Business Intelligence for the New North
Suitcase Successes How tourism grant dollars help attract visitors to northeast Wisconsin to sleep, eat, meet, play – and spend
Rise of the Rest Road Trip Innovation Early-stage Pennies from Heaven
From the Publisher
October 2017 | $3.95
W innegamie Home Builders Association
Together Winnegamie Home Builders Association —
Presents the —
Fall Parade of Homes 2017
October 19 th — 22 nd
Thursday & Friday 5:00pm—8:00pm Saturday & Sunday 11:00am—4:00pm
Business Intelligence for the New North
16
October Features 16 COVER STORY
Suitcase Successes
How tourism grant dollars help attract visitors to northeast Wisconsin to sleep, eat, meet, play – and spend
20 INNOVATION
New North Rising 20
Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Road Trip will highlight the 2017 Launch Wisconsin innovation event at Lambeau Field
24 VOICES & VISIONS
Wigging Out
Allouez boutique combines heart with hair to help cancer patients get through a difficult time in their lives
Departments 24
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From the Publisher
6
Since We Last Met
10 Build Up Pages 28
Professionally Speaking
30
Who’s News
35 Business Calendar 36 Advertising Index 38 Key Statistics
On the cover Illustration by Candeo Creative www.newnorthb2b.com
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
NNB2B | October 2017 | 3
From the Publisher
Pennies from heaven
Early-stage and angel investment activity spikes across the state, helping New North startups grow into second-stage firms
by Sean Fitzgerald, New North B2B publisher
Certifications for qualified new business ventures in Wisconsin increased sharply during 2016, a sign that entrepreneurship is growing in the state and that investors are increasingly willing to take some financial risk along with these startups.
According to data released in late August by Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., new business certifications climbed to 211 companies across the state achieving $281 million in investments during 2016, a notable increase from the 180 companies certified in 2015 who captured $177 million in early-stage investments. In fact, looking back over the past five years, early-stage investment in Wisconsin startups nearly doubled from 2011 to 2016, with only $150 million attracted by 138 companies just a half-decade ago. The 211 companies certified in 2016 employed a combined total of more than 1,600 jobs in the state providing an average annual salary of $72,475, about 60 percent higher than the average annual salary in Wisconsin as a whole. Clearly, Wisconsin’s startup ecosystem is maturing, and it’s no doubt the state’s 12-year-old qualified new business venture tax credits have played a significant role. The program provides a 25 percent income tax credit on qualifying investments in certified startups, which this year amounted to a total of $17.9 million in tax relief. While the Milwaukee and Madison areas tend to receive the lion’s share of attention when it comes to Wisconsin’s earlystage companies, entrepreneurship in the New North region is emerging strongly as well. The recent report from WEDC lists a handful of northeast Wisconsin firms qualified as certified new business ventures in 2016, such as Oshkosh-based Snotco which generated $200,010 in angel investment last year and was awarded $50,003 in tax credits through the state. The maker of SnotTape – a polyurethane gel-based product used as an alternative to traditional painting tape – has been on the market a little more than two years and already scored a high-profile success when it landed a deal with Ace Hardware to sell its consumer home improvement product in 1,500 of its largest stores across the nation this past spring. “We’re in discussions with several major retailers. We’re 4 | October 2017 | NNB2B
looking at opportunities up in Canada,” said SnotTape inventor and Snotco President Dave Gruenwald. The company is producing SnotTape at optimal capacity, and includes a local supply chain which sources its paper from manufacturers in Neenah and Fox Crossing. The company was even named a winner of the 2016 Wisconsin Innovation Award. Despite these early successes, Snotco endures many of the same challenges as any startup business attempting to break even with its cash flow. Hefty marketing expenses to jump start product awareness in SnotTape’s infancy continue to whittle down investment proceeds, but the promise of the product’s market potential is helping drive increased interest from investors. This past spring, the company received another $400,000 angel investment from Eau Claire-based Chippewa Valley Angel Investment Network (CVAIN), which it expects to budget toward a more balanced approach to its marketing, including online awareness and point-of-purchase displays in stores, Gruenwald said. The company also received a separate $150,000 loan from WEDC this year, and still, Gruenwald noted, the company could use additional capital to fuel its growth. “If we land one of these ‘anchor accounts,’ as we call them, then we’ll be off to the races,” Gruenwald said, referring to the major national retailers with which they hope to strike a deal. Until then – like any fast-growing startup – persistence is a crucial characteristic to attracting new investment and ultimately landing that big customer. “To find the $400,000 we got from CVAIN, we probably had to chase 20 different investors over the past several months,” Gruenwald said. Like Snotco, a few other northeast Wisconsin firms were certified for investments during 2016, including: u Simply Incredible Foods of Menasha, which holds a patent to produce Cransations frozen whole sweet cranberries. The company generated $410,000 in early-stage investments and an additional $50,000 in angel funding during 2016, generating a total of $115,000 in tax credits for its investors. u Quietyme of Neshkoro attracted $100,000 in angel funding from investors to fuel its indoor environment management system last year, generating $25,000 in state tax credits. u Green Bay-based transportation and logistics matchmaker Lanehub – featured in our innovation article on page 22 – attracted $500,000 in angel investment during the course of 2016, providing its investors with $125,000 in tax credits. u HuTerra, the De Pere-based consumer-driven fundraising platform for nonprofits, attracted an additional $605,874 in angel investment last year, turning $151,469 in state tax credits for its financial backers. n
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Sean Fitzgerald Publisher & President x sean@newnorthb2b.com Lee Marie Reinsch Editor x editor@newnorthb2b.com Kate Erbach Production x graphics@newnorthb2b.com Rachel Yelk Sales and Marketing Intern x intern@newnorthb2b.com Contributing writers Rick Berg Chief Financial Officer Vicky Fitzgerald, CPA
NEW NORTH B2B is published monthly by WINNEBAGO B2B LLC for $20 per year or $3.95 for a single issue. POSTMASTER: send address changes to: WINNEBAGO B2B LLC, 923 S. Main St., Oshkosh, WI 54902. Bulk-rate postage paid at LaCrosse, WI. Reproduction of any contents of NEW NORTH B2B without express written permission of its publishers is strictly forbidden. The appearance of any advertisement or product information does not constitute endorsement of any product or service by WINNEBAGO B2B LLC. Copyright 2017.
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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.
August 29 Brown County rolled out the new Property Assessed Clean Energy program – or PACE, for short – allowing business owners and rental property owners to reinvest in their property’s energy infrastructure. The program finances 100 percent of the upfront costs of energy upgrades, including roofs, windows, doors, HVAC, boilers, and other energy saving technologies, then is repaid for up to 20 years with an assessment added to the property’s tax bill. Financing through the program may stay with the building upon sale and can be shared with tenants.
included a multi-lane roundabout, added a right-turn lane on Mason Street, upgraded traffic signals at three intersections, and repaved Northland Avenue.
September 1 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation opened the State Road 47/County Road OO (Richmond Street and Northland Avenue) roundabout on the north side of Appleton after the $3 million project had closed one of the Fox Cities’ busiest intersections since June 19. The entire project
September 1 The U.S. Department of Labor reported 156,000 new jobs were created in August, leaving the national unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 4.4 percent. Job gains occurred in manufacturing, construction, professional and technical services, health care and mining.
2005 October 10 – Oshkosh Truck Corp. officially opened its 300,000-sq. ft remanufacturing facility located in the former Leach Company factory on Harrison Street in Oshkosh. The new plant will strictly rebuild used Oshkosh Truck military vehicles, and has created 200 new jobs. 2007 October 8 – Time Warner Cable (now Spectrum) was awarded $1.05 million in state Enterprise Development Zone tax credits in conjunction with its decision to construct a 130,000-sq. ft. operations facility on the southeast side of Appleton. The expansion will bring all of Time Warner’s existing Fox Valley operations under one roof and is expected to create 300 jobs. 2010 October 20 – St. Norbert College in De Pere, received a $7 million gift from the Michels family, owners of Michels Corp. in Brownsville, to renovate the school’s Sensenbrenner Memorial Union into a state-of-theart commons and dining facility, which is now called Michels Commons.
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September 1 Oshkosh Corp. received a $177 million order from the U.S. Army for 611 joint light tactical vehicles and 1,789 installed and packaged kits. The order is the sixth from the U.S. Army for JLTVs since a multi-billion dollar contract was awarded in August 2015.
2011 October 20 – Officials from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs broke ground on a new 162,000-sq. ft., $60 million veterans health clinic on the far northeast side of Green Bay. Once complete in 2013, the clinic will replace the much smaller Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic and will serve area veterans who sometimes travel to Milwaukee or Madison for certain health care services. Once open, the new clinic is expected to employ 200 people. 2012 October 10 – Officials from Ministry Health Care announced plans for a $108 million improvement project at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, which includes construction of a five-story, 90-bed tower, as well as renovations to the cancer center and the adolescent behavioral health unit. 2015 October 27 Marian University in Fond du Lac named Andrew P. Manion as its 16th president, succeeding Robert A. Fale, who had been serving as interim president since June 2013. Manion previously served as executive vice president at Aurora (Ill.) University, where he’d served in various leadership roles for the past 17 years.
