Applied Data Consultants (ADC) was named Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation’s (CCEDC) 2011 Overall Chippewa County Business of the Year.  The award was presented to ADC during the CCEDC’s 16^th Annual meeting which was held on Friday, May 13^th at the 29 Pines Conference Center.   ADC was selected for the title of Chippewa County Overall Business of the Year from the four Chippewa County Business of the Year quadrant award winners in which ADC was also named 2011 Chippewa County Business of the Year for quadrant three.  ADC was co-founded in 1996 by President Jim Ward and since its inception the company has focused on its core business of geographic information systems (GIS) and web-based engineering and software development. ADC created and markets Elite EXTRA, an online routing and tracking tool, as well as WebGUIDEXtreme (WGX), an online mapping tool.  One of their main products is EAGL-i, the site selector tool which was developed for CCEDC and is now marketed and sold nationwide. The unique nature of the company and diversity of products and services provides a distinctive position in the marketplace. ADC’s markets are wide-variedand have expanded to include many of the cutting-edge web engineering marketplaces. The ADC headquarters are located in the Town of Wheaton, Chippewa County;they alsohave 5 branch officeslocated throughout the United States and employ 44people company-wide. ADC co-founder Jim Ward shared the location in Chippewa County has been a great asset to ADC. “The strongest economic development asset for Chippewa County is the people who live here. They are hard-working, dedicated, and committed to making our area a great place to live and work,” Ward said. “We are humbled by this recognition given how many remarkable people and businesses are located in this area.”

Identity Ag Processing of Bloomer received the 2011 Chippewa County Business of the Year Award for quadrant one. Identity Ag Processing began operations in North Dakota in 2004 with the Bloomer facility starting operations September 2010. The Bloomer location is a food grade manufacturing facility that receives raw agricultural commodities directly from the producer. The company changes the condition of that commodity through its conditioning system, thus allowing for safe human consumption. The final product is cleaned, sized, and specifically packaged. Although these facilities are fairly new, Identity Ag Processing is an extension of an established international marketing company named SB & B Foods, Inc., that has been supplying food quality soybeans globally for more than 20 years.

Chippewa River Forest Management (CRFM) of Cornell was the recipient of the 2011 Chippewa County Business of the Year Award for quadrant two.  The Cornell-based business is a leader in its community. The producer of wood chips sells products to the roofing, biomass, animal bedding, corrugated medium, pulp, paper, and sawmill industries. CRFM is one of the few ‘whole tree’ chipping companies in the state; this means they utilize the entire tree, resulting in a less-messy logging operation. They also scale, screen, and store large volumes of chips, allowing them to provide just-in-time inventory, as well as increasing surge capacity for their markets.

C & N Footlockers of Boyd was recognized as the 2011 Chippewa County Business of the Year Award recipient for quadrant four.  For over 24 years, C & N Manufacturing has been a staple of Chippewa County. This local business manufactures steel footlockers targeted toward those individuals attending summer camps. The company also focuses its efforts on ensuring a stable future by continuing to be innovative, offer a wider selection of products and services, and invest in customer service to give us a competitive advantage.

CCEDC also partnered with the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association in selecting a 2011 Chippewa County Builder of the Year, the winner was Haselwander Companies.  For over 45 years, Chippewa Valley residents have been able to turn to Haselwander Companies for their home buying needs and new home construction dreams. The family’s commitment to providing high-quality homes and top-notch customer serves has allowed the company to grow and prosper throughout the Chippewa Valley.

The 2011 Chippewa County Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Enchanting Gnome Knowledge LLC, aka Gerome the Gnome. The Gerome the Gnome kits feature a “read, plant, grow” philosophy and contains a Gerome the Gnome adventure book, planting pots, and seeds. Children learn by doing and the planting kits provide an opportunity for a lengthier learning prospect.So far, Gerome the Gnome has been a wonderful way for children to explore sustainability and growth while learning through reading the Gerome the Gnome book and planting seeds.

Tom Kell was awarded the 2011 George McDowell Economic Development Leadership Award. Leadership has deep roots in the Kell family, since arriving in Chippewa Falls in 1974 Kell and his family have been active leaders in the community. When speaking of business, Kell believes the growth of Kell Container can be attributed to the people that live and work in the Chippewa Valley. “Our business allowed me the time to give back to the community as well as resources to assist in so many different endeavors,” Kell explained. Not only did the company allow him to grow as a leader, but the people he interacted with enhanced his leadership growth. Kell realizes that future leaders of Chippewa County will need to become involved and encourage county-wide initiatives. “We must always strive to build a new generation of leaders that will work for the community to continue what those previously had created. Great mentors of mine helped me to learn and become part of the solution. Hopefully I have instilled that in a few others; it is an honor to be recognized by my peers as a leader within the community

CCEDC hosted over 250 business leaders, investors and elected officials during the 16^th annual meeting and business of the year awards ceremony.