October 2007 ~ Issue 211

The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce believes that Sheboygan County is a world class community with world class people producing world class products! The inaugural Business & Industry Expo will provide businesses an opportunity to highlight and discuss their products and/or services.

On Thursday, October 25 the Expo will be open 3-8pm. From 5-7pm the “The Ultimate Connections” will provide a networking opportunity for business people. Tom Belot, President of The Vollrath Company, will be the keynote speaker from 5-5:30pm. Mr. Belot will give an overview of why The Vollrath Company does business in Sheboygan County and what he sees in the future for Sheboygan County. This is an unique opportunity to hear a business President in the community discuss why Sheboygan County is a great place to do business!

On Friday, October 26 the Expo will be open to the public from 11am-8pm for free. This will be a family-focused event with the community having an opportunity to learn about businesses in Sheboygan County. Fun activities for kids will also be available during the day and include storytelling, characters, a clown, and face painting.
The Expo is filling up and there is only room for 66 exhibitors on the showroom floor. If you want to be a featured company during the event, please contact the Chamber and a contract with pricing information will be sent or e-mailed to you right away.

The Business & Industry Expo is sponsored by the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with The Sheboygan Radio Group, The Sheboygan Press, and Blue Harbor Resort.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn what Sheboygan County business produce and offer.

Top

Annual Golf Outing A Chamber 'Major'

Fittingly, as Sheboygan County becomes synonymous with "major" golf events, the golf outing has become a "major" for the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce.

A "major" fund-raiser.

A "major" good time.

A "major" networking and marketing opportunity for Chamber members.

The 2007 Chamber Golf Outing held at The Bull at Pinehurst Farms Sept. 11 fulfilled its "major" billing in every respect.

"A tad breezy, eh, sport?" although perhaps understated, and back-ups on some holes caused by that breeze adding to the already challenging components of The Bull and the population of players, were the only semblances of grumbling.

It truly was a great event.

Particularly for Abacus Architects, who walked off with top honors for the third straight year. The team of Joel Van Ess, Kurt Davis, Dennis Flipse and Dennis Somers shot an even 60 (12 under par) to win the Men's Division 18-hole Championship in the scramble event.

Other winners were:

Women's 18 hole: Alliant Energy, 71 - Laura Goetz, Marion Helf, Shelly Zietz, Mary Pat Guske.

Mixed 18 hole: The Bull, 61 - Dave Bachmann, Brenda Bachmann, Pat Shaw, Jeremy Udovich.

Men's 9 hole: Community Bank & Trust, 32 - Derrick Hermann, Michael Aschenbach, Aron Jarr, Christian Marx.

Women's 9 hole: Groove Salon, 43 - Lisa (Schnell) Girdaukas, Amy Gutschow, Trisha Vallesky, Jaime Machi (in a countback tiebreaker over Robert W. Baird & Co., 43 - Roberta Filicky-Peneski, Terri Lillesand, Carol Stenklyft, Erin Garcynski)

Mixed 9 hole: City Streets/Rupp's Downtown, 38 - Bill Gottsacker, Pam Gottsacker, Richard Rupp, Sandy Rupp.

Hole prize winners were: Hole 9 - longest drive men, Josh Miller; longest drive women, Carol Stenklyft. Hole 11 - closest pin in two, men, Jeremy Udovich; women, Shelly Zietz; Hole 12 - closest to pin, Ty Hollingsworth; Hole 13 - longest putt, John Rogers; Hole 16, closest to pin in two, John Versey.

First Friday Forums

The September First Friday Forum gave Chamber members an opportunity to hear about the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program. Dirk Zylman and Mary Ebbeling provided an informative overview of the pilot project.
Sheboygan County was one of four locations in the nation to receive $25 million for this pilot program (in reality it will be closer to $18 million). The Sheboygan County Board started a 30 member Citizens Advisory and Technical Committee to determine how to disperse this money. There are some very specific rules and regulations the Federal Government has set-up for how the money is to be used. The committee set up a ranking system that is a fair process with how each potential project would meet the criteria of the monies that should be dispersed. The primary purpose of the money should be used for mode-shift (getting people out of vehicles and walking or biking) for utilitarian purposes (not necessarily recreational).

