Erika VanOrder is the president of the Wittenberg Area Chamber of Commerce. She was born in Sheboygan and graduated from Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School.
VanOrder went to cosmetology school and also got an associate degree from the University of Phoenix with a minor in human resources and major in business management. She worked at Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats for over eight years and is currently working at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, where she is the executive assistant to the vice president of human resources and college advancement executive assistant to the vice president of finance. She is also pursuing a degree in human resource management.
VanOrder and her husband, Kyle, who works at Woodstock Flooring, have been married 12 years and live in Birnamwood. They have a son, Emerson. The couple sings and Erika plays the guitar. They enjoy camping.
VanOrder is also a member of SAYPro and Jaywalking for Autism.
Q How long have you been with the chamber?
A “I’ve been with the chamber for five years. This is my third year as president. We have three-year terms.”
Q What do you do?
A “My duties are to implement community awareness and a marketing program for our area, serve as advocate for our businesses, and I assist with a lot of community events and fundraising.”
Q What are some of the things the chamber does?
A “We have Community Days, which is our largest event, in cooperation with the American Legion of Wittenberg. We allow any organization, church or club to raise money for their own funds and keep 100 percent of the proceeds.
“Swim with Santa is on Saturday, Dec. 12. We allow children to come in and if they bring a donation for the food pantry, they can swim for free at the Darwin E. Smith Aquatic Center.
“We do the Great Skate Giveaway fundraising for the local skating rink. Last year we raised enough for them to operate for the next 10 years. It’s a very busy place.
“We have a chamber banquet once a year. People want to get out of the house in February. Any money raised in raffles we give back to the members.”
Q Why should they join the chamber?
A “The year that I took over there were 13 members, and now we have 62 members. Birnamwood business places also participate. Kyle is very good at advertising. He is webmaster and maintains our Facebook page. We do our best to promote our members in every source of media with free advertising. We are linked with Travel Wisconsin, a statewide calendar and newsletter.”
Q Why do you volunteer?
A “I volunteer because I want to serve my purpose in life to better other people’s lives. I want to help them have success. I want to be the friendly face of the community. I’m a people person and that is one of my strengths. I couldn’t do it without the support of my family.”
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