March 2012

meetings mean BUSINESS Feeding a Hungry World

Efforts aimed at growing convention business to drive hospitality sector

Agribusiness

Poorest Website

Pierce Stronglove

March 2012 $3.95

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new north b2b March 2012

20 28

32

Features

36

20 COVER STORY ❘ Meetings Mean Business ❘ Efforts aimed at growing region’s convention and meetings business

28 MANUFACTURING ❘ Prognosis: Good ❘ New North industrial growth increases need for skilled labor

32 RETAIL ❘ Patron Loyalty ❘ Retail rewards help harvest valuable customer info

36 AGRIBUSINESS ❘ Feeding A Hungry World ❘ Wisconsin Ag exports reach all-time high in 2011

Departments

On our Cover

4 From the Publisher 38 Professionally Speaking 6 Since We Last Met 10 Corporate Earnings 12 Build Up Pages 19 Pierce Stronglove 27 Guest Commentary 40 Who’s News 46 Business Calendar 47 Advertiser Index 48 Guest Commentary 50 Key Statistics

Cover illustration by Kate Erbach.

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 3

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Fox Valley Tech plan needs your support Timing, scope of project make for a sensible investment in the future of region’s economy

Sean Fitzgerald New North B2B Publisher 4 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

It’s not often B2B editorializes and endorses a position on a local referendum, because so often they affect one K-12 school district or one municipality that represents just a small fraction of our coverage area.

But in the case of the Fox Valley Technical College referendum on April 3 asking voter approval to borrow $66.5 million to finance seven capital expansion projects, the issue affects the property taxes for nearly half of our readers, as well as the future job training potential for a wider area of the region.

And alhough it’s unpopular to support an initiative to raise taxes when the performance of the overall economy remains uncertain, we believe the Fox Valley Tech proposal is a relatively small investment that will enable substantial economic and workforce development opportunities specifically benefitting the New North region. Voters residing within the FVTC district communities of the Fox Cities, Oshkosh, Chilton and outlying areas should check ‘Yes’ to support this building project.

As a measure of full disclosure, I need to remind readers that FVTC has advertised some of its programs and events in the pages of B2B during the past 10 years. But that doesn’t change our view of the importance of the institution’s role in growing its service offerings and enrollment by admirable lengths during the past decade. Fox Valley Tech needs taxpayer assistance to expand its training focus even further.

The largest component of the college development proposal is a $32 million Public Safety Training Center at the Outagamie County Regional Airport that would provide fully-integrated tactical training for both students and working professionals in law enforcement, fire protection and emergency medical services. It would be the only facility of its kind in the Midwest, and would likely attract public safety professionals from around the state for training sessions of various lengths. Besides enhancing training of our local public safety, the proposed facility would help put heads in beds and increase tourism dollars in the region.

Another component, the nearly $12 million Health Simulation and Technology Center, aims to expand and improve training for the waiting list of students interested in pursuing a career in a health care profession. The proposed $6 million expansion of the transportation center will allow the college to double the capacity in its truck driving and diesel technician

programs, both of which turn out graduates in heavy demand across the state. Additional projects will help expand agricultural training facilities, where enrollment has grown 87 percent since 2008, as well as to help prepare for future growth at the school’s Oshkosh and Chilton outreach campuses.

Is the referendum proposal from FVTC perfect? No, and few referendum proposals from any school district or municipality ever are simply because there’s so many moving parts to these often complex facilities improvement projects. While we would have preferred separate referenda asking for approval on each project, the all-or-nothing approach taken by FVTC isn’t enough to turn our support against it. This proposal is just too important for the future of our regional economy.

Fox Valley Technical College served 53,000 students and working professionals from the region in 2011, more than any other of the state’s 16 technical colleges. It could serve more, but limitations on program capacity as a result of fully utilized facilities could severely restrict necessary growth in the future. That would be a shame for our region, which stands to gain more from transitioning into a skills-based economy than relying on many of the same job-preparedness standards of yesteryear, which workers in even China, India and Mexico now possess.

If the New North aims to remain globally competitive, it requires a continual evolution of the skills standards of our workforce, which in turn requires continual improvement of the advanced training and education to provide those skills. Fox Valley Tech has a proven 100-year track record of efficiently and costeffectively providing such skills training to our local workforce without compromising quality. But it needs the upgraded facilities to continue to evolve its mission.

The timing couldn’t be better to borrow at historically low rates of interest, or to build during a period in the construction industry in which firms are bidding on projects more competitively than ever.

The difference between a stellar, globallyrecognized workforce in northeast Wisconsin in 2020 versus an average workforce that struggles to compete for advanced manufacturing jobs with countries like Mexico or India could be determined in this referendum. It’s time to stand up for the future of our region’s workforce and vote ‘Yes’ on April 3. www.newnorthb2b.com

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

Employee Handbook Updates

by Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.

Tony Renning

920.232.4842

If you have a particular labor/employment law question, please forward your question 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 type of updates need to be made to my employee handbook?

Tony Renning: With the passage of several new federal and state employment laws as well as significant case law developments, employers should review and update their employee handbooks. To help avoid costly employment-related claims, the updates to employee handbooks should address some of the following: First, with the adoption of concealed carry, employers who wish to prohibit employees and customers from carrying concealed weapons onto their premises need to adopt a policy prohibiting such (in addition to posting signs prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons). Employers who do not wish to prohibit employees and customers from carrying concealed weapons onto their premises should, at a minimum, adopt a policy prohibiting the brandishing of concealed weapons.

Sean Fitzgerald

Publisher & President

sean@newnorthb2b.com

Carrie Rule

Sales Manager

carrie@newnorthb2b.com

Kate Erbach Production

Contributing writers

Robin Bruecker Lee Marie Reinsch

Chief Financial Officer

Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA

Next, there have been several changes to federal and state family and medical leave provisions. Employers subject to these laws should review and update their policies to make sure they address the amount of leave available (e.g., to military personnel and their families).

Additionally, employers should review and update the forms they use to document leave under federal and state family and medical leave provisions.

Finally, the use of technology has increased significantly. Employers should review and update their policies to preclude employees from using certain types of technology under certain circumstances (e.g., texting while driving). Employers should also review and update their policies outlining acceptable use of the Internet where employees are permitted to access the Internet.

The stakes remain high for employers who are faced with a harassment claim.

As a result, it is imperative employers re-

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view and update their harassment policy as well as disseminate the same. Moreover, reviewing and updating policies that address drugs and alcohol in the workplace serves as a significant deterrent.

For counsel as to labor and employment law issues, 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

Fox Cities

Oshkosh

Fond du Lac NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 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.

January 24 Officials from the Fond du Lac Area United Way announced the organization met its annual campaign fundraising goal of $730,000. The organization received requests to fund 28 health and human service programs in the community operated by 22 agencies in 2012.

January 25 State Rep. Dick Spanbauer (R-Oshkosh) announced he would not seek a third two-year term for the 53rd Assembly District this coming November, indicating a frustration with the excess of partisan politics and the lack of compromise in Madison. Spanbauer was elected to the seat in 2008.

January 25 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College unveiled a new welder-fabricator apprenticeship program designed in partnership with the state Department of Workforce Development to respond to the needs of the state’s heavy manufacturing sector. The program is structured for four years, or 8,000 hours,

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including 7,560 hours of on-the-job learning and 440 hours of related instruction.

January 31 Menasha Packaging Company acquired The Strive Group of Chicago, enhancing its merchandising supply chain model and making it the largest independent in-store promotional solutions provider to retailers in the U.S. Strive has a corrugated products manufacturing facility in Chicago, as well as eight fulfillment operations and four design/sales centers across the country. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

January 31 Green Bay-based contract furniture manufacturer KI began constructing a $3.3 million, 100,000-sq. ft. expansion project for its Green Bay seating and educational furniture solutions manufacturing facility. The addition will accommodate manufacturing, shipping, receiving and warehousing space, and allow the company to reduce costs and streamline efficiencies.

The expansion is expected to be complete in June.

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SINCE WE LAST MET February 1 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation closed the Mason Street Bridge over U.S. Highway 41 in Green Bay to demolish it in preparation for a $29 million project to reconstruct the entire interchange. On and off ramps eventually closed as well, and the entire interchange is expected to remain closed until August. The project also includes the expansion of U.S. 41 from two to three lanes in each direction between 9th Street and Larsen Road, along with reconstructing the highway bridges over 9th Street.

February 8 NEW Capital Management, an Appleton-based venture capital and growth equity firm, closed on raising $25 million for a second NEW Capital Fund. That fund will focus on Wisconsin and Great Lakes region early- and growth-stage investment opportunities, particularly in the areas of advanced manufacturing, information technology and life and material science technologies. The firm expects to invest in 12 to 15 companies. The initial NEW Capital Fund created in 2005 established

February 2 Lawrence University President Jill Beck announced plans to retire in June 2013 after nine years at the helm of the Appleton liberal arts university. In making her announcement, Beck acknowledged the leading accomplishments during her tenure have been the physical transformation of the campus, the growth in faculty, a more diverse student body, enhancements to the curriculum, and increased opportunities for student internships and research experiences. The board of directors anticipates launching a search for a new president within the next few months.

February 2 Minnesota-based frozen pizza maker Bernatello’s Pizza, Inc. acquired the assets of Five Star Frozen Foods, Inc. of Kaukauna, which makes and distributes Orv’s and Borbello’s brands of frozen pizza. Bernatello’s creates its own self-named brand, as well as the Roma and Bellatoria pizza brands.

The company didn’t release any information about plans to maintain production and employment at the Kaukauna frozen pizza facility. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

February 3 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 243,000 new jobs were created in January, dropping the national unemployment rate to 8.3 percent. Employment gains occurred in professional and business services, leisure/hospitality and in manufacturing.

February 8 The Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District pledged $25,000 toward PMI’s efforts to lure the state high school boys and girls basketball tournaments to the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon. Wisconsin’s high school athletic association is debating moving the tournaments from Madison where the events have been held for nearly a century as a result of a scheduling conflict with the Kohl Center.

February 8 Outagamie County Regional Airport in Appleton received the green light for a $225,000 project to design a taxiway extension and pave the perimeter road at the airport. The project will increase safety at the airport by eliminating the need for general aviation pilots to cross active runways. The state Department of Transportation will provide $180,000 toward the cost of the project, while Outagamie County will pick up the remaining $45,000.

2004 March 18 – Alliance Laundry Systems of Ripon announced it will add 400 jobs to its local operations as part of a plan to re-enter the consumer market for washer and dryer equipment with its Speed Queen brand.

2005 March 15 – Miles Kimball Co. officials said they would give its 41 W. Eighth St. property to the Oshkosh Redevelopment Authority.

The property, valued at $924,000 in 2004, is among key properties identified by the city as key components of the South Shore Redevelopment Area.

2007 March 7 – The Appleton Common Council rejected a plan to buy and demolish 19 homes near Badger Avenue for a proposed outdoor sports complex at Appleton West High School.

The city council did cite concerns about using eminent domain to acquire properties on North Mason Street where some of the homeowners were opposed to selling their homes.

2010 March 15 – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation began work on a $6 million project to reconstruct Main Street in the City of Oshkosh from the Fox River to Irving Avenue.

The project involves replacing utilities and a new road surface, as well as wider sidewalks and terraces, bump outs at intersections and mid-block, decorative lighting and trees.

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 7

SINCE WE LAST MET $10 million to help build a variety of successful manufacturing companies in Wisconsin and the Midwest including Ro-Flo Compressors in Appleton, Aurizon Ultrasonics in Kimberly and Flex Biomedical in Madison, among others.

February 9 An analysis from the state’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimated the state treasury would face a budget shortfall of more than $143 million in 2013 as a result of lower-thanexpected tax revenues. Economic improvement could increase retail sales and home sales, for example, which could generate enough additional revenue to wipe out the projected deficit.

If state officials are unable to raise additional revenue or cut spending during the next 16 months, another budget repair bill would be needed to balance the budget for the current 2011-13 biennium.

February 13 State Rep. Michelle Litjens (R-Vinland) announced she would not seek a second term for the 56th Assembly District this coming November, indicating she wants to spend more time with her family. Litjens was elected to the seat in 2010.

ed for 31 percent of all state exports, leading all product categories. Other leading industries for Wisconsin exports in 2011 include manufacturers of electrical machinery, transportation equipment and paper products. The top five export markets for Wisconsin in 2011 – in order by total value – were: Canada, Mexico, China, Germany and Australia. Exports to Canada accounted for 32 percent of the state’s total exports during 2011.

