The Advantage - Microsoft...2016/02/01 · Extra Nuts & Bolts Calendar/Events Advocacy Visibility...
Transcript of The Advantage - Microsoft...2016/02/01 · Extra Nuts & Bolts Calendar/Events Advocacy Visibility...
The Advantage e-News
Roses are red and violets are blue…. Remember making and/or handing out valentine’s at school and picking out that special one for that very spe‐cial girl or boy? Sometimes you would sign your name or leave it anonymous because you would be so embar‐rassed if they knew. Because if they knew, everyone else in the class would know too. Life was so simple. Love was so fleet‐ing. We all know that life is not so simple today and that forever love is much more complicated. We also know that the word love is tossed around about nearly everything—I love this food, this book, or this movie. Many say they love their jobs or community. But is it love or are they passionate about what they do instead? I know many people who are passionate about their jobs & their volun‐teer work. Likewise I know many people who are simply satisfied with their work. And then there are those who sim‐ply hate their jobs, their community & usually everything else that crosses their path. What a stressful existence that must be. Those of us that are passionate about our work are lucky. We enjoy the challenges even on a bad day. Some‐times finding our passion is trial and error. We may think we are going to like something, only to try it out & find that it’s not what we thought it would be. Very few grow up knowing for certain what their future holds & what their passion will turn out to be. Some never find out. They are forced to work the only jobs they can get & end up in a swirling cycle that they never find their way out of. Others are fearful of change always asking the ‘what if’ which keeps them from never moving forward. And young people (we were the same) always wanting to get away because the grass is always greener, the lights are always brighter, the dreams are always bigger somewhere else. We always hope that at some point they make their way back home. Some do, but many more have found their dreams on the other side of the rain‐bow.
How do we get our younger people to love Merrill? How do we get them to stay or return following their adventures out into the big world? This is a question being asked from one end of the state to the other. We have jobs, but they do take some technical training or ad‐vanced education. We haven’t sold the state very well & part of the reason is all the small towns that just don’t seem exciting. But here is some good news, as these young people become par‐ents their value sets change. Now they are looking for quality of life, good schools, recreational opportu‐nities, affordable housing in solid neighborhoods and good paying
jobs. And Merrill is making steps in the right direc‐tion—finally. As I said, we have a lot of
technical, executive & professional level jobs available in the area. And Merrill has seen wonderful new & expanding services & recreational opportunities in recent years. But we do not have new housing starts or newer more modern rental units. Our population is aging & declining. And new shopping is not beating down our door due to our proximity to the Wausau area & traffic counts. There is something special about small towns. They can be charm‐ing, historical, friendly, and neighbor watching out for neighbor. Sometimes you can feel the warmth & kindness from the moment you enter. And of course some small towns can be just the opposite—can you feel the love? There must be something special in the Northwood’s or why would we have so much traffic from the southern end & from other states? The people that are passionate are the ones that roll up their sleeves & dig in to their businesses, their jobs & their communities. They are the ones that aren’t afraid to make an investment of their time, talents or finances. Passionate people of all kinds are
Volume XXXVII Issue II
From The Director’s Doorway
February 2016
Business after Hours
2
Chamber Foundation 2
Ribbon Cuttings 3
Business of the Month 4
Member-to-Member 4
Chamber Chat 5
Taking Notes 5
Inside this issue:
Highlights Membership Counts
So What’s New?
Member Programs
Ambassador News
Extra Nuts & Bolts
Calendar/Events
Advocacy Visibility
Networking Credibility
invited to apply! Passion begins with understanding. That’s why we are inviting our busi‐ness members to participate in our 20/20 Vision Program. Working with the Class of 2020 we invite you to participate in our Job Shop this spring & help us showcase all different types of jobs available in Merrill from professional to those right out of high school. Let’s show our students that there are jobs that they can be passionate about right here in Merrill & that there is reason to stay or return after higher education. Many factory jobs are now techni‐cal jobs in clean environments with good pay. Let’s show them. Most business have sales & market‐ing department with good pay & benefits. Let’s show them. Some businesses have management trainee programs. Let’s show them. Many businesses encourage em‐ployees to become actively involved in the community & serve on boards & committees. Let’s show them. Let’s show them YOUR business. Let’s show them YOUR passion & help them find their passion. Let’s have a clear vision, a 20/20 Vision for attracting future workers & let’s begin with our own. I remember my parents telling me to choose a job or career that I was going to love because I was going to be doing it for the rest of my life. I found my passion. My children saw that & they in turn found their pas‐sion. And so goes the circle of love in work & in life. Are you doing what you love? This month decide to share your passion with others! Roses are red and violets are blue, We love your business, what about you? Happy Valentine’s Day from my doorway to yours,
Debbe Chief Executive Officer
Date: February 16
Place: Brickner’s Park City
Time: 5:00 pm
Sponsor: Brickner’s Park City & Spec‐trum Insurance.
Join us for some networking & fun!
