Customer Service Workshops Feb 15 and Feb 16
Come one, come all to the customer service training sponsored by the Fennimore Area Chamber of Commerce. To better serve the needs of businesses, the committee has two separate workshops scheduled which are an exact repeat of information.
- The first workshop will be held on Wednesday, Feb 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Cottonwood Supper Club; the meal cost is $10.
- The second workshop will be held the following morning Thursday, Feb 16 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.; the breakfast meeting will be held on the campus of Southwest Tech in room 492-493; the meal cost is $7.
Non chamber members are welcome to attend, there will be an additional $5 fee added to each meal
The speaker will be Andrew (Drew) Naussbaum, Regional Specialist with the Department of Tourism whose topic is “Customer Service.” Drew reports “attracting visitors to our region requires a clear message about the experiences we offer. Providing great destinations begins with providing great customer service. Join us for a discussion about marketing to today’s travelers, the ever changing world of social media, and the basics of welcoming guests when they arrive at our doorstep.”
Great customer service leads to many benefits. Not only will you gain trust with your current customers, they’ll also become a wonderful marketing tool as they spread the word about your business to other potential visitors. Whether in person, or on social media, the word travels fast. And, whether it’s positive or negative feedback about a product or service, people are freely sharing their experiences. In the long run, treating people fairly and with respect will bring business to your company today and in the future.
“There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton
Chamber Membership Meeting March 9
The Fennimore Area Chamber of Commerce will hold their first membership meeting of the year on Thursday, March 9. The noon luncheon will be held at The Cottonwood. Reservations for the meal are needed by March 6 by calling the Chamber office 608-822-3599. Watch for more details to come regarding who the speaker will be.
Bohemian Meal February 16
The popular Bohemian meal will be sponsored by the Fennimore Memorial Park Committee on Thursday, Feb 16. Serving will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Legion Annex, 860 Lincoln Avenue, Fennimore.
In true Bohemian spirit, the menu includes roast pork and sauerkraut, mashed potatoes/potato dumplings, apple salad/buttered corn, dinner roll and coffee or milk. Dessert includes poppy seed cake and poppy seed donut holes. The meal will be served buffet style. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door. Carry out meals are available.
This is the annual fund drive for the year. Even though the veterans memorial was dedicated last fall, the committee is still faced with upkeep and some final details for the memorial to be complete. Some of the expenses are needed to add names that were missed on the memorial. It will cost $100 for each name to be added and currently there are 30 names missing.
The committee is also accepting cash donations to help purchase the food for the meal. Donations may be mailed to Dagna Doan, 1735 Foxmoor Drive, Fennimore, WI 53809. Checks should be made out to Fennimore Memorial Park. Please note on the check what your donation is for. The committee will be spending many hours in preparation of the meal during the day. They are in need of a few volunteers to help with clean up starting at 6 p.m.
Master Gardeners Meet Feb 16
The Grant County Master Gardeners will be meeting on February 16th at 6:30 p.m. at the Youth and Ag Building, 916 East Elm St., Lancaster. The program will be Garden Tools and their Care presented by Master Gardener volunteer Doreen Hlavaty. Doreen will be reviewing what tools every gardener should have and the basics of tool care with special emphasis on tool sharpening. This will be an interactive program with others sharing experiences with gardening tools. Tools can be brought for sharpening. Doreen completed two series of classes through OpenLands in Chicago focusing on building urban garden spaces and the care of trees. There will be a brief business meeting before the program. The program is open to the public.
Grant County Farm Progress Days Scholarship
The Executive Committee of Grant County Farm Progress Days has established a scholarship fund. Each year a $500 scholarship will be awarded to a Grant County resident who is a graduating high school senior. The student must be pursuing a course of study in a recognized two- or four-year School of Agriculture.
The Agriculture and Extension Education Committee of the Grant County Board will award the scholarship based on:
- Scholastic achievement
- Extracurricular activities
- An essay on career plans
- Two letters of recommendation from non-family members
The scholarship is not need-based. However, if everything else is equal, need may be considered by the committee. The application deadline is March 1 of the student’s senior year in high school.
Application forms can be found at http://grant.uwex.edu/agriculture/ and can be mailed to the UW-Extension Office, 916 E. Elm Street, Suite A, Lancaster WI 53813. Call (608) 723-2125 for any questions.
Low Margins Continue for Grain Farmers
Grain prices have been declining since 2013 resulting in shrinking margins and financial losses for corn and soybean producers. Declining prices are requiring changes in management strategies to regain positive financial returns. When low margins persist, every input must be analyzed to determine the return on investment it brings, and to find the input level that maximizes that return.
UW-Extension is holding two grain production meetings on management strategies that maximize returns on crop inputs. The first meeting includes presentations analyzing equipment costs and land rental rates, strategies for high corn yields, critical soil fertility factors, cost effective insect control, and smart disease management.
The second meeting will address practical weed management and critical factors in managing resistant weed populations, tillage considerations to reduce operational costs, market outlook for corn and soybeans, how to apply partial budget analysis to reduce input costs, and soybean inputs that deliver the highest return on investment.
These meetings are being held at the Belmont Convention Center with the first meeting on Wednesday February 22 and the second meeting on Tuesday March 7. There is no charge to attend. Both meetings start at 9:30 a.m. with the program and lunch made possible by sponsor support.
To register for these meetings call the Grant County UW-Extension Office at 608-723-2125 by February 15, or the Lafayette County Extension Office at 608-776-4820. Sponsors for these meetings are American Bank, Royal Bank, Community First Bank, Badgerland Financial, Peoples State Bank, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, Mound City Bank, Town Bank, and Benton State Bank.
Tickets still available for Taste of Fennimore
Tickets are now on sale for the 4th Annual Taste of Fennimore event scheduled for Saturday, March 4. Advance tickets are $15, they are $20 at the door. Tickets are limited. Committee members can’t promise tickets will be available the day of the event. The Taste will be held at The Silent Woman from 1 to 5 p.m.
More than 25 vendors will provide the food and beverages for taste testing.
Tickets may be purchased at American, Clare and Peoples State Bank, The Promotions Coordinator’s or City Clerk’s office or from Taste committee members who are: Joy Bussan/Carr Valley Cheese, Ben Wood/Wood Law Office, Ryan Rands/Midwest Builders, Nick Witz/Peoples State Bank and Tina Frye/Tina’s Bark’N Beauties. Chamber board members also have tickets for sale which includes Karla Witzig/Good Samaritan Society; Sheila Ruchti/Community First Bank Bank, Heather Fifrick/Southwest Tech, Robert Callahan/Fennimore Times, Brad Bodenbender/American Bank, Ashley Walker/Peoples State Bank, Steve Lendosky/Brehler-Lendosky Group, Barb Scanlan/Sunset Fields and Denise Deaton-Tolzman/QueenB Radio group.
Download the 2017 Taste of Fennimore Poster.
