FOND DU LAC – Beginning in 2023, members of the Waupun Chamber of Commerce will have to rejoin the Waupun Business Alliance, which will replace the current Chamber of Commerce.
Envision Greater Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County’s economic development and chamber organization, has been assisting the Waupun Chamber of Commerce with staff and resources since January, said Joe Venhuizen, senior director of membership and programs for Envision.
“But the Waupun Chamber of Commerce has decided that in order to better achieve their strategic goals and better serve the community, they will be better served by a fundamental change in structure,” he said.
The chamber has operated as a one-man system for years, with its most recent director leaving in May.
This led to a partnership with Envision, which staffs the office and performs day-to-day tasks such as running its website. The partnership gave the board an idea of what the reorganization would look like and began discussions about how to make it more permanent, Venhuizen said.
The chamber’s board of directors, of which Venhuizen is also a member, voted in October to restructure the newly formed Waupun Business Alliance as an extension of Envision.
“It’s a pretty big step and shows that we believe we can do this differently and effectively,” he said. “We can create a lot of synergy by using regional organizations with local affiliates.”
Craig Much, the current Waupun Chamber chairman, said Envision could help guide new business in a way that the Waupun Chamber simply doesn’t have the resources to do.
“If there’s anything Waupun has going on right now, it’s the volume and momentum it’s grown over the past three years,” he said. “It’s hard to measure without being very proud of it, and we want to see that momentum continue.”
He cited the growth of new businesses over the past few years, including the Wind and Unwind coffee and wine house, Stone and Suede boutique and K’s Boutique, as vital to the vibrant city centre.
Much, who is also a vice president at Horicon Bank, said through his work in business lending, he knew that the assistance provided by Envision was part of a successful retail revitalization in downtown Waupun.
“If it wasn’t for the entrepreneurial programs and assistance that Envision provides, I can safely say there wouldn’t be as many of these people in Waupun,” he said.
In Fall 2021, UW Extension conducted a study on how to promote business in downtown Waupun. Much said he received the results of the study in February and learned of the potential benefits of further exploring the partnership with Envision.
“This is the catalyst we all need to see,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of disagreement among the board.”
Envision and the Chamber of Commerce recently held several community hearings to explain the transition to the Waupun Business Alliance.
Kathy Schlieve, Waupun’s city administrator and director of economic development, said she was in one of the meetings with about a dozen other people. Most were positive about the initiative by the business community, and she said she saw “a lot of positive things that would come out of the community, coming together.”
She said she believes the partnership with Envision will allow the city to leverage more resources to better address major issues leading to short- and long-term commercial success in Waupun.
“In particular, work is already underway (at Envision) to address workforce, child care gaps and information sharing and best practices,” she said. “Our businesses can plug these things in right away.”
Additionally, the Waupun Business Alliance will have its own advisory board of local business members, which Schlieve said will allow for specific programming tailored to the needs of the Waupun community.
Many say the Waupun Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors will change in 2023. The Waupun Business Alliance will also have a new board. He said there would be some overlap among the current Chamber of Commerce board members, but “we’ve been purposefully raising initial questions with the Waupun Business Alliance.”
Venhuizen said this is the first time an independent chamber of commerce has transitioned to Envision Greater Fond du Lac, but it is similar to the transition the organization made in 2017 when it was established from the former Fond du Lac Regional Chamber of Commerce and Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation
Current Waupun Chamber members only need to “opt in” to the Waupun Business Alliance when they renew their membership in January, Much said. He wants them to realize all the perks of membership.
“Learn what Envision has to offer, because when you’re a member of the Waupun Business Alliance, you’re a member of Envision,” he said. “You just use your membership and everything you get through it to make up the membership cost.”
Contact Katy Macek at kmacek@gannett.com or 920-426-6658.Follow her on Twitter @Katherine Macek.