SHIPPING SHOES. Mason Companies employs more than 700 people, most of them in Chippewa Falls. (Submitted photo)

A local educational institution and a longtime Chippewa Falls-based company recently were named recipients of the annual Community and Economic Development Awards from the Wisconsin Economic Development Association. The awards are meant “to recognize and celebrate businesses, projects, and organizations that are making significant contributions to Wisconsin’s economy,” said WEDA, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to Wisconsin’s economic growth.

The winners included Mason Companies, which began as a shoe and boot manufacturer in Chippewa Falls in 1904 and has more recently expanded to be a large e-commerce firm which built a 425,000-square-foot fulfillment center in the Lake Wissota Business Park. Mason received a Business Retention and Expansion Award, which “honors innovative economic development projects where communities have successfully mobilized to help retain and potentially expand the operations of an existing business critical to the economic vitality of the community.”

A Talent Attraction, Development, and Retention award was given to Chippewa Valley Technical College’s RESTORE Program, which is focused on helping employers hire qualified manufacturing employees. The RESTORE Program — which stands for Restoring Employment through Support, Training, Outreach, Recruitment, and Education — has a multi-pronged approach, including “outreach, short-term training, and contextualized and work-based learning opportunities.”

Other winners of the CEDA awards included the Jackson County Child Care Network (which won an Economic Development Initiative award) and the Waterfront Hotel in Prairie du Chien (which won for Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse).

Learn more about the Wisconsin Economic Development Association at weda.org.