New Superintendent Stan Mack - Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce

Transcription

New Superintendent Stan Mack - Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
September/October 2012
Vol. 12 Issue 5
New Superintendent Stan Mack
Ready to take on new challenges
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NewsWave
NewsWave
On the Cover
Stan Mack is the new
superintendent for the Oshkosh
Area School District, but he isn't
new to the challenges facing
public schools.
NewsWave
September/October 2012 Volume 12, Issue 5
Feature Stories
6
Workforce Paradox
10 New Face, Similar Challenges
12
School Accomplishments
16 Workplace Bullying
President/CEO
John Casper
Editor
Brittany Farrell
Layout
Bart Putzer
Upcoming Events
6
21 A.M. Oshkosh
29 Business After Hours
Cover Photography
Phil Weston, Weston Imaging
30 Chamber Calendar of Events
Advertising
Carolyn Schmidt, (920) 203-3221
carolyn@oshkoshchamber.com
30 Around the Town
Find NewsWave online at
www.oshkoshchamber.com/
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Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce,
120 Jackson St.
Oshkosh, WI 54901
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Send address changes to the
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
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Oshkosh, WI 54901
Phone (920) 303-2266
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E-mail address:
info@oshkoshchamber.com
4
18 Seminars & Workshops
NewsWave  September/October 2012
5
12
Chairman's Message
18 Meet your Ambassador
22 Member Spotlight
24 Chamber Clips
12
25 New Members
28 Business Briefs
16
The Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce is a 5-star accredited chamber and proud member of
the New North working to serve business and the community.
Community continues to grow
Chamber advances goals
Reflecting back on the past year, I am amazed by the
progress the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce has made.
It has been my pleasure to serve as the chairman and help
contribute to the growth of the community. While every
community faces challenges, the Oshkosh Chamber of
Commerce has advanced many of its goals and objectives to
help improve the development of our community
and businesses.
During my term, the Chamber led an initiative to bring
together community organizations in an effort to market
the community. These organizations (city of Oshkosh,
Winnebago County, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce,
OAEDC, Chamco, Oshkosh Convention and Visitors
Bureau, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, FVTC, and the
towns of Algoma, Blackwolf and Oshkosh) have formed
a marketing group to fund and implement a campaign on
behalf of the community.
The centerpiece of this initiative is a Business & Industry
Cluster Analysis. The analysis is a comprehensive, indepth look at the economy of our surrounding area. This
will help us ascertain the type of business that we are best
able to support and recruit to the area. The study is being
funded in part through a $40,000 grant we secured from
the Economic Development Administration of the U.S.
Department of Commerce. Additionally, we have hired
Strata Communications to plan an aggressive marketing
campaign specifically designed to bring in new business and
create jobs and tax base. The rollout for this campaign is
planned for early fall.
The Chamber Board of Directors spearheaded the strategic
planning process this year, which was led by Vicki Updike,
president of Miles Kimball and incoming chairwoman
of the Board of Directors. We reached out to members
through comprehensive surveys and focus groups to gather
input and insight. The result of this process reaffirmed the
Chamber’s role in economic development and remains to
be the top priority for the organization. In fact, 70 percent
of members indicate that this is a priority for the Oshkosh
Chamber.
This past year, the community continued to experience
growth. I am encouraged by the new ownership and
the renovations that started at the downtown hotel, the
completion of building construction on the UW Oshkosh
campus, and the progress on the reconstruction of U.S.
Highway 41. Recently, the result of the community’s
collective actions was recognized by Area Magazine when it
ranked the Oshkosh MSA first in Wisconsin and 59th in the
nation for economic and workforce growth indicators.
Oshkosh is on the right course for moving forward. This
past summer demonstrates why Oshkosh is Wisconsin’s
Event City as we hosted many national and worldwide
recognized events such as EAA AirVenture, Country USA,
Rock USA, Lifest and Waterfest.
I feel confident that in the past year we have helped the
Chamber grow and move forward toward a common goal
shared with other members. I can assure we are on the right
path of moving forward. The Chamber members' resources
have been used wisely and put toward the constant growing
economy of Oshkosh. With this, I look forward to meeting
with everyone at my last meeting as chairman on Oct. 29.
Dr. John Anderson is the 2011-12 Oshkosh Chamber Chairman
of the Board and is an optometrist who owns Anderson Vision
Ltd.
NewsWave  www.oshkoshchamber.com
5
Workforce Paradox
Schools, businesses need to work together to
encourage students toward high-tech jobs
By Barbara A. Schmitz
Even if you’re not good at
math, it’s easy to see that the
numbers don’t add up:
• More than 35 percent
of Fond du Lac County
workers will retire
within the next 10 years,
leaving a potential gap
of 19,500 employees
by 2026, primarily in
manufacturing and
production.
• Heath care employers in
the Fox Valley could see
nearly one-third of their
current workers retire
within 10 years, and close
to half retire within 15
years.
One truth is becoming
evident: unless business
and education leaders
can put students on
a fast-track toward
skilled occupations
and high-tech jobs at
local companies, there
won’t be enough young
people entering the
workforce in the next
decade to replace the
veteran talent that will
be retiring.
Petek said about 25
percent of jobs in
Wisconsin require a
four-year or longer
degree. That means 75
percent of jobs don’t.
Yet, about 57 percent
of Oshkosh public
high school graduates
and 95 percent of
Oshkosh private high
school graduates go on
to attend a four-year
college.
Some area employers
likely aren’t surprised by
the results of the 2011
studies, both conducted
by Moraine Park Technical
Institute. That’s because they
already have trouble finding
“It’s been drilled into
qualified workers, even
everyone that to be
though the unemployment
Photo courtesy Oshkosh Area School District
successful, you need a
rate hovers at about 7
An Oshkosh Area School District middle school student uses a Miller
four-year degree,” Petek
percent in the Oshkosh/
spot welder to assemble a toolbox in a tech ed class.
said. But that isn’t always
Neenah area. The problem,
true.
known as Workforce
Paradox, means that job seekers have skills, but not the
When you send a large percentage of your students on
skills employers need.
to universities, you prepare them for jobs that don’t
currently exist, Petek said. Just as frustrating is the number
John Petek, president of Marvel Manufacturing, is one of
of students who start college, but never finish. They do
those employers. He said he looked at his own company
succeed at one thing, however: accumulating debt.
after hearing about the Fond du Lac study. “I realized I
am in the same boat and that I will have an extraordinary
Petek said the blame for today’s problems rests on
number of people retiring in 10 years,” said Petek, who is
businesses and manufacturers, which have done a poor job
also business chairman of the Oshkosh Chamber’s Partners
communicating the opportunities and potential salaries for
in Education (PIE) Council. “How am I going to fill those? I
workers, as well as creating partnerships with the local K-12
can’t even find machinists now unless I train them myself.”
school systems.
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NewsWave  September/October 2012
Fond du Lac companies are starting more school-to-work
programming that is being driven by industry, he said, and
Oshkosh needs to develop a similar model.
The Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce and its PIE Council
could be big part of the answer. “We need to pull businesses
together,” Petek said. “We have to find personalities
who want to get involved and who will involve their
acquaintances and business associates.”
Nicole Peterson agrees. As marketing education teacher and
Career and Technical Education (CTE) coordinator for the
Oshkosh public schools, she said schools and businesses
have traditionally been disconnected. “The Chamber could
be that bridge to get the two sides together,” she said.
However, the PIE Council is taking an important first step.
Beginning this fall, it will start critiquing the current courses
offered at the Oshkosh public schools and determine which
ones are relevant, which need to be tweaked, and which
courses should be added, Petek said.
Dave Gundlach, deputy superintendent for Oshkosh public
schools, said it is fairly easy to add classes, or drop those
that are no longer relevant. But the difficulty is finding
consensus on what those changes should be. “Sometimes,
even from the business community, there is no agreement
on what they want,” he said.
