April 2017

Business Intelligence for the New North

Mapping a route to economic growth Various transportation improvements aim to move food, fuel and feed throughout the I-41 Corridor

Basketball’s Ripple Effect in Oshkosh

Economic Development

Focus on Financial Data

Firefighters of NE Wisconsin

April 2017 | $3.95

Business Intelligence for the New North

18

April Features 18 COVER STORY

A route to economic growth

Various transportation improvements aim to move food, fuel and feed throughout the I-41 Corridor

24 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Vision Quest

Developers and city leaders expect the new Oshkosh Arena will help crystallize the vision for the city’s South Shore redevelopment

24

32 FIREFIGHTERS OF NORTHEAST WISCONSIN

Focus on Financial Data

Fond du Lac-based fabricator of decorative stone countertops aims to improve owner equity through B2B’s 6th annual Firefighters initiative

Departments 32

4

From the Publisher

6

Since We Last Met

11 Corporate Earnings 14 Build Up Pages 30

Health Care

31 Guest Commentary 34

Professionally Speaking

36

Who’s News

40 Business Calendar 41 Advertising Index 42 Key Statistics Cover design Candeo Creative of Oshkosh www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | April 2017 | 3

From the Publisher

Enhancing Wisconsin’s business tools There’s a handful of benefits to business in the state biennial budget proposal under consideration in Madison

by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher

It’s been nearly two months since Gov. Scott Walker rolled out his $76.1 billion state spending plan for the next two years, and it’ll still likely be almost 10 weeks until a version of the 2017-19 Wisconsin biennial budget is approved.

But it all likelihood the final version of the budget won’t sway too far from the governor’s proposal with a Republican majority in both the state senate and assembly. As a Republican-led initiative, the budget does quite a bit for business, both in terms of enhancing the state’s workforce for skilled positions, improving capital funding mechanisms for high-growth startups, as well as restoring funding for state-supported loans to growing companies.

The largest portion of the budget proposal – about 35 percent, or more than one-third of the total – accounts for support for K-12 education in the state. Transportation spending is recommended to increase by 8 percent in the coming year, primarily supporting additional funding for local road aids - those dollars given back to counties and municipalities for capital improvement to the road networks they maintain.

Business-friendly initiatives included in the budget proposal account for a small portion of the overall spending plan, though past performance from many of these programs has proven a substantial impact for various companies across the state. Here’s a brief list of some of the major initiatives included in the budget proposal: The budget proposes a study of whether the state Department of Agriculture would be better suited to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations, otherwise referred to as CAFOs. The Department of Natural Resources currently regulates these farming operations in state, which primarily includes large dairy farms consisting of more than 300 cows. There’s a belief among state leaders that the Ag department would more efficiently regulate CAFOs than the DNR, and perhaps offer friendlier oversight of larger farming operations.

The budget would increase the cap on investments that growing startups can receive under Wisconsin’s Act 255 investor tax credit law, raising the limit from $8 million over the lifetime of the business up to $12 million. Proponents of this measure argue the venture capital needs of emerging 4 | April 2017 | NNB2B

companies have increased from a decade ago when the tax credits were originally created.

The budget restores an additional $6.3 million in funding to Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. for its loan program, which was temporarily suspended during the 2015-17 biennial budget when the legislature required the agency to use its reserve funds for programs and operations.

It includes nearly $40 million to deploy broadband technology in mostly rural parts of Wisconsin, and will enable further use of federal grants through the Connect America fund.

The budget adds $12.6 million to the state Department of Workforce Development’s Fast Forward program, a 47 percent increase from its current funding. Particular initiatives targeted with the additional Fast Forward dollars include a teacher development program, nursing training programs for high school students, programs for summer jobs and internships for students, and funding for registered apprenticeship training programs.

The budget proposes creating a commission to evaluate occupational licenses in the state to lower certain barriers for potential entrepreneurs to start new enterprises in fields where regulations to licensure are perhaps more onerous than is necessary to protect consumers of such services in the state.

The additional funding proposed for the Wisconsin Fast Forward program also includes $5 million in training grants which will be provided to the state’s 16 technical colleges to partner with employers in their districts to train workers in high-demand skills.

The budget plan reduces the two lowest individual income tax brackets by 0.1 percent each, and expands the income range of the second lowest bracket, providing additional discretionary spending ability to the state’s most impoverished residents.

The legislature’s joint finance committee has been reviewing the governor’s proposal and is expected to deliver a refined version for the full law-making body to evaluate in late May or early June.

The state’s current budget runs through June 30, leaving legislators a deadline of less than three months from now in which to deliver an approved spending plan for the next two fiscal years. The recent history of state budget deliberations has resulted in an approved budget bill before June 30, and all indications for this year point to the Republican-led majority in the legislature meeting that deadline once again. n www.newnorthb2b.com

Sean Fitzgerald Publisher & President x sean@newnorthb2b.com Lee Marie Reinsch Editor x editor@newnorthb2b.com Kate Erbach Production x graphics@newnorthb2b.com Rachel Yelk Sales and Marketing Intern x intern@newnorthb2b.com Contributing writers Rick Berg Chief Financial Officer Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA

Marion Body Works Marion, 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. February 21 Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt held on to his office by just one vote after the city’s common council failed to obtain a three-quarter majority to remove Schmitt from his seat because of past campaign finance infractions to which he pled guilty in 2016. The city council voted 9 to 3 there was cause to remove Schmitt from his seat for the three misdemeanor charges – to which Schmitt was fined and ordered to do 40 hours of community service – but a separate vote on whether to remove him ended 8 to 4, with Ald. Randy Scannell swinging his vote.

February 22 Five northeast Wisconsin entrepreneurs were among the 50 semifinalists named in the 14th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. They include: MiPod USA, by Timothee Brzozowski of Oshkosh; Career [RE]Search Group, by Chris Czarnik of Appleton; Upper Room Technology,

by Matthew Key of Green Bay; Health Connection, by Jordan Mather of Appleton; and Hovertoon LLC, by Richard Schramer of Berlin. Their business plans were selected from among 172 qualified first-round entries. The 50 semifinalists competing in the second phase of the contest will write 1,000-word executive summaries that will be judged in early April.

2002 April 10 – Officials from Oshkosh Corp. delivered a new, donated Pierce Mfg. fire truck to the Fire Department of New York City. The truck, which carries the number “9-11,” was intended as relief to replace the more than dozen fire engines the department lost during the terror attacks on the city last September.

2004 April 15 – The State of Wisconsin enacted its long-anticipated venture capital law, which provided $65 million of tax credits over the proceeding decade to encourage investors to invest money, time and expertise in new Wisconsin companies.

2007 April 9 – A partnership of ThedaCare, Bellin Health and physicians from the Fox Valley and Green Bay area sold their 50 percent ownership of

6 | April 2017 | NNB2B

February 22 The state Department of Financial Institutions received approval from the Wisconsin Supreme Court to create a business court docket in Waukesha County and the sevencounty Eighth Judicial District in northeast Wisconsin on a pilot basis until 2020, after which a determination would be made whether to expand the business court statewide.

The specialty business court docket will begin July 1 and is intended to more efficiently and effectively handle large claim business and commercial cases rather than sending such lawsuits through the county circuit court system. About 30 other states have established such specialty courts, including Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.

February 23 Gov. Scott Walker appointed Jay Risch as secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, replacing outgoing Sec. Lon Roberts, who was appointed to serve on the state’s Public Service Commission. Risch previously served as deputy secretary of the department, a role in which he served since 2015. He previously spent six years working as the government relations director for Wisconsin Bankers Association and worked as a legislative staffer for various Republican state senators.

Navitus Health Solutions to Dean Health Plan of Madison. Navitus was founded in 2003 and became the pharmacy benefit manager for more than 200,000 State of Wisconsin and local government employees.

2011 April 4 – The United Postal Service announced plans to close its Oshkosh mail processing facility and consolidate its operations into the Green Bay plant, which effectively will eliminate 54 jobs in Oshkosh. The consolidation of operations was expected to save the postal service about $4.6 million a year.

2014 April 21 – Wisconsin’s Family Care program was expanded into seven northeast Wisconsin counties, including Brown County. Family Care provides access to long-term care services, offering independence and a greater quality of life by allowing people to stay in their own homes.

www.newnorthb2b.com

February 27 HuTerra Rewards of De Pere received a $200,000 investment from the Milwaukee-based BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation as part of a $2 million series A round of financing the technology company is raising. HuTerra developed a technology which allows consumers to earn money for favorite community causes such as school, churches and nonprofits when they purchase goods and services from participating merchants. The investment from BrightStar Wisconsin – its first in the Green Bay area – will help HuTerra Rewards launch pilot locations in Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

BrightStar Wisconsin is a nonprofit that gathers donations from state residents and reinvests them in early stage companies in Wisconsin with high-growth potential.

February 28 The Oshkosh Common Council approved $7.25 million in tax incremental finance to assist Fox Valley Pro Basketball with the development of the nearly $20 million Oshkosh Arena under construction on the city’s south side to house the Milwaukee Bucks Development League team. Fox Valley Pro Basketball will pay about $4.3 million up front for various environmental remediation and municipal infrastructure improvements on the site of the former wood furniture manufacturer on South Main Street. The TIF district will pay back Fox Valley Pro Basketball over the next 20 years, in addition to nearly $2.5 million in interest. The 3,500-seat, 80,000-sq. ft. arena is expected to be complete in November.

March 6 Sterling Kienbaum, owner of Fox Valley Iron & Metal in Oshkosh, was arrested and charged with felony theft and racketeering after prosecutors say he cheated Fond du Lacbased Sadoff Iron & Metal out of more than $14 million in false scrap-metal submissions between 2009 and 2015.

Kienbaum allegedly filled salvage vehicles with dirt so they would weigh more when he sold them to Sadoff Iron & Metal.

Two other men, a former employee of Fox Valley Iron and the other a former employee of Sadoff, were also charged with felony theft for allegedly aiding Kienbaum in the scam. The Fond du Lac County District Attorney Office prosecuting the case indicated the fraud began in 2009 with overpayments ranging from $149,000 to $2.9 million per year for the seven years in which the scam occurred.

March 7 Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. awarded a $125,000 Capital Catalyst matching grant to Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corp. to provide seed capital to local growth-generating tech-based businesses such as aviation, advanced manufacturing, information systems, food processing and medical devices in the Interstate 41 corridor.

The organization’s Capital Catalyst Fund allows businesses to apply for funding between $10,000 to $100,000 for loans, grants and equity positions.

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NNB2B | April 2017 | 7

Since We Last Met

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March 10 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 235,000 jobs were created across the country in February, keeping the national unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 4.7 percent. Employment gains occurred in construction, private educational services, manufacturing, health care and mining.

March 10 Appleton International Airport in Greenville announced American Airlines will begin service to the Fox Cities from Chicago O’Hare Airport beginning July 5. American will offer four flights daily – one arriving from Chicago and then returning in the morning, and then another inbound to Appleton and then returning to Chicago around the noon hour. The smaller planes used for these flights will seat about 50 passengers.

March 13 Brown County and Village of Ashwaubenon officials received the results of a facilities study on Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena and Shopko Hall that indicated a more modern, larger exhibit hall could increase annual economic impact to the region by as much as $13 million. The study from California-based AECOM noted the 60-year-old arena and 30-year-old Shopko Hall have various deficiencies to host modern conventions that would likely not be improved by remodeling the facilities. The study offered three recommendations ranging from $65 million to $85 million which would demolish the arena and former Packers Hall of Fame building and build a 100,000- to 120,000-sq. ft. exhibition center in its place. County officials expect to take up the study in greater detail later in April.