February 14 Gov. Walker launched the state’s new “Ready, Set, Build!” initiative to identify certified sites for business development in Wisconsin. The program will identify about 10 properties around the state that will be pre-certified and shovel-ready for development – meaning the properties will have clear titling, all permits and zoning arranged for the site’s intended use, and all necessary infrastructure to the property complete and operational. The 2010 “Be Bold” study identified a lack of certified cites as a competitive weakness for Wisconsin, with the state often missing out on economic development opportunities from employers needing to construct a new industrial facility immediately.

February 14

February 13 A report released from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. indicated exports from the state increased by 11 percent during 2011 to $22.0 billion. Sales abroad from Wisconsin’s industrial machinery manufacturers account-

A partnership between the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation and local hoteliers Richard Batley of RB Hospitality in Neenah and John Pfefferle of Pfefferle Companies, Inc. in Appleton purchased the ailing City Center Hotel on the Fox

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8 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

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SINCE WE LAST MET River in downtown Oshkosh and plans to revitalize the 179room property into a full-service, state-of-the-art business hotel.

The property had failed to live up to expectations since Nashco Inc. acquired it in a sheriff’s auction in 2009 and didn’t invest in improvements to the hotel, which is connected to the recently upgraded Oshkosh Convention Center. The new owners plan to reopen the hotel – as well as a new restaurant – in early 2013.

The ownership group is expected to request tax incremental financing assistance from the City of Oshkosh to help support the hotel renovation. UW Oshkosh officials hope the hotel can help enhance its vibrant academic conference business.

February 15 Officials from the Brown County United Way announced the organization raised $3.7 million during its 2011 annual campaign, eclipsing its fundraising goal by $50,000 and surpassing its 2010 campaign fundraising efforts by $117,000.

The funds will help address a range of community human service needs.

February 16 Commonwealth Management Corp. of Fond du Lac received a $150,000 Blight Elimination and Brownfield Redevelopment award from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. toward a 68-unit affordable housing complex it’s constructing in Neenah. The award will reimburse the company for infill remediation used in developing the multi-family complex at 155 N. Western Ave. in Neenah.

February 16 Oneida Seven Generations Corp. received a $1.1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the 70,000-sq. ft. pyrolytic gasification electricity generation plant it’s constructing on Green Bay’s west side. The grant will be used to build a backup generator to minimize down time when the plant is undergoing routine maintenance. Once complete, the $23 million alternative energy plant will incinerate common household trash at extremely high temperatures and convert the byproducts into electricity.

February 17 Both houses of Congress voted to extend the 2 percent payroll tax cut for 160 million working Americans through the end of 2012, prolonging a break on Social Security fund contributions initiated at the beginning of 2011 and set to expire at the end of February. The total $140 billion package also included a measure to extend unemployment benefits from 63 to 73 weeks.

February 20 Industrial Ventilation Inc. of Greenville announced plans to add 30 fulltime employees and expanded its manufacturing facility later this year. Company officials said their two Wisconsin facilities and another in South Carolina are filled to capacity with orders for its air quality management control solutions.

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foxcities.org NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 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.

Associated Banc Corp.

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Income

4Q 2011

4Q 2010

$39.8 million

$6.6 million

s 471%

23 cents

4 cents

s 475%

EPS

4Q 2011

4Q 2010

Revenue

$4.3 Billion

$3.9 Billion

s 10%

Income

$443 million

$336 million

s 32%

91 cents

67 cents

s 36%

EPS The Ashwaubenon-based financial institution reported full year 2011 earnings of $115 million, or 66 cents per share, up substantially from the fiscal 2010 loss of $30 million, or a loss of 18 cents per share. Loan balances increased by 4 percent, or $528 million, during the fourth quarter to $14.0 billion, including a $386 million increase in commercial and business lending and a $112 million increase in commercial real estate lending. For the full fiscal year 2011, the company’s loan portfolio increased by $1.4 billion, or 11 percent.

The parent company of Miller Electric Manufacturing operations across the Fox Cities reported record full fiscal year revenues of nearly $17.8 billion during 2011, up 15 percent from fiscal 2010 receipts. The company’s worldwide welding segment increased its organic revenues by nearly 23 percent during the quarter, with key end markets continuing to include oil and gas as well as heavy equipment manufacturers.

Company officials forecast full year 2012 revenue growth in the range of 5 to 8 percent.

Kimberly Clark Corp.

Plexus Corp.

4Q 2011

4Q 2010

Revenue

$5.2 Billion

$5.1 Billion

s

Income

$401 million

$492 million

t 18%

Income

$1.01

$1.20

t 16%

EPS

EPS

2%

1Q 2012

Revenue $530 million

1Q 2011 $566 million

$17.9 million $25.0 million 51 cents

61 cents

▼

6%

▼ 28% ▼ 16%

The manufacturer of consumer paper and tissue products with significant operations in the Fox Cities reported full fiscal year 2011 earnings of $3.99 per share. In making the announcement, company officials projected full year 2012 adjusted earnings to be in a range of $5.00 to $5.15 per share, excluding any expected costs for pulp and tissue restructuring actions.

The Neenah-based contract electronics manufacturer won 28 new programs in its manufacturing solutions group during the quarter it anticipates will generate $203 million in annual revenue when fully ramped into production. The company’s largest customer continues to be Juniper Networks, Inc., which accounted for 22 percent of revenue during the quarter

VF Corp.

Bemis Company Inc.

4Q 2011

4Q 2010

4Q 2011

4Q 2010

Revenue

$2.9 Billion

$2.1 Billion

s 37%

Revenue $1.27 Billion $1.25 Billion

s

Income:

$257 million

$54 million

s 376%

Income

▼ 62%

$2.28

49 cents

s 365%

EPS

EPS

The parent company of Jansport operations in the Fox Cities reported record fourth quarter earnings, which included $549 million from its acquisition of Timberland during the third quarter. For the full fiscal year, the company reported revenues increased 23 percent to $9.5 billion, up from $7.7 billion during fiscal 2010. The company’s outdoor and action sports segment – which includes Jansport operations – experienced revenue growth of 42 percent during the year.

10 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

$20.1 million $53.3 million 19 cents

48 cents

2%

▼ 60%

The Neenah-based supplier of flexible packaging and pressure sensitive materials reported record annual sales of $5.32 billion for the full year 2011, an increase of 10 percent above fiscal 2010 revenues of $4.84 billion. During the quarter, company officials reported a 24-cents-pershare charge for employee-related activities associated with a facility consolidation program Bemis initiated in an effort to generate more than $100 million in savings over the next three years.

www.newnorthb2b.com

CORPORATE EARNINGS

Brunswick Corp.

4Q 2011

Revenue $789 million

Dean Foods 4Q 2010 8%

4Q 2010 4%

Income ($29.6 million) ($104 million) s 71%

Income ($9.9 million) ($20.7 million) s

52%

EPS

EPS

55%

($1.17)

s

4Q 2011

s

(33 cents)

$729 million

s 63%

The parent company of Mercury Marine operations in Fond du Lac reported full year 2011 sales of $3.7 billion, up 10 percent above fiscal 2010 revenues, resulting in annual earnings of $72 million, or 78 cents per share, a substantial increase above the fiscal 2010 loss of $110 million, or a loss of $1.25 per share. The company also reduced its debt by $138 million during 2011. Its marine engine segment, which includes Mercury, reported fourth quarter sales of $373 million, up 6 percent from fourth quarter 2010 revenue of $353 million.

Humana Inc.

4Q 2011

4Q 2010

Revenue

$9.1 Billion

$8.3 Billion

s

Income

$313 million

$174 million

s 80%

$1.20

63 cents

s 90%

EPS

Revenue $3.3 Billion (5 cents)

$3.2 Billion (11 cents)

s

The dairy-based foods company with extensive operations in Wisconsin, including the Green Bay area, reported a loss of $8.59 per share for the full year 2011 as compared to fiscal 2010 earnings of 50 cents per share. The substantial loss was attributed to a $1.6 billion goodwill impairment charge related to its Fresh Dairy Direct segment taken during the third quarter. Following two years of significant pressure on the dairy industry, milk costs appear to be stabilizing as the Class I Mover for raw milk prices increased nearly 25 percent from an average of $15.35 per hundred-weight during 2010 to an average price of $19.13 during 2011.

9%

The health and benefits company with extensive operations in the Green Bay area reported full year fiscal 2011 income of $2.2 billion, or $8.46 per share, compared to fiscal 2010 earnings of $1.7 billion, or $6.47 per share. Company officials attributed the 31 percent jump in earnings to a lower year-over-year benefit ratio in its retail segment, higher Medicare membership, and higher earnings in its health and well-being services segment. The 2012 annual enrollment period for Medicare Advantage exceeded membership expectations by nearly 40,000 members.

Oshkosh Corp.

Revenue Income EPS

1Q 2012

1Q 2011

$1.9 Billion

$1.7 Billion

$38.9 million $99.6 million 42 cents

$1.09

s 11% ▼ 61% ▼ 61%

The manufacturer of specialty vehicles reported a decrease in earnings totaling 19 cents per share on the quarter attributed to the proxy contest in connection with its 2012 annual shareholders’ meeting, foreign currency translations and various restructuring charges. Company officials said an increased demand for aerial work platforms and telehandlers in its access equipment segment and a 40 percent growth in international sales was offset in part by lower municipal spending which impacted sales in its fire and emergency segment.

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 11

BUILD UP FOND DU LAC

4

3

1 2

Creative Construction with Experience

Build Up Fond du Lac 1 - 1155 S. Military Road, Fond du Lac, Rolling Meadows Development, renovation of a former nursing home and an addition to the fourth floor for a 101-room hotel and conference center. Project completion expected in July.

2 - 336 Trowbridge Dr., Fond du Lac, Basic American Medical Products, a 40,000-sq. ft. expansion of the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in March.

General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

• commercial • retail

3 - 325 Tompkins St., Fond du Lac, C Saputo Cheese USA, an addition to the permeate dryer building of its milk specialties division.

• industrial • hospitality

4

design/build & consulting services

- 1061 E. Johnson St., Fond du Lac, C Kwik Trip, a new convenience store, fuel station and fuel station canopy.

Build Up Oshkosh 5 - 606 E. Murdock Ave., Oshkosh, Muza Metal Products,

a 47,700-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility.

Project completion expected in March. General contractor is Frontier Builders of Kaukauna.

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2204 Crooks Avenue, Suite A • Kaukauna, WI 54130 team@frontierbuildersandconsultants.com

12 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

600 Block of Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a five-story, 340-bed residence hall.

7 - 310 Ohio St., Oshkosh, ImproMed, a two-story, 10,684-sq. ft. office addition. Project completion expected in April. General contractor is R.J. Albright Inc. of Oshkosh. www.newnorthb2b.com

BUILD UP OSHKOSH 5

6

7 8 thru 10

9

- 1210 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh, U.S. Cellular, a new retail building.

10 - 1250 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh, T.J. Maxx, a new retail strip center development.

sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in March.

Projects completed since our February issue: • Christian Community Child Care Center, 3870 Jackson St., Oshkosh.

• Jay Manufacturing, 2045 W. 20th Ave., Oshkosh.

• AP West Shore, 4000 State Road 91, Oshkosh.

• Bergstrom Volkswagen, 3159 S. Washburn St., Oshkosh.

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BERLIN

11 - 3365 S. Washburn St., Oshkosh, Bergstrom Used Cars, a new retail automotive dealership.

12 - 450 Ripple Ave., Oshkosh, Evco Plastics, a 30,734-

LINCOLN, NE

8 - 1190 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh, Olive Garden, a new restaurant building. Project completion expected in March.

12

SHEBOYGAN

11

MANITOWOC

C - Indicates a new listing

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 13

BUILD UP FOX CITIES

DOWNTOWN

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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 - 2693 W. Grand Chute Blvd., town of Grand Chute, Appleton Alliance Church, a 105,300-sq. ft. addition to the existing church campus.

2

- 3335 N. Lynndale Dr., town of Grand Chute, Our Shepherd Child Care and Family Ministry Center, a 13,500-sq. ft. addition to the existing child care center. Project completion expected in May.

DOWNTOWN

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14 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

3

- 2690 W. Lawrence St., town of Grand Chute, C Kolosso Chrysler Jeep, a 7,100-sq. ft. addition to the existing automotive dealership to expand the body shop. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

4

- 2551 Northridge Dr., Kaukauna, Classic Gears and Machining, a 19,504-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in spring. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

5 - 1700 Stephens St., Little Chute, Heartland Business Systems, a remodel and 30,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing office building. Project completion expected in the spring.