A generation ago about 50% of students walked to school, now it is about 10%. Currently, about .7% of Sheboygan County residents bike to work and about 3.8% walk to work. This money is an opportunity to increase those numbers.

The benefits of this pilot project are community-branding, health, environmental, and financial. For more information on the scoring system or an application visit the Sheboygan County website at www.co.sheboygan.wi.us.

The October First Friday Forum will be a report on the City of Sheboygan Police Station. The forum will take place on October 5 from 12-1:15pm at CityStreets Riverside Restaurant. The cost is $10 for lunch. To reserve a place please call 920.457.9491 ext 2305 or e-mail dickmann@sheboygan.org.

If you have any ideas for future topics please contact Dee Olsen, Executive Director, Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce at 920.457.9491 ext 2302 or olsen@sheboygan.org and let her know your thoughts.

Top

Thank You for Making the Golf Outing a "Major Success"

The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce extends its sincere appreciation to the following who were instrumental in contributing to the success of the golf outing.

Major Sponsors: Kris' Cheese to Please, Shorewest Realtors, Veolia Environmental, Great Lakes Staffing, Town & Country Electric, Jim Pankow, Inc., Liberty Mutual, Fox Travel, Home Review Inspection Service, Countrywide Home Loans, Alliant Energy, Wisconsin Public Service Corp., Wells Fargo, M & I Bank, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Maritime Insurance Group, Charter Communication, Habush, Habush & Rottier, UW-Sheboygan Foundation, Marian College, Sargento Foods.

Silent Auction Prize donors: Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center, DuFour Advertising, Dulmes Décor, Elkhart Lake's Road America, Gellings Roofing, K.W. Muth Co., Kohler Co., Lakeland College, Larry's Distributing, Mayline, One Communications, Quit Qui Oc Golf Course, Riverdale Country Club, Salon Sasé, Sheboygan Area Credit Union, Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce, Sheboygan Theatre Company, Sheboygan Town & Country Club, Sylvan Learning Center, The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Trilling True Value.

Raffle Prize donors: ACE Building Service, Alaark Tooling, Batteries Plus, Burkart-Heisdorf Insurance, Curves, Dale Carnegie Systems, Discovery Coach, DuBois Formalwear, Harbor Centre Marina, Home Depot, JAWS Charter Fishing, Jim Pankow, Inc., Kris' Cheese to Please, Old Wisconsin Sausage, Play it Again Sports, Printwear Express, Seabird Restaurant, SEEK, Inc., Sense of Taste, Sheboygan Athletic Club, Sheboygan County YMCA, Sports Core, Sunset Hills Golf Course, Sweet Basil, The Bean, The Benefit Companies, The Osthoff Resort, The Sign Shop of Sheboygan, Wachovia Securities.

Door Prize donors: Abacus Architects, AC Signs, Advanced Pain Management, Alliant Energy, Arts Displays, Aurora Pharmacy, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Sheboygan County, Boneck Printing, CityStreets Riverside Restaurant, Cold Stone Creamery, Creative Art & Framing, Culver's, Curt G. Joa, DJH Solutions, ep>direct, Feldmann Engineering, Groove Salon, H.C. Denison Co., Heartland Business Bank, Highland House, Hoffman's Flowerland, J.J. Koepsell Company, Johnson Bank, Johnsonville Sausage, Johnston's Bakery, Joseph Schmitt & Sons, Lakeside Pepsi Cola Bottling Company, Larry's Distributing, Luigi's Italian Restaurant, M & I Bank, Manpower, Mark Miller CPA, Miesfeld's Market, Nino's Steak Round-Up, O & W Communications, O'Malley & Associates, Oostburg State Bank, Pemco, Inc., Pick & Save (N. 25th St.), Pine Hills Country Club, Quality State Oil, Rupp's Downtown, Schwarz Fish Co., Seven-Up Bottling Co., Sheboygan Area School District, Sheboygan Chevrolet, Sheboygan County Home Builders Association, Sheboygan Paper Box, Sheboygan Title Company, Silver Fern, SkyBox Sports Pub & Grille, Sleep Inn & Suites, Spiller Spring, Superior Electrical Supply, Trattoria Stefano, UnitedOne Credit Union, Victorian Chocolate Shoppe, Wachovia Securities, Water Street Pub, Zurheide Ice Cream.

