Business Intelligence for the New North
Compassionate Employer Award 2015 Revealing the winner of our 2nd annual honor recognizing northeast Wisconsin companies reaching out to employees in a time of need
Funding Innovative Ideas Guest Commentary Filling the IT Gap Technology Voices & Visions Employment
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Business Intelligence for the New North
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November Features 14 COMPASSIONATE EMPLOYER AWARD
Extended family @ work
Bassett Mechanical of Kaukauna rallies together, recognized for demonstrating compassion for employee in need
20 TECHNOLOGY
Filling the IT Gap
Demand for workers outstrips supply, so businesses and colleges collaborate to fill the pipeline
20
26 FIREFIGHTERS OF NE WISCONSIN
Our 2015 initiative aims to help a former teacher turned entrepreneur through a successful business start up
Departments 26
4
From the Publisher
6
Since We Last Met
8
Build Up Pages
30
Voices & Visions
32
Professionally Speaking
34 Who’s News 39 Business Calendar 40 Advertising Index 41 Guest Commentary 42 Key Statistics
www.newnorthb2b.com
NNB2B | November 2015 | 3
From the Publisher
Eye on the New North economy New monthly feature in B2B offers readers one piece at a time of the region’s larger economic puzzle
by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher
In B2B’s 14 years of providing business intelligence to professionals across northeast Wisconsin, we’ve continually adapted and evolved our content to bring readers new and innovate information, best practices and perspectives from other business leaders across the region. We continue that tradition in this issue with a new monthly feature called Visions & Voices, a question and answer feature sharing perspectives from New North business owners looking at the local economy through the lens of their particular industry segment. Each month B2B will highlight a business owner from a different industry segment with the goal of providing readers a subjective outlook on the character of the region’s economic ups and downs, periods of acceleration and occasions when growth is slowing. How does this help you as a reader shift management strategies in your own organization? Business owners leading their industries, active in local trade associations, and cognitive of their competition within the marketplace have an innate sense of the performance of their industry relative to changes in the economy. There are few key performance measurements that can just as accurately gauge the tempo of the region’s health care market, or insurance sector or lending climate, as examples. The debut of Visions & Voices in this November 2015 edition features a look at the contract employment market in northeast Wisconsin through the perspective of Ashwaubenon-based Express Employment Professionals. Staffing firms such as Express typically paint a picture of a community’s economic future because they’re often at the leading edge of hiring booms and employment decelerations, as well as larger trends in employer layoffs. Such firms regularly serve as a resource for larger employers on the cusp of hiring larger numbers, or even thinning their ranks. So please do take a few moments to read this newer feature on a regular basis, beginning in this edition on page 30. It’s our goal that each edition of Visions & Voices provides one piece of the puzzle that in total offers a snapshot of the northeast Wisconsin’s economic landscape at any given time. If you have an idea regarding a northeast Wisconsin business owner who could provide an articulate perspective of their particular industry sector’s performance, feel free to email
4 | November 2015 | NNB2B
me at sean@newnorthb2b.com and we’ll give it our utmost consideration.
Firefighters back for 5th year
This November 2015 edition of B2B also marks the return of our noteworthy Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin feature for its fifth consecutive year. As in the past, this local business makeover initiative aims to help New North business owners put out the daily fires in their operations so that they can work on the strategy of moving their business forward as opposed to working deep within the business. To accomplish this task, B2B has arranged for some of northeast Wisconsin’s leading business consultants – our “firefighters” – to lend their expertise at no cost to the small business owner in exchange for making the process transparent and sharing the business process improvement lessons learned with our readers. While each consultant has different levels of pricing, the assistance provided to these small business owners through the firefighters program typically is valued between $7,000 to $12,000. It’s an expense many small business owners in such a situation might not be willing to invest in, but would ultimately find a return far beyond the cost. Unfortunately, we’ve experienced a surprisingly small number of companies willing to participate in the firefighters program this year, despite all other efforts to reach out through the magazine, financial industry professionals and local business organizations. A handful of entrepreneurs initially interested in receiving assistance through our firefighters program shied away after unwarranted concerns that their participation would be construed by customers that their business was failing and unable to sustain itself for the long term. That’s fortunately not been the case, and every business owner who has taken part in our firefighters program since 2011 remains in business today. Our previous participants can attest to the fact that the series is presented in a positive, constructive and education manner for our readers, and often provided a substantial amount of free publicity as well. B2B still plans to go forward with another version of our Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin campaign later in 2016, and will once again seek interested business owners willing to put in the time and effort to improve their business operations. If you’re a small business owner considering the firefighters program and would like more information – or if you know of a business owner that would benefit from this opportunity – feel free to contact me by email at sean@newnorthb2b.com. I’d be delighted to help encourage your participation in our 2016 program. n
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Sean Fitzgerald Publisher & President x sean@newnorthb2b.com Carrie Rule Sales Manager x carrie@newnorthb2b.com Kate Erbach Production Contributing writers Rick Berg Lee Marie Reinsch Chief Financial Officer Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA
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Since We Last Met
Since We Last Met
Since We Last Met is a digest of business related news occurring in the Greater Green Bay, Fox Cities, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac areas in the one month since the previous issue of New North B2B. September 21 Oshkosh Corp. announced CEO Charlie Szews will retire at the end of 2015 and be replaced by Wilson R. Jones, the current president and chief operating officer of the heavy-duty truck manufacturer. Szews has served as CEO for five years, having joined Oshkosh Corp. in 1996 as chief financial officer. He served as president and COO from 2007 to 2011, when he was appointed CEO. Szews contributed to the company’s growth from $400 million in sales in 1996 to more than $6 billion expected in 2015. Jones joined Oshkosh Corp. in 2005 as the vice president and general manager of its airport products business. He was appointed president and COO in 2012, a promotion from executive vice president and president of access equipment. Prior to that role, he served as president of the company’s fire and emergency segment. September 24 The State of Wisconsin received two federal grants totaling $1 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to enhance fraud prevention strategies and increase the detection of companies that purposefully misclassify workers to avoid paying unemployment insurance taxes. The enforcement funds are among $39 million in grants awarded to 43 states.
September 30 The state Department of Transportation announced it will delay five major road projects for at least two years due to a lack of funds in the current biennial state budget, three of which are in the region: the Highway 10/441 expansion and improvement in northern Winnebago County, the State Road 15 expansion project near Greenville and Hortonville, and the State Road 23 expansion in eastern Fond du Lac County. DOT officials indicated work on the projects won’t stop altogether, but will slow down, potentially driving project costs higher. The $482 million project to improve Highways 10/441 between Interstate 41 and Oneida Street in Menasha began in 2014 and was anticipated to be complete by 2019, but now may not be finished until 2021. Similarly, completion of the $148 million reconstruction of WIS 15 from Greenville to New London is being delayed until at least 2021. Lastly, the $151 million expansion of WIS 23 to four lanes between Fond du Lac and Plymouth was scheduled to begin in 2016, but has been delayed as a result of a lawsuit brought by an environmental group.
2008 2003
November 12 – Wisconsin enacted a law making its Technology Zone Tax Credit Program accessible to limited liability companies. The law will allow technology companies in the start-up phase to compete equally for over $35 million in tax credits.
November 6 – The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved an overlay for new cellular and telephone customers in the 920 area code, who will receive a 274 number starting in late 2011. Existing customers will keep the 920 number. The change means callers will be required to dial 10 digits to make any local call. Since that time, the new area code implementation has been further delayed to at least 2017 or later as a result of various phone number conservation measures which extended the anticipated life of the 920 area code.
2004
November 15 – A consortium of northeastern Wisconsin business, education, economic development and government leaders gathered in Green Bay to launch a collaborative effort to market and plan the economic future of the region. The gathering would later become known as the inaugural New North Summit.
2005
November 2 – Bemis Company officials announced the corporate headquarters would move from Minneapolis to Neenah to be closer to the 12 plants and almost 3,400 employees based in the area. The decision will impact only a few people in Minneapolis and should be complete by May 2006.
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2009
November 6 – The state Department of Commerce unveiled the details of the $70 million incentive package offered to Mercury Marine to maintain production in Fond du Lac. The package includes $55 million in tax credits if Mercury maintains 2,800 jobs in Fond du Lac for 12 years, as well as another $15 million in low interest loans for projects to lower Mercury’s energy costs. The deal from the state is in addition to a $50 million forgivable loan from Fond du Lac County and $3 million from the City of Fond du Lac. As part of the deal, Mercury moved nearly 400 production jobs from its Oklahoma factory to Fond du Lac.
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October 2 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 142,000 new jobs were created in September, leaving the national unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 5.1 percent. Job gains occurred in health care and information, while mining employment decreased.
Suttner ACCOUNTING
October 2 Gov. Scott Walker officially rolled out the state’s Workplace Wellness Program, which provides a total of $3 million to Wisconsin small businesses to help implement an employee wellness program. Companies with 50 or fewer employees who launched a wellness program after March 2014 are eligible for grants of up to $15,000 toward a portion of wellness program costs incurred during the first 12 months. To qualify for a grant, programs should include some measure of a health risk assessment. More information about the grant program is available online at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov. October 6 The City of Green Bay Common Council approved a tax incremental finance district on the city’s northeast side to help spur revitalization efforts along University Avenue near the Interstate 43 interchange. City officials reported interest from AIG Properties of Neenah to build a $15 million retail development which would include a 70,000-sq. ft. grocery store as well as additional multi-tenant space for small retailers. October 13 The City of De Pere Common Council approved amending an existing tax incremental finance district near the Scheuring Road interchange with Interstate 41 to assist Festival Foods with the construction of a new two-story, 42,500-sq. ft. corporate headquarters on Lawrence Drive. As part of the district expansion measure, the city will reimburse Festival for up to 10 percent of the property’s assessed value at the completion of construction, which is expected by November 2016. October 16 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation closed two ramps at the Interstate 41/43 interchange in Brown County and one ramp at the Interstate 41 interchange at Velp Avenue in Green Bay for nearly a year as part of the larger interchange reconstruction project. Both the southbound I-41 ramps on to and off of I-43 will be impacted until the free-flow ramps are completed and reopen to traffic in September 2016. The southbound I-41 off ramp to Velp Avenue will reopen in October 2016. Detours for all three interchange closures are marked. October 20 Port of Green Bay officials reported 243,000 metric tons of cargo came through the port in September, down 3 percent from the nearly 251,000 tons registered for the same month a year ago. Shipments of cement increased by 126 percent during September, while exports of petroleum products increased by 37 percent during the month. n www.newnorthb2b.com
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Quality ❘ Value ❘ Timeliness NNB2B | November 2015 | 7
Build Up Fond du Lac
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Indicates a new listing
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1 - 94 S. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac Michels Corp., a new aviation hangar. Project completion expected in November.
3 - 545 W. Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac Mercury Marine, a 45,000-sq. ft. addition to its paint facility. Project completion expected in January.
