New concierge partnership nurtures attraction, retention in Wausau

Meghan Diemel

Contributor

April 13, 2026

WAUSAU – The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce has launched an “enhanced Community Concierge program” tailored to the specific needs of its members.

Chamber Marketing Director Brian Otten said the program provides customized community tours, relocation and onboarding support, integration plans and career guidance for partners of relocating employees.

Developed in partnership with Wendy Furrer of Host: Central Wisconsin – following several years of collaboration between Furrer and the chamber on talent attraction and recruitment – Otten said the program responds directly to a recurring theme in membership surveys: the challenge of attracting and retaining skilled talent in the Wausau area.

Building on years of collaboration, Furrer said the chamber and Host: Central Wisconsin formalized their partnership with the creation of the Community Concierge program.

“This is an added benefit for chamber members,” she said. “It’s what’s needed.”

Furrer said candidates considering relocation are in search of a community in which they can envision an exceptional quality of life.

“It’s more than a job, in other words – it’s about finding a space to call home, where they live, work, play and feel a sense of belonging,” she said. 

Otten said chamber members across industries share common challenges with recruitment, hiring and workforce development.

He said the Community Concierge program complements the chamber’s annual relocation guide – a printed, magazine-style resource popular with realtors, HR departments and anyone assisting individuals considering a career move to the area.

“This seems like an extension of that, serving a lot of the same types of people – those who are new to the area – but differently,” he said.

Furrer said it’s an ideal partnership because there are multiple chamber partners and organizations within Wausau who all have the same goals.

“It’s a matter of ‘together we rise, and we’re stronger, and we can offer more,’” Furrer said.

Providing candidates with an insider experience

Anecdotally, Otten said they’ll hear from chamber members that after successfully recruiting and onboarding a new employee, the hire leaves the company within a short period.

One of the problems that has been cited upon the individual’s exit, he said, is a lack of connection to the community and the area.

By helping new hires and their families navigate schools, housing and local recreation, Otten said the Community Concierge program helps address costly turnover.

He said it creates tangible connections and shows the employer cares about the well-being of employees.

“This program is another way we can address [talent attraction and retention concerns] and give this as a tool for HR folks across our membership and across the region,” he said. “This will help with that.”

Otten said the program links candidates to local resources, provides a friendly point of contact in Furrer for questions about schools and neighborhoods and helps them navigate life in the Greater Wausau area.

He said that kind of information – the kind that’s gleaned from years of working and living in an area – isn’t always easy to find if you live outside the city. 

“We pull together that information in our relocation guide, but as far as [a personal contact], Wendy’s going to be that person,” he said.

Various options

Otten said the program offers several experience packages at different price points.

One option, he said, allows a business to provide a welcome gift filled with local favorites, delivered to the hotel, home or workplace with a personalized note from the company.

Another package, Otten said, focuses on new employee community integration, including a six-month plan of monthly check-ins with Furrer, who helps the employee and their family build community connections and access resources needed to settle in.

Otten said relocation assistance is also available, with Furrer helping new hires connect with realtors and moving companies, while serving as a local point of contact to guide them through the transition.

The program, he said, also offers a customized community tour, with optional school visits, designed to help companies make a strong first impression.

Before the visit, Otten said Furrer conducts a check-in with the candidate to understand their priorities and the needs of their family as they consider relocating to the Wausau area. 

Because every candidate’s needs and preferences are different, Otten said each community tour is fully customized.

Otten said the program’s customized, two-hour community tour option gives candidates or new hires the chance to explore the region and connect with clubs, recreational opportunities, schools, churches and neighborhoods of interest.

Participants, he said, also receive a packet of supporting materials and a follow-up from Furrer, who remains available for any future questions or guidance.

Furrer said she is also available to meet with the accompanying partner to identify career interests and make necessary industry career connections among chamber partners.

Otten said companies can choose to combine all offerings into a single comprehensive package, including the community tour, integration support and welcome gift.

Typically, Furrer said her first contact with a candidate is the community tour.

During the tour, she said she asks about what matters most to them, what would help them decide to relocate to Wausau and what they’re looking for in a potential city.

As candidates explore the area, Furrer said they often identify new preferences and needs in the moment, requiring her to be attentive and ready to adapt. 

“I have to think quickly and have to really read people’s minds and connect with them,” she said. “I absolutely love it.” 

Through her concierge work, Furrer said she’s done everything from meeting the candidate at the airport to simply leaving the meaningful gift basket on behalf of the company involved.

From families to young professionals, she said each candidate is unique in their wish list for their future home.

“Right now, I’m trying to help a young woman find an apartment in town that meets her needs,” she said. “It’s hard to do from Florida, so [the goal of the program] is making sure people… see, learn and know everything about our community that will help them in relocating. And then once that happens, making sure that’s successful, because… employers invest so much into the recruitment process.”

Defining program success

Otten said companies don’t need to go all out if budgets are tight.

Even opting for one of the more modest Community Concierge program options, Furrer said, can make a big impact. 

“To spend another $250 on a community tour for the family, to make sure there’s staying power, is really important,” she said.

Otten said the success of the Community Concierge program is best measured through the stories local companies share – such as when a candidate who had reservations about relocating to Wausau can envision living and working in North Central Wisconsin thanks to Furrer’s guidance and support.

He said he hopes to hear that the program helped new hires navigate the city, feel at home and connect with people, groups, activities and recreational opportunities that interest them – so that six months or a year into their employment, they tell their employer they love living and working in Wausau and see it as their long-term home. 

Furrer said in a competitive job market, where people are increasingly able to work from just about anywhere, having the ability to show candidates all that Wausau has to offer makes a huge difference.

She said the program also reflects positively on employers in unexpected ways, with candidates noting that the personal connection they experience is unlike anything they’ve encountered in other interviews or onboarding processes. 

“It enlightens the candidate [about] how they will be treated and how their family will be prioritized once they’re hired,” she said. “It really gives the potential employer leverage with their candidates in a way that I didn’t even realize it would, but I hear it all the time… I couldn’t be prouder to share what we have. It’s really a beautiful thing, and we have to keep working at it.”

For more information about the Community Concierge Services offered by the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce and Host: Central Wisconsin, visit wausauchamber.com.