“We are writing to share our perspective related to the current debate on transportation funding in the upcoming 2015-17 state budget. Although tough decisions need to be made in order to budget responsibly, we ask that any resulting spending reductions be equitable and not disproportionately affect out-state areas,” the letter reads.

Click Here for Letter

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According to Grothman, “The EPA set National Ambient Air Quality Standards, in particular ozone, at 120 parts per billion (ppb) in 1971, and now the EPA has proposed a new rule of 65 ppb set to take effect in October 2015, which cuts the standard nearly in half since 1971. By 2015 the EPA will have changed ozone standards over five times. Changing it again will damage Wisconsin, specifically counties in the 6th Congressional District, disproportionately more than other states around the country. These regulations also put United States businesses at a comparative disadvantage globally, in particular with countries like China and Russia.”

Click Here for More

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According to WHBY News, “… the tourism and retail industries are the best bets for teens to target. The national unemployment rate for 16 to 19 year olds is over 17 percent.”

Read the entire story here.

The Fox Cities Chamber offices have been busy this morning with area teens coming in for work permits. Visit the chamber website for more information.

Who needs a work permit?
Every employer who hires a youth between the ages of 12 and 18 or who permits the minor to work at a gainful occupation must insure that the youth has a valid permit. A new permit is required until the minor reaches the age of 18 for every new job.

Where are permits obtained? 
Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry
125 N. Superior St.
Appleton, WI 54911

Hours
We are open from 8:30am-5:00pm Monday through Friday

The post Summer break means summer work appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

The Fox Cities Chamber is excited to announce the winners of the 2015 Business Awards. The goal of the awards program is to recognize and reward businesses and organizations in the Fox Cities that help make this a vibrant, innovative and dynamic community. The awards are given based on leadership, dedication and achievement.

Business of the Year

The Business of the Year Award recognizes businesses for outstanding performance, growing and/or increasing jobs; increasing sales; overcoming adversity; and community contributions. This year’s winners are:

Large Employer, Manufacturing Category – Menasha Corporation

Small Employer, Manufacturing Category – Alpha-Prime

Large Employer, Service Category – McClone

Small Employer, Service Category – Midwest Restoration

Rising Star

The Rising Stag Award recognizes relatively new “Up and Coming” small businesses with a unique blend of vision, energy, perseverance, and skill.  It is for ventures that have been in business less than five years, and have gotten off to a strong start with the potential for growing into a prosperous enterprise in the future. This year’s winners are:

Manufacturing Category – R3NEW, LLC

Service Category – Nutritional Healing

Wholesale/Retail Category – Green Gecko, Inc.

Company Innovation

Today, more than ever, innovation is recognized as the key to long-term success. Innovative companies identify opportunities, and execute creative-thinking and calculated risk-taking to bring innovation to the marketplace. The Company Innovation award acknowledges organizations that take risks around their marketing and promotional practices that have ultimately improved revenue, communication, customer relationships, market share or visibility.

This year’s winner is:

Small Employer – AeroInnovate

Exemplary Marketing and/or Performance

The Exemplary Marketing and/or Performance award recognizes organizations that have taken risks around their marketing and promotional practices that have ultimately improved revenue, communication, customer relationships, market share or visibility. This year’s winners are:

Large Employer – Fox Valley Technical College

Small Employer – SOAR Fox Cities

Corporate Citizen / Corporate Leadership

The Corporate Citizen/Corporate Leadership Award recognizes organizations with a philosophy of giving and community involvement that have made significant differences in the health and well-being of the Fox Cities. The award encourages and supports corporate social responsibility and community leadership. This year’s winners are:

Large Employer – Innovative Services, Inc.

Small Employer – Stellar Blue

On Wednesday, June 10^th, the Fox Cities Chamber is hosting an awards luncheon at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, where the winners will be recognized for their achievements. General admission is $25, and tables of 10 are $275. Visit www.foxcitieschamber.com to register for the luncheon.  Join us and celebrate with your peers.

The post Congratulations Fox Cities Chamber Business Award winners 2015 appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

For roughly the last 75 years, some form of TPA has been in place to negotiate agreements facilitating the movement of American products into other countries. With one in five American jobs relying on free trade, TPA is an important issue to watch. Companies throughout northeast Wisconsin, from manufacturing to agriculture, have made exporting their products a key part of their business plan. It diversifies their portfolio, but also helps them reach the fastest growing markets in the world.

Over the next decade, there will be more than 3 billion new customers in Asia. They can either buy their products from other countries, or they can buy them from the U.S. The debate over Trade Promotion Authority will be moving to the U.S. House of Representatives during the month of June.

While the issue of free trade is not without its detractors, the White House and Congress have so far chosen to work together. By allowing this 6-year authorization to go into effect, the countries negotiating these deals with the U.S., will know they have partners in both the Executive and Legislative branch that will honor the terms of any final agreement.

There are also still checks and balances within this TPA authorization:

-It requires the White House to consult with Members of Congress.

-Congress must still vote the package up or down.

-It will also open a 60 day window (after a trade agreement has been reached) for the public to comment.

The post TPA on the move appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

The Post Crescent writes, “Companies in the Appleton area can participate in SLP by hosting on-site career education opportunities, serve as mentors and event volunteers and advise and publicize the initiative within their professional networks. Businesses interested in participating should contact Chris Nowicki at 912-251-1562 or chris.nowicki@gulfstream.com.”

