When Pari Cecchini, a native of the Chicago area, accepted a job at Greenheck following her graduation from the Milwaukee School of Engineering in 2017, she had some concerns about moving to central Wisconsin.

"I thought Wausau was going to be a very big shift for me." said Cecchini. "But when I first walked in the door at Greenheck, everyone was smiling! I thought it had to be a trap! But everyone's happy here."

It wasn't just the friendly atmosphere she found at the manufacturer that sold her on working in the region.

"I live two minutes away from work. I commuted so many times in Chicago, two hour train rides, a one and a half hour drive through traffic," said Cecchini. "The idea that I can sleep in and all that time comes back to me ... that's something that will be the hardest to give up if I have to leave someday."

To better connect herself to the community, Cecchini enrolled in the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce's first Immersion Project, which included tours of several of the local schools.

"We had amazing (educational) facilities in Chicago because we had a huge school." said Cecchini. "I thought you had to live somewhere really urban to get really great schools."

To aid in Cecchini's transition into her lead rotation position, Greenheck paired her and other new employees with mentors who guide them through the rotation process, which includes four six-month positions over the course of two years.

"I have a background in mechanical engineering," said Cecchini. "I've had a rotation in marketing and business and currently am in continuous improvement/manufacturing support. My next one will be product development and then (a rotation at) a remote location."

"My family loves to come up to visit, which was a huge surprise." "I'm half Asian and I thought that I wouldn't be able to find the food I'd like to sustain my culture. Because of the region's Hmong community, I can find all of the ingredients I'd ever want. My mom, who is Thai, has come to visit from Chicago, and she grocery shops here and stocks up!"