December 2012 by New North B2B

Economic Outlook 2013 A spectrum of views on the indicators shaping northeast Wisconsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy in the year ahead

December 2012 $3.95

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new north b2b December 2012

28 22

Features

22 COVER STORY ❘ Economic Outlook 2013 ❘ Views on the indicators shaping the region’s economy in 2013

28 HEALTH CARE ❘ Full Steam Ahead ❘ Employers need to forge ahead with ObamaCare compliance

32 GOVERNMENT ❘ Waste Not Want Not ❘ Lean methodologies making their way into local government

Departments 5,

On our Cover

4 From the Publisher 36 Professionally Speaking 6 Since We Last Met 10 Corporate Earnings 14 Build Up Pages 20 Around the Boardroom 21 Pierce Stronglove 37 Elections 38 Who’s News 43 Business Calendar 44 Advertiser Index 46 Key Statistics

The world is waiting for an economic recovery in 2013. Photo illustration by New North B2B.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 3

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Hailstorm of partisan rancor

Who knew the decision on health care exchanges would further the political divide? It shouldn’t have.

Sean Fitzgerald New North B2B Publisher

The decision of whether or not to build a state-based health insurance exchange has not been of the “if you build it, will they come?” sort, but rather it’s an innocuous issue that’s become politicized when patient care is supposed to be the ultimate goal. Gov. Scott Walker made the decision midNovember to pass on the opportunity for Wisconsin to build its own health insurance exchange, one of the prominent pillars of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Rather, the state will default to an exchange created by the federal Department of Health & Human Services, following suit with 15 other states making the same decision as of late November. A total of 18 states and the District of Columbia elected to create their own health insurance exchanges, while six states opted for a hybrid model in which they’ll partner with the feds to create their exchange. Eleven states still hadn’t made a decision as of late November, as the deadline for making a determination was pushed back to Dec. 16. Walker rationalized that no matter which option Wisconsin chose for itself, it still wouldn’t hold any meaningful control over health care policies and services, because ultimately the exchanges are governed and controlled by federal policy. There really hasn’t been enough information provided by the feds, yet, about how such policies will be interpreted and enforced, leading Walker to note it might not be a wise expense for the state to create such a mechanism to carry out federal policy when the details surrounding that policy are fuzzy and uncertain. Besides, Utah passed legislation in 2008 to create its own health insurance exchanges – well before so-called “ObamaCare” was even conceived – but has been told by the federal government the exchange is not in compliance with the law. Was Walker’s decision politically motivated? Probably not. The choice did oppose endorsements from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Americans For Prosperity, and other traditionally conservative, pro-business groups that supported Wisconsin creating a health insurance exchange of its own. Exactly what that decision will mean for health insurance carriers based in the state, for Wisconsin’s health care providers and ultimately for state residents – the patients – is still unknown. One would be hard pressed

4 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

to identify any potential outcomes resulting from the decision to be political in nature. Yet, reaction from the decision illustrated a dominant characteristic about the current status of the politisphere in Madison – even the most unobjectionable issues need to have a certain partisan rancor. On the day the decision was made, Assembly Minority Leader Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) issued a news release calling the decision a Republican refusal to collaborate on health care, noting it “puts Wisconsin on the extreme fringe.” Even Republicans used the opportunity to fall to their knees to wash Walker’s feet. Milwaukee-area Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) issued a statement that was nothing more than a summary of the statement from Walker’s office, wrapping it up with her full support for Walker’s decision. Green Bay-area Sen. Frank Lasee (R-Ledgeview) chimed in as well – as he’s been doing more regularly lately when there’s a need to place an exclamation point on the obvious – indicating it was the right decision for the state, noting the “decision will save Wisconsin taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.” Boy, if that were the case, wouldn’t this decision have been a nobrainer in every state? Lasee goes on to say that because of the decision by Gov. Walker, “Wisconsin employers will avoid paying a $2,000 Obamacare fine for each employee they do not provide health insurance to.” Yikes! As the chair of the Senate Committee on Insurance, Lasee might serve himself well to read up on the 906-page Affordable Care Act before convening next. While we poke a bit of fun at legislators’ expense, the fact of the matter is that the question of whether or not to create a statebased health insurance exchange shouldn’t be a political football. And because so little information is available about the manner in which the federal government will structure and manage an exchange for Wisconsin patients, the question of whether or not Walker made the right decision is essentially moot at this point. At least until we have some history behind us and evidence to support chastising or praising the decision. Next month marks the start of a new season in Madison. Let’s tone down the hyper-political rhetoric in nooks and crannies of public policy discussions where it doesn’t belong. www.newnorthb2b.com

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

Holiday Time – Limit your liability 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: Am I able to provide my employees with some holiday “cheer” and limit my potential liability? Tony Renning: Many employers host holiday-related events for their employees. At many of these events alcohol is available. Employers should be aware of the potential liability associated with hosting holiday-related events and take steps to limit their liability. First, Wisconsin law generally provides immunity from liability for social hosts for harm caused to third parties by the intoxicated condition of a guest. However, regardless of whether the social host is immune from legal liability, most general liability insurance policies will not cover alcohol-related accidents. Second, Wisconsin law imposes legal liability on anyone who procures for, sells or dispenses alcoholic beverages to an intoxicated person. Social hosts who procure for, sell or dispense alcoholic beverages to intoxicated persons may be fined between $100 and $500 and/or imprisoned for up to 60 days.

Sean Fitzgerald

Publisher & President

sean@newnorthb2b.com

Carrie Rule

Sales Manager

carrie@newnorthb2b.com

Kate Erbach Production

Contributing writers

Cheryl Hentz Lee Marie Reinsch

Chief Financial Officer

Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA

Third, employers may be liable under Worker’s Compensation laws for an injury to an employee if the employee, at the time of the injury, was performing a service “growing out of and incidental to” his or her employment and the accident resulting in injury arose out of such employment. Whether the Worker’s Compensation laws apply to an employee injury arising out of an alcohol-related accident depends upon the facts and circumstances of each case. There are a number of measures employers may take to limit their liability: • Choose not to serve alcohol or, if served, provide non-alcoholic alternatives and food. • Designate someone responsible to supervise the event (e.g., make sure individuals who have had too much to drink do not leave on their own). • Instruct those serving alcohol to refuse to serve anyone who appears intoxicated. • Limit the amount of alcohol served by distributing a limited number of drink

NEW NORTH B2B is published monthly by WINNEBAGO B2B LLC for $20 per year or $3.95 for a single issue. A single complimentary subscription is offered to all members of the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce. Printed by Digicorporation, 120 Lake St., Neenah, WI 54956 POSTMASTER: send address changes to: WINNEBAGO B2B LLC 923 S. Main St., Oshkosh, WI 54902. 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.

tickets. • Review your general liability insurance coverage. If there is no coverage for alcohol-related accidents, consider purchasing a “special events” policy to cover the holiday party. For counsel concerning these and other unique employment issues, contact Tony Renning at (920) 232-4842 or trenning@dkattorneys.com or any other member of the Davis & Kuelthau Labor and Employment Team. Tony Renning is an attorney in the Oshkosh office of Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. (219 Washington Avenue). Mr. Renning provides counsel to private and public sector employers on a wide variety of labor and employment law matters. This article is intended to provide information only, not legal advice. For advice regarding a particular employment situation, please contact a member of the Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. Labor and Employment Team.

Green Bay

Fox Cities

Oshkosh

Fond du Lac NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 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.

October 23 Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Randy Prasse suddenly resigned his post after less than six months on the job. No reason was given by the CVB for Prasse’s hasty departure. Cheryl Zaug Casey, immediate past chair of the board for the bureau, will serve as the interim executive director while the bureau’s executive committee searches for a replacement.

2003 December 8 - Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law a measure that will provide an income tax credit to Wisconsin manufacturers equal to the sales tax they pay on energy used in the manufacturing process. The new law also creates a Manufacturing Investment credit to ensure manufacturers who couldn’t use the income tax credits for energy in years past will be able to make use of them in the future.

2005 December 8 - Northeast Wisconsin Collaboration on the Regional Economy, or NEW CORE, changed its name to The New North during the second annual Northeast Wisconsin Economic Summit in Oshkosh. The new brand name and brand marketing effort will be supported with the hiring of staff for the organization.

2006 December 11 - More than $2.3 million in projects at Outagamie County Regional Airport were approved by the state, including the $650,000 completion of the east perimeter road and nearly $1.7 million to purchase land and fund an environmental assessment for an expansion of the general aviation area.

2011 December 16 - Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac paid a special one-time bonus to about 1,200 of its hourly workers based on the length of service over the past year. The bonuses for someone who worked the entire year were around $1,200. Company officials said the bonuses were the result of a productive year and in appreciation for the compromises employees made during the past two years to help bring additional production to Fond du Lac.

6 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

October 25 Oshkosh Corp. announced it will lay off 450 production employees in January as a result of reduced U.S. Defense Department spending as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down. The company currently employs about 4,000 production workers in the Oshkosh area, and plans to curtail that workforce to about 3,500 for 2013.

October 29 State transportation officials fully reopened the U.S. Highway 41/WIS 21 interchange near Oshkosh following an eight-month, $54 million improvement project which included rebuilding State Road 21 so that it passes over U.S. 41; a series of four roundabouts; new ramp terminals on and off of the highway; and the reconstruction and expansion of U.S. 41 to six lanes between Witzel Avenue and the Lake Butte des Morts Causeway.

October 30 The City of Green Bay Common Council rejected a proposal from Mayor Jim Schmidt to increase health insurance premiums by 25 percent on retired city workers in an effort to save more than $200,000 from the city’s 2013 budget. Rather, city officials pitched a plan which would increase health insurance costs for about 150 retirees gradually over the course of several years.

November 2 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation completed work on the $45 million project to reconstruct and expand eight miles of U.S. Highway 41 to six lanes between U.S. 45 and Breezewood Lane in Winnebago County. Construction on this segment of U.S. 41 began in March 2011.

November 2 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 171,000 new jobs were created in October, leaving the national unemployment rate essentially unchanged at 7.9 percent. Employment rose in professional and business services, health care and retail trade.

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SINCE WE LAST MET November 2 Brown County transportation officials reopened County Road GV between Hoffman Road in Bellevue and Dickinson Road in the town of Ledgeview following a seven-month, $8 million project to widen the roadway from two to four lanes.

November 3 The state DOT permanently closed off Dousman Street from Taylor Street to just west of U.S. Highway 41 near Green Bay as part of the $97 million project to reconstruct the U.S. 41/WIS 29 interchange. Traffic from Dousman Street has been moved to Shawano Avenue under U.S. 41. Construction on the interchange is scheduled to be complete by October 2014.

November 5 Plexus Corp. of Neenah was informed by its largest customer, Juniper Networks Inc., of its intention to discontinue its vendor relationship. Juniper has been the only customer accounting for more than 10 percent of Plexus’ sales for the past few years. While Juniper didn’t indicate a timeline for ending the relationship, Plexus officials said they expect the transition to occur by fall 2013, when existing contracts are fulfilled.

November 6 Voters in the Pulaski School District rejected a $33.2 million referendum which would have constructed a new pool, a multi-purpose sports complex, and provided facility and technology upgrades to nearly every school in the district.

November 6 Voters in the Winneconne School District approved a $4.7 million referendum package for a variety of facility improvements at the district’s elementary school which include installing heating and cooling systems to replace the old boiler and replacing several sections of the roof.

November 7 The City of Fond du Lac Common Council narrowly approved a new garbage and recycling fee of $89 annually as a means of generating about $1.2 million to help plug a gap in the city’s 2013 budget.

November 7 A report from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions indicated the state’s credit unions increased net income by 96 percent during the first three quarters of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. The report credited the increase in income to a 26 percent improvement in “other income” that it said included earnings from mortgage lending activities.

November 12 State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers unveiled a proposal to increase state aid to Wisconsin schools by $615 million over the next two years in a plan that would significantly revise the state’s school aid formula. Nearly $47 million of the funds are earmarked for specific needs in schools such as grants to raise graduation rates and additional funds for schools with a higher ratio of non-English speaking students.

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NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 7

SINCE WE LAST MET November 14

November 16

Oneida Seven Generations Corp. filed a $4 million lawsuit against the City of Green Bay after the city council rescinded the permit it granted in early 2011 for an electrical generation plant that incinerates waste at extremely high temperatures. The lawsuit claims the common council acted beyond its authority, and seeks to recover expenses Oneida Seven Generations already incurred for project design, permitting and construction. The lawsuit also asks for the conditional use permit for the project to be reinstated.

November 14 The City of Appleton Common Council approved $72,000 in its 2013 budget to contribute toward Ignite Fox Cities, a new regional economic development initiative from the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce. Ignite Fox Cities set a budget of $800,000 for its inaugural year in 2013, and is requesting funding assistance from surrounding municipalities and counties in the amount of $1 for each resident.

