The Advantage e-News

Roses are red and violets are blue….  Remember making and/or handing out valentine’s at school and picking out that special one for that very spe‐cial girl or boy?  Sometimes you would sign your name or leave it anonymous because you would be so embar‐rassed if they knew.  Because if they knew, everyone else in the class would know too.  Life was so simple.  Love was so fleet‐ing.  We all know that life is not so simple today and that forever love is much more complicated.  We also know that the word love is tossed around about nearly everything—I love this food, this book, or this movie.  Many say they love their jobs or community.  But is it love or are  they passionate about what they do instead?  I know many people who are passionate about their jobs & their volun‐teer work.  Likewise I know many people who are simply satisfied with their work.  And  then there are those who sim‐ply hate their jobs, their community & usually everything else that crosses their path.  What a stressful existence that must be.  Those of us that are passionate about our work are lucky.  We enjoy the challenges even on  a bad day.  Some‐times finding our passion is trial and error.  We may think we are going to like something, only to try it out & find that it’s not what we thought it would be.  Very few grow up knowing for certain what their future holds & what their passion will turn out to be.  Some never find out.  They are forced to work the only jobs they can get & end up in a swirling cycle that they never find their way out of.  Others are fearful of change always asking the ‘what if’ which keeps them from never moving forward.  And young people (we were the same) always wanting to get away because the grass is always greener, the lights are always brighter, the dreams are always bigger somewhere else.  We always hope that at some point they make their way back home.  Some do, but many more have found their dreams on the other side of the rain‐bow.  

How do we get our younger people to love Merrill?  How do we get them to stay or return following their adventures out into the big world?  This is a question being asked from one end of the state to the other.  We have jobs, but they do take some technical training or ad‐vanced education.  We haven’t sold the state very well & part of the reason is all the small towns that just don’t seem exciting.  But here is some good news, as these young people become par‐ents their value sets change.  Now they are looking for quality of life, good schools, recreational opportu‐nities, affordable housing in solid neighborhoods and good paying 

jobs.  And Merrill is making steps in the right direc‐tion—finally.  As I said, we have a lot of 

technical, executive & professional level jobs available in the area.  And Merrill has seen wonderful new & expanding services &  recreational opportunities in recent years.  But we do not have  new housing starts or newer more modern rental units.  Our population is aging & declining.  And new shopping is not beating down our door due to our proximity to the Wausau area & traffic counts.  There is something special about small towns.  They can be charm‐ing, historical, friendly, and neighbor watching out for neighbor.  Sometimes you can feel the warmth & kindness from the moment you enter. And of course some small towns can be just the opposite—can you feel the love?  There must be something special in the Northwood’s or why would we have so much traffic from the southern end & from other states?  The people that are passionate are the ones that roll up their sleeves & dig in to their businesses, their jobs & their communities.  They are the ones that aren’t afraid to make an investment of their time, talents or finances.  Passionate people of all kinds are 

Volume XXXVII Issue II

From The Director’s Doorway

February 2016

Business after Hours

2

Chamber Foundation 2

Ribbon Cuttings 3

Business of the Month 4

Member-to-Member 4

Chamber Chat 5

Taking Notes 5

Inside this issue:

Highlights Membership Counts

So What’s New?

Member Programs

Ambassador News

Extra Nuts & Bolts

Calendar/Events

Advocacy  Visibility 

Networking Credibility 

invited to apply!  Passion begins with understanding.  That’s why we are inviting our busi‐ness members to participate in our 20/20 Vision Program.    Working with the Class of 2020 we invite you to participate in our Job Shop this spring & help us showcase all different types of jobs available in Merrill from professional to those right out of high school.  Let’s show our students that there are jobs that they can be passionate about right here in Merrill & that there is reason to stay or return after higher education.  Many factory jobs are now techni‐cal jobs in clean environments  with good pay.  Let’s show them.  Most business have sales & market‐ing department with good pay & benefits.  Let’s show them.  Some businesses have management trainee programs. Let’s  show them.  Many businesses encourage em‐ployees to become actively involved in the community & serve on boards & committees.  Let’s show them.  Let’s show them YOUR business.  Let’s show them YOUR passion & help them find their passion.  Let’s have a clear vision, a 20/20 Vision for attracting future workers & let’s begin with our own.  I remember my parents telling me to choose a job or career that I was going to love because I was going to be doing it for the rest of my life.  I found my passion.  My children saw that & they in turn found their pas‐sion.  And so goes the circle of love in work & in life.  Are you doing what you love?  This month decide to share your passion with others!  Roses are red and violets are blue,  We love your business, what about you?  Happy Valentine’s Day from my doorway to yours,  

Debbe Chief Executive Officer    

Date:  February 16 

Place:  Brickner’s Park City 

Time:  5:00 pm 

Sponsor: Brickner’s Park City & Spec‐trum Insurance. 

  

Join us for some networking & fun!      