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September 11 The Wisconsin Department of Transportation began construction on the replacement of the State Road 116 bridge crossing the Wolf River in Winneconne. The existing bridge will remain open to vehicle traffic throughout the construction of the new bridge, which is expected to be complete in November 2018. While the existing bridge includes a lift in the center span allowing larger watercraft to pass underneath, the new bridge will be fixed much higher above the water. September 11 The Port of Green Bay reported 141,000 metric tons of cargo through the port in August, a decrease of 45 percent from August 2016, primarily resulting from a sharp drop in limestone imports. Year-to-date cargo is down 10 percent through the end of August. A total of 86 ships have come through the port during 2017, down three from last year. September 12 U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of Best Liberal Arts Colleges included Lawrence University in Appleton at No. 55, Ripon College at No. 117 and St. Norbert College in De Pere at No. 134. The annual list features schools that emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in liberal arts fields of study. The rankings evaluate criteria such as first-year student retention, graduation rate, faculty resources and alumni giving. September 13 Ashwaubenon-based Pioneer Metal Finishing announced plans to close its Oshkosh plant in mid-November, effectively laying off its 52 employees. The Fox Valley Workforce Development Board is providing transitional services for displaced workers from Pioneer, including job retraining.
incentive package includes up to $2.85 billion in payroll tax credits to Foxconn as it creates and maintains jobs in the state. The package also includes $150 million in sales tax exemptions on the materials used in the construction of the facility. The legislation had been hotly contested in both houses of the state legislature during the past two months as opponents have reservations the state won’t recoup an economic return on the investment and felt regulatory compromises associated with the legislation could prove damaging to the environment. September 19 Appleton-based specialty papermaker Appvion, Inc. announced it will lay off 61 employees from its warehouse and its distribution center operations beginning in late November. The company indicated the work performed at these locations will continue but will be subcontracted to another firm. About 57 of the affected workers are represented by United Steelworkers Local 2-0469. The Bay Area Workforce Development Board is providing transitional services for displaced workers from Appvion during the next few months. September 19 State Assembly Democrats elected Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) to serve as minority leader, taking over the role held by Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) for the past seven years. Hintz has served northeast Wisconsin in the Assembly since 2007, and was appointed to the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee for the past two budget cycles. n
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September 15 The state Public Service Commission approved a conditional $15 million grant to Waukesha-based B.C. Organics LLC for an animal waste-to-natural gas bioenergy system in southern Brown County. The system will produce an estimated 5.7 million therms of natural gas annually by digesting dairy farm manure and other waste. The company already has commitments from nine Wisconsin farms with more than 22,000 animals. The facility is expected to begin operations in early 2019 and is expected to have up to 20 fulltime employees. September 18 Gov. Scott Walker signed the Wisconn Valley Special Session Bill into law which provides up to $3 billion in state taxpayer support for Foxconn Technology Group to construct a $10 billion manufacturing campus in southeastern Wisconsin. Foxconn, the world’s largest manufacturer of liquid crystal display screens, indicated plans to create 13,000 new jobs in Wisconsin over the next 15 years. The corporate attraction www.newnorthb2b.com
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CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Advisor, AEGIS Financial
A D V I C E
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L I F E
920.233.4650
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AEGIS Financial is not a registered broker/dealer (located at 530 N. Koeller Street, Oshkosh WI), and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. The tax advice and/or services of AEGIS Financial are independent of RJFS.
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NNB2B | October 2017 | 7 8/30/2017 9:08:33 AM
@LaunchWI @LaunchWis @launch_wisconsin #LaunchWI | FB, Instagram, Twitter 8:30am Registration Opens and Networking 9am-12pm Breakout Workshops, Escape Room, Mentors, Demonstrations
DAY 1 October 17 DAY 1 October 17 th
12pm-1pm Lunch & Networking th
1pm-7pm Steve Case Competition Program
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Startup 225+ Speakers in 100+ Panels Workshops, Mentors, Demonstrations, Networking Lounge Interactive Workshops: Startup, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Diversity, Culture and Leadership Mentor Collision: 50 Executives, Entrepreneurs, Investors in 20 minute sessions. Demonstrations: Startup and corporate ideas, robotics, mfg, prototypes, etc...
Sign Up
at LaunchWisconsin.com/Workshops
$100K Competition, Rise of the Rest Watch the Competition for
$100,000 Investment to One Startup
Keynotes by Steve Case & J. D. Vance
The Bus is Driving through Northeast Wisc Should Steve Case stop at your business? To nominate email us at greg@launchwisconsin.com
DAY 2
8:30am Registration Opens and Networking 9am-12pm - Panels 12pm-1pm Lunch & Networking 1pm-3pm - Panels 3pm-5pm- Keynotes, then networking till 6:30 pm
October 18th
Featured Stages Startup & Industry Disruption
Arts, Music, Film
25+ Tracks: FinTech, Health, IoT, IIoT, Food,
Organics, Logistics, Mfg, Enterprise, Mobile, Sport, Music and more…
Network Collision: Get ready for our
“Ask & Offers” networking game.
Social Innovation
Art promotes prosperity, attracts talent and improves our health. Listen and learn how art strengthens our economy, sparks creativity, attracts talent and provokes innovation. Explore with us how our Wisconsin culture is making its impact.
Breakthrough
Literacy
Education
Mentoring
Job Training
Community Health
Financial Literacy
Abuse
Mental Health
Developments, Discoveries, and Successes in the world of Startup and Innovation. Hear directly from the entrepreneurs and corporate changemakers who are reshaping industries and communities.
Diversity & Inclusion
Corporate Startup Engagement Lounge
Business success happens when talented people with diverse views and backgrounds connect to collaboratively solve problems. This stage highlights the benefits of including people from all walks of life into your business.
A specially designed section of the event floor to create a next level networking experience. Complete with food, drinks, coffee, comfortable furniture, tables, and decor. This is the designated place to make your game changing connections.
Major Keynotes
Steve Case
Brad Smith
Deepa Soni
Cofounder AOL/Revolution
President & Chief Legal
US CIO & US P&C CIO at BMO
Author & Venture Capitalist
Washington D.C, USA
Officer at Microsoft Corporaton
Financial Group
Mithril Capital Management LLC
Greater Seattle Area
Chicago, Illinois
J. D. Vance
Build Up Fond du Lac 1
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Relax.
We’ve got you covered. For all your commercial, industrial, and institutional roofing needs.
Indicates a new listing
1 - 221 Shepard St., Ripon Alliance Laundry Systems, a 45,300-sq. ft.addition to the existing industrial facility for manufacturing space. Project completion expected in October. 2 - 660 Van Dyne Road, Fond du Lac BCI Burke, a 27,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility for office and production space. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 3 - 145 N. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac Radiology Associates of the Fox Valley, a new medical building. 4 - 100 Camelot Dr., Fond du Lac Excel Engineering, a 3,400-sq. ft. addition to the existing office building. Project completion expected in October.
866-799-0530 | N2971 Hwy. 15, Hortonville
www.wiroofer.com
10 | October 2017 | NNB2B
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Build Up Oshkosh
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5 - 1041 Emmers Lane, Oshkosh Choice Bank, a two-story financial institution building.
9 - 1124 S. Koeller St., Oshkosh Potbelly Sandwich Shop, a new restaurant building.
6 - 3321 County Road A, Oshkosh A.P. Nonweiler, an addition to the existing coating process facility.
10 - 495 W. Waukau Ave., Oshkosh Fox Valley Metrology, an addition to the existing industrial facility.
7 - 324 Washington Ave., Oshkosh Oshkosh Community YMCA, a 53,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing community center and various interior renovations. Project completion expected in October.
Projects completed since our September issue: • None
8 - 1212 S. Main St., Oshkosh Fox Valley Pro Basketball, an 80,000-sq. ft., 3,500-seat sports arena. Project completion expected in November. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay.
Coming to B2B in November 2017 Industrial Development
Emerging industrial parks across northeast Wisconsin
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15 Years v 2002 to 2017
NNB2B | October 2017 | 11
Build Up Fox Cities Build Up
Fox Cities
Indicates a new listing
1 - County CB & State Road 15, town of Greenville Cintas, a 54,000-sq. ft. industrial facility for laundry and maintenance. Project completion expected in July. 2 - 3250 N. Mayflower Road, town of Grand Chute TML Auto, a 12,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing auto service facility. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna. 3 - N912 Craftsmen Dr., town of Greenville Fox Valley Spring Co., a 24,500-sq. ft. addition for expanded manufacturing and office space and more offices. Project completion expected in February. General contractor is Consolidated Construction Company of Appleton. 4 - 4531 W. Wisconsin Ave., town of Grand Chute Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, an 8,069-sq. ft. restaurant building. 5 - 4815 N. Lynndale Dr., town of Grand Chute Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve, a two-story, 18,200-sq. ft. nature center and offices. Project completion expected in fall. 6 - 1850 W. Grand Chute Blvd., town of Grand Chute Town of Grand Chute, a 4,704-sq. ft. community center. Project completion expected in late fall. 7 - 3801 N. Richmond St., town of Grand Chute Meijer, a 200,206-sq. ft. department and grocery superstore and a separate 3,366-sq. ft. convenience store. Project completion expected in January. 8 - 355 W. Lawrence St., Appleton Fox Cities Exhibition Center, a 65,000-sq. ft. convention and meeting facility. Project completion expected in November. 9 - 410 S. Walnut St., Appleton Outagamie County, an 87,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing county administrative office building. 10 - 401 W. North Ave., Little Chute Nestle USA, an addition to the existing food processing facility for a microlab. 11 - 327 Randolph St., Little Chute Trigger Action Sports and CR Structures Group, a 36,946sq. ft. multi-tenant commercial building. Project completion expected in April. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly. 12 - 311 Oak Grove Road, Kaukauna Poly Flex, a 36,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial building for expanded warehousing space. Project completion expected in February. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly.
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13 - N2061 Vandenbroek Road, Kaukauna Van’s Waste, a service bay addition to the existing industrial facility. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 14 - 201 Reaume Ave., Kaukauna City of Kaukauna Fire Department, a 29,174-sq. ft. fire station. Project completion expected in October. 15 - 3989 E. Endeavor Dr., Appleton Custom Offsets, a 20,000-sq. ft. auto parts retail facility, shop and offices. Project completion expected in December. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 16 - 829 Appleton Road, Menasha Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, a 4,400-sq. ft. addition to and remodel of the existing church building. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is Millennium Construction of Appleton. 17 - 660 Watermark Ct., Fox Crossing Precision Installations, an 18,902-sq. ft. manufacturing assembly facility and offices. Project completion expected in January. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 18 - County Road CB, Fox Crossing Secura Insurance, a 350,000-sq. ft. corporate headquarters office building. Project completion expected in early 2019. 19 - 1775 E. Shady Lane, Fox Crossing Michels Power, a 10,368-sq. ft. addition to the existing commercial building. 20 - 1265 W. American Dr., Fox Crossing Wisconsin Institute of Urology, a 34,837-sq. ft. medical clinic. 21 - 1251 Jacobson Road, Fox Crossing Wisconsin Department of Corrections, a 13,040-sq. ft. commercial office building. 22 - 590 Enterprise Dr., Neenah Horseshoe Beverage Co., a 20,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility for a bottling plant. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. Projects completed since our September issue: • Quantum Electrical Solutions, N2152 N Road, Hortonville. • Habitat ReStore, 5402 W. Integrity Way, town Grand Chute. • All-Star Cutting & Coring, 140 Allegiance Ct., Little Chute. • Holland Cold Storage, 3600 Electric City Blvd., Kaukauna. • Modern Dairy, 1122 Crooks Ave., Kaukauna. • Anytime Fitness, W3171 Springfield Dr., town of Buchanan. • Encapsys, 2515 S. Eisenhower Dr., Appleton.
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Meeting the needs of your business’ future baylandbuildings.com x 920.498.9300 www.newnorthb2b.com
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
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Greater Green Bay area 1 - 1521 Brookfield Ave., Howard Winona Foods, a 157,210-sq. ft. warehouse facility. Project completion expected in late fall. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. 2 - 1558 Brookfield Ave., Howard BCS International, a 92,400-sq. ft. warehouse and office building. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 3 - 2740 W. Mason St., Green Bay Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, a two-story Great Lakes Energy Education Center. Project completion expected in early 2018.
