Nov2016

Business Intelligence for the New North

Innovation Instincts Creative talents of inventors help find innovative solutions to modern-day problems

Compassionate Employer Awards

Human Resources

Capitol Campaigns

Elections

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Business Intelligence for the New North

November Features 16

16 COVER STORY

Innovation Instincts

Organization support and culture help promote product innovation, but there’s no substitute for the creative instincts of the inventor

24 HUMAN RESOURCES

3rd Annual Compassionate Employer Awards

Two Fox Valley employers exceed expectations reaching out to employees and their families in times of need

24

30 ELECTIONS

Capitol Campaign

Candidates for the 6th and 8th Congressional districts weigh in on issues important to business

Departments 30

4

From the Publisher

6

Since We Last Met

10 Build Up Pages 32 Voices & Visions 36

Professionally Speaking

38

Who’s News

45 Business Calendar 45 Advertising Index 46 Key Statistics Cover design Candeo Creative of Oshkosh

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 3

From the Publisher

Business therapy for NE Wisconsin Looking for battered entrepreneurs to rehab back into peak performance

by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher

Businesses can function like a finetuned athlete, exercising healthy operations and achieving “perfect 10” financial performances. But it’s not unusual for any business owner to become out of shape or suffer from an unexpected trauma to the business.

In such instances, a bit of rehabilitation done properly can help to get business operations back on track.

That’s been goal of B2B’s so-called Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin program, an initiative spawned five years ago to help struggling entrepreneurs access the management and financial training they need to get back in the game.

New North B2B magazine plans to kick off the sixth year of its popular Firefighters series before the end of 2016, pairing up a ready-to-improve business owner in need of guidance with a leading consultant from the region providing his expertise at no cost. Longtime B2B readers will recall the program emanated from the idea of providing assistance to those business owners who were constantly putting out fires, reacting to unexpected problems, and never really moving forward on the task of growing their business.

If you’re a business owner struggling to get ahead but having difficult gaining traction – or if you know of a business owner who could use a helpful nudge to improve the outlook for their company – please consider submitting a nomination for our upcoming Firefighters program during the month of November. Here’s a bit more on the initiative.

An evolving approach to business rehab

Since 2011, a handful of some of northeast Wisconsin’s leading small business consultants have volunteered their time and expertise to work with these business owners over the course of four to five months to put out the fires in their business, refine their operational practices, and get to the task of working on the business rather than in the business.

During that time, we’ve helped nine business owners from all stages of development build a more effective strategy for growth. Some were startups just launching into the market.

Some were evolving into second-stage companies and needed direction to build the management, technology and financial framework to a larger scale than they previously needed. And some of the entrepreneurs were simply putting out fires in the business all day long, struggling to get over the hump.

4 | November 2016 | NNB2B

Guidance from the consultant appointed to each business owner carried with it the responsibility of the business owner to meet at least monthly, put every bit of effort into practicing the training they received, and be open and honest in sharing their experience with B2B readers.

Like a reality television series, B2B provided a monthly update reporting on the progress of the work between the consultant and business owner, as well as highlighting the changes made to the business operations. In doing so, it’s the goal of the program to help readers who might be facing similar challenges leading their own company.

A look back

The program’s most recent alumnus – Kelly Steinke, owner of Appleton-based READ Learning Services – participated in the Firefighter series late in 2015 and into this year as she launched her avocation into a fulltime business. Steinke was paired with Gary Vaughan of Guident Business Solutions in Appleton - our most veteran consultant from the program - to aid her startup reading training consultancy.

Now a year old, READ Learning Services has developed a reading teaching product that’s being marketed with some large, national educational product distributors. Steinke has been busy speaking to groups about teaching dyslexic students to read, and has built a network of reading teachers seeking her products and advice.

“Within that year, it’s amazing to look back and see what’s been accomplished,” the former special needs teacher said shortly after her anniversary of leaving the classroom to go into business for herself fulltime. Steinke said her work with Vaughan helped her “set the business up the right way,” and explained that managing the books and gauging the financial performance of her business has become routine.

“I don’t think I’d be in the position that I’m in right now if I didn’t have the opportunity to work with Gary,” Steinke said.

“Working with Gary helped give me a lot of accountability and structure.”

Vaughan is returning to work with another organization for our upcoming edition of the Firefighters program, which we plan to begin in December. If you have an interest in participating, or know an entrepreneur who could benefit from the assistance of this business therepy initiative, send an email to sean@newnorthb2b.com with a couple of paragraphs explaining why such assistance would be beneficial. Perhaps we can bring your business back to optimal performance and help you put out the fires that plague your company from exceptional growth. n www.newnorthb2b.com

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

Werner Electric Appleton, WI

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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. September 27 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation filed a lawsuit against John M. Solberg, manager of Standard PreOwned car dealerships in Kaukauna and Suamico, alleging he sold dozens of used vehicles on consignment basis but did not pay any proceeds to at least 15 people who sold their vehicles to the dealership. The lawsuit also alleges Solberg never transferred the vehicle titles to buyers and never paid the consignors or the lenders who held the liens on the vehicles.

Solberg has been under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly defrauding hundreds of individuals selling vehicles across multiple states.

September 27 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reopened State Road 54 between the WIS 54/57 interchange and County Road T in Brown County after completing a $3.12 million reconditioning project. The highway had been partially closed since early June to replace 5.3 miles of pavement, upgrade multiple intersections, add rumble strips, and replace culverts.

September 29 Green Bay Packers officials unveiled the final components for phase one of the Titletown District’s 10-acre public plaza, including a sledding hill, skating pond and trail, playground and activity area. The 45-ft. high sledding hill will serve as a roof over two buildings – a warming lodge/snack bar and tube and skate rental operations – and the tubing lanes will stretch 300 feet from start to finish. The public plaza will also include a variety of team-inspired art. Completion of this inaugural phase of the public plaza is expected by late summer 2017.

September 30 American Transmission Co. filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin seeking approval for a $61 million project to rebuild a 65-year-old transmission line in Brown, Kewaunee and Door counties. The project to replace the 69-kiloVolt line would include removal of nearly 850 poles and erecting about 600 replacement poles. Construction would begin next fall and be complete by 2021.

to award a contract to Marinette Marine to build 10 new littoral combat ships, potentially creating 1,000 new jobs for the New North’s shipbuilding industry and thousands more for suppliers of Marinette Marine.

2002 November 7 – The Grand Opera House in Oshkosh agreed to forego its share of a proposed 1 percent increase in the city room tax, which is expected to generate an estimated $100,0000 in additional marketing funds for the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau.

2011 November 1 – The Wisconsin Department of Justice reported more than 120,000 people downloaded concealed carry permit applications on the first day the state’s new law took effect allowing concealed weapons.

2006 November 9 – Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac laid off about 100 salaried employees to improve efficiency. Displaced employees were offered a plan that included severance pay, a benefits package and training from an outside agency to help employees improve their resume, interviewing and networking skills.

2012 November 19 – Officials for Medical College of Wisconsin selected St. Norbert College in De Pere as the home of its previously announced Green Bay area satellite campus it expects to launch in 2015. Medical College officials were also considering Bellin College in Bellevue, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus and office space in downtown Green Bay.

2010 November 4 – Green Bay-based Northeast Wisconsin Technical College announced plans for two new programs – marine construction technology and marine engineering technology – both specifically designed to train the next generation of workers in the shipbuilding industry. The announcement is in response to the U.S. Navy’s proposal to Congress

2015 November 3 – State transportation officials increased the speed limit to 70 miles per hour on nine additional segments of freeway in Wisconsin, including five miles of State Road 29 east of Green Bay between County Road VV and Interstate 41, as well as another five-mile segment of State Road 57 northeast of Green Bay between I-43 and State Road 54.

6 | November 2016 | NNB2B

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October 5 The U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported it arrived at an agreement with Neenah-based Supple Beverage, forcing the dietary supplement marketer to discontinue claims its product “provides complete relief from chronic and severe joint pain” and “was scientifically-proven to eliminate joint pain.” The FTC sued the company, CEO Peter Apatow, and his ex-wife, Dr. Monita Poudyal on grounds of making false or not adequately substantiated medical claims. The stipulated court order requires Supple Beverage have scientific evidence to back up any future claims about pain relief, disease treatment, and health benefit. The settlement also includes a $150 million judgment – the amount of revenue Supple Beverage generated from 2011 to 2015 – most of which has been suspended based on the financial condition of Supple and Apatow.

October 7 Schneider National Inc. of Ashwaubenon announced plans to pursue an initial public offering of publicly-traded stock in early 2017. The Schneider family, who currently owns the entire company, would continue to control the majority of the company’s stock. The family is looking to generate further investment in the company to support future growth. The company is estimated to have annual revenues of $4 billion, according to Forbes.

October 7 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 156,000 jobs were created in September, keeping the national unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 5.0 percent. Employment gains occurred in professional and business services and health care.

October 10 The state Department of Transportation permanently closed the jug-handle ramps at the U.S. Highway 45/U.S. 151 interchange south of Fond du Lac as part of the larger project to construct a full interchange nearby at County Road V and U.S. 151. That interchange opened to traffic simultaneous to the closure of the U.S. 45 ramps.

Construction of the $7.16 million interchange project began in June 2015 and will be complete by December.

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October 11 The Village of Howard Plan Commission approved plans from Providence Academy to build a 178,000-sq. ft. campus near Shawano Avenue and Frederick Court. The proposed $20 million private Christian-based school would accommodate 675 students from preschool through 12th grade. The school currently has about 200 students enrolled and rents classroom space at both St. Jude and Annunciation Catholic parishes on the west side of Green Bay. October 11 Officials from Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corp. announced the creation of the $250,000 Greater Oshkosh Capital Catalyst Fund, which will award loans, grants and equity positions to assist startups in advanced manufacturing, www.newnorthb2b.com

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NNB2B | November 2016 | 7

Since We Last Met agriculture, food processing, aviation/aerospace, IT/software development, medical devices, biosciences and energy. The fund was seeded by $125,000 the City of Oshkosh reallocated from the Greater Oshkosh Revolving Loan Fund, as well as a $125,000 matching award from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s Capital Catalyst Program. Money from the fund is not available for restaurant, real estate, hospitality or retail development.

October 11 Appleton Housing Authority broke ground on the Grand View Townhomes affordable housing development on Bluemound Drive in the town of Grand Chute. The more than $7 million project includes 40-unit residential walkup townhomes, with a range of income-based rental costs, including some units designated as homes for homeless and near homeless families with a family member that has a physical or developmental disability. Construction is expected to be complete in August 2017.

October 11 Dean Gruner, M.D., president and CEO of Appleton-based ThedaCare, announced plans to retire in mid-2017 after serving in the role for nearly nine years. Under Gruner’s leadership, ThedaCare became the largest employer based in northeast Wisconsin with 7,000 employees, seven hospitals,

Flexible healthcare.

34 clinics and other health care services covering nine counties. Dr. Gruner began in health care 40 years ago, and was one of the founding physicians of the former Touchpoint Health Plan, which was sold to United Healthcare in 2004. In 2000 he was named chief medical officer for ThedaCare, and was appointed president and CEO in 2008. The organization is conducting a national search for Gruner’s replacement, and expects to have that person hired early next year.

October 11 Officials from the Port of Green Bay reported September 2016 shipments of 251,028 tons, an increase from year ago shipments of 214,175 tons. Overall shipments for the entire 2016 shipping season are down 6 percent to 1.32 million tons, while the total number of vessels using the port has increased to 113 from 110 during the same timeframe a year ago.

October 12 State Sen. Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac) died unexpectedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His family indicated in a statement he suffered from increasing depression. Gudex, 48, had previously served as mayor for the City of Mayville and as the City of Fond du Lac Common Council President.

He was elected to a four-year term in the state legislature’s upper house in 2012, and announced late last year he intended not to seek re-election. Gudex had a wife and two children.

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Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris and Fond du Lac Republican Dan Feyen square off in a Nov. 8 election to fill the District 18 Senate seat vacated by Gudex.

October 12 Officials from the Green Bay Packers unveiled plans for the Johnsonville Tailgate Village, a 13,200-sq. ft. permanent tailgating and event structure set to be constructed in Lambeau Field’s east side parking lot. Sponsored by Sheboygan Falls-based Johnsonville Brats, the tailgating facility will be free and open to all fans on game day. It will include music, large screen televisions, indoor restrooms, and food and beverages. Outside of game days, the facility will be a flexible space available for groups of up to 500 guests to rent for private events. Construction of the facility is set to begin in early 2017 and be complete by the end of summer.

