[[FIRSTNAME]], You are receiving this e-newsletter because you are affiliated with a business or organization that is
an Eau Claire Chamber member.
If you are having issues viewing this email, please click here.

    April 21, 2020         The Weekly Newsletter of the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce: The Update
FRONT PAGE EDUCATION PROGRAMS & SERVICES ADVOCACY NETWORKING SMALL STREET
JOURNAL

UWEC

 
Front Page  

Upcoming Events

Thursday, April 23, 2020: Chamber Virtual Town Hall Meeting: Federal and Local Responses

Read the current Small Street Journal for updates and announcements from Chamber members. Please submit your updates to Kaylynn Stahlbusch.

Awards & Recognition

Ribbon Cuttings & Groundbreakings

New Members

Please join us in welcoming these new members that have recently joined the Chamber: 

BeFitWithMi

The Wellness Way

 

Newsletter Archives

Job Board

 

To post free, unlimited job opportunities, visit the Chamber's Job Board!

 

Member to Member Coupons New Member Referral Program Board of Directors Staff

YPCV

Helpful Links Related to COVID-19:

 

Governor Tony Evers Announces “Badger Bounce Back" Plan to Reopen the Economy; Follows Extension Last Week of His Safer At Home Order to May 26

Governor Tony Evers on Monday announced Wisconsin's "Badger Bounce Back" plan which outlines important criteria for Wisconsin to be able to reopen its economy in phases and includes steps to make sure workers and businesses are prepared to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.

“The Badger Bounce Back plan is informed in part by the President's Guidelines for Opening Up America Again approach that was issued by the White House on April 16, 2020. Currently, Wisconsin does not meet the criteria the White House established to start reopening our state. The Badger Bounce Back plan takes important steps to get the state of Wisconsin there,” according to a news release from the Governor’s office.

Monday’s announcement follows Evers’ order last week that extends his earlier Safer At Home mandate to May 26, with some business activities allowed to start up again.

Click here for full information on the Chamber’s Critical Business Updates page.

 

 

 

Chamber Board of Directors Discussing Local Planning For Reopening the Economy; Response Will Be Covered at Next Virtual Town Hall on Thursday

Your Chamber Board of Directors is meeting early this morning to review the local response to Governor Evers’ recent orders, including plans for prudently reopening the local economy informed with updates from local public health and city officials.

The results of the Board’s discussions and plans being formulated will be one of the topics of our next Virtual Town Hall meeting on Thursday, April 23, at 10:00 a.m.
 

Virtual Town Hall: Federal and Local Responses

 

  • Update on federal initiatives with US Senator Tammy Baldwin 
  • What’s next for the Chippewa Valley: Building a business re-opening plan

This week’s Virtual Town Hall will cover two critical topics:

  • US Senator Tammy Baldwin will join us to focus on federal help for businesses as they navigate the current crisis. The discussion will center on the status of replenishing funding for key programs like PPP and EIDL loans, reforms to SBA, guidance to ensure access loan programs, and what's coming in the next major relief bill. There will also be an opportunity for Q&A.
  • An update and discussion of the local response and implementation of plans to reopen businesses in the Chippewa Valley in light of the “Badger Bounce Back” plan issued by Governor Evers on Monday.

To register for the town hall meeting, click here.

Registration closes at 5:00 p.m on Wednesday, April 22.  An email address is required to register. A link to login to this session will be emailed to you at 9:00 a.m.on the day of the event. 

Click here for a link to recording of the April 16, 2020 town hall meeting that featured Sam Rikkers, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and Kurt Bauer, President and CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. To view the attendee chats, click here.

 

 

 
Education

Getting Back to Work: COVID-19 Recovery Planning Seminar

Request for Proposal
Date TBD, tentatively May 11-15, 2020

DEADLINE for RFPs: Tuesday, April 28, 2020

As more conversations surrounding recovery of COVID-19 are happening in our region, the Chamber is hosting a Getting Back to Work: COVID-19 Recovery Planning virtual seminar in mid-May.

This is a Request for Proposal; if you are an expert in your field and have free content to share with area business owners about recovery of this health emergency, you are invited to submit via email to Kaylynn Stahlbusch at stahlbusch@eauclairechamber.org

Please include the following information: Business name, expert/presenter name, email/phone, content title and content description.

Email submissions to stahlbusch@eauclairechamber.org by Tuesday, April 28, 2020. 

 

YLEC

   

Leadership Eau Claire™
Accepting Applications for Class of 2021   

Application Deadline is Friday, June 5, 2020!

