April 2013

Capitol Expense

Government

US 41 Update

Transportation

2013

Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin 3rd annual endeavor aims to take two startups into the next phase of growth

April 2013 $3.95

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 66 OSHKOSH, WI

First Business, in partnership with the Wisconsin Family Business Forum of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, is pleased to announce the Family Business First Awards of Northeast Wisconsin.

Family businesses are the backbone of Northeast Wisconsin. Many of these businesses have a proven track record of success in terms of sales, innovation, economic impact, profits, and employment. And due to the nature of being a family business, many believe strongly in giving back to the communities in which they live. Family Business First Awards have been designed to give proper recognition to these important businesses.

Call for Nominations

by April 15, 2013

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2013 awards. Nominations can be made directly by the family business, or by any third party including accountants, attorneys, or customers.

Eligible companies include: • Family owned and managed businesses with at least one location in one of the 18 Wisconsin Counties defined as “The New North” • Family businesses with a success story in sales, innovation, economic impact, profits, employment, and those that have built a reputation for being a good place to work • Family members are actively involved in the business • The family business has a history of giving back to the community or communities in which it operates

For details on the nomination process, go to

www.familybusinessfirst.com

www.newnorthb2b.com

new north b2b April 2013

26 20

Features

32

20 COVER STORY ❘ Firefighters of NE WI ❘ 3rd annual effort to improve two small businesses in the region

26 TOURISM ❘ Conference Upswing ❘ More weekday tourism resulting from new projects and proposals

30 TRANSPORTATION ❘ Construction Projects for 2013 ❘ An updated look at U.S. 41 construction in the region

32 HUMAN RESOURCES ❘ A Triple Winner ❘ Educational collaborative helps funnel student interns to employers

Departments

On our Cover

4 From the Publisher 5 Professionally Speaking 6 Since We Last Met 10 Corporate Earnings 12 Build Up Pages 18 Around the Boardroom 19 Pierce Stronglove 36 Capitol Expense 38 Who’s News 44 Business Calendar 45 Advertiser Index 46 Key Statistics

Gary Vaughan of Guident Business Solutions serves his third tour of duty in B2B’s annual Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin program.

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 3

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Modifying our lowest standards

Minimum wage discussions need paradigm shift away from “should at least make...”

Sean Fitzgerald New North B2B Publisher 4 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

President Obama’s February campaign for a 25 percent increase to the federal minimum wage stirs up a number of discussions that seem to surface each time such an increase is proposed.

Such occasions have been less frequent during the past three decades, but prior to 1981 they were regular occurrences. For the 20-year span from 1961 to 1981, the federal minimum wage increased every 12 to 18 months, taking it to points where it exceeded $10 an hour when adjusted for inflation to 2012 levels.

But discussions about minimum wage focus around the concept of “an employee should at least make” rather than centering on the notion of “the absolute lowest an employee can be paid.” It’s a necessary paradigm shift that changes the standards of our lowest expectations for workers and reinforces the idea that more can be earned and lifestyle improvement can be attained by continually striving for greater results.

Minimum wage isn’t intended to provide a comfortable lifestyle. Minimum wage isn’t intended to be a reward for someone complacent enough to continue to earn such a basic level of compensation year after year.

Minimum wage is intended to be uncomfortable. It’s intended to drive an employee earning the bare minimum to work hard enough to earn more.

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but business owners don’t realistically use minimum wage as a crutch to keep costs down.

After 15-plus years covering business across Wisconsin and getting to know literally thousands of business owners, I honestly haven’t met a business owner who continues to pay a hard-working employee minimum wage for more than year. One simply couldn’t get away with it, nor would any business owner worth their salt want to hold a motivated employee to minimum wage.

Despite the fact that Wisconsin and the U.S. aren’t experiencing the record unemployment lows of the early part of the 2000s, it’s still largely a job seekers’ market, where a hardworking, valuable employee earning minimum wage can seek a reasonable raise or move on to a different employer with relative ease if they don’t receive that raise.

Market forces, particularly in northeast Wisconsin, dictate the lowest amount companies can pay their employees and still be able to deliver quality service and

products to their customers. In many cases, that amount exceeds minimum wage, and where it doesn’t, a good employee has a reasonable expectation of deserving a raise after putting in some time to demonstrate value to the company’s operations.

Theory around minimum wage has value in capitalism, but only when it’s perceived as compensation for the absolute lowest standard of work. Achieving such a standard shouldn’t be good enough for most businesses, and it shouldn’t be good enough for most employees, either.

Alla tua Salute! coming Many readers may have noticed the tall drink of milk with the headline “Chug-a-Lug!” in our March and April issues of B2B. It’s our call for nominations in B2B’s 8th Annual Alla tua Salute! Awards recognizing excellence in employer-based wellness programs across northeast Wisconsin.

The awards started out back in 2006 as a means of encouraging local employers to embrace workplace wellness practices that would lead to the improved health of employees, lower use of health care for chronic illnesses, and ultimately decrease group health insurance premiums for the company.

Since that time we’ve recognized more than a dozen employers from Fond du Lac to Green Bay whose innovation and commitment to healthier employees has provided measureable results. We continue to see more employers nominated for this honor, and hope to see that trend continue in 2013.

If you work for – or even work with – an employer who’s made a serious commitment to its wellness programming, I encourage you to submit a nomination for this year’s recognition. Simply visit us online at newnorthb2b.com and click the “Alla tua” button on the right side of the home page to download the nomination forms.

Awards are given to companies in various size categories, and we also acknowledge a “Start-up Wellness Program” award for those companies just starting out on their wellness journey. Act fast, though. The nomination deadline is May 10.

Keep an eye out for our June 2013 edition where we’ll reveal the winners of this year’s Alla tua Salute! – To Your Health! – awards. It’s sure to offer a litany of ideas you can adopt in your own company’s wellness program to improve the health of your workforce. www.newnorthb2b.com

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

New Form I-9 released

by Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.

Tony Renning

920.232.4842

If you have a particular labor/employment law question, forward it to Mr. Renning at info@newnorthb2b.com.

If he responds to your email in a future issue, your name and company will be withheld to preserve your privacy.

Reader Question: What do I need to know about the new Form I-9?

Tony Renning: On March 8, 2013 the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service released a new Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. Employers are required to complete Form I-9 for all newly-hired employees to verify their identity and authorization to work in the U.S. The new Form I-9 is two pages (as opposed to one) and is designed to be easier to read and complete. The revised Form I-9 requests an employee’s telephone number and email address – although it appears this information is voluntary. Additionally, the new Form I-9 requires an employee to note his or her foreign passport number and the country of issuance.

The new Form I-9 contains more detailed instructions than previous forms. The additional instructions include information on how employees with particular statuses should complete

Sean Fitzgerald

Publisher & President

sean@newnorthb2b.com

Carrie Rule

Sales Manager

carrie@newnorthb2b.com

Kate Erbach Production

Contributing writers

Robin Driessen Bruecker Lee Reinsch Chief Financial Officer

Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA

the new Form I-9, information on how employers should use only unexpired documents, how employers should handle receipts, and an expanded explanation about how employers should approach re-verification of employment.

Employers should begin using the new Form I-9 immediately for all new hires. Employers may continue to use previously valid Forms I-9 until May 7, 2013, when employers must only use the new Form I-9.

The number of I-9 audits multiplied over the past decade, rising from almost none (just three in 2004) to 500 in 2008 and 3,004 in 2012. Employers who fail to properly complete and retain I-9 forms are subject to civil fines of up to $1,100 per form and, in some cases, criminal penalties.

Employer representatives responsible for the I-9 process should be trained on the new Form I-9. These representatives, including supervisors and those with

hiring responsibility, also should be reminded they cannot discriminate against applicants or employees based on citizenship status or national origin.

For advice and counsel concerning the Immigration Reform and Control Act and, specifically, the new Form I-9, contact Tony Renning at (920) 232-4842 or trenning@dkattorneys.com or any other member of the Davis & Kuelthau Labor and Employment Team.

Tony Renning is an attorney in the Oshkosh office of Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.

(219 Washington Avenue). Mr. Renning provides counsel to private and public sector employers on a wide variety of labor and employment law matters. This article is intended to provide information only, not legal advice. For advice regarding a particular employment situation, please contact a member of the Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. Labor and Employment Team.

Green Bay

NEW NORTH B2B is published monthly

by WINNEBAGO B2B LLC for $20 per year or $3.95 for a single issue.

Printed by Digicorporation, 120 Lake St., Neenah, WI 54956.

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Bulk-rate postage paid at Oshkosh, WI. Reproduction of any contents of NEW NORTH B2B without express written permission of its publishers is strictly forbidden. The appearance of any advertisement or product information does not constitute endorsement of any product or service by WINNEBAGO B2B LLC. Copyright 2013.

Contact us: P.O. Box 559, Oshkosh, WI 54903-0559 • 920.237.0254 www.newnorthb2b.com

Fox Cities

Oshkosh

Fond du Lac NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 5

SINCE WE LAST MET

Since we last met Since We Last Met is a digest of business related news occurring in the Green Bay, Fox Cities, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac areas in the one month since the previous issue of New North B2B.

February 20 Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt reported the governor pledged $2 million in the state’s upcoming 2013-15 capital budget toward the proposed expansion of the KI Convention Center downtown. The proposed $19.5 million project would add more than 30,000 square feet to the current 44,000sq. ft. facility and make it the fifth largest convention center in the state. The project is currently in the design stage, with construction expected to begin in October. The expansion will be funded using half of the additional increment from a 2 percent hike in the county’s hotel room tax, as well as nearly $8 million from the city through tax incremental financing, management fees and proceeds from naming rights.

February 21 Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac announced plans to hire 80 more employees for machining and die cast positions that will offer starting wages of up to $14.90 an hour. The company has hired more than 1,000 employees during the past year

2006 April 15 – Results of a hydrology study conducted for the City of Fond du Lac indicate the city’s existing aquifers should be able to supply drinking water to meet consumption demands for the next 20 years. The results of the study will help determine the fate of a $32 million plan to remove radium in the water supply.

2007 April 10 – The Oshkosh Common Council increased the city’s hotel room tax by 2 percent up to 10 percent, making it the highest in the state. The room tax increase is expected to generate an additional $200,000 a year, which will pay off debt on the Oshkosh Convention Center and will allow the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau to establish a development fund for future capital projects.

6 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

after merging production from a manufacturing facility it closed in Oklahoma.

February 26 The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. certified United Community LLC of Sherwood to be eligible for tax credits through the state’s Early Stage Business Investment program.

The certification allows investors of United Community – a software firm that developed a program aligning businesses that offer cash back to local fundraisers and card members – to be eligible for a 25 percent tax credit on the amount they invest.

February 26 The City of Oshkosh Common Council approved a $2 million tax incremental finance district at the south end of Wittman Regional Airport to fund the development of an aviation industrial park. The funds may be used in the development of a proposed $3.5 million business accelerator facility, of which the city had applied for a $2 million grant from the

2010 April 6 – The state Department of Transportation approved a $903,042 project for the design and construction of a green energy project at Outagamie County Regional Airport in Greenville. The state is providing $500,000, while Outagamie County is contributing the remaining $403,042 for a project to install solar panels on the roof of the terminal concourse to heat a fluid mixture run through the existing floor radiant heating system, ultimately reducing energy costs.

2012 April 3 – Voters in the Fox Valley Technical College district approved a $66.5 million referendum to finance seven separate capital projects for the school, most notably a $32.5 million public safety training center that will be built at Outagamie County Regional Airport in Greenville.

www.newnorthb2b.com

SINCE WE LAST MET U.S. Economic Development Administration. If the grant isn’t awarded, TIF funds will likely support costs for infrastructure development and construction, which is expected to begin this fall. The industrial park and the proposed business accelerator will both focus on aviation-related businesses.

February 28 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Appleton announced its 2012 financial results, reporting its assets under management grew 8 percent to $82.2 billion, while its adjusted surplus reached $6.1 billion – a 13 percent increase from 2011 and an all-time high for the not-for-profit organization. Among its individual segments, sales of life insurance products rose 14 percent, health insurance sales climbed 13 percent, and variable annuity sales were up 18 percent above 2011.

We work with organizations around the country and we don’t see partnerships like this anywhere else.

Mike Weller President Miller Electric Mfg. Co.

February 28 The 51 semifinalists named in the annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest included only one from the region, Annamalai Karthikeyan of Oshkosh, who developed a process for creating specialty carbon using waste.

The field was selected from a total of 326 entries into the competition statewide.

Services for Business & Industry

Customized. Innovative. Solutions.

March 4 Appleton-based Schenck, S.C. announced Greg Barber, CPA, will take over the helm of the regional accounting and business advisory firm when current president Bill Goodman, CPA, retires at the end of September. Barber has more than 30 years of experience in the public accounting profession – including more than 25 years with Wipfli LLP – and has spent the past five years as partner in charge of the Minneapolis office of Eide Bailly LLP.

