BAY AREA COMMUNITY COUNCIL
DECEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER
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The Bay Area Community Council is the leading organization in engaging community leaders in understanding and shaping the future of the greater Green Bay area. |
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President's Message
Dave Wegge
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives,” President John F. Kennedy.
As we approach the end of 2020, this quote from President Kennedy captures my deep gratitude for the people who have contributed to the Bay Area Community Council’s (BACC) accomplishments over the past year.
In my January 2020 message, I suggested several goals that I felt BACC needed to address in 2020:
1) infusing foresight analysis into non-profit, business, education and government organizations through our Foresight Analysis Workshops;
2) forming a Foresight Network made up of workshop alumni;
3) implementing BACC foresight Signals Teams;
4) enhancing BACC’s brand and external communications;
5) creating a new strategic resource development model to provide the resources necessary to achieve our mission and vision.
So, how did we do? COVID-19 threw a wrench into many of our activities. But, like all organizations, we adjusted and even amid this pandemic were able to make considerable progress in meeting our goals.
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We Can Play in the AI arena
Phil Hauck, chair of BACC’s Economic Transformation/Disruption Signals Team
While our area has fallen behind on efforts toward economic transformation, the signals tell us we’re in a great position now to be a real player. Our Economic Transformation Signals team has been following:
- changes in strategic diversity
- the evolution of higher education
- the increasing impact of women
- increasing relevant skills
- increasing entrepreneurism/innovation
- artificial intelligence (AI) and the role of evolving technologies
That final area - artificial intelligence - has been my focus.
The first effort to take advantage of technology, though, isn’t technological. It’s KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMER’S OPPORTUNITIES for greater effectiveness in your area of expertise! Or, put another way, to know your customer’s customer.
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Vince Zehren, former BACC director
and longstanding community advocate, rest in peace
Bob Woessner, pictured at right and former BACC Director, opines on the life of Vince Zehren, who died on November 5, 2020
Vince Zehren was someone I knew a bit from Resurrection Parish and later when we both were members of the Bay Area Community Council. He was friendly, gracious, always smiling – a bit elfin, I thought. He didn’t say a lot at meetings, letting those of us who knew less of the world prattle on. But when he spoke, it was with wisdom.
I knew he was an important part of Schreiber Foods Inc. and once asked him what his job was. “To know more about cheese than anyone else,” he said with a smile.
His obituary made it clear he likely did know more about cheese than anyone else. He earned his first degree at 25 and his last at 75. He earned a food-science doctorate in 1954 and was the first University of Wisconsin student to be awarded a Fulbright grant.
Vince and his wife Virginia, who also had a doctorate in food science, had six children. He was active in scientific, business, and civic affairs. His involvements took him all over the world.
One more thing: In December 1942 Vince left St. Norbert College to enlist in the army, serving until January 1946. He was in combat for 222 days and was in the Battle of the Bulge and other fights. He was awarded four Bronze Stars and a Purple heart.
In addition to everything else, elfin Vince was a war hero.
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SUMMARY OF NOVEMBER 12 BACC BOARD MEETING
The BACC Board met over ZOOM to approve its 2021 budget, discuss a new logo, and receive updates from its committees and signals teams. Natalie Bomstad gave a report on the progress of the fall 2020 Foresight Analysis training cohort; the Board is invited to the cohort members' reports on Nov. 20.
Dr. Charley Jabobs, Professor of Political Science (St. Norbert College), also delivered an address on the outcomes of the 2020 elections followed by a spirited question and answer session.
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FAVORITE RESOURCES AND NEWS YOU CAN USE
Recent news stories, articles, books, videos, Websites or venues of interest to the BACC supporters and newsletter readers, recommend by the BACC staff and directors. Also community events of interest to the BACC supporters
Wisconsin's Green Fire NEW Friendraiser
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4 pm-5 pm
Zoom Meeting Space: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85859339539
Paul Linzmeyer, Jim Perry, and Executive Director Fred Clark invite you to learn more about
Wisconsin's Green Fire and its work conserving clean water, forests, and wildlife in Wisconsin. Bring your own ideas about conservation in our region.
Economic Intel for Wisconsin and the New North Region Webinar
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Presented by the Schneider School of Business and Economics, St. Norbert College. Public welcome, free admission, reservations required.
The Long-Term Impact of COVID-19: An Interactive Community Conversation and Call to Action
Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, 11:30 am-1 pm
Join the Brown County United Way Advocacy Council and the UW-Green Bay Center for Public Affairs. Learn how the community has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and how the nonprofit sector is responding. Contribute your voice in coming together around long-term solutions to support nonprofits, vital safety net services, and our community's well being. Register here.
Women now hold 20.4% of the board seats of Russell 3000 companies (the largest 3000 public companies), an increase from 17.7% in 2018. Wisconsin is slightly above that average at 21.9%, up two points in a year. But, 41 percent of R3000 companies still have one or no women on their boards.
The Washington Post offers several free video interviews a week between their staff and current newsmakers on topics related to race in America, "the path forward," etc.
"My sense is that the pandemic will flatten organizations. That’s because we will see an acceleration of new ways to track the performance of front-line workers that will eliminate the need for midlevel supervisors. This is already starting to happen. Organizations are using online monitoring tools. There’s software that can track the performance of people who are working online. In other cases, companies are using online surveys to ask customers if front-line workers did a good job. Organizations won’t need human supervisors, because technology and data analytics will allow the organizations’ leaders to see who’s doing a good job. The net result is greater accountability and less privacy for workers." f from "Flat and happy?" Darrell West, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank’s Center for Technology Innovation, Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2020.
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