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Indicates a new listing
4 - 1250 Velp Ave., Green Bay La Java Express, a commercial retail building for a coffee shop. 5 - 2231 N. Quincy St., Green Bay NEW Water/Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, a wastewater treatment facility. Completion expected in early 2018. 6 - 2400 University Ave., Green Bay Kwik Trip, a new convenience store and fuel station. Project completion expected in October.
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7 - 2280 E. Mason St., Green Bay Learsi & Co., a substantial overhaul of the former grocery store to create retail spaces for PetSmart, Ross Dress for Less and Marshalls. Project completion expected in October.
19 - 600 High St., Wrightstown Wrightstown Community Wellness Center, a 8,564-sq. ft. addition to the existing high school for a civic facility. Project completion expected in December.
8 - 2230 Main St., Green Bay Starbucks, a 6,018-sq. ft. multi-tenant retail building to include a coffee shop. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is Frontier Builders & Consultants of Kaukauna.
20 - 2275 American Blvd., De Pere Green Bay Packaging, a 39,280-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility for warehouse space. Project completion expected in October.
9 - 2629 Eaton Road, Bellevue Dorsch Ford Lincoln Kia, a new collision repair facility. 10 - 1936 Donbea St., Bellevue Viking Electric, a 9,800-sq. ft. addition to the existing warehouse building. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 11 - 2801 S. Webster Ave., Allouez Cerebral Palsy Inc., an addition to the existing human services center office. Project completion expected in late fall. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna.
21 - 1745 Matthew Dr. East, De Pere De Pere Cabinet, a 35,050-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility for warehouse space. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 22 - 1234 Enterprise Dr., De Pere Krause Financial Services, a 1,900-sq. ft. addition to the existing commercial office building. Projects completed since our September issue: • Fusion Dance, 2780 Howard Commons Dr., Howard. • Plastic Surgery & Skin Specialists by BayCare, 2605 Development Dr., Bellevue.
12 - 1016 N. Broadway, De Pere St. Norbert Abbey, an addition to the existing religious administrative facility. 13 - 2833 Riverside Dr., Allouez Green Bay Correctional Institution, an 8,000-sq. ft. addition to the visitor center at the existing correctional facility. Project completion expected in October.
MillenniuM ConstruCtion, inC.
14 - 1900 Block S. Ridge Road, Ashwaubenon Green Bay Packers/Titletown Development, a two-story, 11,300-sq. ft. sledding hill pavilion and a separate 5,330-sq. ft. plaza maintenance building. Project completion expected in October. 15 - 810 Morris Ave., Ashwaubenon Home2 Suites, a four-story, 92-suite hotel. Project completion expected in October. 16 - 2654 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon Midwest Expansion, a 9,000-sq. ft. multi-tenant retail building.
Featured Project: Security Luebke Roofing Appleton, WI
17 - 2800 Ashland Ave., Ashwaubenon Wisconsin Public Service, a 31,788-sq. ft. regional employee training center. Project completion expected in March 2018. 18 - 1333 Parkview Road, Ashwaubenon Fosber America, a 12,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. Project completion expected in October. General contractor is Bayland Buildings of Green Bay. 425 W Wisconsin Ave. • Appleton 920.882.8700 millenniumconstructionwi.com www.newnorthb2b.com
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
NNB2B | October 2017 | 15
Cover Story
Suitcase Successes How tourism grant dollars help attract visitors to northeast Wisconsin to sleep, eat, meet, play – and spend Story by Lee Marie Reinsch, New North B2B editor
Not to be smug about it or anything, but Wisconsin is looking better every day as a place to live, work and retreat. With fires on the West Coast, hurricanes in the south, tropical islands underwater, and killer smog in the Big Apple, a few snowflakes and sub-zero days a year feel like being swatted by a chipmunk in comparison. Wisconsin’s 15,000 lakes and 11,190 square miles of water beckon the outdoorsy and cottage-escapee alike, and there’s no topping the Niagara Escarpment for autumnal contemplation. But hey, there’s only so much flora and fauna a person can take. Sometimes the siren calls of Vegas and Disney World must be heeded. So niche travel keeps Wisconsin in the game. Tourism professionals are monetizing visitor attractions like conventions, festivals and non-pro sports into viable tourism-industry segments. So what if we don’t have Rockefeller Plaza when we have the Midwest Women’s Bowling Association, or the 5th International Conference on Roundabouts? State grants make drawing people to the region for any of a slew of reasons even more possible. And far from being a drain on the economy, they’re helping grow it.
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15 Years v 2002 to 2017
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“Some $1.43 million in grant funding was awarded in Fiscal Year 2017, and those projects are expected to have an estimated economic impact of nearly $70 million,” said Lisa Marshall, director of communications for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. They call it “estimated” economic impact, Marshall said, because some of the events haven’t happened yet, or the grant recipient has yet to submit their recap report.
Suttner ACCOUNTING
Overall, tourism brought around $20 billion to Wisconsin in 2016, increasing $700 million from the previous year.
A real JEM
In the Interstate 41 corridor, state tourism grants help recipient communities increase visibility of their cities and events, allowing many small or new events a chance to grow. Joint Effort Marketing grants – known in the tourism industry as JEM grants, for short – have given many events a much-needed push over the fence. “Green Bay Restaurant Week was new when we received our first JEM,” said Brenda Krainik, director of marketing for the Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Having the JEM grant really assisted us in that venture, and now we’ve successfully had five years of a smoothly running event. We probably couldn’t have done it without the JEM grant.” The Department of Tourism awards JEM funds to nonprofits to promote their events and destinations. The state can fund up to three-quarters of a project’s marketing costs through JEM grants. “The grant itself serves to kick the event off in a lot of cases and set it off on the right foot,” Krainik said. “For us, we were able to take something that didn’t exist, and create a successful event.”
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In fiscal 2017, 50 projects across the state received JEM money, totaling $861,208. The Department of Tourism estimates those 50 enterprises will have generated $34 million in visitor expenditures by the end of the year.
A hole in one
The largest JEM grant issued during 2017 – for a total of $35,550 – went to a debut event: the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic tournament in Oneida. Held the first week in July, it drew 144 of the top women golfers from around the country and the world, according to Tournament Director Kelly McAnally. She estimates it drew some 62,000 visitors during the week.
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“The purpose of the event was to not only create a community event for northeast Wisconsin and the greater Green Bay community, but also to create a destination location that puts the Oneida Nation, in regards to their golf course here at Thornberry, the Oneida Casino and the two hotels that the tribe oversees as well (Radisson and Wingate by Wyndham), on the map,” McAnally said. She said final numbers aren’t in yet, but estimates the economic impact of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic to be more than $9 million to the area. www.newnorthb2b.com
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Cover Story “That JEM grant certainly helped some of those marketing dollars get spectators and fans alike to this event – people that maybe wouldn’t come the week of the Fourth of July – and into the local restaurants, staying in local hotels and seeing some of the other attractions that Greater Green Bay and northeastern Wisconsin have to offer,” she said. “For us, this was an event that not only helps attract people from the state of Wisconsin, but also was broadcast on all the sports channels to over 300 million households across the world.”
Self-funding tourism solutions Starting with its beginnings as a convention and visitors bureau more than three decades ago, the Fox Cities CVB allocates 25 percent of its room-tax intake for a self-funding grant program. The Tourism Grant Development Program – formerly called the Capital Development Grant Program – has given out more than $8 million in grants ranging from a few hundred dollars for a natural landscaping group to $1 million for the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. “We have a formal application process and grant review, and it’s a way that we can use the funds to reinvest back into the community,” said Pam Seidl, executive director of the Fox Cities CVB. “The process helps us ensure that room-tax funds are being reinvested to bring in additional tourism to the area, so it helps us create a better destination and enhance the visitor experience.” The Fox Cities CVB accepts grant applications for costs related to developing Fox Cities visitor attractions and enhancements likely to generate hotel stays or serve as an amenity for tourism. Some examples include capital projects, upgrades, expansions, permanent exhibits, special programs or signage. The Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau provides a similar selffunded grant program by using room tax revenues to help sponsor various visitor-attracting events in the community. Oshkosh CVB has provided sponsorships for the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball event and Waterfest, and it gave the Battle on Bago ice fishing tournament $6,000 this past year. The Waupaca Boatride U.S. Open Grass Volleyball tournament received a $5,000 sponsorship, helping it attract thousands of participants and spectators from around the world each year. “If there’s an event that we think is really going to bring people to Oshkosh, that’s something we want to get behind and support, whether that’s financially or with staff resources or marketing resources, or whatever we can,” said Amy Albright, executive director of the Oshkosh CVB.
Windows alive
Ripon’s signature winter event, Dickens of a Christmas, received JEM grants in 2015 and 2016. The first year, Dickens aimed to use the $10,000 grant to market outside a small radius of Ripon. It worked. “In 2015, when we got the JEM grant the first time, our hotel stays increased 14 percent for that weekend,” said Jason Mansmith, executive director of the Ripon Chamber of Commerce, which helps downtown businesses plan the event. The 2015 JEM grant worked so well that it created a new problem – people from afar couldn’t hightail it to Ripon in time to enjoy the Friday night festivities. For 25 years, Dickens of a Christmas had followed a set format, with the big climax happening on the first night, Friday’s Living Windows, costumed merchants and carriage rides. Saturday and Sunday featured low-key happenings during the day, like reindeer petting, a quilt show and gingerbread house contest during the day, with no evening events. So organizers chanced a new schedule in 2016 – Living Windows on Saturday night instead of Friday, and added a new street festival on Friday night. The 2016 JEM grant of $7,322 let Dickens promote the shakeup. “When we changed it to Saturday night, we saw a 49 percent increase in hotel stays over the weekend, so we jumped pretty incredibly,” Mansmith said. “It was pretty impressive for us and a well-deserving kind of thing.” Mansmith said rough estimates indicate a range of between 7,500 and 12,000 people visited throughout the three-day event. He estimates visitors spent $106,000.