Once there is consensus, the challenge then becomes getting
the students to take classes businesses deem as relevant.
Currently, public high school students choose classes by
using a course booklet. It gives guidelines on what classes to
take, depending on the career the students are interested in.
The hard part also becomes not tracking kids too early
before they blossom, Gundlach said. “There is such a big
change from eighth grade to 12th grade,” he said. “They are
such a different person by the end academically, cognitively
and socially.”
Although nearly all their students go on to a four-year
college, the city’s private schools have also expanded their
guidance counseling and advising services.
The United Catholic Schools system, which recently
renamed its schools Lourdes Academy, is making changes
to its advising, and will be focusing on three areas —
academic, career and social, said President Bob Biebel.
Career counseling will begin in sixth grade in an effort to get
students focused on their strengths and interests and what
occupations might best fit them, he said.
Oshkosh Christian and Valley Christian staff members
advise students. “We are not so much focused on what
careers a student might want to do, but what are they gifted
at or passionate about?” said John Davis, head administrator.
“We ask them, ‘What did God make you to do?’ ”
Petek said the PIE Council plans to start a manufacturing
pathway, trying to get youth interested in manufacturing
careers at the middle school level. But it also needs to
encourage businesses to make more connections with the
schools, both public and private.
Yet many parents don’t understand how their children are
picking classes, Peterson said. Parents need to be involved
and ask their children why they are taking particular classes,
and if they’re not relevant, persuade them to take classes
that are, she said.
To help students pick classes that fit their interests, the
district has created 16 career pathways that students can
follow, or 113 careers. “We’re trying, at the very least, to
get kids to decide on what career clusters interest them,”
Peterson said.
In recent years, guidance counselors have started holding
conferences with students and their parents in fourth, eighth
and 10th grades to determine possible careers. But parents
often dismiss manufacturing jobs as an option for their
child.
“It can be a perceptual issue,” Gundlach said. “Parents think
why would I have my kids work in a manufacturing area
when those jobs can be sent overseas in a heartbeat? We’ve
spent years hearing about outsourcing, but I don’t think
people understand that we are still a heavily manufacturing
state.”
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NewsWave  September/October 2012
Photo courtesy Oshkosh Area School District
A middle school student from the Oshkosh public schools
works on a CO2 car. Students must double-check the multiple
constraints on the cars, such as length and weight.
NewsWave  www.oshkoshchamber.com
7
Marvel Manufacturing is a good example of such a
connection. Each holiday, the company brings in Smith
Elementary fifth graders to visit. The students and workers
eat lunch together, sing some Christmas songs, and tour the
plant. “I get letters saying ‘I hope to work for you someday,’ ”
Petek said. “That is the kind of thing more businesses need
to do. We need to show students that there are some pretty
nice jobs in manufacturing.”
Parents also need to realize that if their children start in a
manufacturing job, they don’t have to stay there. In fact, it is
highly unlikely they will.
“It’s very clear that today’s students will have upward of 13
different careers throughout the span of their working life,”
Gundlach said. “Parents shouldn’t think that their child’s
first job is their terminal career.”
That realization helps to explain why upgrading technology
in the schools is so important.
The Oshkosh public district has already stabilized its
infrastructure so it could support the needed technology
upgrades, Gundlach said. It has also committed resources
to do pilot programs, and received a series of grants to put
technology into four of the elementary schools, as well as
some sites in the middle and high schools.
“We were able to start to get technology into the hands
of some of our trailblazer teachers, and then get it into
the students’ hands,” he said. In fact, in just a few weeks,
the district will be opening its first one-to-one school —
Jefferson Elementary — where each student will have an
iPad. “If you think of where we came from, that’s quite a
leap," Gundlach said.
Oshkosh’s private schools have also made technology
a priority.
Oshkosh Christian is working on its infrastructure, with a
goal to have one-on-one computing within five years, Davis
said. But how much and how soon all depends on funding.
“We charge some of the highest tuition rates in the area
because we don’t have institutional support,” Davis said.
“We are also somewhat dependent on fundraising
and donations.”
While they are on much more solid financial footing than
they’ve been in the past, if fundraising and gift giving
dwindles, the yearly budget will be impacted. “We may have
to run a capital campaign in the next couple of years, but
giving technology a bigger percentage of the budget is a step
in the right direction,” Davis said.
Lourdes is also trying to upgrade its infrastructure to
prepare for new technology, Biebel said. But tight budgets
make it difficult to create 21st century classrooms and offer
the technology that is needed.
“In making sure we are able to offer Catholic education to
everyone who wants it, even though they might not be able
to afford it, money becomes an issue,” Biebel said. Local
Catholic parishes help the district keep the costs down, as
well as the support of benefactors and fundraisers. But in a
tough economy, some of the revenue sources can dry up,
he said.
Things aren’t any better financially in the public sector.
“Competing school districts spend $7 million to $8 million
more each year than we do,” Gundlach said. “That is why
their facilities tend to be upgraded and they already have
technology in the hands of their kids. There are a lot of
things they can do to get ahead of us.”
In addition, the Oshkosh district faces a $3 million deficit
this year, plus it is faced with $70-plus million in deferred
maintenance costs. While it looks like the community will
support the maintenance updates, cutting $3 million from
the budget will have an impact.
“Eventually, the voters are going to have to step in and
say, ‘enough is enough,’ ” Gundlach said. “But think about
everything that goes into communicating the problems
a school district is having to the voters, and then to get
them to support it, especially when only 20 percent of our
population has children in school right now.”
Photo courtesy Lourdes Academy
Lourdes Academy student carry in supplies for their annual
Stuff the Bus drive. Community service plays a big part in the
Catholic school system.
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NewsWave  September/October 2012
However, the district can't continually make up the deficit
on the back of its staff. “You have to offer a market rate
for whatever service you’re buying,” Gundlach said. “Our
starting pay for a teacher is $32,800, but it’s over $40,000 in
Neenah. You can’t offer a lower starting pay for too long or
we’ll become a training ground. We put money into training
teachers and then they take that training and value to the
next district.”
Oshkosh isn’t the only public school system dealing with
this issue, he points out. “But the difference is that other
districts levied to their authority in the last 10 years, and
we didn’t always do that,” he said. “It means that our
competitors now have greater revenue that they are dealing
with.”
Gundlach said Oshkosh has been restricting and decreasing
its budgets to the point of cutting programs almost every
year. By raising the minimum number of students needed
to run a class — 27 in the high schools — the district
basically “cut” its course offerings.
When looking at what classes to take, high school students
might be interested in engineering or tech ed, Peterson said.
“But if they don’t have a career plan, they’ll take AP or CAPP
classes, get some college credits, and say they’ll figure out
later what they want to do.”
In fact, the various elective classes — such as art, music and
others — end up “competing” for students so their classes
will be held. Even the career and technical ed programs
compete for students among themselves.
The larger class sizes have hurt the tech and engineering
departments at the middle and high schools, said Jerry
Johnson, Oshkosh North teacher and department chair.
“Years ago, if we had 34 kids sign up for a class, they would
divide it into two classes of 17,” he said. Now, they regularly
cancel classes because they don’t have the required 27
students, he said.
Fewer classes have also translated into fewer teachers. Five
years ago, they had 17 teachers in his department, Johnson
said. In 2012-13, they will have 12.
However, the department tries to combine two similar
courses when possible to get the needed number to run
a class. But at times, classes can’t be combined, Johnson
said, because the subject matter is too different. That’s
the case with Project Lead the Way, a program that offers
college credit for project-based engineering courses. “The
introductory course runs every year, but the high schools
have struggled to offer the other classes on a regular basis,”
Johnson said. Thus, it has become common to cancel a
couple engineering and tech ed classes every year at each of
the two public high schools.
There is also a problem with "singletons," or classes that are
only offered once a day. Sometimes students who would like
to take a CTE class can't because it conflicts with another
course students need or want to take. "So we also lose some
students because of the limited availability of our classes,"
Johnson said.
