Leadership Excellence Awards

2006

2005

2004

2003

2006 Leadership Excellence Awards

Jim Pfalzgraf - Individual Award

The community of Thorp and Clark County are better places to live and work due to the significant contributions and leadership exemplified by Jim.  For nearly forty years he has been involved in a variety of community leadership roles.  He has accepted leadership responsibilities locally, regionally and statewide. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious.  Jim is described as the perfect example of a leader who has consistently, positively influenced the quality of life in his community and in Wisconsin.  Running a restaurant would keep most people busy on a full-time basis, but Jim has contributed countless hours over the years to his community.  For the last fifteen years, Jim has served as the president of the Thorp Area Development Corporation, a local organization dedicated to creating and sustaining a healthy community through business and economic development.  Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jim served as chairman of the Dairy Days Parade and the Dairy Days Committee, and was the Centennial Chairman in 1992-93.  In 1994, Jim joined Wisconsin Rural Partners, and quickly took on statewide leadership roles including being elected to the Board of Directors and then elected as President in 1998.  In 2002, Jim challenged himself and the elected and business leaders of Thorp and neighboring communities to form the Highway 29 Community Partnership.  Jim is a shining example of what it takes to be a successful community leader.  His values and traits are commitment, persistence, open-mindedness, an unfailing positive attitude, and hard work.  His motto might be: “whatever it takes to get the job done.”  Jim sets a wonderful example for emerging leaders in Thorp, Clark County, and beyond.

Jeannie Osgood, Romemakers President and Sandy Wilkes

Romemakers -Community Organization award
For over twenty years this group has been an asset to the community.  There is no other group that tackles extra activities in Rome like the Romemakers.  They conduct candidate election forums.  They most recently organized the use of Rome’s municipal building and promoted a walking program.  Periodically they organize a free community breakfast inviting a main guest.  They have done breakfast with the police chief, the fire chief, and the town board.  The Romemakers started the first library in Rome in a small room in the municipal building about 25 years ago.  They furnished this library with books, materials and operated the library with their own funds totally tax free to Rome property owners.  The Romemakers brought the SHARE program to Rome.  This is a food co-op program that has assisted the elderly and low income families with needed food.  The Romemakers don’t confine their efforts in Rome, they are busy with efforts for folks outside of Rome as well.  They make dolls for new mothers at the hospital.  They knit and crochet scarves, hats, mittens and donate them to the needy.  They visit and teach crafts to mentally challenged adults in Adams County at the Friendship Connection.  They financially support and volunteer at the Food Pantry, the Angel Tree Project and the Salvation Army.

2005 Leadership Excellence Awards

Gary Kirking, Elizabeth Burmaster, former Superintendent presenting award to Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson - Individual Award
The community of Black River Falls and Jackson County are better places to live and work due to the significant contributions and leadership exemplified by Mike Anderson who has dedicated much of his life to community service. When no one wanted to be the mayor in the late 1970’s due to the economic situation exemplified by 28 % unemployment rate, Mike stepped up to the plate.  He was elected Mayor for 8 years and began the economic turnaround that has had a huge impact in Black River Falls.  He has served on almost every community board—economic, community steering, school, utility, and task force that the community has needed him for.

Last year the National Rural Electric Cooperative selected Mike Anderson, Jackson Electric, and Black River Falls as one of six communities in the nation to be featured on a national training program on community development.  The video is a testimonial to the leadership and impact that Mike has had on the community and the local area.

Mike Anderson has been committed to the Jackson County area and Black River Falls for over 30 years.  In the early 1980’s, the local taconite mine closed, which was the major employer in the area.  Unemployment rose to over 26%, and the future looked bleak. Mike pulled together a group of local leaders and developed a strategy for turning the economy around.  Mike was instrumental in the efforts to bring several new manufacturers to the area, in particular Leeson Electric and Nelson Muffler. Both companies brought better paying manufacturing jobs that helped to raise the per capita income in the county.

Mike realized that an important part of community development planning is helping new businesses get started.  He was instrumental in helping the county develop a revolving loan fund for businesses, and worked tirelessly to develop a business incubator in Black River Falls that has had success in growing start up companies to the point where they built their own facility in the community.  At the same time Mike has been supportive of the HoChunk Nation as they developed their community, self direction, and economic vitality.