October 18 The City of Green Bay Common Council approved a $9 million stadium development for the Green Bay Bullfrogs baseball team in a blighted former industrial area off Broadway and Fifth Street near the Fox River. Development plans for what’s being called The Shipyard outdoor events center and entertainment district also include a $2 million Anduzzi’s Sports Club restaurant and a $2.5 million indoor concert venue which will be developed by Festival Foods CEO Mark Skogen. The city created a tax incremental finance district to support much of its up-front $8 million investment in the stadium project, while Big Top Baseball – the entity which owns the Bullfrogs – will contribute the remaining $1 million.

Big Top Baseball will lease the stadium from the city for 20 years at an approximate cost of $4.5 million over the course of the two-decade agreement.

October 18 The City of Green Bay Common Council rejected a proposal from New Jersey-based real estate development firm Lexington Realty International for a nearly $12 million project to acquire and extensively renovate the 20-acre East Town Mall property. Council members indicated the $3 million in tax incremental financing requested by the developers – including $2 million up front – was too much of an investment for city taxpayers. The proposed project would have created five commercial and retail spaces for a sporting goods store, a grocery store, and another space for a new Brown County Library branch.

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October 20 Outlook Group in Fox Crossing merged with M&Q Packaging of Pennsylvania, a manufacturer of films, flexible packaging and bags. Merger plans call for the operations of the Fox Valley printer of pressure sensitive labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons to continue to operate unchanged from current organizational structure and operations. Outlook Group has about 300 employees working at two manufacturing and fulfillment plants in Fox Crossing and in Neenah. n

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NNB2B | November 2016 | 9

Build Up Fond du Lac

100% Design/Build

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Build Up

Fond du Lac

Indicates a new listing

1 - 300 Seward St., Ripon Ripon College J.M. Storzer Center, an 88,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing athletic facility to include a fieldhouse with an indoor track, atrium, classrooms, locker rooms, fitness center and offices. Project completion expected in fall 2017.

2- 221 Shepard St., Ripon Alliance Laundry Systems, two separate additions totaling 225,000 square feet of space to the existing manufacturing facility, warehouse and corporate headquarters office building. Project completion expected in late 2017.

3 - 805 Park Ridge Lane, North Fond du Lac Side X Side Construction, a 9,600-sq. ft. office building and construction shop.

Project completion expected in March 2017.

4 - 1217 W. Scott St., Fond du Lac Blacksmoke Automotive, a new automotive dealership and repair shop. Project completion expected in late fall.

5 - 1393 Capital Dr., Fond du Lac Lawrence Screw Products, a 6,825-sq. ft. addition to the existing warehouse facility. Project completion expected in January 2017. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

6 - 1257 Industrial Pkwy., Fond du Lac Brooke Industries, an addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in late fall.

(920)498-9300 baylandbuildings.com 10 | November 2016 | NNB2B

7 - 6665 N. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac The Shops at WestWind, a 6,795-sq. ft. multi-tenant retail shopping center to include Pizza Hut and Kay Jewelers. Project completion expected in November.

General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. www.newnorthb2b.com

Build Up Oshkosh

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Oshkosh

Indicates a new listing

8 - 723 W. Johnson St., Fond du Lac Noodles & Company, a 5,804-sq. ft. multi-tenant commercial building. Project completion expected in December.

15 - 100 Camelot Dr., Fond du Lac Excel Engineering Inc., an addition to the existing commercial office building. Project completion expected in early 2017.

9 - 729 W. Johnson St., Fond du Lac Dunkin’ Donuts / Great Clips, a 3,542-sq. ft. multi-tenant commercial building. Completion expected in November.

16 - 3321 County Road A, Oshkosh A.P. Nonweiler Co., an 8,600-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in November.

10 - 925 Forest Ave., Fond du Lac Jackson Kahl Insurance, a new commercial office building.

Project completion expected in November.

11 - 158 S. Military Road, Fond du Lac Church of Peace, a 7,900-sq. ft. addition to and renovation of the existing church building. Project completion expected in late fall.

12 - 235 N. National Ave., Fond du Lac Moraine Park Technical College, an addition to the main entrance of the educational campus and various interior alterations. Project completion expected in early 2017.

13 - 1071 E. Johnson St., Fond du Lac Starbucks, a new commercial retail building. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.

17 - 2303 Westowne Ave., Oshkosh Goodwill Industries, a 21,200-sq. ft. retail building. Project completion expected in November.

18 - 2510 W. Ninth Ave., Oshkosh Marsh Family Eyecare Center, a new optometry clinic. Project completion expected in late fall.

19 - 324 Washington Ave., Oshkosh Oshkosh Community YMCA, a 55,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing community center and various interior renovations.

Projects completed since our October issue: None

14 - 545 W. Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac Mercury Marine, a 53,110-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing campus for a machining plant. Project completion expected in December. www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 11

Build Up Fox Cities Build Up

Fox Cities

Indicates a new listing

1 - 3517 N. McCarthy Road, town of Grand Chute National Association of Tax Professionals, a 20,061-sq. ft. office and warehouse building. Project completion expected in February 2017. General contractor is Consolidated Construction Co. of Appleton.

2 - 1751 N. Margaret St., town of Grand Chute The Barbershop, a 2,345-sq. ft. corporate office building.

Project completion expected in November.

3 - 4520 Greenville Dr., town of Grand Chute Kwik Trip, a 9,022-sq. ft. convenience store and fuel canopy.

Project completion expected in November.

4 - 1401 N. Casaloma Dr., town of Grand Chute Anytime Fitness, a 2,745-sq. ft. addition to the existing fitness center.

5 - W6390 Challenger Dr., town of Greenville Appleton International Airport, a freestanding 6,000-sq. ft. rental vehicle office and service building. Project completion expected in December.

6 - 701 S. Nicolet Road, town of Grand Chute Kaldas Center for Fertility, Surgery & Pregnancy, an 11,290sq. ft. medical clinic. Project completion expected in late fall.

13 - 1601 Hyland Ave., Kaukauna Bernatello’s Foods/Orv’s Pizza, a 45,801-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility and offices.

14 - 1662 E. Kennedy Ave., Kimberly Kimberly High School, a 54,000-sq. ft. addition to the school for an indoor athletic training facility. Project completion expected in August 2017.

15 - N410 Speel School Road, town of Buchanan Lamers Dairy Inc., two separate additions to the dairy processing facility totaling 7,300 square feet for warehouse, refrigeration and office space. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna.

16 - 1601 S. Covenant Lane, Appleton Covenant Christian Reformed Church, a 6,722-sq. ft. addition to the existing church. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is James J. Calmes & Sons Construction of Kaukauna.

17 - 100 Block of S. Riverheath Way, Appleton Courtyard by Marriott, a 95-room hotel. Project completion expected in summer 2017.

7 - 616 N. Perkins St., town of Grand Chute Konz Wood Products, a 20,000-sq. ft. storage facility.

18 - 300 Block of W. Lawrence St., Appleton Fox Cities Exhibition Center, a 65,000-sq. ft. convention and meeting facility. Project completion expected in fall 2017.

8 - 1911 W. Wisconsin Ave., town of Grand Chute American Overhead Door, a 26,651-sq. ft. warehouse and office. Project completion expected in February 2017. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna.

19 - 473 W. Calumet St., Appleton Arby’s, a new restaurant building. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly.

9 - 1800 N. Morrison St., Appleton Erb Park/City of Appleton, an 8,600-sq. ft. bathhouse, new swimming pool, equipment facility and a 3,000-sq. ft. pavillion. Project completion expected in June 2017.

20 - 1445 McMahon Dr., Fox Crossing McMahon, a 20,000-sq. ft. addition to and renovation of the existing office building. Project completion expected in early 2017.

10 - 2525 N. Roemer Road, Appleton Boldt Construction Co., an addition to the existing corporate office building.

21 - 1450 McMahon Dr., Fox Crossing WOW Logistics, a 24,000-sq. ft. corporate office building.

11 - 3300 E. Venture Dr., Appleton C3 Corp., a 15,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in early 2017. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna.

12 - 401 E. Evergreen Dr., Little Chute Evergreen Power, a 14,000-sq. ft. small engine retail/repair shop. Project completion expected in late fall. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna.

12 | November 2016 | NNB2B

22 - Plaza Drive, Fox Crossing Community First Credit Union, a 120,000-sq. ft. corporate office campus. Project completion expected in late fall.

23 - 2625 W. American Dr., town of Clayton Horn’s RV Center, a 12,000-sq. ft. recreational vehicle dealership and service center. Project completion expected in May 2017. General contractor is Millennium Construction of Appleton.

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24 - 333 N. Green Bay Road, Fox Crossing ThedaCare Physicians, a 70,000-sq. ft. health care clinic for family practice, internal medicine and endocrinology. Project completion expected in November.

25 - 120 Main St., Neenah Plexus Corp., a four-story, 85,209-sq. ft. commercial office building to house the company’s design center.

Coming to B2B in December 2016

Projects completed since our October issue: • The Barber’s Chair/Greenville Junction, N1788 Lily of the Valley Dr., town of Greenville.

• Fireline Shooting & Training, 4811 Michaels Dr., town of Grand Chute.

• The Mission Church, 314 N. Appleton St., Appleton.

• Navitus Health Solutions, 1025 W. Navitus Dr., Grand Chute.

• Thrivent Financial, 4321 Ballard Road, Appleton.

• Neenah Paper Inc., 400 E. North Island St., Appleton.

• Earthscape, 2881 W. Larsen Road, town of Clayton.

Economic Outlook 2017

New North industry experts peer into the year ahead

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 13

Build Up Greater Green Bay area 1 &2

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Build Up

Greater Green Bay area 1 - 2793 Lineville Road, Howard Prevea Health Center, an addition to the existing health clinic.

2 - 2300 Lineville Road, Suamico Xperience Fitness, a two-story, 20,000-sq. ft. workout facility.

Project completion expected in November.

3 - 2550 Glendale Ave., Howard Dr. Rebecca Van Miller, an addition to the existing dental clinic. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly.

4 - 2175 Badgerland Dr., Howard Alter Metal Recycling, a new industrial facility.

14 | November 2016 | NNB2B

Indicates a new listing

5 - 2740 W. Mason St., Green Bay Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, a 67,760-sq. ft. addition to the existing Business and Information Technology Center and substantial interior renovations to the existing student life building. Project completion expected in late 2017.

6 - 2211 Starr Ct., Green Bay CDRN - The Textile Experts, an addition to the existing commercial building.

7 - 2015 Shawano Ave., Howard Meijer, 192,000-sq. ft. retail department store. Project completion expected in summer 2017.

www.newnorthb2b.com

8 - 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.

9 - 515 W. Walnut St., Green Bay Kwik Trip Express, an addition to the existing service station for a new convenience store and fuel station. Project completion expected in November.

10 - 320 N. Broadway, Green Bay DDL Holdings/Titletown Brewing, an addition to the former industrial facility for a mixed-use retail development.

11 - 503 Main St., Green Bay Camera Corner, a 12,000-sq. ft. addition to the firm’s networking and audiovisual departments. Project completion expected in November.

12 - 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 spring 2017.

13 - 1901 Main St., Green Bay North Shore Bank, a 3,534-sq. ft. financial institution office.

Project completion expected in February. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly.

14 - 2400 University Ave., Green Bay Festival Foods, an 80,000-sq. ft. grocery store. Project completion expected in December.

15 - 2448 Sturgeon Bay Road, Green Bay University Avenue Center, a multi-tenant retail building.

16 - 900 Ontario Road, Green Bay American Prosthetic Components, a 14,268-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in November.

17 - 1230 Ontario Road, Green Bay Seura, a 15,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in late fall.

18 - 1160 Kepler Dr., Green Bay Aurora Baycare Medical Center, a two-story, 11,000-sq. ft. addition for cancer care and a separate four-story addition to the surgery center. Project completion expected in late 2017.

19 - 2394 Costco Way, Bellevue Buffalo Wild Wings and Mattress Firm, a 9,742-sq. ft. multitenant commercial retail building. Project completion expected in November.

20 - 1267 Lombardi Ave., Ashwaubenon Hinterland Brewery, a two-story, 23,325-sq. ft. brewery and restaurant. Project completion expected in summer 2017.

22 - 1900 Block of South Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Bellin Health Sports Medicine Clinic, a 52,000-sq. ft. health care clinic. Project completion expected in summer 2017.

23 - 2282 S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Kwik Trip Express, a substantial overhaul of the existing service station for a new convenience store and fuel station.

