August 2012

Intelligent Business Reporting for The New North

Bridging the Gap Innovative programs attempt to fill unmet needs of area employers Succeeding in Succession

Family Business Prease Read Total Destructions

Pierce Stronglove

August 2012 $3.95

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new north b2b August 2012

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Features

18 COVER STORY ❘ Bridging the Skills Gap ❘ Innovative programs attempt to fill unmet needs of area employers

22 FAMILY BUSINESS ❘ Succeeding in Succession ❘ Transitioning closely-held firms from one generation to the next

28 SAFETY ❘ Safety Cents ❘ Changing the cultural mindset around safety in the workplace

Departments

5,

On our Cover

4 From the Publisher 36 Professionally Speaking 6 Since We Last Met 10 Build Up Pages 16 Around the Boardroom 17 Pierce Stronglove 31 Guest Commentary 32 Elections 38 Who’s News 44 Business Calendar 45 Advertiser Index 46 Key Statistics

Critical skills training helps bridge the gap between employers looking to create new jobs with local residents in search of meaningful employment.

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 3

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Less often addressed at HR seminars, it’s a problem with which we’re all too familiar

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

The soft skills gap

Our cover story in this August 2012 issue on Page 18 examines a very real impediment to economic development in the region and across the country. Employers who have the ability to grow and aim to create new jobs, but have difficulty filling those jobs as a result of a lack of qualified job applicants able to adequately fill those positions.

The article highlights a variety of innovative programs offered through various academic institutions in northeast Wisconsin to help bridge the skills gap in the region, as well as some of the early success they’ve achieved.

But another skills gap is quietly emerging in an era where off-the-farm work ethic is eroding. And there’s no institution – academia, business or government – who can take singular ownership or responsibility for identifying a solution to the social issues associated with employees who don’t show up for work, can’t listen well enough or follow basic directions to manage the otherwise unskilled responsibilities of entry-level positions. Employers are recognizing a growing number of job candidates and eventual new hires who feel a sense of entitlement to come to work on their own terms and receive a premium compensation without having to earn it.

It’s a genuine problem that more and more northeastern Wisconsin employers are recognizing, and it’s stifling their growth.

One northeast Wisconsin manufacturer in the plastics industry said it’s cycled through nearly 100 employees provided by staffing agencies during the past 12 months, all to fill entry-level positions, and only five of those people have been hired on to the company as fulltime employees. The reason - most simply didn’t show up for their shifts.

During a mid-July workforce summit conducted by Competitive Wisconsin Inc. in Oshkosh, John Petak, one of the co-owners of Oshkosh-based industrial saw producer Marvel Manufacturing Co., said he’s having trouble finding qualified employees as well.

To illustrate his point, Petak defined for the audience the term “qualified employee” as “someone who shows up to work every day and has a good work ethic.”

He didn’t necessarily define “qualified” as someone who comes in with the right job experience or academic pedigree.

“We’ll pay to send them to school” to receive the training they need, Petak said.

In the commercial construction industry – hard hit from the recession and still grasping

for a toehold to get back on its feet – the shear number of applications coming in for job openings are down to almost zero in some cases, indicated Cheri Galecke, director of human resources for DeLeers Construction and Joseph A. Interiors in De Pere.

In late July, Galecke said they had about three or four openings for carpenters on the millwork side of its business, and another handful of positions on the construction side.

Fortunately, the job openings are more a result of growth than they are turnover among staff, yet, Galecke echoed Petak’s experience that quality job candidates are hard to find.

“Just showing up for work and taking accountability” are attributes DeLeers is having a tough time finding in its new hire candidates.

Passion to do good work and get the job done right is a fleeting characteristic. They’re willing to train new hires to be good carpenters, Galecke said, they’re just struggling to find motivated job candidates.

DeLeers experience isn’t unique among commercial contractors on the rebound in northeast Wisconsin. Unfortunately, that’s meant a workforce environment in which growing construction firms compete for the best employees, often competing by luring professionals away from competitors with higher pay.

So who owns this sociological conundrum?

Should it be parents? Our schools? The atlarge business community? Our government?

For its part, Fox Valley Technical College President Susan May said the school places many of the same demands on students that employers would – not to be overly strict – but to prepare students for the level of discipline most employers demand. Expectations that students show up for class, meet deadlines, and work effectively in a team environment all play a role in a student’s eventual matriculation, reinforcing this work ethic for students’ eventual careers.

That’s refreshing in an era where students expect to be treated like adults, even if they don’t act like adults. This invisible ailment to our workforce skills gap is one that needs to be swept out from under the rug and play a greater role in the discussion of creating a world-class workforce in the New North.

Without the entire package of these soft skills and a recapturing of our noted Midwestern work ethic, skilled workers aren’t much more than a warm body collecting a paycheck. And that’s a long-term problem for everyone. www.newnorthb2b.com

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

Documenting Discipline and Discharge

by Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.

Tony Renning

920.232.4842

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

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

Reader Question: Should we be documenting the reason(s) for discipline/ discharge?

Tony Renning: All disciplinary action, including discharge, should be documented and retained in an employee’s personnel file. Additionally, employees should be given copies of all discipline/ discharge documents.

Contemporaneous documentation protects against unavailable witnesses and memory loss over time. Additionally, contemporaneous documentation protects against the impression that the reason(s) for discipline/discharge was fabricated post hoc.

Bear in mind that the documentation you create most likely will become a significant part of any dispute (e.g., unemployment, discrimination, wrongful discharge, etc.). Accordingly, employers should include, at a minimum, the following in any discipline/discharge

Sean Fitzgerald

Publisher & President

sean@newnorthb2b.com

Carrie Rule

Sales Manager

carrie@newnorthb2b.com

Kate Erbach Production

Contributing writers

Robin Driessen Bruecker Lee Marie Reinsch Chief Financial Officer

Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA

documents: • Background information, including specifics as to the facts and circumstances (reasons) giving rise to the discipline/discharge.

• Reference to the rule or policy that was violated.

• Information as to prior incidents supporting the decision to discipline/ discharge.

• Employee acknowledgement of receipt (if the employee refuses to sign the acknowledgement, the employer should note that fact on the discipline/ discharge document itself).

Finally, employees have a legal right to make a written response to any personnel document, including documentation concerning discipline/discharge.

Section 103.13, Wis. Stats.

For counsel as to discipline/discharge and the appropriate documentation of same, contact Tony Renning at (920)

NEW NORTH B2B is published monthly

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Bulk-rate postage paid at Oshkosh, WI. Reproduction of any contents of NEW NORTH B2B without express written permission of its publishers is strictly forbidden. The appearance of any advertisement or product information does not constitute endorsement of any product or service by WINNEBAGO B2B LLC. Copyright 2012.

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

232-4842 or trenning@dkattorneys. com or any other member of the Davis & Kuelthau Labor and Employment Team.

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

“Professionally Speaking” is a promotional spot for business professionals to share their expertise with New North B2B readers.

Green Bay

Fox Cities

Oshkosh

Fond du Lac NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 5

SINCE WE LAST MET

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

June 21 The Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges against Town of Dale Treasurer Erica Siewert and Town Clerk Marcia Kelly for alledgedly stealing town funds for their own personal expenses. According to the criminal complaint, Siewert charged $28,118 to town credit cards over six years, while Kelly charged $48,474 during the same period.

The missing funds came to light through an audit of town finances earlier this year. Siewert resigned her post with the town that same day, and Kelly resigned shortly after.

June 25 The Board of Trustees for Medical College of Wisconsin announced Green Bay will be home to one of two satellite medical education campuses it plans to develop by 2015.

The proposed $23 million campus will work in partnership with Green Bay’s four major hospitals which will collaborate to create residency programs for students of the medical college.

Classes at the proposed medical college are scheduled to begin by 2015. The second satellite medical education campus will be located in central Wisconsin.

June 26 The Outagamie County Board of Supervisors approved bor-

rowing $4 million to construct an 8,000-sq. ft. general aviation terminal at the south end of Outagamie County Regional Airport, away from the main commercial passenger terminal.

The nearly $6.5 million facility – which will be accompanied by a 12,000-sq. ft. hangar – will replace the existing Platinum Flight Center terminal built nearly 50 years ago. The county will cover nearly $5 million of the project’s total cost, while state and federal grants will account for the remaining $1.5 million. The project is expected to be complete by early 2013.

June 26 Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay received approval for a $2.95 million project to reconstruct portions of the air carrier ramp and to purchase a new snow plow/ broom vehicle. The project will be funded by more than $2.65 million from the Federal Aviation Administration, and with contributions of $147,500 each from the state and from Brown County. The project is scheduled to be complete by December.

June 26 The Village of Kimberly Board of Trustees approved changes to its comprehensive plan which will allow AIM Development to redevelop portions of the former NewPage paper mill into a waterfront residential development along the Fox River.

The decision from the village board also required that the area

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August 9 – The state kicked off its SeniorCare Prescription Drug Assistance Program, a $100 million initiative to make prescription medication more affordable to the elderly on fixed incomes.

August 16 – Fox Valley Technical College was awarded $50 million in federal grants for law enforcement training and programs to keep children safe. Over the next five years, FVTC will receive $1.8 million annually for child protection and abuse, $3.2 million to prevent and investigate Internet crimes against children, and $5 million for the Amber Alert program.

2004 August 13 – The Wisconsin Department of Revenue reported Wisconsin property values were up about $30 million from a year ago, with a third of the increase resulting from new construction. Property valuation increased 5.8 percent in Fond du Lac County to a total of $5.61 billion, while valuation jumped to 7.2 percent in Winnebago County to $9.89 billion.

6 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

2009 August 12 – Gov. Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency in 41 counties suffering from drought conditions, including Outagamie County. The declaration expedites requests from farmers for temporary irrigation permits to divert stream or lake water to irrigate crops.

www.newnorthb2b.com

SINCE WE LAST MET immediately adjacent to the river be developed for a public recreational trail.

June 28 The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the president’s systematic health care overhaul which begins to take effect in 2014. The majority of the court opined that the law’s requirement that individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may be characterized as a tax and falls within the congressional authority to levy taxes. In making its ruling, the court did reject the argument that the law’s individual mandate was justified by Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce, and it also found the law exceeded its constitutional authority to expand Medicaid by coercing states into participating in the expansion by threatening them with the loss of existing federal payments.

June 28 The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved a $35,250 grant to St. Vincent and St. Mary’s Hospital Home Health of Green Bay through the state’s Medical Telecommunications Equipment Program. The grant will be used to purchase 10 in-home monitors for at-risk patients with chronic medical conditions.

July 2 The City of Green Bay received a $377,899 grant from

the state’s Lift Bridge Aids Program to help reimburse certain maintenance and operational costs from 2011 for the Main Street Bridge over the Fox River in downtown.

July 3 Outagamie County dropped out of discussions to develop a regional 911 dispatch center along with Calumet and Winnebago counties, indicating the prospective cost savings would not be enough to justify the elimination of positions in Appleton. The effort exploring the possibility of a regional dispatch center has been underway for nearly two years. A feasibility study on the proposal completed in July 2011 determined a regional dispatch center could save $270,000 in capital expenses and $614,000 annually in operating costs through decreased staffing.

July 5 U.S. District Judge William Griesbach of Green Bay ruled NCR Corp. and Appleton Papers Inc. will not have to pay further costs toward the cleanup of PCBs from Little Lake Butte des Morts and southern portions of the lower Fox River. The two companies argued they can’t be held solely responsible for discharging toxic byproducts of carbonless paper production into the river during the 1950s and 1960s.

July 6 The U.S. Department of Education approved Wisconsin’s waiver for flexibilities under the federal No Child Left Be-

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State officials said they will continue to develop a fair and transparent system for evaluating and improving Wisconsin’s public, choice and charter schools.

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The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions reported the number of new business entities formed in the state through the first six months of 2012 increased by nearly 9 Waug oo A percentve. to 19,021, compared to 17,481 new businesses registered with the state during the first half of 2011.

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The Oshkosh Common Council approved a zoning change from residential to commercial for property on 9th Avenue at the interchange with U.S. Highway 41 for CVS Pharmacy to build a 13,000-sq. ft. retail store. Through discussions dating back to April, the council struggled to weigh concerns of the adjacent residential neighborhood with perceptions the community is inhospitable toward businesses looking to expand in Oshkosh.

July 12 Prevea Health and St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay announced an agreement with Madison-based Dean Health Plan to offer health insurance products beginning this fall enrollment season through an integrated, managed care provider network in northeast Wisconsin. Called Prevea360 Health Plan, the insurance products will feature a network of hospitals, physicians and ancillary providers based on Prevea’s physician group and its partner hospitals, including St. Mary’s and St. Vincent Hospitals in Green Bay and St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan. Prevea officials said the goal of the new insurance offering is to provide patients with high quality care while driving unnecessary costs out of the health care delivery system.

