Day Resource Center/Community Haven House now open
For the first time, effective last Monday, December 29, Eau Claire has a seven-days-a-week, year-round daytime resource center for unhoused individuals.
"Our mission is to provide respectful, responsible and effective solutions to help individuals emerge from homelessness as productive, healthy people," notes Hope Gospel Mission in explaining the purpose of the site. "We want each guest to feel that they are welcome here and they can find help here. Day Resource Centers are lifelines-not just a shelters. We offer stability, dignity and pathways to recovery."
The new location is owned by Western Dairyland Equal Opportunity Council, with the Community Haven House/Day Resource Center operated by Hope Gospel Mission. As a permanent location vs. the previous temporary site, it is now open daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Organizers say there are at least 28 partners involved in the project, with the goal of providing services in one place to help individuals out of homelessness. The facility is located at 1 Better Way, formerly 610 Gibson St., with the street recently renamed east of Dewey.
The "One Better Way" capital campaign is underway to raise the rest of the $6.4 million goal for the center.
Housing Our Neighbors Collaborative to release report
As work has successfully progressed on providing a daytime resource center, a public-private effort across a wide spectrum of local governments and organizations has also spent the past year developing a local plan to address the longer-term need for housing and wrap-around services to lift individuals out of homelessness. Later this month, the Housing Our Neighbors Planning Collaborative will release a plan identifying six key strategies designed to make homelessness in Eau Claire County rare, brief, and non-recurring. It seeks to bring together existing resources and initiatives, build on local strengths, and apply evidence-based strategies to tackle homelessness in our community.
The plan itself and opportunities to learn more and get involved will be released in the coming weeks. It will also be the subject of the Chamber's next Eggs & Issues breakfast on Friday, January 23.
More information:
Community Haven House Starting 12/29 - New Location 1 Better Way, Eau Claire (Hope Gospel Mission)
Day Resource Center Project Overview and Capital Campaign (Western Dairyland)
Video: Community Haven House/Day Resource Center (YouTube, 5 min.)
One Better Way Capital Campaign fundraising continues (WEAU 13 News)
Eau Claire's Day Resource Center officially opens at its new location (WQOW News 18)
Community Haven House opens new location (WEAU 13 News)
Chamber event information:
Eggs & Issues: Addressing homelessness in Eau Claire
• Friday, Jan 23, 7:30-9:00 a.m., CVTC Business Education Center
Click here for details and to register

Ayres President Bruce Ommen to retire in June
Ayres last week announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce Ommen will retire on June 2, 2026, as part of a long-planned leadership transition. Ommen has been an integral part of the employee-owned firm since joining as a structural engineer fresh out of college in 1990. He has served as President since 2019.
“Leading Ayres has been one of the greatest privileges of my career,” Ommen says. “I’ve had the honor of working alongside an incredible team and building lasting relationships with our clients. As I prepare for this next chapter, my focus is on supporting a smooth and thoughtful transition that positions Ayres for continued success.”
According to a news release, the company will soon begin a formal search for its next president and CEO. Ommen will remain actively involved throughout the process, working closely with Ayres’ leadership team and the Board of Directors to support the incoming leader.
Ommen is a member of the Chamber Board of Directors and serves on the Governmental Affairs Committee.
More information:
Ayres Plans for Leadership Transition (Ayres)

More local stories...
Menomonie City Council to vote on data center ordinance changes Monday (WQOW News 18)
Health care progress was the area's top story of 2025 (Leader-Telegram $)
The biggest stories of 2025 (WEAU 13 News)
Eau Claire County felony filings steady in 2025; Chippewa and Dunn see steep declines (Leader-Telegram $)
City News Updates -incl. City Manager's Weekly Update (City of Eau Claire)

Food for thought...
Our View: 2025 was a turning point for region's health care (Leader-Telegram editorial $) Madison bickered. We built. Did the Chippewa Valley spend some time licking its wounds? Of course. But leaders realized the best balm was going to be success, not sadness. The region fought back, hard, without wasting time pointing too many fingers. This response is a model for how communities can and should react to an economic crisis. ...it is a textbook for setting aside territoriality, putting away rivalries, and uniting in pursuit of a goal.

Meeting this week...
Full public meetings calendar
City of Eau Claire Plan Commission
• Monday, Jan 5, 6 p.m. Agenda Packet
Eau Claire Board of Education
• Monday, Jan 5, 7 p.m. Meeting information

Eau Claire Chamber posts Governmental Affairs job opening
Current director Scott Rogers retiring after 12 years
The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce has posted its open position of Director of Governmental Affairs. The move comes after the announcement in December that Scott Rogers, Senior Director of Governmental Affairs, will retire at the end of February.
"This position leads the Chamber’s public policy and community relations work, builds strong partnerships with elected officials and education leaders, and helps advance a strong pro-business climate that supports our region’s economic growth," states the Chamber's purposes of the position in the job posting.
More information:
Job posting: Director of Governmental Affairs (Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce)

Members sought: City of EC Housing Opportunities Commission
The City of Eau Claire's Housing Opportunities Commission is looking for resident volunteers to bring their expertise, lived experience, and passion for community to the table. The City is seeking people with knowledge in: Housing and real estate, Building/development, Accessible design, Property management, Home financing, and/or Local business ownership.
More information:
Housing Opportunities Commission (City of Eau Claire)
Resource Bank to apply (City of Eau Claire)

