July 20, 2023

Walbec Group Named PULSE Champion of Young Professionals

Jodie Federwitz, Director, Fox Cities Chamber PULSE Young Professionals Network (center, left) presents the Champion of Young Professionals designation to Aaron Green, Project Manager, Walbec Group, and a group of the company’s young professionals.

The Walbec Group has been named a PULSE Champion of Young Professionals (YPs) by the Fox Cities Chamber! Walbec Young Professionals affinity group provides professional and personal development opportunities and resources to team members early in their careers. Mentorship, skill-building, networking, and leadership development are all areas this affinity group explores.

“Becoming a PULSE Champion of Young Professionals is the perfect fit for our organization,” said Bridget Kraus, VP of Marketing at Walbec. “PULSE’s goals closely align with our Walbec Young Professionals affinity group mission and company culture. We are focused on professional development, team collaboration, volunteering, process improvement, and innovative advancements that impact our organization and community. Partnerships like this complement our internal efforts to foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture and provide opportunities for team member and organizational growth.”

Read the full news release to learn more about Walbec Group and how you can become a Champion of Young Professionals too.

Chamber Quick Poll:

When attending an awards presentation, what meal do you prefer to have provided?

Brunch

Lunch

Dinner

Hors d'oeuvres

Previous Poll Results:

Do you provide a stipend to help cover employee child care costs?

Yes - 25.2%
No - 38.9%
We are considering it - 11.5%
We help in other ways - 24.4%

Your Business Advocate

Legislators Propose Tax Free Retirement Income

This week, a bipartisan group of legislators, including Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara of Appleton, introduced a bill to create retirement income tax exemptions for Wisconsin taxpayers 67 or older. Filers would be exempt from paying taxes on the first $100,000 of annual retirement income, with married filers up to $150,000.

Per a memo released by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, income taxes would be eliminated for 98% of all taxpayers over the age threshold.

Read the full blog post here.

Jon Turke

Vice President of Government Affairs

jturke@foxcitieschamber.com

Childcare is the #2 issue facing local employers, behind employee retention/recruitment

It’s no secret that there is a childcare crisis, both here in the Fox Cities and nationwide. The Council for a Strong America estimates it already costs Wisconsin families, businesses, and governments a combined $1.9 billion every year. Nearly nine in 10 working parents say childcare costs them time and productivity at work, which may mean more work for others or jobs that don’t get done.

A strong early care and education system is a win for families in the Fox Valley and across Wisconsin. But the shortage of childcare is also keeping many parents at home to care for their children, which contributes to the worker shortage in our state. Lack of affordable childcare means children, families, and businesses suffer.

There's still time to register for the 'Starting Your Child Care Business' information session tonight from 6 - 8 p.m. at Child Care Resource & Referral! Register here.

So much fun was had at the Chamber Summer Golf Outing!

View photos

STEM professionals needed to mentor 80-100 young girls!

Smart Girls Rock is an interactive mentoring event designed to help young girls interested in STEM set career goals and start taking steps to pursue that path. This year's event will be held at Plexus on November 1.

We are looking for professional female mentors with a STEM-related degree and job to run stations. During the speed mentoring sessions, small groups of students will move through the interactive stations and participate in hands-on activities related to STEM. If you are interested in being a mentor at Smart Girls Rock, fill out this form.

Raise money for your nonprofit organization

Looking for a way to raise funds for your non-profit organization? Sign up to operate a food booth at Appleton’s Octoberfest. If you’re a non-profit operating your own booth, all proceeds go back to YOU!

You can also pair up with a for-profit restaurant or food truck and share a portion of the sales.

To learn more and submit an application, click here.

The Thought Leader: How Does Your Business Compare to the Latest NFIB Small Business Optimism Index?

Recently, the May NFIB Small Business Optimism Index results came out. While they were certainly not surprising, if you’re feeling concerned about your business, you’re not alone. Seeing what others are struggling with (and what they’re doing in the face of these struggles) can be helpful. This article gives you the highlights of the Index results for May.

Read article

Discover Calumet County

Be a part of the Discover Calumet County event on August 8! We’re looking for food and business vendors to join us and help showcase the wonderful places Calumet County has to offer.

Learn more and fill out an application here. All vendors are required to have a presence in Calumet County or the city of Kiel.

Key sponsorships are still available for this event. This is a great chance to promote your business at a family-friendly event. Learn more here.

Join us for a Public Policy Forum on Housing in the Fox Cities

Are you curious about the challenges and opportunities surrounding housing in our community? Join the Chamber for a panel discussion on the housing crisis and what steps communities are taking to address affordability and lack of housing stock.

Panelists include Jennifer Sunstrom from the REALTORS Association of Northeast Wisconsin, Tom Rooney from Mark Winter Homes, and Kara Homan from the City of Appleton. Register here.