West Bend Connections is always going to be a work in progress, moving forward under the direction of our Smart Community Committee.
On April 19, 2000, Jennifer Reinert made a presentation to the West Bend Economic Development Corporation, urging West Bend to embrace technology and to move forward on a Smart Community Initiative.
The 2001-2002 Strategic Plan for the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce (under the direction of Betty Pearson) included a mandate to promote and facilitate the economic development of our community through Internet technology in cooperation with the West Bend Economic Development Corporation. The original Smart Community Committee was formed from a consortium of local businesses and included Tom Lindell (chair,) West Bend Mutual; Betty Pearson, WB area Chamber; Charlie Hillman, Hillman Consulting/Hnet; Mary Driscoll, City of West Bend; Daryl Duenkel, St. Joseph's Hospital; Craig Johnson, Moraine Park Technical college; Bob Ramsthal, Serigraph; Ryan Dove, WB Mutual; Ryan Gieryn, Hnet;
Utilizing a concept patterned after similar Electronic Village initiatives in Blacksburg, Virginia and Ann Arbor, Michigan the committee organized the development of the website: WestBendConnections.org.
On August 1, 2001, www.WestBendConnections.org went "Live," and more than 75 business and community representatives turned out for the Virtual Ribbon Cutting in the City Council Chambers.
In September, 2001, Hillman Consulting Services added gowestbend.com, an online guide to sports in West Bend.
In December, 2001, the Chamber, along with Hillman Consulting Services, added an online shopping feature called the Community Shopping Network or CSN. Retailers created their own Virtual Store-Front to display logo, images, products, coupons, and other store information.
In mid 2002 the Smart Community Committee realized that volunteers can not have enough time and resources to continue to make WestBendConnections vibrant and keep content current. As a solution, the West Bend EDC allocated funding, and on October 7, 2002, the committee met for the first time with a paid administrator, Gaytha Hillman, from Hillman Consulting Services.
By March, 2003, the WestBendConnections.org online business directory included 850 area businesses with links to 500 email addresses and 350 existing websites. Website hits were 150,000 per quarter.
By June 2003, 1772 businesses linked from the online directory to 628 email addresses, 647 websites, and 150 Virtual Storefronts on the Community Shopping Network. Website hits were 300,000 per quarter.
In the fall of 2003, the Comprehensive Community Calendar was added to the website, allowing organizations to promote local events and avoid scheduling conflicts. At the end of January 2004, 39 participating organizations had entered 337 events. The website also added an editorial section and an employment section. Website hits averaged 116,000 per month.
In the fall of 2004, website hits were over half a million per quarter.
Please email us with your comments/suggestions to info@westbendconnections.org.