Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce

We're excited to welcome our newest Chamber member, Caribou Coffee! Caribou Coffee is a global brand with community-centered coffeehouses offering handcrafted beverages and crave-worthy food to guests in more than 800 locations in 11 countries. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/gssJ46ne

Members of our team had the opportunity to join Fiskars Group last week to celebrate their 375th anniversary. Fiskars is an iconic global company, with thousands of employees in companies all over the world, and they maintained and expanded their presence in Wisconsin for nearly five decades. We are honored and thrilled that this innovative, visionary and forward-thinking company has invested so heavily in Greater Madison. Thanks to the Fiskars team for welcoming us and congratulations on 375 incredible years!

This week, the Chamber partnered with Deborah Biddle, IICDP, NCDCDP, NCDCDE of The People Company Consulting Group to offer a workshop aimed at equipping employers with valuable insights, resources, and strategies to enhance their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion?and Belonging (DEIB) practices. Led by Biddle, the workshop included discussions and small-group activities focusing on the use of AI, identifying metrics that align with business goals?and evaluating performance in key areas. Participants also explored how evolving demographics, regulatory changes?and shifting societal expectations will shape DEIB efforts in the future. An additional workshop takes place?Jan. 21. Attendance at the first session is NOT required to register for the second session. Sign up?here: https://lnkd.in/gQG5MWsM

Thanks to the organizers of #GetMovingMiddleton for inviting us to present at last week's program. Chamber Vice President Kevin Little covered topics including population trends, advocacy priorities and results from our recent regional employer survey. Photo: Jessica Schwantes, CPA

We're excited to welcome our newest Chamber member, The River Food Pantry! The River is South Central Wisconsin’s busiest food pantry, offering services including free groceries and freshly prepared meals for pickup or delivery, online grocery orders, mobile meals, and after-hours food lockers. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/eenQVRX

The Chamber – in collaboration with local partner organizations and stakeholders?– recently released the results of?our business and economic survey conducted as?part of?N2?– The Next Normal, a public-private workgroup focused on examining future trends in work and workplaces. The survey yielded responses from 261?Greater Madison businesses representing 20 major employment categories, a majority of them?small, locally owned employers.?Among the survey’s key findings are: ? 94% expect either no change to their workforce, expansion or wanting to expand with concerns about potential talent shortages next year; ? 83% of respondents said Greater Madison’s reputation as a place to live and do business is important to their talent recruitment efforts; ? The top barriers to business are access to talent (49%);?increased operating costs such as inflation (47%), interest rates (35%) and?healthcare costs (29%); and?workforce housing (26%); and ? A growing number of employers have a hybrid workforce (40%), with different applications of when and how employees use office workspaces. A summary of the survey results, along with a list of survey partners, can be found?here: https://lnkd.in/gvDKFJch Our Lunch(UP)date program featuring a conversation about the results with Mark Binkowski (Urban Land Interests), Camille Carter (Madison Black Chamber of Commerce), Seth Lentz (Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin) and?Jason Valerius (Capital Area Regional Planning Commission) can be found here: https://lnkd.in/g3GQw5WQ

For our final #NextBigThing of the year, we got the chance explore the WYSO Center for Music, a new community gathering and performance space a mile?east of Capitol Square on East Washington Avenue. WYSO | Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras utilizes this beautiful facility to offer orchestral training and performance opportunities to musicians age 5-18. This is an incredible asset for our community and the young musicians from across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois who learn and enhance their skills here. In addition, the WYSO Center for Music is easily accessible via Bus Rapid Transit, an important development in improving connectivity to Greater Madison's cultural institutions. Thanks to the City of Madison officials who joined us to highlight this vital new service. Thanks again to all who attended and to our sponsors: Lead Sponsors Johnson Financial Group; Accelerate Sponsors?EUA?and?Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin; Venue Sponsor?WYSO Center for Music; Nametag Sponsor?pc/nametag; and Small and Emerging Business Sponsor?VC3.

Greater Madison is grappling with the complexities of growth and change. Seizing the opportunities before us requires new perspectives, new ideas and new possibilities. Over the past two years, the business community has collectively leaned into ensuring Greater Madison is a place where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. This will not only help solve the talent imperative we face as a region but also embrace the potential of what Greater Madison could be. To build on those ideas and that momentum join me on November 19, 2024, 12-4 PM, where I’ll lead the first of two free luncheon workshops, BELONG: Navigating DEI-Current Landscape and Future Directions sponsored by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, held at Unity Point Health – Meriter, Jeff Levy Education Center, 2180 W Beltline Hwy, Madison, WI 53713. Register today at https://lnkd.in/eVjGqcZn. I look forward to seeing you there!

We're excited to welcome our newest Chamber member, Life Echo Media! Life Echo Media brings your vision to life with impactful, strategy-driven videos that captivate your audience. Learn more at: https://lifeechomedia.com/

Five years ago after they closed their doors, Babes made its triumphant return this week, at Vitense Golfland! Come to this Madison institution for great American food (maybe the famous "Babes Nachos"?), a drink and an inviting atmosphere. Welcome back, Babes - thanks for inviting us to take part in this special occasion!