Date:   TBA   Place:  Merrill Sheet Metal Works  Time:  7:30—9:00 am  Sponsor:  Merrill Sheet Metal Works 

           

Business After Hours

PAGE 2  THE  ADVANTAGE    VOLUME  XXXV I I   I S SUE   I I  

Our Merrill Vision 20/20 Program is kicking off with a program designed to link our employers with middle school students. Now is the time to educate students about what it takes to work in your business! We will be working with all segments of our employer population linking Merrill employers with Merrill students. If you are interested in more information contact Debbe at 715-536-9474. We changed our Legislative Group this past Fall. We will go to an every other month format with scheduled legislators & other government departments take part. Watch for details! We are sending out a Daily News from WMC that will highlight the daily news of interest. Just click on the links that interest you. A simple way to get today’s news highlights! We have started a new social media marketing program, ‘Chamber Moments’ that will include photos & thoughts on Face Book, mini videos & articles. Watch for these ‘moments’! Chamber’s around the world are taking part & posting the same info simultaneously. We started a weekly e-blast called ‘What’s Up Wednesday’ that will provide updates on upcoming events/activities & things you need to know. Members may include their text only messages for $15 up to 25 words—no pictures allowed. Call Cheryl for details at 715-536-9474.

Business After Hours

Additional Programs

Bricks make great gifts for any occasion!    There are 4 sizes of bricks to choose from & each brick can be engraved with names, dates or special messages. The bricks make wonderful gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, holiday gifts or simply to honor someone in a permanent way. 

 

 

River District Development Foundation

Phase 1 of the River Bend Trail will be finished being paving this summer. The new trailhead will be developed east of the Center Ave. bridge on Park Street. www.riverbendtrail.com You can also ‘friend’ us on Face Book now. The Chamber Foundation is the fiscal administrator of the River District Development Foundation & the Friends of the River District.

Merrill Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc.

News

Other Foundation Programs

Friends of Normal Park

Other programs that the Chamber Foundation administers include: Discover Downtown Merrill Emergency Relief Fund Courthouse Christmas Tree Lighting Foundation Community Fund For the Love of Merrill 125th Anniversary Fire Dept. Prints Merrill Events Community Enhancements (Hanging Flower Baskets)  Please consider making a tax‐deductible contribution to any of the foundation programs. Send your tax‐deductible donations to: 

Merrill Chamber Foundation  705 N. Center Avenue 

Merrill, WI  54452 

So...What’s New?

Morning Mixer

Ch[m\_r on Tour We believe that your business is a STAR.  Showcase your business by joining the Chamber Tour Program.  Contact us to get your business on the tour schedule today! Sign‐up now for 2015 tours…. 

 Morning Mixer                                                           Sign‐up now to host/sponsor a quarterly program in 2015.  Business before Hours is a great way to showcase your business & have social interaction with your fellow business members—especially if you are unable to attend Business after Hours!  Government News This program will email blast government informa‐tion to members such as City of Merrill agendas & other state & fed‐eral government information, pro‐grams & newsletters. 

Additional Programs

Courthouse Christmas Tree Lighting 

Help us keep the lights shining on the trees/decorations at the courthouse this Christmas season by making a donation to  Lighting Fund.  We must pay for electricity at this site year round and we try to purchase additional LED lights each season to help bring down the costs.  Help keep the Christmas lights on this season by making a tax‐deductible donation to this worthy community fund.  Send your donation today!  Here’s the address…. 

Ribbon Cuttings

Park City Credit Union—East Located next to Lee’s Piggly Wiggly                                            

PAGE 3 THE  ADVANTAGE    VOLUME  XXXV I I   I S SUE   I I  

Red Carpet Pak Did you know that only mem-bers can advertise & make special offers in our Red Car-pet Pak’s that given to new Merrill residents to welcome them & intro-duce them the Merrill area? Webvertising Advertise on our website! Cost for this great new webvertising is only $25 per month! Great way to grab attention to your business Our website & links receive 7000+ hits per month so it’s an economical way to advertise!

Ministry Medical Group

Located in Pine Ridge Shopping Center 

      

 

 

Ambassador News & Ribbon Cuttings

We are looking to grow our Ambassadors Club in 2016 and we need YOU!  Our Ambassadors are the ’welcome wagon’ of the Chamber.  They celebrate new businesses, business ex‐pansions & membership! 

Want to meet new businesses?  Then become an Ambassador!  Contact us for all the details. It’s a great way to grow your business & cele‐brate what makes Merrill so great—our local business members!  

24-Hour Information Center Did you know that only Chamber members & other Chamber/visitor centers can advertise in the Information Center? Place your bro-chures, flyers and/or business cards for FREE. The Information Center is a very busy place & is restocked daily. Newsletter Inserts Did you know that only members can adver-tise in the Chamber e-news/newsletter? Cost is only $25 & your message will reach over 500 people. It’s also on our website that receives over 6000 hits per month. Member to Member Did you know that you can offer other mem-bers discounts on purchases and services as a way of advertising & marketing your business? If you are willing to offer a discount to other Chamber members, please contact us so that we can get the word out to other mem-bers! Office Assistance Did you know that only members can make copies free of charge at the Chamber? Or use our fax machine? Or bulk mail stamp for large bulk mailings? Contact us for details.

Our membership depends on volunteers! Here are some ways that you can help:

Golf Outing ■ Crazy Daze ■ Pork in the Park Promotions Committee ■ Ambassador Club

Women of Distinction ■ Music Fest Contact Debbe for more information. Email director@merrillchamber.org

At the Chamber, it’s all about You! We are bringing the Best to the Best!