It’s the bomb
The International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators spent a week in Green Bay in June, adding more than $810,000 to the local economy. Landing that group of 600, which tallied 2,200 room nights, was quite a coup, and it might not have happened without the assistance of some state money. The Wisconsin Department of Tourism awarded the Greater Green Bay CVB a Meetings Mean 18 | October 2017 | NNB2B
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Business matching grant of $15,000. “Those dollars came in real handy for the group,” said Beth Ulatowski, director of sales for the Greater Green Bay CVB. “Bringing in international attendees, getting high-caliber speakers, and providing the security and everything else that goes along with it is expensive, so they were able to utilize the Meetings Make Business grant to offset some of those expenses.” Destinations can apply for 50 percent of the costs for convention facility rental, shuttle buses, promotions or hosting costs, up to $20,000 during a fiscal year, according to Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Meetings and conventions are niche events that – although probably not found on the Travel Channel – positively impact Wisconsin tourism. They bring in large numbers of visitors who eat, sleep and shop here. Meetings Mean Business grants aim to make Wisconsin destinations competitive in attracting regional and national convention business. In 2017, the state tourism department awarded $35,000 in Meetings Mean Business grants. “I don’t know if we would’ve gotten the group without the Meetings Mean Business grant,” Ulatowski said of the bomb group. “Certainly, as a CVB, we don’t have that kind of budget to offer that amount of incentive.”
Keeping score
Any investment that could turn $100,000 into $30 million would be so much of a no-brainer that one might suspect it a Ponzi scheme. Yet, the $109,000 the state spent on 10 Ready, Set, Go! sports marketing grants in 2017 is slated to drive an economic impact of $33 million by the end of the year. The Ready, Set, Go! grant program helps destinations land higher-profile athletic events that ask for money upfront. Only national events that draw both spectators and athletes are eligible for such grants, which are not open to regularly scheduled in-state events or those that rotate around the state.
“I think anyone in my position around the state will tell you that the Ready, Set, Go! grant is huge, especially for these really large events,” Ten Haken said. “We’re fighting with other cities around the country for it, and this helps us get a leg up on the competition, so it’s a really valuable program for us.” Other local events that Ready, Set, Go! grants have supported recently include the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Tournament ($4,500), Midwest Women’s Bowling Tournament ($5,000) and Pro Women’s Bowling Association Players Championship ($6,000), all in Green Bay. “The grant is helping to attract events that wouldn’t normally have been in our community and drives economic impact as a result of those events being in town,” said Joel Everts, sports sales manager for Greater Green Bay CVB. “Each of those three held in Green Bay drew a national television audience, which also highlighted Green Bay on a national front and highlighted our bowling facility. Each one of them drove room nights, which drove economic impact.” n
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Green Bay hit a home run with a $12,000 Ready, Set, Go! grant this year for the International Softball Congress tournament slated for 2019, and Fox Cities picked up a $10,000 grant for the USA Powerlifting High School National Championships coming up in March 2018 at Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton. “The Ready, Set, Go! grant goes to offset all the costs that the Wisconsin High School Powerlifting Association incurs in hosting the event,” said Matt Ten Haken, director of sports marketing for Fox Cities CVB. “They have to rent the space at the Radisson and then also bring in all the equipment for the event, all the staging, lighting, all the video production and PA system stuff. They have to put on the logistics of the event. The $10,000 will cover a portion of those costs.” The USA Powerlifting High School National Championships have never been held in Appleton before, according to Ten Haken. The four-day event is expected to draw 600 competitors and 1,000 fans per day, for about 1,000 total room nights.
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Innovation
New North
Rising
Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Road Trip will highlight the 2017 Launch Wisconsin innovation event at Lambeau Field Submitted photo
Rise of the Rest tour bus as it stopped in Madison in 2014.
Story by Rick Berg
If the New North region needs any validation that it can transcend its historical image as a hub for traditional manufacturing, a visit from a nationally known traveling innovation bus tour should do the trick. The Rise of the Rest Road Trip, launched in 2014 by AOL/America Online founder Steve Case, arrives in Green Bay on Oct. 17 – one of only five stops on this year’s nation tour. Rise of the Rest, an entrepreneurial pitch competition that awards $100,000 to one local startup, will be part of the third annual Launch Wisconsin event slated for Oct. 17 to 18 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Eight finalists have been selected to compete for the prize. Rise of the Rest is a project launched by Case’s investment company, Revolution LLC. The northeast Wisconsin region fits perfectly with Rise of the Rest’s mission to spotlight and support startups that bring innovation to traditional industries in regions not typically associated with innovation – what Case calls “emerging startup ecosystems,” said Anna Mason, director of investments for Rise of the Rest. “Entrepreneurs are building innovative, scalable startup businesses across the country, outside of New York and Boston and California,” Mason said. “We want to highlight and support those efforts – not despite the fact that they aren’t located on the coasts, but specifically because they are located outside the coasts. There are unique opportunities underway for entrepreneurs to make use of the industry expertise available within a region.”
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Capturing attention
Mason said the Rise of the Rest team, at the behest of Launch Wisconsin’s leadership team, selected Green Bay as a stop “after spending a fair amount of time looking firsthand at what’s happening on the ground to spur and support innovation and entrepreneurship. We look to understand the landscape of regional investors and the startup support community.” It took some active lobbying on the part of the Launch Wisconsin team to bring it about.
Exceeding Your Staffing Expectations
“For the better part of a year and half, the team at Launch Wisconsin had actively petitioned us to come to see what’s happening there,” Mason added. “They rallied the support of a number of local leaders in the business community, and we were very encouraged by what we saw there. There appears to be some exciting innovation underway within the region in these legacy industries like manufacturing, supply chain management and health care.” The visit by Rise of the Rest helps support the organization’s drive to enhance the region’s visibility in the eyes of investor stakeholders, noted John Ernst, executive director of Launch Wisconsin. “We’re hidden in plain sight here,” Ernst said. “If you Google innovation in Wisconsin, you’ll come up with Madison and Milwaukee and ‘everybody else.’ We’re ‘everybody else.’ We need to get Siri’s attention. Launch Wisconsin aims to be that voice, that instigator, and Rise of the Rest helps us do that.”
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Pitch competitors already winners
One of the eight finalists for the Rise of the Rest competition is Illumyx, a startup created by De Pere-based Utech Group, which describes Illumyx as a “data-driven, cultural diagnostics tool” designed to help companies through the mergers and acquisition process or “improve employee engagement and retention.” Steve Utech, principal at Utech Group, as well as CEO and founder of Illumyx, said Illumyx grew out of his company’s experience consulting with clients on organizational culture issues and discovering that while most people understand the concept of culture, few can define what it means. Illumyx,
October 17-18, 2017 Lambeau Field in Green Bay Founded in 2015 by Wisconsin’s entrepreneur community, Launch Wisconsin is designed to build capacity for the entrepreneurship and innovation community in Wisconsin. This year’s event will include more than 200 speakers, workshops and mentor meetings, as well as a visit from Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest pitch competition with eight finalists competing for a $100,000 investment. Register: launchwisconsin.com/register-2017
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Innovation Utech said, “is designed to provide a standard way to measure culture in an organization and define it. If you can define it, you can improve it.” Simply going through the initial pitch process for Rise of the Rest has been a beneficial experience, Utech said, regardless of whether his company wins the $100,000 award. “I’ve already won,” Utech said. “This has been a big-time validation for me and also a learning experience. For one thing, I tended to have a small business mindset – that you can start small and build slowly. The reality is that if you’re going to be successful, you need to ramp up. You either ramp up or you don’t.” Another pitch competitor, Mark Hackl, founder and CEO of Green Bay-based Lanehub, agrees with Utech that just being part of the Rise of the Rest competition is a victory. “Certainly, we would like to win,” Hackl said, “but just getting the attention that comes with this is a big benefit. The money would be nice, but we already have good sources of investment, including funding from the N.E.W. Venture Foundry.”
Hackl’s startup is a prime example of Rise of the Rest’s vision of innovation in legacy industries. Lanehub is a technology solution designed to help shippers and carriers match up and collaborate. Participating shippers and carriers enter their profiles in the platform, with information on their carriers and “lanes” of shipping. The information remains private, but Lanehub attempts to match up companies who might have complementary shipping lanes and carriers. The companies can then choose to communicate and share information that might help drive more efficient shipping schedules – more round-trip truckloads and fewer empty trucks. Hackl describes it as a kind of Match.com for the logistics industry. Hackl previously spent 20 years in transportation and logistics at both Georgia Pacific and Schreiber Foods in Green Bay. Lanehub has 65 companies currently on the platform, including Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo and Proctor & Gamble.
Gaining traction and momentum
Utech, who will also be a speaker on the second day of the Launch Wisconsin event, said he’s encouraged by the strides Launch Wisconsin has made. Having years ago moved away
Steve Case Brings Rise of the Rest Road Trip to Green Bay When former AOL Chairman Steve Case founded Revolution LLC in 2005, he said he wanted to create an investment firm that would support startup companies that brought innovation to traditional industries, rather than companies specifically in the tech industry itself. Beginning in 2014, Case and his team took that philosophy on the road with the Rise of the Rest Road Trip – “a nationwide effort to work closely with entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems.” The Rise of the Rest’s stated vision is that “high-growth companies can now start and scale anywhere, not just in a few coastal cities.” In three years, Case’s team traveled 6,000 miles to 26 cities and invested in local startups across the country. Each stop includes a pitch competition, showcasing the best startups in each city, with one company awarded a $100,000 investment from Revolution. On Oct. 17 at Lambeau Field during the Launch Wisconsin event, Rise of the Rest will hold a pitch competition with eight finalists.
Green Bay Rise of the Rest Finalists: b Lanehub Inc. | Green Bay | www.lanehub.com Pitching: Mark Hackl, Founder & CEO About: Lanehub is the social network for transportation , freight lane matching and collaboration. b 65 Incorporated | Mequon | www.i65.com Pitching: Melinda Caughill, chief marketing officer About: 65 Incorporated provides expert, individualized Medicare enrollment guidance without any insurance sales. b Scanalytics Inc. | Milwaukee | www.scanalyticsinc.com Pitching: Joe Scanlin, Co-founder & CEO About: Scanalytics provides data on how people interact with physical environments. b Ideawake | Milwaukee | www.ideawake.com Pitching: Coby Skonord, CEO About: Ideawake allows companies to involve their employees, customers and other stakeholders in strategic planning.
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b Indigenous Pact PBC Inc. | Ohio | www.indigenouspact.com Pitching: Kurt Brenkus, Founder & CEO About: Indigenous Pact PBC puts a health card in every tribal member’s pocket. b In our Hands | Ripon | www.inourhandsapp.com Pitching: Abbie Merrill, Founder & President About: In our Hands educates constituents on state legislation, putting power in their hands. b illumyx | De Pere | www.illumyx.com Pitching: Stephen Utech, Founder & CEO About: illumyx diagnoses internal barriers to corporate growth, productivity and engagement. b OrendX | Marinette | www.orendx.com Pitching: April Hansen, Founder About: OrendX empowers nurse engagement through positive recognition and social collaboration.
