May 2016

Business Intelligence for the New North

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Business Intelligence for the New North

May Features 16

16 COVER STORY

Advanced Agriculture

Technology is changing the way farmers work in northeast Wisconsin, but the essence of land and animal management remains unchanged

22 MARKETING

Web Conversion

Learning to use your website’s analytic data to transform browsing shoppers into genuine connections

28 EDUCATION

22

Harvesting the ripening workforce crop

As commencement looms, technical colleges report most graduates are employed within months of wrapping up school

Departments 28

4

From the Publisher

6

Since We Last Met

10 Build Up Pages 32

Voices & Visions

34

Guest Commentary

36

Professionally Speaking

38

Who’s News

44 Business Calendar 45 Advertising Index 46 Key Statistics

2016 Corporate Wellness Awards Nominations Open Download Nomination form www.newnorthb2b.com

@ newnorthb2b.com NNB2B | May 2016 | 3

From the Publisher

Planting a research seed

Fresh strategy for region’s leading institution of higher education could fire up a new piston for regional economic development

by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher

When Wisconsin residents think about university-level research in the state, the first inclination is to recall the bio-tech activity in Madison that’s spawned dozens of health care and technology start ups.

To a lesser degree, Wisconsinites might be familiar with the world-class fresh water research in Milwaukee that gave birth to the Great Lakes WATER Institute in 2009.

The work emanating from these research hubs – often fueled by government grants and funding from private foundations – creates opportunities to transfer innovative solutions to the marketplace, charging new company creation. Such efforts to enhance economic development by building a business model around research-powered ideas – much in the way that dynamic has evolved in and around Madison – often attracts the best and brightest professionals with a given field as well as other companies with supply-chain affinities.

That’s why the March announcement from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh that it plans to modify its focus from strictly a teaching university to becoming what it calls a “research-enhanced comprehensive university” should capture the imagination of New North business leaders.

As the third-largest public university in the state and largest post-secondary institution in northeast Wisconsin, UW Oshkosh already provides more bachelor’s, masters and doctoral degrees than any other school in the region. It’s been a proven shot in the arm for the region’s workforce.

With a focus on new research, the school could enhance its role as a catalyst for the region’s economy.

The process of becoming a research institution entails much more than flipping a switch or changing letterhead and business cards. This new transformative focus was derived from the recent strategic plan chiseled out by the university community late last year and into 2016 aimed at shaping the school’s priorities in coming years. I had a chance to sit down with UW Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt last month to walk through the newly minted strategic plan in detail.

This multi-faceted journey toward a focus on research starts with increasing the number of graduate students on campus as well as increasing and expanding the number of graduate programs UW Oshkosh offers.

It’s a bit of a departure from the graduate student 4 | May 2016 | NNB2B

template to which the school has become accustomed: working professionals going back to school at night, on weekends and online to earn a master’s degree to help provide a leg up in their careers. Rather, such a goal would create an environment attracting graduate students to Oshkosh to earn a masters or doctorate degree while intermingling their studies with workbased research assistance for faculty.

Leavitt emphasized the university would increase its expenditures in the way of research, which might seem like an uphill battle in a climate where University of Wisconsin System appropriations from Madison have been under seize for the past three years.

Funding for research, Leavitt explained, doesn’t necessarily depend on state taxpayer support. Earlier in his own academic career as a chemistry professor at the University of West Georgia, Leavitt aided the school in garnering $600,000 worth of grants from diverse sources to drive its research engine.

A final component of this strategy to evolve the research dynamic of UW Oshkosh, Leavitt explained, is to further support faculty participation in external professional organizations, both nationally and internationally.

For faculty and staff, a focus on research might be a proverbial paradigm shift from the workforce-preparedness function the university has traditionally held, although research isn’t an entirely new concept at UW Oshkosh. Faculty and their undergraduate students have been pursuing a myriad of leadingedge research activities over the years aimed at pushing the boundaries of discovery within their respective fields of knowledge.

In the past, B2B has written about UW Oshkosh chemistry professor Charles Gibson and his efforts to enhance nanobattery technology that’s revolutionizing green energy. His current company, Refringent Technology LLC, continues to develop new patents in this field of study.

We’ve also written about Algoma Algal Biotechnology, a company created by UW Oshkosh microbiology professors Toivo Kallas and Matt Nelson to transform wastewater into “green chemicals” that might be used in the manufacture of a number of products, particularly synthetic rubbers, latex, lubricants and adhesives.

While grant funding at UW Madison topped $1.1 billion last year (ranking it fourth in the nation), UW Oshkosh grant funding has typically been in the range of $12 to $15 million a year during much of the past decade.

Leavitt has no disillusions of UW Oshkosh becoming the research hub that UW Madison has created, but it can continue to carve out a niche here in northeast Wisconsin. And that will continue to drive more diversity to the region, new ideas to the region, and more economic opportunity to the region over time. n www.newnorthb2b.com

Sean Fitzgerald Publisher & President x sean@newnorthb2b.com Carrie Rule Sales Manager x carrie@newnorthb2b.com Kate Erbach Production Contributing writers Rick Berg Lee Marie Reinsch Chief Financial Officer Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA

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Since We Last Met

Since We Last Met

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

March 22 The SDC Innovation from Alpena, Mich. arrived in the Port of Green Bay carrying cement, marking the first arrival of the 2016 shipping season. During the 2015 season, the first ship of the year didn’t arrive until early April.

March 22 Security Health Plan of Wisconsin announced an agreement with Green Bay-based Bellin Health Partners to join its provider network. It’s the second such significant agreement

by Security in northeast Wisconsin in the past month after announcing a similar agreement with Appleton-based ThedaCare at the end of February. Bellin Health has more than 3,600 employees and is comprised of Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Bellin Psychiatric Center, 31 Bellin primary care physician clinics and several retail health clinics known as Bellin Health FastCare.

March 23 Oshkosh Corp. received a $243 million order from the U.S. Army for 657 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, nearly 3,000 installed kits and related support. The vehicles, trailers and installed kits for this order will be delivered to the military by late 2017.

March 24 The Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $1.5 million incentive package for Alliance Laundry Systems in Ripon to expand its facilities and create as many as 200 new jobs by 2021. Alliance is considering an investment of nearly $58 million to expand its corporate headquarters, build additional manufacturing space and construct an additional warehouse. The incentive package would be funded by revenue generated through the county’s half-percent sales tax.

2002 May 21 – Gov. Scott McCallum officially announced his candidacy for re-election in front of his boyhood home on Second Street in Fond du Lac. McCallum would go on to be defeated by eventual Gov. Jim Doyle in the November 2002 election.

2008 May 2 – The Fox Valley Technical College Board of Trustees named Susan May its next president to replace David Bittner, who is retiring this summer. May currently serves as executive vice president and chief academic officer at FVTC, and has been with the college since 1983 in various education leadership roles.

2003 May 30 – Affinity Health System pledged $100,000 over the next two years to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Nursing for its new accelerated bachelors degree program. The program is aimed at addressing the growing shortage of skilled workers in the nursing profession. The intensive program will allow people with bachelor’s degrees in other fields to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing in just a year.

2012 May 4 – Cabela’s announced plans to build a 100,000-sq. ft. store on Lombardi Avenue west of Lambeau Field that will be located in the Titletown Development area. Cabela’s officials said the store will employ approximately 175 fulltime, part-time and seasonal employees.

Construction is expected to begin later this year and be completed in time for the start of the 2013 Green Bay Packers season.

2006 May 11 – The city of Oshkosh received $600,000 in federal Environmental Protection Agency grants to clean up industrial contamination along the Fox River in proposed development areas. The clean up will concentrate on properties along the south bank including parts of the Jeld-Wen site, the former Boat Works property and a parcel along Fourth Avenue. On the north bank, grants will be used to clean up the former Cook & Brown site and the existing Mercury Marine facility.

2014 May 1 – The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau awarded a $100,000 tourism development grant for the Fox River Navigational System Authority to build a visitor interpretive center at Lock No. 3 in Appleton. The center will tell the story of the Fox River Locks System, which will feature an educational video theater and interactive exhibits and displays. It also will serve as a rest area with restrooms for paddlers, boaters, hikers and bicyclists.

6 | May 2016 | NNB2B

www.newnorthb2b.com

March 31 Rep. Al Ott (R-Forest Junction) – the 3rd District State Assembly representative for much of the Heart of the Valley area including Combined Locks, Kimberly, Little Chute and Sherwood – announced he will not seek re-election in 2016 after serving 30 years in the state’s lower house. Ott was first elected to the Assembly in 1986 and chaired committees on agriculture and natural resources during his tenure.

April 1 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 215,000 jobs were created in March, leaving the national unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 5.0 percent. Employment increased in retail trade, construction, and health care, while job losses occurred in manufacturing and mining.

April 1 Hancock Fabrics announced it will close all 185 of its retail stores nationwide – including one in Appleton and one in Ashwaubenon – by mid-May after filing for bankruptcy protection in February and liquidating its assets.

April 4 The state Department of Transportation began work on improving 5.6 miles of U.S. Highway 10/WIS 441 from Oneida Street to the Interstate 41 interchange in Outagamie County. The $3.5 million project includes repairing concrete pavement panels, replacing the asphaltic shoulders and pavement markings, and installing Intelligent Transportation System equipment throughout the project limits. The impact on traffic is limited to single lane and ramp closures during nighttime hours. Work on the project is expected to be complete by September.

April 4 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation closed the eastbound exit ramp from U.S. Highway 10/WIS 441 with Racine Road/ County Road P in Menasha until late fall. The closure is part of a larger interchange reconstruction project which has closed the other ramps since early 2015. Motorists looking to access Racine Road are encouraged to use the Midway Road interchange as an alternative. Three of the four ramps at the interchange are scheduled to reopen later this fall.

April 5 Residents in the western portion of the Town of Menasha voted to incorporate into the newly established Village of Fox Crossing, marking the final necessary approval in an incorporation process that began nearly 18 months ago.

The referendum open to voters living in the portion of the town west of the Fox River passed by 86 percent in favor of incorporation. The village will hold an election in June to determine an inaugural village president and board of trustees.

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | May 2016 | 7

Since We Last Met

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April 5 A swarm of elections for top municipal officials at larger cities and villages across northeast Wisconsin resulted in a sweep for sitting officials. Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna won his sixth term, defeating challenger Josh Dukelow with 64 percent of the vote. Hanna was first elected to the city’s top role in 1996. De Pere Mayor Mike Walsh – also first elected to his seat in 1996 – garnered 72 percent of the vote to easily fend off challenger Jim Stupka. In Menasha, Mayor Don Merkes captured 53 percent of the vote over challenger Chris Klein to win his third four-year term in office, while Kaukauna Mayor Gene Rosin won 53 percent of the vote over challenger Mary DeCoster to earn his sixth two-year term at the helm of the city. Ashwaubenon Village President Mike Aubinger captured 61 percent of the vote to fend off challenger Mark Williams, holding on to the seat he was first elected to in 2008. In Allouez, Village Trustee Jim Rafter claimed 51 percent of the vote to defeat Jeff Goelz for the role of village president by just 87 total votes. Both were competing to fill the spot left by outgoing village board president Randy Gast.

April 5 Voters across northeast Wisconsin approved support for a slate of school district referenda aimed at generating additional operating revenue through increases to the tax levy. In Oshkosh, 59 percent of voters approved a measure to increase spending by $4 million each year for the next seven years to maintain academic programs and make security improvements in its schools. In New London, voters supported spending an additional $500,000 each year for the next four years to repair various roofs on its buildings in the district and make security improvements in its schools.