March 13 Discount retailer Gordmans filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and said it would close and liquidate inventory from all of its 106 stores, including one in Ashwaubenon and two in the Fox Cities. The company did not indicate when it would begin closing its stores.

March 13 Save-A-Lot closed its grocery store in downtown Little Chute, less than a half-mile away from the Pick’n Save which closed across the Fox River in Kimberly in June 2016. The store’s owner indicated the lease had ended for the property. The 10 employees of the store were offered positions at a Save-A-Lot store in Green Bay. March 13 Neenah-based Winnebago Seed Fund announced it reached its first finance closing in February, accepting financial commitments from local investors and the Badger Fund of Funds. The Winnebago Seed Fund intends to eventually raise $8 million before making investments in entrepreneurial

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | April 2017 | 9

Since We Last Met startups throughout Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties. The Winnebago Seed Fund was established in 2016 by David Trotter and received a $4 million investment commitment from the Badger Fund in 2016.

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March 14 Two state legislators brought forth a proposal to create an employee-funded family medical leave insurance program that would enable an employee to receive a percentage of their pay during the time they take family or medical leave from work. The Family Medical Leave Insurance Act proposed

by Sen. Janis Ringhand (D-Evansville) and Rep. Sondy Pope (D-Cross Plains) would be financed through a trust fund into which employees contribute a percent of their wages to be determined by the state Department of Workforce Development and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

The proposal is modeled after existing programs in three other states.

March 17 The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce named Bob Mundt as its next president and CEO, replacing Shannon Full, who left the position in December for a similar opportunity near the Twin Cities. Mundt has served for 25 years as president and CEO of the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Area Chamber of Commerce. He is expected to begin his new role April 19.

March 18 Gov. Scott Walker indicated he would defend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative against President Donald Trump’s proposal to nix it. Some 416 projects - mostly in eastern and northeastern Wisconsin, including PCB cleanup in the Fox River - have received $331 million of federal funds through the initiative since 2010. Trump’s federal budget proposal would eliminate the program’s $300 million annual funding.

March 20 Fox Valley Technical College Foundation in Appleton received a $36,520 grant from the state Department of Veterans Affairs to fund a pilot project of the college’s E-seed entrepreneurial training program targeted specifically for veterans. The pilot project expects to help 10 veterans start or expand their business.

It doesn’t have to be a foreign language.

June 21 The Michigan Great Lakes was the first ship of the 2017 shipping season to arrive in the Port of Green Bay. The ship arrived empty to load up with ethanol from the U.S. Oil terminal in Green Bay to export to Montreal, Canada. The first ship from last year’s shipping season arrived on March 22. n

Successful Journeys Need a Guide™ 920.427.5077 www.guidentbusiness.com 10 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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

Appvion

Revenue Income

R.R. Donnelley 4Q 2016 $167 million ($4.5 million)

4Q 2015 $169 million t 1% ($6.7 million) s 33%

The employee-owned producer of thermal and carbonless papers indicated its operating income for fiscal 2016 improved to $23.5 million from $10.5 million in 2015 as a result of aggressive cost reductions and improved pricing for its thermal products. For the full year 2016, sales of the company’s thermal papers totaled $405.5 million, an increase of nearly 9 percent from the previous fiscal year.

A D V I C E

F O R

Revenue Income EPS

4Q 2016 4Q 2015 $1.9 Billion $1.8 Billion s 4% ($514 million) $71.3 million t824% ($7.34) $1.02 t820%

The printing company with significant operations in the Fox Cities suffered $560 million in restructuring and impairment charges primarily related to the spinoff of its publishing and retail-centric print services, LSC Communications, Inc., as well as its financial communications and data services business, Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. For the full year 2016 the company posted receipts of $6.9 billion, less than 1 percent lower than total revenues in fiscal 2015.

L I F E

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Build Up Fond du Lac 1& 2

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Build Up

Fond du Lac

Relax.

We’ve got you covered.

For all your commercial, industrial, and institutional roofing needs.

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.

2- 221 Shepard St., Ripon Alliance Laundry Systems, a 193,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility and warehouse. Project completion expected in April.

3 - 980 E. Division St., Fond du Lac Marian University Herr-Baker Field, a baseball pavilion for the Northwoods League team. Project completion expected in April. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly.

4 - 80 E. Larsen Dr., Fond du Lac Quartz Right, a warehouse distribution facility and offices.

Project completion expected in April.

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12 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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Build Up Oshkosh

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Oshkosh

Indicates a new listing

5 - 2211 Westowne Ave., Oshkosh Dream Jewelers, a commercial retail building.

6 - 2923 Jackson St., Oshkosh Sanctuary Aquatics, a new indoor aquatic facility.

10 - 1212 S. Main St., Oshkosh Fox Valley Pro Basketball, an 80,000-sq. ft., 3,500-seat sports arena. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.

7 - 215 W. Murdock Ave., Oshkosh Verve, a Credit Union, a new financial institution branch office. Project completion expected in August.

11 - 1520 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh Five Below, a new white box retail building. Project completion expected in April. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.

8 - 3465 Moser St., Oshkosh Strata Graph/Great Northern Corp., a 30,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility.

12 - 2400 State Road 44, Oshkosh Continental Girbau Inc., a 24,000-sq. ft. warehouse addition to the existing industrial facility.

9 - 324 Washington Ave., Oshkosh Oshkosh Community YMCA, a 53,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing community center and various interior renovations.

Project completion expected in November.

Projects completed since our March issue: • Side X Side Construction, 805 Park Ridge Ln., N. Fond du Lac. • BCI Burke, 660 Van Dyne Road, Fond du Lac. • Agnesian Hospice Home, 400 County Road K, Fond du Lac. • Excel Engineering Inc., 100 Camelot Dr., Fond du Lac. • Best Quality Tree Service, 3160 W. Fernau Ct., Oshkosh.

Coming to B2B in May 2017 Retail

Locally grown brand chains

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | April 2017 | 13

Build Up Fox Cities

100% Design/Build General Contractor

COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURAL

Visualization Project Team Budget Schedule Construction Opening Day

Build Up

Fox Cities

Indicates a new listing

1 - 750 W. Evergreen Dr., town of Grand Chute Unison Credit Union, a 4,800-sq. ft. financial office building. Project completion expected in May. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

2 - 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. pavilion. Project completion expected in June.

3 - 3900 Freedom Road, Little Chute Nestle, a 313,153-sq. ft. cold storage warehouse and offices.

4 - 1401 E. Elm St., Little Chute Village of Little Chute, a 55,000-sq. ft. municipal services building. Project completion expected in late summer.

5 - 1700 Stephen St., Little Chute Heartland Business Systems, a 31,956-sq. ft. addition to the existing commercial office building. Project completion expected in June. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 6 - 1100 Lawe St., Kaukauna Van Dyn Hoven, a 12,000-sq. ft. multi-tenant commercial office/retail building.

7 - 201 Reaume Ave., Kaukauna City of Kaukauna Fire Department, a 29,174-sq. ft. fire station.

8 - 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.

9 - 2515 S. Eisenhower Dr., Appleton Encapsys, a 37,000-sq. ft. new corporate office building and research facility.

10 - 2830 E. John St., Appleton Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, a 4,511-sq. ft. addition to the existing commercial office building. Project completion expected in late summer. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly.

11 - 101 S. Riverheath Way, Appleton Courtyard by Marriott, a 67,200-sq. ft., 95-room hotel. Project completion expected in summer.

12 - 355 W. Lawrence St., Appleton Fox Cities Exhibition Center, a 65,000-sq. ft. convention and meeting facility. Project completion expected in fall.

13 - 2100 Holly Road, Fox Crossing R & L Carriers, a 19,918-sq. ft. addition to and interior remodel of the existing trucking transfer station and offices.

14 - 1025 W. American Dr., Fox Crossing Pierce Manufacturing, a 15,455-sq. ft. manufacturing facility for vehicle finishing.

Project completion expected in April.

(920)498-9300 baylandbuildings.com

14 | April 2017 | NNB2B

15 - 1450 McMahon Dr., Fox Crossing WOW Logistics, a 24,000-sq. ft. corporate office building. Project completion expected in late spring.

www.newnorthb2b.com

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16 - 2625 W. American Dr., town of Clayton Horn’s RV Center, a 12,000-sq. ft. RV dealership and service center. Project completion expected in May. General contractor is Millennium Construction of Appleton.

17 - 120 Main St., Neenah Plexus Corp., a four-story, 85,209-sq. ft. commercial office building to house the company’s design center.

Projects completed since our March issue: • National Association of Tax Professionals, 3517 N. McCarthy Road, town of Grand Chute.

• C3 Corp., 3300 E. Venture Dr., Appleton.

• Allied Valve Inc., 3301 E. Evergreen Dr., Appleton.

• Community First Credit Union, 1501 Plaza Dr., Fox Crossing.

www.newnorthb2b.com

Better Business Bureau New Members Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during February 2017 Coonen’s Complete Service, Menasha Countryside Auto & Cycle, Fond du Lac DoYouNeedToSellFast.com, Appleton Exquisite Windows and Doors, Shawano FTS Technology Group, Sturgeon Bay Integrated Property Solutions, Appleton JF Lopez Roofing, Fond du Lac Kirby’s Auto Repair and Service, Oostburg

NNB2B | April 2017 | 15

Build Up Greater Green Bay area 3

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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 - 1245 Cornell Road, Howard McClure’s Service, an addition to the existing automotive repair shop. Project completion expected in April.

3 - 4975 Glendale Ave., Howard Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, a 17,780-sq. ft. driving facility with vehicle storage, office and classroom space. Project completion expected in July.

16 | April 2017 | NNB2B

Indicates a new listing

4 - 4635 Milltown Road, Howard McAllister Landscape Supplies, an 8,000-sq. ft. retail building and warehouse. Project completion expected in August.

General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 5 - 2740 W. Mason St., Green Bay Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, a 62,000-sq. ft. transportation center. Project completion expected in August.

6 - 907 N. Military Ave., Green Bay Vacuum, Pump and Compressor Inc., a 12,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in April. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.

www.newnorthb2b.com

7 - 2231 N. Quincy St., Green Bay NEW Water/Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, a wastewater treatment facility. Completion expected in 2018.

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

9 - 1638 University Ave., Green Bay El Tapatio, an addition to the existing restaurant building.

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

10 - 1330 Bellevue Dr., Bellevue KI, a 60,000-sq. ft. expansion of the existing manufacturing facility. General contractor is Consolidated Construction Co. of Appleton.

11 - 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 fall.

12 - 2645 Monroe Road, Bellevue Arby’s, a new restaurant building. Project completion expected in April.

13 - 2665 Monroe Road, Bellevue no owner listed, a multi-tenant commercial office building.

14 - 2605 Development Dr., Bellevue Plastic Surgery & Skin Specialists by BayCare Clinic, a 12,000sq. ft. surgery center. Project completion expected in October.

15 - 2833 Riverside Dr., Allouez Green Bay Correctional Institution, an 8,000-sq. ft. addition to the visitor center at the existing correctional facility. Project completion expected in November.

16 - 451 Joannes Ave., Ashwaubenon SuperValu Distribution Center, an addition to the existing grocery warehouse distribution facility.

