BEAR Listening Session / Round Table Discussion
Join the CEDC, Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), PMI LLC, and Senator Tammy Baldwin for a discussion on talent, workforce, and manufacturing in the Chippewa Valley.
BEAR Discussions Listening Session
Join the CEDC and ABECS Global for a special listening session with Rebecca Kleefisch, a current candidate for Governor.y
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Cadott High School Career Expo
Join over 60 Chippewa Valley employers for a day of learning and exploration at Cadott High School, and see where your future could lead you! If you are a business looking to register, please contact our office by calling (715) 723 7150 or emailing danielle@chippewa-wi.com. For further information, please contact Keith Becker at beckerk@cadott.k12.wi.us.
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 [...]
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 [...]
BEAR Lunch & Learn: OSHA & EPA’s Impact on Small Businesses
Most OSHA and EPA laws were created to regulate large businesses, yet 99.5% of U.S. businesses consist of less than 250 employees. In this BEAR Lunch & Learn, find out from Cory White, co-owner of Small Business EH&S, the three ways that these laws negatively effect small businesses and what you can do to ensure the safety of your employees. Registration is limited; reserve your seat today! Tickets cover the cost of lunch. To learn more about what Cory does, visit his website here.
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 [...]