Home Stretch for the riverwalk!!

We are in the home stretch!  As you probably know, there is a fabulous addition to downtown De Pere that has been in the planning and fundraising stages since the old Claude Allouez Bridge came down – the Katherine Harper Riverwalk and Nature Viewing Pier.  Today, I bring you two exciting updates!

The process toward the permit has been a long & twisted road with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the finish line is in sight – except, we need your help.

The project has a total price tag of $2.1 million dollars and NONE of it is public money (i.e. tax dollars) – it is all private donations.  We are only $300,000 away from our goal. Won’t you help us?  There are still some key sponsorship areas available.  If you are interested in more information or just want to write the project a check, please contact James Boyd at 336-0305 or myself at 338-0000.  You can mail your check to the Chamber at 441 Main Avenue, De Pere WI 54115 made out to the Katherine Harper Riverwalk and Nature Viewing Pier.

Please help us get this project across the finish line and begin construction on this amazing project as soon as possible!  Details are below …

Is your business impacted by the Main Avenue exit off Highway 41 in De Pere?

If yes, then mark your calendar:

US 41 Project Business Group Meeting County G (Main Avenue) Interchange

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) invites you to attend a business group meeting for the County G (Main Avenue) Interchange.

BUSINESS GROUP MEETING
September 29, 2010    |    7 a.m. – 9 a.m.
St. Norbert College – F.K. Bemis International Center Room 20 (lower level) 299 Third Street, De Pere, WI (Parking available in Lot #14 located on Grant Street across from the Kress Inn)
Presentation at 7:15 a.m.

This meeting will present draft transportation management plans (TMP) that are being developed for the area including:

• Construction staging scenarios created for County G (Main Avenue) Interchange
• Alternative access routes
• Staging concepts and schedule for remainder of Orange to Glory segment including mainline US 41, Grant Street, and Glory Road

Transportation management plans are important because they determine how construction will be staged and what strategies are needed to keep traffic moving during the construction zone. This is an opportunity for you to provide input as WisDOT refines TMP plans for this area.

In addition to the business group meeting, project staff will be available to hold small group workshops with interested businesses to discuss specific issues. These meetings can be located at your business or at WisDOT offices and can be geared towards your specific questions.

Contact information

If you would like to receive US 41 Project updates or notices of future meetings related to the County G Interchange via e-mail, please submit your e-mail address to Wendy Knaus at wknaus@buveck.com.
If you have questions or would like to schedule a workshop, please contact one of the following WisDOT staff members:

Kris Schuller
US 41 Project Communication Manager (920) 492-4109 Kris.Schuller@dot.wi.gov
Chad DeGrave
Project Manager (920) 492-4112 Chad.DeGrave@dot.wi.gov

If you would like would like information on the area road constructions projects, visit our website here.  We keep this area update with news as soon as we know it!

Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition

The William James Foundation seeks to identify, support, and reward the best new ideas in sustainable business. They primarily do this through their Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition. If you’re launching a for-profit organization that has integrated social and/or environmental sustainability into how you do business, we encourage you to enter their competition.

The William James Foundation Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition offers feedback & in-kind and cash prizes worth more than $100,000 for sustainable entrepreneurs. Entrants can be of any age or from anywhere in the world. First round deadlines are Sept 10th & Dec. 3rd, 2010. Details at www.williamjamesfoundation.org.

1. Your business or business idea must be for-profit. They accept Limited Low-Profit Corporations (L3Cs) and encourage B Corporations (and their international equivalents). They also accept social enterprise for-profits that are owned by non-profits. If you have to file and pay taxes, they consider you a for-profit.
2. Your business or business idea must have not yet launched, or be less than two years from your first revenue on the date that you submit your executive summary.
3. Your business or business idea must seek both financial viability and a defined social and/or environmental goal that is achieved through how you do business. Simply donating a percentage of revenues to charity does not count. Their baseline for financial viability is a firm where managers make at least a middle-class living, employees make at least a living wage and vendors and customers are generally satisfied with their interactions with the firm.

