211 is a 24/7 Link to Assistance

SCEDC BLOG

211 is a 24/7 Link to Assistance

BY BILL RUBIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The COVID-19 global pandemic has extracted its toll on many fronts – socially, emotionally, professionally, financially – and many more.  

Service agencies experienced COVID’s brunt, too. But there’s one thing about Wisconsin’s St. Croix Valley. Its agencies are abundant, sometimes to the point where bewilderment could likely set in while sorting through potential resources.

Good news. Prophetically, a one-stop call network known as 211 was launched through United Way St. Croix Valley ahead of the pandemic. 211’s network in Wisconsin has grown to eight collaborating organizations offering their services, from the St. Croix Valley to Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Menasha, Milwaukee, Wausau, and Wisconsin Rapids.

With or without 211, calls for help and assistance have significantly increased over the last 12+ months. Imagine the region’s most vulnerable and their struggles to cope with loneliness, food insecurity, mental health services, elder care, or housing assistance and shelters. COVID doesn’t discriminate. Add young individuals and families, successful business people, educators, elected officials, and retirees to the impacted list.

Help starts with 211. A call connects individuals to literally thousands of nonprofit and government services in the St. Croix Valley and beyond. Best of all, personal assistance is available through a friendly, understanding voice 24/7/365. A search through 211 services yields response topics on aging and disability services, child and youth, utilities, transportation, health and dental, and employment, along with education and income assistance. 211 associates offer assistance in over 180 languages.

There are many ways to get connected. Simply call 211 from a cellular phone or landline anywhere in Wisconsin. Dial 877.947.2211 if you have a non-715 area code or if the 211 option does not work. Or, text your zip code to 898211. A Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. online chat line is another option. It uses a first name and zip code to get the chat started. Another online option is available at https://211wisconsin.communityos.org/. There’s a searchable database using a key word(s) as well as guided and advanced searches, too.

211 is not the 911 emergency number, and it’s not the all-knowing 411 ‘information please’ number, meaning 211 can’t help with a cat stuck in a tree or hours of operation, take-out specials, or movie start times.

Residents in the St. Croix Valley may wish to preview 211’s options ahead of a problem. And the problem does not have to be COVID-related. Refer 211 to a neighbor or family member who may be in need. Keep the number top-of-mind. It’s a great resource.

Here’s to United Way St. Croix Valley for its vision in launching the 211 network. The local United Way website says it advances the common good by creating opportunities for all. It focuses on projects supporting education, financial stability and health — the building blocks for a good quality of life. It works with businesses, individuals and nonprofits to solve community problems in St. Croix, Pierce, Polk and Burnett counties.

United Way St. Croix Valley responds to local community needs. The 211 network reflects a solution to those needs.

Digital Transformation Recording

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Digital Transformation Event Recording

The Digital Transformation and the Future of Technology for Business
Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution!
Are you ready for what awaits us?

On Tuesday, March 23rd, a thought provoking conversation on the digital transformation and future of technology for business and industry was given by Ron Anderson, Assistant Professor of Management, UW-River Falls College of Business and Economics, Department of Management and Marketing. The event was recorded and can be viewed until April 13. You can view the recording here.

Synopsis: Imagine a world in which physical products are digitally downloaded and manufactured on-demand in the customer’s home, computers divine “creative” solutions to problems that befuddle the minds of their programmers, and digital worlds allow for design and testing of ideas without expenditure of material prototypes. This world is much closer than many of us imagine.

Societies are undergoing explosive transformation as new technologies redefine possibilities in all facets of life. As business leaders chart their courses in the coming decades, they will face both promise and challenge in advents like blockchain, augmented reality, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence. These technologies, among others, comprise what is being hailed as the next industrial revolution. What are these technologies and how might they impact the future of business? Let us consider some possibilities!

January 2021 Unemployment

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Month Ten of COVID-19: St. Croix County’s January Unemployment Rate is 4.4%

On March 17th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary January 2021 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 34 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s January rate was estimated at 4.4%, which is higher than the final rate of 4.3% for both December and November. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.9%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from December to January increased in 68 of the 72 counties as well as year-over-year. The rates ranged from 3.2% in Calumet to 8.3% in Menominee.