He, too, thinks the solution will come through better
marketing and improved relationships with businesses.
That’s why his department recently formed an advisory
committee consisting of educators, businesses, school board
members and others. “We’re looking for input from business
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NewsWave  September/October 2012
Photo courtesy Oshkosh Area School District
Getting technology like iPads into the hands of Oshkosh Area
School District students is an important step in meeting the
needs of tomorrow’s workforce.
and industry to make sure what we’re doing in the schools
is good for students and helping out the employers as well,”
Johnson said.
The district also hopes to start more youth apprenticeship
opportunities, Peterson said. “We’re going to more of an
internship /career exploration piece,” she said. “So now,
if a student thinks he or she wants to be a photographer,
we can contact photo studios and get that student working
five or 10 hours a week at one of the studios. It would give
students some experience, and they’d earn credit to get
some of those employability skills.”
The program is still in draft form, and will take some
training on the part of counselors, teachers and
administrators, Peterson said. “But we’re at least a couple
steps closer … to making this a reality.”
While discussions between business and education are
starting, Peterson said creative ideas are always welcome.
“My message to business is that if you want to be involved
with anything K-12, make a call. If you have an idea, fine.
But if you don’t have an idea, call anyway and we’ll help you
come up with one. One of us just needs to start the
ball rolling.”
New superintendent faces similar challenges
By Barbara A. Schmitz
Stan Mack may be new to the job as superintendent for the
Oshkosh Area School District, but he is certainly not new to
the problems and challenges that public schools face.
Mack, 62, started the Oshkosh job on July 1 in what will
be his 40th year in the education field. He previously served
as the executive director of the
Minnesota Board of School
Administrators, and has worked
as a superintendent or assistant
superintendent of various
Minnesota school districts since
1982.
“The Oshkosh Area School District is among the lowestfunded districts in the state based on decisions made in the
past of underfunding,” Mack said. “Part of the issue is that
we are not staying competitive. By having our neighboring
districts have more resources per pupil available to them, we
are losing students to those districts.”
Mack said students can choose from many nearby schools.
“That means a district can’t
say that whatever is, is,” he
said. “We need to be a district
of choice and a district that
individuals look forward to
come to because we offer quality
and breadth and depth of
instruction.”
“About 80 percent of my
experiences are transferable from
my experience in Minnesota,”
said Mack. “What I’m spending
most of my time on in Oshkosh
is getting to know the nuances
and history of the Oshkosh
schools and its community, as
well as the nuances of Wisconsin Photo courtesy Oshkosh Area School District
and its public instruction system.” Expanding technology use in classrooms will
help retain students and make Oshkosh a
destination district.
But Mack acknowledges that
he faces many challenges in his new position. His first
priority is coming up with a strategic plan. “It’s been long
overdue,” Mack said. “We need to have a strategic planning
process that will identify top priorities of the district, as
well as financial resources and what steps we should take to
enhance additional revenue…”
The Oshkosh Community Foundation has stepped forward
to help the school district identify community priorities
for education. That information will then be used to create
the district’s strategic plan, which Mack is hopeful can be
completed by February. “That will give us a road map so
we can clearly articulate to the community that these are
our priorities and these are the issues we want to address.
By acknowledging publicly that there are issues that can be
tackled, we can decide how to work together to do that.”
The district also faces some major financial challenges with
a $3 million deficit and $70-plus million worth of deferred
maintenance projects, some which are critical. All of this is
happening as federal stimulus dollars dry up.
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NewsWave  September/October 2012
To gain back its competitiveness,
Mack said the Oshkosh district
must reflect on its quality
and programs, and deal
with facilities upgrades and
replacements. The community
vote to build a new and
reconstructed Oaklawn School,
however, is a huge first step, he
said.
The board is also considering a health and safety energy
investment that is allowed by Wisconsin law, Mack said.
The law allows districts to exceed their revenue caps to pay
for projects that improve energy efficiency. “It will allow us
to replace boilers and roofs, and a long list of delayed or
neglected issues…” Mack said.
Another challenge will be to create stability within the
district’s central office. The district has experienced major
turnover there, and part of the problem with such large
turnover is the limited institutional memory that exists.
“Our director of special education is the only person with
long-term historical memory in the district,” Mack said.
“Everyone else is two years or less, and that’s not good for an
organization.”
Mack’s first priority there will to determine why people are
leaving.
“When you hire rising stars, very often people will go off to
positions that professionally advance them,” he said. “We
shouldn’t do anything to stop people from doing that. But if
people are leaving because they are disgruntled, then I need
to know that and determine what is the causation.”
In order for a school district to be successful and stable,
you need stability in its leadership — both from the
superintendent and the district’s other top administrators,
Mack said. He said he plans to stay in Oshkosh a minimum
of six years to start the stability process. “I wouldn’t want to
do all the work it takes to be successful,” he said, “if I would
be in it just for the short-term.”
He and his wife, Margaret Leibfried, have purchased a house
in Oshkosh. But for at least the next school year, Leibfried
will commute between Oshkosh and suburban Minneapolis
where she is a middle school principal.. However, she has
begun searching for local jobs.
A self-image problem also needs to be corrected, he said.
“People are down on themselves and the school district. We
need to find ways of turning that around by looking at all of
our positive features, and then take where we are now, and
make next month, next year and future years better.”
Mack wants to be the school district’s champion, be
actively involved in the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce,
and speak to community groups and organizations about
what is happening in the schools. It’s a role he also played
in Minnesota, and a role that won him accolades for his
leadership and communication skills.
Despite some overwhelming challenges, Oshkosh still has
many reasons to celebrate, he said.
“I’m taken aback by the dedication and the
entrepreneurialism of principals and teachers, particularly
when faced by financial limitations,” Mack said. “They
seek out grants and other sources of income to support
activities in the school. They go the extra mile to enhance
opportunities for students.”
Mack said he believes deep down that Oshkosh has a strong
sense of serving children and its community well. “When
I’m around teachers, administrators and the central office
administration, the talk is how can we provide this service
better, or how can we respond to this particular need. That
is very encouraging.”
11
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Photo by Phil Weston
Stan Mack began his job as superintendent of the Oshkosh
Area School District in July.
Mack’s Career at a Glance
Stan Mack began his educational career as a special
education teacher at South Saint Paul, a Minnesota public
school.
 Four years later, he was appointed director of special
services, with responsibilities for special education
programming, federal programs, vocational education, and selected curricular programs.
 Since 1982, Mack has served as the superintendent
of schools at Eveleth Public Schools, Eveleth Vocational Technical College, Northfield Public Schools,
and Robbinsdale Area Public Schools; and assistant
superintendent for Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Public
Schools and Osseo Area Schools, all in Minnesota.
 For the past 27 months, he has been the executive director of the Minnesota Board of School Administrators, the state agency governing licensing standards,
continuing education, and administrative code of
 ethics enforcement for all Minnesota school superintendents, principals, directors of special education,
and directors of community education.
 Mack has a bachelor’s degree in political science and
teaching from Minnesota State University, Mankato;
a master’s degree in educational psychology from the
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and education
specialist equivalency in educational administration
from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. In
addition, he is currently completing the requirements
for a doctorate degree in philosophy, also from the
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Photo courtesy Lourdes Academy
Lourdes Academy students gather for Mass at St Raphael's the Archangel Church during Catholic Schools Week.
Private, public schools highlight accomplishments
By Barbara A. Schmitz
While the glass may be half empty to some, area school
district officials are being optimistic and saying the glass
is half filled. In fact, Oshkosh school administrators, both
public and private, say they have reason to celebrate.
“Our assessment scores are some of the best in the region,”
said Dave Gundlach, deputy superintendent of the
Oshkosh Area School District. “We’ve made some pretty
major improvements in the past 24 months to upgrade
the technology infrastructure and to start providing
opportunities for 21st century education. The board has
approved the creation of a virtual school so we can offer
a great array of choices for students. These are all things
leading down the road to creating a relevant education. A
big piece of what we’re trying to do is make the experiences
we’re providing to students in the Oshkosh Area School
District mirror those that they find when they get out in the
world of work.”
