Effort under way to form west of the I chamber

brass-ball-square-croppedA Paddock Lake business person is looking to revive interest in a business association for his area of the county.

Michael Joling, malt beverages maintenance for Brass Ball Mobil, has been working on organizing a new chamber of commerce for west of the I businesses for at least eight months. Proposed bylaws for the organization include the following description of the group:

It is the mission of the Westosha Chamber of Commerce to provide community support, area promotion and to represent the businesspersons of its membership in an endeavor to foster a vibrant commercial atomosphere.”

“East of the I, they have organizations,” Joling said. “We need to have a consolidated voice .”

The need for that united voice was brought to Joling’s attention when a nearby business flooded due to poor maintenance of county highway drainage. The owner of the flooded business was frustrated with his ability to get the attention of those who could rectify and prevent the problem from reoccurring, Joling said

A western Kenosha County business organization would put some weight behind individual business owners in such situations, Joling said.

There was an active business association in the Paddock Lake area in the past. That group was at its most active when the state Department of Transportation was widening Highway 50 from two lanes to four. Business people found that they needed an umbrella organization to represent their views in that process, but that group faded in participation without a galvanizing issue to drive it. However, Joling said he was energized in his effort when some documents of that group’s proceedings were discoverd in Paddock Lake Village Hall.

Joling acknowledges some communities west of the I, such as Twin Lakes and Silver Lake, already have business associations in place. He does not see the group he is organizing as competing with those, and in fact hopes they can complement each other. The same for existing community service organizations.

“This chamber is not to replace or supplant any of that,” Joling said.

Joling is trying to drum up interest in the group and get businesses to commit to joining, he said. He’d like to have 25 businesses committed before proceeding with formal organization. He hopes to have an event yet this summer in which business owners could attend to learn more about the group and its aims.

Those interested in more information can contact Joling at 843-2660.

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