By Star Journal Staff

Northwoods chambers of commerce received more than $117,000 in Joint Effort Marketing grants (JEM) from the Department of Tourism last week.

Some of the funds will be used to increase promotion of the “We Love the Northwoods” campaign in the Chicago and Twin Cities metro areas. Another grant will fund research into the ATV/UTV market with plans to develop a cooperative website that caters to those enthusiasts. The Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce (RACC) will use its grant for a community rebrand, a project in the initial stages.

“We did some research with the department of tourism, we’re going to do a little bit more research and then from there translate that into a new brand, new style for the community of Rhinelander,” said RACC Executive Director Lauren Sackett. “This will be a little bit different because instead of just tourism just using this brand, the chamber, the city and downtown Rhinelander are also looking to use the same brand as well.”

Unlike many Northwoods communities, Sackett said, Rhinelander is not just a tourist destination.

“We’re working a lot more collaboratively than we have previously and we all view that if we’re saying the same things and sharing the same look then we’re cohesive as a community and we’ll reflect better to tourists, residents, work force and so on,” she said.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism awarded $1,130,000 for 45 JEM projects in the state.