Happy Holidays! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The DCEDC staff extends to you hopes for a joyful holiday season filled with family, fun, food and frivolity.
We wish you a safe, healthy, peaceful
and prosperous New Year!
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2012 Recap
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 2012 was a year that saw the beginnings of economic recovery, and also saw significant progress on a number of Door County projects and initiatives. Cellcom began offering 4G wireless services throughout Door County and Frontier Communications began offering DSL service on Washington Island. Sturgeon Bay developed a feasibility study for a four seasons market on the former Door County Co-op site. Renard's Cheese built an expanded retail facility to accommodate their business growth. 2012 saw a total of seven homes at the Sunset Hill #2 development for workforce housing. Developer Keith Garot continued construction on a 48-unit condo development and two 8-unit rental buildings in Sister Bay along Country Walk Drive. Door County Coastal Byway Council hired consultants from UW- Stevens Point to prepare an interpretive master plan. The Federal Highway Administration awarded $554,900 in Coastal Byway grants to The Ridges Sanctuary. Anna's Healthcare constructed a new CBRF assisted living facility in Sturgeon Bay. The Sister Bay Economic Development Committee released a redevelopment report, providing creative ideas, suggestions and alternatives that would improve the local economy and create jobs. Jim Olson Motors established a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership in Door County. Door County Buy Local launched a new website with searchable member database and hosted seven business networking mixers. DKBEP and local school districts worked with NWTC to provide customized CNC curriculum relevant to high school students in the Computer Integrated Mobile Manufacturing Lab. Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development provided technical assistance in establishing a Door County Housing Trust.
Click the link to review a summary of our 2012 Major Accomplishments on the DCEDC website.
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2013 Forecast
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 The DCEDC Board of Directors is in the process of establishing our priority strategic objectives for 2013: implement the final phases of the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding Cluster Master Plan; partnering with other groups to help strengthen the tourism industry; assist local communities develop and implement downtown redevelopment plans; continue the process to have Sturgeon Bay designated as a Coast Guard City; coordinate 2013 Door/Kewaunee Legislative Days; administer and market new business financing tools; continued participation in the Lakeshore Industrial Cluster Initiative; assist with acquisition of new property for future expansion of the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park; continued administration of the Door County Coastal Byways Interpretive Master Plan process. As always, the DCEDC staff will continue to be available to provide on-going guidance and assistance to the entrepreneurs and business owners of Door County.
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Growing Your Business With Government Contracts
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On Thursday, January 24th, 9-11am at Crossroads at Big Creek, DCEDC will host a workshop on government contracting with Joe Smetak from the Wisconsin Procurement Institute. This workshop will teach the basics of what you need to do to make the government your customer. The Federal Government spends about $525 billion each year; the State of Wisconsin spends about $2 billion annually. If Government is not your customer - consider the opportunity. If Government is your customer - improve your capabilities and gain a competitive edge. Learn and understand the different registrations, certifications and how to conduct market research. As Door County recently regained HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) status, the workshop will also include a presentation by Bob Giesfeldt from the US Small Business Administration on the requirements, process and benefits of HUBZone certification. Click for registration and more information.
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Entrepreneurial Training Program
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DCEDC, in association with the UW-Green Bay Small Business Development Center, will once again sponsor the annual Entrepreneurial Training Program course in Door County. Beginning in winter 2013, this course takes students through a step-by-step approach to writing a professional business plan. The course is designed for those who are considering starting their own business, existing small businesses struggling to get a handle on all the details or successful businesses looking to grow.
Details for the 2013 Entrepreneurial Training Program course are still being finalized. Registration forms and additional information will be available on the DCEDC website in January. If you are interested in receiving the registration materials as soon as they are available, please contact Cindy Wick.
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Barriers to Business Survey
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 DCEDC is still seeking business community input to improve the local business climate, and identify any barriers to business growth that may exist in Door County. We have a brief, 12-question anonymous survey that is open to any and all business owners in Door County. The results of the survey will be shared with the public at a later date, and DCEDC will work with the appropriate entities to alleviate any barriers that are identified from the survey responses. Please take a few short minutes to give us your feedback. The deadline for participating in the survey is Friday, January 4th.
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Board Moves
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The New Year will bring two new members to the DCEDC Board of Directors. We are pleased to welcome Jan Campbell (ERA/Starr Realty and Door County Board of REALTORS) and Darren Voight (Associated Bank) as voting members of the Board. Also, two voting members were reelected to the board: Leslie Gast (Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center and Baylake Bank) and Vicki Wilson (Door County Visitor Bureau and Door County Coffee & Tea).
Additionally, all current ex-officio Board members were re-elected: Rob Burke (UW-Extension); Bill Chaudoir (DCEDC); Bob Kufrin (Village of Sister Bay); Steve McNeil (City of Sturgeon Bay); Jack Moneypenny (DCVB); Maureen Murphy (County of Door); Jim Stawicki (Sturgeon Bay Utilities); Dale Swanson (WPSC); and Todd Trimberger (SBVC).
We are especially grateful to retiring board members Bob Starr (ERA/Starr Realty and Door County Board of REALTORS) and Greg Stephan (Associated Bank) for their many years of service to DCEDC.
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