Others who contributed mightily to the effort: the staff at The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and Staff, particularly Royal Ambassador and Golf Committee Chair, Niel Larsen of Maritime Insurance Group.

Some prizes may have inadvertently been left off of the lists above. If so, we apologize for the inconvenience.

Top

Incredible day, extremely windy, unseasonably cool - but most incredible of all is the support and enthusiasm of our members. Members showed up in great spirits and maximized the opportunity to network, have fun, and enjoy some obviously friendly bantering that goes with most sporting activities. As a Chamber fundraiser, the outing helps support the Chamber and an important scholarship - and we couldn't do it without YOU! The prizes, donations, and sponsorships are offset by the relationships that are strengthened through this fun event.

In a recent meeting with Chamness Group, our strategic planning consultant, I reported on the various levels of progress with multiple areas of our strategic plan through committee efforts. Chamness Group was pleased with our progress and reported that usually such plans bring about one or two changes or new initiatives, but this Chamber is truly breathing life into the plan and our Chamber members will benefit. I would be shortsighted to lead you to believe that every single effort will be achieved promptly, but we are working diligently to make it happen, because 'We Mean Business.'

A few examples:
l The business retention and expansion efforts are being addressed with the implementation of significant tracking software called Executive Pulse. To date: Retention team identified. First of two training sessions completed. Unveiled at the September Chamber Briefcase. Plan set out for initial calls to be made this fall. Target of 100 retention calls in 2008.

l The Business Attraction Committee is finalizing the details for an Economic Development Workshop with countywide government leaders for November 2, 2007. Attendees are being surveyed in advance to aid in facilitating the discussions.

l The Sheboygan County Chamber has been authorized as the county coordinator by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce for the Wisconsin Entrepreneur Network.

l Hired a Business Development Director with a strong economic development background.

l Developing a Manufacturing Operators Roundtable.

l The Chamber office is adding a new resource area, with a computer that is available to assist existing businesses in accessing business information from online information sources through pre-established links to multiple agencies and organizations. This is expected to be functioning by November.

l Early stages of developing a wage & benefit survey are underway.

l Business attraction contacts have been made as the Chamber and John Rogers, the Business Development Director, work to bring a few new faces to the County. We are also in contact with several firms working on their expansion plans.

l Relationships with other organizations are key to opening doors or tracking resources when they are needed. Involvement with the WI Department of Commerce, NEWREP, New North, Bay Lakes Regional Planning and other high profile economic development players is an ongoing charge.

While these are the start of significant changes, we remain focused on additional initiatives that will become part of the 2008 and 2009 goals. Committees will start the goal-setting process soon. Hope several of you are planning to participate in the first Business and Industry Expo, October 25-26.

Top

Small Businesses Take Heed:
Survey Shows Chamber Membership Sound Business Strategy

Consumers view it as a sound strategy for businesses to be involved in a local chamber of commerce, a scientific web-based survey of 2,000 adults nationwide revealed.

Set up to determine how a company communicates itself to consumers, the survey disclosed that companies active in the local chamber of commerce are perceived to be:

? more likely to use good business practices,
? more reputable,
? more caring about their customers, and
? more concerned about community involvement than those who are not active.

Consumers were also asked how they feel about a company's goods and services with regard to chamber membership and activity. If a company shows that it is highly involved in its local chamber, consumers are 12% more likely to think that its products stack up better, and when consumers learn that a company is involved with its local chamber, they are 19% more likely to think favorably of that company.

Why?

Consumers responded that they view chamber member companies as trustworthy, caring about customers, involved in the community, leaders in the industry, and leaders of the business community.

