Ashley Kosharek, owner of AMK Cleaning Services, recently received the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association’s Courage Award, which is awarded to those who have overcome barriers in attaining economic self-sufficiency. Kosharek took courses through Western Dairyland to help build her business, which currently has grown to 27 employees.

HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals welcomed Dr. Erik Dickson to the role of chief physician executive. Dickson has worked at Marshfield Clinic-Cornell Center and has also been involved in Marshfield Clinic’s Hospital Medicine program at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He has had numerous medical director positions, including at the Cornell Area Care Center, the Zastrow Care Center, Wissota Health and Regional Vent Center and for several ambulance and emergency service agencies in the area. Dickson has been a member of the quality care committee of the board of directors for St. Joseph’s Hospital since 2003. In 2014, Dickson became a Fellow ofthe American Academy of Family Physicians. He is board certified in family medicine.

HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital’s pulmonary rehabilitation program recently earned certification by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) for the appropriate and effective early outpatient care of patients with pulmonary issues. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs are designed to help people with pulmonary problems (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and other respiratory symptoms) recover faster and improve their quality of life. The program includes exercise, education, counseling, and support for patients and their families. AACVPR-certified programs are recognized as leaders in the field of pulmonary rehabilitation because the programs offer the most advanced practices available. The certification is valid for three years.
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The Reach Foundation has secured funds to update technology at three Reach, Inc. programs.  JAMF Software donated $4,050 to put Apple TV’s at The Adult Pre-Vocational Program (2205 Heimstead Road) and at Reach’s two Adult Day Programs (Helen’s House & Selma House).  JAMF also helped place wireless routers at Helen’s House and Selma House.  The Reach Foundation was also awarded a $1,000 grant from Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO).  This is an organization of women who engage in philanthropic activity.   It is an international organization but the grant was requested by the local chapter.  These funds will be used to do some upgrades on the computer lab at 2205 Heimstead Road. Finally. the Reach Foundation was awarded a $1.000 grant from the Eau Claire Foundation for technology upgrades at the Supported Employment Services program of Reach, Inc. 
 

After nearly four decades of service to the library, John Stoneberg, the director of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, has announced his retirement effective January 1. In October 1977, the new library building had only been open for 11 months when Stoneberg started his career as a freshly-minted, 24-year-old reference librarian. The Eau Claire library was the third library in the state to computerize its circulation system and Reference Services adopted the Internet early on for answering questions. Today the library’s website is a dynamic virtual library “branch” and staff use social media as a regular communication tool. The library led the way nationally in checking out substantial numbers of iPads under Stoneberg’s leadership and staff continues to find new ways to help customers in the digital age.

Wiley Law, S.C. is pleased to announce the addition of Timothy J. (TJ) Proue as an associate attorney. Proue brings experience from the corporate law and litigation sectors, adding to Wiley Law’s tradition of serving the Chippewa Valley business community’s legal needs for more than 100 years.

Northwestern Bank of Chippewa Falls has donated the Fanny Hill property to Hope Gospel Mission. The gift of land will be used for the long-term strategy for the mission to address the growing needs of the homeless and poor of the Chippewa Valley.

Karen Stuber and James Ward were among alumni and university staff emerita who recently received awards from the UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association, recognizing their professional and personal successes as well as their contributions to UW-Eau Claire, their communities and their professions.

• Honorary Alumnus Award – The Honorary Alumnus Award is presented to non-alumni who have demonstrated great love of and service to UW-Eau Claire. Karen Stuber, university conferences coordinator emerita, served the students of UW-Eau Claire for 46 years through her work in Davies Center. Beginning in 1969 when she began her UW-Eau Claire career in the position of Typist 2 until her retirement in July 2015, Stuber was responsible for the scheduling and setup of University Centers events.
  
  
• President's Award – The President’s Award recognizes outstanding professional and personal achievements and service to UW-Eau Claire. James Ward is the president and co-founder of Applied Data Consultants, a 20-year-old west-central Wisconsin company that provides Web technologies, software development services and geographic information systems across the U.S. and internationally. The winner of recent awards such as the 2015 Eau Clare Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year and the 2011 Chippewa County Economic Development Corp. Business of the Year, ADC’s current client list includes organizations in 47 states, along with parts of Canada, Mexico and Western Europe.
  

​The Altoona City Council recently purchased 469 MemberSolar subscriptions from Eau Claire Energy Cooperative. The local clean renewable solar energy purchased will be enough to power a number of the City of Altoona’s traffic lights, pumping stations, water towers and more, which are located on the south and east sides of the city. The subscriptions purchased for these accounts served by Eau Claire Energy Cooperative will provide a significant portion of the energy used by the City. All of the 2,816 solar panels in the MemberSolar array were recently installed on a four-acre field owned and operated by Eau Claire Energy Cooperative. Only members of the Cooperative, including the City of Altoona, are eligible to purchase subscriptions. 

​Attorneys Tanya M. Bruder and Brian M. Nodolf of Nodolf Flory, LLP have been named Rising Stars by Law and Politics and Milwaukee Magazine.  The publications ask Wisconsin lawyers to identify an elite group of lawyers, either under the age of 40 or in practice less than 10 years, who demonstrate the highest standards of excellence in their field.  Bruder’s practice focuses on business and general litigation.  Nodolf’s practice focuses on industrial sand mining and real estate. 

