Ellie Peabody, pictured at Chippewa Falls Oktoberfest, describes herself as a "people-y person" with a deep-rooted passion for connecting out-of-towners with community gems. In her new role, she envisions bringing more opportunities to locals and visitors alike. (Submitted photos)

Chippewa County has seen back-to-back years of growth in terms of tourism impact with last year marking an all-time high. In 2024, tourism generated $193 million in economic impact – almost $10 million more than in 2023 – and Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s new tourism director believes that growth can continue.

As of September, Ellie Peabody has taken the reins, stepping into the tourism director role after Sue Leonard, who served as director since 2023. Ellie is likely a familiar face to folks in the area, as she most recently worked within the Chippewa Falls Chamber in marketing and membership positions. Prior to those roles, she lived in Eau Claire while attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

A Chippewa Valley transplant – Ellie hails from a small town in northern Minnesota – she was perhaps uniquely qualified to enter the tourism field, thanks to early jobs tied to the industry. (Her first-ever job around 15 years old, cleaning cabins at a resort near her hometown, was followed by years in the service industry.)

“Those kinds of heartwarming things made me fall in love with working with visitors,” she shared in a recent interview. “You have a chance to make a special impression and you can make or break people’s experiences in your community.”

After landing her first role with the Chamber, then new to the Chippewa Falls community, Ellie got a crash-course in Chippewa culture. Thanks to the Chamber events she worked, her relationships within the area were jumpstarted. Today, she rarely walks into a place where she doesn’t know at least one person.

"We are such a hidden gem, and I don't think we need to be hidden."

ELLIE PEABODY

TOURISM DIRECTOR, CHIPPEWA FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

“I was very shocked at how quickly I felt super welcome in the community,” she recalled. “Now, it feels like a hometown community; it’s my second home.”

That near-immediate passion for both a career in tourism and the wider Chippewa County led to Ellie’s early interest in the tourism director role. Months prior to her landing the position, she had just become the Chamber’s membership director – but couldn’t let the opportunity pass her by without at least tossing her hat into the ring.

Peabody pictured at Skydive Wissota in Chippewa County. In her first media interview as Tourism Director, Ellie Peabody spoke on the unique sense of pride in Chippewa County, as well as its strong community philanthropy – something she says folks are too humble to truly hang their hats on – which is a glimpse into the kind of people who call the area home.

At that point, Ellie had already launched one of the organization’s most successful campaigns, during a previous role: Pocket-Sized Adventures.

“That was kind of my baby,” she said. “We created one piece of an itinerary or captured one part of a day trip to give people these nugget-sized activities. We hope it inspires people; locals that may not have known about some of these things in their backyard as well as tourists.”

The campaign – which has taken folks on a “fall color drive,” sailing on Lake Wissota, to a goat yoga class, and much more within Chippewa County – significantly bolstered digital engagement and social media impact for the county, Ellie said.

Through initiatives like Pocket-Sized Adventures, Ellie also gained firsthand experience in the diverse array of activities and offerings in the county. Today, she reaches for those experiences in her very own Chippewa “tool belt” to better understand visitors’ potential wants and needs.

“It is mind blowing, all of the experiences we can provide in Chippewa County alone,” she said. “Here, we are really a four-season destination. You can hike, mountain bike, cross-country ski, fat tire bike, snowshoe, fish and ice fish, snowmobile, ATV, motorcycle, golf, kayak, pickle ball, tube on the river – and that’s just the recreational activities off the top of my head.

“We are such a hidden gem, and I don’t think we need to be hidden.”

To continue Chippewa County’s forward-moving trajectory, Ellie has a twofold agenda: Foster and bolster relationships with locals and community stakeholders, and work to secure more events which bring visitors to the area.

“I’m interested in figuring out what events best fit our community and how we can reach them to encourage people to explore the area,” she said. “Getting to be the spokesperson of this community in terms of tourism is super humbling, and exciting.

Learn more about the Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Go Chippewa County online. Tourism Director Ellie Peabody can be contacted at ellie@chippewachamber.org.