December 2010 by New North B2B

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Pioneers of 2010 Leaders in the New North are taking action to lay the foundation of a better future

A better economy through science Bioscience

The right combo Small Business Profile

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Pioneers of 2010 In a year where history will recall our economy crawling back from recession, there were several earthmoving leaders of business and groundbreaking initiatives that blazed new pathways to future prosperity. We highlight those people and their efforts that shifted paradigms and operated outside the box of conventional wisdom.

Cover Story

A better economy through science Next Month

New North bioscience companies keep the region near the top of the industry at the intersection of biology and technology.

Paper Industry New products with added value and energy production have helped, but is it enough?

On our cover

B2B cover illustration by Kate Erbach of New North B2B.

Bioscience

The right combo

Green Bay’s Hansen Fundraising is growing its business to turn pizza into profits for non-profit groups in 22 states.

Small Business Profile

Departments

From the Publisher ...................................4 Professionally Speaking .......................5, 38 Since We Last Met . ..................................6 Corporate Earnings .................................12 Build Up Pages .......................................14 Around the Boardroom ...........................20 Pierce Stronglove . ..................................21 Human Resources....................................30 Who’s News ...........................................40 Business Calendar ..................................46 Advertiser Index .....................................47 Elections ................................................48 Managing Editor’s View ..........................49 Key Statistics .........................................50 NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 3

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The political strategy of muting media

It worked for candidates this past November, but will it work for media audiences down the road?

Sean Fitzgerald New North B2B Publisher

The Republican onslaught in both Congress and the statehouse this past November introduced a new era in political strategy. Not only from the manner in which constituents responded with dissatisfaction toward their incumbent representatives, but also in the strategy in which political candidates responded to media. Namely, most didn’t. And most won their respective races. It’s a phenomenon that occurred across the political landscape, and left strategists with the ammunition to ignore media altogether in future campaigns, and even perhaps while their candidates are in office. This strategy impacted the manner in which state and national media were able to effectively cover campaigns for office. B2B fell victim to this media blackout as well. Our biennial canvass of Wisconsin Assembly and Senate candidates on issues important to business owners garnered responses from every candidate we invited except failed Democratic candidate Mert Summers in the 5th Assembly District and Republican candidate Michelle Litjens in the 56th Assembly District, who won her race after claiming the September primary and running unopposed for November’s general election. With the unique spotlight our questionnaire brings to local candidates’ views on state business issues, it’s a shame we can’t get full participation from those looking to mold economy-changing legislation. U.S. Senator-elect Ron Johnson gained a bit of notoriety during his quest to unseat three-term incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold for his campaign blueprint to turn down media interviews. It worked. And the strategy continued even after the election. B2B contacted his campaign in early November asking for 10 minutes on the telephone for Johnson’s inclusion in the Pioneers of 2010 cover story appearing on page 22 in this edition. Disappointingly, we were snubbed. Two weeks of email and phone calls to Johnson’s media sitter went unanswered. One final attempt the day before B2B went to press was returned – not by Johnson himself – but by a staffer indicating Johnson was “not conducting media interviews during this time because he’s focused on building his transition team.” So our story by Bob Warde ran without any comment directly from Johnson himself. As a consumer of media, it’s too easy to fall into the mindset that media lacks re-

4 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

sponsibility and is “out to get” every aspiring politician and business leader in the community. For certain, there are those in our profession who jump at any opportunity to make someone else look bad, consoling any guilt from the damage their words cause by honestly believing they’re providing a public service. Those journalists give media a bad name – and they don’t represent the entire industry. Media coverage and scrutiny isn’t going away, whether it’s a legion of individual bloggers sitting in their basements typing up political analysis with their Doritos-stained finger tips, or well-established entities who’ve earned the distinguished trust of their audience over time through consistent diligence and a careful balance of all arguments on an issue. The latter might not always present a news story in the manner which you want it spun, but more often than not, they’re mindful of all sides of the argument and prudently weigh all available facts. For political strategists – or anyone else who makes an agenda of avoiding media – there are genuine allies and public servants in the media. It’s up to those who fashion strategies to avoid the media to identify those journalists, and to be willing to trust their endeavor to tell the straight story.

2010 Reader Survey I want to personally thank every one of our readers who responded to our 2010 reader survey. The data we received from readers helps shape both the publication and our online news delivery services moving forward. The data also enables advertisers to gain a better understanding of who reads B2B, how they read it, and which products and services they plan to buy, both for their business and for personal use. As promised, we do share results of the survey with readers. We’re in the process of finalizing that data now, but in the meantime, a summary of highlights is available at www.newnorthb2b.com. Lastly, we announce the winners of our survey participation drawing. They include: Shannon Doberstein of CitizensFirst Credit Union in Oshkosh, who selected a $50 gift certificate to Good Company in Appleton; Sada Kempf, Clifton Gunderson LLP in Oshkosh, $50 to Culver’s Restaurants; and Kent Nelson, QuickStart in Menasha, $50 Appleton Downtown Inc. gift certificate. www.newnorthb2b.com

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

Balance of Power has Shifted – Now What? by Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.

Tony Renning

920.233.6050

If you have a particular labor/employment law question, please forward your question 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: What changes, if any, to the labor and employment landscape should we anticipate as a result of the mid-term elections? Tony Renning: Over the past two (2) years we have discussed a number of Democratic initiatives aimed at modifying the labor and employment landscape. Of particular note, the Democrats were able to bring about sweeping changes to the health care system. These changes will have a significant impact on employers (e.g., beginning in 2014, employers with at least fifty (50) employees that do not offer health insurance will be assessed a penalty for each employee). However, a number of other Democratic initiatives failed. For instance, the Employee Free Choice Act (legislation aimed at stripping employees of their fundamental democratic right – the right to a secret-ballot vote to determine union status) never gathered sufficient support to pass. Similarly, even a lame-duck Senate failed to pass the

Sean Fitzgerald

Publisher & President

sean@newnorthb2b.com

Bob Warde

Managing Editor

bob@newnorthb2b.com

Carrie Rule

Sales Manager

carrie@newnorthb2b.com

Kate Erbach

Creative Director

kate@newnorthb2b.com

Contributing writers

Cheryl Hentz John R. Ingrisano Lee Marie Reinsch

Chief Financial Officer

Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA

Paycheck Fairness Act (legislation aimed at restricting an employer’s flexibility to compensate its employees based on legal criteria, such as cost-of-living differences among geographic locations, different work responsibilities within similar job categories, or prior salary history). Because the balance of power has shifted, these initiatives and other similar anti-business initiatives are no longer serious threats. So now what? Look out for the regulatory and rule-making authority of President Obama and his administration. For instance, President Obama recently issued an executive order to federal contractors requiring them to post a notice advising employees of rights to organize, bargain collectively and engage in concerted activity. Similarly, the National Labor Relations Board (the agency charged with oversight of the National Labor Relations Act) is now comprised of a majority of “labor-friendly” appointments. As a result, it is anticipated the new board

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 2010.

will make it a priority to review existing labor law (e.g., harsher enforcement cases, concerted activity protections in non-union workplaces, restrictions on temporary/casual workers, etc.) For counsel as to the issues that may arise as a result of the regulatory and rule-making authority of the federal government, 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 2010 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 20 The Brown County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to move the Brown County Sheriff’s Department from downtown Green Bay into the former S&L Motors site at the interchange of County Road GV and State Road 172 in Bellevue. The county will borrow $4.75 million to renovate the property and relocate current staff and services to the site by spring of 2011. The new location is expected to alleviate crowding problems in the current downtown offices and eliminate lease and parking costs. October 22 Wisconsin’s annual fiscal report revealed the state ended its fiscal year 2010 with $71 million in the general fund,

2003 December 8 – The governor 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.

2006 December 20 – We Energies said it will sell its Point Beach Nuclear Plant to FPL Energy, part of a group which operates nuclear power plants in Florida, Iowa and New England. FPL Energy will agree to sell 100 percent of the plant output to We Energies, and will offer employment to all current employees at the 1,033-megawatt facility on Lake Michigan.

2008 December 4 – The Post-Crescent in Appleton laid off 24 employees, while the Oshkosh Northwestern laid off nine and the Green Bay Press Gazette laid off 22 as part of a 10 percent workforce reduction throughout Gannet Co., the parent firm for each of the daily newspapers. As part of the cutback, the Wrightstown PostGazette shut down.

6 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

about $265 million below estimates. Tax collections were up 0.2 percent from 2009 to 2010 while spending increased 0.6 percent. Individual income and sales tax collection were down 2.1 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively. Because of a 2009 tax increase, corporate income tax revenues were up more than 32 percent over the previous year, according to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. October 25 The Kaukauna Board of Education approved a $15.5 million tax levy for the 2010-11 school year, up 1.3 percent compared with last year. The district will also receive $516,952 more in state education funds because of higher enrollment. School district officials project the levy would result in a $348,000 surplus. The tax rate will rise 20 cents to $8.91 per $1,000 in property value. October 25 Port of Green Bay officials reported September 2010 tonnage was higher than September 2009 levels, and its year-todate numbers are up about 6 percent above last year. September’s tonnage decreased from August, and port officials indicated the latest numbers might be a sign of a slowdown. October 27 Kimberly School District officials proposed holding the district’s property tax levy to $16.67 million, the same as last year. The proposed budget would increase $374,227 from last year to nearly $43.2 million, which would boost the tax rate to $9.99 per $1,000 in assessed value on property in the district, slightly higher than last year because of a decrease in the equalized value of property in the district. October 27 The state’s reserve judges proposed legislation allowing them to hear unemployment compensation appeals cases in an effort to reduce the thousands of cases that are backlogged in the system. Reserve judges also could be made available to help reduce the number of workers’ compensation appeals. Such judges are retired but are assigned to hear cases when needed. October 28 Forbes magazine ranked Fond du Lac 14th and Manitowoc 2nd on its list of the top small cities in America in which to raise a family. The magazine ranked 126 metropolitan areas with a population under 100,000 based on quality-of-life measures – including the length of commute, median household income, housing affordability, level of home ownership, and high school graduation rates. Other Wisconsin cities in www.newnorthb2b.com

SINCE WE LAST MET the Top 15 included Marshfield at No. 5 and Stevens Point at No. 6. October 28 United Airlines officials announced they would discontinue daily nonstop flights from Outagamie County Regional Airport to Denver effective Jan. 4, 2011. The Denver flight departed at 3 p.m. daily. An airline spokeswoman said the flight wasn’t generating enough business travelers. October 28 Oshkosh Corp. opened a heavy-duty lift equipment manufacturing plant in China to better serve Asian markets. The company said the Tianjin, China plant will operate under the JLG Industries name, an Oshkosh brand. JLG makes lift equipment that enables workers to work as high as 150 feet off the ground. October 28 Officials for the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District indicated a total of $17.3 million of the remaining $45 million debt bonds will be retired by Feb. 1, 2011. The district received $16.25 million in sales tax revenue year-to-date through October 2010, 1 percent less than at the same time in 2009. The district receives money from a 0.5 percent Brown County sales tax to pay off bonds used in the $295 million renovation of Lambeau Field. It expects to pay off the remaining bonds in 2011 and retire the sales tax in

2015, after funding a stadium maintenance fund. October 28 The proposed 2011 City of Neenah budget calls for a 2 percent increase in the tax levy and the development of a park and plaza at the west end of downtown. The $52.4 million budget recommended by Mayor George Scherck requires a tax levy of $16.4 million, up from $16.1 million in 2010, and would require property owners to pay about $8.52 cents in taxes per $1,000 of assessed value for city services. November 1 Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt proposed a $103.5 million city budget for 2011, which would levy about $51.5 on city property taxpayers, a 1 percent increase from last year. The budget – which included recommendations for five employee layoffs and a city employee furlough plan – would hold the city tax rate steady at $8.86 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. November 2 Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Appleton, launched a division to acquire assets of Panasonic Welding Systems Co. Ltd.’s welding automation business as part of a partnership with the Panasonic Corp. division. Miller Electric officials said the strategic partnership will serve as the distribution unit for Panasonic robotic welding arms in North America through Miller Welding Automation. Miller will combine Panasonic welding arms with Miller products to create complete automated welding systems.

n e p O w o N

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NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 7

SINCE WE LAST MET November 3 The Tourism Federation of Wisconsin called on Governer-elect Scott Walker to increase the state’s tourism budget from $13 million to $15 million to increase tourism and economic activity across the state. Tourism officials said $15 million was spent on tourism promotion in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 budgets, and the federation wants the amount restored to stay competitive with neighboring states’ tourism promotions. The group reported Michigan’s tourism budget was $30 million last year, generating $250 million in new economic activity — a $2.23 return on each dollar. November 2 The Federal Reserve announced plans to invest $600 billion into government bonds in a plan it hopes will drive interest rates even lower than they already are and encourage companies to create more jobs. The Fed said it would buy the bonds at a rate of about $75 billion a month through the middle of next year. The idea is to encourage more spending and stimulate hiring, both ways of accelerating economic growth. The Fed’s balance sheet, a measure of all its total holdings and investments, has grown to $2.3 trillion, nearly triple what it was at the end of 2007. November 3 The City of Neenah granted options for two developments on the former Glatfelter paper mill site. Plexus Corp. agreed

8 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

to buy 1.1 acres along West Wisconsin Avenue in front of its headquarters to build a $6 million, 14,000-square-foot data and employee development center. Pfefferle Investments of Appleton agreed to buy 1.5 acres along Main Street to construct a $6 million, two-story office building for which it already has a tenant. The city acquired the closed Glatfelter mill in 2008 and invested $9.4 million – primarily through a tax incremental finance district – to prepare the site for redevelopment. November 4 Green Bay-based Northeast Wisconsin Technical College announced plans for two new programs – Marinette Marine Construction Technology and Marine Engineering Technology – both specifically designed to train the next generation of workers in the shipbuilding industry. The announcement is in response to the U.S. Navy’s proposal to Congress to award a contract to Marinette Marine to build 10 new Littoral Combat Ships, potentially creating 1,000 new jobs for the New North’s shipbuilding industry and thousands more for suppliers of Marinette Marine. November 5 The U.S. Department of Labor reported employers added a net 151,000 jobs in October. The number of new jobs was more than double what analysts expected and compares with a revised 41,000 jobs lost during September. The October unemployment rate remained 9.6 percent.

www.newnorthb2b.com

SINCE WE LAST MET November 5 Nearly a month after indicating it wanted to offer events other than professional football at Lambeau Field to increase revenue, PMI Entertainment Group and the Green Bay Packers announced Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band will headline a country music concert June 11, 2011 at the stadium, the first major concert since Lambeau’s renovation in 2003. The event could attract 50,000 fans to the Goin’ Coastal Tour.

departments that merged together in 2000.

November 8 The Brown County Board of Supervisors approved a 2011 budget of $275 million, which will levy $82.2 million on property owners, the same amount as a year ago. The board took $1.7 million from the county’s general fund to make up for a projected revenue shortfall.

November 16 The City of Menasha Common Council approved a $22.8 million budget that decreases spending 1 percent and reduces

November 8 Kimberly School District officials accepted the former U.S. Oil headquarters building on Washington Street in Combined Locks to use as new district offices and as a possible charter school. U.S. Venture gifted the property to the school district after constructing a new corporate headquarters in Kimberly earlier this year. November 10 General Growth Properties Inc., the owner of Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, completing its financial restructuring of nearly $28 billion in debt. Chicago-based General Growth split into two companies: General Growth Properties and the Howard Hughes Corp., which owns General Growth’s portfolio of planned communities and other development projects. November 11 The City of Kaukauna Common Council reviewed a proposed 2011 budget of $23.8 million, a 35 percent decrease from city spending during 2010. The budget would levy $7.43 million on property owners, a more than 3 percent increase above last year, boosting the city’s tax rate to $8.17 for every 1,000 in assessed property value, up 20 cents from a year ago. November 11 The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin postponed implementation of the 274 area code overlay in northeastern Wisconsin from 2012 to 2014. The PSC previously directed the 274 area code be “overlaid” on the existing 920 area code to ensure an adequate supply of telephone numbers remain available, as opposed to breaking up the existing geography of the 920 area code. A combination of effective number conservation measures and current economic conditions extended the anticipated life of the 920 area code. November 12 Oshkosh Corp.’s Appleton division, Pierce Manufacturing Inc., received a $9.6 million order for 22 firefighting vehicles from Sacramento, Calif. Pierce will supply 20 pumper vehicles and two aerial tillers to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District in Sacramento County, Calif., beginning in March 2011. The Sacramento District is a combination of 16 smaller fire

November 16 The Village of Little Chute’s 2011 budget calls for a $3.75 million tax levy, virtually even with the levy for 2010. The village plans to generate an additional $375,000 in sanitation fees. The 2011 levy pushed the tax rate down to $6.67 per 1,000 in assessed property value.

