Spring is a time of awakening on the Door Peninsula, as we rid ourselves of winter blues and prepare for the beginning of another busy summer season in Door County. This spring also brings a great deal of activity to the DCEDC offices as we prepare not only for our annual investors meeting, but also our biennial trip to Madison to deliver our legislative agenda to lawmakers and state agencies.

DCEDC is pleased to announce the details for our annual investors meeting and luncheon on Tuesday, April 24, at the Stone Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay. The keynote speaker will be former NFL, Notre Dame and Southern Door High School football star Jim Flanigan, Jr.

In addition to the keynote address by Jim Flanigan, Jr., the annual investors meeting will include the presentation of the Door County Industry of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. The luncheon meeting will also include the annual report to investors about the accomplishments of DCEDC during 2006.

The DCEDC annual investors meeting will start promptly at 12pm. A pre-luncheon networking session with Jim Flanigan, Jr. will take place from 11:15 to 11:45am. Tickets for the April 24 luncheon are $30 per person or $225 for a table of eight. Five dollars from each ticket will be donated to the Southern Door Community Foundation in honor of Jim Flanigan, Jr. Tickets are available from the DCEDC office. For more information, please contact DCEDC Office Assistant Susan Mullarkey at (920) 743-3113 x200 or by email at susa n@doorcountybusiness.com.

May 8 and 9, 2007 are the dates for the third biennial Door County Legislative Days event in Madison. This year’s events are building directly on the success of Door County Legislative Days in 2003 and 2005, which brought the specific concerns of the community directly to elected representatives and influential government appointees.

Door County Legislative Days will again be headquartered at the Inn On The Park hotel on Capitol Square. The main events are scheduled on Tuesday, May 8th, when delegates will call on state legislators in the afternoon and enjoy a reception, authentic Door County fish boil dinner and entertainment in the evening. The remainder of the two-day event will be reserved for visiting state officials and selected state agencies.

The 2007 Door County Legislative Days will require at least 100 local delegates in Madison to effectively call on legislators. Anyone interested in participating should contact DCEDC by phone at 920-743-3113 or e-mail bill@doo rcountybusiness.com. The cost to participate for delegates is only $20, made possible by a variety of local financial sponsors, including local government, civic groups and private businesses. Anyone interested in supporting Door County Legislative Days and helping to reach the goal of $15,000 in sponsorship funds should also contact DCEDC or Finance Chair Mark Nelson at 920-743-5954.

The Door/Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership (DKBEP) recently hired Tara LeClair to be the new Business and Education Manager for the Partnership. A Door County native, Tara brings to DKBEP past experience working for the Village of Menomonee Falls and as an entrepreneur, having established Lakeview Geomatics, a business offering GIS and cartographic services. Tara is excited to reconnect with the Door County community and create a strong partnership between business and education.

Tara’s main responsibilities will be the implementation, maintenance and oversight of the Door and Kewaunee Counties Regional Youth Training and Development Program, which consists of four initiatives:

• a local career awareness program;
• a post-high school training and employment program;
• developing and expanding youth co-op and apprenticeship programs;
• the development and implementation of the high school home construction project.

The programs are designed to provide career awareness and training programs for area youth to help fill the current and future employment needs of businesses in the region. The establishment of workforce bridges for young people into area business sectors is essential for the long-term survival of our regional industrial base.

Tara will be actively soliciting business and community participation in the program initiatives. Please contact Tara at tara@do orcountybusiness.com or 920-743-3113 x205 for more information or to help inspire Door County youth to enter the local workforce.

We recently added Susan Mullarkey to our team, in the role of Office Assistant. A native of the Cape Cod of the East Coast, Susan comes to us from CandleWorks of Door County. Susan and her family live in Sturgeon Bay. Susan will be handling reception and administrative duties for us, and brings a great burst of energy, enthusiasm and fresh flowers to her new duties.

Join us in welcoming Susan to DCEDC!