Project completion expected in November.

24 - 2340 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon McDonald’s, a 5,300-sq. ft. commercial restaurant building.

Project completion expected in late fall.

25 - 2654 & 2664 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon Midwest Expansion, two multi-tenant retail buildings. Project completion expected in late fall.

26 - 2763-2817 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon Fresh Thyme Farmers Market/Bayside Marketplace Mall, demolition of portions of the existing multi-tenant retail center and reconstruction of a 28,675-sq. ft. addition for a new grocery store. Project completion expected in late 2017.

27 - 3383 Spirit Way, Ashwaubenon FedEx Ground, an addition to the existing distribution center.

28 - 2221 Innovation Ct., De Pere American 3 Fab, a 51,840-sq. ft. metal fabrication shop.

Project completion expected in late fall.

29 - 601 Third St., De Pere St. Norbert College Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center, a nearly 50,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing athletic facility for a competition swimming pool and fitness center. Project completion expected in May 2017.

30 - 633 Heritage Road, De Pere Belmark, a three-story, 41,000-sq ft. addition to the existing Plant #3 for an office building, as well as a skywalk connecting to another building on the industrial campus. Project completion expected in February 2018.

31 - 1820 Enterprise Dr., De Pere Sierra Coating Technologies, a 33,615-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

32 - 400 Destiny Dr., De Pere Paroubek Insurance Agency, a 3,000-sq. ft. commercial office building.

Projects completed since our October issue: • Arby’s, 1911 Main St., Green Bay. • Harold Tauschek Excavating, 2700 Cty. Road P, New Franken.

• BelGioioso, 4200 Main St., town of Ledgeview.

• Discount Tire, 2328 Costco Way, Bellevue.

• Residence Inn by Marriott, 470 Marina Lane, Ashwaubenon.

21 - 1950 S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Lodge Kohler, a five-story, 150-room hotel, restaurant and spa. Project completion expected in summer 2017.

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 15

Cover Story

Innovation Instincts Organization support and culture help promote product innovation, but there’s no substitute for the creative instincts of the inventor

Story by Rick Berg

Dave Gruenwald fits the profile of an inventor and innovator about as well as anyone you’ll meet. A mechanical engineer by profession, a do-it-yourselfer by avocation and a perfectionist by temperament, Gruenwald said he has developed and patented more than 20 products in his lifetime.

In Gruenwald’s estimation, none really paid off for him until he developed a product called SnotTape, which he and his partners are now producing and marketing independently through approximately 500 retailers, including Ace Hardware, True Value, Hallman-Lindsay Paints and Kitz & Pfeil Hardware.

Introduced last year, SnotTape won the consumer product category of the 2016 Wisconsin Innovation Awards.

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Good thing he’s also patient – or at least persistent: SnotTape took Gruenwald more than five years to develop.

It all started when Gruenwald, a co-founder of Oshkosh-based Davinci Engineering and Consulting, tried painting the walls of his den bright red, while leaving the ceiling white. Even after trying multiple types of painter’s tape, he couldn’t keep the red paint from bleeding onto the white ceiling. Applying his engineering background, he soon realized that the challenge was the irregularity of the surface texture, and that the adhesive on the tape was not able to fill the gaps.

It seemed at the time like a relatively easy problem to solve: Just find an adhesive that would do a better job of filling those surface texture gaps. Not so much. Gruenwald ended up trying more than 400 combinations of adhesives and saturants, including hot melt, acrylics and silicones before finally landing on the right chemistry.

Even then, his problem was not solved. Proof of concept in hand, Gruenwald put together a group of investors and set about finding a company to manufacture the product and a national firm to take the product to market. Striking out on both counts, Gruenwald and his partners created their own coating line at Davinci Engineering to produce SnotTape and then took the product to market themselves. Gruenwald said they expect to be in at least 2,000 retail outlets by spring 2017.

“We knew there was a void in the flexible packaging category for a child-resistant zipper and committed ourselves to develop a solution that would satisfy this critical market need,” Hansen said.

“At Presto, innovation is absolutely from the top down, and that’s an example of how you foster innovation in a company,” Perkins said. “To encourage innovation, you need a strategy that is designed to foster innovation – if you don’t define innovation as a goal, you’ll never get there.

SnotTape: A do-it-yourselfer’s invention SnotTape (SnotTape.com), a painting product developed by Oshkosh-based Snotco LLC, won the consumer product category of the 2016 Wisconsin Innovation Awards.

The product uses polyurethane gel to create a paint barrier on irregular surfaces, allowing consumers to paint a straight line and prevent paint from bleeding through to the masked surface. Developer Dave Gruenwald began to develop the product after experiencing frustration with other painting tape products. He recognized that paint often bleeds through because tape can’t fill the gaps created by surface texture. Five years later, SnotTape was born.

The secret to SnotTape, according to Gruenwald, is a specially formulated polyurethane gel that sticks to a surface and fills the gaps in the surface texture – the real reason it’s hard to paint a clean edge.

Innovation is a strategy, not an accident

Cheryl Perkins, the founder and president of Neenah-based Innovationedge, said Gruenwald’s story is typical of the challenges faced by small-company product developers, but that innovation is hard for any company, regardless of size.

Before launching Innovationedge, Perkins was senior vice president and chief innovation officer at Kimberly-Clark Corp., where she oversaw innovation processes, including research and development, engineering, design, new business, global strategic alliances, environment, safety and regulatory affairs.

“Regardless of the size of the company, there are a handful of enablers that I think are critical to successful innovation,” Perkins said. “It’s around culture and environment. You have to have some key sponsors or stakeholders in the company who champion innovation.”

She cites as an example Appleton-based Presto Products, which recently introduced its Child-Guard slider technology for flexible packaging. Designed to retain the easy-open capabilities adults prefer, Child-Guard is intended to make it difficult for children to open packaging that may contain harmful chemicals in products like household detergents and lawn products.

Brad Hansen, president of the Presto Specialty Group at Presto Products, said the technology emerged after the company and some of its packaging clients noted the increasing exposure of poisoning in young children as a result of their ability to access harmful chemicals contained in flexible packaging. www.newnorthb2b.com

You need one to win.

Let’s build it together.

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Cover Story

Child-Guard emerged to meet void Appleton-based Presto Products Company (www.fresh-lock.com) developed its Child-Guard packaging slider technology as an enhanced version of Presto’s Slide-Rite closure system already in use in many pouch packaging applications. Presto designed Child-Guard so that adult consumers, including seniors, will find the zipper simple to open, but that children aged five and under will find it extremely challenging to open.

Presto said the launch of Child-Guard technology allows brand owners to leverage flexible packaging as a format and still meet child-resistant mandates. In its marketing, Presto calls Child-Guard ideal for packaging of home care, chemical, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and any other granules, powders and solid mixes that should not be consumed by children or taken without adult supervision.

“You also want a culture that encourages people to think beyond their jobs and feel free to do so,” Perkins added. “And you want an environment that enables them to access other resources or capabilities that they need to make innovation happen. So, strategy, culture and environment are critical.”

Flexibility and resilience are also critical

On a cautionary note, Perkins said some well-meaning companies become too enamored with creating an innovation structure in their organizations, at the expense of allowing real creativity and innovation.

“Another innovation enabler – but you have to be very careful with this one – is process,” Perkins said. “You want to have an innovation process in place, but you don’t want it to be a rigid process. It needs to be a flexible framework. If it’s rigid, the process becomes an end in itself.”

The final challenge for many companies – especially smaller ones like Dave Gruenwald’s Snotco – is having the resources in place to allow innovation to occur. Even large companies often need to practice ‘open innovation’ and look outside their organizations for human and financial capital, Perkins said.

“The challenge for smaller companies, like Dave Gruenwald’s for example, is that they don’t necessarily have the capital and resources they need to bring the idea to market, but they also have a day job doing something else, so there aren’t any dedicated resources available exclusively for innovation,” Perkins said. “In that case, speed to market is going to three to

18 | November 2016 | NNB2B

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five times longer than if you had those dedicated resources.”

The fact that innovators and inventors like Gruenwald succeed despite years of trial and error speaks to the one characteristic required of any entrepreneur. “It just takes a lot of resilience,” Perkins said. “They are just so resilient.”

A breakthrough in heart medicine

The world of medicine has always been notable for its reliance on break-through developments, but innovation in medicine comes with the added barrier in today’s world that new medical products and procedures have to be stringently tested.

The Absorb bioresorbable heart stent, for example, was many years in development and five years of testing by Abbott Laboratories before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its use in July. This past September, Prevea Health cardiologist Dr. Zhaowei Ai became the first Wisconsin cardiologist to implant the Absorb heart stent in a patient at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay. Ai, who was on the products advisory committee during development, believes it was just the first of many such procedures, which will become common once other cardiologists become proficient in its use. That takes time, Ai said, even for those who have performed hundreds of stent implants with metal stents, which have been in widespread use for more than 30 years to improve artery function.

Absorb Stent - a Medical First In September, when Prevea Health cardiologist Zhaowei Ai became the first Wisconsin cardiologist to implant the Absorb bioresorbable heart stent, it marked what is believed to be a major advancement in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Abbott Laboratory’s Absorb heart stent in July. While stents are traditionally made of metal, Abbott’s Absorb stent is made of a naturally dissolving material, similar to dissolving sutures. Absorb disappears in approximately three years, after it has done its job of keeping a clogged artery open and promoting healing of the treated artery segment. By contrast, metal stents are permanent implants that restrict vessel motion for the life of the person treated.

Dr. Ai’s September procedure was performed at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay. The Absorb stent procedure will also be performed by Prevea Heart & Vascular Care experts at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay.

“It requires a slightly different skill compared to implanting the metal stents we are accustomed to,” Ai said.

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The advantage of the bioresorbable stent, Ai said, is that it will gradually dissolve in the artery, enhancing the healing process and making it easier to perform future procedures in the area of the stent.

“If you look at the way the healing process works, you don’t want to leave anything behind if you don’t have to,” Ai said.

“With the metal stents we have been using, if you need to do a procedure in that area later, you have to work around the stent. With this, it is quite easy later on to perform a bypass or other procedure in that area.”

Ai said the technology and materials used to create the Absorb stent will likely have future uses in other areas of medicine, including orthopedics. Orthopedic plates, for example, could be made of the same materials, allowing the plates to dissolve once they have completed their job of helping fractured bones heal.

“No matter how long it takes, no matter how many times you fail to get it right, you just can’t quit...

Persistence is everything.”

Dave Gruenwald, inventor SnotTape “My advice is to give it up while you still can,” he said. “It’s a sickness.”

Then he turned serious.

“This is definitely better technology than we have had in the past,” Ai said.

“You have to have persistence,” Gruenwald said. “No matter how long it takes, no matter how many times you fail to get it right, you just can’t quit. You might take a breather for a while – put it on the shelf for a time – but always come back to it.

Persistence pays off

“On this one, I finally came across an adhesive I believed would work and it took me months just to track down the source of that product. It turned out that it wasn’t the product I needed after all, but it took me down a different path that eventually led me to what we have now. Persistence is everything.” n

For any inventor in any field in any size of company, one personal trait seems to be the key to successful innovation.

Perkins called it resilience. Gruenwald calls it persistence.

When asked what advice he might have for other would-be inventors, Gruenwald at first joked.

4 reasons to ask for

Rick Berg is a freelance writer and editor based in Green Bay.

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THE HIDDEN COST OF DISTRACTIONS Is your EAP really benefiting you?

Like any good company, you search for ways to make the most of your resources. While you’re focusing time and effort on controlling costs and developing better efficiencies, you’re missing an opportunity to proactively deal with one of the biggest productivity killers there is.

70% of your employees

come to work each day distracted by the stress and anxiety of personal issues outside the workplace, damaging their ability to stay focused on the job.

You’re thinking you already have something to deal with this – you have an Employee Assistance benefit called an EAP. But is your provider really helping you and your employees? First, let’s start with what we’re actually talking about: mental wellness, not mental illness. Don’t treat them the same. The term ‘mental health’ itself invokes concern among employers and employees because it’s used in a nebulous way to include the entire spectrum of care. Instead, let’s discuss employee wellness in terms of three tiers: Mental wellness, mental health and mental illness.

Mental Wellness

Being emotionally and mentally healthy doesn’t mean you will never go through bad times or experience emotional challenges. But just as people can invest in their physical health by exercising, eating right, or getting a good night’s rest, being proactive about your mental wellness can build the skill sets and behaviors necessary to cope with life’s challenges before they happen. Mental wellness is our ability to handle stress, build strong relationships, recover from setbacks, and derive meaning and joy from life. These positive behaviors are often called resilience and can be learned and developed.