Do you know someone opening a new business that would like to have a ribbon cutting? Have you recently remodeled your business or façade & would like a ribbon cutting?  Contact us & let us know! 

Member Programs

Building Business One Ribbon at a Time

Nothing But Networking Do you have an “elevator speech” or want to make new business contacts? Then join us for Nothing But Networking.

Meet up to 20 business people, give them your elevator speech and exchange business cards. That’s it. No programs, meals, Noth-ing but Networking!

Nothing but Networking is open to the first 20 people who register.

Date: Thursday, February 24

Time: 8:00-8:45 AM

Place: Merrill Chamber of Commerce

705 N. Center Avenue

To register call Cheryl at 715-536-9474 or by email manager@merrillchamber.org

On your mark, Get set, NETWORK!

Ambassadors Club: Beautification & Facade Recognitions & Ribbon Cuttings

VOLUNTEER

Chamber Education: 2016 Workshops 

PAGE 4  VOLUME  XXXV I I   I S SUE   I I  

1997—1st car wash opened & grew to 250 stores & 25 tobacco outlets 

2000—Zietlow family purchased the  Hansen family interest in the business 

2002—Purchased 6 Auto Stop stores 

2003—Hot food program installed at all 309 stores & Glazer Donuts introduced 

2004—Names Chain of the Year 

2005—Fresh delivery & fresh food program intro‐duced 

2007—No fee ATM introduced 

2011—Stores, restaurants, cafes re‐imagined at all 384 locations 

2012—Don Zietlow named Retail Leader of the Year 

2013—400th store opened & Center for Health 

2014—Built 2nd store in Merrill on S. Pine Ridge 

Kwik Trip, just one more area business who is in the business of making your life more con‐venient.  

Member-to-Member Club Join Today & Save

The Chamber’s Member to Member Club, is a product discount program for Chamber members only. If your business is willing to offer a discount to other Chamber members contact us now! Gain marketing exposure & potential new business customers. Be a part of the Club! As a Chamber member you will receive a dis-count at the following businesses:

Put Your Business Name Here!

*Ye Old Sweet Shoppe—10%

*Blooming Wishes —10%

*Super Lube—15%

*Creative Card Acceptance—1/2 priced USB reader or $25 off USB signature pad

The Business of the Month for February is Kwik Trip .   There are two located in Merrill and the one located at 2311 E. Main Street is our member. Their tele‐phone number is  715‐536‐1819. 

Kwik Trip was founded in 1965 & opened their first store in Eau Claire.  Here is a summary timeline of their history: 

1970  ‐ Introduced gasoline sale  

1971 ‐ La Crosse company grew to 5 stores 

1972  ‐ John Hansen & Don Zietlaw established own  ership position 

1973  ‐ Corp. office opens & warehouse delivery begins 

1981—Dairy plan opens & soda bottling plant begins 

1983—Chain grows to 50 stores 

1985—1st Travel Center opens in Tomah with Hearty Platter Restaurant & bakery established. Also pur‐chased 17 Wolter Mini Marts 

1986—Chain grew to 100 stores 

1988—Purchased 54 Kickapoo stores 

1989—John & Don become duel owners 

1994—Kwik Card is introduced 

*VIP On-line Member Discounts— to join email them at VIP@dwave.net for complete details on discounts.

*Northwood's Evergreen & Wire Co. —20%

*Ziesemer Photography - 15% on business portraits

*Off the Grid Technologies—they build your website & receive 1/yr Free web- hosting

*Lincoln & Timeline Windows—factory di-rect—10%

Just mention the Member-to-Member Club & start saving today!

Business of the Month Kwik Trip

                                                                             

What’s Up Wednesday?  

Watch for your mini weekly newslet‐ter of upcoming events every Wednesday via email and on our Face Book page at Merrill Chamber. 

THE  ADVANTAGE    

S h o p

m _ r r I l l

Reminders

Coming in 2016 Dept. of Revenue Theft: How to Protect your Business DOA: Working for Small Business Networking 101 If there are other educational programs that you would like the Chamber to bring to you, please contact us with your ideas. Send us your suggestions via email at info@merrillchamber.org In the subject line type: Education Topic

Thank You A big thank you to our out-going board mem-bers Craig Rezin, Pat Hinner and Jim Medley. You served our membership well!

Welcome A hearty welcome to the incoming board members who will complete the outgoing member terms: Barb Haffemann from Dave’s County Market, Jeff Schnei-der from Sierra Pacific (formerly Hurd), and Tim Schreiber from Foto News & Merrill Courier.

Discover Wisconsin Merrill will once again be featured on an up-coming Discover Wisconsin show on the Wis-consin River. The show will air on Feb. 6 on WAOW channel 9 at 6:30pm. Merrill’s part

will include Council Grounds State Park, River Bend Trail & Merrill Historical Society. This is the 3rd episode that the Chamber has sponsored. In 2009 we did a split epi-sode with Toma-hawk, in 2012 we did a split episode on the Ice Age Trail & now we are doing a 1/4 episode on the Wisconsin River with Tomahawk, Stevens Point, Adams County & Portage.

2016 Visitor Guide This years Visitor Guide has gone to print and will be available shortly! Big thanks to Foto News, Reindl Print-ing & all of this years adver-tisers!

