October 2014
Evolving and Looking Ahead By Aaron Kapellusch At the onset of every month, I spend time thinking about important information to share with you on the happenings at the Chamber. With a newborn at home, there are many more hours spent awake than I’m accustomed to, which is great for brainstorming. For a six-week-old, my daughter, Ella, is a good listener and not very judgmental about my ideas. (I’m sure in about 12 years that will dramatically change, or so I hear.) While the Chamber has remained a constant in the community for over 102 years, it is important that we are always evolving and looking ahead. The focus of efforts at the Chamber is guided by the feedback we receive from our members. Our annual membership survey is being finalized, and you will be receiving it in the near future. The results of this survey take the pulse on the needs of our members. Your input and participation are vital to the continued success of our organization.
In this issue . . . • • • • • • • •
Annual Meeting Recap Member News Featured Member Business Advocacy Ambassador of the Month Volunteer Spotlight New Members Ribbon Cuttings
September was the start of our new program and fiscal year, and we will continue to poll our members after events in search of feedback. Good, bad, or otherwise - we want to hear from you. I know you are extremely busy in your professional and personal life, but your opinion and response is valuable to us.
Aaron Kapellusch
Part of our continued evolvement includes the addition of many new programs, and we have several in development. One new networking event, WAKE UP Wausau Region, is a great example of focusing our efforts based on membership feedback. WAKE UP Wausau Region is the result of a repeated request from our members for more early morning networking. It is a great opportunity for members in retail and other businesses with schedule demands that prohibit them from attending our evening networking events. We hope this also allows parents with family activities in the evening to get their networking done in the morning. Over the past 12 months, we added 22 additional programs for a total of 117 educational and networking programs offered during our 2013-2014 fiscal year. We also saw greater than 1,000 additional members in attendance at our events compared to the previous year. A significant number of individuals (continued)
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