Black River Falls Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Award Winners at Virtual Annual Meeting

Wednesday, March 31st, 2021 -- 9:05 AM

-The Black River Falls Chamber of Commerce recently recognized several businesses during a virtual Annual Meeting.

Serene Clean opened in April of 2019. Owner, Stephanie Zabel, intended to start the business as a “side gig” for herself but it took off so quickly that in less than 2 years, they now have 17 employees and two locations, the newest in Sparta.

They provide residential, commercial, rental property and move in/move out cleanings.  Serene Clean exceeds customer expectations by providing the highest quality cleaning possible.

The staff goes out of their way to be as professional as possible so their clients know they can trust them in their homes and businesses. They follow standard checklists for every cleaning they do and leave the checklists with notes about each client’s home.

Testimonials shared from clients show the business’ commitment to friendliness and attention to detail. Most importantly, Serene Clean’s work helps relieve the emotional burden of household work to allow people to take care of what’s most important to them, their families and day-to-day lives.  Serene Clean is committed to serving the community, most notable through a monthly employee charity choice initiative.

Each month, an employee chooses a charity for the business to contribute to. Causes donated to so far include but are not limited to: The Boys & Girls Club, Project Christmas, the Alzheimer’s Association, Bruce’s Legacy, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, Jackson County Animal Shelter, Bolton Refuge House and Friends Sharing Food.

In addition, Serene Clean participates in Cleaning for a Reason, an initiative where it pledges to donate at least two free cleanings a month to families who have someone going through chemotherapy.

During the Covid-19 shutdown, Serene Clean received a PPP loan so that the employees could still work. Serene Clean called businesses in the community that were closed because of the pandemic and offered to clean the businesses at no charge!

Many area businesses were grateful for the free cleaning.  Serene Clean shows a clear commitment to its values, community giveback and continued growth after just two years in business. It’s clear it’s not just about cleaning, it’s about allowing people to find the time to connect with what’s really important in their lives.

The Merrillan Café was established in 1954. Kathleen Sullivan has owned the café for 28 years. The café takes pride in serving homemade food including soups and gravies made from scratch. They offer indoor seating, window service and outdoor seating (weather permitting).

They provide outstanding customer service and they go above and beyond for their customers by checking in on them if they haven't seen them in a while, they take meals to people who are unable to get out of their homes on holidays, they walk them to their cars when needed, and they send cards or flowers if they are sick.

Customers love the staff, the hometown atmosphere of the café and the delicious food. The Merrillan Café is also one of the top senior meal sites in Jackson County.  The Merrillan Café makes their customers their number one priority always, but especially now in the time of Covid-19.

They do their best to protect customers by wearing and requiring masks, sanitizing, using gloves and practicing social distancing. The cafe was able to stay open for to-go orders during the Covid-19 shutdown.

The café donates door prizes to many local fundraisers and school fundraisers regularly. They also donate to the Humbird Fishing Contest and Humbird Fundays. Owner Kathleen makes and donates chili to the Merrillan Lions Club for their Ice Fishing Contest and the café also sponsors the event.

They also stay open late if an organization would like to hold a meeting there.  The Merrillan Café has longevity in the area because they are good to their customers and they support many area organizations. Plus, the food is outstanding! Make sure to stop in and try some of their amazing homemade soups and best sausage gravy around!

Finally, the Jackson County Trail Riders mission is to support and expand the Jackson County trail system for ATV and Off Road Motorcycle Riders. Members of the JCTR come from all over Wisconsin, as well as Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.

The majority of their members are driving one to four hours to volunteer for trail workdays because they enjoy coming to the Black River area. They maintain the 28 miles of single-track motorcycle trails on property owned by Jackson County in the Crawford Hills ATV Motorcycle Park east of Black River Falls.

Membership and participation had been dwindling, but the club launched a Facebook page, along with working with the Jackson County Parks & Forestry Department and the Black River Area Chamber of Commerce to promote the club and its activities.

In 2020, they grew from 32 to 90 paid members. The club's Facebook page has 450+ fans.  After several years of neglect, the club held nine trail workdays in 2020 with 32 volunteers putting in an incredible 514 hours clearing brush and making other improvements to the three single-track trails.

Including drive time to Black River Falls, members donated a whopping 785 hours. For 2021, the club will be installing emergency location markers at half-mile intervals on each of the three trails, along with laying out a youth loop near the campground at Crawford Hills County Park.

With many people looking for outdoor activities close-to-home due to COVID-19 and the club's work on the single-track trails, usage in 2020 set records. The Jackson County Parks & Forestry Department had one of their best years for motorcycle sticker sales.

While the Jackson County Trail Riders have very few members who actually live in Jackson County, the club members provide another recreational experience to bring visitors to the Black River area.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.