Voters in Winneconne approved a measure to borrow $12.5 million to construct an addition to the high school for a 600seat auditorium and to provide upgraded facilities for science, technology, engineering, art and math programs. Winneconne residents also endorsed a second referendum authorizing an additional $240,000 a year for five years beginning in 2017-18 to support the operations of these facility expansions.

April 7 Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson announced his candidacy for the 8th Congressional District seat currently held by Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Sherwood), who decided he would not seek a fourth term in office. Nelson was first elected county executive in 2011, and previously served in the State Assembly from 2005 to 2011. Nelson became the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for the Congressional seat serving Appleton, Green Bay and much of the northern portion of northeast Wisconsin. On the Republican side, State Sen. Frank Lasee (R-Ledgeview), former Gov. Walker aide Mike Gallagher of Green Bay, and Door County business owner Terry McNulty have announced their candidacies.

April 8 Jordan Rhodes of ActiveEdu LLC in Oshkosh was named among the 27 finalists in the 2016 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. His business plan for a web www.newnorthb2b.com

application which encourages elementary students to exercise was selected from a field of 206 first-round entries and 53 semifinalists. Finalists will submit 15 to 20-page business plans for review by a panel of judges, who will select a slate of 12 business plans to showcase at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Conference in early June.

April 8 Dane County Circuit Court Judge William Foust issued a judgment striking down Wisconsin’s Right to Work Law, determining it to be unconstitutional. Right to Work was signed into law in Wisconsin in May 2015, prohibiting union security agreements between employers and labor unions that require an employee’s membership in a union or payment of union dues as a condition of employment.

April 11 Miller Electric Manufacturing in Appleton laid off 76 employees from its welding equipment production operations, citing a slowdown in demand stemming from lower oil and gas prices. The layoffs represent about 5 percent of Miller Electric’s overall workforce in the Fox Cities.

April 11 The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau was named 2015 Sports Tourism Organization of the Year by the National Association of Sports Commissions for a community with a population of under 250,000. During 2015, the Fox Cities hosted 163 sporting events that generated 35,120 hotel room nights and an estimated $11.4 million in visitor spending.

and Appleton banker Paul Piikkila on a series of 13 criminal charges based on a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans from Horicon Bank. The indictment alleges eight of the loans – dated from early 2008 to late 2009 – were obtained by the Van Den Heuvels through false representation. The indictment additionally alleges that Piikkila – a loan officer at Horicon Bank at the time – approved eight separate loans totaling more than $1.1 million for the benefit of the Van Den Heuvels and their various business entities. The loans were not used for business purposes identified on the loan applications, according to the federal indictment, which noted Horicon Bank lost more than $700,000 in the scheme. All three were charged with one count each of conspiring to commit bank fraud, while Ronald Van Den Heuvel was charged with an additional seven counts of executing a bank fraud scheme and five counts of making false statements to influence a bank loan. This case is being investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

April 20 Neenah-based Plexus President and CEO Dean Foate announced plans to retire at the end of September, which marks the end of the company’s fiscal year. Foate was appointed president of Plexus in 2002. He will continue to serve as chairman of the board for Plexus for an additional year after his retirement from day-to-day operations. Foate will be replaced by Todd Kelsey, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Plexus since 2013. Kelsey joined Plexus in 1994 as a design engineer and was named vice president of Plexus’ Neenah Design Center in 2002. n

April 12 Sheboygan-based Lakeland College announced it will enhance its academic structure and rebrand as Lakeland University beginning in July. Lakeland has seven regional education centers, including Neenah in the Fox Cities and Bellevue near Green Bay. The university will merge the college’s existing seven academic divisions into three schools – School of Business & Entrepreneurship; School of Science, Technology & Education; and School of Humanities and Fine Arts.

April 18 Oshkosh Corp. pledged $200,000 to the Basic Needs Giving Partnership in northeast Wisconsin toward its Poverty Outcome Improvement Network Team – otherwise known as POINT – which applies lean methods to the region’s non-profit organizations. The goal of implementing POINT is to strengthen existing poverty reduction efforts, address service gaps, and measure progress on reducing poverty across northeast Wisconsin.

April 19 A U.S. Justice Department grand jury indicted De Pere-based Tissue Depot LLC owners Ronald and Kelly Van Den Heuvel www.newnorthb2b.com

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Successful Journeys Need a Guide™ 920.427.5077 www.guidentbusiness.com NNB2B | May 2016 | 9

Build Up Fond du Lac

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Build Up

Indicates a new listing

Fond du Lac

1 - 1306 Capital Dr., Fond du Lac Stainless Machining Technologies, a 12,000-sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in late summer. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

2 - 255 County Road K, Fond du Lac St. Mary’s Springs Academy, a 92,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing high school campus. Project completion expected in summer.

3 - 250 Camelot Dr., Fond du Lac Grande Cheese Company, an 87,000-sq. ft. new corporate headquarters and research center.

Project completion expected in May.

Alla

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10 | May 2016 | NNB2B

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Build Up Oshkosh 4

Build Up

Indicates a new listing

Oshkosh 4 - 1720 Congress Ave., Oshkosh Glacier Dental, a 900-sq. ft. addition to the existing dental office for more patient rooms. Project completion expected in May.

Coming to B2B in June 2016

Projects completed since our April issue: None

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NNB2B | May 2016 | 11

Build Up Fox Cities Build Up

Fox Cities

Indicates a new listing

1 - W6931 School Road, town of Greenville Fox West YMCA, an addition to the existing building for a new gymnasium, wellness center and various interior renovations. Project completion expected in summer.

2 - 2621 W. Everett St., Appleton Bemis Company/Curwood Inc., an addition to and interior renovation of the existing manufacturing facility.

3 - 1025 W. Navitus Dr., town of Grand Chute Navitus Health Solutions, a four-story, 120,000-sq. ft. office building to expand the existing call center campus.

4 - 218 E. Lawrence St., Appleton YMCA of Appleton, an addition to the existing community center and various interior renovations.

5 - 400 E. North Island St., Appleton Neenah Paper Inc., a 45,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing specialty paper mill. Project completion expected in late fall. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 6 - 3100 E. Capitol Dr., Appleton Romenesko Development, a 12,000-sq. ft. light industrial building. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

7 - 1101 Moasis Dr., Little Chute Trilliant Food & Nutrition, a 133,840-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility.

General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

8 - 2600 Northridge Dr., Kaukauna Precision Paper Converters, a 27,500-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in May. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

9 - 100 W. Second St., Kaukauna Kaukauna City Hall, a municipal services building. Project completion expected in May. 10 - 320 S. Kensington Dr., Appleton Moto Mart, a 1,052-sq. ft. car wash facility for the existing convenience store and fuel station. Project completion expected in June. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

11 - 1405 S. Oneida St., Menasha Festival Foods, a new grocery store. Project completion expected in summer.

MEETING OUR CLIENTS NEEDS

12 - Plaza Drive, town of Menasha Community First Credit Union, a 120,000-sq. ft. corporate office campus. Project completion expected in late fall.

13 - 333 N. Green Bay Road, town of Menasha ThedaCare Physicians, a 70,000-sq. ft. health care clinic for family practice, internal medicine and endocrinology. Project completion expected in late fall.

14 - 116 Main St., Neenah Gateway, a five-story, 90,000-sq. ft. commercial office building.

920.498.9300 baylandbuildings.com 12 | May 2016 | NNB2B

15 - 1645 Bergstrom Road, Neenah Menasha Packaging Company, a two-story, 103,900-sq. ft. corporate office complex.

Project completion expected in fall. www.newnorthb2b.com

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16 - 927 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah Aldi, a 17,825-sq. ft. grocery store. Project completion expected in late summer.

Projects completed since our April issue: • Orthopedic & Sports Institute, 2105 E. Enterprise Dr., Appleton.

• Orthopedic & Spine Therapy, 1000 Midway Road, Menasha.

• One Menasha Center/Faith Technologies, 177 Main St., Menasha.

www.newnorthb2b.com

Better Business Bureau New Members Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during March 2016 Auto Jockeys, Merrill Curb’n Decor, De Pere G.T. Spas, Manitowoc Haugen Homes Painting & Decorating, Adell Holzman Diversified, Two Rivers M & M Irrigation and Property Maintenance, Athelstane Mertens Electric, Athelstane Milis Flatwork, Kimberly Northern Paper Mills Credit Union, Green Bay Pioneer Retail Systems, Appleton Rucks Performance Motorsports Inc., Fremont Taller Automotive and Body Shop, Fond du Lac Vaughan’s Custom Cabinets, Manawa NNB2B | May 2016 | 13

Build Up Greater Green Bay area 2

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Greater Green Bay area

1 - 2490 Lineville Road, Suamico Terry Naturally, a 4,000-sq. ft. retail store. Project completion expected in May. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

2 - 2467 Glendale Ave., Howard Bode Central, a multi-tenant commercial building. Project completion expected in early summer.

3 - 2340 Duck Creek Parkway, Howard Dental Associates, a 3,300-sq. ft. addition to the existing commercial building for a new dental clinic. Project completion expected in early summer.

4 - 1760 Velp Ave., Howard Garrity Ventures, a new commercial building. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

14 | May 2016 | NNB2B

Indicates a new listing

5 - 2231 N. Quincy St., Green Bay NEW Water/Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, a wastewater treatment and electrical generation facility. Project completion expected in 2018.

6 - 301 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay McDonald Lumber Company, an 80,000-sq. ft. warehouse.

General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. Project completion expected in May. 7 - 320 N. Broadway, Green Bay DDL Holdings/Titletown Brewing, an addition to the former industrial facility for a mixed-use retail development.

www.newnorthb2b.com

8 - 304 N. Adams St., Green Bay Hotel Northland, a substantial overhaul of the existing 8-story building for a 160-room luxury hotel with two restaurants and a spa. Project completion expected in late fall.

23 - 3181 Commodity Lane, Ashwaubenon Valley Packaging Supply, a 41,800-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in May. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.

9 - 2590 University Ave., Green Bay Pit Row Shell, an addition to the existing convenience store and fuel station. Project completion expected in May.

24 - 1515 Glory Road, Ashwaubenon Fox Harbor Inc., a 7,200-sq. ft. industrial building and office.

10 - 1811 E. Mason St., Green Bay Tri City Glass & Door, a two-story, 35,000-sq. ft. showroom, offices and production facility. Project completion expected in June. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

11 - 1160 Kepler Dr., Green Bay Aurora Baycare Medical Center, a two-story, 11,000-sq. ft. addition for cancer care services. Project completion expected in the fall.

12 - 1351 Ontario Road, Green Bay Willow Creek Behavioral Health, a 72-bed, 52,265-sq. ft. psychiatric hospital and substance abuse treatment facility.

Project completion expected in late summer.

25 - 1220 Flight-Way Dr., Hobart The Driveway, a 10,000-sq. ft. indoor sports facility. Project completion expected in May. 26 - 746 Main St., De Pere Kwik Trip, an addition to and alteration of the existing convenience store and fuel station.

27 - 200 Ninth St., De Pere Rennes Health & Rehab Center, a 20,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing outpatient rehabilitation center.

28 - 1724 Lawrence Dr., De Pere Festival Foods, a two-story, 42,500-sq. ft. corporate office building. Project completion expected in December.

13 - 2360 Costco Way, Bellevue Bellevue Commons, a 12,000-sq. ft. multi-tenant retail building. Project completion expected in summer.

29 - 2130 American Blvd., De Pere Machine Plus, a 10,000-sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in May.

14 - 2609 Development Dr., Bellevue Pediatric Dentistry Clinic & Family Dental Center, an 8,781sq. ft. dental clinic. Project completion expected in summer.

General contractor is CR Structures Group Inc. of Kimberly.