November 16 Gov. Scott Walker sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notifying the federal government Wisconsin would not create its own state-based health insurance exchange and will defer to the federal government’s insurance exchange. In making the decision, the governor indicated Wisconsin taxpayers have no meaningful control over health care policies and services sold to state residents regardless of whether they use the federal or a state-created insurance exchange.

November 16 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation wrapped up its work on the U.S. Highway 41/Main Avenue interchange in De Pere, reopening it fully to traffic, and suspended its work on the Interstate 43 Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge over the Fox River in Green Bay for the winter. The Main Avenue interchange in De Pere had been closed since September for a complete reconstruction, which is part of the $57 million project to expand U.S. 41 to six lanes between Orange Lane and Glory Road in Brown County. The $17 million project to improve the Leo Frigo Bridge and nearly 3.5 miles of I-43 will resume in spring and is scheduled to be complete by July.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved a 4.78 percent increase in electrical rates for customers of Kaukauna Utilities to help finance some of the costs of the newly constructed Badger Hydro plant and the replacement of two outdated dams on the Fox River. Kaukauna Utilities originally applied for an overall 6.6 percent rate increase, which would have been followed by another proposed incremental increase, bringing the total increase request to 8.8 percent. Instead, the PSC voted unanimously to cut those numbers back and rejected any incremental increases until more information is available about the financial impact of the new Badger Hydro plant.

November 16 The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center publicly launched its The Keystone Campaign to raise $25 million for an endowment to provide long-term financial stability to the organization’s long-range business plan. The PAC had already raised $17 million in contributions and pledges during a quiet, leadership phase of fundraising.

November 19 Officials for Medical College of Wisconsin selected St. Norbert College in De Pere as the home of its previously announced Green Bay-area satellite campus it expects to launch in 2015. Medical College officials were also considering Bellin College in Bellevue, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus and office space in downtown Green Bay. The development plan will include expanding an existing science building on St. Norbert’s campus beginning in the spring 2013. Medical College officials are also developing a second satellite campus in central Wisconsin.

November 20 A memo from Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch to the Legislature indicated the state could end its 2011-2013 biennial budget period next June with a $283 million surplus, resulting from modest growth in the economy in addition to what he called “frugal management.” The state’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau will refine the state government’s financial status in January prior to the release of the governor’s budget proposal for the 2013 to 2015 biennium.

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9 2 0 . 7 3 3 . 3 1 3 6 y 866.966.3928 y www.newbt.org 8 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

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CORPORATE EARNINGS

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

Associated Banc Corp.

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Income

$45.1 million

$34.0 million s 33%

Revenue

$4.5 Billion

$4.6 Billion t 2%

EPS

26 cents

20 cents

Income

$524 million

$507 million s 3%

EPS

$1.13

$1.04

s 30%

The Ashwaubenon-based financial institution reported commercial lending grew by $243 million, or 3 percent, from the second quarter, and increased by $1.4 billion, or 19 percent, from the third quarter 2011. The company’s total loan portfolio was $15.0 billion, up $267 million from $14.7 billion at the end of the second quarter, and up $1.5 billion from $13.5 billion during the third quarter 2011.

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

The parent company of Miller Electric Manufacturing operations across the Fox Cities reported operating margins improved 22 percent in its power systems and electronics segment – which includes Miller Electric operations – while revenues increased nearly 5 percent. Sales in its worldwide welding markets increased 2 percent, anchored by nearly 5 percent growth in North America while suffering a nearly 6 percent decline in international welding revenues.

Plexus Corp.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$5.2 Billion

$5.4 Billion t 3%

Income

$517 million

$432 million s 20%

EPS

$1.30

$1.09

s 19%

The manufacturer of consumer paper and tissue products with significant operations in the Fox Cities announced plans to exit the diaper market in western and central Europe, with the exception of Italy, as a result of minimal operating profits. Kimberly-Clark will also divest or exit some lower-margin businesses, mostly in the consumer tissue segment. Both of those actions are expected to occur through 2013 and 2014.

VF Corp.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$3.1 Billion

$2.7 Billion s 14%

Income

$381 million

$301 million s 27%

EPS

$3.42

$2.69

s 27%

The parent company of Jansport operations in the Fox Cities reported another quarter of record revenue and earnings performance, as well as record receipts from its outdoor and action sports segment – which includes Jansport operations – up 29 percent from the third quarter 2011. The segment’s sales increase was driven by 11 percent growth from its The North Face brand and by 21 percent growth from its Vans brand.

10 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

s 9%

4Q 2012

4Q 2011

Revenue

$595 million

$538 million s 11%

Income

$728,000

$18.3 million t 96%

EPS

2 cents

52 cents

t 96%

The Neenah-based contract electronics manufacturer reported full fiscal year 2012 revenue of $2.3 billion, up 3 percent from fiscal 2011 revenues. Company officials did note, however, global economic challenges affected many of its customers’ end markets and had escalated pricing pressure – particularly in its networking and communications sector – and some of its new business programs were delayed or eliminated. The company approved a $50 million stock repurchase program – representing about 5 percent of current market capitalization – in an effort to enhance shareholder value.

Bemis Company Inc.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$1.3 Billion

$1.4 Billion t 5%

Income

$47.4 million

$55.9 million t 15%

EPS

45 cents

53 cents

t 15%

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CORPORATE EARNINGS

The Neenah-based supplier of flexible packaging and pressure sensitive materials reported earnings have been moderately impacted by the costs of its facility consolidation program, which is expected to save the company $50 million in annual costs once completed in early 2013. Through the third quarter 2012, Bemis has closed four of the nine manufacturing locations it plans to shut down and has spent more than $80 million of the estimated total consolidation program cost of $141 million, including more than $21 million this past quarter for employee severance costs and fixed asset-related charges. Sales in its flexible packaging business segment declined 5 percent to $1.2 billion compared to the third quarter 2011.

Brunswick Corp.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$885 million

$877 million s 1%

Income

$2.0 million

$4.7 million t 57%

EPS

2 cents

5 cents

Oshkosh Corp.

4Q 2012

4Q 2011

Revenue

$2.1 Billion

$2.1 Billion t 2%

Income

$78.9 million

$37.5 million s 110%

EPS

86 cents

41 cents

s 110%

The manufacturer of specialty vehicles reported double-digit revenue increases in each of its segments with the exception of defense, which decreased nearly 19 percent to $954 million as many of its extended military contracts wind down. Sales in its commercial segment climbed 34 percent and noted orders for its concrete mixers accelerated during the quarter, perhaps signaling a commencement of the housing recovery. For the full fiscal year 2012, Oshkosh Corp. recorded revenues of $8.2 billion, up 6 percent from fiscal 2011, with earnings of $231 million, or $2.51 per share, down from fiscal 2011 income of $279 million, or $3.05 per share.

t 60%

The parent company of Mercury Marine operations in Fond du Lac reported sales in its marine engine segment climbed 11 percent on the quarter to $504 million. International sales of Mercury products hovered at about one third of the segment’s total revenues.

Humana Inc.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$9.7 Billion

$9.3 Billion s 4%

Income

$426 million

$445 million t 4%

EPS

$2.62

$2.67

t 2%

The health and benefits company with extensive operations in the Green Bay area increased its individual Medicare Advantage enrollment by 18 percent to more than 1.9 million members compared with the same quarter 2011, and grew its individual stand-alone prescription drug programs by 19 percent to 2.9 million members. Despite increases in revenue, the company experienced higher benefits expenses during the third quarter compared to the same period a year earlier. During the quarter Humana acquired two medical services organizations and Certify Data Systems, a pioneer in health information exchange technology.

Dean Foods

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$3.1 Billion

$3.4 Billion t 8%

Income

$36.4 million

($1.5 Billion) s 102%

EPS

20 cents

($8.39)

s 102%

The dairy-based foods company with extensive operations in Wisconsin, including the Green Bay area, spun off its WhiteWave-Alpro segment through an initial public offering at the end of October. Dean’s Fresh Dairy Direct segment increased its operating income 25 percent to $94 million, even though fluid milk volumes for the company and for the entire industry are continuing to decline on a year-over-year basis. The company’s unusually low income from the third quarter 2011 resulted from a $1.9 billion goodwill impairment charge.

Neenah Paper

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$206 million

$175 million s 18%

Income

$9.1 million

$6.7 million s 36%

EPS

56 cents

44 cents

s 27%

The papermaker with significant operations in the Fox Cities reported revenue in its fine paper segment increased 46 percent in the third quarter primarily from the acquisition of Wausau brands in early 2012 and from double-digit gains in luxury packaging, labels and international markets. NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 11

CORPORATE EARNINGS

Integrys Energy Group Inc.

The printing company with significant operations in the Fox Cities reported U.S. sales decreased 6 percent to $1.9 billion during the third quarter while its international revenues decreased nearly 7 percent.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$928 million

$934 million t 1%

Income

$65.7 million

$36.9 million s 78%

EPS

83 cents

47 cents

s 77%

The parent company of Wisconsin Public Service Corp. operations across northeast and northcentral Wisconsin reported lower sales volumes at its natural gas utilities due to lower use per residential customer. In addition, wholesale electric utility sales volumes were down for the third quarter.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$2.5 Billion

$2.7 Billion t 7%

Income

$71.4 million

$158 million t55%

EPS

39 cents

83 cents

t 53%

First Business Financial Services Inc.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Income

$2.6 million

$2.2 million s 20%

EPS

99 cents

83 cents

s 19%

The commercial-oriented financial institution serving Madison, Milwaukee and northeast Wisconsin reported record income for its third quarter. First Business also indicated its nonperforming assets decreased by 48 percent from $29 million to $15 million since the third quarter 2011 and stand at their lowest level since the third quarter 2008.

Appleton Inc.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$211 million

$217 million t 3%

Income

($2.1 million)

$18.0 million t 112%

The employee-owned producer of thermal papers reported substantially higher operating income on the quarter, but recorded a $7 million settlement charge after withdrawing from a multi-employer pension plan as well as an additional $5.1 million of costs related to closing its Ohio mill and transitioning its base paper. Sales of its thermal papers increased more than 9 percent for the quarter.

Alliance Laundry Systems

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$127 million

$114 million s 11%

Income

$11.4 million

$3.4 million s 235%

The Ripon-based manufacturer of commercial and residential laundry equipment reported modest sales growth in all of its geographic markets with the exception of Europe, where receipts were down 19 percent for the third quarter and 14 percent for the first nine months of 2012 when compared with the same period a year ago. Both profit and revenue growth remain in the double digits in the U.S. and Canada.

12 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

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CORPORATE EARNINGS

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3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Income

$2.3 million

$2.3 million t 1%

EPS

34 cents

35 cents

t 1%

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The Manitowoc-based financial institution with significant operations across northeast Wisconsin reported a 27 percent increase in net income for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 to $8.5 million, or $1.28 per share, compared to the same period last year. The bank recorded a one-time charge of $1.4 million related to the early termination of a structured borrowing scheduled to mature in 2018, which is expected to improve net interest margin and earnings in the future.

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Blyth Inc.

3Q 2012

3Q 2011

Revenue

$269 million

$192 million s 69%

Income

$745,000

($5.6 million) s 113%

EPS

4 cents

(34 cents)

s 112%

The parent company of Miles Kimball Co. operations in Oshkosh reported sales in its catalog and Internet segment declined 3 percent to $29.4 million for the quarter as general merchandise sales soften. During the quarter the company sold its Sterno subsidiary to Candle Lamp Company LLC for $23.5 million in cash, and pulled out of the previously announced initial public offering to spin off its ViSalus segment, which was withdrawn Sept. 26.

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New North B2B Ad.indd 1

8/13/12 2:13 PM

Epiphany Law is pleased to welcome attorney

Christopher Snyder to our practice.

School Specialty Inc. Now offering

2Q 2013

2Q 2012

Revenue

$237 million

$251 million t 6%

Income

$14.1 million

$8.9 million s 58%

EPS

75 cents

47 cents

s 60%

The Greenville-based supplier of educational products reported revenues are expected to decline throughout the year as a result of industry-wide soft educational spending on curriculum products.

Immigration Law

Formerly with a firm in Madison, Wisconsin, Chris Snyder specializes in business transactional matters, employment law, intellectual property, and immigration law. He will also assist with succession and estate planning. Chrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expertise and dedication to client service strengthens our steadily growing practice.

920-996-0000 4211 N. Lightning Drive Appleton, WI

www.EpiphanyLaw.com NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 13

BUILD UP FOND DU LAC 7

1&2

4&5

Build Up Fond du Lac 1

- 565 N. Douglas St., Ripon, Lamers Bus Lines, a 6,280-sq. ft. bus garage, maintenance facility and office. Project completion expected in January 2013. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

2 - 700 Stanton St., Ripon, Alliance Laundry, a 20,000sq. ft. addition for assembly, metal stamping and a press shop. Project completion expected in summer 2013. 3

- 545 & 600 W. Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac, Mercury Marine, an addition to the product development and engineering facility and separate additions to its manufacturing and fabrication plants. Project completion expected in late 2013.

