Recently, 34 area high school juniors graduated from the Chamber’s Youth Leadership Eau Claire (YLEC) program. In its 13th year, the program gives students a chance to enhance their knowledge and development leadership skills. During the nine-month program, the students learn about the community and future career opportunities.

In order to graduate from the program, students must complete community service projects. This year, the class divided into four groups to complete the projects for the Girls on the Run, Hand in Hand: A Place For All Children, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital and the YMCA.

The following is the list of 2016 graduates:

Altoona High School
Erik Weber    

Memorial High School
Katie Ball    
Tanner Binczak    
Avery Eisenhuth    
Mia Emberson     
Benjamin Foster     
Keng Lor     
Anna Nick     
Lauren Nielsen     
Maigaozong Yang     

North High School
Nathan Bronstad     
Kailee Brown     
Lauren Derleth     
Fernanda Garcia      
Madison Karker     
Mariah Kent     
Alana Till     
Cassie Willier     
Mary Xiong     
Pacha Xiong     
Chicagoria Yang     

Regis High School
Hannah Anderson     
Sarah Andre     
Katherine Henriksen     
Jamie Holm     
Logan Jacobson     
Ariana Madson     
Noel Ortiz     
Paul Petit     
Alex Rocksvold     
Josie Semerad      
Kendra Skwierczynski     
Jack Usher     
Danielle Yengo     

YLEC Executive Committee
Chair Jenna Ziegler, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire 
Vice Chair Jason Craig, Mayo Clinic Health System
Past Carla Leuck, Spectrum Industries, Inc.
Jim Schmitt, Eau Claire Area School District
Laura Volbrecht, Fall Creek School District
Larry Zorn, Eau Claire Press Company

YLEC Curriculum Committee
Sara Antonson, Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley
Andrea Finn, Royal Credit Union
Susan Frame, Chippewa Valley Technical College
Kelly Lauscher, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
Eric Lindquist, Leader-Telegram
Susan Peterson, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc.
Ben Richgruber, Eau Claire Regional Arts Center
Jennifer Roetter, US Department of Agriculture
Vicki Seltun, City of Eau Claire
Suzie Slota, YMCA
Daneille Strong, Weld, Riley S.C.
Michael Strubel, WEAU 13 News
Keith Zehms, Eau Claire County

YLEC Sponsors
Banbury Place, Inc.
BMO Harris Bank
Dick Cable
CCFBank
Charter Bank
Chippewa Valley Technical College
CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP
Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Staff
Eau Claire Area School District
Eau Claire Energy Cooperative
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
Kristo Orthodontics
KRM Information Services, Inc.
Mayo Clinic Health System
Northwoods Brew Pub
RB Scott Company, Inc.
Rotary Club of Eau Claire (Noon)
Royal Credit Union
Silver Spring Foods, Inc. 
Sunrise Exchange Club Eau Claire
Sue & Roger Tietz
Wipfli LLP
Xcel Energy
Larry Zorn 

Youth Leadership Endowment Society
Owen & Janice Ayres 
Banbury Place, Inc.
Mel & Leann Breed
Dick Cable
Charter Bank
Cigan Properties
CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP
Mark & Donna Faanes
BJ & Bea Farmer
Christine & Kurt Geissler 
Gloria Gold
Jon & Maureen Homstad
Kristo Orthodontics
Rick Lambrecht
Larson Companies
Market & Johnson, Inc.
Michael & Pat Markin
Lee & Anna Mayer
Bob & Vicki McCoy
Darin McFadden
Karl Murch
National Presto Industries, Inc.
Northwestern Bank
Jack Postlewaite
RB Scott Company, Inc.
Royal Construction, Inc.
Sue & Roger Tietz
United Bank
Wisconsin Independent Network, LLC
Larry Zorn

​Congratulations to the following individuals who have graduated from the Leadership Eau Claire™ program.