17 - 2325 Holmgren Way, Ashwaubenon Ash Investors, a 10,397-sq. ft. addition to the existing multitenant commercial retail building.

18 - 1950 S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Lodge Kohler, a five-story, 150-room hotel, restaurant and spa. Project completion expected in July.

20 - 2763-2817 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon Fresh Thyme Farmers Market/Bayside Marketplace Mall, a 28,675-sq. ft. addition to the existing retail building for a grocery store. Project completion expected in fall.

21 - 1801 Airport Dr., Ashwaubenon Green Bay Packaging Inc./ Jet Air, a 44,914-sq. ft. air hangar.

22 - 1740 Scheuring Road, town of Lawrence Denmark State Bank, a new bank. Project completion expected in April. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

23 - 3301 French Road, town of Lawrence Santa Barbara Fuels, a 12,400-sq. ft. warehouse facility.

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

24 - 1751 Matthew Dr. West, De Pere Fox River Fiber, an office addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in August. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

25 - 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. 26 - 102 N. Broadway, De Pere The 102 On Broadway, a five-story mixed-use building with first floor commercial space and an attached parking garage.

27 - 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.

28 - 1212 Enterprise Dr., De Pere Amerilux International, an addition for manufacturing and warehouse space. Project completion expected in July. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

Projects completed since our March issue: • Green Bay Botanical Gardens, 2600 Larsen Road, Green Bay. • CDRN - The Textile Experts, 2211 Starr Ct., Green Bay. • The Rail Yard, 320 N. Broadway, Green Bay. • Fast n Easy Pawn, 1742 E. Mason St., Green Bay. • Inside Out International, 1111 S. Huron Road, Green Bay. • Tenor Construction Supply, 1020 Glory Road, Ashwaubenon.

• Optima Machinery Corp., 1330 Contract Dr., Ashwaubenon.

19 - 1930 S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Bellin Health Sports Medicine Clinic, a 52,268-sq. ft. health care clinic. Project completion expected in summer.

www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | April 2017 | 17

Cover Story

Mapping a route to economic growth Various transportation improvements aim to move food, fuel and feed throughout the I-41 Corridor

Story by Lee Marie Reinsch, New North B2B editor

18 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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Humans have been schlepping goods and materials over miles of land and sea for thousands of years. From camels and reed boats to semitrailers and container ships, the need for safe, fast, convenient transport grows with each passing day.

It’s no different in northeast Wisconsin. To many commuters on our state’s highways, it probably seems like road construction projects have been going on since the dawn of man. No sooner does one stretch of smooth cruising open than another gets peppered with shrieking-orange barrels and yellow “Detour” signs that scoff mercilessly at drivers.

shoulder grading, new traffic cameras and expanding the park-and-ride lot off County Road S in Brown County. New ramps at the Wrightstown weigh station as well as a truck lane between it and the northbound ramp at County Road U should smooth the entry process for truckers. Rehabilitating the bridges crossing Apple Creek is also part of the upgrade.

And because things that are new get used and eventually wear down, the thousand-year-war of infrastructure improvement is likely to continue. But such investment is critical to our region’s economy. For example, motorists in just Brown and Outagamie counties combined drive over 10 million miles per day, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

I-41’s change in status two years ago from U.S. highway to interstate between Green Bay and Milwaukee have led to the institution of cable guards – wire cables attached to poles – the first in this stretch and eventually the rest of I-41 between Green Bay and Oshkosh.

“There’s a lot of traffic through the Fox Cities,” said Mark Kantola, communications manager for the Wisconsin DOT office in Green Bay. “It’s one of the major players in the state’s economy, and there are lots of employers and businesses need that a quality transportation system to move their goods and services back and forth to market.”

Meanwhile, maritime shipping at the Port of Green Bay processes around two million tons of materials every year, and northeast Wisconsin’s two international airports together handle more than 800,000 passenger boardings each year, in addition to the various cargo flown in and out of each airport.

President Donald Trump cited revamping America’s crumbling infrastructure as one of his campaign platform planks and proposed investing $1 trillion. It wouldn’t be enough to crank up the country’s overall infrastructure grade of D+ to a more presentable B, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. ASCE gave the country’s highways a C+ because 1 out of every 5 miles of highway pavement nationwide needs fixing, it said, and estimated that the cost to upgrade America’s infrastructure is more than four times the amount the president suggested.

It could be a moot point, since the president’s preliminary federal budget recommends cutting the U.S. Department of Transportation funding by $2.4 billion, or about 13 percent.

It also cuts the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and $175 million in government subsidies for commercial flights serving rural airports.

But in northeast Wisconsin, we keep on truckin’.

“Cable guards are proving to be one of the best safety devices on the highway. They can stop semi trucks,” Kantola said. “If you go off the road, you’ll hit the cable and not end up in the opposite lane of traffic.”

Resurfacing, at least, should be done by November 15.

“The I-41 Corridor connects 10 counties together – 25 percent of Wisconsin’s population – so I think that the corridor is vitally critical in terms of moving goods and people in and out of our state, particularly up to the northeast part of Wisconsin,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.

Tri-County Expressway

The Tri-County Expressway – also known as State Road 441 – is an 11-mile belt looping off I-41 from Fox Crossing to Little Chute around the greater Appleton area. It allows travelers to exit into parts of Appleton and surrounding communities without slogging through city streets. But what it doesn’t do is let northbound travelers on I-41 hop off and head west on U.S. Highway 10, and it doesn’t allow eastbound travelers on WIS 441 to hop onto I-41 to head north, without a circuitous journey.

The reconstruction project started three years ago and it’s expected to finish in 2020.

Altogether, the Tri-County Expressway reconstruction widens six miles of WIS 441/U.S. 10 from four lanes to six between Cold Spring Road and Oneida Street in Winnebago County.

I-41 still a work in progress

Work on Interstate 41 in northeast Wisconsin has been ongoing for the past seven years, and travelers shouldn’t expect to stop seeing those cautionary 55 mph signs anytime soon. Currently, crews are resurfacing the 10 miles between Kaukauna and De Pere. A patchwork of repairs over time has led to parts of the road reaching the end of their lifespan – resulting in dips, gorges and overall deficient pavement.

The $14.4 million resurfacing project includes concrete repairs, www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | April 2017 | 19

Cover Story The project also reconstructs five interchanges along that route: Appleton Road/WIS 47; Racine Road/County P; Midway Road/County AP; Oneida Street/U.S. 10; and the I-41 interchange. Additionally monumental, the Roland Kampo Bridge project constructed a second, parallel bridge over Little Lake Butte des Morts and adds merging lanes on I-41.

“It’s a major expansion, and will restore those missing movements to the west side,” Kantola said.

The new, four-lane bridge over Little Lake Butte des Morts opened last year. Now the old bridge is being reconditioned, so there will be two four-lane bridges.

“It will carry a lot more traffic than what was there,” Kantola said. The refurbished bridge will open in 2018.

In addition to making it easier and quicker for travelers and transporters of goods to get where they want to go, the project will make the route safer, according to the DOT. Crash rates on U.S. 10/WIS 441 are higher than averages across the state for like-sized freeways, and traffic is expected to increase over the coming decade.

The current amount of urban and commercial traffic have long outgrown the original bridge, Kantola said.

“That bridge wasn’t built to hold that many cars,” he said.

“Anyone who’s gone across that bridge in the past few years knows it’s a constant point of congestion. So with this new bridge and expanding lanes, it’s going to be a lot more functional to the Fox Valley’s future.”

Submitted image

An aerial rendering of what the 441/I-41 interchange and the new Roland Kampo bridges will look like when complete in 2019.

WIS 32/Ashland Avenue in Brown County

Starting this month through August, State Road 32 from Main Avenue in De Pere to the State Road 172 overpass in Ashwaubenon will be rerouted while the roadway is fully reconstructed and two bridges are replaced. They’ve simply worn out, according to the Wisconsin DOT.

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The stretch will receive new storm sewers, pavement, new sidewalks, gutters and curbs, lighting and landscaping.

Appleton: Northland & Richmond

In Appleton, a hazardous intersection near Northland Mall will see some changes when a multi-lane roundabout is constructed later this summer.

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The traffic light controlled intersection of Northland Avenue/ County Road OO and Richmond Street/State Road 47 has a higher than usual accident rate, so the proposed roundabout and other improvements hope to lower those numbers. The area will be closed to traffic for about 10 weeks and is expected to begin after June.

Winneconne bridge replacement

Anglers and boaters should appreciate the work to be done on WIS 116 in downtown Winneconne this summer. A new bridge and fishing platforms are part of the project across the Wolf River, which starts in late June and puts the finishing touches on in September 2019.

The bridge will be a fixed bridge – rather than one that needs to be opened for boat traffic – so traffic and emergency vehicles moving through the downtown aren’t impeded.

The DOT indicated the existing bridge will stay open until the new bridge is finished.

Port of Green Bay

A broken petroleum pipeline between Green Bay and Milwaukee most of last year scrambled 2016 shipping numbers for the Port of Green Bay. Petroleum shipments rose by more than 1,400 percent over the past year.

Similarly, a shift from Canadian salt sources to American sources meant road salt shipments rose 40 percent. But exports decreased, and Port Director Dean Haen attributes that to the broken pipeline.

“Prior to the closure, US Venture exported diesel, gasoline and ethanol to other markets,” he said. “With the closure of the pipeline, the exports flipped to imports to meet the demand for petroleum products.”

Overall, the port dealt with some 1.8 million metric tons of materials such as coal, limestone, salt, petroleum products, liquid asphalt and tallow, wood pulp and large equipment.

Haen expects limestone and petroleum shipments to increase this year, but believes low natural gas costs will lead to less need for coal. He predicts demand for cement will decrease, due to the DOT wrapping up substantial portions of the I-41 construction project.

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“The shipping industry continues to be the most cost-effective method of transportation for commodities,” Haen said. “The port is a vital component of our area economy.”

If the petroleum pipeline remains out of service, the amount of petroleum being shipped in through the port should rise this year, according to Haen. www.newnorthb2b.com

Quality ❘ Value ❘ Timeliness NNB2B | April 2017 | 21

Cover Story Some 14 companies have ports along the Fox River in the Green Bay area, from Georgia-Pacific to Lafarge North America.

Presidential campaign messages that prioritized infrastructure came as welcome news to Haen months ago. “He (President Trump) was very pro-infrastructure, and the port industry is heavily dependent on dredge channels and dock walls and that kind of thing,” he said.

“But on the flip side, (the President) is also proposing cuts that affect the Great Lakes, the ports and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has funded our Cat Island Chain project and our closure of Renard Island and other things,” Haen said.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has facilitated dozens of projects in Wisconsin ranging from cleaning up toxins and wetland restoration to combating invasive species. Trump’s preliminary budget cuts the program altogether.

Gov. Scott Walker has said he would try to convince the administration of the importance of the initiative.

Appleton International Airport

The addition of a third major airline carrier this summer to Appleton International Airport’s repertoire should make connecting with the greater global network easier for inbound and outbound passengers, said Patrick Tracy, marketing manager for the airport. It should also boost business travel.

American Airlines joins major carriers United and Delta and low-cost carrier Allegiant Air at Appleton International.

American will fly two daily 50-seat flights to Chicago beginning July 5.

“For us who live here, it gives us more options out into the United States, and into the world,” Tracey said.