July 12 Officials for The Windhover Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac announced a multi-million dollar expansion plan to nearly double the size of the existing facility to include space for outdoor live entertainment, expanded classrooms, a dynamic new art gallery, and a premier wedding destination. The Windhover Center purchased the adjoining property to the west in downtown Fond du Lac, and will construct a nearly 18,000-sq. ft. expansion to its facility for a finished art center of 37,200 square feet. The project is expected to be complete

by Fall 2013, and the art center is expected to remain open as often as possible during construction.

July 12 The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Fox Valley 8 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

SINCE WE LAST MET Technical College signed a transfer articulation agreement for FVTC aviation program graduates to transfer a block of credits into the new aviation management emphasis through the bachelor of applied studies degree program at UW Oshkosh. Students will gain leadership and management skills focusing on areas such as airline management, aviation law and labor relations, and aeronautics systems analysis. The program can be taken completely online, with the first courses scheduled to begin in September.

July 13 Hicks Acquisition Company II, Inc. terminated its proposed acquisition of Appleton Papers Inc., citing volatile market conditions. The proposed $675 million deal announced on May 16 would have sold a majority stake in the employeeowned specialty thermal paper producer to the Texas-based capital investment firm, with plans to change the company’s name to Appvion and trade shares publicly on the Nasdaq Exchange. The deal was expected to help Appleton improve its balance sheet and enhance its access to capital.

July 17 Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac received a $705,647 Wisconsin Workforce Partnership Grant from the Wisconsin Covenant Foundation Inc. to establish 15-week manufacturing skills academies that can result in either an entry level welding certificate or a computer numerical control machine operator certificate. Through the program, students will be required to serve internships through partnering employers at Amerequip Corp. in Kiel, Brenner Tank and MidStates Aluminum Corp. in Fond du Lac, or at John Crane Orion in Grafton. The grant is expected to help create 108 skilled workers to fill open positions in the region.

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July 17 Illinois-based West Shore Pipe Line Co. shut down service to an oil pipeline that carries fuel to Green Bay after identifying an underground rupture in Washington County that spilled an estimated 1,000 barrels. The pipeline – which transports nearly 70,000 barrels of fuel a day from Chicago to Green Bay – was shut down until federal regulators determined it was safe to continue transporting fuel without leaking.

July 19 Oshkosh Corp. was awarded a contract to provide the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces with 750 mine resistant, all-terrain military vehicles. The company is expected to deliver the trucks to the UAE government between January and August 2013. While Oshkosh Corp. didn’t disclose a dollar amount for the contract, some industry analysts estimated its worth at nearly $330 million.

Ahern’s 2011 construction project costs were within 1.3% of our original estimates.

July 20 The Federal Transit Administration awarded a $312,722 grant to Green Bay Metro Transit to equip its 36 busses with new radios and to purchase a new bus wash system and a new floor scrubber. Four other communities in southern Wisconsin also received similar funding under the federal State of Good Repair and Bus Livability programs.

800.532.4376 | www.jfahern.com

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 9

BUILD UP FOND DU LAC

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Build Up Fond du Lac 1 - N6425 Stanchfield Dr., Fond du Lac, C Wausau Equipment Co., a 9,000-sq. ft. warehouse facility. Project completion expected in September. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

3 - 123 E. Larsen Dr., Fond du Lac, C McNeilus Steel, a 96,000-sq. ft. industrial coil processing facility. Project completion expected in August 2013. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

Build Up Oshkosh

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

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- 1755 W. Fernau Ave., Oshkosh, FedEx Ground, a 13,950-sq. ft. addition to the existing distribution facility.

Project completion expected in August. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.

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BUILD UP OSHKOSH 4

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5 - 100 W. Fernau Ave., Oshkosh, Lakeside Packaging Plus, an addition to the existing warehouse.

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10 - 3601 Oregon St., Oshkosh, Fox Valley Technical College - Spanbauer Center, an 8,290-sq. ft. addition to the existing campus as well as a remodel of the existing building.

1821 Jackson St., Oshkosh, C Dollar Tree, partially rebuild a former banquet hall facility for a new retail store.

7 - 1410 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, Paine Art Center & Arboretum, a 3,600-sq. ft. addition and remodel of the existing carriage house for a conservatory to host receptions.

Project completion expected in December.

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- 750 Witzel Ave., Oshkosh, CitizensFirst Credit Union, a new branch office. Project completion expected in September.

- 1725 W. 9th Ave., Oshkosh, Kwik Trip, a new convenience store, fuel station and fuel station canopy.

Projects completed since our July issue: • Kwik Trip, 1061 E. Johnson St., Fond du Lac. • University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh residence hall, 600 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh.

• T.J. Maxx, 1250 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh.

• Qdoba Mexican Grill, 1990 Menard Dr., Oshkosh.

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 11

BUILD UP FOX CITIES Build Up Fox Cities

Construction Co. of Kaukauna.

C - Indicates a new listing

8 - 3813 E. Calumet St., Appleton, PH East of Appleton, a multi-tenant retail building to include AE Jewelers and a Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurant. General contractor is James J. Calmes Construction Co. of Kaukauna.

1 - 2693 W. Grand Chute Blvd., town of Grand Chute, Appleton Alliance Church, a 105,300-sq. ft. addition to the existing church campus.

2 - 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., town of Grand Chute,

Fox Valley Technical College Jones Dairy Farm Culinary Theatre, a 7,456-sq. ft., 120-seat theater for culinary demonstrations.

Project completion expected in December.

3 - 4301 W. Wisconsin Ave., town of Grand Chute, C

Target Department Store, a 7,661-sq. ft. addition to the existing retail store.

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1313 Holland Road, Little Chute, Outagamie County Highway Department, a 2,406-sq. ft. addition to the existing county highway offices.

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- 1801 Progress Way, Kaukauna, G&G Machining, a new 37,120-sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is James J. Calmes Construction Co. of Kaukauna.

6 - 109 W. Second St., Kaukauna, East Wisconsin Savings

Bank, a 25,000-sq. ft. addition to and remodel of the existing bank building. Project completion expected in September.

7 - W672 Riverview Ct., Kaukauna, C City of Kaukauna pool facility, a 1,080-sq. ft. utility building. Project completion expected in August. General contractor is James J. Calmes

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- 2605 S. Lakeland Dr., Appleton, Flair Flexible Packaging, a 13,935-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility and a new parking lot. Project completion expected in September. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

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- 1205 Wittmann Dr., Menasha, Appanasha Pet Clinic, a new veterinary clinic facility.

11 - 101 Main St., Neenah, Affinity Health System, a two-story, 31,400-sq. ft. medical clinic building.

12 - 651 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah, Dollar Tree, a 9,508-sq. ft. addition to the existing retail store.

13 - 647 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah, Festival Foods, a 74,603-sq. ft. retail grocery store building.

14 - 2460 Towerview Dr., Neenah,

American Enterprises LLC, a 13,950-sq. ft. warehouse and office building.

15 - 585 Jensen Road, Neenah, C Plexus Corp., a 410,000-sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in fall of 2013.

Projects completed since our July issue: • Little Chute Windmill, 130 W. Main St., Little Chute.

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Serving all of Northeast Wisconsin.

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BUILD UP FOX CITIES 5 thru 7

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

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

9 2 0 . 7 3 3 . 3 1 3 6 y 866.966.3928 y www.newbt.org NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 13

BUILD UP GREEN BAY

Connecting Construction Companies...

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

C - Indicates a new listing Bridging contractors and plan providers for over 50 years

...Building Businesses

1 - 2301 Hutson Road, Green Bay, Multipond America, a 24,000-sq. ft. remodel and expansion of the existing industrial building. Project completion expected in August. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 2 - 1499 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, C Cabela’s, a 100,000-sq. ft. retail store. Project completion expected in August 2013.

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www.bxwi.com ❘ dave.sippola@bxwi.com W2518 Cty Rd JJ ❘ Appleton, WI 54913

920.687.8782

3 - 2851 University Ave., Green Bay, Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic, a new 192,000-sq. ft. outpatient clinic for veterans services. Project completion expected in the spring of 2013.

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2970 Walker Dr., Green Bay, Little Rapids Corp., a 97,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility.

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5 - 1976 Lime Kiln Road, Bellevue, Game Stop, GNC, Sports Clips and Verizon, a 9,200-sq. ft. multi-tenant retail center. Project completion expected in October.

6 - 486 Globe Ave, Ashwaubenon, Pioneer Metal Finishing, a 9,800-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility.

7 - 3383 Spirit Way, Ashwaubenon, C FedEx Ground, a 100,000-sq. ft. distribution center and offices. Project completion expected in June 2013. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.

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8 - 1494 Mid Valley Dr., town of Lawrence, C

DeLorey Chiropractic, a new chiropractic clinic and office. Project completion expected in September.

9 - 1800 Lawrence Dr., De Pere, Bellin Health - De Pere West, an addition and alteration of the existing health care clinic.

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Projects completed since our July issue: • Vandervest Harley-Davidson, 1966 Velp Ave., Howard.

• Pioneer Credit Union, 921 S. Taylor St., Green Bay.

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8 9 A decade of leading business news coverage in northeastern Wisconsin

We’ve come a long way 2002 2012

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AROUND THE BOARDROOM

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Title: Family Business Succession: The Final Test of Greatness Author: Drew S. Medoza, Stephen L. McClure, John L. Ward Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (2010) Pages: 112 List Price: $23.00

Wisconsin’s ranking among the 50 states for the $7.2 billion worth of federal contracts awarded to state firms during 2011. That’s up from 10 years ago when Wisconsin ranked 42nd in federal sales.

Why Buy: “While our father was a great journalist and businessman, and a wonderful parent, his transition planning was inadequate.

Fortunately for our family and business we used the principles we found in Family Business Succession: The Final Test of Greatness to help guide us as we developed and implemented our succession plan.

As a result, we are a healthier and more prosperous family and family business than we ever dreamed possible.”

— Betsy McCool, Chairman, Western Communications, Bend, Ore.

Source: Wisconsin Procurement Institute

2012 SUMMER

Leisure GUIDE 2012

AUGUST CONCERTS

Live at Lunch Presented by

www.waterfest.org

2

THE ZOMBIES

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express Tin Sandwich

Music and food Wednesdays at noon in Opera House Square, downtown Oshkosh

Community Night – 2 for 1 Admission before 6PM

9 16

NIGHT RANGER

Mt. Olive n Lucas Cates Band

THE BODEANS

Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound Warren Hood and The Goods

BOULDER COUNTY CONSPIRACY 23 Sly Joe and the Jumbo Smooth Operators The Dead Horses

July Seating is limited. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets.

1 Sly Joe/Cranky Pat’s 8 KWT4/New Moon 15 John Kelley Trio/Becket’s

Community Night – 2 for 1 Admission before 6PM

REO SPEEDWAGON 30 Copper Box n Cheeseheads With Attitude Three Beers ‘Til Dubuque

Waterfest Finale - 5PM Start / Put your CWA Packer Face on!

Admission: $10 before 6PM; $15 before 7PM, $20 after 7PM; $25 Best View (in advance only)

(920)303-2266 · www.oshkoshchamber.com Thanks to our major sponsors:

info@waterfest.org ❘ 920.303.2265 ext. 22 16 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

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AROUND THE BOARDROOM

Prease Read Total Destructions WARNING: The sale isn’t final until your end user has successfully set up, assembled or installed and operated your product. Failure this late in the purchase could arguably be your most costly blunder, barring disasters like class action lawsuits. Instructions are no place to cut corners with useless diagrams, inconsistent terminology and illogical sequencing.

CAUTION: Opened packages returned by frustrated customers create loss beyond the form of returned product (how many more must you and/or your retailer sell to break even?). They also generate negative word-of-mouth and webbased product reviews and ratings from former customers who otherwise might rave about your product, eroding your brand – and putting your product at risk for discontinuation.

A few tips for compromising your return on your investments of product development, manufacturing, sales and marketing (including packaging, advertising, and in-store promotion): 1. State obvious and intuitive information in a thoroughly obfuscating manner. Example from Mother Stronglove’s Oneida food scale oneside/one-page “User’s Manual”: “The batteries are included in the packaging and the battery cover need only be opened for placement: (+), (+).”

2. Be sure labeled components in diagrams and exploded views (“wing nuts, 16-ct.”) do not align with step-bystep verbiage (“5mm butterfly nut”). For additional and unnecessary frustration, substitute alternate synonyms (e.g., “thumbnut”). Maximum confusion can be achieved by incorporating freestanding words and terminology from multiple, disconnected individuals – one for diagrams and illustrations, one for sub assembly, one for product operation, and one for product maintenance. Presto! Instant conglomerate nitwittery.

