Welcome to the Eau Claire Chamber Blog

United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley announced its 2016-2017 Board of Directors which began its new term on July 1st. The 2016 campaign chair is Darrin Senn, owner of Senn Blacktop. Senn is serving his second year on the United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley (UWGCV) Board of Directors and will be the spokesperson for United Way’s mission and rally the community to achieve UWGCV’s 2016 fundraising goal of $2 million. United Way’s 2016-2017 Board of Directors is chaired by Eau Claire City Manager Dale Peters. Karen Hebert of Spectrum Benefit Solutions is the newly appointed chair elect. Angela Weideman will serve as community impact vice chair and is the Chippewa County Public Health director/officer.  Melissa Wait of CCFBank and will serve a one-year term on the board as past chair of the United Way Emerging Leaders Society.  Campaign vice chair (2017), Jan Hook, is recently retired as general manager of the Eau Claire Scheels store.  Accepting the position of 2nd vice chair, campaign (2018) is Zach Schmidtknecht, vice president and general manager at Great Northern Corporation. Also serving on the Board is Bruce Ommen of Ayres Associates and Rob Ganschow of Wipfli CPAs and Consultants, Lisa Bruhn of Marshfield Clinic Health System, Don Reck of Xcel Energy, Peter Farrow of Group Health Cooperative, Heidi Taylor-Eliopoulos of Chippewa Falls Unified School District, Joan Coffman of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital and Mary Jacobson.

Physician assistant Jordan Grabow recently joined the Cardiology Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Grabow earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Grabow is certified in basic and advanced cardiac life support. 

Royal Credit Union (Royal) has named six team members to vice president positions: Jeni Brantner, Sherri Jablonicky, Adam Kinnard, Tom Lea, Brianne Meszaros and Jesse Smith. In Branter’s new role as the vice president of payment operations, she’ll oversee the payment operations for the entire credit union. Jablonicky’s main responsibility as vice president of branch operations – Wisconsin will be to provide strategic direction for creating exceptional member experience, profitability and growth for the Chippewa Valley and Saint Croix Valley branch operations, Member Service Center and Deposit Operations. Kinnard was named vice president of IT Operations and Development and will drive the development of new capabilities that lead Royal in delivery of effective and innovative technology services and solutions to both Royal’s Members and team members. Lea is responsible, as the vice president of IT infrastructure and security, for the architecture, implementation and operation of Royal’s technology infrastructure. In Meszaros’ new role as the vice president of branch operations – metro, she’ll manage the strategic growth and expansion in the emerging Metro market. Smith was named vice president of consumer lending and servicing, amd he is responsible for the strategy, operation and performance of consumer lending and mortgage servicing.

Kobussen Buses recently added to its fleet two 2016 MCI J4500 series 56 passenger motor-coaches.  Motor Coach Industries continues to set the standard in motor coach development.  Independent suspension, LED lighting throughout,  seat belts, Wi-Fi, reclining seats, 120v household outlets to name just a few of the many features of these luxury motor-coaches.  This investment of more than $1.1 million dollars represents Kobussen Buses continued commitment to luxury motor-coach transportation. 

​Michael Strubel has joined Marshfield Clinic as a Foundation coordinator for the Eau Claire market.  In this position, he will lead annual giving programs in the West Region of Marshfield Clinic to grow philanthropic support from employees, grateful patients and community members. Strubel received his bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire, where he continues to serve as president of the Alumni Board. Prior to joining the Foundation, he worked as an account executive with WEAU 13 News and as director of sales and events for Visit Eau Claire for nearly 10 years.  He spends much of his free time supporting the Eau Claire community, as a board member for Eau Claire Jazz, Inc. and Eau Claire North Band Parents, playing in various musical ensembles, participating in local theater, and serving on Chamber of Commerce committees for Leadership Eau Claire™ and Youth Leadership Eau Claire.

Facilities Manager Brian Allande was presented the Royal Credit Union (Royal) 2016 Positive Impact Award.  Allande, a Royal team member since 2012, met the high criteria for this award by demonstrating exceptional commitment to Royal Members through his work operating and maintaining multiple office locations. This is Royal’s highest team member award and only one award, per year is presented. Royal’s facilities team effectively and efficiently provide maintenance, operational services and utilities services that support Royal Credit Union team members in their service to Members and the community. Allande leads the team and ensures the experience at Royal exceeds Member expectations and provides a comfortable work environment for all team members.

Miron Construction Co., Inc. is partnering with Cedar Corporation to make renovations and an addition to the Stanley Wastewater Treatment Plant in Stanley, Wisconsin. Construction on the $6.5 million contract began in August 2016 and is scheduled to be complete in August 2017. Miron’s work on the 103,000-square-foot project includes structural and equipment demolition, paving, piping and utility piping. Miron is scheduled to make pump and piping modifications in the control building, re-aeration building and to other various equipment. The scope will also include lighting, plumbing and ventilation work throughout the plant.