When and How to send your Business Plan Summary

The next executive summary submission deadline is Friday September 10th, 2010. Plans submitted by that date should receive their first round of feedback in early October. They will also accept plans for their 2010 competition until December 3rd, 2010. December round entrants will receive their feedback in January, 2011.

As soon as you know you intend to enter the competition, please fill out the Intent to Compete form at www.williamjamesfoundation.org/intenttocompete.

To submit your executive summary, send it by email to competition@williamjamesfoundation.org. Entries must be readable by Microsoft Word 2003 or Adobe PDF reader. Hard copies are discouraged, but accepted by fax at 202/403-3402 or postal mail at:

The William James Foundation
920 U Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 USA

For local information on siting a business in the De Pere area and to find out what taxes and incentives are available visit our website here.  If you believe your business fits the Main Street area model or are interested in physical space sustainability as well as business sustainability, visit here to learn about Main Street De Pere.

September is Preparedness Month

From our friends at the Red Cross, good information, planning and things to keep in mind!

Preparedness has never been more important as many of us have been affected by the heavy rains, flooding, strong winds storms and we are on pace for a record Tornado year. Thankfully, the Hurricane season has gotten off to a quiet start, but we can’t rest on our laurels as the peak weeks are ahead of us.  With kids going back to school, flu season right around the corner and our Disaster Action Team members have been responding to residential fires almost daily and they are providing immediate needs.  Across the nation, we respond to an emergency every seven seconds.

Many people in this country have experienced a significant crisis in their home or neighborhood, but less than half of the people surveyed by the American Red Cross have taken steps to be prepared for emergencies.

National Preparedness Month is a month set-aside to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities. The Red Cross, among others, urges everyone to take steps now to be ready when emergencies happen.

In a survey conducted late last summer, the Red Cross found that although 89 percent of those surveyed believe being prepared is important, far fewer people are ready for when that happens. In fact, twenty percent of those surveyed have not done anything to get prepared, and aren’t sure where to get started.

“Being prepared today can save lives tomorrow,” said Steve Hansen, Regional Chapter Executive.  “You are your best defense against emergencies.  The Red Cross can show you what simple steps you need to take to prepare yourself and your loved ones for emergencies.”

There are three things people should do to be prepared – build an emergency preparedness kit, make a plan as to what your family will do in an emergency, and be informed about what resources are available in your community and what types of disasters could occur there.

Your emergency preparedness kit should contain enough supplies for three days in case you need to evacuate.  The Red Cross also recommends having at least two weeks worth of supplies at home. Supplies should include water (one gallon, per person, per day), nonperishable food, a flashlight, battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra batteries, first aid kit, a 7-day supply of medications, a multi-purpose tool, sanitation and personal hygiene items and copies of important personal documents.

Your emergency plan should be a joint effort, including the members of your household.  Make sure each person knows how to reach household members, including an out-of-area emergency contact person, and knows where to meet if they can’t go home.

Being informed is important.  Learn about what resources are available and what types of disasters are most likely to occur where you live, learn, work and play. Take a first aid and CPR/AED course—a vital component of disaster preparedness in case emergency help is delayed.

You can also give blood to help keep your community prepared.  It is the blood already donated and available on hospital shelves that is available in an emergency.  To give blood, you must be healthy, be at least 16 years old, have parental consent and weigh at least 110 pounds.  If you have given blood before, it must be 56 days since your last donation.  For more information on giving blood, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

All Red Cross Chapters are urging area residents to make a renewed effort in September to prepare for emergencies such as fires, floods or storms.  The Red Cross has created a free online education program to make it easier for people to get prepared. The Be Red Cross Ready program walks people through three key preparedness steps: getting an emergency kit, making an emergency plan and being informed.

Document to use to get prepared – DOWNLOAD HERE and as a courtesy – IN ESPANOL AQUI

Chamber Chat TV – wine and wineries

Episode #3 of Chamber Chat TV features “Taste of Wine & Beer” presented by M&I Bank, wineries in Wisconsin, wineries and tourism in Wisconsin and a number of guests!  This episode features guests from Festival Foods, M&I Bank, the Chamber and a clip from the Michigan Main Street Center plus a preview of the 5th Annual Taste of Wine & Beer on October 1st at The Marq.