Better Business Bureau - New Members Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during October 2010

41 Auto Stop Inc., Oconto A & M Enterprises, Green Bay Absolute Financial LLC, De Pere Alberts & Heling CPA’s LLC, Neenah All Canada Show, De Pere Aquire Contracting & Restoration Inc., Oshkosh Behlke Consulting Inc., Sheboygan Bumble Puppy Sales LLC, Appleton Burr Oaks Kennels Endeavor Caramel Crisp & Cafe LLC, Oshkosh Clever K9s LLC, Kaukauna Comfort Keepers, Green Bay Control Freaks of the Fox Valley LLC, Kaukauna Cross & Oberlie, Neenah Dar’s Clock Service LLC, Appleton Drew’s Plumbing Inc., De Pere Felts Tax Service, Neenah Gracy’s Auto Body & Towing, Little Chute GTO Contractors LLC, Neenah Home Team Experts LLC, Appleton Inside Out Construction LLC, Oshkosh JI Roofing Siding Manitowoc Konkle Investments LLC, Freedom Kwik Investments Inc., Kimberly Living Jukebox DJ Service, Plymouth Macco’s Floor Covering Center Inc., Green Bay Motto & Sons Construction, Neenah Muellers’ Sales & Service Inc., Random Lake NPS Insurance Agency LLC, De Pere Olivu 426 LLC, Sheboygan Packerland Glass Products Inc., Green Bay Pechman Imaging, Kaukauna RCLS Construction LLC, Kewaunee Reetz Builders LLC, Appleton Side by Side Exteriors, Green Bay Susan A. Schuelke Chapter 128 Trustee LLC, Dale T.G.’s Home Improvements, Green Bay The Loss Control Group, De Pere Van Horn Hyundai Inc., Sheboygan VIP Entertainment, Green Bay Virtue Homes LLC, Appleton Vogel Chevrolet-Olds Inc., Kiel

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 9

SINCE WE LAST MET staff to offset $1.35 million in debt service the city will fund toward its $17 million debt from the failed Menasha Utilities steam plant. An increase of $6 million in assessed property value and cuts result in a tax levy increase of about $300,000 and tax rate increases of slightly less than 3 percent in 2011 to about $9.85 per $1,000 of assessed value. November 16 Bergstrom Automotive was granted franchises to sell Fiat vehicles in the northeast Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Madison markets by Fiat North America. Bergstrom will be one of about 150 Fiat dealers in the U.S. Bergstrom plans to open its Fiat dealership in January on Milwaukee’s northwest side. November 17 Frozen Codebase LLC, Green Bay, received $35,315 in Film Production Service Tax Credits from the state Department of Commerce. The independent video game studio is in the process of developing a new video game, Scary Girl. Total project cost is $141,257.

Business Expo

2011

November 17 StrataGraph LLC, Oshkosh, received $290,000 in tax credits from the Economic Development Tax Credit Program from the state Department of Commerce for an expansion project which will create 43 positions. StratraGraph, a subsidiary of Great Northern Corp., is currently constructing a 15,000-sq. ft. addition to increase manufacturing capacity, and is planning a second phase construction project in a

Thursday January 27 th Oshkosh Convention Center 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Featuring a “Great Outdoors” theme

Booth space still available Contact Bruce Nelson @ 303.2265 ext 29 or email: bruce@oshkoshchamber.com

Business Expo Media Sponsor

10 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

couple years to include a 60,000-square-foot addition and the purchase of a printing press. November 17 The Convention Center Community Coalition made up of Fox Cities business and community leaders is poised to recommend construction of a new convention center near the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton. Previous studies concluded the project would be most cost-effective if a convention center was constructed next to an existing hotel with large meetings rooms and exhibition space. Cost estimates range from $25 million to build the center next to the Radisson and $45 million for a new, freestanding center close to a full-service hotel. November 17 Town of Grand Chute supervisors approved a 2011 budget of $14.9 million that requires a levy of $9.8 million, or a 2 percent increase from a year ago. The town’s assessed value dropped $10.3 million, or 4.4 percent, to $2.317 billion, mainly because some farmed land was reclassified from commercial to agricultural. November 17 The Wisconsin Employment Transportation Assistance Program announced $3.9 million in transportation grants for provider organizations statewide, including $259,145 to the City of Appleton to extend its after hours and extended community public transit services for low-income individuals through the end of the year. Other beneficiaries include Forward Service receiving $75,327 to make vehicle purchase and repair loans in Brown County; Wisconsin Interfaith Needs Response received $78,210 for vehicle purchase and repair loans, and vehicle repair grants in Outagamie, Calumet, Waupaca and Winnebago counties; and Advocap received $120,001 for vehicle purchase loans, mobility management and vehicle repair grants in Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Calumet counties. November 18 General Electric Oil & Gas said it plans to close its Oshkosh operation by the end of 2011 and lay off 111 employees or more, depending on how many of the 147 total employees take transfers to other GE operations. The company plans to transfer the production currently done in Oshkosh to other manufacturing sites. November 18 Georgia-based Neenah Paper announced CEO Sean Erwin will retire in May 2011 and will be succeeded by John O’Donnell, current senior vice president and COO. Erwin has served as chairman and CEO of Neenah Paper since 2004. Neenah Paper operates a mill and warehouse in Neenah that employs about 250 with about the same number of employees at its mill near Stevens Point. About 265 people work at the former Fox River Paper Co. mill in Appleton, which Neenah Paper bought in 2007. O’Donnell, 50, joined Neenah Paper three years ago and was named chief operating officer in June 2010.

www.newnorthb2b.com

Shop

December 18

December 4

Holiday Shopping Open Houses

Gallery Walk and Visit Santa

Noon-4pm

6-9pm

Dec. 11 & 18 Visit Santa

Noon-4pm

DOWNTOWN OSHKOSH Month of December

A GIFT CERTIFICATE SURE TO PLEASE! For gift certificates, call

920-380-9390

Stop Downtown and see the story of the Nutcracker through our dazzling windows! The windows will stay up through the middle of January.

www.downtownoshkosh.com

Located in the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel DOWNTOWN APPLETON

at Trolley Square 619 S. Olde Oneida St. Appleton 920.830.7855

www.radissonpapervalley.com • www.vincelombardisteakhouse.com

Holiday Parties in

The Club Room

Pullman’s Gift Certificates available

www.pullmansrestaurant.com

2010 HOLIDAY GUIDE

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 11

CORPORATE EARNINGS

Once each quarter, New North B2B runs a digest of quar- terly financial reports from local publicly traded companies, or from out-of-the-area parent companies with significant operations in the greater Fox Valley region. October 4 Associated Bank 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $278 million $313 million ▼ 11% Income $6.9 million $8.7 million ▼ 21% EPS 4 cents 7 cents ▼ 43% Though still struggling with underperforming loans, Green Bay-based Associated Bank has reduced problem loans by 11 percent during the quarter and reduced nonperforming loans – primarily in real estate and construction – by about 18 percent. The company has also increased commercial loans made and has more commercial loans in its pipeline. It continues to have reserves higher than required by regulator for wellcapitalized banks. October 26 Kimberly Clark Corp. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $4.979 billion $4.913 billion ▲ 1% Income $489 million $611 million ▼ 20% EPS $1.14 $1.49 ▼ 19% The maker of consumer paper products with extensive operations in the New North saw sales increase by about 1 percent due to its acquisition of I-Flow Corp. and a 5 percent gain in its personal care business. Net profits and earnings per share fell primarily on rising costs of raw goods of about $265 million, according to the company. October 27 Plexus Corp. 4Q 2010 4Q 2009 Revenue $556 million $393 million ▲ 41% Income $26.6 million $15 million ▲ 77% EPS 65 cents 38 cents ▲ 71% The Neenah-based contract manufacturer grew revenue by 25 percent in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year. The company won 24 new manufacturing programs in the quarter that will generate about $115 million in annual revenue. The company now expects to grow profits in the first quarter of fiscal 2011. Revenue Income EPS

October 28 Brunswick Corp. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 $816 million $665 million ▲ 22% -$7.2 million -$114.3 million ▲ -8 cents -1.29 cents ▲

12 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

Brunswick Corp., the parent company of Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, sharply curtailed its losses in the third quarter of 2010 when compared to the same quarter of 2009. The company’s marine engine segment, which includes Mercury Marine, saw sales grow to $429 million in the quarter, up 18 percent on sales of $363.5 million in the third quarter of 2009. The company’s results included $12.2 million of restructuring charges. October 28 Bemis Co., Inc. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $1.3 billion $898 million ▲ 45% Income $62.7 million $38.4 million ▲ 63% EPS 56 cents 48 cents ▲ 17% The Neenah-based supplier of packaging and pressure-sensitive materials saw a substantial increase in revenue, income and earnings per share during the quarter. About 8 percent of the increase was due to higher sales and growth related to acquisitions was 36 percent. Earnings per share would have been 57 cents prior to special charges, due primarily to the acquisition of Food Americas on March 1. October 28 Oshkosh Corp. 4Q 2010 4Q 2009 Revenue $2.11 billion $1.47 billion ▲ 44% Income $116.6 million $45.7 million ▲ 155% EPS $1.28 55 cents ▲ 133% The Oshkosh-based manufacturer of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies said it saw all-time records in fiscal 2010 for revenue, operating income and net income. It did incur pershare cost of a total of 17 cents for borrowing costs, restructuring costs and an impairment charge. This was offset by a change in inventory accounting that created a 3-cent per share benefit. November 12 Humana, Inc. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $8.4 billion $7.7 billion ▲ 9% Income $393.2 million $301.5 million ▲ 30% EPS $2.32 $1.78 ▲ 3% This health and benefits company, based in Louisville, Ky., has extensive operations in the Green Bay area. It benefited from both its administration of military benefits for the U.S. Government and expanded coverage of Medicare. An increase in the number of individual health insurance policies also contributed to an increase of both revenue and earnings.

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CORPORATE EARNINGS

November 3 RR Donnelley & Sons Co. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $2.488 billion $2.463 billion ▲ 1% Income $53.3 million $13.1 million ▲ 307% EPS 25 cents 4 cents ▲ 525% Donnelley said it benefited from increased offerings, allowing it to sell more services to existing customers, despite a continuation of price erosion in the printing industry. The company also increased operating margins to 10 percent in the third quarter, up from 9.2 percent in the same quarter of fiscal 2009. Donnelley is calling for a continuation of its sales and profit momentum into 2011. November 3 Neenah Paper, Inc. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $161 million $150 million ▲ 7% Income $4.1 million $3.2 million ▲ 28% EPS 30 cents 23 cents ▲ 30% Neenah Paper reported that strong execution of its business plans and an improved product mix allowed it to overcome an $11 million increase in the price of pulp. The company grew income by 30 percent and reduced its debt by 34 percent from the beginning of 2010. November 3 Integrys Energy Group, Inc. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $998 million $1.29 billion ▼ 23% Income $20.2 million $51.1 million ▼ 60% EPS 26 cents 66 cents ▼ 61% Chicago-based Integrys Energy Group is the parent company of Wisconsin Public Service, or WPS, in Green Bay. The utility company said warmer-than-normal weather during the summer, rate increases and higher sales of electricity to commercial and residential customers of WPS drove an increase of $7.1 million in adjusted earnings in its regulated electric utility segment, though expenses were higher.

November 8 Appleton Inc. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $214.9 million $195.7 million ▲ 10% Income $10.7 million $6.9 million ▲ 55% EPS N/A* N/A* *Company is 100 percent employee owned Paper maker Appleton said sales of thermal papers were up 25 percent, sales of its encapsulated products were up 33.7 percent in the third quarter and debt was lowered by $56 million, when compared to the second quarter of 2010. The

company benefited from price increases made earlier in the year. The increasing cost of pulp is a concern for the company. November 9 Dean Foods Co. 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $3.05 billion $2.76 billion ▲ 11% Income $24.2 million $49.6 million ▼ 51% EPS 13 cents 28 cents ▼ 54% Dallas, Tex.-based Dean Foods has extensive Wisconsin operations, including around the Green Bay area. The dairy products company said it is disappointed with its latest results and attributed them to soft consumer demand and higher costs for butterfat. The company said it is continuing to realign its management and reduce costs. It also faces an anti-trust suit over its purchase of two Wisconsin milk-processing plants from Foremost Farms earlier this year. November 9 Alliance Laundry Holdings, LLC 3Q 2010 3Q 2009 Revenue $103.6 million $92.8 million ▲ 12% Income $2.5 million $9.2 million ▼ 73% EPS N/A* N/A* *Company is privately held and reports results because of its public debt Ripon-based Alliance Laundry Holdings said it has seen domestic sales in the U.S. and Canada grow by $5.2 million, a figure executives called modest. The company is focusing on an international growth strategy called Customer One. It also has high hopes for new product development efforts in order to take advantage of opportunities once the economy improves. Cost cutting will continue as commodity prices continue to rise. November 18 School Specialty, Inc. 2Q 2010 2Q 2009 Revenue $292.2 million $346.1 million ▼ 15.7% Income $117.5 million $143.1 million ▼ 18% EPS 96 cents $1.57 ▼ 39% The Greenville-based creator and seller of education products to schools saw lower revenue and profits in the second fiscal quarter, mostly due to lower spending by schools on furniture and consumable products. This was partially offset by an increase of 4.3 percent in its Accelerated Learning Group. The company also reduced its debt by $70 million in the second quarter by reducing accounts receivable and controlling costs in order to increase cash flow.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 13

BUILD UP FOND DU LAC

2 1

C - Indicates a new listing

Build Up Fond du Lac

expected in December. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

1 - 560 W. Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac, Mercury Marine, a 33,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in January.

Build Up Oshkosh

2 - 541 Martin Road, Fond du Lac,

a 14,510-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility.

Fond du Lac County, an addition and renovation to the existing exposition building at the fairgrounds.

3 - 1739 Fox Ridge Dr., Fond du Lac, City of Fond du Lac, a 60,000-sq. ft. industrial spec building. Project completion

14 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

4 - 3465 Moser St., Oshkosh, GNC Oshkosh/ StrataGraph, 5 - 800 High Ave., Oshkosh, University of WisconsinOshkosh, a four-story, 191,000-sq. ft. academic building for the College of Business Administration. Project completion expected in fall 2011.

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BUILD UP OSHKOSH 4

5&6 7

C - Indicates a new listing

8 6-

600 Block of Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a five-story, 340-bed student residence hall.

7 - 755 Dempsey Trail, Oshkosh, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a 17,185-sq. ft. biodigestor energy plant.

Projects completed since our November issue: • Sadoff & Rudoy Industries, 240 W. Arndt St., Fond du Lac. • Fond du Lac Family YMCA and Boys & Girls Club of Fond du Lac, 90 W. Second St., Fond du Lac. • Agnesian HealthCare Fond du Lac Regional Clinic, 100 Evergreen Road, Mount Calvary.

8 - 4200 Poberezny Road, Oshkosh, Fox Valley Technical College, a 27,216-sq. ft. building to house the Advanced Manufacturing Process Center. Project completion expected in January. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

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NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 15

BUILD UP FOX CITIES The Build Up department of New North B2B includes a monthly two-page spread identifying significant commercial and industrial construction projects ongoing in the Fox Cities area. The listing does not include multi-tenant residences, interior renovation projects or commercial buildouts. C - Indicates a new listing

1 - N915 Craftsmen Dr., town of Greenville, C Fox Valley Spring Co., a 28,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in April.

- 3000 Spirit Court, Little Chute, C owner listed as Rod Van Eperen, a 12,414-sq. ft. new industrial/ warehouse building.