In addition, the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation
is working with the district on a visioning process to
determine what people want to see out of their schools. That
will be used to create the district’s strategic plan.
President Bob Biebel, too, is excited for the future of the
new Lourdes Academy. “We will be one system and one
campus from pre-K through 12th grade,” he said. “We really
continued on p.14
12
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Photo courtesy Oshkosh Christian/Valley Christian
Students John Geffers, left, and Jeff Heinen, work on a
landscaping project for the community. Servant leadership
is an important part of the Oshkosh Christian and Valley
Christian school system.
13
NewsWave  September/October 2012
continued from p.12
want Lourdes Academy not to be an individual school, but
a system. We want to develop that identity and feeling of
teamwork.”
In addition, the district hopes to build a new elementary
school on its campus, and move students from its two
existing elementary schools there. While they are just at the
exploratory stage for the new building, Biebel is hopeful
that it could be built and opened within two or three years.
“It would be easier for a lot of things,” he said. “It will offer
flexibility and more opportunity to differentiate learning,
which will be a key component of our success.”
Lourdes Academy schools will continue to provide a unique
niche in the community. “We are faith-based education that
really focuses on the student, their relationship with God
and service within the community,” he said. And that helps
them to better equip students for the future.
Photo courtesy Lourdes Academy
Preschoolers work with their teacher in the classroom.
“The biggest thing you can hope to give students is a thirst
for knowledge,” Biebel said. But they also try to instill in
their students a strong work ethic and a willingness to serve
the community.
“As a smaller community, we feel we can develop a strong
unified force, that students can work within a group, relate
to other people and give back to their communities,” he
said. “They understand there is a higher purpose of why
they are working — to make life better for everyone, and
not just themselves.”
John Davis, head administrator at Oshkosh Christian
School and Valley Christian High School, agreed. He sees
the strength of their school system in their mission: being
a non-denominational Christian school that offers a strong
academic product. “We really emphasize the spiritual side
of things, and as a Christ-centered school… really teach our
students excellence and servant leadership. Every student
takes Bible classes where we stress living what the Bible
says: to work your hardest, serve people, and to give your
best.”
Their school is accredited, and has worked to improve
its library, sports offerings and programs, and guidance
counseling abilities. This coming year, Davis said they
are trying to make their pre-school program the most
academically focused one in the area.
The system has also seen lower administrative turnover
compared to other districts, and Davis noted that he is
in his fourth year and is the most tenured administrator
in the area. “The smaller you
are, the more nimble you can
be at improving things and
getting things going in the right
direction,” he said. “Our goal is
to make this place a place that
will be stable and secure for
just not the next year. We want
to eliminate debt and build an
endowment so we are here for
50, 100 or 150 years.”
Photo courtesy Lourdes Academy
Football players from Lourdes Academy pray before the start of a game.
14
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Choose online or on campus.
Choose UW Oshkosh.
Flexible degree programs will accommodate your busy schedule
and are available online or at a location in your area.
Advance professionally and personally.
Call an advisor today.
(800) INFO-UWO
15
www.uwosh.edu/cnl
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Workplace bullying by the numbers
Source: Workplace Bullying Institute
72% of workplace bullies are
managers and executives
More bullies are men (60%)
than women (40%)
71% of women target women;
54% of men target men
More than 37% of U.S. workers have directly
experienced bullying in the workplace
Bullying is 4 times more
prevalent than harassment
73% of bullied targets are bullied for more
than 6 months, 44% for more than one year
57% of targets are women
In 62% of cases, the employer does nothing
In 77% of cases, targets lose or voluntarily
terminate their jobs to make the bullying stop
45% of targets experience health problems
Only 3% of bullied targets file lawsuits;
40% never complain
e
c
a
l
p
k
G
r
N
o
i
WBully
By Kelli Karpinski
We hear a lot these days about bullying in our schools and the harmful—
and sometimes extreme—effects it has on our children.
That heightened awareness has also moved into our
workplaces, where adults are abusing each other with words
and actions that not only harms the targeted employee but
also interferes with workplace productivity. In an effort to
inform local human resource leaders about what constitutes
bullying and how to stop it in our workplaces, the Oshkosh
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) held a
workshop this past spring with speaker Nancy Buchanan,
an account executive with Aurora Health Care’s Employee
Assistance Program (EAP).
Buchanan describes bullying as the “repeated harm or
mistreatment of one or more people.” Bullies may be coworkers, vendors, guests or managers. A bully, she says,
hones in on a target, who may be belittled, threatened, be the
subject of rumors, or have his or her work sabotaged, all in an
effort to “punish” or wield power over the target. A manager
who is bullying the employee could overload the employee
with work, micromanage, set unreasonable performance
16
NewsWave  September/October 2012
standards, and deny basic rights like providing time off.
Bullying differs from harassment. While harassment also
is unwelcomed, it is specifically defined by law in the Civil
Rights Act and deals with conduct against a person based on
race, religion, gender, ethnicity, age and disability. At this
time, bullying is not illegal.
“Bullying in the workplace has existed for a long period
of time,” said Melanie Bruins, HR compliance manager at
Oshkosh Corporation and president of Oshkosh SHRM.
“However, recent years have shed more light and awareness
to different aspects of workers’ rights. This includes the
employer’s responsibility to provide a work environment that
is free of harassment and bullying.”
The ramifications of bullying in the workplace are numerous.
Bruins said bullying can lead to a drop in employee morale
and productivity and an increase in turnover, which leads to
an increase in recruiting costs. It also can lead to time
spent by HR staff to investigate and address complaints
that could have been avoided with proper training,
she said.
Targets of bullying can lose sleep, feel anxious about
going to work, feel ill, miss work and be less productive
on the job, Buchanan said.
“Targets of bullies can feel threatened, feel ashamed and
believe they don’t have the right to feel that way,” she
said. “Sometimes people come to work and don’t talk
about the bullying for fear of retaliation or shame, but
typically, it comes out some way on the job through lack
of productivity or absenteeism.”
Sometimes managers don’t take proactive steps to stop
bullying because they aren’t aware it is happening,
they don’t like conflict or they feel they have more
important priorities to handle, Buchanan said. In one
case she dealt with, the bully was mistreating co-workers
but management did little because the bully was a
productive worker.
However, much can be done before bullying ever begins.
Bruins said workplaces can provide training on bullying
and its effects; have policies that address bullying
specifically, review and update them annually, and
distribute them to employees; and encourage those who
feel they are being bullied to talk about the situation
with HR, an EAP professional, or through an
ethics hotline.
Buchanan says the EAP can help both the target of the
bullying and the one who is doing the bullying. When
working with a bully, EAP counselors help the person
understand what bullying behavior is, why the bullying
is taking place and how to show more respect for
co-workers.
The most important step, though, is for management to
recognize bullying and do something about it.
“I tell managers to keep their ears and eyes open and
be aware of what people are saying about other coworkers,” Buchanan said. “Many times a true bullying
situation doesn’t go away. It’s going to come back and
hit you in the face. It’s important to confront it when
you hear about it.”
How do I tackle bullying at work?
Step 1: Regain control
•
•
Recognize what is happening to
you as bullying - it is the bully
who has the problem, which he
or she is projecting on to you.
Criticisms and allegations,
which are ostensibly about you
or your performance and which
sometimes contain a grain (but
only a grain) of truth, are not
about you or your performance.
Do not be fooled by that grain
of truth into believing the
criticisms and allegations have
any validity - they do not. The
purpose of criticism is control;
it has nothing to do with
performance enhancement.
taking action. For starters, go to
bullyonline.org.
Step 2: Plan for action
•
17
Find out everything you can
about bullying. It’s essential
you do your homework before
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Step 3: Take action
•
•
•
Keep a log (journal, diary)
of everything - it’s not each
incident that counts, it’s
the number, regularity and
especially the patterns that
reveal bullying.