3. Install a single, perfunctory image to cover multiple assembly or installation steps. Using this approach twists your temporary customer into a confused and frustrated state of mind, especially if standing in her basement in two inches of water holding your partially installed sump pump.

4. Avoid noting and providing additional forms of customer support such as website FAQs (logically indexed for quick access), links to how-to videos, and customer service phone and/or email support.

5. Ignore the fact that a significant portion of your end users do not follow the scientific approach of reading everything through before beginning, but instead read instructions a step at a time, as if following a recipe.

Fluidmaster® replacement toilet fill valve and flapper instructions, for example, are folded and hidden behind the product inside a blister package whose graphic violator shouts “Installs in minutes!”

I’m no plumber, but I do enjoy an occasional do-it-yourself project. I get to wear my Snap-on® tool belt.

I didn’t want to replace the entire Neorest suite because this self-flushing, self-cleaning toilet is a spendy companion to Mother Stronglove’s seat-sensing bidet with automatic surround sound. Plus, Doo regularly uses it as a sure-fire water fountain and Water Pik® flosser. Excerpt: #10: …Snap ADAPTER RING away from FLAPPER. Align FLAPPER over mounting ears on base of OVERFLOW PIPE. Center FLAPPER over drain opening. Snap to mounting ears by pushing down on the rigid frame near mounting ears… #11 If there are no mounting ears on base of OVERFLOW PIPE, install ADAPTER RING…2) Slide ADAPTER down until it contacts base of OVERFLOW PIPE. Position spring clip opposite the drain seat… #14 Replace lid. Check lift action for proper flush… #15 Always clear sand and rust from system…

Persisting despite the instructions, Doo and I installed the apparatus, but not in minutes. If I’d given up and returned it, I wonder who would want to buy toilet hardware of questionable history in a Scotch® taped-up blister package, even if the retailer marks it down and takes a poopy loss?

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

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 17

COVER STORY

Bridging

the

Innovative programs attempt to fill unmet needs of area employers

Story by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B Publisher

18 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

When Hoffmaster closed its Appleton paper converting plant back in 2009, Andy Murdock wasn’t exactly sure what was in store for the rest of his career. He’d been running printing presses at the napkin manufacturer for 10 years at that point. It was a good job, but it was really all he was trained to do.

As the recession entered its second year and the news came that his job would be eliminated, the Neenah resident considered attempting to find work as a printer elsewhere. Then Murdock discovered his unemployment benefits included funds to go back to school, and he jumped at the opportunity. Murdock enrolled in the machine tooling program at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, and before he even graduated from the program last December, he’d already secured a job operating computer numerical control – or CNC, for short – equipment in the pattern shop at Neenah Foundry. The new position turned out to be better pay than what he earned previously, a better schedule, and offered Murdock a better sense of purpose.

“I feel like I found the job I was meant to do,” Murdock said in July after celebrating his first anniversary on the job.

Murdock’s story helps illustrate one example of an employee re-focusing his knowledge and skill set to better accommodate the emerging needs of the workforce in northeast Wisconsin. His experience landing a job quickly while still in school isn’t completely unusual. Over the course of Murdock’s time back in school, he said there were a number of job postings on the classroom wall from local employers looking for qualified, skilled machinists.

In fact, as recently as this past July 1, there were a total of 628 job postings for machinists on Wisconsin TechConnect in the Calumet, Outagamie, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago counties area served by FVTC. www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY

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That compares to 240 positions listed on the same popular job posting web site in July 2011, an increase of more than 150 percent.

This “skills gap” – the difference between the increasing number of available positions with New North region employers and the comparably small number of job applicants qualified to fill those roles – is a growing concern as unemployment creeps downward and our skills-based economy demands more workers with associate’s degree technical training, or the leadership and strategic management knowledge that’s often regarded with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Add to that a number of veteran employees in mid- to highly-skilled jobs looking toward retirement in a few years, and the skills gap becomes all the more dire.

“People just don’t understand what the real problem is and just how close we are to crisis,” said John Petak, one of the co-owners of Oshkosh-based industrial saw producer Marvel Manufacturing Co., during a mid-July workforce summit conducted by Competitive Wisconsin Inc. in Oshkosh.

Petak indicated his own company is anticipating 25 percent of its workforce will retire in the next five years, and despite proactive measure to hire replacements before those veteran employees leave, Marvel is having trouble finding qualified job candidates. It’s not alone.

Institutions of higher education are responding with creative, out-of-the-box approaches to train for these skills quickly and effectively, but all too often, the students aren’t coming.

Pivoting skills to new industries AS IN THE CASE OF Andy Murdock, a number of seasoned employees in northeast Wisconsin’s workforce have sought out training and education to re-focus their skills to completely different industries.

Another FVTC student, Debbie Wavrunek, is working toward wrapping up her degree in the meeting and event management program and already started a job at Appleton-based A-mazing Events as an event coordinator. Wavrunek had already earned an associate’s degree in marketing from another technical college back in 2007, and had since worked as a receptionist for a Fox Valley beverage distributor before being laid off in July 2010.

Fox Valley Tech, like many of the two-year technical college’s across the state, served an influx of adult students displaced from the workforce after the recession hit in 2008.

“We saw this skills gap coming before the recession hit,” said Susan May, president of Fox Valley Technical College, who said regional workforce trends forecast a skills shortage in the local workforce, which was simply delayed by a few years as a result of the recession and the resulting workforce slowdown.

The above-mentioned job candidate shortage for machine operators pales in comparison to the needs of the transportation industry. In Wisconsin alone, there is a need for 8,000 to 10,000 truck drivers and more than 400 diesel technicians annually, according to the Wisconsin Trucking Consortium, a

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 19

COVER STORY ...as recently as this past July 1, there were a total of 628 job postings for machinists on Wisconsin TechConnect in the FVTC service area....that compares to 240 positions listed on the same popular job posting web site in July 2011. statewide industry group that’s actively looking to tackle the worker shortage.

FVTC trains for both truck drivers and mechanics, both growing industries in northeast Wisconsin because of the region’s heavy manufacturing emphasis. A proposed expansion to the school’s transportation education center in Appleton – which was included in the $65 million facilities referendum approved by district voters this past April – expects to accommodate doubling student capacity to meet that industry demand.

May said the two programs have waiting lists, and expects even more students to demonstrate interest when the expanded transportation facility is completed next year. But like many other technical colleges across the state, FVTC still struggles to transition recent high school graduates into sought-after manufacturing trades like machine operators.

“People are still cautious about taking positions in manufacturing because (after the temporary drop in employment when the recession hit) they feel there’s always the possibility of being laid off,” said Jim Eden, vice president of academic affairs at Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac. He said they continue to hear of local manufacturers looking for welders, CNC operators and brake press operators.

Perhaps good for the short-term future of the local workforce but a sign that training capacity needs to be expanded, Eden said Moraine Park’s CNC machining program is full for this coming fall. But those students won’t be ready to enter the workforce for another two years.

A short-term solution Always attempting to find out-of-the-ordinary solutions to help local employers meet customer demand, Moraine Park developed a 15-week “boot camp” program to quickly train unskilled workers for an entry level welding certificate or a computer numerical control machine operator certificate.

Gov. Scott Walker visited the Fond du Lac campus this past July to award a more than $700,000 grant from the Wisconsin Covenant Foundation to support the effort, which aims to help create more than 125 skilled workers in these trades over the next three years.

The program begins this fall with a group of 15 people, and should be able to produce a new crop of workers with entrylevel manufacturing skills by the end of 2012.

“In this economy right now, these employers can’t wait for two years (the time it would take to go through a traditional associate’s degree program),” said JoAnn Hall, dean of economic and workforce development at Moraine Park and one of the developers of the program.

Through the training program, Hall said students will be required to serve internships through four partnering manufacturing employers located in the school’s service area, companies that Moraine Park has worked with previously to develop training programs to enhance productivity. Hall said these companies receive piles of applications to fill job openings they desperately need filled, but often the candidates don’t possess the basic entry-level skills necessary to successfully carry out the job descriptions. Those companies will hopefully help funnel unskilled, but potentially promising job applicants through the program to help develop the kind of employees they need.

Students who complete the boot camp program through Moraine Park can easily transition that training into the school’s two-year associate degree program, even completing that additional education while being employed in their new skilled field, Hall said.

Environmental shortages

Submitted photo

The machine tool lab at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.

20 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

A more quiet industry in the region, environmental management has always had a presence in northeast Wisconsin, and recently a number of local employers have emerged as national and global leaders in their area of expertise. As a result, these firms have experienced growth and demand more skilled staff, but have suffered similar challenges finding qualified job candidates.

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is launching a new environmental engineering degree program this coming fall focusing on waste and water technology, an industry expecting 20 percent employment growth nationally over the next decade.

Unfortunately, there’s been few places that provide training for this field, said Laura Gerold, the environmental engineering technology program coordinator and instructor at NWTC. www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY has capacity for more students but a difficult time soliciting interest. Gerold said entry-level environmental technicians can expect to earn in the low $30,000-range in northeast Wisconsin fresh out of school.

“I don’t think people know this is a viable option and that there’s some good opportunities available when you get done,” Gerold said of environmental fields.

Her advisory board – made up of professionals from municipal utilities and private industry in the region – indicated the same challenges as their counterparts in manufacturing professions.

“They all said they have a real hard time finding anyone qualified in Wisconsin,” Gerold said. “They’ve been scouring other states (to fill unmet job openings).”

Leadership skills gaps

“

Another component of the skills gap discussion that doesn’t generally receive as much attention is the need to groom and nurture existing employees to step into more strategic, leadership roles within their organization.

The number of Wisconsin residents with bachelor’s degrees or more is lower than the national average and far less than our neighbors in Illinois and Michigan.

Conversely – and despite the skills shortage described here – Wisconsin boasts one of the highest rates of workers with two-year degrees in the nation.

One solution educators and workforce development officials have found for increasing the number of Wisconsin residents with bachelor’s degrees is to continue to educate those workers who already earned an associate’s degree.

Both the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and UWOshkosh offer unique bachelor of applied studies programs targeting the working adult who already achieved a two-year degree from one of the region’s technical colleges.

The 5-year-old program can even be taken entirely online

People just don’t understand what the real problem is and just how close we are to crisis.

”

- John Petak, co-owner, Marvel Manufacturing Co.

Compound that with an aging workforce. Gerold said an informal straw poll taken during a recent statewide convention of wastewater treatment plant operators confirmed what many in the profession already knew – 80 percent of its certified and degree-holding workforce in Wisconsin are age 50 and older.

The program launching at NWTC this fall currently has eight students enrolled, and Gerold strongly believes all of its graduates will be highly recruited upon completion. Again – like some of its counterpart programs in skilled manufacturing – it

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COVER STORY through UW-Green Bay, where students enter the program transferring in 60 credits and start with a junior standing, said Eric Craver, the director of external relations for the division of outreach and adult access at UW-Green Bay. The program is an interdisciplinary studies major in which students enhance their already-earned technical education with fine arts, humanities, communication and critical thinking coursework. They can select from focused emphases in areas such as public service leadership, emergency management or corporate communications, among others, or they can design their own self-directed area of emphasis, Craver indicated.

The program has proven to be a workforce solution for area employers looking to enhance the education of their employees. Of the nearly 850 students who have completed the bachelor of applied studies program at Green Bay since it was launched in 2007, most still live and work nearby.

“In fact, about 90 percent still live within a half-hour drive of Green Bay,” said Craver.

Designed strictly for working adults, the program’s courses are generally held during evenings and typically include only adult students.

UW-Oshkosh rolled out its bachelor of applied studies program at the same time as Green Bay, offering similar articulation agreements to transfer credits from technical college degrees into its own programs. Oshkosh offers areas of emphasis in leadership and organizations studies, fire and emergency response management, and last month unveiled a new aviation management program.

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Helping develop executive talent At an even higher level, UW-Oshkosh is rolling out a new dynamic in its already noteworthy master’s in business administration degree to develop a first-of-its-kind executive MBA program in northeast Wisconsin.

With plans to start in January 2013, this accelerated 16-month degree program evolved from conversations with more than 300 northeast Wisconsin employers struggling to find and attract post-graduate business executives to the region, said Kathy Hagens, the MBA program director for UWOshkosh’s College of Business.

“

In this economy right now, these employers can’t wait for two years.

”

- JoAnn Hall, dean of economic and workforce development, Moraine Park Technical College

“We continued to hear (from employers) that they need people who can lead and manage in an increasingly complex environment,” Hagens said. “The executive MBA program is targeted to those folks with a bit more experience that are perhaps in a leadership role already.”

