Clear Water Business Consortium

A small business voice for clean and plentiful water.

Good Water = Good Business

In Wisconsin there are entire business sectors where environmental protection and economic growth are so integrally connected that businesses would be harmed—even driven to failure—if there was not a reliable supply of clean, plentiful water. But we are distracted by a divisive and ultimately false argument that environmental protection hurts the economy and gets in the way of creating jobs.

Here are just a few ways that thoughtful water management has helped to keep small business growth healthy in Wisconsin:

In the Wisconsin Dells, tour boats would run aground without carefully regulating flows in the Wisconsin River to balance all uses.
Potato farmers count on plentiful and reliable groundwater to make their crop.
Lakeshore taverns and resorts need their water clean, not smelly and offensive to diners, boaters and vacationing families.
And what would a platter of fried walleye or perch at that lakeside tavern be without a fine Wisconsin craft beer? The livelihood of those craft breweries for which Wisconsin has become famous depends entirely on high quality water.

This doesn’t even take into account the outdoor industry economy in the state: the thousands of jobs and billions of dollars generated from paddling, fishing, swimming, hunting and wildlife viewing in Wisconsin.

Program Goals:

Promote the economic and environmental benefits of good water quality and show how thousands of small businesses depend on clean and plentiful water.
Advocate for policies that value the economic and social contribution of all businesses, regardless of size or political influence.
Unite diverse water businesses under the common interest of healthy water.

Clear Water Business Consortium Partners

CARLSON’S RUSTIC RIDGE SUPPER CLUB

Castle Rock Lake, Juneau County

The Carlson family runs this warm, friendly supper club on the shores of Castle Rock Lake.

CENTRAL WATERS BREWING COMPANY

Amherst

Central Waters Brewing, and owner Paul Graham, is committed to being one of the most environmentally sustainable breweries in the country –from upstream product sourcing to downstream management of every step of the business. And they make some mighty fine Wisconsin beer.

CHEQUAMEGON ADVENTURE COMPANY

Minocqua

Chequamegon Adventure Company has been outfitting paddlers, cyclists, boaters, skiers and all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts since 1997. With a wide range of rentals and used products for sale, the team at Chequamegon also offers great resources about local trails and outdoor fun options year round.

CIRCLE M MARKET FARM BnB

Blanchardville

Circle M Market Farm BnB is a small valley homestead in the Driftless Region where grazing sheep, steers, hogs and chickens help play host to farmstay guests put up in vintage camper trailers. Circle M owners Kriss and Shannon Marion take stewardship of their wetland and trout stream very seriously, participating in various conservation projects with NRCS and Pecatonica Pride Watershed Association.

DELTA BEER LAB

Madison

Delta Beer Lab was born from an idea Tim “Pio” Piotrowski had on a hike on the Appalachian Trail. The Lab is dedicated to crafting change through good beer, an engaging community meeting place, and by showing that business can do well and do good at the same time. Delta’s staff earn a living wage and “tips” at the bar and online are dedicated to different nonprofit each month.

DOOR COUNTY BREWING

Baileys Harbor

The mission of Door County Brewing Company, inspired by its surrounding landscape, is to create beers that lead to community and friends coming together no matter where you gather. The brewery aims to create great tasting, thought provoking, carefully sourced, eco-conscious beers that push the edge of the imagination and the senses.

DRIFTLESS ANGLER

Viroqua

The Driftless Angler is a full service fly shop and guiding service,centrally located in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin’s thousands of miles of spring creek trout streams. Mat and Geri Wagner are the proprietors.

FONTANA SPORTS

Madison

Fontana Sports is a locally owned, family operated outdoor lifestyle shop carrying high quality apparel, footwear, and equipment with more than seven decades of experience.

HOLIDAY ACRES RESORT

Rhinelander

Nestled among the tall trees on the shores of beautiful Lake Thompson, Holiday Acres has been owned and operated by the Zambon family for more than 60 years. The vast acres provide a veritable playground for guests through all four seasons – whether enjoying the heated indoor pool, nature trails, water sports or dozens of other activities – with hundreds of cottage rental options and great spaces for dining, banquets and retreats.

