The Chippewa Valley Free Clinic (CVFC) announced its purchase of a new facility to become its permanent medical home. The Clinic is currently making plans to move from its current downtown location at the Syverson Lutheran Home, 816 Porter Avenue, to a new location at 1030 Oak Ridge Dr., located in the professional medical area off Clairemont Avenue in Eau Claire. The clinic will be making light renovations before moving into the vacant 5,500 square feet on the top floor of the building.  The tenants in the building’s ground level will not be displaced.  In its new home, the clinic will grow from five exam rooms to six exam rooms, from two dental chairs to three dental chairs, improve the workflow for the Clinic’s staff and volunteers and offer the patients a more traditional clinic experience. The clinic, which provides basic health care to those who have no reasonable alternative, will conduct business as usual in its current location through mid-November. Pablo Properties, Commonweal Development Corporation and Market Family Investments are the purchasers of the Syverson Lutheran Home property and have generously assisted CVFC in its search for a new, permanent home and are among several generous donors working to provide a more secure future for the free clinic.

The Epilepsy Foundation of Western Wisconsin announced Debbie Nichols as the new executive director. Nichols comes to the Foundation with more than 20 years experience with leadership, advocacy and outreach. Nichols will lead various key initiatives, programs and outreach in 22 counties in Western Wisconsin. She replaces Lou Kelsey who retired in August after many years of dedicated service. A lifelong resident of the Chippewa Valley, Nichols has a bachelor’s degree in vocational rehabilitation from UW-Stout and an associate’s degree in counseling. During her career, Nichols has been instrumental in leading positive change and sustainability for agencies that provide long-term care and advocacy for people with intellectual, physical and acquired disabilities in the Chippewa Valley. 

Jordan Reed, D.O., recently joined the Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Barron and Eau Claire. Reed received his doctor of osteopathic medicine degree at Des Moines University in Iowa and completed a residency in emergency medicine from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. He is board-eligible in emergency medicine. He is certified in basic life support, advanced cardiac life support and advanced trauma life support. His professional interests include emergency medicine, point-of-care ultrasound and teaching.

The American Culinary Federation (ACF) has approved the Chippewa Valley Technical College Culinary Management program’s state-of-the-art teaching kitchen as a practical test site for ACF certification programs. The ACF certification program is the most comprehensive certification program for culinarians, offering 16 certification levels. Culinarians achieve certification based on education, experience, and successful completion of written and practical exams. To become a testing site, a facility must have a specific set of equipment and work space for each candidate tested, plus a staging area. The site must also have a specified number of qualified certification evaluators.

Congratulations to Shillin Wealth Management on their beautiful new office in River Prairie.  

Congratulations to Sal and his team on the grand opening of Sal's Complete Auto Service on Hastings Way in Eau Claire.  

​The Ambassador Executive Committee is pleased to announce that Phil Swiler, Loffler Companies, has been selected as Ambassador of the Month for August 2018. Phil is being recognized for his participation in Chamber and Ambassador activities.  Thank you, Phil, for your time and hard work.

Congratulations to Schleis Floor Covering for the groundbreaking on their new expansion off of Highway 93 and Aspen Road.  This new facility will be great for all of your commercial flooring needs.  

The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce has welcomed two new interns, Emma Koehn and Nate Kane, who will assist with implementation of the organization's Governmental Affairs and Workforce programs through the 2018-19 academic year. Both are seniors at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. 

Emma Koehn is a senior at UW-Eau Claire studying public relations and political science with a pre-law designation. When not at the chamber, she also spends time as a Marketing Intern at Visit Eau Claire, and is president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

Nate Kane is a senior at UW-Eau Claire working toward a degree in political science with an emphasis in legal studies. After graduation, he hopes to attend law school and to one day become a political-science professor. In his free time, he enjoys running on local trails and reading biographies.

Emma and Nate pick up where last year's interns left off. Graduating last spring were Savannah Sepic and Kaylee Tracy, who have moved on to begin their careers. Savannah is working this fall on a political campaign for a statewide candidate, and Kaylee has accepted a position in Berlin, Germany, working with refugees as part of a mission organization. 

Posted by Scott Rogers, Governmental Affairs & Workforce Director
rogers@eauclairechamber.org

​Speaking on the upcoming elections and giving tips on navigating in a turbulent political climate, Bill McCoshen, managing partner of Capital Consultants, Inc. and previous chief of staff and campaign manager for former Governor Tommy Thompson, spoke at this month’s Eggs & Issues on September 21 at Green Mill. Elections are coming up and change is inevitable, and the key to success is learning to work with the ebbs and flows of politics. 

