Sip. Taste. Meet. Enjoy… (and then take some home)

Post written by Amanda Payne, Strategic Marketing Communications, Scheibel Halaska.

Sip. Taste. Meet. Enjoy… (and then take some home)

I’m looking forward to all five of those activities at the upcoming Waukesha County Business Alliance’s World of Wines and Beer on November 4. In its 11^th year, the event brings together not only 150 different wines and 25 microbrew selections, but over twice that many professionals and business leaders from across Waukesha County.

Not only does the evening promise to be a good time for those looking to do some taste testing and perhaps identify a new favorite wine or beer this fall (and then stock up on the new favorite by taking advantage of the bulk discounted pricing), but also provide all of us with the opportunity to meet and interact with business professionals and leaders. You know, sometimes it’s nice to have a face-to-face conversation with people, shake their hand, and trade stories over a Merlot or Pumpkin Ale. For all of the amazing benefits in digital and social media, email, texting and e-networking, it’s still refreshing to actually meet people when you “meet” them.

So, order your World of Wines and Beer tickets, prepare to sample fall’s most festive drink selections and bring your checkbook or cash to purchase raffle tickets for a variety of prizes. And, consider the family and friends in your life who just might enjoy wine or beer under the tree this holiday season – it’s never too early to start buying gifts and the shopping at World of Wines and Beer promises to be less stressful than standing in line outside the mall for the day after Thanksgiving sales. And these discounts will be better. Guaranteed

See you there!

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Note from Carolyn: Amanda touched on my two favorite parts of the event: Networking face to face, and of course, wine and beer at discounted prices!! Hope you can join us on November 4!

Thanks to our HUGE list of sponsors who make this event possible!
ActionCoach of Elm Grove
Albrecht’s Sentry
Associated Bank
Beer Capitol Distributing LLC
BeneCo of Wisconsin, Inc.
Boucher Law Group
Citizens Bank of Mukwonago
Clarcorp Industrial Sales
Davians Banquet & Conference Center
Dickten Masch Plastics
Eagle Printing & Graphics
Enterforce, Inc.
Generac
InvestorsBank
Jannsen & Company
Lake Country Publications
Milwaukee Wave
R&R Insurance Services, Inc.
Sentry Equipment Corporation
ServiceMaster Professional Building Maintenance
St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy
The Schroeder Group S.C., Attorneys at Law
TDS
Vino Etcetera!
Walden, Schuster & Vaklyes, S.C.
Waukesha County Technical College
Waukesha Foundry, Inc.
Wisconsin Coach Lines/Coach USA Milwaukee

Re…

Post written by Brian Nemoir, President of Full Impact Communications, LLC, and chair of the Waukesha County Business Alliance Board of Directors.

Redo, reposition, revamp, retrench…more often than not anything with the added prefix “re” is in response to a challenge of some sort.  Challenges are often tough to categorize as either good or bad, and as business leaders we face any number of challenges on a daily basis, some of which require those preferably avoidable “re” words.

The Waukesha County Business Alliance isn’t exempt from such challenges.  We are currently entering the final stage of our member renewal process, which to-date has already delivered an astounding record-breaking 82% renewal rate.  While it would be easy to raise a glass and toast such successes, the more-critical question is what happened to those 18% that didn’t come back?

The Alliance is a customer-driven product; what we offer is that which our members influence via creation and participation.  The Alliance is constantly evolving, responding to the needs of our customers, working to improve our product offering.

It’s easy to say that it’s the value of our product offering that sets us apart from other existing and newly formed organizations.  Our response?  Numbers don’t lie, and while 82% renewal rate is a nice endorsement, here are a few other facts and numbers that support the four pillars of our organization