The addition of American should make Appleton more appealing for business travelers whose companies’ preferred airline is American. “Most big companies have preferredairline agreements, and their travelers are directed to fly on those airlines because the company gets a discount,” Tracey said. “If you have American Airlines as your preferred carrier, you want your travelers to fly American Airlines, and (until July 5) we didn’t have that option.”

Last summer the airport opened its new U.S. Border & Customs Protection facility. This past January, it opened a new standalone rental-car facility, steering rental-car customers out of the terminal and locating counters closer to the vehicles.

Last year, ATW projected a $676 million economic impact on the Fox Valley, according to a Wisconsin DOT Bureau of

22 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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Aeronautics study. Planes at ATW carried 20 million pounds of freight, and flew 35,000 flights carrying some 270,000 people, according to the study.

In late fall, renovations will begin in the terminal to enhance ticket counters, the restaurant, gift shop, the security area, and the guest waiting area.

While business and leisure travel took a hit in the years around the recession, Tracy said ATW is recovering.

“We’ve had five years of steady growth. 2015 was the first time in 10 years we had over a half-million passengers to the airport,” Tracey said. “It’s taken us a couple years to climb back up to pre-recession travel levels.”

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Austin Straubel International Airport added two words to its name last year, and they’re two words that are paying off: Green Bay. The airport changed its official name to Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport last year. To illustrate exactly why, airport director Tom Miller gave the anecdote of the service group that held its national convention in Green Bay, with people flying in from all over the country. Two participants who booked online reportedly found themselves at an airport in Austin, Texas, instead of Austin Straubel.

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“There were a number of airlines who have or had no idea where Austin Straubel was until they either Googled it or went onto their own reservation systems,” Miller said. Not to mention, it clarifies matters for the traveler.

Another big development for GRB in the past year was its new separate international arrivals facility, which it’s long wanted and needed, Miller said. Prior to its opening, customs was located in the terminal. But passengers weren’t processed there – they were processed on the ramp.

“It was not terribly convenient with the weather, and was not terribly convenient for international travelers,” Miller said.

The new facility hasn’t been open a year yet and is already on schedule to clear 36 more international flights than usual, about a 9 percent increase.

“We’ve had aircraft from all points of the globe, including South America, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa,” Miller said.

On a $12.8 million annual operating budget, Austin Straubel was estimated to contribute a $111 million economic impact to the greater Green Bay area, according to the DOT’s Bureau of Aeronautics study. n www.newnorthb2b.com

425 W Wisconsin Ave. • Appleton 920.882.8700 millenniumconstructionwi.com NNB2B | April 2017 | 23

Economic Development

The new Oshkosh Arena will be home to the Milwaukee Bucks development league team, but developers and city leaders expect it will also help crystalize the vision for its South Shore redevelopment Story by Rick Berg From where Jason White sits, Oshkosh’s Sawdust District is still “a vision, not a plan,” but the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision in February to locate its Development League basketball team in Oshkosh certainly helps focus that vision and likely moves the Sawdust District concept closer to becoming an actual plan.

The Sawdust District, as proposed, would encompass redevelopment of several key central city sites south of the Fox River in Oshkosh, including Pioneer Island and the former Buckstaff Company property. Construction is currently taking place on the Buckstaff site for the new 3,500-seat, $17 million privately financed Oshkosh Arena that will host the Buck’s development team in the NBA Gatorade League. The arena is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy in the late fall of this year.

White, who is CEO of the Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corp., said there are several key stakeholders within the district’s proposed boundaries who have yet to sign on for additional development, and the plan has not been adopted by the City of Oshkosh Plan Commission or the Common Council. Nonetheless, he said, the Sawdust District concept fits squarely within the Imagine Oshkosh Master Plan for redevelopment.

The Sawdust District would be another piece of the puzzle in Oshkosh’s Central City and South Shore redevelopment areas, along with Marion Road, the Riverwalk, Pioneer Road and the city’s lone downtown hotel. As envisioned, the Sawdust District would include not only the new arena, but also a mixed-use environment of office, retail and hotel space, as well as residential units and entertainment amenities – not unlike the Packers’ Titletown District in Green Bay or the Bucks’ proposed Sports and Entertainment District near its new arena in downtown Milwaukee.

24 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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Vision

quest Submitted image

An artist rendering of the exterior of the new Oshkosh Arena.

Greg Pierce, president of Oshkosh-based Windward Wealth Strategies and president of Fox Valley Pro Basketball, was the driving force behind the Oshkosh bid for the Bucks’ development league franchise. Pierce’s Fox Valley Pro Basketball will own and operate the arena and is also expected to spearhead much of the Sawdust District development.

He welcomes the comparison with Green Bay’s Titletown District and Milwaukee’s proposed entertainment district.

“I think that’s right on target,” Pierce said. “That’s a good comparison. To build facilities like this you have to have yearround functions for more than just sports. That is happening in major sports but also in minor league sports as well. To make this project work and be profitable, it needs to be part of the community on a year-round basis.”

While the Bucks minor league team will be the primary tenant of the arena, Pierce and others said the facility will also see other uses, including youth sports tournaments, concerts and other special events.

www.newnorthb2b.com

More than a ripple effect

Allen Davis, community development director for the City of Oshkosh, said the arena project would have a positive impact if only because of the blight it removed from the city.

“Just tearing down the Buckstaff property was going to be a step forward,” Davis said, “so it was most fortuitous that we were able to redevelop that blighted property so quickly. It went from being such a negative to a huge positive for that neighborhood.

“There will be more than a ripple effect,” Davis added. “There will be waves of economic impact. Certainly there is going to be the direct economic impact of the investment they are making during construction and then during operation of the facility. But over the course of time we would also expect there to be a positive impact on the business and residential property values in that area.”

Besides helping drive redevelopment of a key part of Oshkosh’s central city, the new Bucks development league franchise is likely to have major economic ripple effects throughout community and region.

NNB2B | April 2017 | 25

Economic Development White calls it “a unique impact,” in that like any project there is the direct impact of construction and operation of the facility. “Between the Bucks staff and the staff needed to operate the arena, there will be more than a handful of jobs created,” White said.

There will also be the tourism dollars generated by event attendees from outside the area.

The long-term impact is likely to be created by boosting the quality of life in Oshkosh and the surrounding area, White said.

“We’ve had very good job growth here and having a facility like this will hopefully draw more workers to this area so we can continue the growth,” White said.

That also falls in line with Pierce’s vision for the project, which focused on creating tangible economic impact for his investment group, as well as for the community.

“This is not a basketball deal,” said Pierce. “The basketball team is a conduit to development. This is a development deal that we were able to spearhead because of a basketball opportunity. This is also different from a lot of other stadium and arena projects in that this one is financed entirely privately. So we look at economic development from a private equity standpoint. Is this profitable and will this produce a return for investors? That is quite different from looking at how many jobs will be created and so forth. That’s all going to happen but that’s not the driver for the project.”

Choosing the site

The pieces came together for everyone in, as Davis described it, a “most fortuitous” way.

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The City of Oshkosh was still trying to decide what to do with the abandoned and environmentally tainted Buckstaff property. The Milwaukee Bucks – lagging behind most of their NBA brethren in having a Development League team – was feeling pressure to have a team available to them within a reasonable distance of Milwaukee. Pierce, besides wanting Oshkosh to continue to grow, is always, in his role as president of Windward Wealth Strategies, on the lookout for profitable investment opportunities.

“I’ve been in the investment business for more than 25 years,” Pierce said, “and one thing we are always trying to do is to look for inefficiencies in the marketplace and for opportunities to solve problems. In this scenario, we had the Bucks looking to have a Development League team and wanting to get it done sooner than later – for the 20172018 season in fact. We also knew there was an appetite for redevelopment in Oshkosh. So, we began 18 months ago to put together a plan that would provide an opportunity to do it profitably and also within the Bucks’ time horizon, which was very short.”

White said the process went uncharacteristically fast for one of this magnitude, largely propelled by the Bucks’ timeline.

“It might not have seemed to move quickly to the public, because it was a pretty public process for a long time with a lot of chatter, but this was a pretty tight timeline,” White said.

The process began with Pierce and his group meeting with

26 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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Sawdust District Redevelopment Plan

45

Conceptual Visualization

Prepared by Houseal Lavigne Associates

Sawdust District Vision In addition to the new Oshkosh Arena, the proposed Sawdust District plan also includes a walking bridge over the Fox River connecting pedestrian trails, as well as a hotel and resort on the site of the former Pioneer Resort & Marina. There are also designs for mixed-use office space and a host of other amenities.

White and others to pinpoint potential sites for an arena – a must-have for the Bucks to consider a proposal. The group considered a package of sites along Interstate 41, as well as a few in downtown Oshkosh.

Through process of elimination, most of the sites were rejected for one reason or another, including topographical issues.

It also became clear that a downtown site would be most attractive to the Bucks and an encouragement for the Bucks to choose Oshkosh over other communities.

“It became evident that the Bucks had a strong desire to be downtown, surrounded by an entertainment district,” White said. “So we saw that if we honed in on downtown we stood a better chance. Buckstaff was kind of an afterthought because of all the issues surrounding it, but at the end of the day that seemed, ironically, to be the best location and also the most feasible in terms of the timeline.”

That decision appears to have carried the day. In February, when Bucks officials announced that Oshkosh would indeed be home to its development league franchise, the team noted “similar to the arena development currently under construction in Milwaukee, the Oshkosh arena project will

serve as a catalyst for additional economic development in the surrounding area.”

A Bucks spokesperson agreed that “it is definitely a fair representation” to say that the Bucks were intrigued by the Oshkosh plan to create an entertainment and mixed-use district.

Completing the downtown vision

Steve Brandes, who was named in early March as president of the Bucks development league team, said downtown Oshkosh “couldn’t be a better fit in terms of the demographics and the location. There’s a strong population base to support the team and it’s close to Milwaukee to make it efficient from a basketball development standpoint.”

Brandes, who spent 10 years as president and general manager of the Idaho Stampede, the Utah Jazz Development League affiliate, said even more than major professional teams, minor league teams benefit by being located within the urban center of their communities.

“This is not a basketball deal. The basketball team is a conduit to development.

This is a development deal that we were able to spearhead because of a Greg Pierce, president of Fox Valley Pro Basketball Inc. basketball opportunity.” www.newnorthb2b.com

NNB2B | April 2017 | 27

Economic Development

Oshkosh Arena

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The 3,500-seat Oshkosh Arena is expected to be completed by November in time for the 2017-2018 season of the NBA Gatorade League. The arena will be home to the Milwaukee Bucks development franchise in the Gatorade League. A team name and logo is expected to be revealed sometime in April.

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The $17 million privately financed arena will feature club-level seating, as well as food, beverage and retail space. According to Fox Valley Pro Basketball, which will own and operate the arena, the facility will include “open concourse areas for guests to mingle, eat and drink, and VIP areas with bars and concessions that hold 180 people overlooking the basketball court. The facility will accommodate other sporting and entertainment events when not in use by the team.”

The arena is being built on the site of the former Buckstaff Company, which closed in 2011 after 160 years of manufacturing wood furniture.

Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. provided a $150,000 grant to help the City of Oshkosh demolish the former manufacturing facility and complete environmental remediation.

The city and the site’s developers expect the arena to anchor the proposed Sawdust District, which envisions a mixed-use environment that could include office and retail space, entertainment options, hotels and residential units.

By the numbers: $17 million private investment Site Size: 8 acres

First Floor 64,300 sq. ft.

