News and Media

In speaking with Chippewa Valley contractors one topic continues to rise to the top…..rising costs of lumber and steel! In recent weeks steel price increases have caused many contractors to rework the material costs on their jobs. Lumber prices, which skyrocketed upward at the beginning of the pandemic in 202...Continue Reading

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - A new business just opened their doors in downtown Eau Claire. A local couple hopes to bring the feelings of “a kid in a candy store” back to the community. A new candy shop called, Ifs & Buts Candy & Nuts, is now on the corne...Continue Reading

Derrick Companies, a West Central Wisconsin contracting firm was named a Top Contractor by Associated Builders and Contractors - a national organization based in Washington D.C.. They named Derrick Companies #13 in the nation for Top General Contractors up to $50 million in revenue. “We are delighted to be ranke...Continue Reading

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - A developer has come forward with a proposal that would invest $17 million into mixed use housing on the city’s north side. City Council Member Andrew Werthmann calls a plot of excess land at the intersection of Birch Street and Galloway Street, prime real estate. After fiv...Continue Reading

Sfter six years of dedication to delectable wine, Chad and Jean McIlquham have sold Autumn Harvest Winery and Orchard to Jim and Becky Mullane, owners of Dixon’s Apple Orchard in Cadott. The Mullanes have roots in the apple orchard industry, as Becky Mullane’s grandparents started Dixon’s Apple Orchard in New Mexic...Continue Reading

Two local farmers were recently recognized for their efforts in rural Wisconsin: Rachel Henderson, owner of Mary Dirty Face Farm, a 12-acre, certified-organic mixed-berry farm in Dunn County; and Aaron Ellringer, owner of Kubb Farm, a small farm outside of Eau Claire. These fabulous farmers were acknowledged at the 90th annual Wisconsi...Continue Reading

RIVER FALLS -- A focus on providing solutions -- both on campus and in the community -- has been a guiding priority for the University of Wisconsin system during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a visit to UW-River Falls, UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson said he wants people to turn t...Continue Reading

A beloved local deli is expanding its authentic pita chip and hummus offerings through a new expanded location, and recently rebranded with a new identity, Deem, after a two-and-a-half year long project seeking to broaden the deli’s horizons. The Water Street Deli and Grocery started as a collaboration between Dr. Nizar Ottoma...Continue Reading

Gregory and Kane Larson are taking Eau Claire by storm with their handmade playdough business, Dough City Company. With the help of their parents, Etta and Bryan, this business has brought fun and safe ways to create and have fun to many people in the Chippewa Valley area – and eve...Continue Reading

City of Eau Claire Economic Development Manager Aaron White was recently elected to the board of directors of  the Wisconsin Economic Development Association. WEDA is a statewide nonprofit that is focused on expanding Wisconsin’s economy. “I am excited and honored to join the WEDA Board,” White said after he was elected i...Continue Reading

All over the world, entrepreneurs are turning to a powerful tool to improve their efficiency and raw output: automation.   Often hailed as the ultimate weapon for increasing productivity, automation certainly has a lot of advantages. But it’s not guaranteed to be effective. In fact, when used incorrectly, automation can end up workin...Continue Reading

Reliatrace, Inc. has announced the issuance of US Patent No. 10,856,365 for a Self-Regulating Flexible Heating Device. The patent was awarded to Mark Ester, President and CEO of Reliatrace, and gives the company sole rights to combine its proprietary Double-Sided Polymer Circuitry (D/SPC®) with thermally conductive Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC...Continue Reading

Businesses and organizations across Wisconsin are getting more than $1.65 million in grants from the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The grants are part of DWD's Wisconsin Fast Forward initiative that provides targeted funds to support worker training, education, and recruitment. This year's 13 grant recipients represent a variety of industries...Continue Reading

A Minnesota-based firm is negotiating with the City of Eau Claire to create a $53 million two-building mixed-use development that would include about 250 apartments plus commercial space in the Cannery District redevelopment area. P&R Properties of Duluth, Minnesota, received approval Wednesday from the city’s Redevelopment Authority to negotiate a memorandum o...Continue Reading

The organization will be recognizing businesses, partners and community leaders positively impacting the region’s economy and quality of life. Eau Claire, WI, March 17, 2021. Momentum West, a regional economic development organization, will be hosting its Annual Meeting and Economic Development Awards virtually on March 31st from 11 to noon. Thi...Continue Reading

General Manager Dallas Sloan is retiring on April 2 after nearly 37 years of service at Barron Electric Cooperative. Dallas started his electric cooperative career at Barron Electric in 1984 as a Staff Assistant, responsible for staking line and mapping. He later served as Director of Member Services, then Directo...Continue Reading

Halfway through her business program at Chippewa Valley Technical College, 19-year-old Lillie Speros decided there’s no better way to learn about business than by owning one. That passion for entrepreneurship (and a love of delectable coffees) led her to open Plaza Perk, a ’70s retro-inspired coffee shop at 2530 Golf Roa...Continue Reading

Jennifer Hafele has made babies her business: This Eau Claire mom of three says motherhood changed her life and her career path. Now, she serves expectant and new families through professional and volunteer roles: She’s an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant who provides care for breastfeeding families through her business, Mama Bea...Continue Reading

Submitted to OnFocus – Well over 100,000 of the most beautiful flowers and plants hand potted, nurtured and carefully combined to create more beauty for your home and business than you could imagine! It is all here in the Garden Center Headquarters – Clark County, WI! Get out and enjoy thi...Continue Reading

Just as purple and yellow crocuses sprout through melting snow, the Raintree Garden Center – a new 15,000 square-foot mecca for gardeners – emerges from the snow in Eau Claire. Two huge greenhouses will soon be filled with hundreds of homegrown hanging baskets, vegetable plants, and flowers of all kinds i...Continue Reading

Renee Germain had a couple of visions in mind when she opened The Carriage Coffee in January. She wanted a ‘family, friendly alternative’ in the Osceola area in addition to where youngsters could hang out at 111 Cascade Street North.  That’s why it’s open 2-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.  “There was a gentlema...Continue Reading

It’s been one year since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic, forcing companies across the country to close their office doors. Today, nearly half (47%) of American employees are currently working from home at least part of the time, according to a study by Glassdoor. As vaccine production and distributio...Continue Reading

The Biden administration will open markets and opt for multilateral trade agreements, benefitting Wisconsin’s trade economy, according to a global affairs expert. Jeremi Suri, a global affairs professor at the University of Texas at Austin, discussed the controversial trade relationship between the U.S. and the rest of the world during ...Continue Reading