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from his hometown of Green Bay to work in Minneapolis and Denver, Utech said he had “a perception that Green Bay is not innovative. Since returning to the region in 2010, he’s discovered there is innovation aplenty, but challenges remain in optimizing that innovation. “The challenge I’ve seen is that there is not an easy connection between entrepreneurs and the investor community,” Utech said. “Launch Wisconsin has helped provide that connection.” Hackl agreed, noting that “in that past we haven’t seen a lot of ways to connect with investors, but that has begun to change and we’re gaining momentum and traction.” De Pere-based Zyquest Founder Al Zeise, one of the New North region’s best-known serial entrepreneurs as well as an investor through various groups like N.E.W. Venture Foundry, said the change has been a long time coming. That’s part of the reason he and others created and funded Launch Wisconsin in 2015. “There’s a lot of investment money available in northeastern Wisconsin,” Zeise said. “There just hasn’t been a lot of people thinking about investing. We saw Launch Wisconsin as a way to begin to create a startup ecosystem here to bring innovators and investors together.” Wisconsin has often been looked on as an entrepreneurial wasteland. The Kaufmann Foundation Index of Entrepreneurship, for example, has ranked the state dead last for three years running. Zeise said there is some basis for that finding, but noted the Kaufmann Index doesn’t consider all the possible factors.
“That skews the results. Wisconsin has a great tradition of entrepreneurship, although it has been in industries not currently seen as innovative – the dairy industry, the paper industry and manufacturing in general. We’re seeing more innovation now, but it hasn’t gotten a lot of attention,” Zeise said, pointing to successful emerging companies like Green Bay-based Breakthrough Fuels, which his investment group helped fund. The need to attract outside investor attention to the region was another goal for Launch Wisconsin, Zeise said, and one that’s being achieved by degrees. “Having Rise of the Rest come in here for Launch Wisconsin brings a whole new level of credibility,” Zeise said. “It gives us a platform to showcase what we have to offer here in the region.” For Rise of the Rest, Mason said, the stop in Green Bay will almost certainly match the results the Steve Case team has found in other locales. “We have been in cities with 90,000 people up to one and a half million people and everything in between,” Mason said. “What’s always been true is that we constantly uncover the unexpected, irrespective of the size of the community. Besides the pitch competition, we do what we call an ‘ecosystem crawl.’ We visit with local leaders and startups and really look at what’s happening on the ground. There is always a really interesting and compelling innovation ecosystem underway and always some unique stories to tell.” n Rick Berg is a freelance writer and editor based in Green Bay.
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Entrepreneurship
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.
Nell’s Wigs & Boutique is what you get when you combine a self-described introvert who has a background in theater and cosmetology with a flair for hair, and add compassion for women who are undergoing some of the most traumatic experiences of their lives. Stacey Nellen-Kolze opened Nell’s Wigs & Boutique in 2007, with help and guidance from Urban Hope’s E-Hub program and UW Green Bay’s Small Business Development Center. The small Allouez shop specializes in hair substitutes and prosthetic garments for women who have had breast cancer and hair loss related to chemotherapy for cancer treatment.
Stacey Nellen-Kolze Nell’s Wigs & Boutique Allouez nellswigsboutique.com
Nellen-Kolze majored in technical theater at UW Green Bay and toured with the Broadway production of the Sound of Music for several years doing hair and makeup with her then-future husband, Dean. She serves on the planning committee for Prevea’s Runway for Life and the board of directors for The Ribbon of Hope Foundation. She was recently among four UW Green Bay alumni honored for their achievements.
by Lee Marie Reinsch, New North B2B editor
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What’s your background? I have a technical theater degree and started out as a lighting designer. I wanted to travel with my (future husband), who was also in the lighting part of it and was already traveling with a band. I really enjoyed doing hair, so I went and got my cosmetology degree after graduating from UWGB and got state licensed for Wisconsin. Then I got picked up for my first tour. I started doing hair and makeup on the road and at various salons whenever I wasn’t on the road. Then in 2005, my husband and I decided to stop touring. He got a great job offer here in Green Bay. A couple years later, I wanted to go back to the salon and thought I knew enough about hair and wigs that I could start working with the wig side of it – and ventured into what now Nell’s Wigs & Boutique. That was March 2007.
How did you start the business? I started at Transitions Family Haircare on West Mason Street (in Green Bay) and slowly started building my business one wig at a time, one guest at a time. Within a couple years I figured out that I needed a private space, so I started renting from the salon owners. They had a lower level that they transformed into a nice little studio.
B2B photo by Lee Marie Reinsch
Sample wig styles on display at Nell’s Wigs & Boutique.
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Entrepreneurship After a couple years, I realized I couldn’t do it on my own and wanted to add into my business plan the mastectomy bra fittings, prostheses and such, just because it’s such a service that goes hand in hand with what we do on the wig side of it.
What does it do for a woman’s self image?
How did you go from lighting to hair?
And it’s not like one day you wake up and you’re bald, it’s unfortunately a long journey where you have four, five, six days where your hair is just falling out and falling out rapidly. You have no way to control it. I personally would think that would be just devastating, because that’s who you are. You look in the mirror and you see your beautiful face and you also see that you don’t have hair. I think that’s just our identity as women.
The transition came from working at the Weidner Center. In college, we as students were able to run across the street and help out with whatever show that needed it, and one day they needed someone on hair. I said ‘I know how to braid; I could probably help out with that.’ It was just a whole new world and a fun challenge.
What’s unique about Nell’s? We give women a little bit more intimate setting and a little bit more comfortable setting than going to a durable medical equipment center that carries wheel chairs and such. We just started building that side of the business (garments and breast prostheses) in conjunction with the wig side and hired a couple of fantastic women to help me with that.
What inspired you to get into wigs? I knew how to work with wigs, manipulate them and style them to fit women, and I just had a passion for women who needed help versus just coming in for a fashion wig for a different look that week. I want to help women out who need it and aren’t feeling well and who don’t have hair. They have a completely different journey. It brings more of a compassion side to the wig business, with cancer. That’s where I started building my business, just word of mouth. I really didn’t advertise a lot, just through the guests that had come through and who I’d worked with.
It’s such a transformation. What I see from our guests is they can be strong going through all of their treatments – they know they’re not going to feel well – but it’s that first day they start losing their hair that breaks them.
Men can be bald and be totally awesome, whereas it’s harder for a woman because it’s our identity.
Can people tell it’s a wig? We try to match up exactly what style and color they have, and gosh, we get pretty darn close. To the point where a lot of doctors and nurses and even family members and coworkers don’t even know they’ve lost their hair. I can’t even tell you how many women come in and tell me their doctor said “I’m so glad you haven’t lost your hair,” and the woman is like, “What are you talking about? This is a wig.” There are so many women who go to work and their coworkers know what they’re going through but they just don’t want them to see what they’re going through. They want to kind of hide it and cover it up. It helps them feel more normal. That’s the rewarding part of it – our guests can come in and feel like themselves when they leave.
What challenges does your work present? We meet women at their worst point. So many women don’t want to go through with it, and this is just like the final straw – they don’t want to lose their hair. The challenge is just trying to help them through this the best way we can. The other challenge is I try not to read the obituaries.
CURDS. CUSTARD. ’CREDITATION?
Eighty percent of our clientele is undergoing cancer. I don’t like to talk about that side of it. But the challenge is helping them through and helping them feel good. n
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Professionally Speaking
Professionally Speaking is a paid promotional spot in B2B.
One Million Visitors, Millions of Benefits by Amy Albright of Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau 920.303.9200 Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Event City, had the pleasure of welcoming more than one million visitors last year. From music festivals and fishing tournaments to athletic competitions and meetings, travelers continue to visit for so many reasons. These travelers bring tremendous value to the Oshkosh area, which is why we always welcome them with open arms. The beauty of tourism is these visitors come to our destination, spend money and then go home. And, if Oshkosh provided an enjoyable stay, they return again. This simple process has an incredibly positive impact on the Oshkosh area. Tourism brings visitors and dollars into our communities, helps sustain and create jobs, encourages entrepreneurial business starts, generates non-resident taxes for government and supports local non-profit entities. Visitor spending produces much-needed tax revenue that stimulates community
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growth. According to research conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, visitors to Winnebago County generated $30.9 million in state and local taxes in 2016. This revenue helps support education, health care, police and fire departments and other essential programs and services for local citizens. Tourism helps sustain and create employment in the Oshkosh area. Visitor spending totaled more than $242 million in Winnebago County last year. This spending supported 4,879 jobs with a total personal income of more than $134 million. The current unemployment rate is extremely low; however, without tourism-supported jobs, the unemployment rate would more than double. It feels great when people want to visit your community. It’s a reminder that you live in a special place and have assets that don’t exist elsewhere. Visitors are coming here to attend our events and spend money at our restaurants and retail businesses. This spending helps keep our establishments vibrant and gives them incentive to
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continue improving and adding to our community’s resources. A sometimes overlooked benefit of tourism is the significant impact it has on local, non-profit organizations, programs and services. Numerous events held in the Oshkosh area donate a portion, or even all, of their proceeds to help and assist nonprofit entities every year. Without funds received from these events and the visitors who attend them, many of these nonprofits would not succeed. The prosperity gained from tourism continually improves the overall quality of life enjoyed in Oshkosh. Travelers truly benefit Oshkosh in so many ways. That’s why our community welcomes them so enthusiastically each and every year and continues to work hard to ensure they return. Amy Albright is the Executive Director of the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau. To learn more about tourism in Winnebago County, go to www.VisitOshkosh.com or call (920) 303-9200.
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Professionally Speaking
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Connecting the Dots with Another Advocate - a Private Banker - in Your Corner by Chris Leitch of Verve, a Credit Union Private banking is defined differently across the financial industry, but at Verve, a Credit Union, our private banking sector provides personalized financial services and serves as a one-stop-shop. For example, if a member is looking for both a commercial loan and a mortgage, he or she has one point of contact – a concierge if you will – for a smooth experience for all banking needs. No bouncing between a commercial lender and a mortgage architect. Finding just the right resources for your financial needs, private bankers are: • Consultants with expertise spanning several banking sectors. By bringing a private banker into a variety
800.448.9228 ext. 3100 of discussions – be it succession planning, identifying collateral for expanding a business or developing personal investment goals – you can benefit from another financial expert providing new perspectives.
• Experts who keep their eyes on the big picture. Private bankers team up with financial advisers and commercial lenders to help people reach their business and personal goals. Private bankers can help you make the most of your business plan by leveraging assets as additional capital for your business with an eye on the potential impact on taxes and accounting. • A key source for referrals to additional services. Private bankers are very well-connected to the communities they serve and have access to a variety of other professional services – such as
CPAs, attorneys and real estate agents – outside of the financial institution. We know local businesses of all sizes make our communities thrive, and we’re committed to providing financial services to keep your business running smoothly. Chris Leitch, vice president of private banking, provides leadership for a variety of member services at Verve, offerings that include residential and small business lending, consumer lending, depository needs and more. Founded in 1937, Verve, a Credit Union, is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $800 million in assets and serving over 56,000 members at 15 locations. Learn more at verveacu.com. Federally insured by NCUA.
