Use big data intelligence for FREE to grow your business

Sophisticated business intelligence can be a huge differentiator. SizeUpWI is a free customized platform for small and midsize business owners and entrepreneurs that provides the market research and business intelligence needed for growth and success. 

Get industry data analysis that empowers you to:

• Discover potential customers and suppliers
• Optimize advertising and marketing to ideal customers
• Analyze the characteristics and spending of consumers in the area
• Validate or reject your assumptions about future business performance
• Rank your industry performance across multiple measurements

LEARN MORE and view this introduction to "SizeUp Wisconsin" from WEDC.

The city of Beaver Dam invites downtown businesses with 10 feet or more of sidewalk width in front of their building to apply for a "sidewalk business enterprise" area, or sidewalk cafe".

Learn more and apply.

Here is your business's chance to connect more with schools.

Working in collaboration with BDUSD, we are in need of engaging speakers to come in and talk to 7th graders about their careers on May 15th or 16th for three classes. Please contact us at tpropst@beaverdamchamber.com to get involved and mentor our future workforce.

Business After Hours 

National Exchange Bank & Trust

1609 North Spring Street

NEXT WEEK Wednesday, March 15, 2023

5:00 – 7:00 PM

National Exchange Bank and Trust in Beaver Dam has been putting a lot of preparation into hosting Chamber members at this month's Business After Hours. While we don't know the details, we are promised a little fun and it may center around "March Madness"! Stop in for a few minutes or stay the whole time, but come and connect.

Held in a relaxed environment, Business After Hours is a relationship-building experience that benefits you and your company through added contacts, information, and resources. Plus, they're fun!

Please RSVP for the host's planning purposes, but walk-ins are always welcome.

Breakfast Network

Our Guest: The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)

Our Host: Trinity United Methodist Church

NEXT WEEK Tuesday, March 14, 2023

7:45 - 9:00 am

The Chamber Breakfast Network is a great way to start your day. It is an opportunity to connect with other business and organization members and learn something new!

Special thanks to our host Trinity United Methodist Church and our guest presenter the NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) organization. After some networking and getting to know each of our attendees, we will learn a little about our host Trinity United Methodist Church, and the initiatives our local NAMI has to improve the quality of life of people affected by mental illness. Breakfast is provided by Trinity United Methodist Church; however, a $5 suggested donation is appreciated to help cover costs.

Join us for a Breakfast Network on the 2nd Tuesday of Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, and November.

ShamRock'n Bar Crawl

Saturday, March 18, 2023

2:00 PM - 11:00 PM

(hours may vary by location)

Join some of our Chamber bars and restaurants as they celebrate the weekend of St. Patrick's Day. Chase the Leprechaun, drink specials, shuttle bus, prizes and "Make a scene in green" costume contest are on deck for a fun night!

Black Ties & Blue Jeans

Awards Gala

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Old Hickory Country Club

5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

$40 Ea / $312 per Table

Come mix and mingle with a combination of formal and care-free. Join us for the Beaver Dam Annual Dinner and Awards at the Black Ties Blue Jeans Gala.

This evening brings our membership together to celebrate progress in our businesses and organizations and to recognize young leaders in our community. Winners of the Five-Under-Forty Award, Innovation Award and Emerging Leader Award will be recognized during the event.

So what is a Black Ties and Blue Jeans Gala? It’s a mixture of jeans and bling, denims and diamonds, suits and t-shirts, and cocktail dresses and cowboy boots. Throw on any combination for a festive flair with a focus on black and blue jeans, but most of all....just come!

Thank you to our Annual Dinner Sponsors

BD Connect Monthly Connection

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

First Lutheran Church

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY!

Join us to serve hot meals on March 28th from 3:30pm - 5:30pm and connect with other young adults while doing it. We need a minimum of 6 to 8 people to make this successful!

For more information check out Loaves & Fishes website. 

If you are unable to attend but would still like to donate, here is the link to their Amazon wish list. 

BD Connect is a Dodge County young adults networking group. Activities each month will vary from social, professional and/or charitable in nature, so there is something for everyone at some time. Join the facebook group to get connected!

Thank you to our BD Connect Sponsors!

Housing Market Updates

The housing market is a major component of the economy and prices skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting them down is a key part of taming inflation.

Looking back: Last year, home prices declined for six straight months every month from July 2022 through December 2022. 

Currently: More recent data shows the housing market may be improving. New home sales, pending sales, and permits all rose in January. Home builder optimism jumped up 20%.

Looking ahead: The built-up demand for housing and a lack of supply likely means that housing prices won’t fall (on an annual basis), which is good news for homeowners. The ease in price increases continues to be good news for buyers..