The survey is particularly revealing in showing the importance of chamber membership to small business.
For example, when survey respondents know that a small business is a member of its local chamber of commerce, the business enjoys:

? a 44% increase in consumer favorability rating,
? a 51% increase in consumer awareness,
? a 57% increase in its local reputation, and
? a 63% increase in the likelihood that consumers will patronize the business in the future.

The study was conducted by The Shapiro Group and was commissioned by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives with support from the Small Business Network, Inc.

While there is plenty of evidence to show the impact of chambers of commerce on their communities, it is much harder to find data that quantifies the impact of belonging to a chamber. The survey was commissioned to resolve the question: in the minds of consumers, is there real value to companies who join and are active in chambers?
The answer is yes, but the caveat is that consumers must know companies are chamber members.
Moral of the story: make certain your chamber of commerce membership certificate is prominently displayed!
The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce is located at 712 Riverfront Drive, Suite 101. For membership information call 920-457-9491 or email info@sheboygan.org.

Top

Guest Column:

Adam Payne, Sheboygan County Administrator

County News is Good for Taxpayers

Sheboygan County is in the midst of preparing its 2008 budget, and the County Board is poised to provide the first property tax levy decrease in 21 years. This achievement will be no small feat, and is the result of a lot of hard work, teamwork, and thoughtful decision-making.

How does the process work? Every year we start early and begin planning for the next budget cycle, gathering the best information available to make projections or assumptions, such as: What will be the results of bargaining negotiations? How much will health insurance increase? How much will fuel, utilities and other operational costs go up? What can we expect in the form of state shared revenue and state and federal aid for our health care center, highway operations, and health and human services? What kind of economic growth do we anticipate? What trends are we seeing? How much will equalized value and related revenue increase? How much room do we have to maneuver within our statutory rate cap? Will Congress and the State Legislature assist us or make our task even more difficult?

Thanks to the County Board for making some very difficult yet timely decisions, Sheboygan County is poised to reduce its total spending and decrease the county property tax levy and property tax rate. This is a rare opportunity brought about predominantly by the sale of Sunny Ridge, health insurance plan design changes, reducing debt service, and an effective budget process. To give you a little better feel for the significance of this, the following are just a few of the major challenges that the County Board had to address: In the last five years, health insurance costs increased 92%, from $7.4 million to $14.3 million; Federal and State revenue to support our nursing homes decreased from a high of $8 million in 2002 to just $3 million in 2006; and the corresponding property tax levy pressure to support the Health Care Centers grew from $1 million in 2001 to over $6 million in 2006. The combination of these three factors alone created a $17 million gap, which, to put in perspective, is over a third of our total annual property tax levy.

The Sheboygan County Board and staff stepped up to the challenge and worked diligently to manage the situation. The County prepared fiscal outlook plans, conducted department operational reviews, completed a county-wide program evaluation and prioritization process, proactively sought community input, and made timely decisions. As a result, the County Board has been able to maintain the vast majority of programs and services and continues to make major infrastructure improvements such as at the Airport, UW-Sheboygan and transportation networks, yet has been able to hold the line on property tax increases. The trends are encouraging, including a decreasing reliance on fund balance, and a decreasing cost associated with debt service. Sheboygan County has healthy fiscal reserves and an excellent bond rating.

Though there will be significant challenges ahead, and there is always room for improvement, on a personal note, I take pride in our collective accomplishments and feel fortunate to be surrounded by so many good people. We have an excellent management team in place, hard working and caring employees, and thoughtful leadership on the County Board. I believe Sheboygan County is well on its way to achieving its vision of being recognized as a leader of responsive and cost-effective local government. I hope you agree.

ASSISTANCE, ATTRACTION AND DATA: My Chamber committees are Business Assistance, Business Attraction, and Data Research & Management. Through these committees, many projects are underway. For example, we are launching a revitalized business retention program using a data management tool called Executive Pulse. We have a team of 20 who will call on many of you during the coming months to find out ways the Chamber can help solve your challenges and maybe open new opportunities for you. Another project on the drawing board is a wage survey. We are working with the Sheboygan SHRM [Society for Human Resource Management] to develop the tools that will get the data of value to you. The wage survey should be ready to go, soon.