2 - 255 County Road K, Fond du Lac
4 - 250 Camelot Dr., Fond du Lac Grande Cheese Company, an 87,000-sq. ft. new corporate headquarters and research center. Project completion expected in early 2016.
St. Mary’s Springs Academy, a 92,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing high school campus. Project completion expected in summer 2016.
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Oshkosh 5 - 2947 Green Hill Ct., Oshkosh Trades II, a 24,000-sq. ft. multi-tenant commercial office and warehouse complex. Project completion expected in December. 6 - 3500 N. Main St., Oshkosh Bemis Healthcare Packaging, a 162,790-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility and office complex. Project completion expected in November. 7 - 1005 N. Washburn St., Oshkosh Petsmart, a big box commercial retail building.
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8 - 530 N. Koeller St., Oshkosh DFB Wealth Planning, a four-unit multi-tenant office building. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is R.J. Albright Inc. of Oshkosh. 9 - 1580 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh Culver’s Restaurant, reconstruction of a new restaurant building. Projects completed since our October issue: • Curwood/Bemis Specialty Films, 2450 Badger Ave., Oshkosh.
NNB2B | November 2015 | 9
Build Up Fox Cities Build Up
Fox Cities
Indicates a new listing
1 - 2320 N. Casaloma Dr., town of Grand Chute Anagen II, a 3,380-sq. ft. multi-tenant building to include a salon and photo studio. 2 - 717 McCarthy Lane, town of Grand Chute TEK systems, a 4,600-sq. ft. addition to the existing commercial office building. Project completion expected in March. General contractor is James J. Calmes & Sons Construction of Kaukauna. 3 - 4740 W. Packard St., town of Grand Chute Interstate Battery, a new retail facility. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 4 - 4201 W. Wisconsin Ave., town of Grand Chute Bank First National, a 6,697-sq. ft. financial institution office. Project completion expected in late fall. 5 - 4800 W. Prospect Ave., town of Grand Chute Werner Electric Supply Co., a 260,775-sq. ft. corporate office and distribution center. Project completion expected in late fall. General contractor is Consolidated Construction Company of Appleton. 6 - 400 E. North Island St., Appleton Neenah Paper Inc., a 45,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing specialty paper mill. Project completion expected in late 2016. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 7 - 2500 E. Capitol Dr., Appleton ThedaCare Regional Cancer Center, a 82,000-sq. ft. cancer treatment facility. Project completion expected in mid 2016. 8 - 300 Farmland Dr., Kaukauna Goldin Iron & Metal Recycling, a 1,000-sq. ft. scale house building and office. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 9 - 100 W. Second St., Kaukauna Kaukauna City Hall, a municipal services building. Project completion expected in May. 10 - N8890 State Road 57, Brillion Prestige Auto, a 9,027-sq. ft. auto dealership building. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna. 11 - 800 block of Schelfhout Lane, Kimberly Anduzzi’s Sports Club, a nearly 10,000-sq. ft. restaurant building. Project completion expected in early 2016. 12 - 550 Railroad St., Kimberly Dew Products Inc., a 6,130-sq. ft. industrial building. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna. 13 - W3240 Van Roy Road, town of Buchanan O’Reilly Auto Parts, a new retail store. 14 - N161 Eisenhower Dr., town of Buchanan Biolife Plasma Services, a 17,557-sq. ft. medical facility and offices. Project completion expected in November. 15 - 177 Main St., Menasha One Menasha Center, an eight-story, 100,000-sq. ft. multi-tenant office building to include Faith Technologies, Community First Credit Union and RLJ Dental.
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16 - 912 Haase St., town of Menasha Stowe Woodward LLC, a 5,556-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility for a new crane bay and new offices. Project completion expected in November. 17 - 1257 Gillingham Road, Neenah Menasha Packaging Company, a 48,382-sq. ft. addition to the existing pre-print facility. Project completion expected in March. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 18 - 1645 Bergstrom Road, Neenah Menasha Packaging Company, a two-story, 103,900-sq. ft. corporate office complex. Project completion expected in fall 2016.
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19 - 2474 Schultz Road, Neenah Rollmeister Inc., a 13,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in February. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna. Projects completed since our October issue: • Wolf River Community Bank, W6490 Greenville Dr., town of Greenville. • Costco Wholesale, 5401 Integrity Way, town of Grand Chute. • Sign Country, 235 Allegiance Ct., Little Chute. • Crunch Fitness, 2520 S. Kensington Dr., Appleton. • Kwik Trip, 1499 Appleton Road, Menasha.
NNB2B | November 2015 | 11
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1 - 1838 Cardinal Lane, Suamico North Shore Bank, a 1,750-sq. ft. financial institution branch office. Project completion expected in February. General contractor is CR Structures Group Inc. of Kimberly.
4 - 2231 N. Quincy St., Green Bay NEW Water/Green Bay Metropolitan sewerage District, a wastewater treatment and electrical generation facility. Project completion expected in late 2018.
2 - 320 N. Broadway, Green Bay DDL Holdings/Titletown Brewing, an addition to the former industrial facility for a mixed-use retail development.
5 - 1593 E. Mason St., Green Bay Grand Central Station, a 9,000-sq. ft. convenience store and fuel station. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.
3 - 509 W. Walnut St., Green Bay Walnut Street Center, an addition to the multi-tenant office and retail building.
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www.newnorthb2b.com
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6 - 1160 Kepler Dr., Green Bay Aurora Baycare Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center, a 39,400-sq. ft. addition to the existing orthopedic clinic for new offices and a separate 31,000-sq. ft. addition to the ambulatory surgery area. Project completion expected in early 2016. 7 - 1351 Ontario Road, Green Bay Willow Creek Behavioral Health, a 72-bed, 52,265-sq. ft. psychiatric hospital and substance abuse treatment facility. Project completion expected in late summer 2016. 8 - 470 Marina Lane, Ashwaubenon Residence Inn by Marriott, a 103-room hotel. Project completion expected in late 2016. 9 - 2461 Holmgren Way, Ashwaubenon Prevea Plastic Surgery & Rejuvenation Center, a 14,000-sq. ft. medical clinic. Project completion expected in late fall.
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10 - 900 Anderson Dr., Ashwaubenon Ashwaubenon Community Center, a 16,275-sq. ft. community center. 11 - 2821 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon Van’s Honda, a 45,000-sq. ft. automotive dealership and maintenance shop. Project completion expected in November. 12 - 1001 Main St., De Pere Festival Foods, an 8,174-sq. ft. addition to the existing grocery market for a new wine and spirits department. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 13 - 675 Heritage Road, De Pere Belmark Inc., a 55,661-sq. ft. addition to the manufacturer’s Plant 5. Projects completed since our October issue: • Riesterer & Schnell Inc., 3200 S. County Road P, Denmark. • American Climate Control, 1754 Allouez Ave., Bellevue. • Ashwaubenon Investors, 2325 Holmgren Way, Ashwaubenon. • Gerbers Law, S.C., 2395 Holmgren Way, Ashwaubenon. • Syble Hopp Elementary School/West De Pere School District, 755 Scheuring Road, De Pere.
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NNB2B | November 2015 | 13
Cover Story
Extended family @ work
Bassett Mechanical rallies together, recognized for demonstrating compassion for employee in need
Financial guy Jay Sauter wasn’t the type of person who routinely sported a moustache. But the photo of him and 70 of his Bassett Mechanical coworkers all wearing moustaches, both homegrown and the paste-on kind, is one of his family’s most cherished belongings. “It makes you laugh just looking at it,” said his former employer, Kim Bassett, president and CEO of Bassett Mechanical in Kaukauna, which considers Sauter part of its extended family. Sauter, 59, who served as chief financial officer at Bassett, passed away May 2 of pancreatic cancer after marking 30 years
14 | November 2015 | NNB2B
Story by Lee Marie Reinsch
at the mechanical contractor. His male colleagues grew stashes in November 2014 for “Movember,” a global men’s health initiative. It’s just one of a slew of reasons Bassett Mechanical was selected as the recipient of the 2015 Compassionate Employer Award presented by Community Benefit Tree and New North B2B magazine. Now in its second year, the Compassionate Employer Award recognizes northeast Wisconsin employers for outstanding efforts to support an employee or the family of an employee facing an unexpected accident or medical crisis. Such support through all the hours of missed work and mounting medical bills helps keep the employee connected with their employer throughout their recovery. The Compassionate Employer Award program aims to
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encourage employers to have protocols in place for unplanned employee crises. Employees and their families were able to nominate companies from across the New North region for acts of remarkable compassion during the past few years, and a select committee evaluated nearly 20 nominations for the 2015 Compassionate Employer Award.
Blade-free
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Sauter’s wife, Kris, and daughters Elizabeth and Kathryn, nominated Bassett Mechanical for the many “kind, compassionate and caring” acts those at the mechanical contractor showed not just during Sauter’s illness, but throughout his entire 30-year tenure there. “Bassett believes genuine concern and empathy contribute much to creating a vibrant work environment while nurturing relationships as well as teamwork,” Sauter’s family wrote in nominating Bassett for the award. “They understand and demonstrate that all benefit when employees feel valued, cared for and supported.”
‘Hand up’ philosophy handed down
Founded in 1936 as Bassett Refrigeration by Bassett’s greatuncle E.W. “Al” Bassett, Bassett Mechanical remains familyowned. Her grandfather came aboard in 1945 followed by her dad, Bill, in 1974. She was named president and CEO five years ago, and her father remains chairman of the board. Bassett said her father passed along the Bassett philosophy of treating employees, vendors and customers with respect. “We check titles at the door,” Bassett said. “At the end of the day, business is people and the success is because of everyone rallying together to make it a successful organization.”
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It’s not about any single or handful of individuals. “It’s everybody working together, so you have to take care of each other,” she said. “You’re together 8 to 10 hours a day.”
A tiny bit less terrible
Nothing can erase the panic and loss a family feels when illness or tragedy strikes. But with as large a part of life as work plays, an understanding employer can make things a hair less awful for everyone involved. “The Compassionate Employer Award is about businesses showing compassion to their employees when they or a family member have gone through a medical crisis,” said Community Benefit Tree co-founder and director Heidi Frederickson. This year’s 19 nominees ranged from small mom-and-pop
Name: Bassett Mechanical Location: 1215 Hyland Ave.,
Kaukauna Kind of business: Full service mechanical contractor No. of employees: 375
Founded: 1936
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NNB2B | November 2015 | 15
Cover Story businesses to large corporations helping employees and their families through everything from car accidents to cancer. Winners are those who made a “huge impact in an employee’s life,” according to Frederickson. But with so many worthy entrants, choosing just one was not easy. “It’s a very difficult decision, because if an employee took the time to fill out an application, that says something about every employer that had an application submitted,” Frederickson said. Community Benefit Tree has its roots in the charity golf outing she and her mother, Karla Wolfinger, started 23 years
ago in the name of Frederickson’s father, Larry Wolfinger. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 54. The Larry Wolfinger Charity Golf Outing first helped the family of a little girl get her an artificial eye and hasn’t stopped helping families since. Frederickson’s father’s passing exposed her family to the reality that the pain of a loved one’s death goes beyond the heartache. “It’s not the type of medical crisis that matters, it’s the expense and financial crisis, with bills rolling in after the fact, that is so hard on the family,” she said.