10 - 1506 S. Oneida St., Appleton, St. Elizabeth Hospital, an addition and interior remodel of the third floor of the existing hospital and a remodel of the women and family department. 11

2 - 2986 Victory Lane, town of Grand Chute,

- 1108 Province Terrace, Menasha, NeenahMenasha Fire Rescue Station No. 36, a 7,910-sq. ft. municipal services building.

3 - 2950 Victory Lane, town of Grand Chute, C

12 - 6915 County Road BB, town of Menasha, C Roehl Transport, a 4,364-sq. ft. truck terminal facility.

Bergstrom Mini, a 10,291-sq. ft. addition to the existing auto dealership. Bergstrom Infinity, a 18,413-sq. ft. addition to the existing auto dealership.

4 - 133 N. Mall Dr., town of Grand Chute, Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern, a 14,687-sq. ft. multi-tenant commercial building to include the restaurant and other leasable tenant space. Project completion expected in December. 5 - 1928 W. College Ave., Appleton, St. Vincent DePaul Society, a new 4,992-sq. ft. warming shelter and short-term housing facility. Project completion expected in December. 6 - 1815 W. Spencer St., Appleton, Foremost Farms USA, a remodel and renovation of three separate manufacturing facilities on the site. Project completion expected in April.

- 2505 E. Evergreen Dr., Appleton, C Evergreen Suites, a 9,400-sq. ft. multi-tenant commercial center to include Klusendorf Chiropractic. Project completion expected in March. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

- 3935 N. Lightning Dr., Appleton, Associates, a new medical office building.

16 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

13 - 1451 McMahon Dr., town of Menasha, C SCA Tissue North America, a 7,323-sq. ft. addition to the existing corporate office building. 14

- 1050 Cold Spring Road, town of Menasha, Kimberly-Clark Corp., a 129,150-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility to expand production and warehousing for its adult care products. Project completion expected in March.

- 1815 Marathon Ave., Neenah, Curwood, a twostory, 19,500-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility and a separate 3,285-sq. ft. addition for wax storage. Projects completed since our November issue: • Gold’s Gym, 1280 N. Hard Dr., town of Grand Chute. • Endeavor Electric, 3010 N. Conkey St., Appleton. • Kaukauna Cold Storage, 3600 Electric City Blvd., Kaukauna.

Dermatology

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BUILD UP FOX CITIES 7&8 9 2 &3

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5 6 10

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NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 17

BUILD UP GREEN BAY The Build Up department of New North B2B includes a monthly two-page spread identifying significant commercial and industrial construction projects ongoing in the Green Bay area. The listing does not include multi-tenant residences, interior renovation projects or commercial buildouts. We encourage building owners and contractors to help maintain the high quality of updated information appearing in our Build Up department by submitting information on current construction projects. When submitting material for our Build Up pages, please include the address of the building, the owner of the building, its intended use, size in square feet, the anticipated time the project will be completed, and the general contractor. Information can be emailed to the attention of “Build Up” to sean@newnorthb2b.com. C - Indicates a new listing

1 - 12781 Velp Ave., Suamico, Village of Suamico Municipal Center, a new municipal services building. Project completion expected in January. 2

- 2465 Lineville Road, Howard, Piggly Wiggly, an 11,200-sq. ft. addition to the existing grocery store.

- 200 Packerland Dr., Green Bay, Fox Converting, a 32,400-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in December.

4 - 503 Monroe Ave., Green Bay, Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, a new 6,374-sq. ft. child advocacy center. 5 - 1722 Main St., Green Bay, O’Reilly Auto Parts, a new auto parts store.

- 130 Winchester Way, Green Bay, New Hope Presbyterian Church, a 9,750-sq. ft. addition to the existing church.

- 930 Goddard Way, Green Bay, C Hansen Frozen Foods, a 6,696-sq. ft. addition to the warehouse and repackaging area.

- 3146 Yeager Dr., Green Bay, Yeager Properties, a 75,332-sq. ft. office and warehouse building. Project completion expected in May 2011. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.

- 1110 S. Huron Road, Green Bay, C Cherney Microbiological Services, a 15,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing laboratory and testing complex.

10 - 1315 Lime Kiln Road, Green Bay, The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, a new multilevel community center. Project completion expected in late summer of 2011. 11

- 600 Willard Dr., Ashwaubenon, PCM Employees Credit Union, a 12,276-sq. ft. financial institution office.

12 - 803 Pilgrim Way, Ashwaubenon, Hobby Lobby, a new retail store.

Multiple locations. Including your pocket. Introducing goBank. The mobile banking application that puts financial control at your fingertips. Check balances and transfer funds for any account, anytime and anywhere.

- 2700 S. Ashland Ave., Ashwaubenon, Broadway Automotive, an addition and interior alteration to the existing auto dealership.

- 3180 Packerland Dr., Ashwaubenon, C Oneida Seven Generation, a 70,000-sq. ft. pyrolytic gasification electricity generation plant.

15 - 1121 W. Main Ave., Ashwaubenon, C SparkNet Interactive, a four-story, 69,000-sq. ft. commercial office building. 16 - 2000 Lawrence Dr., De Pere, Encompass Early Education, a new child care center.

goBankFirstNational.com

17 - 633 Heritage Road, De Pere, Belmark Inc., an addition to the existing industrial facility. Projects completed since our November issue: • Alive & Kicking, 3050 Walker Dr., Green Bay. • Wesco Distribution, 2740 S. Ashland Ave., Ashwaubenon. • Wild Blue Technologies/ Karman Development, 860 O’Keefe Road, De Pere.

18 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

www.newnorthb2b.com

BUILD UP GREEN BAY 1&2

4 5

12 14

7 10

2010

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3:45 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6:00 p.m.

Go to www.firstbusiness.com for more information about the event and how to reserve your seat.

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

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 19

AROUND THE BOARDROOM

The average percent of new firms spawned in Wisconsin in any new quarter since 1994, a rate well below the U.S. average of 5.4 percent. Source: Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance

Title: In Their Time – The Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century Author: Anthony J. Mayo, Nitin Nohria Publisher: Harvard Business Press (2005) Pages: 444 List Price: $35.00

Why Buy: Anthony J. Mayo and Nitin Nohria present a fascinating collection of stories of the 20th Century’s greatest leaders, from unsung heroes to legends like Sam Walton and Bill Gates. The book identifies three distinct paths these individuals followed to greatness: entrepreneurial innovation, savvy management, and transformational leadership. Through engaging stories of leaders in each category, the authors show how, by “reading” the context they operated in and embracing the opportunities their times presented, these individuals created, grew, or revitalized outstanding American enterprises. A canon of leadership success from the last century, In Their Time reveals insights for contemporary leaders hoping to build lasting legacies.

...to use technology in your marketing

For your small business to survive, you have to get the word out through as many channels as possible. That might sound a little scary, and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Today’s technology can help you make the most of your marketing dollars:

➊

5 ways...

Referrals. You always ask your friends and colleagues for suggestions on who to do business with, don’t you? So do your customers. A marketer’s best friend is the phone – set up a schedule for proactively calling existing customers to find out who they know that might also need what you have to sell. Provide them with information about your products or services, and make sure they always have your business card handy to give away to others. ➋ Networking. Get out and make connections with other small business owners. Attend chamber of commerce meetings, get involved in your favorite charity or start a group of like-minded small businesses, who can share leads and experiences. This approach can take a lot of your time, so make sure and measure the payback you are getting from your investment. Make connections with other business owners who are interested in pooling resources, creating a marketing coop that helps everyone. ➌ Web site. In this day and age, you must leverage the technology of the Internet, so your customers can find you on their timeline, whether it’s ten o’clock in the morning or ten o’clock at night. Your Web site should help prospects and customers understand what you

20 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

are selling and if you sell physical products, and give them an opportunity to buy. You should make sure your phone number is prominently displayed, so they can pick up the phone and call. ➍ Email Marketing. Most everyone has an email address these days, and you can take advantage of that to stay connected with customers and prospects. Set up a weekly newsletter to share your company news, tips and tools with your mailing list. Make sure you include methods for people to contact you like your phone number and Web site address. Use a mailing list service to help you manage this effort. Once your list is established, use it to provide special offers and opportunities for your customers to buy. Make sure you measure your results, so you can repeat what works best. ➎ Social Media. The hottest trend of the day is engaging your customers and prospects using social media like Twitter and Facebook. But don’t jump into using these methods until you’ve thought through what you are willing to invest in terms of time, what your objectives are, and what you expect as the outcome. Use social media to complement your other marketing actions. Source: Denise O’Berry, Small Business Expert and AT&T

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AROUND THE BOARDROOM

The Gift

ierce: I don’t know if this is up your alley, but every year the holiday gift obligation rears its ugly head. Our efforts often result in self-doubt. What’s appropriate? What’s enough? How can we sync our appreciation with the expectations of our customers, employees and suppliers? – Wonder-filled & Wanting Dear Giftless Wonder: You’re not alone. I’ve witnessed organizations getting their generous and well-intentioned mittens pinched for sending something as innocent as a basket of apples, the customer reproachfully informing them of their firm policy against accepting gifts. Then, in a dramatic gesture of charitable oneupmanship, the recipient dutifully casts the ill-gotten fruit to a local food pantry. In contrast, a powerful buyer responds to a sumptuous Canadian fishing resort junket (to hook questionable life forms beyond the piscine) with the sour disappointment that a 73-inch HDTV wasn’t thrown in as a take-home trophy. Personal, traditional, cultural and religious, the holidays can spell trouble for well-meaning organizations. Please don’t ask how I know all about this. It’s sufficient to say that business gift-giving suggestions should be left to neither Mother nor monkey. Seriously, you won’t find the perfect gift idea right here (what a present that would be!), but you can find some pointers to keep you from being an utter Giftwit. Begin your quest with the understanding that a gift is given without obligation. Anything outside of that definition begins to smack of payola and can muck up the merriment. Most important: if cheapness is sneaking into your selection, consider giving the more attractive alternative: nothing. If you’re still feeling generous, however, incorporate love – not for personal contacts but for their entire company. Intimate gifts like jewelry can bewilder the recipient’s peers. Instead, give gifts that demonstrate your love for their organization’s philosophy, product and success. This practice should

also alleviate any self-serving motives that can compromise an otherwise genuine friendship – if a friend to that business is what you genuinely are. For example, making a donation to a charity in your client’s name could be an appropriate option – as long as it’s a cause they’re interested in. If the charity is working to protect the wetlands abutting your back yard, well, you know… Be inclusive. Gifts that benefit only certain members of an organization draw negative attention and can easily backfire when the people you’ve excluded in the past are later armed with decision-making influence over your future role in the relationship. Account for everyone – including anyone absent on your delivery day because of travel or illness. Even if you don’t go for “sensitivity crap,” as Mother Stronglove calls it, swirling the tinkle of ice in her Salty Chihuahua, at least be conscious. Everyone likes chocolate, right? But an impressive box of Godiva® for the company with a diabetic CEO comes painfully to mind, explaining why both she and her secretary, a Weight Watchers® miracle, weren’t jumping up and down with gratitude at the fatty/sugary reveal. Judicious sensitivity will also rule out turkeys and hams for vegetarians; pricey grocery store gift cards for diehard Walmart® shoppers; peanut-contaminated confections for the deathly allergic; cash for reluctant taxpayers; a Hooters® party for the mammography staff; and lavish parties and gifts for anyone who’s been scraping by all year. Finally, don’t force it. Waiting until the last minute and then rushing to get something – anything – into someone’s hands undermines the very Spirit that makes the relationship meaningful in the first place. It’s like giving your spouse or significant other a check and inviting shim to go out and buy something nice for shimself. Better to wait for inspiration or an intuitive thought to demonstrate how you really feel than be another fruitcake in a gift-storm. Cheers. Behind the façade of Mr. Stronglove is an advertising professional with more than 25 years of award-winning industry experience. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, he has wielded his strategic and conceptual skills and talents in all forms of media (except book jackets) for small independent businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies, both consumer and trade, from local to global. Send comments 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 2010 l 21

COVER STORY

Pioneers of 2010 Leaders in the New North are taking action to lay the foundation of a better future

Story by Bob Warde New North B2B Managing Editor There’s a theme to our Pioneers of 2010 honorees: all four have broken ground while moving forward in the areas of energy generation, politics and entrepreneurship. The work of these companies and individuals is spot-on in terms of meeting needs and providing answers to those asking questions, sometimes while ruffling feathers and drawing criticism, but always helping pave the way of the future.

Power from the people The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is assembling a portfolio of renewable energy projects that will serve to not only generate energy on the campus, but also serve as teaching tools for the university’s biology and environmental studies and science curriculum. The latest project, for which ground was broken in September, is an anaerobic biodigester. Food waste from the food service building on campus, combined with corn stalks and soy bean vines from farmers as well as methane from the City of Oshkosh wastewater treatment plant, will be combined in a sort of extreme composter. The multi-million dollar equipment, purchased from German company BIOFerm Energy Systems, is

22 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

the first of its kind in the United States. UW-Oshkosh Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Tom Sonnleitner set the project in motion in 2006 when he had a discussion about a comparatively simpler food digester that would use just campus food waste. Just as the university was preparing to pull the trigger on that project, a representative of BIOFerm proposed the more advanced biodigester, which uses a dry fermentation process. “The process is essentially to move composting indoors. The facility will have air filters to remove any adverse smells, and the plant will be located in the part of the city that currently is home to the municipal sewage treatment plant and the city composting site,” Sonnleitner said. The land on which the biodigester is being built was purchased by the UW-Oshkosh Foundation. “Sustainability is core to the university’s mission, so we are more than happy to provide support,” said Foundation President Arthur H. Rathjen. Grants of $232,587 from Wisconsin Focus on Energy and $500,000 from the federal government helped finance construction of the biodigester. By the end of 2011, the campus will have seven demonstra-

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COVER STORY tions of sustainability, including a geo-thermal heat field, solar thermal units to heat water for some buildings, a wind turbine, this digester, and a green roof. The digester is a special project, since it is the first one of its kind in the United States. “The digester will be run by faculty and students and will essentially be a laboratory that will generate electricity. We’ll be able to use these as teaching tools to demonstrate how all these things work,” Sonnleitner said. The biodigester doesn’t require much fuss, either. “It doesn’t have any moving parts, you just put the stuff in there and every 28 days you change out that particular cell. There is not a lot of manpower involved either,” he said. Depending on how well the system performs, Sonnleitner expects the biodigester to produce between 5 and 10 percent of the campus’ electricity needs. Ground was also broken last month in Green Bay where Oneida Seven Generation, a corporation owned by the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, is constructing the first of its size pyrolysis gasification system, which uses solid waste and items that can’t be recycled – including pizza boxes, biomass, food containers and organic waste – to create combustible gas known as Syngas. Once placed in the pyrolytic gasification chamber, gases are extracted, cleaned and used to power generation units, then placing electricity back to the grid. Remaining materials can be used to make carbon-based air filters or used as landfill cover.

PROFILE What: Location: Web:

Anaerobic Biodigester UW–Oshkosh www.uwosh.edu

An Epiphany in serving entrepreneurs Kevin Eismann is the son of a mechanic and a mom who sold Tupperware. “They couldn’t get out of the rat race and certainly had issues working for the man. They instilled in me that if you had a chance to control your own destiny, that is a good thing in America,” Eismann said. He strove for that and believes that when you have control over your destiny, life is more satisfying and fulfilling. “I live that life and I try to help others achieve those values as well,” he said. Over the years, Eismann has used that passion to start a number of businesses, including Epiphany Law, LLC in Appleton, which he founded in 2004 and specializes in business law. He gives a ready answer when asked why he named the firm Epiphany. “I wanted something that would last longer than I would, and I wanted something that would say we do things a little differently here, and ‘Epiphany’ seems to embody it very well.