Larson Companies was recently awarded the Exemplary Employer Award by the State of Wisconsin. The Department of Workforce Development presented the award to Larson Companies for their commitment to progressive employment practices that encourage the full participation of people with disabilities. Only three businesses in Eau Claire received this recognition. Dawn Edlin, chief people officer, coordinates the program and accepted the award on behalf of Larson Companies. 

Merchants Financial Group, Inc. (MFGI) President & CEO Rodney R. Nelson will retire as of January 31, 2017. Winona Market President and Chief Banking Officer Greg M. Evans will take over the position after Nelson’s retirement. Nelson joined the organization in 2000 and will retire after 17 years with the organization, including the past three as MFGI President & CEO.  Evans has been with the Merchants organization for 27 years. He served in the Marketing Department from 1989 to 2007, the last five years as senior vice President of marketing. In 2007, he was named regional president for Hampton, Cannon Falls and Red Wing when Merchants Bank acquired those locations. In 2013, Evans was named president of the Winona Market and chief banking officer, providing leadership for all Merchants Bank locations. 

Prevea Health now offers comprehensive cancer care at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. Prevea cancer services are provided by fellowship-trained oncologist, Dr. Rifat Elkhatib. He is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology and provides care for adults with solid tumors and blood disorders as well as offering second opinions on cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The Partners of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital received the Wisconsin Award for Volunteer Excellence (WAVE) under the category of “Community Outreach and Collaboration.” With food insecurities identified as a significant problem in Chippewa County, the Partners of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, in cooperation with the hospital’s Green Committee, developed a community garden project four years ago. The project gives households the opportunity to grow their own vegetables to supplement their diets on garden plots available on the hospital’s campus. Plots are made available for a small fee and include tilling and irrigation, with the sole purpose of providing nutritious food to families and individuals who need it most. Organizations also have leased plots and donated the harvest to local food pantries. In the last four growing seasons, a total of 3,575 pounds of food has been grown and donated to area food pantries as a result of this community garden project. The WAVE program was established by the Partners of Wisconsin Hospital Association, Inc to recognize volunteer programs whose work directly furthers the mission of the institution they serve.  

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital is now offering 3-D mammography (breast tomosynthesis) for breast cancer screening. Breast tomosynthesis produces a three-dimensional view of the breast tissue, which makes it easier for radiologists to identify breast abnormalities that could be cancerous. Breast cancer is a common cancer among American women, exceeded only by the incidence of skin cancer. Statistics indicate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime.

Nurse practitioner Jamie Taylor, recently joined the Hospital Medicine Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. She will be dedicated full time to taking care of patients admitted to the hospital. Taylor earned her master’s degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She completed her residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Nephrology Associates in Columbia, Tennessee.  She is certified in advanced cardiovascular life support and basic life support, and board-certified in adult gerontology.

Thanks to all our Chamber members who attended the 2016 Business Expo & Job Fair. With more than 2,000 people attending, it was another great success thanks to the support of all our sponsors, exhibitors, Committee members and volunteers. Thank you to Dan Everhart of L&M Mail & Courier for chairing the Business Expo & Job Fair Committee again this year.

A special thank you to the following:
Media Sponsors: Leader-Telegram, Mid-West Family Broadcasting (WAXX and WAYY) and WEAU 13 News.
VIP Reception Sponsors: Miron Construction, M3 Insurance, Ruder Ware and Wipfli
Beverage Sponsors: General Beer Northwest, Infinity Beverages Winery & Distillery,  Park Ridge Distributing, Inc.,  
Seminar Sponsor: Manpower
Parking Lot Shuttle Provided by: Trubilt Collision Center
Exhibitors’ Lounge Sponsors: Festival Foods, Five Star Telecom, Loffler Companies and Rhom Construction  
Bag Sponsor: Adecco
Lanyard Sponsor: Heartwood Conference Center & Retreat
Printing Sponsor: REALiving
In-Kind Sponsors: Badger Truck, Steamatic of Western Wisconsin and Sterling Water - Culligan

Food Samples Provided by: Dairy Queen, Eau Claire Golf & Country Club, L.E. Phillips Career Development Center, Local Lounge, Marieke Gouda, Metropolis Resort, Noodles & Company, 29 Pines Restaurant and Westgate Sportsman’s Club.