Projects completed since our April issue: • American FlexPack Inc., 1304 S. Huron Road, Green Bay. • Creative Sign Company, 505 Lawrence Dr., De Pere.

15 - 1401 S. Webster Ave., Allouez Kwik Trip, a 2,736-sq. ft. convenience store and fuel station.

16 - 470 Marina Lane, Ashwaubenon Residence Inn by Marriott, a 103-room hotel. Project completion expected in late fall.

NOW OPEN IN APPLETON! 4201 W. Wisconsin Avenue

17 - 990 Tony Canadeo Run, Green Bay Badger State Brewing, an addition to the existing industrial facility for a tap room. Project completion expected in May. 18 - 1900 Block of South Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Hinterland Brewery, a two-story, 20,000-sq. ft. brewery and restaurant. Project completion expected in summer 2017.

19 - 1900 Block of South Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Lodge Kohler, a five-story, 150-room hotel, restaurant and spa. Project completion expected in summer 2017.

20 - 2391 S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Ashwaubenon High School, a new community auditorium and a new swimming pool. Project completion expected in early fall.

21 - 900 Anderson Dr., Ashwaubenon Ashwaubenon Community Center, a 16,275-sq. ft. community center. Project completion expected in June.

22 - 1030 Parkview Road, Ashwaubenon Northland Labs, a 4,000-sq. ft. addition to the commercial building. Project completion expected in May. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna. www.newnorthb2b.com

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Cover Story

Advanced agriculture Technology is changing the way farmers work in northeast Wisconsin, but the essence of land and animal management remains unchanged Story by Rick Berg

The land Bill Eberle’s grandfather farmed near Waukau in Winnebago County is just about 10 miles up the road from Rosendale Dairy, a megafarm near Pickett, where Eberle is operations manager. His grandfather milked fewer than a dozen cows. Eberle and his staff milk 8,000 cows three times a day.

The technology that makes a large-scale farming operation possible is a world apart from earlier generations, but the essence of farming is still the same, Eberle said.

16 | May 2016 | NNB2B

www.newnorthb2b.com

Photo by Rick Berg for B2B

Rosendale Dairy produces 15 tanker loads of milk every day – about 84,000 gallons on average.

“Agriculture in 2016 in this size and scope, to the average person, looks like night and day – the polar opposite of the way my grandfather farmed. And there are some things that are polar opposite. But at the heart of it all, we’re doing the same thing. We’re taking care of cows, we’re planting corn, we’re planting alfalfa, trying to do the best we can to take care of the land and our livestock, using whatever today’s technology is,” Eberle said.

A fourth-generation farmer, Eberle said some things never change. “We get mad when it rains too much, complain when it’s too dry, we complain when it’s too cold or too hot. Those sorts of things don’t change from generation to generation.”

Linda Hodorff of Second Look Holsteins in Eden shares a similar view. “Even though we can become more automated and scientific in how we do things, it still comes down to the basics of animal care and taking care of the land,” Hodorff said.

Like Eberle, Hodorff comes from a multi-generation farming background. She grew up in Maine, where her family had been farming since the 1700s. Her husband Doug’s family has been dairy farming in the southeast corner of Fond du Lac County since the 1870s. The Hodorffs’ farming operation is not quite as large as Rosendale Dairy, but it still dwarfs anything from their families’ past. They milk 900 cows at the Eden farm and another 800 at a farm in Nebraska.

Some people use the term “factory farms” to describe these large farming operations (technically referred to as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs), distinguishing them from what many consider more traditional “family farms.”

Eberle and Hodorff take issue with that notion. The Hodorff operation includes Doug and Linda, along with their son and daughter-in-law, as well as a dozen or so employees.

As for Rosendale Dairy, despite its size, “it’s still a family farm,” Eberle said. “It’s owned by three multi-generation farming families and there are a lot of other families working here.”

Rosendale Dairy is owned by Milk Source LLC in Kaukauna, which also operates the Tidy View Dairy in Kaukauna and www.newnorthb2b.com

Omro Dairy, as well as a dairying operation in Adams County and another in Michigan. The owners are Jim Ostrom, John Vosters and Todd Willer – all from longtime farming backgrounds.

The technology that makes a largescale farming operation possible is a world apart from earlier generations, but the essence of farming is still the same...

The technology boost

While the basic tenets of farming remain the same now as they were generations ago, “we’re fortunate to be able to harness 2016 technology to produce double or even triple the amount of product that my grandfather did, per animal or per acre of land,” Eberle said. “And we can use that technology to take better care of the animals and better care of the land. My grandfather knew that the best way to improve milk production is to have happier cows. We’re able to use technology to do that.”

At Rosendale Dairy, feed for the cows is custom-mixed and optimized based on nutrient analysis, and climate in the barn is kept constant. The cows, when not being milked, are free to roam within a large free-stall barn and feed at their leisure.

Milking occurs in a rotary milking parlor, with two 80-cow carousels operating 22 hours a day.

It seems to pay off. Rosendale Dairy produces 15 tanker loads of milk every day – about 84,000 gallons on average.

The Hodorffs rely on computer technology to maximize their herd’s milk production. Ear tags with computer chips are attached and data from the tags is downloaded and used to monitor each cow’s production.

Featured prominently at both Rosendale and Second Look NNB2B | May 2016 | 17

Cover Story are nutrient management plans for the herds and for fertilizing the land. Lab testing reveals the nutrient content of animal feed and fertilizer. Soil testing dictates how much and what type of fertilizer to apply.

Emerging farm technologies Culled from various sources, here are some technology trends in agriculture: Fully-automated farm vehicles - Global positioning systems guide planting and harvesting equipment are already on many farm operations. Several companies are developing the technology further, allowing GPS, automation, air-and-soil sensing, and data management to produce equipment capable of operating with virtually no human interface and precisely delivering soil nutrients and crop seeds.

It’s all part of what is increasingly being called “smart farming” or “precision agriculture,” collecting and analyzing data about crop yields, soil testing, fertilizer applications, weather and animal health to make more informed decisions.

Waterbeds for cows – A Sun Prairie company manufacturers dual-chamber cow waterbeds, providing top-notch cow comfort. The first rule of dairying is a comfortable cow is a happy cow is a productive cow.

The Rosendale operation also features one of the most promising technologies in agriculture – a biodigester capable of converting manure and other biomass materials into energy. Funded by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation, the $7 million biogas production facility at Rosendale is able to generate 1.4 megawatts of electricity by using Rosendale Dairy’s manure to combust methane.

Drones - Already in limited use, unmanned aerial drones are expected to become more common to create aerial maps and monitor crops by using sensing technology. Such technology can provide real-time data to pinpoint areas where nutrients or chemicals need to be applied.

Livestock biometrics - Collars with GPS, RFID and biometrics can identify and relay data from animals in real time.

Agricultural robots - Used to automate harvesting, fruit picking, plowing, soil maintenance, weeding, planting, irrigation and other processes.

Precision agriculture - Satellite imagery and advanced sensors allow improved automated decision-making and planting techniques.

- by Rick Berg

Win-win promise of biodigesters

The Rosendale biodigester processes more than 300 tons of manure per day. The manure is delivered to the digester via underground pipes. In addition to producing electricity – which the UW Oshkosh Foundation sells back to the power grid, the digester process also results in enough dry fertilizer for 10,000 acres of land. Rosendale uses about a third of that total, selling the remainder.

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Water recovered from the digester process is also recycled for use at the Rosendale facility, though it is not potable for human or animal consumption.

The Rosendale digester is the third for UW Oshkosh. The first is an on-campus system capable of producing about 10 percent of the university’s energy needs. The second was a small-scale test project located on the Allen Farm to the northwest of Oshkosh.

Biodigesters hold so much interest in the agriculture, educational and environmental worlds because of the hope that their widespread use can help produce a win-win solution – providing alternative energy while also reducing bio-waste. At Rosendale, for example, the system is estimated to remove more than 100,000 tanker loads of manure from local roads.

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Submitted photo

Ag students at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton learn calf-birthing techniques using the college’s new Maple Leaf Foxy bovine simulator.

Learning from robot cows

The brave new world of agriculture received another technological tool last month when Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton introduced Maple Leaf Foxy, a bovine birthing simulator designed to help students learn about the calving process through hands-on experience. The $35,000 unit will be used by more than 100 students in Fox Valley Tech’s agriculture associate degree, technical diploma and farm operations programs.

Dr. Lori Nagel, a veterinarian and agriculture instructor at Fox Valley Tech, said she’s excited by the prospect of being able to teach students about the calf birthing process in all its variability.

“The time of birth is so unpredictable,” Nagel said. “Every birthing event is different and it’s very hard to train students for that in a classroom setting without this kind of tool. In the past, students have really had to learn those things on the farm, on the job.”

NNB2B | May 2016 | 19

Cover Story

“We’re fortunate to be able to harness 2016 technology to produce double or even triple the amount of product that my grandfather did, per animal or per acre of land,”

Focused on You

Bill Eberle, operations manager Rosendale Dairy

99.3% of Ahern’s clients were satisfied/very satisfied by our schedule compliance and responsiveness in 2015.

Maple Leaf Foxy, technically a Holstein Model Dystocia Simulator, includes a life-size and anatomically correct model of a Holstein cow, as well as a calf and various sizes of fetuses.

The top of the simulator can be opened to access the inner cavity. The calf can be placed in multiple positions to simulate different birthing conditions, including breech birth. The model also includes a functional udder to simulate mastitis or other conditions.

“I’ve been on farm visits and talked to farmers about this and they’re very excited,” Nagel said. “They see it as a great tool to improve animal care.”

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Best practices in land, animal management Large farm operations like Rosendale and Second Look have had their share of criticism from the environmental

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Wisconsin DNR rules for CAFOs A Concentration Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Water Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requires a field-specific, nutrient management plan that outlines the amounts, timing, locations, methods and other aspects related to land application of manure and process wastewater. Implementing such a plan helps prevent or minimize manure or other wastewater runoff from fields to surface waters or groundwater.

Nutrient management planning also ensures nutrients meet crop needs.

Nutrient management planning can be complicated and take a considerable amount of time and effort. One nutrient management plan may cover thousands of acres. Planning may be for areas with multiple crops and different soils. Nutrient management plans require: • field soil testing reports; • planned or actual application rates, methods and timing for manure and process wastewater; • field soil erosion and phosphorus delivery to surface water calculations; • nutrient crediting; • maps showing field-specific spreading restrictions and soils; • manure spreading field-specific reports and procedures.

All CAFO permittees are required to submit to the state Department of Natural Resources annual and daily spreading information, monitoring reports and other requested information.

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Photo by Rick Berg for B2B

Rosendale Dairy milks 8,000 cows three times a day in its rotary milking parlor, which includes two 80-cow carousels operating 22 hours a day.

community, but Eberle and Hodorff say those criticisms are misguided. Because of their size and status as CAFOs, they are much more rigidly regulated than smaller farms and thus much less likely to create environmental problems.

Even without those regulations, they say, best practices would dictate they take optimum care of their animals and the land, and technology allows them to do that far better than could be done in past generations.

“We are required by regulations to have a nutrition management plan that dictates soil testing and fertilizer application, but we would do that anyway,” Hodorff said. “We would do that because it’s the best way to take care of the land.

Previous generations did that, but we have better technology and tools to do it today. We have crop and soil consultants who enable us to analyze the nutrient content of our soil and provide the right recipe for soil health. We use nutrition

consultants and feed analysis to provide a balanced diet for our cows.”

Eberle agrees. “The regulations tell us when we can apply fertilizer and how much. We can’t apply fertilizer in the winter months, for example, because the spring snow melt would wash the fertilizer off the land and into the water,” Eberle said. “Well, we wouldn’t do that anyway because it would be wasteful and inefficient.