Keep your diary in a safe place,
not at work where others
can and will steal it. Keep
photocopies of important
documents in a separate
location, also not at work.
Carry a notepad and pen with
you and record everything that
the bully says and does. Also
make a note of every interaction
with personnel, management,
and anyone else connected
with the bullying. Expect to be
•
accused of “misconduct” and
“unprofessional behavior” and
a few other things when you
do this.
Obtain a copy of your
employer’s bullying and
harassment policy. You might
wish to do this through a third
party if you’re not yet ready to
challenge the bully.
For more information, go to www.bullyonline.com
Meet Your
Ambassador
Cindy
Bohnert
Consumer
Loan Officer,
Anchor Bank
How long have you been an
Ambassador?
I have had the pleasure of being
an Ambassador since the fall of
2010.
Why did you choose to become
an Ambassador?
I have lived in Oshkosh all my
life and saw it as an opportunity
to become more involved in our
community and as a way to give
back to what our city has to offer. It also is a way to learn about new
businesses in Oshkosh, as well as
our present businesses.
What do you enjoy about being
an Ambassador?
The Ambassadors are a great
group of people whom I enjoy
working with. Most of all, I enjoy
working at events so that other
Chamber members can just come
and enjoy themselves.
What are the benefits?
The bigest benefit is having the
opportunity to interact with and
gain knowledge of area businesses
and the community. It gives
me an opportunity to stay up
to date with our ever-changing
community.
18
Upcoming Propel Events
The following seminars are open to all Chamber members. Cost is dependent
on location. Reservations are required by calling (920) 303-2266 or emailing
Megan Kok at megan@oshkoshchamber.com.
Propel Lunch ‘N Learn: “Securities and Investing”
11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 11
The Roxy, 571 N. Main St.
Presenter: Nick Behnke, Shaefer Behnke Group
Cost: No charge
Nick Behnke will provide expert advice to professionals who want to take control of their
money and plan for the future. This presentation is set to be interactive with Q & A
followed by a short networking session at the end.
Dress for Success with Brooks Brother’s
11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 20
Chamber building, 120 Jackson St.
Presenter: Juliann Davis, Brooks Brother’s
Cost: $5 (includes lunch)
Juliann Davis will touch on all aspects of the professional wardrobe for gentlemen and
ladies. From fit, to accessorizing, to care, we visit everything you need to know about
building a business wardrobe or expanding on what you already have. She will also cover
the correlation between professional dress and success.
Also included in the presentation is a preview of the current season's fashions, a fit
session, and a brief history of Brooks Brother's.
Lunch N’ Learn: “Business Start-ups”
11:45 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 16
Chamber building, 120 Jackson St.
Presenter: Nathan Olson, Olson Legal Group
Cost: $5 (includes lunch)
Join us to learn about business start-ups and no-compete clauses. Nate
Olson, an attorney at Olsen Legal Group LLC since 2010, will share his
superior legal advice on how to start a business the right way. Please bring
questions to the presentation as there will be time following for Q/A and
networking.
•••
Propel is committed to making Oshkosh a great place for young adults to live,
work and play. For more information on Propel go to www.PropelOshkosh.com.
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Chamber announces Class of 2013
Leadership Oshkosh Graduates
David Anderson
Bergstrom Toyota Scion
Shane Carter
Aurora Medical Center Oshkosh
Trisha Castle
Green 3
Monica Dembny
Kindt Phillips, S.C.
Ali Fett
Lourdes Academy
Angie Flanigan
Oshkosh Community YMCA
John Fuller
Affinity Health System
Mercy Medical Center
Jeff Geiger
Cutting Edge Services
Tracy Goggans
Affinity Health System
Mercy Medical Center
Rachel Green
Miles Kimball Company
Kurt Johnson
Clarity Care
Susan Kaufman
Fox Valley Technical College
Shawn Kelly
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Lisa Koeppen
Community Blood Center
Megan Kok
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
19
Karlene Leatherman
Bemis
Joe LeMire
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Stan Mack II
Oshkosh Area School District
Valerie Mattair
Oshkosh Public Library
Jen McCollian
City of Oshkosh Parks Department
Christine Melms-Simon
Paine Art Center and Gardens
Colleen Merrill
University Of Wisconsin
Oshkosh
Thomas W. Moniz Davis & Kuelthau, S.C.
Heath Mynsberge
Dempsey Law, LLP
Kelly Nieforth
City of Oshkosh
Andrea Ohman
Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Kevin Ralofsky
CitizensFirst Credit Union
Pamela M. Ruder
Oshkosh Area United Way
Scott Rupnow
M&I/A part of BMO Financial
Group
Dan Schetter
Oshkosh Investors LLC
Jessica Steele
Wisconsin Packaging Corporation
Jenny Terreau
Hoffmaster Group, Inc.
Shawna Terry
Oshkosh Opera House Foundation
Tom Tuchscherer
Evergreen
Erin Wasinger
Oshkosh Northwestern
Christopher Yaggie
Ameriprise Financial
Mark Ziemer
City of Oshkosh Senior Center
Leadership Oshkosh was established more than 20 years
ago and continues to thrive as a program of the Oshkosh
Chamber of Commerce. The knowledge and understanding
gained from the nine-month Leadership Oshkosh program
will prepare individuals for leading roles in both their
organization and the community.
This is accomplished through a combination of mentoring,
volunteer experience and education. The program channels
each participant’s passion for involvement into action.
Ask the Expert
Outsourcing payroll can increase efficiency, ensure confidentiality
As businesses seek ways to increase efficiencies and be evermore responsive to internal and external customers, they
increasingly look at outsourcing selected services. Payroll
is one outsourcing service that employers often identify
as a plus for the bottom line, their operations, and their
employees. Besides managing payroll deposits and tax
withholding accounts, outsourcing payroll also offers the
following benefits:
• Assurance that the company’s payroll data will be
kept confidential and will not be accessed by unauthorized individuals
• Confidence that payroll will be completed on
schedule, rather than being dependent on an individual
• Updates to changing tax laws and tax and accounting software
• Solutions to multi-state payroll issues that require
adherence to different state laws and filing requirements.
When considering whether to outsource payroll, it’s important for employers to keep several things in mind. Perhaps
the most obvious requirement is working with a payroll
service provider who makes your business a priority. You
will need a provider who is highly responsive and communicates thoroughly and in a timely manner, according to
your needs. You should expect continuity on your account,
appropriate charges for services, and minimal disruption to
your daily routines. Require your payroll service provider
to ensure 48-hour turnaround time on processing and reporting services, and same-day turnaround time on check
rewrites and report updates.
At a minimum, a payroll service provider should offer:
20
•
Direct deposit — coordination with financial institutions to ensure proper procedures and controls
•
Payroll processing — preparation, proofing and
employee payments
•
Third-party payments to government agencies,
courts and employee benefits plan providers
NewsWave  September/October 2011
•
Quarterly payroll tax returns — calculation, verification and preparation
•
Year-end procedures — adjustments and/or additions and preparation of W-2s
•
Payroll summary and management reports — pay
period summaries, deduction summaries, YTD
summaries
•
New hire reporting — preparation and filing
•
Employee W-2 Forms preparation
•
Knowledge of reporting issues for benefits such as
auto, health care and insurance
•
Ability to provide and integrate payroll entries into
your accounting software
The most up-to-date payroll service providers now offer
enhanced services through special accounting software that
leverages cloud computing and confidential, secure employer and employee access to data. These services include
mobile access and payroll management with mobile devices
and applications, online reports, payroll due-date reminders, payroll and W-2 preview, and the ability to move seamlessly to higher lever platforms with advanced payroll and
HR-related features.
If you are considering outsourcing services, make sure
that you take all of your current and future needs into account. In many cases, you may be able to outsource services
like payroll cheaper, faster, and better than within your
company.