Second Floor 16,000 sq. ft.

Capacity: 3,500

Facility Features: Transporting goods by ship through the Port of Green Bay means larger quantities can be safely moved faster and at lower cost. The largest Great Lakes vessels can carry approximately 12,000 tons of cargo in a single trip. To carry the same amount, it would take 200 rail cars or 700 trucks.

Team store Sports bar/lounge Concession stands Full service kitchen

Full NBA court (w/ courtside seating) Retractable seating Clear span arena structure

For more information, visit oshkosharena.com.

Learn more: www.portofgreenbay.com 28 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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“What the Bucks ownership is doing in Milwaukee we’re going to be doing in Oshkosh also but on a smaller scale. It’s pretty exciting to see,” Brandes said. “Historically what you see when professional sports teams come to a community is that you bring an enhanced vibrancy to that downtown core. What we’re looking forward to is being able to weave ourselves into the fabric of the community – not just Oshkosh, but the entire Fox Valley.”

“What the Bucks ownership is doing in Milwaukee we’re going to be doing in Oshkosh also but on a smaller scale. It’s pretty exciting to see.”

Davis believes the arena project presents an uncommon opportunity for a city like Oshkosh, where downtown redevelopment has been a focus for so long.

“I’ve been very impressed with the project that Greg Pierce and Jason White have been able to put together,” Davis said. “They had the vision and the long-term view of what they could create around the arena. The Bucks obviously liked that vision and it also meshes very well with what the community would like to see for downtown Oshkosh.”

White said the Sawdust District concept “has had and still has a lot of moving parts.” He points to the potential for a large multi-tenant office complex or corporate headquarters on the shores of Lake Winnebago, north of where the arena will be located, as well as the multiple opportunities to develop the former Pioneer Resort & Marina property, possibly with a resort and residential units.

“Eventually we will run out of space in that area to develop, but that will be a nice problem to have,” White said.

Steve Brandes, president Milwaukee Bucks Development League team in Oshkosh

Pierce believes the arena and overall Sawdust District project will bring more benefits than a lot of people expect.

“You don’t have to be a sports fan or love basketball to love this deal,” Pierce said. “When people see the kind of events and activities we’re going to book into the arena, all the opportunities a facility like this can bring, they are going to see that it will appeal to a much larger cross-section of the community than they might think. It’s much deeper than just a sports facility. People will see it as a much bigger and broader community asset than they did at first.” n Rick Berg is a writer and editor based in Green Bay.

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NNB2B | April 2017 | 29

Health Care

Wellness still offers most promise New North B2B’s 12th annual Corporate Wellness Awards helps tout the region’s most innovative employer-based wellness plans All the discussion in Washington regarding the attempt to overturn and replace the federal Affordable Care Act reminds us of the opportunity missed when the controversial public policy was legislated back in 2010 – revamping health care in the United States would benefit far better by incentivizing Americans to improve their health than by creating a high-cost insurance backstop when people get sick or injured.

While it remains to be seen whether or not new legislation under consideration in the nation’s capital will accept the lesson offered through the success of corporate wellness plans, many employers across the country and in northeast Wisconsin have taken matters into their own hands by controlling their group insurance health plan premium increases through measured strategies to improve the health of their employees. As a result, these companies have invested in healthier employees and their families, ultimately decreasing the frequency of chronic illnesses, encouraging more sensible use of health care dollars, and ultimately driving down group health care insurance premium increases.

B2B has been proud to recognize leading employer-based wellness programs since 2006, sharing with our readers the novel ideas and impressive results from more than 25 different corporate wellness plans.

Once again this year, B2B’s 2017 Corporate Wellness Awards sponsored by Network Health will highlight healthy employers across the region in four separate categories: small

organizations from five to 50 employees; mid-size firms up to 250 employees; large companies with more than 250 employees; and finally, our Start Up Wellness Program Award for those companies just beginning their wellness journey who’ve already marked substantial success during their first two years.

Although B2B has presented this award for more than a decade at this point – and in doing so illustrated various innovative approaches companies have taken to invest modest wellness budgets into staggering returns – we still don’t know of all the best employer-based wellness plans across the region unless readers take a small amount of their time to inform us.

That’s where you come in – we need you to share your company’s best practices in wellness programming by nominating it for our annual award. The nomination process isn’t overwhelming, and the staff member administering your company’s wellness program should be able to provide all of the necessary information with ease.

Nomination forms and award information can be found on our web site at newnorthb2b.com. The deadline for nominations is May 5, and winners will be announced and profiled in our June 2017 edition.

We look forward to setting a record for nominations received for this award in 2017, but can only do so with your help.

Encourage your employer’s benefits plan leader to submit a nomination today. To your health! n

Fox Communities Credit Union Business Services Team Fox Business Services is a group of financial specialists helping area business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors find the solutions they need to succeed. They are people you can turn to with questions and count on for ideas to help you grow your business.

Contact a member of the Fox Business Services Team today to discuss how they can help you and your business! www.foxcu.org/business • 920.993.9000 30 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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Guest Commentary

State’s start-up culture has come along Slowly but surely, Wisconsin is building its entrepreneurial foundation for the future

by Tom Still Wisconsin has a strong tradition of entrepreneurship. Think of the marquee companies that remain the state’s economic “calling cards” – Oshkosh Corp., S.C. Johnson, Johnson Controls, Manitowoc Co., Harley-Davidson, Briggs & Stratton, Johnsonville, Kohler, Kohl’s and Quad Graphics.

These companies all have one thing in common: They were named after the Wisconsin community of their founding or the last names of their founders.

Today, a new generation of entrepreneurs and their partners are building Wisconsin’s 21st century “knowledge economy” on a foundation that has long included expertise in manufacturing and agriculture, but which has expanded to include health care, software, financial services, energy innovation and more.

It remains a highly organic process, born largely of people and communities in Wisconsin – with more external support today than ever before.

While the existence of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Wisconsin isn’t necessarily well known, its growth over the past 15 years is a major reason why the state is gaining a reputation for being friendly to startups – even if one highprofile national ranking doesn’t show it.

Fifteen years ago, the entrepreneurial structure in Wisconsin was less than robust. Most of the formal assistance for entrepreneurs was clustered in the Madison area, with Wisconsin Innovation Network, Wisconsin Biotechnology Association (now BioForward), Wisconsin Small Business Innovation Consortium and Accelerate Madison being among the early players.

In Milwaukee, organizations such as eInnovate and Wisconsin Venture Network (later merged into WIN, now the Tech Council Innovation Network) were most active.

The Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium did not exist under that name or structure, the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference was only an idea, and Forward Fest, the Wisconsin Tech Summit and the Governor’s Business Plan Contest had yet to be launched.

On Wisconsin campuses, there were relatively few formal entrepreneurship programs, with the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Business and the Kohler program at Marquette University in Milwaukee being prominent exceptions. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation began to work with startup companies in the late 1990s, but that process was a relatively slow evolution at the time due to WARF’s structure and historic mission. www.newnorthb2b.com

While UW Madison has long been among the nation’s top research universities, the amount of R&D taking place elsewhere in the UW System was minimal.

As for venture and angel capital, there were only a handful of investors: Venture Investors and Wisconsin Investment Partners in Madison, and Mason Wells, Baird Venture Capital and Silicon Pastures in Milwaukee were chief among them.

State government involvement was limited to a few programs within the former Department of Commerce and a timely venture summit organized by Department of Financial Institutions. No one tracked how much money was being invested in startups – and it wouldn’t have been much, anyway.

Fortunately, times have changed. There are organizations in virtually every major community to help entrepreneurs, and statewide networks to match. In fact, there are scores of accelerators or co-working spaces in Wisconsin today, including the nationally recognized gener8tor program in Madison and Milwaukee.

Most UW System and private college campuses have courses or programs for entrepreneurs. Invention disclosures have more than doubled in recent years on UW System campuses outside Madison, with UW Milwaukee becoming a “R1” university and the WiSys Technology Foundation helping other campuses forge ahead.

The UW-Extension’s Small Business Development Centers have refined their mission, angel and venture investment has climbed along with the number of investors, and Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. has made startups and other young companies core to its work.

None of this is to suggest that starting a business in Wisconsin is anything less than hard, but it’s a lot less lonely than it once was.

Are there tangible results? While one annual survey places Wisconsin at the bottom of the 25 largest states in startups, other studies that specifically target “Main Street” businesses, small business survival rates and tech-related jobs and startups show more progress.

In February the Tech Council released these metrics as a part of its biennial “white papers” report to state policymakers. To view the report in its entirety, you can download it online at wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/publications.

Pathways exist today for entrepreneurs and young companies to find the help they need. Not so long ago, that wasn’t the case in Wisconsin. With more success stories and hard work, that structure can only improve.

Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. He is the former associate editor of the Wisconsin State Journal.

NNB2B | April 2017 | 31

Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin

Focus on Financial Data Owners of AMC of Wisconsin learning more about what’s working and what isn’t as they strive to move their business forward

Story by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher

One month into the work to put out the fires in their business, Axel and Carmina Mendez said they’ve already experienced a number of “aha moments” when focusing in on the performance of AMC of Wisconsin in Fond du Lac through the perspective of their refined financial documents.

COMPANY: AMC of Wisconsin OWNERS: Axel and Carmina Mendez LOCATION: Fond du Lac FOUNDED: 2002 EMPLOYEES: About 40 WHAT IS DOES: Fabricator of decorative stone countertops for the home improvement industry. Much of its product is sold wholesale to a mix of national big-box and local, independent home improvement retailers. A smaller amount is sold direct to consumers through its own retail outlet.

WEB: amccountertops.com

32 | April 2017 | NNB2B

One of those instances was recognizing that one of its key profit centers wasn’t making the fabricator of decorative stone countertops any money. Axel had an intuition that might be the case, but it wasn’t until they took a detailed look at their cost of goods sold with Gary Vaughan that he and his wife could place some definitive logic around their work with this particular vendor.

That’s just one of the many lessons the Mendezes hope to discover in their five months of work with Vaughan, president of Appleton-based Guident Business Solutions. As part of B2B magazine’s 6th Annual Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin initiative, Vaughan is donating his business consulting services to AMC of Wisconsin at no cost. In return, the Mendezes will share the progress of their journey with B2B readers.

At their first meeting together, Vaughan and the Mendezes reviewed the financials and operations of AMC of Wisconsin, working toward the development of an annual operating budget to use as a road map to achieve various goals during this next year. Vaughan gave the book, Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs, to the Mendezes to read and learn many

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of the financial terms and GAAP principles that will help them better understand their company’s financial documents. It’s already been of help, Vaughan said.

“Having a common financial vocabulary has been a benefit for us in just the short time we have been working together,” Vaughan said. “Once we set the strategies, the financials will tell us if we made the correct decisions. If we have great results we will plow forward full throttle. If not, we will pivot and redirect our efforts to accomplish their goals.”

In their second meeting with one another, the Mendezes discussed which profit center contributed to what percentage of the company’s overall revenues.

Vaughan helped point out that certain profit centers drive more profit to the bottom line, confirming much of the intuition Axel had on which aspects of their business create the highest gross profit.

“It’s very motivating to know that we are being coached by a professional like Gary,” Carmina said.

“Together we are setting the foundation for the improvements we can already see will take place.”

Most recently, the group discussed strategy for the business moving forward. Vaughan asked the Mendezes to evaluate how efficient they feel their operation is and where they feel the opportunities are for increasing profits.

