In this issue . . .
JULY 2019
Ambassador Profile Member News Calendar of Events New Members Ribbon cuttings
The Branch applies fresh ideas to members’ challenges By Brian Otten, Marketing Manager
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very fall and spring I speak to hundreds of local college students about The Branch. I ask these students to consider participating in a program that will beef up both the job experience and reference portions of their resume. I point out the valuable contacts they’ll make at the c-suite level and how these connections can yield a great job following (and sometimes before) their graduation. When I speak to students in their classrooms in Wausau and Stevens Point, I stress the value of access, both the access the students will have to the businesses they serve as ‘student consultants’ and the access the business craves for local talent and fresh ideas. I’m writing today to invite you, the Chamber’s members, to also tap into this great ‘access’ to students and to consider sponsoring a project in one of The Branch’s upcoming sessions. A number of our members have already sponsored challenges in The Branch since the program launched in the summer of 2016. Church Mutual Insurance Company, River Valley Bank, Ansay & Associates, North Central Health Care, Northcentral Technical College, M3 Insurance and AROW Global have all brought real world
challenges into the program and then worked with teams of students to generate solutions. AROW Global’s challenge in the spring of 2017 was a simple one, “How does our business grow its manufacturing facility?” Although this challenge (and the other challenges presented to student teams in The Branch) was worded very succinctly and intentionally open-ended, the experience for both business and student was a rewarding one. “We gave the students in The Branch the unusual opportunity to help us make a decision usually reserved for a board of directors or senior management.” said retired human resources director Mike Rayome. The benefits of the students’ work on this project, and the access both students and business had to each other, are still being realized at AROW Global as the business continues to grow. If your organization has a real-world challenge which would beneft from the new perspectives and innovative solutions offered by students in the program, we’d welcome you to participate. Organizations that are also interested in fostering the educational growth of the region’s college students, while also establishing contacts with these student, will find great value in the program. If you would like to sponsor a challenge in The Branch’s fall 2019 or spring 2020 session please visit TheBranchWI.org or contact me at 715-848-5947.
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