PO Box 224, Butternut, WI  54514

                                                   
WHO WE ARE: 

Thank you for your interest concerning the Butternut Area Business Alliance.  We are a group of individuals, businesses, and organizations in the Butternut community formed together with the primary goal of marketing and promotion of Butternut and the surrounding area.  Some of our responsibilities include area identity awareness, marketing strategies, area beautification projects, website development & maintenance, representation on the Ashland County Marketing Board, oversight of the local Ashland County Mini-JEM grant, and collating our area’s calendar of events.  We also serve as a member of the Butternut Park Association and Pioneer Days Committee.

Our membership is open to anyone interested in the sustainability of our community and does not have any geographic limits.  Besides having members from Butternut, we currently have members from Glidden, Park Falls, and the Flowage area.  We only ask for a small membership fee of $50.00 which goes directly to marketing campaigns, website maintenance, and operating costs.  Of course, any other donations above the membership fee would be greatly appreciated.

Some of our past completed projects include establishing a logo for the Village of Butternut, renovating the entrance sign on the south end of town, establishing a Visitor Center at the Village Hall and Butternut Feed Store, and the boulevard banner project decorating  Hwy 13 and County F.  We have just recently completed the construction of the new Butternut Veterans Memorial Park, located next to the Village Hall.  A big thank you to all those that have generously donated toward this wonderful project!  The new Butternut Brochures are also fresh off the press and ready to be distributed to prospective visitors.  Some projects coming up include addressing some landscaping and lighting upgrades on the south entrance sign,  creation of an area beautification grant, and possibly our own Kelly Meredith wall mural!  If you have an idea for any future project you think would benefit our area, please share them with us!

Another issue we are tackling is the recreation trails in our area.  We have taken over the responsibility of the snowmobile trail that runs from the south end of town out to Butternut Lake.  We want to create an image of a "snowmobile and ATV friendly" area and have started to address some of the complaints we have received in the past.  New local snowmobile route maps are available at the Village Hall and online on our website.  We are currently looking at detailed directional signage at various intersections on the trails that would allow for local businesses to advertise themselves to our visitors and make Butternut a much easier place to navigate.  Along with that, we are spearheading a proposal to combine all area trail maps into one complete map.  This would include Ashland, Price, and Iron counties.  

MARKETING STRATEGIES: 

We are also starting to develop marketing strategies for our brand new Business Park, the Pioneer Pines housing project and the future housing project up by the Park.  Future projects we are working on include a scholarship program, local beautification grant program, and a discounted rates network (ie. advertising, mailing, office services, etc.).  As a member, you are already entitled to a 10% discount from the Park Falls Herald.  That could easily pay for your membership fee in no time!  We would also like to develop a stronger marketing campaign for our school and show people that we already have what Madison is trying to strive for- top notch education in smaller classrooms.  You can also take advantage of our marketing campaign by having your business ad included in with our ads and obtain significant discounts.  For more information on advertising deadlines and options, give Glenn a call at 715-769-3200.

OUR MAIN OBJECTIVES: 

            We understand that time is not a commodity most of us have an abundance of, and understand that a lot of our members simply cannot find time in their schedules to get more involved.  Most of what we are asking for is a little input and feedback.  Full member meetings are held quarterly with most board meetings held semi-monthly.  Our main objective is to show area visitors, potential new businesses, or people looking to relocate, just how blessed we are to live in this community.  The first time someone checks out our town’s website, they will get a chance to do just that.  If you haven’t had a chance to do so, please check it out at www.butternutwi.com.  This is where your membership really helps out.  First by showing visitors that we have quite a bit to offer them, and secondly, it puts your information directly in front of them.  We also encourage members to bring in any marketing material, such as business cards and brochures, into the Visitor Center at the Village Hall for display and distribution.  You would be amazed at just how many inquiries Brenda recieves at the Village Hall from people wanting to know what is around the area.  The same holds true for our calender of events.  Any event you have can be advertised for FREE!, not just on the Butternut website, but also the Ashland County, Price County, Mercer Chamber, Park Falls Chamber, and theTurtle Flamabeau Flowage websites just to name a few.   Let us know about any specials or promotions you have and have it emailed to all our members.  That’s a whole lot of bang for your advertising buck right there!  More importantly, you are helping strengthen our community’s identity as a whole.

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

 If you would like to be a part of this pro-active organization or if you would like any more information, please feel free to contact us.

Contact Glenn Wegner at Signature Sign & Graphics at 715-769-3200