Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce

Help us extend a warm welcome to Compass Communications LLC as a new member of the Heart of the Valley Chamber!! It’s not if, but when. When crisis hits, will you be ready to respond? Compass Communications is here to help you navigate the storm. With nearly 30 years of experience, Megan Mulholland, APR , offers expert crisis communication, media relations, public relations, and social media strategies for businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations. Megan is a certified Public Information Officer by FEMA and the Center for Disaster Preparedness, with hands-on experience in high-stakes situations. Formerly a news reporter and communicator for ThedaCare and the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Megan has the skills to guide you through any crisis. Reach out to Megan for training, workshops, advice and more!

Last week, the HOTV Chamber’s Leadership Academy gathered for our fifth session, hosted by the incredible team at Sure-Dry, LLC. A huge thank you to Sure Dry’s GM, Jamie Budiac, for delivering an inspiring presentation. Jamie shared valuable insights on staying aligned with a common vision, placing the right people into the right roles, and achieving extraordinary results by embracing a 90-day mindset. The Sure-Dry culture, rooted in working hard, having fun, and valuing their team, was on full display as we had the privilege of participating in a festive, holiday-themed department round-robin. Witnessing their team and culture in action was truly energizing! We also extend our gratitude to this month’s special guest, Sterling Feathers from Coalesce Marketing & Design and also to Patrick Van Abel of EOS Worldwide who serves as the group’s mentor throughout this impactful ten-month program.

Badger Sports Park was the perfect place for our December Business Card Exchange! We LOVE helping our members connect! Yesterday’s event was all about giving small businesses and awesome nonprofits an opportunity to tell their story and introduce themselves and build valuable partnerships! Nonprofits find crucial volunteers, small business owners find resources, young professionals find mentors and every attendee finds that their connection to the community grows! A big thank you to Badger, Patrick Van Abel & Joe Van Abel for hosting yesterday’s Business Card Exchange and to Dunkin' for providing a holiday spread worthy of the North Pole along with some amazing door prizes! If you are looking to grow your connections and elevate your visibility in the business community let us help you get involved as a member so you can start 2025 off with a bang!

Over the past 2 days we have gotten to see hundreds of community members who stopped by our office for the Chamber Bucks Bonus Buy event! This is one of our favorite events of the year! Everyone who stops in to buy Chamber Bucks gift certificates gets to pick an ornament off our tree to reveal their BONUS amount of free Chamber Bucks! Chamber Bucks are the ultimate Shop Local gift and keep dollars in our community! They are used like any other gift certificate only you have over 130 choices on where to spend it! This event is made possible by our incredible partners! ❤️👇 Unison Credit Union - Presenting Sponsor City of Kaukauna Village of Little Chute Kaukauna Utilities Baisch Engineering Inc. Rosenow Customs The Bank of Kaukauna Verkuilen-Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home Abel Insurance Fox Communities Credit Union TDS Telecommunications LLC Sequoia Integrative Medical Services East Wisconsin Savings Bank

Yesterday's Cash Mob at Scoop & Roll Ice Cream “Good Eats & Treats” in Appleton was a sweet success! 🍦🎉 Thank you to everyone who came out to support is new small business and enjoy their incredible small batch artisan ice cream, rolled ice cream, bubble waffles, smoothie bowls, and so much more! We couldn't be happier to have such an amazing community! Let’s keep the love for local businesses rolling, one sweet treat at a time! 🍨❤️

What a day at Meet the Media! This one-of-a-kind event flips the script, giving local businesses and nonprofits the chance to ask the media their questions. The panel also shared some great advice on writing and tailoring press releases, building lasting relationships with media reps and pitching stories that will get noticed! The conversation didn’t stop there—attendees had the chance to connect one-on-one with panelists during a lively networking session after the discussion. A huge thank you to our moderator, Megan Mulholland, APR of Compass Communications, for making this event so engaging and insightful. And to our panelists: ▪️ Emerson Lehmann, WBAY ▪️ Hayley Tenpas, WHBY radio ▪️ Aaron Holbrook, Insight Publications ▪️ Brian Kerhin, WLUK TV Fox 11 ▪️ Rhonda Foxx, Spectrum News ▪️ Taima Kern, Post Crescent ▪️ Heather Graves, The Business News Events like this highlight the power of collaboration between businesses, nonprofits, and the media to tell the stories that make our community shine!

Some were ugly, a few were tacky but all were festive 💚❤️ when it came to the sweaters at last night’s Ugly Sweater Business After Hours! It was awesome to bring together small businesses & nonprofits from Heart of the Valley Chamber, Fox West Chamber of Commerce, ANBA, and Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce (WVCC). A huge thank you to the Fox Club for hosting and helping us put on a huge spread that rivaled Christmas dinner! We crowned four Ugly Sweater champions for Most Festive, Most Tacky, Most Creative & Most Ugly and almost everyone got to take home “Christmas present” door prize and our members had a blast making new connections in the business community and catching up with old friends.

We had the privilege of bringing together 5 incredible members of our Young Entrepreneurs HYPE Group for a panel discussion with students at Appleton North High School. These inspiring small business owners shared their journeys, challenges, and tips for success with the next generation of entrepreneurs. A special thank you to: Sydney Hummell, owner of Wellness 360 Health + Beauty Studio Randy Tunstall owner of Outdoor Independence LLC Alayna Hansel, owner of We Rose Marketing Hunter Thiel, Thiel Insurance Group, LLC Annie King, owner of Queen of Cleaning Your passion and insights are helping shape the future of business

❓ Are you putting off a crucial conversation at work? Thank you to Vicki Updike for empowering local business leaders to have those Crucial Conversations! In the workplace, mastering those tough conversations can be a total game-changer—building trust, strengthening relationships, and driving better results. Whether it’s giving feedback or tackling challenges head-on, these tools are key to success. Thank you, Vicki for helping us to tackle these conversations with purpose and clarity!

We celebrated a new chapter for Rosenow Customs with the launch of their line of Forever Lighting – a permanent lighting solution to beautify homes all year round. We can’t tell you how incredible these lights will make your home look! No more tangled lights or holiday hassles, just amazing ambiance at the touch of a button that you can enjoy all year long! Rosenow Customs, is located in Neenah and serves the Fox Valley & beyond. They have over 20 years of expertise in exterior home remodeling. Rosenow Customs also installs Tesla Solar Roofing, which allows you to generate your own clean energy, reducing your reliance on the grid while powering your entire home. A big thank you to all the Heart of the Valley Chamber Ambassadors for joining us to celebrate Rosenow’s expansion! We’re excited to see the glow you bring to our neighborhoods. If you want more information on adding Forever Lighting to your home you can schedule your FREE estimate!