Each month will focus on one of the Chamber’s programs/projects or events but will also have guests on to talk about the underlying principle or tenet that will give it both a regional and statewide (potentially beyond) appeal.

Part One features Todd Schreiter, from Festival Foods talking about wineries in Wisconsin, Agri-business, sponsorships and winery tourism.

Part two features a clip from the Michigan Main Street Center about Main Street!

Part three features Jeff DeBakker, Vice President at M&I Bank and Chair of Taste of Wine and Beer and Alicia Detrick, Events Coordinator, DPACC – who talk about the upcoming Taste of Wine & Beer, presented by M&I Bank and why M&I feels community involvement is so important.

SEO 101: Inbound Links

A guest article from DPACC Member, Chris Schmitz at Perception LLC, from their blog on tips to improve YOUR website.   This has great information and I’m working on putting it into practice myself.  In that vein, wanna link?  Comment and we’ll connect – helps us both!  But, on to the advice from Chris:

There is one major element of SEO that is somewhat out of your control as a website owner.  Unfortunately, it happens to be one of the most important elements and is capable of massively increasing the amount of traffic to your site in a matter of days, sometimes even minutes.  In case you hadn’t guessed by the title, this element is inbound links.  In other words, links from other sites to yours.

Why are inbound links important?

Inbound links are great for SEO for 2 main reasons:

1. They bring traffic to your site whenever someone clicks the link
2. Search engines pay attention to inbound links to determine how important a page is and where it is placed in their search results

Aside from search engine results, links from other sites are the only way that people will be able to find your site.  To put it in business terms, inbound links are essentially referrals to your site from other sites.  The more referrals you have, the more business, or at least inquiries, you will get.  If someone is referred to you through a friend to buy your products or services, but upon further investigation they find that your office is in the basement closet with a leaky ceiling, they will most likely take their business elsewhere.  The same goes for websites.  If someone is referred to your site (through an inbound link) but is immediately turned off by the design of your site or content that doesn’t apply to them, they will leave immediately, and most likely never return.  On the other hand, if you have a design that is, at the minimum, easy on the eyes, and content that is applicable to them, you can be fairly confident that they will return again at some point in the future.

Inbound links and PageRank

When search engines are deciding which pages would be relevant to a user’s search, they take into account not only the content on the page, but also how many other sites around the web link to that page.  The more sites that link to a page, the more popular it is perceived by search engines. Google, the largest of all search engines, refers to this perceived importance as PageRank.

PageRank is essentially a popularity contest.  If you have a lot of readers and friends around the web, it becomes easier to find people to link to your site, thus getting you more traffic and potential people to link to your site.  Each link to your site is a vote saying that you think this page or site is important, and the importance of each vote is determined by a site’s PageRank.  As you can see, search engine optimization has the potential to grow exponentially over time, you just need to make an honest effort to get started and continue improving even after you have some success.

For more information on PageRank, check out Google’s Technology Overview page.

Obtaining inbound links

Many people think that once they have a well-designed and coded site, it is up to the rest of the site owners on the web to make their site popular by linking to them.  After all, you can’t force anyone to put up a link to your site.  However, there are some ways things you can do that will almost always result in increased traffic to your site.

Submit your site to directories

In almost every industry, there are directories of sites that simply list product or service providers specific to that area or industry.  Sometimes you will be listed in them automatically, and other times you will need to sign up manually.  Chambers of Commerce almost always have a member directory with links to each business’s site.  If your site is well-designed, consider submitting it to web design galleries.  Look for any opportunity possible to submit your site and you can be certain to get at least a few links and some additional traffic to your site.

Get linked to by your peers

Have some family/friends/other businesses with their own sites that would be willing to promote you?  Ask them to post a link or write an article about you to help improve your SEO.  It may not be worth paying much for this service, but there is always something that can be done to return the favor.

If there are blogs focusing on your area or industry, try emailing some of the writers to see if they would be interested in doing an article or interview on you or your business. Authors love getting feedback on their content.  Quality feedback and questions in an article’s comments are guaranteed to get the author’s attention.