Contact our industry experts today! www.fvtc.edu/bis Appleton (920) 996-2949 • Oshkosh (888) 458-0449

March 6 The state Department of Transportation announced a $150,000 design project to expand the general aviation ramp at Outagamie County Regional Airport in Greenville. The expansion will provide additional tie-down parking for aircraft landing at the airport. The state is contributing $120,000 toward the cost of the project, while Outagamie County will fund the remaining $30,000 in costs.

March 8 The French industrial investment firm Fives announced it will acquire MAG Americas, which includes the former Giddings & Lewis machine tool equipment manufacturing facility in Fond du Lac. There’s been no report of how the acquisition would impact the Fond du Lac operations of MAG.

March 8 Outagamie County Airport Director Marty Lenss announced he will resign at the end of April to take a similar position at the Rochester (Minn.) International Airport. Lenss has held his current position in the Fox Cities since 2008 and has helped the airport develop millions of dollars in facilities and infrastructure improvements. Abe Weber, the operations and maintenance manager of the airport, has been named interim director until a permanent replacement for Lenss is hired.

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 7

SINCE WE LAST MET March 8

March 15

The U.S. Department of Labor reported 236,000 new jobs were created across the country during February, edging the national unemployment rate down to 7.7 percent. Employment increased in professional and business services, construction and health care.

March 11 Gov. Scott Walker signed into law the controversial mining bill that streamlines the permitting process for iron ore mining in Wisconsin. The new law paves the way for a proposal from Gogebic Taconite to develop an open-pit mine in Ashland and Iron counties which could create 1,000 jobs statewide with an annual economic impact of $1.2 billion.

March 13 The governor signed into law Assembly Bill 14, known as Wisconsin Fast Forward, which aims to develop the state’s workforce and close the skills gap. The legislation funds $15 million during the next two years for worker training grants which provide matching dollars to train new and existing workers. It also creates an Office of Skills Development within the state Department of Workforce Development to administer the worker training grants, and establishes a state-of-the-art Labor Market Information System to track job vacancies statewide and link job seekers to openings they are qualified to fill.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) and Sen. Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay).

The City of Oshkosh filed a lawsuit in Winnebago County Circuit Court against Citizens Bank, asking it to clean up and take responsibility for the former Buckstaff furniture manufacturing facility it foreclosed on in early 2011. The lawsuit claims the property poses a substantial fire risk and asks the court to declare the property a public nuisance and order Citizens Bank to bring it up to code or to raze the structures and clean up the site. Citizens claims the former plant operator, Oshkosh Furniture LLC – which the bank said owes it more than $1.6 million – is still responsible for the property and that the city must work with its principals to take care of any code issues and environmental contamination on the site.

March 20 Iowa-based Frantz-Hobart LLC announced plans to purchase the former Hotel Northland in downtown Green Bay and invest more than $20 million in improvements to the eightstory, century-old property. The historic preservation development firm placed a bid for $3.1 million to acquire the vacant building from Wisconsin Historic Preservation Corp. The building served as a hotel until the 1970s, then sat vacant and was eventually converted into subsidized apartments known as Port Plaza Towers. Frantz-Hobart’s restoration plans call for 100 hotel rooms, a full-service restaurant and various retail spaces at the ground level. Renovation work could begin later this year and is expected to take between a year and 18 months to complete.

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• Full Service Bindery

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The Faces of Keller Customers Our Valued Customers. Without them we would be

nothing. These are the faces of our company we treasure most. The big smile on the face of someone we just helped to expand their business, remodel their office or build them a new business where they can be more productive, effective and happy. People like Tom, Jeff, Aaron and Matt Gustman, Owners of Gustman Chevrolet, who have chosen Keller for numerous new dealerships and remodels across Northeast Wisconsin.

The Gustmans have faces that we love, not only because they have a big smile, but because three generations trust the Keller Design/Build Experts to put those smiles on their faces time and time again. We are Employee-Owned, Design/Build Experts. But don’t just take us at face value, call today and experience for yourself the difference that is Keller, Inc.

Tom, Jeff , Aaron a nd Matt Owners Gustman Gustman Chevrole t

Construction Excellence Since 1960

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The perfect backdrop to inspire productivity and success in event attendees.

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NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 9

CORPORATE EARNINGS

Once each quarter, New North B2B runs a digest of quarterly financial reports from local publicly traded companies, or from out-of-the-area parent companies with significant operations in the Fox Valley.

Neenah Paper

Revenue Income EPS

4Q 2012 $193 million $13.6 million 82 cents

Appleton Inc. 4Q 2011 $166 million s 16% $7.7 million s 77% 47 cents s 74%

The papermaker with significant operations in the Fox Cities reported sales from its fine papers segment grew by 27 percent on the quarter spurred by the acquisition of Wausau brands during early 2012. For the full year, Neenah Paper’s sales increased 16 percent to $809 million, up from $696 million during fiscal 2011. The company’s operating income decreased by $1.1 million during the year for costs partially associated with the startup of a previously idled machine at its Neenah mill.

Integrys Energy Group Inc.

Revenue Income EPS

4Q 2012 $1.2 Billion $68.0 million 86 cents

4Q 2011 $1.1 Billion s 6% $38.7 million s 76% 49 cents s 76%

The parent company of Wisconsin Public Service Corp. operations across northeast and northcentral Wisconsin reported full year 2012 earnings of $281 million, or $3.55 per share, increased nearly 25 percent over fiscal 2001 income of $227 million. Earnings for the company’s regulated electric utility segment were lower compared with the fourth quarter 2011 because of rate case effects at WPS. Integrys officials projected fiscal 2013 earnings in a range of $3.03 to $3.53 per share.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.

Revenue Income EPS

4Q 2012 $2.7 Billion ($849 million) ($4.70)

4Q 2011 $2.7 Billion t 2% ($327 million) t 160% ($1.78) t 164%

The printing company with significant operations in the Fox Cities reported its loss on the quarter was attributed to non-cash impairment charges of $1.0 billion following its annual impairment test of its assets.

The company’s full year 2012 revenue declined nearly 4 percent to $10.2 billion compared with fiscal 2011. R.R. Donnelley reduced its total debt by $222 million during 2012.

10 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

Revenue Income

4Q 2012 $205 million ($37.1 million)

4Q 2011 $206 million t <1% ($59.4 million)s 38%

The employee-owned producer of thermal papers finished fiscal 2012 with revenues of $850 million, less than 1 percent off its pace of $857 million from fiscal 2011. However, its losses more than tripled from $48 million during 2011 to a loss of $148 million for all of fiscal 2012 associated with costs related to closing its Ohio mill and transitioning to Domtar base paper. Sales from the company’s thermal papers segment grew 15 percent on the fourth quarter and 11 percent for the full year.

Revenues from its Encapsys segment were down 7 percent due to weak economic conditions, but did increase 11 percent on the fourth quarter compared with the same period a year earlier.

Alliance Laundry Systems

Revenue Income

Fiscal 2012 $506 million $16.4 million

Fiscal 2011 $458 million s 10% $23.4 million t 30%

The Ripon-based manufacturer of commercial and residential laundry equipment reported its annual sales growth was primarily attributed to higher receipts in the U.S. and Canada from the company’s equipment financing program and increased revenues from consumer laundry, Laundromat and on-premise laundry.

Blyth Inc.

Revenue Income EPS

4Q 2012 $331 million ($6.2 million) (36 cents)

4Q 2011 $346 million t 4% $25.6 million t 124% $1.54 t 123%

The parent company of Miles Kimball Co. operations in Oshkosh reported its loss came as a result of a more than $60 million investment in an additional 8 percent stake in ViSalus, of which it owns about 81 percent. Without that charge during the quarter, the company posted a 9 percent gain in earnings. The company’s catalog and Internet segment, which includes Miles Kimball operations, saw revenues fall 14 percent on the quarter to $44.3 million due to the continued trend of soft sales of general merchandise. For the full fiscal year, Blyth recorded earnings of $44.0 million, nearly triple its previous year income of $13.8 million.

www.newnorthb2b.com

Got...

a healthy workforce?

Chug-a-lug!

Time for our 8th Annual Corporate Wellness Awards To nominate an employer, go online to our Web site at www.newnorthb2b.com and download our Alla Tua Salute! form.

Our panel of business and healthcare experts will select the most innovative employers for this honor.

Awards will be presented in our June 2013 edition in each of four categories: • Small Company (5 to 50 employees) • Mid-sized Company (51 to 200 employees) • Large Company (201 or more employees) • Start Up Wellness Program (2 years or less) Nominations due by May 10, 2013.

Send your nomination by mail to New North B2B, P.O. Box 559, Oshkosh, 54903 or email sean@newnorthb2b.com.

BUILD UP FOND DU LAC 1&2

3

4 5

7 6

Build Up Fond du Lac 1 - 700 Stanton St., Ripon, Alliance Laundry, a 20,000sq. ft. addition for assembly, metal stamping and a press shop. Project completion expected in summer.

2

- 790 Eastgate Dr., Ripon, Ripon Medical Center, a 120,000-sq. ft. hospital and medical office building. Project completion expected in early 2014.

3

- 51 Sheboygan St., Fond du Lac, Windhover Center for the Arts, a 17,700-sq. ft. addition to include additional

classrooms and a new gallery. Project completion expected in the fall.

4

- 545 & 600 W. Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac, Mercury Marine, an addition to the product development and engineering facility and separate additions to its manufacturing and fabrication plants. Project completion expected in late 2013.

5

- 385 W. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac, Wells Vehicle Electronics, a two-story, 64,000-sq. ft. headquarters and manufacturing facility.

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...and more

10/10/12 9:27 AM

www.newnorthb2b.com

BUILD UP OSHKOSH 8

9

10

11

C - Indicates a new listing

12 6 - 123 E. Larsen Dr., Fond du Lac, McNeilus Steel, a 96,000-sq. ft. industrial coil processing facility. Project completion expected in August. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

10 - 625 Pearl Ave., Oshkosh, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center, a twostory, 40,000-sq. ft. welcome center and meeting facility.

Project completion expected in December.

7

11 - 1210 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh, Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Store, a new retail building. Project completion expected in April.

- 985 S. Main St., Fond du Lac, Wisnet.com, a new office building. Project completion expected in April.

Build Up Oshkosh

8 - 112 Viola St., Oshkosh, Oaklawn Elementary School, a two-story, 68,000-sq. ft. school building. Project completion expected in August.

9

- 2251 Omro Road, Oshkosh, Horicon Bank, a new bank office. Project completion expected in late spring.

12 - 3735 S. Washburn St., Oshkosh, Big Rig Chrome Shop, an 18,192-sq. ft. retail building and warehouse. Project completion expected in May. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

Projects completed since our March issue: None.

SPLISH-SPLASH Dive in and nominate your employer as one of the healthiest in NE Wisconsin.

Go online to www.newnorthb2b.com and download our Alla Tua Salute! form.

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 13

BUILD UP FOX CITIES Build Up Fox Cities The Build Up department of New North B2B includes a monthly two-page spread identifying significant commercial and industrial construction projects ongoing in the Fox Cities area.

C - Indicates a new listing

1 - W6390 Challenger Dr., town of Greenville,

6 - 100 Allegiance Ct., Little Chute, Tailwaggers Doggy Daycare, a dog day care center and pet retail store. Project completion expected in April.

2

7 - 340 Patriot Dr., Little Chute, Green Stone Farm Credit Services, a two-story, 21,000-sq. ft. office building.

Outagamie County Regional Airport, an 8,000-sq. ft. general aviation terminal building and a separate 12,000-sq. ft. hangar for general aviation.

- W6400 County Road BB, town of Greenville, Fox Valley Technical College Public Safety Training Center, a 93,000sq. ft. training facility for fire protection and law enforcement personnel. Project completion expected in December 2014.

3 - 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., town of Grand Chute, C Fox Valley Technical College Transportation Center, a 43,486sq. ft. addition to the existing transportation education center.

4 - 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., town of Grand Chute,

Fox Valley Technical College Health Simulation and Technology Center, a three-story, 60,572-sq. ft. health care and emergency medical services education and training facility.

Project completion expected in August.

5 - 1025 W. Navitus Dr., town of Grand Chute,

Navitus Health Solutions, a three-story, 68,600-sq. ft. new office building. Project completion expected in September.

8 - 133 Main St., Little Chute, Salon Indulgence, a 3,682sq. ft. salon and spa facility. Project completion expected in late spring.

9-

N139 Eisenhower Dr., town of Buchanan, C Pizza Ranch, a new restaurant building.

10 - 1506 S. Oneida St., Appleton, St. Elizabeth Hospital, a five-story, 90-bed patient tower, as well as renovations to the cancer center and behavioral health.

11

- 1050 Zephyr Dr., town of Menasha, St. Mary Central High School, a 22,000-sq. ft. fine arts education center to include a 495-seat auditorium. Project completion expected in April.

