Witte Column: People make the community

Every day we meet people in our community. The guy helping me at Frank’s hardware, the girl checking me out at Festival Foods, the servers at Point After, the staff here at the Portage County Business Council, our great Ambassadors, my Board of Directors. All of these people I see on a daily or weekly basis.

Then, add to that the people that have welcomed me into the community. My parish priest, my realtor, my counterparts at all of the Chamber of Commerce offices in Central Wisconsin. We are people doing our jobs, working, living, and thriving together.

Then there are challenges that we face, each may be a personal challenge held close to our hearts and dealt with in private. I never had the opportunity to meet one of the tireless business people in the area that worked hard to make this a great community. James Ford passed away only two-and-a-half weeks after I started here at the Portage County Business Council. I did not have a chance to meet Jim but I have heard so much about him; however, I have had the pleasure to meet and talk a few times with his son John. I respect the legacy that Jim created with so many projects that included Service Cold Storage (now Lineage).

Last week, I attended the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Executives Conference and Retreat hosted by the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce. Upon returning Thursday afternoon, I was told that Ward Wolff had passed away just a few hours ago. It did not register at first—What did you say?

Ward and I worked together on a few projects, helping me get familiar with the commercial availability, and spent time with me with companies looking to relocate here. He called me several times, was always looking out for me, giving me that guidance that Chamber leaders need when they are new to an area. Ward and I spoke at length at the Business After Hours in July at the River’s Edge Campground. Ward was more than a guide, he fully supported our mission. He would make sure every company that he sold commercial space to, became a member of the Business Council. He understands that together we all win.

Then I found out that William “Bill” Dunham passed away a few hours before Ward. Bill was very active with the Business Council as well spending countless hours helping to plan and create our “Wines of the World” event. This event would not have grown to the level that it has without the help of all the planners, but Bill in particular. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet Bill but Karen Myers, our director of events, has fond memories of working with Bill.

Try to keep in mind that everyone you meet today, tomorrow, and in the coming weeks all have great personal stories of living, working, and thriving in Portage County. Our community is great at engaging people, don’t ever stop caring about one another.

Stay tuned . . . . .

Mike Witte is the director of the Portage Co. Business Council. He can be reached at (715) 344-1940.