“Positive Possibilities”

Thanks to our members, sponsors & nu-merous partnerships, the Chamber sup-ports dozens of community programs & is actively involved in many initiatives that you may not be aware of.

Look for this symbol to learn more about our history & our future & the community pro-grams we are involved in.

Requests for Merrill information only during the month of January:

Phone calls: 193

Emails: 106

Walk-ins: 124

Info mailed out: 277

Website Visits: 1782 Viewed: N/A

Restock Center: 104

Taking Notes…..

Extra Nuts & Bolts

PAGE 5 THE  ADVANTAGE    VOLUME  XXXV I I   I S SUE   I I  

Chamber Chat….did you know?

Business after Hours Thinking about sponsoring a Business after Hours in 2017? We have a few openings yet for next year. They will fill up fast, so contact Cheryl at 715-536-9474 today to pick your month. Only a few dates available.

Planning Workshops We are currently planning workshops & net-working programs for 2017. If your have any

Chamber

topics that you would like us to consider, please let us know by phoning 715-536-9474.

Big Bundle Up This year’s Big Bundle Up Program was an-other huge year! Across the state we col-lected 22,510 pieces of warm winter clothing. This year we collected our highest number yet. Thanks to everyone who donated!

New Sign The Chamber finally has its brand new sign in front of the building to replace the one that was hit by a car back in late summer. The new one has brick to match our building, our established date of 1911, a new upper sign that includes the Chamber Foun-dation & new digital sign. Check it out!

Legislative Meeting Mark your calendars for February 8 for our next Legislative meeting. It will be held at 8am at City Hall & Randy Scholz will be the speaker giving us an update on Lincoln County.

2017 Exchange Trip We are beginning to plan our next interna-tional trip for March 2017. This trip will take us back to Ireland, then Wales and Scotland. Watch for more information as it becomes available….

Cliffs of Mohr

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Promote your upcoming events

Contact Cheryl at manager@merrillchamber.org

705 North Center Avenue Merrill, Wisconsin 54452

MERRILL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE THE ADVANTAGE

ter favorite. Admission is $5/adults and kids 10 and under are free. Food/refreshments on grounds in heated building. For more details visit www.gleasoncc.org

Feb. 15—Business after Hours Join us for Business after Hours from 5-7pm at Brickner’s Park City sponsored by Brickner’s and Spectrum Insurance.

Feb.27—Love Me Tender Watch Elvis perform Love Me Tender at Lincoln Lanes hosted by Haven. Show starts at 6pm and the cost is TBA. For info contact Carlee at 715-536-1300. .

Check the Chamber Calendar 1st

For a complete listing of area events & activities check out the Chamber of Commerce website www.merrillchamber.org or the digital sign at the Chamber office for event info. Listen to us every Wednesday on WJJQ 92.5FM & the 2nd & 4th Friday on WJMT 730 AM.

Feb. 5—Comedy Night Come to Les & Jim’s for some laughs with Michael Thore & Earl Elliot. Door open at 7pm & show is at 8pm.

Feb. 6, 13, 20 —Merrill Ice Drags World Championship Week racing on Lake Alexan-der off Council Grounds State Park from 12 noon-4pm. The cost $12 to be in the pits otherwise it’s FREE. For info contact Bill Bunnell at 715-409-9493.

Feb. 9—Fat Tuesday Gumbo Supper It’s the annual Gumbo Supper at Bell Tower. Enjoy S. John Marie’s chicken & sausage or chicken & shrimp gumbo’s, served with French bread & des-sert. Carry outs available from 4:30-7pm at Bell Tower. Cost is $10, carry outs $7, children under 12 are $4. Questions contact Linda Schmidt at 715-536-5575.

Feb. 11—Ladies Night Out Stop in and visit Gress Chiropractic at Les & Jim’s from 5-8pm for their annual Ladies Night Out. Lots of vendors, prizes, massages, etc.

Feb. 12—8th Annual Artisans Showcase Enjoy an afternoon of wine, cheese, appetizers & music as you view the talents of area artists. Held at Bell Tower from 1-5pm, the cost is $5. For more info contact Pat Sherley at 715-536-5575.

Feb. 13—Ice Oval Night Race Held at the Gleason Community Club for this win-

Mark Your Calendar

Phone: 715-536-9474 Fax: 715-539-2043 Website: www.merrillchamber.org

Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce Mission Statement The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to its members by helping their businesses to grow, succeed and thrive Vision Statement The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to promoting the Merrill area as a community to live, work and play for today Mailing Label

Executive Board Board Members Tonia Speener—Chairman Dan Frick Randy Wixson—Chair Elect Barb Haffemann Dr. Shelly Mondeik—Vice Chair Nancy Kwiesielewicz Noel Bushor – Financial Officer Val Mindak Marty Heyne– Past Chairman Kent Reinhardt Brian Richards Kurt Rust Jeff Schneider Tim Schreiber Kurt Wendt Mayor Bill Bialecki Ex-Officio Dave Johnson—Ex-Officio

Staff Debbe Kinsey – Chief Executive Officer Cheryl Skoug – Programs Manager Autumn Doyle – Office Assistant

Comments, Questions & Concerns

PRESORTED STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAID

MERRILL WI PERMIT NO. 11

CHAMBER MEETINGS

Return Service Requested

Legislative – 2/8

Foundation— 4/15

Ambassador Club – 2/16

Board of Directors— 2/17

Retail Promotions—2/3

The Merrill Area Chamber of Com-merce wants you to read about area businesses and other information that we feel is important to our members. If there are any topics you think we should cover, please let us know. Call the office (715-536-9474), fax us (715-539-2043) or stop in at our office (705 N. Center Ave).