Date: TBA Place: Merrill Sheet Metal Works Time: 7:30—9:00 am Sponsor: Merrill Sheet Metal Works
Business After Hours
PAGE 2 THE ADVANTAGE VOLUME XXXV I I I S SUE I I
Our Merrill Vision 20/20 Program is kicking off with a program designed to link our employers with middle school students. Now is the time to educate students about what it takes to work in your business! We will be working with all segments of our employer population linking Merrill employers with Merrill students. If you are interested in more information contact Debbe at 715-536-9474. We changed our Legislative Group this past Fall. We will go to an every other month format with scheduled legislators & other government departments take part. Watch for details! We are sending out a Daily News from WMC that will highlight the daily news of interest. Just click on the links that interest you. A simple way to get today’s news highlights! We have started a new social media marketing program, ‘Chamber Moments’ that will include photos & thoughts on Face Book, mini videos & articles. Watch for these ‘moments’! Chamber’s around the world are taking part & posting the same info simultaneously. We started a weekly e-blast called ‘What’s Up Wednesday’ that will provide updates on upcoming events/activities & things you need to know. Members may include their text only messages for $15 up to 25 words—no pictures allowed. Call Cheryl for details at 715-536-9474.
Business After Hours
Additional Programs
Bricks make great gifts for any occasion! There are 4 sizes of bricks to choose from & each brick can be engraved with names, dates or special messages. The bricks make wonderful gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, holiday gifts or simply to honor someone in a permanent way.
River District Development Foundation
Phase 1 of the River Bend Trail will be finished being paving this summer. The new trailhead will be developed east of the Center Ave. bridge on Park Street. www.riverbendtrail.com You can also ‘friend’ us on Face Book now. The Chamber Foundation is the fiscal administrator of the River District Development Foundation & the Friends of the River District.
Merrill Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc.
News
Other Foundation Programs
Friends of Normal Park
Other programs that the Chamber Foundation administers include: Discover Downtown Merrill Emergency Relief Fund Courthouse Christmas Tree Lighting Foundation Community Fund For the Love of Merrill 125th Anniversary Fire Dept. Prints Merrill Events Community Enhancements (Hanging Flower Baskets) Please consider making a tax‐deductible contribution to any of the foundation programs. Send your tax‐deductible donations to:
Merrill Chamber Foundation 705 N. Center Avenue
Merrill, WI 54452
So...What’s New?
Morning Mixer
Ch[m\_r on Tour We believe that your business is a STAR. Showcase your business by joining the Chamber Tour Program. Contact us to get your business on the tour schedule today! Sign‐up now for 2015 tours….
Morning Mixer Sign‐up now to host/sponsor a quarterly program in 2015. Business before Hours is a great way to showcase your business & have social interaction with your fellow business members—especially if you are unable to attend Business after Hours! Government News This program will email blast government informa‐tion to members such as City of Merrill agendas & other state & fed‐eral government information, pro‐grams & newsletters.
Additional Programs
Courthouse Christmas Tree Lighting
Help us keep the lights shining on the trees/decorations at the courthouse this Christmas season by making a donation to Lighting Fund. We must pay for electricity at this site year round and we try to purchase additional LED lights each season to help bring down the costs. Help keep the Christmas lights on this season by making a tax‐deductible donation to this worthy community fund. Send your donation today! Here’s the address….
Ribbon Cuttings
Park City Credit Union—East Located next to Lee’s Piggly Wiggly
PAGE 3 THE ADVANTAGE VOLUME XXXV I I I S SUE I I
Red Carpet Pak Did you know that only mem-bers can advertise & make special offers in our Red Car-pet Pak’s that given to new Merrill residents to welcome them & intro-duce them the Merrill area? Webvertising Advertise on our website! Cost for this great new webvertising is only $25 per month! Great way to grab attention to your business Our website & links receive 7000+ hits per month so it’s an economical way to advertise!
Ministry Medical Group
Located in Pine Ridge Shopping Center
Ambassador News & Ribbon Cuttings
We are looking to grow our Ambassadors Club in 2016 and we need YOU! Our Ambassadors are the ’welcome wagon’ of the Chamber. They celebrate new businesses, business ex‐pansions & membership!
Want to meet new businesses? Then become an Ambassador! Contact us for all the details. It’s a great way to grow your business & cele‐brate what makes Merrill so great—our local business members!
24-Hour Information Center Did you know that only Chamber members & other Chamber/visitor centers can advertise in the Information Center? Place your bro-chures, flyers and/or business cards for FREE. The Information Center is a very busy place & is restocked daily. Newsletter Inserts Did you know that only members can adver-tise in the Chamber e-news/newsletter? Cost is only $25 & your message will reach over 500 people. It’s also on our website that receives over 6000 hits per month. Member to Member Did you know that you can offer other mem-bers discounts on purchases and services as a way of advertising & marketing your business? If you are willing to offer a discount to other Chamber members, please contact us so that we can get the word out to other mem-bers! Office Assistance Did you know that only members can make copies free of charge at the Chamber? Or use our fax machine? Or bulk mail stamp for large bulk mailings? Contact us for details.
