewa Valley businesses begin their exporting program. Berlin, Germany’s coat of arms is a bear, of course, so it was only fitting that she be the guest of a CEDC BEAR Discussion centering around exporting! Discovering the opportunities that Germany and the Broader European Market offer was the main topic of the CEDC BEAR discussion. BEAR, or Business Expansion and Retention, is the CEDC’s flagship economic development program and makes up about eighty percent of our efforts as an organization. Our BEAR Program is aimed at helping our existing businesses get the information and resources they need [...]

Berlin BEAR2022-01-19T14:19:00-06:00

The U-Haul Growth Index: A Local Perspective

This morning, CEDC stopped over at the Chippewa Falls U-Haul Moving Center and had a quick BEAR Discussion with Paul Zillmer, the general manager, to gain a little insight on what he sees is happening in migration and out-migration within the Chippewa Valley. Many don't know, but U-Haul publishes their U-Haul Growth Index on a yearly basis. This annual report determines growth by calculating the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state in a calendar year. California and Illinois, for the second consecutive year, witnessed the largest net losses of one-way U-Haul trucks. Zillmer noted that while this report shows migration trends, they do not directly correlate to population growth. However, it's a pretty good gauge of how well cities are attracting and retaining its residents. "The [...]

The U-Haul Growth Index: A Local Perspective2022-01-05T11:10:17-06:00

Merry Christmas, Chippewa Valley!

We've all been through a lot this year: the pandemic, supply chain issues, and talent shortages, just to name a few. What is awesome is that the Chippewa Valley has continued to prosper because of the hard work ethic of our citizens, our businesses' ability to innovate, our abundance of entrepreneurship, and those individuals who support the mission of the CEDC. We close out this year being reminded of how fortunate we are in the Chippewa Valley. This month, the Governor announced that UW-Eau Claire and CVTC were winners in the Innovation Grant Program. Businesses continue to build and expand during the winter, and we are excited for the upcoming adventures that await us in 2022! May the gift of love, peace, and happiness be yours this Christmas. Have a Merry Christmas and [...]

Merry Christmas, Chippewa Valley!2022-01-04T10:12:08-06:00

Workforce Innovation Projects Worthy of Funding

This week, CEDC staff and board members attended Gov. Tony Evers' announcement of the Workforce Innovation Grant Program's winning projects in the Chippewa Valley at the Davies Student Center on the UW-Eau Claire campus. Also in attendance were Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek, UW-Eau Claire Chancellor James Schmidt, CVTC President Dr. Sunem Beaton-Garcia, and other dignitaries. Of the $60 million awarded, over $19 million was allocated to projects that CEDC supported, promoted, and worked on in some degree! It seems like only yesterday when CEDC staff and board members were invited to a meeting at CoLab in Eau Claire to attend a round table discussion and a call for the first round of projects/ideas for the Workforce Innovation Grant Program. [...]

Workforce Innovation Projects Worthy of Funding2021-12-22T09:43:25-06:00

When to Exit

There are countless stories - we read about them all the time - businesses are being purchased left and right. As entrepreneurs, sometimes time slips away. It seems like just yesterday that the business started, and now the thoughts of "How do I get out of the success that I've created?" or "How do I sell?" start coming to mind. In our BEAR Visits and Discussions, many of the region's business owners mention that "it's about time." With this in mind, CEDC organized an intimate BEAR Lunch & Learn that approached the subject of succession planning realistically. Staying abreast of these business owners as they transition out is an important proactive economic development strategy for the community. By being proactive, an economic development organization such as the CEDC can be on the front [...]

When to Exit2021-12-20T14:08:40-06:00

Generations Academy Students Receive Tour of CVIC

Generations Academy is a non-profit charter school in Eau Claire, WI that specializes in individual development and project-based learning. Recently, the Generations Academy students had a business unit; every child from five to eighteen years old was instructed to come up with a business idea. In addition to the hands-on experience they got from their business projects, two groups of students were also able to see small businesses in action by receiving a tour of the Chippewa Valley Innovation Center (CVIC). CVIC Board President and CEDC Board Chair, Tom Waldusky, guided both groups of students through each bay in the building. The students also got to hear from and speak with two CVIC tenants: Dave Espeseth, owner of Excel Medical Corp., and Anthony Nied, owner of Safe & Simple Organic Lawns. Both had their [...]

Generations Academy Students Receive Tour of CVIC2021-12-04T12:03:51-06:00
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