Latest news with #AreaChamberofCommerce
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tourism up in Chippewa County, across the state
CHIPPEWA FALLS — Tourism in the Chippewa Valley, and across the state, saw an increase in the past year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The state agency released its 2024 economic impact data Tuesday, showing Chippewa County tourism climbed by nearly 5%, which contributed to Wisconsin's third consecutive record-breaking year. 'Chippewa County's $193 million tourism impact and the 4.9% increase over last year's record highlight the area's growing appeal as a destination,' said Sue Leonard, Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce tourism director. 'It's clear that more and more people are discovering what we've always known: this is a special place. Visitors are drawn by our natural beauty, our lively festivals and events, and most of all, the warm welcome they get from our communities.' Eau Claire County also announced it had its third straight year of growth in tourism revenue. The county generated a record $461 million, an increase of 0.6% increase over last year's $459 million. 'The continued growth in tourism spending reflects the incredible momentum we are seeing in Eau Claire County as a must-visit destination,' said Kenzi Havlicek, Visit Eau Claire executive director. 'This progress would not be possible without the collaborative spirit of our community and business partners who help create such a wonderful place to visit. From our thriving arts scene and rich cultural offerings to the scenic beauty of our outdoor spaces, Eau Claire continues to draw thousands of visitors who are discovering all that makes this region so special.' Statewide, all-time high visitation drove Wisconsin tourism's record-breaking $25.8 billion in total economic impact last year. The 2024 economic impact surpassed the previous Wisconsin record of $25 billion from 2023. Locally, Chippewa County also surpassed the previous record of $184 million set in 2023. The boost in visitation, economic contributions from all corners of Wisconsin including Chippewa County, and strategic investments in tourism promotion drove the state's historic year for tourism, Leonard said. 'Our packed calendar of events in 2024, from Wisconsin Farm Technology Days and the Harley Owners Group Rally to the State Dartball Tournament and all kinds of sports tournaments, kept our communities busy,' Leonard said in a press release Tuesday. 'But it's not just about big events. What really makes Chippewa County stand out is the dedication of our tourism partners and the community as a whole. Together, we've created a destination that's vibrant, welcoming, and affordable for everyone.' Leonard noted that the chamber has worked on a social media campaign that stresses the variety of activities available locally, from outdoors options to tours of local breweries and wineries. Wisconsin tourism welcomed 114.4 million visits in 2024, beating the previous record from 2019 by more than a million, and growing the number of part- and full-time jobs the industry supports to 182,000, the press release states. Locally, Chippewa County tourism supported 1,440 jobs (a 2.7% increase from 2023) and generated $11.6 million in state and local tax revenue. At the state level, tourism generated $1.7 billion in state and local tax revenue. Without this revenue, each Wisconsin household would pay an additional $678 to maintain the current level of government services. 'Last year, Wisconsin tourism brought in more money, welcomed more visitors and generated more revenue for state and local governments than any other year,' said Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers. 'Tourism in all corners fueled this hat-trick of records for an accomplishment the entire state can celebrate. The impact of the visitor economy is felt statewide. Tourism sustains livelihoods and local businesses, uplifts communities and powers Wisconsin's economy.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce leader, once featured on HGTV, talks to Blakely about downtown revitalization
BLAKELY – It was standing room only as Blakely and Early County residents crammed into downtown Blakely's Funny Girl Deli to hear from Shellie Phelps Whitfield Monday evening. Whitfield is the executive director of the Wetumpka, Ala., Area Chamber of Commerce and was featured on HGTV's 'Home Town Takeover' in 2020. She came to Blakely for a downtown visioning session, talking revitalization and economic development with eager community members. She did so by sharing the success story of Wetumpka. 'Tell everybody about what you see tonight,' David Atkins, the chairman of the Downtown Development Authority of Blakely, said to the crowd. 'This is what Blakely can be … like we were in the '60s and '70s. It's a great day for us.' Blakely's been on a multiyear journey to revitalize its historic downtown – a journey that's gained momentum since it was named a state Rural Zone in 2023, which creates tax incentives for job creation and investment. Restoring and renovating historic buildings and bringing new businesses are the primary goals. Susanne Reynolds, Blakely's DDA director, said the community's been passionate about revitalization. 'I think that hearing from other people who have done it, and seeing how they've done it, that gives them hope that it can happen here,' Reynolds said. Blakely's downtown makes a square shape, centered around the historic Court House building. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganWhitfield shared the story of Wetumpka to a captivated Blakely audience. When the Colorado native first stumbled upon the town, most widely known for its appearance in the Tim Burton film 'Big Fish' – she said 40% of the downtown was boarded up. There were three businesses, one a hot dog restaurant that was open only for lunch time. The sidewalks were haphazard, resembling a 'patchwork quilt.' Whole lengths of streets were owned by the same people with little intention to put buildings back into use. 'It's like a little movie set,' Whitfield said Monday. 'Just like yours, it's like a little time capsule.' Whitfield learned from an initial conversation with a local economic developer that Wetumpka residents had been trying to revitalize their little town long before she arrived. 'She's telling me how much they love their town,' Whitfield said. 'How they've watched it dry up. How they want to bring it back to life.' Soon, Whitfield found herself moving her family to Wetumpka where she became deeply involved in 'breathing new life' into the town. Whitfield said the first step to revitalization is finding what makes a town unique and telling that story. For Wetumpka, that was its 5-mile-wide impact crater, which formed about 83 million years ago when a cosmic object struck. 'Nobody had been telling that story,' Whitfield said. 