CONNECTIONS: I will not have answers to all of your questions. However, I do have experience helping businesses find financial assistance. For example, in my former position I helped firms get grants from state agencies, helped firms secure loans from a variety of sources and helped a couple win second prize in a business plan contest. In two months with the Chamber I have helped get answers about SBA programs, revolving loan funds, training grants, and more. What are your questions?

SCHOOL DAYS: Are you interacting with a student these days? Are you a student yourself? Perhaps I'm one of the lucky ones. I remember sitting on my father's lap at a very early age as he read the sports page to me. I picked up the words and eventually would read the box scores by myself. During my first week of first grade, Mrs. Pettit caught me reading the lunch menu to my friends. I was a little embarrassed when she took me from room to room so I could read the menu to others, but I was also proud that I could read. Dad's efforts helped in many ways: showing me the value of a father-son relationship, introducing me to a lifelong interest in sports and learning how to read. Reading to my own daughters provided many special times and, I think, a good foundation for their reading enjoyment.

The significance in this is the importance of education to our local workforce. The three r's [reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic] are still essential skills. As I talk to employers in Sheboygan County and learn about some of their challenges, a skilled and trainable workforce is very high on their list. As many of today's jobs interface more and more with technology, the three r's are becoming MORE essential. How has your own workplace changed requiring you to learn something new? Are you passing this 'I have to keep learning' mentality along to your children or grandchildren or your staff? Sheboygan County is fortunate to have numerous schools that are excellent. From kindergarten through adult continuing education, the opportunity to learn is nearby. Take advantage of these opportunities and sign up now. Learn something new!

Member Close-Up

A Tradition of Legal Services

For over 50 years, Rohde Dales has served the legal needs of Sheboygan County and beyond. Rohde Dales is proud of its history and the fact that it has been able to remain independent and Sheboygan County based. The firm has a total staff of 29 people, including 11 lawyers and 6 paralegals organized into the following teams: real estate, business, probate and estate planning, employment, litigation, family.

Rohde Dales provides a broad range of services with a special emphasis on serving individuals and businesses of all sizes. According to David Gass, one of the firm's partners, "We strongly endeavor to understand our clients, and focus our services on client needs. We strive to be acutely sensitive to our clients' circumstances and finances. Whether representing a business in a sale to a publicly traded company or undertaking complicated estate planning for individuals, we work hard at providing our clients with superior legal services in a manner that is understandable, professional and ethical."

Among a number of legal competencies, Rohde Dales' actual experience and expertise includes:

- advising on business organization, selection and operation;
- business sales and acquisitions;
- employment, stockholder and business contracts;
- patent and trademark;
- real estate development (including sub- division and condominium develop- ment);
- estate planning, trusts and estates;
- general employment law and litigation.

According to Gass, "We believe it is important that our lawyers are actively involved in our communities. Our firm is unparalleled to any law firm in the County in the breadth of community involvement. And one of the organizations we have had a strong involvement with and commitment to is the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce."
More information regarding the firm is set forth at their website www.rohdedales.com or by contacting either William Te Winkle or David Gass at 458-5501.

Top

Home Sales Decline

The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WTA) recently provided information on the declining home sales in Wisconsin. WTA reported the number of existing homes sold in the first three months of 2007 was 5.6% below the number sold in the same period in 2006, according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA). Home sales fell in five of six Wisconsin regions, ranging from -.2% in the Northeast to -10.6% in the North. The Western Region, which includes Eau Claire, La Crosse, and St. Croix countries, saw the only increase 5.9%.

When homes were sold, prices in five regions were higher than in 2006. Median prices ranged from $120,000 in the Central Region to $178,000 in South Central Wisconsin.

In Sheboygan County the median price for a home in quarter 1 of 2006 was $126,700; in quarter 1 of 2007 it was $130,000. That is a 2.6% increase. Existing home sales fell 15% during the same period from 287 down to 244.

