Too old for Fuse? Of course not!

Have you been wondering how exactly Fuse Duluth involvement benefit you? I too often hear "I'm too old for Fuse." I'd like to disband this perception by illustrating how Fuse Duluth can empower our ypro demographic of 20-40 and beyond.

As a young professional, it is extremely important to reach out to the business community and stake your claim. Market yourself. Brand yourself as a valuable asset to our community. Fuse Duluth events can introduce you to established professionals throughout the community. The exact crowd you want to be in front of when job seeking, connection building, and making new friends.

As an established professional, YOU are the exact connection our ypros want to reach. Desperately. Fuse is here to bridge the gap between workplace generations, allowing employers to meet Duluth's extremely talented pool of young professionals simultaneously providing ypros with the opportunity to showcase themselves.

From our networking events to educational events, from our Leadership Council to our involved committees, Fuse Duluth was established nearly 10 years ago to grow our community together. It's time to partner our young professionals with our established professionals to build a better Duluth. 

Grow. Connect. Fuse.

Martha Bremer

Director of Fuse Duluth

mbremer@duluthchamber.com  |  (218) 740-3754

Website   |   Blog   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   LinkedIn

Let’s Get Back Outdoors!

It can be hard to ‘get back in the groove’ after a long holiday weekend. It has already been over a week since Independence Day was upon us; but after a few fun filled days of fireworks, late nights, barbecuing, family and friends, it can be hard to get motivated again. Jumping back in to the pile of work that you left behind can seem like a daunting task. And, if you are anything like me, after the nice weather we have been having – sitting in the office is the last place I would like to be.

At Fuse, we have some events lined up that just may take the edge off of your daily tasks and help you find your motivation for the remainder of summer. Our next two events are taking place outdoors in our beautiful port city. I know I will be taking full advantage to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather as I get the chance.

This upcoming Thursday, July 17^th, we will have the chance to listen to our Mayor Don Ness speak to us about all of the great outdoor recreational activities that our great city has to offer. Between hiking, biking, skiing or sailing – there is truly something for everybody. After being named the ‘Best Outdoor City’ in the Nation, I think the Mayor’s speech will be very fitting. Located outside at the historic Wade Stadium, and weather looking absolutely fabulous for Thursday, it will be a ‘Wordsto the Wise Luncheon’ that you will want to miss. And, if you haven’t heard yet, we will be lucky enough to enjoy an exclusive lunch by Qdoba Mexican Grill. Yum! 

Looking ahead to August 7^th, we will be hosting our ‘Beachfront Blues’ at the Historic Glensheen Mansion on London Road. There never seems to be ways to run out of things to talk about while looking onto beautiful Lake Superior and admiring the meticulously manicured lawns of the Mansion. With music, drinks and hors d’oeuvres to enjoy along with the fresh air and breeze of the big lake, it is always one of our most attended networking events. This was one of the first events that I had went to when I was first introduced to Fuse, and I am glad that it was. It was such a great time and also an easy, carefree way to network with peers in the Duluth area. 

I am looking forward to attending these events, and I hope you are too! Considering we only get a handful of ‘summer months’ in Duluth, we should all take advantage of getting outside and enjoying the sunshine while we can.

Alyssa Christiansen
Fuse Duluth Leadership Council
Holiday Inn & Suites

Volunteer Focus Braves Cold for Day of Caring

It was a chilly and blustery day.  Not a sentence to describe a scene in a Winnie the Pooh book but a sentence to describe the United Way- Day of Caring. However, as inhabitants of Outside Magazine’s Best Outdoor Town, us Duluthians bundled up and headed outside. With over 50 projects and over 100 volunteers; local businesses, establishments, and groups volunteered their time to local non-profits that needed some extra help.