Support and flexibility
“The Compassionate Employer Award is about businesses showing compassion to their employees when they or a family member have gone through a medical crisis.” Heidi Frederickson, co-founder & director Community Benefit Tree
16 | November 2015 | NNB2B
Sauter underwent aggressive chemotherapy shortly after his diagnosis in September of last year, requiring two hospitalizations. “Throughout this time, Bassett friends provided prayers, daily positive messages in the form of cards, notes, texts and phone calls to both Jay as well as us,” said his wife Kris in her nomination for Bassett. Sauter wanted to keep working as long as possible. Bassett allowed him flexibility in his schedule to work from home when he wasn’t feeling strong enough to come into the office, partake in conference calls, and they even scheduled planning meetings around his treatments. “The opportunity to continue his career and contribute
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professionally while surrounded by a group of caring and supportive colleagues provided a sense of normalcy and was a source of encouragement, strength and hope as Jay journeyed through cancer treatment,” noted his wife, Kris. When the Bassett team learned the Sauters were going on a family vacation to a sunny locale, they saw him off with a bon voyage package including flip flops, a big straw hat, a Hawaiian shirt and swim trunks. That proved laughter and humor are sometimes the best medicine, the Sauters said. “Bassett truly views employees as an extended family, valuing each colleague as an important member of the team,” the family wrote in its nomination. Knowing how much Sauter loved golf and how much pride he took in being a Chick Evans Caddie Scholar while at University of Wisconsin in the 1970s, the Bassett team contacted the Evans Scholar corporate office and secured a surprise care package of Evans paraphernalia for him.
2015 Compassionate Employer Award
Bassett Mechanical and its employees rallied around “Team Jay,” the Relay for Life team daughter Kathryn Sauter organized at St. Norbert College in De Pere, helping boost participation and funds raised.
“We check titles at the door. At the end of the day, business is people and the success is because of everyone rallying together to make it a successful organization.” Kim Bassett, president & CEO Bassett Mechanical “We lost a coworker and a friend in Jay, and we pledged to Jay that we would take care of his family because he was part of our family for so long,” Kim Bassett said. “Even if you can’t change the outcome, you can rally behind them to show support and hope.” She described Sauter as a highly intelligent man with a dry sense of humor who always kept the big picture in mind. “He was a great part of our team, always willing to help in whatever capacity he could,” Bassett said. He even filled in an open position just to help her out. “It was completely outside of his wheelhouse,
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NNB2B | November 2015 | 17
Cover Story but he stepped in and he did a great job, and he really helped us as an organization grow into who we are today.”
Behind the curtains
Companies don’t get chosen for the Compassionate Employer Award just by sprouting facial hair. But the Movember moustache stunt emblemized the overall sense of employees as family, according to Bassett. “It’s our culture,” she said. “We treat everyone here as if they were part of the Bassett family.” The Sauters say they’ve witnessed many examples of Bassett’s generosity and respect for employees and the community over the years. When a fellow employee was in a severe car accident, Bassett employees donated their vacation days so he wouldn’t
lose pay while hospitalized. The company also gave gift cards to part-timers at Christmas during the recession so they could provide a better holiday for their families. “When a Bassett Mechanical family member is experiencing a challenge, the entire organization supports those in need,” the Sauters said in their nomination. Bassett leadership and employees are “always quick to volunteer to support families in need through team effort, providing emotional support, gifts of time to assist with tasks of daily living, and financial contributions.” n Lee Reinsch of Green Bay worked 18 years at daily newspapers before launching her freelance business, edgewise, in 2007.
Not resting on laurels: An update from last year’s award recipients Hand to Shoulder Center of Wisconsin in Appleton along with the Neenah Police Department were co-winners of the inaugural Compassionate Employer Awards in 2014. New North B2B checked back with them to see how their workplaces have changed since receiving the recognition a year ago. Hand to Shoulder X-ray technician Heather Biese nominated her employer for its generosity and concern for her after her husband, Mike, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Caring for him required days off work, so her coworkers donated vacation days and raised money for her via potlucks, blue-jean days and selling rubber “Biese Strong” bracelets. They organized a meal train so she wouldn’t have to cook. That’s pretty normal for Hand to Shoulder, according to its practice administrator Tina Sauer. Employees routinely host food drives for food pantries, participate in fundraising walks to raise awareness of various conditions and diseases, and each year, they “adopt” a family that could use some help. One year it was the niece of an employee whose baby needed treatment out of state for a clubfoot.
2014 Compassionate Employer Award Co-winners Name: Hand to Shoulder Center of Wisconsin Locations: Green Bay and Appleton No. of employees: 110 Name: Neenah Police Department No. of employees: 40 officers, 15 support personnel
Right now, they’re in the midst of their Adopt a Family fundraisers. “We just got done with a weeklong craft sale with caramel apples and other things, so that is pretty normal for us,” Sauer said. They’ve raised money for the Huntington’s Disease Foundation, participated in downtown Appleton’s Mile of Music, and will be in the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis in November. 18 | November 2015 | NNB2B
Since Hand to Shoulder is a hand-surgery practice, employees have begun collecting mittens and gloves for kids and adults. Even patients get into the action – one contributed dozens of kids mittens she hand knit. “We’re caregivers, so we’re always looking out for (people) and helping any way we can. That’s just the way we are all the time,” Sauer said.
Hardship doesn’t handcuff Neenah police
Loss of an officer to cancer, another whose young son was diagnosed with leukemia, another with a serious family issue, another with a brother-in-law shot in Afghanistan and an administrator who successfully battled cancer: These are a few of the causes in the past few years for which the Neenah Police Department’s employees have contributed funds, vacation days and assistance to help out their own, according to Neenah Police Chief Kevin Wilkinson. The department had still another officer diagnosed with a significant condition last fall. His fellow officers worked for him, helped him take care of things at home, and assisted with transportation and childcare, according to Wilkinson. And this summer, an officer’s 12-year-old nephew – the son of the soldier shot in Afghanistan – was fatally hit by a car while riding his bicycle. “We have had a lot of things going on that call upon our compassion, and the affirmation from that (last year’s Compassionate Employer) award reminds us of the importance of doing things right and taking care of people,” said Wilkinson. “We sure keep getting tested on opportunities to show compassion.” Winning the award hasn’t changed the way the Neenah Police Department does things, but it’s nice to be recognized once in a while for treating people like individuals rather than numbers. “I think it’s the right thing to do regardless of anything else,” Wilkinson said. Compassion can benefit the employer, too, Wilkinson said. “You win loyalty from that employee by showing loyalty to them through their hard times.” - by Lee Reinsch
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Technology
Filling the
1T Gap
Demand for workers outstrips supply, so businesses and colleges collaborate to fill the pipeline Story by Rick Berg
The demand for skilled information technology employees in northeast Wisconsin exceeds the current supply and the gap is growing, according to a recent report released by the Northeast Wisconsin Educational Resource Alliance (NEW ERA). That analysis, released in June, projected that the demand for IT jobs in the region will grow at 21 percent over the next 10 years.
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That issue will be among those addressed Nov. 17 at the Oshkosh Convention Center during the WorkIT Conference, presented by Amplify Oshkosh – a group formed to address technology workforce challenges facing growing IT organizations in the area. The current skills gap is largely the result of two factors, according to Amplify members. First, there’s the all-toocommon problem of “brain drain,” with talented and ambitious young people leaving northeast Wisconsin in a quest for opportunities elsewhere. Second, IT seems to have lost any claim it had to being a “cool” profession, so fewer students are choosing it as a field of study. “When innovative, talented and skilled workers leave our region, the IT sector, like other sectors, suffers,” said Tina Schuelke, executive director of Oshkosh-based Change Management Communications Center and an Amplify board member. “However, IT brain drain is compounded by the fact that there are so few people in the pipeline to fill IT jobs,” Schuelke added. “For example, UW Oshkosh, Fox Valley Technical College and Oshkosh Area School District are keenly aware that the number of students indicating a desire to pursue IT and enrolling in IT degree and certificate programs needs to rise in order to fulfill the local and regional jobs demand. Local and regional businesses are recruiting from beyond our region to address hiring needs.” “The biggest challenge we find as a company is that the new talent being produced locally often does not consider the opportunities locally,” said Javad Ahmad, president and chief operating officer at Oshkosh-based Oracular and moderator of the Business Amplified Panel at WorkIT. “They seem to be more targeted to Chicago, the coasts or other metropolitan areas.” “Second, general enrollment in courses fostering careers in IT is going down,” Ahmad added. “People are assuming that these jobs are being off-shored or the jobs are not cool enough. They’re seen as ‘geeky’ jobs.” “The good news is that job satisfaction ranking is high for people who hold IT jobs in Oshkosh. That is a strength we can leverage more,” Schuelke said.
Filling the pipeline As a response to those skills gap challenges, Amplify and other organizations have begun to focus on ramping up enrollment in IT-related studies – including piquing students’ interest at an earlier age. Linda Bartelt, executive director of NEW ERA, said her organization – which represents the four technical colleges, two-year colleges and universities in the New North region, as well as College of the Menominee Nation – has one initiative already underway. It’s IT Innovation Academy targets students at the middle and high school levels. “The idea is to provide apprenticeship opportunities to allow students to experience working in the IT field to educate them about the opportunities available and encourage them to pursue a career in IT,” Bartelt said.
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Study Highlights IT Skills Gap The Building Northeast Wisconsin IT Talent Pipeline Analysis, released in June 2015, identified several challenges and recommendations related to IT. Among the findings: z There is strong potential and projected 10-year growth for IT jobs in the northeast Wisconsin region – 2,131 net new jobs. z Northeast Wisconsin IT jobs are projected to grow at 21 percent over 10 years, faster than the state as a whole. z There is an existing and growing gap between supply and demand for IT talent in northeast Wisconsin. z The IT talent gap has had negative competitive effects on northeast Wisconsin employers including costly recruiting, delays in new products and services, and high turnover rates. z Employers report four-year college degrees and credentials are preferred to meet business demands. However, employers realize that more associate-degreed individuals and certificate awardees will be needed to meet demand. z Employer consensus that there are not enough college graduates (associate/bachelor/master degrees) within the region to meet current and projected IT workforce needs. z Existing educational resources and capacity to address the IT needs of the region in terms of both quality and quantity. z Opportunities to parallel global company’s efforts (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc.) and regional efforts (Women in Technology, Amplify Oshkosh, Tech Savvy, etc.) to attract greater numbers of women into IT careers. z IT professions are not highly concentrated in a small number of industries. Professions are widespread across all industries. z Influx of talent is needed, but employers cite substantial competitive obstacles to attracting IT professionals to the region, including location, wages and perceptions of opportunities. zThe region needs to address key strategic areas to be effective in the recruitment, development and retention of IT professionals. zAddressing IT talent solutions requires different approaches than those that address other industries (i.e. manufacturing) or occupations (i.e. nursing).