PROFILE Who: Business: Location: Web:

Kevin Eismann Epiphany Law, LLC Appleton www.epiphanylaw.com

www.entrepreneursanonymouswi.com www.aianonymous.com People get the concept that there must be something a little different about the law firm, and while there are certain things that are the same, there are things that are different about the firm and Epiphany captures that,” he said. Chief among those differences is how his lawyers interact with clients. “The amount of investment in processes, systems and technology as opposed to someone walking in with a yellow legal pad saying, ‘how can I help you?’ We’re driven toward identification of the factors of whatever the business issue is. What we use is a lot like a manufacturing process here. There are inputs and out the other side are documents achieving the goal. Really it’s investment in technology, and then investment in people, and the third piece is pricing. Most of our stuff is flat rate as opposed to hourly,” Eismann said. Eismann is so passionate about helping entrepreneurs and advancing entrepreneurship that he has founded two groups to help them, Entrepreneur’s Anonymous, which he founded in 2009, and Angel Investors Anonymous, which he founded earlier this year. Entrepreneurs Anonymous provides an environment where business owners can get together to learn best practices, knowledge and experience, and brainstorm in a safe environment with other entrepreneurs. Eismann said the goal of Angel Investors Anonymous is to lower the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs and provide access to potential angel investors in an effort to connect businesses that need funding with those investors. Eismann has also written a book, “Business BluPrint: 8 Steps to Business Survival in Trying Times.” Obviously Eismann walks the walk when it comes to entrepreneurship. Beyond the law firm, he owns investment properties, has a hand in helping several other entrepreneurs get off the ground, and he’s started a regional magazine, Nature’s Pathways. “My father got cancer and was dying and doctors essentially gave up on him. My mom took what little money she had and was trying all these alternative medicines and natural and raw food, which I had never been exposed to in my life. It certainly increased both the quality of his life and longevity beyond what traditional medicine gave him as a prognosis. He did die, but he lived a longer, higher quality of life,” he said. The magazine has done well, Eismann believes, because there isn’t much accessible information about the topic. Eismann believes he will continue to serve his passion in new and interesting ways. “Business has always been a passion. I’ve owned a lot of different businesses and supported a lot of businesses. It’s always been the thing personally for me. We’ve consistently tried to support the business community and that’s how we’ve approached all these other activities,” he said.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 23

COVER STORY Blowin’ in the wind Jeff Ehlers leads a management group that was first assembled when the four members worked for a Brunswick spinoff company named MotoTron Corp. In that role, the four individuals developed and manufactured electronic components for Mercury Marine products. Ehlers and his team had been with the operation when it was just a group of engineers developing internal products. In 2000, Ehlers’ team proposed creating MotoTron as a separate company that would develop those same components for other firms as well. His group took it from no revenue and eight employees to 120 employees, revenue of $25 million and four locations across the United States. Eventually Brunswick sold MotoTron. Ehlers’ team wanted to buy it and continue to grow it, but the price grew too high. The group of four broke away from MotoTron and started their own company, which became Renewegy,

PROFILE What: Location: Year started: Web:

Renewegy Oshkosh 2008 www.renewegy.com

the name coming from the mashing of the words ‘renewable energy.’ “We saw a lot of opportunity in electric-type systems that would use energy to power vehicles like forklifts, golf carts or whatever, but we also saw the other side of the coin where you use electric systems to generate energy, whether it’s wind power or biomass. We saw a lot of opportunity in the electrical renewable world,” Ehlers said. Ehlers and his team – Dan Epstein, vice president and chief operating officer; Jeff Konopacki, vice president of research and development; and Rick Lulloff, director of mechatronics engineering – set about developing a 20 kilowatt wind turbine by designing the unit and creating a prototype in 2008. By 2009, two prototypes were built, which led to the manufacture of 10 pre-production units to be installed at actual sites to validate the design and performance of the units. “In the first half of 2010 we built these 10 units. Two stayed with us and the other eight were sold as field-test units. The first two we tested for three months, and once we gained confidence in our design we started placing them out at customer sites like SCA Tissue, Orion Energy, Oshkosh Corp., and Bergstroms, which were all part of our field test,” Ehlers said. All this set the stage for Renewegy to become a pioneer in the next wave of wind power that goes by several names: community wind, small wind or micro wind. “We don’t plug into the wholesale grid like the big utility guys do. Our turbines plug into your facility behind the meter and generate electricity directly into your facility, and you end

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24 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

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COVER STORY up buying less from the utility. There has been a lot of activity around distributed wind. In fact the American Wind Institute has just started a new division to promote it,” Ehlers said. Large wind farms have garnered all the media attention and there are signs they may have peaked, with neighbors surrounding proposed sites objecting to noise and other byproducts of large wind developments. So one to five or more of the smaller turbines that generate power for one facility will be the way of the future for wind power generation. Renewegy has been busy recently signing up distributors who understand local zoning and how to get permitting done. Though they have had inquiries from various international entities interested in buying their turbines, Ehlers is concentrating for now on the domestic market until capacity can be increased. “Next year we’re targeting between 150 and 200 turbines across the nation. We want to make sure we don’t expand too quickly so we don’t trip and fall down,” Ehlers said.

Mr. Johnson goes to Washington Ron Johnson is an entrepreneur and founder of Oshkosh plastics manufacturer Pacur. Though by all accounts, he is a quiet man with a strong work ethic and a penchant for giving back to the community, the goings on in Washington – including the last straw of the healthcare reform legislation ratified earlier this year – proved more than Johnson could stomach. He stood all he could and decided to act. This past June, the Republican launched what was perceived by many as an unlikely campaign for U.S. Senate, taking on an 18-year, entrenched incumbent in Russ Feingold. Reflecting a “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore” mood of the electorate, Johnson went before the cameras to cut his own commercials. His common sense and calm sensibility quickly captured the notice of voters and gave him the lead in the polls virtually all the way through Nov. 2. Johnson stood his ground through some difficult publicity. The media attempted to manufacture controversies, including a quote from Johnson taken out of context in which he said the science behind global warming was unproven and the cause of it could just as easily be sunspots. An additional story about Pacur using industrial revenue bonds – a program under which a company essentially borrows a state’s credit rating to borrow money for expansion at a lower interest rate – failed to gain traction. Some even argued Johnson wasn’t qualified because he is

“

Next year we’re targeting between 150 and 200 turbines across the nation. We want to make sure we don’t expand too quickly so we don’t trip and fall down.

”

Jeff Ehlers, president Renewegy

PROFILE Who: What: Location: Web:

Ron Johnson Business leader elected U.S. Senator Oshkosh www.ronjohnsonforsenate.com

simply an intelligent man who spent his life in the private sector. Johnson believes that citizens should serve their country by participating in government for a time and then returning to private life. It’s a system the founding fathers had in mind when they built the country. So Mr. Johnson goes to Washington. This is only half the reason B2B named Johnson a Pioneer of 2010. The other half is the fact that he will be the first U.S. Senator to serve from the Fox Valley since Joseph McCarthy was a Wisconsin senator for 10 years from 1947 to 1957. So for more than a half century, Wisconsin values have been represented in Washington by those from the Milwaukee and Madison areas. You have to go back to 1893 to find the last time a U.S. Senator came from Oshkosh, and that was Philetus Sawyer, also a Republican businessman who had a desire to serve. Washington will once again get a taste of the values shared by many in what is now called the New North. Ron Johnson gets a chance to do what he can to stop the spending, backroom deals and other shenanigans that raised the ire of the electorate.

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NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 25

BIOSCIENCE

A better economy through science

New North bioscience companies keep region near the top of the industry Story by Lee Marie Reinsch

If the milk you had with your Cheerios this morning didn’t make you hurl, you can thank bioscience for that. If it stayed contained neatly in its bottle, bag or carton when you brought it home from the Save-O-Rama, you can thank bioscience for that. And if your plastic jug bore a nice, easy-to-read label, you can thank bioscience for that, too. Bioscience is defined as “the intersection of biology and technology” by Wisconsin BioForward executive director Bryan Renk. That can encompass quite a lot — practically everything from the food we eat to its packaging is impacted by the field. “We think biotechnology is a growth field,” Renk said. “We saw a 3 percent increase (in number of jobs) in a 5-year span, while other industries saw a 3 percent decrease.”

Quantifying bioscience BioForward released a study this fall showing that the New North region is No. 3 in the state in bioscience-related jobs, with the greater Madison and greater Milwaukee areas on top. The study ranked parts of the state in terms of bioscience industries, including number of companies, employers, employees, amount of revenue and even salaries. “We wanted to solidify the definition of bioscience in Wisconsin,” Renk said. “We wanted to be able to say ‘This is how many jobs there are,’ and ‘Is there growth?’” Some 24,000 people in the state work in private-sector bioscience-related jobs, a number that increased by 19 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to the study. It’s a $7 billion industry in the state, and it generates taxes of $614 million. More than 640 bioscience businesses in Wisconsin operate at more than 750 sites. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Workforce Development did the analysis, which is called “The Contribution of the Bioscience Industry to the Wisconsin Economy.” Here’s more on how things shake out, according to the study: Rolling in at No. 1: The greater Milwaukee area (seven counties around Milwaukee) contributes $951.8 million to the economy each year. More than 12,000 people in the greater Milwaukee area are employed in its 294 bioscience-related 26 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

www.newnorthb2b.com

BIOSCIENCE companies. At No. 2: The greater Madison area (eight counties around Madison) takes in $473.9 million in bioscience-related dollars. More than 7,300 people work in its 184 bioscience-related establishments in the greater Madison area. At No. 3: The New North region takes in more than $117 million in revenue and employs 2,500 people at its 118 bioscience-related entities. “We think this is a conservative estimate,” Renk said of the overall state numbers, adding that he believes there are many more businesses in Wisconsin that weren’t counted, due to the limitations of the study. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) coding system used to categorize and tally the number of bioscience jobs doesn’t include everyone. “Since bioscience is relatively new to the world, many entities not considered bioscientific five years ago when they were coded might be considered bioscientific today,” Renk said. For example, cheesemaking, winemaking and beermaking don’t fall into the NAICS code of bioscience and therefore those jobs aren’t counted. “They’re big enough to have their own category,” Renk said. But they definitely use bioscience, Renk said, because of the fermentation and culturing processes. “If (the study) did include beer-, cheese- and winemaking, northeastern Wisconsin numbers would be dramatically bigger,” Renk said. Another reason the study put the New North at somewhat of a disadvantage: the southern part of the state has the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “All of the attention, when there’s a discovery about stem cells or something, goes to Madison,” said Jerry Murphy, executive director of The New North, Inc. “We don’t have a research center in our backyard. So (research) isn’t our forte.” The complete study can be found on Wisconsin BioForward’s Web site, wisconsinbiotech.org. So what is bioscience? Literally defined, bioscience means the system of studying the natural world. Renk tends to use it interchangeably with biotechnology. For all practical purposes, the four categories of bioscience industries categorized as such by the NAICS are: ❖ Agriculture, chemicals and feedstock ❖ Drugs and pharmaceuticals ❖ Medical devices and equipment ❖ Research, testing and medical laboratories Information technology and high-tech manufacturing are examples of industries that don’t involve bioscience, according to Renk. “We can definitely play in this marketspace, and the reason I am confident we can is that we already are,” Murphy said. One just has to look at the terrain of the New North region to chart the evolution of such industries in Wisconsin. “This is a marketplace that was based on woody biomass as fiber,” Murphy said. Lumbering and farming are at the root of Wisconsin’s economy, with papermaking, dairy, fertilizer, biofuel and food processing as natural offshoots. “If you think of all of the markets New North has an interest in, they are all fundamentally anchored in who we are. When you talk about the bioscience-based or bio-based market, you

almost have to think about the landscape of the New North, and where most of that (enterprise) goes is food production – the dairy industry, food processing, meat, etc. and even the science around packaging,” Murphy said. Even the science behind biofuels goes hand-in-hand with production of food and production of paper. “It’s a different track, but it is fundamentally anchored to who we are,” Murphy said of biofuel production.

Corny way to make a living Utica Energy, LLC, of Pickett just west of Oshkosh, makes corn-based ethanol from area sources. It also makes animal feed products, both wet and dry, and liquid carbon dioxide for industries that quick-freeze items or use dry ice. Among its 52 employees are a couple engineers and a microbiologist. That’s atypical, according to Chief Operating Officer Tobin Johnson. “We apply technology better than most ethanol makers,” Johnson said. “In ethanol plants it’s really unusual to have that kind of talent.” Utica has tweaked its fermentation processes to run without antibiotics, widening the marketplace for its animal feed products. “It allows us to sell our feed in Europe,” Johnson said. “It’s a competitive advantage.” About half the nation’s ethanol plants use antibiotics to tamp down bacteria in the ethanol production, according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy of Minneapolis. The problem with that is antibiotics end up in the animal feed products made by ethanol producers. The Food and Drug Ad-

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 27

BIOSCIENCE ministration has lobbied Congress for some 30 years to ban antibiotics in animal feed products and water but has not been successful, according to a June 2010 New York Times article. Utica is Wisconsin’s northern-most ethanol producer, Johnson said, so it’s closer to corn markets north of the plant. “That gives us an advantage transportation-wise,” he said. “The Fox Valley is a big user (of ethanol used in gasoline formulas).” Johnson said Utica will continue to pursue technology, including ways of making its corn feed higher in protein and possibly also branching into cellulosic ethanol production, which uses grasses, wood and plant fibers to make ethanol. Politicians talk about helping business in the United States, and farmers often get overlooked. “One of our strongest small businesses is the farmer,” Johnson said. “If we could focus more on growing farms and helping farmers, we could have a stronger biofuel industry. Eventually I hope we will become like Brazil, more energy independent. If we had a stronger emphasis on biofuels here, maybe we wouldn’t have to fight so hard for (oil) in the Middle East.” Johnson has a master’s degree in chemistry and managed plants for Dow Chemicals for 25 years before coming to Utica.

Food needs to be tested Northland Laboratories in Green Bay does a lot of shelf-life testing and studies on food items, particularly dairy and meat. “Our clients by and large are large food manufacturers,” said Kami Fusco, vice president of operations at Northland Laboratories.

Northland does microbiological testing for food safety and quality, and wet chemical testing to determine the components of the food – fat, moisture, salt, acidity, Fusco said. Northland also does challenge studies: running a product through a variety of conditions that a customer might do, such as leave an item in a hot car, to determine food safety. “If I abuse this product, expose it to an elevated temperature, what effect will it have chemically on this product?” Fusco said. Many companies around the state offer similar testing, but Northland is among the few that are certified to test for phosphatase, an indicator of whether or not milk has been pasteurized properly. “Having a local dairy lab, we can consult on site,” Fusco said. Some larger food processing companies have their own in-house labs, but testing for pathogens really shouldn’t be done onsite, Fusco said. “Most internal labs don’t test for everything; if there’s a special need, they will call a contract lab,” she said. Fusco said her company has seen steady increases in demand, even in a down economy and even when California is calling itself the new dairy state. “California may produce cheese, but Wisconsin produces better cheese,” Fusco said. Fusco said the increase in artisan cheesemakers in the area in recent years has added to demand for Northland Laboratories’ services. Northland’s employees range from technicians with associates degrees to those with master’s degrees. Between its Green Bay site and another in Illinois, it employs 70 people.

Vitamin S is for Science Dr. Bob Doster is senior vice president of scientific affairs at Schwabe International dietary supplement maker in Green Bay, parent company of Nature’s Way and Enzymatic Therapy brands. Schwabe is regulated the same way pharmaceutical companies are regulated – that is, even more strictly than food companies. “You are designing products that are taken for some specific health purpose that you have to know is correct,” Doster said. “You have to know you are delivering that purpose with proper attention paid to safety and proper attention paid to regulatory requirements.” Doster has three degrees in food science, including a Ph.D in food science and nutrition. He did graduate work in pharmacology and toxicology, and he worked for large companies like Carnation and Clorox on the West Coast. He headed research and development on well-known brands such as Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing, KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce, and Kingsford charcoal before coming to Green Bay. “Having worked in the food field and managed product development in large companies, this (dietary supplement industry) is way, way, way more difficult; there’s more technical depth and scientific depth to execute and execute well,” Doster said. “If you are developing a new pudding, you don’t care about the bioavailability of the phytonutrients in the cocoa that’s in the pudding; you just care that it tastes like good chocolate,” Doster said. “We care about nutrients down to their unique chemical entities. In making products with plant sources of nutrients, we are concerned with, ‘Is the nutrient there and is it bioavailable

Bioscience employees to get bigger raises Bioscience companies will increase employee compensation in Wisconsin in 2011 by an average of 4.3 percent, compared to an average of 2.7 percent across all industries in the state, according to the Wisconsin Bioscience Compensation Survey, which collected data on 21 jobs in the bioscience industry, and

28 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

was completed by bioscience companies in Wisconsin during July. Increases were highest among executives, at 4.6 percent; technical exempt employees at 3.4 percent, and management at 3.3 percent. The survey was conducted by QTI Consulting for BioForward, the state’s bioscience trade group. - by Lee Marie Reinsch

www.newnorthb2b.com

BIOSCIENCE and is it stable?’ The person making pudding may not care about that.” Not having other supplement or pharmaceutical companies around northeast Wisconsin is a blessing and a curse. The good side is that other companies aren’t pirating your employees, Doster said. The bad side is that finding employees who are experienced in pharmaceuticals here is tougher. “When I recruit people for product development, I don’t have a large local pool for that,” Doster said. “I have to go out of state, or I have to train them. It’s more difficult than if I were in Utah (which has dozens of supplement companies) and could just call up a head hunter and ask for five hungry candidates.”

