Chamber briefs
Government affairs
The Public Policy Council passed a 2013-14 Legislative Agenda that was approved by the Chamber board and is now available for viewing on our website, titletown.org. We reaffirmed our support for the Oneida Seven Generations Corp. waste-to-energy plant to the Green Bay mayor and City Council. An action call was issued to members assisting them to communicate with our senators and congressmen on the federal “fiscal cliff.” We sent a letter to Congress urging action on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia, and we sent letters of support for the Medical College of Wisconsin’s community education program to the governor and state legislators from this area. We completed work on the first of two informational white papers this year, the first one about implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which was published as the October edition of BBJ. The second the “Let’s Wrap” informational seminar on small business implementation of the health care reform, attracted more than 80 attendees…The Good Government Council used voting records, interviews and other tools to make recommendations for endorsements in the November elections that were adopted by Chamber board. Profiles of recommended candidates were sent to members and the media in October. Ten of the 12 candidates we endorsed were elected on Nov. 6…Ritter Forum on Public Policy was unable to obtain funding for a consultant’s implementation plan for metro fire service as a follow-up to our report A Shared Vision: Metro Fire Department (MetroReportDraft10-12-11WithAppendices.pdf). The potential for other cooperative municipal projects will be discussed with community leaders and the Ritter Foundation.
Leadership Green Bay
Leadership Green Bay is accepting applications for the Class of 2014. Please go to leadershipgreenbay.org and click on the application. If the application is received prior to the March 1 deadline, the $50 application fee will be waived…Save the date! Please mark your calendar for the Leadership Green Bay All Class Reunion Breakfast on Thursday, Feb. 21, at Tundra Lodge Waterpark & Conference Center. Our speaker will be Craig Dickman from Breakthrough®Fuel. We will also present the Leo Frigo Leadership Award and the Meredith B. & John M. Rose Business Award at that breakfast. Contact Jeanne Agneessens for more information at 593-3412.
Member services
Five-hundred-plus people attended the annual dinner at the KI Convention Center on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at which we honored our outgoing board and committee chairs. J.R. Martinez was the very well-received keynote speaker…In September, October, November and December, the ambassadors celebrated 20 ribbon-cuttings and two groundbreakings. Many, many thanks to all the ambassadors – you are an amazing group!… Save the date – Tuesday, March 5, 2012 – Business Expo 2013 at the KI Convention Center.
26 | BBJ January 13
Live54218
Over the past year, Live54218 has experienced tremendous growth. We welcomed Jen Van Den Elzen as director in February 2012, and in August 2012 we added Melinda Morella as our community engagement specialist and Ashley Ponschok as farm to school coordinator. With the vision of making Brown County, Wisconsin, the healthiest community in the nation, and a strong network of cross-sector partnerships, we have celebrated a number of successes in recent months and look forward to continuing our work in 2013. •
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Live54218 was the proud recipient of a $320,000 grant from the Transform WI Fund on behalf of the Brown County community. Year one of this two-year grant kicked off Oct. 1. Work will focus on creating environments that support and promote an active community and a healthy food system. Oct. 3, 2012, was International Walk to School Day. With the collaborative efforts of schools and many community partners, more than 20 schools and 10,000 students participated in Walk to School Day in Brown County this year — a huge success! In order to address the physical infrastructure that supports walking and biking in our community, Live54218 has assembled a community team including local planners, transit, housing, economic development and public works professionals to look at the current physical environment and discuss a potential plan for increasing the use of multimodal transportation and active commuting. International Expert Mark Fenton led this statewide workshop here in Green Bay on Dec. 6. Live54218 has also been working to get local produce on the lunch trays of students and increase fruit and vegetable consumption in Brown County. Our Farm to School task force is in the process of connecting local farmers with school district food service directors in three school districts to implement comprehensive Farm to School programming that includes local food procurement, school gardens, and nutrition education through taste-testing and a newsletter surrounding a Harvest of the Month item. Taste-testing has been occurring in four area elementary schools, and students are enjoying trying the new foods and voting on what they like best!
Live54218 is a community movement and is excited to be completing a series of technology upgrades to facilitate community involvement. Live54218.org has undergone a series of improvements to include a blog and membership component. We also put out its first e-newsletter in November and encourage community members of all ages to visit our website and subscribe for monthly information on volunteer opportunities, healthy recipes and tips for staying active. In addition to a monthly newsletter, the Green Bay Press-Gazette will feature a monthly Live54218 column in the Saturday ‘Family Time’ section The hope is that this column will provide resources and information around healthy eating and active living, and spark an interest in readers to play their part in making Brown County the healthiest community in the nation!