NNB2B | November 2015 | 21
Technology The program is currently being piloted in Oshkosh and North Fond du Lac and is expected to roll out across northeast Wisconsin in the 2016-2017 school year.
WorkIT Conference Nov. 17 The WorkIT Conference is set for Nov. 17 at the Oshkosh Convention Center. This regional IT conference will highlight both the diverse availability of jobs in the technology sector in northeast Wisconsin, and will also feature efforts by many of the educational institutions in the region to attract and steer students toward training for an IT career. The event itself will feature two different panel sessions – one focusing on educational efforts to bring careers in IT to the attention of young students; and a second with chief information officers from several large employers, including Oshkosh Corp., Bemis Company in Neenah and J.J. Keller & Associates in Neenah. Registration for this event is $69. For more information or to register, go online to amplifyworkitevent.com.
NEW ERA is also looking to carry over its engineering technology “2+2” model to IT, allowing students to enroll initially in two-year colleges with the opportunity to continue their studies with a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university. Other NEW ERA planned initiatives include “upskill” training for individuals already trained in another occupation, plus focusing on returning veterans, many of whom already have significant technology training. “Our local and regional education leaders have responded with solutions and programs that bring tech into learning at earlier ages,” said Schuelke. “For example, every student in grades three through 12 at the Oshkosh Area School District has a Chromebook. Beyond that, our local and regional education leaders have created niche learning opportunities to address skills gaps in specific software and hardware applications that are being used in local businesses. Collectively, they are attracting learners –conventional and otherwise – to IT programs that lead directly to jobs that are available right here.” Groups like NEW ERA and Amplify also said they need to do more to educate students about the kinds of opportunities there are available. Too many young people, they said, think a career in IT means working for Google or Microsoft.
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“Almost every organization today needs IT talent,” Schuelke said. “It used to be that IT was a department in its own right,” said Bartelt. “Today, there’s a digital platform throughout most organizations and they require IT talent to staff the positions necessary to develop and maintain those platforms.”
Changing the culture Educational institutions can help fill the pipeline with IT talent, but organizations also need to make cultural changes to attract and retain young talent – in IT or any other field. Ahmad said he’s somewhat conflicted how to deal with the generation gap that exists between Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials.
“A lot of the discussions we’ve had and a lot of the concerns on both sides – the people producing the talent and those of us who consume the talent – relate to correcting these misunderstandings,” Ahmad said. “Parents are telling their kids not to pursue a career in IT and that’s all based on not knowing about the opportunities available.”
“There are certainly bridges that need to be built, but that doesn’t mean we should completely tear down what’s worked in the past,” said Ahmad, a selfdescribed “late Baby Boomer.”
Ahmad says he and other business leaders have devoted themselves to visiting middle schools and high schools “to coach students about what IT really is about and create excitement. It’s a work in process.”
For example, he said, some Millennials seem to favor telecommuting and flex time – “just give me a task and I’ll get it done.”
Women in Technology One of the often-overlooked sources of new IT talent is women, according to Linda Bartelt, executive director of the Northeast Wisconsin Educational Resource Alliance. “Women have often thought that this is not a good field for them, but it is,” Bartelt said. Women in Technology Wisconsin (witwisconsin.com) is a new organization that “strives to foster an environment that enhances the sharing of resources, ideas and personal connections.” It highlights women professionals in the field of technology and actively encourages young girls to discover future careers in technology.
The problem with that, Ahmad said, is that IT often requires collaboration. “You can’t create systems in isolation,” he said. “The good news is that you don’t all have to be in the same place to collaborate. From an efficiency standpoint, it works fabulously.”
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Technology Schuelke believes that change management within organizations is at least as important as developing, recruiting and retaining talent. “Because the nature and purpose of our consulting firm is change management, my conversations with business leaders typically center around change,” Schuelke said. “Business leaders share that their two biggest challenges are centered around filling the tech jobs that are available now and into the future, and managing resistance to change.” Technology is evolving and advancing at an ever-accelerating pace,” Schuelke added. “The advancements trigger a need for people, whether entering the workforce or already within the workforce, to keep pace with changes by developing and building new levels of tech proficiency along with change and communications competency. “
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“The biggest challenge we find as a company is that the new talent being produced locally often does not consider the opportunities locally. They seem to be more targeted to Chicago, the coasts or other metropolitan areas.” Javad Ahmad, president & COO Oracular, Oshkosh
The soft skills challenge As in other fields, the need to develop soft skills like communication, teamwork and problem solving is often overlooked in IT. “We know that there’s a need to develop specific technical skills and the colleges are responding to that need,” Schuelke said. “But we also need to focus on the soft skills – knowing how to lead, for example.” “Technology changes are some of the most difficult changes for people to embrace – so wanting to keep pace with change and knowing resistance to change is human nature, underscores a credible threat to business performance,” Schuelke said. “The people side of change is just as important as the hard side with technology changes. In this region, with our manufacturing background, we’ve been very good at creating productivity, but we haven’t been great at creating innovative and collaborative environments.” n Rick Berg is a freelance editor and writer based in Green Bay.
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Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin
5th Annual
Firefighters of
Northeast Wisconsin Our 2015 initiative aims to help a former teacher turned entrepreneur through a successful business start up Story by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher
The entrepreneur
The consultant
Teaching is among the most noble of professions, a sentiment immortalized by President Coolidge during his July 4th address 91 years ago. Despite its nobility, neither the training for most teachers nor the experience of instructing others in the classroom prepares a teacher to read profit and loss statements or balance sheets, develop a marketing plan, or comply with human resource and payroll regulations. The skills associated with starting up and operating a successful business might have little to do with shaping young minds to help lead tomorrow’s economy. But that doesn’t concern Neenah resident Kelly Steinke, an entrepreneurial teacher with 15 years in the classroom under her belt. Steinke decided to leave a secure, fulltime position as a special education teacher in the Neenah School District this past October in order to pursue another passion of taking her business, READ Learning Educational Services LLC, from a part time avocation during evenings to a full-fledged enterprise. Seeking guidance as she starts ramping up her business, Steinke agreed to share her journey through New North 26 | November 2015 | NNB2B
B2B’s 5th annual Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin initiative, where each year we pair business owners seeking professional guidance with some of the region’s leading business consultants for an intensive course of work at no cost. In return, participating business owners share with B2B the lessons they learn while working with their consultant, and how they plan to implement those lessons into their operations. It’s our goal that readers facing similar issues within their own businesses learn from the Firefighters program and make improvements to their own businesses.
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For this year’s Firefighters program, B2B paired Steinke together with veteran business consultant Gary Vaughan, the owner of Appleton-based Guident Business Solutions and a staple of our Firefighters program for the past five years. Steinke will work with Vaughan and his Guident team on a weekly basis during the next five months to help launch her business, with monthly updates on the progress of their work provided in the next few editions of B2B magazine. A capstone article profiling the transformation of Steinke’s business will appear in our March 2016 edition.
security that any immediate threat will be extinguished. As in his own consulting practice, Vaughan helps bring business owners to a safer place, much like a firefighter. Guident Business Solutions works with its regular portfolio of small business clients across northeast Wisconsin to improve their financial outlook by building owner equity in the company. In doing so, Vaughan helps his clients ensure they use accurate and up-to-date financial information so that their financial reports don’t lead them astray. “Everything in a business ultimately boils down to a financial decision,” Vaughan said. “That’s how we perceive it.”
Why Firefighters?
When B2B launched the inaugural Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin program in 2011, we targeted those business owners from northeast Wisconsin who felt as if they were constantly putting out fires within their businesses, spinning their wheels and unable to move forward with any meaningful growth of sales and profit. In that inaugural year, the Firefighters program helped one struggling business improve its financial practices and center attention on its core competencies, while helping another business with two partners to amicably separate into two distinct operations. Since that time, a total of four business consultants from the New North region – each with their own distinct approach to helping businesses flourish – have assisted eight northeast Wisconsin companies to reach a point at which they were better off than before they began the Firefighters program. Some of those participating business owners were in danger of losing their companies, while others needed assistance moving from the start up phase into a second-stage firm. In this case, for the first time, the initiative will be assisting a new entrepreneur to get her business off the ground. So it might appear that there’s not necessarily fires that need to be put out with a start-up entity, and that the term “firefighters” may not be as fitting for our 2015 campaign this year. Vaughan argues that a firefighter elicits a sense of
Gary Vaughan Guident Business Solutions, Appleton www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com Vaughan launched Guident in 2009 after spending his entire career teaching – both in the classroom and in business. Having previously spent many years as a business owner himself, Vaughan realized many business owners lacked fundamental skills such as understanding financials, human resource practices and management skills, as examples. His firm’s proprietary Guident 360 Assessment Program enables business owners to holistically address their business needs. Vaughan has professional experience in a variety of industries, including retail, petroleum, manufacturing and academics. He is a senior adjunct instructor for Concordia University of Wisconsin and a lecturer in economics and entrepreneurship at Lawrence University in Appleton.
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NAME: Kelly Steinke Company: READ Learning Educational Services LLC Location: Neenah Founded: Began working with clients in evenings and weekends in 2011; made it a fulltime business in October 2015. Web: www.readlearnservices.com
Teacher turned entrepreneur
Like a number of other entrepreneurs, Steinke dabbled in business on the side while working a fulltime job as a special education teacher in the Neenah School District. That side business – working one on one with dyslexic children to substantially upgrade their reading level – had come to take much of her free time while not allowing her to help all of the families who’ve reached out to her. Meanwhile, the ever-growing and diverse responsibilities of a special education teacher didn’t enable much focus on helping students strictly with reading disabilities, specifically, those students with dyslexia who are far behind their peers. It’s a niche area of education Steinke dove into a decade ago when she learned both of her twin daughters suffered from dyslexia. Providing them both with some early intervention, both girls – now 11 years old – read at a level above the average for their grade. “I honestly think I specialized myself out of a job,” noted Steinke, indicating her specialization in teaching dyslexic students to improve their reading skills is beyond the scope of which most school districts can devote a fulltime position. “I could really make a big difference in a lot of people’s lives.” So after 15 years as a teacher, Steinke took the leap into fulltime entrepreneurship last month with the support of her husband, Mike, a mechanical engineer who works as a technical sales representative. His job supports the family’s health insurance benefits and sufficient household income to allow Kelly to work with the five students she’s currently teaching. She acknowledges her husband’s support has provided instrumental momentum toward her efforts. “He always encourages me to go the extra mile - especially when it’s not something in my comfort zone. I can honestly NNB2B | November 2015 | 27
Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin say that I wouldn’t have had the courage to do this without him,” Steinke said. She currently has capacity to include another four or five students in her own schedule, she said, beyond her other efforts to launch READ Learning Services.
“Kelly was probably an intrapreneur before in an environment that didn’t support it.”