12 - 540 Discovery Dr., Neenah, Futek Forms, Tags and Labels, an 18,100-sq. ft. industrial facility. Project completion expected in June. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

13 - 2444 Schultz Dr., Neenah, Plexus Corp., a 473,369DESIGN/BUILD AND GENERAL CONTRATORS 5521 COUNTY ROAD BB • APPLETON, WI 54914 920-739-6521 • 800-331-6521 PRE-ENGINEERED METAL • MASONRY • PRECAST • CONVENTIONAL

sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in late fall.

Projects completed since our March issue: • Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt and Starbucks, 3310 W. College Ave., town of Grand Chute.

• Fox Cities Stadium, 2400 N. Casaloma Dr., town of Grand Chute.

• Kwik Trip, 1870 U.S. Highway 10/114, Menasha.

Religious x Education x Recreation 3 year warranty on workmanship and subcontractors Family owned business over 50 years

RRSTEELCONSTRUCTION.COM 14 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

www.newnorthb2b.com

BUILD UP FOX CITIES 5

6 &7

3&4 8

1& 2 10

9

11

12 & 13

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 15

BUILD UP GREEN BAY Build Up Green Bay The Build Up department of New North B2B includes a monthly two-page spread identifying significant commercial and industrial construction projects ongoing in the Green Bay area.

C - Indicates a new listing

1-

2564 Lineville Road, Suamico, Dorsch Auto Credit, a used auto dealership. Project completion expected in April.

2

- 900 Isbell St., Green Bay, BioLife Plasma Service, a 17,500-sq. ft. medical facility.

3 - 1499 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Cabela’s, a 100,000sq. ft. retail store. Project completion expected in August.

4 - 400 N. Washington St., Green Bay, Schreiber Foods Inc., a five-story, 250,000-sq. ft. corporate headquarters building.

Project completion expected in early 2014.

5 - 2851 University Ave., Green Bay, Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic, a new 192,000-sq. ft. outpatient clinic for veterans services. Project completion expected in April.

6-

3050 Walker Dr., Green Bay, C AK Pizza Crust, a 48,036-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility.

Project completion expected in July. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

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7 - 955 Challenger Dr., Green Bay, EuroPharma, an 11,700sq. ft. addition to the existing packaging and warehouse facility.

Project completion expected in July. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

8-

1100 S. Huron Road, Green Bay, Frontline Building Products and Green Bay Overhead Door, a 217,884-sq. ft. industrial facility to include offices and more than 200,000 square feet of warehousing space. Project completion expected in spring.

General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

9 - 2535 Babcock Road, Ashwaubenon, Krist Oil Company, a 4,600-sq. ft. fuel station and convenience store.

10 - 3383 Spirit Way, Ashwaubenon,

FedEx Ground, a 100,000-sq. ft. distribution center and offices. Project completion expected in June.

11

- 1201 Ashwaubenon St., Ashwaubenon, Triangle Distribution, a 12,582-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility for a cooler and dock doors.

12 - 500 Main Ave., De Pere, Van Dyn Hoven, a multi-tenant, mixed-use commercial office and residential building.

13 - 100 Grant St., De Pere, St. Norbert College Gehl-Mulva Science Center, a 150,000-sq. ft. education and research facility which will jointly house the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Green Bay campus. Project completion expected in spring 2015.

14 - 2121 Innovation Ct., De Pere, Foth & Van Dyke LLC, a 95,000-sq. ft. office building. Project completion expected in fall.

15 - 2222 American Blvd., De Pere, Washworld Inc., a 48,428-sq. ft. corporate headquarters and industrial facility.

16 - 1900 Enterprise Dr., De Pere,

C.A. Lawton Company, a 15,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing foundry facility to include a blast furnace and clean process equipment. Project completion expected in spring.

Projects completed since our March issue: • Fox Communities Credit Union, 2564 Lineville Road, Suamico.

• AC Manufacturing Industries Inc., 2325 Pamperin Road, Howard.

• Glass Nickel Pizza, 414 Dousman St., Green Bay. • New Tech Metals, 1600 Van Ess Road, New Franken.

• De Pere Cabinet Inc., 1745 E. Mathew Dr., De Pere.

• Metal Storm Metal Fabrication, 2260 American Blvd., De Pere.

866-799-0530 | N2971 Hwy. 15, Hortonville

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16 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

www.newnorthb2b.com

BUILD UP GREEN BAY 1

2 5 4 3

9 6 thru 8

10

& 11

12 14 & 15

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Attention Building Owners and Architects

Get more competitive bids listing your project at Builders Exchange of Wisconsin Utilize our state of the art, password protected system - Save Time and Money - Free project advertising - Access a pool of over 800 qualified Sub-Contractors 2 convenient locations to serve you W2518 Cty Rd JJ Appleton WI 54913 920.687.8782

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11331 W. Rogers St. Milwaukee WI 53227 414.763.1520 NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 17

AROUND THE BOARDROOM

377 The number of patents awarded to Wisconsin residents per one million population during 2011, a 4 percent drop from the previous year and 3 percent under the national average of 387. Wisconsin still ranks above Illinois (357) and Iowa (280) but is far behind Minnesota (791) and Michigan (445).

Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Title: Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business Author: Danny Meyer Publisher: Harper Perennial (2008) Pages: 336 List Price: $15.99 Why Buy: In this landmark book, Danny shares the lessons he’s learned while developing the winning recipe for doing the business he calls “enlightened hospitality.” This innovative philosophy emphasizes putting the power of hospitality to work in a new and counterintuitive way: The first and most important application of hospitality is to the people who work for you, and then, in descending order of priority, to the guests, the community, the suppliers, and the investors. This way of prioritizing stands the more traditional business models on their heads, but Danny considers it the foundation of every success that he and his restaurants have achieved.

professionals ...where

emerge as

leaders.

Thinking about getting your MBA?

Learn about UW Oshkosh’s accredited part-time Professional MBA and NEW Saturday Executive MBA (beginning fall 2013 in Appleton) at an information session near you.

April 24 - Green Bay April 30 - Oshkosh

Sessions begin at 6 p.m.

To register for a session, visit uwosh.edu/go/mba or call (920) 424-3199 or toll-free (800) 633-1430.

Holly Brenner, BBA ‘98, MBA ‘09 Director of Marketing & Business Development Agnesian HealthCare, Fond du Lac

18 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

www.newnorthb2b.com

AROUND THE BOARDROOM

Who wisely purchased BodyGuardz® device protection for his iPad before reviewing marketing communications that make coffee shoot out of his nose, causing him to crush their creators to dust under the full weight of his Birkenstocks.

U

Maui and Other Myths

sing her American Airlines® AAdvantage® credit card for her daily department store purchases, Mother Stronglove racked up obscenely plentiful points for free air travel.

It makes a person wonder what her true motive was in spending $500 for the cashmere sequined footed pajamas.

As much as I enjoy the mountains of snow throughout the 920, I could not refuse her invitation to join her on Maui for the month.

After all, this is a woman who, after breakfasting on macadamia nut pancakes and coconut syrup with Portuguese sausage, makes a habit of wading out into the undertow with her Mimosa because she “likes the wonderful swirly feeling.” For her own safety, she needs supervision every waking minute – and she sleeps only a few hours a night. Plus, she’s my mother.

in the accounting-distorted, short-term spirit of saving “expenses.” For these under-achievers sales cause advertising. That’s upside down. Savvy marketers know advertising, executed intelligently, causes sales.

Are trade marketing communications any different?

Absolutely, like selling Krispy Kreme® is different from convincing someone to buy Vick’s® Vapo-Rub®. Or like a business credit card is different from a health plan.

Companies don’t buy things. People do. In each case you’re trying to engage and persuade a unique group of people with distinct existing perceptions and needs. No two marketing opportunities are alike, yet each one presents the same fundamental challenges of attracting attention, creating interest, desire and conviction, and motivating some kind of action – such as remembering, calling, ordering, visiting a Web site for useful information or trial.

Most advertising only opens the sale; it doesn’t close it.

Anyone who works around B2B marketing communications is certain to hear these classic directives: • Make the logo bigger.

• Our product has to be the hero.

• Include an aerial shot of our plant with the new warehouse addition.

• Make sure there’s a strong call to action.

• Our logo still isn’t big enough.

So here I am in paradise, a nervous wreck, sitting out on the lanai at 4 a.m., hoping to debunk clueless beliefs that overshadow truths about business-to-business advertising – beliefs that compromise advertising’s payout to the detriment of your bottom line.

Research by McGraw-Hill and others consistently show how the sales of advertisers who persevere through a recession not only retain and obtain more customers, but also emerge miles ahead of competitors who curtailed – or even completely stopped their advertising

Are the right sides of our brains turned off Monday through Friday? The same guy who buys steel I-beams also buys Hallmark® cards and goes to Cabela’s® on the weekends.

The I-beam purchase may be worth millions of dollars, and the sales cycle may be longer and more complex, and that’s why prospects don’t necessarily want to hear what you want them to know. They need to know you’re focused on what they need to be more successful.

Behind the façade of Mr. Stronglove is an advertising professional wielding strategic and conceptual stealth in all forms of media (except book jackets). Send comments (or crisp twenties) to piercestronglove@gmail.com. To submit work for review, it must be attached as a PDF in Adobe format with no other attachments.

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 19

COVER STORY

Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin 2013 Our 3rd annual endeavor aims to take two newer companies to the next level of competitiveness A little more than two years ago, New North B2B set out to improve the outlook of two northeast businesses who needed professional help to put out the fires within their company, indentify permanent solutions to overcoming those obstacles, and chart a course for continued success.

With the help of a pair of northeast Wisconsin’s leading business consultants and six months of intensive work from the business owners themselves, we were able to point these companies in the right direction. All three firms – one of the companies split its distinctly two different operations into two separate companies – continue to remain successful today.

Now in its third year, we kick off our 3rd annual Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin initiative with two businesses that aren’t necessarily troubled or threatened with the prospect of going out of business. Instead, it includes two relatively stable companies looking at moving out of the start-up phase and on to the next level of development and growth.

Cake Anatomy of Kaukauna, owned by Dawn Bybee, and RentSmartRewards of Green Bay, owned by Jo Edwards, are both sole proprietorships that have stood the test of the

20 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

Story by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher

launch and start-up phases of their business, but need to continue to grow in order to remain successful. Owners of both businesses recognize now is the time to initiate that growth, but both acknowledge certain challenges and weaknesses getting to that next level of success strictly on their own. But they’re committed to putting in the work to see their respective businesses turn to the next chapter.

We’ve matched each of these entrepreneurs up with two of northeast Wisconsin’s leading small business consultants and strategists, who’ve agreed to donate a few hours of their time each month over the next five months to help these companies put together a plan to go from start-up phase to growth. The business owners will do all the heavy lifting, but will have the guidance and advisement of top-notch talent to help them avoid any fires along the way.

Both business owners have agreed to share their journey with B2B readers, and we’re committed to providing a monthly update beginning with our June issue and leading up to a capstone article at the end of this third annual Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin initiative later this fall.

www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY Our strategists-in-residence Bringing to bear their wealth of experience and knowledge of small business operations and strategy, two of our veteran firefighters return this year to lend their time to help two more businesses from the region achieve further prosperity.

Gary Vaughan, owner of Appleton-based Guident Business Solutions, enters his third straight year helping entrepreneurs through our Firefighters program, while Steve Van Remortel, owner of Green Bay-based SM Advisors and a veteran from our inaugural Firefighters effort in 2011, is back for his second time.

In his everyday consulting practice, Vaughan works with his clients on improving their financial outlook by gradually building owner equity in the business. He believes business owners need to be stewards of their financial documents, using balance sheets, profit and loss statements and cash flow statements as roadmaps for guiding the business forward.

Guident Business Solutions works with its clients to ensure they’re inputting the most accurate and up-to-date financial information they have into their accounting software so that their financial documents don’t lead them off course.

“Everything in a business boils down to a financial decision,” Vaughan said. “That’s how we perceive it.”

Many of the growth challenges small businesses face stem from cash flow, Vaughan said. He helps business owners restructure their finances so they have available cash flow to maintain regular day-to-day operations while still keeping long-term financial goals in perspective.

During B2B’s inaugural Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin in 2011, Vaughan helped Appleton-based Action Painting & Carpet Care successfully organize its bookkeeping, take control of its finances, objectively define human resources practices

and procedures, and help the owners reduce their own stress and sleep better at night. In 2012, Vaughan returned to help Bridal Elegance & Formalwear of Kaukauna restructure its inventory, change over its bookkeeping software to a platform more appropriate for the business, and obtain financing to purchase its first company-owned van.

Van Remortel launched SM Advisors in 1999 with the notion that strategic management – hence the “SM” in the name of his firm – needs to be a critical part of moving any business forward successfully. Throughout his career Van Remortel has completed more than 500 strategic planning efforts in more than 250 businesses across the country, guiding each to develop a differentiated strategy that builds upon a skill-set aligned team to execute that strategy.

As a global thought leader on strategic planning and talent management, Van Remortel has built quite a reputation for himself nationally and particularly in northeast Wisconsin for his proprietary Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream process (www. stopsellingvanillaicecream.com) which he uses with clients to develop a differentiated strategy. He’s authored an awardwinning book by the same title which was released in fall 2012.