LEC Class of 2016
Grant Beardsley, Weld Riley, S.C.
Cherrie Bergandi, Chippewa Valley Technical College
Mike Berger, Mayo Clinic Health System
Jay Brettingen, Charter Bank
Regina Butler, Ruder Ware, LLSC
Joe Carlson, Boy Scouts of America, Chippewa Valley Council
Teva Dekel, Williams Diamond Center
Garrett Denney, SMB Group, LLC
Julia Diggins, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Bud Drexel, Hope Gospel Mission Bargain Center
Tarese Dubiel, Marshfield Clinic – Eau Claire Center
Reid Ferguson, Keller Williams Realty
Jason Forehand, Silver Spring Foods, Inc.
Latacia Greeley, WESTconsin Credit Union
Lori Gustafson, Xcel Energy
Kris Hahn, Market & Johnson, Inc.
Luke Hanson, Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corp.
Sheanne Hediger, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP
Douglas Hoffer, City of Eau Claire
Joe Hogan, Hutchinson Technology, Inc.
Glen Kennison, Royal Credit Union Corporate Center
Renee Liming, Biesterveld & Spies, LLC
Stavroula Marcell, REALiving
Joel Michaelson, Huebsch Services
Sarah Mull, Oakwood Hills Animal Hospital
Katie Murphy, RB Scott Company, Inc.
Brian Murray, CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP
Monica Obrycki, Eau Claire Energy Cooperative
Mark Oldenberg, CCFBank
Amanda Olson, Xcel Energy
Carmen Peterson, YMCA
Scott Rannila, Associated Bank
Phil Recheck, Children’s Museum of Eau Claire
Carrie Ronnander, Chippewa Valley Museum
Celestee Roufs, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire
Kathryn Schauf, Eau Claire County
Kristin Schmidt, M3 Insurance
Travis Schroeder, Ayres Associates
Anna Sizer, Mayo Clinic Health System
JJ Smieja, Realityworks, Inc.
Lynn Standorf, The Community Table
Nick White, Live in Eau Claire, LLC, The Local Lounge
Dustin Wiesner, Wipfli LLP

As part of the program, the class completed five community service projects for area non-profit organizations. To read more about the projects, click here. Thank You!

Thank you to the many volunteers that make this program possible. We truly appreciate all your support.

Executive Committee
Chair Margo Keys, Chippewa Valley Technical College
Vice Chair Jim Lahti, Bremer Bank
Past Chair Ally Clark Peterson, Girl Scouts of the Northwest Great Lakes 
Alumni Chair Stephanie Butero, Precision Quality Systems, LLP

Curriculum Committee
Sara Antonson, Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley
Kelly Jacobs, Eau Claire County
Jessica Janssen, Chippewa Valley Technical College
Kelly Jacobs, Eau Claire County
Wayne Marek, Eau Claire Children’s Theatre
Nick Mohr, Rhom Construction
Steve Nick, City of Eau Claire
Shelly Olson, Chippewa Valley Technical College
Julie Poquette, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Jon Schultz, City of Eau Claire Fire Department
Chris Seelen, Ruder Ware, LLSC
Georgia Smith, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
Michael Strubel, WEAU 13 News

LEC Class of 2017
Applications for next year’s Leadership Eau Claire class are due tomorrow, Wednesday, June 1! For more information, visit the Chamber's website.

Low Voltage Contractors (LVC) has expanded its product and service offerings to include J.N. Johnson Fire and Safety. As of May 1st, LVC has acquired J.N. Johnson. JN will continue to do business as “J.N. Johnson, a Division of LVC”.  The acquisition includes the Minneapolis office, the Hibbing office, the International Falls office as well as Lee Leasing.

HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals were awarded the “Greenhealth Partner for Change” Awards by Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading health care community dedicated to transforming health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability and a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice. The awards honor outstanding environmental achievements in the health care sector. The Greenhealth Partner for Change Award recognizes health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon their mercury elimination, waste reduction, recycling and source reduction programs. At a minimum, facilities applying for this award must be recycling 15 percent of their total waste, have reduced regulated medical waste, are well along the way to mercury elimination and have developed other successful pollution prevention programs in many different areas. 

The Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC) bestowed its 2016 Rural Health Ambassador Award to Jeannie Pittenger, stroke program coordinator at HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals during a ceremony at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Pittenger is one of only 14 people in Wisconsin to receive an award from RWHC this year. Pittenger has served as a registered nurse for 33 years. Through her work, guidance and expertise, Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s have earned several stroke achievements, including the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Service’s Coverdell Stroke Champion honor.

