Dec. 16, 2025
VIROQUA, Wis. — The Viroqua Chamber’s new executive director used her first annual meeting at the helm to outline a year of transition and set the tone for a more member-focused future. The Chamber held its annual meeting in the lower level of Viroqua City Hall on Monday night.
Allyson Servais, who started in the role about six months ago, delivered her first annual report to chamber members, highlighting both the organization’s recent investments and its plans to reset priorities in 2026. She succeeds Aaron Aslin, who served as interim executive director.
Servais opened by publicly thanking Aslin for keeping the chamber “up and running” through a leadership gap, and longtime board member Ann Cade, who is retiring after more than 20 years of service. Cade will step down in 2026.
Servais framed the chamber’s work around its mission of leadership, facilitation and collaboration, saying nearly all activities, from promoting local events to managing tourism campaigns, can be traced back to those three pillars. The chamber, she said, pools membership dues, event revenue and tourism room tax dollars to support communications, events and the broader Viroqua brand.
The chamber is involved in a slate of community events each year, anchored by the 26‑week Viroqua Farmers Market, which Servais called the organization’s most important event. Other 2025 activities included downtown beer and wine walks, the annual Chamber Bash, trick‑or‑treat Viroqua, the Twinkle Fest holiday parade, soup and business after hours gatherings, and support for Small Business Saturday, sidewalk sales and the citywide rummage sale.
Through its tourism work and a tourism event grant program, the chamber also helps support larger regional draws such as the Driftless Music Festival, the Rivers and Bluffs/balloon festival and other seasonal events meant to attract visitors year‑round.
On the financial front, Servais reported total assets of about $57,800, liabilities of roughly $12,300 and equity near $45,600 as of Nov. 30. She acknowledged the chamber is “a little bit down from last year,” but said that reflects intentional investments, including hiring farmers market coordinators, paying for overlap with the interim director during her onboarding and backing several community events.
Event income was mixed, with some activities not meeting optimistic projections made last fall, but the Viroqua farmers market stood out as a bright spot. Strong vendor participation pushed farmers market income about $7,200 above projections, which Servais called a testament to the strength of the market and local consumer support.
Looking ahead, the chamber will shift its fiscal year from the calendar year to July–June, a move approved by the board to better match budgeting with the chamber’s fall-heavy event schedule and avoid sending membership invoices during the tight holiday season. Current memberships will be extended through June 30, 2027, effectively giving members up to 18 months for the price of 12 as the chamber navigates a six‑month “stub” year.
Servais outlined six broad priorities for 2026, including a smooth transition into the new Viroqua Welcome Center (former bathhouse), a focused membership drive, piloting new “value” events such as networking and business clinics, fully onboarding several new board members, cleaning up internal systems and storage, and crafting a forward-looking strategy that integrates both chamber and tourism work.
Much of the discussion turned to member value, especially for small and startup businesses. Attendees urged the chamber to focus on practical, locally driven programming and mentorship that connects experienced business owners with those just getting started. Servais said the chamber will spend the next six months clarifying membership tiers and benefits and formalizing how it connects members with each other and with outside resources.
“Our biggest goal,” Servais told members, “is making sure you feel you’re getting real value from your membership — and that what we do truly strengthens this community.”
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