General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

6

- 2220 Bohm Dr., Little Chute, C B&L Properties, a 5,000-sq. ft. industrial building with offices.

7-

1700 Nixon St., Little Chute, Poly Flex, a 54,000-sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in June.

General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

8

- 130 W. Main St., Little Chute, Little Chute Windmill Inc., a windmill and village visitor center.

9 - 558 Carter Ct., Kimberly,

U.S. Venture, a 12,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing office building. Project completion expected in April. General contractor is Keller Inc.

10

- 101 Main St., Neenah, Affinity Health System, a two-story, 31,400-sq. ft. medical clinic building.

Projects completed since our February issue: • Buffalo Wild Wings, 4601 W. College Ave., town of Grand Chute.

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NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 15

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

C - Indicates a new listing

7 - 315 N. Washington St., Green Bay,

Watermark, a sixstory, 70,000-sq. ft. mixed-use development which will house Hagemeister Park restaurant and Children’s Museum of Green Bay. Completion expected in April.

8-

1-

1325 Cornell Road, Howard, SMT Machine & Tool, a 25,450-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility.

2800 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 the spring of 2013.

2 - 1966 Velp Ave., Howard, C Vandervest Harley-Davidson, a 32,451-sq. ft. addition and renovation of the existing retail building.

9-

3 - 2300 Woodman Dr., Howard,

Menard’s, a 214,000-sq. ft. retail store and offices and a 42,352-sq. ft. lumber warehouse.

4 - 1230 Hurlbut St., Green Bay, Oneida Energy Gasification, a 70,000-sq. ft. pyrolytic gasification electricity generation plant.

5 - 904 S. Military Ave., Green Bay, Keith’s Hair Center, a 5,288-sq. ft. addition to the existing commercial building. Project completion expectd in March.

6 - 1077 W. Mason St., Green Bay, Tower Clock Surgery Center, a new ambulatory surgery center.

1330 Bellevue St., Bellevue, C KI, a 100,200-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in June.

10 -

100 Grant St., De Pere, St. Norbert College Michels Commons, an addition to the existing student commons and cafeteria. Project completion expected in May.

11 - 1511 Lawrence Dr., De Pere, C

Grand Central Station, a new convenience store and fuel station. Project completion expected in June.

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• Culver’s Restaurant, 1499 Lawrence Dr., De Pere.

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AROUND THE BOARDROOM

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The percent of manufacturers in northeast Wisconsin who responded in a recent survey that they expect 2012 revenues to either increase or remain stable compared with 2011.

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www.newnorthb2b.com

AROUND THE BOARDROOM

Poorest Website

W

hen she read the front page of The New York Times on October 24, 2004, Mary Stusek of Appleton was stunned by the horrific conditions of primary education in sub-Saharan Africa: children sitting on dirt floors spread every Friday with manure to control the dust, children unable to attend classes for lack of clothing, a girl dining on weeds with her mother.

“I felt I had to do something,” she recalls. “It’s part of being human. We have such surplus in this country. Simply giving from our excess would be more than adequate. To ignore Africa’s poverty would be genocide from a distance.”

Her observations led to the launch of Kenya Works, an organization that’s boosting the poorest Kenyans onto the bottom rung of the economic ladder.

She is a courageous woman. Twice a year she takes a group of volunteers to Kenya to live and work with some of the world’s most impoverished and threatened people.

She also courageously submitted her website, kenyaworks. org, for review. Call it up on your browser to fully appreciate this story.

The navigation is intuitive, logical and simple. The logo adeptly meets all my best practice criteria: simplicity, relevance, distinctiveness, scalability and adaptability. The design is clean and unadorned, elegantly allowing the imagery of the Kenyans to speak for itself.

Content is crisply written with a levelheaded, rational tone.

It lacks the emotion or sentiment that often typifies social justice causes. The unadorned facts and visuals – as well as the absence of unabashed attempts to generate donations by evoking guilt or shame – were key to the upwelling pathos I experienced as I stuck to the site, fully engaged.

Interestingly, she explained to me how all donations to Kenya Works go to work in Kenya. No monetary donations are used for operating expenses, overhead or travel. It’s a 501(c)(3) corporation, a designation that provides a tax deduction for some donors, often generating additional funding from foundations and corporate matching programs.

Because Kenyan children and adults want to learn and earn, the organization has found that Kenyan women who start businesses send their kids to school and have families that are in better health. It provides hope, food and jobs in myriad ways: Learning. Building primary schools with solar-powered lighting so children can study after dark; a new library with five computers and 22,000 books; new private outdoor

Mary Stusek greets the community at Gitero Primary School near Naro Moru, Kenya following her delivery of over 50 new school uniforms.

Children who cannot afford the uniforms – only a few dollars each – are typically shamed and ostracized by others. toilets that improve school attendance. (“Who wants to use a hole in the ground when everyone is watching you?”)

Earning. Helping widowed and abandoned mothers start a fish processing plant; producing washable/reusable biodegradable feminine pads made from papyrus to not only employ local women, but also improve the attendance of school-age girls who previously missed three or four days of school every month; providing new brick presses that enable women to make and sell bricks for more permanent homes.

As she told me more about Kenya Works, I offered one substantial criticism: there’s a lot more good work by this organization than its website communicates.

She confessed that the site is not up to date; there are still more challenges and successes to tell, and she appreciates the value of regularly refreshing the site’s content – a job that currently falls completely on her shoulders as all cash donations go straight to work in Kenya – and not to fund raising.

Irony: A woman uses her personal resources to establish a well-executed website (for no personal gain) while many for-profits spend waaaaay more resources for a lackluster Internet presence. That’s the power of passion.

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 MARCH 2012 l 19

COVER STORY

meetings mean

Efforts aimed at growing convention and meeting business to drive the region’s hospitality sector

Story by Lee Marie Rensch

20 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

Whether you call them expos, summits, powwows or excuses to get out of the office, meetings and conventions mean mega cash for Wisconsin.

It stands to reason. Each year, 205 million Americans go to 1.8 million meetings or conferences lasting a half-day or longer, according to the Convention Industry Council. Those events usually take place in rented facilities, involve refreshments or meals, and often require travel and overnight stays. Money starts flying out of pockets long before the welcome address.

“Meetings and conventions is more than a niche,” said Dave Fantle, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. “It’s a big part of the tourism economy.”

Of the $12.3 billion spent on tourism in Wisconsin in 2010, meetings and conventions comprised $1.3 billion, or 11 percent, Fantle said.

“Statewide, it is a big part of the pie, but in our largest cities such as Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay, the percentage is significantly larger,” Fantle said.

In Appleton, one of the top three reasons people come to the city is for a meeting or convention of some sort, according to Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau executive director Lynn Peters. www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY

BUSINESS

“I think of our tourism economy as kind of a pie: it has several big slices, mainly sports, leisure and business travel. Meetings and conventions is a big slice – those are our big three.

I would describe our market as meetings and conventions, sports and leisure,” Peters said.

But Gov. Walker would like to see a much larger conventionflavored piece of pie, and fortunately for the Department of Tourism, he’s putting the state’s money where its spatula is.

Grant not half-baked To help local convention bureaus woo new convention groups to their cities, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism introduced its Meetings Mean Business grant program last year.

Two of the first four awards, announced early in January, went to the New North communities of Green Bay and Appleton.

“When we’re bidding on a big convention, it’s possible that there will be costs that we need to incur in order to make it happen,” said Peters of the Fox Cities CVB. For example, to level the playing field with competing cities like Chicago that have larger hotels, a local CVB may of-

fer free shuttle service between hotels and conference areas if delegates are spread out over the city in different accommodations. Or the CVB might help the group with renting an extra facility, say a banquet hall or theater, for a special part of the convention, such as a lecture or concert.

“Sometimes those costs are so high that we just can’t swing it; we can’t go after that piece of business,” Peters said.

And the convention industry is very, very competitive, said Beth Ropson, sales director for the Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“It continues to be more so as it grows in our state and in the surrounding states, as well as nationally,” Ropson said.

The grants, which the local CVBs must match, are intended to be used as deal-sweeteners – ice cream on the pie, if you will – to attract events typically held in other communities out of state.

Nationwide, meetings and conventions generate $106 billion to the country’s gross domestic product. They support 6.3 million jobs and contribute $110 billion to federal and state tax rolls, according to the Convention Industry Council.

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 21

COVER STORY It costs money to make money Fox Cities will use its $2,000 Meetings Mean Business grant to cover part of the cost of a welcome reception for a state association’s 2016 convention that’s expected to generate over $420,000 in local economic impact.

Meeting planners expect such receptions. It’s common for a lunch, snack or cocktail party to be held in a trade-show base to generate traffic for the vendors, Peters said.

Fantle said part of the cost of doing business for a convention bureau is that they bid on event contracts, spend money to bring meeting planners here on site visits (and other deal sweeteners), and ultimately win or lose a piece of business.

Destinations bid only on groups that they have a chance of winning and accommodating, Fantle said. “You lose more than you win, (but) convention bureaus are winning tens of thousands of hotel rooms per year for cities throughout Wisconsin.”

Ropson said she believes that without the grant it received, the Christian organization it’s looking to attract for a future large-scale gathering wouldn’t even have considered Green Bay as a destination.

“They made it clear they would only look at cities that offered incentives,” Ropson said. “When budgets are tight, as ours is, it makes it very difficult to bid on some of these big groups.”

It’s important to the state economy that conventions and meetings continue to be strong here, Fantle said.

“If those room nights go away, the consequences would be dire for our cities,” he said. “The quality of life for the resi-

22 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

“

The quality of life for the residents of our cities and towns is directly related to the ability of that destination to attract visitors.

A vibrant tourism economy equals a vibrant community.

”

Dave Fantle, deputy secretary, Wisconsin Department of Tourism dents of our cities and towns is directly related to the ability of that destination to attract visitors. A vibrant tourism economy equals a vibrant community.”

Sweet runoff The tourism industry in Wisconsin supports nearly 300,000 fulltime jobs and generates $2 billion in annual tax revenue, according to the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin.

Green Bay and Appleton are using that argument to garner support for multi-million-dollar expo center projects that would complement their existing facilities. A true convention center,

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COVER STORY they say, should have banquet facilities, breakout rooms and lots of exhibit space under one roof. And although each community already has quality facilities for other purposes, they simply don’t offer the kinds of venues to be competitive in attracting larger-sized conventions.

“You can’t put a trade show in the (Fox Cities) Performing Arts Center,” Peters said.

Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton has a ballroom that can be used for a trade show, but nowhere to host a banquet at the same event, Peters said. “It really needs to be right there. You can’t put the trade show four blocks away or a mile away.”

It’s not that people are too lazy to walk a few blocks, but that giving them a reason to leave the confines of an event means risking that they’ll be sidetracked along the way.

“You have to look at it from the perspective of the people running the event,” Peters said. “Exhibitors pay hundreds of dollars to set up their booths and be part of the convention and trade show. The planner is promising to deliver customers, so if the trade show is far away, it’s easy for convention-goers to say ‘I’m not going to move my car out of the car park for the trade show.’”

She said their planners for larger meetings want everything to be under one roof. “That’s what our competition is offering.”

Jay Schumerth, general manager of Radisson Paper Valley, believes a $20 million expo center adjacent to his hotel would transform it into just that: a full-service convention center that could accommodate 95 percent of the types of events that come to the state.

“We already have components of a convention center inside the Radisson,” Schumerth said. “This is just the last component that doesn’t exist, which is exhibit space.”

Right now, conference and convention groups are passing Appleton by, due to lack of exhibit space, Schumerth and Peters said.

The Illinois Office of Tourism spent $45 million in 2010, and Michigan spent $25 million...

Adding the proposed 30,000-sq. ft. expo center could generate an additional 18,000 room nights per year, with almost half spilling out into surrounding areas. It would benefit the whole area, Schumerth said.

“The Radisson can accommodate 10,000 of them, so that means 8,000 room nights are going to spill out into Grand Chute, Kimberly, other hotels in Appleton and Neenah,” Schumerth said. “Everything kind of expands out.”

The expo center project would also generate an extra $8.5 million per year in guest spending in the Fox Cities, Schumerth said, and that would necessitate hiring more people to work at retail shops, restaurants, taverns, transportation and other local services. One study indicated that such a boom could create up to 150 fulltime equivalent positions for the Fox Cities.

“I promise you that restaurants will be smiling, night clubs and bars will be happy, when people are coming from out of town,” Schumerth said. “Everybody will see increased busi-

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COVER STORY ness, because 18,000 room nights will bring in a lot of additional dollars.”