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www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY An estimated 80 percent of certified and degree-holding wastewater treatment plant employees in Wisconsin are age 50 and older.

Candidates for this focused MBA program primarily have at least eight years or more of work experience, Hagens said, and can expect a classroom which is a bit more interactive where fellow students discuss real life examples from their work history rather than memorizing academic theory. The program will have a stronger emphasis on leadership than the more traditional MBA program offered through the school, Hagens said, as well as studies in change management and strategy development, among other areas of running an organization.

Health care boom While we haven’t even scratched the surface of the health care industry, the good news in this booming sector of job growth is that students seem to understand well-paying jobs are available and – particularly during the past decade – gravitated to a variety of training programs for nursing and medical technicians.

Recognizing that a number of leaders in health care often rose up through the ranks during their career after starting with a two-year degree in a specific discipline, Marian University in Fond du Lac established a health care administration bachelor’s degree program within its School of Business in 2009. The program encompasses a number of the complex legal, technological and patient-based dynamics that make health care unique and prepares graduates for entry-level positions within

integrated health care systems.

In response to nursing shortages in the area nearly 10 years ago, UW-Oshkosh created its accelerated bachelor’s to BSN program which allows students with a bachelor’s degree in another field to go through an intensive 12-month program to achieve a bachelor’s of science in nursing degree. Today the program is available almost entirely online, with the exception of lab work and clinical rotations.

Working together The skills gap does present a competitive issue for employers in the region.

Through these and other creative endeavors in secondary education, training is becoming more readily available to prepare workers for those skills which are in demand.

At the same time, the business community needs to be open to collaboration with these training programs to ensure they have the direction, resources and opportunities available to train our region’s workforce for both the short and long term, noted UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard Wells during the aforementioned workforce development summit in July.

“We believe this is the time to invest in the people of Wisconsin and that the public support provided to education is really best viewed as our shared investment in the future we hope to create for our children and others who follow us.”

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 23

FAMILY BUSINESS

Succeeding in

Succession Transitioning family business between generations is complicated, but can be smooth with proper planning

Story by Lee Marie Reinsch

Retire from your post in a publicly traded company and they’ll demand your unused Post-Its and change your passwords.

Retire from your own family business, and they’ll call you to babysit.

Every family business has its own way of handling things, whether it’s the coffee kitty or passing the steering wheel on to the next generation.

Brothers and third-generation owners of Kaukauna-based Kobussen Buses, Ltd., Joe Kobussen and his younger brother, Dan, get along pretty well. Their twin offices are right next to each other’s, so they avert some of the issues that dogged previous generations.

“We work right alongside each other and we talk all the time,” Joe Kobussen said. “We learned from what we saw in the past and we fixed things we saw that we didn’t like.”

First on the fix-it list: communication, which wasn’t the best with Generation Two. Their dad and uncle were competitive to the detriment of their relationship.

“We watched our father and uncle try to work together, and they had more animosity for each other, more competition.

They would look across the fence (at the other’s bus terminal) and say ‘I’ve got to change things,’” Kobussen said. “When something went wrong, they would blame each other – you know, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ and that kind of thing.”

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A more complicated affair Dale Feinauer, a professor of human resources at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the faculty liaison to the Wisconsin Family Business Forum, sees sticky family issues every day via his work with a variety of family businesses in northeast Wisconsin.

“Overlay the dynamics of a family on top of the dynamics that already exist in any business where there is complexity in the relationships between owner and employee and between coworkers,” Feinauer said. “Now these coworkers may be cousins, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, fathers and daughters – and that complexity makes the dynamics of the workplace that much more complex.”

Two-thirds of family businesses don’t transition from first generation to second or second generation to third, Feinauer said. “Grandpa transitioned it to Dad – OK, hopefully we eliminated the learning curve when that happened, so you would think Dad would do a better job of passing it to daughter but that doesn’t happen,” he said. “We only get a one-third success rate each generation, and it doesn’t seem to go up.”

Wisconsin Family Business Forum serves as a resource and sounding board for family businesses, whether it’s regarding rights of shareholders or getting your boss to quit calling you ‘Willybear’ in public. It holds workshops and talks on topics such as succession planning, mentoring and the emotional iswww.newnorthb2b.com

FAMILY BUSINESS sues involved in transitioning leadership.

Often in a family business that is transitioning, the question of who owns it pops up, Feinauer said.

“It can be a separate question from who ought to operate it,” Feinauer said. “There will be the generations that have no interest in it who still may be owners of the business – and how do you manage in the relationship where you are separating some folks who are owners and operators and some folks who are operators but not owners?”

The forum handles questions like who should be in various roles in the organization, what roles should there be, who steps up, and how do you mentor family, Feinauer said.

Leadership schmeadership In an idyllic little 18th-century fiction world, the watchmaker’s children learn the trade over their pa’s shoulder.

By age 10, they’re ready to take over. (Which is a good thing, because the parents die of Bubonic Plague by page 14.)

Some transitions come naturally. Others, not so much.

“If I am a poet and my wife tells me to work in the family machine shop because it’s more lucrative than being a poet, then you have a poet running a machine shop,” Feinauer said.

If the “next generation” is an only child, he or she might feel pressured to continue the family tradition.

If the next generation is perceived by the workforce as undeserving or incompetent, rancor within the ranks can get well, pretty rank.

If the next generation consists of many kids, sibling rivalry can devour all of them. Add cousins to the mix, and the place starts to feel like the Gaza strip.

Heather Holly-Pinnow of Pinnow Sheet Metal, Inc. in Oshkosh said she’s glad her husband is an only child, after hearing stories of sibling squabbles and battles for parental fiscal affection. He worked for his parents since high school and never really considered anything else but carrying on the company his grandpa, Cliff started in 1965.

“He’s very proud of his family’s heritage and wanted to make his grandpa proud,” Holly-Pinnow said.

Family business forum peer groups linked her with other heirs apparent during the transition.

“Having that group was so important, to ask ‘Hey, you just went through it; what do you recommend,’” she said. “I think having a plan before you even get started was helpful to us.”

She and her husband, Tim, have 18 months left to go on a five-year buyout plan with his parents.

“Be open, talk about it; the more research you do, the easier it will go,” Holly-Pinnow said. “I think if everyone is talking and on the same page, it makes things so much easier.”

‘You never asked’ Feinauer said a surprising number of business owners have no succession plan and have never even broached the topic with anyone.

Jane Sweasy joined the family business, JAG Outdoor Advertising, Inc. in Algoma, after her father told her he was considering selling it.

“When I asked him how he could even think about selling something so near and dear to him – I personally considered it his lifeline – he made the comment to me, ‘Well, none of you kids ever had a real interest in it,’” Sweasy said. “I immediately looked him straight in the eye and responded, ‘Well, you never asked me.’”

It’s hard for kids to approach their parents with these types of issues, Feinauer said. “The next generation is hesitant about how do I go to mom and dad in a way that doesn’t sound like a sniveling next-generation ingrate: ‘Give me the business, dad,’” he said.

If the founder or present leadership is emotionally invested in the company, leaving it can be devastating to their sense of identity.

“Ask any man in his 50s or above to tell you about himself, and he will no doubt start with what he does for a living,” Feinauer said. “How do you go from saying ‘I’m owner and president of XYZ’ to ‘I used to be’?”

On the Web Wisconsin Family Business Forum www.wfbf.uwosh.edu NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 25

FAMILY BUSINESS I’m done, but do what I tell you Kobussen said his grandfather didn’t make it easy for his parents to take over the busing business.

“Grandpa never let anything go; he said ‘You run the company, but do the things I tell you to do and do them when I tell you to do them,’” he said. “They looked around and said ‘We aren’t going to put our kids through that.’”

The third-generation Kobussen took over in 1998, when his parents, Jim and Marian, retired. They announced earlier that year they would, and within a few months, they did. No hovering.

“They backed away and said ‘Here, you guys have got to make the decisions,’” Joe Kobussen said. “I called my mother to ask something three months later, and she said, ‘I’ve put that out of my mind.’”

Jim Simpson’s dad, Bud, stayed on at Marion Body Works after turning over the reins in 1988.

“

The next generation is hesitant about how do I go to mom and dad in a way that doesn’t sound like a sniveling next-generation ingrate: ‘Give me the business, dad,’

”

Dale Feinauer, professor of human resources, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

“He was our chairman, but he had no direct reports,” Simpson said. “People would see his presence and go to him.”

That didn’t go over so well.

“The other troubling thing was I would get memos from him telling me things to do, and the last I checked, there were only 24 hours in a day,” Simpson said. “His (suggestions) would take 50 hours a day to implement.”

Walk softly, carry a big pruning shears Dad Simpson can still wield some influence. Their $50-million-a-year company consists of 1,000 shares of stock.

Simpson has 499, his sister and brother-in-law have 499, and their father, Bud, has two shares.

“He’s the tie breaker – the worst thing is a stalemate,” Simpson said. “If we ever did come to loggerheads, he would cast the deciding vote, although we’ve never had to use it.”

A few years ago, they bought the shares of another sister not involved in the business. Keeping the stock in control of family who are active in the business is like pruning the tree to keep it healthy, Simpson said.

“As the generations multiply, I have seen where there are five people working in the business and there are 100 family members who are shareholders,” Simpson said.

That can really tangle things up, according to Feinauer.

“There can be legitimate questions of ‘I own a fourth of the business and how much profit is the CEO getting,’” Feinauer said. “If my brother is the CEO and if the CEO is making $200,000, that affects what my share is worth.”

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26 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

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FAMILY BUSINESS Superforum to the rescue Wisconsin Family Business Forum helped Marion Body Works with more than one practical measure, Simpson said.

“My father struggled with how to transition out of the business, but after about five years of seminars and expert presentations at Wisconsin Family Business Forum, he was finally able to wrap his head around ‘OK, here’s a mechanism that works,’” Simpson said.

The forum inspired them to form an outside board of directors to get the perspectives of others besides relatives.

“It really professionalizes things quite a bit,” Simpson said.

The trainers understood our needs and developed a program that was exactly what we sought.

Mark Rohloff City Manager City of Oshkosh

If the next generation consists of many kids, sibling rivalry can devour all of them.

Add cousins to the mix, and the place starts to feel like the Gaza strip.

They also created a family council that meets once or twice yearly to share information among the generations. “In a vacuum of information, people will make up stories or make assumptions that are just wrong,” Simpson said.

Between Simpson and his sister and brother-in-law, they have five sons and no daughters, and they hope one or more of them might join the business.

“The function of the family council is to let them know what is going on and what the opportunities are and so forth, and if they would like to come into management with the family business, they have to do two things: they have to get a college degree, and they have to go away and work somewhere else for three years.”

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Dad + daughter = team After the shock of her father’s ‘threat’ to sell JAG Outdoor Signs sunk in, Sweasy left her position in the cosmetics industry and spent the next 15 years working with her father, Gerald “Jag” Haegele, until his death last year.

“When I made the decision to join my father in the business, I wasn’t even sure how long – or if – it would last,” Sweasy said.

“All I knew is that I was going to take it one day at a time and that I wanted to learn directly from him. If it was meant to be, I knew the dear Lord would reveal that to me.”

Adjacent offices with her father made communicating updates and opinions convenient.

“I can vividly recall times when I strongly challenged him on matters that I knew needed to be remedied or handled differently,” Sweasy said.

But throughout the mentoring process, Sweasy began to see the father-daughter relationship evolve into a respectful business-partner-to-business-partner relationship and eventually to one “where he was looking to me for answers, solutions and direction for the business,” Sweasy said.

“He still had and voiced his own opinions, still did his own research and bird-dogging, but I had now earned his respect as a trusted confidante and leader, and with that, his blessing and desire to have me at the helm of the family business.”

The Better Business Bureau joins these 100 year old NE Wisconsin BBB Accredited businesses in celebrating a century of consumer trust!

Custom Metal Roofing-Oshkosh, Dama Plumbing & Heating-Crivitz, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce-Green Bay, Heartland Farms-Hancock, Homestead Mutual Insurance Co.-Larsen, Maple Valley Mutual Ins. Co.-Lena, Meiselwitz-Vollstedt Funeral Home-Kiel, Pecard Chemical Co.-Green Bay, Quasius Construction-Sheboygan, Roe NurseriesOshkosh,Schroeder’s Flowers-Green Bay, Tennie’s Jewelry-Appleton, The Boldt Company-Appleton, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans-Appleton, Union Telephone Company-Plainfield, VerHalen -Green Bay, Welhouse Construction Services- Kaukauna, Zander Press-Brillion.

Lee Reinsch writes and edits from Green Bay. NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 27

SAFETY

¢ents Safety

Changing the cultural mindset around safety in the workplace is the most affordable insurance

The importance of a safety plan is – or should be – a given at any company.