Marieke Penterman and her team at Marieke Gouda earned six international awards in 2015, making more than 115 the total number of national and international awards Marieke Gouda has won since 2006. Marieke Gouda's international awards for 2015 include: 

• 2015 Nantwich International Cheese Awards Results, UK: 
  • Best USA Cheese--Soft/Semi-Soft:  1st place--Marieke Gouda Premium (Aged 12-18 months); 3rd Place--Marieke Gouda Belegen (Aged 4-6 months)
  • Best USA Cheese--Any Cheese with Additives:  1st Place--Marieke Gouda Truffle
  • Vegetarian Cheese--Other Hard Pressed Variety/Non UK Producers:  2nd Place--Marieke Golden  
• 2015 World Cheese Awards, Results, UK: Gouda made before 1/12/14: 3rd Place--Marieke Gouda Premium (Aged 12-18 months) 
• 2015 World Dairy Expo Results, Madison, WI: Open Class Semi-Soft Cheese:  2nd Place--Marieke Gouda Belegen 
  
  

Andrew Ferrell recently joined Strobel Insurance Agency and will specialize in personal and business insurance. Ferrell attended Eau Claire North High School and graduated from UW-Stout in 2007 with a degree in business administration. Prior to joining the agency, Farrell has spent the last nine years in sales and customer service. His most recent employment was as a government account manager for Grainger.

Marco, Inc. recently announced the promotion of Kevin Schmidt to sales director. Schmidt has been with Marco for nine years. Early in his career, he sold copiers in the Twin Cities office and worked on Marco’s major accounts team. In 2011, Schmidt moved to the Wisconsin area to help expand Marco’s geographic footprint in the area. Since then, Marco has grown from a staff of one to more than 65 employees in Wisconsin and has grown to approximately $14 million in Wisconsin alone. Schmidt’s responsibilities include managing Marco’s five offices in Wisconsin - Wausau, Appleton, Eau Claire, La Crosse and Madison. In addition to helping Marco’s IT and print technology advisors develop their sales careers, Schmidt also works closely with Marco’s service team and is responsible for providing the best technology solutions for its customers. Marco has hired five additional sales reps in Wisconsin to support its continued growth. 

​Recently, the Media Communications Association International of Madison recognized Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire as a Wave Award recipient for the TV spot “Exercise.”  Out of nearly 100 entries, the Cooperative was chosen as the winner of the Judges Choice Award. Media Communications Association International is an organization of media communications professionals that provides opportunities for networking, forums for education and the resources for information.

Royal Credit Union (RCU) has named Betty Laskowski organizational relations & recruiting manager.  She is responsible for leading the organizational talent advisors in providing effective talent acquisition efforts and performance management support to RCU’s team members and leaders. Laskowski began working for RCU in 1992 and has served as an organizational talent advisor since 2000. She has a senior professional in human resources (SPHR) certification and is a Society for Human Resource Management senior certified professional (SHRM-SCP).

Royal Credit Union has named Andrea Finn, digital marketing manager. She is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of effective digital marketing strategies and policies. In her new role, Finn will oversee development and implementation of a new corporate website, lead continued promotion of Royal’s email service program and mobile channels and manage the credit unions’ presence on social media platforms. She also coordinates Royal’s young adult outreach efforts. Finn began working for Royal in 2012 and has spent the last three years serving as its digital marketing specialist. 
The Eau Claire Community Foundation is recently announce the recipients of the 2016 Children’s Legacy Outstanding Achievement Awards. These Honorees will officially receive their awards at the Children’s Legacy Luncheon on April 21, 2016. The Honorees are being recognized for making important and lasting contributions to the well-being of children in the Chippewa Valley. The Children’s Legacy Luncheon also raises awareness of issues important to the health and welfare of local children and raises money for the Children’s Legacy Fund, which supports grants to organizations that benefit children.  Each Honoree selects a local nonprofit to receive a $500 grant from the Children’s Legacy Fund. The Honorees for the 2016 Children’s Legacy Outstanding Achievement Award are:

• Julie Betchkal - volunteer for Early Childhood Interagency Councils; Mentor; statewide DPI coordinator for the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social and Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children
• Carol Craig - founder of “Cadre of Deliberative Discussions” on behalf of quality education; former president, vice president and treasurer of the ECASD Board of Education; educator; mentor; volunteer
• Sally Ellison - volunteer; philanthropist; founder, owner and director of Tiny Tots Inc.; creator of family-friendly play opportunities for children, including those with special needs
• Michael Laska - foster parent; safety camp coordinator and counselor; Water Safety Task Force member; Fire Prevention and Safety educator; EMS instructor; volunteer; mentor; City of Eau Claire Fire inspector
• Pa Thao - co-founder of Wisconsin Women's Cultural Training Initiative; advocate for Low Income and Minority Youth and Families; volunteer; mentor; executive director of Hmong Mutual Association
• Sue Tietz - volunteer and officer for numerous nonprofit organizations; mentor; philanthropist; business leader; president/CEO of McDonough Manufacturing

 
Physical therapist Kara Johnson recently joined the Rehabilitation Services Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Johnson earned her doctor of physical therapy studies from Marquette University in Milwaukee. She received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her professional interests include general orthopedics, sports medicine, running rehabilitation, manual therapy and kinesio taping. She is certified in dry needling, a therapeutic treatment procedure that involves placing a thin filament needle into a muscle’s trigger point to alleviate pain.