VIP Reception Door Prize Sponsors and Winners:

• Framed landscape art work donated by B-Framed Galleries – Mia van Dijk of Menomonie Street Dental
• Cargo carrier donated by Curt Manufacturing –  Mike Muehlbauer of Wells Fargo
• Notebook computer donated by Heartland Business Systems – Michael Markgren of Altoona School District
• Two night Jacuzzi suite with river trip and bike rental donated by Heartwood Conference Center & Retreat – Kelly Remes of Highland Fitness
• Two cases of wine with your custom label donated by Infinity Beverages Winery & Distillery –  Sandi Wiebe of Bethesda Church
• Free car washes for a year donated by Morrie’s Chippewa Valley Mazda – Jennifer Fonfara of Tactical Escape
  
  

Booth Winners: This year, marketing students judged all the booths at the Business Expo & Job Fair. Congratulations to the following winner:

• Most Engaging Booth – WEAU 13 News
• Most Creative/Innovative Booth – Infinity Winery & Distillery
• Most Educational Booth – Stucky Chiropractic
  
  

Committee Members: Chair Dan Everhart, L&M Mail & Courier; Brandon Adkins, Investment Council; Tom Bachmeier, Xcel Energy; Lori DeMotts, Market & Johnson; Darrell Duval, Complete Insurance Services; Jodi Kruger, Mid-West Family Broadcasting; Paul LaPree, Miron Construction; Terry McHugh, WEAU 13 News; Rollin Nelson, Impact Advertising; Jane Norby, True Compass Life Coaching; Emily Thompson, Metropolis Resort & Conference Center; Cory Wiese, CliftonLarsonAllen; and Amy Wolfe, Trubilt Collision Center

Volunteers: Dan Antonia, Adecco; Denni Backstrom, Steamatic of Western Wisconsin; Mike Barrickman, Bartingale Mechanical; Brett Geboy, North Central Insulation; Mary Glassbrenner, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire; Steph Herbert, Visit Eau Claire; Chris Howell, WEAU 13 News; Julie Kalpinski, Mayo Clinic Health System; Jenn Kane of CCFBank; Vanessa Klemish, Klemish & Johnson, LLC; Marianne Klinkhammer, Gator Garb Promotions; Ben Komro, RE/MAX Real Estate Group; Michelle Larson, Kristo Orthodontics; Zach Lehmann, Wipfli; Nicholas Mohr, Rhom Construction; Jason Otto, BMO Harris Bank; Tami Severson, Spectrum Business; Bill Sparkes, iHeartMEDIA; Kaylynn Stahlbusch, Aging & Disability Resource Center of Eau Claire County; Eric Strobel, Strobel Insurance, Inc.; Daneille Strong, Weld, Riley, Prenn & Ricci, S.C.; Ben Trachsel, B&B Electric, Inc.; Melissa Wilson, Chippewa Valley Technical College; Dolores Wojcik, CPA.
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And thank you to Amy Peterson-Foss of the Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center for all her help!

​Wipfli LLP recently announced that Michael Pynch has been appointed to the firm’s Leadership Team in the role of technology partner. In his new firm-wide leadership role, Pynch will be responsible for building and developing the firm’s technology services strategy and vision, the technology services organization, technology infrastructure and the services required to support the firm’s business needs. A 20-year technology industry veteran, Pynch joined Wipfli more than 14 years ago and has been a partner with Wipfli since 2008. He has spent the majority of his career providing technology services to businesses and helping them to succeed. In addition to this new leadership role, Pynch also is the firm-wide consulting leader for Wipfli’s technology management service group, providing cloud and infrastructure services to small and medium-sized businesses across all industries. He is based in the firm’s Eau Claire office.

Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc, Northwest District announced two new members joining its Board of Directors. Patrick Erickson, a manager with CliftonLarsonAllen LLC will bring his diverse taxation, audit and customer service expertise to the JA Board. Erickson graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and later earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation. Kathy Otto, an operations manager with Phillips-Medisize Medical Assembly also is joining the JA Board of Directors. She is a Southern Oregon University graduate with a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry and also earned a master’s of science in technology management from UW- Stout. She also received a Lean Certificate from Chippewa Valley Technical College. Otto began her career as a chemist and process engineer and after receiving her master’s degree, she transitioned into operations management.

Two new directors have recently joined HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals: Ken Brown has joined both hospitals as director of radiology services. Brown most recently served as regional radiology manager at Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield. He is an established leader in imaging and practice management, and has managed both radiology and cardiology services at health care facilities in Montana, Iowa and California. Brown holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Ashford University in Clinton, Ia. Kandi Mensing has joined both hospitals as director of dialysis services. Mensing most recently served as manager in people services at the southern Illinois division of Hospital Sisters Health System. She has more than 11 years of experience as a dialysis technician. Mensing holds a master’s degree in business administration from McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill.

​Staybridge Suites in Altoona received the IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) 2016 New Development Design Award which is given to hotels that are considered the best in class providing exemplary brand design, quality of construction and attention to detail. Staybridge Suites in Altoona is one of only two Staybridge Suites in North America selected to win this award. The hotel was recognized during the 2016 IHG Americas Investors and Leadership Conference.