Write guest articles in online or print publications

Blogs and online magazines are popping up all over the web, and many of them will allow you to write guest posts for them.  Almost all of these sites will provide a link back to your site as well as a picture and short biography about you (just as you see at the bottom of this article).  Some sites will even offer compensation in addition to the link and bio.  Take a look around at some blogs/online magazines on topics relevant to your industry and see if there is a way to contribute.

Get creative

This list is by no means exhaustive of all the ways you could potentially obtain inbound links.  Take some time to make a plan to market your website and obtain some links. Whatever method you choose, just remember that there is no way to obtain these links without putting in some effort.

Caution: Any site that promises inbound links and improved PageRank for free, or a fee, is most likely going to end up hurting you in the long run and could potentially get your site blacklisted.

Building inbound links takes time, and obtaining quality links is even harder. Be persistent and make sure that your site has quality content and is well-coded before trying to market your site.

Chamber Chat TV – Festivals!

Episode two of Chamber Chat:  Festivals is up at YouTube.com/deperechamber in 4 bite size pieces.  The De Pere Area Chamber television show, Chamber Chat, episode 2 is themed FESTIVALS. This episode features guests from xo fitness, The Vault of De Pere, Fall Fest De Pere, the Greater Green Bay Area Convention and Visitor Bureau, On Broadway, Inc.,  and the Chamber. 

Each month will focus on one of the Chamber’s programs/projects or events but will also have guests on to talk about the underlying principle or tenet that will give it both a regional and statewide (potentially beyond) appeal.

Part One of Chamber Chat, episode 2, “Festivals” features Ryan Jennings, owner of xo fitness and 3 year co-chair of Fall Fest De Pere

Part Two features, Brad Toll, President of the Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitor Bureau

Part 3a features Alicia Detrick, Events Coordinator at the DPACC and Jimmy Constine, owner of The Vault in De Pere

Part 3b features Alicia Detrick, events coordinator for the DPACC, and JImmy Constine, owner of The Vault of De Pere discussing the entertainment specifically, why YOU should come to Fall Fest De Pere and bring your family & friends .. plus – what is the business case for Festivals!

The final segment of our Festivals episode features Chris Naumann, from On Broadway, Inc. plus information on how to see Chamber Chat TV again!

Chamber Chat TV – Premiere Episode Loaded. Links here!

Yeah!  Our first episode of Chamber Chat is in the can.  Or on the disc.  I’ve got terminology to learn!  But, it’s done.

Chamber Chat is a new and exciting program concept of all original content engaging businesses, visitors and communities across the State of Wisconsin to share old concepts, ideas and programs plus new ways of seeing old things.  Each episode is 30 minutes long.  Our YouTube account type only allows us to load 10 minutes per upload, so I broke this into segments of interviews and it ends up being 5 of them.  They are embedded below.

Each month our program will focus on one of our programs, projects or events, but will also have guests & experts on to talk about the underlying principle or concept to give it both regional and statewide appeal.  This program is created here in De Pere, but is certainly not just FOR De Pere.  Each episode is 30 minutes long.

This first episode is about Sustainability and features guests from St. Norbert College, SEEDs for De Pere (our community sustainability initiative), Focus on Energy and an international business headquartered here, Megtec, Inc.

PLEASE NOTE:  THE FINAL CLIP INCLUDES AN INCORRECT LINK:  it should be www.dsireusa.org

If you like to see other videos from the Chamber about the community, our members and happenings – Visit our De Pere Chamber YouTube Channel here.

Science, Math … did I lose you already?

Chances are if you are a high school or college student in the US, then yes!

American students, it seems, just aren’t interested in careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)… and this is having a negative impact on the nation’s global competitiveness.

Take a look at these numbers:

• In September 2001, there were 4,012,000 ninth–graders in the U.S.
• In June 2005, there were 2,799,000 high school graduates.
• In September 2005, there were 1,861,000 high school graduates with plans to enter college.
• Of these, 1,303,000 actually entered college.
• Just 277,000 majored in science or technology or engineering or math.
• Only 166,000 will graduate with a STEM degree.

