Get to Know Your Chamber Ambassadors The Chamber's Ambassadors are members who volunteer their time to provide a crucial link between the Chamber and its members. They ensure all members receive the maximum benefit from their investment. Ambassadors are in the center of business activity for our region. They enjoy the rewards of making new contacts, strengthening relationships and accessing a wealth of information and resources.
This dedicated group of volunteers works hard to promote the Chamber and to help members realize their Chamber benefits. You will see Ambassadors welcoming new members by attending ribbon cuttings and stopping by businesses to say hello and answer any questions about the services and benefits of the Chamber. The Ambassadors also make follow up calls on new Chamber members to make sure things are going well.
Easily recognizable in their signature red blazers, you will also see Ambassadors helping with Chamber events, such as greeting at the Annual Meeting, Business PMs and working very hard during Small Business Week. Members of this enthusiastic group generally lend a hand whenever they see something that needs doing. So, the next time you attend a Chamber function, be sure to ask an Ambassador to introduce you to some key contacts.
Many thanks to our terrific Ambassadors!
Ambassador of the Month - February 2012
Jamie Potter with Sunrise Broadcasting recently met with three separate Chamber members. One member takes full advantage of networking at the Business PMs and feels this is a great Chamber benefit. She also met with a second, newer member and they discussed their member listing and the importance of having keywords on the Chamber website. They also discussed other opportunities; this member will be having a ribbon cutting soon and plans to attend an upcoming Business AM. The third member was a newer member as well, and along with attending a Business PM, Jamie discussed having the member attend an upcoming Chamber 101 program to learn more about the value members get from their Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce membership.
In her position with Sunrise Broadcasting, Jamie travels throughout the region and interacts with customers from diverse business backgrounds on ways to enhance their business. Throughout her career giving back to the community has been a staple. She currently sits on the Board of the Wausau Area In-house Network (WIN) to help prevent homelessness in the Wausau Area. She is part of the Workplace Volunteer Council (WVC) whose main focus is to help fill the unmet needs in Marathon County with projects such as Fill A BackPack Fill A Need, Back to Basics and Bare Necessities. She has also been a part of many committees to raise money through events such as Mardi Gras for Habitat for Humanity, and Opportunities Inc for Tyler’s Home for Kids.
Ambassador of the Month - January 2012 Mike Hartkopf, Customer Service Manager at the Marathon County Public Library recently spoke with a member who has taken advantage of some of the Chamber programs including an educational program and “Nothing But Networking”. They feel the Chamber is doing a great job, but also had a few suggestions on additional programs. The member appreciated the follow up from Mike and really feels like the Chamber values their membership and wants to make sure we are succeeding.
Mike’s position with the Marathon County Library allows him to travel throughout Marathon County to their eight branches and interact with a many different customers. In his role, he oversees all activities with customers such as checking out materials to story times, computer classes, programs, introducing new technologies, and just keeping a pulse on what the community would like to see the library offer. He is also a member of the Wausau Board of Education and a Board Member at the YMCA. Mike and his wife Carey have two children, Aidan and Brenna, who are involved in a variety of activities throughout the community.
Ambassador of the Month - December 2011 Jennifer Hockin, Director of Contract Management with Aspirus Network, Inc. recently reached out to a member business about taking full advantage of their Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce member benefits. The business is currently in transition mode, but will be taking advantage of the Chamber Pak in when things have settled down. They also discussed optimizing their key words on the Chamber website and the member was going to make some changes to optimize search results for the business. The member did appreciate a recent Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and the support they received from the Chamber and all of the Ambassadors who attended.
Jennifer is in her ninth year at Aspirus Network, Inc. which is a regional healthcare organization that aligns more than 425 independent and Aspirus-employed providers together to provide access to care, coordination of care, and delivers high-quality clinical outcomes. Each day, Jennifer is building relationship with health insurers, agents, and business leaders that lead to innovative programs and services to control the rising costs of healthcare. Aspirus Network began operations in 1998 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aspirus, Inc. Jennifer is a 2006 graduate of the Chamber's Leadership Excellence Program. Being a big supporter of the Chamber motivated her to become a Chamber Ambassador in 2010.
Ambassador of the Month - November 2011 Laura Kuhnert of Bradley Whalen Financial Services recently spoke with a member about an upcoming ribbon cutting. During their discussion, the member talked about how happy she was with the number of web referrals her company has received since joining the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce last summer. The member also mentioned how much she enjoyed the networking at the Chamber Business PMs and she is very happy with how her business is doing. This member definitely finds her Chamber membership to be a worthwhile investment.