Identifying safety issues and solutions, then creating a formal plan to prevent incidents, are both part of what makes a business successful.

Equally important is getting everyone to put the plan into practice every day and in every way, and make that second nature.

Story by Robin Driessen Bruecker

28 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

How does a company build a safety mindset throughout, integrating it with other job functions so it becomes a way of work life?

“Developing a safety culture must start at the top,” said Charles P. Howes, a safety consultant, corporate safety trainer and licensed private investigator for Integrated Risk Management Associates, an affiliate of Attorney’s Process & Investigation of Green Bay. The firm’s clients in northeast Wisconsin include construction, printing, plumbing, HVAC, warehousing, and manufacturing businesses.

“I have observed that the companies with the best safety records are companies where the president/CEO of the company sits in the front row and participates in the safety meetings,” noted Howes. “When employees see top management actively engaged in safety training, they know it’s an important part of the company’s culture, just like quality and productivity.”

www.newnorthb2b.com

SAFETY A core value Safety is one of three core values at mechanical, fire protection and pipe fabrication contractor J. F. Ahern Co. in Fond du Lac, the others being customer satisfaction and productivity.

“No one value is more important than the other and without each of these ‘legs’ supporting equally, the chair of success cannot stand,” said Mike Schultz, director of safety. “Ahern’s executive leadership drives this philosophy in everyday communication.”

For the last 10 years, Ahern’s safety record has averaged 2.7 times better than the industry average. The company has been recognized numerous times in the state and nationally for its safety achievements, most recently receiving a 2012 Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award from the Wisconsin Safety Council and the state Department of Workforce Development.

“These awards are great publicity, but more importantly, reflect the value our employees’ efforts bring to clients,” said Schultz. “Having a strong safety culture, our team is less likely to incur incidents. This helps keep our projects on schedule and allows for insurance savings to be passed along to clients on job quotes.”

According to Schultz, among the company’s many programs that enhance safety are job-specific safety pre-plan questionnaires; daily pre-task planning to identify, control and/or remove any hazards; and stretching exercises that get employees physically and mentally ready for the day’s activities. This all leads to a safe workplace, which means less stress and greater job satisfaction for employees.

“Knowing that the leadership of Ahern supports a safe work environment reassures the employees that they should always make the decision to work safely and stop work if it is not safe,” said Schultz.

Changing minds Green Bay-based RGL, a supplier of integrated material management services, worked to replace one mindset with another after realizing that many employees viewed injuries as simply being “part of the job.”

“The first step for us was to change that belief,” said Carol Jamrosz, vice president of risk management, who joined the company in 1999 when the mindset for injury was prevalent.

That meant decreasing onsite injuries, followed by an employee training program to better integrate safety practices and foster the view that rather than being accidental, injuries instead resulted from unsafe behaviors or conditions.

“We gathered data using several years of past injury reports and interviews with employees to develop training material that helped us reduce the frequency and severity of injuries immediately,” said Jamrosz.

Reading from the book Safety 24/7: Building an Incident-Free Culture, RGL held group sessions that combined discussions, role-playing with safety skills, and fun. The book has become required reading for all new employees, with all current staff having completed the training. Other training delivery methods include individualized, team-based, online, hands-on and visual.

Additionally, RGL uses a behavior safety audit, in which team members observe each other on the job and provide constructive feedback, Jamrosz said.

“RGL holds employees accountable for their own safety as well as the safety of their peers.” Shared at the safety meet-

Making a more meaningful safety effort In addition to top leadership being involved in safety meetings, Charles P. Howes, a safety consultant with Green Bay-based Integrated Risk Management Associates, listed other ways to promote a companywide mindset of safety: The most important safety metric is near misses. “Many employees don’t report near misses because they think nothing will be done about it anyway, so a potential accident becomes nothing more than idle lunchroom conversation,” said Howes. “I have seen neglect of near misses lead to fatalities, and the first question after a catastrophe or fatality is always ‘Why didn’t someone say something?’ Encourage employees to report near misses and do something to rectify potential problems as quickly as possible.”

Go beyond OSHA courses. “Many companies will send a few employees to an OSHA 10- or 30- hour course and then form a safety committee. An honorable intention, but woefully inadequate when it comes to preventing workplace accidents. Most of these seminar completion certificates and OSHA cards are issued to employees who have no positional power in the business hierarchy.

We must never forget that the OSHA standards are, indeed, only the minimum workplace safety standard; attendance and completion does not automatically make them safety experts.”

Teamwork and talk. “Teamwork is critical to the successful development of a safety culture, and open, honest communication is critical to teamwork. Successful businesses must place equal value on safety, quality, and productivity; otherwise, they run the risk of becoming both morally and financially bankrupt. And even more successful businesses have what the military calls an esprit de corps, [which] means pride and honor shared by a group. It is the quintessential essence of teamwork, and it can only be accomplished by repetitive training and sometimes frank criticism.”

Discipline. “No supervisor or manager who counts on their employees for success likes to discipline, but it’s part of the job. You cannot let safety infractions go undisciplined. Yet, discipline must always be fair and evenly applied.”

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 29

SAFETY ings, the audit results help identify unsafe behaviors and how to change them.

“Until recently, RGL was in a reactive mode,” noted Jamrosz.

“As we shifted to a more proactive preventive plan, our focus shifted from reporting injuries that already occurred to reporting near hits, and determining preventive and corrective measures.”

One of those measures, begun this past March, is the Hazard Identification Risk Analysis (HIRA) process, which rates the hazards listed in facility audits and incident reports, Jamrosz said.

RGL’s HIRA team recently finished the first audit.

“Based on the scores, we then can prioritize where our resources need to be applied to develop control measures and eliminate risk. As a result of having fewer injuries, we have been able to devote more time and resources to injury prevention and developing new safety practice methods.”

These team efforts to change the mindset from one of expecting injury to one of expecting safety have paid off. RGL, which includes RGL Specialty Services plus Leicht and Checker Logistics, received a 2012 Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award.

RGL Specialty achieved more than a million work hours without an OSHA-recordable injury over four years. As a result, business has increased with existing and new customers.

“Workplace safety is the minimum expectation and is treated as the right and only way to operate,” said Jamrosz. “Our employees are our most valuable resource, and their continued safety and well-being supersedes any other incentives that might result from workplace safety.”

Installing Installing Confidence Confidence 10

11

At Tri City Glass & Door, we know it takes more than just a great product to do the job right.

It takes the installation knowhow that comes from being in business since 1960.

Krueger’s True Value – Neenah, WI Clintonville High School – Clintonville, WI

Count on us to enhance your building with quality hardware, glass, and door products, installed on-time by experts.

From the top down In offering suggestions on how to foster a safety culture in the workplace, Jamrosz highlighted the importance of training, clearly defining safety expectations, and holding everyone accountable including company leaders.

“Our CEO and executive management team are passionate about working injury- and incident-free, and they willingly participate in safety training and lead by example,” said Jamrosz. “We have found that management support and understanding provides a major boost in continuing to move toward an excellent safety culture. At RGL, team training and accountability coupled with consistency are key to continuously building a more excellent safety culture.”

Ahern’s Schultz recommends that besides safety-committed leadership, add another factor to create the safety culture: “You must engage every employee within the company when building, improving and implementing the program.”

Our lives are divided into thirds – sleeping, working, and time with family and friends, Howes noted. “Because we spend almost as much time with our co-workers as we do with our families, we may actually start to see them as an extended family of sorts. We develop relationships where the injury of one can weigh heavily on the minds of many.

“When it comes to safety in the workplace, it has to be a one for all and all for one mentality.”

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

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30 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

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www.newnorthb2b.com

GUEST COMMENTARY

Education as a growth industry Why UW’s online degree plan has a promising niche in higher education

Tom Still President Wisconsin Technology Council

The University of Wisconsin System was a bit late to the digital education party, but at least it’s not a no-show.

The UW System is moving toward a “flexible degree” program built on flat-fee, atyour-own-pace online education, news that should be applauded by prospective students, business owners and state legislators.

That’s true even if some elements of the education community itself remain suspicious of how well it will work.

While the UW is a relative latecomer to granting flexible online degrees, it already offers 4,600 online courses. It also has a huge advantage not possessed by most of its competitors – a quality brand that can be marketed well beyond the state’s borders.

UW System President Kevin Reilly and UW-Extension Chancellor Ray Cross were joined by Gov. Scott Walker in late June to announce the “flexible degree” program, which will be rolled out over the next year or so. Skeptics quickly asked if the program will undercut the UW’s traditional campuses, how the tuition structure will work, whether quality can be upheld and how to guard against academic cyber-cheaters.

Legitimate questions, but here is why the flexible degree program will become an asset to the UW and the state: It will create more degree-holders. Because the state has 13 four-year UW campuses and 21 private colleges and universities, one might think Wisconsin has an aboveaverage share of adults with college degrees.

Not so. Wisconsin ranks below the U.S. average of adults with four-year degrees, which has a direct effect on workforce diversity and income. At least 700,000 adults in Wisconsin have some college credits. If even one-third of them wrapped up a degree online, the percentage of adults with a degree would quickly climb to the U.S. average.

It’s well-suited to older students. Few adults in their 30s and 40s want to be the Rodney Dangerfield character in “Back to School,” rubbing elbows with much younger students on campus. Jobs, kids and life get in the way. Signing up for online classes that produce a degree is another matter, however. It’s a movie with a happy ending for returning students.

It could give promising high-school students a head start. Given that “gifted and talented” programs in Wisconsin schools are under-funded and under-appreciated, how

about giving some of the state’s college-bound kids a head start online? They could earn credits before they ever set foot on campus.

It will help businesses train workers faster for key jobs. The online program will initially focus on some of Wisconsin’s largest skills gaps – information technology, health care and business and management. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those are three sectors with a growing demand for workers. Maybe the UW can even produce a few “virtual welders,” if that’s what it takes.

It will help the UW confront its budget problems. The program is less about creating new courses than repackaging and reformatting current offerings. It will also tap into courses outside the UW itself, when needed.

If it is modeled after successful programs such as Western Governors University, it will begin with public and private pledges and become self-sustaining over time. Students who take courses through WGU are eligible for state financial aid in their home states.

Budgets are forcing colleges and universities into larger classes, anyway. Why not use online classes to teach well in larger settings?

It will become an export industry. Nearly 10 years ago, the Wisconsin Technology Council identified “workforce education” as a cluster poised for growth. In its report, “Vision 2020: A Model Wisconsin Economy,” the Tech Council urged making Wisconsin a center for workforce education and retraining, including content development, delivery and credentialing. One recommendation called for “shared plans and strategies to increase the export of high-technology workforce education products to foreign markets and the import of foreign customers for hightechnology workforce education services.”

Online education helps take geography out of that equation. It allows marketing of the UW brand to a world that already equates that brand to quality.

There will always be a demand for face-toface education because so much of the educational experience is about the teacher-student relationship. However, in a world with more digital natives – people at ease with learning, communicating and much more online – the UW’s flexible degree program offers yet another tool for the times.

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

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 31

ELECTIONS

The following is a list of candidates from B2B’s readership area who submitted sufficient signatures on their nomination forms to the state Government Accountability board as of the July deadline. The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 14 to reduce the number of candidates in each political party to one, and the general election is slated for Nov. 6.

New North B2B will include in-depth responses from candidates on issues of importance to the business community in our October 2012 edition.

State Assembly District 1

(Includes portions of Green Bay and eastern Brown County) Garey Bies (R) Inc.

Arnie Johnsrud (D)

Sister Bay votebies.com

Algoma johnsrudforassembly.com Patrick Vesser (D) Luxemburg

District 2

(Includes De Pere, Denmark, Wrightstown and rural southern Brown County) AndrĂŠ Jacque (R) Inc.

Larry Pruess (D)

Green Bay

Two Rivers

District 3

(Includes Combined Locks, Kimberly, Sherwood and portions of Appleton, Menasha and Little Chute as well as rural portions of northwestern Calumet County)

32 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

Al Ott (R) Inc.

Kole Oswald (D)

Forest Junction

Appleton oswaldforassembly.com

Brandi Lefeber (R)

Josh Young (I)

Hilbert brandilefeber2012.info

Combined Locks young4assembly.webs.com

www.newnorthb2b.com

ELECTIONS District 4

District 54

(Includes Allouez, Ashwaubenon and portions of Green Bay, Hobart and Howard) Chad Weininger (R) Inc.

Michael Malcheski (D)

Green Bay chad4wi.com

De Pere candidatemalcheski.org

District 5

(Includes Kaukauna, Seymour, rural eastern Outagamie County and portions of Little Chute)

(Includes Oshkosh) Paul Esslinger(R)

Gordon Hintz (D) Inc.