Fuse Duluth took a group of eight volunteers and helped clean the track and Lakewalk for the Duluth Depot and the North Shore Scenic Railroad. Cold was the exact opposite of the atmosphere as we set out to ride the train to our destination, as our fellow volunteers were nothing but welcoming and enthusiastic. After unloading, with 3 other groups, we took off down the historic tracks to pick up trash, broken glass, unwanted items, and most of all; cigarette butts. 

It was a great event to get to work together and make our city shine. After collecting garbage and meeting up with the other teams, the Fusers headed back to the Depot (by train!) and were treated to free pizza for the hard work. Other teams volunteered to complete projects that involved painting, planting, organizing food and supply drives, etc. To find out more about how you can get involved next year, head to the United Way’s Volunteer Center website.

A big thanks to James Fischer (Bagley and Company Jewelers), Katie Kundel (NuCara Pharmacy), Alyza Bohbot (Alakef Coffee), Josh Nonnemacher (Duluth Huskies), Erik McCort (US Bank), Lindsey Dueland (Lake State Credit Union), and Anna Pulles (Hanlon and Associates) for volunteering their time.And an even bigger thanks to Liz Pawlik and Paige Stein, from the United Way, for all their hard work and coordination!

 Next up for Volunteer Focus is the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk! On September 20^th, at the Lake Superior Zoo, hundreds will gather to promote physical activity and healthy living by taking a jaunt around the Zoo. This will be a family friendly event that raises money for the American Heart Association and spread heart disease awareness. If you are interested in joining the Fuse Team please head to our Heart Walk Team Page or contact Rachel Malone, Team Captain, for more information.

                                                      

Rachel Malone
Fuse Duluth Leadership Council
Compudyne, Inc.

Fuse Flash 7/2/14

Dear Fusers,

Summer has finally arrived and there is much to celebrate in the beautiful outdoor town of Duluth. Last month, Duluth claimed victory over Provo, Utah in Outside Magazine's Best Outdoor Town 2014. Last week, Fuse's newest action team - Volunteer Focus - dedicated half of their day to United Way's annual Day of Caring in litter pick-up along the Lakewalk and railroad tracks. This week, the sun finally made an appearance and temperatures soared into the warm 80s. And yesterday, we introduced 20 additional young professionals to the Fuse program at our Fuse 101 session.

In celebration of these achievements, the July 17th Words from the Wise heads outdoors as Duluth's esteemed and popular Mayor Ness presents "Capitalizing on the Great Outdoors." The momentum doesn't stop there. The luncheon will be held at the historic Wade Stadium with Qdoba Mexican Grill offering a sneak peak to guests as they cater just for us.

Summer is a great time to get involved with Fuse. Whether you join us at an event, connect with us on social media or simply read these emails, celebrate Duluth and your professional development by taking your Fuse involvement one step further before fall arrives. What goals can you achieve this summer?

Grow. Connect. Fuse.

Martha Bremer

Director of Fuse Duluth

mbremer@duluthchamber.com  |  (218) 740-3754
Website   |   Blog   |   Facebook   |   Twitter   |   LinkedIn

Fuse Gives Back

Tomorrow, June 25th, 2014 United Way’s annual Day of Caring will begin with the help of Fuse Duluth’s new Volunteer Focus Committee for the first time. An enthusiastic group of 10 Fuse Duluth Volunteers will meet at the Depot (506 W. Michigan Street) at 8:00 a.m. to begin their morning by giving back to the community. The train will drop off these young professionals along with other volunteer groups at the tracks and the Lakewalk to pick up litter.

Rachel Malone, the Chair of Fuse’s Volunteer Focus committee stated, “At Fuse Duluth, we believe that long-term, devoted volunteers are the individuals that also keep Duluth alive. To help ignite the passion for volunteering and giving back, Fuse Duluth has formed a Volunteer Focus Committee. We are dedicated to giving back to the community that we love and encouraging other young professionals to do the same.”