• Advocate—Last year’s merger of Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce and WCAN produced not only a newly-named organization, but also a more robust advocacy effort.  Water, education, transportation, taxation, economic development, and workforce training are just a few of the issues that the Alliance played an active role in at various levels of government.  I think it’s fair to say the voice of the Waukesha County business community has been, and will continue to be heard.
• Develop—This is the “what you know” part of our mission.  Last year the Alliance hosted 41 development events and programs, focusing on business development featuring great backyard talent, as well as regional experts.  Helping you get better at what your business does keeps you coming back for more.
• Network—Take what you know, and put it in front of who you know, a fairly simple formula for business success. Last year nearly 7,000 attendees participated in 156 events and programs…all designed to increase who you know.
• Promote— We hope that for every new business ribbon cutting the Alliance participates in, it leads to a future application for our heralded “Top 10 Business of the Year” award and subsequent ceremony.  From the Alliance business resource directory and map, to sponsorship opportunities, we work to add additional value to your membership by creating opportunities to be in front of friendly audiences.

Challenges present opportunities, not the least of which is to remind the member-driven Alliance what we do well, and reconsider what we can do better.  The Alliance will work equally hard to make sure the 18% return, and that the 82% get the return on their investment.  Those “re” words may not always be comfortable, but they are part of what makes the Alliance an ever-improving organization.

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Note from Carolyn: Have you signed up yet for our Annual Meeting next week? The theme is “Waukesha County is OPEN for Business!”, and it is next Tuesday, September 27 from 11:30-1:30pm at Country Springs Hotel. Join us as we celebrate the successes of the business community, recognize our volunteers and sponsors from the last year, and present the Don Richards Leadership Award to former Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow. She will be presented the award by former Governor and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson. We will also hear about the “state of business” from WMC President Kurt Bauer. Details here: http://business.waukesha.org/events/details/annual-meeting-2011

Wants v. Choices

I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently about the difference between doing what you want to do, and doing what you choose to do. When I said “You can do whatever you want to do!” his response was “No. I can do whatever I choose to do. I don’t get to do whatever I want to do.”

I thought about that a little more, and I realized he’s totally right. On Monday morning at 6am – I didn’t want to get out of bed… but that wasn’t an option. So I chose to get out of bed, even though I didn’t want to!

Do you ever feel like you’ve hit a wall at work? Frustration with coworkers, exhaustion from working too many hours, a desk in front of you that’s completely covered in paperwork, all waiting for you to take care of it?

What do you want to do about it? Smack that pesky coworker upside the head? Lay your head down and take a mid-afternoon nap? Sweep your arm across the desk, filing all of that paperwork under “G”?

But what do you choose to do instead? Sit down and reason with that coworker (or maybe avoid him or her). Refill your coffee cup for the 3^rd time, and try your hardest to be productive and get your work done by 5:00. Or 6:00. Or 7:00 if necessary. Make neat piles, organizing as much as you can, and vow to put files away as soon as you’re done with them.

What I realized is that it’s definitely a different kind attitude. This friend is the president of a company where he oversees 40+ employees. He doesn’t always get to do what he wants to do, but he chooses to make smart decisions, and more often than not, the options he chooses also line up with the option he wants!

Leadership Waukesha – through the eyes of a transplant

 

Guest post written by Kelly Ratliff, AmeriCorpsVISTA in the Office of Service Learning at Waukesha County Technical College, and graduate of Leadership Waukesha XXII. Next month, Kelly will begin her new job as the Assistant Director of Student Development at WCTC.

First things first: I’m new around here. Anyone who asks for my ID, phone number, or is lucky enough to pick up on an occasional “ya’ll” will notice anyway. Let’s just be honest from the get-go, shall we?

Last summer, I moved to Waukesha from Missouri to begin a year of national service in the AmeriCorps VISTA program. I had no real expectations – just the usual mix of excitement and nerves about starting life in a whole new community, learning the ropes at a brand new job, and attempting to build a whole network of friends and colleagues from scratch. As anyone who knows me would tell you, I’m an extrovert. I LOVE meeting new people. But when it comes to starting anew, we can all use a little help.

Luckily, my service site, WCTC, had the wonderful foresight to enroll me in the Leadership Waukesha program through the Waukesha County Business Alliance. Almost immediately, I was surrounded by a group of 15 other professionals in the community – some new like me, some who had been around for years.  ALL with a passion for learning more about the county, expanding their leadership skills, and getting involved.