While the number of STEM graduates grows in China and India, experts are pointing to a STEM brain drain in the U.S. The rate of STEM to non–STEM graduates in the U.S. is 17% while the comparable percentage internationally is 26%. One example of the decline: the number of computer science degrees fell 27% in the U.S. from 2004 to 2007.

The problem is that STEM disciplines are increasingly important in all kinds of enterprises. Case in point: Nationwide Insurance was surprised to find that their single largest employment category was “technology,” not “insurance.” Nationwide had to import a whole department of computer scientists from India to Columbus OH because they couldn’t find talent in the U.S. According to Brian Fitzgerald, executive director of the Business–Higher Education Forum, “You can be selling insurance or manufacturing cars but almost every American corporation has been turned into a technology operation.”

Even good intentions are not enough. Just 50% of students who enter college to study one of the STEM fields actually graduates with a degree in the field. Yet, the nation produces 50 new MBAs and 18 lawyers for every Ph.D. in the physical sciences, according to the Aerospace Industries Association.

Efforts are underway to reverse the STEM brain drain. Calculus courses are often described as “STEM killers” so colleges are redesigning calculus classes to be more interactive and computer–based. The Obama administration is earmarking $250 million to hire more science and math teachers. Time will tell if these measures –– and others –– will stem the tide.

The change to calculus is likely a very good start.  I know when I decided to go back and add a civil engineering degree, calculus was difficult because it was all theoretical and very little of it was rooted in something I could touch or could even envision as real.  For me that was incredibly frustrating and made it difficult to stay mentally connected to the subject.  My son complained wildly about science in middle school because it was all theory and very little application.  Before middle school, he was thinking of engineering, now he is tilting toward the social sciences.  It doesn’t help that the way his high school is now teaching math courses have turned them theoretical too by teaching them “holistically” rather than in a linear fashion and working in groups (including test taking).  He still has two years and I’m still encouraging him to keep his options open but it is a battle since he has lost his passion for the subjects.

He is one student (an important one to me obviously) but my experience, couple with his experience and then added to these statistics make me pretty concerned.  This has been a known issue in the United States for as long as I can remember. I hope the response is not yet another blue ribbon panel or study group.

Source:
“The STEM Challenge” by David A.Kaplan. Fortune. June 14, 2010.
“Let’s get back to worksheets” by Bill Costello. Japan Today. www.japantoday.com September 2009.

It’s Summer – what is YOUR teen doing?

Are they looking for a great opportunity to design a challenge for teens to submit ideas to fix the retirement system AND earn $1,000 in a retirement starter kit?

Please pass along the following to your teen as we are speaking to them!

Welcome to the Inaugural Bridges to Business High School iOMe Challenge

Sponsored by Visionary Sponsor PAi!

The goal of the iOMe Challenge is to get young people to take a look at their personal financial futures and set in motion any individual and community actions necessary to create the BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE for us all.

We need your help.  If you are good at problem solving, team thinking, promotion, marketing, education, writing, math, entertainment, game design, home economics, personal finance or anything else that you can think of that might help create the message for the Challenge – WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Step One – we need a team of high school students to create a nationwide challenge to get as many high school students as possible to write their personal financial plan for their retirement.

To be on that team you must:

Have your parent’s permission.
Be enrolled in good standing at a high school in the Greater Green Bay area (grade 9-12).
Be able to attend meetings in person on a schedule set by the team (including members of the local business community).
Complete the application form below.
Want to be a part of a team to present the results of the national challenge to our lawmakers.
Team members will be given a Retirement Starter Kit. (A $1,000 deposit to a retirement account) It’s up to you to let it grow

Team members will be selected individually by a Challenge Leadership Team.

Step Two – set the National Challenge in motion.

Step Three – select and promote the winning entries.

We’re going to have some fun with this.  There will be some promotion, some viral marketing, some opportunities to meet people and get things talked about and then DONE!

You will decide how big this will be – and you better be ready to go BIG!

Apply HERE