Above-average salaries Bioscience jobs are higher paying than average, by a long shot. “The average employee in Wisconsin makes $42,117 per year, while the average bioscience-sector dude makes $69,096 per year,” Renk said. Numbers geeks, do your math: that’s 64 percent more for the bioscience dude.

But you don’t necessarily need a doctorate to enjoy an above-average career, according to Renk. “The nice thing is it doesn’t take a Ph.D scientist to do this work,” Renk said. “It does take several levels of skill. You might have a chief science officer and a lab manager who are Ph.Ds and a research technician who has a master’s degree. There are lab technicians that have training and background in bioscience (but not post-graduate degrees).” He said many technical colleges in the state have added or upgraded their biotechnology-technician programs. Doster illustrates the demand for scientists with a real-life anecdote. His daughter studies food science at the University of Wisconsin and even as a junior is seeing firsthand how employable food scientists are. She’s already had a handful of offers for summer internships for next year. “(Companies) are competing for these kids on a very aggressive basis,” Doster said. “The pay is very, very good; it’s staggering what they pay these kids, even with little if any industry experience.” But the downside of food science is that the prospect of jobs and money draws students into food science programs they ultimately can’t handle. “This is a very, very difficult curriculum. It’s extremely exciting work but it’s not for the faint of heart,” Doster said. “Unless a kid is scientifically oriented, it’s very difficult to get through.” An alumna of Ripon College, Lee Marie Reinsch is a freelance writer based in Green Bay.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 29

HUMAN RESOURCES

Providing an understandable V-O-I-C-E Literacy programs help retain employees, instill pride and facilitate communication With a growing number of immigrants of various ethnic backgrounds, and a looming large number of Baby Boomers retiring, employers’ needs for well-educated employees who can communicate effectively – both orally and in writing – is greater than ever. That need includes being able to read and comprehend well, too. Unfortunately, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, 30 million Americans read no better than the average elementary school child. And in Outagamie County alone, some 12,000 residents lack basic literacy skills. Without literacy skills — the ability to read, write, do math, solve problems, and access and use technology — today’s adults will struggle to take part in the world around them and fail to reach their full potential as parents, community members and employees. The New North region literacy councils and coalitions have been instrumental in helping employers gain employees who can communicate more effectively, thereby making them more effective in the workplace and more productive. Each year, more than 200 people receive help improving their literacy skills from the Fox Valley Literacy Coalition alone. According to Christine Cheevers, executive director of the coalition, one local employer who wanted to remain anonymous, but who had an employee who took advantage of the services said, “‘If Dan’s reading skills hadn’t improved, we simply would have released him and we would have hired somebody else.’ And this was a native English speaker, not an English language learner,” Cheevers said. “To me, this was huge, to know that one of the services we’re providing to people is to help them stay in a job where they likely would have had few options otherwise.”

Skills to grow Another part-time employee at a local restaurant has taken advantage of the literacy coalition’s services and as a result, has since been able to secure additional part-time employment at two other restaurants. “So he’s thrilled to be able to work at these jobs because he’s making more money now,” Cheevers said. “And not only 30 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

CAUTION CEEV FAJ Story by Cheryl Hentz has he been able to purchase a house for himself, but now he’s also buying income property, too.” The number of employers who take advantage of the program varies at any given time, but even if a company itself hasn’t initiated some kind of literacy training for an employee, it doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t benefitting from or being helped by the services the coalition has to offer. “The employer of anybody who is using our services could be said to be receiving our services, even if they didn’t send them to us directly. Most of our clients are employed and many of them are looking for a promotion,” Cheevers said. “As a result of the individual clients using our services, they are better able to communicate with their co-workers and customers. So the employers are still benefitting.” One such employer was Famous Dave’s in Appleton. About two years ago, one of its employees decided to seek some help from the Fox Valley Literacy Coalition. “He originally came to our area speaking very little English. He spoke a little bit, enough for him to land a job here, but he just really wanted to be able to communicate very well with everybody,” said Travis Urban, assistant manager. “He said as long as he was going to be working with English speakers, he wanted to learn better English.” Now, a little over a year later, that employee has improved his reading and speaking skills and has advanced at his job.

A remarkable transformation “His English has come through in giant leaps. It’s remarkable. He came to us basically being hired as one of our line cooks and within one year he was working shifts both at night and during the day, sort of like rotating shifts. And now he’s our six-day-a-week closer,” Urban said. “So basically we turn it over to him and know that everything’s going to get done the way it should. We look to him as our back of the house leader, more or less.” Karen Schilt, program and volunteer coordinator at the Fox Valley Literacy Coalition, said most of the time their clients are businesses owned by minorities because they are already students or have been students and they are now seeking it for their employees. www.newnorthb2b.com

HUMAN RESOURCES “We don’t get a lot of American employers coming to us and saying they have ‘x’ number of employees who don’t speak English or could use better English. That may be because they don’t know about us and what we do,” she said. “But we’re trying to educate as much as possible about the fact that we’re here and the services we offer.” One company that has approached Literacy Green Bay is Sanimax. Johnny Nowell, operations manager of the hide, skins and leather department said he brought the literacy program in to help with some of his team leaders. Many of them are Hispanic and had trouble with their English writing skills. “They generate a lot of reports and emails, so it was more for written communication than anything else. But they also do a lot of reading, so this has helped them with their reading and comprehension. Overall it’s been very effective and they enjoy taking the classes and learning everything they are.” One of the Sanimax employees working with Literacy Green Bay takes great pride in how he feels and how he’s valued as an employee because Sanimax is doing this for its employees, he notices the difference in his abilities. “He says it’s always a work in progress, but he has remarked how he can see his reports becoming stronger with spelling and grammar,” said Literacy Green Bay workforce coordinator, Valerie Swartz. “So for him to be able to recognize how his own reports are improving is a great testament to the ability of the course and the company.” “These are team leaders and they’re in charge of their careers. So this will help them either with their future with Sani-

On the Web For information: Winnebago County Literacy Council www.winlit.org 920.236.5219 ext. 4830 Literacy Green Bay literacygreenbay.org 920.435.2474 Fox Valley Literacy Coalition www.fvlc.net 920.991.9840 max, especially if they want to become a supervisor here, or it will help them with some other employer, if they decide to leave,” said Nowell. “It can help them in their personal lives, as well. They can even help teach their other family members English, if they have them.”

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HUMAN RESOURCES Aids in employee retention “When employers sponsor such training programs, employees often stay at the job longer because they feel valued and feel pride for the company,” said Swartz. “That in turn saves the employer from having to spend additional monies to hire and train new employees as a result of greater turnover.” “Many students feel they are stuck in their jobs and can’t advance until they have better English skills,” noted Literacy Green Bay administrator Jennifer Nelson, who also said that their workforce development program offers businesses a fee-for-service programming both in English and Spanish instruction. “In other words, we can teach Spanish to management while we’re teaching English to the employees and we can even tailor that curriculum to be industry-specific,” she said. “For example, there might be a meat packing plant where the employees are learning English and it could be specifically about the meat packing industry.” Their workforce development program was established about 10 or 15 years ago when there was a huge Hmong population surge, and it has expanded over time. “All these companies were looking for us because there was a huge Hmong population looking for jobs, needing jobs and getting jobs, and they didn’t know how to communicate with them. So we developed a program to help train them,” Swartz explained. “Then we had the Hispanic population move in, so we’ve continued to offer these classes (and adapted it for them).” All the literacy councils and coalitions in the New North region boast strong success with the clients they’ve worked with but wish they had more. As with some of her counterparts

32 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

at other agencies, Dana Koch, education coordinator with the Winnebago County Literacy Council said she doesn’t think a lot of employers are aware of the services that are available. “But if employers have employees who are learning English as a second language, or even if English is their first language but they are having trouble reading or writing, sometimes the employers are actually the first to be aware of it. So contacting the literacy council to address those issues can be of immense help to the company,” she said. “And it can all be done very quietly or discreetly, if need be, and on their premises, which for the English learning students, that’s especially helpful. So the program is a very useful tool to help get a lot more effective productivity out of their employees.” The employers they have worked with in the last 10 years or so have come to them wanting their employees to do basic things that many English-speaking employees may do automatically and take for granted, Koch said. “It can be very simple things like understanding directions, reporting on problems, understanding safety regulations, asking questions, or even calling in sick,” she said, adding that even those simple tasks can make employees more productive and efficient because they are more independent and give them a better feeling about themselves. Cheryl Hentz is a freelance writer from Oshkosh with more than 25 years experience. Her articles have appeared in several newspapers and magazines and cover topics including business and economic development, minority issues, family pets and animal rights, finance, politics and women’s issues. She can be reached at 920.426.4123 or via email at cheryl.hentz@gmail.com.

www.newnorthb2b.com

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SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE

Small Business

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The right combo...

...of winning ingredients

Hansen Fundraising turns pizza into profits Story by John R. Ingrisano

34 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

Creating a good pizza takes just the right combination of quality ingredients to get a winning result. The same goes for a well-run, profitable business like Hansen Fundraising Services, Inc., of Green Bay. The three owners, with more than 90 years total of food industry experience, know just how to serve up frozen pizza and other items to help nonprofit groups in Wisconsin and 22 other states meet their fundraising goals. Hansen Fundraising is a long way from the original business – a small dairy operation started in 1912, when a farmer started delivering milk to homes in Green Bay. In the late 1940s, the family-run business opened a series of dairy stores and, in the 1970s, cashing in on the new demand for pizza, the Hansen family started taking the ingredients to school gymnasiums to assemble pizzas for fundraising activities. This, according to Chuck Martin, current president, grew significantly and eventually was formed into a separate pizza business. Martin and several other principals bought the business in 1995 and began streamlining the operation, eventually closing the dairy outlets and focusing almost exclusively on the fundraising. Though pizza continues to be the mainstay, they also offer chocolates, cheese, sausage and some hard goods such as candles, gift-wrap and other gift items. It has been a steady growth business. “Since 1995,” says Vice President of Sales & Operations Sue Chenault, “our fundraising business increased by 400 percent … and our pizza production is up 73 percent in the last five years.” www.newnorthb2b.com

SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE At that time, when the company was sold by the Hansen family, it was strictly a Wisconsin business. Today, says Chenault, they do business in 22 states, including Montana, Texas, New York and Florida, working through a series of independent contractors. Even though expanding nationwide, the Hansen name remains strong locally. “Our market is all non-profit organizations,” explains Chenault, with schools and booster clubs being their biggest customers. “We work with 60 schools in the Green Bay and Fox Valley area alone.” These include such organizations as Neenah Music Parents, Manitowoc County Youth Sports, Fond du Lac High School Music, Chilton High School Band, New Holstein Football, Slinger High School Band and the Sturgeon Bay softball team. “Some of our customers have been with us more than 20 years,” says Chenault. Even through several economic downturns, including the current recession, the business has continued to grow. Says Chenault, “Even in tough economic times, families are supporting fundraising efforts” for their schools and other programs. “Families are willing to support” the causes that are important to them. In this respect, she concludes, “we are in a nice niche business.” The owners are not just business people; they are experienced food professionals. Martin, who is the majority shareholder, has an accounting and finance degree, which he has employed in the food business for 35 years. Chenault has a degree in food science and business and has worked in the food industry for 26 years. Vice President John Graycarek, whose primary responsibility is managing the daily operations, started with Hansen’s Foods when he was 16 and now has 30 years of hands-on experience with the company. Graycarek was not available for the interview with New North B2B magazine because, in the words of Martin, “somebody has to work today.”

Submitted photo

Exacting processes helps Hansen keep its promise of complete satisfaction. (the end consumers in fundraising campaigns) can be skeptical and demanding. If Hansen expects to do business with the same organizations and their booster families year after year, they must provide a quality, reliable product. That’s why, explains Chenault, “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make sure everything is right the first time. We promise 100 percent satisfaction and we follow through.” That is also why many organizations have turned to Hansen Fundraising year after year, for decades.

The secret ingredient of their success Why has Hansen Fundraising continued to do so well year after year? Part of it has to do with customer service, says Chenault. This is especially important in a business in which credibility is crucial and in which families and their neighbors

Success by the numbers Hansen Fundraising also keeps other businesses humming. “We spend almost $1 million a year on cheese,” all of it bought in Wisconsin, explains President Chuck Martin. They also purchase many pizza ingredients by the semi, adds Sue Chenault: “For example, we buy seven semis of puree a year. Each truck has 76 barrels, and each barrel weighs 540 pounds. That equals close to 300,000 pounds a year. That’s a lot of tomatoes.”

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 35

SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE

Submitted photos

Hansen Fundraising Services has grown its fundraising business 400 percent with pizza production up 73 percent over the last five years.

Martin agrees: “Anyone can supply chocolates and gift wraps and frozen pizza. But it takes good service” to keep customers. In addition to their decades of food business experience, they also have a solid business plan that focuses on planned growth and controlling costs. This is one reason they are building an addition this year. “We are able to consolidate some of our operations that are outside of our building,” says Martin. “This gives us room for expanding capacity. Also, we’re hoping to improve our efficiencies and reduce costs.” Mostly, says Martin, they have great employees, and they treat them well, with benefits that include profit sharing. “We have good, solid, long-term employees who solve problems and get things done.” Expanding on this, Chenault adds that “we have a strong team and we promote from within. We all work as a really strong team.” Hansen Fundraising operates with a cost-conscious, stripped down marketing strategy. They attend 15 fundraising conventions each year, each targeted to a different group. They also do Web-based advertising, Internet and mass mailings. “Our

Chuck Martin Sue Chenault John Graycarek

36 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

strongest marketing, however, is through our testimonials,” says Chenault, which builds credibility. And that’s where Hansen Fundraising seems to excel: in reputation. Martin points out that their biggest challenge is getting sales. “Once we have a sale, we’re good at processing it and keeping the business.” That’s where their customer service pays off.

The best part about being in business Some business owners seem overwhelmed by the challenges. The owners of Hansen Fundraising thrive on it. What’s the best part about being in business for President Chuck Martin? In addition to there being “no heavy lifting,” he jokes, he adds, “it’s the variety of life experiences you would not get if you weren’t in business. Your rewards are 100 percent based on how efficient you have been.” For Vice President Sue Chenault, the best part about being in business is that “you’re more in control of your time.” When asked how many hours he puts in a week, Martin seemed a bit perplexed at first by the question. Finally he said,

PROFILE Name: Business: Location: Year started: Employees:

Chuck Martin, President Sue Chenault, Vice President John Graycarek, Vice President Hansen Fundraising Services, Inc. (www.hansensfundraising.com), food products (primarily frozen pizza) for nonprofit fundraising programs Green Bay 1912 (acquired by Martin and investors in 1995) 30 to 60 (seasonal)

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SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE Chenault, who sees her biggest responsibility as supporting the people who work with her, it’s “the people, our team.” For Martin, “I’m always interested in seeing what the next challenge of the day will bring. It’s the adventure of what the next day will bring.”

What’s next?

