Welcome everybody to Midday magazine for this Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
Have your host James J. Mailov here.
In part two today, we got Reality Radio, David Farmer will be joining us, looking forward
to that right now.
We've been looking forward to talking to our friend Promise.
She is with us from the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce.
Promise, good to see you.
Thanks for being here.
Good morning.
Good to have you with us.
We got a bunch of fun things to dive into.
Let's go right into it.
We want to mention that we have coming up a big one going on over at mid-state technical
college.
Yeah.
So on February 17, we are having our networking at night.
This is a monthly event where we have a member business host it for us so that way they
can show off their facility, their products, their services.
This month it's going to be held at mid-state inside of their gourmet cafe.
This event is open to members or any future members that are interested in joining the chamber.
It's a great opportunity to come out and get connected and network with other members
as well.
The street address is 532nd Street Wisconsin Rapids and we will be having gravel prizes and
some snacks.
If you need more information, you can always visit our website at WisconsinRapidsChemero.com.
You hit it on the head, Promise.
You said worded it so well.
This is such a great event and a great opportunity for people to get out there.
For one, I think it's a great opportunity if you haven't been in the mid-state in a while.
Over the last couple of years, I made some really nice improvements over there and updated
some things.
I think it's just a great opportunity for that.
Then there's running into other people and other businesses and other walks of life.
You just never know the connections you can make with all of that.
I don't know that we've gotten to focus too much on it but the networking at night is
such a great idea.
I know that we've touched on this part of it a little bit of giving people who may not
be available in the morning, something like this at night to network.
There's some real effort being put into that and I notice it and I'm not alone to other
people in the community have noticed it and I really do appreciate the different opportunities
for these events.
We actually changed the hours of this event to to better fit some of the needs of our
members.
It is from 5pm to 7pm so we hope that it provides enough time to get home, let the dogs out,
get changed and then head back out so you can do your networking for the night.
So many of us just nodded our heads when you said let the dogs out because we all like
it.
That's going to let that up.
I just want to mention to all the businesses out there and especially anybody who has
been on the fence about being a chamber member, here is a great opportunity to not only
see what the chamber has to offer you and how it can help you enhance your business but
also maybe even hosting something like this if you are a business or you are somebody
out there.
So if you're interested in hosting, give us a call, we'll get you on that list and scheduled
for a month next year and you can give me a call directly at my line at 715-422-4856.
You know just between you and I promise we might have to do this in 2026 maybe we host
one of these here at the studio or something.
But we'll keep that just between us, we're not going to tell any of it, we'll see what
happens.
Again, it is going on next Monday, February 17th, 5-7 over mid-state technical college,
find out more at their website.
We'll give that to you and more information as we go along here.
Got inside their gourmet cafe, mid-states got a bunch of other great things going on
as well.
Keep that in mind, the raffle prices, I wanted to mention that too.
And coffee with the chamber is coming up.
Yeah, so coffee with the chamber is a quarterly program that we offer to our members.
We did open it up this year for now members so that they can get some of the tidbits and
information that we provide during those sessions.
If you're not a member, I think the cost is only $10 to register.
We offer this virtually and our boardroom.
So the meeting takes place in our boardroom.
It's February 26th from 830 to 930.
And this time, the discussion topic is marketing made simple.
Essential tips and strategies for success in the speaker, Lisa Bruce, the owner and operator
of dimensional marketing will be providing information for us.
I think this is a really great one, especially for new business owners or business owners
that don't have a marketing team.
It's a really great information that she's going to be providing at this session.
We did notice through last year we did some research and a lot of our members are struggling
with marketing and advertising.
So this would be a really great one to get on.
Registration is currently open right now and you can register online at WisconsinRapageChamber.com.
And bring your coffee cups because we have Duncan sponsoring coffee that day.
So I'm pretty excited about that.
I love their coffee.
Oh, God, I love Duncan.
I grew up on it.
I love Duncan.
All everything about that.
That's fantastic.
It's a great get.
It's also a great opportunity to support another local business.
We forget sometimes that these bigger businesses that come into town, they're run by locals.
They employ locals.
And so you're sponsoring that.
You're helping something like that too when you're going to Duncan businesses like that.
I do want to know a couple of things.
You mentioned something that is so prevalent in not just our community but so many rural communities
and how difficult it can be for small businesses to market and advertise.
Keeping in mind how difficult this game can be.