Free event Jan 20...
Running Out of People: Family Friendliness as a Workforce Strategy
Wisconsin employers face a long-term shortage of workers that will complicate their competitiveness and challenge the strength of their organizations and the broader economy. Join Child Care Partnership and Family Friendly Workplaces for an important conversation about the workforce challenges your organization is facing—and what you can do about it.
The seminar will begin with a presentation from the Child Care Partnership Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, highlighting who they are and the critical work they do, followed by a presentation from Neil Kline, Executive Director of Family Friendly Workplaces (FFW). Neil’s presentation will focus on the long-term human resources shortage facing Wisconsin employers and the innovative, family-friendly strategies that can help address it. His portion will include a brief benchmarking exercise, beneficial for both HR and senior leadership. There will also be time for questions and discussion!
Who should attend: Senior Leaders, Human Resources, Economic Development Partners
Event information:
• Tuesday, Jan 20, 8:00-9:30 a.m., Chamber office, WNB Conference Room
Click here for details and to register

Have you traveled by train in Wisconsin? WisDOT wants to hear about your experience, and whether you'd use a train serving Eau Claire
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is asking people who ridden Amtrak trains in Wisconsin to rate their experience, and to assess what service improvements they'd like to see. Among the questions is whether you would use train service to Eau Claire, Green Bay, or Madison. Those cities are currently without trains, but the subject of expansion studies currently under way.
Click the link below to take the survey:
Amtrak Midwest experience survey (WisDOT/Amtrak)
Note: Although the first survey questions ask about “today’s trip”, WisDOT says it wants feedback on any relatively recent rail trip

More state and regional stories...
In Democratic primary for governor, candidates focus on affordability and Trump (WPR)
Assembly Speaker Vos sees ‘good chance’ GOP wins Wisconsin governor in 2026 (WPR)
Speaker Robin Vos on affordability, newborn accounts and his reelection (Journal-Sentinel +)
Speaker Robin Vos leaves open prospect of running again in 2026 (Journal-Sentinel +)
What to know about the Josh Kaul, Eric Toney attorney general rematch (Journal-Sentinel +)
Rusk County Town of Thornapple agrees to bring accessible voting machine back (WPR)
Wisconsin politics in 2025, a look back by the numbers (The Cap Times)
Wisconsin lawmakers discuss both rural hospital and special education funding at Eggs and Issues (WEAU 13 News)
New year leads to new state laws and policies for Wisconsin (WEAU 13 News)
New Wisconsin laws start Jan. 1; wedding barns, resort tax (Journal-Sentinel +)
How many bills were vetoed, became law in 2025? Here are notable ones (Journal-Sentinel +)
Legislators seek to shield wedding barn owners from new alcohol rules (Journal-Sentinel +)
Was Wisconsin’s legislature productive in 2025? (WEAU 13 News)
Statewide referendums keep coming. Some lawmakers want to simplify them for voters (WPR)
New bill would pave the way for autonomous vehicles on Wisconsin roads (Journal-Sentinel +)
Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan resigns after felony conviction (WPR)
Former PSC chair to become president of Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin utility business (WPR)
Return Trip: Southeastern Wisconsin rail plan comes back as MARK (WisPolitics)
Milwaukee County raising bus fares, monthly caps to avoid service cuts (The Center Square)
What’s next for downtown Madison? (The Cap Times)
Scheels buys site at Mayfair Mall, paving way for 2026 construction (BizTimes)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz drops reelection bid (Axios)

Business Matters Podcast: UWEC Interim Chancellor Dr. Michael Carney
In this episode, Chamber President & CEO Dave Minor sits down with UW-Eau Claire Interim Chancellor, Dr. Michael Carney. As an Eau Claire Chamber 110th Birthday Ambassador, the University shares its commitment to academic excellence, student life, and community engagement. The conversation also reflects on the long-standing partnership between the Chamber and UW-Eau Claire and its role in shaping Eau Claire’s future.
Podcast information:
Listen: Business Matters Podcast Episode 7 - A Century of Partnership: UW-Eau Claire (Mike Carney and Dave Minor, 45:25)

Federal and economic stories...
US plans to ‘run’ Venezuela and tap its oil reserves, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro (AP)
Inside the operation: How the US moved to capture Nicolás Maduro (CNN Politics)
Wisconsin child care providers await federal funding freeze that could cause closures (WPR)
These bipartisan bills were noncontroversial — until Trump vetoed them (AP)
What to know about Wisconsin's battle over congressional redistricting (Journal-Sentinel +)
Congressman Van Orden reacts to rural healthcare funding (WEAU 13 News)
Chief Justice says Constitution remains ‘firm and unshaken’ with major Supreme Court rulings ahead (AP)
Zohran Mamdani promises to govern ‘expansively and audaciously’ in inaugural speech as NYC mayor (AP)
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes (AP)
Deportations are set to explode — a huge worry for farmers already facing a labor shortage (WPR)
Buffett says Berkshire has the best odds of any company for lasting 100 more years as he hands over reins (CNBC)
Research Suggests People Who Work From Home Are Having More Babies (Reason)

Food for thought...
Ben Sasse and the Path Not Taken (Josh Lewis, The Dispatch +) First elected to the Senate in 2014, Sasse’s congressional tenure was defined by reason and integrity in a political era rife with anything but. Throughout the political turbulence of this past decade, Sasse had consistently pointed the way, in word and deed, to an alternative path.

Thanks for reading this issue of Business Advocate. If you have comments or questions, contact Scott Rogers, Sr Dir of Governmental Affairs, at 715-858-0616 or rogers@eauclairechamber.org