His regular electronic newsletter, The Scoop, is available at no cost on his web site.

Van Remortel also participated as a consultant in our inaugural Firefighters event in 2011, helping partners from Green Bay’s IT Connexx and DVM Connexx successfully sever operations into two distinctly independent companies. He stepped back from Firefighters last year to ready his book for publication, though SM Advisors still participated by lending the services of Mike Thuecks to consult with Caramel Crisp & Café in downtown Oshkosh.

Firefighters of northeast Wisconsin

The consultants Steve Van Remortel Founder, owner and president SM Advisors, Green Bay www.smadvisors.com Van Remortel launched SM Advisors in 1999 following a career either leading or owning manufacturing, distribution and service companies. He holds a master’s degree in strategic management, as well as earned accreditation as a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst.

SM Advisors has completed more than 500 planning processes in over 250 businesses across the country from start up companies to those with annual revenues in excess of $4 billion. The firm focuses on the two fundamentals of business – strategy and talent – and guides organizations in developing a differentiated strategy and building a skill-set aligned team to execute the plan.

As a thought leader on strategic planning and talent management, Van Remortel has written articles for a variety of newspapers and periodicals. His award-winning book Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream was released in late 2012.

Gary Vaughan Founder, owner and president Guident Business Solutions LLC, Appleton www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com Vaughan launched Guident in February 2009 after spending his entire career teaching – both in the classroom and in business. Having previously spent many years as a business owner himself, Vaughan realized many business owners lacked fundamental skills such as understanding financials, human resource practices and management skills, as examples. His organization’s proprietary Guident 360° Assessment Program enables business owners to holistically address their business needs.

Vaughan has professional experience in a variety of industries, including retail, petroleum, manufacturing and academics. He is a senior adjunct instructor for Concordia University of Wisconsin; an instructor of financial analysis, budgeting and cost controls at Fox Valley Technical College; and a lecturer in economics and entrepreneurship at Lawrence University.

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 21

COVER STORY The next layer on the cake The first of our two businesses, Cake Anatomy was born nearly eight years ago by Dawn Bybee as a way of capitalizing on her passion for baking and an extension of her work for a wedding and event planning company.

Bybee previously had a career working in various management roles in the restaurant industry, and notes that experience helped set the stage for her strong customer service focus, which she considers a distinguishing hallmark of Cake Anatomy.

A baking enthusiast who woke up every morning to bake treats to take into work, Bybee moved to the Fox Valley 15 years ago, and through her work helping others plan a dream wedding, discovered limited options for brides and grooms to feed their reception guests quality desserts.

“I saw these brides were paying a lot of money, and the quality of what they were getting wasn’t there,” Bybee recalled.

With the encouragement of her husband, Allan, Bybee decided to start her own wedding cake business in 2005 by acquiring the assets of the former Koss Cake Creations in Green Bay. During that start-up period, she continued to work her fulltime job for the wedding and event planning agency, which allowed her company to begin outsourcing some of its cake orders to Cake Anatomy.

After maintaining the former Koss storefront location in Green Bay for a little more than a year, Bybee sought out a location more convenient to brides in both the Fox Valley

22 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

PROFILE

Company:

Owner:

Location: Year started:

Employees:

Web site:

Cake Anatomy Dawn Bybee Kaukauna 2005 2 cakeanatomy.com

and the Green Bay area, settling on purchasing a commercial building on downtown Kaukauna’s south side of the Fox River in 2007. The building includes five residential rental units, which Bybee and her husband operate as a separate business.

Cake Anatomy has developed a niche in its field with the distinct taste and look of its cakes.

“We’re known for our moist cake and our butter cream frosting,” Bybee said. Her customized, fresh-baked cakes often sport a sculpted design and boast a decorative flair with the help of her artistic daughter, Brianna Ropski.

The business has been a success, winning “Best of Weddings” recognitions from The Knot in both 2013 and 2010, as well as Bride’s Choice Awards from Wedding Wire in 2013 and 2011 – both well regarded wedding resource web sites. It regularly sells cakes from Green Bay to Oshkosh, Bybee said, and the business continues to be in the black year after year, carrying no debt. Revenues, as well as profits, have been steady.

www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY But Cake Anatomy – like most other wedding-related businesses – struggles to generate consistent revenues through the wedding off-season, considered from the middle of November through early May. Whereas she has nine cakes scheduled for a given weekend this coming June, she only did three cakes during the entire month of December, and only one or two cakes for each of January and February. In past years, she’s had to temporarily lay off her daughter from employment during the winter months until the wedding season begins to pick up again in the spring.

Cake Anatomy has been able to remain somewhat busy making cakes during slower times through its active participation in Icing Smiles, a nationwide nonprofit that provides custom celebration cakes to families impacted by the critical illness of a child. Bybee has also provided wedding cakes to returning war veterans at no charge. Both are noble causes which keep her oven hot and her mixing bowls full, but don’t bring in revenue.

Meanwhile, there are weekends during the summer in which Cake Anatomy has so much demand for its cakes, Bybee has to turn away potential orders. She already has 30 wedding cakes scheduled for the entire month of June. The staff continues to be just herself and her daughter, though other family members help out with delivery and set up of the cakes at the location of the customer’s wedding reception. Bybee struggles with how to grow the business without losing the personal touch that she and her daughter bring.

“How do I keep this a family business?” Bybee said. “I’d like

to be able to remain the little customer shop.”

Bybee has concerns about hiring someone who might take advantage of her employment, eloping with her recipes and her customers after a short stint and developing a wedding cake business of their own. It’s a practice not unheard of in the wedding cake industry, because the cost of entry into business can be low and unlicensed bakers can create cakes right from their home kitchen, Bybee said.

Bybee is additionally concerned about the price point for her products, feeling it doesn’t accurately reflect the time she and her daughter put into more elaborate sculpted wedding cakes.

“That’s one of my biggest issues,” said Bybee, who indicated her wedding cakes can start for as little as $290 to feed 100 guests. “People don’t value your time. They see these elaborate cakes (on the hit reality television show Cake Boss) and want you to create something similar for fifty dollars.”

Bybee has also considered branching her business out to serve a more general retail audience, hoping it can help fill the revenue and workload gaps during wedding down time. She’s not quite certain how to put together a business plan for such a project, though, particularly as it pertains to staffing and pricing.

Bybee hopes Gary Vaughan and his Guident Business Solutions team can help her budget for and structure a staff, as well as help her determine appropriate and competitive price points for her products and services. She also acknowledges she doesn’t know everything about running a small business, and would appreciate an unbiased perspective to identify where she isn’t managing her operations as efficiently as possible.

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Hotel Opening April 2013 1 North Main St. • Oshkosh, WI • (920) 230-1900 • www.oshkoshwaterfronthotel.com NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 23

COVER STORY Building brand identity Now a year and a half into her entrepreneurial startup, RentSmartRewards, Jo Edwards is ready to turn up the heat and change the entire process in which renters find an apartment, duplex or home.

Her web-based rental property database rewards renters with cash for signing leases on member properties, and extends those rewards for any referrals resulting in a qualifying lease.

It’s perhaps a groundbreaking concept. But is it possibly too foreign a concept for both residential renters as well as rental property managers at this point?

“This is a different kind of concept,” Edwards explained.

“We want this to be fast, fun and efficient from the renters’ standpoint.”

Just a decade or so ago, the obvious way to find an apartment or duplex to rent was to look in the newspaper classified ads. Today, the classified ads are about the last place a renter might look. Craigslist postings, free no-cost specialty publications at the grocery store entrance, and various connections through social media represent just the tip of the iceberg on finding a rental property. So many options make it confusing to the renter.

“That’s where RentSmartRewards wants to make a difference,” Edwards said.

The Green Bay-based service is designed to match available rental properties with a fitting potential renter. Renters logging into the site for the first time create an account by completing a 43-point profile. The profile helps the renter narrow down the available listed properties that fit their needs, and additionally can help property owners and managers obtain more qualified leads for prospective tenants.

“It takes time and money to do a showing,” said Edwards, who worked for nine years as a property manager for one of northeast Wisconsin’s largest residential rental property firms.

“As I was placing ads (for units in properties she managed), I kept thinking, ‘It’s just another ad. There’s got to be a better way to do this,’” Edwards said.

She came up with the concept for RentSmartRewards a little more than two years ago, and left her job in September 2011 to pursue her business on a fulltime basis.

At this point, RentSmartRewards has about 30 different properties registered on its database. Property owners pay a recurring monthly fee from one of three separate pricing tiers based on the number of units they own. Paid registration allows those property managers to list as many rental units as they have available. A separate pricing model is available to property owners to pay a one-time fee at the time they sign a lease, an option attractive to those with just one or two properties who may only be looking for tenants once a year or even less often. There are no contracts, and property owners can run listings for only one month or for every month of the year.

Edwards’ top priority heading into this spring renting season is getting more properties signed up, offering a larger buffet of options to potential renters in search of a new place to live.

Her goal is to register 150 properties by the end of 2013.

The current geographic footprint served by RentSmartRewards includes Green Bay, the Fox Cities and Madison, though property owners with rentals outside those communities have 24 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY PROFILE

Company:

Owner:

Location: Year started:

Employees:

Web site:

RentSmartRewards Jo Edwards Green Bay 2011 1 rentsmartrewards.com

listed them with Edwards’ site. She plans to expand into the Milwaukee rental housing market in the spring of 2014.

Like any business that serves solely as a conduit between customer and vendor, there’s a bit of a juggling act to ensure that not only do renters have enough properties to chose among, but that property owners and managers are seeing sufficient traffic from prospective tenants. To that end, Edwards’ other goal is to gradually increase the number of renters registering for RentSmartRewards each month so that it’s adding 400 new renters per month by the end of 2013.

That’s a tall order, Edwards acknowledges, particularly on a limited budget and with limited resources.

“How do I strategically bring this to market?” she asked.

“That’s one of my biggest challenges.”

The company doesn’t have any employees beside Edwards herself, though she does outsource all incoming phone inquiries to a call center. Marketing the name, the web site and the “rental matching with rewards” concept has primarily been conducted through Facebook and email campaigns during the past 18 months of RentSmartRewards’ start-up phase. She recognizes it’s time to step up marketing efforts to ensure a steady crop of renters is regularly registering for the site.

“We really do need to be unique to get in front of renters why we’re different,” Edwards said. “We’re ready to get started right now and really start advertising.”

Though Edwards intends to use lower-cost social media strategies as a primary means of developing the RentSmartRewards brand, her first step may be to define her uniqueness and clearly differentiate her company from the myriad of ways renters currently use to find their next home.

That’s where she hopes Steve Van Remortel and his Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream process can offer assistance. Van Remortel is regarded as an expert in strategy and in brand differentiation, and will be working with Edwards during the next five months to lay out a plan to help grow RentSmartRewards for the long term.

In addition, the social media successes he’s achieved recently promoting his book should serve Edwards as she seeks out the best approaches to use social media for brand awareness and engagement, as well as to better assess cost and value of her marketing efforts with analytical measurement tools.

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NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 25

TOURISM

upswi

ng

Conference

A bevy of projects and proposals across the region will result in more weekday tourism revenue

Story by Lee Reinsch Cabins and water slides make up a good chunk of Wisconsin’s $12.3-billion-a-year tourism industry, but it’s not all about fun in the sun.

A tidy portion of the state’s tourism revenue comes from things that probably won’t show up on the Travel Wisconsin Facebook page – conferences, expos and conventions.

Things like the Rotary District 6270. Or Wisconsin DARE Officers Association. Or the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators.

Though not stereotypically frolicsome gatherings, such events bring in a juicy $1.3 billion each year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

So having facilities in which to hold them can make all the difference to an area, say those in the hospitality industry. “(Convention facilities) will significantly increase traffic for the restaurants, night clubs, coffee shops, museums and retail outlets,” said Jay Schumerth, general manager of the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Appleton. “So the more conferences and the bigger the conferences we can bring…the busier the entire district will get.”

It’s the kind of dynamic that snowballs, according to Schumerth. When convention centers get built, buildings get redeveloped, more people want to visit downtown, property values rise, cities make more tax revenue, citizens get happy.

“Any business downtown will tell you they know when there’s a conference at The Radisson going on,” Schumerth said. “Their business levels increase significantly.”

26 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

An Oshkosh homecoming The Wisconsin DARE Officers really are convening this July, and without the efforts of some area business people, it likely would have been somewhere other than Oshkosh.

“The Oshkosh market hasn’t been in the conference arena for a good number of years, just because there hasn’t been a good marriage of a good quality convention center with a good quality hotel,” said Rich Batley, one of the parties behind the soon-to-open Oshkosh Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center.

Thanks to Batley and two Appleton businessmen, John Pfefferle and Paul Hoffman, plus the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation, Oshkosh will be welcoming weekday convention business back home.

