It's happening! Get ready for one of the biggest Chippewa Valley economic events - the Annual Meeting - on Friday, August 27, 2021 from 11:45 am to 1:30 pm at the canvas tent by the stage on the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. More information is coming soon; we hope to see you there! If you would like to RSVP, please register here.
It was just last week that the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) teamed up with Workforce Resources and over 35 local companies throughout the Chippewa Valley to host an outdoor job fair. A major feedback that CCEDC received from companies that participated in the event was that they are still having difficulty finding workers-especially those who are eager to return to work. This lack of worker participation in the job market is now turning into a crisis which threatens the viability of hundreds of local businesses in the region. Many hiring companies believe that this shortage of workers is enhanced by current continued state & federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits being offered in Wisconsin. Typically, the state of Wisconsin requires persons seeking unemployment benefits to look for and complete (4) four unique work [...]
2021’s first regional free open air job fair will take place, weather permitting, between 3 to 5 pm on Thursday, May 13, 2021 at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport parking lot. There will be over 30 companies there. In the event of weather cancellation, information will be provided at www.chippewa-wi.com and on the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation Facebook page. The Open Air Job Fair is organized in partnership with a variety of community organizations to celebrate National Economic Week 2021. The Chippewa Falls Economic Development Corporation [CCEDC], Workforce Resource, Inc., Chippewa Falls Chamber, Department of Workforce Development, Momentum West and the West Central WI Workforce Development Board have partnered to assist workers in landing a job with employers. While the pandemic has been difficult on the industrial field, the CCEDC is excited [...]
Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) understands the impact that internet connectivity has on our local economy. Effective and affordable broadband access increases the growth potential of our local businesses by helping them access new markets. It is necessary for any precision agriculture operation. It is a catalyst for rural prosperity by connecting rural households, schools, and healthcare with each other. It also is a “must” if small communities are to attract new residents and talent. Today, one thing that was made abundantly clear by the 2020-21 pandemic is that it is even more necessary has because of the huge increase in demand for high-speed internet within the Chippewa Valley as businesses, education, healthcare, and workers transitioned to online services. Over the past several years CCEDC has worked with our local Telecom providers [...]
Governor Evers spent the afternoon in Chippewa Falls, WI with a shovel in his hand while discussing the importance of Wisconsin’s infrastructure alongside Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson. The duo is touring the state while fixing potholes to promote the governor’s proposed roads budget for 2021-2023. Evers and Thompson also made stops in Wausau and Appleton. Evers discussed repairing bridges, roads, and investing in our transportation throughout the state as local communities like Chippewa Falls need reliable infrastructure to allow people to safely get to point A to point B. “Thompson and I want to emphasize that we feel very strongly about this issue. The hard work for repairs is done by local workers, municipalities, and cities as they are responsible for this. The state has to do their job to financially [...]
In speaking with Chippewa Valley contractors one topic continues to rise to the top…..rising costs of lumber and steel! In recent weeks steel price increases have caused many contractors to rework the material costs on their jobs. Lumber prices, which skyrocketed upward at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 began to come back down around the end of the summer of 2020. Currently both the lumber and steel prices have taken off again surging 20% to 25%. Experts predict that lumber and steel prices will remain elevated into 2022, but lower than the current extreme rates. According to the Producer Price Index, softwood lumber prices increased 73% while Iron and steel scrap jumped 50% over the past year. Many potential homeowners are rapidly being forced out of the market due to these [...]
CCEDC would like to wish a Happy International Women's Day! It is important to celebrate the women who lead, inspire and achieve every day! This year's theme is #ChoosetoChallenge, calling on us all to think critically about our own thoughts and actions and how we can better promote gender inequality and celebrate women's achievements. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women‘s achievements here in the Chippewa Valley and beyond. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge!
In commenting about the COVID 19 return of workers- Joseph Briggs, an economist at Goldman Sachs (GS), noted in a report to clients in December 2020 that “Young workers’ participation in the labor force has nearly fully recovered – likely reflecting both lower health risks from the virus and a decline in college enrollment – while the participation of older workers and women has recovered more slowly,” He estimates that there were some 830,000 “excess retirees” in October 2020, which represents about a quarter of the difference between the pre-pandemic workforce and the current workforce. Did you know that having a great Brand image helps in reducing hiring recruitment costs? There is no doubt that it is a highly competitive talent market. Local companies must always work to improve their "Employer Brand" [...]
Chippewa County’s Lake Wissota Business Park is now the home of Nordson EDI. What began in 1971 with a five-person machine shop in this small city of 14,000 is now Nordson Corporation’s global EDI® brand, recognized worldwide for advanced engineering and precision workmanship in the production of flat dies for film, sheet, and coating. Nordson acquired a company-Extrusion Dies Incorporated in 2012 and spent 2019 and 2020 consolidating their three EDI operations in Chippewa Falls into an extensive new modern manufacturing facility. In 2021, the EDI team celebrates its the 50th anniversary of the EDI business which began on February 15, 1971- the day of its founding. Nordson EDI has been a long-time supporter of the communities within the Chippewa Valley and of Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) and their mission to [...]
Business Expansion And Retention (BEAR) is a CCEDC economic development strategy that proactively connects with existing businesses to understand and respond to their needs. Special attention is given to our small businesses that employ 150 individuals or less. These existing small businesses and their workforce are key measuring sticks of the Chippewa Valley’s economic health. It is important that CCEDC continues to build positive relationships with our local businesses, connect with them regularly, and follow up with them when problems are identified. CCEDC aims to proactively address small issues before they arise and become big issues that may impact critical business activities. This is what BEAR Discussions are all about! These (BEAR) discussions center around improving relationships with local governments, educational institutions, and supply chains. CEDCC would like to thank Klaus Bauer of [...]
