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Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News January 18, 2006 - Celebrate what's right in Rapids By Dale Arendt, for the Daily Tribune On the Daily Tribune's Jan. 3 Opinion page there was a guest column from Mr. Goldberg, a former resident now living in Nevada, with the heading "Rapids has the wrong type of growth." As the chairman of the Industry Clusters for the Community Progress Initiative, I desire to communicate from a different perspective. I actively am involved in the Initiative as a volunteer along with more than 200 other community residents because we believe in a positive future for our community. We believe that we have serious economic challenges and that we have a personal responsibility to make a difference. We choose to do something actively about our economic landscape. What we are experiencing in central Wisconsin is not unique to us. It is not just the paper industry that has gone through tough times. Many manufacturing industries are experiencing similar difficulties across the nation. A recent front page of the Tribune had an article identifying statewide economic trends facing us. My experience with Mayor Bach is that he is advocating sustainable growth for our community. There are many activities that he does in performing his duties that go unnoticed to the average citizen because they go unpublicized for a variety of reasons. He is very involved in the Progress Initiative and has responded in a timely fashion to every request that I have made of him. Kelly Lucas, the executive director of the Community Foundation of South Wood County, is awesome. The foundation's willingness to invest in and partner with other organizations in our community is second to none. It is one of the best kept secrets within our community. We have a chamber of commerce that is highly committed to economic development and has gained access to and recognition from state and national representatives. We have had educators and community development workers from other regions of our country coming to learn from us about what we are doing with the Community Progress Initiative so they can reproduce it in other communities facing similar challenges. The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune has been absolutely phenomenal in supporting the Community Progress Initiative. We are blessed to have such a caring community resource. Its reporting and support has been invaluable to this initiative. I know creating sustainable change in a community is a very slow and difficult process. I know people will stand on the sidelines and grumble about nothing changing or that our growth is not the right type of growth. I also know that there is more than one right way to do things. I choose to celebrate what is right with our community (and there is a lot). Just from a business perspective, I see more than 200 concerned volunteers willing to invest their time and energies to create change, whether it takes three years, 10 years or a generation. I see new construction. I see new businesses starting. I see business owners collaborating in new and different ways. I see the business community concerned about our future and doing something about it. The critical challenge is for all of us to take an active part in changing our community -- it does make a difference. What part are you fulfilling in creating change for our community? Dale Arendt is a local businessman and chairman of the Industry Clusters for the Community Progress Initiative.
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