Our membership depends on volunteers! Here are some ways that you can help:
Golf Outing ■ Crazy Daze ■ Pork in the Park Promotions Committee ■ Ambassador Club
Women of Distinction ■ Music Fest Contact Debbe for more information. Email [email protected]
At the Chamber, it’s all about You! We are bringing the Best to the Best!
Do you know someone opening a new business that would like to have a ribbon cutting? Have you recently remodeled your business or façade & would like a ribbon cutting? Contact us & let us know!
Member Programs
Building Business One Ribbon at a Time
Nothing But Networking Do you have an “elevator speech” or want to make new business contacts? Then join us for Nothing But Networking.
Meet up to 20 business people, give them your elevator speech and exchange business cards. That’s it. No programs, meals, Noth-ing but Networking!
Nothing but Networking is open to the first 20 people who register.
Date: Thursday, February 24
Time: 8:00-8:45 AM
Place: Merrill Chamber of Commerce
705 N. Center Avenue
To register call Cheryl at 715-536-9474 or by email [email protected]
On your mark, Get set, NETWORK!
Ambassadors Club: Beautification & Facade Recognitions & Ribbon Cuttings
VOLUNTEER
Chamber Education: 2016 Workshops
PAGE 4 VOLUME XXXV I I I S SUE I I
1997—1st car wash opened & grew to 250 stores & 25 tobacco outlets
2000—Zietlow family purchased the Hansen family interest in the business
2002—Purchased 6 Auto Stop stores
2003—Hot food program installed at all 309 stores & Glazer Donuts introduced
2004—Names Chain of the Year
2005—Fresh delivery & fresh food program intro‐duced
2007—No fee ATM introduced
2011—Stores, restaurants, cafes re‐imagined at all 384 locations
2012—Don Zietlow named Retail Leader of the Year
2013—400th store opened & Center for Health
2014—Built 2nd store in Merrill on S. Pine Ridge
Kwik Trip, just one more area business who is in the business of making your life more con‐venient.
Member-to-Member Club Join Today & Save
The Chamber’s Member to Member Club, is a product discount program for Chamber members only. If your business is willing to offer a discount to other Chamber members contact us now! Gain marketing exposure & potential new business customers. Be a part of the Club! As a Chamber member you will receive a dis-count at the following businesses:
Put Your Business Name Here!
*Ye Old Sweet Shoppe—10%
*Blooming Wishes —10%
*Super Lube—15%
*Creative Card Acceptance—1/2 priced USB reader or $25 off USB signature pad
The Business of the Month for February is Kwik Trip . There are two located in Merrill and the one located at 2311 E. Main Street is our member. Their tele‐phone number is 715‐536‐1819.
Kwik Trip was founded in 1965 & opened their first store in Eau Claire. Here is a summary timeline of their history:
1970 ‐ Introduced gasoline sale
1971 ‐ La Crosse company grew to 5 stores
1972 ‐ John Hansen & Don Zietlaw established own ership position
1973 ‐ Corp. office opens & warehouse delivery begins
1981—Dairy plan opens & soda bottling plant begins
1983—Chain grows to 50 stores
1985—1st Travel Center opens in Tomah with Hearty Platter Restaurant & bakery established. Also pur‐chased 17 Wolter Mini Marts
1986—Chain grew to 100 stores
1988—Purchased 54 Kickapoo stores
1989—John & Don become duel owners
1994—Kwik Card is introduced
*VIP On-line Member Discounts— to join email them at [email protected] for complete details on discounts.
*Northwood's Evergreen & Wire Co. —20%
*Ziesemer Photography - 15% on business portraits
*Off the Grid Technologies—they build your website & receive 1/yr Free web- hosting
*Lincoln & Timeline Windows—factory di-rect—10%
Just mention the Member-to-Member Club & start saving today!
Business of the Month Kwik Trip
What’s Up Wednesday?
Watch for your mini weekly newslet‐ter of upcoming events every Wednesday via email and on our Face Book page at Merrill Chamber.
THE ADVANTAGE
S h o p
m _ r r I l l
Reminders
Coming in 2016 Dept. of Revenue Theft: How to Protect your Business DOA: Working for Small Business Networking 101 If there are other educational programs that you would like the Chamber to bring to you, please contact us with your ideas. Send us your suggestions via email at [email protected] In the subject line type: Education Topic
Thank You A big thank you to our out-going board mem-bers Craig Rezin, Pat Hinner and Jim Medley. You served our membership well!
Welcome A hearty welcome to the incoming board members who will complete the outgoing member terms: Barb Haffemann from Dave’s County Market, Jeff Schnei-der from Sierra Pacific (formerly Hurd), and Tim Schreiber from Foto News & Merrill Courier.
Discover Wisconsin Merrill will once again be featured on an up-coming Discover Wisconsin show on the Wis-consin River. The show will air on Feb. 6 on WAOW channel 9 at 6:30pm. Merrill’s part
will include Council Grounds State Park, River Bend Trail & Merrill Historical Society. This is the 3rd episode that the Chamber has sponsored. In 2009 we did a split epi-sode with Toma-hawk, in 2012 we did a split episode on the Ice Age Trail & now we are doing a 1/4 episode on the Wisconsin River with Tomahawk, Stevens Point, Adams County & Portage.