Read the entire story here.

The post Collaboration promotes leadership skills appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

This is related to a proposed EPA rule known to the Agriculture community as “waters of the U.S.” According to the Associated Press, “Broadly, the EPA’s proposed rules would assert federal regulatory authority over streams, tributaries, wetlands and other flowing waters that significantly affect other protected waters downstream. That means some operations that wanted to dump pollutants into those waters or develop around them would have to get a federal permit.”

Opponents have said definitions contained within the rule are too vague and may lead to compliance problems. A bipartisan group of lawmakers agree and are looking to repeal the proposed rule by the E.P.A. and Army Corp. of Engineers. The legislation also instructs those agencies to, “jointly consult with and solicit advice and recommendations from representative State and local officials, stakeholders, and other interested parties on how to define the term “waters of the United States” as used in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.”

U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is pushing for similar legislation in the upper Chamber.

The post Vote scheduled for EPA water rule appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

Rosegirls Wax Melts

Rosegirls Wax Melts are wax melts customized by you. Choose from over 200 different scents to create your own unique blend. We specialize in helping our customers create scented wax melts with numerous choices for scents and combinations, rather than the boring, stale single scented candle/wax options are that available on the market currently.

Remix Concrete Products

Remix Concrete utilizes waste porcelain for specialized concrete mixes. Remix concrete offers up to 70% post-consumer products, lightweight concrete, heat/fire resistance, cold resistance, LEED certified concrete. Remix can be utilized as ANY concrete product. It can be used on a highway, decorative concrete, building block, roof tile, stucco, and many other uses. The porcelain creates a barrier in the concrete to stop the filtration of heat and or cold temperatures. Utility Patent pending.

Putzer Cliff Innovations

When this product was invented its sole purpose was to eliminate the danger of having one’s safety/eyeglasses/goggles fog up. After much research and numerous conversations with DIYers and construction professionals it was found that the mis-use or non-use of the dust mask was occurring. It soon became clear that people were not wearing the dust mask because it was ultimately hindering their vision or was too cumbersome to wear while working. There was also the notion that it was a hassle to wear a dust mask for just a few minutes. The Zwilter Filter is a non-cumbersome ready when you need it, easy in easy out product. The user can make the easy choice where, when and how to use the dust filter.

Bill-Ray Home Mobility, LLC

Selling independence to seniors! Few people have the interest or finances to leave their comfortable homes and require help to remain there. Mobility issues can be the worst in the bed area as getting in/out of bed can be dangerous for both the person and caregiver. “Friendly Beds” is designed as a heavy duty innovative bed mobility system allowing people to “help themselves” for improved safety, independence, self-esteem, and strength conditioning.

DevLo

DevLo is a company that means “Device Location.” The objective of DevLo is to connect people to their most valuable items through their location. The product is a card composed of a GPS receiver, micro-controller, SIM card holder (and SIM card), and a battery. A command from a phone initiates the GPS receiver and obtains the device’s location, then the information is sent from the device’s SIM card back to the users phone number. DevLo is the first device to truly find anything, anywhere.

Sizzle

About 17 million students enrolled in universities today go out on a regular basis, and what if you could get the most out of your night, every night, using data that is already out there? What if by simply opening your phone you could tell which bars, clubs, or parties had the most people there, or the best drink specials, or the most singles? What if you could see pictures of the inside before you even get there? Well we’re Sizzle, and we turn what if’s into what the hell happened last night.

Princeton Audio, LLC

Introducing – The Site:1 the worlds first portable, constructed like a musical instrument and engineered to never technologically obsolete.  Princeton Audio, LLC uses the time-tested techniques of woodworking artisans and master builders of musical instruments in the making of speakers and headphones.

Ultimate Natural Goose Decoy

This product brings new, realistic movement to decoys. It has fully articulated motion across the entire bird, which mimics a live bird more realistically. The head is able to move up, down, left, and right. The mouth opens and closes and the neck of the bird has full motion, from fully erect to feeding position while moving left and right The decoy is also capable of rearing up, keeping the neck in true position and opening and flapping the wings whether the body is up or down. These realistic movements will bring in much higher volume of birds.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 8, 2015

Governor Scott Walker Calls for Agency Mergers to be Removed from State Budget

After hearing concerns from stakeholders, agency boards, mergers will not move forward

Madison – Governor Scott Walker announced that he asked legislators to remove the two proposed agency mergers from the budget, as well as asked the bill authors of separate merger legislation to not move forward.  Governor Walker released the following statement:

After hearing concerns from legislators, stakeholders, and the WHEDA and WEDC Boards, we asked legislators to remove the proposed agency mergers from the state budget and we asked the bill authors to not move forward with the proposed separate legislation.  My sincere thanks to the bill authors, Senator Gudex, Representative Hutton, Senator Roth, and Representative Ballweg, for their hard work and collaboration on these bills.  Given the issues raised at the recent joint WEDC/WHEDA board meeting, it is not the appropriate time to pursue these proposals.

Governor Walker had proposed a merger of the Department of Financial Institutions and the Department of Safety and Professional Services into one regulatory agency for all businesses and a merger of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) into one authority focused on housing and economic development.

The post Breaking News on WEDC/WHEDA Merger appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.