Building a business around learning to read
Commonly accepted research on dyslexia indicates one in five people worldwide have some degree of the reading disability. As such, dyslexia affects early efforts to learn to read, and as a result, leaves many dyslexic children behind in the classroom uninterested in school because nearly every subject requires some measure of reading in order to understand the material, Steinke said. Utilizing well-established methods for teaching dyslexic children to read, Steinke offers early intervention services which help young students quickly catch up with their peers through a multisensory learning process. And while Steinke can only work on a one-on-one basis with a limited number of students at a time, she has been refining her proven teaching methods into a learning kit that can be sold online to teach any student to learn to read. “What I’m really looking for is a sustainable business model. This kit is her competitive advantage,” said Vaughan, who plans to work with Steinke to build a web site, develop a retail pricing model around her product, and develop a marketing
Gary Vaughan plan to promote the reading kit to teachers statewide and then nationally. Beyond the one-on-one teaching and the kit she’s developing, READ Learning Services also offers dyslexia screening and consultative planning for families and schools. Steinke has already earned a stellar reputation in Wisconsin as a dyslexia educator, serving on the board of the state chapter for International Dyslexia Association. She plans to parlay others’ awareness of her capabilities into speaking engagements and professional training opportunities, both generating additional revenue segments for her business. Vaughan feels this former teacher shows quite a bit of promise as an entrepreneur. “Kelly was probably an intrapreneur before in an environment that didn’t support it,” Vaughan noted. To provide Steinke’s business with a concrete footing, Vaughan has encouraged her to set up a limited liability
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company and take out a standard property and casualty insurance policy on the business. She acquired a bookkeeping software and is learning the basics of financial management in order to keep her own books in order. Vaughan even gave this reading teacher a reading assignment of her own – the book Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs by Karen Berman and Joe Knight, a standard read Vaughan shares with all of his clients. The lessons from the book elevate an entrepreneurial layperson’s vocabulary around topics of financial management and explain why they need to know what the numbers on their financial statements really say about the performance of the business.
“I honestly think I specialized myself out of a job.”
Ultimately, Vaughan said there will be a bit of a learning curve for Steinke to think and act like a business owner. Even though she’s dabbled in business on the side for the past four years, she managed all of her expenses personally, and treated the part-time teaching and consulting work as an extension of herself, family and household. That’s changing. “She has to start thinking about it as a business, particularly because she’s coming from academia,” said Vaughan, an entrepreneur who now also serves as a university-level finance and entrepreneurship teacher himself. B2B plans to catch up with both Steinke and Vaughan in our December 2015 edition to chart the progress of their work together and prepare READ Learning Services to make a splash in 2016. n
Kelly Steinke
Methodology New North B2B magazine began seeking entries for its 5th annual Firefighters of Northeast Wisconsin initiative earlier this year, with a goal of assisting those northeast Wisconsin small business owners who feel as if they’re constantly burning the candle at both ends, putting out fires, spinning their wheels, but intent on finding a way to improve. We put out a call for nominations this spring, and in the end agreed to help Neenah-based READ Learning Services LLC with its start up. Through the generous help of Gary Vaughan of Guident Business Solutions in Appleton, READ Learning Services owner Kelly Steinke will receive five month’s worth of consulting at no cost to help her work on the strategy of launching and growing her business. B2B is providing a monthly update on the progress of Steinke’s efforts in each issue leading up to a capstone article in the March 2016 issue of New North B2B magazine.
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Employment
V V
oices isions &
A monthly conversation with New North small business owners, each shedding light on the local economy through the perspective of their industry sector.
Express Employment Professionals of Green Bay provides professional recruiting and administrative staffing services to businesses in the Greater Green Bay area, helping companies match qualified people with workforce needs. Husband and wife team Matt and Kim Sullivan have operated the firm since early 2014 from their Oneida Street offices in Ashwaubenon.
Have employment services been in high demand?
Matt Sullivan Co-owner
Express Employment Professionals Ashwaubenon
Demand for good people is high and that will continue for the foreseeable future, fueled by four trends: 1) 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring each day for the next 15 years; 2) Unemployment rates are 3.4 percent in Brown County (the lowest in 10 years); 3) The top concern of every business executive is ensuring that the “right people are on the bus;” Lastly, 4) the employment market is inefficient, ineffective and impersonal for both the employer and the prospective employee.
Which industries seek you out? The industries we have served with our professional recruiting services have ranged from transportation to sports equipment to the pulp and paper industry. The professional positions we have recruited for range from engineering to human resource management to account management. We have served more than 100 clients in the 1.5 years that our young company has operated. These clients are representative of the general economy of Brown County.
Do you cover skilled and entry-level needs? Because we have two distinct service offerings – professional recruiting and administrative staffing – the candidates’ required skill levels vary. All of our professional recruiting opportunities require candidates who possess a high level of professionalism, recent and relevant experiences, and proven skill sets. Candidates in this market are usually currently employed with several years of experience in their chosen industry and may be seeking to advance their career, quality of life, or professional experiences.
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Often our administrative staffing opportunities provide training to candidates for the specific tasks they will be required to perform. In this segment, candidates who have some work experience, a strong desire to learn, and adapt to the company culture will earn the position.
What advice can you share? During my short 8-minute commute every morning, I see more than 15 signs saying, “Now Hiring.” I tell clients that a sign is a great first step to finding a candidate, but these days, a sign isn’t enough. A “Now Hiring” sign that is chronically posted at a place of business doesn’t send a good image of the company to its customers, partners and to the general public. There are other more strategic ways to attract talent.
What challenges does Express face? The supply of candidates is present in this market, but only if the compensation is attractive. Thinking from a candidate’s perspective – and this applies largely only to the staffing side of our business – people do what they are paid to do. The incentive to not work is $10.33 per hour (the value of welfare benefits in Wisconsin) and the incentive to work at a federal contractor is at least $10.10 per hour. Many entry-level, non-career track candidates are demanding wages greater than $11 an hour. This wage inflation, coupled with the unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, along with Baby Boomers retiring at a rate of 10,000 people per day for the next 15 years is causing a real pivot point in the employment market. Companies that have adjusted their compensation rates and who are more assertive with their recruitment efforts and processes are winning the available talent.
What works best? The most effective method has been face-to-face interaction. A candidate’s level of professionalism can really only be assessed in a personal face-to-face interaction. The same applies to the culture of a company. After all, when it comes to recruiting, likes attract likes. Professionalism attracts professionals.
Have you increased your own staff? Yes. In order to meet the demand for our administrative staffing clients, we have two fulltime dedicated staffing consultants, one being Kim, the co-owner. In order to meet the demand for our professional recruiting services, we have two fulltime recruiters, one being me. In addition, we have two contract recruiters that we engage to multiply our efforts to find good people quickly. n
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NNB2B | November 2015 | 31
Professionally Speaking
Professionally Speaking is a paid promotional spot in B2B.
Population health management lowers health care costs by Jim Nelson of Prevea360 Health Plan 920.351.4636
Almost every employer or insurance consultant asks me similar questions: How can we control employee benefit costs, attract and retain a competitive workforce and maintain or decrease our overall operating costs? The answers are far from simple. What we know is that the ways of yesterday no longer exist, and we need to be open to change and innovation. As Max De Pree states, “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” This is especially true for companies that sell health insurance products and services. My responses to the questions above have expanded over the past three years since I began directing Sales for the Prevea360 Health Plan – a coordinated network product offered in northeast Wisconsin. The term population health has been around for a
while, but has gained attention in recent years as it can impact health care costs. Population health management is the key to Accountable Care, health care reform and changes in provider reimbursement. The goal of population health management is to keep a patient population as healthy as possible, minimizing the need for expensive interventions such as emergency department visits, hospitalizations, imaging tests and procedures. This not only lowers costs, it redefines health care as an activity that encompasses more than sick care. To accomplish this, a provider organization strives to provide proactive preventive and chronic care to all patients, both during and between encounters with the health care system. Such an approach requires the use of automation. This allows organizations like Prevea Health to better assess population needs and stratify populations based upon geography, health status, resource use and
demographics. The emphasis for providers is clearly shifting from volume to value, and organizations like Prevea, which focus on providing patient-centered, high-quality health care across a population, will come out ahead. My answer to the questions commonly posed? Physician-led population health is providing Prevea360 Health Plan the path to becoming what we need to be – a company that maintains or improves patients’ health, delivers good outcomes and provides employers with lower sustainable costs. What results is a healthier, more productive workforce. Jim Nelson is the Director of Sales for Prevea360 Health Plan. To learn more about Prevea360, visit www.prevea360.com or call Jim at 920-351-4636.
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Employee or Independent Contractor: Why Does This Matter and Why Does It Matter NOW? by Anthony S. Wachewicz III of Davis & Kuelthau, s.c.
920.431.2238 required over that work.
consequences to an employer, which could include liability for withholding payments and a class action lawsuit from independent contractors claiming they are employees.
Mixed in with the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations is another lurking issue: worker classification. The DOL is increasing enforcement because of its view that many workers are improperly classified as independent contractors rather than “employees” and, therefore, are not subject to minimum wage and overtime protections.
5. Degree of permanence of the worker relationship. 6. Whether the services are an integral part of the employer’s underlying business.
Proper worker classification matters NOW due to DOL’s push to expand the FLSA’s scope, as supported by DOL’s proposed regulations and administrative interpretation along with recent court decisions. The DOL’s justification is that it will increase government revenue, even the employer playing field, and provide FLSA protections to “employees.”
The greater the worker’s dependence upon the employer under the factors, the more likely they are an employee. Common employer mistakes with workers that increase FLSA liability are: reimbursing expenses, purchasing tools, control over hiring/firing, providing work space, and dictating schedules/hours of work.
Employers must evaluate their worker relationships with the presumption that their worker will be classified as an employee. Employers can determine worker classification by applying the “Economic Realities” test under federal and state law, which is:
Recently, the National Labor Relations Board addressed a similar issue: the Joint-Employer standard. The NLRB’s Browning-Ferris Industries opinion analyzed two organizations’ relationship to determine employer status. This article analyzes workers as employees/ contractors of a single employer. Both standards are similar and require the employer to determine if a worker is an employee entitled to hourly compensation, including overtime.
1. Degree or nature of control by the Employer.
So, why does this matter and why does it matter NOW? It matters because of financial
4. Degree of special skill required and initiative
In the end, it is better to ask the questions, what is my worker and how do I properly classify them? Knowledge is power. Tony Wachewicz is an associate attorney with Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. in Green Bay. Mr. Wachewicz provides counsel to public and private sector employers on a wide variety of labor and employment law matters. Mr. Wachewicz can be reached at awachewicz@dkattorneys.com or 920.431.2238 for further information/advice.
2. Worker’s opportunity for profit or loss based upon their managerial skills. 3. Worker’s investment in equipment/ employment of other workers.