Cynthia Voelkel specializes in payroll processing for small
to medium-sized businesses. She joined the Oshkosh office of
CliftonLarsonAllen LLP in 2000 and has more than 31 years
of payroll and benefit plan experience. She can be reached at
cynthia.voelkel@cliftonlarsonallen.com.
A.M.
Oshkosh
Sept. 25
7:45 to 9 a.m.
The Reel Shot
(2755 Algoma Blvd.)
Sponsored by:
Meeting Next Month
will be:
Oct. 16
Clarity Care’s Heritage Court
(600 Packer Ave.)
7:45 to 9 a.m.
We work with organizations
around the country and we
don’t see partnerships like
this anywhere else.
Mike Weller
President
Miller Electric Mfg. Co.
Register for
A.M. Oshkosh
Phone
(920) 303-2266, option 6
Online
www.oshkoshchamber.com
Admission Fees:
No Cost
Services for Business & Industry
Customized. Innovative. Solutions.
Contact our industry experts today!
www.fvtc.edu/bis • Appleton (920) 996-2949 • Oshkosh (888) 458-0449
21
NewsWave  September/October 2011
Member Spotlight
U.S. Bank Loan and Lease
Operations Center
David S. Miller, SVP
920-426-7955
Year Established: 1992
Number of Employees: 370
An employee works in the image scan area at the U.S.
Bank Oshkosh Loan and Lease Operation Center.
At first glance, U.S. Bank’s Consumer Loan and Lease
Operations Center in Oshkosh looks to be your typical
office building. What passers-by likely don’t know is how
vital the center is to U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial
bank in the United States, as well as to the local Oshkosh
economy.
U.S. Bank’s Oshkosh-based Operations Center services
a variety of consumer loans such as automobile loans
and leases, all-purpose loans, home equity loans and
lines, as well as certain small business loans. It supports
all of U.S. Bank’s 3,080 branches in 25 states across the
country. Employees at the Operations Center also support
indirect lending through auto dealerships in every state
within the country. “U.S. Bank has over 353 billion in assets and has
approximately 17 million customers. Roughly 2.5 million
of them are consumer loan customers,” said David Miller,
senior vice president for the Consumer Loan and Lease
Operations Center in Oshkosh. “Our group here has a direct
hand in a very large chunk of U.S. Bank’s overall business.”
Loan services involves project management, quality control,
auditing, collateral perfection/release, accounting, special
handling of private banking loans/lines, customer service/
branch support, research, fraud, correspondence and
maintenance and servicing of the loans/lines.
U.S. Bank started operating out of the Oshkosh location in
October of 1992, growing to 370 employees there today.
Beyond the role they play at the bank, the employees at
the Oshkosh Operations Center are highly active in the
community.
22
NewsWave  September/October 2012
“We are committed to our communities all over, and work
hard to treat our charities, employees and customers with
the best possible service,” Miller said.
To encourage employee volunteerism, U.S. Bank provides
eligible employees up to eight hours of paid time off per
year to volunteer at a non-profit agency of their choice.
Miller also emphasized the importance U.S. Bank and
the Operations Center place on connecting with people
and students throughout the community to create jobs.
For example, Miller said he works hard to accommodate
college students from the surrounding area who work at
the Operations Center, offering flexible work around their
school schedules.
“Students working with us through an internship program
are scheduled around their class obligations," Miller said.
"After graduating, if we find they are a good fit for an open
position, it’s common for us to hire them to work for us full
time."
Steve Davis selected for Wisconsin’s
Small Business Review Board
Steve Davis, co-owner of Ardy and Ed’s in Oshkosh,
was appointed by Gov. Scott Walker to Wisconsin’s
Small Business Regulatory Review Board in January. The
Board was formed to allow businessmen and women to
actively participate in state regulations that might affect
local businesses and to let them know about costly or
burdensome rules that they believe should be changed or
eliminated.
Volunteers answer questions in the Chamber's information
booth during EAA AirVenture 2012.
Chamber thanks EAA volunteers
The Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce and its volunteers
spent a successful year managing the Oshkosh Information
Booth and entry gates during EAA AirVenture 2012.
The information booth is open the week of the convention,
during which volunteers assist conventioneers with
information about the community. Thank you to those
Chamber members who supplied brochures and flyers for
the booth.
A special thanks goes to Dick Campbell, who not only
volunteers his time, but also recruited volunteers for the
entry gates.
Thank you to the following Chamber members who assisted
at the booth:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Darlene Darrow, FirstWeber Group
Randy and Heidi Halberg, Domino’s
Paul, Bill, Shaun and Isaac Jansen, Paul L. Jansen & Son
LLC
Joel Luepke, Baldor Generators
Dean Rogers, Huberty & Associates
Wayne Youngwirth, Youngwirth Associates
Thank you also to community volunteers Janelle Brady,
Suzanne Barton, Larry Carli, Linda K. Clarey, Steve
Hoopman, Linda Nadolske, Darlene Presser, Pat Ryan and
Susan, Mike and Amy Reinhardt.
23
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Members are in charge of reviewing rules that might have
an impact on small businesses, and then determining if the
rules have a substantial economic impact on the majority of
small businesses. If the rule fits these conditions, the Board
can make recommendations to the agency to improve or
adjust the rules for small businesses.
The Board consists of seven small business owners or
representatives that serve three-year terms. Along with the
board members, area State Rep. Michelle Litjens serves as
the co-chair of the Review Board.
Wisconsin businesses are encouraged to submit rules for
the Board to review. The Governor’s office has developed
a suggestion form that is available online at http://
bestpractices.wi.gov/ContactUs?Type=SmallBusiness.
Purtell awarded for outstanding work
Pat Purtell was named "Retailer of the Year" for the state
of Wisconsin by the liquor company Brown Florence. In
addition, Purtell was named "Bar Operator of the Year,"
thanks to votes of his peers throughout the Tavern League of
Wisconsin.
Purtell, owner and operator of Terry's Lounge for 34 years,
prides himself on never having his establishment fined or
ticketed. He has also served as president of the Oshkosh
Tavern League for 14 years. It is a position he still holds.
He welcomes all age ranges of customers, and Purtell
dedicates time and funds to keep people safe from drinking
and driving through Safe Rides. Through his dedication to
his business and customers, Purtell continues to provide a
safe and fun environment for the people of Oshkosh.
Chamber Clips
Help us thank our members
for their yearlong support
In October, Oshkosh Chamber members will visit each of
its members in the Oshkosh area and thank them for their
continued support throughout the year.
Operation Thank You will be held Oct. 11 Volunteers are
needed to deliver the 2012-13 Membership Directory.
Operation Thank You is a great way for volunteers to
network with businesses in the community and make
valuable contacts.
The day will kick off with a continental breakfast at 7:30
a.m. at the Oshkosh Chamber, 120 Jackson St., followed by
deliveries.
Operation Thank You volunteers are invited to attend
Business After Hours that evening at Glass Nickel Pizza Co.,
2407 Jackson St., as guests of the Chamber.
To volunteer or for more information, contact Megan Kok at
(920) 303-2265, ext. 16, or megan@oshkoshchamber.com.
Chamber to recognize individuals,
businesses for contributions
Mark your calendar for the Oshkosh Chamber of
Commerce’s 105th Annual Meeting and Recognition
Program, to be held Monday, Oct. 29 at the Oshkosh
Convention Center.
The event will recognize individuals and businesses
that have contributed significantly to the community. If
you have nominations for Small Business of the Year or
Woman of Achievement, please contact the Chamber for a
nomination form.
For more information on the annual meeting, to nominate
an individual or business, or to become a sponsor, contact
Megan Kok at (920) 303-2265, ext. 16, or megan@
oshkoshchamber.com.
24
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Oshkosh Holiday Parade set for Nov. 15
“Through the Eyes of a Child” is the theme for this year’s
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Holiday Parade, to be held
at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15.
