End of an Era, New World Ahead

I made a decision this past week (December 2009) that will change my world. I resigned as Wausau Whitewater’s Operations Manager, a position I have held since 1997.

Wausau Whitewater has been my passion. It’s the whitewater course in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin that has hosted regional, national, and international slalom and freestyle whitewater competitions and provided fun and training to thousands of people.

I have been part of two World Cups and numerous US Junior and Senior Team Trials. I have watched the organization move into a bigger focus of something for everyone with the refocus on running our own recreational releases in 2009 (people play for $10 plus ACA fees per day) and adding Basic Whitewater Training to those releases.

For this entire time from 1997 to 2009, I have been the only staff member, working under Wausau Kayak /Canoe Corporation’s non-profit Board of Directors to execute all of our programs. My role has been marketing, customer service, registration, event management, public relations, web content development, vendor negotiations, program development, sponsor development, advertising sales, and all around gopher.

I wrote, created, and distributed marketing information, such as the annual program, which we figured out how to create in an electronic format this year. In 2009, I merged my two worlds when I asked Dawn Bugni, a fellow career professional to help proof my sponsorship copy and then hired her to copywrite and edit the articles for the book.

In this role, I met people from all over the world, including Olympians like Joe Jacobi and Eric Jackson (EJ). Joe was back in person to coach our training camp this summer and we visited over dinner at Michael’s Supper Club which we had planned on Twitter. Joe is currently the Interim Director of USA Canoe & Kayak, leading the national organization. EJ is well-known for his amazing world freestyle champion moves and was also a frequent visitor to Wausau with his family during the pro rodeo days. Now EJ runs Jackson Kayak, the fastest growing boat design manufacturer in the world.

I’ve also added to my friend base. Our current President, Michael Schroeder, who is a contemporary Christian musician when not leading Wausau Whitewater, has been my friend since we met on the river about 10 years ago. This past year, despite the worst possible economy, Wausau Whitewater thrived because we used creative strategies that Mike suggested to keep us going. The whole paddling community has enriched my life and I know my Facebook community has a large group of paddlers that I have come to know and love.

In 2010, Wausau Whitewater hosts the USACK Junior and Senior Team Trials, setting the stage for PreWorlds in 2011 and the 2012 ICF Slalom Canoe Junior World Championships as well as the normal line-up of two to three other events, four or five training clinics, and 10 to 13 recreational releases.

So why am I resigning? I founded Design Resumes in 1983 as a side business when I was a Property Manager. I went fulltime in 1987 when a transfer to Illinois in property management didn’t work out and we came back to Wausau.

In 1991, my father-in-law suggested I interview for a contracted administrative coordinator position with the Kiwanis Club of Wausau and in 1997, he again suggested I interview for what became my current Operations Manager contract with Wausau Whitewater. Along the way, I also supported two other non-profits with QuickBooks financial recording and reporting. My own business was growing but being stifled at the same time. I thought if I dropped some things, it might help. So in 2003, I dropped the 2 QuickBooks contracts. In 2008, I resigned from Kiwanis. But the energy I put into those other things, quickly transferred not to Design Resumes, but to Wausau Whitewater.

Mike did encourage me to launch the Design Resumes website in January 2009 and that made a dramatic change in my business. For the first time, I can market to and work with clients from all over the United States as well as those in Central Wisconsin. I’ve been learning and growing in social media since fall of 2007 and it has definitely changed who I reach and communicate with on a daily basis using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and this blog.

Last year I spent well over 30 days on water. That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Well, make that on the river bank, under a tent, running registration, operations, and event management. I have never been in a boat. I do get a great farmer tan but that’s about it.

Throughout my journey in the career industry, I have felt a deep sense of joy and satisfaction as I see my clients achieve their goals. I have many goals unachieved. I want to see what it is like to focus on only Design Resumes. I want to explore how all the initiatives that I have made with social media come together to promote my own business. I want to explore more partnerships like the one I have with Jason Alba. I want to use marketing tools, like e-mail newsletters to my client base and build a follow-up system that I know how to do, but never find time for. I want to continue to grow, learn, dream, and enjoy the world around me.

I want to do fun things, like ride horses, maybe learn to paddle, travel, finish my house remodel, work in my garden, play with Teddy, read, and enjoy my friends and family. I want to have a little free time. I want to go to career industry conferences and get to know my wonderful colleagues.

I will miss Wausau Whitewater, this is the end of an era, but I have a new world ahead and I am so excited. I’ll keep you posted on how this new career journey of mine goes. Right now, the sun is shining and Teddy is playing the piano.