Ultimately, Vaughan wants the Mendezes to think about what success looks like at the finish line after they wrap up their five months working together later this summer.

“My answer was ‘to increase owner equity by increasing efficiencies, resulting in higher profitability from their business operations and having standard operating procedures in place to help the business grow into the future,’” Vaughan said.

B2B will provide a second update of the Mendezes work with Vaughan to improve the profitability of AMC of Wisconsin in our May 2017 edition. n

Gary Vaughan Guident Business Solutions, Appleton www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com Vaughan launched Guident in 2009 after spending his entire career teaching – both in the classroom and in business.

Having previously spent many years as a business owner himself, Vaughan realized many business owners lacked fundamental skills such as understanding financials, human resource practices and management skills, as examples. His firm’s proprietary Guident 360 Assessment Program enables business owners to holistically address their business needs.

Vaughan has professional experience in a variety of industries, including retail, petroleum, manufacturing and academics. He is a senior adjunct instructor in the MBA program at Concordia University of Wisconsin, and a lecturer in economics and entrepreneurship at Lawrence University in Appleton.

Methodology New North B2B magazine began seeking entries for its 6th annual Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin initiative late last year, with a goal of assisting those northeast Wisconsin small business owners who feel as if they’re constantly burning the candle at both ends, putting out fires, spinning their wheels, but intent on finding a way to improve.

Through the generous help of Gary Vaughan of Guident Business Solutions in Appleton, AMC of Wisconsin’s owners Axel and Carmina Mendez will receive five month’s worth of consulting at no cost to help them work on the strategy of improving their business profitability.

B2B will provide a monthly update on the progress of the Mendezes efforts in each issue leading up to a capstone article in the August 2017 issue of New North B2B magazine.

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NNB2B | April 2017 | 33

Professionally Speaking

Start Taking Interest in Interest Calculations

Professionally Speaking is a paid promotional spot in B2B.

by Chris Leitch of Verve, a Credit Union 800.448.9228 Efficiency and profit go hand-in-hand. One way to control costs and gain efficiencies without changing day-to-day operations is to review the interest method used on commercial loans.

Interest rates aren’t as straightforward as they seem.

A bank or credit union issues a written loan commitment letter that includes the annual interest rate. However, this document typically does not include the method used to calculate repayment of interest due, which can have a significant effect on interest costs over the life of the loan.

For example, if a business owner was receiving a $1,000,000 interest-only loan at 6 percent annual interest, it makes sense to assume the borrower should expect to pay $60,000 per year in interest. However, the actual interest repaid can be more than the borrower expected because of the method

Coming JUnE 2017

2017

CorporatE WEllnEss aWards

used to calculate interest, which is typically listed in the loan documentation at the time of closing.

Two ways to calculate interest—Stated Rate Method vs. Bank Method.

Interest is typically calculated using either the Stated Rate Method (365/365 method) or the Bank Method (360/365 method).

The Stated Rate Method uses a 365-day year, and, using our previous example, the borrower can expect to pay 6 percent interest annually, or $60,000.

The Bank Method uses a 360-day year and charges interest for the actual number of days the loan has yet to be repaid. Since the $60,000 in interest is accrued on day 360 using the Bank Method, there are five additional days of interest due for the calendar year. With our example above, the borrower would end up paying an additional $833.33 in interest each year, which results in an actual yearly interest rate of 6.083 percent.

A small difference that can have a big long-term effect.

This difference in interest payments will be compounded for the life of the loan and can be a costly line item for businesses over time.

Accordingly, it is important for business owners to review loan calculations carefully and compare loan proposals to control their capital costs.

Chris Leitch is a VP of Private Banking and provides leadership for a variety of member services at Verve, offerings that include residential and small business lending, consumer lending, depository needs and more. Founded in 1937, Verve, a Credit Union, is a memberowned, not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $800 million in assets and serving over 56,000 members at 15 locations. Learn more at www.verveacu.com. Federally insured

by NCUA.

What does your wellness plan bring to the table?

Nominate it for B2B’s 12th Annual Corporate Wellness Awards.

Download a nomination form at newnorthb2b.com.

Nominations due by May 5, 2017.

Sponsored by

34 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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Professionally Speaking

Professionally Speaking is a paid promotional spot in B2B.

When Considering Employee Exempt Status, Don’t Forget About the Duties Test

by Chad Wade of Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, s.c. 844.833.0826 While preparing for the regulatory increase to the minimum salary requirement for exempt employees, many employers were surprised to learn some of their employees were misclassified even if they met the prior salary threshold because they did not perform the necessary duties of an exempt employee under the law. Although the future of the proposed regulations remains unclear, it is important to remember employees must meet one of the “duties tests” to be exempt from wage and hour laws.

Executive Employees Employees may be treated as exempt executives if they: 1) have the primary duty of managing the enterprise or a customarily recognized department or subdivision; 2) customarily and regularly supervise the work of two or more employees; and (3) have the authority to hire or fire other employees or if

their recommendations are given particular weight regarding hiring, firing, advancement, promotion or other status changes.

Administrative Employees Employees may be treated as exempt administrative if they: 1) perform office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers; and 2) the employees’ primary duties must include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.

Professional Employees Finally, employees may be treated as exempt professional employees, if their primary duties require advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a course of specialized instruction or if the primary duties require invention, imagination, originality, or talent in a recognized artistic or creative field.

Reminder to Review Job Duties Wisconsin also has substantially similar versions of employee duties tests. The duties tests do not always provide bright line rules for when an employee is exempt or nonexempt. Further, job duties evolve over time. It is important that employers periodically review their employees’ job duties to determine whether they remain classified correctly.

For advice and counsel pertaining to the wage and hour laws, please contact Attorney Chad Wade, (844) 833-0826 or via email at cwade@strangpatteson.com.

Chad Wade is an attorney with Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, s.c. and is located in the firm’s Oshkosh office. This article is intended to provide information only, not legal advice. For advice regarding a particular labor or employment situation, please contact the attorneys at Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, s.c. (www.strangpatteson.com).

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NNB2B | April 2017 | 35

Who’s News

Incorporations

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

R AND D HOME IMPROVEMENTS LLC, Diane Payne, 125 W. Pulaski St., Pulaski 54162.

DIVER ASSISTED SUCTION HARVESTING LLC, Alan William Pahnke, 1041 Riverside Dr., Suamico 54173.

ML ACCOUNTING LLC, Marci Lelinski, 2950 Wallenfang Lane, Suamico 54313.

WHITE ASH TRANSIT LLC, Matthew Paul Pflughoeft, 440 Hickory St., Wrightstown 54180.

Brown County

Fond du Lac County

LEGENDARY HOTELS LLC, Dennis M. Doucette, 1496 Woodmont Way, Ashwaubenon 54313.

DELOSSANTOS PROFESSIONAL CLEANING LLC, Yaseli Julissa Delossantos Avila, 1344 Angels Path, Apt. 4, De Pere 54115.

LITTLE WREN CHILD CARE LLC, Jennifer Marie Delcorps, 1730 Scray Hill Road, De Pere 54115.

EDGE MUSIC INSPIRED FITNESS LLC, Dana C. Cleveland, 3200 County Road PP, De Pere 54115.

DAIRY CONSULTING AND ADVISORY SERVICES LLC, Michael Ryan Kuehl, 1784 Christie Ct., De Pere 54115.

N. RENIER DESIGNS LLC, Natalie Mae Renier, 348 Main Ave., De Pere 54115.

ONYOTEA.KA STANDING STONE FARM LLC, Laura Lee Manthe, W1428 Ray Road, De Pere 54115.

RIDGELINE RUGS LLC, Dallas D. Hongisto, 336 Southern Star Lane, De Pere 54115.

FUNERALTRUST PRO LLC, Doug Hanrahan, 1444 13th Ave., Green Bay 54304.

APPLE-LICIOUS ORCHARD LLC, Kurt William Leiterman, 4541 Shawano Ave., Green Bay 54313.

FETZERS OUTDOORS GUIDE AND PROMOTIONS LLC, Brian Fetzer, 4019 Nature Ct., Green Bay 54313.

OASIS MEDICAL LLC, Kwabena Oware Adu-Gyamfi, M.D., 2865 Castlebar Ct., Green Bay 54313.

ITRANSLATIONS LLC, Alexander M. Lee, 1497 6th St., Ste. E, Green Bay 54304.

ADVOCACY FOR EDUCATIONAL EQUITY LLC, Jill M. Gonzalez, 4249 Gaibrelles Gate, Green Bay 54313.

PURPOSEFUL TRAINING LLC, Nancy C. Henn, 2201 S. Oneida St., Green Bay 54304.

MEZA CLEANING SERVICE LLC, Sergio Ricardo Meza, 1951 Manitowoc Road, Green Bay 54302.

HONOR YOUR TEMPLE MASSAGE LLC, Dana J. Zimmerman, 2590 Hillside Heights Dr., Green Bay 54311.

TOUCH OF CLASS CLEANING LLC, Terri M. Senn, 5365 Edgewater Beach Road, Green Bay 54311.

ALL THAT SHE WANTS BOUTIQUE LLC, Amy Bachmeier, 401 N. Washington St., Green Bay 54301.

FLY ME FLAG LLC, Stacey Ann Stewart, 1720 S. Ashland Ave., Green Bay 54304.

BETTER DAYS ADULT FAMILY HOME LLC, Eddie Thomas Boyce, 300 Terraview Dr., Green Bay 54301.

DARK MARKET DESIGN LLC, Troy Wiezbiskie, 332 Lazarre Ave., Green Bay 54301.

ARTISAN FLOORWORKS LLC, Patrick John Casey, Jr., 2575 Pecan St., Green Bay 54311.

DURA SEAL ASPHALT MAINT LLC, Pat A. Truttmann, 3019 Holmgren Way, Green Bay 54304.

WILLIAM DRAEGER AGENCY LLC, William Draeger, 1221 Bellevue St., Green Bay 54302.

J.P.’S QUALITY CLEANING LLC, Jack Stanley Pochron, 1644 Belmont Road, Green Bay 54313.

GREEN BAY LAW CENTER LLC, James Paul O’Neil, 403 S. Jefferson St., Green Bay 54301.

A PLUS LEARNING LLC, Katherine DuBois, 2591 Nicolet Dr., Green Bay 54311.

TIKAPUR PETROLEUM LLC, Hem Raj Sharma, 2202 Nicolet Dr., Green Bay 54311.

DELLA JEWELRY LLC, Danielle Marie Englebert, 2010 Couples Ct., New Franken 54229.

FROG POND BOTANICALS LLC, Ludene Lynn Balke-Smits, 3568 Rolling Hill Dr., Pulaski 54162.

36 | April 2017 | NNB2B

DOBBERT SIGN & LIGHTING LLC, Nicholas Michael Dobbert, W4011 Point Road, Brownsville 53006.

FULL THROTTLE GUIDE SERVICE LLC, Rodney Richards, W1134 Old Bridge Road, Campbellsport 53010.

DUEL AUTO LLC, Joshua Scott Duel, W9065 State Road 23, Eldorado 54932.

D&R RADON MITIGATION LLC, Rodney A. Reible, W5312 Wildlife Lane, Fond du Lac 54937.

MEURER BROTHERS BAKERY LLC, David J. Meurer, 88 Forest Ave., Fond du Lac 54935.

GREEN BLADES LAWN CARE LLC, Brian Klapel, 338 Morris St., Fond du Lac 54935.

