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  | Recognizing the strong social and economic ties in Dodgeville and its surrounding
community, our mission is to serve as a resource that strives to
maintain the cultural integrity, quality of life, community character,
and economic vitality of Dodgeville. |
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| Dodgeville has a Long-standing
Commitment To Doing Business: |
| In 1915 the Dodgeville "Business Men" published a Pocket
Directory for Dodgeville, Wis. It proclaimed Dodgeville: "One
of the most attractive cities in Southwestern Wisconsin. A live
town with energetic business men. Come to Dodgeville if you are
looking for a city residence, educational advantages, a factory
site, a business location and a clean prosperous town." Dodgeville's
population was 1791, according to the pamphlet, which included advertisements
for nearly 20 businesses. |
| The enthusiasm of these Dodgeville "Business Men" has stood
the test of time: Dodgeville is a good place to locate and to do
business. The "Business Men" understood that their businesses
were strengthened by working together. |
| Some 40-plus years later, the Dodgeville business community formed a
Chamber of Commerce. Today's Dodgeville Area Chamber of Commerce
& Main Street Partnership has many of the same goals and objectives
that the "Business Men" had in 1915. We also work on issues
that they certainly could not have anticipated. By working together,
as they did, we can ensure that their legacy, and ours, will continue
into the new century. |
| Downtown Dodgeville's historic sense of place has been retained through careful
maintenance and restoration of many of its commercial buildings,
reflecting the pride of the central business district and its merchants.
Sharing a strong commitment to both commerce and community, downtown
businesses flourish beside the City's more recent development on
the North End. |
| In 1991, Dodgeville was selected to participate in the National Main
Street Program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.
The Dodgeville program was initially coordinated by the Dodgeville
Revitalization Organization, which merged with the Chamber of Commerce
in 1995. In 1998 the Dodgeville Revitalization Organization restructured,
creating two separate boards, which work under a partnership agreement
and share staff. In 1999, the new Dodgeville Chamber of Commerce
formally changed its name to Dodgeville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Chamber of Commerce membership means that you're partnering with
other businesses, to benefit both your business and our community.
Your support helps to ensure that our area's business community
is represented and supported through projects and initiatives that
are larger than any one business and in the best interests of the
majority of businesses. |
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| What does the Chamber Do... |
| Tim Singer, Chamber of Commerce Vice President |
That's a question I have heard a lot and, frankly, I used to ask it myself before I became actively involved with the Chamber of Commerce.
As most of you are aware, our Chamber, as an organization, seemed to go by the wayside in 1991 when emphasis on the revitalization of our downtown, by the Main Street program, became the focus. This initiative has been hugely successful in breathing new life into our downtown business district. Lost, but not forgotten, in this focus on our downtown was the rest of Dodgeville's business community.
When I was asked to sit on the new Chamber board, providing an answer to the question: "What does the Chamber do?" was most important to me.
What I have discovered, in my first year of service, is that your Chamber is doing more than you can imagine. The hours of meetings and discussion by board members don't always show up as a physical change to our community. The process and implementation of ideas and plans takes time and many of the effects will be seen slowly over time. It's not always as visible as a luncheon or an amenity to our downtown.
However, I can assure you that our board is dedicated to bringing positive change to our business community and to providing members with tangible evidence of this work. As this year's program of work shows, your Chamber of Commerce is hard at work.
Please join us - you'll see what I mean.
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If you have any questions and would like to contact us:
Dodgeville Area Chamber of Commerce
338 N Iowa St
Dodgeville, Wisconsin 53533
Visitor Information Line: 608.935.5993
Chamber of Commerce Office: 608.935.9200
info@dodgeville.com
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