APRIL 2020
A Letter From the President As I write this message I cannot help but think of how quickly things can change in such a short time. I was feeling so upbeat and optimistic when I wrote my March message, but the world as we know it seems to have practically turned upside down. It is my sincere hope that you are dealing with the current health crisis as Martha VandeLeest best you can, along with the myriad economic ramifications we are facing, as well. The common refrain of “we are in this together” is certainly true now more than ever and I remain hopeful that together, we can face these many challenges and eventually begin to put the pieces back together. Please take every precaution to stay healthy and I look forward to better times ahead.
from the desk of the executive director “If you watch how nature deals with adversity, continually renewing itself, you can’t help but learn.” Bernie Siegel, MD It’s been a rough couple of weeks, to say the least. The world, the nation and yes even in Sheboygan County we are navigating Deidre Martinez uncharted waters, that I never thought we would experience and it’s not easy. Like many of you, to keep our staff and community safe, the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce has closed its doors to the public and we are working remotely. It is hard to be away from colleagues, Chamber members, friends and family, but it is so important to keep our community safe and stop the spread of this nasty virus. Not only is Spring a time of renewals, but also new beginnings for many of us, as we are forced to transition on how we conduct business. • Take this opportunity to research and try out new technology. How often do we get busy in life and put things on the back burner like researching new technology? This is a great opportunity to try new things. Take advantage of it. In the Issue: President Update, Executive Update, Workforce Development Update, Coastal Young Professionals Network Update, Membership Update, Upcoming Events and What’s been happening...photo’s enclosed
UPCOMING EVENTS
4.1.20
Virtual Member Orientation 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
4.1.20
COVID-19 Update with Dr. Ashok Rai, MD of Prevea Health 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
ROUNDTABLES MEETINGS:
4.1.20 NONPROFIT ROUNDTABLE - VIRTUAL 4.2.20 SAFETY MANAGERS ROUNDTABLE - VIRTUAL
4.6.20 SALES & MARKETING ROUNDTABLE - VIRTUAL
4.8.20
BUSINESS OWNER SUCCESS STRATEGY - VIRTUAL
4.14.20 HR MANAGERS ROUNDTABLE - VIRTUAL
6.11.20
Sheboygan County Best Under 40 Awards
from the desk of the executive director continued... • Connect in different ways. We already talked about using technology differently, don’t forget the human element. Maybe we can’t be in the same room together, but we can connect via video chat and we believe it’s important. • Join us for a ZOOM conference, or try another platform of your liking. Our Deep Dive groups and Roundtables will transition during this time to video conference and we want you to join us. This will give you an opportunity to potentially meet new people and share best practices, while connecting as humans. • We are constrained in a lot of ways during this time, but great news, it’s Spring time. A time of renewal! When was the last time you walked around your block and enjoyed new buds erupting from the dirt or your quirky neighbors exterior décor. We have so many beautiful neighborhoods throughout Sheboygan County, take this time to experience it. Safely of course, not with your friends or neighbors, and stay 6 feet apart… • Get familiar with resources and stay informed. Many in our business community is experiencing economic hardship during this time and having access to information and resources is very important. The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce is working nonstop to process information and make it readily available, (please be mindful that easy to access, does not mean easy to apply). We are working with local, State and Federal entities to compile information about the CARES Act, unemployment resources, and other grant opportunities that may be available. If you are not familiar, please visit our Business Resource page for up to date information and share, share, share. We want ALL business to be successful and your business neighbors may not have access to these tools, so we encourage you to share with them. Our promise to you today and always. We will continue to work hard for our members and our community at large. We will only share, verified information from trusted sources. We will be available to assist, answer questions or just lend a listening ear even if we are working remotely. We will encourage partnership and support of one another. We love you Sheboygan County and we confidently know, we are a community that rallies and is steadfast. We got this! We are #SheboyganCountyStrong
Workforce Development Update In early March, the Sheboygan County Chamber successfully held Explore your Future which is a two-day event with Sheboygan County sophomores exploring their futures at Lakeshore Techincal College. Professionals throughout the entire County volunteered their time, effort and energy to explain their field of work in an interactive approach to those who are interested in pursuing that career in the future. Thank you to all of those who volunteered your time. We appreciate it so so much and couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you also to our wonderful sponsors Van Horn Automotive, KOHLER, Johnsonville, Rockline Industries & Sargento! #ExploreYourFuture2020
