​The Chippewa Valley Regional Airport is hosting a TSA Pre✓® onsite enrollment from October 30-Novemebr 3, 2017. TSA Pre✓® is an expedited screening program that enables identified low-risk air travelers to enjoy a smart and more efficient screening experience. For TSA Pre✓® travelers, there is no need to remove shoes, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, light outerwear or belts. Today, TSA Pre✓® has more than 450 lanes at 200+ U.S. airports. Visit www.identogo.com/precheck to register.

HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital and Evergreen Surgical announce their Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Clinic. Led by bariatric surgeon and medical director, Brandon Andrew, M.D., the clinic offers advanced surgical weight loss solutions and a full complement of support services to help people in their weight loss journey.

Heartland Business Systems (“HBS”), LLC, a Midwest leader in information technology, recently announced that it has appointed Larry Boettger chief information security officer. Boettger brings more than 20 years of information technology and cybersecurity consulting experience to his position as CISO at HBS. Having performed risk and vulnerability assessments as well as remediation services for regulated organizations (HIPAA, GLBA, SOX, PCI, etc.) of all sizes, Boettger will lead all cybersecurity initiatives at HBS. His expertise with critical infrastructure environments is backed by security certifications that include Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and ITIL.

Jim Pinter's many achievements and lasting impact on the Eau Claire Community Foundation (ECCF) were recognized when he received a Leadership Award at ECCF's recent Autumn Social. As members of the Society of Founders (SOF), Jim and his wife Kathy were instrumental in creating ECCF; without the dollars they and the other SOF members so generously contributed, ECCF couldn't have opened its doors. But the Pinters' contributions didn't end there: Kathy became a founding member of the Women's Giving Circle in 2007, the same year the couple opened the Jim and Kathy Pinter Mental Health Fund. They also became members of ECCF's Legacy Society. In addition, Jim served on ECCF's Development and Communications Committees as well as on its Board of Trustees.
 
Jane Lokken also was recognized for her extensive service to ECCF. Jane and her husband John are members of the Legacy Society and established the John and Jane Lokken Fund in 2007. Jane has been an active member for many years, first serving as a Trustee in 2004. Jane served as secretary, vice chair and then as chair from 2013-2015. She has also served on six different ECCF Committees and was instrumental in the full revision of the Foundation's Trust Agreement.
 
Inc. magazine ranked LVC on its 37th annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment — its independent small businesses. Many well-known companies gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

Marco, a leading technology services provider, announced today that it has purchased Koestner Office Products, Inc. (KOPI), a copier/printer company based in Jefferson City, Missouri. This is the 17th acquisition the company has completed over the past three years. In addition to Jefferson City, they have three other locations in Missouri. Marco has 1,100 employees and serves more than 32,500 customers from its 46 locations throughout the Midwest and nationally.

Local Law Enforcement and 24-7 & West Wisconsin Telcom have a new deck of Packers Trading cards to give away. The special Green Bay Packer Player trading cards include pictures of 20 different Packers players and Coach McCarthy. On the reverse side, the cards have crime prevention tips that were provided by grade school students from Zion Lutheran School in Rhinelander. The football card program is designed to make it easier for young people to become acquainted with our local law enforcement in a fun way. Though the program is mainly intended for school children, the cards are for Packers fans of any age. The Menomonie, Altoona, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Boyceville and Colfax Police Departments along with the Dunn, Buffalo, Chippewa and Pepin County Sheriff Offices together with 24-7 & West Wisconsin Telcom will distribute trading cards during the NFL football season. Feel free to stop at your local Police, Sheriff Departments or 24-7 & West Wisconsin Telcom stores to get your own Packer cards.

Ellen Liang, M.D., recently joined the Surgery Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Liang earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She received a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. She completed her general surgery residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Her professional interests focus on the broad scope of general surgery, including breast, endocrine and gastrointestinal surgery.

Nurse practitioners Lea Harel and Mackenzie Johnson recently joined the Critical Care Unit at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Harel earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and doctor of nursing practice degree from UW-Eau Claire. For the past 11 years, Harel has worked as a registered nurse in a local intensive care unit. Harel’s professional interests include acute care, compassionate end-of-life care and palliative care. Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Tampa in Florida. She earned a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner in adult gerontology acute care at Winona State University in Minnesota. She was a flight nurse with the U.S. Air Force and completed two deployments. Johnson has continued her service as a flight nurse for the U.S. Air Force Reserve. For the past two years, Johnson served as a nurse in the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Physician assistant Matthew Ryba also recently joined the Orthopedics Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Ryba earned a bachelor’s degree in health care administration and emergency management from the University of Phoenix in Arizona. He received a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of North Dakota-Grand Forks. Previously, Ryba served as a flight paramedic in Marshfield and as an adjunct faculty member at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Rice Lake. Ryba is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Deborah Hower, M.D., recently rejoined Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Hower previously worked within the health system in Internal Medicine, as a hospitalist and medical director of the Transitional Care unit in Bloomer, and in Urgent Care in Eau Claire. Hower completed medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She completed an internship in internal medicine at Abbot-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and a residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She is board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Hower is certified in basic and advanced cardiac life support, and is a member of the American College of Physicians.

