The latest Business Outreach Tour was held just outside the county limits at CROPP Cooperative Headquarters (more commonly referred to as Organic Valley) in LaFarge, Wisconsin. The organic partnership was formed in 1988, and they've seen tremendous growth since they began. The purpose of CROPP, Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools, is to create and operate a marketing cooperative that promotes regional farm diversity and economic stability by the means of organic agricultural methods and the sale of certified organic products. In March of 2011, CROPP has 1636 farm families and over $555.0 million in sales. Our group heard the history of CROPP and toured their headquarters including their most recent expansion. It was a very informative tour, and we hope that they consider a future expansion into Richland County. The tour ended with a delicious organic lunch in their Milky Way Café.

The ribbon has officially been cut at K & K New and Pre-Owned Furniture and Antiques, located at 172 S. Church Street in downtown Richland Center. Owner George Belche is shown second from the right, behind Gabriela Ortiz, granddaughter of Joann McCauley. Richland Center Mayor Larry Fowler stands at the right. Also shown are (L to R) Richland Chamber and Development Alliance board member Robin Cosgrove, assistant director Mary Jo Fortney, and vice president Jason Schultz.

A ribbon cutting was recently held to showcase the new location and expanded product line of Fillback Ford Chrysler. Mark Fillback, Owner, shared that the new location gives them better visibility and access from the highway for their customers. They have seen an increase in customers since opening their doors.

Fillback Ford Chrysler offers new cars and trucks along with pre-owned used cars and trucks. They have a full service department available for ordering auto parts or servicing your Chevrolet, Ford, Buick, Pontiac, Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep vehicles. They are open six days a week for sales and service.

RCDA is grateful to the Fillback Family for keeping their business in Richland Center. They are a great asset to the community. Visit their website at www.fillback.com to learn more about their locations, products and services.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is committed to improving safety and mobility on US 14 in Richland Center. The raised median alternative with roundabouts at Peebles Ave., Starlight Ln, and County O is not acceptable due to the impact on businesses, so this alternative will not be pursued at this time. The DOT recognizes that the most pressing safety concern along US 14 is at the intersection of Starlight Lane and Richland Square Mall entrance. The DOT will be focusing on this intersection and the approaches. Evaluation of the Starlight / Richland Square intersection will be performed this fall to identify alternatives.

Project Schedule:
November / December 2011: Intersection Control Evaluation for Starlight Ln. and Richland Square Mall entrance.
Spring 2012: Public information meeting

For more information, contact project manager Rob Winteron at 608-789-7879 or email robert.winterton@dot.wi.gov.

Please read the complete DOT: US 14 Safety Improvement Project article.

HealthCheck360° works with clients to develop and implement wellness and health management programs to meet their specific needs, culture, and to enhance their existing benefit structure. HealthCheck360° analyzes population health on the client and total population level to communicate return on investment, reductions in health risks, and areas for improvement.

HealthCheck360° is an outcome driven wellness provider and consulting company. Their approach empowers employers to target the root causes of their rising health care costs and helps enable participants to improve their health. HealthCheck360° then provides the quantitative data and metrics the clients need to treat health as a serious business strategy.

HealthCheck360° was launched in the winter of 2007 and the company has grown to provide assessment, biometrics, and coaching services to over 100 employers, and 50,000 employees annually.

Meeting Location Information:
Richland Hospital - Pippin Hall #1
333 E 2nd St.
Richland Center, WI 53581
Registration starts at 7:45am and our meeting will start promptly at 8am with light refreshments being served.

Please RSVP the number of employees attending from your company to chamber@richlandalliance.com by Monday, November 7. This helps to ensure we have the correct number of handouts and food available for everyone. Please only RSVP if you are able to attend the meeting. The meeting is free for RCDA members and $10 for non members.

For more information, please view the full article

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a division of Capital Wealth Advisory Group, recently hosted a "Business After 5" event sponsored by Richland Chamber and Development Alliance. Ameriprise employees from the Richland Center, Madison, and Rockford, Illinois offices were introduced and were on hand to meet and visit with guests.

The networking event began with Sally Cornell playing her harp as guests arrived and exchanged introductions. The event included highlights of the Richland Chamber and Development Alliance along with details of Richland Rejuvenates and their community projects. Several Ameriprise employees spoke on the history of the company and the services they provide. They also shared their company's philosophy of serving the communities they are established in. Participants were treated to delicious cheese samples provided by Alcam Creamery, sweet sips of apple cider donated by Oakwood Fruit Farm, and heavenly cheesecake samples made by Claudia Berres. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. is one of the leading diversified financial services company in the U.S. Their Richland Center office is located in the historic City Auditorium. For more information on their products and services please contact them at 608-647-8842.