The extra room nights spurred by the convention center’s ability to attract more visitors and larger conventions could bring in an extra $1 million for the Radisson, Schumerth said.

A number of hurdles toward the proposed convention center facility have been cleared, including the Fox Cities CVB’s pledge of $250,000 toward architectural design and a $3.4 million commitment from the City of Appleton in its 2012 city budget.

Supporters still have several more steps to take, including buying the land. The Radisson Paper Valley would lease the proposed building from the city and assume all of the risks associated with running a convention center, Schumerth said.

Love from the Gov Fantle said with the support of the state legislature, Gov. Walker increased the marketing budget for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism by more than 20 percent, from $9.9 million during the Doyle administration to $12.5 million over the 2011-2013 biennium.

“The governor and the legislature know that if (the department of) Tourism does its job successfully marketing the state to grow this segment of the economy, it will mean millions of additional dollars for state and local coffers from increased tax collections,” he said.

The budget increase may be sweet, but it’s still nowhere near what neighboring – and competing – states spend on tourism marketing, say local convention bureau heads.

The Illinois Office of Tourism spent $45 million in 2010, and Michigan spent $25 million, with $10 million dedicated to its highly successful “Pure Michigan” campaign, according to the Wisconsin Tourism Federation’s 2012 position report.

“In one of the worst periods we’d seen in a while – 2009 – (Michigan) expanded their promotions,” said Brad Toll, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay CVB. “They had hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional visibility in a really bad year. We saw our numbers plummet in Green Bay.” Toll said he wonders if a larger state tourism budget in previous years would have produced more tourism revenue.

“I would say the answer is probably yes,” he said.

“Do we have a way to go? Yes,” Fantle said. “But we believe with our marketing and extensive success with our public relations efforts we have the tools to compete with our Midwest neighbors.”

By advertising Wisconsin, even on a smaller level, in print media in neighboring states, it’s possible to get the Dairy State’s name out there.

“We are trying to make sure people in the surrounding states who see the ‘Pure Michigan’ ad see Wisconsin, too,” Toll said. “When you don’t have the dollars there, it’s part of the challenge.”

The City of Green Bay Common Council recently gave its benediction to an increase in the local hotel room tax rate from 8 percent to 10 percent. The increase would tentatively be used to expand marketing efforts by the Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau, though city officials would like to split the additional revenue and apply half of it toward a proposal to expand the KI Convention Center. At the heart of

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 25

COVER STORY downtown Green Bay, KI Center is in use year-round, but those in favor of an expansion say it needs more ballroom and meeting spaces.

CVB officials would also like to see improvements to the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena complex, which connects to the Resch Center and ShopKo Hall through a series of concourses and ramps.

The arena, with its permanent seating on all sides, works for some groups, such as religious groups that have speakers and don’t require breakout rooms, Ropson said.

“But for conventions, it really doesn’t work, and it’s getting difficult for some of our trade groups as well.”

Oshkosh: Let’s try that flavor again For the past three years, Oshkosh hasn’t competed much for large convention business. But that’s about to change. When the City Center Hotel reopens early in 2013 under its new ownership – a joint-partnership between the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation and the partners that own Copperleaf Hotel in downtown Appleton – the Oshkosh Convention Center will again be a fully functioning place to hold meetings and conventions.

The City Center Hotel adjoins the convention center, which underwent a major renovation and expansion three years ago.

“Having a full-service, renovated hotel attached to the newly renovated convention center means business,” said Wendy Hielsberg, executive director of the Oshkosh Convention & Vis-

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itors Bureau. “Bringing convention business back to Oshkosh is important to the economic health of the city.”

Most of the meetings and conventions that would come to Oshkosh involve 200 to 800 attendees at a time, Hielsberg said, and that means business overflows into area restaurants, stores, attractions and other hotels for up to several days at a time.

“Not only does this new project add jobs, it’s a piece to our downtown and will have an influence on further developments and improvements, especially along the river walk,” Hielsberg said.

Not known for cheesecake One can’t forget one of the most obvious appeals to having a conference in Wisconsin: its sensible image. Tell your mate you’re heading to Vegas or Los Angeles on business and if you don’t get the furry eyeball, you’ll at least feel the room temperature drop. Spouses can scent trouble like terriers can smell cow pies.

“A few years ago, during the heart of the recession, some companies were getting bad PR for holding their meetings in Orlando or Las Vegas – it was perceived as being frivolous,” the department of tourism’s Fantle said. “The nice thing about Wisconsin is you can get down to business in Wisconsin. Nobody’s going to say it’s frivolous.”

Lee Marie Reinsch writes and edits from Green Bay.

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GUEST COMMENTARY

Building meeting capacity KI Center expansion would make Green Bay the competitive choice for conventions

James Schmitt Mayor City of Green Bay

Green Bay is uniquely positioned as a convention city.

It is home to one of the most recognizable sports brands in the world, and is the gateway to the major recreational havens of northern Wisconsin. It punches well above its weight in both name recognition and in affinity identification. The city has worked hard over the past several years to transform its downtown into a place that people want to visit and invest in.

Much work remains however. An expanded KI Convention Center will position the region to be a stronger link in the regional convention circuit, and help support other regional destinations. It will bring over $4 million of new business into the community, and will support 142 new permanent jobs.

In expanding our convention center to 70,000 square feet of meeting space, we will have “right-sized” the public investment, and met the needs of our customers – many of whom have told us they will not return without major upgrades to the KI Center.

When you include indirect spending, the addition is expected to return $12 for every one dollar invested (a whopping 1,200 percent return on investment!)

Not doing this project, on the other hand, is expected to result in an $8 million loss of direct spending and cost almost 300 existing jobs. In addition, under the current 8 percent room tax structure, the project is expected to generate over $63,000 annually in new room tax revenues.

We are currently the third largest city in the state with the ninth largest convention facility. The proposed expansion would place the KI Center as the fifth largest convention facility in the state – right where we should be in the statewide hierarchy.

As for the city’s overall economic health, we have reason to feel confident. The addition of the new VA clinic; the new downtown headquarters for Schreiber Foods; and a handful of pending business expansions, leave us feeling cautiously optimistic about the future. Still, we can’t get complacent. We have to keep trying even harder to expand employment opportunities to all citizens of our community. The expanded KI center is not a silver bullet, but it is another arrow in our quiver.

We believe that its economic impact – both in terms of direct spending and in spawning additional downtown development – make it a critical piece of the region’s overall economic development strategy. In using excess room tax revenues to help fund the project, we believe that we are tapping a latent and under-leveraged funding source.

One, that’s worth pointing out, that will

Not doing this project, on the other hand, is expected to result in an $8 million loss of direct spending and cost almost 300 existing jobs. not further burden the taxpayers of Brown County or the region.

An expanded KI Center, focusing exclusively on new meeting room space, is a project that is needed and complementary to other facilities in the New North. We hope that you support our efforts and those of others who are working to improve the visitor experience and the economy of northeastern Wisconsin.

James Schmitt has been mayor of Green Bay since 2003. In late 2011 he recommended using a portion of a proposed 2-percent hike in the Brown County Room Tax toward the expansion of KI Center. The plan has met resistance from others who support using additional room tax revenue to further fund destination marketing efforts in the Green Bay area. The recommendation to use room tax funds toward an expansion of the KI Center would ultimately need the approval of the Green Bay Area Room Tax Commission. Mayor Schmitt can be reached at jimsc@ci.green-bay.wi.us.

Guest Commentary in New North B2B is offered by invitation of the editor, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Winnebago B2B, LLC or its staff. To inquire about writing a Guest Commentary article in New North B2B, contact the editor at info@ newnorthb2b.com.

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 27

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing’s prognosis:

Industrial growth in the New North increases need for skilled labor

Story by Robin Bruecker

Manufacturing in Northeast Wisconsin continues to gain ground since the recent recession, keeping some roots that were established a century ago while growing new roots as technologies and client needs evolve.

Today’s higher-skilled manufacturing positions need workers who have, for example, been schooled in the use of software and computer-controlled machines, or have been trained in welding or received an engineering degree. The results of the second annual New North Manufacturing Vitality Index survey show many northeast Wisconsin manufacturers expect growth this year, and therefore an increased need for skilled workers to support that growth.

Of the nearly 200 manufacturers who responded to the survey, a whopping 94 percent expect good financial health for the next six to 12 months. One in three say they will modernize their facilities, and 21 percent plan to expand. An increase in sales last year for 63 percent of the responding manufacturers is one reason for this growth, and rising sales are anticipated by 71 percent this year.

With sales up and a number of area companies doing well now, that means more jobs.

28 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

MANUFACTURING “In fact, 43 percent of respondents said that they will be hiring in 2012 – this is great news!” said Ann Franz, strategic partnerships manager at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and coordinator for the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance, the organization conducting the survey in each of the past two years. “However, 45 percent anticipate having difficulty finding the skilled workforce they need. In comparing the 2011 and 2012 Manufacturing Vitality Index, this skills shortage has dramatically increased. The 2011 study found 29 percent anticipating difficulty in hiring, and now in 2012 that has increased to 45 percent.”

Workforce woes Franz noted the occupations manufacturers are having difficulty filling include CNC machinist/machine operators, team assemblers, welders, engineers and sales representatives. In northeast Wisconsin, manufacturing accounts for 24 percent of the overall workforce.

“Employers not being able to fill these critical positions within their organization could dramatically impact the speed of the economic and jobs recovery in Wisconsin,” noted Franz.

“Many of the Alliance members have reported that they are turning away business because they cannot find the skilled workforce needed to increase capacity.”

Part of the problem has been that as older manufacturing employees retire, there are fewer qualified younger people to take their place since manufacturing more or less fell out of favor as a career choice.

“We need to focus on collaboration and getting exposure to high school and junior high school students that manufacturing can offer great career opportunities for them,” said Mark Kaiser, president and CEO of Lindquist Machine Corp. in Green Bay and the new chair of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance. “If we are successful with this challenge, we can solve the skilledlabor shortage that currently exists.”

Kaiser also noted the NEW Manufacturing Alliance encourages its members to develop collaborative relationships and work together toward a long-term solution for meeting workforce needs.

His own company builds custom equipment and machinery for clients in various industries, with current major markets being food processing/packaging and nuclear energy. Its customers’ growth - or lack of it - affects Lindquist Machine’s own growth.

“Capital equipment tends to follow the economic cycle of the country,” explained Kaiser. “When recessions hit, the first item

Methodology Conducted by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Business Success Center this past November in partnership with the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance, the 2012 Manufacturing Vitality Index contains the results of telephone surveys of 193 manufacturers in the New North who had a minimum of $3 million in sales and 25 employees; these respondents comprised 47 percent of the total sampling of 392 companies that fit the criteria.

Source: Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance 2012 Manufacturing Vitality Index

most large companies cut back on is capital spending which in turn lowers demand for our services. Market diversification is key for us, so we can spread the economic risk over several industrial markets. Not a perfect solution, but it sure helps!”

Business was great in 2011, and Lindquist Machine anticipates a reasonable level of demand for its services this year, Kaiser noted. “There still appears to be a lot of economic uncertainty in the market, which could potentially have a negative impact on our business,” he said. “Overall, I feel positive about the future of LMC and of manufacturing in general in northeast Wisconsin.”

If you build it…

Among New North companies experiencing growth and a resulting need for additional skilled workers is Muza Metal Products in Oshkosh, a full-service, one-stop contract metal fabrication company which in the last decade enjoyed quadrupled business growth and no downturns. Its clients include large original equipment manufacturers.

Source: Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance 2012 Manufacturing Vitality Index

This year, the company anticipates building on last year’s growth by 8 percent. Right now, 47,000 square feet are being added to Muza’s existing 180,000-sq. ft. facility. The project will be completed by the end of March and will house new equipment. It will also improve value-added assembly and inventory management space, according to Muza Metal President Dan Hietpas, and be attractive to new OEM clients.

“The longer-term vision that our new ownership – WING Capital from Milwaukee – has established, is to double our business over the next five years,” said Hietpas. “This would likely require an additional 150 employees, up from the current employment level of 250. Currently, we are looking to fill about 10 positions, primarily in the welding, forming, painting and machining areas.”

The Muza team has found ways to address the challenge of finding skilled workers in this market, Hietpas noted. “We have had success by working with the technical colleges and utilizing multiple media sources. Plus, word of mouth and employee referrals are always helpful.”