The Chamber is currently accepting applications for its Leadership Eau Claire™ (LEC) Class of 2021. The goal of the program is to enhance participants’ community knowledge and leadership qualities through skill building exercises, activities and educational days. During the nine-month program, participants discuss the issues facing the community, develop the leadership skills necessary to assume leadership roles and are exposed to involvement opportunities in the community. More information is available here on the Chamber’s website and you can download an application here.
 

“Leadership Eau Claire™ has far exceeded my expectations. Through the program I have built lasting relationships with people from various businesses. LEC highlighted many of the good things that Eau Claire has to offer but also helped me understand the issues that our community is facing. More importantly, it opened my eyes to the plethora of volunteer opportunities and emphasized how we all play a role in making Eau Claire a better community.”

– Kallie Robb, Xcel Energy, Class of 2019

An informational online call in meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday April 24, 2020 for anyone seeking more information about the program. Follow this link to register!

If you have questions, contact Casey Schumacher via email (schumacher@eauclairechamber.org) or by phone 715-858-0614.

 

 

 

Business resource grapic

Keeping Up-to-Date on an Ever-Changing Situation

Everyone on your Chamber staff is working from home, but making it our top priority to keep you up to date and bring you the most current and accurate information to help you navigate today's challenges.

Critical Business Updates

  • Continually-updated page of must-know information for businesses, including the latest information on state and federal orders, other resources

Eau Claire Chamber COVID-19 Page

  • Information and links about local businesses, resources and more

Chippewa Valley Business Community COVID-19 Resource

  • A Facebook Group for businesses to post and share information

Eau Claire City-County Health Dept COVID-19 page

 

 

 

With everything happening in the world right now the Eau Claire Chamber wanted to bring you a video series every Wednesday that would highlight how businesses are stepping up and making a positive impact in the midst of all this change and uncertainty. We are proud to have such a wonderful community to call home. 

Go to the Chamber's Facebook page to learn more about these local businesses and what they are doing to make a difference.  

 

 

 

Member to Member Generosity 

Here's a note from Sarah Stokes of STOKES|HERZOG Marketing + Consulting, who shared the following information: 

"We created a free resource called Eau Claire Strong at www.eauclairestrong.com which houses free marketing/strategy/PR resources for businesses to do things now and come out stronger - our most visited page, aside from the homepage is the "Giving Back" page that acts as a spot to give back to our area non-profits by publicizing the current fundraising efforts. 

The new feature we're gathering this week is what deals area advertising mediums are offering (TV, Radio, Print, etc.) so we can continue to keep the promotional world going as well. 

We are adding new content every weekday to the Eau Claire Strong page to help organizations do what they can now to prepare for a major comeback!

Again, it's all free content for the business and non-profit community to benefit from."

Thank you Sarah for sharing this valuable resource! 

 

 

 
Programs & Services  

 Wage Survey

2020 Western & Central Wisconsin Wage Survey

The survey is distributed the week of March 16, due back by May 15, and is published in mid-July. We are proud to be covering employers from nine chambers of commerce including Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Marshfield, Menomonie, Portage County, Rice Lake, Wausau, and Wisconsin Rapids. Also involved are the local chapters of Society of Human Resource Management in the Chippewa Valley, La Crosse, Wausau and Winona. We need area employers to contribute their data in order to keep the wage survey viable and relevant; data is kept confidential. We have made it easy to participate, so please review the instructions and complete the forms. All documents for survey participation are on the Eau Claire Chamber's website.

There is a minimal cost to receive the report when it is available in mid-July, and chamber, CVSHRM, and Wipfli HR Forum memberships qualify businesses for discounted pricing.

If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Kummer  at (715) 858-0618.

 
 

 
Advocacy  

US Chamber Foundation Announces $5,000 Grant Program for Small Businesses of 3 to 20 Employees 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has launched the Save Small Business Fund, a grant program to provide assistance to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Funded by contributions from corporate and philanthropic partners, the Foundation will distribute $5,000 grants to small employers in economically vulnerable communities in the United States and its territories.  To qualify, a business must:

  • Employ between 3 and 20 people
  • Be in an economically vulnerable community
  • Have been harmed financially by the COVID-19 pandemic

Applications opened on April 20. 

Click here for details and to determine if you qualify.

 

 

 

If you do not wish to receive emails from the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce, please update your communications from the Chamber by clicking on the following link: [[AFFILIATIONUPDATELINK]] or [[UNSUBSCRIBELINK]] to all emails.
Copyright 2020. Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.

101 N. Farwell St. Eau Claire, WI 54703
(715) 834-1204 or Email
Privacy Policy