Mental Health Mental and emotional health challenges often arise when your nervous system has been compromised by overwhelming stress. We all have feelings of depression and anxiety, we all have behaviors of phobias and addictions, and most of us can handle and cope with the levels we experience.

But when life turns – such as marriage issues, a death in the family, or when an illness increases our stress levels – we may find

ourselves struggling with the amplified feelings of depression and anxiety. We may turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. The body’s natural and most effective method of rebalancing stress impacting the nervous system is via face-to-face contact with a trained, trusted individual. This is why mental and emotional health is so closely linked with social health: Helping yourself involves reaching out to others.

Mental Illness

We all experience mental health concerns from time to time. But when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent or constant stress and affect the ability to function and engage with others, a mental illness is possible. Often, mental illness is rooted in biology and does not always come with a cure.

Examples of mental illness include major depression disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and various addictions. These illnesses can take a huge toll on an individual and their families and often require a combination of therapy, medication, and even occasional hospitalization.

So what can you do to improve the mental wellness and health of your employees?

It’s true that an employee assistance program can help proactively prevent stressors from impacting mental wellness and mental health, but understand not all EAPs are the same. “Free” or health care sponsored employee assistance programs struggle to achieve the outcomes you need. In fact, most insurance services don’t even provide the actual counseling – but rather send your employees to someone else’s call center of counselors-for-hire.

Most of those counselors have focused their practices on longterm mental illness, not necessarily motivational based mental wellness and mental health. That’s the difference between being a patient vs. a client. Because insurance companies are billed by these counselors for each session, they are financially motivated to not have your employees call. And yes, health care providers often offer discounted EAP services through their behavioral health centers and hospitals, but you are most likely not dealing with EAP-trained counselors.

There is also a hidden incentive of converting their “patient” to longer-term, insurance billed services. Those costs are passed along to you and your employees.

22 | November 2016 | NNB2B branded content / Employee Resource Center Counselors

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What should you be looking for when choosing an employee assistance benefit? ● First: Resolution rate. Ultimately, resolution means your employee feels they have things under control and do not need to seek additional care. ERC, for example, has an 85% to 95% issue resolution rate because we insist upon meaningful interactions through face-to-face counseling. ● Second: Utilization rate as determined by face-to-face sessions. A best-in-class utilization rate – and ERC’s average rate – is between 6% and 10%. If your provider claims a similar or higher rate, ask whether it counts clicks to their website, training sessions, or phone calls as part of its calculation. ● Third: Time to first appointment. It’s a common complaint of EAPs that it takes one to eight weeks to get an appointment – especially when it’s a plan using counselors-for-hire or behavioral health centers. At ERC, we ensure your clients are offered their first appointment within 72 hours of the day they call. ● Fourth: Referrals. Sometimes employees need more assistance than what an EAP can provide. Because ERC is an independent, standalone service, not tied to an insurance company or a health care organization, we can refer them to the best resources. We have no incentive other than to get your employees and families the best care possible.

Your discounted or ‘free’ EAP may be costing you more than you think because your employees are not getting access to the benefit OR not getting the right kind of counseling when they need it.

Make no mistake: Removing the impact of distractions reduces absenteeism, lowers your overall health claim costs, improves morale, reduces turnover, improves attraction and retention, reduces conflict and improves engagement. Investing in a faceto-face EAP model, such as the one offered by ERC, Inc., is how true productivity gains can be made.

Steve Baue, president, owner, and lead consultant of ERC, spent more than 20 years in organizational development, human resources, and executive-level leadership, both domestically and internationally for some of Wisconsin’s largest manufacturers. During this time, he saw the positive impact on a company’s productivity and culture when they invested in a best-in-class Employee Assistance Program for their employees and their families. When presented with the opportunity to purchase ERC: Counselors and Consultants in 2014, he saw a way to offer a better EAP benefit model for Wisconsin companies. ERC presents a model not only focused on true mental wellness and mental health, but also on a way to use that knowledge to offer impactful organizational consulting services. With the behavioral expertise of his staff, coupled with Steve’s extensive career experience, ERC is truly enhancing lives and maximizing organizational effectiveness.

Contact us at 1-800-222-8590 or visit ERCincorp.com to learn more.

INVEST IN YOUR EAP:

• 70% of employees come to work every day with personal distractions, primarily marriage and family issues. These distractions can cause work-related issues, such as higher use of health benefits, decreased productivity and lower attendance.

• Talking to a counselor can resolve those issues, often within a few sessions, but only if your employees are using your EAP. Nationally, the average rate of use of an assistance program is 3% or 4% of employees. ERC has a best-in-class utilization rate of 8% because we promote a face-to-face counseling model (vs. only phone or website access).

• A study of more than 60,000 cases showed that before using a EAP, employee absenteeism went from an average of 2.37 days of unscheduled absences or tardy days to only 0.91 days after using a dedicated EAP.* • ERC sees a best-in-class resolution rate reaching 95% for some customers. This means your employees not only feel better and are more productive, they don’t need to access insurance billable services or pay out-of-pocket costs.

• ERC’s Employee Assistance models show an ROI up to $15 for every $1 spent.

• Investing in an ERC Employee Assistance model is less expensive than offering your employees free coffee: The per-employee cost is less than 10 cents a day.

*Source: EASNA’s EAP Best Practices “The Value of Employee Assistance Programs.”

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NNB2B branded content / Employee Resource Center Counselors | November 2016 | 23

Human Resources

Compassionate Employer Awards 2016 Two Fox Valley employers exceed expectations reaching out to employees and their families in times of need

Story by Lee Marie Reinsch

It’s hard to deny - life happens. Usually during work hours. We can hide in our little work sphere all we want, but outside the bubble, look out. Life’s gone haywire, and eventually, it pops.

Compassionate employers understand that. They get that the people they employ are people. People who have illnesses, addictions, medical emergencies, financial crises, divorces, custody battles, sick family members, elderly parents. These employers aren’t doormats and they don’t have bottomless pockets, but they allow a little wiggle room now and then to step outside the confines of the workplace policy.

The 3rd Annual Compassionate Employer Awards presented by Kaukauna-based Community Benefit Tree and New North B2B magazine recognize those employers who provide unparalleled support for an employee in a time of dire need.

This year’s awards go to two Fox Cities companies: one that takes care of people, and the other that takes care of cars.

Both were nominated for the award by an employee who took comfort in the compassion of their boss and co-workers in the midst of some of life’s most challenging moments.

St. Paul Elder Services of Kaukauna is recognized in the largeemployer category, and Matthews Tire of Appleton won the newly established small-employer category. Both employers have shown themselves to take care of hearts and souls as well as customers.

24 | November 2016 | NNB2B

Rehabilitating the human spirit

Some companies allow employees to take time off to care for their loved ones, but not every company literally takes care of those loved ones.

Corinne Sieker was director of nursing at St. Paul Elder Services in Kaukauna when her life doubly imploded. She and her able-bodied mom were preparing a benefit for her sister, Laurie, whose significant medical issues and upcoming surgery threatened to take her last cent, when trouble kicked up. A sore on her mom’s foot became so infected it needed emergency treatment. It’d turned gangrenous, and part had to be amputated.

With her mom unable to help with Laurie’s benefit and surgical aftercare, everything fell on Sieker’s shoulders.

St. Paul Services made a cash donation to Laurie’s benefit, but its help didn’t stop there. They accepted Sieker’s mom as a patient after foot surgery, allowing Sieker to be nearby. But it gets better.

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Insurance woes

At the same time, Laurie’s surgery was imminent, and shortly before a pre-op visit, Sieker’s family learned insurance wouldn’t cover Laurie’s pre-op therapy. Laurie was panicked, and Sieker had no idea how to help.

“There I am, I’ve got Mom in the home with part of her foot off, not knowing how that’s going to go, and my sister’s things are so complicated I didn’t know what to do,” Sieker said.

2016 Compassionate Employer Award – Large Name: St. Paul Elder Services President: Sondra Norder Where: Kaukauna Established: 1943 Employees: 400

On the Sieker homefront, Sieker’s 17-year-old son had gotten into trouble and her 12-year-old son needed her, too. Her husband Steve was working his tail off to make things work out, and their two dogs, two cats and horse needed attention, too.

Web: stpaulelders.org

Pulled in a zillion different directions, Sieker asked her employer if they knew of any help for Laurie. Director of Rehabilitation Services Lisa Nebel offered her services at no charge, since Laurie’s insurer had no contract with St. Paul Services.

equipment we can lend out to someone who’s having a health issue, we’ve regularly done that kind of thing,” Norder said.

With no ramp on Laurie’s house, they worried about how she’d be released home post-surgery. She’d need extensive postsurgical therapy, too, and lots of close care.

The help goes beyond the financial need: “You give each other a ride to work,” if someone has car trouble or can’t afford gas, Sieker said. She helped a coworker from another culture obtain mental health assistance after isolation from her people and traditions led to instability.

Knowing that Sieker was still the only family support either woman had, St. Paul Services offered to take Laurie in as a patient for post-op recovery, too. “They did that pro bono, free of charge, as again, they don’t have a contract with Laurie’s insurance.”

The solution meant Sieker didn’t have to leave work to care for her sister and see her mother. It meant Laurie didn’t have to be far from her own kids and family, and Sieker could be there to advocate for her sister’s special circumstances.

“Even for a week’s stay, that’s a significant amount of dollars out of (St. Paul’s) pocket,” Sieker said.

Since she was director of nursing, it could have been uncomfortable for everyone involved. But St. Paul Services made it painless.

“I was the boss, and … that could make staff feel uncomfortable. They could be thinking, ‘What if I do something wrong, or say something wrong?’” Sieker said. “My staff did wonderful: They developed relationships with my mom and with Laurie, and they let me be me and live in my day.”

Compassion is key

Compassion is a core value of St. Paul Elder Services, said its chief executive.

“That applies not only to the people we serve, but the people who serve us,” said Sondra Norder. “We know we can’t do all we do without our employees, and we treasure them.

When they struggle, we want to do what we can to help them through their struggles and get back to where they need to be.

It’s just in our culture.”

Sieker is not the only employee St. Paul Services has helped, Norder said. When employees or family members go through hard times, the organization does what it can.

“Often we provide not only monetary assistance, but if there’s something we can do in the way of time-off granted or www.newnorthb2b.com

The company’s Providence Fund is for employee emergencies in help covering food, gas, diapers, rent or other expenses, she said.

“I talked to the bosses, we got her some help ... and they saved her job for her, even if she wasn’t eligible for that,” Sieker said.

Team members rallied around to help her find a community of her native people.

“A lot of people came forward and said ‘I can take her to that church or that grocery store,’” Sieker said. “And they didn’t just do it once. They kept doing it week after week.”

For Sieker, the cherry on the sundae came when St. Paul Services arranged to solve one last logistics dilemma for her sister, Laurie.

“She had her ramp ready to go before she was able to go home,” Sieker said.

Giving recovery the green light

Three years ago, Melissa Gerrits’s 5-month-old daughter received head injuries that landed her in the neonatal intensive care unit. During that time and beyond, Gerrits’s employer, Matthews Tire in Appleton, helped grease the wheels for the road to recovery. “(Matthews) allowed me to take as much time as I needed to make sure my daughter could make it to any appointments and therapies she needed that would help her to recover and heal,” Gerrits said. “They never made me feel like it was too much time off – they always made me feel like Madison was more important than work.”

A survivor of shaken baby syndrome, little Madison spent six weeks at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. After that came months of tests, follow ups, therapy and scans.

“She sometimes had 24- or 48-hour EEGs (electroencephalograms) so I would be down there for a few days at a time,” Gerrits said.

NNB2B | November 2016 | 25

Human Resources

2016 Compassionate Employer Award – Small

Gerrits took four months off work to get her daughter situated, returning only on a “very, very part-time basis” for a year.

Madison’s ongoing therapy at first took several hours a day, which meant Gerrits couldn’t work a full day. “I’d come into work for a few hours and leave for the day, or maybe come back sometimes, or maybe not, depending on whether there was an appointment after that,” she said. “They (Matthews) never batted an eye.”

What: Matthews Tire Where: Appleton President: Trevor Rezner Employees: 40 Established: 1950s Web: matthewstire.com

Many employers wouldn’t take kindly to this kind of absence.

But Matthews never breathed down her neck, she said.