“It’s renovated, it’s our largest hotel in Oshkosh, it’s downtown attached to the convention center, and we are so excited about this,” said Wendy Hielsberg, executive director of the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Why so much excitement over one hotel opening its doors?

The hotel attached by skywalk to the city’s convention center has suffered some hiccups during the past decade including liens, closings, money problems, bankruptcy, a sheriff’s sale, loss of its liquor license, and more than its fair share of owners.

Eventually the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau just stopped booking events out of fear that visitors wouldn’t come back because of a hotel property that was simply falling apart.

www.newnorthb2b.com

TOURISM Four years ago, the convention center underwent a $2.8 million renovation.

That was great, Batley said. “But we didn’t have a quality hotel, so regional conventions really didn’t see Oshkosh as a good venue. Most conferences want a center that has a very nice hotel associated with it.”

Former monikers of the hotel include Radisson, Hilton, Park Plaza and City Center, but on May 1 it will officially become the Oshkosh Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center.

It’s working to achieve a Best Western Premier tag - a rare designation shared by fewer than 2 percent of the chain’s 2,200 hotels - within its first year of operation, according to Batley.

“This puts us at a pretty high level,” Batley said. What’s even more unusual, he said, is that the area boasts two Premiers within 15 miles of each other. The Bridgewood Resort in Neenah, which Batley co-owns, is another Premier property.

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• • •

Renovations major Those who have seen the former hotel property in downtown Oshkosh before are not going to see much they recognize, Batley said.

“This is so close to just being a brand-new facility,” he said.

“We took it right down to the studs and concrete.”

For starters, everything’s been upgraded. They lowered the number of guest rooms from 181 to 176, developing five into whirlpool/fireplace suites. There are executive suites, and a few “corner king” rooms with oversized windows on two sides.

Other amenities: an exercise facility with state-of-the-art workout equipment and window views; swimming pool and whirlpool; plus game room and a store for forgotten sundries.

The remodel makes use of the river view. “We’re the only hotel on the waterfront and near the mouth of Lake Winnebago, so we intend on marketing that and utilizing that as a strong selling point,” said Dan Schetter, the Premier Waterfront’s general manager. Most recently he served as general manager of the CopperLeaf Boutique Hotel & Spa in downtown Appleton, another property owned by Batley’s investment group.

For conference-goers, the renovated hotel includes 20 breakout rooms, updated meeting rooms, and river views from the convention center.

Its restaurant, The Ground Round at River’s Edge, has an outdoor patio and bar.

The river side of the convention center is technically a public park, but management is working with the city on getting permission to use it for events like weddings that involve a reception.

“When you combine the hotel and the convention center, we have 25,000 square feet of space,” Schetter said.

To make better use of the fully equipped kitchen on site, they’ve formed their own catering business on the side: Premier Waterfront Catering. It already has preferred-caterer contracts signed with EAA and The Waters.

It’s also partnering with Continental Girbau for the Premier’s in-house laundry facilities to serve as a showroom for the company’s commercial laundry equipment.

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TOURISM current offices off U.S. Highway 41 back downtown, to the 100 North Main building, across the street from the hotel and convention center.

“We felt we needed to be more in the heart of the community and be near the conventions,” Hielsberg said. It made sense to return to downtown, too, since walk-in traffic near Highway 41 wasn’t increasing due to the availability of online material.

Oshkosh is a mid-tier convention destination, meaning it’s capable of hosting expos and conferences of between 200 and 800 attendees.

Hielsberg said she won’t be able to predict how much the area will draw in convention revenue for another few years.

“I knew what it drew back in its heyday, but I won’t be able to make projections until we’ve been up and running for a year or so,” she said. “Oshkosh hasn’t had an active (multiple-day, downtown) convention for seven or eight years.”

“When we start to see some conventions trickle into this community we will see a really good tourism season,” Hielsberg said.

The City of Oshkosh owns the Convention Center, and the collaborative partnership group owns the hotel. It pays the city for the right to run its food and beverage services, Batley said.

Paper Valley remains positive It might look like the rug’s been pulled out from beneath plans to develop a proposed convention center near the Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton.

Do not be deceived: The group pushing for it keeps chugging along.

“We knew at the start we would need a perfect storm,” said Walt Rugland of Fox Cities Exhibition Center, Inc., the nonprofit established to advance the project.

With ownership of The Radisson Paper Valley Hotel currently in flux – an investment group now owns it after the previous owners it funded defaulted on payments in late 2012 – getting necessary commitments might take a bit longer.

“A lot is hinging on getting a management agreement signed with the hotel,” Rugland said, noting such an agreement would ask the hotel to take on the risks and rewards of operating the convention center. Once a management agreement is in place, only then would it be appropriate to ask municipalities to increase their hotel room tax to help fund the estimated $20 million project.

Rugland explained they need the room-tax revenue promised from Fox Cities municipalities before they can go to the bond market for funding.

Then they need the land transferred from the county to the city, and they need the St. Joseph’s convent and related structures demolished before building can begin.

The City of Appleton has already budgeted $3.4 million for the site, Rugland said.

But even if the Fox Cities Exposition Center group finished everything on its to-do list today, it would still be at least 15 months before any conventions can begin to use the proposed facility, according to Rugland.

The 60,000-sq. ft. project would consist of a 31,500-sq. ft. expo center with a 13,000-sq. ft. lobby and 10,000 square feet of support rooms, such as storage, restrooms, food prepa-

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TOURISM ration, etc. The center would be attached to the hotel and not a standalone facility that would need its own parking, Rugland said.

A convention center needs exhibit space, breakout rooms, banquet facilities and many argue, lodging, all under one roof.

The Radisson Paper Valley in downtown Appleton comes close – it has three out of the four elements.

The Paper Valley’s Schumerth said the expo center addition would supply the missing piece – exhibit space – and would be able to accommodate most of the kinds of events that come to the state.

Downtown Green Bay’s recent news – a $2 million Easter egg from the state’s capital budget to help expand the KI Convention Center – doesn’t daunt this group.

“Downtown Appleton has a lot to offer that downtown Green Bay doesn’t, so I don’t think that should be something that should scare people away or think this project isn’t worth it,” Schumerth said. “This project is just as viable a year from now, regardless of what Green Bay is doing.”

A 2010 artist’s rendering of the proposed KI Convention Center expansion.

Expansion of KI Speaking of plans to expand the existing KI Convention Center in downtown Green Bay, the project is currently in the design phase and could start construction as soon as October. The proposed $19.5 million project would add more

than 30,000 square feet to the current 44,000-sq. ft. facility, making it the fifth largest convention center in the state.

The expansion project will be funded using half of the additional increment from a 2 percent hike in the county’s hotel room tax, as well as nearly $8 million from the city through tax incremental financing, management fees and anticipated proceeds from naming rights.

Enhancing Green and Gold One of Green Bay’s other premier conference facilities is undergoing a $140.5 million renovation within the next year at the Lambeau Field Atrium. It’s not adding an internal meeting space, noted Aaron Popkey, director of public affairs for the Green Bay Packers, but a new plaza added to the Oneida Nation Gate could be a spot for outdoor group events.

The renovation project involves moving and expanding the Pro Shop below the atrium, moving Curly’s Pub to the existing Pro Shop location, moving the Hall of Fame from the atrium basement to the second floor, where Curly’s is currently located, and expanding the Oneida Nation Gate. The project nearly doubles the Pro Shop from 11,500 to 20,000 square feet.

Of the special events held at the Lambeau Atrium, slightly more than half are corporate, such as luncheons, conferences, speeches, presentations and to a smaller extent, expos in the under-100-booth range, according to Popkey.

The remaining 45 percent of its use includes events such as fundraisers for nonprofit groups, and social events like weddings and private parties.

The upgrades will make getting to the atrium attractions easier, especially when special events are being held in the atrium.

“We have a lot of unique spaces to hold different types of events,” Popkey said.

The atrium floor can host more than 2,000 people in a theater-style layout, and the Legends Club upstairs can hold 600 theater style and 380 classroom style. Club 1919 is an indoor club area with good views, and the Lee Remmel Press Box area can be rented out to functions as well, Popkey said.

Work is being done during the off season and should be completed by 2015.

Lee Reinsch writes and edits from Green Bay.

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 29

TRANSPORTATION

1

Brown County

1 – Lineville Road Interchange June through May 2015 • Reconstruction of Lineville Road interchange.

• Interchange will remain open in 2013 with intermittent lane and ramp closures. A majority of the work will be conducted in 2014.

2

5 4

2 – I-43 Interchange and Velp Avenue

3

September through December 2016 • Early structure work in advance of the reconstruction of the I-43 interchange.

• Intermittent ramp closures and lane restrictions in 2013.

6

3 – Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge and I-43 through July • Improving and resurfacing deteriorating pavement on the bridge and portions of I-43.

• Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction on I-43 from April through July.

• Ramp closures will occur at the Atkinson Dr. and Webster Ave. interchanges from April through July.

4 – WIS 29 System Interchange September 2012 through October 2014 • Reconstruction as a system-to-system interchange and service interchange.

• Westbound traffic routed onto newly-aligned Shawano Ave. and WIS 29 on-ramp at Packerland Dr. • Eastbound traffic routed onto the WIS 29 off-ramp, north along Packerland Dr. and east along Shawano Ave. • Intermittent ramp closures and lane restrictions.

5 – WIS 29 & County FF Interchange June to September 2014 • Convert WIS 29/County FF intersection to a diamond interchange with roundabouts at the ramp termini.

• Roundabouts will be constructed at the intersections of County FF with Navajo Trail/Golden Pond Park Court and County FF with County C/Shawano Avenue.

• A new frontage road will be constructed to connect the existing Golden Pond Park Ct. to the existing Sunlite Dr. • County FF will be closed to through traffic during construction.

30 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

8

7

9 10 www.newnorthb2b.com

TRANSPORTATION

Construction Projects for 2013 Winnebago County

6 – 9th Street June through August • Reconstruction of 9th Street roadway and sidewalks under US 41.

• 9th Street at US 41 will close for 40 days between June to August.

7 – WIS 172 Ramps

11

Fall through Summer 2015 • Reconstruction of WIS 172 ramps and mainline at US 41.

• Eastbound WIS 172 to northbound US 41 ramp will close starting this fall.

• Intermittent ramp and lane closures starting this fall.

11 – US 41 Mainline

8 – Hansen Road Bridge September through August 2014 • Reconstruction of Hansen Road bridge over US 41.

• Bridge will close between September to August 2014.

12

US 45 to Breezewood Lane, through May • Reconstruction of northbound US 41 lanes.

• Mainline US 41 will have two lanes of traffic in each direction.

12 – Lake Butte des Morts Causeway

9 – Grant Street

through July • Construction continues on the new northbound lanes and the new northbound structure over the Lake Butte des Morts main channel.

• Two lanes of traffic remain open in both directions.

May through June • Reconstruction of Grant Street under US 41.

• Grant Street, including intersection with Mid Valley Drive, will close for 150 days between May to September.

10 – US 41 Mainline Mainline segments under construction in 2013: Orange to 9th; Larsen to Memorial; Duck Creek to Lineville March 2012 through July 2016 • Reconstruction of US 41 mainline and structures.

• The US 41 mainline will have two lanes of traffic in each direction, with nighttime lane restrictions and/or ramp closures.

13 – WIS 44 Interchange

13

April through November • Replace the southeast wing on the WIS 44 bridge over US 41.

• Replace concrete pavement approaches to the WIS 44 bridge.

• WIS 44 will be down to one lane in each direction on the WIS 44 structure for eight weeks while work is completed on this structure and pavement approaches.

For information on the US 41 major project, please check the project website: http://us41wisconsin.gov/overview/about-the-project/2013-construction-schedule NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 31

HUMAN RESOURCES

A

triple winner

Educational collaborative helps funnel student interns to employers across the New North Story by Robin Driessen Bruecker New North employers often need the affordable help and fresh ideas that college students bring. The students need real-world job experience at regional companies to help launch their pending careers. And higher-education institutions need employers who can offer internships to help their new graduates succeed.

So it made sense for two- and four-year campuses to team up to bring students and employers together through one streamlined program. Intern2work is a newly developed program delivered through the 13 higher-education institutions that are part of the Northeast Wisconsin Educational Resource Alliance, or NEW ERA for short – a decade-old collaboration in the region. It’s also funding the program, rendering it free to employers and students.

“The market need for Intern2work.com is based on student, employer and college career advisors research on how to better connect student talent from the region’s higher-education institutions to employers for internship opportunities,” explained Linda Bartelt, executive director of NEW ERA.

32 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

www.newnorthb2b.com

HUMAN RESOURCES Hatching the idea In May 2011, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Business Success Center surveyed 205 participating students and employers from northeast Wisconsin technical colleges, two-year UW Colleges and four-year universities, according to Bartelt.

The majority favored doing at least one internship prior to graduation, with 79 percent indicating it was “very important/ critical.” Two-thirds of the respondents wanted more than one internship. The students also indicated they want to explore certain fields, determine a good fit, gain practical experience for their resume and for skill improvement, support their education with paid internships, and develop a professional network.