Cardiologist Diana Trifa, M.D., recently joined the Cardiac Center at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Trifa received a medical degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Targu Mures, Romania. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jacobi Hospital in New York City and a fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. She also completed a fellowship in advanced echocardiography at Columbia University Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Trifa is board-certified in cardiovascular disease, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is a member of the American College of Cardiology and American Society of Echocardiography. She is certified in basic and advanced cardiac life support. Her special interests include echocardiography and general cardiology.

Beginning in mid-November, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire will offer positron emission tomography (PET) scans within the Radiology Department instead of through a mobile service as has been done for the past 15 years. Mayo Clinic Health System will be the only health care provider in the area to offer the service in-house. A PET scan is an imaging test that checks for diseases in the body. A scan can help identify a variety of conditions, including many cancers, heart disease and brain disorders. 

​Chippewa Valley Technical College has hired two experienced executive chefs with extensive backgrounds in restaurant and food service management to lead its new Culinary Management program. Jonathan Fike and Kevin Brown are already working on curriculum and promotion of the program, which is accepting students for classes beginning in August 2018. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Fike has worked as a chef at the Hyannisport Country Club in Massachusetts, operated a pop-up restaurant at festivals around Palm Springs, Calif. and served as executive kitchen manager for King’s Seafood Company in San Diego. He became executive chef at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. before leading the Culinary Arts program at Davis Technical College in Kaysville, Utah. A 1995 graduate of New England Culinary Institute, Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the institute in 2008. He served as executive chef at a Vermont resort, as a touring chef through all restaurant production areas at a Washington, D.C. restaurant and became manager at a busy restaurant in Maryland with a staff of 40. In 2006, Kevin began teaching culinary classes at Nicolet College in Rhinelander, Wis., later becoming faculty chef instructor. The full two-year CVTC Culinary Management program will be 60 credits, leading to an associate degree in Culinary Management. The program includes a 30-credit, one-year embedded technical diploma in Professional Cooking and a 15-credit, one-semester embedded technical diploma in Food and Beverage Safety. 

​Chaos Water Park at Metropolis Resort announced it is renovating its facility by adding a new aquatic playground with cool splash features and a dump bucket, along with renovations to almost every area of the water park. Chaos is currently closed for renovations through October 18th, 2017, during the installation of the new aquatic playground. When Chaos reopens, it will have a new staircase to the slides, improved locker rooms, a new floor drain system and many more upgrades, as well as new play features. As part of the new and improved Chaos, we will be launching new events, activities, and promotions for local guests. 

Dr. Vincent Edward (Eddie) Hall Jr., of Stucky Chiropractic Center, recently earned the status of Certified Chiropractic Wellness Lifestyle Practitioner (C.C.W.P.), one of a select group of doctors of chiropractic to successfully complete this comprehensive postgraduate educational program. Hall was awarded the C.C.W.P. status by the International Chiropractors Association's Council on Wellness Lifestyle Science after successfully passed a comprehensive final examination following completion of the program's course work and other requirements. The wellness certification program offers an extensive post-graduate curriculum of pertinent wellness lifestyle science and clinical research, patient care approaches and methods to maximize the clinical effectiveness of chiropractic care in the wellness paradigm.

Tina Dreger, M.D., joined the Orthopedic Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Dreger earned a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from UW-La Crosse. She received a medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the St. Louis School of Medicine in Missouri. Dreger also completed a fellowship in orthopedic trauma surgery at the University of Missouri in Columbia. She is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Orthopaedic Trauma Association.
 
 

​Andrew Guzzo has joined Merchants Bank as regional president for Merchants’ Southern Region, which includes Eau Claire. Guzzo’s primary responsibility will be to provide leadership for Merchants Bank’s Winona locations, along with meaningful community engagement for the Winona area. Additionally, Guzzo will have supervisory responsibility for the strong team of market presidents in Eau Claire and Onalaska, WI, and Minnesota locations in La Crescent, Caledonia, Spring Grove, St. Charles and Rushford and Lanesboro. Since the retirement of former MFGI President & CEO Rod Nelson in January, Evans has been serving as the Winona Bank president, as well as overseeing the banking operations for all of Merchants Bank’s 21 locations, in addition to his role as MFGI president and CEO. 