“Smart farmers, even if they aren’t subject to the regulations, wouldn’t do that either, although they’re allowed to. Some of the regulations we’re subject to might not make sense, but a lot of them are valid and they’re things we would do anyway as smart business people and stewards of the land.” n Rick Berg is a freelance editor and writer based in Green Bay.

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Marketing

Web

conversion

Learning to use your website’s analytic data to transform browsing shoppers into genuine connections Story by Lee Marie Reinsch

So we’re all aware that Google and Amazon know what color underpants we’re wearing and that they cleverly use that info to wheedle money out of us later.

How can we do the same – find out about our potential customers’ metaphorical knickerspreferences so our businesses can get a piece of the action, too?

Enter website analytics. It’s one of those terms that makes your brain glaze over if you’re not a tech nerd. But if you reframe it as the “Hi, can I help you?” of the online world, it’s easier to absorb.

“Especially for small businesses, a website today is like brick-and-mortar was for yesterday’s businesses,” said Diane Penzenstadler, owner of 44° North Advertising & Design in Oshkosh. “One of the biggest challenges for any business in marketing is understanding who you’re talking to: What does your customer look like?”

The data from your website analytics can give you an idea.

When someone walks into your brick-and-mortar location, you immediately get some information: gender, approximate age, whether they’re crabby or cheerful, shabby or chic, public pajama-wearers or Armani aficionados. A few sentences exchanged gets you where they’re from and what they’re looking for.

But when you don’t physically see your browsing customers and they aren’t asking you where the briefs are, it’s hard to know who they are and how to adapt your wares to better suit their needs.

22 | May 2016 | NNB2B

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What are analytics?

In a nutshell, website analytics refers to the information behind your website traffic. Chances are you already have that data available, but you might not be using it.

Web analytics can identify how many visitors you have to your web site, what part of the world they’re from, which pages of your site they spent the longest time viewing, what time of day they visit, and other behaviors – like whether they put something in a virtual shopping cart and left it there.

All of this seemingly pointless minutiae can tell you something about your site’s appeal – or lack thereof – to those visitors. “(Web analytics are) what your customers think of your store,” Penzenstadler said. “It’s up to you as the business to modify it.”

The good news – or bad – is that websites aren’t static, so there’s often something to modify. They require constant care and feeding, but they also let you fix what’s not working.

“Nothing’s changed in terms of what we need to gather from our customers,” Penzenstadler said. “What’s changed is where they’re shopping. They aren’t necessarily walking into your store. You’re building a brand and selling to them online. It’s just the vehicle that’s changed.”

The biggest name in web data crunching tools is Google Analytics. “Google is the big gorilla, and what they focus on is the experience of the browser,” Penzenstadler said.

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Google transfers well, so if you change who hosts your site, the numbers don’t get all discombobulated.

“Nowadays everybody has at least one Google service they’re using, so they integrate together,” said Quentin Salzwedel, owner of Thundera Multimedia in Oshkosh. “All that data in one place helps you to have a lot better holistic view of things.”

The big “So What?”

Who the heck cares if your website visitors are animal, vegetable or mineral, visit some pages more than others, or shop at midnight in their Hong Kong Phooey boxers?

All that minuscule information that shows up in graphs and pie charts might be overwhelming if you don’t understand it, but it can be used to flaunt your assets.

“When you start to see what’s working you can put even more emphasis on it,” said Greg Linnemanstons, president of Weidert Group in Appleton, which bills itself as a business-tobusiness inbound marketing agency.

Analytics can tell you what to change.

“If you have a page that, when you built the site, you felt was really necessary, and after a few years analytics tells you nobody ever goes to that page, you can take it down and use that space for something else,” Penzenstadler said.

Say your data shows many visitors click around your site for 30 seconds and leave.

“I can make some assumptions (that person) didn’t find what he or she wanted,” Penzenstadler said. “Analytics tells you www.newnorthb2b.com

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Marketing something about your visitors’ behavior, and you can modify your web site, whether it’s the information, menu structure, pages, or information on particular pages.”

The longer visitors stay, the better. Penzenstadler parallels it with an overheard conversation at Target: The clerk asked a woman if she found everything she needed.

“The gal said ‘No, but I spent this much and got a bunch of other things anyway,’” Penzenstadler said.

Even if you don’t have an ecommerce site and aren’t necessarily selling a retail product online, keeping people on your site is like keeping them in your store, she said.

“Even if (the website visit) doesn’t result in a direct sale, the more comfortable they’re going to be with me and my brand, the more they are going to feel like ‘OK, I know this business, and it’s going to increase the potential for a sale.”

If your analytics show the website visitor was reading your blog right before clicking “contact me,” it could mean your blog’s piquing interest. Send out update notices to your contacts and social media followers, Linnemanstons said.

Analytics can also identify which social media are working best for you, Linnemanstons said.

“It can tell you if your traffic is coming from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram, or if the majority is coming from organic searches, or referral sites,” he said. Referral sites are other sites that link to your page.

“If somebody read your blog and liked it so much they included a link to it on their website, it becomes a referral link for you,” Linnemanstons said. “If you’re in an industry where there’s some big online trade associations or publishers and they like your blog, they may link it on their site.”

Knowing how visitors found you can tell you where to spend marketing dollars.

Contact sport

“If you see that LinkedIn or YouTube are generating the highest quality or quantity of website visitors, you can doubledown on that platform and divert effort away from those that aren’t producing,” Linnemanstons said.

“(Website owners) absolutely have to pay attention to which pages are leading people to the ‘contact me’ form, because if it’s a product page, then it would seem like that product page is attracting a lot of people,” said Linnemanstons. “What you want to do is promote that page, product or service even more.”

Not one-size-fits-all

Most websites have the “contact me” form for visitors who want to ask a question or be contacted. What visitors do before clicking “contact me” tells you something interested them enough to volunteer their email.

24 | May 2016 | NNB2B

Not all analytics numbers apply to all websites. Usually a high bounce rate isn’t good. It refers to guests who leave after seeing one page. Normally, you want people clicking deeper

www.newnorthb2b.com

into your site. But what if you only have a one-page website?

One-page websites are trendy now with the rise of responsive design, Salzwedel said.

“Bounce rate isn’t the most important thing to you because you only have one page,” he said. “In this situation, other metrics might be more appropriate, such as session duration.”

Your first page could be so efficient that visitors find what they need, which could lead to visitors leaving the site sooner than you might expect.

How do they know everything?

Much of the information that analytics tools gather comes from social media.

“When you’re building your social media pages, you’re giving out a lot of information: ‘I’m interested in travel, purses, jewelry, puppies,’ whatever. Social media sites have that data,” Penzenstadler said. It comes in handy for targeting particular demographics.

Information forms on your site offering opportunities for customer feedback or short surveys can garner more data. The trick there is not to ask too many questions, Penzenstadler said. It’s a turn-off.

One oft-used word in this industry is “conversion” – and it’s not about religion – but transforming a website visitor into a connection or potential sale. Getting people to interact with you on your site can lead to conversions.

“Build a lot of opportunities on your site for people to, as we say, raise their hand and be counted,” Linnemanstons said.

He means give them something.

“Fill out a form to receive a free ebook or tips to getting your garden ready,” or whatever’s applicable to your industry: a coupon, newsletter, app, free shipping.

“Give them lots of opportunities to express their interest, download something, be counted, and you have an opportunity to have a conversation with them, a relationship with them that’s based on what they’re interested in,” he said.

“Make your site as conversion-friendly as you can.”

Out of site, out of mind

Many businesses spend tons of money on their websites, then ignore the analytics. Months later, someone asks how their site’s working for them, and nobody knows. That’s unfortunate, said Linnemanstons.

“Almost always, if you study what’s happening behind the scenes, you see the opportunities to improve, and who wouldn’t take the steps to improve if they knew making a few changes could take them from five contacts a month to 10?” he said.

So why would anyone ignore this valuable cache of website traffic data?

“It’s intimidating,” Linnemanstons said. “It’s an awful lot of data. We’re certified in Google Analytics, so we’ve taken classes on it and it’s complicated …. You might stumble www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | May 2016 | 25

Marketing around with it, then throw up your hands and say ‘I just can’t do this.’”

Of course, you can hire someone to dissect and interpret your web analytics for you, but many small businesses don’t see the value in that extra expense.

“They might say ‘I’m getting a few leads from the website, that’s all that really matters, I don’t need to know the how and the why of it,’” he said. “But most owners would say if you give me a few hours to analyze and make changes once or twice a month, and it represents X in new business, does that sound like a good equation? Most would say you’re going to grow my business, so it’s worth it.”

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Penzenstadler said it’s important to teach people to “drive the car.”

“In an ideal world, we give them the keys to the kingdom with our training we provide so they can make the changes … this product has to come down because it’s sold out, here’s a new product, here’s what’s on sale,” Penzenstadler said. “We want them to be able to do that on their own.”

One less expensive alternative is Facebook.

“You can build a database, buy and sell, and advertise on Facebook,” Penzenstadler said. “You can advertise your page and boost what you’re doing.”

Facebook is free, but there is a cost for promotion and for addons businesses might need such as security, payment options and shopping carts.

“But it’s an option that’s very viable that a lot of small businesses are turning to because they don’t have the means for building a website,” Penzenstadler said.

She said Facebook is striving to improve user experience and attract more businesses.

“I sort of say they’re working really hard at going toe to toe with Google or Yahoo,” Penzenstadler said. “It’s not the same animal, but it’s interesting how often you do a Google search, and it won’t come up as a website, but their Facebook feed will come up.” n Lee Reinsch of Green Bay worked 18 years at daily newspapers before launching her freelance business, edgewise, in 2007.

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Education

Harvesting the ripening workforce crop As commencement looms, technical colleges report most graduates are employed within months of wrapping up school

Thousands of college students across northeast Wisconsin will wrap up their education when they graduate from various two- and four-year programs this month, and many of those fresh graduates will be prime targets for employers looking to enhance their workforce.

But employers might want to act fast, and be prepared to aggressively compete in the harvest of this new workforce crop. A recent report from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton indicated 94 percent of its 2015 graduates were employed within six months of graduation, its highest graduate placement rate recorded this century.

Other schools across the region boasted similar employment performance from last year’s graduates. Both Green Bay-based Northeast Wisconsin Technical College as well as Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac reported a 93 percent employment placement rate for its 2015 graduates.

As the workforce in northeast Wisconsin continues to tighten, employers seem to have greater appreciation for the technical skills – as well as the softer skills – that recent technical school graduates deliver as an employee, said Chris Matheny, vice president and chief academic officer for instructional services at Fox Valley Tech. One leading reason, Matheny said, is that technical college graduates from northeast Wisconsin are often prepared to transition seamlessly from the classroom 28 | May 2016 | NNB2B

Story by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher

into their new professional position.

“The speed to market for these individuals to get accustomed to the organization is rather fast,” Matheny argued.

That’s partly due to the close working relationship Fox Valley Tech and other colleges have with area employers to respond to their specific workforce requirements, Matheny said.

For local employers hoping to fill open positions with the crop of spring 2016 graduates, the landscape can be particularly competitive, depending upon the industry.

According to the most recent reports for 2015 graduates from the three aforementioned technical colleges, the average starting wage for these graduates is from $17.40 to nearly $19 an hour. Starting compensations vary by profession, and often has more to do with supply and demand than the actual amount of training required.

Matheny said one recent conversation with a northeast Wisconsin trucking firm revealed the company is starting its new drivers at $65,000 a year. Fox Valley Tech’s certificate program for truck drivers prepares them to be hired for such a job with just 12 weeks, Matheny said.