Spectrum Insurance Group with offices in Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Weston, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Green Bay, Madison and Tomah recently acquired Marine Insurance Services.  As part of the merger, Spectrum will maintain the current Marine Insurance offices in La Crosse, Fond du Lac and Milwaukee, and consolidate the Eau Claire, Tomah and Suamico locations into the existing Spectrum offices.  Marine Insurance specializes in personal insurance products including home, auto, small business and life.  Spectrum Insurance Group was founded by Darrel Zaleski in 2007 and has more than 90 employees providing risk management solutions for individuals and businesses.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Wisconsin Foundation, Inc. recently announced the winners of their 2016 prestigious Torch Awards for Business Ethics and Integrity.  EO Johnson Business Technologies was named winner for businesses employing 51 - 500.  The winners, selected by an independent, distinguished panel of nine business ethics experts,  were chosen based on submissions that demonstrated excellence in ethical practices, customer service, reputation, honest advertising, peer recognition, management practices, and employee training in ethical behavior within their industry and community.
 
Rehabilitation for Wisconsin in Action (RFW) and Reach, Inc. acknowledged the Stout Ale House in Menomonie as Employer of the Year for recognizing the value that people with disabilities bring to the workplace and for promoting their independence through meaningful employment.  

United Bank recently announced that Jennifer Moen has joined the Business Banking Team serving all six United Bank office locations in Western Wisconsin. Moen spent the last 15 years working in Eau Claire for a national bank, most recently as a branch manager.  She has more than 20 years of financial background working primarily with retail, businesses and trusts. 
 
EO Johnson Business Technologies has recognized exemplary employee performance for 2015. The company was proud to present the following achievement awards in its Eau Claire market:

• Nancy Duncan, account executive, was honored with Sales Person of the Year.
• Jim Graf, business integration consultant – Managed Print Services, and Brett Zacho, production sales consultant, both received the Outstanding Sales Achievement Award.
• John Fritz, solution support specialist, and Terry Truesdell, service technician, were both named Service Technician of the Year.
• Michaela Spencer, managed print services coordinator, was named administrative/support person of the year.

 
Shirley and Tom Hahn, the owners of Action City, a 55,000 square foot fun center located at Metropolis Resort, recently announced that they are expanding their facilities. Phase one will begin outdoors and will tentatively open in the Summer of 2017. The outdoor expansion will include a two person motorized zipline created by Soaring Eagle which will stretch over mini golf with its highest point at 120 feet.  A much larger go kart road course will replace the current bandit cart oval track, featuring brand new go karts. Phase two will be 35,000 square foot indoor expansion highlighted by a trampoline park with an obstacle area similar to the popular tv show, Ninja Warrior. Additional attractions will be announced soon.  The project is tentatively scheduled to open in Fall of 2017. The permit process for the new indoor and outdoor attractions has already begun at the State and city level and construction is being planned so that Action City will remain open during the construction.
 
David Nelson, chief financial officer at HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals, has been elected to serve on the National Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) Board of Examiners. His three-year term begins July 1. As a member of the HFMA Board of Examiners, Nelson will collaborate with the HFMA National Board and staff to ensure that the HFMA career services and certification programs are responsive to the needs of the membership, the association, and the profession. The HFMA Board of Examiners is the governing body responsible for overseeing HFMA’s certification program and career services initiatives.
 
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital presented the 2016 Nurse Exemplar Award to Jean Richard, a registered nurse in the hospital’s Women and Infant Services department. Richard has served the hospital for 30 years. The peer-nominated award is Sacred Heart Hospital’s highest nursing honor and recognizes an extraordinary nurse who exhibits excellence in caring for patients and families, provides personalized patient care and has a superior level of knowledge and skill.
 
Joe McFadden has joined Low Volage Contractors as a sales rep tasked with growing the low voltage contractor’s presence and work in the western Wisconsin region.  McFadden has nearly 20 years in the industry and will focus on building the LVC brand and marketing its complete services.  He has a degree in electronics from Brown Institute and has a business and technical background. Larry Gilbert also has joined Low Voltage Contractors as a technical employee.  Gilbert will focus on building the LVC brand as well as installing its services.  Gilbert has a very diverse and experienced background, including United States Air Force veteran, electronics degree and more than 20 years of industry experience in multiple technologies and installation and services. 
 
