Stechschulte to Market Sun Prairie Retail Sites at ICSC Wisconsin Idea Exchange April 7th (City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development)

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin will be well represented at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 2011 Wisconsin Idea Exhange and Alliance Program being held at the Frontier Airlines Center in Milwaukee this Thursday April 7th. Economic Development Director Neil Stechschulte will be presenting on available retail sites as a part of the Municipal Runway session in the morning, and will be staffing a table as a part of the Municipal Showcase with information on specific sites and buildings in the afternoon. This event is attended by national and regional retailers and commecial real estate professionals seeking potential projects throughout Wisconsin.

Click here for more information on the ICSC 2011 Wisconsin Idea Exhange and Alliance Program.

Sun Prairie Blues Fest Announces the 2011 Lineup (Sun Prairie Blues Fest)

The lineup is set for the 2011 Sun Prairie Blues Fest scheduled for September 10, 2011 and includes:

The Playground of Sound

Alex Wilson

A.J. Love's All Star Blues Showdown featuring Westside Andy, Barrelhouse Chuck and Steve Freund

The Jimmys

Ken Saydak

All time blues legend W.C. Clark

Click here to follow the Sun Prairie Blues Fest on Facebook.

You can also visit the Sun Prairie Blues Fest Website at: http://spbluesfest.com/

Friends Pledge $25,000 in Honor of PAC's Retiring Mary Kay von Allmen (Sun Prairie Star)

Friends Pledge $25,000 in Honor of PAC's Retiring Mary Kay von Allmen (Photo by Chris Mertes)

http://www.sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=52&ArticleID=7169

Blogger's Note: Congratulations Mary Kay! Why do I get the feeling she's going to be even busier now that she's "retired?"

Woodman's Subject of April 12th Planning Commission Meeting (Sun Prairie Star)

A request by Woodman's to reconfigure the buildings on its previously approved site is up for consideration by the Sun Prairie Plan Commission during its April 12 meeting.

City Planning Director Scott Kugler said public meetings on requests by Woodman’s Food Market, Inc. for approval of a revised precise implementation plan for the construction of a 222,650 square foot grocery store and an auto service facility, and preliminary and final plats to create an 8-lot commercial subdivision located to the north of the proposed grocery store will be part of the commission agenda.

Kugler said a plan for the grocery store and auto service facility was approved in 2008, but the applicant is amending the plan to reconfigure the buildings on the site.

Source: http://www.sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=7171

Blogger's Note: Assuming everything goes smoothly here, Woodman's would like to be breaking ground by no later than June 1st and will be under construction for about a year.

Sun Prairie Represented in Feedback Session on WEDC Strategic Plan (City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development)

Sun Prairie Economic Development Director Neil Stechschulte was invited by Wisconsin Department of Commerce Secretary Paul Jadin to participate in 1 of 6 feedback sessions on the strategic plan for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). The WEDC is scheduled to become operational as of July 1, 2011. The meeting was Friday April 1st at Alliant Energy's headquarters in the American Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Secretary Jadin and Deputy Secretary Mike Klonsinski presented a brief overview of the draft strategic plan. The document included a mission statement, a summary of core values, key performance indicators, four key strategies, and a preliminary organizational chart for the WEDC and its governing board.

Information from all 6 meetings will be collected and used to make final amendments to the draft strategic plan. Additional details on the final strategic plan will be announced and shared at four meetings around the State being hosted by the Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA) on the following dates and locations:

April 19, 2011 - Eau Claire @ Chippewa Valley Technical College - Gateway Campus, Rm 130

April 21, 2011 - Appleton @ Fox Valley Technical College- Bordini Center, Room 103

May 3, 2011 - Wausau @ Northcentral Technical College - Center for Health Sciences, Room 2016

May 4, 2011 - Waukesha @ Country Springs Hotel - Woodfield Room

Each meeting will include an overview of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation by Secretary Paul Jadin and Deputy Secretary Mike Klonsinski, an overview of the Application Process for Financial Requests, a discussion on WEDA Government Relations and Economic Development in the 2011 – 2013 Budget, and Changing the Economic Development Service Delivery Model in Wisconsin.

Please contact the WEDA office with any questions or for registration information at weda@weda.org or 608-255-5666.

You may also click here to register or for more information.

Crosse House Hosts Spring Thaw Expo (Sun Prairie Star/Craigslist)

The historic Crosse House, 133 W. Main in Sun Prairie presents its first-ever Spring Thaw Expo on April 2 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m, featuring local entrepreneurs and businesses as well as food samples, business opportunities and more.

The Spring Thaw Expo is yet another example of how those associated with the historic Crosse House continue to feature events designed to not only get people into the home to see it, but also experience things about Sun Prairie that few people get to experience.

And it’s another opportunity to get people into the downtown to show off everything Sun Prairie has to offer downtown.

*Door Prizes
*Free Chair Massages
*Food Samples
*Free Samples
*Fun
*Free Admission!

Come and thaw out at the Spring Thaw Expo!

When: Saturday, April 2nd, 2011
Where: Crosse House 133 W. Main Street, Sun Prairie, WI
Time: 10am-5pm

Vendors Include:

*Shaklee
*Wildtree
*Miche Bags
*Norwex
*Sentsy
*GiGi Hill
*Tastefully Simple
*Arbonne
*Tupperware
*Thirty One Gifts
*The Spa
*Pampered Chef
*Qivana
*Kyra's Kards

Bring your friends and enjoy a great day of shopping and relaxation!

For more information on the Crosse House, go to http://www.crossehouse.org/.

90 Days into Project 365: Breaking Down the Stats (City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Devlelopment)

Here is a quick summary of key statistics on visitors to Project 365 year to date through March 31st:

1. Overview of visits and visitors:

1,471 visitors
2,243 visits
3,711 page views
63.17% new visits
Highest daily visitors: 65

2. How folks get to the blog:

Direct Traffic: 30.72%
Referring Sites: 34.73%
Search Engines: 34.55%

3. Top search terms used to find the blog:

sun prairie economic development
wisconsin cheeseman auction
baba's supper club
project 365 sun prairie
el patron sun prairie
nyse:ftr
ladies night

4. Top origin of visits by City:

Madison, WI - 686
Sun Prairie, WI - 429
St. Louis, MO - 67
New York, NY - 49
Milwaukee, WI - 45
Chicago, IL - 40
St. Ann, MO - 39
Rochester, MN - 34
Janesville, WI - 14
Florissant, MO - 12

Total: 504 Cities, 53 Countries

5. Average time on the site

1 minute, 45 seconds

Questions on Project 365 can be addressed to Neil Stechschulte, Economic Development Director for the City of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin at nstechschulte[at]cityofsunprairie.com or (608) 825-0894, or click here for more information.