IN THIS ISSUE
ADDRESS:
1515 Memorial Dr.
Manitowoc, WI  54220  
  
PHONE:
(920) 684-5575
  
EMAIL:
Business Minute Video

Check out this week's Business Minute Video with Belinda Esquinas-Gilbert at The Crossing of Manitowoc County, Inc.
Chamber Member News Releases










Community Corner

Click image to view full-size flyer.
Save the Dates!
Wednesday, April 5
8:00 - 10:00am
YOUTH TRANSITIONAL JOB FAIR
Culver's
4201 Calumet Ave., Manitowoc
Thursday, April 13
12:00 - 1:00pm
LUNCH & LEARN
eCommerce for Entrepreneurs
Location TBD

Sponsored by:
Wednesday, April 19
5:00pm
INFORMATIONAL SESSION FOR "THE BEST OF IRELAND SOUTH" TOUR
The Chamber of Manitowoc County
1515 Memorial Dr., Manitowoc



Thursday, April 27
12:30 - 3:30pm
HIGH SCHOOL
JOB FAIR
JFK Fieldhouse
at Lincoln High School
1433 S. 8th St.., Manitowoc
 

Friday, April 28
4:00 - 7:00pm
MINI CHOPPER UNVEILING EVENT
Manitowoc County Ice Center
5100 Vista Rd., Manitowoc
Tuesday, May 9
AM and PM sessions
TEAM 2.0
TOGETHER EVERYONE ACCOMPLISHES MORE
(A dynamic half-day teambuilding workshop with National Training Consultant Bill Drury)
Holiday Inn - Manitowoc
4601 Calumet Ave., Manitowoc
Wednesday, June 21
4:30 - 7:00pm
THE CHAMBER'S ANNUAL BUSINESS APPRECIATION PICNIC
Lincoln Park Fieldhouse
1215 N. 8th St., Manitowoc
Wednesday, July 19
THE CHAMBER'S ANNUAL GOLF OUTING
Fox Hills Resort
250 W. Church St.,  Mishicot
Weekly 
Friday, March 10, 2017
  
Calendar of Events
CLICK HERE  for a printable version of our events calendar.
 



Tuesday, March 14, 2:30 - 5:00pm
NONPROFIT WORKSHOP: "THE ILLUSION OF GRANT READINESS"   
Presented by: Theresa Collins, Beacon Organizational Consulting
Manitowoc Public Library
707 Quay St., Manitowoc
Free for Chamber members/$50 for non-members

Sponsor:




Wednesday, March 15, 8:00 - 11:00pm 
THE REALITY STORE AT RONCALLI HIGH SCHOOL   
Roncalli High School
2000 Mirro Dr., Manitowoc



Manitowoc Noon Rotary


Thursday, March 16, 12:00pm 
MAYORAL FORUM   
Holiday Inn - Ballroom
4601 Calumet Ave., Manitowoc





Thursday, March 23, 5:00 - 7:00pm
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS   
Investors Community Bank
860 North Rapids Rd., Manitowoc


Thursday, March 30, 12:00 - 1:30pm
SAFETY, HEALTH & WELLNESS PRESENTATION   
Festival Foods
2151 S. 42nd St., Manitowoc

Another fantastic Evening to Wine Down!
Saturday, March 4, 2017

Thank you to all who attended and supported the 14th Annual Evening to Wine Down Scholarship Fundraiser held on Saturday evening. We had an incredible turnout! Friends, neighbors and community members sampled wines, beers, chocolates and cheeses featured by local vendors - all while raising funds for scholarships.

We would also like to give these Ambassadors a special thank you:
Chris Herzog, A.C.E. Building Service, Inc.; Juliet Kosarzycki, Yellow Zone International, LLC; Peggy Krey, Capitol Civic Centre, Inc.; Bob Peronto, Comcast; Dianne Stewart, Lowe's Home Improvement; and Jennifer Fritsch, Felician Village. T he night would not have been possible without your help and dedication!

