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BUSINESS
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A BIT OF THIS, BIT OF THAT
BUSINESS
PROFILE
Elkhorn knickknack
shop specializes
in everything
Business name: Nick Nack Snak
Shak
Owner: Lori Alwin
Address: 9 N. Wisconsin St.,
Elkhorn
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4p.m., Tuesday
and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday
and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday
Phone: (262) 723-2980
E-mail:
lorinicknacksnakshak@yahoo.com
Type of business: Gift boutique
When did the business open?
September 2007
Why did you start this business?
Running my own business is something
I have wanted to do for a long
time. When my last job ended, I saw it
as a good opportunity to finally do so.
How did you get into this line of
work? I used to have a stand at the
farmers market. One day I met my
landlord, who was interested in having
someone run a business for him or
to open their own store. So, I decided
to open my store.
What types of products or services
does your business offer? We
sell vintage-style clothes, jams, jellies,
sauces, raw honey, snack sticks, candles,
Amish furniture and items, goatmilk
soap, homemade aprons and
ladies’ purses and jewelry. Mostly, a
lot of different knickknacks.
What has been the biggest chal-
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Arndt joins UW-Extension
staff: Kathy Arndt is the new 4-H
youth development educator for the
Walworth County
office of the
University of
Wisconsin-
Extension.
Arndt is responsible
for planning,
implementing and
evaluating Walworth
ARNDT RNDT
County’s 4-H youth program. She will
work with adult and youth 4-H volunteers
to grow the program.
She formerly served as the director
of Beloit’s HUB Center, the director of
Goshen Children’s Home in Janesville
and dean of students at the Wisconsin
Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired in Janesville.
Arndt has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural
education and a master’s
degree in curriculum and instruction,
both from the University of Wisconsin-
Madison. She lives on a beef and grain
farm in southern Rock County.
Stuard joins NMF internship
program: University of Wisconsin-
Whitewater junior Brett Stuard has
entered Northwestern Mutual
Financial’s internship program. He will
work with The Lueder Financial Group,
which has offices in Janesville and
Rockford, Ill.
In 2008, 1,000 students nationwide
will participate in the program, which is
open to full-time undergraduate and
graduate students. Interns work on a
commission basis, attend weekly
courses that focus on Northwestern
AMY RATH/STAFF
Nick Nack Snak Shack Owner Lori Alwin places ceramic serving bowls on a shelf in
her downtown Elkhorn store. The store sells a variety of items, including jams and
jellies, raw honey, vintage-style clothing and a wide selection of knickknacks.
lenge in your business? People just
don’t know we are here yet, so hopefully
more people will become aware
of us in the coming months.
What aspect of the business do
you enjoy most? The customers. I
have met so many wonderful people
from town. I am a small-town girl, too,
so I just like the people that come in.
From what cities do your customers
come? Most of the customers
Mutual’s philosophy
and receive basic
instruction in underwriting.
Interns also
travel to
Northwestern
Mutual’s annual
meeting each July
in Milwaukee.
STUARD TUARD
More than 20,000 students have participated
in the program since it began
in 1967.
“The ... program allows students to
learn about the insurance industry, to
explore selling as a career and to test
their self-discipline,” Lueder Group
Managing Director Matthew Lueder
said. “Stuard ... embraces our culture of
bringing value to our policy-owners
through a high standard of client relationships,
being a resource to our new
friends and advisers, and providing an
unforgettable presence in the communities
we serve.”
For more information, visit
www.nmfn.com.
Shorewest recognizes top
sales associates: Several
Shorewest Realtors sales associates
recently received the 2007 National
Sales Award.
The award is presented to associates
with at least $4.6 million in closed volume,
or a minimum of 37 closed units,
within one year.
The following area Shorewest associates
received the award: Sandra
Masche from the Fort Atkinson office,
Oneida Wheeler from the Delavan
office, Diane Krause from the Lake
are from the area. When Moy’s reopens,
we hopefully will have more
business from some of the surrounding
communities.
What are your future plans for
the business? We are looking into
opening a craft room, but we still are
looking for a few more crafters to rent
the space. We also hope to have a Web
site up and running soon.