Submitted photo

The company employs about 30 people year-round and peaks at about 60 during its busy season. “If you love what you are doing, how do you know when you are working and when you’re not? When you’re home, you’re thinking about business, jotting down notes. In the shower, ideas come to you.” When not working, Chenault says, her hobbies are “fishing and golf; golf and fishing” with her husband. It also makes sense that the owners are involved with a number of local nonprofit foundations. Martin is on the board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Green Bay, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and the Community Shelter. “Striking a balance between work and personal time is not a big deal,” adds Martin, “if you enjoy what you do.” What motivates them to get out of bed each morning? For

Martin, Chenault and Graycarek have maintained steady growth over the last 15 years. The plan for the future is more of the same. With the investment in their new facility, Martin’s focus is on consolidating the operation for greater efficiencies. Chenault adds that “I can foresee doubling the business in the next five years.” That forecast seems like a reasonable prediction for the owners of Hansen Fundraising, who have a good feel for the combination of ingredients that make not just a winning pizza, but also a profitable company. As Chenault points out, referring to the company’s motto -- Great People. Great Products. Great Service. -- “That’s not just a phrase. We stand behind it every day.” John Ingrisano is a Wisconsin-based business journalist, marketing strategist and public speaker. If you would like John to review your company’s needs or do a presentation for your business group, contact him at his Web site: www.thefreestyleentrepreneur.com or call 920.559.3722.

u o y k n a h t

to all of the 2010 summit sponsors

marquee partner

affiliate

collaborator

team member

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 37

PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

The pioneering efforts of the BBB by Better Business Bureau

At the Turn of the 20th century, the budding advertising industry found itself faced with a problem. The Coca-Cola Company was charged with false advertising. While the charges were determined to be unfounded, Samuel Dobbs, president of the company, was shocked at the response of his own company’s attorney who said “Why, all advertising is exaggerated, nobody really believes it.” Spurred by this attitude, Dobbs met with other advertisers to determine that there were problems in the advertising industry that would negatively affect all businesses. In August 1911, his efforts resulted in the creation of the “Ten Commandments of Advertising.” In 1912 the formation of “Vigilance Committees,” sponsored by local ad clubs, worked to eliminate abuses and created advertising codes and standards. The only tool of these “Vigilance Committees” was what early leaders described

JoEllen Wollangk

38 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

as “moral suasion.” This call for voluntary ethical business conduct formed the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The “Vigilance Committees” would ask advertisers to voluntarily prove their claims, with the objective of promoting public confidence in advertising. Soon they were publishing their results which gave the movement the needed credibility and initiated the process of consumers reporting misleading advertising. These were the first complaints that helped define the mission of the BBB. Shortly after, calls started coming in asking for information the BBB might have on a company’s unethical practices. H. J. Kenner, the first Better Business Bureau manager, described the zeal and spirit of the BBB as the “torch of truth.” This zeal was driven by the certainty that advertising would only succeed as a marketing tool if the public could trust it. Having started as an effort to monitor and challenge the advertising industry, the BBB grew to provide many services

920.734.4352 including published business and charity Reliability Reports, dispute resolution, business and consumer education, awards for ethics and integrity, scholarships, and accreditation. The BBB is a non-profit organization that relies on voluntary participation from businesses that promise to operate ethically and take care of their customers. Although the BBB works closely with government agencies, the BBB is a private non-profit organization with no government funding. It allows a free marketplace with free information for consumers on who to trust. A truly pioneering effort at the turn of the 20th century! JoEllen Wollangk is the Northeast Regional Manager for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Wisconsin. JoEllen opened the first branch office of the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin in Appleton in November of 2006.

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PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKING

Calculated Optimism in 4Q of 2010 by Reinhart Partners Inc. The issues of the Fed monetizing debt, unemployment remaining stubbornly high, and U.S. tax levels befuddling decisionmakers are not normally associated with a forecast for a rising stock market. However, this is an off-year election cycle, and in similar circumstances the stock market has clearly moved in only one direction going all the way back to 1942. Amazingly, in the 17 mid-term elections since 1942, the U.S. stock market has risen 100% of the time in the 200 days following the election. Further, the market went up an average of 18% during these periods. With a perfect record in all of those election cycles it is pointless to speculate on the reason for success, or what this year’s potential outcomes could mean. However, with stock valuations at very compelling levels compared with bonds and Fed stimulus on the horizon, the catalyst of the mid-term election is hard to ignore. Stocks Greg Pierce

are simply cheap compared to the meager yields offered by bonds, and seasonal and election patterns suggest that the final quarter of 2010 could be a quantitative easing-fueled bull run (more money printed). Regardless of one’s opinion of what constitutes a favorable outcome in the election, the stock market has consistently voted all outcomes “favorable” in the previous seventeen cycles. We believe this is a trading pattern that should not be ignored. Gloom is still pervasive and debt will continue to be liquidated for some time to come. We are not of the belief that this is the pivot point where all will be fine looking forward. We feel strongly that money is smart and it will go to where the best opportunities are, and today stocks are simply much more attractively valued than bonds. Diversification will continue to be critical, and investing overseas is an important part of a sound strategy. The dol-

920.230.6850 lar is under siege because of the actions of our own central bank, and while we are hopeful that these actions will have only favorable outcomes, we are wary of the consequences should they get it wrong. But it is our belief that the worst of the crisis environment is behind us, so we feel that our position as “calculated optimists” is reasonable as we move ahead into the fourth quarter. Greg Pierce, Partner and Financial Advisor at Reinhart Partners Inc., is well known and respected in the investment industry nationwide and is frequently quoted in InvestmentNews magazine and the financial section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Greg was extensively quoted in a recent article in Forbes Magazine. You can reach Greg at 920-230-6850 or gpierce@reinhartpartnersinc.com.

Opportunities in Homeland Security by Marian University Effective homeland security and preparedness is multifaceted and involves public safety components such as emergency services, fire safety and law enforcement, as well as such areas as transportation security and national security. Terrorism, intelligence, and immigration are also components of homeland security. The evolving discipline of homeland security needs professionals with the skills, knowledge, and abilities to work at local, state and national level in a variety of different organizations and agencies. Marian University, in an effort to meet this growing demand for professionals who can work in various areas associated with homeland security, recently expanded their program offerings in this exciting and dynamic area of study. The University recently received an anonymous gift of $199,000 for enhancement of its homeland security educations programs and also the creation of the new Institute for Homeland Security and Emergency Michelle Majewski

Preparedness. The Institute focuses on education, public safety and research. Marian’s Homeland Security programs include an undergraduate major and minor offered in the traditional day program, along with a degree completion program designed for individuals who already possess an associate’s degree. This is complemented by an 18-credit undergraduate Homeland Security Leadership certificate program that is offered completely online. Coursework in all three programs focuses on the development of skills, knowledge, and abilities needed by professionals in this discipline. Courses cover such areas as administrative law, homeland security resource management, leadership and organization management, social theory, sociology of disasters and terrorism and emergency planning. Marian’s programs, designed for traditional and nontraditional students, are taught by a diverse group of professionals with hands-on experience in the field of homeland security thereby providing stu-

920.923.8132 dents with not only depth of knowledge, but also breadth. Information regarding the various program offerings in Homeland Security can be found at http://www.marianuniversity. edu/homelandsecurity. Michelle E. Majewski, Psy.D., is the dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Marian University. Michelle has been at the University for 22 years in the capacity of faculty member, past chair of Social and Behavior Sciences and now as a dean. She is also a full professor of psychology. You can reach Dr. Majewski at 920923-8132 or via e-mail at mmajewski@ marianuniversity.edu. “Professionally Speaking” is a promotional spot for business professionals to share their expertise with New North B2B readers. To learn more about how your business can take advantage of opportunities with Professionally Speaking, contact Carrie at 920.237.0254 or email carrie@newnorthb2b.com.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 39

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

Brown County Oak St. Cafe LLC, Aaron Robert Reinhard, 1232 Shadow Ridge Way, Apt. 5, De Pere 54115. Autumn Breeze Landscaping LLC, Bryan Jelinski, 3594 Crocus Dr., De Pere 54115. Home Bath Spa LLC and Armor Shield Home Improvement Systems LLC, Casey Karch, 1225 Lawrence Dr., De Pere 54115. LaPlant Roofing & Construction LLC, Craig LaPlant, 2750 Monroe Rd, De Pere 54115. Big Boys Landscape & Snow Services LLC, Ryan J. Jahner, 1763 Ballinamore Place, De Pere 54115. MidAmerica Business Supplies LLC, Vincent Frank Wedelstedt, 1225 Danena Dr., De Pere 54115. Engineered Art LLC and ServPro LLC, Charles R. St. Peter, Jr., 5236 County Road R, P.O. Box 732, Denmark 54208. Denmark Towing & Recovery LLC, Theresa A. Frank, 502 Oak St., Denmark 54208. LaserNet LLC, Brian W. Kueppers, 3170 Yeager Dr., Green Bay 54311. Direct Hit Events LLC, Brian W. Stenzel, 1987 London Road, Green Bay 54311. Renard Cottages LLC, Diane RenardGorbette, 3330 Bay Settlement Road, Green Bay 54311. The Zen Den for Dogs LLC, Donna A. Poat, 2260A Main St., Green Bay 54311. Inject-A-Seal Foam Insulation Of NE Wisconsin LLC, Gary Pace, 2740 Canyon Bluff Road, Green Bay 54302. Geri Czarnecki Counselling Services LLC, Geri Czarnecki, Ph.D., 1192 Hansen Road, Green Bay 54304. Gino’s Pizza & Pasta LLC, Gino J. Gemignani, Sr., 2756 Cormier Road, Green Bay 54313. Adams Street Pub LLC, Guy Thomas Gille, 413 Bellevue St., Green Bay 54302. Pro Solutions Inc., John Bloor, 2900 Curry Lane, Green Bay 54311. Endless Summer Tanning LLC, Jolene Jill Lemerond, 520 Lombardi Ave., 40 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

Green Bay 54304. Legal Logistics LLC, Mark Gigot, 118 S. Adams St., Green Bay 54301. Elegant Additions LLC, Nick Andrew Wauters, 2579 Lance St., Green Bay 54313. Creative Promotions & Apparel LLC, Paul M. Roznowski, 2171 Kay Marie Road, Green Bay 54311. 4th Element Construction & Painting LLC, Robert Schahczinski, 2955 Lepak Lane, Green Bay 54313. Contract Services Inc. Wisconsin, Ronald Lee Knabenbauer, 338 Conover Dr., Green Bay 54303. Mason Super Store LLC, Stephen R. Rutten, 1172 Day St., Green Bay 54302. American Concrete Construction LLC, Timothy Thomson, 1271 Contract Dr., Green Bay 54304. Molly McGee’s LLC, Timothy W. Geraty, 2345 Serenade Lane, Green Bay 54301. Watching Eye Productions LLC, Tyler Christensen, 2050 Autumn Leaves Cr., Green Bay 54313. Quality Consultant LLC, Wayne W. Foster, 3341 Langdon St., Green Bay 54311. G B Auto Center LLC, David John DeFrance, 4534 Clear Water Ter., New Franken 54229. Andrews Highway Services LLC, Dawn Andrews, 674 Bow Bells Dr., Oneida 54155. RBA Captioning Inc., Ralph Warren Aschenbrenner, 3774 Rolling Heights, Oneida 54155. Northbay Industrial LLC, Andrew Vanderloop, 14662 Velp Ave., Suamico 54173. Jess Dennis Photography LLC, Jessica Lynn Langenberg, 3565 Royal Oaks Ct., Suamico 54173. Diversified Claims Solutions LLC, Peter U. Lammers, 3061 Harbor Winds Dr., Suamico 54173. Thomas William Office LLC, William T. Thayse, 1000 Riverside Dr., Suamico 54173.

Calumet County Wells Strength & Conditioning LLC, Isabelle Katherine Wells, W4913 Palisades Tr., Sherwood 54169. Mas Zumba LLC, Maria Adell Stumo, W220 Kings Way, Sherwood 54169.

Fond

Lac County

The Olde Cedar Inn LLC, Nadine Urban, N788 County Road W, Campbellsport 53010. Steffes Construction Aquatics LLC, Tony A. Steffes, W771 Armstrong Road, Suite 102, Campbellsport 53010. JMB Consulting and Training LLC, Cynthia Lynette Bonincontri, W3997 Shady Lane, Eden 53019. O’Davey’s Pub LLC, David R. Koepke, 36 4th St., Fond du Lac 54935. Fleet Management LLC, Dennis Murray, 41 N. Reserve Ave., Fond du Lac 54935. Jeta Trucking LLC, Janice M. Schmidt, 152 E. Bank St., Fond du Lac 54935. Agromatic Inc., Paul Birschbach, N6989 Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac 54937. Paragon Technologies Inc., Todd Michael Kuhnz, 505 Allen St., Fond du Lac 54935. Maxwell Plumbing & Heating LLC, Craig Maxwell, 215 Cherry Lane, Lomira 53048. Prestige Equipment Rental Solutions LLC, Jason John Guelig, W2961 Cody Road, Mt. Calvary 53057. Nigbor’s Taxidermy LLC, Joshua D. Nigbor, 301 Union St., Ripon 54971. Silver Creek Excavating LLC, Mark Pettack, N5856 Spaulding Hill Road, Ripon 54971.

Outagamie County AJR Mfg. LLC, Adam Joseph Reis, N2986 Jeske Road, Appleton 54913. The Roost Bed and Breakfast LLC, Aimee Guyer Huntsha, 1900 S. Lee St., Appleton 54915. Sensational Stitching by Ana LLC, Ana Maria Rivera, 610 N. Kensington Dr., Apt. 4, Appleton 54915. Platinum Advertising LLC, Ashtyn Hale, 2907 S. Schaefer Cr., Appleton 54915. Bellevue Equity Group LLC, Benjamin J. Haupt, Esq., 11 Bellevue Place, Appleton 54913. Superior Service Auto Body and Restoration LLC, Edward G.A. Paul, IV, 925 W. Evergreen Dr., Appleton 54913. First Choice Grooming & Boarding LLC, George Pagel, W6387 County Road JJ, Appleton 54913. Solid Ground Transportation LLC, Jeffrey L. Daines, 4740 W. Packard St., Appleton 54913.

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WHO’S NEWS Rancho Azul LLC, Maria Gonzalez Bustamante, 500 E. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton 54911. Appleton Limousine LLC, Maria Juana Vargas, 500 E. South River St., Appleton 54915. Messenger Property Management LLC, Michael Allen Faucett, 237 E. Calumet St., Ste. B, Appleton 54915. Indio Leather LLC, Nicholas Jeffery Hacker, W2800 Oakridger Dr., Appleton 54915. Siesta Spa Rentals LLC, Paul R. Melchiori, 801 Fullview Dr., Suite 5, Appleton 54913. Creative Realty LLC, Peggy Lehrer, W3326 Schroeder Road, Appleton 54913. Ronnie’s Detailing LLC, Ronn A. Elliott, W6062 Greystone Ct., Appleton 54915. Elite Capital Management Inc., Sabrina Gulotta, 5569 W. Natures Lane, Appleton 54914. Local SEO for Businesses LLC, Scott F. LaPlante, 2320 N. Cloudview Dr., Appleton 54914. Legal Pad Marketing LLC, Steven James Schneider, 103 W. College Ave., Suite 1204, Appleton 54911. Lo Yumhmie Foods LLC, Zoa Thao, 901 W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton 54914. Fuel Moto Inc., Jamie L. Long, 117 Lamine Lane, Combined Locks 54113. Thrive to Dr. Motorsports LLC, Kyle J. Calmes, N3786 Sharon Rose Ct., Freedom 54913. Freedom Bike to Trike LLC, Larry Daul, N4756 Vine Road, Freedom 54130. Entrepreneurs in Action LLC, Eleanor P. Lutz, 4019 Towne Lakes Ave., No. 4207, Grand Chute 54913. Venture Catalysts LLC, James M. McGlone, N1777 Ivy Lane, Greenville 54942. Aloha Transportation LLC, Thomas Anthony Thorne, N1450 Wildwood Dr., Greenville 54942. Spolar & Associates LLC, Barbara Spolar, 1900 Thelen Ave., Kaukauna 54130. Brockman Family Farm LLC, Donald E. Brockman, W749 Nackers Road, Kaukauna 54130. NE Wisconsin Appraisal Services LLC, Tim J. Van Lankvelt, 202 Whitney St., Kaukauna 54130. The Short Dog Designs LLC, Catherine Ann Moriarity, 631 Wind Flower Way, Kimberly 54136. Selective Service LLC, Melissa Marie Winterfeldt, 1030 W. Elm Dr., No. 15, Little Chute 54140. Legend Erecting LLC, Thomas Moeller, W4034 Cicero Road, Seymour 54165.

