May 15 – 29, 2009

• The Door County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) and the UW-Green Bay Small Business Development Center will be offering free, one-on-one business counseling sessions on Thursday, June 4, 9 am – 5 pm, for any new or existing business owners in Door County.

Chuck Brys, Business Counselor for the Small Business Development Center, will be providing advice on business planning, financing and other issues. Individual, confidential sessions will be held at the Door County Business Development Center, 185 East Walnut Street, Sturgeon Bay. An appointment is required and can be made by calling 920.743.3113 x 200 or via email at [email protected].

• The Door County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) announced recently that the corporation’s 2008 Annual Report to investors is now available on-line at the organization’s website:  http://www.doorcountybusiness.com/pdfs/2008AnnualReport.pdf.

• The Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB) announces the hiring of Bruce Hill, principal of Spinnaker Properties of Door County, LLC, to manage the disbursement of the community marketing fund (CMF). The CMF was established as a way to overcome the challenges of Sturgeon Bay joining the Tourism Zone. A three-year bridge fund has been enacted to help the Sturgeon Bay Visitor’s Center work on alternate funding for their agency. Each community that had been a part of the Tourism Zone and paid taxes into the overall tax collections will be eligible for a portion of these funds.

Hill will work with the communities to establish how the CMF may be used and the schedule when those funds will be available. He will also work as a liaison for the DCVB and the communities.

• Jason Mann Photography and 1 Design Source are announcing the launch of Sturgeon Bay’s first creative blend studio, a unique concept that combines contemporary photography with cutting-edge creative design. A grand opening celebration will be held at the studio, located at 58 West Maple Street on the West Side, on Saturday, June 6 from noon – 4 pm. For more information call 920.743.5754 or visit http://www.jmannphoto.com or http://www.1designsource.com.

• Marise Redmann, owner of the Settlement Courtyard Inn & Lavender Spa of Fish Creek, purchased the former Lucia Day Spa this winter and has now opened the space as Lavender Spa. After re-vamping and remodeling the Egg Harbor location, the spa offers a knowledgeable team of therapists and features all of the most up-to-date techniques, based on the foundation of ancient traditions.

Lavender Spa will offer Community Appreciation Day every Wednesday with discounts for locals and employees showing residency.

The Lavender Spa is located at 7821 State Highway 42. Spa reservations are accepted by phone at 920.868.9200. For a complete menu of services visit http://www.lavenderspaeggharbor.com.

• The Wisconsin REALTORS® Association recently released first quarter of 2009 home sale numbers for the state. Both Door and Kewaunee counties followed the state and national trend of a drop in home sales comparing number of sales in the first quarter of 2008 to those in 2009. Door County existing home sales fell 15.4 percent, while Kewaunee experienced a drop of 39.1 percent. Both Door and Kewaunee counties showed an increase in the median price of homes sold in the first quarter. For information please visit http://www.dcbr.org or call 920.743.9651.

• At the recent Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center’s (SBVC) Annual Meeting a number of board members accepted their new positions, as retiring board members were thanked for their services. Retiring members included Andy Starr and Michelle Meacham, whom completed their terms, while Amy Labott, Jennifer Mueller and Gina Ward resigned from their positions early due to personal reasons. New board members include Leslie Gast, Ann Jinkins, Dave Graves and Julie Behnke. Nancy Bertz will assume Shane Peterson’s position representing Stone Harbor on the SBVC board, while Peterson will continue to help the SBVC with his marketing and graphic skills.

Peter Kerwin of Marine Travelift was nominated and accepted the position of president of the SBVC. Dave Holtz of Bridgeport will serve another term as treasurer; Tonya Felhofer of Candleworks of Door County will continue as vice president; and Cindy Weber of the YMCA will continue to serve as secretary.