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The Advantage e-News
Happy Independence Day! Boy has the summer gotten off to a fast & great start! Right out of the chute we kick-off and christened the Merrill Festival Grounds with an outstanding rodeo! Congratulations to the great volunteers of the award-winning WI River Pro Rodeo organization that puts on a show that just keeps getting better year after year! This is one fine oiled local volunteer organization. And just in time, the Bier-man Family Aquatic Center opened the same weekend to the joyful cries of hun-dreds of kids & parents! What a beautiful facility & it’s right here in Merrill. The Bierman Family Founda-tion has certainly made a difference in Merrill & the aquat-ic center is one that I’m sure Jane would be proud to have her name on. The Merrill City Band kicked off their summer season at Normal Park with fun Olympic style games for the kids & rousing music for everyone. Be sure to catch their concerts every Wednesday thru this month at 7pm. And speaking of Normal Park Gazebo Nights concerts kick-off on July 7 at 6pm with concerts every Thursday thru August. Then on July 8 is the Chamber’s annual Movie in the Park at dusk sponsored by Marshfield Clinic. Join us for the movie under the stars as we feature “Spy Kids”. We also have a brand new event taking place at the Merrill Festival
Grounds on July 9—an An-tique Tractor Pull at 12noon followed by the main event at 6pm with the National Tractor Pullers Association. Of course the main event of the month at the festival grounds is the Lincoln County Fair July 20-24. And there are several new shows planned thanks to that great new grandstand! Wristbands are on sale now at the chamber of-fice. And rounding out this month
is the 2nd Annual Lobsterfest on July 30. This festival is held at Ballyhoos & is a fundraiser for the
Safe Ride Home Program. The lobsters are flown in alive & fresh & are served with all the trimmings for $40. They sold out last year, so get your tick-ets now at the chamber office. There is also a lot of activities taking place for the kids this month at T.B. Scott Library. For a listing checkout of web-site at www.merrillchamber.org We’ve also been upgrading here too. Beside the great new website, our office has a new copier that is quicker, cleaner & more cost effective. We finally purchased new chairs that makes meetings so much more accommodating. And new shelving/storage. We have outgrown our office & needed to find ways to make it more efficient, cost effective & able to accommodate all of our current needs. A big thank you to the volunteers who helped make some of this work possible & to our mem-
From The Director’s Doorway
July 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
bers who helped make it af-fordable. We also kicked off a couple new programs—first we kicked off our first joint Young Pro-fessional gathering at The Sawmill with the Wausau Chamber on June 1 & had a great turnout. I encourage anyone ages 21-45 to join us & meet some awesome millen-niums! Next we are kicking off our new Diplomat Program this month. This will be an great tool in our Workforce Develop-ment Program that shows new hires everything wonderful about Merrill. So if you have a new hire that you want to make welcome, contact us so we can match them up with the appropriate diplomat. And of course this is the time of year that we celebrate our independence on the 4th of July. While we are celebrating with families, let us not forget how we obtained these free-doms & independence & those that have fought the wars at home and around the world in the name of freedom. Let every sparkler & every firework exploding in the sky remind us of the celebration that is America—home of the free and the brave. From my doorway to yours, have a safe holiday and expe-rience Merrill this month, there is so much going on! There is so much to be proud of! Debbe Chief Executive Officer
105 Years 1911– 2016
Date: Sept. 22
Place:
Time:
WE TAKE THE SUMMER OFF FROM BUSI-NESS AFTER HOURS SO THAT WE CAN ALL ENJOY THE SUMMER WITH OUR
FAMILIES AND FRIENDS.
BaH WILL RETURN ON SEPT. 22 Looking for businesses to host a Morning Mixer! This is a morning Business before Hours hosted at your business from 7:30-9:00 am.
Interested? Contact us!
Business After Hours
PAGE 2 T H E A D V A N T A G E
Our Merrill Vision 20/20 Program was on May 20 and was a success! We took 200
8th grade students out to local businesses in 15 of their 16 selected Career Clusters. This is part of our Workforce Development Program for our programming under the state Future Project program. We will be calling upon local businesses again next year to con-
tinue matching students with career interests locally. 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 infor-
mation contact Debbe at 715-536-9474.
We changed our Legislative Group this past Fall. We will go to an every other month format with sched-uled 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
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?
It’s that time of year again when we start to dream of spring & summer & those beautiful hanging flower baskets that adorn our streets. These baskets are made possible by a dedicated group of volun-teers & cash donations from residents of Merrill. Please help us beautify the corridors of Merrill this summer by making a contribu-tion to the Hanging Basket Fund. Send your tax-deductible donation to: Merrill Chamber Foundation Hanging Basket Fund 705 N. Center Avenue Merrill, WI 54452
Community
Enhancement Fund
Chamber on Tour We believe that your business is a STAR. Showcase your business by joining the Chamber Tour Pro-gram. Contact us to get your busi-ness on the tour schedule today! Sign-up now for 2015 tours….