Manufacturing and Service Sectors are Diverging

In February, the manufacturing sector was in contractionary territory for the 4th straight month (a reading below 50) according to the ISM survey on manufacturers. It was up slightly compared to January, breaking a streak of 3 consecutive monthly declines.

Why it matters: Manufacturing has been on a steady decline since it hit an all-time high in March 2021.

• But: The service sector remains strong. It was at roughly the same level in February as in January. Optimism among service providers has declined since its all-time high in November 2021, but not as much as manufacturers' and remains well into growth territory (a reading above 50).
• Services have grown in 32 of the last 33 months, the sharp decline came in December and has proved to be an aberration.

Be smart: The split between the sectors is explained by the recovery from Covid. Services were depressed during the pandemic and are still recovering.

• Conversely, manufacturing boomed during Covid and has struggled since consumers switched back to spending on services and experiences.
• Pre-Covid, this was much the same. Services were doing well and manufacturing struggled.

Bottom line: Expect this situation to remain for some time as the economy continues adjusting to the post-COVID normal.

Durable Goods Orders Fluctuating but Core Sales Still Strong

Why it matters: Normally, a steep drop like that would be troubling. However, looking into the report more closely shows that volatile components account for the swings, and businesses continue to invest in capital.

Details: In December, orders for new airplanes surged. In January, those orders fell back. Airplanes are expensive, of course, so changes in orders cause big swings in the data.

• But: Core capital goods spending, all durable orders minus volatile aircraft and defense spending, was up a solid 0.8%, which was above inflation for the month.

Be smart: This tells us that despite all the bumpiness in the economy, and while businesses continue to tell surveys they see an upcoming slowdown, they are forging ahead with all-important capital investment.

Bottom line: The economy is in better shape than most anticipated it would be. This means, if the slowdown everyone expects is to come this year, it may come later in the year rather than mid-year as most predicted.

TDCON

April 11-12, 2023

LaCrosse, Wis.

Join the Wisconsin Workforce Development Association as it hosts the annual Talent Development Conference (TDCON) on April 11-12, 2023 at La Crosse. Each year we welcome more than 250 attendees, including executives, business leaders, human resources professionals, dozens of Wisconsin industry and trade associations, policymakers, and workforce development leaders. Early bird registration ends on February 28, 2023.

Wisconsin legislative committee blocks meningitis, chickenpox vaccine mandates

Wisconsin Republicans on Thursday blocked Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' plan to require student vaccinations against meningitis and tighten student chickenpox vaccination requirements. The vote comes two days after a lengthy public hearing on the policy changes that saw parents complain that the new requirements trample their liberties. The committee blocked the proposal last legislative session as well.

Click here to learn more

Lawmakers urged to allow e-commerce alcohol sales, reduce retail theft

A spokesperson for grocers in Wisconsin is urging lawmakers to take action this session to allow e-commerce alcohol sales and reduce retail theft. Jim Hyland, vice president of communications and public affairs for Roundy’s Supermarkets said the grocery industry continues to work through a “pandemic-induced hangover,” highlighting inflation as a major concern for both consumers and grocers.

Click here to learn more

Coalition aims to keep Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin

A coalition of Wisconsin business, tourism and health care leaders, former office holders and others announced Wednesday that it is working to find a bipartisan solution to keeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the state. The Home Crew Coalition was formed as Gov. Tony Evers and the Brewers have teamed up behind the governor's proposal to spend nearly $300 million on repairs to American Family Field. In exchange, the baseball team said it would extend its lease at the stadium by 13 years, through 2043.

Click here to learn more

Experts say state, local government can help lower cost of new home construction

Experts say state and local government entities can help address Wisconsin’s affordable housing shortage by helping to cover related infrastructure costs. Kurt Paulsen, a professor of urban planning at UW-Madison, and other speakers highlighted the statewide shortage of affordable housing, particularly in major employment hubs, as well as potential solutions to this problem at a joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry and Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate.

Click here to learn more

Energy benchmarks and 'tune-ups' to be required for large commercial buildings in Madison

Some non-residential buildings in Madison will now be required to meet new energy benchmarks and go through "tune-ups" under an energy savings program unanimously passed by the city's common council Tuesday night. The Building Energy Savings Program will require people who own large commercial buildings to check and adjust things like lighting and HVAC systems and heating and cooling schedules to make sure they're not wasting energy.

Click here to learn more

Jaded with education, more Americans are skipping college

What first looked like a pandemic blip has turned into a crisis. Nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, with declines even after returning to in-person classes, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. The slide in the college-going rate since 2018 is the steepest on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists say the impact could be dire.