Winnebago County Rolling Meadows Self Storage LLC, Mark E. Luebke, 3905 County Road II, Lot 21, Larsen 54947. Badgerland Exteriors LLC, Alex Stoffels, 309 De Pere St., Menasha 54952. Reliner Tavern LLC, Erica Jean Redlin, 977 Plank Road, Menasha 54952. Irish Creative Production Inc., Keith Irish, 990 S. Oneida Road, Menasha 54952. Pritzl Distributing LLC, Lane Katherine Pritzl, 240 Frederick St., Menasha 54952. Connectmedia LLC, Elizabeth Rachel Nemecek, 2972 Shady

Lane, Neenah 54956. Twin City Diner LLC, Memedali Useini, 927 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah 54956. U.S. Financial LLC, Shelly M. Biesinger, 2555 Oakridge Road, Neenah 54956. Express Package Delivery Service LLC, Tom Janikowski, 6464 Paynes Point Road, Neenah 54956. The Oregon Club LLC, Timothy Rusch, 1400 Broderick Road, P.O. Box 423, Omro 54963. Jones Family Chiropractic LLC, Andrew Jones, 3951 Leonard Point Road, Oshkosh 54904. Metalogic LLC, Carven T. Blanck, 51 W. Fernau Ave., Oshkosh 54901. Mid America Assets Management LLC, David Micheal Cech, 556 Oak St., Oshkosh 54901. Marthaul Industries of America Inc., Elizabeth A. Paul, 474 Marion Road, Oshkosh 54901. Real Wellness Oshkosh LLC, Jason R. Rieckmann, 429 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh 54901. Sunshine Gurl Designs LLC, Jennelle M. Demler, 2114 Oregon St., Oshkosh 54902. My Culinary Angel LLC, Linda Ann Ott, 1521 Southland Ave., Oshkosh 54902. Safari Sun - The New Adventure LLC, Marci-Lynn Spencer, 1130 Freedom Ave., Oshkosh 54901. Pathways to Health LLC, Mary Jane Bartels, 6229 Black Wolf Point Rd., Oshkosh 54902. Ryan Standke Fishing Guide LLC, Ryan M. Standke, 2235 Crane St., Oshkosh 54901.

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WHO’S NEWS Fosso Gelhar Chiropractors of the Fox Valley LLC, Shelda Sue Fosso, 5111A Green Valley Road, Oshkosh 54904. Sweetwater Studios LLC, Stewart Prescott Sweet, 1135 Moreland St., Apt. 4, Oshkosh 54902.

$950,000 to demolish the existing structure and construct a new restaurant. General contractor is All Timate Construction of De Pere. October 14.

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

Mercury Marine, 560 W. Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac. $866,900 for a 33,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility. General contractor is C.D. Smith Construction of Fond du Lac. October 21.

SparkNet Interactive, 1121 W. Main Ave., Ashwaubenon. $3,248,000 for a four-story, 69,000-sq. ft. commercial office building. General contractor is Best Built Inc. of Green Bay. October 1.

St. Elizabeth Hospital, 1506 S. Oneida St., Appleton. $1,302,000 for an interior remodel of the women and family department of the hospital. General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton. October 22.

Paper Converting Machine Co., 2300 Ashland Ave., Ashwaubenon. $418,000 for an interior alteration and new parking lot for the existing industrial facility. General contractor is Smet Construction of De Pere. October 11.

Curwood, 1815 Marathon Ave., Neenah. $600,000 for a 3,285-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility for wax storage. General contractor is C.R. Meyer & Sons Co. of Oshkosh. October 27.

Hansen Frozen Foods, 930 Goddard Way, Green Bay. $525,000 for a 6,696-sq. ft. addition to the warehouse and repackaging area. General contractor is Oudenhoven Construction of Kaukauna. October 12.

Van Eperen, 3000 Spirit Court, Little Chute. $700,000 for a 12,414-sq. ft. new industrial/ warehouse building. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. November 10.

Building Permits

Theda Clark Memorial Hospital, 130 Second St., Neenah. $2,766,149 to remodel the second floor south intensive care unit. General contractor is Boldt Construction of Appleton. October 13. McDonald’s Restaurant, 1587 Shawano Ave., Green Bay.

Mergers/acquisitions Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, Appleton, acquired Green Bay-based ERA Titletown Realtors. The merger will boost the number of Coldwell Banker real estate sales associates serving the Green Bay and surrounding areas to more than 125. Tom Daleabroux, former broker/owner of ERA Titletown, will stay on as a real estate sales agent with the company. The Green Bay Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group Inc. office is located at 745 Ontario Road. C&G Consulting, a technology consulting division of Waukesha-based accounting and consulting firm Chortek & Gottschalk LLP, acquired Appleton-based Business Technology Systems Inc. Business Technology Systems executives Steve Krueger, Joseph Huettner and senior consultant Susan Wolf are joining C&G Consulting.

New businesses Three Three Five by The Traveling Chef opened at 335 Broadway in Green Bay. Owner Christopher Mangless is a former culinary student of Johnson & Wales in Denver. The Advance Business Center in Green Bay added Chou! LLC, owned by Daniel Chou, as a tenant in its business incubator. The company creates original artwork and print designs for application on shirts. Trunk ‘N Junk opened in Appleton by Bill and Tracy Kizewski as a full service junk removal company. The company has an eye on helping the environment and making sure most property and junk gets donated, recycled or reused without going to the landfill. More information about the company is available on its Web site at www.truck-n-junk.com.

New locations NewStyle Salons opened a fourth full-service hair salon at

42 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

www.newnorthb2b.com

WHO’S NEWS 103 E. College Ave. in downtown Appleton, formerly the site of the French Connection salon next to Starbucks.

mega manufacturer; and Plexus Corp. of Neenah was presented an operational excellence award.

Landmark Staffing Resources will move its corporate office to the Appleton Northeast Business Park in December, leasing 4,800 square feet in the 2901 E. Enterprise Ave. building shared with Wipfli.

Advance, the economic development arm of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, presented its 2010 Manufacturing Awards of Distinction to: Greenwood Fuels, small company category; Wisconsin Film and Bag, Inc., medium; KI of Green Bay, large company; its Innovate 360 award to Orion Energy Systems, Inc.; its Friends of Manufacturing honor to ProSolutions; and its Exporter of the Year recognition to Bay Tek Games, Inc.

Capital Credit Union will relocate its corporate headquarters in early 2011 to 738 Ford St. in Kimberly, the location of the current Landmark Staffing Resource offices. Capital’s existing headquarters at 1010 Prospect St. in Kimberly will remain a full-service banking facility. SVA Certified Public Accountants S.C. opened new, expanded offices at 4321 W. College Ave. in Appleton after moving from Neenah. The new office phone number is 920.750.6000.

New products/services Kimberly-Clark Corp. is testing Scott Naturals Tube-Free toilet paper at stores in the northeastern United States. If sales take off, it may introduce the line elsewhere and even consider adapting the technology into its paper towel brands. The goal is to eliminate the 17 billion toilet paper tubes produced annually in the U.S. creating 160 million pounds of trash. Great Lakes Kraut Co., Bear Creek, and EGI Mechanical Inc., Seymour, partnered to create a rolling processing plant on a pair of flatbed trailers to harvest cabbage in the southern U.S. Appleton Inc. introduced BPA-free thermal receipt paper in the U.S., with easy-to-see red fibers. Until now, consumers have had no means to distinguish whether the cash register, credit card or ATM receipts they receive contain the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA), a substance linked to potential health risks. Appleton expects to have the red fibers in all of its thermal receipt paper before the end of first quarter 2011.

Business honors Awards and honors earned by individuals are listed separately in the Who’s News section of the New North B2B. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, was presented a 2010 Excellence in Financial Literacy Education Award by the Institute for Financial Literacy for its educational workshop titled, “Identity Theft: What You Need to Know.” The Procter & Gamble Co. recognized Breakthrough Fuel, Green Bay, with an Excellence Award as one of 76 external business partner vendors from around the world. The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry honored the following firms with its Manufacturer of the Year Awards: Bouwer Printing & Mailing of Appleton, small-sized category; Veolia Environmental Services - Special Service Inc. of Neenah, medium; Gulfstream Aerospace of Greenville, large category; Pierce Manufacturing in the town of Menasha,

The Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce recognized Blue Door Consulting of Oshkosh with its Small Business of the Year Award, and Oakwood Elementary School and ThedaCare Physicians with its Partners at Learning Award. National Research Corp. recognized Bellin Hospital, Green Bay and Theda Clark Memorial Hospital, Appleton, as 2010/2011 Consumer Choice Award winners. The award identifies hospitals selected by healthcare consumers as having the highest quality and image in more than 300 markets throughout the U.S. Menasha Packaging won 14 awards at the annual 2010 Design of the Times Competition at the Shopper Marketing Expo in Chicago, including one platinum, four gold, six silver and three bronze. Menasha Packaging teamed up with Kimberly-Clark to win seven awards for the new U by Kotex product

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WHO’S NEWS displays and Huggies Little Movers Jeans Diapers display. Miron Construction Co. Inc., Neenah received the following Build Wisconsin Awards from Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin: General Contractor – New Construction category for UW-Fox Valley Communication Arts in Menasha; General Contractor – Renovation category for its new corporate office in Neenah; as well as awards for the Anya Marie Jackson Newborn Intensive Care Unit in Wausau; the WalCoMet Wastewater Treatment Plant in Delevan and the WPS Service Center in Rhinelander. The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau in Appleton was honored with a Tourism Trailblazer Award for outstanding partnerships by the Wisconsin Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus for its regional signage and wayfinding initiative. Leibold, Neenah, won the following 2010 MarCom Awards: a platinum award for a Kleenex trademark ad; gold awards for the Autism Society of the Fox Valley logo and Web site, and Fox Jazz Fest poster; and honorable mention for the Junior Achievement Jazz Night poster and 5-Stones logo.

New hires Roberts, Ritschke & Tyczkowski LTD., Neenah, hired Jonathan D. Calder as a staff accountant. R.A. Smith National hired John Kastner as a project engineer in its Appleton office. Kastner has nine years of design and construction management experience with highways, bridges and private development. Prior to joining R.A. Smith, Kastner worked for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as a project engineer. OMNNI Associates, Appleton, hired Brian Olesen to its municipal services sector. Olesen has 12 years experience in civil/site design, water resources engineering, geotechnical engineering and sustainability.

keting. Stein specializes in brand strategy, marketing research, trademark licensing, brand management and new product development, and has provided brand consultation for Santal Solutions since June. IPS Testing, Appleton, hired Chris Reitmeyer as its sales engineer. Reitmeyer has experience in medical device and pharmaceutical sales as well as environmental research and development, and is the co-inventor of five U.S. patents. Immel Construction, Green Bay, hired the following new employees: Keith Battermann, project manager with a focus on retail grocery; Troy Green, project superintendent with seven years of construction management experience; Steve Scales as project superintendent with 13 years of construction supervision experience; Jeff Maciejewski as assistant project manager; Ethan Rau as an estimator; and Brian Wetzel as safety compliance officer. Integrity Insurance in Appleton hired Wendy Holub as an HR generalist and Lee Forbeck as an AMC claims rep trainee. Holub has 15 years of human resources experience, most recently with ThedaCare as manager of development. Davis & Kuelthau S.C., Green Bay, added Bruce B. Deadman to its labor and employment law practice group. Deadman has more than 30 years of legal experience, including private practice, in-house general counsel for a Green Bay business and human resources consulting. Previously, Deadman worked for Baker Tilly and concurrently served as a municipal judge for five years. Curt Kaye was hired by Recoveron Restoration Services, Green Bay, as a partner and vice president. Previously, Kaye spent more than 15 years as managing partner, chief operating officer and senior software engineer for several companies in northeast Wisconsin.

The Sexual Assault Crisis Center-Fox Cities, Appleton, hired Caroline D. Lasecki as its executive director. She brings more than 20 years of experience having served as a volunteer for the Fox Valley Emergency Shelter, the American Cancer Society and others, as well as four years as a member of the SACC board of directors. Remley & Sensenbrenner, S.C., Neenah, hired Renee A. Read as an attorney and Carmen Brown as a legal assistant. Read has six years of practice experience with a focus in divorce and family law, social security disability, personal injury & worker’s compensation, criminal defense & traffic, and civil litigation. Brown has more than 20 years experience in estate planning support.

Reitmeyer

Holub

Forbeck

Kaye

The Boldt Co., Appleton, hired Michael McClure as a mechanical estimator and Fred Rose as a safety trainer. Santal Solutions LLC, Neenah, hired Arnie Stein, president of Egghead Marketing Strategies Group, as its director of mar-

44 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

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WHO’S NEWS Hager, Dewick & Zuengler, S.C., Green Bay, hired Ryan D. Krumrie as an associate attorney. Krumrie’s areas of practice include business planning, commercial and civil litigation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and employment law.

Theda Care Clark Medical Center in Neenah hired Deb Doyle as its director of clinical operations. Doyle has leadership responsibility for surgical, emergency, trauma and aeromedical services. Doyle joins ThedaCare from Rice Memorial Hospital in Wilmar, Minn., where she was director of peri-operative services. She has more than 30 years of nursing leadership experience at both academic medical centers and community hospitals in the U.S. and overseas.

Secura Insurance Co., Appleton, hired Anna Ebner as claims representative; Sherri Fassbender as administrative assistant; Ryan Felker as claims representative; Parker Gross as commercial lines underwriting/risk management intern; Brian Gruender as analyst programmer; Sara Hansman as social media specialist; Teran Jones as claims representative; Amber Major as personal lines telechange representative; Kerry Scherer as claims representative; and Maggie Wagner as commercial lines customer service specialist.

Grubb & Ellis Pfefferle, Appleton, hired Thomas Martin in its Green Bay office. Prior to joining the firm, Martin was president, owner and broker of Martin Development, where he developed more than $25 million in commercial real estate and owned and managed over $20 million in commercial properties.

BrownBoots Interactive in Fond du Lac hired Angela Traver as an account executive. Traver most recently worked as public relations manager for Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky.

HiTech Manufacturing Solutions, Inc. in Neenah and Green Bay hired Dylan Chevalier as a mechanical designer. His responsibilities include creating drawings using AutoCAD and SolidWorks.

Promotions

The Oshkosh Convention Center hired Audra Hoy as its events manager. Hoy previously worked for BrownBoots Interactive in Fond du Lac as an account executive.

The Boldt Co., Appleton, promoted Todd Brink to vice president of continuous improvement. Brink joined Boldt in July 2007 as director of continuous improvement after spending 10 years with Spancrete.

Dental Associates added Dr. Julie Morrow as a dentist at its Green Bay location. Dr. Morrow provides pediatric dental care to children. Her experience includes serving in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps for four years.

Outagamie County recently announced the following staff promotions: Curtis Riedy, foreman, highway department; Russel Marmor, supervisor, mental health service; Amanda Springstroh, neighbor manager, Brewster Village; Sam Sok, MIS coordinator, sheriff’s department; Marilyn Galjour, department of health and human services; and Tina Schmechel, human services specialist, DHHS.

Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac hired Lane Holte as its registrar and Kelly Norton as its foundation director. Holte previously worked at Dawson Community College in Glendive, Mont., for the past eight years as the registrar/ institutional research officer. Norton was formerly director of development at the Wisconsin Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the assistant annual fund director for St. Norbert College in De Pere.