Our individual emails are:

Debbe Kinsey—Chief Executive Officer

director@merrillchamber.org

Cheryl Skoug—Program Manager

manager@merrillchamber.org

Autumn Doyle—Office Assistant

info@merrillchamber.org

Website -

www.merrillchamber.org

merrillchamber

Members…..working together since 1911

E-news Extra

The Advantage

Special Edition 

January 2016 

The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce works in multiple categories that we summa‐rize into three headings:  (1) Promotions; (2) Regional & Community; and (3) Mem‐bership & Revenue.  These categories were called Play, Live and Work previously. 

Our Mission Statement was updated in 2015 to ‘The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to its members by helping their businesses to grow, succeed and thrive.’ 

And our Vision Statement says: ‘The Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to promoting 

the Merrill area as a com‐munity to live, work and play for today and tomor‐row.’ 

And our Motto is:  Chamber greatness through advo‐cacy, visibility, credibility and networking. 

We strive to meet these goals through the use of multiple committees, ad‐hoc groups, memberships with other groups and profes‐sional affiliations. 

We hold Chamber profes‐sional affiliation member‐ships with the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Ex‐ecutive’s Association, Wis‐consin Manufacturer’s & 

Commerce, American Cham‐ber of Commerce Execu‐tives, Midwest Chamber Executives and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

In 1911 the Merrill Chamber of Commerce was estab‐lished and we became a founding member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

We have strongly supported the Merrill community and our business members for the past 105 years.  We look forward to continuing our partnership with our mem‐bers in 2016. 

Thank you for allowing us to serve you. 

The Board of Directors is a dedicated group of volun‐teer business members who help establish policies and procedures and they review chamber functions and op‐erations.  Board members also serve on other chamber committees and always watch for issues, concerns or opportunities that will be a benefit to the membership and community.   

The board reviews each pro‐gram/activity annually to help staff establish goals and to ensure that the cham‐ber’s resources are being 

utilized in the best ways pos‐sible.  In 2016 we will be reviewing all chamber pro‐grams looking at time spent, investment and alignment with our mission.  Some pro‐grams may be reduced or removed in 2017 in order to make room for new, more directed programming for our members. 

The CEO sets programming and the executive commit‐tee sets goals each year for the CEO to accomplish based on the programming.  These goals are important factors for the growth and prosper‐

ity of the chamber organiza‐tion. 

The executive committee is the officer leadership of the board of directors.  Officers are nomination and voted on from the board of directors. 

The 2015 executive leader‐ship was:  Marty Heyne—Chair; Tonia Speener—2015 Chair Elect; —Randy Wixson Vice Chair; Noel Bushor—Finance Officer; Debbe Kinsey—Corp. Secretary & CEO; and Kurt Rust—Immediate Past Chair. 

2016 Chamber Leadership

Your Chamber of Commerce Executive

Directors 

Dan Frick 

Barb Haffemann        Nancy Kwiesielewicz 

Val Mindak 

Kent Reinhardt                      Kurt Rust 

Brian Richards 

Jeff Schneider 

Tim Schreiber 

Kurt Wendt 

                                             

Ex‐officio’s 

                                      Mayor Bill Bialecki 

Dave Johnson 

                                                    

Staff                                       

Debbe Kinsey Chief Executive Officer 

 

Cheryl Skoug Programs Manager 

 

Autumn Doyle Office Assistant 

 

Advocacy  Visibility 

Credibility  Networking 

Tonia Speener Chairman 2016 

 Randy Wixson Chair Elect 2016 

 Shelly Mondeik         

Vice Chair 

 Noel Bushor 

Financial Officer                                  

Marty Heyne Immediate Past Chair 

 

The Committee Chairs for 2015 were: 

Dr. Carrie Kennedy—Ambassadors 

Jeremy Cordova—Legislative 

Marty Heyne—Annual Golf Classic 

Marty Heyne—Annual Celebration 

Debbe Kinsey—Special Events & Tourism 

Randy Wixson ‐ Pork in the Park 

Debbe Kinsey—Promotions Council 

Tony Kusserow—Chili Blast 

Tim Schreiber—Chamber Foundation  

We collaborated with several tourism groups to market and promote the Merrill area.  These partnerships allow us to share resources, apply for grants and get Merrill information out at public festi‐vals and events throughout Wisconsin. 

