Chamber Community Leadership Celebration

100 people from business community came together last Friday to celebrate community leaders, volunteers, membership milestones, and to recognize current and retiring Chamber Board members. Lester Bagley, Vice President of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Vikings was the guest presenter. Special thanks to James Miller for emceeing the event, MinnWest Technology Campus for their hospitality, and to The Schimmy Shack for catering a delicious breakfast.

Congratulations to these incredible community leaders:

MILO Award

Aaron Backman

Kandiyohi County & City of Willmar EDC

Exemplary Leadership Award

Denny Baker

Former Mayor for the City of Spicer

Emerging Young Leader

Hallie Johnson

CentraCare - Rice Memorial Hospital

Legacy Award

Ken Warner

Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

Thank you to the retiring Chamber Board members for their service to the business community! 

Dawn Lippert

Mainstream Boutique

Jared Voge

Bolton and Menk, Inc.

John Wallin

West Central Industries

Kelly Tauber

CentraCare

CentraCare - Rice Memorial Hospital Celebrates 50 Years

Congratulations to Michael Schramm, President, CentraCare - Willmar, Jessica Vagle, Sr. Director, Acute Care & Care Management, and Caryn McGeary, Sr. Director, Willmar Clinics on 50 years of continuous support as Chairman's Circle members! The Willmar Lakes Area is fortunate to have comprehensive, high-quality health care close to home. Celebrating with the CentraCare team are members of the Chamber Diplomats Committee and Board of Directors: Kelly O'Farrell (CDS), Adrian Salinas (Universal Kutz), Jessica Hanson (Willmar Hypnosis), Zack Mahboub (West Central Interpreting Services, LLC), Ken Warner (Chamber President), Jon Rambow (Rambow), Suzanne Hass (Allstate Insurance), Steve Gardner (Willmar Electric), Kathryn Mueller (Christianson PLLP), Tracy Lundy (Lake Region Bank), and Christina Williams (R&J Tours).

New Member Welcome

Paul Childers helps small businesses optimize cashflow and manage growth through the process of building a robust business credit profile.

Hampton Inn Celebrates 5 Years

Congratulations to Dave Feist and Nancy Larson of Hampton Inn Spicer Green Lake Resort on 5 years of membership! Located off the shores of beautiful Green Lake, Hampton Inn offers superior hospitality and accommodations, pontoon and bike rentals, and is conveniently located near some of the best recreational, dining, and entertainment establishments in the Willmar Lakes Area. Pictured are Chamber Diplomats Adrian Salinas (Universal Kutz), Jessica Hanson (Willmar Hypnosis), Carla Kahle-Miller (Design West), Shelly Bormann (Goodwill-Easter Seals), and Suzanne Hass (Allstate Insurance).

MnDOT Small Business Workshops

Membership Milestones

The Chamber Diplomats Committee has been busy presenting milestone awards and certificates to members across the Willmar Lakes Area community. A total of 64 milestones will be presented in 2023. Five and 10 year members receive a certificate, 20-40 year receive a plaque, and 50 year members receive a personalized award created by Diplomats Chair Jessica Hanson. Diplomats volunteer to contact five and 10 year members and Chamber staff organizes 20+ year presentations. Pictures of the presentations are shared in the Chamber newsletters and on social media.

Summer is Coming . . .

Website Survey Winner

Are you hiring? Don't forget to login to ChamberMaster to post your openings on the Chamber Job Board! Job postings will be shared weekly in the e-newsletter that reaches over 1,500 people as well as on the Chamber website. Please contact the Chamber if you have any questions.

• Calvary Lutheran Church - Faith Formation Coordinator - P/T, Office Assistant - P/T

• CentraCare - EMT & Paramedic Openings

• Citizens Alliance Bank -  Teller/Personal Banker, IT Help Desk, Credit Analyst, VP Loan Officer - Murdock, Operations Lead - Clara City, Correspondent Banker, Compliance Manage

• Dooley's Petroleum - Billing Specialist,, Office Manager, Bulk or Transport Drivers

• Duininck Inc. - Senior Accountant, Estimator

• Haug Implement - Facilities Maintenance Custodian

• Heartland Orthopedic Specialists - Patient Access Representative - Orthopedics, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) - Willmar Clinic

• Kandiyohi County Area Family YMCA - Health & Wellness Coordinator Full-Time

• Life-Science Innovations - Accounting Clerk, Senior Accountant



• Marcus Construction - Assistant Construction Superintendent (Travel Required), Construction Foreman (Travel Required), Construction Project Engineer, Architectural Designer & Detailer, Mechanical Designer/Detailer

• Northern Radiator - Drafting and Design (Internship)

• Nova-Tech - Account Manager, Embedded Software Engineer, Firmware Engineer

• Ridgewater College - Accounting Technician, CLA2 Nursing Tutor

• Willmar Electric - Project Engineer, Journeyman

Coming Up This Week

There will not be a Chamber Connection this week due to the Easter holiday. We look forward to seeing you for the next Connection on April 14th at Duininck Concrete!

• Tuesday, April 4 at 11:00am - Branding Meeting at the Chamber
• Wednesday, April 5 at 10:00am - Student Job Fair and Career Expo Meeting at the Chamber
• Thursday, April 6 at 10:00am - 320 Real Estate First Dollar at the Chamber
• Friday, April 7 at 12:00pm - Public Policy Meeting at Heritage Bank
• Tuesday, April 11 at 7:30am - Grow MN! Meeting at the Chamber

Stay Connected with YOUR Chamber!

www.willmarareachamber.com

chamber@willmarareachamber.com

 (320) 235-0300