Leadership Waukesha was the perfect setting for me to truly grow into a new life in Waukesha County. I built business contacts, learned about the community’s history, and had meaningful discussions about local issues. Most meaningful to me, I built friendships with my classmates. I became such a big fan of Waukesha County during my year here that I decided to stick around; my LW classmates all rooted for me and supported me throughout my job search process. And I have no doubt that we’ll continue to keep in touch as I now (happily!) settle in to my new career in Waukesha.

So, if you’re new like me, or just want more from your experience here – give Leadership Waukesha a try. You won’t be disappointed!

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Note from Carolyn: We are now looking for participants for the next Leadership Waukesha class beginning August 29. Here are the details for the class – including the application. Let us know if you have any questions!

Advocacy Update: Letter to Waukesha Common Council

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Dear Business Alliance Members,

Please take a moment to review the letter that was delivered to the Waukesha Common Council last night.  It reinforces our organization’s longstanding position on Lake Michigan water for the City of Waukesha and addresses incorrect assertions made by Waukesha Mayor Jeff Scrima in Saturday’s issue of The Freeman.

Sincerely,
Suzanne

Suzanne Kelley, President
Waukesha County Business Alliance

 Waukesha County Business Alliance, Inc.  |  YOUR County Chamber
2717 N. Grandview Blvd., Suite 204, Waukesha, WI53188
p: 262.542.4249  |  f: 262.542.8068  |  www.waukesha.org

A breath of fresh air!

Guest post written by Susan Marshall. Susan is an author, speaker, president of Executive Advisor, LLC and a member of the Waukesha County Business Alliance. She is currently writing a new book, “Of Beauty and Substance: A Backbone Guide for Women” and plans to launch Confidence Clinics for Women in August. You can reach her at 262-567-5983 or execadvise@mac.com.

The Waukesha County Business Alliance Women’s Professional Development Network Breakfast held Thursday, May 26 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Wauwatosa featured Sandy Botham, coach of UWM’s women’s basketball team. What a breath of fresh air!

Sandy’s candor and unaffected demeanor brightened up an otherwise chilly and dreary morning. I chuckled frequently during her talk, thinking that of course we expect direct and honest talk from a coach. Coaches deal with minute-by-minute reality in game situations and are charged with shaping the talents of their players during practice. They must speak plainly, clarify goals, remind players to keep their eyes on the prize, and correct mistakes as immediately as possible. Coaches point out what is not working, advise new techniques and insist that players practice.  If no improvement occurs, players sit on game day.

Sandy admitted that the room felt a little “stuffy” as she started speaking.  She wasn’t sure what this business crowd wanted to hear or how to deliver her comments. But she gave us what she believes in, like the way she uses the game to teach young women life skills. She steps up to the plate with confidence and conviction and accepts the outcome—good or bad—of her efforts. Clear communication, direct and objective feedback, and measuring results are key components of her leadership.

Seems to me that a lot of business leaders would do well to adopt a similarly straightforward approach.

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Note from Carolyn: If you missed this one, don’t miss our next Professional Women’s Development Network “Morning Inspiration” event on October 27! Details here.

Engaging your employees: not always from the top down

Guest post written by Lisa Forsch, Marketing Manager for Renewal by Andersen & Waunakee Remodeling.

Dan Haight, CEO of BUYSEASONS, Inc. spoke on “Unique Ways to Engage Your Workforce” at Alliance Breakfast Club last week. The stories he shared about his seasonal workers and the ways his organization values employees really gave me a “unique perspective on how to influence the workforce in my office”.

As the Marketing Manager, I may not be at the decision-making level of an Owner or CEO to buy lunch for everyone in the office, host a few holiday parties or buy everyone t-shirts (“I survived Halloween 2010″ – clever!), but I took away some items I can do:
– Take part in the organization and have pride in my work
– Grow, develop and contribute no matter how miniscule a task may seem
– Lead others to give feedback about the business, processes, generate new ideas
– Provide positive feedback to those I supervise
– Help develop a plan for a company meeting including employee recognition, host an employee luncheon or develop new ways to reward good employees

If we all have the goal of building a successful business and fostering an environment of growth, employees need to be engaged. Dan talked about how the good, hard-working seasonal employees are given opportunities to move to another seasonal position or even be brought on full-time. It’s great to hear from his level that the work employees accomplish is recognized, valued and wants to be held on to.