NANCY’S 5 STAR CLEANING LLC, Nancy Lee Kaiser, 520 Pearl Lane, Fond du Lac 54937.

TNT BIOMETRICS LLC, Scott D. Larson, N9309 Perch Lane, Fond du Lac 54937.

MARQUARDT TRANSPORTATION LLC, Todd Douglas Marquardt, 1513 Julie Ct., North Fond du Lac 54937.

OPPY TOOL & MACHINING LLC, Gary Oppermann, N9217 State Road 44, Ripon 54971.

LIVE WELL ACRES FARM LLC, Michael J. Sabel, W425 Glen Road, St. Cloud 53079.

PANKOW TRUCKING LLC, Schawn Michael Pankow, W11416 Catherine Ct., Waupun 53963.

Green Lake County

DORY TRUCKING LLC, Dorothy Jeskey, 235 N. Wisconsin St., Berlin 54923.

TD INTERIOR PAINTING LLC, Todd S. Deruyter, 540A Industrial Park Road, Berlin 54923.

Outagamie County

SIGHTLINE CONSTRUCTION LLC, Christopher Kirchner, 311 N. Casaloma Dr., #7217, Appleton 54912.

DIVE MORE SCUBA LLC, Travis J. Stadler, 1015 W. Hawes Ave., Appleton 54914.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SPECIALISTS LLC, Simon Brothers Wisconsin, Inc., 1502 S. Nicolet Road, Appleton 54914.

FIRST CHOICE EXTERIOR SOLUTIONS LLC, Michael Jerry Ebben, N3264 Twelve Corners Road, Appleton 54913.

TRANSPORT INDUSTRIES BABIC & LOGISTICS INC., Lidija Babic, 4321 W. College Ave., Appleton 54914.

ELITE REFINISHING LLC, Heather Leigh Snow, W6022 Camron Dr., Appleton 54915.

RING OUTDOORS BOWFISHING CHARTERS LLC, Joshua Ring, 3542 N. Morrison St., Appleton 54911.

DTM & HAWKS POWDER COATING LLC, Anthony Hawks, 2601 E. Newberry St., Appleton 54915.

TEK GLASS TOOLS LLC, W. Richardson McKinney, W3178 Van Roy Road, Appleton 54915.

A & L ALL DRYWALL LLC, Alfredo Vargas Enriquez, 17 Seminole Ct., Appleton 54914.

SCHENCK INVESTMENT BANKING SERVICES LLC, Dennis Langenberg, 200 E. Washington St., Appleton 54911.

FIRST FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLC, Samuel F. Duell, N9654 County Road N, Appleton 54915.

EFFICIENT LAWN & SNOW LLC, Brandon Daniel Villarruel, 1114 W. Weiland Lane, Appleton 54914.

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IN TOUCH TRANSPORTATION LLC, Trenette Alease Johnson, 331 N. Casaloma Dr., Appleton 54913.

ELLEN HUSSEY, PT LLC, Ellen Michelle Hussey, 400 N. Richmond St., Appleton 54911.

MAILOR LOR AGENCY LLC, Mailor Lor, 342 W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton 54911.

WATER PROOFING SERVICES LLC, John J. Sramkoski, 4538 N. French Road, Appleton 54913.

TIMMERS FITNESS LLC, Stephen Timmers, Jr., 3525 E. Calumet St., Appleton 54915.

VALLEY EXTERIORS LLC, Aaron T. Vandermause, 1883 N. Silverspring Dr., Appleton 54913.

LUXURY NAILS LLC, Anh Phat Tran, W3165 Van Roy Road, Appleton 54915.

MULBERRY ACRES DESIGNS LLC, Luke Voight, 229 Kamps St., Combined Locks 54113.

TRAILER EXPRESS LLC, Jared Lucas Spaulding, N2077 Municipal Dr., Greenville 54942.

HD OUTDOOR DÉCOR LLC, Jennifer Jacques, 430 E. Main St, Hortonville 54944.

OLSEN TREE SERVICE LLC, Eric N. Olsen, W10347 Cloverleaf Road, Hortonville 54944.

INFINITY BAR & GRILL INC., Travis L. Koester, 1219 Haen Dr., Kaukauna 54130.

KYLE ST. AUBIN LANDSCAPE & MAINTENANCE LLC, Kyle St. Aubin, 426 Brill St., Kaukauna 54130.

MAINSTREAM BLASTING LLC, Gary M. Van Handel, N5112 Section Line Road, Kaukauna 54130.

HINKENS HOME APPRAISALS LLC, Ashley Marie Hinkens, 321 Cherry Lane, Little Chute 54140.

Winnebago County

WISCONSIN INNOVATION ACADEMY LLC, Jeffrey Lang, 1783 Brighton Beach Road, Menasha 54952.

NEW COMMUNITY FARM AND AQUAPONICS LLC, Jason Philipp, 1020 Congress St., Neenah 54956.

ZWICKY FARMS LLC, Darlene S. Bruce, 6360 State Road 76, Neenah 54956.

NUTRIMENTAL HEALTHCARE LLC, Emily Taylor Engelke, 736 Reed St., Neenah 54956.

BLACKHOUSE REAL ESTATE MARKETING LLC, Allison Maye Griesbach, 408 Monroe St., Neenah 54956.

EQUIPMENT REPAIR SPECIALISTS LLC, Caleb G. Wallace, 727 Higgins Ave., Neenah 54956.

REFLECTIONS HAIR DESIGN LLC, Catherine Ann Schroeder, 1651 Oak Hollow Lane, Neenah 54956.

MVP SPORT FISHING LLC, Devon Lynn Miller, 918 Millpond Lane, Neenah 54956.

APROPOS MARKETING LLC, Robert Louis Schmidt, IV, 514 Quarry Lane, Neenah 54956.

BIG RIG CUSTOM GARAGE LLC, Tony Welnicke, 3735 S. Washburn St., Oshkosh 54904.

DISCOUNT TOWING & RECOVERY LLC, Scott J. Soper, 1023 N. Main St., Oshkosh 54901.

DRIFTWOOD DESIGNS LLC, Dale Devries, 1235 Western St., Oshkosh 54901.

FREEDOM BOOKKEEPING LLC, Karen Rebek, 1324 Elmwood Ave., Oshkosh 54901.

ARTZ TRANSPORT LLC, Terry James Artz, 1659 Sheridan St., Oshkosh 54901.

DALA STABLES LLC, Karen M. Schultz, 6176 County Road T, Oshkosh 54904.

BLACKBIRD AVIATION TRAINING LLC, Michael Stromberg, 216 W. 14th Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

CENTRAL WISCONSIN TREE SERVICE LLC, Michael Schettl, 62 Broad St., Oshkosh 54901.

SEAN’S MECHANICAL SOLUTIONS LLC, Sean Daniel Dadas, 2316 Jackson St., Oshkosh 54901.

MONROE FABRICATION LLC, Kenneth Monroe, 1625 Nebraska St., Oshkosh 54902.

RAGE ROOM LLC, Justin M. Marcellis, 520 W. 15th Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

BJK SNOWPLOWING LLC, Brian J. Keller, 7651 Jacquis Road, Winneconne 54986.

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NNB2B | April 2017 | 37

Who’s News

Building permits

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

SUPERVALU DISTRIBUTION CENTER, 451 Joannes Ave., Ashwaubenon. $1,652,324 for an addition to the existing grocery warehouse distribution facility.

General contractor is Quasius Construction of Sheboygan. January 27.

LUTHER MEMORIAL CHURCH & SCHOOL, 134 21st St., Fond du Lac. $556,680 for an interior alteration of the existing church facility. General contractor is Capelle Bros. & Diedrich Inc. of Fond du Lac. February 2.

CARBOLINE COMPANY, 614 Elizabeth St., Green Bay. $600,000 for interior alterations to create a fire pump room. Contractor is General Maintenance & Fab Inc. of Suamico. February.

RIVIERA VENTURES, 2130 S. Washburn St., Oshkosh. $792,448 for interior alterations to the existing commercial warehouse building. General contractor is CR Meyer of Oshkosh. February 9.

WALMART, 377 N. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac. $1,067,194 for an interior alteration of the existing retail store. General contractor is Immel Construction of Green Bay. February 13.

KI, 1330 Bellevue St., Bellevue. $3,053,000 for a 60,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. General contractor is Consolidated Construction Co. of Appleton. February 20.

38 | April 2017 | NNB2B

VERVE, A CREDIT UNION, 215 W. Murdock Ave., Oshkosh. $922,000 for a new financial institution branch office. General contractor is Northcentral Construction Corp. of Fond du Lac. February 20.

FOX VALLEY PRO BASKETBALL, 1212 S. Main St., Oshkosh. $13,019,854 for a 3,500-seat, 80,000-sq. ft. sports arena. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. February 23.

New locations NEWMARK GRUBB PFEFFERLE & PFEFFERLE MANAGEMENT moved its Green Bay office to 1192 Hansen Road, Suite 201 in Ashwaubenon.

Brookfield-based BAYCOM and CC&N opened an office at 1620 Drum Corps Dr. in Fox Crossing, replacing a Neenah Baycom office and a CC&N office in Appleton.

NEUROSPINE CENTER OF WISCONSIN opened a new clinic at 1716 Lawrence Dr. in De Pere.

Name changes Winnebago Home Builders Association changed its name to WINNEGAMIE HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, reflecting the organization’s recent expansion to serving the homebuilding industry in Outagamie County.

Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh changed its name to MIRAVIDA LIVING.

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Pierce

Smith

Sanford

K. Schneider

Werner

Abler

Mergers/acquisitions

New hires

Hartland-based independent insurance agent VIZANCE acquired Appleton-based VALLEY INSURANCE ASSOCIATES. Valley Insurance Associates will continue to operate under the same name from its existing office locations in Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay and Kaukauna. Valley Insurance Associates President Chuck Kranzusch and Vice President David Murphy will continue with the merged organization.

FOX VALLEY PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL in Oshkosh hired Toni Pierce as the event coordinator for Oshkosh Arena and Tina Smith as the administrative coordinator for the arena. Pierce previously worked for the Neenah School District and the Twin City Catholic Education System in Neenah and Menasha.

Business honors

The Green Bay law firm HAGER, DEWICK & ZUENGLER, S.C. hired Matthew Van Nuland as an associate attorney. His areas of practice include general business and corporate matters, commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions and real estate law.

NORTHERN ELECTRIC INC. of Green Bay received a 2016 National Safety Merit Award from Associated Builders and Contractors.

Oshkosh-based INTERGEN WEB SOLUTIONS hired Rachel Oleson as web developer.

Current Young Professionals in Green Bay recognized PERFORMA of De Pere with its 2017 Next Generation Best Place to Work award.

ELEMENT in De Pere hired Marcus Sanford as a content marketing analyst.

He has experience in website design and networking and was the co-owner of a communications firm.

Future Neenah honored the following organizations during its recent annual recognition event: Corporate Citizen of the Year to Appleton-based COMMUNITY FIRST CREDIT UNION; Friend of Neenah Award to KRUEGERS TRUE VALUE in Neenah; Downtown Business of the Year Award to LION’S TAIL BREWING CO. of Neenah; and Civic Partner of the Year Award to GREATER FOX CITIES AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY. Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce honored the following organizations during its recent annual awards event: Emerging Enterprise of the Year to CLEAR APPROACH OPTOMETRY of Kaukauna; Small Business Achievement AwardHospitality to THE GRAND MERIDIAN in Appleton; Small Business Achievement Award-Service to EZ GLIDE GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS of Little Chute; Small Business Achievement Award-Technology to STELLAR BLUE TECHNOLOGIES in Neenah; Large Business Achievement Award to Appleton-based COMMUNITY FIRST CREDIT UNION; and its Cornerstone Award to THE BANK OF KAUKAUNA.