The parade will feature marching bands and floats that will
compete for several awards to be given based on creativity
and best use of the theme. The downtown Tree Lighting
Ceremony will take place immediately before the parade in
Opera House Square.
For more information, contact Megan Kok at (920) 3032265, ext. 16, or megan@oshkoshchamber.com.
Jump into action at Business Expo '13
The Oshkosh Chamber Business Expo, scheduled for Jan.
31, 2013, is an excellent networking event and opportunity
to grow your market share. Members can purchase a booth
for $475. The cost includes draperies, a table, chairs and
promotion of the event.
This year’s theme is Wisconsin Sports. Exhibitors are
encouraged to decorate their booth in support of a
Wisconsin sports team or outdoor sport.
For more information or to register, contact Megan Kok at
(920) 303-2265, ext. 16, or megan@oshkoshchamber.com.
New Members
Butcher Block Meats
& Cheese
Legacy Analytics, Ltd.
Business Consultants
4902 Tollview Drive, Ste. 110,
Rolling Meadows
Phone: (847) 666-4900
Contact: Mr. Randy Vanden
Branden
Food Products
234 N. Koeller St., Oshkosh
Phone: (920) 279-4110
Contact: Ms. Kim Theusch
Fletcher Chiropractic Office
Chiropractors
440 N. Koeller St., Oshkosh
Phone: (920) 233-2828
Contact: Ms. Tami Fletcher
Mid-States Property
Management LLC
Real Estate Management
630 Starboard Court, Ste. A,
Oshkosh
Phone: (920) 203-3781
Contact: Mr. Scott Blau
Frame Me By Mamee
Photographers
319B Pearl Ave., Oshkosh
Phone: (920) 252-0924
Contact: Ms. Mamee Verburgt
Park ’N Print
Olive Garden
Restaurants
1190 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh
Phone: (920) 231-4553
Contact: Mr. Joe Clifton
Printers
150 Jackson St., Oshkosh
Phone: (920) 426-0888
Contact: Mr. Edward Tiedje
Schaefer Behnke Group
Financial Services
100 N. Main St., Ste. 104,
Oshkosh
Phone: (920) 233-7400
Contact: Mr. Bret Schaefer
Silver Lake College of the
Holy Family
Schools
2406 S. Alverno Road,
Manitowoc
Phone: (920) 686-6141
Contact: Ms. Carrie Kost
2012 Bank First / Oshkosh Chamber Golf Outing
Bayland Builders foursome takes
first place at the 2012 golf outing
L-R Steve Sauer, Bill Tellock, Julie Weston & Ron Tellock
L-R Tony Pfefferman, Lynn Jones, John Shemitis
& John Lindberg
L-R Mike Dempsey, Erin Sanders, Tim Rusch
& Ken Arneson
L-R Melissa Kohn, Deb Terry, Deb Wirtz & Bob Hernke
NewsWave  www.oshkoshchamber.com
25
Golf tournament
provides for networking
during, after event
Golfers couldn’t have asked for a better day to
participate in the Bank First/Oshkosh Chamber Golf
Outing Aug. 6 at the Oshkosh Country Club.
This year’s tournament featured a Jazz Club
Celebration held in the evening. The event featured
jazz-themed music by the Christine Granatella Sextet,
accompanied by food and drinks during the event.
The Take 5 program was presented with $2,500,
earmarked from a portion of the golfers’
registration fees.
The outing was successful thanks to the many
sponsors including Network Health Plan for dinner;
Schenk SC for the beverage cart; Pepsi Beverages Co. and
Wisconsin Distributors Appleton for beverages on the course;
Oshkosh Corporation for the evening’s entertainment;
Monroe Insurance for the Putt for Dough contest; and Par 3
sponsors Bergstrom GM, OptiVision Eye Care and Sweetwater
Performance Center.
Several businesses signed on as 1040 sponsors, sponsoring
either a tee or hole and a foursome. Those businesses included
Business Lending Group, CameraCase Wireless, Cellcom,
Choice Bank, CitizensFirst Credit Union, Davis & Kuelthau,
Lapham-Hickey Steel, Muza Metal Products, Oshkosh
Corporation, Oshkosh Marine Supply, ThedaCare, University of
Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation and Wells
Fargo Bank NA.
Tee and hole sponsors were Aquire Contracting & Restoration,
Belville & Associates Chiropractic Clinic, Canteen Vending,
Cornerstone Processing, CR Meyer, Festival Foods, First
National Bank-Fox Valley, Fox Valley Technical College,
Golfers Outlet, Kobussen Buses, Marian University, Marvel
Manufacturing, Northern Telephone & Data, RHYME,
Sport Clips, Standard Dry Cleaners and Launderers, Stuart’s
Landscape and Garden Center and Valley
Insurance Associates.
Fifteen names were drawn for the $50,000 Shootout on hole
#18. While no one made the shot this year, it was fun for
spectators to watch while enjoying the Jazz Club Celebration.
Rasmussen College sponsored the putting contest for this year’s
outing. Tony Mathe received a $50 Oshkosh Chamber gift
certificate for coming in first place, while Bill Tellock won a $25
26
NewsWave  September/October 2012
From left, golfers Jason Hirschberg, Andy Dumke, Mike
Goudreau and Randy Schmiedel enjoy the beautiful August
day at the Bank First/Oshkosh Chamber golf outing.
Oshkosh Chamber gift certificate for second and Mike
Berknielen received a $10 Oshkosh Chamber gift certificate for
third.
One golfer earned the opportunity to win $7,500 in cash
in the Monroe Insurance Agency Putt for Dough contest.
Unfortunately, Doug Welter with Wells Fargo did not sink the
50-foot putt, but he did win an overnight stay at the Osthoff
Resort in Elkhart Lake as a consolation prize.
Bill Tellock of Chalice, Inc. won a box of golf balls for the
closest to the pin contest, with Jeff Wojahn of W.W Electric
Motors, Inc. coming in second and Katie Hoxtell of Oshkosh
Corporation placing third.
Placing first in the outing was the team of John Lindberg,
Lynn Jones, Tony Pfefferman and John Shemitis with a score of
58. The players won a round of golf for four, courtesy of the
Oshkosh Country Club.
Jason Hirschberg of Hirschberg Law, LLC won a 42-inch
television, donated by Kossel’s TV & Appliance and the
Oshkosh Chamber, and Mike Verkuilen of Schenck SC will
be taking a trip with a guest in the continental United States,
thanks to airline tickets donated by Fox World Travel and the
Oshkosh Chamber.
For more information, contact Megan Kok at (920) 303-2265.
NationJob - Your recruitment solution
Quick Picks
The Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, along with the chambers in the Northeast Wisconsin Chamber
Coalition, partner with NationJob to offer members online employee recruitment services for a reduced
fee or no fee, depending upon the size of the company.
Business Book Review
By Janice Dibble,
Oshkosh Public Library
Who can post jobs here?
The Green Bay, Fond du Lac, Fox Cities, and Oshkosh chambers have partnered with NationJob to
create a comprehensive Internet recruitment solution that combines local, regional, and national
reach. The Northeast Community Job Network is a proven way to expand recruitment reach and cut
recruitment costs. Visit www.nationjob.com/northeast-wisconsin-chamber-coalition to learn more and
start posting your jobs.
The Power of Habit: Why we do
What we do in Life and in Business.
Charles Duhigg. Random House,
2012. New York Times Bestseller
How does it work?
First, you sign up for the program at a discounted rate for chamber members. (Pricing is based on the
number of employees your company has).
In his new book, Charles Duhigg
explores how we develop habits,
how we can nurture good habits
and how we can
change our bad
habits. He also
discusses the
work habits of
companies and
how companies
benefit by using
consumer habit research to
develop and market products.
Why did the Chamber choose NationJob?
Experience. NationJob is the No. 1 provider of community-based Internet recruitment solutions. The
Community Sponsorship Program serves millions of people throughout the United States.
The Power of Habit is available
as an ebook and e-audiobook
from the Oshkosh Public Library.