Oshkosh

Oshkosh hintzforassembly.com

District 55

(Includes Neenah, town of Grand Chute and portions of Appleton and northern Winnebago County)

Jim Steineke (R) Inc.

Jeff McCabe(D)

Dean R. Kaufert (R) Inc.

Jim Crail (D)

Neenah jimforassembly.com

Kaukauna mccabeforassembly.com

Neenah kaufertforassembly.com

Greenville crailfor55.org

Ryan Ferguson (D)

Jay Schroeder (R)

Rich Martin (L)

Neenah remtonar.com/wordpress

Menasha martinforliberty.com

Kaukauna

District 6

(Includes Hortonville) Gary Tauchen (R) Inc.

John Powers (D)

Bonduel garytauchen.com

Wittenberg

District 52

(Includes Fond du Lac, Oakfield and rural portions of southern Fond du Lac County) Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R) Inc.

Paul G. Czisny (D)

Fond du Lac fightingforthe52nd.com

Fond du Lac paulforassembly.com

District 53

(Includes North Fond du Lac, Omro, Rosendale, Waupun, rural southern Winnebago County, portions of Oshkosh and northern Fond du Lac County) Michael Schraa (R)

Ryan Flejter (D)

Oshkosh michaelschraa.com

Waupun

Frank Frassetto (R)

Koby Schellenger (D)

Oshkosh frassetto53rd.org

Oshkosh votekoby.com

Kurt Schuller (R)

Joanne Staudacher (D)

Waupun kurtschullerforassembly.com

Oshkosh staudacher53wi.org

District 56

(Includes Winneconne and portions of Appleton as well as rural southern Outagamie County and northern Winnebago County) Dave Murphy (R)

Diana Lawrence (D)

Greenville murphy4assembly.com

Appleton dianaforassembly.com

Jim Pleuss (R)

Richard B. Schoenbohm (D)

Grand Chute

Appleton schoenbohm4assembly.com

District 57

(Includes portions of Appleton and Menasha) Penny Bernard Schaber (D) Inc. Appleton

District 88

(Includes Bellevue, portions of Green Bay and eastern Brown County) John Klenke (R) Inc.

Ward Bacon (D)

Green Bay klenkefor88.com

Green Bay

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 33

ELECTIONS District 90

District 89

(Includes Green Bay)

(Includes Suamico and portions of Green Bay, Howard and southern Oconto County) John Nygren (R) Inc.

Joe Reinhard (D)

Marinette votejohnnygren.com

Abrams r4wn.webs.com

Joel Diny (R)

Eric Genrich (D)

Green Bay

Green Bay genrichforassembly.com

David Vanderleest (R) Green Bay

State Senate District 2

(Includes 4th, 5th and 6th Assembly Districts) Robert Cowles (R) Inc. Green Bay

District 18

District 30

(Includes 88th, 89th and 90th Assembly Districts)

Ray Suennen (R)

Dave Hansen (D) Inc.

Green Bay suennenforsenate.com

Green Bay hansenforsenate.com

(Includes 52nd, 53rd and 54th Assembly Districts) John Macco (R) Rick Gudex (R)

Jessica King (D) Inc.

Fond du Lac rickgudexforsenate.com

Oshkosh jessicakingforsenate.com

34 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

Green Bay maccoforsenate.com

www.newnorthb2b.com

ELECTIONS

with more credits and opportunities.

Technical College graduates with an applied associate degree can transfer to UW-Green Bay, start here as a junior, and complete the Bachelor of Applied Studies Degree fully online!

Yes… It’s that convenient…

No matter what applied associate degree you have earned from a technical college, you are One Degree Closer to your dream of a bachelor’s degree through UW-Green Bay’s Adult Degree Program. Transfer 60 credits toward your Bachelor of Applied Studies degree and start as a junior. Also, whether you just finished your degree or earned it 20 years ago, your credits will transfer.

Visit uwgb.edu/adultdegrees for more information.

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

The times, they are a changing...

by Better Business Bureau

Although the Better Business Bureau (BBB) may be best known for its complaint process, the Wisconsin BBB is testing a new service to help customers make even more informed decisions about companies to hire – the new Customer Review. This new option answers the need to provide more information to the consumer, to allow the business to show consumers how they resolved the issue, to provide a format for positive reviews and support “good” businesses, and to give the business a chance to respond immediately if a negative review is submitted (unlike many other online review sites).

Even though the majority of Customer Reviews we’ve received have been positive (67 percent), your company may get a negative review.

If you do, the BBB has the following advice for responding to negative reviews on our website or anywhere else:

JoEllen Wollangk

36 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

Don’t take it personally. The customer may be angry or irrational. Take control and be professional. Remember, this is public information and your response will be seen by potential customers as well.

Respond professionally. In short, this means one thing – fix the problem. Apologize for the inconvenience and resolve the problem. What matters to the customer is that you are willing and able to handle the problem presented to you. Don’t make the company look bad….make everyone look great by being productive and proactive. If a situation warrants further investigation or action, that is another matter. Don’t bring the customer into it.

Sympathize. By sympathizing, you can defuse the situation. Acknowledge the customer’s feelings without agreeing with his or her position.

Apologize. Be sincere in expressing regrets that the customer has been inconvenienced or disappointed. If adjustments

920.734.4352 are in order, admit it and make them quickly and cheerfully. If no adjustment is due, explain the company policy to the customer. If the error is the customer’s, allow him to save face.

Get the Facts. Ask questions, listen without interruption or argument, and restate your understanding by paraphrasing what you just heard. See the customer’s point of view.

Thank the customer. Make the customer feel good. Be sure you take the opportunity to thank them for the constructive criticism and allow them to save face.

And if you’ve received a positive review, congratulations on providing great customer service!

JoEllen Wollangk is the Northeast Regional Manager for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Wisconsin. JoEllen opened the first branch office of the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin in Appleton in November of 2006.

www.newnorthb2b.com

Education at Work

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

by NE WI Consortium on Adult Education In today’s competitive marketplace, creative, adaptive and educated employees can make the difference in any organization. Employees who carry with them those characteristics, assist in creating a foundation for any organization to grow and become competitive.

Education is an investment in oneself, as well as the future of a company. Education is central to personal and professional development; it motivates people!

As a company in the New North, you are a pillar of your community and an asset to those around you. Many local employers in the Fox Valley recognize the benefits of competent, educated employees, and not only encourage employee development, but help fund it.

With all the choices out there for further education, how does an employee even know where to start? One solution is NEWCAE. NEWCAE, Northeast Wisconsin Consortium on Adult Education, is a

Tracy Qualmann

collective group of public and private, accredited colleges and universities in the New North who keep their fingers on the pulse of what today’s industry leaders are looking for. NEWCAE is here to educate, promote and provide information on collegiate-level learning opportunities, that when married with industry knowledge, help craft employees who can help business achieve new, innovative ways to reach and satisfy their clients.

As a combined group, NEWCAE’s members offer everything: diploma’s, certificates, associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral studies. Students can learn more about all degree majors: business, healthcare, public service, liberal studies…the list goes on.

NEWCAE is a one-stop shop. Whether you’re an employee seeking additional skills, tools or degrees, or an organization wanting to host an education fair for your employees, NEWCAE does the work. You

920.750.5965

can visit our website (www.newcae.org) to see how local schools can address your individual needs or you, as an employer, can contact NEWCAE to set up an on-site education fair.

If your need is a fair, NEWCAE does the majority of the work. As a group, NEWCAE comes into your organization at a time determined and convenient for your employees to showcase local options. From an employer perspective, you supply the space. If you’re interested in hosting a fair for your employees, check out the website and contact us.

For more information, contact NEWCAE Chair Jane Calkins at 920.750.5965. www.newcae.org “Professionally Speaking” is a promotional spot for business professionals to share their expertise with New North B2B readers.

Party with Purpose Presented by Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh

Thursday, September 20, 2012 OshkOsh COnventiOn Center - 2 nOrth Main street - OshkOsh Wi 5:00 PM - Registration, Food/Cash Bar, and Silent Auction Begins 6:30 PM - Program and Dean Martin Impersonator Show • •

Entertainment by Joe Scalissi, Dean Martin Impersonator and his 7-piece orchestra.

Silent auction, heavy hors d’oeuvres and food stations, and cash bar.

Cost:

Thank You Major Sponsors

$50 - Individual $90 - Party of Two $320 - Table of Eight

Register online at www.lutheranhomes.com.

For more information, call (920) 235-3454. Contact us to be a sponsor or donate a silent auction item! Proceeds benefit Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh facilities, services, and programs.

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 37

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

Brown County

The Cordial Concierge LLC, Sandra Lynne Borkowsky, 330 Longview Ave., Allouez 54301.

Scheffen Orthopedic LLC, Steven Scheffen, 216 Oak Water Ct., De Pere 54115.

Shakers Bar LLC, Dustin Phillips, 338 Main Ave., De Pere 54115.

DTM Home Renovation’s LLC, Michael John Calamita, 225 Lorrie Way, De Pere 54115.

Busy B Custom Stationery LLC, Christine Larson, 1265 Franco Ct., De Pere 54115.

Buy Me Branding LLC, Robert E. Kissel III, 111 N. Broadway, Green Bay 54303.

Chevalier Masonry LLC, Matthew Joseph Chevalier, 319 Taft St., Green Bay 54301.

Aladdin Construction Corp., Thomas James Bierke, 101 S. Military Ave., Ste. 107, Green Bay 54303.

Sandra’s Caffe’ LLC, Sandra G. Vieau, 1896 Golden Bell Dr., Green Bay 54313.

Custom Renovations LLC, Seth R. Hansen, 4560 Algonquin Trail, Green Bay 54313.

Award Associates of America Inc., John Keegan, 3366 Rose Haven Trail, Green Bay 54313.

Top To Bottom Trucking LLC, Michael W. Haasch, 1370 Regal Ave., Green Bay 54304.

Richmond Ministorage LLC, Lorri Kieff, 926 Willard Dr., Ste. 234, Green Bay 54304.

Focus CPA Inc., Mary C. Guldan-Lindstrom, 1462 Russell St., Green Bay 54304.

Premier Logistics LLC, William Crick Hawley III, 3958 Presque Isle Ct., Green Bay 54301.

Hewitt Personal Training LLC, Sheila Petitjean, 2594 Main St., Green Bay 54311.

Vernon Drive Professional Offices LLC, Timothy J. Besaw, 2700 Vernon Dr., Green Bay 54304.

SPJ Energy Solutions LLC, Patrick K. Reeths, 2330 Pamperin Road, Green Bay 54313.

Eagle Supply Group LLC, Jill Pruski, 1049 Lake St., Green Bay 54303.

Packerland Storage & U-Haul Rental Company LLC, Willard Harvey Shuler, 2751 N. Packerland Dr., Green Bay 54303.

Natures Healing Place Inc., Debra Chic, 701 Pine St., Green Bay 54301.

Creative Edge Real Estate LLC, Janet Tackmier, 2075 Fawn Lane, Green Bay 54304.

Adams Street Garage LLC, Paul A. Klister, 111 N. Washington St., Ste. 400, Green Bay 54301.

Safepro Sign Lighting LLC, Jennifer Sue Stowe, 1391 Biemeret St., Green Bay 54304.

Valour Wellness LLC, Valerie B. Bielinski, 2517 Lopez Lane, Green Bay 54311.

24/7 HVAC LLC, Kandice M. Deavers, 2737 N. Packerland Dr., Green Bay 54303.

Riebe Insurance Agency LLC, Marianne Grunenwald, 4666 Clear View Lane, Hobart 54155.

The Birch Inn LLC, Brian Ciha, 5816 Delcore Road, New Franken 54229.

Harbor Lights Anesthesia LLC, Amy Lannoye, 2959 Popplewood Ct., Suamico 54173.

R&R Lawn Care & Landscaping LLC, Robyn Quella, 415 Prairie Way, Wrightstown 54180.

38 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

Fond du Lac County

The B’s Knees Photography LLC, Erica Nicole Bartsch, 507 Highland Ave., P.O. Box 476, Brownsville 53006.

Infinite Wellness Center LLC, Heidi M. Dallapiazza, 525 Highland Ave., Brownsville 53006.

Crossfit Fond du Lac LLC, Nicholas Edward Bloch, N11448 Westline Road, Brownsville 53006.

Wishy-Washy Soap Co. LLC, Lisa M. Wornardt, W2417 Haven Dr., Campbellsport 53010.

Elite Processing Solutions LLC, Troy Hecker, 308 Autumn Lane, Campbellsport 53010.

Essential Lawn Services LLC, Curtis David Cleveland, 274 8th St., Fond du Lac 54935.

Natural Elements Cabinetry Inc., Jesse J. Burg, N7912 U.S. Highway 151, Fond du Lac 54937.

