Sunrise Socializing

The room on an early summer day heats up as legislators take the podium. Representatives from both parties stand before 50 individuals and present their views on everything from underinsured motorists to health care reform to the then-unresolved state budget. From my seat, with eyes affixed on the speakers and the opponents waiting to be heard, the topics stir emotion and appear to captivate all present for this De Pere at Dawn event. Half are regular attendees and the others are new faces, drawn in by the morning’s subject.

The room settles down around 7:15. Attendees find a spot at one of the tables scattered throughout the F.K. Bemis Conference Center room on the St. Norbert College campus. They’ve had their fill of eggs, potatoes and fruit before the local, regional and national legislators begin the morning’s presentations. The room consensus was to break by 8:45 a.m., after the legislators took the opportunity to field questions on increased taxes and the local impact of the GM crisis.

Present were State Assemblymen Phil Montgomery, Tom Nelson and Al Ott; State Senators Robert Cowles and Alan Lasee; Brown County Executive Tom Hinz; as well as representatives for Gov. Jim Doyle, U.S. Congressman Steve Kagen and U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl.

This was not a typical monthly De Pere at Dawn event, says Cheryl Detrick, president and CEO of the De Pere Area Chamber of Commerce.

“I think it is important to give our members the chance to get face-to-face with their legislators,” she says. This was the second meeting this year that legislators participated in the morning event, she adds.

“We have some issues that need to be addressed and it made you stop and question how are they going to do it,” says Margie Ott, branch office manager at the East De Pere location of Bank Mutual. “I’m glad I went.”

De Pere at Dawn aims to provide local businesses with networking opportunities. The format has remained consistent over the last three years. The goal? To make face-to-face connections. Most meetings draw 30 to 40 Chamber members and community leaders. Networking occurs over breakfast. Assigned seating forces attendees to step out of their comfort circle.

“You are at the table with six to eight colleagues, you pass around business cards and spark up a conversation within the group,” says Mark Wells, owner of Pack and Ship in De Pere.

A topic is assigned to each table for each meeting, often about a current issue in the community or the country. These offer a starting point for conversation, Detrick says. A facilitator stationed at each table chimes in if conversation lags.

Attendees traditionally finish breakfast as the month’s sponsor begins a 10-minute presentation about his or her products or services. The Chamber has asked company representatives to discuss such subjects as the Fox River cleanup project, the downtown master plan and the recent legislative update.

After the presentation, attendees are invited to present a 30-second elevator speech, introducing who they are and what they do. Then, one businessperson takes a turn to complete a 5-minute mini-presentation.

Detrick gives an update on Chamber events and happenings, and the event concludes with kudos, questions and connections.

“Kudos are given if a member had a great experience with another member or a referral worked out well, questions are posed if attendees are looking for a particular service and connections are requested if a member hopes to meet with someone based on their short introduction,” Detrick says.

“The goal is that over the course of six or seven months you would meet 40 to 50 people on a one-on-one basis. The small table networking really facilitates the ability to make connections,” says Detrick.

The Chamber does not track the number of referrals or business shared.

“What we are trying to do here is a more intimate type of networking,” Detrick adds. “I can hear referrals occurring as people are coming in or heading out so I know it is going on.”

Many members work in or around De Pere but they continue to draw interest from all businesses around greater Green Bay and the Fox Valley. The networking meetings have proven valuable to Wells, for one.

“Our business is very geographically specific,” he says. “I’d say 95 percent or more of our business comes from a two-mile radius of the store.”

Ott feels her commitment to the networking events has allowed her to make the community aware of their location and stance as a community bank. She believes making connections opens the door for all businesses.

“It may not happen immediately, but it will come.”