Click here to learn more

Biden’s budget sets up battle with GOP, would cut deficits by $3 Trillion over 10 years

President Biden proposed a $6.9 trillion budget that calls for reducing deficits and raising taxes on wealthy people and large corporations, detailing a policy vision that isn’t expected to gain momentum in Congress, but is an opening salvo in spending talks with Republicans. Mr. Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget plan, released Thursday, calls for an increase over the roughly $6.4 trillion that the White House expects the federal government to spend this fiscal year.

Click here to learn more

In just a few minutes this week, Powell changed everything on market’s view of interest rates

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell set out a new paradigm for how the central bank views its policy path, one that apparently will see even higher interest rates for a longer period of time. Markets now strongly expect a half-point increase in March and the peak, or terminal rate, to hit close to 5.75% before the Fed is finished. What changed was the January inflation data, plus signs that the labor market remains remarkably strong despite the Fed’s efforts to slow it down.

Click here to learn more

Mortgage rates rise for the fifth-straight week

Mortgage rates edged further toward 7%, rising for the fifth consecutive week, as the Federal Reserve suggests rate increases will continue amid stubborn inflation. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.73% in the week ending March 9, up from 6.65% the week before, according to data from Freddie Mac released Thursday. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate was 3.85%. Rates started climbing again in February, rising half a percentage point over the past month.

Click here to learn more

Federal judge rules Biden's border policies unlawful

A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday struck down the Biden administration’s use of parole to mass release migrants into the U.S. interior, finding the practice unlawful and accusing the administration of turning the border into a "meaningless line in the sand." Judge T. Kent Wetherell ruled in response to a lawsuit from the state of Florida, which alleged the administration’s mass release of tens of thousands of migrants via humanitarian parole into Alternatives to Detention is unlawful.

Click here to learn more

Michigan Democrats move quickly to repeal right-to-work

Michigan’s Democratic-led Legislature moved Wednesday to repeal the state’s “right-to-work” law that was passed more than a decade ago when Republicans controlled the Statehouse. Repealing the law, which prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay union dues even if the union bargains on their behalf, has been a top priority for Democrats since they took full control of the state government this year.

Click here to learn more

Green Beret to testify at Afghanistan withdrawal hearing

The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee began examining President Joe Biden‘s role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during a hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill. The hearing — and those that follow — will zero in on one of the most dramatic months of the Biden presidency. The withdrawal left Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban and 13 U.S. Marines died.

Click here to learn more

Foxconn, We Energies partnering on solar project on Mount Pleasant campus

Foxconn and We Energies plan to partner on a solar project with around 2,000 panels on the Taiwan-based company’s Mount Pleasant campus. In a press release, Foxconn Technology Group described the effort as “one of the largest nonresidential solar projects in Racine County” and said it is “committed to integrating green and sustainable practices throughout our operations.” “We’re pleased to bring more clean energy to Wisconsin through this partnership with Foxconn,” said Gale Klappa, executive chairman — WEC Energy Group.

Click here to learn more

Rite-Hite acquires Ontario-based Alpha Door Systems and King Materials Handling

Milwaukee-based Rite-Hite Holding Corporation has acquired loading dock and industrial door companies Alpha Door Systems and King Materials Handling with offices in London and Windsor (Ontario) Canada. “President Ed Michniewicz, has built a solid organization, serving customers in the region with high standards of service and integrity. We look forward to continuing the good partnerships we have with companies in the area,” said Gerry Timms, President of Rite-Hite Company, LLC.

Click here to learn more

Wisconsin unemployment rate again below 3%

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is once again below 3% and the state added 4,800 private sector jobs in January, according to the latest data released by the state Department of Workforce Development. The unemployment rate came in at 2.9% for January, down slightly from 3% in December. The national unemployment rate was 3.4% in January. The December figure itself was lower than previously reported. Preliminary figures put the rate at 3.2% to end 2022.

Click here to learn more

February is expected to have been a strong month for hiring and wage growth

Economists expect hiring remained strong in February and that wages grew even faster than they did in January. February’s employment report is expected Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists forecast 225,000 new jobs were added in February, lower than January’s surprisingly strong 517,000 jobs, according to Dow Jones. The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 3.4%. Average hourly earnings are forecast to rise by 0.4%, or 4.8% year over year.

Click here to learn more

GM offers buyouts to ‘majority’ of U.S. salaried workers

General Motors will offer voluntary buyouts to a “majority” of its U.S. white-collar employees, according to a letter sent to workers Thursday from CEO Mary Barra. GM expects to take a pretax charge of up to $1.5 billion related to the buyouts, according to a public filing Thursday by the company. It comes after the Detroit automaker said last week it would terminate about 500 salaried positions globally.

U.S. labor board limits gag clauses in severance agreements

Register by TODAY to Recruit your Next Generation of Workers at Manufacturers Inspirations Day!

