Randall Linton, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System for northwest Wisconsin, is announcing his retirement in April 2017. Linton has served in his current capacity as president and CEO for the past 15 years. Prior to that, he served as a pediatrician for more than 20 years. Planning and organizing the process for selecting a successor will begin immediately, and a final selection is anticipated by January to allow for an appropriate transition period. Linton will assist his successor to ensure a smooth and seamless leadership transition. The search committee for the new leader will include regional representation. As a part of the transition, the title of the position will change from president and CEO to regional vice president, northwest Wisconsin region, to better align with other similar job titles and organizational structures within Mayo Clinic.
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Jeremy Gragert has been hired as communications specialist for the Chippewa Valley Museum, located in Eau Claire’s Carson Park. Gragert will coordinate outreach and marketing of the regional history and cultural Museum’s programs, education, events, resources and exhibits. Gragert has more than 10 years of experience in community engagement as a leader in non-profit development and higher education, including at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout. Gragert has a bachelor’s degree in history from UW-Eau Claire and a master’s degree in education from UW-La Crosse. Prior to joining the Chippewa Valley Museum, Gragert was the northwest ambassador for the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation. 

Royal Credit Union (Royal) hosted a ribbon cutting and grand re-opening celebration at its newly remodeled North High School student-run credit union office. Royal leaders, school administrators and students joined together on Tuesday, September 27 for the event. Royal opened the office at North High School in 2005. Since its opening 33 students have worked in the North High School office. The remodeled facility features a warm, welcome environment for members to conduct business. Comfortable seating, a financial education delivery center and space for one-on-one consultations are also available in the office. To celebrate the long-standing partnership, Royal Credit Union presented North High School administrators with a $250 donation to support an educational initiative or school program of their choice.

A recent update to Nursing Home Compare by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designates local healthcare provider Dove Healthcare with an overall 5 Star Rating for each of their six skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities. This rating is based on quality measures, staffing ratios and annual health inspection results. Star ratings are assigned to each of these categories and the categories are combined to calculate an overall rating. In July 2016, 32.1 percent of Wisconsin skilled nursing facilities were rated five stars and 22.8 percent nationally. More information can be found on the website.

Ola Kanj Ahmed, M.D., has joined the Oncology Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Ahmed received her medical degree from the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan. She was chief medical resident of the internal medicine residency program at Unity Health System in Rochester, New York. She completed her fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. Kanj Ahmed is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Justine Abel, D.O., recently joined the Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire.  Abel earned her bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology from the University of California-Davis. She earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois. Abel completed her residency in emergency medicine at Western Michigan University School of Medicine- Kalamazoo. She is certified in advanced trauma, cardiac, disaster, obstetrics and pediatric life support.

Nurse practitioner Karen Bowman recently joined Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Bowman earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, and her master’s degree in the family nurse practitioner program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Previously, Bowman worked as a family nurse practitioner at Eau Claire Medical Clinic. Bowman is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She is a certified asthma educator and is certified by the American Heart Association in basic and advanced cardiac life support.

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards has set October 2 – 8 as Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week as a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our communities. Cooperative Education Service Agency 10 (CESA 10) is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week and to honor local board members for their commitment to children, education, and the community. 

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Market & Johnson announced the hiring of James Hanke and Brandon O’Connell as business development representatives. Hanke and O’Connell will assist the Market & Johnson team in securing new construction projects while building relationships with key business leaders. Hanke will focus on the industrial and manufacturing markets while O’Connell concentrates on the medical, educational and retail markets for Market & Johnson. Hanke has a bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire and a master’s certification in community and economic development from Penn State. Prior to joining Market & Johnson, Hanke spent more than six years as the manager of economic development and community services at Xcel Energy. O’Connell has a bachelor’s degree in real estate property management from UW-Stout. He spent four years with Mid-America Real Estate-Minnesota as a commercial property manager.

Chelsea Schneider has been hired as CCFBank’s new vice president of human resources. Schneider has eight years of experience managing human resources. Her most recent role was as human resources manager at Clearwater Paper Corporation in Ladysmith where she helped develop and lead an initiative to enhance relations and cooperation between corporate and operations. Her role will be based out of CCFBank’s administrative offices in Eau Claire.