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NNB2B | November 2015 | 33
Who’s News
Incorporations
New North B2B publishes monthly new business incorporations filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Brown County
Prudent Dental Design LLC, Heesook Cho, 1618 Yellow Briar Dr., De Pere 54115. De Pere Dance Team Booster Club INC., Tammy Bues, 2016 E. Higgins Hill, De Pere 54115. Results Realty of Green Bay LLC, Rhonda Davis Dahlby, 685 Trumpeter Tr., De Pere 54115. Brice Electric LLC, Andrew Brice, 1923 Paris Lane, De Pere 54115. BG Environmental LLC, Brian Glime, 500 Fortune Ave., De Pere 54115. Safetycheck 360 LLP, Matthew Haney, 2495 Newberry Ave., Green Bay 54302. Interior Office Services LLC, Bart Johnson, 2549 Johnny Lane, Green Bay 54321. C & D Marketing Group LLC, Nicholas Anthony Doran, 330 12th Ave., Green Bay 54303. HV Armor Energy LLC, F. Scott Wochos, 1700 N. Webster Ct., Green Bay 54302. Physician Clinical Integration Network LLC, Larry Gille, 2710 Executive Dr., Green Bay 54307. Backus Building Services LLC, Sarah Backus, 2221 S. Webster Ave., Ste. A1, Green Bay 54301. Alive Maintenance LLC, David Michael Pagan, 914 Elizabeth St., Green Bay 54301. Millhouse Accounting LLC, Michael J. Conard, 191 W. Briar Lane, Green Bay 54301. A New Horizon Sound Therapy LLC, Pamela Ann Beardsley, 2485 San Lorenz Dr., Green Bay 54304. Carney Farm LLC, Michael T. Harrill, 326 Graass St., Green Bay 54301. Bespoke Studio LLC, Bianca Marie Seymour, 923 Allouez Pl., Green Bay 54301. Framed! LLC, Chad Steven Lasecki, 342 Sheldon Ct., Green Bay 54313. Parmentiers Bellevue Greenhouse LLC, Sue Parmentier, 1671 E. Allouez Ave., Green Bay 54311. Hlr Law Office S.C., Heather L. Richmond, 414 E. Walnut St., Ste. 261, Green Bay 54301. Elite Environmental Staffing Service INC., Edwin Rodriguez, 1635 Preble Ave., Green Bay 54302. Van Pay Farms LLC, Kyle Van Pay, 4224 Finger Road, Green Bay 54311. Just One More Bar & Grill LLC, Sheila J. Derpinghaus, 1853 Glenview Ave., Green Bay 54303. Crooked Creek Lawn and Snow LLC, Vladislav Yatsenko, 4570 Crooked Creek Lane, Hobart 54155.
Calumet County
Ledgers Accounting & Tax Services LLC, Cary L. Myska CPA, W4862 Cliff View Dr., Sherwood 54169.
Fond du Lac County
JL Machinery Repair LLC, Jacob John Loof, W3215 State Road 67, Campbellsport 53010. Dunn’s Lip Rippin Baits LLC, Nathaniel Dunn, 137 Manor Hill Dr., Eden 53019. Johnson Auto & Machining LLC, Scott A. Johnson, N7476 County Road C, Eldorado 54932. D.O. Organics of Fairwater INC., Dean Dornfeld, 600 Mary Lane, Fairwater 53931. Ray Gardin Trucking LLC, Raymond A. Gardin, 180 Vincent St., Fond du Lac 54935. Hiram’s Auto Repair LLC, Hiram Rabadan Torres, 76A John St., Fond du Lac 54935. 34 | November 2015 | NNB2B
Create Salon LLC, Arin L. Stueber, W4119 Pheasant Run, Fond du Lac 54937. Downtown Deli To Go LLC, Kari Koenigs, 104 S. Main St., Ste. 201, Fond du Lac 54935. The Law Office of Michael O’Rourke LLC, Michael Edward O’Rourke, 104 S. Main St., Fond du Lac 54935. The Fond du Lac Studio of Music LLC, Angela Nicole Volheim, 839 Minnesota Ave., North Fond du Lac 54937. Walk of Ages Therapy LLC, Jody Streeter, W8645 Hanna Lane, Oakfield 53065. Good Guys Painting Company LLC, Mitchell Robert Malzhan, 649 Washington St., Ripon 54971. Quality Prefinishing INC., Diane Heatley, 611 Stanton St., Ripon 54971. Klawitter Trucking LLC, Jerry Lee Klawitter, 408 Koro Road, Ripon 54971. Loop Auto LLC, Joshua David Nuetzel, 892 Loop Road, Ripon 54971. Shorties Sports Bar & Grill LLC, Cherie Mayan, 103 Knoll Ct., Rosendale 54974. Waupun Girls Softball Association INC., Jerry Medema, 501 Pine St., Waupun 53963. Helping Hand Cleaning LLC, Rhonda L. Bookout, 715 Countryview Dr., Waupun 53963. Rejuvenate Massage LLC, Carissa Joy Vande Zande, 105 Johnson St., Waupun 53963.
Outagamie County
Medicare Plan Enrollment Centers INC., Donna M. Walton, 311 N. Casaloma Dr., Appleton 54914. Rayos Cakes LLC, Ma Del Rayo Vargas De Campos, 3073 Green Meadow Dr., Apt. 1, Appleton 54915. See More Images LLC, Matthew Thomas Seymour, 1844 S. Jefferson St., Appleton 54914. Valley Claims Services LLC, Michael S. Olm, N198 Juneberry Ct., Appleton 54914. Fox Valley Heat CORP., Eric Mueske, 313 S. Joseph St., Appleton 54914. Dj’s Stainless LLC, Devin Wayne Jahnke, N153 State Park Road, Appleton 53010. Fox Valley Gynecologic Oncology S.C., Judith Howard, 1818 N. Meade St., Appleton 54034. Mark Books Plumbing LLC, Mark Nathaniel Books, 4209 E. Glory Lane, Appleton 54302. Justera Technologies INC., Kenneth Paul, 4650 W. Spencer St., Appleton 54956. Midwest Automotive Group INC., Eric Eickhoff, 4650 W. Spencer St., Appleton 54914. Clear Choice Insurance Group LLC, Dustin Schlesner, 500 S. Story St., Appleton 54113. Schaefer Sales Services INC., Michael Schaefer, 424 E. North St., Appleton 54303. Jrock Moving LLC, Jason Deane Schirmer, 1432 E. Wisconsin Ave., Apt. 1, Appleton 54307. Body By Lipo Appleton LLC, Khristi Kennedy Otto, 611 N. Lynndale Dr., Ste. 125, Appleton 54311. Epic Blunder Productions LLC, George M. Schroeder, 4705 Buttercup Ct., Appleton 54304. Friends of Butterfly Gardens of Wisconisn INC., Jack C. Voight, N2550 State Road 47, Appleton 54904. Appleton Pallet LLC, Jeremy Rettler, N3080 Jeske Road, Appleton 54901. Clippity Do Da LLC, Leeann Johnson, 2235 W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton 54904. Trails End Studios LLC, Jeffrey W. Robinson, 6051 N. French Road, Grand Chute 54913. HR Business Solutions LLC and HR Business Consulting LLC, Chad P. Roovers, N1625 Keifer Ct., Greenville 54942. Harmonious Health and Wellness LLC, Alaina S. Gates, 124 Jacquot St., Hortonville 54944. SBC Machining Services LLC, Benjamin Raymond Cropsey, 2061 Foxland St., Kaukauna 54130. www.newnorthb2b.com
PLB Anesthesia LLC, Abbey Schmolinske, N2816 Sleepy Creek Dr., Kaukauna 54130. New Era Maintenance LLC, Salomon Vallejo Valdez, 3120 W. Main St., Little Chute 54911.
Winnebago County
Powell Family Farm LLC, Mary N. Powell, 5631 Grandview Road, Larsen 54947. Brady’s Automotive Center LLC, Brady Ehlen, 980 Stead Dr., Menasha 54952. JB Medical Solutions LLC, Jon Michael Bjelde, 2457 Whistling Swan Ct., Menasha 54952. All Writey Then LLC, Linda Anna Dums, 1313 Benjamin Ct., Neenah 54956. Data Point Consulting LLC, Jacquelyn E. Warnecke, 1078 Meadow Lane, Neenah 54956. Bloom Flower Studio LLC, Keri Patricia Gretebeck, 2964 Saffron Lane, Neenah 54956. Riverside Dairy Farm INC., Mary Weyland, W8322 Winnegamie Dr., Neenah 54956. Knapinski Writing LLC, Richard John Knapinski, 8605 Clayton Ave., Neenah 54956. Quadinx Yellowbag Coupons LLC, Naomi Rachael Martin, 2418 Forest Manor Ct., Neenah 54956. Badger State Youth Basketball Foundation INC., Nicholas R. Levy, 2080 W. 9th Ave., #310, Oshkosh 54904. Institute For Entrepreneurial Leadership LLC, Arthur H. Rathjen, 625 Pearl Ave., Oshkosh 54901. Nerd Room Software LLC, Bryan James Gago, 169 E. Ripple Ave., Oshkosh 54902. Philip It Books LLC, George C. Philip, Ph.D., 2941 Ryf Road, Oshkosh 54904. Vinyl Wrapping Solutions LLC, Ben Lahr, 1384 Tammy Road, Oshkosh 54904.
Tasty Thai LLC, Somporn Ehaney, 1217 Rugby St., Oshkosh 54902. Bowen Stop N’ Wash LLC, Michael J. Waterstreet, 714 Nicolet, Oshkosh 54901. Arden’s Automotive Hospital LLC, Arden James Todd, 510 W. 8th Ave., Oshkosh 54902. Belville, Clausen & Brown LLP, Kristina M. Sanders-Brown, 2100 Omro Road, Ste. S, Oshkosh 54904. Fox Valley Hypnosis LLC, David D. Ruby, 1685 Crestview Dr., Oshkosh 54904. Nathans Autoworks LLC, Nathan William Bravatto, 104 Broad St., Oshkosh 54901.
Building permits
B2B includes a monthly list of building permits (not to include residential projects) in excess of $400,000. Grand Central Station, 1593 E. Mason St., Green Bay. $3,000,000 for a 9,000-sq. ft. convenience store and fuel station. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. September. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, 2740 W. Mason St., Green Bay. $593,223 for an interior renovation of the existing educational facility. General contractor is Cardinal Construction Co. of Fond du Lac. September. Culver’s Restaurant, 1580 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh. $836,498 to demolish the restaurant building and reconstruct a new restaurant building. General contractor is Cardinal Construction Co. of Fond du Lac. September 11. Aurora Baycare Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center, 1160 Kepler Dr., Green Bay. $5,363,558 for interior alterations to the existing orthopedic clinic. General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton. September.
