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MONTHLY
NEWSLETTER
January 2024
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Business Advancement & Advocacy | Entrepreneurial Growth
Sustainable Living | Communications & Engagement
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DCEDC is proud to be a partner to the VILLAGE OF EGG HARBOR, a vibrant community located on the Niagara Escarpment on the waters of Green Bay.
Egg Harbor is included in a Highway 42 construction project that began earlier this month, but the Northern Door community is open for business!
Village officials have been doing a great job of informing the public with road project updates. Residents and visitors can keep track of the progress and find the best routes to Egg Harbor businesses at this Construction Accessibility Plan
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24th year of ETP classes under way | |
The DOOR COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION is pleased to be assisting eight entrepreneurs in the 24th year of its Entrepreneurial Training Program.
Classes in the eight-week program started last week at DCEDC’s Business Development Center in Sturgeon Bay. The program is facilitated by our partners at the UW-GREEN BAY SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER and consists of instruction, coaching and guest-speaker presentations to help entrepreneurs develop a plan for a thriving, profitable business.
DCEDC thanks NICOLET NATIONAL BANK and BANK OF LUXEMBURG for sponsoring the program.
More than 120 entrepreneurs have graduated from the ETP since first being offered in 2000.
Check out this feature story from NBC26 on a 2023 ETP graduate who owns and operates a restaurant in Sturgeon Bay.
If you need business assistance, or to inquire about future ETP classes, contact DCEDC Business Development Director Devin Vandertie at (920) 743-3113.
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High School Job Fair planned for March | |
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The DOOR COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION'S second annual High School Job Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, March 6, at Stone Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay.
The event, in partnership with the NORTHEAST WISCONSIN YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP organization and CESA 7, is intended to connect sophomores and juniors to Door County businesses for part-time employment, summer employment and youth apprenticeship opportunities.
Last year's event resulted in the connection of more than 500 students to 43 Door County businesses. Another big turnout is expected this year, with students from Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol, Southern Door, Algoma and Washington Island.
DCEDC investors are being offered the first opportunity to reserve a spot. The event will be opened to non-investors starting Feb. 7.
For more information on becoming an investor or on the job fair, contact DCEDC Marketing and Communications Director Korey Mallien at korey@doorcountybusiness.com
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Potawatomi tower project taking shape | |
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Contractors have completed the emergency stabilization of the Potawatomi State Park Observation Tower, which has been closed to the public for six years due to wood decay. This is the first phase of a multi-phase project that will restore the 75-foot historic tower to a safe condition.
The DOOR COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and a local delegation of citizens, elected officials and business and community leaders advocated for the stabilization of the tower, built in 1931 and closed in 2017, during the Door-Kewaunee County Legislative Days event last April at the State Capitol in Madison.
Gov. Tony Evers ordered the stabilization of the tower using $500,000 in emergency funding. Then, with proceeding requests from Northeast Wisconsin representatives Sen. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere) and Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay), the legislature approved an additional $500,000 in the state’s 2023-2025 budget to complete repairs on the tower.
Potawatomi State Park is one of five Door County state parks. Its tower is a popular attraction for locals and visitors and benefits the local economy.
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Addressing Door County childcare challenges | |
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The Door County Economic Development Corporation commends the efforts of those involved with the expansion of the DOOR COMMUNITY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER (DOCO) and the formation of a new daycare, CHILDREN FIRST DEVELOPMENT CENTER, that’s expected to open this summer.
These are significant developments for young families, the Door County workforce, area employers and the local economy. Childcare is an integral pillar to thriving communities.
DOCO recently opened its new facility on Gordon Road in the Town of Sevastopol and can now care for 150 children, nearly double the number of kids that it could previously provide for at its old facility in Sturgeon Bay. The 18,600-square-foot facility, directed by Bridgett Starr and Alexis Fuller, was supported in part by a $3.5 million state Workforce Innovation Grant received by the UNITED WAY OF DOOR COUNTY to address childcare challenges in the area.
Meanwhile, the Children First Development Center will provide care for 76 children when it opens its facility in the former Door County YMCA Barker Center that was previously occupied by DOCO on Egg Harbor Road in Sturgeon Bay. Kayla Lehman is the administrator, and Lorie Torbeck is the center director for the Children First Development Center.
