First Impressions Match Maker
While not a huge challenge, the biggest obstacle with the First
Impressions Program is finding a similar community interested in
committing the time to do the exchange. If your Wisconsin community is interested in doing an exchange, please complete the
form below and your interest will be added to this data base. Please
feel free to contact any of the communities in the list below to
determine if a match can be made. Please also notify us when you
would like your community dropped from the list (e-mail cced@uwex.edu).
For more information on factors that you might want to consider when
setting up an exchange, see: tool
Communities currently interested in doing a
First Impressions Exchange:
| Community Name |
Region of the state (NW, NE,
Central, SW, SE) |
Population |
Contact Name |
Contact Phone Number |
Contact E-Mail Address |
Time of year for Exchange |
Any unique timely issues
facing your community?
|
| Village of Belgium
|
SE |
Population 1,678 |
Nicole Sidoff |
262) 284-8289 / 238-8289 (metro) |
nicole.sidoff@ces.uwex.edu |
Summer 2010 |
*Located in the northern part of Ozaukee County
*Close proximity to I-43, Harrington Beach State Park, and the Ozaukee Interurban Trail
*Strong Luxembourger heritage, recently completed construction on the internationally-known and funded Luxembourg-American Cultural Center
*Would like to do an exchange with a similarly sized community that is also located in close proximity to a significant natural resource (like Lake Michigan at
Harrington Beach State Park) and possibly has a strong cultural heritage element to the community
*The Chamber of Commerce has demonstrated interest in First Impressions
|
Village of Grafton |
SE |
Population 1,678 |
Nicole Sidoff |
262) 284-8289 / 238-8289 (metro) |
nicole.sidoff@ces.uwex.edu |
Summer 2010 |
*Close proximity to I-43, significant development (big box along I-43) and redevelopment (“village center” in downtown) over the past 15 years
*Did First Impressions about 20 years ago and would like to do it again, mainly because of all the changes that have occurred along I-43 and downtown
*Developing rapidly as a result of proximity to the City of Milwaukee (development is still occurring even through the recession, including a hotel, another big
box store, an Aurora hospital, and a number of restaurants)
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When trying to identify an "exchange" community, clearly there is no such thing
as a perfect fit. There are a number of issues that might make
it difficult to find a similar community for the exchange. It
is probably more important to find a community which is
committed and interested in doing an exchange and that is
within a reasonable driving distance. Obviously, you can also
arrange multiple visits from different communities.
Having
said that, I have compiled an Excel Worksheet that has a
number of characteristics for each community in Wisconsin:
population, county seat, presence of a Walmart, Main Street
communities, and previous exchanges. Clearly there are
hundreds of factors that could be considered here, but you
might find the Community I.D. Tool (Microsoft Excel required) helpful in assisting you with a
community selection.
For
options including assistance from the Center for Community
Economic Development, please review the revised
Users Guide.
Add Your
Community to the List...
If you would like to add your community to the list of those
interested in doing a First Impressions exchange, please
complete and submit the form below (The community name, and
your e-mail address are required, all other fields are
optional):
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