FLSA Overtime Exemptions What Does the Future Hold? by Tony Renning of Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, s.c. As you may recall, in 2014 President Obama directed the Secretary of Labor to “modernize and streamline” the Department of Labor’s (DOL) “white collar” exemptions – those exemptions from overtime for certain executive, administrative and professional employees. On May 18, 2016, the DOL finally released revised regulations governing the “white collar” exemptions. The key elements included: (1) a significant increase in the salary-level threshold – essentially doubling the minimum salary level previously needed to qualify; (2) an automatic adjustment of the salary-level threshold every three years; and (3) an increase in the minimum total annual compensation required to qualify for the highly-compensated exemption. These revised regulations were set to take effect December 1, 2016. However, the DOL was precluded from implementing www.newnorthb2b.com
920.420.7527
and enforcing the revised regulations while the courts addressed the issue of whether the DOL possessed the authority to exclude employees based on salary-level alone, regardless of the duties the employees performed. Just recently, the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas declared the revised regulations invalid. The District Court concluded that a regulation excluding many “white collar” employees from overtime based upon salary level alone is not what Congress intended. That being said, it appears that some increase in the salary-level threshold will be coming based upon recent communication from the DOL. On July 26, 2017, the DOL announced it will be considering revisions to the FLSA Regulations on Overtime Exemptions. The DOL established a 60-day period – ending Sept. 25, 2017 – to submit comments and information pertinent to revising the salary-level threshold. In particular, the DOL invited comments
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
addressing: (1) whether the standard salary level established in the revised regulations effectively identified employees who may be exempt; (2) whether a different salary level would more appropriately identify such employees; (3) the basis for setting a different salary level; and (4) why a different salary level would be more appropriate or effective. Stay tuned! For advice and counsel concerning wage and hour matters and, specifically, the FLSA Regulations on Overtime Exemptions, including the efforts to revise the regulations, contact Tony Renning at (920) 420-7527 or trenning@strangpatteson.com. Tony Renning is a founding shareholder with Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, s.c. This article is intended to provide information only, not legal advice. For advice regarding a particular labor or employment situation, please contact the attorneys at Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, s.c. NNB2B | October 2017 | 29
Who’s News
Incorporations
New North B2B publishes monthly new business incorporations filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. Brown County
BAYSIDE SERVICES AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE LLC, Daniel Theiss, 1664 Terrace View, Allouez 54301. MERCY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH INC., Theodoros Shim, 3997 Penny Ct., De Pere 54115. APEX ACCOUNTING PLUS LLC, Michael Kircher, 2481 Reginald Hill, De Pere 54115. DOUGLAS J. MAURER CONCRETE LLC, Douglas J. Maurer, 1506 Geneva St., De Pere 54115. TED FRANK REPAIR LLC, Theodore Earl Frank, 1116 Suburban Dr., De Pere 54115. N.E.W. PIANO GUYS LLC, Daniel F. Rafferty, 214 Lorrie Way, De Pere 54115. ARKITEKT ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY LLC, Joshua Munnik, 1200 Shadow Ridge Way, #6, De Pere 54115. WE CUT GRASS LLC, Rodney Leo Bebee, 4455 Oak Ridge Cir., De Pere 54115. ANEW LAWN LLC, Eric Michael Rytilahti, 1694 W. Main Cir., De Pere 54115. IGNITE NUTRITION LLC, Michelle Zellner, 504 Redbird Cir., De Pere 54115. EAST MASON BAKE SHOPPE LLC, Michael Vande Walle, 1840 Dickinson Road, De Pere 54115. SPECTRUM PAINTING & FINISHING LLC, Monique Brickham, 802 W. St. Francis Road, De Pere 54115. CUTHILL ARCHITECTURAL CONSULTING LLC, Douglas Cuthill, 12207 Cedar Creek Dr., Denmark 54208. W&J CABINETS LLC, Wobin Zhang, 1498 Parkway Dr., Green Bay 54304. J SOTO’S FLOORING LLC, Jose Luis Soto, 2021 Deckner Ave., Apt. 421, Green Bay 54302. SPARK EMBROIDERY AND PRINTING COMPANY, Taman I. Abdi, 1811 Badger Ave., #4, Green Bay 54303. MAD HATTER APPS LLC, Timothy Allen Madison, 1771 Chateau Dr., Green Bay 54304. SMJ ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES LLC, Shelby M. Schraufnagel, 1342 Emir St., Green Bay 54313. WISCONSIN MISSING PERSONS ADVOCACY INC., Marsha Loritz, 2685 Altair St., Green Bay 54311. ANA’S FASHION BEAUTY SUPPLIES LLC, Ana Maria Ortega-Moreno, 1373 Cedar St., Green Bay 54302. DANCING DOULA LLC, Chelsea Bertaud, 2483 Hemlock Ct., Green Bay 54311.
Connect online TODAY 30 | October 2017 | NNB2B
ART CLEANING SERVICE LLC, Celeste Navarro Muro, 338 E. Mission Road, Green Bay 54301. DARLA WEB SERVICES LLC, Darla D. Libassi, 2682 Allouez Ave., Green Bay 54311. DeLEERS CAREGIVER SOLUTIONS INC., Robert S. DeLeers, 900 Liberty St., Green Bay 54304. ALVARADO AUTO AND TIRES LLC, Martin Alvarado, 250 N. Northview Road, Green Bay 54311. HEALTH SPA INC., Guihong Limay, 11880 Velp Ave., Unit D, Green Bay 54313. FISH’N WALLEYE GUIDE SERVICE LLC, Teresa L. Tilkens, 1508 Alamosa Tr., Green Bay 54313. FUEGO LOUNGE LLC, Carmen Munoz, 1238 Main St., Green Bay 54302. HAPPY MEMORY PET MEMORIALS LLC, Luke J. Slye, 2568 Rivergrove Ave., Green Bay 54303. BEST AERIAL IMAGES & MORE LLC, Scott F. Best, 2533 Shawano Ave., #3, Green Bay 54313. BALDWIN’S HANDYMAN SERVICE LLC, Lucas Alan Baldwin, 620 E. Idlewild Ct., Green Bay 54303. FOX VALLEY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION LLC, Adan Ibrahim Shalmad, 1118 Roland Lane, Apt. 20, Green Bay 54303. CREATION TREE AND STUMP REMOVAL LLC, Joshua John Mallmann, 830 Venus Dr., Green Bay 54311. LAS BRISAS RESTAURANT LLC, Alejandro Gonzalez Rico, 1834 E. Mason St., Apt. A, Green Bay 54302. HILLSIDE BROOK FARM LLC, Matthew W. Lewis, 1515 Pinecrest Road, Green Bay 54313. FISCHER ART & DESIGN LLC, Erik W. Fischer, 1332 E. Mason St., Green Bay 54301. VI VI NAIL & SPA INC., Minhnhut Do Nguyen, 2264 W. Mason St., Green Bay 54303. DC MASONRY LLC, Shawn J. De Cleene, 6972 County Road PP, Greenleaf 54126. SERVAIS TRUCKING LLC, Anne E. Servais, 4390 N. New Franken Road, New Franken 54229. LeGRAVE PLUMBING LLC, Evan J. LeGrave, 5891 Old Country Cir., New Franken 54229. BEE SAFE LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES LLC, Mark J. Basten, 3877 Luxemburg Road, New Franken 54229. FIRST CHOICE FINANCE LLC, Mark Stephen Becker, 248 Williams St., Pulaski 54162. CORNERSTONE COUNSELING SOLUTIONS LLC, Sarah Richardson, 976 Riverside Dr., Suamico 54173. ACCUCUT CONCRETE FINISH AND REMOVAL LLC, Kyle Gordon Schmidt, 1230 Broadway St., Wrightstown 54180.
Fond du Lac County
KETTLEBROOK FARM BED & BREAKFAST LLC, Patricia Ann Hron, W541 County Road SS, Campbellsport 53010.
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WISCONSIN CONCRETE STABILIZING LLC, Bret Woolhether, 303 Margaret Ave., Eden 53019. STAEHLER TAX & CONSULTING LLC, Matthias Staehler, CPA, 40 Manor Hill Dr., Eden 53019. LUPE JRS TRUCKING LLC, Guadalupe Salinas, Jr., 174 Manor Hill Dr., Eden 53019. ALL-N-ONE HANDYMAN LLC, Kurt Richard Klaske, W8334 County Road T, Fond du Lac 54937. SC JANITORIAL SERVICES LLC, Samuel Cortes, 115 Maria Lane, Fond du Lac 54935. EMPIRE HOME INSPECTION SERVICE LLC, Michael Joseph Damm, W4330 Artesian Road, Fond du Lac 54937. ALE HOUSE LLC, Ronald E. Boda, 440 Sattlerlee St., Fond du Lac 54935. INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP OF CHAPLAINS, Douglas Murray, 106 S. Bell St., Fond du Lac 54953. THE WOMEN’S TRAVEL CONNECTION LLC, Mary Mineau Merrill, W4415 Mary Hill Park Dr., Fond du Lac 54937. SCHMUCK COFFEE HOUSE LLC, Micheal Taylor, 44 N. Main St., Fond du Lac 54935. MIKE NETT CONSTRUCTION LLC, Michael Joseph Nett, W3880 McCabe Road, Malone 53049.