4 - 1161 Industrial Pkwy., Fond du Lac, Mid State Amusement Games, a new warehouse facility. 5-

385 W. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac, Wells Vehicle Electronics, a two-story, 64,000-sq. ft. headquarters and manufacturing facility.

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

7 - 210 Kommers St., Mount Calvary, Advanced Tooling Inc, a 10,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. 14 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

BUILD UP OSHKOSH 8 9 & 10

13 12

C - Indicates a new listing

Build Up Oshkosh 8

- 5821 Green Valley Road, town of Vinland, Kwik Trip, a new convenience store and fuel station.

9 - 112 Viola St., Oshkosh, C Oaklawn Elementary School, a two-story, 68,000-sq. ft. school building. Project completion expected in August 2013.

10 -

1820 Jackson St., Oshkosh, Cherry Berry Yogurt Bar, a new restaurant building.

11 - Pearl & Wisconsin avenues, Oshkosh, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center, a 40,000-sq. ft. meeting facility. Project completion expected in December 2013.

- 1210 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh, Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Store, a new retail building. Project completion expected in spring 2013.

13 - 2530 W. Ninth Ave., Oshkosh, C

Wihlm Dental, a 3,510-sq. ft. dental clinic office. Project completion expected in January 2013. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

14 - 4070 State Road 91, Oshkosh, C

F.N. Sheppard & Company, an addition to the existing industrial facility. Projects completed since our November issue: • Pacur Inc., 3555 Moser St., Oshkosh. • Paine Art Center, 1410 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh.

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2621 N. Oneida Street, Appleton, WI 54911 (920) 968-2621 www.thegrandmeridian.com NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 15

BUILD UP FOX CITIES Build Up Fox Cities

8 - 3641 W. College Ave., town of Grand Chute, Panda

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

C - Indicates a new listing

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

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

Express Restaurant, a 2,448-sq. ft. restaurant building. - 3040 Pointer Road, Appleton, Valley Tool Inc., an addition to the existing industrial facility.

10 - 3211 E. Capitol Dr., Appleton, C IPS Testing, a 4,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing test laboratory. Project completion expected in January. 11 - 2307 E. Glendale Ave., Appleton, Hoffman Printing Inc., an addition to the existing printing facility.

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.

12 - N110 Brux Road, town of Buchanan, Wagner Family Chiropractic SC, a 3,100-sq. ft. chiropractic clinic and office.

3 - 1825 N. Bluemound Dr., town of Grand Chute,

Fox Valley Technical College Health Simulation and Technology Center, a three-story, 60,000-sq. ft. health care and emergency medical services education and training facility.

4 - 2400 N. Casaloma Dr., town of Grand Chute, Fox Cities Stadium, a 34,539-sq. ft. addition to the existing grandstands for a banquet facility, added luxury boxes as well as renovations to expand the team locker rooms and clubhouse shop. Project completion expected in April 2013. 5 - W6390 Challenger Dr., town of Greenville, Outagamie County Regional Airport, an 8,000-sq. ft. general aviation terminal building and a separate 12,000-sq. ft. hangar for general aviation use. 6 - West Challenger Drive, town of Greenville,

C Fox Valley Technical College Public Safety Training Center, a 93,000sq. ft. training facility for fire protection and law enforcement personnel. Project completion expected in December 2014.

7 - 4648 W. Spencer St., town of Grand Chute,

Pinnacle Cataract & Laser Institute, a 6,276-sq. ft. addition to the existing medical clinic. Project completion expected in December.

- W3216 County Road KK, town of Buchanan, Panda Express Restaurant, a new restaurant building.

14 - 1205 Wittmann Dr., Menasha, Appanasha Pet Clinic, a new veterinary clinic facility. Project completion expected in late 2012. 15

- 1050 Zephyr Dr., town of Menasha, St. Mary Central High School, a 22,000-sq. ft. fine arts education center to include a 495-seat auditorium. Project completion expected in April 2013.

16 - 540 Discovery Dr., Neenah, C Futek Forms, Tags and Labels, an 18,100-sq. ft. industrial facility. Project completion expected in June 2013. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 17 - 2444 Schultz Dr., Neenah, Plexus Corp., a 473,369sq. ft. manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in fall of 2013. Projects completed since our November issue: • Mid Valley Industries, 1151 DeLanglade St., Kaukauna. • Chicago Dining & Spirits, N9650 Friendship Road, town of Harrison. • Kwik Trip, 3232 S. Oneida St., Appleton.

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BUILD UP FOX CITIES 1 9 & 10 4

2&3

5& 6 13

16 & 17

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 17

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

2564 Lineville Road, Suamico, Dorsch Auto Credit, a used auto dealership. Project completion expected in early 2013.

2 - 2525 Lineville Road, Howard, Fox Communities Credit Union, a 4,452-sq. ft. financial institution building. Project completion expected in March 2013. 3 - 2325 Pamperin Road, Howard,

C Ace Manufacturing Industries Inc., a 22,434-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility.

4 - 900 Isbell St., Green Bay,

C BioLife Plasma Service, a

17,500-sq. ft. medical facility.

5 - 1499 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Cabelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, a 100,000sq. ft. retail store. Project completion expected in August 2013. 6 - 500 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay,

C Integrys Printing, a 4,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing printing facility.

7 - 400 N. Washington St., Green Bay, Schreiber Foods Inc., a five-story, 250,000-sq. ft. corporate headquarters building. Project completion expected in early 2014. 8 - 835 S. Van Buren St., Green Bay, C St. Vincent Hospital, a 10,500-sq. ft. addition to the existing medical center. 9 - 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 April 2013. 10 - 1600 Van Ess Road, New Franken, C New Tech Metals, a 6,946-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in March 2013. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 11 - 1100 S. Huron Road, Green Bay, Frontline Building Products and Green Bay Overhead Door, a 217,884-sq. ft. industrial facility to include offices and more than 200,000 square feet of warehousing space. Project completion expected in spring 2013. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 12 - 2970 Walker Dr., Green Bay, Little Rapids Corp., a 97,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in early 2013. 13

- 197 W. Meadow Dr., Hobart, Oneida Apostolic Church, an addition to the existing church for youth ministry classrooms. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

Take the Guesswork Out of Your Budget

14 - 3383 Spirit Way, Ashwaubenon,

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.

- 807 Parkview Road, Ashwaubenon, C Sports Advantage Center, an addition to the existing athletic training complex.

- 1537 American Ct., De Pere, Utech Consulting, a 4,500-sq. ft. office and training building. Project completion expected in December.

17 - 1745 E. Mathew Dr., De Pere, De Pere Cabinet Inc., a new warehouse facility. 18 - 2121 Innovation Ct., De Pere, Since 2011, our actual project costs have been

within 2% of the original estimates.

Foth & Van Dyke LLC, a 95,000-sq. ft. office building. Project completion expected in fall 2013.

19 - 1900 Enterprise Dr., De Pere,

C.A. Lawton Company, a 15,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing foundry facility to include a blast furnace and clean process equipment.

800.532.4376 | www.jfahern.com

18 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

Projects completed since our November issue: â&#x20AC;˘ Bayside Machine Corp., 2257 American Dr., De Pere.

www.newnorthb2b.com

BUILD UP GREEN BAY 1 thru 3

4 9 7 5

6 13 12

16 thru 18

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 19

AROUND THE BOARDROOM

366 The number in millions of dollars that Wisconsin school districts were estimated to have saved in reduced benefits expenses in 2012 as a result of Act 10. Source: Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance

QUOTEWORTHY

Title: Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream Author: Steve Van Remortel Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press (2012) Pages: 256 List Price: $24.95 Why Buy: Owner of SM Advisors in Green Bay and a consultant in New North B2B’s Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin initiative, profit guru Steve Van Remortel walks readers step by step through his proprietary Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream process to help business owners capitalize on their uniqueness in the market. This strategic planning and talent development guide leads readers to a real differentiation among competing businesses and a high-performance team to deliver that difference. Using the unique code found in the book, readers have access to a complementary detailed online assessment that clearly identifies behavioral style, workplace motivators and soft skills.

“We refer to gas prices as the Kim Kardashian of economics. ” - Noted economist Chris Kuehl of Armada Intelligence, addressing an audience of the Northeast Wisconsin International Business Network at Fox Valley Technical College in early November, discussing the dynamic of heightened public interest in the vanity of gas price fluctuations even though they mean absolutely nothing in the larger scheme of the economy.

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Booth space still available Contact Megan Kok: 920.303.2265, ext. 16, megan@oshkoshchamber.com

20 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

AROUND THE BOARDROOM

Who wisely purchased BodyGuardz® device protection for his iPad before reviewing marketing communications that make coffee shoot out of his nose, causing him to crush their creators to dust under the full weight of his Birkenstocks.

Clutterbusting If there’s anything we all share, the clutter of an overcommunicated society must rank among the most common denominators. And what an appropriate time of year to discuss an issue that inspires me to move to Antarctica. It’s the foulest gunk. I routinely power-wash it from the Crap-O-Matic® filtration system. It’s evidenced in Doo’s scanning of the produce section when he sneaks into Mother Stronglove’s Gucci bag, littered with the Chivas Regal rebate checks she efficiently sifts from the elephantine pile of postal garbage delivered daily to our hi-fi condo. (Side note: If approximately 500 velvet bags would be suitable for your next 3-D impact mailer, please contact me directly.) It’s why Alicia Coppola doesn’t open (and reply to) my email invitations to join me at the Russian Tea Room. I hate that. I love her. Almost everyone wants breakthrough creative, but what do so many nitwits end up producing? The Lord’s Prayer inscribed on the head of a pin. Something like a pimple on the back of that gross guy I was forced to take on in high school wrestling (They called him pepperoni-back-boy-who-neverwashes-his-gym-clothes). An ounce of whimpering, whiney voice lost in a five-ton sack of shitake. So, what are some useful tools for busting through this everexpanding mass of blab? Singular focus. I know. It’s old. But some basic tenets of sound marketing communications will never fall from grace, and that includes Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS). Nobody has the time or interest to hear your comprehensive backstory, so make a singular point in multiple ways: your headline, subject line or tagline, your dominant visual, and your content. Deliver the same compelling selling point and lose the aerial view of your plant, laundry lists of other markets you serve, your company’s history, your mission statement, your core values and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Get off yourself. It’s not about you. As high and mighty as you think you are, chances are very good your reader or listener or viewer are far more interested in what you can do for them, especially where saving money or time, or making their job easier, are concerned. How do you feel about the bore who keeps talking about himself in a conference room

or cocktail party? Turn the table around and orient your messaging to your prospect. Shun the pun. And the “clevah.” And the borrowed interest. This is a gray area, but like a questionable pork loin: when in doubt throw it out. Asking your audience to perform mental gymnastics in order to get the message you’re trying to convey only results in ZAP! We’re all too busy to play games that might ultimately illuminate how great you think you are. You have about a tenth of a second to hook us with something meaningful, something you can do for us RIGHT NOW.

Be human. Avoid corporate-speak terminology and idioms that reek of horse pucky. Like urban legend emails that get forwarded without investigation, or an Amway “business partnership opportunity,” they annoy most normal people. Chances are you know someone whose radar is focused on this passing fancy talk, such as “mission critical,” “face time,” “leverage,” and “infographic,” to name only a fraction. I’ll confess I use these robots as a resource for language to avoid. Moving forward (wtf!), I’ll sign off with “Office Haiku” by David Cope: Try to stay happy This pays for my lifestyle Drinks. Restaurants. Yay. 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 DECEMBER 2012 l 21

COVER STORY

Economic Outlook 2013 A spectrum of views on the indicators shaping northeast Wisconsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy in the year ahead

Story by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher

22 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY he adventure of forecasting an economic roadmap for the coming year has been relatively unpredictable in the years since the recession of 2008. While we’ve hoped each subsequent year would offer a rebound back to the seeming economic boom leading up to 2007, we’ve experienced a much more sheepish, gradual recovery out of the economic morass over the past four years. In fact, the slow-but-steady recovery has progressed at such a pace that many business owners feel as if they’re stuck in neutral, still hanging on but not ready – or able – to make large capital investments to move forward. A variety of national economic indicators suggest we’re back on track. Gross domestic product has increased every quarter since the second quarter 2009, albeit a less than confident 1 to 2 percent gain in most quarters. Housing starts have nearly doubled from the bottom of the market in early 2009, but are still more than 60 percent below peak levels of 2006 and 2007. The Dow Jones has clawed back during the last four years to recoup many of the losses it suffered in late 2008 and early 2009. So why doesn’t it feel like 2008 yet? Well, it’s not going to, even if every economic indicator today mirrored those of pre-recession times more than 50 months ago, according to a number of economic and industry experts who shared their thoughts with New North B2B on the year that lies ahead. A variety of other factors – such as credit market corrections, the looming “Fiscal Cliff” and economic performances outside the U.S. – have paved the way for future economic growth that will appear much different than it did a decade ago.

