A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

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 September 10, 2004 By Colin Atagi, Daily Tribune Staff The Wisconsin Rapids area is known for a lot of things, but tourists probably make the strongest connection with the cranberry, according to members of a Community Progress Initiative cluster group. The cluster program began in June as part of the three-year Community Progress Initiative. The Heart of Wisconsin Business & Economic Alliance and the Community Foundation of South Wood County organized the initiative to enhance the local economy and to build optimism. The eight clusters focus on industries like paper and forest, agriculture, tourism, financial services, downtown revitalization, new economy, small business, education and workforce development. Tourists are fascinated by historical communities, and south Wood County's longtime connection with cranberries could be a big draw, said Dawn Olson, co-chairwoman of the tourism cluster group. "We're trying to have (as the community's symbol) that sexy, little fruit - the cranberry," she said. Other communities like Warrens also have strong connections to the berry, but members of the cluster say the fruit is big enough to represent multiple communities. "We need to look at ourselves as a region - not just as Rapids," Olson said. Fishing and the Wisconsin River were other community assets considered for the region's main tourism symbol, Olson said. Having the appropriate symbol could help the community stand out to visitors, she said. "Every place needs a story, and the story is what draws you in and entices you," she said. "Whether you're talking about any neat, little tourist attraction, it's the story behind it that people are really interested in." Another goal of the tourism cluster is to develop new package deals, said co-chairman Bill Lubing. An example would be tourists coming to the community to play golf and staying at the Hotel Mead, he said, adding that there are many other types of packages available. People could stay for several days and visit other local attractions while spending nights at a local hotel, he said. Once potential combinations are developed, the cluster group will work on spreading the word outside the region through various resources, Lubing said. "We want a strong presence in the media," he said. Having a variety of tourist attractions could be very beneficial, said Lonnie Selje, executive director of the Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. "You need to have a lot of different reasons for people to come to this area," she said. "We definitely want to emphasize the broad reasons to come here." Lubing acknowledged the efforts of the Heart of Wisconsin and the Convention and Visitors Bureau to expand local tourism, and he looks forward to working with both groups in the process, he said. "We consider them an important asset to the area and one we expect to continue to play a major part in tourism," he said. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has made efforts similar to the cluster group's, Selje said. "We're definitely going in the same direction, and it sounds like there's a lot of support in what the CVB has been doing all along," she said. You can reach Colin Atagi at 422-6728 or at catagi@wisconsinrapidstribune.com. Editor's note: About two months ago, organizers of the Community Progress Initiative formed industry cluster groups to enhance the local economy. This is the third of an eight-part series introducing readers to those clusters and examining their progress.
		Copyright © 2004, Community Progress Initiative, South Wood County & Town of Rome