Keeping it in the area

One constant workforce and economic development concern during the past couple of decades is the notion of the so-called “brain drain,” the idea that the number of graduates educated www.newnorthb2b.com

New North Technical College Graduate Success Data 2015 ge wa rly ou eh rag ve ’a he tes n t ol ua thi ho ad wi d sc Gr yed de plo ten em at nt ey h rce e t Pe er s wh ion ct sit ree tri po eg dis in eir d yed th plo to em ted nt la e rce r Pe n thi wi tion yed ua plo rad em f g nt s o rce nth Pe mo six Fox Valley Tech

94%

85%

66%

$17.40

Northeast Wisconsin Tech

93%

76%

71%

$18.37

Moraine Park Tech

93%

86%

50%

$19.00

* all data is from each college’s graduate follow-up reports for the 2014-15 academic year

and trained in northeast Wisconsin who move away from the region after graduation exceeds the in-migration of educated young professionals with post-secondary degrees.

Northeast Wisconsin Tech indicated 71 percent of its students matriculating in 2015 are employed within the district.

Those numbers are often higher within individual degree programs.

While data often supports some truth to these claims, technical colleges typically demonstrate a high number of graduates working and living in the area years after graduation. The most recent Graduate Follow Up report from

At Moraine Park, nearly all 99 of its 2015 nursing graduates were employed within six months of graduating, with nearly every one working for a health care employer between Fond du Lac, Milwaukee and Madison, which

represents much of the school’s service territory. A total of 96 of those students passed their state licensing board certification exam on the first attempt, said Marylou Mercado, associate dean of nursing at Moraine Park.

But even though so many of these former nursing students are now actively employed as health care professionals so close to where they attended school, their service barely fills the gap in workforce demand.

According to Mercado, there were still more than 400 nursing and nursing assistant job openings within the Moraine Park district on the job posting site wisconsintechconnect.com as of late April.

Mercado notes this isn’t a trend just occurring in Fond du Lac, or a trend occurring for just a few years until there’s a workforce correction – the current volume of nursing graduates from all higher education institutions in the state still leaves a deficit in demand coupled with those existing nurses looking to retire in the next few years.

“There are going to be about 3,000

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Education nurses a year needed to provide care to our aging population here in Wisconsin,” Mercado said.

Nurses are often staying in the area to work, Mercado believes, because of the close relationship Moraine Park’s nursing program has to health care providers within the communities where it trains it students. Many of the students are hired by those health care facilities, and Mercado said a number of those employers offer tuition reimbursement benefits encouraging those new employees to pursue baccalaureate and master’s-level degrees, providing further incentive to remain in the area.

Fox Valley Tech’s Matheny said the mission of many technical colleges is to “maximize the skills of people living in the area,” which relates to the high ratio of graduates remaining nearby to work after completing their studies. In the case of Fox Valley Tech, the average age of its students varies from year to year in a range between 25 and 28 years old, Matheny said. At that age, a number of students might have already sprouted roots in northeast Wisconsin – purchased a home, married, have children, or started a career.

“Many of our students have already made the decision to live in this area,” he noted. “Many have already established community connections.”

Show me the money As mentioned earlier, the average technical college graduate is landing a job in northeast Wisconsin paying a salary between $35,000 to $38,000 a year.

But some professions are much higher, according to the various graduate follow-up reports issued by the New North region’s technical colleges. The average starting salary for the previously mentioned 2015 cohort of Moraine Park nursing students was nearly $49,000 a year.

Northeast Wisconsin Tech’s popular electrical power distribution program reported a median annual salary of nearly $57,000 for its nearly three dozen 2015 graduates. With more than 150 jobs posted on Wisconsin TechConnect during the past year, the high demand for such a short supply of graduates is driving pay scales higher in a variety of utility-related fields.

Manufacturing fields of study also continue to produce graduates in high demand earning lucrative starting salaries across northeast Wisconsin.

The automation engineering technology program at Northeast Wisconsin Tech reported an average salary of $48,000 a year for its 11 graduates in 2015. Moraine Park’s mechanical design technology program graduates were earning an average salary of $50,000 as of the school’s 2014 report.

Across the region, technical colleges reported high employment placement and salaries for careers in information technology, transportation, health care and construction. Each of those segments offered plenty of entry-level job openings throughout northeast Wisconsin and across the state. n

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30 | May 2016 | NNB2B

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Construction

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oices isions &

A monthly conversation with New North small business owners, each shedding light on the local economy through the perspective of their industry sector.

Summer isn’t the only thing heating up. Construction crews are in high demand for a resurgence of commercial development, fueling competition for skilled labor and telling a tale about the economic performance of virtually every industry sector in northeast Wisconsin.

Kimberly-based CR Structures Group is among the dozens of building design, construction and remodeling firms in northeast Wisconsin that focus on commercial, industrial and institutional projects. Founder and president Chad Reichelt and his partner, Kip Golden, offered their perspectives on the current strength of construction demand in the region.

Which industries show the strongest demand?

Kip: We are seeing more retail project demand right now than we have seen in the last few years. We are working on three larger new construction retail projects that could break ground later this year. We are also seeing a demand in the medical building industry in dental, chiropractic and eye care. Elderly housing is in very high demand right now. Manufacturing/ warehousing seems to be picking up as well, even with the high value of the dollar. Most of the existing space has been used up.

Chad Reichelt (l) President, co-owner Kip Golden (r) Executive vice president, co-owner CR Structures Group Inc. Kimberly crstructures.com

32 | May 2016 | NNB2B

Have labor & materials costs increased since the recession ended?

Chad: Labor was more affordable during the recession because contractors were taking jobs at less profit to keep their employees working. There were less building projects to go around, but material prices really never went down. They have actually continued to go up. Now with the recovery in full swing, we are seeing labor costs go up as well because everyone is busy.

Kip: The New North area is blessed with many good contractors, which is great for the customer and, honestly, I feel it’s good for the contractors as well. It makes us all better. There is plenty of work out there since we are coming out of this recession. One challenge is skilled labor availability, which is driving up labor cost and could lead to longer lead times for projects.

Retirements are also affecting the availability of skilled labor. This is a challenge that the entire industry needs to work together to solve through educating the next generation of skilled labor. We need to get to kids at a young age to demonstrate the great opportunities there are in the construction industry.

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How far out do you book jobs?

Chad: We are working on several projects that will move forward later this fall and a few larger projects next spring. Our backlog is back to what we were seeing before the recession.

There was some pent-up demand for some businesses that have been waiting for the full recovery and those projects have been moving forward in the last few years.

We have been extremely busy for the last few years. Our subcontractors have also been extremely busy.

What should business owners consider as they make a decision to build?

Kip: It is extremely important to work with professionals when considering a site because every property is not created equal. It might look like the perfect spot to grow a business, but there could be some hidden costs to developing it. We assist with site selection and evaluation to ensure correct zoning, adequate site access and utilities, reasonable storm water requirements, insuring no DNR restrictions are present, suitable soil conditions, and that it meets future expansion needs.

What are your recent projects?

Kip: We just finished up the new North Shore Bank branch in Suamico … as well as the renovation of Joseph & Joseph Dental in Plymouth. We broke ground in December on the new 8,781-sq. ft. combined facility in Bellevue for Family Dental Center of Green Bay and Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of Green Bay. Just recently we signed a contract for a dental clinic addition in Howard and a fast food restaurant in Green Bay.

Do architects work directly for you?

Kip: We do not have any architects on staff for a few reasons. One is to keep our overhead as low as possible so the client is only paying for the work that he needs for their project. Secondly, we build many different facilities in an array of industries so we want to be able to partner with the architect with the most expertise for the type of project we are working on. For example, the best architect for a dental clinic might not necessarily be the best architect for a manufacturing facility, so we have the flexibility to partner with the best one for the particular project.

Chad: Also, with this approach the client still has the same reduced risk that the design-build methods offer them because we have sole responsibility for the plans as the architect is typically a subcontractor to us. n

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von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Is Now In The Fox Valley At von Briesen, we’ve transformed the traditional law firm into a modern platform for legal innovation. We combine our industry leading expertise with innovative technology and a creative approach to problem-solving to generate game-changing advantages for our clients.

Our experienced team is ready to serve the region’s businesses, financial institutions, healthcare organizations and governments. With industryleading expertise and innovative technology, we take a collaborative approach to problem-solving, advocacy and advice. von Briesen & Roper, s.c. is pleased to announce that William E. Fischer, Courtney A. Hollander, James R. Macy, Robert A. Mathers, Thomas W. Moniz, and Steven R. Sorenson have joined us in our new office located in Oshkosh.

To learn more about our law firm and areas of practice, visit vonbriesen.com.

2905 Universal Street • Suite 2 • Oshkosh, WI 54904 (920) 233-0250 Milwaukee • Madison • Oshkosh

NNB2B | May 2016 | 33

Guest Commentary

Welcoming the world Foreign markets and foreign workers are critical for Wisconsin’s economy

by Kurt R. Bauer, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce

There are a lot of ways Washington can screw up Wisconsin’s economy.

The Obama administration’s horribly illconceived Clean Power Plan immediately comes to mind. If implemented, the Clean Power Plan will punish our coaldependent manufacturing-based economy by mandating billions of dollars of new investment that will have to be paid for by dramatically raising residential and commercial electricity rates, which will make Wisconsin a more expensive place to live and a less competitive place for business.

Another bad idea that could be coming Wisconsin’s way, depending on the results of the presidential election, is trade protectionism. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and Democrat/Socialist contender Bernie Sanders have both said they want to wall off the U.S. economy from the rest of the world.

Trump and Sanders claim that protectionism will save American jobs, but the data shows the exact opposite is true.

For example, 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S. By 2050, only 4.1 percent of the world’s population will live in North America. Most of the planet’s population and middle class wealth will expand in Asia, which is why exports are so critical for a manufacturing and agricultural state such as Wisconsin that makes, grows and processes things.

If the U.S. rejects international free trade agreements, then Wisconsin products will be cut off from the world’s most lucrative markets and good-paying jobs will be lost.

If Trump and Sanders are worried about losing American jobs to foreign competition, then the far better policy response would be to support common sense reforms that make our nation’s business climate more globally competitive. A good place to start is to cut the U.S. corporate income tax rate, which at 35 percent is the highest in the industrialized world.

Reversing the expansion of the regulatory state and tapping into America’s plentiful domestic energy resources would also lower the cost of doing business and spark more economic activity and job growth. And the looming economic threat of the $19 trillion national debt and trillions more in unfunded

34 | May 2016 | NNB2B

entitlement obligations should be commanding more attention from all presidential candidates.

Wisconsin companies also need comprehensive federal immigration reform. About 70 percent of state business leaders from all sectors report they are having trouble hiring employees. Wisconsin’s worker shortage is projected to get much worse in coming years because there just aren’t enough generation Xers and Millennials in our state to replace the Baby Boomers who are at or reaching retirement age.

Trump and Sanders claim that protectionism will save American jobs, but the data shows the exact opposite is true.

One critical solution is to attract legal foreign immigrants, as we have done in Wisconsin since the 1840s. But Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric would wall off our state from much needed workers in the same way he wants to wall off our products from foreign markets.

When unshackled from bad federal policies, the U.S. economy and the American worker can out compete any other nation on earth. But the U.S. and Wisconsin economies can’t prosper as an island. We need foreign markets and we need foreign workers. I hope the candidates for president come to that realization. n Kurt R. Bauer is president/CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the combined Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers’ Association and Safety Council. WMC represents 3,800 employers in the state.

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NNB2B | May 2016 | 35

Professionally Speaking

Professionally Speaking is a paid promotional spot in B2B.

Upcoming Employer ACA Reporting Deadlines

by Kelly Kuglitsch of Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.