Together, DOCO and Children First Development Center will provide licensed care for more than 220 children.
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Sister Bay's workforce housing study released | |
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The VILLAGE OF SISTER BAY will present its recently completed workforce housing study at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Sister Bay Liberty Grove Fire Department. The one-hour presentation is open to the public and area workers who desire to own a home in Sister Bay.
The study from Santec Consulting helps identify the number and types of housing needed to address the demand for workforce housing in Sister Bay. The study is the first phase of a long-term project to develop codes, programs and policies for housing development, said village administrator Julie Schmelzer.
Read the entire study HERE
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DCEDC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER | | |
Tourism Zone relocates to Sturgeon Bay | |
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The DOOR COUNTY TOURISM ZONE COMMISSION has moved its offices from Sister Bay into the Door County Economic Development Corporation’s Business Development Center in Sturgeon Bay.
The commission, established in 2007, supports the unified marketing efforts for Door County’s vast tourism industry through DESTINATION DOOR COUNTY.
The commission’s offices, now located at 185 E. Walnut Street, Sturgeon Bay, are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Administrator Juliana Behme can be reached via email at info@doorcountytourismzone.com
DCEDC has office, light manufacturing and warehouse space available at its Business Development Center. Tenants share services and equipment, have access to a large conference room for meetings and video conferencing, and benefit from competitive rents. For more information, contact DCEDC’s Accounting and Operations Coordinator Kathy Lasee at kathy@doorcountybusiness.com or (920) 743-3113.
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Great Lakes freighters are starting to arrive at FINACANTIERI BAY SHIPBUILDING in Sturgeon Bay for winter repairs.
FBS serviced 18 vessels last winter, including several 1,000-footers.
Watch this video of the Joseph L. Block, a 728-foot self-unloading bulk carrier that was built by Bay Shipbuilding in 1976, arrive Jan. 17 for winter layup.
You can also track the Great Lakes winter fleet here
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WBA releases Wisconsin economic reports | |
The WISCONSIN BANKERS ASSOCIATION has released eight sector-specific reports by industry experts that provide projections for Wisconsin’s economy in 2024.
The report includes overviews from the following Wisconsin trade associations: Bankers, Builders, Farm Bureau Federation, Growers, Hospitals, Manufacturers & Commerce, REALTORS and Technology Council. Read the reports here
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QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES, in partnership with the WASHINGTON ISLAND ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, has announced the successful completion of Phase 1 of the Washington Island fiber optic internet project. The milestone marks a significant step towards providing reliable high-speed internet access to residents, institutions and businesses of Washington Island. In the first phase, Quantum connected vital institutions such as the police station, school, town hall and visitor center, along with 300 homes to high speed internet.
ROSEWOOD DAIRY, INC., the manufacturing facility for RENARD'S ARTISAN CHEESE in Southern Door County, was recently awarded a $29,300 grant from the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance. The grant will help support a wastewater loadout building and office relocation design plans for the cheesemaking plant’s 50,000-square-foot expansion project on County Highway S, said Ann Renard, co-owner and president of Rosewood Dairy and Renard’s Artisan Cheese.
Matthew and Karla Sagorac have purchased the WILD TOMATO, a popular Door County restaurant with locations in Fish Creek and Sister Bay. The restaurant was established in 2008 and specializes in wood-fired pizza. Read more here
Tyler Abts recently opened CUESTA COFFEE in Ellison Bay in a business space that formerly housed Gills Rock Coffee. Read more here
DOOR COUNTY CANDLE COMPANY in Carlsville has added a Candle Bar, where customers can create their own soy candles with over 50 exclusive scents. Read more here
Want to include a Door County business item in our Newsletter? Submissions can be emailed for consideration to Korey Mallien at korey@doorcountybusiness.com
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Did you know that the Door County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) is a public/private partnership dedicated to improving the economic vitality of the county and its residents?
DCEDC partners with companies and entrepreneurs to help build successful businesses in Door County and continuously improve the area’s economic climate. It’s a relationship that allows businesses to tap into the expertise of area leaders, and provides them with access to a variety of local, state and federal resources.
| FREE No Cost Services to Door County Businesses | |
Hundreds of businesses and entrepreneurs have benefitted from DCEDC services at no cost!
- Workforce Development
- Entrepreneurship Assistance
- Financial Assistance
- Attraction & Site Selection
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