ST. PAUL ELDER SERVICES of Kaukauna hired Krystal Schneider as director of nursing. Schneider previously worked as emergency department quality manager for Bellin Health in Green Bay. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN GREEN BAY hired Tony Werner as vice chancellor for university advancement and president of the UW Green Bay Foundation, Inc. Werner most recently served as president and CEO of Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation in Detroit. Prior to that role, he served as director of development for Weidner Center for the Performing Arts in Green Bay, and also worked in development for St. Norbert College in De Pere and HSHS St. Mary’s Medical Center in Green Bay. EP DIRECT in Fond du Lac hired Roxanne Abler as a sales developer.

Green Bay-based NETSONIC hired Todd Olp as sales director. Olp has 19 years of sales experience, most recently serving as banquet sales and customer service manager at The Woods Golf Club in Green Bay. McMAHON in Fox Crossing hired Daniel Brellen as a project engineer, Marley Gast as an architect and Sam Tijan as a project manager, architectural designer and director of building information modeling. Brellen has 12 years of structural design experience,

Olp

www.newnorthb2b.com

Brellen

Gast

Tijan

Lodes

Minch

NNB2B | April 2017 | 39

Who’s News

J. Schneider

Bickert

Talavera

Schleusner

Frechette

while Gast has 18 years experience in programming, design and project management.

Tijan has 22 years of CAD and design software experience.

Individual awards

Fox Crossing-based MIRON CONSTRUCTION CO. hired Shane Deiter as a large-equipment team leader; Justin Reckner as a technology support specialist; and Eric Brandt, Collin Olk, and Ryan Wagner as project managers.

RICK GRIESSER, senior information management consultant for Automated Records Management Inc. (ARMS) of De Pere, received the Individual Performance Triple Diamond Award from the Association of Information Technology Professionals.

GREEN BAY WATER UTILITY hired Lori Kaye Lodes as communications director.

Lodes most recently served as a service line marketing manager with Prevea Health in Green Bay and as the marketing and communications director for the Greater Green Bay Chamber.

Current Young Professionals in Green Bay presented its Young Professional of the Year award to MATT BERO, owner of Design Bero in Green Bay, and presented its Young Entrepreneur of the Year recognition to LAURA MOSSAKOWSKI of Laura Mossakowski LLC in Bellevue.

Promotions

Future Neenah presented its Volunteer of the Year Award to BOB GILLESPIE of Knox Furniture in Neenah.

Appleton-based SCHENCK promoted David Minch to manager. He was hired in 2016 as a supervisor.

FIRST BUSINESS BANK in Appleton promoted Jerimiah Janssen to vice president in the northeast region. Janssen has more than 10 years of commercial banking experience.

CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION CO. of Appleton promoted John Schneider from vice president to president of the firm, replacing Rick Bickert, who now serves as CEO. Schneider has more than 25 years in construction operations management, corporate planning and strategy development. Bickert joined the company in 2002 as the first non-family member president. Consolidated also promoted Pam Talavera from vice president to chief operating officer and Gene Schleusner to senior vice president of business development. Talavera joined the construction firm in 1989, while Schleusner has been with Consolidated since 2008.

RED SHOES PR in Appleton promoted Lauree Frechette to account associate. She joined the agency in 2015.

THE BANK OF KAUKAUNA promoted Tamara Mattioli to commercial portfolio manager. She joined the bank in 2013 as a credit analyst.

Appleton-based SECURA INSURANCE promoted Marty Arnold to senior vice president and chief underwriting officer and Garth Wicinsky to senior vice president and chief administrative officer.

Pulse Young Professionals Network of the Fox Cities presented its 2017 Young Professional of the Year recognition to NATHAN LITT, an account director for Quill Creative in Oshkosh.

Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce honored the following individuals during its recent annual awards event: Emerging Leader of the Year to KIM BAEHMAN, president of Nutritional Healing in Appleton; Outstanding Civic Outreach Award to BRIAN GOTTLIEB, president of Tundraland Home Improvements of Kaukauna; Lifetime Business Achievement Awards were presented to PEGGY EDMUNDS, former owner of King’s Variety Stores in Little Chute and DEBRA MICHAELS, owner of Fox Banquets/Rivertyme Catering in Appleton.

JULIA JULIAN, a culinary arts instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, was named Central Region Pastry Chef of the Year by The American Culinary Federation. She’ll compete against four other regional winners for the federation’s national title in July.

Business Calendar

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

APRIL 4 Christian Values for Business Excellence in Leadership, 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Oshkosh Convention Center, 2 N. Main St. in Oshkosh. To register or for more information, go online to www.eilgroup.org.

APRIL 4 Greater Green Bay Chamber Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber offices, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

Griesser

40 | April 2017 | NNB2B

Litt

Julian

APRIL 5 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at

www.newnorthb2b.com

Urban Fuel and Company, N7645 Peebles Lane, Ste. 3 in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $5 for members. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com.

Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $2. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com.

APRIL 11 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Connection Breakfast, 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.

APRIL 20 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange, 11 a.m. to 12 noon at Concordia University, 4351 W. College Ave., Ste. 100 in Appleton. No charge for members. For more information or to register, go online to www.heartofthevalleychamber.com.

APRIL 12 Women in Management – Fond du Lac chapter monthly meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Holiday Inn, 625 W. Rolling Meadows Dr. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $15 for members and includes lunch. For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org.

APRIL 13 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m. at Gerhards Kitchen & Bath, 2100 W. College Ave. in Appleton. No cost to attend for members. For more information or to register, call 920.766.1616 or go online to www.heartofthevalleychamber.com.

APRIL 13 Women in Management – Oshkosh chapter monthly meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at La Sure’s Hall, 3125 S. Washburn St. in Oshkosh. Program is on career change. Cost to attend is $12 for members and includes lunch. For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org.

APRIL 18 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corp., 116 N. Main St. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $5 for members. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com.

APRIL 19 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at Oshkosh Corp. Global Technology Center, 370 W. Waukau Ave. in

APRIL 21 Women in Management Biennial Event, 2 to 8 p.m. at Holiday Inn, 625 W. Rolling Meadows Dr. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $50 for members and $75 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org.

APRIL 27 Issues Involving Employment Contracts, Letters of Engagement and Non-Competition Provisions, a Breakfast Briefing event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the law offices of von Briesen & Roper, 2905 Universal St. in Oshkosh.

Presenters are Jim Macy and Bill Bracken of von Briesen & Roper, s.c. No cost to attend, but registration is encouraged by going online to vonbriesen.com.

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

MAY 3 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Adashun Jones Inc., 1028 S. Main St. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $5 for members.

For more information or to register, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com.

MAY 4 Greater Green Bay Chamber Business Showcase, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at KI Convention Center, 333 Main St. in Green Bay. No cost for attendees with a business card. For more information, go online to www.greatergbc.org. n

Thank you

to the advertisers who made the April 2017 issue of New North B2B possible.

AEGIS Financial ⎮aegisfinancialplanners.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Appleton International Airport ⎮atwairport.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Bank First National ⎮bankfirstnational.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Bayland Buildings ⎮baylandbuildings.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Borsche Roofing Professionals ⎮wiroofer.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Candeo Creative ⎮candeocreative.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Consolidated Construction Company ⎮1call2build.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CR Structures Group ⎮crstructures.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Dynamic Designs ⎮dynamicdesignspulaski.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 energybank ⎮energybankinc.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 EP Direct ⎮ep-direct.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 First National Bank ~ Fox Valley ⎮fnbfoxvalley.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Fox Communities Credit Union ⎮foxcu.org. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Fox River Tours ⎮foxrivertours.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Grand Meridian ⎮thegrandmeridian .com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Guident Business Solutions ⎮guidentbusinesssolutions.com. . . . . . . 10 Investors Community Bank ⎮investorscommunitybank.com. . . . . . . . 22 www.newnorthb2b.com

J. F. Ahern ⎮jfahern.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Kaldas Center for Fertility, Surgery & Pregnancy, S.C. ⎮ kaldascenter.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Keller Inc. ⎮kellerbuilds.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Millennium Construction Inc. ⎮millenniumconstructionwi.com. . . . . . 23 Network Health ⎮networkhealth.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council ⎮newbt.org. . . . . . . . . . 33 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development ⎮ corporatetraining.nwtc.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Port of Green Bay ⎮portofgreenbay.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Prevea LeadWell ⎮prevea.com/leadwell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 St. Norbert College MBA program ⎮snc.edu/mba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy ⎮strangpatteson.com. . . . . 35 Suttner Accounting ⎮suttnercpa.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh ⎮uwosh.edu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Verve, a Credit Union ⎮verveacu.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Winnegamie Home Builders Association ⎮whba.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 NNB2B | April 2017 | 41

Key Statistics

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

LOCAL GASOLINE PRICES

U.S. RETAIL SALES

Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

MARCH 19 . . . . . . . . .

MARCH 12 . . . . . . . . .

MARCH 5 . . . . . . . . . .

FEBRUARY 26. . . . . . .

MARCH 19, 2016 . . . .

$2.18 $2.20 $2.22 $2.18 $1.98

FEBRUARY

$474.0 BILLION 0.1% from January 5.7% from February 2016

Source: New North B2B observations

EXISTING HOME SALES

FEBRUARY

HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE BROWN County .................154.......................$158,000 FOND du LAC County .........52 ......................$113,250 OUTAGAMIE County .........120 ...................... $137,200 WINNEBAGO County ..........92.......................$131,250 WI DEPT. REVENUE COLLECTIONS

JANUARY 2017

$1.680 BILLION 0.2% from January 2016

U.S. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION (2012 = 100)

FEBRUARY

104.7

Unch. from January 0.3% from February 2016 AIR PASSENGER TRAFFIC (Local enplanements)

FEB 2017 FEB 2016 Appleton Int’l ATW..................... 21,720..........21,461 Austin Straubel GRB..................... 19,467 .........19,716

LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT

JANUARY DEC JAN ‘16 APPLETON ........3.5% ...... 3.3% ........ 3.9% FOND du LAC ....3.6% ...... 3.2% ........ 4.3% GREEN BAY........4.1% .......3.7% ........ 4.6% NEENAH .............3.7% ...... 3.3%......... 3.9% OSHKOSH ..........3.5% ...... 3.2% .........4.1% WISCONSIN .......4.2% .......3.7% .........4.7%

NATURAL GAS PRICES Prices for small businesses using less than 20,000 therms. Listed price is per therm.

MARCH........................ $0.508 FEBRUARY....................$0.491 MARCH 2016................$0.416

Source: Wisconsin Public Service

ISM INDEX Numbers above 50 mean expansion.

Numbers below 50 mean contraction.

FEBRUARY . . . . . . . . 57.7 JANUARY . . . . . . . . . 56.0

Get the quality you expect and the flexibility you need with UW Oshkosh online programs.

Division of Lifelong Learning and Community Engagement (800) 633-1442

oce.uwosh.edu

U N D E R G R A D U AT E | G R A D U AT E | C E R T I F I C AT E S 42 | April 2017 | NNB2B

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