Our Chamber Ambassadors give out $500 and $1,000 scholarships each year, and they are currently accepting applications. To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must be a high school senior graduating in 2017. Applicants must demonstrate a capacity for leadership; show an interest in the community and school activities; and be employed by, or have a parent or guardian that is employed by, a company, business or organization that is a Chamber member. To date, The Chamber has awarded over $45,000 to students pursuing higher education.

Click here for a copy of the application.


Click here to view more photos of the evening.
Chamber Notebook:
Architectural Forest Products
Sunday, March 5, 2017

The Eastman Theater of the Eastman School of Music in the University of Rochester. Blueprint matched cherry and maple paneling by Architectural Forest Products_ LLC.
Architectural Forest Products supplies veneered architectural products to commercial, residential, retail, education, health care and furniture manufacturers.
Architectural Forest Products was established in 1985 by Ken Krings and is now owned by his son, Jason Krings, who has been with AFP since the beginning, working alongside his father, with the exception of the time he spent getting his degree in wood engineering.
AFP operates out of a 51,000-square-foot plant in Two Rivers. Read more.
 
Every Sunday in the Herald Times Reporter, The Chamber of Manitowoc County features members in "The Chamber Notebook" located on the front page of the Business section. This exposure is just another value-added opportunity with your Chamber membership.

For available dates, call our office at 920.684.5575 or email laura@chambermanitowoccounty.org to schedule your Chamber Notebook article.
Business Connects with Government Luncheon - City Council Candidates Forum
Monday, March 6, 2017




A Business Connects with Government Luncheon took place Monday at Lighthouse Inn on Lake Michigan, Two Rivers.

The Chamber hosted a City Council Candidates Forum for the Spring 2017 election. Candidates for both the Two Rivers and Manitowoc Common Councils were invited to participate in the forum.

Next Business Connects with Government Luncheon is the Mayoral Forum on Thursday, March 16, at Holiday Inn, Manitowoc. Register here.
Jr. Leadership Manitowoc County Local Economy Day
Wednesday, March 8, 2017

View more photos of the day here.

The 2016/2017 Jr. Leadership class took part in Local Economy Day on Wednesday of this week. The group visited Jagemann Stamping Company, Lakeside Foods, Manitowoc Public Utilities, Americollect and Courthouse Pub.

Jr. Leadership Manitowoc County brings together leadership-driven high school students from six Manitowoc County high schools in a program that creates awareness in the community, its challenges and potential. Students spend one day a month touring and visiting local businesses and organizations to learn about the quality of life in Manitowoc County.
Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting at Brian's Smokehouse & BBQ
Thursday, March 9, 2017

View more photos of the event here.

A Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting was held at Brian's Smokehouse & BBQ on Thursday afternoon.

Brian's is located at 1426 Washington St., Manitowoc. Visit them at www.brianssmokehouse.com.
Nonprofit Workshop: The Illusion of Grant Readiness


The Chamber of Manitowoc County and Beacon Organizational Consulting, LLC present the Nonprofit Workshop: The Illusion of Grant Readiness on Tuesday, March 14, 2:30-5:00pm, in the Balkansky Room at the Manitowoc Public Library.

Theresa Collins, CEO of Beacon Organizational Consulting, presents a highly interactive workshop full of action-packed activities that stimulate all the senses and appeal to every learning style. Fill your toolbox to the brim with fresh ideas and new resources that will ensure you will be ready for any last-minute grant that comes your way.

View the agenda and learning objectives  here .

This workshop is FREE for Chamber members; $50 for non-members.

Theresa has over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit and small business environments.

LEAP 2 Survey - We Need You!
Investors Community Bank and Leede Research are again sponsoring the Lakeshore Economic Assessment Program (LEAP) in partnership with The Chamber of Manitowoc County and Progress Lakeshore. Our goal is to update the 2015 Study and to better understand how recent plant closings and a changing economy have impacted area businesses.
 