The Harding Group LLC has officially joined the PXT Select™ Authorized Partner Network and can now provide PXT Select™ assessment solutions to organizations throughout North America. As a PXT Select™ Authorized Partner, The Harding Group plays an active role in sustaining and promoting the value of assessment solutions and is dedicated to helping organizations build better, more productive and happier workforces. These high-quality, research-validated tools provide actionable data about candidates in an easy to understand format that helps simplify and improve hiring processes. By identifying the most suitable candidates, organizations reduce turnover, boost employee engagement and ultimately invest in improving their workplaces.

The new 30-room boutique hotel, The Oxbow Hotel, and onsite restaurant, The Lakely, have opened. The Oxbow Hotel consists of two buildings, The Main House and The Flats. The Main house features The Lakely restaurant, event space, lobby and rooms. The Flats, a mid-century modern building adjacent to The Main House, holds the remainder of the rooms and will be open to a courtyard with outdoor seating, fire pits and kubb lawn. The Oxbow is being managed by General Manager Allison Sullivan. The Oxbow Hotel and The Lakely restaurant project is owned by Longform, LLC, whose members include Justin Vernon, Zach Halmstad, Nick Meyer and Ben Richgruber.

Ruder Ware, a law firm with headquarters in Wausau and Eau Claire, recently was awarded recertification in Meritas, a global alliance of business law firms. Ruder Ware is required to successfully complete recertification every three years. Meritas is the only law firm alliance with an established and comprehensive means of monitoring and enhancing the quality of its member firms—a process that saves clients time in validating law firm credentials and experience. Meritas membership is selective and by invitation only. Firms are regularly assessed and recertified for the breadth of their practice expertise and client satisfaction. The organization’s extensive due diligence process ensures that only firms meeting the tenets of Meritas’ Quality Assurance Program are allowed to maintain membership.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Foundation Board of Directors recently welcomed new members and honored outgoing members for their years of service. The following individuals have been elected to the board:

• Timothy Ball, Stillwater, Minnesota, is an international tax partner with Ernst & Young in Minneapolis. 
• Patti Lien, Eau Claire, is retired following 12 years as vice president with Wells Fargo Mortgage in Minneapolis. 
• David Moran, Minnetonka, Minnesota, is an executive vice president of marketing and enterprise strategy at Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a position he’s held since 2012.
• Regi Munro, Chandler, Arizona, is chair of the Wellness Division at Chandler-Gilbert Community College
• Therese Pershall, Eau Claire, is the market head for U.S. Bank, a longstanding UW-Eau Claire Foundation corporate partner. In addition to its annual support of diversity and academic excellence scholarships, U.S. Bank was one of the first major corporate donors to the Confluence Project in downtown Eau Claire.
• Elected to additional terms on the board were Andrew Burish, Madison; Betsy Kell, Eau Claire; Vicki Lord Larson, Eau Claire; Neil Lipinski, Irvington, N.Y.; Rudy Pereira of Royal Credit Union; and Rick Schroder, Issaquah, Washington. 

Physician assistant Kailey Scheller recently joined the Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Scheller earned her master’s degree in physician assistant studies from Concordia University in Mequon. She received bachelor’s degrees in biology and neuroscience from Carthage College in Kenosha. She is certified in advanced cardiovascular life support, basic life support and CPR. Her professional interests include emergency medicine and pediatric emergency medicine.

Two colleagues from HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital recently earned advanced certification in their respective fields. Valerie Hofacker and Kate Stuewe, who are registered nurses in the hospital’s inpatient physical rehabilitation department, recently earned their certified rehabilitation registered nurse (CRRN) accreditation. The CRRN accreditation is certified by the American Board of Nursing Specialties. It features an exam about ethical and legal issues, health patterns including assessments, physiology and standards of care, the function of the rehabilitation team, and rehabilitation nursing models.

Nurse practitioner Ashley Schuelke recently joined Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. Schuelke earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Viterbo University in La Crosse and her master’s degree in the primary care nurse practitioner program at Concordia University in Mequon. Schuelke previously worked as a registered nurse in Critical Care at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. She is certified by the American Heart Association in basic life support and advanced cardiac life support. Her professional interests include improving access to health care and improving health literacy.
Guilherme Giusti, M.D., recently joined the Orthopedic Center at Mayo Clinic Health System. Giusti earned his medical degree and completed his orthopedic surgery residency and hand surgery fellowship from the Sao Paulo Federal University in Brazil. He also completed a second orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago and additional fellowships in hand surgery and microvascular research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Giusti is board-eligible in orthopedic surgery and a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and American Society for Surgery of the Hand.