“There was never a question about it, so me being able to do that – to get her to her appointments and to all her therapy sessions – has helped,” Gerrits said.

All the while, Matthews management and coworkers kept in touch with mother and daughter, checking in on Madison’s progress. The company donated money to help defray bills, and coworkers sent cards and helped with a benefit.

“They are definitely one of those companies that want to make sure all of their employees are taken care of,” Gerrits said.

Gerrits is a 10-year employee at Matthews. She’s now store manager of the eastside Appleton location, but at the time of the incident, she worked in sales at the westside Appleton site.

Employees are family

“We are a family business, and with that, we try to treat our employees like part of our extended family,” said Trevor Rezner, president of Matthews Tire, which altogether has seven stores in the Fox Cities, Green Bay, Waupaca and Fond du Lac. Rezner said his employees are the company’s greatest asset.

“Obviously we need customers to keep our business going, but if we have good, happy, productive employees, that makes for good, happy customers, as well,” he said. “We always try to be sure our employees are happy and try to think of them as extended family, so when they have troubles and things like that, we do whatever we can to help them out.”

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Each case is different, he said.

As are employers: “I needed someone who was going to be lenient and understanding, because first and foremost, my daughter came first,” Gerrits said. “They completely understood that.”

Twice a year, Matthews holds an Oil Change for the Better event to raise money for charity. Most recently, they raised $2,700 for Saving Paws animal rescue.

“Any time an employee comes to us with a worthy cause, especially if they’re passionate about it, we try with all our powers to support it,” Rezner said.

Not alone

Gerrits said other employees have run into financial and health issues, even gambling problems, and have been provided support and direction.

“We’ve had a couple people who have had pretty extensive surgeries and have needed time off, for months at a time, sometimes repetitive surgeries, and they’ve been very understanding of the circumstances … and of people needing time off to take care of family matters,” Gerrits said.

Gerrits said she’s been told that at some point, Madison’s development and recovery will plateau.

“She’s never going to be a normal, functioning person,” she said.

Madison has damage to much of her brain’s right hemisphere and part of the left.

“She may have to live at home the rest of her life,” Gerrits said. “I don’t know at this point, but it’s definitely a cognitive delay.”

The damage to Madison’s brain resulted in vision problems, including peripheral vision, and she has problems balancing.

She’s able to walk with a walker. The left side of her body is weaker than her right, so she doesn’t have two-hand functioning.

“It’s kind of like a hand and then a helper hand,” Gerrits said.

“There’s going to be struggles the rest of her life.”

But they’re in a much better place than they were three years ago, and Gerrits credits her employer with her daughter’s progress.

“When it first happened, when we were in the NICU, they flat out told me – A) they didn’t know whether she was going to make it, and B) if she did, she wasn’t going to be able to walk, talk or anything,” Gerrits said. “For me to be able to have the time off to do all of the things she had to do and now today she is walking and talking – I don’t think we’d be there without that time off.” n Lee Marie Reinsch of Green Bay worked 18 years at daily newspapers before launching her freelance business, edgewise, in 2007.

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Fueling Business with Health and Happiness.

HOW RETHINKING HEALTH INSURANCE CAN HELP BOOST PRODUCTIVITY AND SAVE COST.

A

s health insurance costs continue to rise, businesses are seeing their margins squeezed.

It’s a landscape that has companies looking for new and creative ways to trim budgets. And a great deal of costcutting effort is coming from a source you may not expect: health insurance.

One insurer that’s helped businesses make a dent in health-related costs is Prevea360 Health Plan. Prevea360 is one of a new breed of health insurance options — a coordinated-care health plan that includes not only insurance coverage, but healthcare and wellness offerings designed to improve employee health.

Those additional offerings can make a profound personal impact. Consider an employee who is overweight but considers herself otherwise healthy.

With a health plan like Prevea360, she can see a health coach right at work.

Those at-work visits often uncover health risks that may have gone unaddressed, such as prediabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. From there, that employee can work proactively with her doctor to correct the problem.

That makes for a potentially lifesaving benefit. And when employees are healthier and happier, there’s a substantial upside for employers, too.

THE TRUE COST OF UNHEALTHY EMPLOYEES “There are hidden costs when an employee isn’t out sick but also isn’t fully healthy,” said Jim Nelson, director of sales for Prevea360 Health Plan. “If you’re not at 100 percent, you’re not going to be as productive at work.”

It’s a phenomenon known as “presenteeism.” Some estimate its

28 | November 2016 | NNB2B branded content / Prevea360

associated loss of productivity to cost U.S. businesses about $150 billion a year. Add an annual productivity loss of $225 billion due to absenteeism and it becomes clear that poor employee health is a huge drain on business.

“If you’re not at 100 percent, you’re not going to be as productive at work.”

— Jim Nelson Prevea360 Health Plan

Even in a small business, those costs can be substantial. The Centers for Disease Control estimates the annual cost of those productivity losses to be about $1,685 per employee. In a small business of 20 full-time employees, that’s $33,700 a year in preventable losses.

www.newnorthb2b.com

That’s where Prevea360 saw an opportunity to be more than a health insurance provider.

“The nut we’ve been able to crack is connecting all the data that’s available to health care professionals to individualized risk-reduction programs on the insurance and employer side,” said Nelson. “By bringing health care and health insurance so closely together, we’re able to help employers make a real impact on the overall health of their workforce.”

MAKING HEALTH AND HAPPINESS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE “There’s a well-established link between health and happiness,” said Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea360’s co-founder, Prevea Health. “If we can help employees get healthier, they’ll also be happier. And that’s a recipe for a significantly more productive workforce.”

There’s science to back that up. A recent study suggests that happier employees are 12 percent more productive. This is where employers who offer a wellnessfocused health plan can begin turning its benefits into a competitive advantage.

“There’s only so much you can do by adding foosball tables,” said Dr. Rai. “But if you can tap into resources that

W ELLNE SS by the N U M BER S

chronic health conditions result in

overweight employees cost about

450 million more sick days than healthy employees and 4x more indirect costs

$73

and file twice the number of worker’s comp claims

wellness programs have about a

3-TO-1 RETURN

happier employees are more productive

on investment in terms of both direct medical costs and productivity

12%

help employees get healthier, you’re doing good that goes beyond the office. It makes for a happier culture, and that’s very enticing to employees.”

billion

“There’s a well-established link between health and happiness.”

That healthy-happy connection is something Prevea360 Health Plan is banking on as a way to help employers gain back some of those shrinking margins.

— Dr. Ashok Rai President and CEO of Prevea Health

Jim Nelson summed it up: “From the results we’ve been seeing, it’s working.”

Your small business can’t afford to run on empty.

Recharge your employees with better health insurance.

prevea360.com/groupinsurance

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B branded content / Prevea360 | November 2016 | 29

Elections

The following represents candidates’ positions on key business issues derived from their campaign websites.

Glenn Grothman – Republican Economy H Supports income tax cuts for all taxpayers and employers H Supports reforming welfare programs to encourage greater workforce participation H Supports cutting government regulations that hamper job creation H Supports a balanced federal budget

Sarah Lloyd – Democrat Economy H Supports job creation through investment in infrastructure H Supports expansion of broadband to rural areas H Supports efforts to grow jobs in the renewable energy industry H Opposes NAFTA and the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement

Health care H Opposes the Affordable Care Act and supports its repeal H Supports giving states more control over federal health care programs for the poor

Health care H Supports the Affordable Care Act and advocates for a single-payer health system

Agriculture H Supports reining in the EPA from burdensome regulations on farmers

Agriculture H Supports programs to help farmers diversify their crops

Energy H Supports expanding energy development on federal land H Supports speeding up private energy development permits H Opposes EPA mandates on coal energy production H Opposes government subsidies for alternative energy

Energy H Supports investment in renewable energy for solar and wind H Supports additional investment in the Rural Energy for America Program

Glenngrothman.com

30 | November 2016 | NNB2B

Lloydforwisconsin.com

www.newnorthb2b.com

The following represents candidates’ positions on key business issues derived from their campaign websites.

Mike Gallagher – Republican

Tom Nelson – Democrat

Economy H Supports replacing the current tax code with one more modern and simple H Supports lowering tax rates for working families H Supports a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution H Supports cutting government regulations that hamper job creation H Opposes the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement

Economy H Supports minimizing tax breaks for high-income earners H Supports efforts to advance workforce training programs, particularly those for veterans and laid-off workers H Supports paid family and medical leave H Supports equal pay for equal work H Supports raising the minimum wage H Supports cutting government regulations that hamper job creation H Supports increasing tax credits for small businesses

Health Care H Opposes the Affordable Care Act and supports its repeal

Health Care H Supports allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices

EnVIRONMENT H Pledges to continue Rep. Reid Ribble’s efforts to combat pollution in the waters of Green Bay H Opposes excessive government regulations

Mikeforwisconsin.com

www.newnorthb2b.com

EnVIRONMENT H Pledges to continue Rep. Reid Ribble’s efforts to combat pollution in the waters of Green Bay H Opposes subsidies to oil companies in an effort to reduce carbon emissions

Nelsonforwisconsin.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 31

Retail

V V

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.

Call her Jessica Jerky. Everyone does. Born and raised in Appleton, she was a banker and a lender before launching an entrepreneurial start-up she could really sink her teeth into. It all started from a trailer, selling jerky at events until customer demand inspired her to open an Appleton retail store in 2011.

Banking taught Ellenbecker a few things about purchasing power, and more locations would bring volume discounts from suppliers. By summer 2013, she and longtime partner, Steve Burnham, opened an Eagle River location, followed by a Minocqua shop in 2015.

All Things Jerky offers nearly every kind of jerky anyone could want, with customer requests constantly guiding the selection. Ellenbecker gives the people what they want, and she knows when to spice it up.

Where did you work previously?

Jessica Ellenbecker All Things Jerky Appleton, Minocqua & Eagle River Allthingsjerky.com

I started a career right out of high school as a banker and worked my way up. Prior to starting All Things Jerky, I was a business lender. I have dabbled with other small businesses throughout my life. I think I always wanted to be my own boss, but just had to find the right thing for me. Jerky is my thing.

Find your fire in life! Do what you love. I also saw opportunity. There was no other store like it in the Fox Cities so I thought, why not?

What got you rolling?

In the spring of 2011 I started All Things Jerky with a $5,000 loan from my uncle. I purchased a concession trailer and inventory to test the waters of this jerky idea by selling at events and fairs.

Our first event was Country USA in Oshkosh. The first summer was a lot of hard work and we had a huge learning curve, but it went very well. By the end of the summer customers were asking where our store was because they wanted to get our products more regularly. We opened the first retail location in November 2011 on College Avenue in Appleton. I ran the store seven days a week until we got our first employee about six months later.

32 | November 2016 | NNB2B

www.newnorthb2b.com

How steadily have you grown?

I was a business lender during the Great Recession. It was a terrible time for businesses and lenders. I hated seeing businesses not able to pay their bills and close their doors.

Due to this, I decided to start very small and grow only as the business allowed. I purchased all of our store fixtures and displays from the Habitat for Humanity Restore for pennies on the dollar. They are nice, used fixtures from a business that closed during the recession and have served us well.

Throughout the years I have tested the waters of other ideas or stores by doing short-term “holiday” stores. This lets me know if an idea will work before committing to it long term. It saves money and minimizes losses if a concept doesn’t work. I’ve been able to weed out bad ideas and continue to grow in the correct direction by doing this.

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What’s the typical customer demographic?

This has changed over the years. In the beginning it was men between the ages of 25 to 50. Now we see just as many women customers. We try to attract as many demographics as possible by offering a large selection of products and switching it up regularly. We also offer vegetarian jerky and unique gift items like our Mug O ‘Meat to attract people who would not be in our regular demographic.

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How do you spice it up?

When you walk into All Things Jerky we like to give you an experience. We have big barrels filled with different flavors and styles of beef jerky. We walk you around the barrels and let you sample any you are interested in. Then you can customize your own bag of jerky by mixing flavors in the same bag.

We offer hundreds of flavors and types of pre-packaged jerky as well. Some of the favorites are alligator, kangaroo, reindeer, wild boar and more. We sell frozen exotic meat so you can try something wild at home for dinner. We also sell snack foods like deep-fried peanuts. We have the area’s largest selection of hot sauces and hot foods, and offer supplies and seasonings to make your own jerky and sausage at home.

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How else are your products unique?

We do not offer “gas station” jerky. We like to carry small batch, better quality items and offer variety to our customers. We listen to the customers to bring in new items and offer products based on what they are asking for.