Preliminary unemployment rates declined or stayed the same in three of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from December to January. Rates ranged from 3.2% in Madison to 7.1% in Racine.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in January include Calumet (3.2%), Lafayette (3.3%), Dane (3.4%), Marathon (3.5%), and Sheboygan (also at 3.5%). Menominee County had the highest rate in January at 8.3%, followed by Forest (8.2%), Adams (8.1%), Bayfield (also at 8.0%), and Iron (7.8%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 4.4%, January’s preliminary rate in Pierce is also 4.4%, while Dunn reported 4.5% and Polk came in at 5.8%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The January 2021 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 4.8%, which is higher than December’s final rate of 4.5% and November’s final rate of 4.0%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.1% in January 2020.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in January was estimated at 3.8%, lower than December’s final rate of 4.0% and November’s final rate of 5.3%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.3%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in January was estimated at 4.5%, which is lower than December’s final rate of 4.7% and November’s final rate of 5.0%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for January was estimated at 6.3%, which is lower than the final rate of 6.7% for both December and November. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.5%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for January was 65.5%, which is the same as December’s final rate, but lower than November’s final rate of 66.8%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 66.4%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in January was estimated at 61.4%, which is lower than the final rate of 61.5% for both December and November. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.4%.

January’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.

Digital Transformation Event

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EDC Hosts Program on the Digital Transformation and the Future of Technology for Business
Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution!
Are you ready for what awaits us?

Ron Anderson, UW-River Falls

Tuesday March 23, 2021
11:00am

Register here for the Zoom link

Please join St. Croix EDC on Tuesday, March 23rd starting at 11:00 a.m. for a thought provoking conversation on the digital transformation and future of technology for business and industry.

Ron Anderson, Assistant Professor of Management, UW-River Falls College of Business and Economics, Department of Management and Marketing, will lead the discussion, using this synopsis:

Imagine a world in which physical products are digitally downloaded and manufactured on-demand in the customer’s home, computers divine “creative” solutions to problems that befuddle the minds of their programmers, and digital worlds allow for design and testing of ideas without expenditure of material prototypes. This world is much closer than many of us imagine.

Societies are undergoing explosive transformation as new technologies redefine possibilities in all facets of life. As business leaders chart their courses in the coming decades, they will face both promise and challenge in advents like blockchain, augmented reality, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence. These technologies, among others, comprise what is being hailed as the next industrial revolution. What are these technologies and how might they impact the future of business? Let us consider some possibilities!

Click HERE to register for the Zoom link and to ensure your place at the meeting.

EDC Donates Business of the Year Fundraiser to Food Shelves

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EDC Donates Business of the Year Fundraiser to Food Shelves

St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (EDC) donated $1,500 to the St. Croix Valley Food Bank following a successful fundraising effort conducted as part of its annual business of the year celebration held online on February 25, 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the EDC to use an electronic format to honor three businesses and an individual this year. Under normal circumstances, the celebration is held at an event center with 175+ people gathered for networking, dinner, and awards. With no meals served on February 25th, the EDC asked attendees to consider donating to the food shelf cause and an online service collected the funds, which were later released to the EDC.

“The global pandemic has adversely impacted so many lives in St. Croix County,” said Rob Kreibich, president of the EDC board of directors. “The voluntary fundraiser was a relatively easy way to generate some meaningful money and get it in the hands of those in need,” he added.

“Part of the donation is from public and private sector members of the EDC who supported the awards celebration with sponsorships,” said Bill Rubin, the EDC’s executive director. “We appreciate their continued support.”