In this picture, Mick Cosgrove, financial Advisor with Ameriprise Financial, presents Jamie Johnson, Richland Soul Kitchen Representative, with a donation from Richland Rejuvenates. Kristie Lee won 3rd place in the Richland Rejuvenates Churnin' Dust Go-Kart Racing event for charity. The charity Kristie raced for was Richland Soul Kitchen and her go-cart was sponsored by Lime Ridge Ag and Troxel Farms LLC.

The Richland Center Community Business Outreach Program recently toured the Richland Center Foundry, LLC. John Gerszewski, President and C.E.O., led the group in a discussion and tour of the foundry. The group was able to see firsthand the daily production and labor intensive work that goes on inside of the foundry.

The foundry was established in 1963 as an operating company of Schneider Fuel & Supply of Milwaukee. View full article

The ribbon cutting at Oakwood Fruit Farm was a celebration of their newly rebuilt facility after a devastating fire one year ago. It was great to see several generations of family members present and proudly showing off their new retail sales area, state-of-the art computerized packaging line, storage areas and coolers. Samples of their apple cider donuts, apple cookies and apple cider were delicious!

Oakwood Fruit Farm is nestled in the hills of Richland County. The apple orchard has been in the Louis family for five generations and serving the area for 100+ years. Their orchard spans 200 acres with over 20 varieties of apples. Stop by to purchase some apples or delicious baked goods. For more information visit their website at oakwoodfruitfarm.com or call 608-585-2701.

School is back in session and it's time for us here at the RCDA to reach out to new members. Here's just a few of the things our current members are saying:

"We are grateful for the assistance that the RCDA provided us during our business expansion project. Ultimately the resources and advocacy they provided, allowed us to focus on a better facility to better serve the needs of our customers and the community. The end result is that we were able to retain 18 full time jobs in the community due to the knowledge and efficiencies provided by the RCDA." - Mark Fillback (Fillback Ford)
View full article

President Duane Ford and Derek Dachelet, Director of External Relations, spent an entire day in Richland Center getting to know and listening to the people, businesses and manufacturers, farmers and agribusinesses, schools, health care organizations, first responders, community leaders, students and alumni, donors, and all others served by, connected to, or somehow interested in Southwest Tech.

This was the first of what will be many visits to Richland Center and all the other cities, towns, counties, and communities in Southwest Tech's District. View full article

Dreams Bridal Boutique, LLC, had a formal ribbon cutting ceremony to introduce their new dress shop to the Richland Center area. The company was started as a vision of three friends wanting to give brides the fairytale dress shopping experience that they did not receive when they were married. The store is over 4,000 square feet, and they offer exclusive lines of bridal gowns, accessories, alterations, tuxedos, Mother of the Bride and Groom dresses, flower girl dresses, prom and formal wear. Visit their store at 100 South Main Street in Richland Center.

UW-Richland Campus celebrated a grand opening of East Hall, a newly-remodeled building recently added to the University of Wisconsin-Richland campus. East Hall houses the Richland County Extension offices, formerly located in Melvill Hall, as well as the new Art Classroom. The grand opening included speakers, ribbon cutting, and lunch was served in the Four Seasons Lounge. East Hall is a great asset to the campus.

Annual meeting of the members of the Richland Chamber and Development Alliance took place at the Phoenix Center May 24, 2011. Executive Director Meegan Thomspon provided this 2010-2011 Annual Report on activities since the last year's meeting.

Marketing is one of the most important functions or systems that operates in your business. But, while it is one of the most important, it is also one of the most misunderstood concepts.

What is marketing? Is it the ads you place in the paper to advertise your business? Is it your website? Is it the way that you handle your customers when they are in your shop?

Since learning of potential roundabouts on Highway 14, it's clear people have concerns and there is dissention.

Requests had been made for over twenty years to Wisconsin Department of Transportation for safety improvements at Starlite Drive and the Richland Square Mall intersection. The WisDOT has an opportunity to answer the request to reduce the number and severity of crashes and decrease the potential for crashes with funding from the Highway Safety Improvement Program. View full article

Thank you for your feedback! The Richland Chamber and Development Alliance is always looking for ways to expand our services to the public and to the members of the Richland Chamber. Your input and ideas are valuable for improving our organization and strengthening our outreach to the Richland County area. You may view the Client and Customer Satisfaction Survey Results.