The larger view In the big picture, growth is inevitable at some point as the cash businesses and individuals have been clinging to makes its way back into the economy, said Greg Pierce, a principal with the financial advisory firm Reinhart Partners Inc. in Oshkosh. He noted that of the firms in the S&P 500, about 30 percent of the cumulative total of their balance sheets were in cash as of the third quarter 2012, primarily holding that nearly $2 trillion in inert financial capacity due to concerns about the uncertainty ahead. For better or worse, much of that uncertainty lifted following the elections in early November. Further clarity will be achieved as Washington makes decisions on tax policy and budget reduction, ultimately determining whether or not the nation goes over the looming ‘Fiscal Cliff.’ Individually, savings rates are up to about 4 percent now, compared with savings rates close to zero in 2006 and 2007, and a number of households have finally right-sized their own balance sheets, Pierce noted. Considering personal consumption accounts for an estimated 70 percent of GDP, improved household spending would have a powerful effect on economic growth. The result of enhanced certainty of the road that lies ahead – even if the outcomes aren’t as rosy as possible – could provide the impetus for consumers and businesses to spend, and perhaps unleash a tidal wave of cash that’s been stowed away during the past four years.

“If there’s a time to be greedy when others are fearful, this is the time to do it.” Greg Pierce Reinhart Partners Inc. “The stock market and the growth in this economy could be better than expected,” Pierce noted, acknowledging there’s still a question of when such spending will happen. “If there’s a deal on the (federal) budget issues, the market will respond well. I’m waiting for the real impact of everybody not being afraid of doing what they want to do (with their money).” A firm believer in behavioral finance, Pierce’s outlook is a robust perspective of traditional economics coupled with history, sociology and psychology. He believes historians will look back on this period 30 years from now and draw a number of parallels to the Great Depression of 80 years ago, known for cleansing the market of poor business practitioners and creating exorbinent opportunity for those willing to take risks by providing out-of-the-box solutions to their customers’ problems. “If there’s a time to be greedy when others are fearful, this is the time to do it,” said Pierce, telling business owners to think seriously about decisions that have been on hold such as product development, buying a competitor, or other capital investment. “We’re going to recover, and it’s going to be booming.” NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 23

COVER STORY On the shop floor Wisconsin’s GDP grew by a little more than 1 percent during 2011, according to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and personal income in the state has crept up by approximately the same amount each quarter since the beginning of 2012. Though manufacturing output and employment in the state have de-

creased in the past 10 years, manufacturing continues to account for the largest single portion of Wisconsin’s GDP, confirming the notion that as Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector goes, so too, does the rest of the state’s economy. While there’s no one-size-fits-all indicator for the performance of manufacturers in the state, the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Vitality Index

Tales from Walmart Greg Pierce uses a unique economic indicator not on the radar of most academics: counting the number of $40,000-plus vehicles in a Walmart parking lot at any given time. He said it’s a trend that’s spiked in the past year or so. He also noted the phenomenon of going into a Walmart to observe the checkout lines at midnight on the first day of any given month – the busiest hours of the month for the retail giant – which correspond with the renewal of funds on an electronic benefits transfer debit card for those receiving unemployment or disability benefits. “This Walmart story at midnight – these are our breadlines,” Pierce said, recalling the support for hunger during the Great Depression. “That’s still what we’re fighting through.”

24 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

released annually by the NEW Manufacturing Alliance has developed a reputation in just two short years of being right on target. The annual survey of 160 mid-sized to large manufacturers from the region reported 62 percent of its participants increased sales during 2012 compared with 2011, down slightly from the more optimistic projections a year ago that 71 percent would increase sales during 2012. From a brief preview B2B was afforded of the survey results for 2013, about 68 percent are forecasting another jump in revenue for the coming year. The actual report itself is scheduled to be released publically on Dec. 7 during The New North Summit. More than 20 percent of survey respondents a year ago anticipated expanding their facilities during 2012, a phenomena evidenced in B2B’s Build Up pages throughout the year, which saw a demonstrable increase in the number and value of building permits for industrial facilities across the region. Unfortunately stifling manufacturing growth is the continued shortage of

www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY “I don’t know if we as an organization have been so badly needed by this region ever before as the economy prepares to take off again.” Susan May, president Fox Valley Technical College skilled labor to fill specific workforce needs in industry, said Mike Kawleski, public affairs manager with Georgia-Pacific operations in northeast Wisconsin and the chair of the communications task force for NEW Manufacturing Alliance. Increasing awareness of this skilled-worker shortage and bringing attention to specific job opportunities among the region’s manufacturers has become a priority agenda for the alliance. “Manufacturers may have a market for their products, and in some cases may even have orders to fill, but so often they don’t have the people available to be able to fill those orders,” Kawleski said.

Building a workforce A critical glimpse into a region’s economic recovery is often the number of new positions being created by manufacturers and the amount of resources those firms are putting into training that workforce. Employer spending on staff training and worker development is often among the first line items on a budget to be cut down or eliminated altogether when companies need to pinch pennies. Appleton-based Fox Valley Technical College had a record year for its customized worker training programs in 2012, according to President Susan May, growing revenue from its business and industry services by more than 5 percent above solid results from 2011. The technical school’s outreach to the Fox Valley employer community fulfilled 937 service contracts during the past year, more than any other technical college district in the state. In a mid-November report to its board of supervisors, May and other district officials forecast an additional 4 percent

On manufacturing challenges Wisconsin manufacturers often create innovative value, that is, they don’t necessarily make “things,” but they make the equipment that makes commodities. Unfortunately, many of these products are often expensive capital investments, and as such, are subject to the whims of the economy.

growth from its business and industry services in 2013. “I don’t know if we as an organization have been so badly needed by this region ever before as the economy prepares to take off again,” May said in an interview with B2B just prior to its Nov. 20 board meeting, referring to both the job preparation training it does with its more traditional students on campus as well as the on-site training it does on a contract-basis with employers to help improve their existing workforce. The increase in demand for its customized worker training services has been driven by some employers expecting greater per capita productivity from their existing employees, May said. But it also represents a variety of employers who are expanding into new markets, adding new technology into their facilities, or are providing a larger budget for tuition reimbursement where they may have been reluctant to do so in the past. Unfortunately, May said the message from manufacturers to turn out more graduates with needed technical skills like electromechanical engineers or CNC machine operators isn’t lost on technical colleges like FVTC. They’ve heard it loud and clear, and have responded by developing programs to deliver needed skills training in various vocations. Students simply aren’t coming, and the graduates the school produces in a number of needed manufacturing skills still falls short of the region’s workforce needs. “We need more young people pursuing technical occupations as opposed to pursuing more broad occupations,” May noted.

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NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 25

COVER STORY Closer to home Economists often cite the housing market as being the ultimate model for the success of a local economy, so often because such a substantial portion of the cost that goes into new home construction remains in the locale where the home is built. Like much of the rest of the country, the housing market has been slow to rebound in northeast Wisconsin, though existing home sales and selling prices in the region have been trending upward throughout 2012, noted Joyce Bytof, chairman and CEO of Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group.

“We know that housing drives every other business...” Joyce Bytof, chairman/CEO Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group Through the first 10 months of 2012, there was a more than 20 percent year-over-year increase in the number of completed home sales in the Northeast Wisconsin MLS, a multi-listing service area which includes most of the B2B readership region. The number of pending home sales in the region has nearly tripled from year-ago levels, and the median sales price on closed transactions in the region is up more than 2 percent from last year. Bytof expects her own agency, which includes 26 offices across northeast Wisconsin, to eclipse $1 billion in closed volume for fiscal 2012, the first time it would do so since 2007. “I theorize that real estate is coming back strongly into next year,” Bytof said, noting there’s a good deal of pent-up demand. She said many of her agents – which focus exclusively on residential properties – have been working with the same prospective buyers for the past 18 months, meaning they’ve been reluctant to buy because they haven’t found the right

Real estate trends One statistic that’s troubling in the residential real estate industry is the high number of homes in northeast Wisconsin selling at $60,000 or less. Though home sales are up over the past three years, nearly 25 percent of home closings in northeast Wisconsin during October 2012 were for less than $60,000, while about 63 percent of the total homes sold in the market were $140,000 or less. “I would have never guessed three years ago that we’d be selling so many properties under $60,000,” said Joyce Bytof, chairman and CEO of Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group in Appleton. “However, maybe that’s the new norm.” Bytof suspects many of those transactions involved foreclosures, bank-owned properties or HUD-owned homes.

26 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

www.newnorthb2b.com

COVER STORY property or haven’t been able to negotiate the right price. Either way, they will buy, she said, and that’ll trickle down through the region’s economy. “We know that housing drives every other business, and these (home buyers) will go to Suess Electronics for a new tv and to Gabriel’s for new furniture,” Bytof said. While the amount of housing stock in the market remains at healthy levels – too little is akin to a retailer with empty shelves – much of the existing home inventory in the low to mid-priced level is being cleaned out, creating opportunity for builders who specialize in affordable housing. “We’ve got a couple of builders who are building on spec, and you didn’t see much of that in the past three years,” Bytof said. Much of that had to do with changes in financing, which are permanent in many cases. Only those builders with sufficient liquidity to self-fund or a substantial amount of assets to get loans are in a position to build homes on spec. From the financial industry’s perspective, First National Bank - Fox Valley President Peter Prickett expects an increase in the housing market next year as well, fueled by both new mortgages on home purchases as well as a continuance of the mortgage refinancing boom that’s occurred since interest rates have been at rock bottom levels. Unfortunately, he’s not as optimistic about the commercial side of the business. Prickett believes there will be overall growth in the region’s economy, but perhaps even less than the 2 percent experienced nationwide through much of 2012.

“Our customers are seeing a little bit of a slowdown ... It’s not going to be a very strong year.” Peter Prickett, president First National Bank ~ Fox Valley He cited lower defense spending – particularly to vendors in northeast Wisconsin – as well as a weaker global economy as reasons for his restraint. “Our customers are seeing a little bit of a slowdown,” Prickett said. “We will grow next year, but I think it will be soft growth. It’s not going to be a very strong year.”

China’s growth dilemma Growth of 7.4 percent in China’s gross domestic product still might not be enough to extinguish civil unrest. The country needs to create at least 1.3 million new jobs per year just to keep up with its population growth.

Positioned for the Future Miles Kimball is a catalog & internet retail company that has been a part of the Oshkosh community for more than 75 years. We worked with economic development specialists from the City, the Chamber and Chamco to coordinate two major projects. They included a new 387,000 sq. ft. distribution center and the consolidation of our office and call centers into a single downtown location. This streamlined our company making it possible to move the jobs from our Las Vegas call center back to Oshkosh. Oshkosh’s team of development specialists helped position our company for the future. We’re very pleased with the results.

Vicki Updike

President, Miles Kimball Company

The Opportunity Oshkosh marketing campaign is a collaborative public/private partnership designed to enhance economic development and promote job growth within the greater Oshkosh area.

For retail, commercial or industrial opportunities, Oshkosh makes business happen! - OpportunityOshkosh.com

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 27

HEALTH CARE

Full steam ahead With uncertainty gone about the future of health care reform, employers must forge ahead with ObamaCare compliance Story by Lee Reinsch

28 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

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HEALTH CARE If you woke up in a sweat the day after the U.S. Presidential election realizing that “ObamaCare” wasn’t Dorothy’s somnambulant trip to Oz, you’re not alone. The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 seems to have stirred up more jitters among employers than the Wicked Witch of the West did among the munchkins. Many business people assumed Mitt Romney would win, Republicans would take back the U.S. Senate, and they’d wake up back in Kansas with Toto at their side. “With the election behind them, suddenly people are taking it (the ACA) very seriously,” said Kelly Kuglitsch, employee benefits attorney with the law firm of Davis & Kuelthau in Green Bay and Oshkosh. Employers of all shapes and sizes want to know how the ACA is going to affect them, but it’s the smaller ones that seem to have the most questions, Kuglitsch said. “The larger employers with human resources staffs have been preparing for implementation for a longer period of time and are more familiar with the requirements, but it’s with the smaller employers that I am seeing lots of questions and, of course, anxiety and concern because of the remaining uncertainty,” Kuglitsch said.

Ignorance isn’t bliss To some extent, small employers have been somewhat ignorant of the provisions of the law because not a lot of components of the Affordable Care Act apply to them, said Terri Lillesand, principal with the Appleton-based accounting and business consulting firm Schenck, S.C. Lillesand said she’s received panicked emails from people saying things like, ‘We’re a small nonprofit, and if we have to provide insurance, it will put us out of business.’ “I say ‘How many employees do you have?’ and they say ‘Four,’” Lillesand said. One of the biggest myths out there is that employers are going to be required to offer insurance or pay a penalty, and that’s not true for employers with fewer than 50 employees. A small business that doesn’t offer health insurance now won’t be required to do so going forward. However, the law states that every individual is required to have their own health insurance, meaning those employees who aren’t insured will have to find their own insurance coverage somehow or pay a penalty.