Outagamie County
KATHERINE’S AUCTION AND APPRAISAL SERVICE LLC, Katie Buchnis, 400 Randolph Dr., Appleton 54913. APPLETON ABATEMENT LLC, Mitchel Killinger, 603 S. Locust St., Appleton 54914. DECK RENEWAL SPECIALISTS LLC, Travis Michael Dern, 2301 N. Rankin St., Appleton 54911. UNIVERSAL BAYONET & KNIFE MOUNT COMPANY LLC, Steven Neville, 1807 E. Robin Way, Appleton 54915. FOX VALLEY NEUROPSYCHOLOGY LLC, Daniel Cleaver Condit, Ph.D., 3201 S. Poplar Lane, Appleton 54915. THE AUCTION HOUSE AT MEMORIES LLC, Lois Buchnis, 400 Randolph Dr., Appleton 54913. DOROTHY B. HOLLENBACH CPA LLC, Dorothy B. Hollenbach, 34 Brentwood Lane, Appleton 54915. BUSYBODY BOOKKEEPING LLC, Meghan M. Fisher, 124 Crestview Dr., Appleton 54915. SENIOR BENEFITS BROKERAGE LLC, Carlo Thomas Younger, 2516 S. Matthias St., Appleton 54915. FOX RIVER VALLEY MASSAGE THERAPY LLC, Amy Eckes, 1835 E. Edgewood Dr., Ste. 1052, Appleton 54913. WE RENT HOUSES REAL ESTATE GROUP LLC, William Frederickson, 517 N. Westhill Blvd., Appleton 54914. DRAFT GASTROPUB LLC, Shirley J. Bullock-Vazquez, 664 W. Ridgeview Dr., Appleton 54911. APHOTIC MEDIA LLC, Chad A. Engle, 333 W. College Ave., Ste. 100, Appleton 54911. ARIES BAKERY CAFE LLC, Samantha Choua Vang, 1835 W. Pershing St., Appleton 54914. TOMS PROFESSIONAL TREE SERVICE LLC, Thomas Schumann, 1831 S. Lee St., Appleton 54915. HOMESTEAD INSPECTIONS LLC, John Zirzow, 38 Partridge Ct., Appleton 54915. SAS TECHNICAL SERVICES LLC, Scott A. Smith, 656 Arnie St., Combined Locks 54113. BADGER STATE TOWING LLC, Nicholas Van, N1056 Tower View Dr., Greenville 54942. FRONT PORCH DESIGN STUDIO LLC, Elisabeth Schaser, N1677 Linda Lou Dr., Greenville 54942. J.GERHARDT HANDYMAN SERVICE LLC, Joseph Fredrick Gerhardt, 40 Bluemound Ct., Apt. 12, Grand Chute 54914. FINK ABOUT IT PAINTING & CREATIONS BY DESIGN LLC, Amanda Marie Fink, W2610 County Road JJ, Kaukauna 54130. RIVERWOOD HOMES LLC, Bryan Renaud, 1911 Bear Paw Tr., Kaukauna 54130. MAID TO PERFECTION LLC, Kristina Schermitzler, 531 Tarragon Dr., Kaukauna 54130. www.newnorthb2b.com
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
It doesn’t have to be a foreign language.
Successful Journeys Need a Guide™ 920.427.5077 www.guidentbusiness.com NNB2B | October 2017 | 31
Who’s News SEVEN STAR TRANSPORT, Justin J. Collins, W755 State Road 96, Kaukauna 54130. AESTHETIC INSPIRATIONS BY LISA LLC, Lisa Marie Brochtrup, 540 Frostfield Dr., Kaukauna 54130. STELTER GLASS LLC, Nicholas Stelter, N2223 Town Club Road, Kaukauna 53130. PINK FUSION SPICES LLC, Patricia Janz, 605 Draper St., Kaukauna 54130. THE HAIR LOUNGE LLC, Heidi Elizabeth Winter, 1435 W. 3rd St., Kimberly 54136. CREATIVE CONCEPTS CONSTRUCTION LLC, Adam M. Lamers, 503 Johnson Ct., Little Chute 54140.
Winnebago County
RELIANCE ACCOUNTING AND TAX SERVICES LLC, Lindsay M. Sorenson, W10618 Cedar Road, Larsen 54947. A & SON ROOFING IMPROVEMENTS INC., Honorio Agaton Hernandez, 606 3rd St., Menasha 54952. CARING BEYOND THE BARS MINISTRIES INC., Theresa M. Dillard, 912 Clovis Ave., Menasha 54952. DATA SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE LLC, Sharon Marie Wasileski, N7877 Jurek Ct., Menasha 54952. BEE REFRESHED CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES LLC, Anson Arnold Stancer, 416 7th St., Neenah 54956. CAPACITY LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANTS LLC, James Maguire, 1810 Buser Dr., Neenah 54956. NEENAH FRAMING INC., Dylan Seymour, 3484 Knox Lane, Neenah 54956. YARNS GIFTS AND MORE LLC, Liliana Debroux, 119 Woodside Ct., Neenah 54956. MAGGIE ANN WELLNESS SOLUTIONS LLC, Margaret Ann Gehrke, 832 Graceland Dr., Oshkosh 54904. DUNDER MIFFLIN HOLDINGS LLC, Michael L. Scott, 3805 Shorebird Ct., Oshkosh 54904. MILLER SCRAP REMOVAL LLC, Eric Miller, 3133 Fond du Lac Rd., Oshkosh 54902. BUD MAROHN FARMS LLC, David A. Kennedy, 953 County Road M, Pickett 54964.
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APEX HOMESTEAD INSPECTIONS LLC, Douglas Roubidoux, 534 Old Orchard, Winneconne 54986.
Building permits
B2B includes a monthly list of building permits (not to include residential projects) in excess of $400,000. BCI BURKE CO., 660 Van Dyne Road, Fond du Lac. $943,686 for a 27,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing industrial facility for manufacturing space. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. August 1. WINNEBAGO COUNTY, 415 Jackson St., Oshkosh. $1,244,647 for interior alterations to the courthouse. General contractor is Boldt Construction of Appleton. August 3. ROSS DRESS FOR LESS, 2280 E. Mason St., Green Bay. $965,000 for interior improvements to the new multi-tenant building. General contractor is Innovative Construction Solutions of Brookfield. August. MARSHALLS, 2280 E. Mason St., Green Bay. $954,000 for interior improvements to the new multi-tenant building. General contractor is Innovative Construction Solutions of Brookfield. August. POLY FLEX, 311 Oak Grove Road, Kaukauna. $1,400,000 for a 36,000-sq. ft. addition to the existing manufacturing facility. General contractor is CR Structures Group of Kimberly. August 7. J. F. AHERN CO., 2111 Sandra St., Appleton. $800,000 for interior renovations to the existing warehouse and fabrication building. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. August 8.
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
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ST. NORBERT ABBEY, 1016 N. Broadway, De Pere. $3,000,000 for an addition to the existing religious administrative center. General contractor is De Leers Construction of De Pere. August 14. WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, 1251 Jacobson Road, Fox Crossing. $1,200,000 for a 13,040-sq. ft. commercial building. Contractor is Property Management Associates of Green Bay. August 18. IMPERIAL SUPPLIES, 300 N. Madison St., Green Bay. $7,000,000 for interior renovations to the existing three-story office building. General contractor is Pepper Construction Co. of Chicago. CUSTOM OFFSETS, 3989 E. Endeavor Dr., Appleton. $1,600,000 for a 20,000-sq. ft. auto parts retail facility, shop and offices. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. August 29. 405 WASHINGTON AVE LLC, 405 Washington Ave., Oshkosh. $2,437,699 for an interior renovation and restoration of the former Eagles Club building. General contractor is Ganther Construction of Oshkosh. August 30. PRECISION INSTALLATIONS, 660 Watermark Ct., Fox Crossing. $1,400,000 for an 18,902-sq. ft. industrial building and office. General contractor is Keller Inc. of Kaukauna. September 1.
New locations EXECUTIVE OFFICE SUITES opened a second Green Bay area location at 2300 Riverside Dr. in Allouez. The 8,500-sq. ft. location features 30 fully furnished offices and include access to conference rooms and office equipment.
VERVE, A CREDIT UNION opened a new branch office at 215 W. Murdock Ave. in Oshkosh. The new office replaces its former location on North Main Street in Oshkosh.
Mergers/acquisitions MENASHA CORP. acquired ARI Packaging in Illinois, a Chicago-area supplier of contract packaging and fulfillment services for merchandising packaging and displays. The company employs 97 people and operates five facilities between Illinois, Virginia and California. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Plymouth-based VAN HORN AUTOMOTIVE acquired the Ford Lomira dealership from Ernie Von Schledorn. Van Horn Automotive Group now operates 13 dealerships in total, including 10 locations in northeast Wisconsin. Green Bay-based heavy-duty tissue products manufacturer NPS CORP. acquired Evolution Sorbent Products LLC of Chicago. The company manufactures a variety of industrial spill control and secondary containment products from a facility in West Chicago and second facility in the United Kingdom. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Business honors Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin presented 2017 Build Wisconsin Awards to Fond du Lac-based J. F. AHERN CO. in the specialty contractor category for the mechanical work performed on the Arrowhead research facility in Madison, and to MIRON CONSTRUCTION CO. of Fox Crossing for its work on Menasha Corp. new corporate headquarters in Neenah in both the commercial projects and environmental excellence categories.
Our Green Bay Office Has Moved 300 North Broadway, Suite 2B • Green Bay At von Briesen, we’ve transformed the traditional law firm into a modern platform for legal innovation. We combine our industryleading expertise with innovative technology and a creative approach to problem-solving to generate game-changing advantages for our clients. Our experienced team is ready to serve our region’s businesses, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and governments. With industry-leading expertise and innovative technology, we take a collaborative approach to problem-solving, advocacy, and advice. To learn more about our law firm and areas of practice, visit vonbriesen.com.
Oshkosh • Green Bay • Appleton
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15 Years v 2002 to 2017
NNB2B | October 2017 | 33
Who’s News
Stiteley
Mangin
Skorupski
New hires APPLETON LATHING CORP. in Neenah hired Sam Gabrilska as a staff accountant. KELLER, INC. in Kaukauna hired Katie Mangin as director of marketing. BLC COMMUNITY BANK in Little Chute hired Patrick Skorupski as a commercial lender. WRITING BY DESIGN in Appleton hired Patty Kitowski as director of communications. Kitowski has more than 20 years of marketing, branding and public relations experience, most recent serving as a marketing manager at Ascension Health. First Business Financial Services hired Rick Hearden as president for the northeast Wisconsin market of FIRST BUSINESS BANK in Appleton. He has more than 20 years of banking experience in northeast Wisconsin, most recently working as a senior vice president and commercial banking manager for the Wisconsin market of Ohiobased Huntington Bank. PREVEA HEALTH added Dr. Sam Hofman as a pediatrician to serve patients at both of its clinics in De Pere. MIRON CONSTRUCTION CO. in Fox Crossing hired Chris Wolslegel as vice president of industrial business development. Wolslegel has 25 years of management experience. PERFORMA INC. in De Pere hired Juli Simonet. LODGE KOHLER in Ashwaubenon hired Joey Kolenc as head chef of its Taverne in the Sky restaurant. Kolenc has more than 15 years of culinary experience, most recently working as an executive sous’ chef for a restaurant in Arizona. De Pere-based ELEMENT hired Tom Eggert and Jamie Mitchell as account executives. Eggert has eight years of marketing experience, most recently working as the vice
34 | October 2017 | NNB2B
Hearden
Hofman
president of creative opportunities at Brand Outcomes in Green Bay. Mitchell has 19 years experience in marketing and design, most recently working as the marketing manager for retailer Sun & Ski.
INVESTORS COMMUNITY BANK hired Glen Stiteley as executive vice president – chief financial officer. Stiteley previously served as CFO for First Community Financial Partners, a $1.3 billion bank holding company in Illinois.
