The CCEDC was proud to sponsor and host a table outside of the Hanger 54 restaurant at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport. We answered questions about what we do, and handed out Annual Reports, our latest newsletter, and some other swag! Being at the airport allowed us to network again in-person, and brought us closer to our business community. We are so grateful for opportunities to network. Stay tuned - we have more events in store!
On August 27, 2021, the CCEDC hosted their Annual Meeting at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, getting the area's economy "Back in the Saddle." Over 200 people were in attendance, namely UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank, WEDA Secretary Rebecca Cooke, Chippewa County Economic Development Chair Lee McMenamin, State Representatives Jesse James and Rob Summerfield, and State Senator Kathleen Bernier. The primary goal of the Annual Meeting is to get people who would not normally interact in a normal setting to network, forge new relationships, and nurture existing partnerships. This was achieved by sitting different industries at the same table, and allowing sufficient time before and during the event for networking and discussion. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers made a special appearance at the event and spoke about the legislative priorities during the pandemic, the importance [...]
One of our main objectives is helping our existing businesses find a home for their facilities when they outgrow their current space, and they cannot expand at their current location. When existing businesses expand, they bring new investment. New investment in the Chippewa Valley is crucial to the consistent economic development of the area. In August, Mason Companies held a ground breaking ceremony in celebration of their newest expansion to the Lake Wissota Business Park [LWBP] in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. The CCEDC assisted Hoeft Builders and Mason Companies in planning and organizing the ceremony. Over 100 people attended, including Wisconsin Senator Kathy Bernier, Representative Rob Summerfield, and Chippewa Falls Mayor Greg Hoffman, along with President and CEO of the CCEDC, Charlie Walker. There were also executives from Hoeft, Mason, River Valley Architects, and [...]
On August 17, 2021, the CCEDC met with Chippewa Valley Technical College's new president, Dr. Sunem Beaton-Garcia, for introductions to CCEDC staff and board members over coffee. Afterward, President/CEO Charlie Walker and Angela Eckman, CVTC Chippewa Falls Campus Manager, toured President Beaton-Garcia around Chippewa County, highlighting the economic diversification and discussing workforce issues faced by county employers. Dr. Beaton-Garcia is originally from Florida, and is excited to experience living and working in Wisconsin full time. The CCEDC looks forward to future collaboration with Dr. Beaton-Garcia and with the Chippewa Valley Technical College.
Most people don't know that 85-95% of all job creation comes from a community's existing businesses. CCEDC gets it and understands that. That's why we work through our BEAR [Business Expansion and Retention] program to help them grow and expand. As a part of our mission, we aim to provide or direct our area's businesses to all the available resources they could possibly need, especially in the areas of talent/workforce attraction and retention. Our BEAR Lunch & Learn events are designed to provide existing businesses with such relevant information so that our business community can apply it to their daily practices. Recently, a CCEDC BEAR Lunch & Learn centered around the topic of improving talent recruitment through digital marketing. Justin Vajko, owner of Dialog Design Co., led a fascinating discussion on talent in [...]
As part of our mission, the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation [CCEDC] works hard to ensure that our local legislators have received input from Chippewa County businesses and that they better understand the issues impacting the Chippewa Valley entrepreneurs and small businesses. Recently, the CCEDC was able to do just that by organizing and hosting another Economic Development Round Table Listening Session. The CCEDC partnered with the Wisconsin Economic Development Association [WEDA] and invited Chippewa Valley legislators to the Rumor Mill Pub and Eatery in Chippewa Falls to meet with the CCEDC Advocacy Committee, CCEDC investors, and stakeholders. All Chippewa Valley elected officials were invited to participate in the round table. Senator Kathy Bernier, Representative David Armstrong (75), Representative Jesse James (68), and Representative Rob Summerfield (67) attended and fielded questions ranging from [...]
When Governor Evers (D, WI) announced that $130 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars will be allocated to assist unemployed and underemployed workers find opportunities and return to the workforce, Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation [CCEDC] representatives attended a meeting to learn more about these funding opportunities. Held at the CoLab facility in Eau Claire, CCEDC Board Member Ed Holand and CCEDC President Charlie Walker met with Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation [WEDC] and Amy Pechacek, Department of Workforce Development [DWD] Secretary, where they updated the current economic development conditions and the challenges local businesses face in getting workers back into the workforce. “The federal supplement to the unemployment insurance is definitely having a negative impact on area manufacturers in trying to convince workers to [...]
In today’s economic environment, uncertainty is all around us—businesses not fully opened because they cannot find workers, job seekers worried about daycare, transportation, and pandemic safety concerns, as well as the conclusion of pandemic unemployment benefits—and in July, the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation [CCEDC] and Workforce Resource implemented the second of three job fairs to mitigate some of that uncertainty. With the added stress of unemployment benefits ending soon and the pressure of returning to work at the same time as children preparing to go back to school, these job fairs were organized to help those Chippewa Valley citizens by streamlining the job search process, facilitating direct introduction to employers, and making the job search easy and enjoyable to do on a beautiful day at the park. The city of Chippewa Falls, [...]
When the topic of a job fair is brought up in conversation, some may perk up and say “I’ve been looking for a job for weeks, this’ll be the perfect opportunity for me to find something!” However, the majority of a group might shrug it off and say “I already have a job, I don’t need to go look for another one right now.” While most people are employed and don’t necessarily need to be looking for a job, going to a job fair can be beneficial for long-term career planning, networking, and understanding what industries drive a local economy. A job fair isn’t just for people that are unemployed and looking for a job. Colleges and universities hold career fairs at least twice a year, and most of the people that show [...]
[CITIZENS STATE BANK - STANLEY, WI – 7/16/21] Citizens State Bank (Citizens) is set to open a new full-service branch office at 118 N Broadway St in October 2021, including full drive-up services and an ATM. Citizens is a sound and secure financial institution which has obtained FDIC and Wisconsin DFI approval to proceed with the purchase of the building. Citizens is a locally owned, independent community bank servicing personal, business, and agricultural needs. The branch office at 118 N Broadway St in Stanley will be renovated and branded to Citizens State Bank standards. Hannah Cowan, a Chippewa Falls native and Region Manager for the Eagle Point and Cornell markets, will be leading the branch. There will be three to four additional team members in the branch and others supporting the new market. [...]
