Up Close and Fun!
Meet Lulu
Lulu is the most amazing "let's have fun" companion. She never complains...only if we forget and leave her behind (NFL Draft). She's taken a liking to Beth, Laurie & Cheri...and enjoys hanging out with the girls more than the boys. In her short time at WFR, she's enjoyed a trip to the spa, to Lambeau Field, Chicago, Mexico, a show at the Fox Cities PAC and golfing. The list will continue to grow - come back often to see what else she's been up to!
Meet Waldo
Lulu can't have ALL of the fun, so Waldo joined our office too. He prefers hanging out with the guys...Waldo took a trip to Seattle earlier this year which was pretty exciting. Lulu thinks that Waldo might be getting a little envious of all of the other adventures she's having while he's hanging out in the office. But check back...he's bound to have more fun as the summer months continue!
From Rich's Desk
If you’re local, you know that the city of Green Bay was excited to host the 2025 NFL Draft in April, but also apprehensive, given the large crowds at past events. Over the year leading up to the draft, many ideas were circulated about the need for lodging and how there would be many opportunities for local businesses with an expected 200,000 visitors (later the totals would have shown that Green Bay was the second most attended draft with 600,000 participants over 3 days).
I recently purchased a rental property across from the office and considered turning that home into a short-term rental during the draft but ultimately opted for long-term rental instead.
Then, my major focus became utilizing the Woodmen Financial Resources parking lot for those attending the draft. I spent a lot of time and utilized my skills trying to maximize the number of parking spaces. In addition, I spent several hours preparing the lot for the NFL Draft visitors. I decided to charge $50 per spot (which was the going rate in the neighborhood). Parking locations & the rates throughout the city were primarily advertised through the NFL OnePass app. In the days leading up to the draft, I received several inquiries, but many prospective customers canceled for closer or less expensive options.
On draft day, I spent long hours managing the parking lot. Thursday was the most rewarding day, as I collected $1,250. However, it rained most of Friday which resulted in only $50. Saturday was also very slow, and I collected $200. My 3-day total was $1,500. I think this was because many parking competitors dropped their prices, and local media discussed price gouging concerns.
Despite all my effort, the turnout was lower than I expected. However, it led me to learn some lessons about preparation and expectations for future events.
From Beth's Desk
Celebrate Anything!
Some of you may remember the calendar we sent out a few years ago where each day had a celebration of something (chocolate chip cookie day – August 4th, talk like a pirate day – September 19th, ukulele day – February 2nd).
I love to celebrate “everything” if I can…it brings me a lot of joy to be creative while celebrating simple things. Whether it be “dressing appropriately” for a certain day or event or making something creative (food, crafts, beverages, etc) for those days.
This is likely why events I plan tend to have themes, to be honest, it helps me pick my outfit! LOL
I want to share a few of my favorites from the past few months and hope it inspires you to celebrate the little things along with the big things. Find JOY in something so simple!
Photo 1) Halloween is also my birthday - so most years I dress up. Sometime I have two or 3 outfits/costumes to wear! this past year, my husband (Steve), our goldendoodle (Zelda) & I went as S'more ingredients. I
Photo 2) My outfit for seeing A Beautiful Noise (musical about Neil Diamond) at the PAC. I wore blue jeans & a name tag that said "Forever" aka - Forever in Blue Jeans.
Photo 3) On May 4th we celebrated with a picnic including "Boba-Feta" pasta salad", TAI Fighter crackers & cheese & light saber fruit skewers!
Photo 4) There is likely not one Friday, Saturday or Sunday (or game day) during football season that you will not see me in some sort of green & gold/yellow or Packers attire. This photo is me on a game day, having brunch (note the eggs on my glasses), drinking an espresso martini.
Photo 5) Dressing up for St. Patricks Day - several days in a row. One of my favorite "dress up" holidays.
Photo 6) I designed and "constructed" this centerpiece to bring to Thanksgiving Dinner - 2024. It also was a Packers game day (hence the green & gold theme).