On the employer side, the survey found 59 percent of companies participating had employed a student intern during the last 12 months, Bartelt said. Companies felt that student interns can be potential future employees and affordable resources; they also contribute new ideas and technological skills.

“Students and employers alike are increasingly citing internships, part-time work or volunteer experiences as the single most important factor in finding employment upon graduation,” said Bartelt.

“Nationally, over 60 percent of companies consider college student internships as their number-one recruiting strategy.

The Intern2work mission is to increase college student internships in support of regional economic growth while retaining the highly skilled, degreed talent in northeast Wisconsin.”

Prior to its launch this year, Intern2work was beta-tested in spring 2012 by a group of employers and five NEW ERA members – UW Fond du Lac, Moraine Park Technical College, UW Oshkosh, UW Fox Valley and Fox Valley Technical College.

“The results of the beta test indicated that employers enthusiastically supported the ease of use, simplicity and flexibility to search a broad range of career interests and experience of college students,” noted Bartelt. Additional input came from an advisory committee consisting of college career advisors and students in addition to employers, who ensured Intern2work’s relevance and efficiency.

Design. Print. Mail.

Using Intern2Work Enrolling is simple. Students go to Intern2work’s internship login page and set up their profile, complete with area of study, skills, career interests, resume, times available for work, references and recommendations. Registered employers log in and conduct a search that links suitable profiles with the internships being offered. Students can also search and apply for posted internships. As with any job, setting up interviews is the next step.

Most internships are paid, Bartelt noted, although nonprofits may not have the budget. But they may still provide students with professional-development opportunities such as conferences, and the internship experience itself has value for the student.

Intern2work has its own internship, currently held by UW Oshkosh senior Kenny Miller, who is completing a BBA in

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HUMAN RESOURCES Intern2work partner institutions The NEW ERA consortium (neweraonline.org) partners with the 13 higher-education institutions in the New North that are involved with Intern2work: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

College of Menominee Nation Fox Valley Technical College Lakeshore Technical College Moraine Park Technical College Northeast Wisconsin Technical College University of Wisconsin Extension (statewide) University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac University of Wisconsin Fox Valley University of Wisconsin Green Bay University of Wisconsin Manitowoc University of Wisconsin Marinette University of Wisconsin Oshkosh University of Wisconsin Sheboygan

Human Resources Management next month. In his role as a program assistant, Miller has helped develop and coordinate the program.

“Intern2work.com is a great tool that helps students like me gain a competitive advantage in the future after we graduate,” said Miller. “It helps get my information out to more employers than I would have ever thought of sending my resume to. At UW Oshkosh, we have an internship requirement in the College of Business; this website creates another avenue for students to get noticed by potential employers.”

UWO Career Services Director Jaime Page-Stadler said Intern2work can be particularly valuable to students attending a two-year campus who may not have as many resources for career development as the four-year institutions.

Through internships, she said, “Students get to ‘sample’ different organizational cultures and environments to see which one they thrive in. Since most majors do not equal specific careers, transferable skills play a big role in driving success.

Students are able to ‘test drive’ a position as an intern to see if they would like that organization or type of position in the future.”

Page-Stadler noted numerous benefits for employers offering internships, such as a longer screening process to ensure a good fit between prospective interns and the company in addition to the potential permanent new hires.

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HUMAN RESOURCES The higher-education institutions benefit as well.

“Employers that offer internships are invested in the changing workforce and provide professional development opportunities for students to aid in their success,” explained Page-Stadler.

“Organizations that offer internships are more likely to partner with colleges to develop students through their academic preparation.”

➧

On the Web www.Intern2Work.com

A case for employers As of February, there were more than 300 student profiles and 70 employers registered on Intern2work.com.

“The business and industry list continues to build as we begin to fully market the resource network,” noted Bartelt.

Participating employers have experienced firsthand the efficiency of adding Intern2work to their recruiting kit.

“We draw candidates from career fairs, the applicants we receive from our postings via our applicant system, as well as our targeted efforts where we search campus resume databases for qualified candidates,” said Tom Lyga, manager of campus relations and the intern program at Oshkosh Corp.

“Intern2work supports that third practice as a centralized source of candidates. The main benefit for us at Oshkosh

Corporation would be an eventual single source of candidates from a cross-section of schools across the area. From an efficiency standpoint, having that single source of candidates to draw from would greatly streamline our sourcing operations.”

Lyga understands the importance of internships for college students, especially in a competitive job market.

“Relevant work experience is very important for students entering the workforce who are competing against other qualified graduates as well as displaced/underemployed workers willing to work at the entry-level positions,” he said. “In addition, as an intern, you have a foot in the door of that organization, giving you an advantage over external candidates.”

Ryan Haase, a senior human resources generalist with Society Insurance in Fond du Lac, provided employer feedback during Intern2work’s infancy and continues to use it for recruiting interns.

I found the resource to be one that could easily be adopted in our intern hiring practices at Society,” said Haase. “The ‘wait and see’ approach to recruiting is of lesser effectiveness in today’s talent acquisition strategy as compared to even five years ago, and building a talent pipeline is of key importance to Society’s success.

“Intern talent is in fairly high demand so we need to be proactive in recruiting which is where Intern2work comes in.”

Robin Bruecker has 17 years experience in magazine and marcom writing. Contact her at robinbrueck@yahoo.com.

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GOVERNMENT

Capitol expense

A cursory overview of the economic highlights of the budget proposal under discussion in Madison

By Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher With two years under his belt as Wisconsin’s top state officer, Gov. Scott Walker’s second crack at a biennial budget proposal was presented to state legislators in February under much more calm circumstances than his first budget address in early 2011. That budget was introduced during the mire of Act 10 protests in Madison, which many argue set the stage for a well-appropriated budget during the past two years. That two-year budget – of which the cycle will end on June 30, 2013 – is expected to result in a surplus of $484 million, according to January estimates from the state’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

The recent $68 billion spending package to cover the two-year period from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2015 now awaits discussion and massaging from the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee before ultimately passing along its version of the budget to the assembly and senate. The legislature generally aims to have the tedious budget process wrapped up prior to June 30, a deadline it met two years ago but has otherwise struggled to achieve during most of the past decade.

The governor’s proposal includes $343 million in individual income tax cuts over the biennium by specifically reducing the rates for the middle and bottom three tax brackets.

The following includes some of the economic and business-related highlights of the budget proposal that legislators will discuss.

Economic Development Q Provide $75 million in additional credits for the economic development tax credit program.

Q Repeal the $47.5 million lifetime cap on the angel investment tax credit program.

Q Simplify the Jobs and Enterprise Zone Tax Credit Program administration and expand eligibility in the program to include more manufacturers.

Q Provide $25 million in fiscal year 2013-14 for a capital investment program overseen by the Department of Administration.

Q Provide a total of $5.8 million in fiscal year 2013-14 and $11.2 million in fiscal year 2014-15 in all funds to support the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s seed accelerator and capital catalyst programs and marketing operations.

Q Grow Wisconsin’s dairy industry through creation of a dairy processor grant program, funded at $200,000 annually, to provide technical assistance for business planning, product

36 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

development and marketplace expansion.

Q Increase tourism marketing with $200,000 to support efforts to attract international visitors to Wisconsin and $150,000 for grants to programs aimed at attracting national meetings, conventions and sporting events.

Q Expand the sales and use tax exemption for property used in qualified research and development activities to include qualified research performed on behalf of a member of combined group, provided at least one member of the group is engaged in manufacturing or biotechnology in the state.

Q Provide support for state businesses to understand and comply with state and federal regulations by providing positions and funding for the small business environmental assistance program.

Energy and environment Q Encourage the development of alternative energy systems by creating a property tax exemption for biogas energy generation systems, allowing for the same personal property tax exemption as wind and solar systems.

www.newnorthb2b.com

GOVERNMENT Workforce Development Q Continue the disabled veterans’ employment tax credit for employers, which allows a tax credit up to $4,000 per eligible disabled veteran hired.

Q Increase opportunities for veterans by providing a grant to the VETransfer organization to support veteran entrepreneur training and start-up seed funding and providing $300,000 to continue the Veterans in Piping program.

Q Fund the Apprenticeship program with state dollars when federal funds run out in 2014 at $1.8 million.

Q Increase flexibility over $22 million in existing worker training-related funds to allow Wisconsin’s technical colleges to incentivize training program expansion in areas of highdemand for worker training needs.

Higher education Q Provide the University of Wisconsin System with $20 million for performance-based economic development, workforce development and affordability grants.

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Q Increase state aid to technical colleges by $5 million in general aid.

Q Fund $2 million to support start-up costs to develop additional programs and course offerings in the new UW Flexible Option degree program.

Q Provide flexibility to the technical colleges by consolidating all GPR-funded categorical aid and grant programs in the second year of the biennium, and permit the colleges to use the funding to achieve performance measures.

Transportation Q Invest a total of $6.4 billion in Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure, including $824 million in new state funds to prioritize existing revenue streams, and provide $23 million of state taxpayer funds to partially repay raids on the Transportation Fund between 2005 through 2009.

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Q Fund transit operating aids from the general fund, rather than the Transportation Fund, beginning in fiscal year 2014-15.

Q Provide a total of $550 million in funding for the continued on-time construction of the Zoo Interchange project in Milwaukee and the I-94 north-south corridor.

Q Invest $10.7 million in the state’s harbor system.

Q Increase funding for routine maintenance agreements with counties by $55 million over the biennium.

Q Provide $60 million for the Freight Rail Preservation program.

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WHO’S NEWS Incorporations New North B2B publishes monthly new business incorporations filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.

Brown County

Virtual Business Solutions LLC, Carrie Renee Wareham, 723 S. Superior St., De Pere 54115.

Horsecollar Lodge LLC, Todd Michael Gerbig, 1730 Spring Hills Lane, De Pere 54115.

Pubhaus At 600 LLC, Bobbi Lee Schroeder, 600 George St., De Pere 54115.

Oak Hill Hunt Club Inc., Paul F. Snider, 1899 Little Valley Court, De Pere 54115.

S.O.S. (Simple Organizing Solutions) of Green Bay LLC, Carolyn Murphy-Auguston, 3138 Lost Dauphin Road, De Pere 54115.

Rieder Franchise Consulting LLC, Jerry M. Rieder, 425 S. Good Hope Road, De Pere 54115.

Wisconsin Media Check Inc., Deron J. Andre, 1251 Scheuring Road, Unit B, De Pere 54115.

Fraluz Frozen Treats LLC, Debra S. Zwicky, 2380 Daytona Speedway, De Pere 54115.

Easy Street Property Maintenance LLC, Wayne A. Beilfuss, 2130 Lost Dauphin Road, De Pere 54115.

Informed Insurance Solutions LLC, Andy Dorner, 1540 W. Main Ave., De Pere 54115.

Halaburda Communications LLC, Olga Hietpas, 325 Arborvitae Lane, De Pere 54115.

Packersushi LLC, Christopher T. Hanaway, 116 South Broadway, De Pere 54115.

Green Ink Solutions LLC, Tim L. Sinkler, 4581 Game Lane, Denmark 54208.

Premier Renovations LLC, Craig J. Dorner, 2625 Bellevue St., Green Bay 54311.

Riverside Medical LLC, Richard Otradovec, 1365 North Road, Ste. F, Green Bay 54313.

Highpoint Technology Solutions Inc., Craig Millett, 550 Edelweiss Dr., Green Bay 54302.

Mr Fix @#It LLC, Jeffery David Van Lieshout, 1142 Anchor Dr., Green Bay 54313.

Daddy D Productions LLC, Darren J. Johnson, 517 Lacona Ct., Green Bay 54313.

Spectrum Behavioral Health LLC, Linda Ann Carmody, 340 Windward Road, Green Bay 54302.

Renew Physical Therapy Inc., Shawn E. Jackson, 1267 Billie Ct., Green Bay 54313.

Martinez-Jaramillo Cleaning Solutions LLC, Eder Martinez, 600 Karl St., Green Bay 54301.

Easterling Investigation LLC, Hilkiah B. Easterling, Sr., 1028 Moraine Way, Apt. 6, Green Bay 54303.

Melissa M. Battle D.C. LLC, Melissa M. Battle, 425 S. Military Ave., Green Bay 54303.

Kevin Borseth Basketball LLC, Kevin Borseth, 2420 Nicolet Dr., Green Bay 54311.

Jon’s Driving Academy LLC, Jon Soyring, 1221 Bellevue St., Green Bay 54302.

Tundra Creative Group LLC, Theresa Rosik-Geurts, 2982 S. Ridge Road, Green Bay 54304.

Badger State Brewing Company LLC, Andrew Fabry, 990 Tony Canadeo Run, Green Bay 54304.

Ace Universal Metalworks LLC, Gordon W. Renn, 1250 Cornell Road, Green Bay 54313.

Keebler Group Tax Planning Software LLC, Robert S. Keebler, 420 S. Washington St., Green Bay 54301.