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 29

MANUFACTURING

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Hiring new workers comes second to retaining current ones, which Hietpas said is accomplished by listening to Muza employees and asking what can be improved, and also confirming that Muza’s benefits package remains competitive with other employers.

“In 2012, we plan to have even more employee feedback forums so that we can make sure we continue to be the employer of choice for our team, as well as others that want to join our team,” he said.

In Titletown, Valley Plating & Fabricating, a division of Wisconsin Plastics Inc., is also looking to grow during fiscal 2012 – as much as a 70 percent boost in top-line sales – thanks to additional business from existing customers. On top of that, a 15 percent increase is expected this year from new customers and other opportunities.

“Valley Plating remains competitive by offering professional fabrication and assembly of products including complex mining equipment platforms, tank assembles that range from two feet in diameter to 20 feet in diameter, and

machine platforms that support a variety of businesses in our area,” said John Christensen, vice president of operations for Valley Plating & Fabricating.

He also cited quick response to customer’s needs, meeting shipping deadlines, and meeting all customer specifications as further reasons for the company’s success.

To handle the expanded demand from customers, Valley Plating now has a second facility in Green Bay which increases final-assembly space by 60 percent, complete with a heavy-lift crane for loading.

As with Muza and other manufacturers surveyed for the vitality index, the business and production growth drives a need for workforce growth.

“Employment levels will increase as well, with our staff projected to more than double in the next six months to accommodate business growth,” said Christensen. “The challenge is the demand for skilled welders and fabricators in northeast Wisconsin has grown, and finding qualified workers has become increasingly difficult. The skills we seek

RSVP by March 7th to info@westsideassociation.com

Questions & Discussion with

Manufacturers working together

Moderated by Sean Fitzgerald Publisher New North B2B 30 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

One person really can get the ball rolling.

Concerned about not finding enough new skilled workers to fill the jobs of his older workers as they retired, Paul Rauscher, president of EMT International in Hobart, asked Northeast Wisconsin Technical College if there was an organization tackling the issue. There wasn’t, and after other manufacturers expressed a similar dilemma, the case was built for the formation of the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance in June 2006.

Since that time, the Alliance has grown from its initial 12 manufacturer members to 70 whose employees comprise 30 percent of the New North’s manufacturing workforce. Members receive networking opportunities, a free booth and tickets to the Manufacturing First Expo and Conference, and more. Their dues help provide eight $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors from the region who wish to pursue a manufacturingrelated associate degree program at one of the four technical colleges in the New North.

The Alliance has ties with K-12 and post-secondary educators, workforce development boards, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, government entities and companies that support manufacturers. Its manufacturing careers magazine, All-Stars, features manufacturing employees in the New North and is shared with 20,000 educators, job seekers, students and parents. View the fourth annual issue and other Alliance information online at www.newmfgalliance.org.

www.newnorthb2b.com

MANUFACTURING are welders and fabricators that have strong math skills, the ability to cut, measure and assemble complex shapes, as well as be able to weld with different types of equipment and work with various metals.”

One of Valley Plating’s solutions is to work with local technical colleges, namely Lakeshore between Manitowoc and Sheboygan and NWTC in Green Bay, as well as state agencies.

Partnering with these places enables the company to find and train new employees.

Submitted photo

A laser cutter in operation at Valley Plating & Fabrication in Green Bay. Source: Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance 2012 Manufacturing Vitality Index

“With the addition of our second location in Green Bay, and assistance from the various partners in recruiting and retaining qualified employees, we believe that the future promises continued growth as we seek to expand in 2012,” said Christensen.

Thanks to the efforts of NEW Manufacturing Alliance, its partners, and Northeast Wisconsin manufacturers, it looks like

manufacturing in this region will continue to grow and adjust to meet customer needs. As Kaiser put it, “We have great people with a very strong work ethic that understand the need to innovate to create opportunity in the marketplace.”

Robin Bruecker has 16 years of experience in magazine and marcom writing. Contact her at robinbrueck@yahoo.com.

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RETAIL

Patron Loyalty Retail rewards for customers can help harvest valuable marketing data

Story by Lee Marie Reinsch

32 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

When it comes to repeat business, you want your customers to have OCD. You want them returning again and again until they get carpal tunnel syndrome from swiping their credit cards.

You want them wearing the rubber right off your store carts’ wheels.

Merchants have been rewarding customers for doing business with them since before some smart baker thought up the baker’s dozen. And formal loyalty programs have been around at least since the 1896 launch of the S&H Green Stamp program by Michigan’s Sperry & Hutchinson Company.

(Which is still around today, albeit in electronic form online.)

Getting a little something extra keeps customers happy, and when customers are happy, they feel like spending more money. Plus, they spread the love by yammering to their friends about how wildly awesome an experience they had.

“Customers want to feel good, they want quality, they want good treatment, so if you are treating your best customers right, they are going to help

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RETAIL you champion your business,” said Dawn Nowakowski, an independent marketing specialist and consultant from Appleton.

Customer reward programs run the gamut from the low tech, like the gas station that gives away a free can of soda with an eight-gallon gas purchase, to the more high tech, like the electronic systems that keep tabs of exactly what you buy and when you buy it and give you customized coupons based on your purchases.

Beside the creepy Big-Brother vibe of knowing that “Chairman Bob” from Roundy’s knows about your Rippin’ Good frosted Carousel-cookie addiction, the down side to such electronic reward programs is they’ve necessitated the lugging around of 10 bajillion little cards.

Enter technology.

“There are still a lot of loyalty programs out there, but people are stepping away from everybody carrying a million cards around,” Nowakowski said. “Technology, with iPhones and Androids, has allowed people to have apps that are loyalty apps, and that is changing the whole state of carrying around all kinds of cards in your wallet. You could have a program where you scan them all in (to one centralized, coded location).”

She likes CardStar for that purpose. It helps to minimize or replace the number of must-lug cards by consolidating several cards into one place – either a single physical card or bar code.

Last year CardStar took another step toward tailoring services to individual shoppers by teaming up with Groupon, the online coupon site. Based on the places you already shop and the things you already buy when using CardStar, Groupon of-

fers customized deals. Like, maybe, 50 percent off an 18-cubic-yard load of Carousel crackers, since Copps Food Centers participate in CardStar.

By the end of this year, it’s estimated nearly 50 percent of Americans will be carrying some sort of smartphone, Nowakowski said. “That should continue to increase.”

Who are the people who shop with you Google’s Ad Words are a good example of data capture, as are Amazon’s “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” suggestions. Open an email from a friend about her craving for Carousel cookies, and you’re likely to get a Google banner ad for Weight Watchers.

“The purpose of any type of loyalty program is it gives you the opportunity to gather data about your best customers and their buying habits, which can help you make choices on what products you want to offer, or maybe products you decide are not working and you want to remove from your product offering,” Nowakowski said. “The beauty of data is that it can drive your business forecast.”

If you aren’t going to use the data, there’s no point in collecting it, Nowakowski said.

Roundy’s (Pick‘n Save and Copps) customer loyalty card keeps tabs of the brands you buy. Oftentimes customers receive coupons at the register from competitors of the brands they purchased.

CVS has its free ExtraCare and BeautyClub programs, both of which allot certain rewards to the cardbearer after tallying so many dollars in sales of certain lines of products.

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RETAIL Getting a little something extra keeps customers happy, and when customers are happy, they feel like spending more money.

Point-ing the way He knows the iPhone version of his rewards program is likely on its way, but Mackinaws Grill & Spirits co-owner Kevin Quinn has no immediate plans of changing things up any time soon. And the 15,000 people who get his old-fashioned emails and carry his restaurant loyalty card aren’t beefing about it.

With a swipe of the card, every dollar a diner spends equals a point, and with every 250 points, the cardholder gets a $10 gift certificate for free food. They can get points in other ways, too. All that’s asked of members is their name and email address.

“Once a month I send out an email blast with what’s new or our (dinner) features, and I send them 50 points,” Quinn said.

Mackinaws offers double points on Tuesdays, and that’s helped spark business on an otherwise lackluster weekday.

Quinn said the program was quick to take off four years ago, and its rewards are much greater than its demands.

“It’s really slick, it’s great in-house marketing, and it promotes repeat business, which is the best kind,” Quinn said.

“It’s really easy promotional stuff. You don’t have to do a lot.

You do a little and you get a lot.”

Quinn said guests appreciate that their patronage gets acknowledged. They like the monthly communication with the

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restaurant, and of course, they like getting something back.

“They say ‘We’re almost there’ (the $10 reward) and ‘Thanks for the points, that was a really great email you sent.’

It’s something to chitchat about with our customers.”

But startup costs weren’t cheap. Quinn’s restaurant is big, which meant he had to buy four new computers. Plus there’s the software, cards and applications.

“But when you break it down per person, it’s really not too bad,” Quinn said.

Mackinaws hasn’t jumped on the cardless revolution yet but does use QR Codes to make loading the eatery’s web page and ‘liking’ them on Facebook faster.

They’re sticking with the tangible While some marketing pros and tech gurus will tell you pixels are king and paper (and laminated or plastic loyalty cards) is for dinosaurs, it’s not really that clear cut. Many chains are finding that newspaper coupons and good old-fashioned punch cards still do the trick – and why fix it if it ain’t broke?

Food purveyors like Atlanta Bread and Papa John’s use paper-based reward or coupon systems, and Festival uses sort of a hybrid system.

“These systems are working perfectly well for them, and that’s fine,” Nowakowski said.

The down economy has more people than ever turning to specials as a way to trim their expenses, according to Festival Foods’ customer care and social media manager Jacque Turner.

“Newspaper coupons are still very important to our guests,” Turner said. “If we have a week that doesn’t have a whole lot of coupons, people ask why and why not as many, so coupons are still very valid in our market.”

Festival offers a few mobile text coupons, but by and large puts most of its store coupons in paper form and store flyers.

The downside of lower-tech programs, Nowakowski said, is that they’re only one sided. The customer reaps the reward of lower prices, but the merchant doesn’t learn anything new about the customer.

“It doesn’t allow data capture, and that is really the whole purpose of the rewards programs,” she said.

But is knowing exactly who shops with you really a life-ordeath situation? Sometimes maybe it’s more important to encourage customers to fill their pizza punch cards till they get the 13th pie free than it is to know whether or not they like mushrooms. “(A customer reward system) can be as simple as keeping birthdays on file and mailing customers a coupon on their birthday,” Nowakowski said.

And that’s OK, she said.

Lee Reinsch writes and edits from Green Bay.

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34 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

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AGRIBUSINESS

Feeding a

hungry world

Wisconsin agriculture exports reach all-time record in 2011

36 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

The world’s population continues to grow, and with about 96 percent of the world’s nearly 7.2 billion consumers outside of the United States’ borders, there is a growing need for food.

Wisconsin, with its reputation for safe and quality products, is in a unique position to provide that food and other agricultural products to the world.

In early February, state officials reported Wisconsin agricultural exports reached a record high in 2011 with a total value of $2.85 billion, an 18 percent increase from 2010 Wisconsin agricultural exports of $2.41 billion.

As a result, Wisconsin was ranked 16th among states for agricultural exports in 2011, an improvement from its No. 17 in 2010.

Wisconsin leads the nation in the export of several agricultural products, including: bovine semen, flax seed, ginseng roots, canned sweet corn, mustard flour, mixes and dough for the baking industry, and yeasts.

“Exports are an important segment of Wisconsin’s agricultural industry creating additional markets for our products, profit for our farmers and companies, and jobs for our state citizens,” said Ben Brancel, Secretary of the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “Wisconsin has customers in over 130 countries, and our international markets continue to grow around the world.”

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AGRIBUSINESS Top export destinations In 2011, Canada ranked as Wisconsin’s top agricultural export market with sales reaching $1.34 billion, an increase of 48 percent above 2010 exports to Canada.

The second most valuable agricultural export market to Wisconsin in 2011 was Mexico, a value of $196 million. South Korea ranked No. 3 with a value of $125 million, a year-overyear increase of 34 percent, followed by China at No. 4 with a value of $118 million, up 43 percent from 2010 export. Japan ranked as Wisconsin’s fifth largest agricultural trade partner with $104 million in exports during 2011, up 7 percent above totals from a year earlier.

The department’s international trade team continues to build relationships with its trading partners and identify emerging markets with growing economies and populations. In January, Sec. Brancel made a trade visit to Vietnam to identify opportunities and challenges for Wisconsin businesses, which could eventually lead to increased agricultural exports to the country. Other opportunities are surfacing in emerging countries as well.