We just got done with the Super Bowl and how big that is and how important the Super Bowl
commercials are and everything.
And it's Tuesday and most of us don't remember any of them.
It just speaks to how difficult marketing can be and how tough it can be for advertisers
even on like a Nike level.
Let alone on a mom and pop level, on a small business level.
Lisa is so good at this and really knows her stuff and really one of the things I appreciate
so much about her being a she really talks with people not at people.
She's really trying to like once the best for you in your business and there is no you
know kind of ulterior motive for her or any of these things.
She just really does want to help business people as much as they can out of their business.
She's very good at this job in a great speaker.
It's a great guest to have with this and I can't think if there's anybody out there listening
and like, well, my business is great.
Things are going really good.
You still need Lisa like that.
There is no there is no certainty with any business going forward.
Everything and especially in this day and age, you just don't know what your numbers look
like this year could look completely different in 2026.
Yep, exactly.
So getting this information from Lisa, whether it helps you today or next year or whatever,
it's going to be beneficial to you and attending this is a great idea.
One other aspect of this, I really appreciate about the chamber and you've done this for
a long time with coffee with the chamber is keeping this event virtual or the option for
that and stuff because for so many people, especially early in the morning, going to be
busy like we were talking about before and might miss out on this opportunity.
Yep.
Yeah.
So once you register online, it will provide you a link to register or get on that Zoom
call for the day.
I don't remember if we're doing Zoom for this one or not.
We noticed that this was a pretty vital topics.
We might just have it for those that show up at the chamber that day.
But I do want to circle back to Lisa.
She is phenomenal at her expertise level with this and I think the thing that I love the
most about her is how authentic her passion for marketing is and it's great because she
can stay on top of the trends and things that are changing.
Whereas like somebody like myself, I need refresher sometimes to she's a great resource
for anybody in any kind of marketing professional situation or who owns a business themselves.
So years ago, I looked her up online or came across her online and seen some of her speaking
engagements and some of the things she's done and she is not only very insightful, but
you were still right about her.
She really does have a passion for this is very genuine.
Is this an event we need to RSVP for a promise?
Well, we would like to have a head count so we can make sure we have enough coffee for
everybody.
So the sooner the better to register, but we do take a couple of people here in their
last minute, it always happens, you know, so keep that in mind and keep in mind that
you can register online at Wisconsin RapidsChamber.com Wisconsin RapidsChamber.com or give them a call
at 715-422-4852-422-4852.
We'll get that out there again before we wrap up.
The 77th Annual Meeting and Awards Bank was coming up and it's already coming up again.
It just snuck up on me.
I didn't see that coming.
That's a big event for you guys.
Yep.
This is one of our bigger events of the year.
This one is happening on March 2nd and this is where we get the opportunity to celebrate
and recognize the achievements of our members and the growth that they've done throughout
the year and the differences that they've made in the community and highlight how some
of our members can be real leaders and make impactful changes in our area.
So the doors open at 5 on March 6th, dinner starts at 6th.
We do have a few sponsorships still available if you're interested in that.
However, we are now taking Raffle Baskets too.
So if you're an area business and you want to have your raffle, you want to get a
together a Raffle Basket and have your name on the Raffle Basket, that's a great way
of exposing your business to at a great event like that.
RSVP for this event is February 20th, that is a hard deadline.
We need to make sure we get those in so we can get the food ordered.
So if you're going to attend, make sure you get those RSVPs and all those went out in
the mail.
However, if you did miss place years, give us a call.
We can just get you in there and register for you for you.
Otherwise you can register online at WisconsinRabbageChamber.com and make those payments online
as well.
There is any event you can attach yourself with the chamber, you're not only showing your
support to the chamber and to the community and you're putting into the community, you're
also having the opportunity to be seen by so many other businesses and community members
that may not be seen otherwise.
And then there's an event like this where you know for a fact that some of the biggest
businesses and some of the bigger leaders in our community are going to be at this event.
I cannot think of many events better to put your name on and help be a sponsor or part
of where you can guarantee that your name, your business is going to be seen by individuals
and some of the bigger names in our community and in our area really.
It's a true win-win situation because along with that again, you are showing your support
to the chamber and to your community.
It's a great opportunity for a lot of people and getting in on those baskets, you have
to have a raffle.
Like you have to, whatever event you are doing, have a raffle.