TREK 

Small Town Charm 

Northwoods of Wisconsin 

Wisconsin 2 Go 

ITBEC Tourism 

Discover Wisconsin 

Revenue         

Membership Dues    70% 

Other Income    30% 

 

 

Expenditure  

Services    $0.78/per dollar 

Fixed Operating    $0.22/per dollar 

Business after Hours x 9 

Annual Very Merrill Christmas Card 

Women of Distinction 

Shop Small Promotion 

Community‐wide Rummage Sales (2 per year) 

Annual Lighted Christmas Parade 

Workshops 101 

Member‐to‐Member Program 

Chamber on Tour 

Ticketed Event Sales 

Labor Day Car Show Judging 

Ribbon Cuttings 

Christmas Window Give‐away 

20/20 Vision Program 

The Chamber’s 2015 planned events and programs consisted of member‐only events, non‐dues revenue events and established annual programs for the community whether they generated non‐dues income or not.  The programs in‐cluded in this category are: 

Merrill Gift Certificate Program 

Annual Celebration 

Annual Golf Classic 

Annual Crazy Daze 

Pork in the Park RibFest  

Movie in the Park 

Morning Mixer 

High School Interviews 

Chili Blast 

Trip to Ireland 

 

2015 Planned Events/Programs

We have grown the Ambassador pro‐gram, continued all of existing program‐ming, increased members visits by staff, ambassadors and board, increased atten‐dance at BaH and annual celebration. 

4.  Continue with all community good  will programs. 

The board has cut down the community goodwill programs over the past few years down to 19 programs for 2015.  This is down from 28 programs.  The Ca‐pacity is saturated for staffing level. 

5.  Evaluate annual member invest 

ment. Investment rates have not     been increased in over 10 years. 

Staff did in depth research into several different types of dues structures being used and then a board ad‐hoc committee decided which was a fair‐share invest‐ment that would be used for 2016. 

In 2016 we will be evaluating all program‐ming based on time, investment, volunteers and if the program is still in alignment with our mission.  At the end of the year, all pro‐grams will be reviewed, revamped, or sun‐set.  And new programs may be added based on what our members interest is.  

The following goals were set by the board of directors for 2015: 

1.  New member growth to be ad‐vanced by at least 2 percent annu‐ally. 

A 2% increase would equal 5 new          members.  We ended 2015 with 11 new members or a 4% increase. 

2.  Increase the reserve account by at least 2 percent annually. 

Our reserve account has grown by at least 2% annually and usually more. 

3.  Membership programs: 

Page 2 E-news Extra

Blarney Castle

2015 Regional Collaborations Dollars & Sense 2015 Chamber Committee Chairs

2015 Objectives & Goals

Northwoods of Wisconsin 

ITBEC Tourism 

ITBEC Board 

LCPIE 

Wisconsin Dept. of Tourism 

Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Ex‐ecutives 

Governor’s Regional Tourism Council 

MADC 

L.C. Economic Development 

NorthCentral Technical College 

Rasmussen College 

Discover Downtown Merrill 

MAPS School Counseling Advisory Council 

The Chamber collaborates with regional groups which helps us provide advocacy for our membership and partnerships on a few of our larger marketing efforts. 

Those advocacy and collaborations in‐cluded: 

Mayor’s Task Force on NTC 

Merrill Festival Grounds 

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce 

Explore Highway 51 

Centergy 

TREK 

Small Town Charm 

 

Chamber Committee’s 

Legislative  

Ambassadors 

Promotions 

Pork in the Park 

Annual Golf Classic 

Annual Celebration 

Crazy Daze 

Chili Blast 

We currently are the fiduciary agent for  ten project funds plus a general fund.  Those funds are: 

Foundation General Fund 

Hanging Flower Basket Program 

Friends of the Merrill City Band   

Discover Downtown Merrill 

Courthouse Christmas Decorations 

Friends of the Merrill Firefighters 

Community Disaster Fund 

For the Love of Merrill Fund 

Friends of the River District 

Friends of Normal Park 

Merrill Events 

Board of Directors 

Tim Schreiber—Chair 

Charlie Roth—Treasurer 

Debbe Kinsey—Corp. Secretary/CEO 

Kent Reinhardt 

Marty Heyne 

Helene Ader 

Gail Bloch 

Chris Malm 

 

 

The Merrill Chamber of Commerce Foun‐dation, Inc. is our not‐for‐profit 501(c)3 arm.  It was developed to be an avenue to provide community, charitable and educational programming using tax‐exempt funding/donations.  Our building was donated to and is owned by our foundation. 

The foundation has its own board of di‐rectors of which three Chamber board members have seats currently.  A time audit this last year revealed that staff spends on average 50 hours per month on foundation work, which causes staff to work 45‐50 hours per week. 

The Chamber’s Goodwill Programs are events that we sponsor or are heavily involved with from planning and/or mar‐keting and participation.  There is no monetary gain for us. 

Lion’s Labor Day Car Show 

New Teacher Bus Tour 

8th Grade Exit Interviews 

Sophomore Interviews 

Lincoln Lager Barleyfest 

Annual Crazy Daze 

Movie in the Park 

Shop Small Promotion 

Annual  Lighted Parade 

Bundle Up Program 

Community Night Out 

Courthouse Christmas Decorations 

Merrill Gift Certificate Program 

Ribbon Cuttings 

Community Scan Radio 

Chamber Chat Radio 

River Bend Trail 

Normal Park Events 

 

 

2015 Planned Goodwill Programs/Events

2015 Chamber Regional Collaborations & Committee’s

2015 Chamber Foundation Programs

Special Edition Page 3

Annual Celebration Membership

Hon. Dave Obey at Law Day

Christmas Parade

Our marketing has grown and is very extensive currently, but the marketing has paid‐off for us.   