Join us in thanking these dedicated volunteers for stepping up regardless of tomorrow's chilly forecast: Rachel Malone, Compudyne; Anna Pulles, Hanlon and Associates; James Fisher, Bagley & Company Jewelers; Erik McCort, U.S. Bank; Alyza Bohbot, Alakef Coffee Roasters; Lindsey Dueland, Lake State Credit Union; Josh Nonnemacher, Duluth Huskies; Tom Skull, American Heart Association; Katie Kundel, NuCara Pharmacy; and Martha Bremer, Director of Fuse Duluth.

United Way’s Day of Caring has a number of volunteer spots still remaining; with projects ranging from painting a porch to landscaping some of Duluth’s playgrounds. Duluthians are encouraged to get out for a few hours in the morning, afternoon or the whole day if able. Visit their website, http://volunteerduluth.galaxydigital.com/aam/general/event/?doc_id=557 for more information on these volunteer projects.

Fuse Duluth is the premier program for young professionals in the Twin Ports, presented by the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce. Fuse is a valuable resource for young professionals looking to get connected, for employers seeking to recruit local talent, and for businesses that want to build a presence with the 20 to 40 crowd.  The Chamber works in support of the Fuse Duluth mission: connecting young people to strengthen our community.

  

Fuse Leadership Council Nominations Requested

You have an exciting opportunity to strengthen Fuse by nominating a talented young professional leader to serve on the Fuse Leadership Council. This talented leader can be a colleague or yourself. In doing so you will join in our efforts to connect young people and strengthen our community. Serving on the Leadership Council is an effective and enjoyable way to collaborate with other young leaders who dedicate time and talent to the Fuse mission.

Incoming Council Members will serve a two-year term beginning August 4, 2014. Interested applicants must be willing to:

• accept a leadership role in one or more of the Fuse initiative,
• participate in Fuse and Chamber events,
• advance the Fuse program with new ideas,
• serve as an enthusiastic advocate for Fuse,
• and attend Council monthly meetings.

If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the Leadership Council, please let me know. I can be reached at (218) 740-3754 or mbremer@duluthchamber.com. Nominations will be accepted through 4:30pm on Monday, July 14th.

Martha Bremer

Director of Fuse Duluth

mbremer@duluthchamber.com  |  (218) 740-3754

 

 

 

 

 

Duluth Wins Best Town (article by Duluth News Tribune)

Duluth claims victory in magazine's 'best outdoors town' competition

By Andrew Krueger on Jun 15, 2014

Congratulations, Duluthians. You live in the best outdoors town in the country.

That’s the verdict after six rounds of online voting came to an end late Sunday night in Outside magazine’s annual “best outdoors town” competition.

Duluth cruised to an easy victory over Provo, Utah, in the final round of voting, accumulating about 66,750 votes to about 54,850 for Provo. Duluth had earlier beat Columbia, Mo.; Athens, Ohio; La Crosse, Wis.; Minneapolis; and then Asheville, N.C., in head-to-head competition to reach the final.

Throughout the contest, the city’s hiking, skiing, biking, kayaking and other outdoor assets were promoted by an active social media campaign, with a “VoteDuluth” tag being used on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Now, Duluth will be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine — and the city also will be able to use the title to promote itself to prospective visitors, residents and businesses.

The city previously was featured in Outside’s “Best Towns” list in 2007, and was on the magazine’s list of “Dream Towns” in 2001.

Duluth Mayor Don Ness said Sunday that winning an online vote may be “nothing earth-shattering” on its own, but he said Duluth’s victory in this competition carries some greater significance.

“I think it’s important to note a very real and significant change in our city that has resulted in this victory — a fundamental shift in how people think about Duluth,” Ness posted to Facebook on Sunday as the outcome became clear. “Over the past month, we saw people from all over the country weigh in and proclaim how much they love this city. ... The recognition of the change in our city in recent years is important and it is significant.”

The outdoors and adventure-oriented magazine’s annual “best place to live in America” winner was chosen by online voting this year, with 64 communities starting the competition in May.