January 2024 Better Together Newsletter Update

In This Issue Hello 2024! Explore what your Chamber has in store for you as we turn the page on a new year.

Ja nua r y 2024

Upcoming Events From The Desk Of The CEO “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” - Albert Einstein Happy New Year! Time really does fly when you’re having fun! As we embark on a new year, I first want to say Deidre Martinez thank you to our members for your continued support and partnership and hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. We saw some great successes in 2023 as an organization and cannot wait for what 2024 will bring. This past year, we saw significant growth in membership. We know that when we use our voices collectively we can make positive change for our businesses and community. In 2023, we launched several new programs successfully and have some wonderful new opportunities that will be made available in the upcoming year as well. And through 2023, we strengthened our community partnerships and embarked on new adventures, including the ARPA Workforce Development Attraction and Retention Campaign in partnership with our friends at Sheboygan County, and coming soon our partnership with the Sheboygan Downtown Business Improvement District to work in collaboration and provide additional support. It is through these partnerships, growth and new offerings that we can continue to advocate for strong businesses and strong communities in this new year. Please check our website often to stay in the loop as to what is coming up, you won’t want to miss out.

We are also busy preparing for our Economic Outlook Breakfast and Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 18, 2024.

We will say thank you to some board members who have served the Chamber for many years, and we will welcome new board members to the organization. We are thrilled to invite our partners from throughout the County to participate

01.09.24

Ribbon Cutting: Kame Ramen & Sushi Poke

01.10.24 - 01.11.24 Explore Your Future

01.10.24

Out to Dinner with Coastal YP’s: BoMallies

01.18.24

Economic Outlook Breakfast & Annual Meeting

01.23.24

Coastal YP’s: Winter Wonderland

Upcoming Events [ Continued ]

01.24.24

Out to Lunch with Deidre Martinez: Kame Ramen & Sushi Poke

01.25.24

vibe@5: Pine Haven Christian Communities - Haven Drive Campus

02.06.24

Coastal YP’s: Speed Networking

Roundtable Meetings: 01.10.24 WORKSITE WELLNESS 01.10.24 MID-DAY ROUNDTABLE 01.30.24 MANUFACTURING 02.01.24 SAFETY 02.05.24 SALE & MARKETING PROFESSIONALS 02.07.24 NON-PROFIT

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in the discussion, give us updates on their respective communities and share with us what we can expect in 2024. We hope you can join us! Also, please take a few minutes to complete the Economic Outlook Survey. This helps us to better provide tools and resources of value to our members and the results of the survey will be made available at the event.

And, of course, the Chamber Champions Gala, the event of the year, will be held Thursday, February 22nd, at the beautiful Osthoff Resort. We’ve got some exciting things in store and are thrilled to celebrate so many successes.

Make sure your nominations have been submitted and get yourself registered right away.

We want you to Think BIG (betterment, improvement, growth), Influence Local! The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce is committed to providing expertise for fostering dynamic organizations throughout Sheboygan County. We are truly Better Together!

Josh Aschenbach - Director Of Membership & Workforce Development If you’re anything like me, once Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year are behind us, you’re completely over the cold, dreary winter season. But reality check: Winter is just settling in. I hope my wife doesn’t stumble across this because her birthday is in February, but let’s be real, February is objectively the worst month of the year.

To make it even better (sarcasm intended), this year, February gets an extra day. As if dealing with 28 days of gloom and polar vortexes isn’t enough...

Josh Aschenbach

But hey, no need to despair! I’m here to sprinkle a little joy and give you an opportunity to check out a membership perk you might’ve missed.

In the spirit of the leap year, we’re offering: $29 Member-to-Member ads for the entire month of February! That means you can advertise every week in February for only $116! *The $29 rate only applies to new Member-to-Member advertising purchases and cannot be used on pre-purchased packages. Please direct any questions to josh@sheboygan.org.

Our Chamber’s Member-to-Member e-blast goes out every Thursday to over 3,000 contacts in the Chamber community — an estimated marketing value of between $100-$250 each week.

Whether you’re a returning advertiser looking to expand your reach or you’re brand new and ready to take the plunge, simply click here to download the form. Once you’ve downloaded the form, please fill it out and send it to josh@sheboygan.org.

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Christy Jacobs - Director Of Events Health and happiness to you and yours in the new year ahead! The New Year is a time for new beginnings, new traditions and new events.

Welcome to 2024 and the start of a new year. We have some new events to look forward to this year. Be on the lookout for a Small Business Boot Camp, specifically aimed at small business owners and more to come on Professional Development Opportunity workshops. Stay tuned for more information and check our calendar to register.

Christy Jacobs

Speaking of registration, don’t forget that we have the Economic Outlook Breakfast and Annual Meeting fast approaching on January 18th at Pine Hills. This is a wonderful event to start the year off, followed closely by the Chamber Champions Gala on February 22nd at the beautiful Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. We can’t wait to see you there!

If you have questions about hosting a member event such as a ribbon cutting or vibe@5, feel free to reach out to me at christy@sheboygan.org. I would love to help! Happy New Year!

Cheers!

Christy

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John Rogers - Business Roundtables Facilitator The Business Case for Sustainability In today’s world, sustainability can have a variety of definitions and can mean different things to different people. For many years, the term “sustainability” equated in some people’s minds with environmentalism — people working to protect the planet from pollution, litter and chemicals while trying to recycle and reduce their overall footprint on the planet. While the environment is an important facet of sustainability, it is not the only one. Since there is a range of valuable information to learn about sustainability, we will focus on this concept at the January 30th Manufacturing Roundtable.

John Rogers

Are local businesses experiencing a ‘return on investment’ through a sustainability initiative?

Yes! Rather than sending prior ‘waste’ to a landfill, the waste is gathered and sent to a processor for re-use. This is a classic example of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ and the cost of the machine was paid for in about a year. That is sustainable ROI! The preponderance of evidence shows that sustainability is going mainstream. Executives can no longer afford to approach sustainability as a “nice to have” or as a solid function separated from the “real” business. Those companies that proactively make sustainability core to business strategy will drive innovation and enthusiasm from employees, customers, suppliers, communities and investors.

Do you want to learn more about some local examples of sustainability and its impact on operations, supply chain challenges, attraction and retention of staff and maybe other facets?

Join us in the Chamber’s Large Conference Room from 7:15 until 10:00 am on Tuesday, January 30th. Registration is required. Click here to register!

If you have any questions send them to john@sheboygan.org.

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December In Review

December 7

December 13

December 13

Brews & Brainstorming Part 2

Creating Inclusive Workplaces Session #6

Out to Dinner with Coastal YP’s: Friendsgiving

December 14

December 20

vibe@5: Boortmalt

Out to Breakfast with Deidre Martinez: Seeboth Delicatessen

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Newsletter sponsorship opportunities now available! Please contact Deidre Martinez at 920-457-9491 or deidre@sheboygan.org for more information.

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