Last month, employers required to report health care coverage offers had to furnish a statement to employees who worked more than 130 hours in at least one month during 2015. Next up, employers have until May 31 (or until June 30 if filing electronically) to submit copies of these forms to the IRS, together with transmittal Form 1094-C or 1094-B. Marketplace Employer Notices Beginning this spring, the Healthcare.gov marketplaces will begin to send notices to employers whose employees have received government-subsidized marketplace health insurance.

Marketplaces will be mailing the employer notices in batches. Additional notices will be mailed throughout 2016.

414.225.1417

Importance of Prompt Employer Review Because employee receipt of a marketplace subsidy can trigger the assessment of pay or play penalties on a company, employers should carefully review these marketplace-issued employer notices. If you, as an employer, know that you offered ACA-compliant coverage to an individual, but you receive notice that such individual received a marketplace subsidy, you should appeal the notice by proving the employee was offered coverage meeting ACA standards.

This can avoid the improper assessment of pay or play penalties on the company.

Because there is only a 90-day appeal window, time is of the essence in reviewing – and appealing, if necessary – marketplace employer notices.

If an employer’s appeal is successful, the marketplace will send a notice to the employee recommending that he/ she correct the relevant enrollment application to indicate access to, or enrollment in, employer-offered coverage.

The notice to the employee will further

Growing Wealth

1. Saving is the first and foremost critical step towards building wealth. Saving money is dependent on your lifestyle and what’s most important to you.

2. Take advantage of your 401(k) if your employer offers one. If you are contributing to your employer plan, it never hurts to contribute more or to understand the plan further.

3. Make sure you have a formal, written plan that includes your financial goals.

36 | May 2016 | NNB2B

Next Steps Employers must ensure duplicates of IRS Form 1095-C (or 1095-B) are transmitted, as required, to the IRS by the applicable May or June deadline.

It is also time for employers to prepare for receipt of the Marketplace employer notices. Employers should develop a process for handling the notices, including confirming whether notices are received for any employees who were offered workplace health coverage. If a notice is received for an employee who was eligible for workplace insurance, the employer must protect itself by appealing such notices.

Kelly Kuglitsch is senior counsel at Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. Ms. Kuglitsch provides counsel on employee benefits and ERISA matters to employers throughout Wisconsin and may be reached at kkuglitsch@dkattorneys.com or 414.225.1417.

“What you plant now… You will harvest later.”

by William Bowman, CPA of Aegis Financial 920.233.4650 As a financial advisor, you get a bird’s-eye view into patterns of spending, saving, earnings and investments but most importantly you get to delve into people’s aspirations, fears, values and find out where they need help. In order to grow your wealth, there are a few simple steps to consider…

explain that failure to ensure a correct application can result in tax liability for the employee.

Planning to retire some day is not a plan; your plan must be specific.

4. Because it’s impossible to be unemotional about your finances, get professional help. A financial professional is not only there to help crunch numbers, but to partner, influence and be held accountable for your plan design and reaching your objectives. This partnership can also keep you from making mistakes along the way.

5. Don’t sacrifice all that you love in the pursuit of wealth. You must define what wealth means and looks like to you.

6. So that you can spend your time loving life in the future, pay yourself first. Don’t suffer from impulse purchases or get caught up in spending today without saving for tomorrow.

7. Take a systematic approach to goals and decide where you would like to start growing your wealth. Simply break down

- Oz Mandino your goals in short-term steps.

8. Find a healthy balance between what makes you happy and what will pay the bills. Breaking down your wants and your needs will help you achieve your lifelong goals.

Enjoy a comfortable lifestyle now and in the future by considering the steps to plant your goals and grow your wealth.

William Bowman, CPA, is the Senior Advisor at AEGIS Financial in Oshkosh.

The team at Aegis Financial gives tax conscious, professional advice for your financial life plan. To learn more about Aegis Financial, visit www. aegisfinancialplanners.com or call 920.233.4650.

AEGIS Financial is an independent firm. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Raymond James does not provide tax advice or services. Opinions are those of William Bowman and not necessarily those of Raymond James.

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Who’s News

Incorporations

New North B2B publishes monthly new business incorporations filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.

Brown County

Healy and Son Grass Cutting LLC, Bob Healy, 5381 Little Apple Road, De Pere 54115.

Lee Online Marketing LLC, Julia Marie Lee, 1945 Terry Lane, De Pere 54115.

Meadowbrook Smiles S.C., Rebecca P. Van Miller, 3590 Meadow Sound Dr., De Pere 54115.

Anytime Taxi LLC, Billy Joe Free, 1901 Ridgeway Dr., De Pere 54115.

Gillis Vending LLC, Andrew N. Gillis, 1680 W. Main Cir., De Pere 54115.

Tundra Lawn Care and Services LLC, Tracy J. Roffers, 388 Lantern Lane, De Pere 54115.

Automation & Vision Solutions INC., Mar N. Stevens-Nawar, 1948 Stone Silo Cir., De Pere 54115.

Ferris Law LLC, Stephen M. Ferris, 2093 Lost Dauphin Road, De Pere 54115.

Grooming By Beth LLC, Beth Roszak, 2081 E. Baraboo Cir., De Pere 54115.

The Riviera Bar and Grille LLC, Mari E. O’Brien, 1954 Tyler Lane, De Pere 54115.

Custom Fence INC., Eric Schwartz, 5335 State Road 29, Denmark 54208.

Best Tax Management LLC, Jeff Cichocki, 3516 Keweaton Lake Ct., Denmark 54208.

Concrete Finishers LLC, Nicholas Degrand, 4668 S County Road T, Denmark 54208.

DeClerc Transport LLC, Dylan J. DeClerc, 1112 Crown Pointe Cir., Green Bay 54173.

Jay T’s Yard Service LLC, Jason Joseph Tease, 2554 Wildflower Row, Green Bay 54311.

Equity Truck and Equipment Sales LLC, JW Holdings Group LLC, 2650 S. Packerland Dr., Green Bay 54313.

Spot On Painting LLC, David J. Braatz, 2247 Nottingham Ct., Green Bay 54311.

Alicia Slusarek Nutrition Services LLC, Alicia Ann Slusarek, 801 Hoffman Road, Green Bay 54301.

Great Beginning’s Homes LLC, Gregory Michael Kaster, 403 N. Ashland Ave., Green Bay 54303.

All American Inspections LLC, Cory Samson, 2926 Jauquet Dr., Green Bay 54311.

Acumen Business Consulting LLC, Michael J. Feeney, 2961 Shelter Creek Lane, Green Bay 54313.

Be A Belle Salon LLC, Courtney Jae Krabbe, 2514 Parkwood Dr., Green Bay 54304.

H. J. Martin Woodstone Construction LLC, Edward N. Martin, 320 S. Military Ave., Green Bay 54303.

A & A Rivas Janitorial LTD, Ana Laura Rivas, 1981 Spring Creek Cir., Green Bay 54311.

Doxtator Marketing & Communications LLC, Brenda Black Thunder, 1235 Shepherds Path, Green Bay 54313.

Good Ground Foods LLC, Elizabeth Mari Slade, 2701 Larsen Road, Green Bay 54303.

Data Without Disturbance LLC, Mike Swan, 1222 Guns Road, Green Bay 54311.

Acme Grinding LLC, Jeffrey Treml, 710 Potts Ave., Green Bay 54304.

Dsquared Trucking LLC, Dennis L. Diny, 2008 Oakdale Ave., Green Bay 54302.

Mr. Wilson Tinting INC., Jacquelyn J. Wilson, 1232 Hill Crest Heights, Green Bay 54313.

Lealiou Studio’s LLC, Kylenne Lorraine Lealiou, 900 Park St., Green Bay 54303.

C&C Janitorial Services LLC, Cesar Ulises Tavares-Amezcua, 1120 Elizabeth St. 7-3, Green Bay 54302.

Procleaning Solutions USA LLC, David D. Daul, 417 S. Adams St., Green Bay 54305.

L & M Construction LLC, Lisa Klitzman, 918 N. Platten St., Green Bay 54303.

Skorzewski School of Ballet LLC, Ross Allen Skorzewski, 1259 S. Quincy St., Green Bay 54301.

Reiki, A Touch Of Tranquility LLC, Jena Lynn Milstead, 2640 Soman Ct., Green Bay 54311.

Michaels Custom Metal Work LLC, Timothy Alan Michaels, 1188 Nova Lane, Green Bay 54304.

River’s Bend Steakhouse & Pub INC., Stephen R. Vandenlangenberg, 792 Riverview Dr., Green Bay 54303.

Thomson Interiors LLC, Michael J. Thomson, 806 Bond St., Green Bay 54303.

G & G Tree Service LLC, Leon Gorman, 1939 Kane Lane, Green Bay 54311.

Pro-Tec Auto Care LLC, David Hoffmann, 5286 Warehouse Dr., New Franken 54229.

Tauschek Excavating LLC, Derek Tauschek, 2379 Saint Kilian Road, New Franken 54229.

Precision Granite & Stone LLC, Cody Welch, 14720 Velp Ave., Suamico 54313.

Northern Custom Roofing INC., Paul Collins, 2368 E. Deerfield Ave., Suamico 54173.

Fond du Lac County

Amusement Enterprises LLC, David M. Kober, N1635 County Road GGG, Campbellsport 53010.

Kreis Welding & Repair LLC, Bryan William Kreis, W8102 State Road 23, Eldorado 54932.

Fit For You Lularoe Boutique LLC, Whittney Pultz, W8404 Orchard Road, Fond du Lac 54937.

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• Quality schools, great Village park system and excellent municipal services available Contact James Fenlon, Village Administrator, at 920-423-3850 or visit www.littlechutewi.org.

38 | May 2016 | NNB2B

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Efficacy Engineering LLC, Kevin J. McWithey, 61 Lennora Crescent, Fond du Lac 54935.

Calvary Chapel Fond du Lac INC., Heath M. Perry, 357 18th St., Fond du Lac 54935.

Breezy Oaks Farms LLC, Norman J. Waldschmidt, W3401 Golf Course Dr., Fond du Lac 54937.

Fondy Aqua Park INC., Daniel L. Deuster, N7745 U.S. Highway 151, Fond du Lac 54937.

Joseph Schuessler Law Office S.C., Joseph W. Schuessler, 706 Glenwood Dr., Fond du Lac 54935.

Star Protection and Patrol LLC, Zachary Taft Partridge, 963 Eastman Lane, Fond du Lac 54935.

The Rock Stone and Landscape Supply LLC, David Wirtz, N8173 Ashberry Ave., Fond du Lac 54937.

Hill Crest Firearms LLC, John Totz, N6165 Hill Crest Road, Fond du Lac 54937.

Edwards Auction Service LLC, Royce J. Edwards, 729 Minnesota Ave., North Fond du Lac 54937.

Ripon Sales and Service LLC, Dustin Volkmann, 412 E. Fond du Lac St., Ripon 54971.

Up In Arms Gunsmithing & Sales LLC, Donald M. Cook, N11534 County Road MM, Waupun 53963.

Jet Lenses INC., Nitin Pandya, M.D., 2301 E. Ashbury Dr., Appleton 54913.

Resurgence MMA & Fitness LLC, Andrew Elijah Kauzlaric, 1307 N. Summit St., Appleton 54914.

Kratos Gym LLC, Jeffrey Venable, 1700 S. Fidelis St., Appleton 54915.

It Evolution INC., Sarah M. Reyes, 212 E. College Ave., Appleton 54911.

Woelfel, Raschke and Associates LLC, James C. Woelfel, 4620 N. Ballard Road, Appleton 54913.

Luckys Pilot Car LLC, David Richard Morales, 3541 N. Northridge Lane, Appleton 54914.

