Surprising Stuff

Ed Svitak breathes new life into the Lake Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce.
Visit Lake Geneva is the new name of this traditional business support organization. Loosely held together, somewhere between a non-profit corporation, but not, this group of dedicated professionals seeks to work under the tax money granted to them as their slice of the room taxes paid mostly by resorts (think Grand Geneva and The Abbey), and fees collected for local membership. In meeting with Mr. Svitak, the staff of the Geneva Shore Report was genuinely impressed by his dynamic enthusiasm for what he is doing about improving daily operations.

Visit Lake Geneva has floundered a bit, as the old director lowered membership prices to zero, and maximized attention and apportionment of the room tax money for resorts. What happened, from that approach, was a concentration of power and attention on the seven resorts located around the lake, and little or no attention to, or for, the small businesses that make up the overwhelming bulk of what attracts people to the Geneva Lake area (other than the lake itself). Look ahead to a return to membership fees of decent size, but also the addition of something brand new. That would be a return on investment. Mr. Svitak is all about ROI when it comes to the small businesses getting attention and care.

The other idea floated around the table with a lot of enthusiasm was the return to a time when Lake Geneva had a huge Christmas tree located in the center of town to draw attention, good will and Christmas cheer. That, and “lighting up the town from one end to the other,” to stimulate shoppers, visitors, and locals alike. No matter what ultimately happens, with Mr. Svitak’s assumption of control will come to a sweeping sea change of great size and scope and it’s quite wonderful to consider all the good things that are likely to happen.

Ed Svitak from Visit Lake Geneva

 

U.S. Cellular break in.
Sometime between last Thursday night (the 1st of September) or early Friday morning, the glass door was broken out of the offices of U.S. Cellular. That company’s sales office is located right across the parking lot from the West side of the Piggly Wiggly market. There’s no report yet on what was taken. There was full video surveillance of the inside of the office. U.S. Cellular management did not want to comment because of the supposed ongoing nature of the police investigation. Off the record, one of the employees indicated that nothing at all was taken from the available inventory, and cash is never kept on the premises overnight. So why the break-in?

U.S. Cellular Break in Video

 

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