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NNB2B | November 2015 | 35
Who’s News Aurora Healthcare, 2845 Greenbriar Road, Green Bay. $1,818,000 for interior alterations to the existing hospital. General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton. September. Curwood Inc., 2450 Badger Ave., Oshkosh. $510,000 for various interior alterations. General contractor is C.R. Meyer & Sons Construction of Oshkosh. September 22. Enzymatic Therapy, 825 Challenger Dr., Green Bay. $450,000 for interior alterations to the existing warehousing facility. General contractor is Immel Construction of Green Bay. September. Interstate Battery, 4740 W. Packard St., town of Grand Chute. $995,000 for a commercial retail facility. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. September 25. Georgia-Pacific Corp., 1919 S. Broadway, Green Bay. $750,000 for interior alterations to the existing industrial facility. General contractor is Boldt Construction Co. of Appleton. September. Anagen II, 2320 N. Casaloma Dr., town of Grand Chute. $510,937 for a 3,380-sq. ft. multi-tenant retail building to include a salon and photography studio. Contractor is Greenwood Project Management of Clintonville. October 5.
New businesses
It’s no fun being stuck in the middle. Choosing health insurance can put you in a bind. You need lower costs. Your employees want the best health care. Now, with Prevea360 Health Plan, you can give employees access to a network of more than 800 doctors and medical providers, 60 specialties, 36 health centers and 6 topranked hospitals. And we’ve streamlined coordination between health care and insurance, for a more affordable cost for you. Prevea360 can help you build a happier, healthier workforce — and see real bottom-line savings. Learn more about our group plans and LeadWell® corporate wellness offerings at prevea360.com/employer, or call 877.230.7615.
Caliber Law, S.C. opened at 2214 Old Omro Road in Oshkosh by attorney John Schuster, with an emphasis on business law and real estate services. Schuster, who additionally holds an MBA degree, most recently was managing partner in the Oshkosh firm Young, Schuster & Maslowski, LLP for the past nine years. The firm can be reached by calling 920.292.0000 or by going online to www.CaliberLaw.com. Next Level Fitness opened at 1561 W. South Park Ave. in Oshkosh by Jered Koslowski. The fitness and nutrition gym offers a variety of classes daily. More information is available online at www.nlfit.us or by calling 920.395.1930.
New locations Para Tech Coating, Inc. opened a new coating center at 2414 Industrial Dr., Unit F in Neenah. The California-based company provides vacuum deposited Parylene technology for electronics, avionics/aerospace, automotive, industrial and medical applications. Impact Management Services opened an office at 119 McCarthy Road, Ste. E in Appleton. The Michigan-based employment firm specializes in light industrial, skilled trades and professional positions. For more information, contact Jamie Mayer at jmayer@theimpactanswer.com or call 920.858.5774.
Mergers/acquisitions Wesley Heating & Cooling, Inc. in Oshkosh acquired certain assets of Oshkosh-based Marx Mechanical from Kay Marx, widow of Joe Marx, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Villa Loretto and Villa Rosa, both skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Mount Calvary, merged with Fond du Lac-based Agnesian HealthCare.
Underwritten by Dean Health Plan, Inc.
36 | November 2015 | NNB2B
Batley CPA, LLC of Green Bay, Appleton and Neenah acquired the accounting and tax practice of Fred Miller, CPA, of Green Bay. Miller, who has served
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VanLankvelt
Running
Asiamah
clients for 26 years, has been retained by Batley CPA until he retires next April. Two members of Miller’s staff joined Batley in its Green Bay office.
Business honors Marian University in Fond du Lac presented the following recognitions during its recent annual Business & Industry Awards: Business of the Year Award to Excel Engineering of Fond du Lac; Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Advanced Tooling Inc. of Mount Calvary; Economic Development Award to LaClare Farms of Pipe; and a Special Achievement Award to Agnesian HealthCare of Fond du Lac. Faith Technologies in Menasha was awarded the 2015 Vision Award by Constructech magazine for its use of advanced technologies for building information modeling and to create virtual dimensions and measurements for job sites. Faith Technologies also ranked No. 14 on Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) magazine’s annual Top 50 Electrical Contractors list with 2014 revenue of $376 million. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded a 4.5-star rating out of a possible five stars to Menasha-based Network Health’s Medicare Advantage plans. Network Health earned 4.5 stars for its Medicare Part D rating and four stars for its Medicare Part C rating. Miron Construction Co., Inc. of Neenah was named to the Top 100 Green Building Contractors list for 2015 by Engineering News-Record magazine. Menasha Corp. of Neenah won 18 Design of the Times awards during the 2015 Shopper Marketing Conference & Expo in Minneapolis, including a platinum award for its Excedrin Power Wing created for GSK Consumer Healthcare. The Greater Green Bay Chamber presented its 2015 Excellence in Business Award to Master Fleet LLC of Ashwaubenon.
Berko
Pirvanescu
Zietlow
New hires BLC Community Bank in Little Chute hired Luke VanLankvelt as a credit officer and Vicki Running as assistant vice president-technology operations officer. VanLankvelt has worked in the financial services industry for eight years. Running has been involved in banking for 28 years. St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac added hospitalists Kofi Asiamah, M.D., and Yaw Berko, M.D. Agnesian HealthCare also added internist Radu Pirvanescu, M.D. to its Fond du Lac Regional Clinic and Timothy Koch, D.O. as an emergency medicine physician to its Convenient Care Clinic. Neenah-based First National Bank – Fox Valley hired Linda Zietlow as a senior relationship banker, Stephanie Miller as a customer care manager and Megan Reetz as a mortgage processing and underwriting specialist. Zietlow has more than 20 years experience in banking and financial services, most recently serving as a consumer loan officer at Fox Communities Credit Union. Miller has more than 10 years experience in the financial services industry, most recently serving as a branch manager at Anchor Bank. Reetz has 12 years experience in the mortgage industry, most recently as a branch account manager at OneMain Financial. Skyline Technologies in Appleton and Green Bay hired Marsha Handrick as a senior accountant and Matt Pluster as a managing consultant for business intelligence. Alliance Manufacturing Inc. of Fond du Lac hired Tim Schilcher as a sales engineer. Schilcher previously worked as a design engineer, project engineer and in sales. Excelion Partners of Greenville hired Sharon Borde as client solutions director, Karen Dickson as technical resource manager, and Ryan Moore as applications solutions director. Dickson has 18 years experience in consultant screening, placement and client management. Moore has more than 15 years experience as a software application consultant and engineer. Appleton Housing Authority hired Tammy Boone as executive coordinator.
Miller
www.newnorthb2b.com
Reetz
Borde
Dickson
Moore
Boone
NNB2B | November 2015 | 37
Who’s News
Darkhabani
Fagan
Miranpuri
Badine
Herbst
Lowden-Sarauer
Boone has nine years of accounting and human resources experience.
Keller, Inc. of Kaukauna hired Chris Manske as an architect.
Home Builders Association of the Fox Cities hired Samantha Froehlich as its membership and communications coordinator.
Sonex Aircraft in Oshkosh hired Jessica Bower as an engineer. Bower previously worked as an aeronautics engineer with Lockheed Martin. She is a private pilot and is currently building a Sonex.
Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay added Dr. Ziad Darkhabani as an interventional neurologist. Dr. Darkhabani will also help develop the Aurora BayCare Stroke & Neurovascular Clinic. Aurora Health Care in Oshkosh added orthopedic surgeon Paul Fagan, D.O. and podiatrist Sarnarendra Miranpuri, DPM, who will also see patients in Neenah. Green Bay-based Pella Windows and Doors of Wisconsin hired Andy Bauer as a trade sales consultant, Barry Schoening as commercial sales manager, Kimberly Latendar as a trade estimator, and Len Severson as trade general manager. Schoening has 14 years experience in commercial and architectural markets, while Severson has been in the window and millwork industry for more than 20 years. Dempsey Law Firm, LLP in Oshkosh hired Ashley Swick and Sally Paul as law clerks. Swick previously worked as an intern with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Paul previously worked as an intern with Justice Ann Walsh Bradley of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. ThedaCare added Edgard A. Badine, M.D. as a hematologist and oncologist at ThedaCare Cancer Care in Appleton and April Herbst, M.D. as an obstetrician and gynecologist at Appleton Medical Center and Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah. ThedaCare also hired Alisha Lowden-Sarauer as a nurse practitioner at Appleton Medical Center. Miron Construction Co., Inc. in Neenah hired Robert Paulsen as an industrial project manager and Leah Cazella as a masonry/erection coordinator. Provident Financial Consultants, LLC in Oshkosh hired Dawn I. Makurat as an administrative associate. Makurat has more than 20 years experience in the financial services industry. The law firm of Steinhilber, Swanson, Mares, Marone & McDermott in Oshkosh hired Nicholas L. Hahn as an associate attorney. Hahn previously served as a judicial law clerk in Hawaii. His practice is in bankruptcy and insolvency.
Hahn
Manske
38 | November 2015 | NNB2B
Koenig
The Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh hired the following new staff members: Bryan Phillip, senior business development manager; Lindsay Kiesow, human resources assistant; Glory Aulik, social media and community manager; and Andrew Clark, membership services representative. Kerber Rose Accounting Firm of Appleton and Green Bay hired Lucas Koenig as the chief technology officer for KerberRose Technology. Koenig has more than 10 years experience as a leader in the technology field, most recently as the director of technology for Bellin College in Bellevue.
Promotions Neenah-based First National Bank – Fox Valley promoted Lynn Lang to mortgage operations supervisor and Holly Milhaupt to mortgage processing/ underwriting lead. Lang has been with FNB for seven years as part of mortgage operations. Milhaupt has also been with the bank seven years in mortgage operations. Home Builders Association of the Fox Cities promoted Megan Schlimm to director of marketing and events. Schlimm has been with the organization since 2008. Keller, Inc. of Kaukauna promoted Cole Teafoe to architectural and engineering services lead.
Individual awards The Greater Green Bay Chamber presented its 2015 Athena Award to Terri Trantow, market president/private client group managing director for US Bank, and presented its Daniel Whitney Award for volunteer of the year to Patrick
Lang
Milhaupt
Schlimm
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Teafoe
Trost
Sell
Hopkins, president of Imaginasium Inc. in Green Bay. Marian University in Fond du Lac presented its George Becker Business Spirit Award posthumously to John Korb, a leader in the Fond du Lac community and former chair of the Marian University Board of Trustees.
Elections/appointments
Front to back, we understand recent changes in tax laws, IRS procedures, investment strategies, compliance,
Doug Trost, president and chief executive officer for St. Francis Home in Fond du Lac, was elected chairperson of the executive committee for LeadingAge Wisconsin. Trost has been on the LeadingAge Wisconsin board since 2010. Amy Sell, an account manager for Systems Furniture, Inc. in De Pere, was named president-elect for the Wisconsin chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Heidi Zich, executive vice president of Home Builders Association of the Fox Cities, was appointed to the Midwest Board of Regents for Institute for Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
and health care laws. Let us put our knowledge to work for you. Call Alberts & Heling today.