O’Rourke Law Office LLC, Michael E. O’Rourke, 21 N. Portland St., Ste. 201, Fond du Lac 54935.

M & M Concrete Coating LLC, David Messner, W4748 State Road 23, Fond du Lac 54937.

Oakwood Spine, Sport And Wellness Clinic LLC, Bryan James Henslin, 523 Windsor Ct., Fond du Lac 54935.

Windy Valley Dairy LLC, Richard Alan Klapper II, 679 Koro Road, Ripon 54971.

Frontier Tree Service LLC, Diane Lynn Garcia, N11793 Olcott Road, Waupun 53963.

Green Lake County

Glocke Benefits & Insurance Agency LLC, Joshua H. Glocke, W355 County Road D, Berlin 54923.

Berlin Emergency Food Pantry Inc., Donna Kirk, 384 Oak St., Berlin 54923.

Berlin Express Laundry LLC and Linde’s Laser Wash LLC, Jeffrey Lindemann, 151 S. Adams Ave., Berlin 54923.

Outagamie County

Bubble Fresh Laundry LLC, Patrick Lee Van Abel, W2823 Oakridge Dr., Appleton 54915.

Shavi Gentleman Image Consulting LLC, Shavan Chalasane, 4101 N. Marshall Heights Ave., Appleton 54913.

Laroux Restorations LLC, Alex Marc Laroux, 2678 W. Parkmoor Ct., Appleton 54914.

Reliable Refuse Removal LLC, Steven S. Rice, 1049 E. Pacific St., Appleton 54911.

Kappa Hospitality LLC, Bakul Sanghvi, 3033 W. College Ave., Appleton 54914.

Willow Lane Assisted Living LLC, Ronald Wolff, Jr., 4623 N. Richmond St., Appleton 54913.

Kyle M. Lange Agency LLC, Kyle M. Lange, 2322 W. Charles St., Appleton 54914.

Beth Karpinski Health And Wellness Coach LLC, Elizabeth Jane Karpinski, 225 N. Richmond St., Ste. #104, Appleton 54911.

River Country Foods Select Inc., Jackie Ridderbush, 3405 W. Florida Ave., Appleton 54914.

Lamers Bookkeeping LLC, Marjorie Lee Lamers, 2510 W. Eighth St., Appleton 54914.

Fox West Storage LLC, Timothy E. Rausch, 1606-A W. Haskel St., Appleton 54914.

Nitro Trucking LLC, James L. Balzer, 2806 E. Dietzen Dr., Appleton 54915.

Peter’s Computer Service and Sales LLC, Peter John Towns, 2701 N. Oneida St., Ste. C2, Appleton 54911.

Blue Jay Property Management LLC, Mark Reinhardt, N3080 Meade St., Appleton 54913.

Laird Counseling Services LLC, Rebecca Laird, 2800 E. Enterprise Ave., Appleton 54913.

www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS A’dore on the Avenue LLC, Heather Ludwig, 508 W. College Ave., Appleton 54911.

Van Handel Moonshadow Farms LLC, Thomas H. Van Handel, W3514 E. Broadway Dr., Freedom 54913.

Myers Plastics International LLC, Tami Churchill Myers, W6601 Rickey Lane, Greenville 54942.

Lonely T Ranch Trucking LLC, Megan Preisler, N2044 County Road T, Hortonville 54944.

Dust Bunny Cleaning Crew LLC, Lyndsy Paulsen, 321 Birch St., Hortonville 54944.

Tims Detail Shop Inc., Timothy J. Raether, 1530 Orchard Dr., Kaukauna 54130.

Trew Construction LLC, Troy Wendt, 421 Plank Road, Kaukauna 54130.

North East Wisconsin Towing Co., Richard N. Van den Oever, 704 Main Ave., Kaukauna 54130.

Christian Chapels International Inc., Jason Nate, 569 Homestead Trail, Kimberly 54136.

Elite Event LLC and Clean Confidence LLC, Angela M. Vandenberg, 601 E. Elm Dr., Little Chute 54140.

Winnebago County

Wolf & Sons Plumbing LLC, Paul Thomas Wolf, 8352 Moeser Lane, Larsen 54947.

Fox Valley Asphalt Sealing LLC, Robert James Fritsch, 1487 Stead Dr., Menasha 54952.

Used Treads Tire Shop LLC, Ricky Eugene Leach, Jr., 988 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah 54956.

Goldstar Racing Supplies LLC, Jonathan E. Ashcraft, 1068 Harrison Ave., Omro 54963.

Guy Riccitelli, M.D. LLC, Guy Riccitelli, M.D., 325 E. River Dr., Omro 54963.

Belville & Associates Chiropractic Clinic S.C., Kent L. Belville, 440 N. Koeller St., Oshkosh 54902.

L E W DVM Inc., Lowell E. Wickman, DVM, 128 State St., Oshkosh 54901.

A&Be Heating and Cooling LLC, Jason R. Cram, 1637 Central St., Oshkosh 54901.

Respect Counseling Center LLC, Blu Augusta Kallies, 317 Waugoo Ave., Oshkosh 54901.

His and Her Hair Designers LLC, Vicki Gintner, 2211 Oregon St., Unit J, Oshkosh 54902.

Miller Welding Ltd., Josh David Miller, 37 W. Waukau, Oshkosh 54902.

Christian School of the Arts Inc., Marvin Harris, 820 E. Parkway Ave., Oshkosh 54901.

Integrity Assurance Services LLC, Gina Panske, 2710 Beechnut Dr., Oshkosh 54904.

Landon Counseling LLC, Scott Curtis Landon, 1120 E. Parkway Ave., Apt. 106, Oshkosh 54901.

Shine Pro Cleaning LLC, Priscilla L. Sewall, 1351 Ontario St., Apt. A, Oshkosh 54901.

Knollen Healthcare Consulting LLC, Nancy E. Knoll-Gartner, 1065 S. Westhaven Dr., Oshkosh 54904.

Salon Ananda LLC, Rolanda Geri Goheen, 714 Oregon St., Oshkosh 54902.

Abel Plumbing LLC, Robert David Abel, 1402 W. South Park Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

Wind River Construction LLC, George R. Foulk, 111 E. Ripple Ave., Oshkosh 54902.

Jessica Van Bommel Esq. LLC, Jessica Applegate Van Bommel, 440 Sunset Lane, Winneconne 54986.

Winneconne Thrift & Gift, Inc., Judi Greenfield, 208 W. Main St., P.O. Box 433, Winneconne 54986.

MBA

… where professionals emerge as leaders.

In business, there are no timeouts.

As director of business development at Schenck SC and a member of the Green Bay Packer’s board of directors, Diane Roundy (MBA ‘92) knows a thing or two about winning teams. Diane and the 3,400 alumni of the UW Oshkosh MBA program form the largest professional business network in the Fox Valley and New North.

Quality — Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), a distinction earned by less than five percent of business programs worldwide.

Flexibility — All required classes held onsite in Oshkosh and Green Bay and online. You set the pace and the location for your degree.

The clock is ticking. It’s time to move your career to first and goal with an MBA degree from UW Oshkosh.

Find out how to apply today: www.mba.uwosh.edu or call (800) 633-1430.

UW Oshkosh 800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh

Diane Roundy (MBA ‘92) Director of Business Development Schenck SC GB Packer Board of Directors

MBA Graduate Education Center 333 Main Street, Green Bay

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 39

WHO’S NEWS GET OUT OF YOUR

Comfort Zone

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

at

St. Vincent Hospital, 835 Van Buren St., Green Bay. $780,000 to replace two of the chillers for the medical facility. General contractor is C.D. Smith Construction of Fond du Lac. June 5.

ADVENTURE!

Fox Valley Technical College, 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., town of Grand Chute. $1,600,000 for a 7,456-sq. ft. addition for a culinary arts theater.

General contractor is Miron Construction Co. of Neenah. June 8.

Opening June 2012

Lawrence University, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. $460,000 for an interior remodel of Stansbury Theatre inside the Music and Drama Center.

General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton. June 14.

TNT CORPORATE FITNESS CHALLENGE Half-day programs to get your group to improve overall health and wellness...FOR LIFE. Learn Kettlebell Essentials Run through the TNT Adventure Obstacle Course – timed Wellness Seminar outlining 4 or 8 week program of lifestyle changes...

Return to TNT Adventure 4-8 weeks later to test your progress on the course again!

T-shirts for all participants, and prizes to the biggest loser!

Dollar Tree, 1821 Jackson St., Oshkosh. $400,000 to partially demolish and rebuild a former banquet hall facility for a new retail store. General contractor is Northcentral Construction Corp. of Fond du Lac. June 18.

Winnebago County – Parkview Nursing Home, 725 Butler Ave., Oshkosh. $1,279,644 for a 4,080-sq. ft. addition to the existing county nursing home. General contractor is Miron Construction Co. of Neenah. June 20.

Lawrence University, 724 E. Alton St., Appleton. $2,343,397 for an interior remodel of Downer Student Art Gallery. General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton. July 3.

Target Department Store, 4301 W. Wisconsin Ave., town of Grand Chute. $600,000 for a 7,661-sq. ft. addition to the existing retail store. General contractor is Novak Construction of Chicago. July 7.

New locations Martin Security Systems, Inc. moved its corporate headquarters to 2744 Manitowoc Road in Bellevue. The 11,000-sq. ft. facility includes a high-definition camera showroom.

A-mazing Events, LLC moved into a 2,800-sq. ft. warehouse and office space at N282 Stoney Brook Road, Ste. D in Appleton.

Public welcome by individual appointment or mini-group rate Great training for obstacle course race events like Tough Mudder or Madison Mud Run Minutes off of Hwy 41 just 5 minutes south of Fond du Lac. Email melissa@tntfr.com for more information or call Melissa Schmidt, M.S., RKCII at 920.539.4415.

Mergers/acquisitions WS Packaging Group, Inc. of Green Bay acquired Boelter Industries, Inc. in Winona, Minn. Boelter Industries specializes in the design, manufacturing and distribution of folding cartons and converted paperboard products.

Pro Chemicals LLC of Green Bay acquired Chaska Chemical Company, Inc. of Savage, Minn., which manufactures and distributes cleaners and sanitizers for agricultural, food and industrial applications across the United States. Chaska Chemical has been re-named ProChaska, LLC and all employees have been retained.

Business honors Awards and honors earned by individuals are listed separately in the Who’s News section of New North B2B. TNT Adventure is an affiliate of TNT Fitness Results Functional Fitness Gym: www.tntfr.com Check out www.tntadventure.com for more information or email melissa@tntfr.com.

Call 920.539.4415 for an appointment starting June 2012.

40 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

Miron Construction Co., Inc., was recently named Contractor of the Year

by ENR Midwest magazine.

Heartland Business Systems of Little Chute ranked No. 121 on CRN’s 2012 Solution Provider 500 list, up from its No. 171 ranking a year ago. www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS

Galke

Minten

Hill

Formerly known as VAR 500, the annual list ranks the top technology integrators in North America based on revenue.

Appleton-based ThedaCare was named to the “100 Most Wired” hospitals and health systems list for the 11th consecutive year by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, the journal of the American Hospital Association.

Dental Health Product Inc. of New Franken received the 2012 Governor’s Federal Contractor Award in the Small Business Contractor category. The company is the sixth largest distributor of dental supplies in the United States, and the second largest provider of daily dental material to the federal government. This past February, Dental Health Product received a five-year, $45 million contract from the federal government for dental merchandise and equipment.

Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company of Neenah was named to the 2012 Ward’s 50 list of top performing insurance companies in the United States. It was the second consecutive year Jewelers Mutual was named to the list.

King

Brennan

Witte

Strong Chiropractic Offices S.C. hired Dr. Andrea King as a chiropractor for its Oshkosh location. King practiced in several chiropractic clinics in Minnesota and returned to her hometown of Green Lake to open a solo practice before joining Strong Chiropractic.

Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin hired Kathy Horton as a new housing financial counselor at its financial information and service center in Menasha. She previously worked as a financial advisor at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Wichmann-Fargo Funeral Home in Appleton hired Lisa Brennan as an advance funeral planning consultant.

The Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce hired Michael W. Witte as vice president of business and education services. The newly created position will provide leadership for the operations of the business and education service team comprised of membership sales, special events, and leadership and education/ workforce development programs. Witte most recently served as the director of career services at ITT Technical Institute in Green Bay, where he worked since 2005.

New hires Spancrete hired Scott Galke as director of operations for its northeast Wisconsin plant in Valders. Galke most recently served as the director of operations at Metromont Precast in South Carolina and previously worked for another precast company in Virginia.

Orthopedic & Spine Therapy of Menasha hired Alex Minten as a physical therapist. Minten has a special interest in shoulders and the cervical spine.

