January 23, 2015 at 4:21 p.m.
DeMet outlines chamber's 2015 goals at annual dinner
DeMet outlines chamber's 2015 goals at annual dinner
The chamber's executive director, Dana DeMet, was the keynote speaker this year. He began by thanking former chamber executive director Lara (Reed) Barbour for leaving the chamber in such good shape as he took over the position.
"Honestly, with the uncertainty, a lot of what (Barbour) was able to do during 2013 made the beginning of 2014, while uncertain, a lot of it possible," he said.
"With the guidance she left, and with the strength of our board of directors and our membership, (that) meant that many of the goals of our organization that had been set for 2014 were actually accomplished. So, kudos to everyone who was involved in that."
DeMet then highlighted the chamber's 2014 accomplishments, starting with the variety of events held throughout the year.
"A lot of what we do is in bringing in people to our area through a number of community events. We were able to host eight of those throughout 2014," he said.
"I'm proud to say their cumulative effect generated an estimated economic impact of well over $500,000, so just through our events alone, we're able to bring in a significant influx of money to our area."
One of the goals identified at last year's dinner was to improve the chamber's communication, messaging and marketing abilities. DeMet said he's proud to say those goals have been accomplished.
DeMet noted over 100,000 independent users visited the chamber's website in 2014 and the chamber has expanded its marketing campaign throughout the region.
"In conjunction with the efforts of the Rhinelander Tourism and Marketing Committee, we were also able to focus tens of thousands of marketing dollars in places like the Twin Cities, Madison, Milwaukee and the Fox Valley," he said.
"We focus on driving people to our website, and hopefully then to our area, through targeted ads on places like television, on the web and throughout social media. As those numbers continue to rise, it shows that more people are interested in our area, seeking out information, and I'm proud to say every single one of our members are listed on our website."
Speaking of expansion, DeMet lauded the fact that over 25 new businesses joined the chamber in 2014.
"We were able to welcome more than 25 new businesses to our membership, and we're always seeking to include more," he said.
"Increasing membership means we are continuing to provide an area that's profitable for people to do business, and we're providing services that are valuable to the business community, so I'm always happy to see more people join the chamber of commerce."
In looking forward to 2015, DeMet said one of the chamber's main goals is to assist the city of Rhinelander, Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. and downtown chamber members in the upcoming downtown revitalization project.
"We're seeking to partner with people like Downtown Rhinelander, Inc., the city of Rhinelander and many of the business stakeholders residing in the downtown to ensure the viability and success of our 2016 downtown reconstruction project," he said.
"There are challenges in that project, and we want to make sure that we're helping to provide a stable and supportive presence for it. We want to support our downtown partners and business owners to make this project a success."
Continuing to improve the chamber's marketing strategies will also be a goal in 2015, DeMet said.
"We're also going to continue to expand our Rhinelander marketing efforts," he said. "We're going to be looking to include new markets and new methods as well as the launch of a new Hodag game app, ... which is going to be a lot of fun."
DeMet also informed the crowd that the chamber has begun working on a 20-year strategic plan.
"One of the projects that I have been working on currently, and I look forward to working on with people in the future, is partnering with the city of Rhinelander and our other stakeholders to establish a 20-year strategic plan," he said.
"We want to help guide the future of Rhinelander and get all of those people who are working for the area on the same page and moving under the same unified vision. It's an opportunity to help direct the character of our area, as well as to ensure its viability in the longterm."
The following Businesses of the Year awards were presented during the dinner.
The winners were:
Retail Business of the Year: The Brick Restaurant
Tourism and Convention Business of the Year: Brekke's Fireside Resort
Professional and Industrial Business of the Year: Rennes Health and Rehab
Non-Profit Organization of the Year: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin
Volunteer of the Year: Diane Sowinski
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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