Sometimes we will not, or cannot, offer what they ask for (like horse or bear meat).

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Retail Do meat prices fluctuate regularly?

What are your marketing techniques?

I always say the exotic meat market fluctuates like Wall Street. Prices can change monthly. The hardest part with exotics is availability. It changes drastically due to shortages of certain animals and laws of importing. We always try to offer the greatest value for the quality of our products, whether it is beef or exotics.

I have explored nearly every marketing idea possible in the past five years. After looking at what I spent on advertising last year and the return on investment, I decided to switch it up for 2016. Billboards work well for us. I discontinued any print ads. I decided to focus more on our social media presence. So far it has worked.

Why open stores in Minocqua and Eagle River instead of nearby metro areas?

Sales are up a bit, but without the large expense of print and TV/radio ads. We have a loyal Facebook following of nearly 5,000 people. When I post something it seems to bring immediate results. I continually try to improve my skills of using social media and newsletters, etc.

I wanted something to complement the Appleton store.

Appleton is slow in the summer and busier in the winter because it is not a tourist area. Eagle River and Minocqua are busy in the summer and slower in the winter, so it gives me a good balance for ordering inventory, etc. Both Eagle River and Minocqua have seasonal hours. So we may not be open during the week but only the weekends.

We do not have specific plans to expand to other areas right now. We do get around to a lot of other markets because we have two concession trailers. The jerky trailer is at every Packer home game outside of the Resch Center and at events in the summer like Country and Rock USA, Hodag, etc. Both trailers are at the Wisconsin State Fair each year in Milwaukee.

What’s most challenging?

Working with my spouse every day! But seriously, we have faced some much harder issues as a small business.

Access to working capital has been an issue and limits some of our ideas for growth and ability to ramp up inventory for the busy season.

Also, attracting qualified employees can be difficult. As a small retail company it is hard to compete with other larger employers. n

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LED Done Right™

David Hobbs Honda installed energybank LED throughout their Glendale, Wisconsin dealership, but it was the linear fixtures in their service bay that actually changed the culture of their company.

Their technicians were so excited about the project, they came in on a Sunday on their own time to clean and prep the area for the new lights.

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lighting for most procedures under the car or hood.

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Professionally Speaking

Professionally Speaking is a paid promotional spot in B2B.

Are you a Rookie? Tips for First Time Tradeshow Exhibitors

by Peter Linn of Exhibit Systems 920.460.0303 The prospect of managing the logistics and details that go along with any trade show event can be daunting, but if you take the following tips to heart, no one will be able to tell if it’s your first show or your 51st!

Setting Goals: Before you even decide to attend a show, take time to examine your goals. Are you there to show a new product? Maintain visibility? Reach a new industry? Clarifying your goals and audience will focus your efforts and keep you on target.

Set Your Budget: One of the surest ways to increase your stress level is to shortchange the budgeting step in your planning process. Preparing an itemized budget with flexibility built in allows you to see where your money is going and

forces you to attend to the details.

Assemble Your Team: Selecting who will staff your booth is crucial! Consider having a mix of expertise on hand, from marketing to technical experts. Properly coach everyone to stay on message.

Remind your team to check messages away from the booth and keep personal chit chat, eating and drinking out of view!

Exhibit Design: The exhibit floor can be a crowded place, so you want to make sure you stand out. Think about how your visitors will interact with your booth from top to bottom and design accordingly.

Before the Show: Be proactive about reaching out to your audience before the show. Leverage your social and digital media to spread the word. Let your contacts know what they will get from stopping by your booth.

Show Time: Use every opportunity to

gather attendee information – collect business cards or scan badges from participants in your activities. All of this builds your contact database for follow up after the show ends.

Speaking of Follow up…Amazingly, despite the time and cost that goes into a trade show, many marketers drop the ball on this critical step and follow up too late or not at all. Don’t be one of them!

These ideas should give you a running start at a successful first trade show. Do it well and you will walk away with stronger connections to customers, promising leads, and likely a whole slew of ideas for your next show.

Peter Linn is based in Appleton and is an Account Executive for Exhibit Systems. He can be reached at peter@exhibitsystems.com or www.exhibitsystems.com.

Top Year-end Investment Tips

by William Bowman, CPA of Aegis Financial 920.233.4650

Just what you need…

One more timeconsuming task to be taken care of between now and the end of the year. By taking a little time to make some strategic saving and investing decisions before December 31st, it can affect not only your ability to meet financial goals but also the amount of taxes you’ll owe next April.

1. Start by reviewing your overall portfolio model to tell whether you need to rebalance. If one investment has done well it might represent a greater percentage of your portfolio than you originally intended.

2. Make sure your asset allocation is still appropriate for your time horizon and goals. You might consider being a bit more aggressive if you’re not meeting your financial targets, or more conservative if 36 | November 2016 | NNB2B

you’re getting closer to retirement.

3. Consider how long you’ve owned each investment because assets held for a year or less generate short-term capital gains, which are taxed as ordinary income.

Assets held for more than a year generate long-term capital gains which, depending upon your tax bracket, could be much lower than your ordinary income tax rate.

4. If you have realized capital gains from selling securities at a profit and you have no tax losses carried forward from previous years, you can sell losing positions to offset your taxes due on some or all of those gains. Selling losing positions for the tax benefit is a common financial practice known as “harvesting your losses.”

5. Think about which investments make sense to hold in a tax-advantage account and which might be better for taxable accounts. It’s generally not a good idea to hold tax-advantaged

investments in an IRA; doing so would make the tax-advantaged income taxable upon withdrawal and would provide no additional tax advantage to compensate you for tax-advantaged investments typically lower returns.

Consult with your advisor and ask him/her questions to make sure you are meeting your financial goals with the year-end investment tips in mind.

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

To get additional information and 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.

www.newnorthb2b.com

Professionally Speaking

Professionally Speaking is a paid promotional spot in B2B.

Why LegalZoom is My Best Client

by John W. Schuster of Caliber Law, S .C. 920.292.0000

When people ask me my thoughts about online legal service providers such as LegalZoom, I get a big smile and simply tell them that LegalZoom is my best client. While these online legal service providers are very exciting and they tell you things like they can “get your new business up and running in minutes” at extremely low prices (and who doesn’t like a good deal, right?) – it’s what they don’t tell you that will hurt you.

Time and time again I end up with people in my office who find out they had set up their businesses incorrectly through these services, and more importantly, find out too late that key and essential provisions were not included in the “form” documents that were given to them by these legal

service companies. For instance, these companies do not tell you anything about needing a well-worded and well-constructed Buy-Sell Agreement between business partners. Such agreements provide for what happens when a business does not go as planned or a partner actually wants to leave the business. I’ve seen bad break ups in business that easily cost tens of thousands of dollars in litigation fees to resolve, and often could have been avoided by a well-worded Buy-Sell Agreement. This is just one of several examples of the costs that could have easily been avoided, and makes sense to anyone who has ever had a business partner and tried to sell their interest in the business.

Perhaps most telling is that all of these sites include multiple levels of disclaimers to protect themselves,

stating “We are not attorneys and we cannot provide you with legal advice.”

Most importantly, they state in the fine print that you should “be sure to consult with an attorney regarding the use of these documents.”

The trouble is that if there is any area that requires legal advice, these online service providers simply leave it out of the document and don’t tell you what is missing. I think most people would be surprised how comparable in price and helpful business attorneys are in helping you avoid major and unforeseen issues down the road.

John W. Schuster, JD MBA is the owner of and an attorney at Caliber Law, S.C., a law firm located in Oshkosh, which specializes in helping business owners start, protect, buy, sell, and grow their businesses.

What’s Coming Down the Road, Boom or Bust?

by Scott Yukel of Fox Communities Credit Union 920.993.3912 We each have our own set of expectations for future business conditions.

Whether you foresee a “boom” or a “bust,” business owners are well served to nurture their working capital situation.

Long ago, my college textbook defined working capital as current assets minus current liabilities. While mathematically correct, I now prefer to think of working capital as cash and credit available to pay bills.

There are countless strategies for improving your working capital situation and I’ll share a few. But remember, the best time to make improvements is before you HAVE to make improvements.

Z Bill promptly, clearly and to the right person/department. The clock does not start until the invoice is sent. Provide multiple methods for paying the invoice such as via check, electronically (ACH) or through credit card. www.newnorthb2b.com

More B2B invoices are being paid via credit card than ever before, but remember the cost to your business from the processor’s discount.

your cash position. Is your line of credit sufficient for your business needs and does your business have sufficient assets to collateralize a larger line of credit?

Z Re-evaluate your level and mix of inventory. Your investment in inventory represents cash that could be available to fund expenses or growth. Are you stocking at an efficient level or do you have too much of your cash invested in inventory?

Are some items available on a “just-in-time” basis?

Z When borrowing for long-term assets, consider longer amortizations to lower the monthly payment. This is particularly effective if there is no penalty for prepayment.

Z Numerous articles recommend “stretching” your payables to improve your working capital position. I say “do so at your own risk.” This strategy should not be considered a standard business practice. You put your pricing, delivery and availability at risk. However, it is acceptable to negotiate terms at time of order with your key vendors for extended terms or deferred billing.

Z Borrowing can both enhance and detract from your working capital position.

Carefully consider how your terms affect

Z Also consider how you apply your payments. If you use extra cash to reduce the outstanding balance on a line of credit, your available balance is “preserved” for the future; this is not the case on a term loan.

Steps you take now to improve your working capital position will put your business on better footing to survive or thrive, no matter what the future brings.

Scott Yukel is a commercial lending officer with Fox Communities Credit Union in Appleton.

His areas of expertise include credit and cash management solutions for small to mediumsized businesses. He can be reached at syukel@foxcu.org or 920.993.3912.

NNB2B | November 2016 | 37

Who’s News

Incorporations

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

Brown County

Copper Ridge Farm LLC, Tyler J. Nackers, 1201 Wrightstown Road, De Pere 54115.

Mountain To Molehill Professional Residential Organizing LLC, Stephanie Lynn Rinke, 2275 Red Tail Glen, De Pere 54115.

Windey Metal Sculptures LLC, David Windey, 2400 Oak Ridge Cir., De Pere 54115.

Santos Cleaning & Service LLC, Edith Santos, 2174 Nellie Lane, Green Bay 54311.

Turning Point Chiropractic LLC, Brooke Nicole Peters, 2499 Westline Road, Green Bay 54313.

Dolkon Metals LLC, Brian Paul Dolata, 906 Division St., Green Bay 54303.

Sira Janitorial Services LLC, Salomon Sierra Ramirez, 112 S. Maple Ave., Green Bay 54303.

Mubarak Halal Grocery Store LLC, Nawal A. Mohamed, 991 N. Military Ave., Green Bay 54303.

Just-Us Tee’s & Things LLC, Tara Crawford, 917 Irwin Ave., Green Bay 54302.

Back To Balance Chiropractic LLC, Kristin Lee Ehster, 3713 Shawano Ave., Green Bay 54313.

Dix Titletown Lumber LLC, David J. Van Rite, 2777 Mayflower Road, Green Bay 54311.

Elite Restoration LLC, Brandon Schwarm, 1136 Lime Kiln Road, Green Bay 54302.

Wesley @ Glamour Nails LLC, Wesley Borchert, 2350 E. Mason St., Green Bay 54302.

Pro Auto Repair LLC, Jerrid R. Hessler, 3656 Ulmcrest Ct., Green Bay 54301.

B-Klean LLC, Beth A. Kubitz, 4040 Evergreen Ave., Green Bay 54313.

Cortes Auto Repair And Used Car Sales LLC, Jose Cortes Ortiz, 710 Vanderbraak St., Green Bay 54302.

Ashley Torreano O.D. LLC, Ashley Ann Torreano, 1099 Sharie Lane, Green Bay 54304.

Panaderia El Ranchito LLC, Luis Carlos Perez Cendejas, 238 S. Webster Ave., Green Bay 54301.

Safe Harbour Exchange LLC, Carolyn M. Toigo, 3000 Riverside Dr., Ste. #130, Green Bay 54301.

Trade Winds Aviation LLC, Dennis Christopher Kellner, 1323 Dousman St., Green Bay 54303.

Morelia’s Cafe LLC, Daniel J. Bacon, 1238 Porlier St., Green Bay 54301.

Betty’s Helping Hands LLC, Charlene Ann Dekeyser, 2406 Pecan St., Green Bay 54311.

Click Treat Training Academy LLC, Laura M. Van Remortel, 1416 Sterling Heights Ct., A, Green Bay 54302.

