The Buzz from WCEDA - upcoming networking events you won't want to miss and much more... |
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WCEDA is your source for all things business - workforce, expansions, location resources, financial connections, legislative advocacy, career awareness with youth, networking events, and initiatives to address county-wide issues like housing. |
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In this email... Upcoming Events l Membership News Workforce News l County Developments Economic Indicators l Other News
Valuable Resources |
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A few words from WCEDA's Executive Director, Derek D'Auria ... |
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| Navigating AI: A Virtual Education Series
Thursdays from 12:30-12:50pm August 29 - November 7, 2024 Have you experimented with ChatGPT but feel there's still so much more to learn? Are you seeking a marketing or prospecting solution but unsure where to begin? Do you feel overwhelmed by the multitude of AI app options and need help narrowing them down?
Join us to explore the basics, so when you’re ready to dive into AI apps, you'll feel confident taking the plunge on your own. We’ll help you narrow down your options by providing an overview of popular business solutions. *Sessions are stand-alone and can be attended individually.
This series is FREE and exclusive to WCEDA member company employees. If you are on our list as a member, you should be getting weekly emails. If you are not, please contact us at leslie@walworthbusiness.com. |
| Schedule Upcoming TBD Previous weeks: Week 1: ChatGPT Virtual Assistant Week 2: Adobe & DALL•E Creative Week 3: AI & Websites Week 4: Placer.ai Location Intelligence & Foot Traffic Data Week 5: xiQ Personality-driven Sales and Marketing
Week 6: Copilot Microsoft 365 Assistant |
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Fundamentals of Supervision, Module I
Wednesdays, starting October 23, 2024
Gateway Technical College, Elkhorn Campus
This comprehensive program is designed to equip current and aspiring supervisors with the essential skills and knowledge needed to lead effectively in today’s dynamic work environment. Four weeks, Wednesdays from 8-10am
[Learn More/Register Now] |
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WCEDA's Annual Meeting
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa • 11:30am - 2:00pm
WCEDA Members: $45 • Non-Members: $59
Building AI Agility: Human Flourishing in the AI Economy
In this talk, we explore how Generative AI is revolutionizing the way we work and learn. Positioned at the forefront of the Skills-Based Economy, this keynote offers a clear strategy to leverage AI for enhancing human capabilities and achieving business goals.
We emphasize the importance of balancing cutting-edge technology with cultivating uniquely human skills, essential for flourishing in the AI economy.
[Register Now] |
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Thank you to all our golfers, sponsors and of course, our host sponsor, Lake Lawn Resort! |
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WCEDA's Kareers4Kids Golf Outing Fundraiser
September 10, 2024
Event Sponsors: Interstate Insurance & Mode Industries
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View all the photos on the event webpage here. |
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| Lunch Sponsor Corporate Contractors, Inc. |
| Drink Sponsor
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa |
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Lunch Sponsor Wisconsin Oven
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Sierra Financial Services Topsy Turvy Brewery Gateway Technical College Bakertilly |
| Chamberlain l Otte
Compass - Tricia Forbeck Pier 290 Advia Credit Union |
| Adams Voyager Wealth Management Lake Geneva Blinds Co. Primex Family of Companies Town Bank |
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"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." —Michael Altshuler, American author and motivational speaker |
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| Check out our Career Connected Learning Model!
Offer level 1 experiences like employer visits and job shadows to get to know local potential help that is already interested in your industry. Offer level 2 experiences like Youth Apprenticeships and promote your entry-level job openings on the WI Job Board to fill your workforce gaps NOW! If you're interested in hosting career visits for our students please visit our website to sign up, or give me a call and I can do it for you. It's a simple process.
Check out the informational video of our event, "Hiring Head Start" by clicking here. |
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High School Manufacturing Tours
Thank you to our manufacturers for opening your doors to our local high school students! The schedule is full!!