Morning Mixer Sign-up now to host/sponsor a quarterly program in 2016. 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 infor-mation to members such as City of Merrill agendas & other state & fed-eral government information, pro-grams & newsletters.
Additional Programs
Ribbon Cuttings
Bierman Family Aquatic Center
Pinno Building
PAGE 3 T H E A D V A N T A G E
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!
Diplomat Team
Here is a sneak peek at our new Diplo-mat Team, an arm of our Ambassador Group.
The Diplomats will be a select group of individu-als who will be available to area businesses with new hires who will meet with them, take them on tours, lunch, etc. The Diplomat’s role will be to answer questions about Merrill and the area and take the new hire on a tour if necessary to showcase the Merrill area.
Diplomats will be selected through an applica-tion process and selected by a Diplomat Review Team. The Diplomat’s will be matched to new hires based on several criteria that will aid in comfort levels/interests.
Applications for Diplomats will be available this month. And employers we will be meeting with you beginning in July.
Ambassador News & Ribbon Cuttings
Welcome New Members
Welcome Merrill Housing Authority, Mer-rill City Band, Pinno Buildings and Taggart Windows. We are so happy to have you in our 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
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
New Website Our new website has launched and it very
user friendly. You find that it is easier to
maneuver in and that some new features
have been added.
One of the best features is the long awaited
member web pages. Each member can
have their own web page that you manage
yourself. This is a great tool for businesses
that do not have their own website or for
the business who wants to post coupons or
daily specials. If you have your own web-
site, your hotlink will still work to move
visitors to your site, but a single page may-
be just what you are looking for either or
not you have your own website.
You will also notice that there are now
separate tabs for tourism and the chamber
foundation. These will be great tools espe-
cially if you are wanting to make a donation
to one of the many project funds that the
foundation operates.
For more information send questions to
Cheryl at [email protected] or
to Debbe at direc-
[email protected] or call us at 715-
536-9474.
Ambassadors Club: Beautification & Facade Recognitions & Ribbon Cuttings
VOLUNTEER
Chamber Education:
2016 Workshops
PAGE 4
offering 16 state-of-the-art lanes but they offer so much more. They have a terrific bar & grille, a game arcade with redemption center, a Pro Shop & of course banquet rooms.
Les & Jim’s offers birthday party packages, comedy shows, music/bands, bingo & the ban-quet facility is available for wedding receptions, corporate events & dining, luncheons & so much more.
And their updated Bar & Grille offers appetizers, gourmet burgers, sandwiches & wraps & home-made pizza. They are also very flexible on meal options when planning a banquet & can provide almost anything that you desire.
Les & Jim’s is just one more home grown busi-ness spanning 3 generations that is growing their passion for Merrill by updating & adding new programs, menu items & upgrades to meet the needs of today’s patrons. They are also teaching & growing the 4th generation to take over this fun & family centered business that will continue to serve Merrill for today & tomor-row & for generations to come! Thank you Mark & Jim & your families & team for keeping the tradition alive & giving back to our commu-nity for generations.
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%
*Super Lube—15%
*Creative Card Acceptance—1/2 priced USB
reader or $25 off USB signature
pad
The Business of the Month for July is Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes located at 1208 North Center Avenue in Merrill. Their telephone number is 715-536-9405. They open Monday thru Friday at 11:00 am & at Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm.
Les & Jim’s has been part of the Merrill fabric for more than 41 years with the 3rd generation now operating the business.
Les & Jim’s was established on May 31, 1969 by the father & son team of Les & Jim Bares as a bowling alley. In 1974 the duo added a large banquet room & in 1984 they expanded the bar. In order to make the lanes state-of-the art new automatic scoring, new seating & synthetic lanes were added in 1998 & the bar was renovated in 2011.
Les retired in 1985 & now the 3rd generation has taken over the management/ownership of the family run business. Jim retired in 2011 after 42 years. Jim’s son Mark & son-in-law Jim Arndt are carrying on the family tradition.
With the 3rd generation in place, the banquet hall received a facelift in 2014-15. Great colored up-lighting was added, fresh paint & beautiful chair covers now give banquet events a polished, up-dated feel & look.
Les & Jim’s is still a bowling alley first & foremost
*VIP On-line Member Discounts— to join
email them at [email protected]
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 Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes
What’s Up Wednesday?
Watch for your mini weekly news-letter of upcoming events every Wednesday via email and on our Face Book page at Merrill Chamber.
T H E A D V A N T A G E
S h o p
m e 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 [email protected]
In the subject line type: Education Topic
Welcome New Members
Welcome Merrill Housing Authority, Merrill
City Band, Pinno Buildings and Taggart Win-
dows!
38th Annual Golf Classic
Was a huge success! Thank you so
much to all of our sponsors, teams
and donors for making this an
awesome event! Hope to see next
year!
Welcome New Staff
There are two new faces in the office. Stop in
and welcome our summer intern Kelsey
Amelse. She is a senior at Merrill High School.