“50-plus” isn’t just for AARP anymore It means ACA. And QHP (qualified health plan). And EHB (Essential Health Benefits). And SHOP (Small Business Health Options Program). And a slew of other alphabet sandwiches that can unnerve you when you read them in fine print. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, almost everyone needs to have at least a bare-bones plan or they face an IRS penalty. Those employers with 50 or more employees will be required to provide such plans, or pay the penalty to the IRS. Beginning in 2014, most health insurance plans will be required to cover essential health benefits (EHB) in 10 categories.

They include: • Ambulatory patient services; • Emergency services; • Hospitalization; • Maternity and newborn care; • Mental health and substance-use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; • Prescription drugs; • Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; • Laboratory services; • Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management; and • Pediatric services, including oral and vision care. Whether people get their insurance from a private broker, through their employer or spouse’s employer, or via the insurance exchanges isn’t important. Just so they have it. Health insurance exchanges are scheduled to be up and running by Jan. 1, 2014. Open enrollment is in fall of 2013. If you’re an employer with more than 50 employees who work at least 30 hours a week, you need to offer at least a bare-bones health insurance plan, or you could end up forking over a tax of $2,000 per employee less the first 30 employees. In other words, if you have 51 employees, you would pay $2,000 x 21 employees – since 51 minus 30 equals 21 – for a total penalty of $42,000. In many cases, that’ll prove less expensive than providing the bare-bones health insurance plan to 51 employees. If your plan is too expensive – as defined by premiums costing more than 9.5 percent of an employee’s wages – your employee can choose between sucking it up and taking your pricey plan, or going to the insurance exchange to find insurance. But this alone doesn’t mean you’ll be taxed $2,000. If the employee meets certain income guidelines, they could qualify for a government subsidy to help pay for their insurance, and if they take the subsidy, then your business will hear from the IRS. Businesses that employ fewer than 50 employees don’t have to worry about much of the healthcare reform act’s details. “For a lot of small businesses, they don’t have to offer insurance, and they don’t get a penalty for not offering it,” Lillesand said.

Are we there yet? The Affordable Care Act has so many facets – it makes 91 provisions – that it’s being eased into the American mainstream gradually, over a period of eight years between 2010 and 2018. More than half the steps – a total of 53 provisions – are already in place. Some of them have received a considerable amount of media attention:

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 29

HEALTH CARE • Some 3 million adults under age 27 have been able to get insurance under their parents’ insurance plan; • Insurance companies can’t reject you or kick you off their plan because you have a pre-existing condition or get sick; • Insurance companies are limited as to how much rates can differ between people of different ages. For example, a 63-year-old won’t pay more than three times what a person one-third his age will pay. Another facet of ACA that’s been well-received, albeit underused, according to Lillesand: the small business health insurance tax credit. Small employers with 10 or fewer employees whose average wage is under $25,000 that provide insurance can get a tax credit of 35 percent of their cost of the employee’s insurance premiums. “A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax, way better than a tax deduction,” Lillesand said. “It’s pretty substantial.” Lillesand said she doesn’t have a lot of clients that take the credit, but those who do can save a lot of money.

Changes for the year ahead Two new taxes kicking in for 2013 could affect owners of businesses whose earnings exceed certain thresholds. On wages exceeding $250,000 for a married couple filing jointly – or $200,000 for singles – a new 0.9 percent Medicare tax kicks in on Jan. 1, 2013.

30 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

For example, if you and your spouse earn $280,000, you would owe $270, or 0.9 percent of the $30,000, which is the amount over that $250,000 threshold. “Normally Medicare and Social Security taxes are withheld from a person’s pay and it doesn’t show up on a person’s returns. This will be a new schedule and a new line item,” Lillesand said. Another new Medicare tax starts on Jan. 1, 2013 as well – this one at 3.8 percent – on investment income over $250,000 for a married couple filing jointly or $200,000 for single filers. Investment income is generally referred to as interest, capital gains, dividends and rental income. This is a brand new tax to be reported on a person’s personal tax return, according to Lillesand. Also beginning Jan. 1, flexible savings accounts (FSAs) for employees will be limited to $2,500. FSAs are stashes of pretax wages employees can elect to take out of their paycheck for qualifying medical expenses. Starting in January 2013 – and for the 2012 payroll year – employers offering health insurance must report the value of the insurance premium contribution on the employee’s W-2 form, although employees don’t have to pay income tax on their plans.

‘Travelocity’ for health insurance Starting in 2014, anyone can go online to choose an insurance plan from an insurance marketplace called an exchange. Small businesses with less than 50 fulltime employees

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HEALTH CARE will also be able to buy insurance from exchanges called Small Business Health Options Program. Large companies won’t be able to buy via exchanges until 2017. What does this mean? Supporters of the health care reform law argue such exchanges will offer freedom from having to rely on a job for health care, freedom to change jobs and keep the same insurance plan, and freedom to leave a job to start a new enterprise without fearing loss of coverage. Davis & Kuelthau’s Kuglitsch thinks the exchanges will shake up the way people view health insurance. “I predict health care reform is going to bring with it a paradigm shift,” she said. “A number of individuals may no longer be choosing to get their insurance from their employer if they can find better options elsewhere.” The exchanges have been described as a sort of Travelocity for health insurance. Consumers will plug in their vital statistics online or via telephone and compare coverage and prices among plans.

“

A number of individuals may no longer be choosing to get their insurance from their employer if they can find better options elsewhere.

”

Kelly Kuglitsch, employee benefits attorney Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.

Since Gov. Scott Walker opted for Wisconsin to not create its own exchange, the state will use the federal model designed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It’s not certain yet what role local and regional insurance providers will play in the health insurance exchanges, although the DHHS has reported it will model the exchanges based upon the most popular plans in each state. No matter what happens with so-called “ObamaCare,” one thing is certain: It’s encouraging insurers to think outside the box and consider audiences they may have paid little attention to before. Menasha-based Network Health recently expanded its offerings to include individual and family plan offerings, including one plan suited for young adults no longer eligible to stay on their parents’ policy, as well as for individuals and families whose employers don’t offer health insurance or retirees not yet eligible for Medicare, said Sheila Jenkins, president of Network Health. “We launched this new plan because we knew there were a lot of people living throughout northeast Wisconsin who currently don’t have the health plan options available to them that will best meet their specific needs,” Jenkins said.

If you’d like help putting out the fires in your business and would like to be considered for

B2B’s 2013 Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin send a note to the publisher at sean@newnorthb2b.com. Businesses awarded no-cost strategic consultation in our 3rd Annual Firefighters initiative will be selected in March 2013.

Lee Reinsch writes and edits from Green Bay. NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 31

GOVERNMENT

Waste not, want not Lean methodologies making their way into local government operations

Story by Cheryl Hentz

In order to create jobs and promote economic growth, state government must operate with business-like efficiency. Becoming more efficient and continuously improving government will both improve services and control its cost to taxpayers. In keeping with this philosophy, earlier this year Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed Executive Order #66, which requires state agencies to implement a lean government initiative. This initiative must engage staff and agency leaders in order to eliminate waste, save time and cost, and improve government services to the benefit of both state residents and employers. In addition, those offices must report their progress to the governor at the beginning of each year. What is lean? Lean is a journey, an ever-changing way of continuously improving processes. In essence, it’s a way of preserving value and quality of work with doing less work. The result of lean is increased efficiencies in services for the customers of state and local government. Its results are well documented in the private sector. From the first lean pioneers of Henry Ford in 1913 and Toyota production in the 1930s, lean manufacturing has been able to obtain low cost, high variety, high quality, and rapid output times to respond to changing customer needs. Over the years lean principles have been used in many types

32 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

of industry within the private sector. Those principles are now making their way into local government. Though the public sector is among the last to embrace lean philosophies within its operations, ever-shrinking budgets and changes within the state’s labor environment are causing state and local governmental agencies to consider and embrace in greater numbers the various opportunities that exist to make better use of taxpayer dollars through leaner operations.

Easier building in Oshkosh In Oshkosh, for example, the city administration began an informal lean journey a few years ago. One department with a major transformation was its building inspection services. In the past anyone wanting a building permit – whether for their own home or contractors doing jobs for customers – applied for a permit at City Hall during specific hours. Because building permit applicants would unknowingly show up outside of those hours, many became frustrated and upset making multiple trips to City Hall.

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GOVERNMENT Now an inspector is available in the office all day long, making it easier to get residential building permits for home improvements or renovations. Someone is also available in the planning department in case a building permit requires a planner to look at the application or building plans as well. With these tiny changes, people leave with their permit on the first visit in about 85 percent of the cases, as opposed to only about 30 percent under the old arrangement. While this change hasn’t necessarily saved any money, it’s improved customer service and provides greater efficiencies in that department. “The city manager has said since these changes have been done with regard to permitting, he’s had no complaints, where before he was getting complaints pretty frequently,” said John Zarate, chief building official for the City of Oshkosh. John Fitzpatrick, assistant city manager and director of administrative services for the City of Oshkosh, is helping to lead a variety of lean projects that stemmed from Act 10 and Act 32 last year. The projects revolve, at least in part, around performance management and pay-for-performance initiatives. “One of the reasons I think some organizations have not been successful with performance management and pay-forperformance is they haven’t made a commitment to devote resources toward that effort (for whatever reason),” said Fitzpatrick. As a result of a few recent vacancies in the city’s human resources department, payroll and benefits roles were able to be combined into one position, creating space for a new organizational development specialist position that will start in January. “That person will aid the departments by working with them

on all kinds of different projects – not only lean initiatives, but also other training projects that we haven’t had the ability to help the departments with up to now,” Fitzpatrick said. The city also has a unique opportunity with its community media service department – a luxury a lot of municipalities don’t have. “So maybe we can capture some of the efforts that employees are undertaking through video. We could then perhaps stream that video on our Intranet. We could also showcase some of that information by sharing it with the public so they can understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it,” he continued. Through its lean efforts, the city is also giving employees the opportunity to say what happens down the road – to participate in projects that are going to help define the future of their position. “We really believe we’re going to have to develop more cross-functional teams and have employees participate on and provide input and ideas to those teams in terms of how we can improve the organization going forward,” Fitzpatrick explained.

Hard, fast results in Outagamie County Increased constraints on the ability to levy taxes and unprecedented cuts in state and federal aids made lean an attractive management strategy in Outagamie County, said County Executive Tom Nelson. Outagamie County officials began their lean journey in late 2011. “Undergirding this journey, however, is my personal belief that it’s the right thing to do and that lean holds great promise

Helping government improve operations The Wisconsin Center for Performance Excellence – formerly known as Forward Wisconsin – conducts a variety of workshops on various topics within lean government. Liz Menzer, executive director, indicated the agency is developing a series of courses on the fundamentals of lean. They’re typically one-day workshops. “It’s one of those concepts where you do need to understand some of the foundational work before you can really move forward and implement lean,” she said. There will be Lean 101 workshops that focus specifically on public sector entities. There will also be customized workshops for various public entities, as well as performance measurement

workshops, among others. “The governor’s executive order has suggested that entities need to develop measures, but in a nonwidget making environment, it’s sometimes hard for people to figure out how to know if they’re being successful,” Menzer explained. They’re also planning a 201-level series of courses for people who have had some exposure to lean principles and want to develop internal capacity. “Also in 2013 we will be looking at a lean government certificate program where there will be a series of workshops, followed by some coaching built in,” Menzer said. As part of such a program, participating organizations will choose a project and they will

receive coaching to help them implement the project. “Our hope is that by going through that program people will be able to lead some lean projects within their own department or own agency. We do a model like that with the healthcare industry that has been very successful,” Menzer said. No organization is too small for lean training, and while most small organizations are usually pretty lean and mean already, there is always room to slowly introduce lean concepts that can yield significant results, she said. Some of the workshops started in late November, while others will begin this month. For a full schedule of programs, visit their web site at www.wisquality.org.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 33

GOVERNMENT in the public sector,” Nelson said. “What every county worker has in common is a passion to serve their community and do the most good with their God-given talents. Becoming more effective at their jobs and embracing a culture of continuous improvement is tantamount to accomplishing that goal.” Since beginning this process, 13 departments and more than 20 department heads and support staff have become lean process-certified. Various departments have undertaken lean projects and the outcomes are impressive. • Solid Waste/Recycling – increased/decreased speed of MRF hertz (run) rate depending on composition of materials and capturing more recyclables. Projected savings of $50,000 annually. • Human Resources – reduced mailing from 41.5 hours to 9.5 hours by consolidating labeling, collating, stuffing and sealing processes and streamlining other related steps. Projected savings of 77 percent less hours of labor per mailing. • Treasurer – eliminated 32 percent of the days required to complete a foreclosure process by eliminating unnecessary wait and non-value-added steps. Projected savings of 128 fewer days to complete a foreclosure. • Sheriff’s Department – Reduced the hiring cycle time from between 100 and 180 days to less than 90 days by increasing the number of applicants interviewed and increasing the percent of those hired from 11 to 25 percent. • County Executive – streamlined production of employee anniversary certificates and eliminated non-value-added steps by hand-delivering certificates before every employee anniversary occurs.