We need your help to understand the local economy and track against the 2015 LEAP program. We ask that you take just 5 minutes to click on the link below and complete the survey process.   Your information will help to assess the current environment and help community organizations to continue to support area businesses and their development.
 
We thank you in advance for your participation.  Results will be presented at Progress Lakeshore's 6th Annual Excellence in Economic Development Awards Breakfast on May 3.

Let's Talk Marketing
Submitted by Ken Ivey, Living Water Digital, and member of The Chamber's Marketing Advisory Committee

The 5 Most Important Components of Your "Google My Business" Listing

(This is the second installment of a three-part article series on marketing your business online with Google My Business.)

Your Google My Business listing can be one of the strongest marketing tools you have in your arsenal, as long as you know how to use it to its fullest potential.  For that reason, it is important that you invest some time and energy into getting it just right, and from the get-go.  Having a complete, accurate, and optimized Google My Business listing can mean the difference between reaping some major rewards from your Internet marketing efforts and going completely unnoticed.  So, how do you make sure your Google My Business page is speaking well on behalf of your business?  Here are five most important components of your Google My Business listing:
 
Keyword-rich business description.  Your business description should be concise, informative, and easy to read and understand.  However, it should also be optimized for search engine spiders, so that your listing sits as high in search engine rankings as possible.  Do some thorough keyword research to find strong keyword phrases that can maximize your listing's SEO, and then place those keywords strategically throughout your business description, being very careful not to cram them in nonsensically.
 
Accurate and thorough business information.  You should take the time to fill in every single space when it comes to completing your business listing.  Don't leave anything blank, and be as concise and accurate as possible. 
 
Photos and videos.  Studies show that people surfing the web are more responsive to images than they are to plain text.  Google My Business allows you to upload photos and videos.  Take advantage of this by uploading the maximum allowed amount.
 
Positive customer reviews.  Your Google My Business listing includes a customer review section.  Encourage your satisfied customers to write a short testament about your business and ask them to post them on your Google My Business listing, for all to see.  Side note: To see what people are saying about you right now, visit www.FastReputationReport.com and enter your main business telephone number.  If you have several locations, do it for each location.
 
Product and service keywords.  As previously mentioned, keywords are important when completing your business description.  However, you should also be specific about products and services you offer, and use strong keywords when describing them.

 
Next Week:  5 Easy Steps to Keep Your "Google My Business" Listing SEO Optimized
 
About the Author:  
Ken Ivey, affectionately dubbed 'the Web Czar' by peers, has been helping businesses embrace technology for 30 years. Contact him at  ken@livingwaterdigital.com or call (920) 645-2700.
High School Job Fair
The Chamber of Manitowoc County is hosting a High School Job Fair on Thursday, April 27, 12:30-3:30pm, at Lincoln High School's JFK Fieldhouse.

Businesses - This is a great way to share the positions you have available, collect applications and set up interviews. All high school students from Manitowoc County are encouraged to attend.

New this year: Students will be bused to the Job Fair!

This event is $50/table for Chamber member businesses. Register for a table here. This is a budget-neutral event; fees will be used to bus students.

If you are a non-Chamber member business interested in participating, please give our office a call at (920) 684-5575.

High School Students - The Chamber of Manitowoc County is pleased to offer a Job Fair for student job seekers in Manitowoc County who are looking for full-time employment, part-time employment, summer jobs or permanent employment. There is no fee for students to attend. Please click here for the event flyer.
Sponsor a Scholarship for a Student in the Mini-Chopper Program
This year's Mini-Chopper Unveiling Event is scheduled for Friday, April 28, at the Manitowoc County Ice Center!

During this event each year, three $500 scholarships are given away.

If your business is interested in sponsoring a $500 scholarship, please give The Chamber office a call at (920) 684-5575.