I actually kind of want to do something with you guys where we just have an event, it's
just raffles.
It's just like nothing but raffles, I don't know.
People love them, people love raffles and it's great opportunity for you and your business
to be a part of that by having a raffle basket or something as well.
Right, yeah, because that winner takes those items home, you know, and then it's always,
you know, in the back of your head like that from that company.
And it's a really fun event.
I appreciate that you guys do this and give us an opportunity to highlight individuals
in our community that really deserve it.
We've got so many people out there that, you know, especially us midwesterners, we just
do our thing.
You know, we don't look for, you know, compliments, we don't look for a pad on the back,
we just keep going.
People deserve a pad on the back, people deserve to be noted every once in a while and we're
going to be able to do that at the 77th annual meetings and awards banquet coming up March
6th.
Again, register, find out more and maybe even be a part of it, WisconsinRabbitChamber.com.
One of the more important things, I would say, that the chamber does is giving opportunities
to our community and individuals in our community.
Right.
And I think one of the better examples of that is the careers on limited job fair that's
coming up promise.
Yeah, our careers on limited job fair is happening on April 2nd at Lincoln High School.
So we are now accepting booth registrations.
We do have a few sponsorships left available as well.
But one of the great things about this job fair is we're combining it with Lincoln High
School this year in hopes of exposing our high school students in the area to job fairs
so that they can get a little bit more exposure on what those look like and hopefully recruit
some of those high schoolers to area businesses for the summer or maybe possibly start doing
internships.
I think it's a really great opportunity for any business in the area to register a booth
there.
Not only does it increase your exposure to the local area like, oh, this is a company
in town that's actively hiring, but then you can also make connections with other area
businesses as well and possibly do some networking in that manner as well.
Registration deadline for this one is March 12th.
We are filling up pretty fast.
I don't really know how much more space we have left, but I would highly recommend to
get in there and register your booth as soon as possible.
There's a lot of interest, especially with it being tied to Lincoln this year.
So.
Yeah, this is such a great event and I know how great of an event it is.
I attended this when I was at Lincoln, a senior at Lincoln and everything and it opened
my mind to other worlds and other jobs that I didn't think I could ever do or anything
and I learned some people skills with it that I didn't realize I was lacking until I
was literally at the job fair and going to booth to booth and talking to people.
I certainly encourage this for kids and teens out there and people that are on that
edge right there.
I think this can be obviously a great event for others as well.
There is no age limit on this or necessarily or anything like that, so whatever age you
are.
But to the businesses out there, certainly ones that can be a part of this event and
you notice, as you promised mentioned, this got this filled up quick because people are
looking for good people and I think so often while we have
so many resources nowadays where you can put your resume out there, if you're an employer,
you can put your job opening out there, there are even less, there seems to be less and
less opportunities for face to face and really having an opportunity to look somebody in
the eyes when you're talking to them.
Something that seems so simple when we were kids, but now it just doesn't happen as often.
There's a couple of layers to that for me, certainly for people to be able to do this,
you get a better feel for somebody.
You just do.
I'm not saying it's a complete outlier, but it definitely helps.
But two kids out there that might have been like me or are like how I was where I needed
to learn my people's skills more and I needed to learn to be able to talk to people more.
The job fair really helped me do that to the point where that's kind of my job now.
I was talking.
That stuff really does help.
It can be a great opportunity whether you find your next job or your next career or not,
that's almost, that's not secondary necessarily, but that's just another part of this.
One thing that, no matter what we can guarantee is you can really build on those skills.
Again, that's not just for young people, sometimes people are age needed too.
We know that there are people in our age ranges that are certainly looking for work.
Here's your opportunity.
Yep.
I totally agree with you.
Any age can come in, search for jobs here and if I was actively looking for a job,
I know that looking online is so cumbersome so I'd probably be going to this one if I wasn't
working at it.
Yeah.
There's so many opportunities there.
Well, and so many of us too, great word, opportunity.
So many of us are just looking for it and so many great workers out there just need that
opportunity.
It's all they need to give them a chance to let them get their foot in the door and they're
going to show you what they can bring.
Yep.
I got a lot of hungry people out there, a lot of people that are looking to work and looking
to work a career, looking to work somewhere where they can, you know, they can get their
feet in and really, okay, this is where I'm going to be for a while.
We're seeing more and more of that really since the pandemic of people just wanting a career
or not just a job and that could be you.