2016 Visitor Guide This years Visitor Guide has gone to print and will be available shortly! Big thanks to Foto News, Reindl Print-ing & all of this years adver-tisers!
“Positive Possibilities”
Thanks to our members, sponsors & nu-merous partnerships, the Chamber sup-ports dozens of community programs & is actively involved in many initiatives that you may not be aware of.
Look for this symbol to learn more about our history & our future & the community pro-grams we are involved in.
Requests for Merrill information only during the month of January:
Phone calls: 193
Emails: 106
Walk-ins: 124
Info mailed out: 277
Website Visits: 1782 Viewed: N/A
Restock Center: 104
Taking Notes…..
Extra Nuts & Bolts
PAGE 5 THE ADVANTAGE VOLUME XXXV I I I S SUE I I
Chamber Chat….did you know?
Business after Hours Thinking about sponsoring a Business after Hours in 2017? We have a few openings yet for next year. They will fill up fast, so contact Cheryl at 715-536-9474 today to pick your month. Only a few dates available.
Planning Workshops We are currently planning workshops & net-working programs for 2017. If your have any
Chamber
topics that you would like us to consider, please let us know by phoning 715-536-9474.
Big Bundle Up This year’s Big Bundle Up Program was an-other huge year! Across the state we col-lected 22,510 pieces of warm winter clothing. This year we collected our highest number yet. Thanks to everyone who donated!
New Sign The Chamber finally has its brand new sign in front of the building to replace the one that was hit by a car back in late summer. The new one has brick to match our building, our established date of 1911, a new upper sign that includes the Chamber Foun-dation & new digital sign. Check it out!
Legislative Meeting Mark your calendars for February 8 for our next Legislative meeting. It will be held at 8am at City Hall & Randy Scholz will be the speaker giving us an update on Lincoln County.
2017 Exchange Trip We are beginning to plan our next interna-tional trip for March 2017. This trip will take us back to Ireland, then Wales and Scotland. Watch for more information as it becomes available….
Cliffs of Mohr
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Promote your upcoming events
Contact Cheryl at [email protected]
705 North Center Avenue Merrill, Wisconsin 54452
MERRILL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE THE ADVANTAGE
ter favorite. Admission is $5/adults and kids 10 and under are free. Food/refreshments on grounds in heated building. For more details visit www.gleasoncc.org
Feb. 15—Business after Hours Join us for Business after Hours from 5-7pm at Brickner’s Park City sponsored by Brickner’s and Spectrum Insurance.
Feb.27—Love Me Tender Watch Elvis perform Love Me Tender at Lincoln Lanes hosted by Haven. Show starts at 6pm and the cost is TBA. For info contact Carlee at 715-536-1300. .
Check the Chamber Calendar 1st
For a complete listing of area events & activities check out the Chamber of Commerce website www.merrillchamber.org or the digital sign at the Chamber office for event info. Listen to us every Wednesday on WJJQ 92.5FM & the 2nd & 4th Friday on WJMT 730 AM.
Feb. 5—Comedy Night Come to Les & Jim’s for some laughs with Michael Thore & Earl Elliot. Door open at 7pm & show is at 8pm.
Feb. 6, 13, 20 —Merrill Ice Drags World Championship Week racing on Lake Alexan-der off Council Grounds State Park from 12 noon-4pm. The cost $12 to be in the pits otherwise it’s FREE. For info contact Bill Bunnell at 715-409-9493.
Feb. 9—Fat Tuesday Gumbo Supper It’s the annual Gumbo Supper at Bell Tower. Enjoy S. John Marie’s chicken & sausage or chicken & shrimp gumbo’s, served with French bread & des-sert. Carry outs available from 4:30-7pm at Bell Tower. Cost is $10, carry outs $7, children under 12 are $4. Questions contact Linda Schmidt at 715-536-5575.
Feb. 11—Ladies Night Out Stop in and visit Gress Chiropractic at Les & Jim’s from 5-8pm for their annual Ladies Night Out. Lots of vendors, prizes, massages, etc.
Feb. 12—8th Annual Artisans Showcase Enjoy an afternoon of wine, cheese, appetizers & music as you view the talents of area artists. Held at Bell Tower from 1-5pm, the cost is $5. For more info contact Pat Sherley at 715-536-5575.