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October 8 8-9:30am - PropShaft 10-11:30am - MPM |
| October 10 Big Foot HS 8-9:30am - MPM 10-11:30am - Continental Plastics |
| October 16 Elkhorn Area HS 8-9:30am
Wisconsin Oven
10-11:30am Palmer Hamilton
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| October 18 Badger HS 8-9:30am - SPX 10-11:30am - Continental Plastics |
| October 23 8-9:30am - Precision Plus 10-11:30am - Palmer Hamilton |
| October 29 DDHS 8-9:30am - Precision Plus 10-11:30am - Palmer Hamilton |
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Aurora YA Medical Signing Day
On September 11, I attended the Aurora Lakeland Medical Signing Day for the Youth Apprenticeships in Pharmacy and CNA. The students were from the Elkhorn school district and participated in the new Clinical Support Assistant Program. It was so nice to see how proud the students are! |
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| November
I'm looking forward to arranging career experiences in the hospitality industry during the month of November. If you're open to hosting students, please reach out to me or sign up through the Career Connected Learning Model above. |
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Joel & Leslie from WCEDA toured Radius Packaging on October 3 in preparation for Radius's upcoming custom Spanish course. |
| Spanish for Business I
WCEDA's Spanish for Business course is a great way for your supervisors and managers to better communicate with their Spanish speaking teams!
Led by our experienced instructor Joel Espinoza, this tailored program brings the classroom to you.
Option 1: Join a multi-company session.
This is a hybrid course consisting of ten, 90-minute sessions (nine hours online, six in person), that is oriented to basic/entry-level Spanish speakers. Participants who complete the course will receive a completion certificate.
Option 2: Custom Course
Do you have at least 10 participants? We can create a customized program based on your needs, at the basic, intermediate, or advanced level, with a minimum of 12 instructional hours, that can be broken down into multiple sessions.
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Leadership Training for Executive-Level Leaders
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Top Level Leadership
This advanced leadership series isn’t a one-off course. We’re presenting an opportunity to join others and work with an expert in organizational psychology, organizational development and change leadership on building the human side of your business. We know that our local business community is the most technically capable out there. We also know that what prevents us from realizing our greatness has a human face. Contact Susan Smolarek for information how your management team can join in the next session. |
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Essential Skills Training
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Bring Your 'A' Game - Essential Workplace Skills
Tuesdays starting in late October
Gateway Technical College, Elkhorn Campus
Empower your workforce with essential workplace skills, increase employment and promote lifelong success! Bring Your ‘A’ Game is an engaging curriculum for building the seven foundational workplace skills of Work Ethic:
Attendance (Reliability), Attitude (Positivity), Appearance (Professionalism), Ambition (Initiative), Acceptance (Respect), Appreciation (Gratitude), Accountability (Integrity) Six weeks, Tuesdays from 7:30-10am
[Learn More/Register Now] |
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About WCEDA's Workforce Housing Program
In 2023, WCEDA’s board determined that efforts relating to workforce housing align with its mission. Workforce housing is essentially what is being called the “missing middle,” and encompasses entry level workers as well as professional workers such as physicians and everything in between including public employees, like teachers, police officers, and public works staff members. Many counties in the region are facing similar challenges and are in various stages of addressing this issue — an issue that may be the number one barrier for workforce at the moment. In Jefferson County, Green County, and Washington County (and likely many others) housing efforts are being led or co-led by economic development agencies like WCEDA... Go to WCEDA's Housing Page to learn more.
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Understanding the costs of developing a single family home buildable lot.
Many of the costs to develop a new housing project are more than simply the cost of the materials and labor to build the houses. These costs often are beyond any control the developer or the local municipalities would have.
To help make these developments cost effective we want to take some of the financial costs and risk out of the picture. It is important to look at creating allowable density, cooperative engineering standards and realistic municipal fees to make an already risky business venture feasible.
According to a recent Harvard University report, there are several reasons builders and developers are unable to provide enough homes at affordable prices, including:... [Read On]
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White House National Cyber Director speaks to UW-Whitewater
Harry Coker, Jr., White House National Cyber Director spoke to a group at UW-Whitewater to honor students in the Cybersecurity program and talk about how critical this field is to our economic security. He noted that this is a high-paying and growing field. UWW has a bachelor's degree program. [More info] |
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Gateway announces new Uniquely Abled CNC Advanced Operator program
The Uniquely Abled Academy offers the CNC Advanced Operator certificate program specifically tailored for young adults with diagnosed level one autism. Students will receive additional educational support and job placement services designed for them, extra classes that teach the soft skills necessary for the workplace and intensive support from our Student Accommodations & Accessibility Services (SAAS) team, which includes advising, tutoring and more. [More info]
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Elkhorn YouthBuild/Habitat for Humanity ground breaking
On Sunday, September 22nd, Dr. Kelly Demerath and Derek D'Auria attended the groundbreaking event for the next shared build between Habitat for Humanity International and the Elkhorn YouthBuild. Thank you EASD, Walworth County, Michael Cotter, Brian Schuk, and Bloomfield Township, for collaborating to invest in your community and our students! |
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(UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner) |
| Paralympians honored
On September 21, four Warhawk Paralympians were honored in front of 12,989 fans at Perkins Stadium during the UW-Whitewater football game against Mary Hardin-Baylor. Team USA men's gold medalists Jake Williams and John Boie and Team USA women's silver medalists Becca Murray and Christina Schwab (coach) were back in Whitewater after competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games earlier this month. [See More]
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| Taste of Delavan
Thursday, October 24 Enjoy the unique, versatile and inspiring spaces that bring people
together at Boxed & Burlap. As you mix and mingle with Chamber
Members from Walworth County while sampling trays of delicious
food from our Local Restaurants and fellow Chamber Members.
