Assistance
Lakeshore Entrepreneur & Inventor Network |
Operations Managers Roundtable | LEAN
Users Group | Lakeshore International Networking & Knowledge
exchange | Contact
The Business Assistance Committee supports new and existing businesses through
all stages from evaluating potential business ideas to start-up and expansion by
providing counseling, training and networking opportunities for economic and entrepreneurial
development. Example Assistance projects include developing the ‘A Team’.
The Chamber formed its ‘A Team’ to assist and support new and existing businesses
through all stages from evaluating potential business ideas to start-up and expansion
by providing counseling, training and networking opportunities for economic and
entrepreneurial development. The Chamber’s ‘A Team’ is for pre-venture, start-up
and established businesses desiring assistance through Counseling Services and Workshops.
The ‘A Team’ includes accountants, attorneys, bankers, business owners and others
who understand how to start and run a business. The ‘A Team’ staff of volunteers
assists by counseling businesses and entrepreneurs. Many on the ‘A Team’ are also
involved with training classes and seminars. Business plan reviews, presentation
rehearsals and marketing plan assessments are only a few of the services provided
by the ‘A Team’.
The Assistance Committee, the Chamber’s Business Development Director and partners
through the Lakeshore Business Assistance Network annually provide entrepreneurial
counseling/support to 100’s of entrepreneurs in various ways including business
plan preparation, research and counseling. Amongst the entrepreneurs were those
intending to start a new business and those with existing businesses planning to
expand.
Many of the entrepreneurs have either started or expanded businesses throughout
Sheboygan County and a few example businesses are: restaurants, lodging facilities,
franchises, artists, contractors, manufacturers and professional service providers.
The Chamber knows that small businesses fuel economic growth for both today and
tomorrow.
As you will see from the
Business Assistance Network, we have partners.
Lakeshore
Technical College
Small Business Development
Center
SCORE – our local, lead SCORE counselors are
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation – our local, lead counselor is
Susan Baumgart.
University of Wisconsin Sheboygan – Valerie
Graczyk
Lakeland College – Tony Fessler
SCCC is also an active
partner within the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network.
SCCC assist works
with these service providers to entrepreneurs and inventors:
The Chamber is actively involved with planning and managing the Lakeshore Entrepreneur
and Inventor Network [LEIN]. The Chamber works closely with Lakeshore Technical
College and the Economic Development Corporation of Manitowoc County to provide
learning sessions for entrepreneurs and inventors in Calumet, Manitowoc and Sheboygan
counties. LEIN events feature presentations by established business professionals
who once were entrepreneurs themselves and their ideas and drive enabled success.
Topics covered at LEIN sessions can include: Patenting or Trade marking, How to
Sell a New Idea, How to Make a Venture Capital Presentation, and more. At every
LEIN session, attendees introduce themselves to the group and explain why they are
attending so that during the networking session, suggestions can be exchanged. LEIN
events typically occur at LTC on the 3rd Monday and start at 6:00 pm but when it
ends is up to the entrepreneurs and inventors.
The Operations Managers Roundtable is comprised of 15 - 20 Sheboygan County based
non-competing businesses that meet regularly to discuss tactics and strategy in
order to learn from their peers. Each roundtable session includes a tour of the
host facility and a follow-up discussion regarding what the operations managers
viewed. Discussion topics have included robotics, safety, workforce training, automation,
and more. A key development is an ongoing effort with Lakeshore Technical College
to develop a training program for packaging line operators and supervisors.
Another outgrowth from the Operations manager’s Roundtable is the LEAN Users
Group [LUG]. The LUG meets quarterly to discuss the experiences of companies and
their LEAN program managers so lessons learned can be shared. The host company explains
how they developed and implemented their LEAN program and then conducts a tour of
their facility so others can see how they accomplish their LEAN program.
Did you know there are well over 100 companies in Sheboygan County involved with
international trade? Originally conceived as the International Networking Group,
LINKe is a relatively new cooperative effort being developed with Lakeland College
and Lakeshore Technical College. Primarily, LINKe is for company staff members involved
with the day-to-day nuances of importing, exporting, or both. LINKe training seminars
focus on questions like ‘How do I get my product into a Latin American country?’
or ‘What should I pay attention to if I start importing components from Southeast
Asia?’ As LINKe develops, there will be seminars and other short-term training programs
led by Lakeland College, LTC or another agency well versed in global trade. During
2009, the Economic Development Corporation of Manitowoc County became an active
partner within LINKe. For additional information about the next LINKe programs or
for answers to your questions contact the LINKe coordinator,
Rebekah Kubista at Lakeshore Technical
College.