The value of hard work, success and dedication really can take you a long way. Whether you are the leader of a business, manager of a business, or employee of a business, Dan’s message definitely resonated through us all!

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Note from Carolyn: Make sure you join us for Alliance Breakfast Club on June 2. Bob Babisch, VP of Entertainment at Summerfest will be our speaker. You know he’s going to have a LOT of great stories to share with us! Sign up at www.waukesha.org!

Public Relations: More than press releases and oversized checks

Guest Post written by Michael Arnold, President of Palmetto Partners, LLC, and a member of the Alliance Breakfast Club Committee. He can be reached at michael@palmettopartners.net. 

As someone who has been in sales and marketing for more than 20 years, my ego often likes to tell me that there are very few avenues I have not explored to reach customers. If there is a way to contact a potential client, I have done it. After these thoughts pass, I come back to the realization that this is a fantasy concocted to keep myself in a story. A story that says there is nothing new to learn. This is the definition of a closed-mindset.

The opposite of this is an open-mindset that asks the question: “What can I learn and apply from this experience to improve myself?” This curiosity is where true success originates.

Last week’s Alliance Breakfast Club meeting featured Mary Scheibel, Principal Owner of Scheibel Halaska, a full-service strategic marketing communications agency in Milwaukee. Ms. Scheibel presented a discussion on the role and importance of public relations in business. Public relations? Isn’t that nothing more than sending press releases to your local newspaper or presenting oversized checks to your favorite charity? My closed-mindset was in for a rude awakening.

In a dynamic 45 minute presentation, Ms. Scheibel educated me on the differences between sales, marketing, promotion and public relations and how all of these intersect to set up a business for long-term growth, not just short-term sales. By displaying campaigns she has been involved with and talking about the results, I sat forward in my seat. This spoke directly to me as sales is the core of my business.

With the wealth of information shared, I found myself feeling rather depressed at the end of the breakfast meeting (through no fault of Ms. Scheibel). I realized I have barely scratched the surface of how to meet new customers and felt ignorant about how to even implement some of these new techniques. This soon dissipated and thoughts of possibilities filled my head. I do not need to know everything.  That is why there are professionals such as Ms. Scheibel who do what they do and are able to help businesses such as mine (or yours).

I am learning to live in more of an open-mindset and am always amazed at how much I can learn when I do this. It truly makes business more fun.

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Note from Carolyn: Next month at Alliance Breakfast Club, our speaker is Dan Haight, CEO of BUYSEASONS,Inc., one of the world’s largest distributors of Halloween costumes and party supplies for adults and children in any single online or offline location. BUYSEASONS is based right here in New Berlin. Dan will be talking about unique ways to engage your workforce, as BUYSEASONS hires more than 2000 seasonal associates. Click HERE for more information on the program on May 5 and to register!

Washington DC “Fly-in” with IBA

Post written by Suzanne Kelley, President of the Waukesha County Business Alliance. She can be reached at skelley@waukesha.org.

It’s déjà vu time.  The alarm beeps persistently at 4 a.m.  I gulp a cup of coffee, fly through my morning routine in half the usual time, fling a few last-minute essentials into my travel bag, give my groggy husband and two teenagers a quick kiss goodbye and join other early morning commuters on the bumpy road to General Mitchell Field Airport.  Washington, D.C. – here I come!

I’ve done this drill many times before while working in government relations for GE.  But this is my first trip back to our nation’s Capital since joining the Waukesha County Business Alliance about a year and a half ago.

Advocate is one of the “four pillars” of the Waukesha County Business Alliance, so I’ve come to Washington with a group of local business leaders to meet with our Congressional members from Wisconsin.  Our mission … to make sure these public officials hear about the issues that matter most to businesses back in their home state.