Doyle

Martin

Norton

ThedaCare promoted Jenny Redman-Schell to system vice president, orthopedics services. Redman-Schell joined ThedaCare in 1991 and held managerial roles in physical therapy, rehab, occupational therapy and children’s services. She left

Hoy

Chevalier

Krumrie

Traver

Morrow

Brink

Holte

Redman-Schell NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 45

WHO’S NEWS to join the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Health System in 2001 before returning to ThedaCare in 2002. Since then, she held leadership roles at New London Family Medical Center, ThedaCare Physicians-New London and ThedaCare Orthopedics Plus. She most recently served as vice president of physician services and Orthopedics Plus. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center promoted Maria Van Laanen to executive vice president. Van Laanen joined the center’s staff in 2001 as director of marketing, and most recently served as vice president of communications and external relations. In her new role, Van Laanen oversees the dayto-day operations of the Fox Cities P.A.C. Secura Insurance Co., Appleton, announced the following promotions: Sam Binder to commercial lines customer service specialist; Janell Blochowitz to associate business analyst; Tanya Goerg to senior product analyst; Casey Haen to market manager; Preston Knapp to commercial lines customer service specialist; Pat Michalkiewicz to associate business analyst; Tanya Romenesko to specialty lines underwriting as-

Advertiser’s Index Aspen Coffee & Tea www.aspencoffee-tea.com. ................................ 38 Bank First National www.bankfirstnational.com.................................. 18 Better Business Bureau www.bbb.org........................................... 38 Breakthrough Solutions www.breakthroughsolutionsllc.net..................... 43 CitizensFirst Credit Union www.citizensfirst.com . ............................ 50 Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. www.dkattorneys.com..................................... 5 Dermatology Associates www.dermwisconsin.com............................ 29 Downtown Oshkosh www.downtownoshkosh.com.............................. 11 Fast Signs www.fastsigns.com....................................................... 42 First Business Bank www.firstbusiness.com. .................................... 19 Flyway Signs & Graphics www.flywaysigns.com............................... 41 Guident Business Solutions www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com............ 27 Heidel House Resort & Spa www.heidelhouse.com........................... 32 J. F. Ahern Co. www.jfahern.com. ................................................. 31 Keller Inc. www.kellerbuilds.com ................................................... 52 Lombardi’s Restaurant www.radisson.com...................................... 11 Marian University www.marianuniversity.edu..................................... 39 Menominee Casino Resort www.menomineeresortcasino.com................. 7 Network Health Plan www.networkhealth.com . ................................ 51 New North Summit www.thenewnorth.com....................................... 37 Nsight www.nsighttel.com............................................................... 2 Oshkosh Business Expo www.oshkoshchamber.com.......................... 10 Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau www.visitoshkosh.com.......... 31 Outagamie County Regional Airport www.atw.com......................... 17 Pullman’s Restaurant www.pullmansrestaurant.com............................ 11 Reinhart Partners www.reinhart-partners.com. ................................... 39 Sadoff & Rudoy Industries www.sadoff.com................................... 15 Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. www.stifel.com . ......................................... 25 Target Commercial Interiors www.targetcommercialinteriors.com............ 24 TDS Metrocom www.tdsvoip.com. ................................................. 33 TEC www.tecmidwest.com. .............................................................. 8 Venture Center www.venturecenterwi.biz.................................... 16, 35 Winnebago County Solid Waste Mgmt. www.co.winnebago.wi.us/solid-waste/container-rental-program. ..................... 47

46 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

sistant; Cory Swedberg to commercial lines underwriter; Mike Steinberg to analyst programmer; Chris Parker to associate business analyst; Brad Weber to commercial lines customer service specialist; Sarah Endter to supervisor-commercial lines services; Marc Goodman to commercial lines customer service specialist; Janis Baumann to associate business analyst; Tim O’Brien to assistant controller; Stacy Nett to accounting analyst; Joe Schmidt to supervisor-commercial lines underwriting; Steve Smits to product analyst; and Lynn Keller to quality assurance specialist.

Certifications Megan Wilcox, corporate and public relations specialist with ThedaCare in Appleton, earned the Accreditation in Public Relations professional designation.

Individual awards Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry presented its Athena Award to Heather Vander Heyden, senior business development officer for Fox Communities Credit Union in Appleton. The Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce recognized the following individuals during its recent annual meeting: Fritz Schoessow, M&I Bank, Ambassador of the Year Award; Ed Williams, Davis & Kuelthau, S.C., Outstanding Chamber Volunteer; Susan Ackerman, retired owner of a local insurance agency, Distinguished Service Award; Bob Hernke, WPS Resources, Lynne Webster Leadership Award; and Wendy Hielsberg, Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, Woman of Achievement Award. Ramon Ray G. Rayel, MD, of BayCare Clinic Cardiology in Green Bay, received recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association for its Heart/Stroke Recognition Program. Edward J. Williams, a partner with Davis & Kuelthau S.C. in the firm’s Oshkosh office, was presented the George Tipler Award from the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association. The award is presented annually to an attorney for distinguished service in school law to Wisconsin school districts. HuHot Mongolian Grills of Montana honored David Lindenstruth of Appetize Inc., Appleton, as the Franchise Owner of the Year based on sales and company growth, consistency in operations, marketing and operations innovation, and guest satisfaction. Carla Altepeter, president and CEO of CitizensFirst Credit Union, Oshkosh, was named to the Credit Union Executives Society Hall of Fame. Altepeter was one of four credit union executives recognized this year by CUES for lifetime achievement and their contributions to their profession and industry. She has served on the CUES Board of Directors since 2004 and became chairman in 2009. John Vette, CEO of Oshkosh-based SNC Manufacturing Co. Inc., received the Henry Kimberly Spirit of Leadership

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BUSINESS CALENDAR Award for his volunteer efforts on behalf of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the community.

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 2 “Health Care Reform Legal Update,” a Breakfast Briefing event presented by Davis & Kuelthau, S.C. in Oshkosh, 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Hilton Garden Inn, 1355 W. 20th Ave. in Oshkosh. This program will provide an overview of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, regulations implementing “grandfathered” status for health plans, tax rules for adult child health insurance coverage, and changes in Wisconsin insurance law. To register, contact Joan at 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com. December 3 New North Summit 2010, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Kolf Sports Center, 792 High St. in Oshkosh. An annual report and update on the progress of New North, in addition to a keynote address by Mark Murphy, president of the Green Bay Packers. Cost to attend is $65. For more information or to register, go online to www.newnorthsummit.com.

December 8 Public Relations Society of America - Northeast Wisconsin Chapter annual December social, noon, at a ‘Bravo Bistro, 2069 Central Court in Green Bay. Cost is $5 for members and students or $10 for nonmembers. Registration is required by going online to www.prsanewis.org or by contacting Nadia at nfarr@eaa.org. December 9 Executive Breakfast from Current, the Young Professionals Network of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, at 7:30 a.m. at Thornberry Creek at Oneida. Keynote speaker will be Mark Murphy, president of the Green Bay Packers. Time will be allotted for Q&A after his presentation. Registration opens at 7 a.m. on Dec. 9, with a full breakfast buffet at 7:30 a.m. The program will commence at 8 a.m. Cost is $15 for members of Current (free with the events package), $20 for prospective members of Current and $120 for a corporate table of eight. For information or to register, please call Brian Johnson at 920.593.3408 or bjohnson@titletown.org. December 9 “Recent Tax Changes Affecting Your Business in 2010 and the Future,” a seminar from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. Presenter Kimberly Iley, CPA, of Roberts, Ritschke & Tyczkowski, Ltd. will discuss recent tax law changes affecting small businesses. To register, contact Joan at 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com.

December 7 Incoterms: Moving Trade Into The 21st Century, a seminar presented by the Northeast Wisconsin International Business Development Program, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Bridgewood Conference Center, 1000 Cameron Way in Neenah. Featured speaker Bengt Reed Anderson, president of BDG International, will review the 2011 revision of Incoterms rules for global trade. Cost is $80 and includes an official ICC Incoterms 2010 publication and breakfast. To register, contact Fred Monique at 920.496.2118 or email monique@titletown.org.

BIZ FACTS No public institution -- anywhere -- spends as much on transfer of applicable technology to private industry as the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Source: Forward Wisconsin

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 47

ELECTIONS

Contested races for November 2 elections U.S. Senate

4th District – Includes Allouez, De Pere and portions of Ashwaubenon Sam Dunlop (D), of De Pere 39% Chad Weininger (R), of Green Bay 58% Brad Sauer, independent, of De Pere 4%

Russ Feingold (D) incumbent, of Middleton 47% Ron Johnson (R), of Oshkosh 52%

U.S. House of Representatives 6th District – Includes Fond du Lac, Green Lake and Winnebago counties and areas east and west Tom Petri (R) incumbent, of Fond du Lac 71% Joseph C. Kallas (D), of Princeton 29% 8th District – Includes Brown and Outagamie counties and areas north Steve Kagen (D) incumbent, of Appleton 45% Reid Ribble (R), of De Pere 55%

Wisconsin Governor

5th District – Includes Kaukuana, portions of Little Chute, rural northeast Outagamie County and rural areas of western Brown County Mert Summers (D), of De Pere 42% Jim Steineke (R), of Kaukauna 58% 52nd District – Includes Fond du Lac and North Fond du Lac Paul Czisny (D), of Fond du Lac 37% Jeremy Thiesfelt (R), of Fond du Lac 63% 54th District – Includes most of Oshkosh Gordon Hintz (D) incumbent, of Oshkosh 57% Jonathan Krause (R), of Oshkosh 43%

Tom Barrett (D), of Milwaukee 47% Scott Walker (R), of Wauwautosa 52% James James, independent, of Spring Green 0% Jim Langer, independent, of Germantown 0%

57th District – Includes most of Appleton and portions of Little Chute Penny Bernard Schaber (D) incumbent, of Appleton 53% Chris Hanson (R), of Appleton 47%

State Senate 1st District Monk Elmer (D), of Appleton 40% Frank Lasee (R), of De Pere 60%

88th District – Includes Green Bay Jim Soletski (D) incumbent, of Green Bay 49% John Klenke (R), of Green Bay 51%

State Assembly 1st District – Includes northeastern Brown, Door and Kewaunee counties Garey Bies (R) incumbent, of Sister Bay 58% Dick Skare (D), of Fish Creek 42%

90th District – Includes Green Bay and Howard Karl Van Roy (R) incumbent, of Green Bay 58% Lou Ann Weix (D), of Green Bay 42%

2nd District – Includes southern Brown and northern Manitowoc counties Ted Zigmunt (D) incumbent, of Francis Creek 38% Andre Jacque (R), of Green Bay 62%

Unopposed incumbents in the region: Sen. Michael Ellis (R–Neenah), 19th Senate District Rep. Al Ott (R–Forest Junction), 3rd Assembly District Rep. Richard Spanbauer (R–Oshkosh), 53rd Assembly District Rep. Dean Kaufert (R–Neenah), 55th Assembly District

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MANAGING EDITOR’S VIEW

State government in for a culture shock Fewer employees, smaller budgets and a governor who does what he promises are all on tap

Bob Warde Managing Editor New North B2B

Last month’s elections seem to have been made for Scott Walker. Over eight years as county executive of Milwaukee County, Walker has fought the fight he promises to bring to state government when he takes over as governor in January. If he succeeds, state government will never be the same. In 2002, Milwaukee County government and its citizens were setting the stage for the wave that flowed across the entire nation this year. For Walker, it was a dry run for 2010 and provided a template for a candidate who knew how to cure what ailed a disgruntled electorate. What happened in Milwaukee County was nothing short of amazing. County officials and the county board had quietly passed socalled pension reform that provided for what the county’s pension consultant and actuary, Mercer, called backdrop payments, many of which amounted to $1 million or more. The kicker was that these large payments were in addition to slightly reduced monthly pension payments. Another incredible aspect to this was that no one really knew about the payments until The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and online outlets began reporting on them. Once it became known, the anger of the electorate grew swiftly and mightily. Spontaneous citizen groups popped up and began efforts to recall county supervisors and then-County Executive Tom Ament. In a desperate attempt to save his job, Ament denounced the backdrop payments and signed a waiver declining his own. Ultimately, seven supervisors were voted out of office and Ament resigned, sensing his days were numbered. If all this sounds familiar, it’s not surprising. The group in Milwaukee County wasn’t called a Tea Party, but it had much the same message: throw the bums out. Now, as Walker moves into the governor’s “mansion,” what can the rest of the state expect, based on what he did in Milwaukee County over the past eight years? v First, expect the State of Wisconsin to employ fewer people. Over his tenure as county executive, Walker worked to reduce its workforce by more than 20 percent, with part of the reduction obtained by privatizing nonessential functions such as janitorial service. v Hold the line on taxes. Walker introduced eight consecutive budgets without an increase to the property tax levy when compared to

the previous year. Of course, every year the county’s board of supervisors added spending to the budget, but Walker would veto it, often with the vetoes sticking. This year, the supervisors added more than $7 million in spending, which Walker vetoed, but with him moving on to Madison, the supervisors overrode 11 of his 15 vetoes. Now, this may be more difficult at the state level, considering a $3 billion structural deficit in the state budget, and improved finances led to an improved bond rating and lower borrowing costs for the county. v Look for some parity on employee benefits with the private sector. At this point, government employees are the only ones who have generous traditional pensions – the former Milwaukee County executive who resigned in disgrace retired with an $85,000-peryear benefit that has grown in eight years to $95,000 per year with cost of living increases – plus a 401(k) plan, health insurance featuring no premium contributions by employees, and generous benefits. Walker will work to get employees to contribute to those benefits. In Milwaukee County, employees’ contribution to one health insurance plan will grow by $50 per month to $150 per month for a family plan next year. An employee pension contribution of 4 percent of salary will be phased in. v Walker will demand accountability from cabinet members and department heads. There’s an unconfirmed story about how Walker warned the head of the parks department that if she went over her budget, she would be fired. Not only was the budget maintained, the Milwaukee County Park System won the 2009 National Gold Medal for Excellence in the Park and Recreation Management Program. Above all, Walker will do what he said he would. Witness his holding fast on stopping the medium-speed rail project that will cost the state more than $7.5 million per year to run and maintain despite a great deal of pressure brought by the special interests who want it built. At $33 per round trip to Madison, it would cost more than $13,000 to use the train to commute in either direction, not counting cab fare to get to a final destination after the train would drop you off at a station. That’s more than it would cost to commute via auto. I know, I used to commute on that very route.

NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010 l 49

KEY STATISTICS Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

November 21 $2.92 November 14 $2.96

$2.93 October 31 $2.84 Nov. 21, 2009 $2.59 November 7

Source: New North B2B observations

October

519,000

11.7%

from September

1.9%

from October 2009 October

0.9%

October

$373.1 billion

1.2%

from September

7.3%

from October 2009 (2007 = 100)

October

93.4

Unch.

from September

5.3%

from September 2009 (Manufacturers and trade)

September

$1,403 billion

0.9%

from September

from August

from October 2009

from September 2009

3.6%

6.3%

Appleton Fond du Lac Green Bay Neenah Oshkosh Wisconsin

Sept. August Sept. ‘09 8.4% 9.6% 8.2% 9.4% 9.4% 10.2% 8.5% 9.2% 7.2% 7.9% 7.8% 7.9%

10.3% 10.1% 11.0% 10.3% 8.2% 8.8%

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

November $0.864 October Nov. ‘09

$0.741 $0.896

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

October September

56.9 54.4

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

50 l NEW NORTH B2B l DECEMBER 2010

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Network Health Plan members now have more options than ever, including access to Affinity Medical Group and ThedaCare Physicians. For a complete list of providers, visit us at networkhealth.com.

Rob Project Manager Co-Owner

FACE of Keller

1.800.236.2534 l www.kellerbuilds.com Offices in the Fox Cities, Madison, Milwaukee & Wausau

See Rob’s work at the following local businesses: Home Instead Senior Care, Wild Blue Technologies, Harmann Studios, and Holy Nativity Church to name a few.

Celebrating 50 Years of Construction Excellence

I am a face of Keller and not only am I in your community, but a part of it. I am an Employee Owner, Project Manager, and Design/ Build Expert. But don’t just take me at face value, call today and experience for yourself the difference that is Keller, Inc.

Rotary and on the DePere Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. I may belong to your church or coach your child in basketball or baseball. As a commercial Project Manager, I may have built your Doctor’s office or your office building.

I am your next door neighbor. I am a member of the DePere