“...at the heart of lean is a value that waste by definition is immoral and that the labor that someone gives to an organization is the greatest gift that they can give it.” Tom Nelson, Outagamie County Executive County administration also launched a lean steering committee to help keep the trained department heads and staff members on task completing their lean projects and continuing to build a lean culture throughout the county. They use several companies in the private sector as mentors to show them how they’ve applied lean principles with realworld examples. “It’s good to learn from the examples of things others have done. I’ve certainly encouraged my department heads to establish and maintain those contacts, and so far they’ve been very helpful,” said Nelson. He acknowledges lean is not only about saving money, but creating other process efficiencies that improve a variety of other nonfinancial outcomes. “It’s about how you do your jobs in a different manner that translates into improvement and greater efficiencies that may very well in the long run also save money,” Nelson said. “But

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GOVERNMENT at the heart of lean is a value that waste by definition is immoral and that the labor that someone gives to an organization is the greatest gift that they can give it.”

Efforts elsewhere Meanwhile, Green Bay-based Northeast Wisconsin Technical College has accumulated quite a bit of institutional knowledge about lean training and lean management, and has implemented the practices it preached to others within its own operations. Dean Stewart, the dean of corporate training and economic development, said one of the lean processes they’ve done in-house is to look at the order entry process for contract training. A cross-functional team of six people from sales, support, finance and the seminar team sat down and evaluated the process from start to finish. “When I took over the department this past January we were trending negative in our budget, and just with some of the small changes we made in the first six months we ended up meeting our budget in terms of our cost,” Stewart said. “So we saw some improvement, and that was before we even really started taking full steps toward getting everyone trained in lean.” Stewart’s colleagues at NWTC would like to implement these lean processes in other parts of the college itself. In addition, they’re teaching lean principles to other organizations in the community, one of which is the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District. Last year, the municipal utility incorporated lean principles to improve its organizational effectiveness. The first lean project involved replacing its paper paystub with an emailed paystub. Switching to an E-stub, staff reduced the total number of process steps by 43 percent and reduced the total amount of time by 28 percent. A second initiative, a lean office supply project, created a new process for ordering supplies and a standardized office supply list for improved efficiency. In total, the lean office supply project resulted in savings of more than $18,000, a reduction in costs of 22 percent, reduction in necessary inventory of 15 percent, and reduced labor time by 30 percent. Subsequent projects are also realizing efficiencies in labor and costs. “The joke around lean is that it’s an acronym for ‘Less Employees Around Now.’ And that’s where lean has been applied improperly,” Stewart said. “Getting rid of people is the easy way out because that will always give you savings. But you can only eliminate so many people using that approach.” Lean is all about having better efficiencies and applying people from one area to another where additional manpower is needed, Stewart said. “Sometimes jobs may get eliminated along the way, but it’s not about that. It’s about using all your resources more effectively.”

Cheryl Hentz is a freelance writer from Oshkosh with nearly 30 years of professional writing experience. She can be reached at 920.426.4123, via email at cheryl.hentz@gmail.com, or through her blog at www.cherylhentz.blogspot.com.

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PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

It’s Not My Fault! by Credit Matters, Inc.

Many people have credit issues that are not directly their fault. Following are common situations that affect most people at some point in time. The solution to these credit problems is to use the dispute process allowed consumers through the Fair Credit Reporting Act – Credit Restoration. Divorce: In most situations, divorce usually results in a division of a couple’s assets and liabilities. Most times “he” will take responsibility of certain debts, while “she” will assume responsibility of other debts. The problem comes when the account assumed by the ex-spouse is a joint account such as a credit card or mortgage, and he/she makes payments late, resulting in these late payments showing up on both spouses’ credit reports – even though the divorce decree states it’s the ex-spouse’s responsibility. Bottom line: Contract law supersedes divorce law regarding the liability. In this case the ex-spouse could be pursued for contempt of the divorce order, Dan Krueger

36 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

but this is not a defense to remove the late payments from the harmed spouse’s credit report. Cosigning: Cosigning on a loan for another borrower is simply assuming a joint responsibility for the debt. If you cosign for junior’s car loan or student loan, and he/she doesn’t make payments on time, as a joint-owner of the debt, these late payments are reported on your report as well as junior’s. Medical Collections: Medical providers often list both spouses as being financially responsible for medical bills, whether it was for treatment of your child or your exspouse. When this bill is unpaid and sent to a collection agency, most often it is reported on both (ex)spouses…even if they are divorced. Sometimes it follows the primary insured only and reported on their credit, often producing surprises when applying for credit after divorce, since he/she may not have been aware of the doctor bill to begin with.

800.531.7279 Creditor Errors: Creditors typically don’t recklessly report things in error, but sometimes errors occur. This is usually the result of “the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing” within the creditor organization. Reporting of credit history is an automated computer process and while the creditor CSR or supervisor you speak with may look at their computer screen and see that your account is in good standing, this often will not match with what is on your credit report. Dan Krueger is the owner of Credit Matters, Inc., a registered Credit Service Organization with the State of Wisconsin. Since 2003 Credit Matters has assisted over 3,000 consumers and small business owners with credit restoration and consultation services. For assistance with your credit management or score improvement needs, call us at: 800-5317279.

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ELECTIONS

Contested races from November 6 elections

President – Wisconsin voting

4 Barack Obama (D) - Inc. 1,613,950 Mitt Romney (R) 1,408,745 Gary Johnson (L) 20,278 Jill Stein (G) 7,598 Virgil Goode (C) 5,088

U.S. Senate

4 Tammy Baldwin (D) Tommy G. Thompson (R) Joseph Kexel (L) Nimrod Y. U. Allen III (I)

1,544,274 1,377,253 61,904 16,326

53% 46% 1% -

52% 46% 2% -

U.S. House of Representatives

6th District 4 Tom Petri (R) - Inc. 223,514 Joe Kallas (D) 136,146 8th District 4 Reid J. Ribble (R) - Inc. 198,464 Jamie Wall (D) 156,371

62% 38% 56% 44%

State Senate

18th District – Includes Assembly Districts 52, 53 and 54 4 Rick Gudex (R) 43,039 50% Jessica King (D) - Inc. 42,449 50% 30th District – Includes Assembly Districts 88, 89 and 90 4 Dave Hansen (D) - Inc. 42,891 54% John Macco (R) 36,141 46%

State Assembly

1st District – Includes portions of Green Bay and eastern Brown County 4 Garey Bies (R) - Inc. 16,976 51% Patrick Veeser (D) 16,106 49% 2nd District – Includes De Pere, Denmark, Wrightstown and rural southern Brown County 4 Andre Jacque (R) - Inc. 17,058 59% Larry Pruess (D) 12,015 41% 3rd District – Includes Combined Locks, Kimberly, Sherwood and portions of Appleton, Menasha and Little Chute as well as rural portions of northwestern Calumet County 4 Al Ott (R) - Inc. 17,357 58% Kole Oswald (D) 11,384 38% Josh Young (I) 1,186 4% 4th District – Includes Allouez, Ashwaubenon and portions of Green Bay, Hobart and Howard 4 Chad Weininger (R) - Inc.16,003 56% Michael J. Malcheski (D) 12,750 44%

5th District – Includes Kaukauna, Seymour, rural eastern Outagamie County and portions of Little Chute 4 Jim Steineke (R) - Inc. 16,075 56% Jeff McCabe (D) 12,689 44% 6th District – Includes Hortonville 4 Gary Tauchen (R) - Inc. 15,402 John Powers (D) 10,502

59% 41%

52nd District – Includes Fond du Lac, Oakfield and rural portions of southern Fond du Lac County 4 Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R) - Inc.16,299 61% Paul G. Czisny (D) 10,567 39% 53rd District – Includes North Fond du Lac, Omro, Rosendale, Waupun, rural southern Winnebago County, portions of Oshkosh and northern Fond du Lac County 4 Michael Schraa (R) 15,819 60% Ryan Flejter (D) 10,404 40% 54th District – Includes Oshkosh 4 Gordon Hintz (D) - Inc. 17,393 Paul J. Esslinger (R) 11,589

60% 40%

55th District – Includes Neenah, town of Grand Chute and portions of Appleton and northern Winnebago County 4 Dean R. Kaufert (R) - Inc. 19,119 63% Jim Crail (D) 10,191 34% Rich Martin (L) 1,016 3% 56th District – Includes Winneconne and portions of Appleton as well as rural southern Outagamie County and northern Winnebago County 4 Dave Murphy (R) 18,279 58% Richard B. Schoenbohm (D) 13,052 42% 88th District – Includes Bellevue, portions of Green Bay and eastern Brown County 4 John Klenke (R) - Inc. 14,432 52% Ward Bacon (D) 13,062 48% 89th District – Includes Suamico and portions of Green Bay, Howard and southern Oconto County 4 John Nygren (R) - Inc. 16,066 59% Joe Reinhard (D) 11,112 41% 90th District – Includes Green Bay 4 Eric Genrich (D) 11,335 David Vanderleest (R) 7,428

60% 40%

Unopposed incumbents in the region:

Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay), 2nd Senate District Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber (D-Appleton), 57th Assembly Dist.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 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

Storage Station GB LLC, Michael Nooyen, 5581 County Road W, De Pere 54115. Flow Yoga Studio LLC, Ryann Elizabeth Hutjens, 615 Randall Ave., De Pere 54115. Weinshel Healthcare Consulting LLC, Steven Samuel Weinshel, 1746 Martinwood Ct., De Pere 54115. Faithorn Outdoor Products LLC, Kurt F. VanRemortel, 3834 Willow Tree Lane, De Pere 54115-865. Till1st Grading and Tree Service LLC, Steven Edwin Tillman, 1910 Cypress Road, De Pere 54115. Krista Seidl Design Co., Krista Seidl, 713 Eau Claire Pl., De Pere 54115. Legend’s Rolling Thunder Lanes LLC, Susan Joan Lawyer, 1395 Swan Ridge Tr., De Pere 54115. Waste Material Recovery Technology LLC and PC Material Technology LLC, Environmental Advanced Reclamation Technology, 2077B Lawrence Dr., De Pere 54115. Rustic Metal Works LLC, Gregory F. Wiltman, 5242 Frontier Road, Denmark 54208. Statewide Recovery Specialists LLC, Shawn Vander Heyden, 699 Coronis, Green Bay 54304. Baycom Mobility LLC, Tourguide Solutions LLC and Trboconnection LLC, Bay Communications Inc., 2040 Radisson St., Green Bay 54302. Life Uncommon Massage LLC, Kara Phernetton, 607 Briar Ct., Green Bay 54301. Raider Tire LLC, Jeffery John Nooyen, 2931 McEarl Dr., Green Bay 54313. First American Realty LLC, Xia Mee Moua, 318 S. Broadway St., Green Bay 54303. Whitetail Dreams Real Estate LLC, Jeremy John Vanhulle, 1460 North Road, Green Bay 54313. Industrial Manufacturing LLC and Industrial Fabrication LLC, Michael D. Schenian, 1680 S. Vandenberg Road, Green Bay 54311. Wagner’s Four Seasons/Scott’s A Plus Carpet Cleaning LLC, Scott C. Wagner, 1447 Shirley St., Green Bay 54304. Paper Valley Roller Girls Inc., Katherine Kampen, 905 Royal Blvd., Green Bay 54303. Master Your Accent LLC, Cher N. Gunderson, 1220 Stuart St., Green Bay 54301. CJ’s Handyman Services LLC, Christopher J. Sheehy, 2012 Farlin Ave., Green Bay 54302. Encore Fashions LLC, Kelly Brosig, 3500 Spyglass Hill Dr., Green Bay 54311. Small Craft Advisory Guide Service LLC, Mike Kabacinski, 1061 Harwood St., Apt. 2, Green Bay 54313. Riverside Dining LLC, David Frank Cowles, 2222 Riverside Dr., Green Bay 54301. Jisa Machine & Gear LLC, Laurie A. Burkel, 3807 W. Mason, Oneida 54155. Botz Communications Consulting LLC, Janet Marie Botz, 2363 Crown Pointe Blvd., Suamico 54173. Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service LLC, Sean Jerovetz, 14430 Velp Ave., Suamico 54173. Wolter Insurance Agency LLC, Paul P. Wolter, 3658 Flintlock Road, Suamico 54173. R&J Flooring Specialists LLC, David John La Plant, 305 Van Dyke Road, Wrightstown 54180. 38 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

Fond du Lac County

Fondy Performance Exhaust LLC, Terry Lee Burnett, N6633 Richards Road, Fond du Lac 54935. Bandu Salon LLC, Stephanie Ann Duford, 43 S. Main St., Fond du Lac 54935. Cardinal General Contractors Realty LLC, Todd Cardinal, 1183 Industrial Pkwy., Fond du Lac 54937. Midwest Foot and Wound Care Center LLC, Maria Saleh, W3853 Stoneridge Dr., Fond du Lac 54937-620. Roehrig’s Pelican Landing LLC, Bob Roehrig, W4086 Parkview Ct., Fond du Lac 54937. Wolf Lake Lodge LLC, Christie M. Wehner, N7612 Fine View Road, Malone 53049. A K Taxi LLC, Allan Klebs, 1113 Michigan Ave., North Fond du Lac 54937. GHK Custom Log Sawing LLC, Victoria Lynn Krug, 235 Harrison St., North Fond du Lac 54937. Premier Structures & Improvements LLC, Todd Rieder, 125 Booth St., Oakfield 53065. Blowfish Architects LLC, Karen Christy Hoch, 752 S. Grove St., Ripon 54971. Blue Bucket Photography LLC, Mary E. Shudy, 201 Stone Hill Ct., Ripon 54971. Kristine A. Moodie Agency LLC, Kristine Moodie, 318 W. Oshkosh St., Ripon 54971. B. Smith Foods LLC, Brian J. Smith, 609 Edgewood Dr., Waupun 53963. Advanced Solutions In Technology LLC, Travis S. Wichlacz, 527 W. Jefferson St., Waupun 53963.