Feb. 13—Ice Oval Night Race Held at the Gleason Community Club for this win-
Mark Your Calendar
Phone: 715-536-9474 Fax: 715-539-2043 Website: www.merrillchamber.org
Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce Mission Statement The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to its members by helping their businesses to grow, succeed and thrive Vision Statement The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to promoting the Merrill area as a community to live, work and play for today Mailing Label
Executive Board Board Members Tonia Speener—Chairman Dan Frick Randy Wixson—Chair Elect Barb Haffemann Dr. Shelly Mondeik—Vice Chair Nancy Kwiesielewicz Noel Bushor – Financial Officer Val Mindak Marty Heyne– Past Chairman Kent Reinhardt Brian Richards Kurt Rust Jeff Schneider Tim Schreiber Kurt Wendt Mayor Bill Bialecki Ex-Officio Dave Johnson—Ex-Officio
Staff Debbe Kinsey – Chief Executive Officer Cheryl Skoug – Programs Manager Autumn Doyle – Office Assistant
Comments, Questions & Concerns
PRESORTED STANDARD
US POSTAGE PAID
MERRILL WI PERMIT NO. 11
CHAMBER MEETINGS
Return Service Requested
Legislative – 2/8
Foundation— 4/15
Ambassador Club – 2/16
Board of Directors— 2/17
Retail Promotions—2/3
The Merrill Area Chamber of Com-merce wants you to read about area businesses and other information that we feel is important to our members. If there are any topics you think we should cover, please let us know. Call the office (715-536-9474), fax us (715-539-2043) or stop in at our office (705 N. Center Ave).
Our individual emails are:
Debbe Kinsey—Chief Executive Officer
Cheryl Skoug—Program Manager
Autumn Doyle—Office Assistant
Website -
www.merrillchamber.org
merrillchamber
Members…..working together since 1911
E-news Extra
The Advantage
Special Edition
January 2016
The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce works in multiple categories that we summa‐rize into three headings: (1) Promotions; (2) Regional & Community; and (3) Mem‐bership & Revenue. These categories were called Play, Live and Work previously.
Our Mission Statement was updated in 2015 to ‘The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to its members by helping their businesses to grow, succeed and thrive.’
And our Vision Statement says: ‘The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to promoting
the Merrill area as a com‐munity to live, work and play for today and tomor‐row.’
And our Motto is: Chamber greatness through advo‐cacy, visibility, credibility and networking.
We strive to meet these goals through the use of multiple committees, ad‐hoc groups, memberships with other groups and profes‐sional affiliations.
We hold Chamber profes‐sional affiliation member‐ships with the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Ex‐ecutive’s Association, Wis‐consin Manufacturer’s &
Commerce, American Cham‐ber of Commerce Execu‐tives, Midwest Chamber Executives and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
In 1911 the Merrill Chamber of Commerce was estab‐lished and we became a founding member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
We have strongly supported the Merrill community and our business members for the past 105 years. We look forward to continuing our partnership with our mem‐bers in 2016.
Thank you for allowing us to serve you.
The Board of Directors is a dedicated group of volun‐teer business members who help establish policies and procedures and they review chamber functions and op‐erations. Board members also serve on other chamber committees and always watch for issues, concerns or opportunities that will be a benefit to the membership and community.
The board reviews each pro‐gram/activity annually to help staff establish goals and to ensure that the cham‐ber’s resources are being
utilized in the best ways pos‐sible. In 2016 we will be reviewing all chamber pro‐grams looking at time spent, investment and alignment with our mission. Some pro‐grams may be reduced or removed in 2017 in order to make room for new, more directed programming for our members.
The CEO sets programming and the executive commit‐tee sets goals each year for the CEO to accomplish based on the programming. These goals are important factors for the growth and prosper‐
ity of the chamber organiza‐tion.
The executive committee is the officer leadership of the board of directors. Officers are nomination and voted on from the board of directors.
The 2015 executive leader‐ship was: Marty Heyne—Chair; Tonia Speener—2015 Chair Elect; —Randy Wixson Vice Chair; Noel Bushor—Finance Officer; Debbe Kinsey—Corp. Secretary & CEO; and Kurt Rust—Immediate Past Chair.
2016 Chamber Leadership
Your Chamber of Commerce Executive
Directors
Dan Frick
Barb Haffemann Nancy Kwiesielewicz
Val Mindak
Kent Reinhardt Kurt Rust
Brian Richards
Jeff Schneider
Tim Schreiber
Kurt Wendt
Ex‐officio’s
Mayor Bill Bialecki
Dave Johnson
Staff
Debbe Kinsey Chief Executive Officer
Cheryl Skoug Programs Manager
Autumn Doyle Office Assistant
Advocacy Visibility
Credibility Networking
Tonia Speener Chairman 2016
Randy Wixson Chair Elect 2016
Shelly Mondeik
Vice Chair
Noel Bushor
Financial Officer
Marty Heyne Immediate Past Chair
The Committee Chairs for 2015 were:
Dr. Carrie Kennedy—Ambassadors
Jeremy Cordova—Legislative
Marty Heyne—Annual Golf Classic
Marty Heyne—Annual Celebration
Debbe Kinsey—Special Events & Tourism
Randy Wixson ‐ Pork in the Park
Debbe Kinsey—Promotions Council
Tony Kusserow—Chili Blast
Tim Schreiber—Chamber Foundation
We collaborated with several tourism groups to market and promote the Merrill area. These partnerships allow us to share resources, apply for grants and get Merrill information out at public festi‐vals and events throughout Wisconsin.