And our new office assistant is Trista Wolff
who is doing a job training
with us.
Scotland & Ireland Trip
The date is set for our next networking
adventure. The dates are April 1-12, 2017.
Brochures & all the info is now
available. Stop by & pick up a
brochure today for one of the
most relaxing trip, friendly
adventures!
Crazy Daze Vendors
Hard to believe but Crazy Daze is just
around the corner, so mark your calendar
for August 11. If you are
interested in being a
vendor, now is the time
to get your application
form into Cheryl. Space
will fill up quickly. This
year’s theme is the Roar-
ing 20’s! It’s as Crazy as Bee’s Knees!
.
“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 June:
Phone calls: 184
Emails: 141
Walk-ins: 156
Info mailed out: 616
Website Visits: 2370 Viewed: N/A
Restock Center: 334
Extra Nuts & Bolts
PAGE 5 T H E A D V A N T A G E
Chamber Chat….did you know?
New Website
Our new website has launched! We think you
will like it much more because it is so user
friendly! We also have the long awaited
webpages available for those who do not have
a website or those who want to offer coupons,
specials or announcements. Contact Cheryl
for more information. In the
days to come we will wrap up
the separate Chamber Founda-
tion and Tourism sections.
Check it out at
www.merrillchamber.org
Chamber
New Diplomat Program
Are you hiring soon or recently hired some-
one new to the area? Would a personalized
tour help in assisting your new employee settle
in Merrill? Would becoming acquainted with
the community help? Then let us match your
new employee with one of our diplomats who
can help familiarize your employee with the
area & tell/show them around town with de-
tail! Contact Debbe to set up your match
today.
Annual Chili Blast
We are looking for chili blast
contestants! If you think your
chili is the best, then you will
want to register for this Sep-
tember 24 event.
Pork in the Park Ribfest
Planning is already underway for our 4th
Annual Pork in the Park Ribfest. If you are
interested in becoming a rib competitor or a
sponsor for one the
largest single day
events in Merrill,
contact us for details.
Save the date: Sep-
tember 17.
Congratulations
Happy 25th Anniversary to the
Park City Garden Club! Thanks
for all you do to beautify our
community.
Tickets on Sale
We have Tractor Pull, Fair, Lobster Fest
tickets & Barleyfest tickets now available at
the Chamber office.
Movie in the Park
July 8
Tractor Pull
July 9
Lincoln County Fair
July 20-24
Promote your upcoming
events
Contact Cheryl at
Taking Notes…..
705 North Center Avenue
Merrill, Wisconsin 54452
MERRILL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
THE ADVANTAG E
entertainment, games, exhibitions, animals & of course rides! Advanced tickets on sale now at the
Chamber office.
July 30– 2nd Annual Lobsterfest The fresh Maine lobster are waiting for you out side of Ballyhoos from 4-8pm raising funds for the Safe
Ride Home Program. Get your advanced ticket for $40 which includes lobster & all the fixings! Tickets are available now at the Chamber. Event sold out
last year!
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.
July 4—Independence Day—Chamber Closed
Fireworks at the MARC at Dusk.. Pow Wow Days Parade in Tomahawk at 1pm.
July 6—Merrill City Band
The Merrill City Band will play a patriotic themed concert at Normal Park Gazebo beginning at 7pm.
The band will play every Wednesday thru July.
July 7—Gazebo Night Kicks off its season at Normal Park at 6:00pm with
the music of Brian McLaughlin. Bring your chairs, blankets & refreshments. In case of rain location will be Les & Jim’s. Gazebo Nights are held every
Thursday thru August.
July 8—7th Annual Movie in the Park It’s the Chamber’s 7th Annual Movie in the Park sponsored by Marshfield Clinic playing at Normal
Park at dusk. This year’s movie is Spy Kids, so bring
all your little spies for a night of mystery and watch
a movie under the stars!
July 9—1st Annual Tractor Pull
Held at Merrill Festival Grounds the antique tractor pull and car show will begin at 12:00 noon. Then at 6pm the National Tractor Puller Association main event will begin. Cost for both shows is $12 adults;
kids ages 4-12 is $8; and under 3 is free. For ques-
tions contact Jason Grueneberg at 715-297-6336.
July 20-24—Lincoln Cty. Fair Come to the fair at the Merrill Festival Grounds
beginning at Wed. night. Food vendors, games,
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
Trista Wolff – Office Assistant
Kelsey Amelse—Student Summer Intern
Comments, Questions
& Concerns
PRESORTED
STANDARD
US POSTAGE PAID
MERRILL WI
PERMIT NO. 11
CHAMBER MEETINGS
Return Service Requested
Legislative – 8/8
Foundation— 7/15
Ambassador Club – 8/16
Board of Directors— 8/17
Retail Promotions—TBA
RibFest - TBA
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
Cheryl Skoug—Program Manager
Trista Wolff—Office Assistant
Summer Intern—Kelsey Amelse
Website -
www.merrillchamber.org
merrillchamber1
105 Years 1911– 2016