One of the badger state’s most advanced centers for Women and Infants Services is coming to HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. The renovation of the Women and Infants Services center will start in September and is scheduled to be completed in early 2019 at an approximate cost of $8.7 million. The project will involve redesigning the entire third floor of the hospital with labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum rooms and an expanded neonatal intensive care unit. This will continue our focus on patient comfort, safety and relaxation. Capital for the project has been raised in part by HSHS Sacred Heart Foundation with community support.

Royal Credit Union Executive Vice President of Risk Management Randy Beck recently retired. Beck joined Royal Credit Union in 1976 and over the last 41 years has served in a variety of roles at the credit union. He started the real estate lending program, developed Royal’s business lending program and led several departments during his tenure including branch operations, information systems and collections. In his current role Beck is in charge of facilities and oversees risk and compliance for the credit union. In April, Beck was selected by the Royal Credit Union Board of Directors to serve as interim president & CEO following the resignation of Rudy Pereira. Beck delayed his planned May retirement date and served in the role until Brandon Riechers was hired on July 31. Beck plans to stay in Eau Claire following retirement.

Tony Scalzo has joined Merchants Bank in Eau Claire as a mortgage lender. Scalzo will continue to maintain a focus on lending in and around the Spooner area, as well as the area north of U.S. Highway 8. Scalzo started his work in the banking industry in 2008 and has built a strong record of building relationships, especially in home mortgage lending. Scalzo is the immediate past president of the Spooner Lions Club, and he is an affiliate member of the Realtors Association of Northwest Wisconsin. 

Physician assistant Morgan Hodges recently joined the Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Hodges earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She completed her master’s degree in physician assistant studies at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, Illinois. She is certified in advanced cardiac and basic life support.

Nurse practitioner Jennifer Henriksen also recently joined Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Henriksen earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic Health System, Henriksen worked as a registered nurse at Froedtert Clinical Cancer Center in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She is certified by the American Heart Association in basic life support.

Carla Williams, M.D., recently joined the Obstetrics & Gynecology Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Williams earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and Spanish from Carroll College in Helena, Montana. She completed medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and completed a residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita. She is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic Health System, Williams was employed by Ob Hospitalist Group in Yakima and Olympia, Washington.

Dove Healthcare – South Eau Claire, 3656 Mall Dr., recently expanded their service line to include an assisted living residence. Beginning September 11, 2017, the skilled nursing facility will feature 34 private rooms with a primary emphasis on post-acute care and short-term rehabilitation. The assisted living residence will have 16 private rooms and cater to those with short-term or long-term supportive care needs. Residents of the assisted living will have access to several services and amenities, including the warm water pool, therapy gym, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, skilled nurses, and nurse practitioner services. With an enhanced focus on health and wellness, new programs and offerings will be announced as well. The public is invited to take a tour and learn more at an Open House scheduled for Wednesday, September 6 from 4-6 p.m.

ReforMedicine SC Direct Pay Family Medicine and Medical Weight Loss Specialists will open an expansion location in Menomonie on September 1, 2017. The office is located at 1309 Stout Road in Menomonie, in space leased in a building shared with Optimum Therapies. The Direct Pay Family Practice Clinic will be staffed by Nola Westphal, MD; Dana Toenies, NP; and Samantha Hill, CMA. For more information, visit www.ReforMedicine.com.

Dr. Victoria Vande Zande, a board-certified internal medicine physician, is now seeing patients at the Prevea Hamilton Health Center, 703 W. Hamilton Ave., Eau Claire. As an internal medicine physician, Vande Zande is skilled in solving diagnostic problems, preventing diseases and managing complex disorders of the body. Vande Zande graduated medical school at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, completed residency at Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Nurse practitioner Sarah Lundblad Medrano recently joined Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Lundblad Medrano will see patients at the Clairemont Campus at 733 W. Clairemont Ave. Lundblad Medrano earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and her doctorate in nursing with a family health nurse practitioner focus at UW-Eau Claire. She has worked as a nurse at Mayo Clinic Health System since 2007. Lundblad Medrano is certified in basic life support and is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Ophthalmologist Matthew Cooke, M.D., recently joined the Eye Care Center at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Cooke received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He received his medical degree from University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. Cooke completed an ophthalmology residency at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and a glaucoma fellowship at Dean McGee Eye Institute at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. Cooke is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Glaucoma Society, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the Christian Ophthalmology Society. His professional interests include cataract surgery and medical and surgical treatment of glaucoma.
 
Cliff Industrial, the downtown Eau Claire machine shop, has expanded their machining services by acquiring Automotive Machine Works. Automotive Machine Works has been specializing in industrial and agricultural diesel engine repair since 1947. The recent acquisition now expands quality services to include small component part manufacturing, tooling, and machine repair to Northwestern Wisconsin and surrounding areas. Automotive Machine works and its employees will continue operations at their current location on Esmond Avenue.