Stepping Stones Adult Family Home LLC, Shannon Schuyler, 2613 Garden Ridge Tr., Green Bay 54313.

Bub’s Automotive LLC, David Tyrone McCutcheon, 300 Packerland Dr., Green Bay 54307.

Truclean Building Services LLC, Matthew Ronald Lafave, 1757 Riverside Dr., Suamico 54173.

Calumet County

Rockstar Handlebars By Erndt Fabrication LLC, Zachary Joseph Erndt, N417 Harrison St., Sherwood 54169.

Fond du Lac County

Vandezandesigns LLC, Debra Sue Vande Zande, W12741 County Road AS, Brandon 53919.

Celtic Knot Massage LLC, Elizabeth Dreher, N773 Schultz Lane, Campbellsport 53010.

Timber Hill Veterinary Services LLC, Andrea Mary Gade, N3048 Creekview Road, Campbellsport 53010.

Merging Communications LLC, Todd Poniewaz, W2578 U.S. Hwy. 45, Eden 53019.

Drummond Communications LLC, Erich Laufer, 25 8th St., Fond du Lac 54935.

Kennedy Fox Books LLC, Brooke Cumberland, 1295 S. Park, Fond du Lac 54935.

Wilson Painting LLC, Nichole M. Wilson, 60 N. Reserve Ave., Fond du Lac 54935.

Ace Home Inspections LLC, Richard Thompson, N8490 Van Dyne Road, Fond du Lac 54937.

Energy Balance Healing LLC, Amy Wadel, 798 Mustang Lane, Fond du Lac 54935.

Atlas Fire And Security CORP., Lynn Wehner, W3547 Hillside Cir., Malone 53049.

Five Twelve Interiors LLC, Cathylee Arbaugh, 512 Woodside Ave., Ripon 54971.

Playful Pups Doggy Day Care INC., Laura Leichtfuss, N9092 Hass Road, Van Dyne 54979.

Reiki Essentials & Wellness LLC, Tyra L. Walters, 2 S. Madison St., Waupun 53963.

Green Lake County

Berlin Lanes LLC, Eric Berndt, 119 N. Pearl St., Berlin 54923.

Nigbor Farms LLC, Frank Wayne Nigbor, W3099 Cypress Road, Berlin 54923.

Booty Trucking LLC, Lonnie Schwersenska, 235 N. Wisconsin St., Berlin 54923.

Take the first step toward a professional, quality built construction project...

Building Quality Communities Contact us or visit our Web site for a full listing of your local construction professionals.

9 2 0 . 7 3 3 . 3 1 3 6 y 866.966.3928 y www.newbt.org 38 | November 2016 | NNB2B

www.newnorthb2b.com

Outagamie County

Razor Sharp Salon LLC, Scott Larry Paap, 2700 W. College Ave., Appleton 54914.

Huth Communications LLC, Rodney William Huth, N255 Shagbark Way, Appleton 54914.

Home Team Realtors LLC, Amanda Lauer, 2830 E. John St., Appleton 54915.

Jeffs Scrap Removal LLC, Jeffrey Neil Porto, 419 E. Harding Dr., Appleton 54915.

It’s A Small World Infant Daycare LLC, Robyn A. Reeves-Modica, 1606 S. Memorial Dr., Appleton 54915.

Mason Street Sock Company LLC, Jacob Michael Vande Walle, 1015 S. Mason St., Appleton 54914.

Cousineaucars.Com LLC, Barry Gill, 501 S. Nicolet Road, Appleton 54914.

Adom Health LLC, Richard Amankwah M.D., 3266 E. Lake Park Crossing, Appleton 54915.

Allaire Web Development LLC, Jeffrey Stephen Allaire, 3332 S. Whip-PoorWill Lane, Appleton 54915.

Claritas IT LLC, Michael W. Harper, W6008 Moonflower Dr., Appleton 54915.

KPA Handyman Services AND Wood Products LLC, Kristopher Paul Alberts, 4123 Oliver Ct., Appleton 54913.

Tino Bakery LLC, Francisco Javier Gongora, 128 W. Barefoot Ct., Appleton 54913.

Polished Nail Lounge INC., Minh Vo, 663 W. Ridgeview Dr., Appleton 54911.

Lakeshore’s Legendary Lawn Care LLC, Joshua Roehl, 4615 Richmond St., Appleton 54913.

Linden Studios LLC, Peter Linden, 9 Cherry Ct., Appleton 54915.

Right Way Home Inspection LLC, Dale Pynenberg, W2960 Farmstead Dr., Appleton 54915.

Designed Images Photography LLC, Barbara Satorius, 3215 W. Tillman St., Appleton 54914.

Purple Counseling LLC, Joshua Alan, 1432 E. Calumet St., Appleton 54915.

Fox Valley Automation LLC, Brian Samsa, 727 W. Weiland Ave., Appleton

54914.

Elegant Spa LLC, Dongxu Lin Oblinger, W6823 Basswood Lane, Appleton 54915.

Ebben Personal Training LLC, Tammy J. Ebben, 551 Berghuis Dr., Combined Locks 54113.

Blue-Sky Renovation & Design LLC, Dennis Smits, 209 Hidden Ridges Way, Combined Locks 54113.

Wick Electric LLC, Eric Wickesberg, N3963 Conrad St., Freedom 54130.

Concepcion Auto Repair LLC, Jose R. Concepcion, N3638 Tremont St., Hortonville 54944.

The Village Gunsmith OF Hortonville LLC, Levi Collins, 302 S. Lincoln St., Hortonville 54944.

N.E.W. Ag Services LLC, Brandon J. Fuhrman, W7102 Grandview Road, Hortonville 54944.

JJ Roofing Co., Jesus Robles Hernandez, 2041 Foxland St., Kaukauna 54130.

JM Organizing Solutions LLC, Jenny Marie Welhouse, 509 Westbreeze Ct., Kaukauna 54130.

Creative Floor Coverings LLC, Brandon L. Duchow, 1091 Holland Road, Kaukauna 54130.

Trout Creek Veterinary Center LLC, Tracy M. Kusik, 1330 S. Sedona Cir., Oneida 54155.

Winnebago County

Pack Master Moving LLC, Richard Allen Walton, 1107 Melissa St., Menasha 54952.

Seal Maxx Of Northeast Wisconsin LLC, Richard W. Berry, 732 Ida St., Menasha 54952.

Harwood Leadership Solutions LLC, Diane Susan Haase, 1727 Northridge Ct., Menasha 54952.

Hairs By Tori LLC, Tori Hopfensperger, 2140 Grassy Plains Dr., Menasha 54952.

EZ Towing AND Roadside Assistance LLC, Nelson Santiago, Jr., 129 Meade St., Neenah 54956.

Building Trust Since 1960

featuring Carstens Mill

www.kellerbuilds.com www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 39

Who’s News Cannon Creative Works LLC, Kimberly Ann Cannon, 1205 South Park Ave., Neenah 54956.

Elegant Construction & Home Improvement LLC, Christopher D. Ingarra, 702 S. Commercial St., Neenah 54956.

Fox Lawn AND Home Services LLC, William George Marcks, Jr., 1349 Mulberry Lane, Neenah 54956.

Quality Refuse Solutions LLC, Kenneth J. Balda, 5725 Green Valley Road, Oshkosh 54904.

J. Rasmussen Plumbing And Service LLC, Bret Delfosse, 6207 County Road R, Oshkosh 54902.

Reaper Running Wear LLC, Kara Lynn Nagorny, 4429 Sherman Road, Oshkosh 54901.

Lynch CPA LLC, Thomas A. Lynch, 2415 Clairville Road, Oshkosh 54904.

Portico Church INC., Eric Leverance, 302 Church Ave., Oshkosh 54901.

Double A Construction LLC, Aaron Wagner, 3121 Bellfield Dr., Oshkosh 54904.

Hintze Custom Knives LLC, Jacob Hintze, 2398 Omro Road, Oshkosh 54904.

Zwirchitz Storage LLC, Sally Ann Zwirchitz, 2545 Shorewood Dr., Oshkosh 54901.

CJ Ultimate Transport LLC, James Richard Strey, 2312 Lakeview Ct., Oshkosh 54902.

Spot On Web Design LLC, Jessica Leigh Bonincontri, 722 Dove St., Oshkosh 54902.

Aerial Equipment LLC, Daniel Jensen, 1319 Oshkosh Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

Midamerica Fab & Machine LLC, Keith J. Picard, 260 Twin Harbor Dr., Winneconne 54986.

Adam’s Paint & Performance LLC, Adam Ritchie, 5758 Indian Shores Road, Winneconne 54986.

Building permits

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

Aurora Medical Center, 855 N. Westhaven Dr., Oshkosh. $459,450 for interior alterations to create a sleep lab on the second floor of the existing hospital. General contractor is Joseph Schmitt Construction of Sheboygan. September 7 St. Agnes Hospital/Agnesian Healthcare, 430 E. Division St., Fond du Lac. $7,113,000 for an interior remodel of the sixth floor OB/GYN department of the existing hospital. General contractor is C.D. Smith Construction Inc. of Fond du Lac. September 12.

Boldt Construction Co., 2525 N. Roemer Road, Appleton. $1,600,000 for an addition to the existing corporate office building. General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. September 14.

Prevea Health, 2793 Lineville Road, Howard. $1,483,000 for an addition to the existing health care clinic. General contractor is Rodac Development and Construction of Ashwaubenon. September 15.

American Overhead Door, 1911 W. Wisconsin Ave., town of Grand Chute. $800,000 for a 26,651-sq. ft. warehouse and office. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna. September 19.

National Association of Tax Professionals, 3517 N. McCarthy Road, town of Grand Chute. $2,000,000 for a 20,061-sq. ft. office and warehouse building.

General contractor is Consolidated Construction Co. of Appleton. September 19.

425 W Wisconsin Ave. • Appleton 920.882.8700 millenniumconstructionwi.com 40 | November 2016 | NNB2B

www.newnorthb2b.com

Paroubek Insurance Agency, 400 Destiny Dr., De Pere. $600,000 for a 3,000-sq. ft. commercial office building. General contractor is Marty Brice Construction of De Pere. September 21.

Alter Metal Recycling, 2175 Badgerland Dr., Howard. $1,019,000 for an industrial facility. General contractor is Miron Construction Co. of Fox Crossing.

September 28.

Konz Wood Products, 616 N. Perkins St., town of Grand Chute. $461,000 for a 20,000-sq. ft. storage facility. General contractor is Building Creations of Appleton.

October 7.

New locations Integrative Lifestyle Medicine BayCare Clinic moved from West Mason Street in Green Bay to 106 N. Wisconsin St. in downtown De Pere. The clinic can be reached by calling 920.327.7056.

Name changes The Glass Nickel Pizza Co. franchise in Oshkosh changed to ZaRonis, an independent, comic book-themed restaurant featuring a menu of specialty pizzas and macaroni and cheese dishes. More information is available on the restaurant’s website at ZaRonis.com.

Mergers/acquisitions Shawano-based KerberRose, S.C. acquired the Green Bay accounting firm of Tom Buhr CPA, Inc. It will continue to maintain its employees and office at 611 Packerland Dr. in Green Bay. Minnesota-based technology services provider Marco acquired Infinity Technology of Green Bay. Marco will retain the 19 employees of Infinity Technology.

Business Honors Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin presented H.J. Martin and Son of Green Bay two 2016 Build Wisconsin Awards in the following categories: Specialty Contractor-Exterior Finishes for its work on the Schrieber Foods corporate office in Green Bay; and Specialty Contractor-Interior Finishes for its work on Fox Valley Hematology & Oncology Center in Appleton. It also presented six awards to Miron Construction of Fox Crossing, including these for the following local projects: General Contractor-New Construction for its work on the Fox Valley Technical College Public Safety Training Center in Greenville; Commercial Projects-Renovation for its work on Lambeau Field in Green Bay; and Industrial Projects-New Construction and Renovation for its work on Agropur Inc.’s cheese plant addition and wastewater treatment plant in Luxemburg.

Borsche Roofing Professionals Inc. in Hortonville received the Acuity Safety Award from Acuity Insurance.

The Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh received six awards from the International Festivals and Events Association for its EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 promotional and merchandise work. EAA received two Gold Pinnacle Awards for the best promotional photograph and the best event hat.

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 41

Who’s News

Schumacher

Wilcox

Litt

Menasha-based Faith Technologies ranked No. 14 on Electrical Construction & Maintenance magazine’s annual Top 50 Electrical Contractors list based upon 2015 revenue of more than $425 million.