'People that lived there didn't even know about it.' So the city placed signage and turned it into an attraction. The Coosa River also flows through the town. Whitfield spearheaded marketing it as a rafting destination. The longer Whitfield stayed in Wetumpka, the more of its quirks she uncovered and helped the town to capitalize on: its Tulotoma snail, its Rosenwald school, its claim to being the birthplace of famous Southern artist Kelly Fitzpatrick. 'What makes you different is your superpower,' Whitfield said. Telling Wetumpka's story got it featured on Hometown Takeover, which helped further the town's revitalization. The crew from the show redid houses and established a farmers market. Soon, Wetumpka's downtown will be completely filled with business. The town just announced its last empty building will become an urban market. Reynolds said she hopes Whitfield's talk and Wetumpka's success story will make Blakely and Early residents believe the same is possible for their small town. It was standing room only in Funny Girl Deli as people packed in the shop to hear Shellie Phelps Whitfield talk. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganReynolds said Blakely's special feature is its agriculture. Each year it hosts the Peanut Proud Festival, honoring the peanut industry and what it means to the community. On April 19, the town is hosting its first Downtown Blakely Farmers Market, which will run the third Saturday of each month until April. Reynolds said Blakely's unique, historic buildings and warehouses stand out as well, a feature Whitfield complimented. 'We have tons of buildings that can be activated that are unique assets to downtown,' she said. 'We have the perfect structure for a very thriving, traditional, Southern downtown.' One attendee brought up the Powell Opera House, which recently made the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's 2025 list of 10 Places in Peril. This program seeks to preserve historic sites across the state that are threatened by demolition, neglect, lack of maintenance, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy. The building is privately owned and has been shuttered for almost a century. The DDA and Blakely community are in the early stages of brainstorming what the special space could become for the community. 'We have to be the generation that opens its doors again,' Reynolds said. Blakely native Mandy Chapman said the community's hospitality makes the town special. 'Everyone's very friendly, welcoming and supportive of each other,' she said. 'If we can collaborate our ideas and efforts, we can restore our town.' Whitfield said such action requires a 'dream team' of community members, a group made up of not only elected officials but also creatives, educators, business owners, grant writers, local historians and newcomers alike. 'We embraced what made us different, and we encouraged people to get in the boat and row in the same direction,' Whitfield said. Chapman, her husband Chad, and business partner Brad Waller bought the old Sawyer's shopping center about five years ago. The Blakely building had been boarded up for about 40 years. They're working to revitalize it as Wallchap Shopping Center, a complex that offers an affordable site for commercial businesses. They host Smith & Co., a boutique store; The Rodeo Cantina & Grill, a Mexican restaurant, and the Old Goat Soap Company, which moved into the space in late January. Chapman can recall times when Blakely's downtown was thriving with businesses — when 'everything you needed was right here' with little need to travel outside of town to shop. 'I would like to see Blakely flourish again as it did when I was a child,' she said. Whitfield said downtown revitalization changes the trajectories of communities. It creates business, and it creates tax dollars and money flowing to other areas of the community, including schools. 'Start in the middle and work outward,' she said. 'Economic impact helps everybody.'
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DuPont's history in Old Hickory
OLD HICKORY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Fifteen miles northeast of downtown Nashville is the town that DuPont built. In 1918 during World War I, the federal government contracted with DuPont to build a gunpowder plant. Nashville Sites offers free walking, driving and virtual tours through Music City 'There were 30,000 employees reporting to work daily, and it is estimated that over 650,000 people were in and out of this area within that nine-month period,' Kris Brummett, official historian of the Old Hickory Area Chamber of Commerce, said. DuPont built an entire village around the plant — with homes, schools, YMCAs, banks and a hospital. '[It was an] astronomical feat of engineering to have so much going on in such a short amount of time. After speaking with several people, I'm not sure anything else like that's ever been accomplished in the United States,' Brummett said. After World War I ended, the gunpowder plant ceased operations and the area became a ghost town. The Nashville Industrial Corporation bought the complex and unsuccessfully tried to redevelop it. Three years later, DuPont came back and purchased most of the property and started manufacturing the fiber rayon in 1925. For two decades, the area was a company-owned town and DuPont ran operations there for 80 years. 'What that fostered was a tremendous family sense of community; everybody was watching out for everybody,' Brummett said. That hasn't changed in Old Hickory, which is why Celeste Malone bought her home there in 2023. 'Something just kept pulling me to the village — pulling me to the village,' Malone said. 'When I found my home, I stepped in the front door and I was like, 'Yeah, this is where I need to be.'' It's no surprise she felt pulled to the place where her family's history runs deep. Her grandfather and great-uncle commuted from Gallatin to work at DuPont. 'That opportunity laid the foundation for my family going forward,' Malone said. 'It's grown our family. It's made our family who we are. The Malones are some resilient, educated and really hard-working folks, and I'm just really grateful that my grandfather was able to do that, and my great uncles were able to do that come here.' Malone is the president of the Old Hickory Village Neighborhood Association. Pickleball leagues keeping up with sport popularity in Nashville Although development hasn't happened as quickly as some other Davidson County communities, Malone and Brummett are excited about new businesses and a community center being built in the center of town. 'This pocket of Nashville is really sweet and it's really special,' Malone said. 'We're called the hidden Mayberry,' Brummett added. The final DuPont employees left Old Hickory in 2021. The Magnera Corporation now operates at the site, manufacturing a multitude materials. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