TREK
Small Town Charm
Northwoods of Wisconsin
Wisconsin 2 Go
ITBEC Tourism
Discover Wisconsin
Revenue
Membership Dues 70%
Other Income 30%
Expenditure
Services $0.78/per dollar
Fixed Operating $0.22/per dollar
Business after Hours x 9
Annual Very Merrill Christmas Card
Women of Distinction
Shop Small Promotion
Community‐wide Rummage Sales (2 per year)
Annual Lighted Christmas Parade
Workshops 101
Member‐to‐Member Program
Chamber on Tour
Ticketed Event Sales
Labor Day Car Show Judging
Ribbon Cuttings
Christmas Window Give‐away
20/20 Vision Program
The Chamber’s 2015 planned events and programs consisted of member‐only events, non‐dues revenue events and established annual programs for the community whether they generated non‐dues income or not. The programs in‐cluded in this category are:
Merrill Gift Certificate Program
Annual Celebration
Annual Golf Classic
Annual Crazy Daze
Pork in the Park RibFest
Movie in the Park
Morning Mixer
High School Interviews
Chili Blast
Trip to Ireland
2015 Planned Events/Programs
We have grown the Ambassador pro‐gram, continued all of existing program‐ming, increased members visits by staff, ambassadors and board, increased atten‐dance at BaH and annual celebration.
4. Continue with all community good will programs.
The board has cut down the community goodwill programs over the past few years down to 19 programs for 2015. This is down from 28 programs. The Ca‐pacity is saturated for staffing level.
5. Evaluate annual member invest
ment. Investment rates have not been increased in over 10 years.
Staff did in depth research into several different types of dues structures being used and then a board ad‐hoc committee decided which was a fair‐share invest‐ment that would be used for 2016.
In 2016 we will be evaluating all program‐ming based on time, investment, volunteers and if the program is still in alignment with our mission. At the end of the year, all pro‐grams will be reviewed, revamped, or sun‐set. And new programs may be added based on what our members interest is.
The following goals were set by the board of directors for 2015:
1. New member growth to be ad‐vanced by at least 2 percent annu‐ally.
A 2% increase would equal 5 new members. We ended 2015 with 11 new members or a 4% increase.
2. Increase the reserve account by at least 2 percent annually.
Our reserve account has grown by at least 2% annually and usually more.
3. Membership programs:
Page 2 E-news Extra
Blarney Castle
2015 Regional Collaborations Dollars & Sense 2015 Chamber Committee Chairs
2015 Objectives & Goals
Northwoods of Wisconsin
ITBEC Tourism
ITBEC Board
LCPIE
Wisconsin Dept. of Tourism
Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Ex‐ecutives
Governor’s Regional Tourism Council
MADC
L.C. Economic Development
NorthCentral Technical College
Rasmussen College
Discover Downtown Merrill
MAPS School Counseling Advisory Council
The Chamber collaborates with regional groups which helps us provide advocacy for our membership and partnerships on a few of our larger marketing efforts.
Those advocacy and collaborations in‐cluded:
Mayor’s Task Force on NTC
Merrill Festival Grounds
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
Explore Highway 51
Centergy
TREK
Small Town Charm
Chamber Committee’s
Legislative
Ambassadors
Promotions
Pork in the Park
Annual Golf Classic
Annual Celebration
Crazy Daze
Chili Blast
We currently are the fiduciary agent for ten project funds plus a general fund. Those funds are:
Foundation General Fund
Hanging Flower Basket Program
Friends of the Merrill City Band
Discover Downtown Merrill
Courthouse Christmas Decorations
Friends of the Merrill Firefighters
Community Disaster Fund
For the Love of Merrill Fund
Friends of the River District
Friends of Normal Park
Merrill Events
Board of Directors
Tim Schreiber—Chair
Charlie Roth—Treasurer
Debbe Kinsey—Corp. Secretary/CEO
Kent Reinhardt
Marty Heyne
Helene Ader
Gail Bloch
Chris Malm
The Merrill Chamber of Commerce Foun‐dation, Inc. is our not‐for‐profit 501(c)3 arm. It was developed to be an avenue to provide community, charitable and educational programming using tax‐exempt funding/donations. Our building was donated to and is owned by our foundation.
The foundation has its own board of di‐rectors of which three Chamber board members have seats currently. A time audit this last year revealed that staff spends on average 50 hours per month on foundation work, which causes staff to work 45‐50 hours per week.
The Chamber’s Goodwill Programs are events that we sponsor or are heavily involved with from planning and/or mar‐keting and participation. There is no monetary gain for us.
Lion’s Labor Day Car Show
New Teacher Bus Tour
8th Grade Exit Interviews
Sophomore Interviews
Lincoln Lager Barleyfest
Annual Crazy Daze
Movie in the Park
Shop Small Promotion
Annual Lighted Parade
Bundle Up Program
Community Night Out
Courthouse Christmas Decorations
Merrill Gift Certificate Program
Ribbon Cuttings
Community Scan Radio
Chamber Chat Radio
River Bend Trail
Normal Park Events
2015 Planned Goodwill Programs/Events
2015 Chamber Regional Collaborations & Committee’s
2015 Chamber Foundation Programs
Special Edition Page 3
Annual Celebration Membership
Hon. Dave Obey at Law Day
Christmas Parade
Our marketing has grown and is very extensive currently, but the marketing has paid‐off for us.
