Small Street Journal: February 2, 2018

​Mary Steinke recently retired as general manager of Huebsch Services, a family-owned and –operated commercial laundry business. Steinke had been with Huebsch for more than 42 years. In addition to serving Huebsch as general manager, Steinke worked extensively with many charitable organizations in the Chippewa Valley and served on the Board of Directors of the Group Health Cooperative since 2004. In 2017, Mary received the Humanitarian Award through United Way’s Chippewa Valley Spirit Awards which celebrate positive community impact. She will continue to be involved with Huebsch supporting community partnerships and acting in a consultative role.
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Huebsch hired Aaron Kasper to join the team as operations manager. Kasper joined Huebsch at the end of December and has spent the month of January learning the production operations side of the business from Steinke. Kasper’s background is in restaurant management, having most recently served as general manager for Olive Garden in Eau Claire.

The Women’s Giving Circle, a fund of the Eau Claire Community Foundation, has announced its 2018 Circle Advisory Team. The WGC awards grants to local nonprofit organizations that run programs benefiting women and/or children. At their Annual Meeting, the WGC members elected the following individuals:

• Circle Advisory Team Chair:  Sarah Stokes
• Circle Advisory Team Vice-Chair:  Tracey Smiskey
• Circle Advisory Team Secretary:  Sue McIntyre
• Education and Programs Team Chair:  Jennifer Hanson-Bremer
• Education and Programs Team Co-Chair:  Andrea Sullivan
• Grants Team Chair:  Jeanne Peterson
• Grants Team Co-Chair:  Mary Ryan-Miller
• Membership/Outreach Team Chair:  Pat Markin
• Membership/Outreach Team Co-Chair:  Lacey Logslett
• Social Media Team Chair: Jessica Martin
• Social Media Team Co-Chair: Theresa O’Neal
• Circle Advisory Team Past Chair: Jill Prushiek

Since 2008, the Women’s Giving Circle has awarded $227,953 in grants. In 2017, it granted a record-breaking $41,466 to eight Eau Claire area nonprofits: APPLE Pregnancy Care Center, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Greater Chippewa Valley, Catholic Charities—Sojourner House, Chippewa Valley Museum, Feed My People Food Bank, Girls on the Run of the Chippewa Valley, School District of Altoona, and Trinity Lutheran Church.