The St. Croix Valley Food Bank works to end hunger and food insecurity in west central Wisconsin and is responsible for distributing the funds to food shelves in St. Croix County. The food bank builds on the success of the former John Coughlin Food & Resource Center (JCFRC). Coughlin served as the executive director of the United Way St. Croix Valley for more than 20 years. He saw hunger as a major impediment in the St. Croix Valley. Due to the growing regional need in west central Wisconsin, JSFRC transitioned to a nonprofit organization, independent of the United Way, known as the St. Croix Valley Food Bank. In 2020, the food bank distributed an estimated 761,409 pounds of food (913,690 meals). Those efforts, combined with Second Harvest Heartland, created a total distribution of three million pounds of food. It plans to distribute six million pounds of fresh, healthy food in 2021.

Anne Searles serves as the executive director of the St. Croix Valley Food Bank. She said, “This past year has taught us that the need for food is growing and we, as a St. Croix Valley community, need to grow our response. The data is clear – our region needs at least 6 million pounds of food this year to meet the existing hunger demands in our communities. By building upon the foundation of the United Way’s John Coughlin Food & Resource Center and greatly expanding our operations, we can help end hunger in Western Wisconsin.”

2020 Business of the Year Honorees

National Tactical Security (City of River Falls) was honored as the 2020 emerging business of the year; Laptop Chips (Villages of Roberts and Baldwin) is the 2020 small business honoree; and Nolato Contour (Village of Baldwin) is the 2020 business of the year. Former county administrator Patrick Thompson received the EDC Directors Award from the board for his numerous contributions during his tenure as administrator from 2011-2020.

Representatives of the St. Croix Valley Food Bank received a donation from St. Croix EDC in their newly-leased warehouse on March 12, 2021

Batter Up! Fish Fry Season in the Valley

SCEDC BLOG

Batter Up! Fish Fry Season in the Valley

BY BILL RUBIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Umpires will soon start baseball and softball games with their traditional call, “Batter Up!”

A late winter season involving the term ‘batter’ arrived in the St. Croix Valley ahead of balls and gloves – fish fry season. OK, it’s really a Wisconsin classic, but residents of the St. Croix Valley can hold their own, whether it’s measured by selection, side orders, price, or per capita consumption. Pound for pound, valley residents enjoy their fish fries. Hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut may not stand a chance against a local favorite when it comes to a plate of fish.

How did the tradition come to be? One columnist attributes Wisconsin’s fish fries to three things, religion, Prohibition, and easy access to freshwater fish. Ancestors from Germany and Poland arriving in Wisconsin took the practice of abstaining from eating warm-blooded meat on Fridays during Lent with them. Their alternative choice was fish. Prohibition in the U.S. banned the production, transportation, sale, and yes, consumption, of alcoholic beverages from 1920-1933. Saloon and innkeepers soon introduced inexpensive fish dinners to draw crowds on Fridays. Name the fish – bluegill, perch, and walleye – Wisconsin had them in abundance for the Friday feasts.

And the side orders? Those innkeepers better have many of the following: coleslaw, potatoes – normally French fries, but some offer hash browns, fried potatoes, and even baby reds, dinner rolls, and condiments, starting with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

2021 fish fries are increasingly important, akin to a religious miracle as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cast a dark cloud. Even with PPP assistance and We’re All In grants, bars and restaurants in the St. Croix Valley and across this great divide could use a boost. And who says fish with all the fixings is limited to Friday? Many of the restaurants have pivoted to offer take-out orders, including reserve parking stalls that rival NASCAR pit stops. Give take-out a try and start your own tradition.

If a beer or glass of wine go hand-in-hand with fish fries, then hungry and thirsty consumers may wish for a double play of sorts. There are plenty of micro breweries and wineries in the St. Croix Valley for residents to get out of their comfort zones with a new bottled or canned product. Look for an American Gothic IPA, French Toast Ale, or North of 8 Pilsner and pair with the take-out order. Brewers are creative. Comfort zones may become a thing of the past.

Challenges are ahead even with the rollout of vaccines to battle the pandemic. Batter Up! Let’s give COVID-19 the one-two punch in the St. Croix Valley with an old fashioned fish fry and beverage of your choice. From Main Streets to brewhouses, we got this.