We have marketed Merrill with a couple of tag lines. The most familiar tag lines have been—
Visit Merrill...a reason for every season. And Merrill...Location. Nature. People.
In 2014 we kicked‐off a new marketing campaign with the tag line: Just Park It in Merrill. This tag line has proved to be another success for us.
We currently market Merrill with the following Print Media vehicles:
American Road Magazine quarterly
Wisconsin Journey’s Magazine—quarterly
Fun in Wisconsin Magazine—2 times per year
Up North Magazine—3 times per year
ATV/Snowmobile Trail book—seasonally
Bike Wisconsin Trail book—annually
Harley Dealers Go Guide WI—annually
Fall Ride Guide—annually
Hog Guide—annually
Chicago Daily Herald—2 times per year
ATV Guide—annually
Lincoln County Snowmobile Map—annually
TREK Guide
WJJQ Guide—annually
WJJQ Fall Ride Map—annually
Motorcycle Tour Map—annually
Merrill Visitor Guide—annually
Merrill Map—every other year
Underdown ad—annually
Association of WI Snowmobile Clubs—annually
Shows: ITBEC Sport Shows—2 times per year
Wisconsin 2 Go—10 major festivals per year
Discover Wisconsin—shot, airs in Feb. 2016
Television: Discover Wisconsin—2009, 2012, 2015
WAOW
Websites: Travel Wisconsin
American Road Magazine
Wisconsin Network
Merrill Chamber of Commerce
WSAW, WAOW, WIFC Calendars
Discover Wisconsin
Northwoods of Wisconsin
Snowtracks
Up North
Local Dirt
Rummage Wisconsin
Small Town Charm
River Bend Trail
TREK
Fun in Wisconsin
Up North
FOX Wausau
Northwoods Fishing
Association of WI Snowmobile Clubs
ITBEC
Local Ads: Crazy Daze
Homecoming
Labor Day
Fire Prevention
Breast Cancer Awareness
Memorial Day
Veterans Day
Sports Teams—seasonally
Lighted Christmas Parade
Movie in the Park
■ Northwood’s Ec. Development Council
■ American Chamber of Commerce Executives
■ U.S. Chamber of Commerce
►L.C. Economic Development Council
■ North Central WI Regional Planning
►River Bend Trail Board of Directors
■ Association of WI Snowmobile Clubs
■ Discover Wisconsin
►Governor’s Regional Tourism Council
►Highway 51 Promotions Council
►Merrill Area United Way Board
►Merrill Tourism Commission
■ Centergy
►Lincoln Lager Barleyfest
►Merrill City Band Committee
■ Merrill Rotary Club
■ Merrill Optimist Club
■ Association Chamber of Commerce Executives
■ Mid‐west Chamber of Commerce Association
►Merrill Festival Grounds Committee
The Chamber has many affiliations and memberships. The CEO serves on the board of directors for many of these partnerships. Those organizations are marked with a ►
These affiliations are important because they give the chamber a voice in many important issues that may affect the membership and/or community.
■ WI Chamber of Commerce Executive’s Assoc.
►Merrill Area Development Corp.
■ Wisconsin Manufacturer’s & Commerce
■ Wisconsin Dept. of Tourism
►ITBEC—Counties Association Board
►ITBEC—Tourism Board
■ UWEX—Lincoln County
■ Merrill Historical Society
Page 4 E-news Extra
2015 Merrill Marketing
2015 Chamber Membership/Affiliations
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Chamber software
Chamber Gift Certificates
Advertising: visitors guide, digital sign, newsletter, Red Carpet paks, maps, website, Member‐to‐Member program, Discover Wisconsin shows.
Networking: Business after Hours, Morning Mixer, Chamber on Tour, workshops.
Events: Golf Outing, Annual Celebra‐tion, Pork in the Park.
Advocacy: local government, Legis‐
Membership and revenue is the work that we do within the organization for our membership. It includes recruit‐ment, member programming and bene‐fits, advertising and marketing, advocacy and events.
Some of these tools include:
Ambassadors
New member folders
Chamber stickers
Membership plaques
Website
lative Committee, WMC member‐ship, news blasts, workshops, school programs, local non‐profit partner‐ships.
Awards: Businesses of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, Business of the Month, Women of Distinction, Leadership Awards, Ribbon Cuttings.
Fundraising: Christmas Card, post cards, city directories.
Expanded Membership categories
Sponsorship opportunities
ties and special projects.
It also includes all of the promotions, mar‐keting and advertising vehicles that we use to market the Chamber and the com‐munity both internally (within our com‐munity) and externally.
Retail Promotions Committee
Women of Distinction Awards
Merrill 2020 Vision: Employer’s
School Program
Leadership Awards Christmas Window Give‐away
Courthouse Lighted Wreath
Goal #2 is the work that we do on behalf of the community and within our geo‐graphic region. This work represents the initiatives, partnerships and programs that makes our community and region special.
