Steve Cahalan: La Crosse chamber moves into new offices

The La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce moved Monday into its new office building the former Associated Bank support center at 601 N. Seventh St.

And the La Crosse Area Development Corp. wont be far behind. LADCO plans to move to the building by mid-October, LADCO Executive Director Jim Hill said. It will lease space from the chamber, which acquired the former bank support center in June for $1.2 million, according to county records. LADCO has been in part of the old, much smaller chamber office building at 712 Main St.

The Main Street building, and three lots that the chamber owns across from the former bank support center, are for sale. The chamber at one time planned to build an office building on the three lots.

The regional office of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. moved in early September to the new building, which has 20,000 square feet of space and will be known as Associated Center as the bank discounted the sale price $500,000.

The building has three levels, chamber Executive Director Vicki Markussen said. Were aiming for business-oriented nonprofits to occupy the main level at rents that are below market rate, she said. The upper level is being marketed to for-profit businesses at market rates.

The 200-seat conference room on the lower level will be named the Lyle and Norma Anderson Education Center and will host business and training programs that the chamber didnt have room for in its previous location. The Andersons donated $100,000 to the chamber several years ago and stipulated that it be used for educational facilities.

The new buildings occupants will share conference and break rooms, and the nonprofit occupants also will share a work room, copy machine and phone system.

Rottinghaus Co. Inc., a La Crosse-based Subway franchisee, opened its new Subway shop in downtown Westby on Tuesday.

The new Subway at 208 S. Main St. is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Its telephone number is 608-634-2255.

The stores grand opening will be sometime this fall, said Tom Schindler, Rottinghaus vice president of development. He also said the new Westby location can seat 44 customers inside and has a drive-thru with a touchscreen kiosk for placing orders.

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Steve Cahalan: La Crosse chamber moves into new offices