38 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

Advantage Landscaping LLC, Ryan Rentmeester, 121 Jacob St., Green Bay 54302.

Baird Creek Investigative Service LLC, James Demerath, 2524 Remington Road, Green Bay 54302.

East Town Station LLC, Gerald Wied, 1401 E. Marhill Road, Green Bay 54313.

Green Bay Stat-Medical LLC, Brody Burns, 2643 Libal St., Green Bay 54301.

Tower Clock Racing LLC, Kurt Schwiesow, 1120 S. Van Buren, Green Bay 54301.

Meat Shack LLC, Choua M. Yang, 1053 Edgewood Dr., Green Bay 54311.

Arrowhead Exteriors of WI LLC, Dan W. Hinkfuss, 1484 Belle Plane Circle, Green Bay 54313.

Vibe Dance Center LLC, Kelsey Michelle Johnson, 1541 Conrad Dr., Green Bay 54313.

Cardiothoracic Surgery Associates LLC, Thomas L. Cain, M.D., 3501 Pine Forest Dr., Green Bay 54313.

A1 Emergency Excavating LLC, Randy Veeser, 2735 He-Nis-Ra Lane, Green Bay 54304.

Invigorate Your Health LLC, Gina J. Terry, 2301 Holmgren Way, Ste. 6, Green Bay 54304.

Groth Family Farm LLC, Christopher Groth, 3384 Wilderness Trail, Green Bay 54313.

Blaser Equipment Appraisals LLC, Timothy Thomas Blaser, 1205 S. Monroe Ave., Green Bay 54301.

Lasers Edge Custom Engraving LLC, Adam M. Servais, 2109 Wheat Way, Green Bay 54311.

Branch River Cattle Company LLC, Alec Maxwell Otto, 7578 Dickinson Road, Greenleaf 54126.

Tee Construction LLC, Anthony L. Franco, 4150 Merrimac Way, Oneida 54155.

Somerhalder Insurance Advocates LLC, Linda Somerhalder, 1851 Shady Creek Circle, Suamico 54173.

Fond du Lac County

Russ Derksen Machinery Ranch LLC, Cindy Derksen, N5286 Center Road, Brandon 53919.

Up N Running Repair LLC, Boyd Hall, 243 Bauman St., Campbellsport 53010.

Inspire Dance and Fitness Center LLC, Christopher Hitt, 150 W. Main St., Campbellsport 53010.

Envision Metalworks LLC, David Gary Gilbertson, 87 Guindon Blvd., Fond du Lac 54935.

Sabel Scenic View Farm LLC, Steven G. Sabel, W1947 County Road Q, Malone 53049.

Floors By Nate LLC, Nathan Mirr, 628 State St., Ripon 54971.

The Clean Machine Mobile Power Washing LLC, Adam Chase, 1092 Metomen St., Ripon 54971.

Oconto County

County Mile Home Repair LLC, Michael Harvat, 5191 Oak Orchard, Abrams 54101.

Outagamie County

Sign Edge LLC, Thomas L. Tuttle, 2326 S. Kernan Ave., Appleton 54915.

Metaphor Analytics LLC, Scott Allen Wanless, 713 E. Dennison St., Appleton 54915.

Hooper Law Office LLC, Edward Fossum Hooper, 2 Systems Dr., Appleton 54914.

Totzke’s Mobile Handyman Services LLC, Martin W. Totzke, 1316 E. Shade Tree Lane, Appleton 54915.

DuBois Technology Services LLC, Michael Steven DuBois, 1423 W. Hiawatha Dr., Appleton 54914.

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WHO’S NEWS Your Turf Fitness LLC, Jada Jean Vanark-Miller, W6087 Cornflower Dr., Appleton 54915.

Fox Valley Submarines LLC, Sujal Baherawala, 1301 E. Overland Road, Appleton 54911.

Touchless Covers of Wisconsin LLC, Ryan A. Smith, 5643 Natures Lane, Appleton 54914.

Choice Property Management LLC, Pierce M. Buchinger, 4245 N. Orion Lane, Appleton 54913.

Restyle Fox Cities LLC, Melanie Simon, 3316 Huckleberry Lane, Appleton 54915.

Bayside Custom Tackle LLC, Troy Koehnke, 1324 W. Rogers Ave., Appleton 54914.

Appleton Spine Institute LLC, Roger Nguyen, 3225 W. Spencer St., Appleton 54914.

B&B Family Farms LLC, Daniel J. Vanden Boogaard, N9532 Noe Road, Appleton 54915.

Regency Wealth Management LLC, John James Kosmer, c/o LPL Financial, Appleton 54914.

Encircle Services LLC, William Kenneth Ritcey, 2201 E. Enterprise Ave., Appleton 54913.

Crooked Hat Construction LLC, Alan Jay Mitchell, N9607 Golden Way, Appleton 54915.

AE Jewelers of Green Bay LLC, Richard L. Meyer, 3545 E. Calumet St., Appleton 54915.

Quick Bites Diner LLC, Kyle Lepinsky, 106 S. State St., Appleton 54911.

Lee’s Grocery LLC, Mai X. Lee, 219 S. Walter Ave., Appleton 54915.

Integrity Financial Management LLC, Jacquelynn Konkle, W2143 Ludwig St., Freedom 54130.

Southern Motors LLC, Grant E. Maiman, N1280 Thrush Dr., Greenville 54942.

Baker Landscaping LLC, Bradley Michael Baker, 1251 Janet St., Kaukauna 54130.

Mike Eldred Home Improvements LLC, Michael L. Eldred, 524 W. 7th St., Kaukauna 54130.

Oudenhoven Farms LLC, Robert Oudenhoven, N3224 McCabe Road, Kaukauna 54130.

Mike’s General Store LLC, D. Michael Grotenhuis, 126 S. James St., Kimberly 54136.

Quick Turn Machine LLC, Scott R. Siebers, 117 W. Greenfield Dr., Little Chute 54140.

Radd Accounting LLC, Brandon Raddant, 1407 Grant St., Little Chute 54140.

Winnebago County

General Cleaning Services LLC, Yajaira Sierra, 813 Racine St., Menasha 54952.

The Floor Smith Corp., Todd Smith, 2152 Plank Road, Menasha 54952.

Start Small Design LLC, Anthony Johann Schmidt, 1021 Manitoba St., Menasha 54952.

South Valley Business Park LLC, Carl Frank Freundl, 6172 Dixie Road, Neenah 54956.

Fonkem Business Consulting LLC, Ngosong Fonkem, 691 S. Green Bay, #104, Neenah 54956.

Complete Auto Repair LLC, Michael Arnold Sakis, 1278 Green Acres Lane, Neenah 54956.

Johnson IT Solutions LLC, Richard N. Johnson, 2536 Maple Grove Dr., Neenah 54956.

MyTech Services LLC, Louis Samson Obot, 1672 Jaimee Dr., Omro 54963.

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 39

WHO’S NEWS Alecos Insurance Agency LLC, Stephanie Alecos, 2370 State Road 44, Oshkosh 54904.

Murken Insurance LLC, Mary Murken, 2380 State Road 44, Ste. 1, Oshkosh 54904.

Green Tomato Artisan Market & Kitchen LLC, Wayne J. Wojciechowski, 300 Oxford Ave., Oshkosh 54901.

Fisher Race Engines LLC, William R. Fisher IV, 164 W. Waukau Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

Luna Spa LLC, Kristin Carrick, 1720 Grove St., Oshkosh 54901.

Elliott Time Keeping Systems LLC, Charles Francis Elliott, 2525 Bowen St., Oshkosh 54901.

Sunny Days Construction LLC, Howard Joseph Smith, 961 Butler Ave., Winnebago 54985.

Winneconne Chiropractic and Sports Rehab LLC, Alexandra Grace Kellogg, 238 W. Main St., Winneconne 54986.

Social Bulldog Design LLC, Daniel Bernard Malewski, 428 Birch St., Winneconne 54986.

Building permits B2B includes a monthly list of building permits (not to include residential projects) in excess of $400,000.

St. Vincent Hospital, 835 S. Van Buren St., Green Bay. $5,915,322 for alterations to the surgery department and renovations to the second floor pediatric clinic. General contractor is IEI General Contractors of De Pere.

February 11.

The Outlet Shoppes at Oshkosh, 3001 S. Washburn St., Oshkosh. $450,000 to renovate the façade and canopy at the storefronts of the outlet mall. Contractor listed as self. February 12.

Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac, 75 W. Scott St., Fond du Lac. $980,000 for interior alterations to the former grocery store for a new museum. General contractor is C.D. Smith Construction Co. of Fond du Lac. February 14.

Agnesian Healthcare, 430 E. Division St., Fond du Lac. $4,260,000 for interior alterations to the third floor of the West Clinic, and to renovate electrical infrastructure. General contractor is C.D. Smith Construction Co. of Fond du Lac. February 15.

Wisconsin Electric Power Co., 201 W. Edison Ave., Appleton. $500,634 for repairs to the existing powerhouse. General contractor is C.R. Meyer & Sons Construction of Oshkosh. February 21.

Fox Valley Technical College Transportation Center, 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., town of Grand Chute. $3,100,000 for a 43,486-sq. ft. addition to the existing transportation education center. General contractor is Miron Construction Co. of Neenah. February 22.

Port City Bakery Inc., 3050 Walker Dr., Green Bay. $2,900,000 for 48,036-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial building. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. February 26.

New businesses Mary J. Murken opened Murken Insurance LLC, an independent insurance agency at 2380 State Road 44, Ste. I in Oshkosh. Murken has 17 years experience in the industry providing business, auto, home, life and health insurance, as well as Medicare products. She holds a Certified Insurance Counselor designation.

Michelle and Jonny Richard launched Forward Financial LLC as an

40 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS investment strategy firm based in Appleton. The firm also offers insurance strategies and employee benefit solutions for companies with five to 100 employees. The firm’s web site is www.movingforwardfinancial.com.

New locations ProDispatch Services LLC moved into The Advance Business & Manufacturing Center, located at 2701 Larsen Road on the campus of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. The transportation brokerage and management company focuses on food industry shipments requiring refrigerated equipment and paper industry shipments. The office can be reached by phone at 920.544.0411.

Mergers/acquisitions Kimberly-based U.S. Oil acquired six compressed natural gas fueling stations across eastern Wisconsin from We Energies, including one in Appleton. The stations will be added to the two existing Gain Clean Fueling compressed natural gas stations U.S. Oil owns and another station it plans to open in Green Bay. In a separate transaction, U.S. Oil’s parent company, U.S. Venture, acquired See USA Company’s branded wholesale fuel supply business that supplies 24 convenience stores throughout central Indiana and parts of Illinois.

Business anniversaries Business anniversaries are run in increments of 25 years starting with the 75th anniversary.

Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company of Neenah celebrated its 100th anniversary on March 12. The company was founded in 1913 by a group of Wisconsin retail jewelers under the name Jewelers Mutual Limited Fire Company of Wisconsin. Today the company insures nearly 10,000 jewelry businesses and protects 270,000 individuals’ jewelry possessions across the United States and Canada.

Business honors

the Commitment to Excellence Award as well as the $100 Grand Award; E. Johnson St. – FdL also received the “Ruth” Award for Excellence in Hospitality; Westowne Avenue – Oshkosh received the Commitment to Excellence Award; and Koeller Street – Oshkosh received the $400,000 Award, recording the second highest increase in sales throughout the entire Culver’s organization in 2012.

The Allouez Business Association presented its 2013 Excellence in Business Awards to Orthodontic Specialists of Green Bay, Large Business of the Year, and to Lorelei Inn of Green Bay, Small Business of the Year.

Lawrence University in Appleton earned a spot on the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the seventh consecutive year it’s been named to the list. Lawrence students devoted more than 16,650 hours to community volunteer and service-learning programs during 2012.

The Financial Wellness Center located at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton was one of 21 recipients of the 2012 Wisconsin Financial Literacy Award presented by the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy.

The Financial Wellness Center is a collaboration between FVTC and its foundation, Goodwill Industries/FISC and Community First Credit Union.

AIA Corporation in Neenah won a Bronze Pyramid for tradeshows in the 2013 Pyramid Award Competition from Promotional Products Association International.

The Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce presented awards to the following businesses during its recent annual awards dinner: Kobussen Buses of Kaukauna, Large Business Achievement Award; Midwest Workwear in Kaukauna, Small Business of the Year; and Baer Performance Marketing of De Pere, Emerging Enterprise Business Award.

New hires

Awards and honors earned by individuals are listed separately in the Who’s News section of New North B2B.

Avastone Technologies in Little Chute hired Drew Poggemann as its director of technology. Poggemann has more than 20 years experience in the IT industry, particularly in application architecture, development and database management.

Culver’s Restaurants of Fond du Lac and Oshkosh earned various awards among the 460 stores nationwide during the franchise’s annual convention, including: East Johnson Street – Fond du Lac, Pioneer Road – Fond du Lac and Highway 23 West – Fond du Lac locations all received

Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh hired Gerard Bodalski as the vice president of health care services and Kathy Kubichek as director of nursing for Eden Rehabilitation Suites and Green House Homes. Bodalski has more

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WHO’S NEWS than 20 years experience in long-term care and serves as the administrator for Bethel Home and Elijah’s Place.