Our messaging focuses on fiscal responsibility and the need for a pro-growth strategy that nurtures and encourages small businesses – which account for the majority of all new jobs. 

Our timing is impeccable, with budget deliberations underway and a government shutdown looming if a deal is not reached by week’s end.  Playing a key role is Congressman Paul Ryan, who has introduced a 2012 budget proposal even as the House, Senate and President try to reach a deal on a 2011 budget.  It’s no surprise that Mr. Ryan is called away from our scheduled appointment.  Instead, we have a productive discussion with his senior legislative assistant, Allison Steil.

We have better luck getting in to see Ron Johnson, the freshman Senator from Oshkosh.  The Senator, a businessman with no prior political experience, tells us the reason he ran for office was to get our nation’s financial house in order now for the sake of our children and grandchildren.  We ask him, now that he’s in Washington, how does it feel? “It’s a surreal experience,” he replies.  But he hopes to contribute by convincing others that “we can’t spend what we don’t have.”  That makes pretty good business sense, doesn’t it?

We also get time with Senator Herb Kohl.  With a suite of offices and good number of staff, it’s clear the Senator is a veteran legislator in the majority party.  He has perfected his system of welcoming visitors with coffee, pastries, issue discussions with staff, and ultimately a photo op.  We even receive a Milwaukee Bucks pen on our way out.  Senator Kohl is very gracious and certainly a Wisconsin icon.

Over the two-day period, we meet with several other Wisconsin legislators or staff, including longtime Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and newly elected Congressman Reid Ribble.  As we race from office to office to make our appointments, we once find ourselves lost in the bowels of the Congressional office complex.  At one point we hear the underground tram system connecting the offices has been shut down due to some sort of unidentified threat.  As Senator Johnson said, it’s kind of surreal.

Our “DC Fly-In” was organized by the IBA, a sister trade association which represents the interests of primarily small independent businesses across Wisconsin.  It’s a nice complement to the Alliance, which represents 900+ member companies with more than 60,000 employees in Waukesha County.  Together our member businesses are a strong economic driver for the State of Wisconsin.

We hope the public leaders with whom we met will support public policies to keep the small business job creation engine running.  That’s the best way to keep Wisconsin “open for business.”

Young Professionals Volunteer at Goodwill

Guest post written by Nate DeBaun, Attorney with The Schroeder Group, S.C., Attorneys at Law, and chair of the Waukesha County Business Alliance Young Professionals Committee.

This past weekend, the Waukesha County Business Alliance Young Professionals had the opportunity to help Goodwill’s On the Move Program “Celebrate the Magic of Disney” here in Waukesha County. On the Move provides programming and activities for adults with disabilities. Goodwill staffers and volunteers planned a wide array of activities related to everyone’s favorite characters. The YPs helped out with various tasks, everything from assistance with painting, to baking, to anything else they could do to make the day fun and enjoyable for the On the Move participants.

Arts and craft stations included button-design and creation, where each participant customized his or her own button, featuring favorite characters from the Disney archives. At another station, participants brought their favorite characters to life with watercolor and other paints. The YPs also assisted in creating personalized scrapbooks for each participant, providing them with a memento from the day to display their artistry. Our volunteers helped lead song and dance to the On the Move participants’ favorite Disney tunes. And finally, after all the hard work with arts and crafts, the participants capped off the day with a fresh batch of Disney-themed cookies, which our volunteers assisted in preparing.

All in all, it was a great day to be a volunteer with the Young Professionals Group! Volunteers enjoyed lending a hand in each of the tasks, and in getting to know the On the Move participants. The participants themselves really enjoyed interacting with the YPs, as well as participating in the various arts and crafts that the Goodwill staffers and volunteers had to offer. It was a great way to warm up an otherwise chilly, snow-filled day.

If you are interested in participating in future volunteer events, keep an eye on the YP calendar at www.waukesha.org  Hope to see you at a YP event soon!

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Note from Carolyn: If you want to be on our YP Listserv, send me an email. Our next YP event is a luncheon on Time Management. You can always pick up some new tip or tactic on how to be better at managing your time at work, so I hope you will join us! Details and registration here.