Green Lake County

Stellar Electric LLC, Travis Haedt, W620 Cumberland Ave., Berlin 54923.

Outagamie County

Badger Treats LLC, Kevin M. Weinberger, 3 Reef Ct., Appleton 54915. Performance Floors of Wisconsin LLC, Nicole Mayer, 1776 Schaefer Cir., Appleton 54915. Rick Flora Agency LLC, Rick Paul Flora, 1440 S. Oneida St., Ste. O, Appleton 54915. Nicolaus Writing LLC, Paul Nicolaus, 839 E. Franklin St., Appleton 54911. We Do Roofing LLC, Mary Rodriguez, 1543 E. Roeland Ave., Appleton 54915. A K & D International Mining Company LLC, Gene Katherine Litvinas, 1831 N. Eugene, Appleton 54914. So Fitness LLC, Sara Jane O’Leary, 213 S. Walter Ave., Appleton 54915. Londre Roofing LLC, Corey James Londre, 1907 E. John St., Appleton 54915. Karl’s Wood Floors LLC, Karl Anderson, N2926 Jeske Road, Appleton 54913-975. Fox River Wood Shop LLC, Jeff Countney, 212 E. College Ave., Appleton 54911. Rocketship Marketing LLC, Melissa Rucker, N150 State Park Road, Apt. 3, Appleton 54915. She. Hair & Boutique LLC, Addey Cronkit, 1006 W. Harris St., Ste. 2B, Appleton 54914. C2O Hard Surface Renewal LLC, Jeffrey Charles Chandler, 1707 Goldbeck Ct., Appleton 54914. New Paradigm Learning Inc., Michael McCabe, 104 W. Parkway Blvd., Appleton 54911. Hoffman Architectural Innovations LLC, Miles S. Girouard, 122 E. College Ave., Suite 1G, Appleton 54911.

www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS All Weather Construction LLC, Jayde W. Dimmick, 946 S. Westland Dr., Appleton 54914. Independent Custom Drafting LLC, Daniel Fick, 4653 W. Edgewood Dr., Appleton 54913. Prismatic Studio Salon LLC, Kristine Phillips, 502 N. Cambridge Dr., Appleton 54915. Neuman’s Auto Repair LLC, Warner Louis Neuman, W2854 Brookhaven Dr., Appleton 54915. Cleanliness By Courtney LLC, Peter A. Van Houwelingen, 477 S. Nicolet Road, Ste. 5, Appleton 54914. Impsy Creative LLC, Tracy Ann Mangold, 644 Roland St., Combined Locks 54113. El Jaripeo Greenville LLC, Oscar Sandoval, W6842 Greenville Dr., Ste. 2, Greenville 54942. Fire Services Plus LLC, Adam Freimuth, W6424 Summer Wind Lane, Greenville 54942. Roberts Floor Installation LLC, Daniel Kurt Roberts, W8663 School Road, Hortonville 54944. Hidden Valley Alpaca LLC, Irving Guernsey, N1788 County Road M, Hortonville 54944. Hometown Electrical Solutions LLC, Kevin James Schuh, 2950 Loderbauer Road, Kaukauna 54130. S & P Big Storage LLC, Steven J. Paalman, N788 County Road GG, Kaukauna 54130. Vanden Boom Wealth Management LLC, Mathew Vanden Boom, 702 Eisenhower Dr., Ste. A, Kimberly 54136. Precision Roller and Machine LLC, Kathleen M. Schumacher, 812 Railroad St., Kimberly 54136.

Winnebago County

Gurfateh C-Stores LLC, Amrinder Singh, 530 Schindler Pl., Apt. C, Menasha 54952. Angell Legal LLC, Michelle A. Angell, 430 Ahnaip, Menasha 54952.

Stone Cottage Ranch and Rescue Ltd., Sunny Lynn Link, 604 Hansen St., Neenah 54956. Earth Resources Jewelry LLC, Jeffrey L. Hesson, 244 E. Doty Ave., Neenah 54956. 1 Call Maintenance Services LLC, Rayshaun Lampkins, 898 Mill Pond Lane, Neenah 54956. Josh Carter State Farm Insurance Agency LLC, Josh Carter, 1108 Breezewood Lane, Neenah 54956. Omro Main Street Program Inc., Kimberly Biedermann, 130 W. Larrabee St., Omro 54963. Tip Top Roofing Co. LLC, Cody Kienast, 2863 Morrow Road, Omro 54963. LS Artist, Jeweler & Metalsmith LLC, Lisa Shinkan, 716 Sterling Ave., Oshkosh 54901. Whispering Pines Farm LLC, Paula M. Fitch, 1616 Weyerhorst Creek Road, Oshkosh 54902. Marriage Media Inc., Mat Wolfgram, 4030 Sharratt, Oshkosh 54901. Excelle Cleaning & Home Services LLC, Margaret M. Tomczyk, 26 Timberland Dr., Oshkosh 54902. Best Defense Investigations LLC, Daniel Lee Dringoli, 1325 Egg Harbor Lane, Oshkosh 54904. Hundred Pockets Records LLC, Kurt Andrew Stein, 543 W. 4th Ave., Oshkosh 54902. Integrated Media Solutions LLC, Kim Sitzberger, 1769 Lombard Ave., Oshkosh 54902. Awesome Transmission LLC, Roxie D. Peters, 133 W. 11th Ave., Oshkosh 54902. Environmental Management and Testing Services LLC, Jerome Thomas Hinke, 932 N. Sawyer St., Oshkosh 54902. R Grill Milwaukee LLC, Jay P. Supple, 1621 Congress Ave., Oshkosh 54901. Netseller Marketing LLC, Steven S. Bitter, 371 N. Westhaven Dr., Apt. E204, Oshkosh 54904.

Building permits

• High Quality Offset Printing • Large Format Laminating • Full-Color Digital Printing

• Variable Data Printing

• High-Speed Digital Printing • Direct Mailing • Large Format Printing

• Envelope Printing

• Full Color Banners

• Die-Cutting and Embossing

• Layout & Design

• Full Service Bindery

120 North Lake Street • Neenah, WI • 920-729-6119 • www.digiprint.biz NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 39

WHO’S NEWS Building permits B2B includes a monthly list of building permits (not to include residential projects) in excess of $400,000. F.N. Sheppard & Company, 4070 State Road 91, Oshkosh. $400,000 for an addition to the existing industrial facility. Contractor is Vanguard Contracting of Oshkosh. September 5. Wihlm Dental, 2530 W. 9th Ave., Oshkosh. $709,895 for a new dental clinic. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. September 11. Oshkosh Premier Riverfront Hotel, 1 N. Main St., Oshkosh. $2,677,495 for renovations to the existing 176-room hotel. General contractor is Hoffman LLC of Appleton. September 26. Oaklawn Elementary School, 112 Viola St., Oshkosh. $7,420,222 for a two-story, 68,000-sq. ft. school building. General contractor is Miron Construction Co. of Neenah. October 3. Sports Advantage Center, 807 Parkview Road, Ashwaubenon. $647,146 for an addition to the existing athletic training complex. General contractor is Best Built Inc. of Green Bay. October 10. St. Vincent Hospital, 835 S. Van Buren St., Green Bay. $5,177,000 for a 10,500-sq. ft. addition to the existing medical center. General contractor is Miron Construction Co. of Neenah. October 12. Ace Manufacturing Industries Inc., 2325 Pamperin Road, Howard. $400,000 for a 22,434-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. October 16.

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, 2740 W. Mason St., Green Bay. $400,000 for an interior remodel of the college. General contractor is Howard Immel Construction Co. of Green Bay. October 19. Green Bay Converting, 1085 Parkview Road, Ashwaubenon. $846,000 for an alteration to the existing industrial facility. General contractor is Smet Construction of Green Bay. October 24. JoAnn Fabrics, 1200 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh. $490,000 for a new retail building. Contractor listed as Dumke Management. October 29.

New locations Massage Envy Spa was opened by Jeff and Tami Bosco at 3201 E. Calumet St. in Appleton. The clinic features 11 therapy rooms for skin care treatments and massage therapy. Massage Envy can be reached by calling 920.731.5300. Jackie Boyd Photography moved from Little Chute to a new studio at 3115 N. Roemer Road in Appleton which offers more than twice the size of the previous location. The studio can still be reached by calling 920.364.9580.

Mergers/acquisitions Oshkosh-based CitizensFirst Credit Union acquired Chatter Yak! LLC, a credit union service organization providing technology-based marketing solutions to not-for-profit financial cooperatives. Chatter Yak! is designed to increase credit union awareness and engage members. Rachel Sowinski bought The Gift Itself at 125 N. Broadway in Green Bay

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WHO’S NEWS from co-founders Allen Buch and Michelle Zjala. Sowinski had worked at the specialty retailer for seven years as a metalsmith. Eagle Graphics in Kaukauna purchased the assets of Createch Inc. in Kimberly, a screen print, embroidery and promotional products distributor. Eagle Graphics will continue to use Createch’s location as a production facility and hired its 10 employees in production and customer support.

Name changes Korneli’s Prairie Mobil at 919 E. Johnson St. in Fond du Lac became a franchisee of Express Convenience Center. The fuel station and convenience store will change its name to Korneli’s Express Convenience Center and will continue to remain owned by Jeff Korneli.

Business honors Awards and honors earned by individuals are listed separately in the Who’s News section of New North B2B. Sure-Dry Basement Systems of Menasha was named runner up by Better Business Bureau-Wisconsin chapter for its 2012 Torch Award for Business Ethics and Integrity. Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel & Conference Center in Neenah was recognized with the M.K. Guertin Award, named after Best Western’s founder, during the recent Best Western Convention. It also received the 2012 Champion Customer Care Award, and a Chairman’s Award for quality assurance. Rich Batley, president of RB Hospitality which owns the hotel, received the Heroic Hospitality Stars Award for Voting Member of the Year.

Engineering News Record Midwest magazine’s annual listing of the Top Specialty Contractors in the Midwest ranked the following companies in the region: J. F. Ahern Co. of Fond du Lac, No. 3, regional revenue of $156 million; Faith Technologies of Menasha, No. 5, regional revenue $140 million; and Jones Sign Co. of De Pere, No. 48, regional revenue $17 million. ENR’s national ranking of the Top 600 included Faith at No. 53, Ahern at No. 76, and Azco Inc. of Menasha at No. 160. Northern Electric, Inc. of Green Bay received the Diamond level Safety Training and Evaluation Process Award from Associated Builders and Contractors for its record of zero recordable incidents during the past two years. Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance of De Pere was named the 2012 Excellence in Business Award recipient by Advance, the economic development division of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Paperboard Packaging Council presented its National Paperboard Packaging Competition recognitions to the following local firms: Great Northern Corp. of Appleton, gold award for its Budweiser Grilling Set, excellence award for Mathews, Inc. archery accessories, and an Eco Excellence award for Reichel Foods Dippin’ Stix; and Menasha Packaging of Neenah, gold award for Purell’s hand sanitizer and an Innovation Excellence award for its work for McDonald’s. Becker’s Orthopedic, Spine & Pain Management Review named Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists of Green Bay to its 2012 list of 57 Sports Medicine Practices to Know. U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers annual ranking of Best Law Firms ranked the Green Bay office of Davis & Kuelthau in the top tier for

professionals ...where

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NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 41

WHO’S NEWS corporate law and in the second tier for employment lawmanagement and for labor law-management; and ranked the Green Bay office of Godfrey & Kahn in the top tier for bankruptcy law, commercial litigation, eminent domain litigation and trust and estate law and in the second tier for mergers and acquisitions law.