Torus Tech Company LLC, Gurucharan Angisetty, 111 E. Water St., Appleton 54911.

Indianway Transport LLC, Cody B. Leroy, 1620 Holland Road, Apt. 104, Appleton 54911.

Carbon Salon LLC, Jessica Lynn Koehler, 334 N. Mall Dr., Appleton 54913.

Van Dyke Home Inspection LLC, Chad Joseph Van Dyke, 1031 W. Lawrence St., Appleton 54914.

Plisch Law LLC, Ryan Plisch, 103 W. College Ave., Appleton 54911.

Nest Botanicals LLC, Robin Gwen Ahrens, 939 E. Eldorado St., Appleton 54911.

First Quality Forklift Training LLC, Timothy G. Wiemer, 911 S. Fidelis St., Appleton 54915.

Apple Valley RV Rentals LLC, Daniel L. Wagner, 5200 Greenville Dr., Appleton 54913.

Todd’s Trucking LLC, Todd Quade, 3405 N. Suncrest Lane, Appleton 54914.

Christensen Painting and Decorating LLC, Bjorn James Christensen, 212 N. Story St., Appleton 54914.

Premier Hosting Company INC., Mark Busnelli, 1300 E. Glendale Ave., Appleton 54911.

Fox Valley Cryotherapy LLC, Erin Marie Mattice, 1529 W. Commercial St., Appleton 54914.

Gary’s Quality Lawn Care LLC, Gary Tesch, 308 Clearfield Lane, Appleton 54913.

Pro Floor Restore LLC, David Sawicky, 121 Hidden Ridges Cir., Combined Locks 54113.

Great Wood Designs LLC, John Okrzesik, W3056 Sunshine Road, Freedom 54130.

Marks Landscaping LLC, Mark Richard Pynenberg, W3609 Center Valley Road, Freedom 54913.

Quality Refinishing and Restoration LLC, Greg Gartzke, N3890 Sharon Rose Ct., Freedom 54913.

www.newnorthb2b.com

2015

Outagamie County

TM

NNB2B | May 2016 | 39

Who’s News Tiffany Holtz Real Estate Group LLC, Tiffany Holtz, N1399 Winds End Lane, Greenville 54942.

Valley Home Remodeling LLC, Jason Wurz, 411 E. Main, Hortonville 54944.

Wolfrath’s Landscaping LLC, Chad Wolfrath, N2998 State Road 15, Hortonville 54944.

Call Me Al Entertainment LLC, Alexander Krizek, 1348 Moonridge Ct., Kaukauna 54130.

Creative Minds Day Care LLC, Shari Therese Van Mun, 510 W. 7th St., Kaukauna 54130.

Top Shine Fitness LLC, Trevian Goss, 211 Klein St., Kaukauna 54130.

Hartjes Electical Contracting LLC, Eric Hartjes, 312 ½ E. 7th St., Kaukauna 54130.

Clean Freaks Janitorial Service LLC, Jason Scott Huss, 123 N. Washington St., Kimberly 54136.

Be Driven! Transport LLC, Carla A. Kempen, N5204 Vine, Seymour 54165.

Bad Dog Stump Grinding LLC, Thomas J. Court, N1243 Lawn Road, Seymour 54165.

Winnebago County

MML Equine LLC, Megan Lisowe, N9016 Papermaker Pass, Menasha 54952.

Schwarzy’s Reel Time Fishing Guide LLC, Scott David Schwarz, N8396 Muirfield Way, Menasha 54952.

Kiel Mart LLC, Durga Tiwari, 955 Lotus Tr., Menasha 54952.

Jilltec Environmental Solutions LLC, Jill Hiroskey, 1085 Memorial Ct., Neenah 54956.

Vinland Storage LLC, Gerhard Geiger, 7285 State Road 76, Neenah 54956.

Tom’s Concrete LLC, Thomas Bernhardt, 1705 Dixie Dr., Neenah 54956.

Soper Towing LLC, Chad J. Pugh, 910 W. Murdock Ave., Omro 54901.

Wisco Trucking LLC, Allen R. Lambert, 5206 State Road 21, Omro 54963.

Motivation Fitness LLC, Candace M. Wilke, 7042 Kromm Road, Omro 54963.

Shoreline Tree Removal LLC, James Dobish, 1428 Monroe St., Oshkosh 54901.

Mariucci J. Designs LLC, Jonathan Scott Mariucci, 824 W. 12th Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

Expert Towing LLC, Adam Lyle Pugh, 910 W. Murdock Ave., Oshkosh 54901.

GKZ Administrative Services LLC, Rebecca Lynne Zinecker, 3756 Glenbrook Lane, Oshkosh 54904.

Eastern Nurture Massage Spa INC., Juhua You, 1775 Witzel Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

Cadazl Advanced Analytics LLC, David Janotha, 301 Forest View Road, Oshkosh 54904.

Complementary Designs LLC, Rebecca Berg, 689 S. Oakwood Road, Oshkosh 54904.

Bethy Bee’s Lawn Care LLC, Beth A. Boegh, 606 Dove St., Oshkosh 54902.

Oshkosh Youth Tag Rugby INC., Matthew Stenerson, 527 Monroe St., Oshkosh 54901.

Animal House Feed Co. LLC, Ross Krings, 981 County FF, Oshkosh 54904.

Building permits

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

No owner listed, 2737 S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon. $1,000,000 for interior alterations to the existing commercial office building. General contractor is Schuh Construction Inc. of Seymour. February.

Pediatric Dentistry Clinic & Family Dental Center, 2609 Development Dr., Bellevue. $1,723,000 for an 8,781-sq. ft. dental clinic. General contractor is CR Structures Group Inc. of Kimberly. February 26.

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DDL Holdings, 340 N. Broadway, Green Bay. $5,250,000 for a substantial overhaul of the former canning factory for a mixed-use residential and commercial development. General contractor is Smet Construction of Green Bay. March.

Willis of Wisconsin, 330 W. College Ave., Ste. #201, Appleton. $542,000 for an interior renovation of the existing office building. General contractor is Boldt Construction. Co. of Appleton. March 7.

Lakeland Care District, 2985 S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon. $483,000 for interior alterations to the existing commercial office building. General contractor is Smet Construction Inc. of Green Bay. March.

Green Bay Community Church, 600 Cardinal Lane, Howard. $460,000 for interior alterations to the existing church building. No contractor listed. March 14.

Fox Valley Technical College, 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., town of Grand Chute. $980,713 for interior alterations to the existing metal fabrication shop and welding lab. General contractor is Miron Construction of Neenah. March 15.

Bemis Company/Curwood Inc., 2621 W. Everett St., Appleton. $1,446,000 for an addition to and an interior renovation of the existing manufacturing facility.

General contractor is CR Meyer of Oshkosh. March 18.

YMCA of Green Bay, 235 N. Jefferson St., Green Bay. $1,000,000 for interior alterations to the existing community center. General contractor is Immel Construction of Green Bay. March.

New locations The Milwaukee-based law firm von Briesen & Roper, s.c. opened a Fox Valley office at 2905 Universal St. in Oshkosh. The new office location is staffed by shareholders James R. Macy, Robert A. Mathers, Steven R. Sorenson and William E. Fischer, as well as associate attorneys Courtney A. Hollander and Thomas W. Moniz, research coordinator William G. Bracken and paralegal Lynn S. Lemiesz.

Appleton-based Flex-Staff opened a branch office at 1486 W. South Park Ave. in Oshkosh. The office is managed by Lorena Banegan-Aznar, a former project manager in the telecom industry. The office can be reached by calling 920.385.1003.

Azco Inc. moved its corporate offices from the town of Menasha to one of the former Institute of Paper Chemistry campus buildings at 1025 E. South River St. in Appleton.

Badger Sports Park of Appleton will open Breakout Green Bay at 2108 S. Ridge Road in Ashwaubenon. The entertainment venue will include a variety of themed escape rooms in which teams in a locked room receive clues to help them escape. Badger Sports Park will also set up two escape rooms at its Appleton location this year.

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Access, Inc. of Neenah, a provider of critical support equipment for information technology, merged with Computer Support Technologies of Troy, Mich. and will continue operating under the Access name.

Agnesian HealthCare announced plans to close its Agnesian EZ Care walk-in clinic at 1107 E. Johnson St. in Fond du Lac on June 18 and consolidate services with its Agnesian Convenient Care Clinic at 145 N. Main St. in Fond du Lac. The clinics are within two miles of one another and Agnesian indicated the consolidation will create greater efficiency.

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NNB2B | May 2016 | 41

Who’s News Start or expand your business in the

FASTEST GROWING WISCONSIN COMMUNITY Stecker

Lehmann

Business honors With $108 million of private development realized already, the Village of Hobart is charging ahead with continued expansion.

Be part of the progress by leasing space in a multi-tenant building or select land for design/build construction. This is the ideal location if you want to command market share in western Brown County.

The Village of Hobart offers: • tax increment incentives • immediate customers with median HH income among highest in the state • high visibility and ready access to people traveling daily in the 23,600 vehicles on state highway 29/32 The 100 acre MarketPlace District in Centennial Centre capitalizes on the work-live trend and your business would benefit from locating here.

CMD Corporation of Appleton was named to Plastics News magazine’s Best Places to Work list for the second consecutive year.

Cineviz of Green Bay received a silver Telly Award for its Green Bay Life video for KI Convention Center and received a bronze Telly Award for its Cobra System Animation project for Amerex Corp.

Greater Green Bay Chamber presented its John M. and Meredith B. Rose Business Award to Schreiber Foods of Green Bay. Faith Technologies of Menasha received the national first place Construction Safety Excellence Award in the specialty contractor division from Associated General Contractors of America.

The Fox Cities Chamber presented the following 2016 Business Awards during its annual recognition luncheon: Business of the Year Awards to Amerequip of Kiel, manufacturing category; Good Company Restaurant Group of Appleton, wholesale/retail category; Miron Construction of Neenah, service category, large employer; and Weidert Group of Appleton, service category, small employer; Company Innovation Awards to Crane Engineering of Kimberly, large employer and BConnected of Appleton, small employer; Corporate Citizen Awards to Secura Insurance of Appleton, large employer and Old Glory Honor Flight of Menasha, small employer; Exemplary Marketing Awards to Tundraland of Kaukauna, large employer and A-Mazing Events of Appleton, small employer; and Rising Star Award to Candeo Creative of Oshkosh.

Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. presented the following awards during its Main Street Program

Wyman

Williams

recognition event: Best Historic Restoration to Masonic Temple Restoration Project in Omro; Best Creative Fundraising Effort to Masonic Brick Art Gala in Omro; and Best Façade Rehabilitation to Theo’s 24 Restaurant in Fond du Lac. Northern Electric, Inc. of Green Bay was awarded the 2015 Associated Builders and Contractors gold award for safety.

McMahon of Neenah received the 2015 Concrete Design Award from Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association in the municipal facility category for its work on the Central Water Storage Facility in the town of Ledgeview. The facility, maintained by Central Brown County Water Authority, provides backup storage to DePere, Allouez, Bellevue, Howard, and the towns of Lawrence and Ledgeview.

The Wisconsin Safety Council and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development presented 15 companies statewide with its 2016 Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award, including Mercury Marine of Fond du Lac and Tweet/Garot Mechanical, Inc. of Green Bay.

New hires Keller, Inc. of Kaukauna hired Whitney Stecker as an HR generalist/recruiter and Jacob Lehmann as an architectural draftsman.

Oshkosh Area Community Foundation hired Bill Wyman as president and chief executive officer. Wyman had previously served the organization’s interim president and CEO from late 2012 to mid-2013, and served on its board of directors from 1997 to 2007. Wyman owns The Waters banquet facility and UFit personal training, both in Oshkosh.