Here are some take-aways from McCoshen’s remarks: 

Independent voters and enthusiasm gap
Particularly in the gubernatorial election, if the Republicans have a downfall this November, it may be attributed to two things: independent voters and an enthusiasm gap. Governor Scott Walker’s coalition has always included independents, and getting this independent vote back will be crucial for this incumbent candidate to win. According to the most recent Marquette polls, Tony Evers has a +21% lead with independent voters, which could swing the vote in his favor come Election Day. 

Democrats are more enthusiastic to vote this election cycle, which works in Evers’ favor as well. In September 2014, the Republicans had a +7% enthusiasm advantage and Walker won. Now, the Democrats have a +11% advantage. 

Eau Claire Area priorities 
According to McCoshen, Eau Claire has positioned itself nicely during recent turbulent times in politics. By focusing on nonpartisan and data-driven initiatives, the city has the capability to obtain the support of and work with any candidate. 

The Pablo Center at the Confluence is one of these nonpartisan initiatives that have been implemented, and now the proposal for the UW-Eau Claire Science Hall is next. No matter who is elected, Eau Claire is ready and willing to work with them. Evers is on record supporting the new science hall, and McCoshen has confidence that Walker would back it as well if re-elected. With talks of a new convention center eventually coming to Eau Claire, the city must position itself to thrive in any political environment.

McCoshen stated that the key to getting support on these initiatives is showing the state that the locals want them. By proving that locals, business owners and elected officials approve these projects, they are more likely to be successful. 

Election predictions 

Governor’s race 
McCoshen said if the election were held tomorrow, Evers would win. However, he expressed that even though Walker is currently down in the polls, he should not be counted out. Walker has been in this position before during the 2014 election against Mary Burke and came back to win the election. Walker has never lost an election in Wisconsin and has an abundance of resources at this disposal. This is not to say Evers does not have a good chance, but the elections are still a couple months away and things could change.

U.S. Senate race 
In the Senate race, McCoshen expects incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin to win. It would be very difficult for State Senator Leah Vukmir to come back. She is under resourced compared to Baldwin and Baldwin has also been running a smart campaign that would be difficult to beat.

Legislature 
McCoshen predicts that neither house will flip from Republican to Democrat. He states that too many seats would have to be won, which is unlikely. 

More information:
Political expert presents forecast at Eau Claire breakfast (Leader-Telegram)

Posted by Emma Koehn, Legislative & Workforce Development Intern
koehn@eauclairechamber.org

​Ashley Merten, M.D., recently joined the Dermatology Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Merten completed medical school at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. She completed a transitional-year internship at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, and a dermatology residency at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She also completed a fellowship at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Merten is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association and Women’s Dermatological Society. Her professional interests include complex medical dermatology; cosmetic services, including hyaluronic acid fillers, lasers and neurotoxins; and hidradenitis suppurativa — a rare, long-term skin condition.       

UW-Eau Claire continues to be ranked among the top five public regional universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report in its 2019 Best Colleges rankings. It is the 24th consecutive year that U.S. News has named UW-Eau Claire a top Midwestern public university. U.S. News & World Report ranks UW-Eau Claire fifth among the top regional public universities in the Midwest and 38th among all private and public institutions in the region. Every year since 1995, U.S. News has ranked UW-Eau Claire sixth or higher among the top public institutions in the Midwest and in the top third of all public and private Midwestern regional universities.

Sarah Jochom, a registered nurse in HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital’s Critical Care Department, received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®. Jochom, who has served at the hospital for 17 years, was nominated by the husband of one of her patients. This marked the first time the DAISY Award has been given at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital. HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital will celebrate their first DAISY Award winner in the upcoming year. To nominate a registered nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital, visit https://www.sacredhearteauclaire.org/ContactUs/Daisy-Award-Nurse-Nomination. To nominate at registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital, visit https://www.stjoeschipfalls.org/Contact/Daisy-Award-Nurse-Nomination.
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Melissa Nissen, M.D., recently joined the Urology Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Nissen received a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. She completed a residency in urology at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals in Wauwatosa. Nissen is board-eligible in urology. Her professional interests include endourology, general medical urology, male sexual/erectile dysfunction and robotic surgery. She is a member of the American Urological Association.

Zachary Merten, M.D., recently joined the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Merten completed medical school at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Duluth and Minneapolis. He completed a residency in family medicine at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medical Education in Rochester, Minnesota. Merten is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Association and Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. His professional interests include caring for entire family units, education, office-based procedures and preventive care.

Visit Eau Claire has a new look and it captures the personality of a community known for its independent spirit, creative culture, penchant for originality and inspiring natural resources. The new brand, with colorful original type treatment and iconography as well as memorable turns of phrases, was officially launched on Visit Eau Claire’s website and social media channels. It also will be displayed prominently in signage, merchandise and printed materials at the new visitor center set to open on Oct. 26 on the first floor of Pablo Center at the Confluence.