The Library offers many ebooks
available to download on Kindles,
Nooks, iPads, iPods, the iPod
Touch, tablets, smartphones and
other devices, as well as on your
computer.
Contact Janice Dibble, Oshkosh
Public Library, at 236-5214 to
learn more about ebooks.
It’s FREE for small companies with less than 34 employees.
Price. Thanks to the Chamber’s relationship with NationJob, your company can take advantage of this
service at discounted rates--up to 90 percent off NationJob’s standard annual job listings package.
What do I get?
As a participating member of the Community Sponsorship Program, your organization will receive an
unbeatable package of benefits:
•
Unlimited job listings (250 current at any one time) for openings you have in the local area
(unlimited in length).
•
A company profile (unlimited in length)
•
A custom website that lists only your jobs and can function as the employment section of your
website, including our Customized P.J. Scout, specifically designed for your company.
•
Posting of your jobs on a website devoted exclusively to your community
•
Posting of your jobs on more than 35 industry-specific websites (SpecialtySites) that are
promoted throughout the Internet
•
E-mailing of your job listings to all matching job seekers out of a subscriber database of more
than 950,000 (NationJob’s innovative P.J. Scout service)
•
Reposting of your jobs on Indeed.com, Beyond.com, Glassdoor.com and VetJobs.com at no
additional charge.
What information do I need to get started?
•
Company Profile
•
Physical location of the job
•
Supply Email or Fax and Physical Address
•
(Online applications, PDF, or links to websites are upgraded services and require you to be
a featured employer)
continued on p.28
27
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Business Briefs
Sunrise Credit Union has
merged and became a part of Fox
Communities Credit Union. This
consolidation provides Sunrise
members with more locations and
better loan and deposit rates.
Joyce Abel is the new business
manager for Oshkosh Christian
School / Valley Christian High
School, and Debbie Wallace is the
new assistant development director,
which is a newly created position.
The Internal Revenue Service
recognized three Phillips Tax &
Accounting employees — Trina
Rahmlow, Rene Rogers and Lynette
Gee — with the new licensure of
Registered Tax Return Preparers. This
licensure requires those who prepare
at least 10 individual tax returns
annually to pass a competency exam,
earn continuing education credits in
tax codes changes, ethics and tax law
and to adhere to a strict professional
code of conduct.
Vicki Updike, president of Miles
Kimball Company in Oshkosh, has
recently joined the board of directors
for Goodwill Industries of North
Central Wisconsin (NCW).
Keller, Inc. a design/build general
continued from p.27
contractor with offices in the Fox
Cities, Madison, Milwaukee and
Wausau, will start a design and build
in September 2012 on a 96,000square-foot coil processing facility for
McNeilus Steel, on East Larson Drive,
Fond du Lac.
Choice Banks was ranked 11th in the
ABA’s Top Performing Community
Banks article posted in the June 2012
issue of the ABA Banking Journal.
Bill Wells, senior vice president
for Woodward Radio Group, was
named general manager on Aug. 1 of
the newly acquired Waterloo/Cedar
Falls radio stations.
Sonex Aircraft, LLC, flew its very
light weight jet, the SubSonex, during
the showcase presentation at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2012.
The Heidel House Resort & Spa
received the 2012 Best of MidAmerica
award, an honor voted by readers of
Meetings Focus magazine.
Dempsey Law Firm, LLP, hired
Attorney Gerardo (Jerry) Medina Jr.,
a 2012 UW-Madison graduate, as
an associated attorney. His emphasis
is in civil litigation, business and
commercial law, organization personal
injury and labor and employment
law.
The Academy of General Dentistry
(AGD), announced that Michael
Hanneman, DDS, FAGD, of
Oshkosh, received the association’s
2012 Fellowship Award during
the AGD 2012 annual meeting in
Philadelphia.
The Oshkosh Coldwell Banker The
Real Estate Group office announced
their June Chairman’s Circle: Colleen
Longworth, Paul Redemann, Chris
Schultz, The Pawlosky Team (Charles
and Cheryl Pawlosky) and Chris Neu.
Davis & Kuelthau, S.C. announced
that Aaron Hall and Claire Hartley
have joined the firm’s Litigation
Department as associated attorneys
and will practice out of the firm’s
Milwaukee office.
NationJob - Your recruitment solution
How do I update jobs?
•
Free self-entry system that allows you to maintain your jobs from your desktop.
•
Featured Employers that have a logo also receive an automated “scrape and send” option in which NationJob will scrape jobs from your site on a daily
basis and either direct the job seeker to your site to apply, or have them email you a resume.
What upgrades are offered?
•
Companies with annual contracts enjoy NationJob’s “Scrape and Send” feature. Sit back and relax while NationJob staff checks your website for job
changes, then posts the job information on its network of sites (Indeed, Beyond, Glassdoor and VetJobs.com), then NationJob can direct the job seeker
back to your site to apply, or email you the resumes.
•
Does your company need to reach out to more women and minorities? Ask about having your jobs cross posted to an optional fee based diversity site.
28
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Business
After Hours
Sept. 5
5 to 7 p.m.
Fratello's Waterfront Restaurant
1501 Arboretum Drive
Sponsored by:
Ribbon Cuttings
Bella Academy of
Cosmetology
388 Pearl St.
Photo by Megan Kok
Impromed
304 Ohio St.
Photo by Megan Kok
Qdoba
1990 Menard Drive
Photo by Megan Kok
Coming Up Next Month
Oct. 11
5 to 7 p.m.
Glass Nickel Pizza Company
2407 Jackson St.
Register for
Business After Hours
Phone
(920) 303-2266, option 6
Online
www.oshkoshchamber.com
U.S. Cellular
1280 S Koeller St.
Photo by Megan Kok
Admission Fees:
$6 preregistered, $7 at the door
(Register by 1 p.m. the day of the
event to receive the $6 rate.)
NewsWave  www.oshkoshchamber.com
29
Around the Town
Exhibits
Fall Fest
Ansel Adams: Masterworks
Sept. 21- 22
UW Oshkosh Campus
Through Oct. 21
Paine Art Center and Gardens
Answers to Energy Questions
9 a.m. Oct. 20
Oshkosh Convention Center
September
Oshkosh Dragonboat Race
Festival
Zooloween Boo 2012
Oshkosh Farmers Market
9 a.m. Sept. 22
Leach Amphitheater
11 a.m. Oct. 21
Menominee Park Zoo
8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 1
400 & 500 blocks North Main Street
October
UWO Move-in Day
Sept. 2-3
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
campus
Oshkosh Gallery Walk
Oshkosh Gallery Walk
Oktoberfest
6 p.m. Sept. 5
Downtown Oshkosh
Starts at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 6-7
Leach Amphitheater
6 p.m. Oct. 5
Downtown Oshkosh
Chamber Calendar of Events
September
Early Bird Social Media
Breakfast
Business After Hours
7:15 to 9:30 a.m. Sept. 26
Fox Valley Technical College
Riverside Campus, Room 133
5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 5
Fratellos Waterfront Brewery &
Restaurant
October
West Side Association
11:30 a.m.to 1 p.m. Sept. 6
Robbins Restaurant
Sales Club
7:30 a.m. Oct. 9
Oshkosh Chamber Building
Sales Club
7:30 a.m. Sept. 11
Oshkosh Chamber Building
Operation Thank You
Propel Tweet N Eat
Business After Hours
11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 11
The Roxy with Nick Behnke
5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 11
Glass Nickel Pizza Co.
A.M. Oshkosh
A.M. Oshkosh
7:45 to 9 a.m. Sept. 25
The Reel Shot
2755 Algoma Blvd.
7:45 to 9 a.m. Oct. 16
Clarity Care Heritage Court
600 Packer Ave.
30
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 8
NewsWave  September/October 2012
Annual Meeting
5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 29
Oshkosh Convention Center
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Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
120 Jackson Street
Oshkosh, WI 54901