Small Street Journal: January 8, 2016

Construction begins next month on the fifth floor Mayo Clinic Health System’s Luther Building at 1221 Whipple St. The project will replace 40 inpatient rooms currently located in the older part of the campus built in the 1970s. The new unit will feature expanded, state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly features. The $19 million project was fully funded by community donations ranging from $5 to $500,000 received over the past 30 years. The construction is the culmination of a 15-year campus plan and the final phase of the Luther Building.

Heartland Contractors Inc. is dedicating all resources towards their commercial construction and excavation divisions and will no longer be building single family homes.  With a strong reputation for building quality projects in the healthcare, government, education, multi-family, hospitality, industrial, and civil markets this strategic shift will allow them to focus on their rapidly growing customer base.  Heartland will continue to offer single family lots within in their neighborhoods (Hillcrest Greens, Willow Creek, Whisper Ridge) and partner with area home builders on bulk lot sales and financing options.

​The Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association announced McKayla LaVick as the new membership & communications director. LaVick earned a bachelor’s of business administration degree in marketing and a certificate in advanced business communication from UW-Eau Claire.

Physician assistant Brian Schoeneberger recently joined the Emergency Medicine Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Schoeneberger earned his master’s degree in health science from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He received bachelor degrees in biology and nursing from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. His professional experience includes caring for critically ill and surgical patients. Schoeneberger is certified by the National Commission of Physician Assistants and a licensed physician assistant in the state of Wisconsin.

Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) has been named a Military Friendly School for 2016. This is the third consecutive year CVTC has earned the designation. The Military Friendly School designation by Victory Media is awarded to the top colleges, universities, community colleges and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students and ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation. The list serves as a resource for service members and military families seeking education and has played a significant role over the past seven years in advancing best practices in supporting military students on campuses across the country.