Underwritten by Alliant Energy, this episode of Discover Janesville is titled "Future Leaders" and features interviews with people who are likely to be involved in shaping our community in the future. Take a look at this interview with Britten Grafft. Born and raised in Janesville, Britten is back in town after graduating from college where she studied architecture, which is extremely important considering that Monterey Hotel is one of several important historic structures owned by her family in Janesville. Watch for Britten and her brother Jay in the coming years to become more involved in shaping the future of Janesville.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Discover Janesville at Basics Cooperative - Allison Rollette
Sustainability efforts in Janesville has long been a subject I wanted to address on Discover Janesville. Grassroots efforts in general have always been important to me, and sustainability has provided an excellent platform for many in our community in becoming more politically active.
The first interview I would like to share with you is my conversation with Allison Rollette. Desire to become more self-reliant as well as more economical in her expenditures, led Allison to do research on chickens in private residences. Her efforts coincided with efforts by another Janesville resident who at first generated substantially more publicity for his interest in this subject than Allison. Yet it was Ms. Rollette who put together a 30-page report outlining the benefits of this idea, which she presented to the city council, and consistently responded to criticisms of those opposed to allowing chickens (or rather hens) in private residences, on the Gazette's website and in other venues. Allison also showed a great deal of organizing skill in bringing together a group of citizens who supported the idea of allowing residents to have up to 4 hens within the city limits, an ordinance similar to the one passed by the Madison City Council. The Janesville City Council ultimately voted down the idea but I was impressed with Allison's tenacity in her desire to improve the lives of others and to change a government regulation her common sense told her made no sense.
The first interview I would like to share with you is my conversation with Allison Rollette. Desire to become more self-reliant as well as more economical in her expenditures, led Allison to do research on chickens in private residences. Her efforts coincided with efforts by another Janesville resident who at first generated substantially more publicity for his interest in this subject than Allison. Yet it was Ms. Rollette who put together a 30-page report outlining the benefits of this idea, which she presented to the city council, and consistently responded to criticisms of those opposed to allowing chickens (or rather hens) in private residences, on the Gazette's website and in other venues. Allison also showed a great deal of organizing skill in bringing together a group of citizens who supported the idea of allowing residents to have up to 4 hens within the city limits, an ordinance similar to the one passed by the Madison City Council. The Janesville City Council ultimately voted down the idea but I was impressed with Allison's tenacity in her desire to improve the lives of others and to change a government regulation her common sense told her made no sense.
Discover Janesville at Basics Cooperative - Julie Backenkeller
Next, I sat down for a conversation with Julie Watson Backenkeller. Long an advocate of increased awareness of the impact that development activities have on the environment, Julie is known to many for her ongoing crusade to promote sustainability efforts in the city of Janesville as well as in the entire Rock county. An eloquent speaker, Julie also regularly writes on sustainability issues for the Janesville Gazette.
Discover Janesville at Basics Cooperative - Al Hulick
In the conversation on sustainability, I felt it was important to have as many different points of view represented, and a very important side to this discussion are the efforts undertaken by the city of Janesville in order to become more sustainable in its operations.
Al Hulick is a Management Analyst with the city of Janesville. Al is also one of the most educated members of the city staff when it comes to sustainability issues. I was glad to sit down with Al and have him list the many initiatives, old and new, efforts and accomplishments that the city has been able to claim to its credit. After all, when activists speak of the many things that can be done still, its important to remember that sustainability efforts are on-going, which means that some goals are yet to be accomplished, while some initiatives are already paying off.
Al Hulick is a Management Analyst with the city of Janesville. Al is also one of the most educated members of the city staff when it comes to sustainability issues. I was glad to sit down with Al and have him list the many initiatives, old and new, efforts and accomplishments that the city has been able to claim to its credit. After all, when activists speak of the many things that can be done still, its important to remember that sustainability efforts are on-going, which means that some goals are yet to be accomplished, while some initiatives are already paying off.
Discover Janesville at Basics Cooperative - Chris Blakeney
Finally, no conversation about sustainability would be complete without understanding how these efforts are resonating with the general public, and I felt that a good way to do this was to interview a business that functions according to the sustainability principles. Basics Cooperative fit that part - a successful local business that's been around for many years - Basics was represented on the program by Chris Blakeney, floor manager at the cooperative.
In the interest of full disclosure, the episode was taped at Basics and Basics Cooperative was a partial sponsor of the episode.
In the interest of full disclosure, the episode was taped at Basics and Basics Cooperative was a partial sponsor of the episode.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Discover Janesville at the Elks Club - Rob Phelps
Rob Phelps was on Discover Janesville just over a year ago and back then he was talking about his journey from being a laid off worker at Lear corporation to becoming a culinary student at the Blackhawk Technical College. Rob struck me by his positive and proactive attitude and by a great saying: Rob said that there is no magic "job fairy" out there and it's up to us to figure out what we want to do with our lives.
By now, Rob is well on his way to successfully completing the program. He has recently competed as part of the Blackhawk Technical College team of chefs in a competition in Milwaukee where the team placed second, and Rob's desert was even featured on the front page of the Janesville Gazette! Best of luck to Rob and to all the other nontraditional students who are pursuing their dreams as the complete their education and become successful in areas they may have never expected.
This interview was underwritten by the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development Board (SWWDB). Learn more about the SWWDB at their website: www.swwdb.org
Discover Janesville at the Elks Club - the Service Clubs round table
I wanted to do an episode of Discover Janesville about the service clubs in Janesville for sometime. The culture of service clubs in Janesville is strong and many great people I've met in our community belong to one club or another, and in fact some people belong to more than one!
The tradition of service clubs was fostered for many years by the corporate culture where local businesses and organizations felt that it was important to have representation in a service club. These days this approach is on decline, and it is forcing the clubs to be more proactive in seeking out new members, which should not be difficult as all of the service clubs do great things to make our community a better place.
Once a year all the clubs get together for a join service club breakfast (this takes place in December) but other than that, the clubs function separately from each other, though as different fund-raisers and events come up, it is not uncommon to find a member of the Lions, for instance, addressing the Rotary and vice versa.
Because my goal is to bring spotlight to great people in Janesville, doing a show on the service clubs was an obvious choice. However, I also wanted to showcase the positive interaction and communication between the clubs who ultimately have the same mission - to make the community a better place. To accomplish this purpose, Dave Haldiman who tapes the Discover Janesville shows and myself did something that we have never done before on the show - we taped a round table discussion - which is quite a challenge considering the not-so-big budget of the show, and I think we pulled it off very well.
I want to thank all the guests - Jon Wangerin representing the Lions, Laurie Huml Eckert representing the Kiwanis, David Arndt representing the Noon Rotary and Jim DeWitt representing the Elks.
The clubs are facing somewhat of a perennial challenge in getting each new generation of community-minded folks to recognize service clubs as a great opportunity to get involved. It is my hope that by watching this program, you the viewer will see the benefits of service clubs to you as well as to the community and will join one of the many service clubs in Janesville, of which by some count there are nearly 15! So the choice is yours.
Each club is also known for their fundraisers, which in some cases have become so popular that they eclipse the club itself in their name recognition. Still, each club their own structure, mission, and goals and so doing some research on the club that makes the most sense for you is a very good idea.
Finally, I want to thank the Elks club for graciously letting us tape the show in the lodge, and I want to express my gratitude to all the clubs one more time for doing all the great things for our community that you do! Enjoy the show and get involved!
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