These include the Chamber Foundation programs, collaborations with regional groups, community events, educational projects, community development activi‐
Promotions takes many forms: advertis‐ing, marketing, tourism and simply pro‐motion. Promotions varies depending upon the type of promotion—sales, in‐formational, events, advertising, or mar‐keting.
There are basically four event levels:
1. Calendar of Events—any events, submission based.
2. Tourism—contractual w/tourism grant recipients.
3. Goodwill—community events that
are chamber sponsored/co‐sponsored, free or low cost.
4. Events & Promotions—chamber events, usually fundraiser based.
Informational promotions include:
1. Marketing & advertising (ads)
2. Website & webvertising
3. Red Carpet Paks
4. Visitor Guides & Maps
Organizational Tourism includes:
1. Recreational trails & maps
2. Information Center
3. Discover Wisconsin shows
4. Community events (Chamber)
Goal #1 Promotions
Goal #3 Membership & Revenue
Goal #2 Regional & Community
Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 5
New in 2015
2015 Visitor Guide
Leadership Awards
Our information and tourism center is located in the foyer of our building. This center has
grown immensely over the past few years. The center is open 24 hours/7days a week. The
center is divided into easy to locate sections which include: Merrill information and business
cards; visitor guides from all over the state; county information and maps; and state informa‐
tion and maps.
We currently host 85 visitor guides from chambers and CVB’s all over the state; 22 state guides
put out by the Dept. of Tourism and other government agencies; 18 Lincoln County guides and
maps; 18 tourism guides/magazines put out by private media; 46 Merrill information brochures;
62 Merrill business cards; and currently 12 miscellaneous event posters. This totals 263 pieces
of information. The Dept. of Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett has said that the amount of
information in our small center rivals some of the state’s designated tourism centers. We get
compliments from tourists weekly, with many waiting to come to the Merrill center before
heading further north. All of this information has to be ordered and is restocked weekly and
many times daily during busy tourism seasons.
Our annual visitor guide is also mailed to over 85 different chamber and CVB locations within
the state. In addition we also send out, on average, 25,000 guides and Merrill information to
individuals annually.
In addition, we were approved by the State of Wisconsin to install the blue and white Tourism
Information signs on Highway 64 and our office location. In 2015 we gained approval with the
City of Merrill to add additional signs on Center Avenue/old Hwy. 51 that will be installed in
2016. And we expanded our center again by adding more guide hangers and Merrill business
card and brochure space. And of course a brand new sign was erected after it was hit by a car.
705 N. Center Avenue
Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce
thru April 30. During this period the Chamber monitored 11 event grantee’s.
Tourism programs also include the In‐formation Center that is open 24 hours/7days a week.
Grantee’s during this overlapping pe‐riod included:
Ladies Lifestyle Expo
Merrill Ice Drags
Labor Day Car Show
Lincoln Lager Barleyfest
Lincoln County Fair
Concertina Festival
L.C. Rodeo
Pine River Dog Sled Races
Pork in the Park RibFest
Gazebo Nights
Gleason Heritage Days
Tourism spending has risen substan‐
By law, the municipality must partner with the Chamber with room tax dollars for the purpose of marketing and other tourism related expenditures. The Chamber is the administrator of the tourism dollars and the budget is set, by agreement, by a citizen Tourism Commission. Unique to Merrill is the fact that local groups can apply annu‐ally for tourism dollars to be used for outside marketing efforts. The Cham‐ber CEO then monitors the marketing and as administrator confirms and re‐imburses the organizations by grant dollars. In 2015 the room tax was in‐creased to 6%.
As administrator of the funds, the CEO also designs all marketing ads for Merrill and places the advertisements in various mediums such as magazines, brochures, booklets, radio, visitor guides, and websites.
The monitoring year runs from May 1
tially over the past three years due in‐part to the heavy advertising/marketing that we have lead the charge on.
Visitor spending in Lincoln County has steadily increased:
2010 it was $39 million
2011 it was $44.9, up 13.49%
2012 it was $48.9 M, up 8.5%
2013 it was $50.72 M, up 4.01%
2014 it was $52.8 M, up 4.19%
715‐536‐9474 [email protected] www.merrillchamber.org
2015/2016 Tourism Programs
Information & Tourism Center
Hours Monday‐Friday
9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Information Center Hours
Open 24 hours 7 days per week
Governor’s Conference on Tourism
Uâá|Çxáá tyàxÜ [ÉâÜá
j{xÇM Tuesday, February 16, 2016
g|ÅxM 5pm to 7pm
j{ÉM Chamber Members and their guest
j{xÜxM Brickner’s Park City 3000 E. Main St.
fÑÉÇáÉÜxw uçM Brickner’s Park City and Spectrum Insurance Group
j{çM Networking with other Chamber members
VÉáàM $2.00
bÑà|ÉÇtÄM $1.00 and your Business card for a 50/50 drawing. Raffle tickets for prizes.
Join the Merrill Chamber for Business after Hours at Brickner’s!