This Friday at Mukwonago High School, manufacturers from across the state are invited to participate in our interactive fair. Contrary to the traditional “sit and get” career fairs, we want manufacturers to bring activities that will engage the students and help them better understand exactly what each company does. Manufacturers have until the end of TODAY to register!

Click here to Register

U.S. imports, exports grew in January, adding to signs of solid global economy

U.S. trade with the rest of the world grew in January, adding to signs the global economy started the year on a surprisingly strong note. Imports grew 3.0% to a seasonally adjusted $325.8 billion, reflecting increases in the shipments of automobiles and consumer goods such as cellphones, toys and sporting goods, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Exports rose 3.4% to $257.5 billion, as the sale of pharmaceutical drugs and other consumer goods increased.

Click here to learn more

Regal Ware likely to relocate headquarters to Milwaukee County from Kewaskum

Cookware manufacturer Regal Ware Inc. will sell its longtime headquarters to the village of Kewaskum and the company likely will announce within the next two months a new location possibly in northwest Milwaukee County. “We are … pleased to confirm that current employees of Regal Ware in Kewaskum will all keep their jobs in the new location, which has yet to be determined but will likely be in the northwest part of Milwaukee County,” the company said.

Click here to learn more

Job openings declined in January but still far outnumber available workers

Job openings declined slightly in January but still far outnumber available workers as the labor picture remains tight, according to data released Wednesday. The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, showed there are 10.824 million openings, down some 410,000 from December, the Labor Department reported. That equates to 1.9 job openings per available worker, or a gap of 5.13 million.

Click here to learn more

Study spotlights high injury risk among food supply chain workers

Workers who play a role in the U.S. food supply chain are at high risk for being hospitalized with severe injuries, results of a recent study show. Researchers found out of 1,084 severe injuries related to transport packaging and its use in various segments of the food and beverage-related industry, 272 (25.1%) were from employees of grocery and related product merchant wholesalers. Warehousing and storage workers accounted for 191 of the injuries (17.6%), followed by grocery stores workers, who reported 176 injuries (16.2%).

Click here to learn more

Railroad association announces new safety measures

Spurred by the Feb. 3 train derailment and fire in East Palestine, OH, the freight rail industry says it’s taking several “initial steps” to improve safety. The American Association of Railroads’ list begins with the installation of 1,000 additional trackside detectors nationwide. These devices are designed to help railroads identify problems before potential derailments occur.

Click here to learn more

SAVE BIG by registering your safety workers NOW for WSC's Conference!

Wisconsin’s Safety Council’s Annual Conference is Wisconsin’s premier event highlighting health, safety and human resource best practices challenges and solutions. The conference features 50+ educational sessions, 200 exhibitors and 5 pre-conference professional development courses. In its 81st year, our conference provides a unique opportunity for professionals to share resources and experiences with colleagues, and to discuss views and concerns with a wide range of stakeholders. Save up to $125 and register your safety employees before Early Bird rates end next Friday, March 17!

Click here to SAVE BIG

South Central Wisconsin Career Expo

HOSTED BY 95.3 WBEV POWERED BY DAILYDODGE AND 1430 ESPN

Beaver Dam High School Fieldhouse

Thursday, April 6th, 2023

9:30am – 2:00pm

Set up between 8:30am – 9:15am

The South-Central Wisconsin Career Expo is an excellent way for students and adult job seekers to network with employers from a variety of local businesses. Students benefit by gathering information on possible job or internship opportunities and by gaining professional communications skills from speaking with company representatives. Many students obtain jobs or internships as a result of attending the South-Central Wisconsin Career Expo each year.

The South-Central Wisconsin Career Expo is a unique opportunity to meet both adult job seekers and Junior and Senior High School students. The event will be marketed to all of South-Central Wisconsin on Good Karma Brands radio stations and dailydodge.com. This is a free event for adult job seekers and high school juniors and seniors to attend.

Register Now Deadline listed is today!

Advertise in the 2023 Dodge County Fair Association Premium Book

Each year the Dodge County fair publishes a premium book and they offer sponsorship opportunities at $60 and $100 levels. If you would like to place an add, contact fabischk@ymail.com or call 920-203-4552.

Sponsorship Information

Jefferson Elementary School PTO Seeks Sponsorships

Please consider supporting the "Jefferson Jog" on May 5th 2023. Learn more at the link below.

Sponsorship Information

As a reminder, please include event dates on the Chamber Website community calendar – look for the “add community event” in the right corner just below the red bar. This calendar currently gets viewed about 2500 times/month and it is free to use!

Chamber website calendar

Interested in being a Chamber Partner Sponsor? Learn More.

Executive Circle

Mission