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UPDATE FROM Coastal Young Professionals Network Hello Coastal Young Professionals Network! We hope everyone is staying safe (at home) and healthy during this stay at home order. From Coastal YPN, we wanted to take a quick minute to say a huge thanks to all of the first responders, nurses, doctors and all other essential employees throughout this quarantine. We are all extremely grateful that we have dedicated workers who care for our community in any way possible. We couldn’t make it through a pandemic without you all standing beside us. Coastal YPN has a few updates regarding the planned events for Coastal YPN. As some of you might have seen, the statewide initiative through Newaukee, YPWeek has been postponed. We will still be having a YPWeek during the month of October 16th - 24th. We will host a slew of events to bring together all of our young professionals. Be on the lookout for more information as October nears. We are still accepting nominations for our ever anticipated Sheboygan County Best Under 40 Awards. Don’t forget to nominate the young professionals who have made an impact on our community, your company or yourself by April 3rd, 2020. Sheboygan County Best Under 40 Awards has a new date of Thursday, June 11th at Sheboygan Town and Country Club. Don’t forget to register and secure your spot to enjoy an evening with our Young Professionals and their supporters. We will be sending out communications soon on when registration opens. On a super positive note, we held our first ever Virtual Happy Hour on Thursday, March 26th! We had great conversation and ideas were flowing for potential events this Summer and beyond. We also played a fun game which included asking questions about personal opinions, as well as, telling us about vacations they have taken or dreams each person has. We will be hosting a couple more of these virtual happy hours throughout the stay at home period to help bring some cheer and happiness into our quarantine quarters. We look to include virtual games we can all play together and learning more about what activities we can do during the stay at home order. Keep an eye out for dates coming soon! As always Coastal YPN Nation, ~~~Stay wavy~~~
News from THE DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT I hope this newsletter finds you all safe, happy and healthy! My Dad always told me, “health is wealth” and particularly in these strange times he was so right. If you haven’t been following the COVID-19 updates via the Chamber website, please start today. In daily releases, we are providing the most current, and accurate information for all of Sheboygan County from our local, state and federal entities. We are here for you, as you have so graciously supported your Chamber year after year. We’ve tried to reach out to each and every member but if we missed you, please give us a call and let us know how we can help you. We are still looking to reschedule a number of our earlier events and will be in contact with all members involved. When our county or state are cleared to return to some normalcy, we will be ready to go!
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News from THE DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT continued... As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, the Business After Hours for 2020 is unfortunately sold out, but 2021 is wide open. We doubled up several months this year, and will do so for 2021, but don’t wait. Give me a call at (920) 395-8705 to schedule your BAH today! Some things to think about as we move through last three quarters of 2020: • If you haven’t joined a Deep Dive yet, there are still openings for all groups. We have been meeting via Zoom and would welcome any new member who wishes to join a group. Start 2020 by engaging with other members of the chamber from various business sectors. Health care, real estate, banking, insurance, painting and staining, attorneys, and many others are represented by exceptional people living in your county. Join a family of Deep Divers today! • Roundtables are a terrific way to meet others within your business sector. We are again using Zoom to keep us connected! Whether it’s Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Not for Profit, and others, you’re sure to learn something from your peers. These peer-to-peer networking groups can help any one of your employees, or yourself, accelerate your learning curve, and minimize potential setbacks within your organization. Our own John Rogers does an outstanding job keeping each group on task, and always shares his own wealth of knowledge. Contact john@sheboygan.org and join a Roundtable today! • Our Coastal Young Professionals Network goal is to attract, engage and retain young, diverse talent to Sheboygan County by providing opportunities for young professionals to design their social culture, serve as civic innovators and community stewards, and develop into the next generation of leaders for Sheboygan County. If you are interested in joining the YP network, please text SHEBCOYP to 57838. • Check out the chamber calendar at www.sheboygan.org and make sure you mark the remainder of the 2020 calendar for all events coming up this year, it will still be an exciting and rewarding year! As I write this, the Stay-at-home initiative has been extended to April 30. Not good news, but necessary. Hopefully things will begin to open up again in May, but probably not in full force until June. Whatever the “opening” date is, hang in there, stay safe, healthy, happy and I look forward to seeing everyone “in person” a lot sooner than later! #BETTERTOGETHER #SHEBOYGANCOUNTYSTRONG
Sheboygan
County Chamber
Newsletter sponsorship opportunities now available! Please contact Scott Kuehn at 920-918-1315 or scott@sheboygan.org for more information.
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March EVENTS RECAP
March 6th: First Friday Forum
March 26th
Speaker Joseph J. Voelkner (Butzen Sports Complex, LLC in partnership with Lakeshore United FC. )
Virtual Happy Hour with Coastal YPN
Upcoming Events
YPWeek October 16th - 24th, 2020 New Dates!
EXTRA! 2020 Sheboygan County Chamber Scholarships Due Date Extended to May 15th, 2020 To provide financial recognition to a student involved in the community and associated with the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce. These (4) - $1,000 scholarships are meant to carry forth the Chamber Ambassadors’ view that leadership, community service, and educational pursuit should be appropriately recognized and rewarded. The scholarship is made possible by funds raised at the annual Chamber golf outing every September. Applying for multiple is encouraged. Please share with colleagues and students! Application is due May 15th, 2020 at 4:00 PM
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