INDIAN TRAIL CAMPGROUND AND FOX TRAIL OUTFITTERS

Pardeeville

Myrna and Dave Schneider operate a family-owned campground and boating livery on a private lake near the Upper Fox River. As business owners in Wisconsin’s tourism industry, they intuitively understand that “people come here for the water.” While the campground lets customers commune with nature in many ways, their outfitting business gets people paddling on the upper Fox — an ancient water trail and section of that river few people know about.

ISHERWOOD FARMS

Plover

The Isherwood family has been farming this property in Plover, Wisconsin since the 1860s, and Lynn and Justin have been on their farm for over forty years, nurturing a deep commitment to water and land stewardship. They were early adopters of the Healthy Grown potatoes initiative, to grow potatoes with less reliance on pesticides and fertilizers in a way that protects water quality. But they have also been leaders in melding stream restoration with their farming and in pushing for efficient water use and retention on their crops, both by partnering with university researchers and leading workshops to share their experience.

KING REALTY

Cable

Bill King fell in love with the Northwoods of Wisconsin when he bought a lake home in 1972. A native of Chicago, “the call of the wild” lured him to settle in Bayfield County and, in 2002, he founded King Realty – drawing on and combining his diverse experience in tourism, hospitality, silent sports and construction. A local and independent real estate provider in a market dominated by larger franchise offices, King Realty is founded on King’s commitment to the environment and to the environmental landowner’s buying and selling needs. He leads a team that supports responsible land management practices that preserve wildness and beauty and add value to our great Northwoods natural resources.

THE LURE BAR AND GRILL

Lake Petenwell, Adams County

Owners Tom and Joan Koren, who also operate Barnum Bay Marina, preside over a perfect place to settle in for a drink and a burger to catch a spectacular sunset over Lake Petenwell for their outdoor patio.

MILWAUKEE KAYAK COMPANY

Milwaukee

MKC, owned by Beth Handle, is a community-driven company with a goal of getting more people in kayaks to enjoy the privilege of seeing Milwaukee by water. This new company is a direct result of the successful cleanup and redevelopment of the urban Milwaukee River.

THE RIVERS EATERY

Cable

You’ll always find a member of the Endersbe family when you stop at The Rivers Eatery. Family owned and operated since 2008, the restaurant – with all pizzas named for local rivers – has become a popular destination among the residents, visitors and silent sports enthusiasts for whom Cable is a gateway to the Chequamegon National Forest, Lake Superior, the Namakagon River, the Birkie ski trails and the CAMBA mountain bike trails.

RUTABAGA

Madison

For over 35 years, Rutabaga Paddlesports, owned by Darren Bush, has been an authentic, paddler-owned and operated specialty shop and purveyor of all things paddlesports-related.

SOUTH SHORE BREWERY

Ashland

Owner and brewmaster Bo Belanger’s fisheries science background and love of Wisconsin’s barley and hops “terroir” makes it easy to see why this gem of a brewery – a stone’s throw from Lake Superior – is inseparable from its place on the land and relationship to water.

TERRA FIRMA REALTY

DeForest

Mike Coke, Owner and Founder of TFM Wisconsin, Inc. (Terra Firma) and Kirk Boehm are realtors who focus entirely on lake- and riverfront real estate in south central Wisconsin. As lakefront homeowners themselves, these guys are passionate about the beauty and value of our clean lakes and rivers and about getting involved as citizen-voices for water.

UNDERGROUND FOOD COLLECTIVE

Madison

Underground Food Collective is the brainchild of Jonny Hunter, who has blended his passion for public policy and food into an award winning string of food businesses including Underground Butcher, Forequarter Restaurant, Underground Meats and Underground Catering. The collective works with more than one hundred small Wisconsin farms, returning around $800,000 to producers every year.

WISCONSIN CANOE COMPANY

Spring Green

Wisconsin Canoe is the fastest growing canoe and kayak rental company in the Midwest, owned and operated by Ryan and Amy Schmudlach. WCC offers boat rentals and trip planning services to get you to your favorite sandbar on the Lower Wisconsin River.