“The recent passage of the Colombia, Panama and Korea trade agreements clarify entrance requirements to these countries and provide a more competitive playing field for Wisconsin exporters,” added Brancel. “These agreements allow Wisconsin companies greater access to international markets and increased possibilities for our agricultural products.”

Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau Leading the way for tourism in the region

Oshkosh is Wisconsin’s Event City, hosting more than 1,000 events annually, including mega-events such as EAA AirVenture, Country USA, Lifest and Rock USA.

Most valuable export categories The state’s strong agricultural export growth continues to thrive from the diverse industry and product base of Wisconsin’s farms and processing facilities.

In 2011, the most valuable agricultural export from Wisconsin was cereal grains – which includes wheat, corn, and barley – with a total value of $380 million.

Beverages ranked as the second most valuable agricultural export category in 2011 with a value of $318 million, up 214 percent from 2010 international sales. This category primarily includes ethanol.

Miscellaneous foods, including sauces, yeasts, and other prepared foods, ranked as the No. 3 export category in 2011 with a value of $249 million, an increase of 24 percent compared with the previous year. Dairy, eggs, and honey followed as fourth largest export category in 2011, increasing 8 percent from 2010 exports to a total value of $231 million in 2011.

Rounding out the top five product categories, baking-related goods, including baking mixes and dough – of which Wisconsin leads the nation in exports to other countries – ranked No. 5 in 2011 with a value of $226 million, up 28 percent from 2010 export totals in the category.

“Trade expansion in Wisconsin will continue to encourage investment and more rapid economic growth,” said Brancel.

“I encourage companies of all sizes to take advantage of the resources available to enter or expand their stake in the international marketplace.”

Submitted from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection with contributions from New North B2B staff.

Learn more about what we’re doing to promote tourism—go to

VisitOshkosh.com NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 37

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

401(k) Trustees: Get Benchmarked

by Independence Financial LLC Last month, New North B2B magazine ran an extensive article on the Department of Labor’s new fee disclosure rules for 401(k) plans.

These new rules require 401(k) plan service providers to fully disclose their fees to the trustees of the 401(k) plan. In turn, the employer will also be required to disclose the plan fees to all plan participants.

Some providers already operate transparently and do a good job disclosing their fees to the plan trustees and plan participants such that there will not be any big surprises. However, many providers do not offer a strong level of fee transparency and their fees are buried deep enough that these new laws could be a real eye opener for plan trustees and plan participants alike. Because of this, the new laws have wonderful potential to level the playing field and create a better retirement plan environment, and ultimately a better end result for participants to achieve their retirement savings goals.

The new rules are intended to help Mike Scott

38 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

keep fees reasonable for 401(k) participants. If the fees are all disclosed in a single consolidated document, it makes it easy for the trustees to understand what the total plan costs are. Unfortunately, the data alone is only as valuable as what the trustees do with it. Since a 401(k) plan is not something the average person frequently shops for, just knowing the total cost does not let you know if it is competitive in the marketplace. Plan trustees need to have their plans “benchmarked” to compare their plan to others in their industry to make sure the fees are reasonable for their plan size and the services they are receiving.

Every 401(k) plan is unique with the number of participants, investment options, participant education that is provided, online resources, total assets in the plan, and the fees charged. Therefore, it is important to have your plan benchmarked to plans of similar size and similar industries. We benchmark participation,

920.236.6587 utilization, portfolio quality and performance, vesting periods, match level, average account balance, and of course, fees.

Benchmarking is certainly a helpful tool in understanding the success of a plan and it is also important to consider the overall understanding and satisfaction of the participants. A low fee with poor service and poor performance is clearly no bargain.

To learn more about the objective third party benchmarking analysis Independence Financial can provide, contact Michael Scott, CLU, CFP®. Mike is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM practitioner and an owner of Independence Financial, LLC, an Oshkosh firm specializing in retirement planning for over 80 years. (920) 236-6587 or Michael@ IndependenceFinancialLLC.com.

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

Brown County

Midwest Advanced Planning Group LLC, Leland Russell Fulwilder, 907 Fulton St., De Pere 54115.

Green Bay Pressure Systems LLC, Brian Zablocki, 824 W. Gile Circle, P.O. Box 263, De Pere 54115.

Legend Lawns LLC, Keith J. Jansen, 2810 Lost Dauphin Road, De Pere 54115.

Brookside Farms LLC, Melvin K. Buckmaster, 907 Chelsea Ct., De Pere 54115.

Freshair Salon LLC, Jeffrey Podhora, 310 N. Wisconsin, Ste. D, De Pere 54115.

Arms of Angels Transport Inc., Amy Jo Van Oss, 1658 Silhouette Lane, De Pere 54115.

Jesse’s Signature Landscape Care LLC, Philip J. Danen, 515 George St., De Pere 54115.

Ryan Pickett Foundation Inc., Jennifer Pickett, 2229 Meadow Ridge Dr., De Pere 54115.

Under-The-Bridge Productions Ltd. LLC, Christopher W. Leone, 1030 Meadow View Lane, De Pere 54115.

Cernunnos Marketing LLC, Jody Van Ven Roy, 405 Wisconsin Ave., Denmark 54208.

Memorial Crematory LLC, Joseph D. Malcore, 701 N. Baird St., Green Bay 54302.

Stay N Play Child Care LLC, Tiffany O’Neil, 1636 Lindale Lane, Green Bay 54313.

Bulk Fr8 LLC, Wayne Levinson, 2701 Larsen Road, Ste. 230, Green Bay 54303.

Moneylogik Inc., Lorri Kieff, 926 Willard Dr., Ste. 234, Green Bay 54304.

Midwest Freight Carriers Inc., Abdikhani H. Mumin, 2042 Memorial Dr., Apt. 104, Green Bay 54303.

Preble Girls Volleyball Booster Club Inc., Thomas C. Betka, 3067 Windland Dr., Green Bay 54311.

Green Bay Animal Rescue Inc., Lori Buresh, 503 Scott Dr., Green Bay 54303.

Olive Graphic Design LLC, Sharon Lynn Vincent, 200 Lau St., Green Bay 54302.

Huntley Design & Painting LLC, Steven Robert Huntley, Jr., 405 E. LeCapitaine Circle, Green Bay 54302.

Creative Product Innovations LLC, Richard James Erdmann, 2120 S. Broadway St., Green Bay 54304.

Sallis DDS LLC, Carlos Sallis, 2805 Libal St., #B, Green Bay 54301.

Assorted Coatings LLC, Daniel W. Welsing, 2660 S. Packerland Dr., Green Bay 54313.

Go-Green Painting LLC, Allen R. Danforth, 1440 Acorn Dr., Green Bay 54304.

Better Life Chiropractic LLC, Troy Michael Moore, 493 McAuliffe Heights Trail, Green Bay 54311.

Dell’s Towing LLC, Dell R. Lubenske, Jr., 840 Vander Perren Way, Green Bay 54304.

Preble Softball Booster Club Inc., Ronald F. Metzler, 222 Cherry St., Green Bay 54301.

Green Bay Tea Party Inc., James M. Murphy, 1431 Garland St., Green Bay 54301.

Quality Moving Specialists LLC, Brett E. Revling, 1140 Chapel Hill Circle, Green Bay 54313.

LaCount Auctions LLC, David L. LaCount, 4045 Anston Road,

40 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

Green Bay 54313.

PL Tax and Accounting Inc., Paul Lemberger, 1039 W. Mason St., Ste. 115, Green Bay 54303.

Let’s Play Events LLC, Patrick D. Fuge, 2160 Ridge Road, Green Bay 54304.

Rentmeester’s Auto Body LLC, John K. Rentmeester, 1990 Verlin Road, Green Bay 54311.

R&D Janitorial Service LLC, Erick Castro, 1331 Bellevue, Lot #102, Green Bay 54302.

Riskgap Advisors LLC, Ryan Rasske, 101 S. Military Ave., #256, Green Bay 54303.

5 Star Handyman LLC, Tahsen Qadada, 1221 Bellevue St., Ste. 111, Green Bay 54302.

Irrigation Doctors LLC, Jon W. Hultman, 1666 Murphy Dr., Green Bay 54303.

Performance Development LLC, Freddie Fleck, 1613 W. Deerfield Ave., Green Bay 54313.

BNH Masonry & Remodeling LLC, Ben Norbert Heise, 3070 Westpoint Road, Green Bay 54313.

Lo La Lawn Care LLC, Curtis Clancy, 1998 Fair Lane, Greenleaf 54126.

Green Leaf Flowers LLC, Heather Marchant, 2374 School Road, Greenleaf 54126.

Greenstruction LLC, Jonathan John, N6948 Cornelius Circle, Oneida 54155.

Provative Energy Consulting Inc., Chris Matthiesen, 2474 Woodington Way, Suamico 54173.

Refined Beauti Inc., Shawna Peterson, 1917 Riverside Dr., Unit G, Suamico 54313.

Complete Electric Service & Maintenance LLC, Michelle R. Erickson, 1542 Kapla Ct., Suamico 54173.

Calumet County

Kramer Lawn Service LLC, Kevin Arthur Kramer, N7922 State Park Road, Sherwood 54169.

Sherwood PC Solutions LLC, Scott M. Schiedermayer, W4928 Spring Hill Dr., Sherwood 54169.

Fond du Lac County

Insurance Services of Wisconsin LLC, John R. Brandl, 400 S. Helena St., Campbellsport 53010.

Badger State Pickers LLC, Elizabeth Rettler, N1478 County Road W, Campbellsport 53010.

Automotive Equipment Solutions LLC, Jacob Minger, 50 W. 12th St., Fond du Lac 54935.

Independent Financial Solutions LLC, Scott Edward Klewicki, 307 N. Main St., P.O. Box 187, Fond du Lac 54935.

Custom Entertainment & Apparel LLC, Nathan Grinwald, 549 Forest Ave., Fond du Lac 54935.

Fond du Lac Stem Academy Inc., Kevin R. Anderson, 401 S. Military Road, Fond du Lac 54935.

Fond du Lac Psychotherapy LLC, Meghan Cole, 1020 S. Main St., Ste. A, Fond du Lac 54935.

Cardinal Paving Solutions LLC, Christopher K. Cardinal, 490 Ledgewood Dr., Fond du Lac 54935.

Johnson Loss Prevention LLC, Jeremiah James Johnson, 923 Mequon Ave., Fond du Lac 54935.

Appraisal Consultants LLC, Jeffrey S. Gagnow, 3426 Schuster Lane, Malone 53049.

Silica Pub LLC, Bruce Connaher, N8545 County Road QQ, Malone 53049.

DB’s Lawn & Landscaping LLC, Daniel Brown, W9436 County Road TC, Oakfield 53065.

www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS Vines & Rushes Winery LLC, Ryan Charles Prellwitz, 445 E. Jackson St., Ripon 54971.

Custom Trusses Unlimited LLC, Janet M. Pinno, W8856 County Road T, Rosendale 54974.

Roehrig Flooring LLC, Troy Roman Roehrig, 200 Clark St., St. Cloud 53079.

Green Lake County

Hammerlane Transport LLC, Jacob D. Fox, N8887 Willard Road, Berlin 54923.

Berlin Family Restaurant Inc., Isabel Mena, 186 Broadway St., Berlin 54923.

Outagamie County

5 Star Plumbing Services Inc., Ralph Lee, 1925 W. Packard St., P.O. Box 7292, Appleton 54914.

New Parts Direct LLC, Charles Robert Vanderlinden, 517 E. Marquette St., Appleton 54911.

Heartland Painting LLC, Bradley J. Reitzner, 132 Gregor Ct., Appleton 54915.

Twigs & Vines Floral LLC, Judith Anne Corrigan, 4520 N. Grassmere Ct., Appleton 54913.

Osaka Hibachi Appleton Inc., Chiu Wong, 4421 W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton 54913.

Fam Music Records LLC, Franklin Bubenhein, 1216 S. Jefferson St., Appleton 54915.

Andy Wescott State Farm Insurance Agency LLC, Andrew Wescott, 1117 N. Badger Ave., Ste. E, Appleton 54914.

Mechanic Trucks Inc., Randy M. Bauer, 5005 W. Greenville Dr., Appleton 54913.

AI Group LLC, Janice D. Curtin, N230 Hank Dr., Appleton 54915.

Icons In Concert LLC, Teofil Eugene Gieryn, Jr., W5406 Red Clover Trail, Appleton 54915.

All Weather Roofing and Restoration LLC, Lori McMyler, 536 N. Richmond St., Appleton 54911.

Jerry Plach Insurance Services LLC, Jerry Plach, N2083 Mayflower Dr., Appleton 54915.