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Business calendar
New North B2B encourages businesses and organizations looking to attract interested persons to upcoming events to email info@newnorthb2b.com. November 3 Greater Green Bay Chamber Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber offices, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@ titletown.org. November 4 Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at Lake Park Sportzone, N8770 Lake Park Road in Menasha. No cost to attend for members. For more information, email receptionist@foxcitieschamber.com. November 4 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Ideal Chiropractic and Therapeutic Massage, 976 E. Johnson St. in Fond du Lac. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or go online to www.fdlac.com. November 6 2nd Annual Business Success Summit hosted by NWTC Entrepreneur Resource Center and Small Business Initiative, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Corporate Conference Center on the NWTC campus in Green Bay. Daylong educational event for entrepreneurs, innovators and small business owners. For more information, call 920.498.7124 or go online to www.newbizsummit.com. www.newnorthb2b.com
NNB2B | November 2015 | 39
Business Calendar November 10 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Sales Club, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com. November 10 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Before Hours, 8 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 101 E. Wisconsin Ave. in Kaukauna. Topic is website optimization. No cost to attend for members. For more information or to register, go online to www. heartofthevalleychamber.com or call 920.766.1616. November 11 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at House of Flowers, 1920 Algoma Blvd. in Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $2. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www. oshkoshchamber.com. November 12 Women in Management – Oshkosh Chapter monthly meeting, 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. at La Sure’s Banquet Hall, 3125 S. Washburn St. in Oshkosh. Program is on estate planning. For more information or to register, go online to www.wimiwi.org or email Lisa at lkoeppen@communityblood.org.
November 17 Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at AMC Countertops, 100 Halbach Court in Fond du Lac. For more information or to register, call 920.921.9500 or go online to www.fdlac.com. November 18 Greater Green Bay Chamber Business After Hours, 5 to 6:30 p.m. at 1919 Kitchen & Tap, Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay. For more information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@titletown.org. December 1 Greater Green Bay Chamber Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber offices, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, call 920.437.8704 or email members@ titletown.org. December 8 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Sales Club, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com. n
Better Business Bureau New Members Businesses accredited through the Northeast Wisconsin office during September 2015
November 12 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m. at Midwest Restoration, 2230 Bohm Dr. in Little Chute. No charge for members. For more information or to register, go online to www.heartofthevalleychamber.com or call 920.766.1616.
ABC Animal Control, Manitowoc Badgerland Buildings, Black Creek D & T Construction, De Pere ERST International, Green Bay Pawn America, Grand Chute Sabel Mechanical, Fond du Lac ST Freight, Manitowoc The Bookkeepers, Green Bay Total Comfort, Oconto Twin Bridge Heating & Cooling, Crivitz
November 17 Work IT, a regional technology conference presented by Amplify Oshkosh, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Oshkosh Convention Center, 2 N. Main St. in Oshkosh. Event will highlight technology careers in northeast Wisconsin and efforts to attract additional workers. Cost to attend is $69 if pre-registered or $79 at the door. For more information or to register, go online to www.AmplifyWorkITEvent.com.
Thank you to the advertisers who made the November 2015 issue of New North B2B possible. Alberts & Heling CPAs ⎮www.alberts-heling-cpas.com. . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Amplify Work IT ⎮www.amplifyworkitevent.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Appleton International Airport ⎮www.atwairport.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Aurora Health Care ⎮www.AuroraEmployerSolutions.org. . . . . . . . . . . 17 Bank First National ⎮www.bankfirstnational.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Bayland Buildings ⎮www.baylandbuildings.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Borsche Roofing Professionals ⎮www.wiroofer.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Candeo Creative ⎮www.modmadmen.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Community Benefit Tree ⎮www.communitybenefittree.org. . . . . . . . . . 33 Consolidated Construction Company ⎮www.1call2build.com. . . . . . . . 5 Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. ⎮www.dkattorneys.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Dynamic Designs ⎮www.dynamicdesignspulaski.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 First Business Bank ⎮www.firstbusiness.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 First National Bank ~ Fox Valley ⎮www.fnbfoxvalley.com. . . . . . . . . . 31 Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau ⎮ www.FoxCities.org/bringithome. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Fox Communities Credit Union ⎮www.foxcu.org. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Fox Valley Savings Bank⎮www.FVSBank.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 40 | November 2015 | NNB2B
Guident Business Solutions ⎮www.guidentbusinesssolutions.com. . . 24 Keller Inc. ⎮www.kellerbuilds.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Marian University ⎮www.marianuniversity.edu/business . . . . . . . . . . 42 National Exchange Bank & Trust ⎮www.nebat.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Network Health ⎮www.meetnetworkhealth.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 NEW Building & Construction Trades Council ⎮www.newbt.org . . . . . . 8 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development ⎮ www.corporatetraining.nwtc.edu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 OptiVision ⎮www.optivisioneyecare.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Prevea 360 Health Plan ⎮www.prevea360.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 36 R&R Steel Construction Company Inc. ⎮www.rrsteelconstruction.com.13 SITE Landscape Architecture ⎮www.SITElandscapearchitecture.com.13 St. Norbert College MBA program ⎮www.snc.edu/go/mbasnc. . . . . . . 28 Suttner Accounting ⎮www.suttnercpa.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 UW Oshkosh College of Business ⎮www.wfbf.uwosh.edu . . . . . . . . . . 15 Verve, a Credit Union ⎮www.verveacu.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Winnebago County Solid Waste Management ⎮ www.co.winnebago.wi.us/solid-waste/container-rental-program. . 24 www.newnorthb2b.com
Guest Commentary
Funding innovative ideas
Angel and venture investments in Wisconsin took healthy jump in 2014 by Tom Still
One of the enduring gripes about Wisconsin’s startup and scale-up climate has been the lack of enough angel and venture capital. Perhaps we’ll look back on 2014 as the year Wisconsin finally turned the corner. At least 113 Wisconsin early stage companies raised investment capital in 2014, a 31 percent jump from the prior year, when 86 companies landed angel or venture dollars. More than $346 million was raised by those 113 companies, nearly three times more than the 2013 total of about $128 million. Even if last year’s six largest deals in terms of dollars invested are taken out of the mix, the remaining 107 companies collectively raised more than $112 million – still approaching the 2013 dollar mark. Those six deals included Shine Medical Technologies of Monona ($127.4 million), Renaissance Learning of Wisconsin Rapids ($40 million); CorvisaCloud of Milwaukee ($30 million); Madison-based Propeller Health ($14.5 million); Comply365 of Beloit ($12 million) and EatStreet of Madison ($10 million). The numbers come from the “Wisconsin Portfolio,” an annual report of the Wisconsin Technology Council and its Wisconsin Angel Network. The publication gathers data from public reports, filings, and surveys of investors to produce a comprehensive look at angel and venture deals in Wisconsin. Was 2014 an investment fluke? Probably not … for many reasons. w The rise in deals and dollars aligned with the fact that more early stage networks and funds were active in 2014 than in prior years. The Wisconsin Angel Network tracks 35 active networks or funds in Wisconsin, up from six in 2005. w Many of those groups were “serial investors” in 2014. Wisconsin Investment Partners – the Madison-based group ranked among the 12 most active angel groups in the nation, did more deals in 2014 than in 2013. Others that invested in multiple Wisconsin companies last year were Venture Investors, Golden Angels Investors, CSA Partners, Gener8tor, Chippewa Valley Angel Investors Network, American Family Ventures and NEW Capital Fund. w Out-of-state investors continued to find strong valuations and competitive operating costs in Wisconsin. Investors from Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota, Minnesota, Ohio and California were among those engaged in 2014 deals.
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w Thirty-eight Wisconsin companies raised at least $1 million from investors in 2014, up from 27 in 2013. That’s a sign deal sizes are growing. w The entire upper Midwest appears to be a hotbed for early stage deals, particularly angel deals. The Angel Resource Institute recently reported that the Great Lakes region, which includes Wisconsin, was second in the nation in total deals – only behind perennial leader California. w Companies earning investments were diverse in terms of their sectors, which speaks well of Wisconsin’s growing tech expertise. Deals covered digital health, consumer products, biotechnology, medical devices, software, advanced manufacturing and more. w Finally, and perhaps most important, 2015 deal activity appears roughly on par with last year. Of course, angel and venture investing is risky – and notoriously cyclical. Many factors, including government indifference to the tech sector, could set back the clock. The budget passed by the Wisconsin Legislature this past summer is a prime example. Left on the cutting room floor was a provision to increase – for the first time in 10 years – the amount of money that could be invested in any single company to qualify for early stage tax credits. The current maximum is $8 million in eligible investments, which yields total credits of $2 million for investors. Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal would have raised the threshold to $12 million, making $3 million in credits available to investors in any single company. The provision was knocked out of the budget because lawmakers thought it was too costly: about $3 million in the first year, $2 million in the second and about $1 million per year after that. Those estimates overlooked that early stage companies generate jobs and economic activity – and tax revenues for the state. Every state dollar invested in the early stage tax credit program – a record $12.8 million in 2014 – attracts $14 in private investment, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Wisconsin isn’t California or Massachusetts when it comes to angel and venture investment, nor will it ever be. However, it is building a stronger support system for young companies and investors who know how to find the most promising deals. That combination can help ensure a cycle with more booms than busts. n Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. He is the former associate editor of the Wisconsin State Journal. NNB2B | November 2015 | 41
Key Statistics local gasoline prices
If there are indicators you’d like to see in this space, contact our office at 920.237.0254 or email sean@newnorthb2b.com.
u.s. retail sales
Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.
september
october 18. . . . . . . . $2.41 october 11. . . . . . . . $2.44 october 4. . . . . . . . . $2.36 september 27. . . . . . $2.36 october 18, 2014. . . $3.14
$447.7 billion 0.1% from August 2.4% from September 2014
Source: New North B2B observations
existing home sales
u.s. industrial production
september
(2007 = 100) september
homes sold median price brown cty . ....................293 .................... $151,900 Fond du Lac cty ............115 .................... $120,100 outagamie cty . ............202 ....................$145,000 winnebago cty .............218 .................... $126,875 WI Dept. Revenue Collections
107.1
0.2% from August 0.4% from September 2014
air passenger TRAFFIC (Local enplanements) sept 2015 sept 2014 Appleton Int’l ATW.....................19,532 ...... 19,900
First Quarter FY2016 collections from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue were not released as of B2B press time for this edition.
Redesigned.
Austin Straubel GRB.....................27,025 .......26,845
local unemployment august july aug ‘14 Appleton ....... 3.5% ...... 4.0% ....... 4.9% Fond du Lac ... 3.8% ...... 4.5% ........5.5% Green Bay........3.9% ...... 4.5% ........5.1% Neenah ........... 3.8% ...... 4.3%.........5.4% Oshkosh . ........4.1% ...... 4.8% ........5.7% Wisconsin ..... 3.9% ...... 4.6% ....... 5.2%
natural gas prices Prices for small businesses using less than 20,000 therms. Listed price is per therm.
october..................... $0.398 september................. $0.366 october 2014.............$0.878 Source: Integrys Energy
ism index Numbers above 50 mean expansion. Numbers below 50 mean contraction. september. . . . . . . 50.2 august. . . . . . . . . . . 51.1
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42 | November 2015 | NNB2B
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