Geneva office, and Diane Biggott, Jay
Cavaiani, Renee Koepsel and Margaret
Nichols from the Mukwonago office.
Contractor receives ecofriendly
certification: Knutson
Bros. II recently received a Green Built
Home certification from the Madisonbased
Wisconsin Environmental
Initiative.
The certification recognizes energyefficient
and environmentally friendly
homes. Contractors must adhere to
strict guidelines regarding the materials
used and the home’s effect on the environment.
A green-built home uses less water
and produces less waste than a conventional
home. They incorporate recycled
and environmentally friendly materials
and efficient design practices.
“We recognize that remodeling greenefficient
homes is a growing trend, and
(we) wanted to do our part to be environmentally
responsible,” said owner
Cindy Knutson-Lycholat. “It is important
for us to rebuild homes that people can
feel good about, both now and in the
future.”
For more information, call Knutson
Bros. II at (262) 642-5019.
Would you like to recognize someone in
your company? Do you know someone
in the community who deserves to be
saluted because of an award or promotion?
Send a photo and text to: CSI,
Attn: Business Briefs, PO Box 367,
Delavan, WI 53115 or e-mail newsdesk@communityshoppers.com.
TOM OM BUTENHOFF UTENHOFF
TAKING CARE OF
BUSINESS
Will conditions
improve?
The March 18 meeting of the Federal Open
Market Committee looms larger as it gets closer.
What will the committee do next week?
Again, who better to give us hints than Fed
Chairman Ben Bernanke?
Bernanke appeared Feb. 27 before the House
Financial Services Committee to give testimony
on the state of the economy and monetary
policy. He told the committee that the Fed foresees
a negative combination of below-trend
growth and inflation rates topping 2 percent
this year, though conditions are expected to
start improving next year.
The housing slump and tightening credit conditions
for consumers and businesses are
expected to continue to weigh on growth
through this year and into next year, with the
recent rate cuts expected to return the economy
to above-trend growth by 2010.
He noted that starting in the fourth quarter
of last year, “economic activity decelerated significantly,
and the economy seems to have
entered 2008 with little forward momentum.”
The economy grew at a meager .6 percent pace
in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 2.2 percent
growth rate for 2007 — the weakest percentage
of growth in five
Overall inflation is
now expected to
remain between
1.7 percent and 2
percent, for next
year and 2010.
years.
He noted for
the committee
that the Fed has
cut its benchmark
Fed Funds rate
by 2.25 points
since September,
down to 3 percent,
amid signs
that troubles in
the housing and
financial markets
are impacting the broader economy. According
to the Fed’s midyear report, investors anticipate
an additional 1-point cut by the end of the
year.
Meanwhile, Bernanke said inflation is
expected to remain higher than the assumed
comfort zone for policy-makers of 1.5 percent to
2 percent. He repeated a 2008 forecast for overall
inflation of 2.1 percent to 2.4 percent. He
noted that inflation is expected to start moderating
later this year as energy prices ease and
the economic slowdown impacts other costs.
Overall inflation is now expected to remain
between 1.7 percent and 2 percent through
2010.
The Fed chairman’s remarks suggested to
many policy-makers that the Federal Open
Market Committee was on track to lower interest
rates further next week.
While concerned about inflation, Bernanke
made it clear where the Fed’s main worries lie.
He said, “It is important to recognize that
downside risk to growth remains.” He said Fed
officials will “need to judge whether the policy
actions taken thus far are having their intended
effects.” The Central Bank, he added, “will
act in a timely manner as needed” to keep the
economy on track.
Bernanke did note some bright spots, including
strong business balance sheets, balanced
inventories and rising exports, which he said
are boosted by the lower dollar. The recently
enacted fiscal-stimulus package should boost
growth in the second half of this year and into
next year, Bernanke said.
The bottom line is that the economy has
slowed and may still be slowing; we have some
problems. On the other hand, we do seem to
have a lot of friends in Washington.
The opinions above are those of Tom Butenhoff
and not necessarily of this paper or Stifel
Nicolaus. Write to him in care of Stifel Nicolaus,
330 E. Kilbourn Ave., Suite 250, Milwaukee, WI
53202.