Innovation Hunting Blinds LLC, Theodore Ironside, N9679 State Park Road, Ste. 115, Appleton 54915.

Scott Schinschke D.O., S.C., Scott Schinschke, 3819 S. Woodendale Way, Appleton 54915.

Appleton Business Development LLC, Kenneth L. Brickner, 1609 S. Douglas St., Appleton 54914.

Michoacana Bar & Grill Inc., Pedro Juarez, 211 W. College Ave., Appleton 54911.

Techlink Services LLC, Steven R. Hornick, W5551 Colin St., Appleton 54915.

North American Finishing LLC, Richard Stiles, 3415 Commerce Ct., Appleton 54911.

Lady Lash LLC, Danielle Netzer, 103 W. College Ave., Ste. 801, Appleton 54911.

Ehani Designs LLC, Marilee Switzer Collins, 1359 W. Brewster St., Appleton 54914.

Scuba’s Pourhouse LLC, Steven Van Fossen, 2278 Fraser Fir Lane, Appleton 54913.

Tache Sleep and Pain Seminars LLC, Daniel Tache, 3221 Rambling Rose Dr., Appleton 54914.

Celebration Church - Appleton Inc., Lathan Duncan, 303 N. Oneida St., Appleton 54911.

Wisconsin Pro Se LLC, James Anthony Cotter, W6165 Aerotech

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 41

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Dr., Appleton 54914.

Hard Knox Cabinet Placement LLC, Timothy Joseph Knox, 516 S. State St., Appleton 54911.

Angela’s Creative Design LLC, Angela R. Fulcer, 597 Cornrow Lane, Combined Locks 54113.

Old 45 Archery LLC, Chad E. Baerwald, 603 S. Nash St., Hortonville 54944.

Smoky Lake Maple Products LLC, Angela Murphy, 1400 Wildenberg Dr., Kaukauna 54130.

Rock Your Moxie LLC, Autumn C. Hill, 609 Theresa Ct., P.O. Box 224, Kimberly 54136.

Escape Haven Spa LLC, Mariah Yunk, 328 S. Helen St., Kimberly 54136.

ChampsPub LLC, Brandon John Luedtke, 1421 Washington St., Little Chute 54140.

Rademaker Restoration & Remodeling LLC, Paul J. Rademaker, 1617 Buchanan St., Little Chute 54140.

LA Towing & Recovery LLC, Laury David Diges, Jr., N470 State Road 55, Seymour 54165.

Winnebago County

Gutterdrainer LLC, Ann Bonneville, 1223 Appleton Road, Menasha 54952.

Stonehaven Wealth & Tax Management LLC, Brian Much, W5685 Firelane 12, Menasha 54952.

Automation Management Solutions LLC, Daniel M. Christiansen, 1377 Circle Dr., Menasha 54952.

Auto X Change LLC, Jean M. Jacob, 931 Racine St., Menasha 54952.

Bittner Farms LLC, Kristine M. Schreiter, 1018 Southfield Dr., Menasha 54952.

Red Granite Tool Company LLC, John M. Rathburn, 834 Green St., Menasha 54952.

Hi-Class Home Improvement LLC, Steven J. Romnek, 1262 Gavin Road, Neenah 54956.

Fist - Firearms Instruction and Specialized Training LLC, Robert Michael Dumont, 113 Wright Ave., Neenah 54956.

Cobblestone Hotels LLC, Brian Wogernese, 980 American Dr., Neenah 54956.

Perfect Presentations LLC, Frank Robert Micale, 528 Riford Road, Neenah 54956.

Creative Media & Design LLC, Jason Rivard, 1455 Glenview Dr., Neenah 54956.

Kestrel Aircraft Company Inc., Jeffrey L. Hesson, 244 E. Doty Ave., Neenah 54956.

Vega Bean LLC, Micaela MacDonald, 1301 Kimberly Dr., Neenah 54956.

Butcher Block Meats and Cheese LLC, Phillip E. Hergert, 1750 West Pointe Dr., P.O. Box 3004, Oshkosh 54903.

Expert Automotive Services LLC and Expert Towing & Recovery LLC, Chad Pugh, 910 W. Murdock Ave., Oshkosh 54901.

Green Fuel Technologies Cashton LLC, Philip Johnson, 4411 Honeysuckle Ct., Oshkosh 54904.

Oshkosh Native Sons Blues Society Inc., Artemas A. Wright, 622 Central St., Oshkosh 54901.

Binder Auto Service LLC, Jeffrey Binder, 4226 State Road 44, Oshkosh 54904.

PCA Bookkeeping LLC, Colleen S. Dungar, 1021 Mason St., Oshkosh 54902.

Fox Valley Masonry LLC, Soren Ole Stauersbol, 1836 Cliffview Ct., Oshkosh 54901.

Datawiz Midwest LLC, Saad Mian, 1391 Wheatfield Way, Oshkosh 3.5” x 9.875”, Lean Locally 8311 54904.

www.newnorthb2b.com

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

T.J. Maxx, 1210 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh. $535,000 for a new department store. Contractor is Dumke Management of Oshkosh. January 3.

Vandervest Harley-Davidson, 1966 Velp Ave., Howard. $1,109,778 for a 32,451-sq. ft. addition and renovation of the existing retail building. General contractor is Smet Construction of Green Bay. January 4.

Saputo Cheese USA, 325 Tompkins St., Fond du Lac. $485,015 for an addition to the permeate dryer building of its milk specialties division.

General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton. January 9.

Lambeau Field – City of Green Bay, 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay. $85 million for an expansion of the south end zone of the stadium.

General contractor is Miron Construction Co. of Neenah. January 10.

Kwik Trip, 1061 E. Johnson St., Fond du Lac. $1,180,000 for a new convenience store, carwash and fuel station canopy. Self contracted.

January 13.

Trinity Hall Restaurant, 40 E. Division St., Fond du Lac. $400,000 for interior alterations to the existing commercial space. General contractor is Commonwealth Construction Corp. of Fond du Lac. January 25.

Bay Park Square Mall, 2405 S. Oneida St., Unit 661, Ashwaubenon. $573,241 for an interior renovation of one of the retail spaces to accommodate a new tenant. Contractor is Horizon Retail Construction Inc. January 30.

Mergers/Acquisitions Govani Dental in Oshkosh took over the patients of Dr. Gerald Vogt, who retired after 30 years of practice in Oshkosh. Dr. Shaheda Govani will continue to serve those patients through her dental practice at 1819 Evans Street.

EnvisionInk of Appleton and Rogers Printing Solutions of Winneconne merged to form EnvisionInk Printing Solutions. The newly combined firm operates from Rogers’ existing facility in Winneconne. Both companies retained all employees. The company can be reached online by visiting www.envision-ink.com or calling 800.545.5026.

Business honors Awards and honors earned by individuals are listed separately in the Who’s News section of New North B2B. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center earned “Top Stops” recognition by Venues Today for theaters with 2,000 to 5,000 seats, ranking No. 13 based on gross sales from performances, concerts and other events. Venues Today also ranked Resch Center in Green Bay at No. 19 among venues with 10,000 to 15,000 seats, and listed Lambeau Field in Green Bay at No. 10 in the category of 30,000 or more seats.

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh earned a Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, becoming the 25th institution in North America and the first in Wisconsin to achieve the recognition. Other universities that have attained Gold ratings include Duke, Arizona State and Cornell. The rating system

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tec@tecmidwest.com www.tecmidwest.com NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 43

WHO’S NEWS

Neuman

Guo

Hodgkiss

Osterholm

covers four categories, including education and research; operations; planning, administration and engagement; and innovation.

Leichtnam

Gebhardt

The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau presented the following organizations with its annual Tourism Awards for 2012: American Legion Post 38 in Appleton received the Convention Award for both the American Legion and the Ladies Auxiliary, which generated more than 1,000 room nights; Wisconsin State Invitational Championship 5th Grade Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments received the Sports Award for bringing 278 teams to the Fox Cities in February and April, generating roughly 2,500 hotel room nights; Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton received the Partnership Award; and The Bergstrom-Mahler Museum in Neenah received the Ambition to Fruition Award for hosting the Corning Museum of Glass travelling exhibit “Arts of Fire.”

Evergreen Retirement Community in Oshkosh received a 2011 Wisconsin Forward Award Mastery distinction from the state-based program based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

New hires

Rohm

Unity in Green Bay hired Patricia Neuman, D.O. as a fulltime physician. Dr. Neuman oversees the clinical care and treatment of Unity patients and acts as a liaison with patients’ primary care physicians. Prior to joining Unity, she worked with a local health system in pain and non-surgical spine care. She continues to be a consulting medical director for N.E.W. Curative Rehabilitation’s Brain Injury Program.

Jeff Gaecke was hired as president for Organization Management Services Inc. in Appleton, which manages activities for various construction associations in the region.

Shoemaker

The Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh hired Jim DiMatteo as vice president for AirVenture features and attractions and Margaret Viola to its member services staff.

DiMatteo recently retired from the U.S. Navy as a captain following more than 20 years as a naval aviator, including 72 combat missions in support of Operation Desert Storm.

DiMatteo also served as commanding officer for TopGun Adversary Squadrons, and served as international race director for the Red Bull Air Race World Series from 2006 to 2010. Viola previously spent a year teaching math and science at a boarding school in Somaliland, and while there, also worked as a part-time research assistant and consultant to Somaliland’s Minister of Aviation and to Daallo Airlines’ executive team. Viola began volunteering at EAA AirVenture in 2001 and previously interned at the EAA AirVenture Museum.

Milos

Sexton

Danqing Guo, M.D. joined BayCare Clinic’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation department in Green Bay. Dr. Guo specializes in musculoskeletal joint disorders, non-surgical orthopedics, acupuncture and medication management.

He will continue to practice from his current office at 2401 Holmgren Way in Green Bay. The Business Bank hired Bill Hodgkiss as market president for its Appleton location. Hodgkiss has 23 years of sales and credit experience, with a background in commercial banking and managing large loan portfolios.

Miron Construction Co. in Neenah hired David J. Walsh as vice president of leadership and organizational development. Walsh has 20 years experience in law enforcement and most recently served as chief of police for the City of Appleton. His duties include human resources, leadership development and accountability.

Habitat for Humanity of Fond du Lac County hired Paul W. Osterholm as executive director. Osterholm most recently worked at Marian University in Fond du Lac for 13 years.

Jay Manufacturing in Oshkosh hired John A. Milos as a client service representative.

Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin hired the following staff members: Susan Knuth as an occupational therapist for its early intervention services program; Heather Osheim as a service coordinator/interventionist, also for its EIS program; Richie Davis as a job developer with the vocational support services team; Carly Zarda as a retail coordinator with its retail operations team; and Daniel Pickar as an area team leader for the Menasha retail store.

The Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau hired Kelsey Leichtnam as its sales and service manager. She recently served as an intern for the Oshkosh Convention Center, where she assisted with event planning.

Appleton-based WOW Logistics hired Mike Gebhardt as its director of business development. Gebhardt has 25 years experience in the warehousing and distribution industry, having previously worked with OHL and Saddle Creek Corp.

SRC Technologies in De Pere hired Jason Rohm as a senior network architect. Rohm has 16 years experience in IT and holds multiple certifications with Cisco, Microsoft, and Novell. He has held senior IT architect and engineer positions in the health care and financial services industries.

Rohm is also an adjunct instructor and Computer/Information Systems Advisory Board member for Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.

Haller 44 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS Promotions Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin promoted Wendy Shoemaker to chief operating officer of retail stores and training centers, Mary Haller to chief operating officer of supply chain, and Stephanie Lehrer to store team leader for its Oshkosh location. Shoemaker joined Goodwill in 2002 as director of human resources, and eventually transitioned to director of retail stores. Haller joined Goodwill in 2006 as director of logistics and Shiner Center operations.

Lehrer joined Goodwill in 2008 as an area team leader at its Ashwaubenon store and later transferred to the Darboy location as an assistant team leader.

Sue Hennes was promoted to branch manager for Citizens Bank – Kaukauna. Hennes has 32 years experience in the banking industry and served as the customer service supervisor for the past 11 years.

Faith Technologies in Menasha promoted Christine Rahlf to director of operations. Rahlf joined Faith Technologies in 2004 and has more than 20 years experience in the construction industry. She previously held roles as project manager, Sheboygan branch manager, and most recently as purchasing director.