[Register Now!] |
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Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is beginning a regional broadband assessment in an effort to bring broadband to more Wisconsinites. The first step in the process is to conduct speed testing across the region. To take the test, residents and businesses simply need to visit, from their home or work location. It will only take a few moments and personal information is always protected and never shared. [Take the Test]
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To read more about each indicator, visit the newsletter section of our website here. |
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According to the BLS current population survey (CPS), the unemployment rate for Wisconsin rose 0.1 percentage points in November 2023 to 3.3%. The state unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than the... |
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10-2 Year Treasury Yield Spread is at 0.15%, compared to 0.16% the previous market day and -0.32% last year. This is lower than the long term average of 0.86%. The 10-2 Treasury Yield Spread is the difference... |
| New orders for manufactured durable goods in the US were loosely unchanged from the prior month in August of 2024, compared to the revised 9.8% surge in July which was the highest in four years, and contrasting... |
| Average Crude Oil Spot Price is at a current level of 72.42, down from 78.12 last month and down from 92.22 one year ago. This is a change of -7.29% from last month and -21.47% from one year ago. The Average Crude Oil Spot Price... |
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| WWBIC New Resources & Partners
WWBIC is offering more diverse trainings and events now than ever before! Fill out their updated Client/Business Information form by clicking the link below to make sure that you will be notified once any grants, networking events and more are available!
[Form] |
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Wisconsin Economic Forecast – August 2024 Download the .pdf here. |
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Property Values and Taxes DataTool
This datatool explores key trends in statewide property values and tax levies, which are important indicators of the state's economic health, the cost borne by taxpayers, and the finances of its local governments. In this streamlined interactive format, users can view separate analyses of southeast Wisconsin and Dane County data, or explore the statewide data themselves, filtering by municipality or county to easily create custom reports.
Check out the tool |
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| Small Business Development Grant (SBDG)
The Small Business Development Grant (SBDG) Program will offer financial incentives for communities and organizations to develop innovative programs that directly support small businesses and small business creation. [Learn More] |
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| Wisconsin Green Innovation Fund
Our friends at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), via the Wisconsin Green Innovation Fund, have been invited to compile a portfolio of fundable projects to submit to the Coalition for Green Capital (CGC), a national green bank.
This is a chance for your project(s) to impact the future of clean energy in Wisconsin. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to submit a proposal to the Wisconsin Green Innovation Fund! [Learn More] |
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| RelyLocal
The national economy depends heavily on the health of local economies, and the local economy depends on the health of the local businesses. Local businesses not only contribute to the local economy, but are the foundation of a healthy community overall. Our goal? To develop strategies to support local businesses (across the country) by Developing new solutions to support local businesses, creating local campaigns to revitalize local communities, and putting America back to work. [Learn More]
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Walworth County Financial Futures Incentive (WCFFI)
The Walworth County Financial Futures Incentive (WCFFI) Program can provide some help with reaching financial goals (including a financial boost of up to $500). [Learn More] |
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| Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE)
C-PACE is a property tax-assessment financing mechanism for energy & water
efficiency and renewable energy improvements to commercial properties. Benefits include: finance up to 100% of hard + soft costs, fixed rate, long-term: 20 – 30 years, tenants share cost & savings, transfers to new owner upon sale, potential off-balance sheet treatment, reduce waste & improve experience. [Learn More] |
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WCEDA Loan Program
Are you having trouble getting a loan? Are your revenues under $1 million? WCEDA may be able to HELP. We have a loan program through the USDA for small businesses called the Hometown Entrepreneur Loan Program (HELP) that aims to help small business access capital. Many times we can work with banks or other programs like SBA or WHEDA to make a loan work for companies.
[APPLICATION]
[ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES] [CONTACT WCEDA] |
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