Jason Arndt, jarndt@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Cathy Frey, right, a Bonduel police officer and Howard Village Board member, shares her thoughts about forming a Bonduel chamber of commerce or business association at a meeting Thursday at the Village Hall. Seated, from left, are plan commission member Troy Westcott and Village Board members Shawn Thorne and Sharon Wussow.
Bonduel business leaders will proceed with plans to form a chamber of commerce or association to better promote and develop their businesses.
Nearly 20 area residents and business owners attended a meeting Thursday at the Bonduel Village Hall to explore creating a local business organization. It was the second meeting in the last two months to discuss the proposal initiated by Shawn Thorne, a member of the Village Board and its plan commission.
“The plan commission was in support with this, and I contacted some business owners to see if we can try to get something happening here,” Thorne said.
Thorne said he reached out to 45 of the nearly 70 businesses in the community to gauge support for the idea.
“Overall, it has been positive,” he said. “Some people could not make it, and they asked me to provide information to them.”
“There are 55 to 70 businesses here in Bonduel, including the schools and churches, and there are residents that do not know that we have these businesses,” Thorne said.
Attendees offered several suggestions on how to make Bonduel more appealing to potential businesses and to promote existing businesses.
Cathy Frey, a Bonduel police officer and member of the Howard Village Board, suggested improvements to the village website to give area businesses more exposure.
“The website should be your top priority,” Frey said. “The first thing people are going to do is check your website. … Having the website that you have says nothing about what this community is about and how good the people are.”
Village Board member Sharon Wussow said the website is being updated, but there has not been a timetable established.
Frey also suggested the community needs to clean up the streets, including removing weeds protruding in front of businesses and enforcing village codes.
Business recruitment also was discussed.
Village President Mel Wendland said Bonduel is too small to attract some businesses, such as Shopko.
“I approached Shopko when I heard they were adding more (Hometown) stores and gave them a traffic study for the last 10 years,” Wendland said. “But when I told them the population, they said no.”
In February, Thorne and seven others met with Nancy Smith, executive director of the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce, which is based in Shawano and serves Shawano and Menominee counties, and Sharon Rzentkowski, president of the Cecil Chamber of Commerce.
The group considered merging with the Cecil chamber but have decided against that option, Thorne said.
Smith and others will be invited to the Bonduel group’s next meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Village Hall, 117 W. Green Bay St.
“(Nancy Smith) has been absolutely willing to give us support and be helpful in any way she can,” Thorne said. “The Cecil chamber has also offered support.”