The Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce celebrated the grand opening of its new home and Visitor Information Center April 21 through April 25^th. The week-long celebration and open house began on Monday, April 21^st with the raising of the U. S. flag by veterans of the Shawano area, Stockbridge-Munsee Community, and Menominee Tribe. The ribbon cutting followed. On Tuesday, April 22, the Chamber hosted a Business Connection for Chamber members from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. "We welcome the public to join us as we celebrate the grand opening of our wonderful new facility and the beginning of a renewed energy and excitement in Shawano Country," said Nancy Smith, Executive Director of the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce and Shawano Country Tourism Council have been operating out of their new facility, owned by the Shawano Chamber Foundation Inc., at 1263 South Main Street since December. Visitors are very impressed with the building features. "We have had visitors from all over Wisconsin and other states including Illinois, New York, Michigan, Tennessee, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Virginia comment that they love our new building," said Smith. The interior of the 4500 square feet building features a two-story open-concept visitor center and reception area with a high wood ceiling, exposed beams and numerous large windows for abundant natural light. The curved reception counter has a field stone façade and provides plenty of room for assisting visitors. A big attraction is live sturgeon and other native fish on view in an 800 gallon aquarium. Steve Stomberg and an aqua culture class from Shawano High School prepared the aquarium and researched the care and feeding of sturgeon.

Locally made products were used in the building such as maple wood flooring by American Hardwoods of Shawano and ash ceilings by Schmidt Lumber of Shawano. The new facility also includes a business training center, visitor information vestibule open 24 hours every day, conference rooms, and office space for the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce, Shawano Country Tourism, and Shawano County Economic Progress Inc. The Chamber Foundation will also be adding cultural and historical interior wall murals." It was the vision of the Building Task Force to create a facility that would highlight Shawano Country's uniqueness and we have successfully accomplished that. This beautiful new facility situated on the Wolf River showcases the pride and passion we have in our area's culture, heritage and recreation," said Smith. Jeff Mace, Building Task Force Chairman, added that this new facility contributes to a progressive image for the area. "The Chamber is the first contact many potential new residents, business owners, and visitors have with our area. It will be a selling place that represents our positive and progressive communities. We are very excited about owning our own facility that makes a great first impression at the busiest entrance into Shawano Country," said Mace.

The new facility was made possible with donations from area businesses, government, tribes, foundations, and individuals. The Shawano Chamber Foundation has been fundraising for this project since 2006 and has received $640,000 so far in committed donations. "We are very proud of this new facility and know that it will create a positive economic impact on our area. This new facility demonstrates that our members and partners fully understand the importance of investing our time, talent, and dollars in order to keep Shawano Country economically viable and strong," said Smith.

The Chamber Foundation still needs approximately $200,000 to cover the cost of the project. "We are very pleased with the progress we have made so far in our fund-raising. We need the continued support of area businesses, organizations and individuals to reach our goal and we invite everyone to invest in the economic growth of our area with their tax-deductible donation to this important project," said Mace. For more information on donation and naming opportunities contact the Shawano Chamber Foundation at (715) 524-2139 or chamber@shawano.com.

###