Younk

Syring

Dobson

Associated General Contractors will present 2012 Build Wisconsin Awards to the following local firms: The Boldt Company of Appleton, design build - renovation award for its grand entrance and stream enhancement project at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, general contractor renovation award for its renovation of the emergency room at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, and a heavy/ industrial /warehouse construction award for its rebuild of St. Elizabeth’s central utility plant; and Miron Construction Co. of Neenah, general contractor - new construction award for The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Green Bay, municipal utility/underground awards for Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster at Bay Beach in Green Bay and for Rhinelander Wastewater Treatment Facility, and a heavy/ industrial /warehouse construction award for Bush Brothers & Company Wastewater Treatment & Biogas Facility in Augusta.

Rehbein

SM Advisors Inc. in Green Bay hired Deb Dobson as client services coordinator. Dobson has more than 20 years experience in business development, strategic planning, project and client relationship management and customer service. Bayland Buildings, Inc. in Green Bay hired Jon Mathu as a project manager in its commercial building division. Mathu has 14 years of project management experience with Schleis Floor Covering, JW Flooring and Miron Construction. Windhover Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac hired Jacqui Corsi as director of marketing. Corsi previously was director of marketing for Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corp. The City of Appleton hired Matt Rehbein as an economic development specialist. He has experience in banking and commercial real estate.

American Forest & Paper Association presented Green Bay Packaging with a Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 Sustainability Award in the Innovation in Sustainability category for its fiber reclaim project.

Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP in Appleton added Greg Sofra as an audit partner. Sofra is a certified public accountant and previously worked as an audit senior manager for Crowe Horwath LLP in Cleveland.

The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau received the Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association’s Partnership Award.

The Green Bay law firm Liebmann, Conway, Olejniczak & Jerry, S.C. hired Jill Wegner as an attorney.

M3 Insurance in Green Bay hired Jennifer Younk as a business development executive focusing on employee benefits. Most recently, Younk served as the health and wellness sales manager at Prevea Health in Green Bay. Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine in Appleton hired David Reybrock as a physical therapist at its Enterprise Drive location. Reybrock specializes in musculoskeletal disorders of the spine, knee and shoulder.

Corsi

Fox Valley CPA’s in Appleton hired Jessica Syring as a staff accountant. Syring has five years experience in accounting at a local flooring company.

Minor League Baseball presented Fox Cities-based Wisconsin Timber Rattlers with the National Larry MacPhail Award, which symbolizes the top promotional effort in Minor League Baseball.

New hires Mathu

Cherney Microbiological Services, Ltd. in Green Bay hired Brian Van de Water as general manager. Van de Water has 26 years leadership experience in product development, engineering, operations, strategic planning and lean methodology.

Miron Construction Co., Inc. in Neenah hired Kip Golden as its vice president of industrial business development. Golden has 20 years of construction and sales experience.

Sofra

42 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

Wegner

Hafeman

Promotions Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company in Neenah promoted Carol Sanders, CPA, to executive vice president and chief operating officer. Joining Jewelers Mutual in 2004, Sanders most recently served as senior vice president, chief financial officer and corporate treasurer.

Individual honors Sherry B. Lynch, executive director for Anesthesia and Pain Management Services of the Fox Valley, S.C. in Oshkosh, was awarded fellow status from the American College of Medical Practice Executives.

Wollangk

Dreger www.newnorthb2b.com

BUSINESS CALENDAR Paula Hafeman, chief nurse executive for St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center and St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, was named Nurse Leader of the Year by Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Executives. Rollie Stephenson, CEO of Faith Technologies in Menasha, was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce. Elli Wollangk, co-owner of Custom Design Workshop LLC in Oshkosh, earned first place in the Professional Picture Framer Association chapter level competition and advances to the international competition at the end of January in Las Vegas. Barb Dreger, director of college marketing at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, was named 2012 Communicator of the Year for District 3 of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations. The award recognizes FVTC’s communications strategies during the successful public referendum this past April.

Certifications Jamie Schmidt, senior credit analyst at Wisconsin Bank & Trust in De Pere, earned the Credit Risk Certified designation by Risk Management Association.

Elections/appointments Thomas Schmidt, executive chairman of the board for U.S. Venture, Inc. in Kimberly, was elected president of Sigma, a national trade association representing 260 independent motor fuel marketers and chain retailers in the U.S., accounting for one-third of the petroleum retail market.

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. December 4 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at The Copper Olive, 463 N. Washburn St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend, but registration is required by going online to www.oshkoshchamber.com or calling 920.303.2266. December 4 Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org. December 5 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., location to be determined in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $2. For more information or to register, go online to www.fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500. December 6 Business over Breakfast, an event from Fox Valley Technical College Venture Center, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at D.J. Bordini Center, 5 Systems Dr. in Appleton. Cost to attend is $15 and includes breakfast. To register, call 920.735.5709 or email venture@fvtc.edu.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012 l 43

BUSINESS CALENDAR December 7 New North Summit, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Radisson Paper Valley Hotel and Conference Center, 333 W. College Ave. in Appleton. Featured speakers include Daniel Ariens, president and CEO of Ariens Company; Melanie Holmes, vice president of World of Work Solutions for ManpowerGroup; and Christine Mau, design director of Global Family Care Brands at Kimberly-Clark Corp. Registration fee is $75. For more information or to register, go online to www.newnorthsummit.com. December 11 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 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com.

Advertiser Index Bank First National www.bankfirstnational.com.................................. 25 Builders Exchange of Wisconsin www.bxwi.com............................ 40 Capital Credit Union www.capitalcu.com........................................ 46 CitizensFirst Credit Union www.citizensfirst.com . ............................ 30 Credit Matters, Inc. www.creditmattersinc.com. ................................. 36 Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. www.dkattorneys.com..................................... 5 Digiprint www.digiprint.biz............................................................ 39 Edgewood College www.edgewood.edu.......................................... 13 Epiphany Law www.epiphanylaw.com. ............................................ 13 Fast Signs www.fastsigns.com....................................................... 40 First Business Bank www.firstbusiness.com. ...................................... 9 Fox Valley Technical College www.fvtc.edu/bis. .............................. 35 The Grand Meridian www.thegrandmeridian.com................................ 15 Guident Business Solutions www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com............ 12 J. F. Ahern Co. www.jfahern.com. ................................................. 18 Keller Inc. www.kellerbuilds.com. ................................................... 34 Larson Engineering www.larsonengr.com........................................ 35 Marian University www.marianuniversity.edu..................................... 45

December 12 Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 6:30 p.m. at F. K. Bemis Conference Center at St. Norbert College, 100 Grant St. in Green Bay. Cost is $5 to attend for chamber members. For information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org. December 12 Women in Management – Fond du Lac Chapter monthly meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Holiday Inn, 625 W. Rolling Meadows Dr. in Fond du Lac. Program is “How to Turn Your Passion into a Career.” For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org. December 12 Women in Management – Green Bay Chapter monthly meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Best Western – Midway Hotel, 780 Armed Forces Dr. in Green Bay. Program is “Motivate You and Your Employees for the New Year.” For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org. December 13 Women in Management – Oshkosh Chapter monthly meeting, 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. at La Sure’s Banquet Hall, 3125 S. Washburn St. in Oshkosh. Annual holiday party. For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org or email Patti at pshea@sheaelectricllc.com. December 18 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at American Legion Foxhole Bar and Hall, 550 Fond du Lac Ave. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $2 in advance or $5 at the door. For more information or to register, go online to www.fdlac.com or call 920.921.9500. January 8 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Sales Club, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend for chamber members. For information, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com. January 9 Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Paul Mitchell The School, 3450 S. Packerland Dr. in Green Bay. Cost is $5 to attend for chamber members. For information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org.

Network Health Plan www.networkhealth.com . ................................ 47 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council www.newbt.org............ 8 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development www.corporatetraining.nwtc.edu......................................................... 26

Opportunity Oshkosh www.oshkoshchamber.com. ............................. 27 Oshkosh Area Community Foundation www.oshkoshareacf.org.......... 43 Oshkosh Business Expo www.oshkoshchamber.com.......................... 36 Outagamie County Regional Airport www.atwairport.com. ................ 24 Rhyme www.rhymebiz.com........................................................... 14 Sadoff & Rudoy Industries www.sadoff.com................................... 16 Security Luebke Roofing www.securityluebkerooting.com. .................... 17 Spancrete www.spancrete.com. ....................................................... 7 Thomas James Real Estate www.tjsite.com................................... 48 UW Oshkosh College of Business www.mba.uwosh.edu................... 41 Village of Little Chute www.littlechutewi.org..................................... 20 Winnebago County Solid Waste Management www.co.winnebago.wi.us/solid-waste/container-rental-program. ..................... 31

Better Business Bureau New Members

Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during November 2012 Advantage Exteriors, Menasha Arrow Maintenance Inc., DePere Bauer’s Top Notch Finish Carpentry, New London Century Roofing, Neenah Certified Builders LLC, Manitowoc CMA Construction LLC, Eden Lynn’s Service Center Inc., Oshkosh PaidLife, Menasha Pamco Executive Suites LLC, Appleton Steffens Roofing Inc., Oconto Falls Yanda’s Kirby Sales & Service of Green Bay, Green Bay

YMCAs of Northeast Wisconsin www.ymcasofnewis.org...................... 2

44 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

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KEY STATISTICS Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

November 18 $3.41 November 11 $3.38

$3.42 October 28 $3.49 Nov. 18, 2011 $3.37 November 4

Source: New North B2B observations

October

894,000

3.6%

from September

41.9%

from October 2011 October

0.5%

October

$411.6 billion

0.3%

from September

3.8%

from October 2011 (2007 = 100)

October

96.6

0.4%

from September

1.7%

from October 2011 (Manufacturers and trade)

September

$1,613 billion

0.7%

from September

from August

from October 2011

from September 2011

0.4%

6.2%

Appleton Fond du Lac Green Bay Neenah Oshkosh Wisconsin

Sept. Aug. Sept. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;11 7.2% 7.0% 8.0% 7.8% 6.5% 6.2%

8.3% 7.9% 9.0% 8.6% 7.5% 7.1%

8.2% 7.9% 9.1% 8.0% 7.1% 6.8%

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

November $0.817

$0.606 Nov. 2011 $0.856 October

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

October September

51.7 51.5

If there are indicators youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to see in this space, contact our office at 920.237.0254 or email info@newnorthb2b.com.

46 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2012

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Networkhealth.com/EndTheJargon 855-275-1400 HMO plans underwritten by Network Health Plan. POS plans underwritten by Network Health Insurance Corporation, or Network Health Insurance Corporation and Network Health Plan. Self-funded HMO and POS plans administered by Network Health Plan.

Thomas James

Tom Scharpf Real Estate, LLC 920.379.0744

tjr2216@aol.com www.tjrsite.com

2 DocKS & 4 oVErhEaD DoorS

compLEX INcLUDES mINI WarEhoUSES

poSSIBLE SELLEr fINaNcING

200 Tower road, Winneconne

3434-3454 Jackson St., oshkosh

1820 Grove Street, oshkosh

For sale 31,000 SF industrial complex Excess vacant land for expansion

For sale multi-family 16 unit apartments 2 and 3 bedroom units

oN hWY 41 - EXIT hWY 44 Go 2 mIN.

fIrST fLoor offIcE coNDo

For sale or lease 22,200 SF of warehouse/distribution and office space Land for building expansion

16 UNITS - aLL LEaSED

prIcE rEDUcTIoN

136 high avenue, oshkosh Near downtown For sale Various apartment sizes

2370 State road 44, oshkosh For lease, 550 SF private suite 8 person shared conference room

600 S. main Street, oshkosh For sale 2,950 SF office condo Open office space, private offices, conference room, lunch room 1,100 Sf of basement storage

LaND for SaLE Jackson Street, oshkosh - Zoned c2 2.88 acres - 125,452 SF Price $349,000 - $2.78 PSF or purchase 1/2 acre lots starting at $79,900 Just south of Snell road 3098 Jackson Street, oshkosh - Zoned m1 1.65 acres - 71,874 SF Price $199,000 - $2.76 PSF corner location Jackson & fernau 2308 Jackson Street, oshkosh - Zoned c2 .64 acres - 27,878 SF - Price $249,900 - $8.96 PSF corner location Jackson & Smith

2360 State road 44, oshkosh - Zoned m3-pD 1.66 acres - 72,309 SF - Price $295,000 - $4.07 PSF frontage just east of Universal Dr.-owner will consider a divide Washburn Street, oshkosh - Zoned m1 2.59 acres - 112,820 SF - Price $350,000 - $3.10 PSF frontage between 9th avenue & 20th avenue 2601 S. Washburn Street, oshkosh - Zoned m3 4.92 acres - 214,315 SF - Price $1,950,000 - $9.09 PSF frontage just off hwys 41 & 44 State road 44 & hwy 91, oshkosh - Zoned m3-pD 2.47 acres - 107,593 SF - Price $425,000 - $3.95 PSF Located at signalized corner

all sites advertised are approximate acres and approximate square footage. Some sites have buildings on them.

Tom Scharpf ❘ 920.379.0744 ❘ tjr2216@aol.com ❘ www.tjrsite.com