Greater Green Bay Chamber presented its 2016 Excellence in Business Award to Manitowoc-based Bank First National, which has branch offices in Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh, among other northeast Wisconsin locations.

Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance presented its 2016 Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards to the following companies: Brighter Image Award to Masters Gallery Foods of Plymouth; Educational Partnership Award to Alliance Laundry Systems of Ripon; Leadership Award to KI of Green Bay; Manufacturing Innovation Award to Nercon Eng. & Mfg., Inc. of Neenah; and Youth Apprenticeship Award to NEW Water of Green Bay.

Truehart

Michalewski

Dowidat

New hires Michels Corp. in Brownsville hired Michael Schumacher as a marketing and sales specialist. Schumacher has 15 years experience in the construction and natural stone industries.

Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac added the following medical professionals: Crystal Kleiber Balderrama, M.D. as a rheumatologist at its Fond du Lac Regional Clinic; Noman Mahmood, M.D. as a hospitalist at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac; Nicole Scharschmidt as a physician assistant and Amanda Kane as a nurse practitioner, both in the emergency department at St. Agnes; Leann Vice-Reshel in Ripon and Waupun; and Elizabeth Pieper as a nurse practitioner at Agnesian Work & Wellness.

WBD hired Matthew Wilcox as a vice president and loan officer in its Oshkosh office serving clients in the Fox Valley and northeast Wisconsin. Wilcox has more than 20 years of banking experience, most recently as a senior lender with BLC Community Bank in Little Chute.

42 | November 2016 | NNB2B

www.newnorthb2b.com

fnb fox valley presents

2017

Kruck

Neitzel

McCarty

Hierl Insurance in Fond du Lac hired Cindy Contreras as an administrative assistant. Contreras previously served seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Appleton-based ThedaCare added the following medical professionals: Desirae Budi, D.O. as a hospitalist at ThedaCare Regional Medical Centers in Appleton and Neenah; Tatyana Gerachshenko, M.D. as a physician at ThedaCare Orthopedic Care in Neenah; Sanjeevkumar Patel, M.D. as a pulmonologist in both Appleton and Neenah; Aimee Morell-Watton, M.D. as a hospitalist in Appleton; Krystina Pischke, D.O. as a family medicine physician at ThedaCare Physicians-Neenah East; and Kathryn M. Stam as a midwife in both Appleton and Neenah.

Quill Creative in Oshkosh hired Nathan Litt as an account director. Litt previously worked at Willems Marketing & Events in Appleton as a project director and also served as director of operations for the Mile of Music Festival in Appleton.

Appleton Housing Authority hired Tina Truehart as property manager for its Oneida Heights residential complex in Appleton.

Green Bay-based Prevea Health added Dr. Amy Romandine Kratz as a primary care sports medicine physician at its Prevea Ashwaubenon Health Center.

Investors Community Bank hired Brad Witbro as an assistant vice president – banking services manager at its Green Bay office. interGen Web Solutions in Oshkosh hired Connie Drexler as its development director. Drexler has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience, most recently as a marketing consultant with 44º North Advertising and Design in Oshkosh.

Endowment Wealth Management, Inc. in Appleton hired Susan Michalewski as a family office services specialist. Her professional background includes both public and private sector accounting.

Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce hired Sarah Dowidat as director of communications. Dowidat most recently served as the brand and marketing manager at Open Road Harley-Davidson in Fond du Lac.

eCONOMIC OUTLOOK

Thursday, December 1st 7:30am - 9:00am Bridgewood Resort Hotel & Conference Center 1000 Cameron Way Neenah, WI 54956

Join FNB Fox Valley for an entertaining and informative breakfast presentation from economist, Dr. Elliot Eisenberg, as he offers insight on the local and national economies, discusses results of the Presidential election and forecasts what’s in store for 2017.

Elliot Eisenberg Featuring: Dr. A nationally acclaimed economist and public speaker specializing in making economics FUN, RELEVANT and EDUCATIONAL.

Horicon Bank hired David Kruck as vice president and business banker at its Oshkosh office. Kruck has previous experience as a commercial credit analyst and loan officer.

Performa Architects & Engineers in De Pere hired Carolyn Glime as part of its higher education team. Glime has more than 25 years experience in higher education campus planning.

Oshkosh Area Community Foundation hired Katie Neitzel as development and communications coordinator. Neitzel has four years experience in marketing, most recently working as the regional development specialist for Mercy Health Foundation in Oshkosh and St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation in Appleton.

www.newnorthb2b.com

Event is free to attend. Seating is limited.

TO REGISTER: FNBFOXVALLEY.COM/ECONOMICOUTLOOK 920.729.6911 lmoran@fnbfoxvalley.com

NNB2B | November 2016 | 43

Business Calendar

Promotions First National Bank – Fox Valley promoted Kevin McCarty to assistant vice president – commercial credit supervisor in its Neenah office. McCarty joined FNB in February as the commercial credit supervisor.

Individual honors Greater Green Bay Chamber presented its 2016 Athena Award to Michelle Langenfeld, superintendent for the Green Bay Area Public School District, and presented its Daniel Whitney Award to Craig Aderhold, executive vice president of Wisconsin Bank & Trust in De Pere.

The Fox Cities Chamber presented its 2016 Celebrating Business Awards to the following individuals: Gus A. Zuehlke Distinguished Service Award to Richard Batley, president of R.B. Hospitality in Neenah; Joyce Bytof Exceptional Mentor Award to Tom Wiltzius, president of Wiltzius Associates in Appleton; Athena Leadership Award to Jean Long Manteufel, owner of A-1 Moving & Storage in Appleton; Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Dave Willems, CEO and principal for Willems Marketing and Events in Appleton; Champion of the Chamber Award to Patrick Minskey, advisor with Edward Jones in Appleton; and Young Professional of the Year Award to Alison Mayer, corporate communications specialist with US Venture in Kimberly.

Elections/appointments New North Inc. appointed Tim Feldhausen, a senior attorney with the Green Bay office of Davis & Kuelthau, s.c., to its board of directors.

Feldhausen

Better Business Bureau New Members Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during September 2016 Always Available Seating, Greenleaf Corcoran Glass & Paint, Greenville Expert Jewelry Repair, Appleton Hagenow Lawn Service, Kiel Lexington Management, Green Bay Project Complete Services, Neenah Silvertree Homes, Sherwood Spa Headquarters, Appleton Water City Pool & Spa, Oshkosh Y-N-M Welding and Repair, Two Rivers

44 | November 2016 | NNB2B

www.newnorthb2b.com

Business calendar November 1 Greater Green Bay Chamber Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

November 2 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Schenck, 373 N. Pioneer Road in Fond du Lac. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com.

November 3 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual “Taste From the Heart,” 5 to 8 p.m. at Grand Meridian, 2621 N. Oneida St. in Appleton. For more information or to register, visit www.heartofthevalleychamber.com or call 920.766.1616.

Thank you

to the advertisers who made the November 2016 issue of New North B2B possible.

Aegis Financial ⎮aegisfinancialplanners.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Alberts & Heling CPAs ⎮albertsheling.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Amplify Innovate IT event⎮ AmplifyInnovateIT.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Appleton International Airport ⎮atwairport.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Bank First National ⎮bankfirstnational.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Bayland Buildings ⎮baylandbuildings.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Borsche Roofing Professionals ⎮wiroofer.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Caliber Law, S. C. ⎮caliberlaw.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Capital Credit Union ⎮capitalcu.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

November 8 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 www.oshkoshchamber.com.

Consolidated Construction Company ⎮1call2build.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

November 9 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m. at Plan B, 121 W. Wisconsin Ave in Kaukauna. No cost to attend for chamber members.

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

Employee Resource Center Counselors ⎮ERCincorp.com. . . . . . . . . . . 22

November 10 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Social Hub, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. Topic is marketing and blogging. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www. oshkoshchamber.com.

Fox Communities Credit Union ⎮foxcu.org. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

November 10 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 at anne@steinertprinting.com.

Guident Business Solutions ⎮guidentbusinesssolutions.com. . . . . . . 17

November 15 InnovateIT, a conference presented by Amplify Oshkosh, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center, 625 Pearl Ave. in Oshkosh. The event is centered around creating network opportunities for tech leaders in business, recruiting, economic development and education. Cost to attend is $49. For more information or to register, visit amplifyinnovateit.com.

November 15 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at Fishy’s Bakery, N6451 Pioneer Road in Fond du Lac. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com.

November 17 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at Fox Valley Metrology, 3125 Medalist Dr. in Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $2. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www. oshkoshchamber.com.

November 17 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange, 11 a.m. to 12 noon at Escape Salon Studios, 2400 S. Kensington Dr., Ste. 400 in Appleton. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information or to register, visit www. heartofthevalleychamber.com or call 920.766.1616. n

www.newnorthb2b.com

Downtown Oshkosh ⎮downtownoshkosh.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Dynamic Designs ⎮dynamicdesignspulaski.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 energybank ⎮energybankinc.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Exhibit Systems ⎮exihibitsystems.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 First National Bank ~ Fox Valley ⎮fnbfoxvalley.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Fox Valley Savings Bank ⎮fvsbank.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fox Valley Technical College ⎮fvtc.edu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Frontier Builders & Consultants ⎮FrontierBuilds.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Kaldas Center for Fertility, Surgery & Pregnancy, S.C. ⎮ kaldascenter.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Keller Inc. ⎮kellerbuilds.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Millennium Construction Inc. ⎮millenniumconstructionwi.com. . . . . . 40 National Exchange Bank & Trust ⎮nebat.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Network Health ⎮meetnetworkhealth.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council ⎮newbt.org. . . . . . . . . . 38 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development ⎮ corporatetraining.nwtc.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 OptiVison ⎮optivisioneyecare.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Prevea360⎮prevea360.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Security Health Plan ⎮securityhealth.org. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 St. Norbert College MBA program ⎮snc.edu/go/mbasnc . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy ⎮strangpatteson.com. . . . . 19 Suttner Accounting ⎮suttnercpa.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Verve, a Credit Union ⎮verveacu.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Winnebago County Solid Waste Management ⎮ WinnebagoCountySolidWaste.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

NNB2B | November 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.

october 23. . . . . . . . octOber 16. . . . . . . . october 9. . . . . . . . . october 2. . . . . . . . . oct. 23, 2015. . . . . . .

local unemployment

september

$2.09 $2.20 $2.20 $2.18 $2.36

august july aug ‘15 Appleton ........3.8% ...... 3.9% . ...... 3.8% Fond du Lac ....3.7% .......4.1% . .......4.1% Green Bay........4.0% .......4.1% . ...... 4.3% Neenah ............4.1% ...... 4.0%......... 4.2% Oshkosh ..........3.8% .......4.1% . ...... 4.4% Wisconsin ......4.0% ...... 4.2% . ...... 4.2%

$459.8 billion 0.6% from August 2.7% from September 2015

Source: New North B2B observations

existing home sales

u.s. industrial production

september

(2012 = 100)

homes sold median price brown county .................336 . ....................$155,250 Fond du Lac county . .....123 . ....................$130,000 outagamie county . .......257 . ....................$156,000 winnebago county ........206 . ....................$134,900 WI Dept. Revenue Collections

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

september

104.2

october......................$0.381 september................. $0.389 october 2015............ $0.398

0.1% from August 1.0% from September 2015

Source: Wisconsin Public Service

air passenger TRAFFIC

First Quarter FY2017 collections from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue were not released as of B2B press time for this edition.

ism index

(Local enplanements)

sept 2016 sept 2015 Appleton Int’l ATW..................... 21,869 . .......19,532

Numbers above 50 mean expansion.

Numbers below 50 mean contraction. september. . . . . . . 51.5 august. . . . . . . . . . 49.4

Austin Straubel GRB.......................... N/A . .......27,025

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A good “

experience

“

is simple, but

meaningful.

My name is Melanie, and I work at Network Health.

What I love most about camping is the simple things—being outside, building a fire and going hiking. I think for a brand it’s the simple things and experiences that matter to customers, too. Things like personal service and showing that you care. Even just asking people for their thoughts and taking their feedback. We’re always thinking about what the experience is going to look like for the customer and trying to find ways to make it a positive one.

Watch Melanie’s story at networkhealth.com/Melanie

networkhealth.com | 800-276-8004

HMO plans underwritten by Network Health Plan. POS plans underwritten by Network Health Insurance Corporation, or Network Health Insurance Corporation and Network Health Plan. Self-funded plans administered by Network Health Administrative Services, LLC. SAL-373-01-10/16