Engineering and architecture firm Ayres Associates recently acquired The Ash Group, adding depth to Ayres’ Tampa-based staff. The Ash Group’s Tampa office becomes Ayres’ 13th office nationwide and its fourth in Florida. Ayres is headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Through this acquisition, Ayres adds new services and strengthens others the firm has been providing in Florida for 30 years.

Tim Molepske has been as selected as the new Scout executive of the Boy Scouts of America, Chippewa Valley Council effective June 1, 2016. Molepske began his Scouting career as district executive at the Circle Ten Council in Dallas, Texas.  He moved on to become the field director and later director of field service with the Capitol Area Council, Austin, Texas. He was promoted to deputy scout executive of the Greater Alabama Council, Birmingham, Alabama. Molepske is an Eagle Scout and Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow.

Northwestern Bank announced the addition of two new Board Members. Bradford J. Colbert III, a native of Chippewa Falls as well as Jerry Bauer, a native of Eau Claire are now serving on Northwestern Bank’s Board of Directors. Bradford is an independent consultant with more than 20 years of finance planning and analysis experience. Bauer is the founder/owner of JB Systems and has over 15 years of experience in website development, database design and architecture and marketing. Along with the addition of these two Board members, Northwestern Bank congratulates B. James Colbert on his retirement from the Board.

HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital’s Susan Pieterick, neurodiagnostic technologist in the cardiology department, has been named the 2016 recipient of the Father Klimek Healing Presence Award. In addition, Steven Immerman, M.D., has been named the hospital’s Physician of the Year for 2016. Pieterick has worked in the cardiology department at Sacred Heart Hospital for 30 years. As a neurodiagnostic technologist, she performs EEG tests, which record and detect abnormalities related to electrical activity of the brain. The Father Klimek Healing Presence Award is the highest honor a hospital colleague can receive, and recognizes a long-term colleague who has dedicated his or her life to being a humble servant of the sick. Immerman is board-certified in general surgery, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has practiced at Sacred Heart Hospital for 35 years and currently serves as the chair of the hospital’s performance improvement committee and as a member of the hospital’s medical executive and oncology committees. 

WESTconsin Credit Union recently announced Pennie Peterson as vice president WESTconsin Realty, LLC. Peterson previously worked as an agent for WESTconsin Realty since 2011. She replaces recently retired Dalene Crandall who held this position for the past eight years.
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Nizar Ottoman, M.D., has been named the St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Provider of the Year for 2016. This is the inaugural year of the award. Ottoman is a board-certified internal medicine physician with Marshfield Clinic. He is a hospitalist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and works extensively with clinicians and colleagues at the hospital, as well as patients and families. As a recipient of the inaugural award, Ottoman was recognized for his ability to focus on what matters most to patients and their families

Royal Credit Union (Royal) recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Capital Bank, Saint Paul (Capital Bank). This acquisition will offer Royal the opportunity to enhance office accessibility to its current Minnesota Membership, as well as serve additional Members in Minnesota. Under the terms of the agreement, Royal will assume approximately $35 million total assets in the transaction.  Pending customary closing conditions, including obtaining regulatory approval, the completion of the transaction is expected to occur in the second half of 2016. Royal is committed to a smooth transition for the bank’s customers. 

Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley changed its name to Literacy Chippewa Valley. It was decided to change its name because there is a misconception by community members and funders that everyone is a volunteer. The organization has a small, highly-educated staff that provide training and support to tutors who in turn work with students with low literacy skills. In addition, in 2002, the national literacy organization, Literacy Volunteers of America, changed its name to Pro Literacy, and of the 77 member agencies of Wisconsin Literacy, there is only one other agency that still has “volunteer” in its name.

WESTconsin Credit Union recently held its 76th Annual Membership Meeting and re-elected Lynn Brantner and Colleen Mensing each to another three-year term on its Board of Directors. Officer positions remain as previously held and include: Chairperson Dave Maves, Vice Chairperson Jerry Wolf, Secretary Lynn Brantner and  Treasurer Rita Lunderville.