Talk of the Town

Quasius Construction won the bid to build the new City of Sheboygan Police Station.

First National Bank promoted Jason Krepline to Market President - Sheboygan and Mike Strege recently joined them as Business Banking Officer in Sheboygan

Randy DeRoche, CIC, Executive Vice President of Maritime Insurance Group was recognized for professional leadership and advanced knowledge by the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC).

Klemme's Wagon Wheel celebrated its 35th year in operation on Sept. 8.

Schenck Business Solutions announced that Beth Stevens has joined the firm as an Associate Accountant. They will be hosting the Sales and Use Tax Forum on Nov. 15 from 8am-12pm at LTC. The cost is $75 per person. They will also be hosting a free Business Improvement Workshop on Oct. 4 from 8-9:30am entitled “QuickBooks: Managing Employee Time and Payroll Processing.” The program will be held at Pine Hills Country Club. To register for either event visit www.schencksolutions.com/events.

Muth Global Visions won third place in the advanced manufacturing category and made it to the finalist round for the 2007 Governor’s Business Plan Contest.

Keller, Inc., will design and build the 16,000 sq. ft. multi-tenant medical building for Brilliant Development in Brillion. And, announces the addition of Scott Krueger to its Lakeshore Project Management team.

Christina Sarchet, M.D., has joined the Pediatric Department of the Aurora Sheboygan Clinic.

Lakeshore Technical College is offering emergency preparedness seminars at the Cleveland campus. Emergency Action Plans (Class #63188, $110) will be held Oct. 9, 8am-noon. Emergency Coordinator Training (Class #62996, $215) will be held Oct. 12, 8am-4:30pm. For more info, call 888-468-6582, ext. 1167.

Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center has recently begun to offer valet parking for patients and visitors. This free service will be provided Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Top

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce asks if state-run health care is really right for your company

As state legislative leaders are starting to hammer out a state budget compromise, Wisconsin businesses are being asked to support the Senate Democratic state-run health care proposal. However, the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has asked you to consider the following if approached:

l Actuarial analysis has yet to be released. Senate Democrats have only released a series of conclusions regarding their plan (in the form of a Lewin Group Powerpoint to AARP). None of the actual methodology or assumptions have been released and subject- ed to public scrutiny and independent analysis.

l No documentation for purported savings. l Proponents claim savings from wiser utilization of primary care services ($565 million in savings) and more efficient administration of the system ($407 million in savings). But they haven't publicly disclosed how they have come up with these savings.

l Despite protestations to the contrary, this is state-run health care.

l Future costs will skyrocket. What will happen to future utilization and who will move to Wisconsin for health care benefits?

l Future tax increases? What will happen to the payroll tax needed to pay for the program (par- ticularly in light of who will be attracted to Wisconsin for "free" health care)? If health care costs increase at a rate of 8% (similar to recent increases in the state employee plan), the payroll tax rate would need to be 19.9% in 2017 to pay for the program.

l Uniform benefits in jeopardy for multi-state companies.

Top

Welcome These New Members

Embrace Care Management, LLC
802 Michigan Avenue
Sheboygan, WI 53081
920-451-6228
Mary Pitsch
Embrace Care Management assists seniors and their families through the maze of senior services. We can help answer the difficult questions such as: Can Mom/Dad still stay home? Which assisted living would best meet their needs. We offer unbiased professional recommendations and support to families.

Lake Shore House
2929 Central St.
Evanston, IL 60211
847-425-3823
Mark Nash
www.2313LakeShore.com
A single-family vacation or corporate housing rental on the shore of Lake Michigan in Sheboygan. 5 Rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1½ baths. Central air/heat, hardwood floors, deck & patio with grill, updated kitchen, laundry, 1-car garage. Sleeps 6. 1 king bed, 1 queen bed, 1 queen sofa sleeper. Available: night, week or more.

Renewal by Andersen of East Central Wisconsin
3414 Mill Road
Sheboygan, WI 53083
920-923-0721
Joe Mand
www.wrightwayabc.com
Window replacement is our main line of business. We also do hardy plank siding, metal roofs and composite decks.