He served as senior executive and board director for

For more details visit www.buildinhobart.com or contact Village Administrator Andrew Vickers 920-869-3804 Andrew@hobart-wi.org

Kenner

42 | May 2016 | NNB2B

Lewandowski

Packett

Hermus

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Miston

Lichtenberg

Van Gompel

Oshkosh B’Gosh from 1981 until its sale in 2005.

Affinity Health System hired Jennifer Haen as a nurse practitioner to its Koehler Street clinic in Oshkosh.

The University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley in Menasha hired Becky Nielsen as student life coordinator. Nielson most recently worked as the learning resource coordinator at Bryant and Stratton College in Milwaukee.

SMC Metal Fabricators in Oshkosh hired Dan Ruedinger as its president.

Ruedinger has 25 years experience in manufacturing and was most recently president and CEO of a custom commercial furniture manufacturer in Minnesota.

Element in De Pere hired Shawn Williams as art director, Bill Miston as a content marketing and public relations specialist, and Kara Lichtenberg as an account planner and brand strategist. Williams most recently worked as a senior designer at Arketype in Green Bay, and has previous experience with Bay Tek Games in Pulaski, Marshfield Clinic and Krause Publications in Iola. Miston worked 10 years in broadcast media, having most recently served as a broadcast reporter and fill-in anchor at WLUK Fox 11 in Green Bay. Lichtenberg most recently worked as an account manager and brand strategist with BrandDirections in Neenah, and has previous experience with Johnsonville Sausage, Bel Brands and Bemis Packaging.

Touchmark in Appleton hired Broderick Kenner as a wellness nurse.

Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna hired Rich Lewandowski as a design project manager, Dave Packett as an estimator and Cliff Sundquist as a steel erector. Lewandowski has more than 20 years of construction design and project management experience, while Packett has been in the construction field for more than 35 years and Sundquist for more than 20 years.

Aurora Health Care in Oshkosh added Maurizio Albala, M.D. and nurse practitioner Lynda Fields for its pain management program.

Integrated Public Resources LLC in Neenah hired Rick Hermus and Russ Van Gompel to head up its municipal administrator services group. Hermus was previously village administrator in Kimberly and had served as interim administrator for the Village of Little Chute. Van Gompel most recently served as city manager for Eau Claire and held previous roles in village administration for Brown Deer and Little Chute.

Timm

Huiting

Van Kauwenberg

Promotions Keller, Inc. in Kaukauna promoted Shawn Timm to expeditor, Tracy Huiting to head of logistics, and Corey Van Kauwenberg to purchasing agent. Timm has been with Keller for 20 years as a foreman in the finish carpentry division. Huiting has been with Keller for nine years in various finance and operations roles, while Van Kauwenberg has been with Keller for 17 years as a foreman in the firm’s steel shop.

First National Bank – Fox Valley promoted the following employees: Brooke Johnson to universal teller in Menasha; Staci Wied to treasury management supervisor; Sarah Johnson to treasury management assistant; Beth Meisel to retail operations supervisor; Heather Salzer to retail operations specialist; and Lea Ann Kolb to retail operations assistant.

McClone of Menasha promoted Zachary Kaiser to strategic risk advisor.

Omni Glass & Paint, Inc. in Oshkosh promoted Tim Foust to paint superintendent for the Fox Valley. Foust has been with the company for 23 years, most recently working as a commercial/industrial painter.

Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce hired Tom Herre as its interim president and CEO. Herre had served as city manager for Fond du Lac from 2005 up until his retirement in 2012.

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay promoted Professor John Katers to be the first-ever dean of the university’s College of Science and Technology.

Faith Technologies in Menasha promoted Jill Hermans to vice president of talent. Hermans, who previously held the title of director of learning and development, has been with Faith Technologies since 2009.

Individual awards Women in Management-Fox Cities Chapter presented its 2016 Fox Cities Woman Leader of the Year Award to Chris Hanson, president and owner of Hanson Benefits, Inc. in Appleton.

Greater Green Bay Chamber presented its Leo Frigo Leadership Award to Keith Pamperin, retired housing administrator for City of Green Bay/Brown County.

B. Johnson

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Wied

S. Johnson

Meisel

Salzer

Kolb

NNB2B | May 2016 | 43

Business Calendar May 3 Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at Bridgewood Resort Hotel, 1000 Cameron Way in Neenah. For more information or to register, email Pam at receptionist@foxcitieschamber.com.

May 4 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Horicon Bank, 1207 W. Johnson St. in Fond du Lac. For more information or to register, call 920.921.9500 or go online to www.fdlac.com.

Katers

Hermans

Selner

Wisconsin Women’s Council presented one of its 14 Governor’s Trailblazer Awards for Women in Business to Ann Schlaefer, optometrist and owner of Schlaefer Optometrists in Campbellsport.

Andy Selner, president of Roc Building Solutions in De Pere, was named to Professional Builder magazine’s 40 Under 40 list for the current year.

Business calendar

May 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 more information, call 920.303.2266 or go online to oshkoshchamber.com.

May 10 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Before Hours, 8 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 101 E. Wisconsin Ave. in Kaukauna. For more information or to register, call 920.766.1616 or go online to www.heartofthevalleychamber.com.

New North B2B encourages businesses and organizations looking to attract interested persons to upcoming events to email info@newnorthb2b.com.

May 10 Mid-Day Women’s Alliance workshop on personal career development, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Atlas Gathering Room, 425 W. Water St. in Appleton. No cost for members to attend; there is a $25 cost for non-members. Registration is required by going online to www.MiddayWomen.org.

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

May 11 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at Candeo Creative, 146 Algoma Blvd. in Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $2. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to oshkoshchamber.com.

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44 | May 2016 | NNB2B

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May 11 AVI Systems Technology Showcase, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Systems Furniture, 125 S. Broadway in De Pere. An open house event for AVI Systems’ Experience Center, showcasing interactive collaboration boards, sound masking, wireless presentation, video conferencing technology and more. For more information, go online to www. avisystems/events.

May 11 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m. at Baker Tilly, 2201 E. Enterprise Ave., Ste. #100 in Appleton. No charge for members.

For more information or to register, visit www.heartofthevalleychamber.com or call 920.766.1616.

May 11 Greater Green Bay Chamber Business After Hours, 5 to 6:30 p.m. at The Bottle Room, 2300 Lineville Road, Ste. 101 in Suamico. For more information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

May 12 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. For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org or email anne@steinertprinting.com.

May 12 Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, 333 W. College Ave. in Appleton. For more information or to register, email cquast@foxcitieschamber.com.

May 17 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fond du Lac Fire Department, 815 S. Main St. in Fond du Lac. For more information or to register, call 920.921.9500 or go online to www.fdlac.com. n

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Thank you to the advertisers who made the May 2016 issue of New North B2B possible.

Aegis Financial ⎮aegisfinancialplanners.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Appleton International Airport ⎮atwairport.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Bank First National ⎮bankfirstnational.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Bayland Buildings ⎮baylandbuildings.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Borsche Roofing Professionals ⎮wiroofer.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Candeo Creative ⎮candeocreative.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Consolidated Construction Company ⎮1call2build.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CR Structures Group ⎮crstructures.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. ⎮dkattorneys.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Dynamic Designs ⎮dynamicdesignspulaski.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Energy Bank ⎮energybankinc.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 First National Bank ~ Fox Valley ⎮fnbfoxvalley.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fox Communities Credit Union ⎮foxcu.org. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Fox Valley Savings Bank ⎮fvsbank.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Frontier Builders and Consultants ⎮frontierbuilds.com. . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Guident Business Solutions ⎮guidentbusinesssolutions.com. . . . . . . . 9 James J. Calmes & Sons Inc. ⎮jamesjcalmesconstruction.com. . . . . . 29 J. F. Ahern Co. ⎮jfahern.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Kaldas Center for Fertility, Surgery & Pregnancy, S.C. ⎮ kaldascenter.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Keller Inc. ⎮kellerbuilds.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Marian University ⎮marianuniversity.edu/apply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Millennium Construction Inc. ⎮millenniumconstructionwi.com. . . . . . 23 Miron Construction Co. ⎮miron-construction.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Moraine Park Technical College ⎮morainepark.edu/training. . . . . . . . . 8 National Exchange Bank & Trust ⎮nebat.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Network Health ⎮meetnetworkhealth.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council ⎮newbt.org. . . . . . . . . . 11 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development ⎮ corporatetraining.nwtc.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Open Road Harley-Davidson ⎮openroadhd.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Precision Roofing Services ⎮precisionroofinginc.net. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Prevea LeadWell ⎮prevea.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 St. Norbert College MBA program ⎮snc.edu/go/mbasnc . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy ⎮strangpatteson.com. . . . . 35 Suttner Accounting ⎮suttnercpa.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 UWO College of Business ⎮uwosh.edu/mba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Verve, a Credit Union ⎮verveacu.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Village of Hobart ⎮buildinhobart.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Village of Little Chute⎮littlechutewi.org. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 von Briesen & Roper, s.c.⎮vonbriesen.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Winnebago County Solid Waste Management ⎮ www.co.winnebago.wi.us/solid-waste/container-rental-program. . 29 Winnebago Home Builders Association⎮whba.net. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 NNB2B | May 2016 | 45

Key Statistics

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

local gasoline prices

u.s. retail sales

Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

march

april 17. . . . . . . . . . . $2.09 april 10. . . . . . . . . . . $2.02 april 3. . . . . . . . . . . . $2.02 march 27 . . . . . . . . . $2.02 april 17, 2015. . . . . . $2.40

$446.9 billion 0.3% from February 1.7% from March 2015

Source: New North B2B observations

existing home sales

u.s. industrial production

march

homes sold median price brown cty . ....................248 .................... $151,525 Fond du Lac cty ..............82 ....................$129,450 outagamie cty . ............183 .................... $149,000 winnebago cty .............186 .................... $123,950 WI Dept. Revenue Collections

february 2016

$847 million 24% from February 2015

(2012 = 100)

march

103.4

0.6% from February 2.0% from March 2015 air passenger TRAFFIC (Local enplanements)

mar 2016 mar 2015 Appleton Int’l ATW.....................25,375 ......23,903 Austin Straubel GRB........................... NA ....... 25,991

local unemployment

february january feb ‘15 Appleton ....... 4.7% ...... 4.4% ....... 4.8% Fond du Lac ... 4.9% ...... 4.6% ........5.1% Green Bay........5.4% .......5.1% ........5.5% Neenah ........... 4.3% ...... 4.3%........ 4.8% Oshkosh . ....... 4.9% ...... 4.6% ....... 5.3% Wisconsin ..... 5.2% ...... 5.2% ........5.5%

natural gas prices Prices for small businesses using less than 20,000 therms. Listed price is per therm.

april........................... $0.400 march.........................$0.416 april 2015.................. $0.389 Source: Wisconsin Public Service

ism index Numbers above 50 mean expansion.

Numbers below 50 mean contraction. march. . . . . . . . . . . 51.8 february . . . . . . . . 49.5

Rigorous. Transformative. Remarkably affordable.

THE DONALD J. SCHNEIDER School of Business & Economics

www.snc.edu/go/mbasnc 46 | May 2016 | NNB2B

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May 25, 2016

8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

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Applicable at home, work, or in between, the information shared will help prevent victimization without going through life fearful and/or worried. This training will prepare you to act in a manner much more likely to prevent the victimization from ever happening in the first place. Please attend and learn these simple methods of prevention and share them with your family, friends and fellow employees.

Together we can make the statement, “Not here!”

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920-498-6373 VISIT

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corporatetraining@nwtc.edu