DCEDC Annual Investors Meeting
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Prof. Patrick Carr | More than 320 community, political and business leaders attended the DCEDC annual investors meeting on April 28th and made it the most successful and well attended annual meeting in our history. Keynote speaker Patrick Carr, professor of Sociology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, discussed "Confronting Rural Brain Drain: Strategies and Best Practices."Executive Director Bill Chaudoir presented his annual report on the recent activities of DCEDC and recognized a number of local businesses who have gone against the tide and grown their businesses during the past recessionary year. Roen Salvage Company was named as the Door County Industry of the Year, and Kris and JJ Johnson, owners of three successful Northern Door restaurants, received the Entrepreneurs of the Year Award.
Our award winners! |
The Door County Economic Development Corporation 2009 Annual Report to investors is now available online. The report, which was released during the DCEDC annual investors meeting, presents a look at the accomplishments of the organization over the past year. |
Constant Contact & the Power of E-mail Marketing
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 On Thursday, June 10, 9:30-Noon and 1:30-3:30pm at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall (2392 County Highway F), DCEDC, the Door County Visitor Bureau and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College are proud to bring Steve Robinson, Illinois Regional Development Director for Constant Contact, to Door County for a day of essential training for local businesses on the cost-effective tools that can help you build stronger relationships with customers through email marketing, online surveys and event marketing. Whether you're a restaurant, non-profit organization, manufacturer, resort or retail store, email marketing is a must-have for building your business. These two free seminars can get you started on the path to greater and more successful customer relationships. To attend, please RSVP via e-mail to janet@doorcountybusiness.com. |
DKBEP Builds Another House
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 Eleven high school students representing Algoma, Luxemburg-Casco and Southern Door school districts have joined forces with the Door County Home Builders Association, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) and the Door Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership (DKBEP) to build a home from start to finish during the 2009/10 school year. The program is an effort to grow the local construction industry's skilled workforce while providing real-world learning experiences for our area youth. Participating students were involved in all aspects of home construction and each student earned 16 transcripted credits for advanced placement in the Wood Tech Technical Diploma one-year program at NWTC. The home is currently listed on the open real estate market with Novak Agency. Revenue generated from the home sale will offset program costs and any remaining funds will be used as seed money toward future DKBEP High School Home Construction projects.  The single story, 1,700 square foot ranch style home sits on a large lot in a quiet subdivision at 1510 Meadows Lane in Luxemburg, WI, and boasts three bedrooms including a master suite, two full bathrooms, three-stall finished garage and a full basement with natural light. Other amenities of the home include a gas fireplace, first floor laundry, walk-in kitchen pantry, spacious floor plan with nine foot ceilings and a sliding glass door that opens to a maintenance-free deck. |
Revolving Loan Funds
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The DCEDC-administered Revolving Loan Fund programs offered by the County of Door, the City of Sturgeon Bay and DCEDC to facilitate the expansion or start-up of local businesses have been very active recently. The County loan fund has approved loans of $60,000 for Lo Artisan Distillery, LLC to start a new whiskey distillery in Southern Door; $250,000 to HTF, Inc. to help them finance the construction of an industrial furnace for a German company; and $25,000 to Captain Commodes for new equipment to help facilitate company growth. The City of Sturgeon Bay Revolving Loan Fund program recently provided WireTech with a $150,000 loan to help equip their new facility in the Industrial Park. These four loans are leveraging just shy of $1.5 Million in private investment and will contribute to the creation of seven new jobs and the retention of 19 jobs in the local economy. The three funds currently have a combined balance of $500,000 that is available to lend to eligible growing businesses. Contact Bill Chaudoir or Sam Perlman if you want to learn more about accessing these funds for your business. |
Groundbreaking on Workforce Housing
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On Wednesday, June 9 at 10am, V&A of Sturgeon Bay will have a groundbreaking event for the 17-lot workforce housing development they will be constructing on the soon-to-be-former WireTech site at the intersection of Erie Street and North 6th Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. Representative from a number of participating organizations, including the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, will be on hand for the celebration. V&A of Sturgeon Bay, a partnership between "R" Van Rite Construction and Heritage Custom Homes of Green Bay, will be the developer of the subdivision on the site. Once WireTech has completed the move into their new facility in the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park, the City will raze the building and prepare the entire site for housing. Model homes will be built on the existing site this summer. |
DCEDC on Facebook.com!
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 Door County Economic Development has embraced the world of online social networking, and invites you to become a Facebook "fan" of DCEDC to keep up on events and opportunities. You can also view more pictures from our April 28 Annual Meeting and a 20-year photo history of DCEDC. |
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