Renovation Revelation, LLC
5527 Hwy. 60
Grafton, WI 53024
414-507-5669
Sherry Becker
Using fair pricing practices, we purchase, renovate and resell homes (i.e., "flip" them). Being native to the area, we concentrate on the Sheboygan market.

Sheboygan Monument Co.
1234 New York Avenue
Sheboygan, WI 53081
920-452-7995
Pete Gahagan
www.sheboyganmonument.com
Under new ownership and at a new location, Sheboygan Monument Co. offers prompt service on cemetery monuments, bronze plaques, natural stone engraving and inscriptions, caskets and urns.

Staff Management
N7118 Johnsonville Way
Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085
920-453-5794
Anne Lambert
We are a supplier of high volume contract labor services. We specialize in servicing companies with a large entry level workforce within a particular location. Staff Management custom designs staffing solutions for companies and then provides an on-site management team to administer solutions.

Virtual Art Gallery of Sheboygan.com
www.VirtualArtGalleryofSheboygan.com
Virtual Art Gallery of Sheboygan.com is an online company. We are a group of local artists who provide original and diverse works of art to the local public in a convenient viewing format. Our virtual gallery gives customers the comfort and ease of instant viewing anytime with no pressure to buy. Browse often. Buying local art is just good business.

Top

Photos

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Mixed 9 CityStreets/Rupp's Downtown

Mixed 18 - The Bull

Women's 18 - Alliant Energy

Men's 9 - Community Bank & Trust

Women's 9 - Groove Salon

Business Connections

You don't win unless you unter. Business at the door prize table was brisk at the Charter Communications Business Connections held at the Marc Cinema in August.

Top

A beautiful sunrise welcomes the Chamber Golf
Outing to The Bull at Pinehurst Farms

Sometimes the best shot can be a tough one.

It was 9-11. Miniature American Flags graced every hole and were properly respected.

Duck hunting on #12?

Cheese samples were among the many bennies provided by hole sponsors.

The Sargento-sponsored beverage cart was a popular attraction.

October Chamber Events

October 5
First Friday Forum
12-1:15pm
CityStreets Restaurant
$10 for lunch
Topic: City of Sheboygan Police Station

October 5
OktoberFeast
6-11pm
Acuity
$15 per person, in advance
$20 per person, at the door

October 8-12
Money Smart Week

October 10
Business Connections
5-7pm
M & I Bank, North Taylor Drive

October 25-26
Business & Industry Expo
Business Day: 3-8pm on Thursday
Family Day: 11am-8pm on Friday
Blue Harbor Conference Center
FREE Admission

November 2
First Friday Forum
12-1:15pm
CityStreets Riverside Restaurant
$10 for lunch

Top

Workers’ Comp Rates Fall

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance recently approved new workers compensation insurance rates effective October 1, 2007. The new rates reflect an overall reduction of 2.47%. The rate changes range from a high of 4.4% reduction for manufacturing, to a low of 2.9% for contract. For a detailed review see: http://www.wcrb.org/WCRB/circulars/CircularLetters2007/CircularLetter3008RatingCommitteeRATEREVISION.pdf

New Department of Homeland Security rule crucial to employer practices

A federal judge has issued a restraining order putting on hold a new Department of Homeland Security rule that was to be effective Sept. 14. Under the new rule, employers will be required to release employees who cannot prove that they are in the country legally. The rule spells out a series of steps employers must take after receiving a "no-match" letter from the Social Security Administration indicating that the names and corresponding Social Security numbers provided on an employees W-2 forms do not match the agency's database. If discrepancies can't be resolved within 90 days, the employer is required to fire the employee or risk fines and imprisonment.

Employers who follow the new rules will not be punished if there are subsequent checks on employees' legal status. Employers receiving no match letters are urged to review their rights and responsibilities under these new regulations. For more information, please review the Employment/Immigration Law Alert from the law firm of Quarles and Brady: www.quarles.com and visit the publication section.