In the early 1990’s, Mike felt that the community and county needed a stronger educational element to assist people in increasing their education and skill levels, in order to provide a better standard of living for their families.  Mike convinced the Board of Western WI Technical College to develop a “pilot” campus within the business incubator to study if the community could support a full time campus.  The concept worked, and now over 1200 community members take classes at the full time campus in Black River Falls.  Interactive TV classes allow community members to take classes that would not have otherwise been available without the technology that Mike supported.

Elizabeth Burmaster, former Superintendent; Jake Close, Board Chair & Kelly Lucas, President & CEO of the South Wood Coomunity Foundation, JoAnn Stormer Executive Director, Leadership Wisconsin

Community Foundation of South Wood County   - Community organization award

The foundation has a long history of commitment and leadership to its community.  The foundation offers its leadership to assist the community in facing many challenges. Often their ability to bring entities together to collaborate on projects has made the difference in advancing them forward and generating progress. The award winning Centralia Center is one case in point. While the need for a new senior center had been identified the proper location had not. The foundation facilitated bringing the community together to think innovatively.  They readapted the blighted Wal-Mart building into a focal point for senior activities, a public access TV station, and a Montessori school, attached to the struggling downtown Rapids Mall. This was a catalyst for renewed downtown development that has added more than 120 new jobs.  The Community Foundation raised more than $800,000 for the project, enabling the community to leverage matching state dollars for the project.

In 2004, guided by their President and CEO, Kelly Lucas, the Community Foundation of South Wood County stepped up once again to take on a leadership role teaming up with the Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance to address the lagging economy and strong culture of dependency on the paper company, which is now owned by a foreign multi-national. The Community Progress Initiative is a three year joint initiative to create an innovative, self-reliant, business friendly, culture in a vibrant community with a prosperous local economy. This was a risky move for the conservative Community Foundation to play a pro-active role in community economic development efforts. They now find themselves on the leading edge of a movement that is starting to catch momentum.

The Community Foundation of South Wood County celebrated its tenth year of service to South Wood County and Town of Rome area in 2004.   Its mission is: “We build charitable endowments, provide grants, and serve as a catalyst to strengthen our community – for good, forever.  The vision is to be committed to a vibrant community known for endowed philanthropy, collaboration, and innovation.  Everything they do is grounded in a commitment to make South Wood County and the Town of Rome a better place to live for all its citizens.  The core values and beliefs underlying the commitment include: Responsible stewardship, collaborative leadership, inclusiveness, proactive responsiveness, local responsibility, promoting community philanthropy, a balance of change with preservation and accountability.

2004 Leadership Excellence Awards

Kay Coletta - Individual Award
The waters of Lake Nebagamon have been improved though her influence.  Kay wrote a grant and obtained funding through the Department of Natural Resources that brought sanitary sewers to the Village.  The federal government made plans to close the Lake Nebagamon post office.  Kay approached this problem as she approaches all issues, full speed ahead. Not only did she assist Lake Nebagamon keeping the post office, but the Village also received funding for a new post office building. She was instrumental in getting History of Lake Nebagamon published, compiling information and gathering photographs for the book.

Kay is the editor and publisher of the monthly Lake Nebagamon Newsletter that is mailed to everyone in the area, promoting the events of each month.  It was Kay’s idea to develop the Lake Nebagamon web site. She continually updates the site.  Kay provides all of the advertising for community and fundraising events. For 20 years, Kay has been a consultant and worked in public relations with Catholic Charities in Douglas County and the surrounding area.

She has written numerous grants for the Nebagamon Community Association activities and various Village projects. She is extremely instrumental in the diverse fundraising activities for the Nebagamon Community Association. They include bringing a circus to Lake Nebagamon on an annual basis, weekly free concerts at the public beach during the summer, and the dinner theater at historic Lake Nebagamon Village Auditorium.  Kay is the author and director of more than 20 plays that are performed for the dinner theater event.

One of Kay’s greatest works is KIN (Kids In Nebagamon). KIN was started in the mid-1990’s in memory of her good friends, Wally and Marge Urbaniak.  To continue the memorial fund, Kay organizes year round fundraising events.  KIN offers educational events for children as well as a helping hand.  The community knows that Kay is the person to call if a child needs boots or a coat or clothing for school because Kay makes sure they get it.  She personally shops for each child at Christmas time, wraps the gifts and contacts the Village “Santa” to deliver gifts to the children on Christmas Eve. Kay also provides each family in need, with food baskets, especially during the Christmas holiday.  KIN has paid for needed dental care for children and purchased enhanced playground equipment at the public beach.  Once again, Kay has used her creative talent in planning a new fundraising event for the KIN Project; the first annual Lake Nebagamon mother/daughter tea during Mother’s Day weekend, 2004.