Wolslegel
Kitowski
Page
Vande Hey
H.J. MARTIN AND SON in Green Bay hired Jennifer Page as a process coordinator. Page previously operated Larsen Piano Studio in the Green Bay area for 10 years.
Promotions Kaukauna-based KELLER, INC. promoted Sarah Vande Hey to graphic design coordinator and Kelly Schiedermayer to estimator. Vande Hey has been with Keller for 16 years, while Schiedermayer has been with Keller for three years, most recently working as a craftsman on a carpentry crew. PROVIDENT FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS in Oshkosh named Cassandra N.F. Dorn and Brenda L. Rolli as shareholders. Dorn has been in the financial services industry since 2004 and joined Provident as a financial consultant in 2012. Rolli has been in the financial services industry since 1995 and joined Provident in 2013. BLC COMMUNITY BANK in Little Chute promoted Adam Lange to vice president and chief lending officer. Lange has 15 years experience in the banking industry. PELLA WINDOWS & DOORS OF WISCONSIN in Ashwaubenon promoted Barry Schoening to general sales manager. He previously served as the company’s commercial sales and trade manager.
Individual Awards Wisconsin Grocers Association presented STEVE BURKHARDT, vice president of operations support at De Pere-based Skogen’s Festival Foods , with its 2017 Excellence in Operations Award. AMANDA MANTEUFEL, a project manager with Miron Construction Co. in Fox Crossing, was named to Constructech magazine’s Woman in Construction list for 2017.
Schiedermayer
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
Dorn
Rolli
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Helping local businesses grow one relationship at a time. Lange
Schoening
Manteufel
Business calendar
New North B2B encourages businesses and organizations looking to attract interested persons to upcoming events to email sean@newnorthb2b.com. OCTOBER 3 Greater Green Bay Chamber Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members and $35 for nonmembers. For more information, visit www.greatergbc.org or email fyi@greatergbc.org. OCTOBER 4 Envision Fond du Lac Area Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Cujak’s Wine & Coffee Bar, 47 N. Main St. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $5 for members. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com.
Customized Solutions • Innovative Products • Fast, Local Decisions
Mike Dempsey
Joan Woldt
Meghann Kasper
Bill Bradley
Lucas Schultz
4201 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Appleton | 101 City Center, Oshkosh
For better banking, think First www.BankFirstNational.com
OCTOBER 4 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at Omni Glass & Paint Inc., 3530 Omni Dr. in Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $2. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com. OCTOBER 5 Ideas Amplified: Design Thinking for IT Minds, an event from Amplify Oshkosh, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Grind Cowork Space, 240 Algoma Blvd. in Oshkosh. No cost for members. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.amplifyoshkosh.com. OCTOBER 5 Women in Management – Discover, Grow, Achieve Conference, 2 to 8:30 p.m. at Holiday Inn, 625 Rolling Meadows Dr. in Fond du Lac. For more information or to register, visit www.wimiwi.org. OCTOBER 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 Healthy Eating and How It Can Benefit Your Company. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information or to register, go online to www.heartofthevalleychamber.com.
Listen better. Plan better. Build better.
Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group, Appleton
OCTOBER 10 Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce Connection Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com. OCTOBER 11 Women in Management – Fond du Lac chapter monthly meeting, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Holiday Inn, 625 W. Rolling Meadows Dr. in Fond du Lac. Topic is PR When Disaster Strikes. Cost to attend is $15 for member or $20 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, contact Vicki at vicki.woschnick@usbank.com or visit www.wimiwi.org. www.newnorthb2b.com
920.733.7305 www.crstructures.com 571 Marcella St. Kimberly, WI 54135
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Design-build Commercial Industrial
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Business Calendar OCTOBER 12 Greater Green Bay Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Lodge Kohler, 1950 S. Ridge Road in Green Bay. For more information, visit www.greatergbc.org or email Micky at mdoyle@greatergbc.org. OCTOBER 12 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m. at Regus, 4321 W. College Ave., Ste. 200 in Appleton. No charge for members. For more information or to register, go online to www.heartofthevalleychamber.com.
Thank you
to the advertisers who made the October 2017 issue of New North B2B possible. AEGIS Financial ⎮AEGISfinancialplanners.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
OCTOBER 17 Envision Fond du Lac Area Business Connection, 5 to 7 p.m. at EP Direct, 1479 S. Hickory St. in Fond du Lac. Cost to attend is $5 for members. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com.
Amplify Collaborate IT ⎮amplifycollborateit.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
OCTOBER 17 Greater Green Bay Chamber 135th Annual Dinner, 5 to 7 p.m. at KI Convention Center, 333 Main St. in Green Bay. Cost to attend is $60 per person. For more information or to register, visit www.greatergbc.org or email fyi@greatergbc.org.
Bayland Buildings ⎮baylandbuildings.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
OCTOBER 17-18 Launch Wisconsin, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Lambeau Field, 1265 Lombardi Ave. in Green Bay. Featuring Rise of the Rest Road Trip with Steve Case. For more information or to register, visit www.launchwisconsin.com.
Career Options Inc. ⎮Career-Options.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
OCTOBER 18 Leadership from the Top: Leadership During Change, a seminar from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber building, 120 Jackson St. in Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $30 for members and $50 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.oshkoshchamber.com. OCTOBER 19 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange, 8 to 9 a.m. at St. Joe’s Food Program, 1465A Opportunity Way in Menasha. No cost to attend. For more information or to register, email jamie@heartofthevalleychamber.com. NOVEMBER 1 Envision Fond du Lac Area Coffee Connection, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, 51 Sheboygan St. in Fond du Lac. No cost to attend for members. For more information, call 920.921.9500 or email info@fdlac.com. NOVEMBER 7 Greater Green Bay Chamber Power Networking Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the chamber office, 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3A in Green Bay. No cost to attend for chamber members. For more information, visit www.greatergbc.org or email fyi@greatergbc.org. NOVEMBER 7 Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce Conversation with the C-Suite, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at D.J Bordini Center at Fox Valley Technical College, 5 N. Systems Dr. in Appleton. For more information or to register, visit www.business.heartofthevalley.com. NOVEMBER 8 A.M. Oshkosh, a morning networking event from the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, 7:45 to 9 a.m. at Flowers and Leaves LLC, 2200 Jackson St. 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 14 Collaborate IT, a regional technology conference presented by Amplify Oshkosh, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UW Oshkosh Alumni Welcome & Conference Center, 625 Pearl Ave. in Oshkosh. Cost to attend is $69. For more information or to register, call 920.303.2266 or go online to www.amplifycollaborateit.com. n
36 | October 2017 | NNB2B
Appleton International Airport ⎮atwairport.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Bank First National ⎮bankfirstnational.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Borsche Roofing Professionals ⎮wiroofer.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Candeo Creative ⎮candeocreative.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Consolidated Construction Company ⎮1call2build.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CR Structures Group ⎮crstructures.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Dynamic Designs ⎮dynamicdesignspulaski.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Frontier Builders & Consultants ⎮frontierbuilds.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Guident Business Solutions ⎮guidentbusinesssolutions.com. . . . . . . 31 Investors Community Bank ⎮investorscommunitybank.com. . . . . . . . 23 J. F. Ahern ⎮jfahern.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Kaldas Center for Fertility, Surgery & Pregnancy, S.C. ⎮ kaldascenter.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Keller Inc. ⎮kellerbuilds.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Launch Wisconsin ⎮LaunchWisconsin.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Millennium Construction Inc. ⎮millenniumconstructionwi.com. . . . . . 15 Network Health ⎮networkhealth.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 NWTC Corporate Training & Economic Development ⎮ corporatetraining.nwtc.edu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau ⎮visitoshkosh.com. . . . . . . . . 28 Prevea360 ⎮prevea360.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 St. Norbert College MBA program ⎮snc.edu/mba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy ⎮strangpatteson.com. . . . . 29 Suttner Accounting ⎮suttnercpa.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Verve, a Credit Union ⎮verveacu.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 von Briesen & Roper ⎮vonbriesen.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Winnegamie Home Builders Association ⎮whba.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
www.newnorthb2b.com
Supply-chain & manufacturing. Health care. Business. THE DONALD J. SCHNEIDER
Info session snc.edu/go/mbaevent
Nov. 14
School of Business & Economics
Enroll now. snc.edu/mba www.newnorthb2b.com
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
NNB2B | October 2017 | 37
Key Statistics
If there are indicators you’d like to see in this space, contact our office at 920.237.0254 or email sean@newnorthb2b.com.
LOCAL GASOLINE PRICES
U.S. RETAIL SALES
Per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER 17. . . . . . $2.40 SEPTEMBER 10. . . . . . $2.51 SEPTEMBER 3. . . . . . . $2.50 AUGUST 27. . . . . . . . . $2.31 SEPTEMBER 17, 2016. $2.18
$474.8 BILLION 0.2% from July 3.6% from August 2016
Source: New North B2B observations
EXISTING HOME SALES
U.S. INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION
AUGUST
HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE BROWN County .................341.......................$183,900 FOND du LAC County ....... 141 ......................$162,500 OUTAGAMIE County .........237 ...................... $157,000 WINNEBAGO County ........249....................... $137,000 WI DEPT. REVENUE COLLECTIONS
FISCAL YEAR 2017
$15.5 BILLION 2.8% from Fiscal year 2016
(2012 = 100)
AUGUST
104.7
0.9% from July 1.5% from August 2016 AIR PASSENGER TRAFFIC (Local enplanements) AUG. 2017 AUG. 2016 Appleton Int’l ATW..................... 24,938......... 23,257 Austin Straubel GRB..................... 28,128 ...... 30,832
LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT JULY JUNE JULY ‘16 APPLETON ........3.3% ...... 3.4% ........ 3.8% FOND du LAC ....3.3% ...... 3.4% ........ 4.2% GREEN BAY........3.3% ...... 3.4% .........4.1% NEENAH .............3.3% .......3.5%......... 3.9% OSHKOSH ..........3.4% .......3.6% ........ 4.0% WISCONSIN .......3.3% .......3.5% ........ 4.2%
NATURAL GAS PRICES Prices for small businesses using less than 20,000 therms. Listed price is per therm.
SEPTEMBER..................$0.328 AUGUST....................... $0.342 SEPTEMBER 2016........ $0.389 Source: Wisconsin Public Service
ISM INDEX Numbers above 50 mean expansion. Numbers below 50 mean contraction. AUGUST. . . . . . . . . . 58.8 JULY. . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.3
ONLINE SEMINARS AND
38 | October 2017 | NNB2B
WORKSHOPS
15 Years v 2002 to 2017
www.newnorthb2b.com
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