Kubichek has 29 years experience in geriatric nursing.

Bishop

Appleton-based Great Northern Corp. hired Rick Bishop as vice president and general manager of its StrataGraph operation in Oshkosh. Bishop has more than 20 years experience leading folding carton manufacturing facilities, and most recently served as a packaging engineering manager for Wells Enterprises Inc. Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership, Inc. hired Sadie Parafiniuk as the director of marketing and special events. Parafiniuk previously managed special events and marketing while working for Congressman Rep. Tom Petri and the Citizens for Tom Petri campaign team.

Parafiniuk

Appleton-based Business Lending Group hired Gary Brum as vice president. Brum has more than 25 years experience in commercial lending and sales, most recently serving as vice president of business banking for Wells Fargo in Appleton.

First Business Bank – Northeast hired Mike Kern as vice president - portfolio manager. Kern has 19 years of banking experience, having spent the past 16 years with Associated Bank.

Kern

Steimel

sales account manager. Frantz has 23 years of marketing experience, including 13 years as an independent marketing consultant. Degener has six years of inside sales, account management and lead generation experience.

Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. in Neenah hired Paul J. Fuhrman, CPA, as its chief financial officer. Fuhrman has more than 20 years experience in senior level financial management in the insurance industry, having most recently served as vice president for financial reporting and controller at SFM Mutual Insurance Company in Minnesota.

Keller Inc. of Kaukauna hired John Elrick to its Fox Cities project management team. Elrick has more than 20 years experience in design and project management overseeing projects such as warehousing, financial institutions, restaurants, offices and manufacturing facilities.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Business Success Center hired Kim Biedermann as an outreach program manager. Her responsibilities also include overseeing the Survey Success Center.

First Bank Financial Centre hired Joan Kinate as vice president and SBA business development officer for the Green Bay area. Kinate has 30 years experience in commercial lending, including the past eight years specifically in SBA lending.

Fond du Lac Economic Development Corp. hired William Steimel as director of business development and Sarah Spang as an executive assistant. Steimel previously worked with Brunswick Credit Corp. at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac and was a consultant to Quad Graphics.

Neenah-based Stellar Blue Web Design LLC hired Tim Wilson as a web/mobile developer. He previously worked as an intern for Stellar Blue.

Appleton-based Schenck S.C. hired Paul Rozek as associate director of risk services. Rozek has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the areas of information security, IT governance, IT risk management, IT control frameworks, IT policies and procedures, and third-party vendor solutions.

The University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac Foundation hired Patty Brandl as its executive director. Brandl most recently oversaw the Leadership Fond du Lac program for the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce, and previously worked as city and business reporter for The Reporter in Fond du Lac.

Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau hired Mary Hirvela as its marketing communications manager. Hirvela has eight years experience in the hospitality marketing and sales fields.

Appleton-based Ledgeview Partners hired Jane Frantz as marketing manager and Jean Degener as an inside

Promotions Epiphany Law LLC in Appleton named Kathryn M. Blom as its first partner. Blom joined Epiphany Law in 2007 and specializes in business transactional matters, commercial real estate and development, mergers and acquisitions, contracts and franchising. She also practices

Spang

Rozek

Hirvela

42 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

Frantz

Degener

Elrick

Kinate www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS estate planning, succession planning and asset protection techniques.

ImproMed LLC in Oshkosh promoted Hallie Detjen to general manager. She is a certified public accountant. Ron Detjen, former president of ImproMed, transitioned into a senior advisor role.

Oshkosh-based CitizensFirst Credit Union promoted William Wuske, Jr. to executive vice president and chief operations officer and promoted Robert Matz to executive vice president and chief financial officer. Wuske has been with CitizensFirst for 27 years, and Matz has been there more than 20 years.

Individual honors Gary Kusnierz, vice president of performance excellence for Ministry Health Care, was named to Healthcare Design’s HCD 10 list. Kusnierz was chosen for his work in continuous improvement, strategic planning, development and construction and environmental stewardship for Ministry and Affinity Health System.

The Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce presented its Business Person of the Year Award to Glenda Woosley, owner of Culver’s of Darboy.

Susan A. May, president of Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, was named UW-Stout’s 2013 Career and Technical Educator in Residence. May earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Stout.

Anna Lohmann, general manager of Culver’s on Pioneer Road – Fond du Lac, and Josh George, general manager of Culver’s on Highway 23 West – FdL, both received the Excellence in Leadership Award from Culver’s franchising, ranking them among the top 10 managers out of all 460 Culver’s restaurants. It’s the third time George received this honor and the second time for Lohmann.

Brandl

Elections/appointments Kevin Ralofsky, CEO of CitizensFirst Credit Union in Oshkosh, was elected to a three-year term on the board of the Wisconsin Credit Union League. He represents members from Region 4, which includes the lower Fox Valley and much of central Wisconsin.

Blom

UW-Fond du Lac philosophy professor Eric Boos was appointed to the African Union to serve as an advisory counsel for its international law division. Boos has made several trips to conduct work in Tanzania as a Fulbright Scholar since 2003 on land tenure laws, the rights of women and pastoralists, and human rights issues.

Boos

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BUSINESS CALENDAR Business calendar

chamber members. For information, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com.

New North B2B encourages businesses and organizations looking to attract interested persons to upcoming events to send an announcement to: New North B2B, Attn: Who’s News, P.O. Box 559, Oshkosh, WI 54903.

For more events, log on to www.thenewnorthevents.com.

April 2 Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

April 3 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Habitat for Humanity, 150 S. Brooke St. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $5. For more information or to register, go online to www. fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500.

April 4 Business over Breakfast, an event from Fox Valley Technical College Venture Center, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at D.J. Bordini Center, 5 Systems Dr. in Appleton. Cost to attend is $15 and includes breakfast. To register, call 920.735.5709 or email venture@fvtc.edu.

April 9 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Sales Club, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend for

April 10 “The American Dream in 2015,” the annual spring summit from Labor Management Council Inc. of Northeast Wisconsin, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Radisson Hotel, 2040 Airport Dr. in Green Bay. Keynote speaker Tony Evers, State Superintendent of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, highlights a day of speakers and panel discussions focusing on education and job training for our future workers. Cost to attend is $95 for members; $115 for nonmembers, and includes lunch and materials.

For more information or to register, go online to www.lmcouncil.org, call 920.882.7712 or email labormanagement@tds.net.

April 10 Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Green Bay. Cost to attend is $5 for chamber members. For information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

April 10 Northeast Wisconsin International Business Network meeting, 7:30 to 10 a.m. at Fox Valley Technical College Bordini Center, 5 Systems Dr. in Appleton. Session will focus on international business compliance. Cost to attend is $12 and includes materials. For more information or to register, go online to www.fvtc.edu/newibn or contact Nancy at 920.735.4844 or email petersn@fvtc.edu.

April 11 Women in Management – Oshkosh Chapter monthly meeting, 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. at La Sure’s Banquet Hall, 3125 S. Washburn St. in Oshkosh.

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44 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

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BUSINESS CALENDAR Program is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Generations in the Workplace.â&#x20AC;? For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org or email Patty at pshea@ sheaelectricllc.com.

des Morts Country Club in Appleton. Keynote speaker is Tom Boldt of Boldt Construction, Inc. Registration is required by April 29. For more information or to register, go online to www.familybusinessfirst.com.

April 16 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at Quad/Graphics, N11896 State Road 175 in Lomira. Cost to attend is $5. For more information or to register, go online to www.fdlac. com or call 920.921.9500.

May 7 Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

April 25 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at Encore Event Planning, 146 Algoma Blvd., Ste. C in Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $2. Registration is required by going online to www.oshkoshchamber.com or calling 920.303.2266.

May 8 Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Gandrud Auto Group, 2300 Auto Plaza Way in Green Bay. Cost to attend is $5 for chamber members. For more information or to register, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

May 1 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Ideal Chiropractic, 976 E. Johnson St. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $5. For more information or to register, go online to www. fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500.

May 6 Family Business First Awards Dinner, an event from the Wisconsin Family Business Forum and First Business Bank, 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Butte

Coming to B2B in May Education

Training to help sharpen the skill set of management

Better Business Bureau New Members

Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during February 2013 Artistry Gardens, Kaukauna Budget Blinds of Sheboygan, Sheboygan Carriveau Insurance Agency, Crivitz Century Remodeling LLC, Appleton Handyman Tom, Kimberly Honest Pet Products LLC, Manitowoc I Win PC, Appleton J K Flooring, Green Bay Kuehl Electric Services LLC, Random Lake Messar Funeral Home, Wausaukee Mow, Blow & Go Lawn Care Services, Hortonville National Security & Investigations LLC, Black Creek Non Typical Inc., Green Bay Stellar Vision Inc., Oshkosh UES Computers, Marinette Wisconsin Insurance Solutions LLC, Green Bay

Advertiser Index Bank First National www.bankfirstnational.com.................................. 27 Borsche Roofing Professionals www.wiroofer.com........................... 16 Bouwer Printing and Mailing Inc. www.bouwerprinting.com................ 33 Builders Exchange of Wisconsin www.bxwi.com............................ 17 Capital Credit Union www.capitalcu.com........................................ 43 CitizensFirst Credit Union www.citizensfirst.com . ............................ 22 Clean Image Janitorial www.cijanitorial.com................................... 34 Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. www.dkattorneys.com..................................... 5 Dental Associates www.careplusdentalplans.com............................... 44 Digiprint www.digiprint.biz.............................................................. 8 Downtown Oshkosh BID www.downtownoshkosh.com........................ 29 Epiphany Law www.epiphanylaw.com. ............................................ 39 Fast Signs www.fastsigns.com....................................................... 39 First Business Bank www.firstbusiness.com. ...................................... 2 Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau www.foxcities.org.............. 28 Fox Valley Savings Bank www.FVSBank.com................................... 24 Fox Valley Technical College www.fvtc.edu/bis. ................................ 7 Guident Business Solutions www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com............ 33 Heidel House Resort & Spa www.heidelhouse.com............................. 9 Keller Inc. www.kellerbuilds.com. ..................................................... 9 Moraine Park Technical College www.morainepark.edu..................... 35 Network Health Plan www.networkhealth.com . ................................ 47 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council www.newbt.org.......... 41 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development www.corporatetraining.nwtc.edu......................................................... 37 Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau www.visitoshkosh.com.......... 24 Oshkosh Premier Waterfront Hotel www.oshkoshwaterfronthotel.com..... 23 Outagamie County Regional Airport www.atwairport.com. ................ 46 Radisson Paper Valley Hotel www.radissonpapervalley.com................. 25 Ramada Plaza Green Bay www.greenbayramada.com........................ 27 R&R Steel Construction Company Inc. www.rrsteelconstruction.com..... 14 Sadoff & Rudoy Industries www.sadoff.com................................... 12 Security Luebke Roofing www.securityluebkeroofing.com. .................... 15 TEC www.tecmidwest.com. ............................................................ 40 Thomas James Real Estate www.tjrsite.com.................................. 48 UW Oshkosh College of Business www.mba.uwosh.edu................... 18 Winnebago County Solid Waste Management www.co.winnebago.wi.us/solid-waste/container-rental-program. ....................... 7

NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013 l 45

KEY STATISTICS Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

$3.68 March 17 $3.68 March 10 $3.69 March 3 $3.71 Mar. 24, 2012 $3.94 March 24

Source: New North B2B observations

February

917,000

0.8%

from January

27.7%

from February 2012 January

$1.555 billion

17%

from December

8.5%

from January 2012

February

$421.4 billion

1.1%

from January

4.6%

from February 2012 (2007 = 100)

February

99.5

0.7%

from January

2.5%

from February 2012 (Manufacturers and trade)

January

$1,642 billion

1.0%

from December

5.6%

Appleton Fond du Lac Green Bay Neenah Oshkosh Wisconsin

January Dec. Jan. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;12 8.8% 8.9% 10.1% 9.3% 7.8% 8.0%

7.7% 7.2% 8.7% 8.0% 6.5% 6.6%

8.8% 8.7% 9.9% 9.1% 7.5% 7.7%

Prices for small businesses using less than 20,000 therms.

Listed price is per therm.

$0.761 February $0.759 Mar. 2012 $0.806 March

Source: Integrys Energy (Numbers above 50 mean expansion. Numbers below 50 mean contraction.)

February January

54.2 53.1

from January 2012

If there are indicators youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to see in this space, contact our office at 920.237.0254 or email info@newnorthb2b.com.

46 l NEW NORTH B2B l APRIL 2013

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136 High Avenue, Oshkosh

1315-1335-1375 Moreland St., Oshkosh

For Sale 26 Apartments -17 garages 14 - 2 bedroom & 12 - 1 bedroom

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4041 State Road 91 - Unit B, Oshkosh

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