Laura has been a Wausau Region Chamber Ambassador for the past year; and enjoys the opportunity to meet business owners in the Wausau Region. She says, “It is wonderful to see the creativity and growth in the community even though we are economically in a difficult climate”. Earlier this year, Laura was able to fulfill her goal of becoming a business owner. After working over 14 years in financial institutions—and earning her CFP (certified financial planning designation)—she took the leap to become independent. Laura understands the reality of owning a business because her husband has been a self-employed dairy farmer for over 20 years. Having three children ranging in age from 7-18, helps Laura truly understand the need to buy health, life and disability insurance, and plan for future education and retirement savings. Her goal is to help clients make good decisions with their money and help them to achieve the investment goals they have made for themselves.
Ambassador of the Month - October 2011 Tammy Peska of WPS Health Insurance, met with a member who oversees multiple locations and indicated the past two months have been extremely hectic. The member has attended one Business PM, but thought it was a bit intimidating because she didn’t know anyone. Tammy asked the member to please call or email her the next time she plans on attending a Business PM and they would meet so Tammy could introduce her to several people. This member is also planning a special event and Tammy talked to her about having a flyer ready for a future Chamber Pak. The member appreciated the time Tammy spent discussing the Chamber with her and is planning on taking advantage of more Chamber opportunities.
Tammy works for WPS Health Insurance as a Senior Consultant. She works with employers who have 50 or more employees. When those businesses decide to do business with WPS, Tammy ensures a smooth transition—including educating the employees about their benefits. Tammy currently serves as the President of the Wausau West Side Business Association (WWSBA). She has also served as their Vice President and membership chair. In conjunction with the WWSBA, Tammy serves as a member at large for Central Wausau Progress. Additional commitments Tammy has include being a member of the Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District School Board and she is enrolled in the Leadership Excellence Program through the Wausau Region Chamber.
Ambassador of the Month - September 2011 Sam Theiler, who took a position with Mid-State International Truck in February, had a very good discussion with a Chamber member who has attended a few events and looks forward to attending more as his schedule allows. His office is in Appleton, but he covers a large area in sales. The company has 23 buildings and two of them are in the Wausau Region. Sam offered to meet with the member at a Chamber function so they could network with other businesses together. The member was happy Sam took the time to review the many benefits the Wausau Region Chamber has to offer. Sam showed the member value in his Chamber membership.
Sam has been in sales for 13 years. He graduated in 1998 from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a B.S. degree in Public Relations. He started with a truck leasing company and worked in the industry for 5 years. He ended up moving closer to home in Wausau in 2003. He worked for Guaranty Title Services, Inc. for seven years in Business Development. He has been working with Mid State International Truck since February of this year and really enjoys his new job. He has been a Chamber Ambassador for seven years. Sam enjoys seeing business owners succeed in this region and supports businesses as much as possible. He and his wife, Denise, have two sons, Jacob who is 9 and Max who is 7. Denise works for Young's Hometown Pharmacy in Wausau.
Ambassador of the Month - August 2011
Joel Pergolski, a Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo and a Chamber Ambassador met with a non-profit organization to encourage them to be active in the Chamber. They mentioned they really did get a lot out of the Nothing But Networking Program. Joel encouraged them to update their profile for the Chamber website because it was a great way for member businesses to find them online.
In addition, Joel called a member restaurant business with a new manager in place. He invited the manager to come to one of the Chamber 101 programs to learn more about the value the Chamber has to offer. As a follow up, Joel personally stopped by the business to invite the new manager to the Chamber 101 Program and make her feel welcome to the Chamber.
As a Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors and graduate of Michigan Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Joel is very passionate about his creating and maintaining the wealth of his clients. Joel enjoys his time as a Chamber Ambassador. His efforts to establish a greater local economy come from his willingness, effort and professionalism, meeting with locally based companies to improve all aspects of their business. He is a board member of Ministry Health Care St. Clair's Foundation and has been involved in Junior Achievement for the past eight years. He values his time with local businesses because he knows the value of keeping the local economy strong. Joel says meeting with individuals and small businesses on a daily basis, The Chamber has allowed me to not only strengthen small businesses financially but helped the businesses connect with the community and promote the Wausau Region.
If you would like to be contacted by one of the Ambassadors, please contact us at 715-845-6231 or info@wausauchamber.com.
Jamie Potter with Sunrise Broadcasting recently met with three separate Chamber members. One member takes full advantage of networking at the Business PMs and feels this is a great Chamber benefit. She also met with a second, newer member and they discussed their member listing and the importance of having keywords on the Chamber website. They also discussed other opportunities; this member will be having a ribbon cutting soon and plans to attend an upcoming Business AM. The third member was a newer member as well, and along with attending a Business PM, Jamie discussed having the member attend an upcoming Chamber 101 program to learn more about the value members get from their Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce membership.