That could be you as a business offering that to them and the chance for open communication,
it just never, again, more and more we need that and that's great to have this opportunity.
It's coming up April 2nd and Lincoln High School and getting it while you can.
So registration is March 12th, but as Promise said, it might be by the time this interview
is done that we may run out of space.
So get reach out to them quick, everybody.
We did have a couple of other things we wanted to mention before we wrap up here.
Promise.
What do you got for us as far as the February member of the month?
So February member of the month is Mission Coffee.
It's owned and operated by Jennifer Oswald and so Mission Coffee in Wisconsin Rapids
is located inside of Midstate Technical College.
She does have other locations, I believe one in Point and one in Clover if I'm correct,
but one of the things that I love about her facility or her business is that she doesn't
just specialize in coffee.
She's also got other items like food items like sandwiches, wraps, sweet treats and I just
recently learned that she offers catering, which I was super excited about.
There's businesses in town that offer catering and then there's businesses that offer catering
with coffee and that's like really exciting for me, I love my coffee.
So their business is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and they are located
inside of the Technical College here in Wisconsin Rapids and if you want to see all of the things
that they have to offer, oh she also offers wholesale items now too.
That was pretty fascinating.
You can visit her website online at missioncoffeerapids.com.
For journalistic integrity, I will mention that I've been going to mission coffee out since
I was a teenager basically.
The one at Point, I visited all the time.
I love that place, I love their coffee and I've never had a bad time there.
I have not gotten a chance to go to the Midstate one, them in town here, I got to do that,
I got to go check that out.
Great people and great establishment and really unique stuff over there, they really have
a wonderful approach to the business and the way they do things.
It's a great combination too with them in Midstate.
I really do think that that's a perfect marriage right there.
It's cool for that to happen.
It's a great opportunity for a local business in Central Wisconsin here to reach new audiences.
I think a good note to anybody, any business out there, wherever you're listening to us,
Wasam, Marshfield, Nicosah, Point, why not expand your business a little bit, whether
it's physically or it's just retail-wise and just expanding and reaching out to more people.
I think that's never a bad thing, not a bad idea.
A great place, you're going to love their coffee.
Speaking of expanding, this summer she does have intentions of joining and partnering
with Chatterbox.
Cool.
It'll be exciting to see how those two team up, especially if they're going to do any
lunch by the River Evans, that'd be awesome.
I've talked with Lacey about this, I've talked with Terry, John's about this, how our
nonprofits in this area started to work together and how much stronger and better our community
got when that started to happen.
I feel the same way about local businesses, that when they work together, they only enhance
each other's business.
Nobody has ever been brought down from working with another local business and when you
can find the parallels and the tie-ins, that would be a wonderful one right there.
Similar to what I was saying with Mid-State and Mission Coffee House, it's the same type
of thing with them in Chatterbox or any of the other great partnerships that we see
mashing up in this area and this town.
That's a great one.
Real quick promise, before we wrap up, I do want to just shout out the ACE Leadership
Organist program and remind people about that and look into that.
It's a great program and another one of the great things that you guys are doing over
there at the Chamber.
Along with so many other great things that we've covered, keep in mind everybody, we just
took up a half an hour and we didn't even scratch the surface.
I think we just talked about February.
There's so many more great things going on with our Chamber and so many great opportunities
you could have with our Chamber, promise if people want to find out more about those
opportunities like to reach out to you, how can they do that?
You can always visit our website at WisconsinRapidsChamber.com or give us a call directly at 715-422-4852.
If you go to their website, WisconsinRapidsChamber.com, it's a great website first and foremost.
They've got a great events tab and you go into that and they've got the calendar all laid
out for you.
Number one, the next time somebody says to you, there's nothing to do, just pull this
up right away.
There's your one stop shop right there for that.
There's other great events going on that we didn't even get a chance to scratch and
touch on and everything, so I encourage you to do that.
If you are a business, notice that and notice how the advertising and the exposure that
you are getting through just the events tab, let alone all the other things that the Chamber
has to offer.
Then encourage you to put in your community and be a part of your community, be a part
of things at the heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, find out more at WisconsinRapidsChamber.com.
Be sure to follow them on social media.
Great talking with you, promise.
Great talking with you.
We'll have more Midday Magazine coming up for you right here at 97-5 FM, 13-20 AM,
WFHR.
We are locally grown radio.