Individual Awards Roger Arnold, an engineer with Omnni Associates in Appleton, received the 2011 Outstanding Airport Construction Award from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for

his work as resident engineer on a runway reconstruction project at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

Kristine R. Sexton, owner and president of Directions Marketing in Neenah, received the 2012 Governor’s Trailblazer Award for Women in Business, recognizing women pioneers in the business community. Directions was founded

by Sexton’s father, Russell Mueller. She began working for the agency fulltime in 1976 and acquired the agency from her father in 1985.

The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau presented Carol Westphal with its Volunteer of the Year Award and recognized Bureau Executive Director Lynn Peters with its Pinnacle Award.

Elections/appointments Steve Davis, co-owner of Ardy & Ed’s Drive-In in Oshkosh, was appointed by Gov. Scott Walker to his Small Business Regulatory Review Board. The members of the council will review new regulations for their impact on job creation and review existing regulations in state government that may hinder job growth.

Certifications Eric Deering and Nancy Kanter, both electrical designers with Menasha-based Faith Technologies, earned the Lighting Certified accreditation from the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions.

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NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 45

BUSINESS CALENDAR Business calendar 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.

March 2 Coffee and Conversation, a monthly event from the Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Little Chute Village Hall, 108 W. Main St. in Little Chute. Learn about Fox Valley Technical College’s facility expansion plans and the upcoming referendum scheduled for early April.

There is no charge to attend. For more information, call the chamber at 920.766.1616.

March 4-6 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism, at KI Convention Center in Green Bay. Keynote speakers include Peter Shankman, who will present on customer service, social media and public relations, and travel journalist Peter Greenberg. Event details, including a full agenda, as well as registration is available online at www.wigcot.org.

March 7 Coffee Connection, a monthly networking event from the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Rehab Arisces, 845 S. Main St., Ste. 120 in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $2 for AC members. For more information or to register, go online to www.fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500.

46 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

March 7 Sustainable Business Exchange, an event presented by Fox Valley Technical College, 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the college’s D.J. Bordini Center, 5 Systems Dr. in Appleton. Learn strategies to transform corporate culture, engage employees, and motivate behavior change as it relates to sustainable practices in business and industry. The event is free, but registration is appreciated by calling 920.831.4325 or by going online to www.fvtc. edu/sustainabilityseries.

March 8 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.

Program is “Family Business: Challenges & Opportunities” presented by Donna Nelson of Wisconsin Family Business Forum and Mandi McConnell of Flash Trucking in Berlin. For more information or to register, go online to www.wimi.org or contact Nancy Jo at njdietzen@chamco.org or 920.232.9786.

March 13 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 chamber members. For information, call 920.303.2265.

March 20 “Generation Dynamics & Family Business Life Cycle: Mentoring & Coaching the Next Generation,” a no-cost event presented by the Wisconsin Family Business Forum through the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 7:30 a.m. to noon at Bridgewood Resort Hotel, 1000 Cameron Way in Neenah. This session will provide techniques and tools to transition the family business to the next generation of management. Guest presenter Sandra Shirk McNeely of the Abbey Group Ltd. has 20 years experience

www.newnorthb2b.com

BUSINESS CALENDAR as a financial analyst, manager and leadership consultant. The event is free to any family business, but reservations are required by Mar. 13 by going online to wfbf.uwosh.edu or emailing nelsond@uwosh.edu.

March 20 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, a monthly networking event, 5 to 7 p.m. at First Weber Realtors/Winfield Homes, 845 S. Main Street, Ste. 170 in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $2 if registered in advance or $5 at the door. For more information or to register, go online to www.fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500.

Advertiser Index Appleton Downtown www.appletondowntown.org............................... 14 Bank First National www.bankfirstnational.com.................................. 26 Bridgewood Resort Hotel www.bridgewoodresorthotel.com. .................... 6 Capital Credit Union www.capitalcu.com........................................ 46 CitizensFirst Credit Union www.citizensfirst.com . ............................ 22 Copperleaf Hotel www.copperleafhotel.com. ....................................... 6 Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. www.dkattorneys.com..................................... 5 Dental Associates www.careplusdentalplans.com............................... 45 Digiprint www.digiprint.biz............................................................ 50 Epiphany Law www.epiphanylaw.com. ............................................ 52 First Business Bank www.firstbusiness.com. .................................... 35 First National Bank ~ Fox Valley www.fnbfoxvalley.com. ................... 31 First Weber Group / Schwab Realty www.firstweber.com................... 49 Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau www.foxcities.org................ 9 Frontier Builders & Consultants www.frontierbuildersandconsultants.com.. 12 Guident Business Solutions www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com............ 11 Heidel House Resort & Spa www.heidelhouse.com........................... 16 Indendence Financial LLC www.independencefinancialllc.com............... 38 Keller Inc. www.kellerbuilds.com ................................................... 24 Lambeau Field Atrium www.packers.com/lambeau-field. ...................... 23 Larson Engineering Inc. www.larsonengr.com.................................. 31 Legal Shield www.biewer.prepaidlegal.com. ......................................... 8 Mahoney’s All-American Grill www.mahoneysgrill.com. ....................... 8 Moraine Park Technical College www.morainepark.edu..................... 42 National Exchange Bank & Trust www.nebat.com............................. 2 Network Health Plan www.networkhealth.com . ................................ 51 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council www.newbt.org.......... 17 OptiVision Eye Care www.optivisioneyecare.com................................ 26 Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau www.visitoshkosh.com.......... 37 Outagamie County Regional Airport www.atwairport.com. ................ 41 Radisson Paper Valley Hotel www.radisson.com............................. 33 Rhyme www.rhymebiz.com........................................................... 25 Sadoff & Rudoy Industries www.sadoff.com................................... 13 Security Luebke Roofing www.securityluebkeroofing.com .................... 15 TEC www.tecmidwest.com. ...................................................... 34, 43 UW Oshkosh College of Business www.mba.uwosh.edu................... 18 West Side Association www.westsideassociation.com......................... 30 Winnebago County Solid Waste Management www.co.winnebago.wi.us/solid-waste/container-rental-program. ..................... 25 WI Department of Transportation www.US41wisconsin.gov................ 38

March 29 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event sponsored by the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 8 to 9 a.m. at green 3, 2325 State Road 44 in Oshkosh. No cost to attend, but registration is required by going online to www.oshkoshchamber.com or calling 920.303.2266.

April 10 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 chamber members. For information, call 920.303.2265.

Better Business Bureau New Members Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during January 2012 A Step Above Commercial Cleaning Contractors LLC,

Menasha American Hay Company LLC, Campbellsport Anderson Construction, Oconto Falls Bob’s Medical Transportation, Montello Cockapoo Of Excellence, Iola Corporate Legal Counsel LTD, Appleton Dancing Needles LLC, North Fond du Lac Dave Stenz Construction, Woodruff Ed Gund Construction, Van Dyne Fox Cities Sign, Menasha Giantseed Creative LLC, Green Bay Glacier Dental LLC, Oshkosh Green Bay Commercial Floor Care LLC, Krakow Jim’s Plumbing, Greenville JTL Repair, Fond du Lac Landtect Design LLC, Green Bay MB Integrated Pest Control Inc., Menasha Melchert Sales LLC, Appleton Nick Holtger Construction Corp., Oconto Falls P.M. Maintenance, Ripon Paiser’s Oakhaven, Shawano Pollesch Construction Inc., Ripon Quality Cycle LLC, Manawa Reed Construction, Greenville Right Choice Employment Screening & Drug Testing,

Green Bay RPM Speed & Custom, Sheboygan Rural Audiology Services Inc., Waupaca Secure Retirement Solutions LLC, Green Bay Stuart’s Landscaping & Garden Center Inc., Fond du Lac The Bulldog Landscaping, Appleton Top Brass Mechanical & Property Management, Fond du Lac United Building Systems LLC, Seymour Windows of Wisconsin Inc., Green Bay

NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 47

GUEST COMMENTARY

WEDC launches target sector investment

New strategy toward economic development reflects character of new agency

Paul Jadin CEO, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

48 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation recently made a $750,000 investment in the Water Research and Business Accelerator Center in Milwaukee. This investment in the water technology research and business incubator is a prime example of WEDC’s new target industry investment strategy. WEDC’s approach is innovative and a more effective approach to target industry advancement than traditional approaches.

Traditional cluster strategies use statistical data to identify concentrations of like-coded companies, or identify the next “hot” industry sector and declare these as target industries, regardless of actual industry support or realistic opportunity.

WEDC’s targeted industry approach delivers customized solutions to accelerate business consortia that exhibits strong industry leadership, has a defined plan for growth, and has realistic potential for strong and long-term economic impact.

This new targeted-industry investment strategy by WEDC has a number of advantages. First, it is not government picking winners or losers but a market-led strategy that accelerates already promising opportunities.

Second, it does not apply a one-size fits all solution but provides an approach tailored to the consortia needs.

Third, it maximizes the impact of taxpayer dollars by co-investing in solutions that are likely to yield the best results. For example, WEDC also supports the trucking consortia’s efforts to increase the number of truck drivers and diesel mechanics by coordinating WEDC, the state Department of Workforce Development and technical college solutions.

Wisconsin is fortunate to have a number of existing and emerging consortia opportunities to drive regional and statewide job growth.

Many of these are part of our strong manufacturing base – an industry character­ized by export, strong job multipliers and high investment in research and development.

Industry sectors such as water technology, defense vehicle manufacturing, energy storage and biotechnology-related equipment and processes also hold promise for growth.

These sectors provide economic diversity and support quality jobs throughout the state.

Here’s why Wisconsin’s water technology industry is a target industry worthy of support: it has strong industry leadership through the Milwaukee Water Council; a con-

centration of key globally competitive businesses in Wisconsin; and the strong support of local and state resources.

...it is not government picking winners or losers but a market-led strategy that accelerates already promising opportunities.

WEDC’s investment to underwrite the rent of start-up water research and technology companies at the Accelerator Center is a unique solution designed to move the entrepreneur from the start-up and research and development stages to the product development and marketing stages. Our customized industry support doesn’t stop there. WEDC will expand water technology growth through exports by hosting a trade mission to India during the last week of April 22.

WEDC’s identification and investment in the water technology cluster is an example of WEDC’s new, innovative, market-pull approach to target industry growth in the state.

This approach will accelerate the growth of more industry-led consortia in Wisconsin.

Paul Jadin is the inaugural chief executive officer of Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., a quasi-public statewide development agency established in July 2011 to replace many of the economic development functions of the former Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The new agency was established and designed to be more nimble to respond quickly and efficiently to the needs of businesses to expand production, add jobs and increase property value in Wisconsin. To comment on this article, contact Jadin by email at Paul.Jadin@wedc.org or call 608.267.4417.

Guest Commentary in New North B2B is offered by invitation of the editor, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Winnebago B2B, LLC or its staff. To inquire about writing a Guest Commentary article in New North B2B, contact the editor at info@ newnorthb2b.com. www.newnorthb2b.com

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

Awards will be presented in our June 2012 edition in each of four categories: • Small Company (5 to 50 employees) • Mid-sized Company (51 to 250 employees) • Large Company (251 or more employees) • Start Up Wellness Program (2 years or less) Nominations due by May 7, 2012. Send your nomination by mail to New North B2B, P.O. Box 559, Oshkosh, WI 54903 or email: sean@newnorthb2b.com.

Alla Tua

SALUTE! NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012 l 49

KEY STATISTICS Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

$3.40 February 12 $3.41 February 5 $3.40 January 29 $3.30 Feb. 19, 2011 $3.20 February 19

Source: New North B2B observations

January

699,000

1.5%

from December

9.9%

from January 2011 January

0.3%

from December

7.1%

from January 2011

January

$401.4 billion

0.4%

from December

5.8%

from January 2011 (2007 = 100)

January

95.9

Unch.

from December

3.4%

from January 2011 (Manufacturers and trade)

December

$1,555 billion

0.4%

from November

Appleton Fond du Lac Green Bay Neenah Oshkosh Wisconsin

Dec. Nov. Dec. ‘10

7.8% 7.5% 9.2% 7.6% 6.5% 6.6%

8.0% 7.9% 9.4% 7.9% 6.7% 6.6%

8.2% 8.0% 9.6% 8.7% 6.4% 7.1%

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

Listed price is per therm.

February $0.800 January

$0.821 Feb. 2011 $0.933 Source: Integrys Energy (Numbers above 50 mean expansion. Numbers below 50 mean contraction.)

January December

54.1 53.1

7.7%

from December 2010

If there are indicators you’d like to see in this space, contact our office at 920.237.0254 or email info@newnorthb2b.com.

50 l NEW NORTH B2B l MARCH 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

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