EO Johnson Business Technologies announced a new building expansion to its Eau Claire location. The project will create space to house a state-of-the-art customer showroom, expand IT operations and expand the warehouse and parts. This initiative, which was recently approved by the City of Eau Claire Plan Commission, will expand the location by nearly 8,000 square feet. The Eau Claire facility is a central part to EO Johnson’s seven locations and often serves as a companywide meeting place. This location also serves as the company home for Production Print. Construction work is set to begin on the facility this fall.
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Business development specialist Anna Sizer recently joined Corporate Health Services at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Previously, Sizer was director of Development for Mayo Clinic Health System in northwest Wisconsin. In her new role, Sizer will work directly with local employers to help meet the health care needs of their employees. Sizer holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and psychology and an advanced business communications certificate from UW-Eau Claire.

Jonathan Webb, M.D., recently joined the Orthopedic Center at Mayo Clinic Health System. Webb earned his medical degree from the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree in physiological science from the University of California-Los Angeles. He completed an orthopedic surgical residency at Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education in Rochester, Minnesota and a fellowship in adult reconstruction/total joint at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Massachusetts. Webb is board-eligible in orthopedic surgery.

Mayo Clinic Health System announced that Michael Morrey has been selected as the new regional chair of Administration for northwest Wisconsin. Morrey will succeed John Dickey, chief administrative officer, who is retiring Jan. 15, 2017. Morrey currently is vice president of operations for Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. He is no stranger to the Mayo Clinic family, having held a number of leadership positions at Mayo Clinic in Rochester over the course of 20 years. Most recently, Morrey was associate administrator of Clinic Operations Support Services, where he was responsible for administrative leadership of Mayo Clinic’s multidisciplinary practice. Morrey holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Morrey will partner with Dr. Randall Linton to provide organizational leadership and direction. He will be responsible for the overall performance of northwest Wisconsin operations, including quality, safety, service, financial performance and strategic planning.

James Peng, M.D., recently joined the Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Peng earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. He is board-certified in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic Health System, he practiced at Kaiser Permanente in California and was an assistant professor of emergency medicine at New York University School of Medicine. 

Angela Appel, M.D., recently joined the Surgery Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Appel earned her bachelor’s degree in genetics and medical degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She completed her internship and residency in general surgery at Gunderson Lutheran Medical Foundation in La Crosse. She grew up in Chippewa Falls. She is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Wisconsin Surgical Society and Association of Women Surgeons. Appel is certified in advanced trauma and life support and advanced burn and cardiac life support.
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Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc, Northwest District is pleased to announce that Duane Winkelmann has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Wineklam earned his Mechanical Engineering degree from North Dakota State University and has worked for 3M for the past 24 years and is employed at the 3M Menomonie plant. He is a current classroom volunteer and has presented JA programming to area sixth and seventh grade students the past two years.

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc., the parent company of Citizens Community Federal N.A. (CCFBank), announced the appointment of Stephen Bianchi to serve as the company’s president and chief executive officer, as well as a member of the Board of Directors. Since 2011, Bianchi has served as president and chief executive officer of the HF Financial Corp. and Home Federal Bank, both based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As a 30 year banking veteran,  Bianchi also served in several senior management positions at Wells Fargo Bank and with Associated Bank. CCFBank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc., is a full-service national bank based in Altoona with more than $723 million in assets and serving more than 50,000 customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.

Chippewa Valley Technical College awarded Karen Lloyd, behavioral sciences instructor, and Al Spaeth, architectural structural design instructor, with the 2016 Roy and Jan Fuerstenberg Teaching Excellence Awards. CVTC’s top awards for teachers were presented Aug. 25 during in-service days to start the new school year. Faculty members are nominated for the prestigious award by their students, and those honored receive cash honorariums of $1,500. Also presented was the Domer New Faculty Teaching Award to Emergency Medical Services instructor Kasondra Mero.

Royal Credit Union (Royal) has expanded its field of membership in Wisconsin to include five additional counties. Financial services provided by Royal will now be available to residents who live, work or attend school in Sawyer, Price, Lincoln, Portage and Adams counties. Immediate family members of these residents are also eligible for Royal membership regardless of where they live. The expansion was approved by Wisconsin’s Department of Financial Institutions and Royal’s Board of Directors in late August. Royal now serves 23 counties in Wisconsin and 12 counties in Minnesota. 

Orthopedic surgeon Mark McCarthy, M.D., recently joined the Orthopedic Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. McCarthy earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He received his master’s degree in physician assistant studies at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. McCarthy completed his orthopedic residency at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He completed his sports medicine surgical fellowship at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University in Chicago, Illinois, where he was team physician for the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. McCarthy is a board-eligible orthopedic surgeon and member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Association of Northern America.
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Royal Credit Union (Royal) has launched a new program designed specifically for the 18-to-25 year-old crowd. The Smart Connection, geared toward young adults, kicked off on September 1, 2016. The Smart Connection is designed to help students learn and grow during the years that follow their 18th birthday. Between the ages of 18 and 25, young adults are budgeting for higher education, a first apartment, first checking account, first car loan or first home purchase.

Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc, Northwest District announced two new board members joining its Board of Directors. Julie Kahl is an office supervisor with WESTconsin Credit Union located in Menomonie High School. Dr. Tim Vaughan also is joining the JA Board of Directors. Vaughn is the interim dean of the College of Business at UW-Eau Claire.

Huebsch Services is celebrating 125 years of service and will host a customer event on September 23 at its Eau Claire facility. Huebsch Services was established in 1891 to meet the needs of a growing lumber community in West Central Wisconsin. Today, Huebsch serves more than 6,000 customers in Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, La Crosse, Rice Lake, Winona, Minneapolis, Saint Paul and surrounding areas. Since their humble beginning, they have remained dedicated to the needs of their customers, employees, communities and the environment when it comes to its laundry service business.  Huebsch is deeply committed to innovative and sustainable business practices. As a Clean Green Certified company, Huebsch pursues all avenues of water, chemical, and energy reduction options. Most recently, Huebsch made the decision to invest in a large scale Solar Photovoltaic System. A 100 KW solar system consisting of 350 panels was recently installed on the roof of the Wisconsin facility. It is estimated to provide 20-30 percent of all electricity they consume.

Prevea Health is now providing comprehensive behavioral care services in the Chippewa Valley at Prevea Behavioral Care, 2119 Heights Dr. in Eau Claire. This took effect on Aug. 29, 2016 when providers from HSHS Sacred Heart Behavioral Health Clinic joined Prevea Health.  In addition, HSHS Sacred Heart Behavioral Health Clinic – once located at 4235 Southtowne Dr. in Eau Claire – relocated to 2119 Heights Dr. in Eau Claire to become Prevea Behavioral Care. While the name and location of the former HSHS Sacred Heart Behavioral Care Health Clinic are new, all providers and services once offered there remain the same. Providers include Ricardo Bayola, MD; Emil Ibraham, MD; Michael Lace, PsyD; Jeni Gronemus, LPC; Kristen Seidler, LPC, SAC; Courtney Hovland, LPC and Jeffrey Jackson, PA-C.

Royal Credit Union (Royal) recently announced the completion of its acquisition of Capital Bank in Saint Paul is complete. Royal assumed approximately $35 million total assets in the transaction. This acquisition offered Royal the opportunity to enhance office accessibility to its current Minnesota membership, as well as serve additional members in Minnesota.

Nurse practitioner Hope St. Jean recently joined Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. St. Jean earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, and her master’s degree in the family nurse practitioner program at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. Prior to joining Family Medicine in Eau Claire, St. Jean worked as a nurse practitioner at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in the departments of Primary Care and Internal Medicine, and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

The Classic at Hillcrest Greens recently announced the appointment of Dean Mathwig to the position of community relations director. Mathwig will be responsible for the overall coordination, development, and maintenance of the organization’s marketing and sales program. With nearly 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations, Mathwig has worked for several healthcare entities in the Chippewa Valley, including: Mayo Health System, Sacred Heart Hospital, Blue Cross & Blue Shield and Community Health Partnership. Mathwig is a graduate of Chippewa Valley Technical College. The Classic at Hillcrest Greens, a senior living community based in Altoona, Wisconsin provides housing and services for independent living, assisted living, and memory care residents.

Four prominent area men will take a stand against breast cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society through participation in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. Throughout the month of October, Real Men Wear Pink candidates will encourage women in their lives and in the community to take action in the fight against breast cancer. Each Real Men Wear Pink candidate is charged with a fundraising challenge and will compete to be the top fundraiser among the other candidates by the end of the campaign. The 2016 Real Men Wear Pink candidates are: Tony Martin, D.D.S., Martin Dental; Bob McCoy, Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce; Nick Grunseth, WQOW-TV; and Scott Polenz, Marshfield Clinic.

Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and WLAX-WEUX TV, the Fox and MeTV affiliate serving the La Crosse-Eau Claire market, announced today plans to introduce Four new channels on September 1, 2016. Laff, Grit, Escape and Bounce will launch respectively on channels 25.3, 25.4 (La Crosse) 48.3 and 48.4 (Eau Claire) and reflects Nexstar’s organization-wide commitment to broadcasting excellence for local viewers and advertisers. Laff is the nation’s first broadcast network devoted to comedy. Grit is the nation’s first broadcast network dedicated to bold and legendary action heroes. Escape is broadcast television network for women and Bounce is the an African American broadcast network.