We have marketed Merrill with a couple of tag lines.  The most familiar tag lines have been— 

Visit Merrill...a reason for every season.  And Merrill...Location. Nature. People. 

In 2014 we kicked‐off a new marketing campaign with the tag line:  Just Park It in Merrill.  This tag line has proved to be another success for us. 

We currently market Merrill with the following Print Media vehicles: 

American Road Magazine  quarterly 

Wisconsin Journey’s Magazine—quarterly 

Fun in Wisconsin Magazine—2 times per year 

Up North Magazine—3 times per year 

ATV/Snowmobile Trail book—seasonally 

Bike Wisconsin Trail book—annually 

Harley Dealers Go Guide WI—annually 

Fall Ride Guide—annually 

Hog Guide—annually 

Chicago Daily Herald—2 times per year 

ATV Guide—annually 

Lincoln County Snowmobile Map—annually 

TREK Guide 

WJJQ Guide—annually 

WJJQ Fall Ride Map—annually 

Motorcycle Tour Map—annually 

Merrill Visitor Guide—annually 

Merrill Map—every other year 

Underdown ad—annually 

Association of WI Snowmobile Clubs—annually 

 

Shows: ITBEC Sport Shows—2 times per year 

Wisconsin 2 Go—10 major festivals per year 

Discover Wisconsin—shot, airs in Feb. 2016 

 

Television: Discover Wisconsin—2009, 2012, 2015 

WAOW 

 

Websites: Travel Wisconsin 

American Road Magazine 

Wisconsin Network 

Merrill Chamber of Commerce 

WSAW, WAOW, WIFC  Calendars 

Discover Wisconsin 

Northwoods of Wisconsin 

Snowtracks 

Up North 

Local Dirt 

Rummage Wisconsin 

Small Town Charm 

River Bend Trail 

TREK 

Fun in Wisconsin 

Up North 

FOX Wausau 

Northwoods Fishing 

Association of WI Snowmobile Clubs 

ITBEC 

 

Local Ads: Crazy Daze 

Homecoming 

Labor Day 

Fire Prevention 

Breast Cancer Awareness 

Memorial Day 

Veterans Day 

Sports Teams—seasonally 

Lighted Christmas Parade 

Movie in the Park 

 

 

■ Northwood’s Ec. Development Council 

■ American Chamber of Commerce Executives 

■ U.S. Chamber of Commerce 

►L.C. Economic Development Council 

■ North Central WI Regional Planning 

►River Bend Trail Board of Directors 

■ Association of WI Snowmobile Clubs 

■ Discover Wisconsin 

►Governor’s Regional Tourism Council 

►Highway 51 Promotions Council 

►Merrill Area United Way Board 

►Merrill Tourism Commission 

■ Centergy 

►Lincoln Lager Barleyfest 

►Merrill City Band Committee 

■ Merrill Rotary Club 

■ Merrill Optimist Club 

■ Association Chamber of Commerce Executives 

■ Mid‐west Chamber of Commerce Association 

►Merrill Festival Grounds Committee 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chamber has many affiliations and memberships.  The CEO serves on the board of directors for many of these partnerships.  Those organizations are marked with a ►

These affiliations are important because they give the chamber a voice in many important issues that may affect the membership and/or community. 

■ WI Chamber of Commerce Executive’s Assoc. 

►Merrill Area Development Corp. 

■ Wisconsin Manufacturer’s & Commerce 

■ Wisconsin Dept. of Tourism 

►ITBEC—Counties Association Board 

►ITBEC—Tourism Board 

■ UWEX—Lincoln County 

■ Merrill Historical Society 

Page 4 E-news Extra

2015 Merrill Marketing

2015 Chamber Membership/Affiliations

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. 

Margaret Mead

Chamber software 

Chamber Gift Certificates 

Advertising: visitors guide, digital sign, newsletter, Red Carpet paks, maps, website, Member‐to‐Member program, Discover Wisconsin shows. 

Networking: Business after Hours, Morning Mixer, Chamber on Tour, workshops. 

Events:  Golf Outing, Annual Celebra‐tion, Pork in the Park. 

Advocacy:  local government, Legis‐

Membership and revenue is the work that we do within the organization for our membership.  It includes recruit‐ment, member programming and bene‐fits, advertising and marketing, advocacy and events. 

Some of these tools include: 

Ambassadors 

New member folders 

Chamber stickers 

Membership plaques 

Website 

lative Committee, WMC member‐ship, news blasts, workshops, school programs, local non‐profit partner‐ships. 

Awards:  Businesses of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, Business of the Month, Women of Distinction, Leadership Awards, Ribbon Cuttings. 

Fundraising:  Christmas Card, post cards, city directories. 

Expanded Membership categories 

Sponsorship opportunities 

ties and special projects. 

It also includes all of the promotions, mar‐keting and advertising vehicles that we use to market the Chamber and the com‐munity both internally (within our com‐munity) and externally. 

 

 

  Retail Promotions Committee 

 

  Women of Distinction Awards   

 

 Merrill 2020 Vision: Employer’s    

     School Program 

 

 Leadership Awards Christmas Window Give‐away 

 

Courthouse Lighted Wreath 

Goal #2 is the work that we do on behalf of the community and within our geo‐graphic region.  This work represents the initiatives, partnerships and programs that makes our community and region special. 