Warrens Cranberry Festival – Community Organization Award
In the fall of 2004, the Warrens community will experience its 32nd Cranberry Festival.  The mission of the Warrens Cranberry Festival is to promote the common good and general welfare of the community Warrens, including holding an annual community festival and raising funds to be used exclusively for civic betterment and social improvements in the Warrens community.

Over the years, the festival has donated nearly a million dollars toward the following projects for the Warrens area community:  The Warrens Municipal building, the community ballpark and sidewalk to the park, sponsored softball teams, community fireworks, the fire station, helped to purchase a fire truck and a thermal imaging camera.  They have worked with the First Responders Unite and helped them purchase a defibrillator.  The funded projects that beautified the community including village street signs, tree planting in the village, – village pride project grants to village residents for home and yard improvements. They have funded various youth efforts – the boy scouts and the girls scouts, the Youth wrestling team, the fishing derby and Tomah school district projects – playground equipment, and computer lab equipment, school trip to Washington DC and school scholarships and smaller projects too numerous to mention in their 30+ years of existence.

Currently the Warrens Cranberry Festival is collaborating with the WI Cranberry Discovery Center to be located in downtown Warrens.  This facility will take visitors on an adventure to discover cranberry growing in Wisconsin beginning with the Native Americans gathering fruit in the wild to the unique methods of growing and harvesting today. The Warrens Cranberry Festival has committed over a quarter of a million dollars toward this project, which will contribute, to the economic development of the Warrens community.

2003 Leadership Excellence Awards

JoAnn Stormer, Executive Director -Leadership Wisconsin presenting award to Nodji Van Wychen

Nodji Van Wychen of Warrens – Individual Award

Nodji Van Wychen of Warrens is the recipient of the Individual 2003 Wisconsin Community Leadership Award.  She is recognized as a longtime, active community leader.  Nodji’s service and involvement to her community is truly outstanding.  She holds public elected positions, is on several boards of directors, has initiated economic endeavors for her industry and her community, and serves in her church. Nodji is a business entrepreneur.  She and her husband own Wetherby Cranberry Company.  She has helped to develop uses for cranberries that are now considered commonplace – craisens, cranberry wine, and cranberry jams. She is an elected member of the Monroe County Board and the Tomah School Board. She volunteers as a member and co-founder of the Warrens CranFest Board, the state Cranberry Association and the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program. Nodji truly exemplifies what it means to be a community leader who strives to make a positive difference in her community.

Iron County Resource Development Association, Inc. – Community Organization Award
The Iron County Resource Development Association is the recipient of the Community Organization 2003 Wisconsin Community Leadership Award.  As the mines closed in the Iron County region in the early 1960s, this community organization was formed by a few local leaders to purchase the mine’s property and promote it for diversified industrial development. As a result of their efforts and with very limited resources, the community has been able to attract and grow several industrial businesses which employ hundreds of people in this depressed area.  The impact on the community is in the millions of dollars annually to the economy as a result of the payroll of those employed in the park.  The Iron County Resource Development Association, Inc. is a private, not for profit Wisconsin corporation that was formed in 1963.

The board members of the ICRDA stepped up and took a leadership role in working to bring back an economic base to an area that had struggled tremendously from an economic downturn.  Their creativity in leadership allowed them to accomplish goals, which most communities of its size would not have been able to reach.  Their accomplishments include:

• Acquiring the property known as the Hurley Industrial Park without any funding from the city. At first it was 73 acres, currently it totals over 340 acres.
• They provided financial assistance for a number of projects to improve the economy of Iron County including: Salmon Farm Project, Iron County Visitors Center, the Hurley TIF District, and the Gogebic Range Leadership Academy just to name a few.
• As of 1999 an estimated 285 employees were working for industries in the Industrial Park.

ICRDA’s commitment and leadership not only has had an impact on Iron County, but its success served as a model for the state and for other communities around the world. Their broad perspective thinking allowed and encouraged their staff to participate in setting policy and advocating for community development on local, regional, state, national and international levels. This organization is truly a community leader for Wisconsin.