Appleton-based Business Lending Group, LLC, in partnership with CitizensFirst Credit Union, hired John Hill as its vice president of commercial lending. Hill manages the Oshkosh and Fond du Lac markets and supports commercial lending efforts for CitizensFirst members. He has 10 years of experience in commercial lending and account management, and most recently served as vice president of business banking with Wells Fargo.

Reimer Jewelers, Inc. in Oshkosh hired Paul Spanbauer as a goldsmith and jewelry designer. He previously taught art classes at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. His skills include designing, casting, fabricating, stone setting and finishing in numerous precious metals.

Insight Creative, Inc. in Green Bay hired Emily Morehart as a PR/ social media coordinator and Liz Van Asten as an account coordinator.

Morehart previously served as managing editor of the national cable marketing magazine delight!, where she also directed social media strategies. She had previously managed direct mail projects for top cable providers in the nation. Van Asten most recently served as the marketing director of the Cellcom Marathon.

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 41

WHO’S NEWS

Nienhaus

Jahed

Consolidated Construction Company in Appleton hired Jim Nienhaus as a Superintendent. He has 32 years of construction management experience, most recently operating his own commercial and residential construction management firm.

The UW-Fond du Lac Foundation hired Shereen Jahed as its executive director. She has more than 10 years of management experience, having previously worked for Johns Hopkins Hospital in a broad range of roles in marketing, human resources and administration.

Oshkosh-based Teal Consulting Group LLC hired Samantha Teal as business development manager.

Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton announced the following new employees: Kim Arntzen, library specialist; Janet Breaux, director of parent/child center; Jackie Calaway, financial assistant for accounts payable; Bonnie Davis, project coordinator for Amber Alert training; Mia Gauthier, social science/economics instructor; Casey Hayward, information technologies instructor; Sara Maass-Pate, farm business/

42 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

Teal

Slade

Ruhland

production management instructor; Diane Mazurkiewicz, project specialist for Internet Crimes Against Children; James Nemec, enrollment facilitator; Mary Schils, human resource and development instructor; Craig Schmidt, metal fabrication/ welding instructor; Bradley Spates, diesel technology instructor; Emily Teller, math instructor; Ronald Wallberg, math instructor; and Thomas Willecke, desktop support technician.

Advance Business & Manufacturing Center in Green Bay hired Elizabeth Slade as its incubator manager. Slade most recently served as volunteer coordinator and executive assistant for Freedom House Ministries in Green Bay. School Specialty, Inc. in Greenville hired Deborah Crimmins as senior vice president for learning and market strategy and Melissa DeLay as vice president for brand strategy. Crimmins was most recently senior vice president of marketing and sales at Reading Plus, Taylor Associates.

DeLay was most recently vice president, group account director at Ogilvy and Mather.

www.newnorthb2b.com

A GREAT BANK combines big bank knowledge and small bank service.

A big bank offers business banking experience and a wide range of resources. But if you’re not one of its biggest accounts, you can’t count on service. Small banks offer service, but lack business experience and resources. First Business is different. Our bankers live and breathe business. We offer the resources of a megabank, but when you call us, you talk to a real person and when you visit us, we know your name. For big bank resources and first class service, call us today.

(L-R) Mickey Noone, President Will Deppiesse, Vice President First Business Bank - Northeast

Y O U R S U C C E S S C O M E S F I R S T. Member FDIC

www.firstbusiness.com

Commercial Lending : Treasury Management : Equipment Finance : Asset-based Lending : Trust & Investments : Private Banking

Fox Cities: 920-734-1800 Oshkosh: 920-231-2400 Green Bay: 920-435-5442

BUSINESS CALENDAR Promotions Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin promoted Cate Wylie to lean implementation specialist in Menasha; Dave Fazer to team leader for its Grand Chute store; Trent Thibodeau to senior vocational trainer in Menasha; Shane Crum to outlet store team leader at the Shiner Center in Appleton; Wendy Johnson to assistant team leader for its e-commerce operation in Appleton; and Carol Daniels-Thurston to team leader for its Ashwaubenon store.

BayCare Clinic in Green Bay promoted Chris Augustian, CPA, to chief executive officer. Augustian has been with BayCare Clinic since 2004, initially hired as its controller. Since 2006 he has served as chief financial officer.

Better

Leaders Decisions

RESULTS

TEC is about

peers helping peers grapple, wrestle and come out on top with sound solutions to serious and significant business obstacles and, most importantly, new business opportunities. Our membership network has experience with a wide gamut of issues such as: Working with entrepreneurs Risk-taking Dealing with ownership in transition Finding the most effective personnel Strategic planning Benefit and retirement planning Doing business globally Implementing new technologies

TEC offers programs, products

and services for large and small companies. Contact us today to start moving your business forward.

Michele Bernstein

800.236.9832

tec@tecmidwest.com www.tecmidwest.com 44 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

Elections / appointments Moraine Park Technical College President Sheila Ruhland was appointed to the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council’s Special Committee on Improving Educational Opportunities in High School. The committee is directed to develop legislation to identify opportunities for both lower and higher-achieving students in high school.

Theresa Lehman, director of sustainable services for Miron Construction in Neenah, was appointed to represent labor on the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board. She is serving a three-year term.

Gov. Scott Walker appointed LeRoy DePas of Kaukauna and Elizabeth Farah of De Pere to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Health.

DePas is a member of the Wisconsin Air National Guard who completed five deployments. Farah is a registered dietician and child nutrition coordinator for the Ashwaubenon School District. The nine-member council is tasked with developing policy and program recommendations to improve children’s health, fitness and nutritional intake.

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

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

August 1 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Seek Careers & Staffing, 924 Forest Ave., Ste. 201 in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $2 for AC members. For more information or to register, go online to www.fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500.

August 2 Small Business Success: Best Practices, an event from the Venture Center at Fox Valley Technical College, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at D.J. Bordini Center, 5 Systems Dr. in Appleton. Cost to attend is $15 and includes breakfast. For more information or to register, call 920.735.5709 or email venture@fvtc.edu.

August 3 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce monthly Coffee & Conversations forum, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., at Little Chute Village Hall, 108 W. Main St. in Little Chute. There is no charge for attendance, but registration is appreciated by calling the chamber office at 920.766.1616.

August 9 Women in Management – Oshkosh Chapter monthly meeting, 11:15 a.m. www.newnorthb2b.com

BUSINESS CALENDAR

to 1 p.m. at La Sure’s Banquet Hall, 3125 S. Washburn St. in Oshkosh.

Program is “How to Raise Your Public Profile.” For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org or contact Nancy Jo at njdietzen@ chamco.org or 920.232.9786.

August 13 “Explore Starting a Business,” a no-cost workshop for the Venture Center at Fox Valley Technical College, 6 to 9 p.m. at the D.J. Bordini Center, 5 Systems Dr. in Appleton. To register or for more information, call 920.735.5709 or email venture@fvtc.edu.

August 14 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Sales Club, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend for chamber members. For information, call 920.303.2265 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com.

August 16 “Explore Starting a Business,” a no-cost workshop for the Venture Center at Fox Valley Technical College, 6 to 9 p.m. at its Riverside Campus in Oshkosh. To register or for more information, call 920.735.5709 or email venture@fvtc.edu.

August 21 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at CitizensFirst Credit Union, 1045 E. Johnson St. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $2 for AC members. For more information or to register, go online to www.fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500.

August 29 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event sponsored by the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 8 to 9 a.m. at US Cellular, 1280 S. Koeller St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend, but registration is required by going online to www.oshkoshchamber.com or calling 920.303.2266.

Coming

to B2B in September Entrepreneurship

Crossing the gap from start-up to second stage.

Advertiser Index Bank First National www.bankfirstnational.com.................................... 8 Better Business Bureau www.wisconsin.bbb.org......................... 27, 36 Builders Exchange of WI www.bxwi.com....................................... 14 Capital Credit Union www.capitalcu.com........................................ 21 CitizensFirst Credit Union www.citizensfirst.com . ............................ 34 Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. www.dkattorneys.com..................................... 5 Digiprint www.digiprint.biz............................................................ 36 Edgewood College www.edgewood.edu.......................................... 14 Fast Signs www.fastsigns.com......................................................... 8 First Business Bank www.firstbusiness.com. .................................... 43 Fox Valley Technical College www.fvtc.edu. .................................. 27 Guident Business Solutions www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com.............. 9 Jackson Kahl Insurance Services www.jacksonkahl.com................... 42 J. F. Ahern Co. www.jfahern.com. ................................................... 9 Keller Inc. www.kellerbuilds.com. ................................................... 46

Better Business Bureau New Members

Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during July 2012 Advanced Chimney Specialists LLC, Neenah Baeten Remodeling, Oshkosh DeMoulin HVAC LLC, Green Bay DY Technology LLC, Green Bay Encompass Services LLC, Menasha Fisher Concrete Sawing Inc., De Pere J & M Refacing Inc., Marinette Joe’s Lawncare and Landscaping L.L.C., Brussels Krizek Home Improvements, Two Rivers Leisure Time Maintenance, Sheboygan WDB Building LLC, New London Northwoods Veterinary Clinic LLC, Gillett Profound Solutions Inc., Sobieski R & R Residential Roofing & Siding, Sheboygan Schneider Monument Co., Shawano T.A. Motorsports Inc., Francis Creek Tag’s Auto, Clintonville Tire Reps, Oshkosh Transmotive Auto Service, Green Bay U & I Movers Express Green Bay LLC, Green Bay Wisconsin Retirement Group S.C., Oshkosh

KI www.ki.com. ........................................................................... 7 Live at Lunch - Oshkosh www.oshkoshchamber.com.......................... 16 Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh .................................................. 37 Marian University www.marianuniversity.edu....................................... 2 Moraine Park Technical College www.morainepark.edu..................... 26 Network Health Plan www.networkhealth.com . ................................ 47 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council www.newbt.org.......... 13 NEWCAE www.newcae.org........................................................... 37 NEP www.neponline.com............................................................... 12 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development www.corporatetraining.nwtc.edu......................................................... 48

Outagamie County Regional Airport www.atwairport.com. ................ 23 Rhyme www.rhymebiz.com........................................................... 22 Sadoff & Rudoy Industries www.sadoff.com................................... 10 Teal Consulting Group www.tealcg.com......................................... 22 TEC www.tecmidwest.com. ............................................................ 44 TNT Adventure www.tntadventure.com............................................. 40 Tri City Glass & Door www.tricityglass-door.com................................ 30 UW Green Bay-Division of Outreach www.uwgb.edu/adultdegrees........ 35 UW Oshkosh College of Business www.mba.uwosh.edu................... 39 Waterfest www.waterfest.org......................................................... 16 Winnebago County Solid Waste Management www.co.winnebago.wi.us/solid-waste/container-rental-program. ..................... 25

WI Family Business Forum www.wfbf.uwosh.edu............................. 30

NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012 l 45

KEY STATISTICS Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

$3.47 July 15 $3.42 July 8 $3.41 July 1 $3.39 July 22, 2011 $3.65 July 22

Source: New North B2B observations

June

760,000

6.9%

from May

23.6%

from June 2011 June

2.7%

from May

2.6%

from June 2011

June

$401.5 billion

0.5%

from May

3.8%

from June 2011

Appleton Fond du Lac Green Bay Neenah Oshkosh Wisconsin

(2007 = 100)

June

97.4

0.4%

from May

4.7%

from June 2011 (Manufacturers and trade)

May

$1,578 billion

0.3% from April

5.2%

May April May ‘11 8.1% 7.5% 8.9% 8.7% 6.7% 6.8%

8.0% 7.3% 8.9% 8.1% 6.8% 6.8%

8.7% 8.3% 9.7% 9.0% 7.2% 7.3%

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

Listed price is per therm.

$0.766 June $0.562 July 2011 $0.574 July

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

June May

49.7 53.5

from May 2011

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

The Face of a Keller Customer Our Valued Customer. Without them we would be nothing. This is the face of our company we treasure most. The big smile on the face of someone we just helped to expand their business, remodel their office or build them a business where they can be more productive, effective and happy. People like Al Zierler, CEO of Capital Credit Union, who has chosen Keller for 12 building projects across Northeast Wisconsin.

Al has a face we love, not only because it has a big smile, but because time and time again he trusts the design/build experts at Keller to put that smile on his face. We are Employee-Owned, Design/Build Experts. But don’t just take us at face value, call today and experience for yourself the difference that is Keller, Inc.

Al Zierle r, CEO Capital C redit Un ion

Construction Excellence Since 1960

1.800.236.2534 l www.kellerbuilds.com Offices in the Fox Cities, Madison, Milwaukee & Wausau 46 l NEW NORTH B2B l AUGUST 2012

A

FACE of Keller

www.newnorthb2b.com

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