News from Your Chamber

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

This e-newsletter is brought to you by Chairman's Circle member:

*This advertisement is sponsored by Healthy Fusion.

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Please email jtanner@willmarareachamber.com to reserve your space.

Ambassadors Welcome Luxury Walls & Floors

Congratulations to David Guerrero and Daisy Hernandez of Luxury Walls and Floors on their First Dollar and Ribbon Cutting! Also pictured is their supporter John Garcia. With the mission to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary one brushstroke at a time, Luxury Walls and Floors is your exclusive source for premium decorative wall finishes and flooring including San Deco paints and plasters to add the look of luxury, opulence, and sophistication to any space in your home or business. Stop by to check out their boutique showroom filled with San Deco products that you won’t find anywhere else in the state of Minnesota. Explore the future of interior design, where luxury meets craftsmanship! Also celebrating are Ambassadors Julie Anderson (Kensington Insurance Agency/ Nesbit Agencies), Dawn Lippert (Mainstream Boutique), Sam Quam (Bethesda), Chamber President James Miller, Kris Gulbrandsen, and Mitch Ashburn (Edina Realty).

Luxury Walls & Floors

United Community Action Partnership Celebrates 20 Years

Congratulations and thank you to Executive Director Debi Brandt and Director of Community Services Heather Jeseritz of United Community Action Partnership on 20 years of membership! With the mission is to eliminate poverty by empowering individuals and strengthening communities, United Community Action Partnership brings together people and resources for neighbors in need. UCAP offers programs in the key areas of community and family services, head start, housing, tax preparation, child care programs, community projects, youth development, and transportation. Helping people, changing lives, is what UCAP is all about. Pictured representing the Chamber Diplomats and/or Board members are Terri Wood (Woody's Trucking Inc.), Jessica Hanson (Willmar Hypnosis), Suzanne Hass (Allstate Insurance), Abdirizak Mahboub (West Central Interpreting Services, LLC), Jon Schmidt (DATASuccess, Inc), and Shelly Bormann (Goodwill-Easter Seals).

United Community Action Partnership

Leadership Perspectives Visits the Capitol

The Willmar Lakes Area Leadership Perspectives class visited the Minnesota State Capitol on March 20th and was hosted by local Representative Dave Baker and Legislative Assistant Emilie Boehm. It was a very educational day with opportunities to hear from Representative Baker, Senator Lang, Leader Demuth, Speaker Hortman, Commissioner Harpstead, as well as representatives from the Minnesota Chamber and National Federation of Independent Business. The class also visited the House Floor and had the unique experience of sitting in the representatives' seats and voting on a mock bill.

Welcome, New Members!

Bridge Realty

Hometown Fiber

Kwik Trip Celebrates 5 Years

Congratulations and thank you to Manager Max of Kwik Trip on Highway 12 for five years of membership! Since 1965, Kwik Trip has been a family-owned company based in La Crosse. Kwik Trip has more than 30,000 employees and 800+ retail locations across multiple states in the upper Midwest. With three locations in Willmar, Kwik Trip is a strong supporter of the Willmar Lakes Area community. Also pictured is Chamber Past Chair and Diplomat Jon Rambow (Rambow Inc.).

Kwik Trip

neXt Lunch and Learn

Most of what you do and achieve is based on the way you think about yourself and the world around you. Without awareness of these old mindsets, you will be capped in your personal and professional life without many breakthroughs. Jerrid Sebesta is going to help you "unlearn" many of these faulty programs as well as give you the roadmap for capitalizing on the rest of 2024.

Dual Training Grant Open for Applications

The MN Dual Training Grant is currently open for applications and will close on April 22. Employers in the industries of Advanced Manufacturing, Agriculture, Child Care, Healthcare Services, IT, Legal Cannabis, and Transportation can apply for up to $6,000 per employee, to be used toward tuition and fee costs, to upskill into a higher paying occupation.

Learn More

Leading with Confidence Recap

neXt gathered on March 21st and broke down 10 mindset shifts and life hacks to overcome self-doubt and show up as the best version of themselves. The presentation was led by Desiree Petrich with Intentional Action.

State of Business Retention & Expansion Survey Reminder

Grow Minnesota! is conducting its second annual report to examine business expansion trends. Part of this study includes a brief survey on overall business conditions and expansion related issues. This survey will provide critical insights on how businesses are making decisions about future investments and what they need to grow/expand in their local community. The findings will help chambers and economic developers better understand what can be done to drive more business investment in our communities. The survey was emailed to the primary contacts in ChamberMaster. Please take a moment to share your feedback.

Career Exploration Partners Needed

Student Job Fair & Career Expo

Chamber Community Job Board

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 1,500 people as well as on the Chamber website. Please contact the Chamber if you have any questions.