 

These include the Chamber Foundation programs, collaborations with regional groups, community events, educational projects, community development activi‐

Promotions takes many forms: advertis‐ing, marketing, tourism and simply pro‐motion.  Promotions varies depending upon the type of promotion—sales, in‐formational, events, advertising, or mar‐keting. 

 

There are basically four event levels: 

 

1.  Calendar of Events—any events, submission based. 

2.  Tourism—contractual w/tourism grant recipients. 

3.  Goodwill—community events that 

are chamber sponsored/co‐sponsored, free or low cost. 

4.  Events & Promotions—chamber events, usually fundraiser based. 

 

Informational promotions include: 

 

1.  Marketing & advertising (ads) 

2.  Website & webvertising 

3.  Red Carpet Paks 

4.  Visitor Guides & Maps 

Organizational Tourism includes: 

 

1. Recreational trails & maps 

2. Information Center 

3. Discover Wisconsin shows 

4. Community events (Chamber) 

Goal #1 Promotions

Goal #3 Membership & Revenue

Goal #2 Regional & Community

Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 5

New in 2015

2015 Visitor Guide

Leadership Awards

Our information and tourism center is located in the foyer of our building.  This center has 

grown immensely over the past few years.  The center is open 24 hours/7days a week.  The 

center is divided into easy to locate sections which include: Merrill information and business 

cards; visitor guides from all over the state; county information and maps; and state informa‐

tion and maps. 

We currently host 85 visitor guides from chambers and CVB’s all over the state; 22 state guides 

put out by the Dept. of Tourism and other government agencies; 18 Lincoln County guides and 

maps; 18 tourism guides/magazines put out by private media; 46 Merrill information brochures; 

62 Merrill business cards; and currently 12 miscellaneous event posters.  This totals 263 pieces 

of information.  The Dept. of Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett has said that the amount of 

information in our small center rivals some of the state’s designated tourism centers.  We get 

compliments from tourists weekly, with many waiting to come to the Merrill center before 

heading further north.  All of this information has to be ordered and is restocked weekly and 

many times daily during busy tourism seasons. 

Our annual visitor guide is also mailed to over 85 different chamber and CVB locations within 

the state.  In addition we also send out, on average, 25,000 guides and Merrill information to 

individuals annually. 

In addition, we were approved by the State of Wisconsin to install the blue and white Tourism 

Information signs on Highway 64 and our office location.  In 2015 we gained approval with the 

City of Merrill to add additional signs on Center Avenue/old Hwy. 51 that will be installed in 

2016.  And we expanded our center again by adding more guide hangers and Merrill business 

card and brochure space.  And of course a brand new sign was erected after it was hit by a car. 

705 N. Center Avenue 

Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce

thru April 30.  During this period the Chamber monitored 11 event grantee’s. 

Tourism programs also include the In‐formation Center that is open 24 hours/7days a week. 

Grantee’s during this overlapping pe‐riod included: 

Ladies Lifestyle Expo 

Merrill Ice Drags 

Labor Day Car Show 

Lincoln Lager Barleyfest 

Lincoln County Fair 

Concertina Festival 

L.C. Rodeo 

Pine River Dog Sled Races 

Pork in the Park RibFest 

Gazebo Nights 

Gleason Heritage Days 

                                                                  Tourism spending has risen substan‐

By law, the municipality must partner with the Chamber with room tax dollars for the purpose of marketing and other tourism related expenditures.  The Chamber is the administrator of the tourism dollars and the budget is set, by agreement, by a citizen Tourism Commission.  Unique to Merrill is the fact that local groups can apply annu‐ally for tourism dollars to be used for outside marketing efforts.  The Cham‐ber CEO then monitors the marketing and as administrator confirms and re‐imburses the organizations by grant dollars.  In 2015 the room tax was in‐creased to 6%. 

As administrator of the funds, the CEO also designs all marketing ads for Merrill and places the advertisements in various mediums such as magazines, brochures, booklets, radio, visitor guides, and websites. 

The monitoring year runs from May 1 

tially over the past three years due in‐part to the heavy advertising/marketing that we have lead the charge on. 

Visitor spending in Lincoln County has steadily increased: 

2010 it was $39 million 

2011 it was $44.9, up 13.49% 

2012 it was $48.9 M, up 8.5% 

2013 it was $50.72 M, up 4.01% 

2014 it was $52.8 M, up 4.19%   

 

 

715‐536‐9474 info@merrillchamber.org www.merrillchamber.org 

2015/2016 Tourism Programs

Information & Tourism Center

Hours Monday‐Friday 

9:00 am to 4:30 pm 

Information Center Hours 

Open 24 hours 7 days per week 

Governor’s Conference on Tourism

Uâá|Çxáá tyàxÜ [ÉâÜá

j{xÇM Tuesday, February 16, 2016

g|ÅxM 5pm to 7pm

j{ÉM Chamber Members and their guest

j{xÜxM Brickner’s Park City 3000 E. Main St.

fÑÉÇáÉÜxw uçM Brickner’s Park City and Spectrum Insurance Group

j{çM Networking with other Chamber members

VÉáàM $2.00

bÑà|ÉÇtÄM $1.00 and your Business card for a 50/50 drawing. Raffle tickets for prizes.

Join the Merrill Chamber for Business after Hours at Brickner’s!