Focus on Calumet
A bi-weekly update on economic development opportunities in Calumet County
and the region for businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities.
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Introducing the Calumet Business-Education Partnership
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Borrowing the idea from a successful Sheboygan County organization, business and education leaders in Calumet County have formed the Calumet Business-Education Partnership. Approximately 12 business representatives and school administrators from the five high schools located in Calumet County have been meeting since October to determine ways to better collaborate for their mutual interest. The group’s mission is to connect employers, schools, and parents to create opportunities for career exploration and relationship building in Calumet County.
The group has decided to focus on three priorities in 2020: a career event for high school students; business tours for students and educators; and improved community engagement. The Career Event has been scheduled for April 2 at Chilton High School. Local companies can expect to hear more about this event soon!
The goal of the partnership is to include representation from all of the potential career clusters in Calumet County, so business participation is still being encouraged. Co-chairs of the Business-Education Partnership are Tony Sweere, Hilbert Schools Superintendent, and Brad Diener, Lunda Construction. Dawn Grenzer with CESA 6 and Mary Kohrell with Calumet County are providing organizational support for the group.
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Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award Nominees Announced
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Twenty-five Wisconsin manufacturers have been nominated for the 32nd Annual Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year (MOTY) Awards. These nominees showcase the strength and vibrancy of the manufacturing sector in our state that sustains high-wage, family-supporting careers. Manufacturing contributes $63 billion to the state’s economy – nearly 20 percent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product – and employs 1 in 6 Wisconsin workers – roughly 475,000 people.
The MOTY program recognizes the state’s top manufacturers of all industries and sizes for their commitment to good business practices, innovative processes, and productivity enhancements to help drive Wisconsin’s economy. A total of four Grand Award winners will be chose from categories based on company size.
Several of the nominees hail from northeast Wisconsin, including Brillion’s own Professional Plating, and Sargento Foods, headquartered in Plymouth but with a Hilbert location. Also included are Fox Valley Wood Products, Inc., Kaukauna; Orion Energy Systems, Inc., Manitowoc; and Outlook Group, Neenah.
The accounting and advisory firm of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, and the state chamber of commerce, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, sponsor the annual MOTY awards program.
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Setting Up for Export Success
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In 2017, more than 8,600 Wisconsin companies generated sales revenue through exports of their goods and services. Of these, nearly 7,400 were small- and medium-sized enterprises, according to the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Companies from Northeast Wisconsin contributed more than 20 percent of the state’s total exports.
These companies all recognize the remarkable opportunity selling beyond the borders presents. In fact, 95 percent of the world’s purchasing power exists outside the United States. Exporters enjoy the benefits of a diversified customer base, increased market share and competitiveness, the potential to extend product life cycles and the ability to meet the challenges of product seasonality and geopolitical risks.
Exporting can be lucrative, but it is not without risks. Many companies begin exporting when they first gain interest from international buyers. Instinctively, it seems like a good idea to simply accept orders and ship product. Unfortunately, this reactionary exporting can be a risky endeavor. Exporting success ultimately depends on the development and execution of a comprehensive export strategic plan.
A documented export strategy is important to ensure export readiness. Strong export plans begin with leadership commitment. Leadership must demonstrate a commitment to growing the business through exports and provide the organization with clear expectations while assisting with creating a mission statement and setting objectives.
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Calumet County businesses who want more information or a complimentary export readiness consultation are encouraged to reach out to
Shirley Malski
at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Small Business Development Center. Malski is an international trade consultant with the UW System Small Business Development Center, where she serves as a statewide resource providing no-cost consulting to Wisconsin businesses. She is a Chrysler Corp. retiree, holds a master’s degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and is a Certified Global Business Professional specializing in labor law poster compliance.
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Low Unemployment Isn’t Worth Much if the Jobs Barely Pay
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Brookings Institute, January 8, 2020
Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Employment Situation report (better known as the “jobs report”) to outline latest state of the nation’s economy. And with it, of late, have been plenty of positive headlines—with unemployment hovering around 3.5%, a decade of job growth, and recent upticks in wages, the report’s numbers have mostly been good news. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Are these jobs any good? How much do they pay? Do workers make enough to live on?
Here, the story is less rosy.
In
a recent analysis
, we found that 53 million workers ages 18 to 64—or 44% of all workers—earn barely enough to live on. Their median earnings are $10.22 per hour, and about $18,000 per year. These low-wage workers are concentrated in a relatively small number of occupations, including retail sales, cooks, food and beverage servers, janitors and housekeepers, personal care and service workers (such as child care workers and patient care assistants), and various administrative positions.
Just how concerning are these figures? Some will say that not all low-wage workers are in dire economic straits or reliant on their earnings to support themselves, and that’s true. But as the following data points show, it would be a mistake to assume that most low-wage workers are young people just getting started, or students, or secondary earners, or otherwise financially secure:
- Two-thirds (64%) of low-wage workers are in their prime working years of 25 to 54.
- More than half (57%) work full-time year-round, the customary schedule for employment intended to provide financial security.
- About half (51%) are primary earners or contribute substantially to family living expenses.
- Thirty-seven percent have children. Of this group, 23% live below the federal poverty line.
- Less than half (45%) of low-wage workers ages 18 to 24 are in school or already have a college degree.
- These statistics tell an important story: Millions of hardworking American adults struggle to eke out a living and support their families on very low wages.
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Note: Thanks to the state’s strong manufacturing industry, our situation is better than the national average. However, low wage jobs exist everywhere. As the article states, even when low wage earners receive more training and wages improve due to getting a better job, at least some low wage jobs will still exist. Certainly automation may replace some of those jobs, but not all of them. This situation will continue to challenge the health of our local, state, and national economy.
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Task force behind Sheboygan's Innovation District Hired Full-time Director to focus on Programming
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The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation and its task force to create a technology-focused district hired a full-time director to focus on programming for the initiative.
Nick O'Brien was named the director of innovation and engagement for the
FreshTech Innovation District
. He brings experience in talent attraction, retention strategies, and community engagement through his previous work in other counties in the state, like Marathon and Eau Claire. Originally coming to Wisconsin to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, O'Brien said he now devotes his efforts to helping smaller cities like Sheboygan realize their potential.
"This innovation district is an effort to unify, centralize a lot of the innovation activity that's already happening in the county," he said.
The FreshTech district hopes to bring together innovation of every level, O'Brien explained, from the work being done at the Kohler waste lab to the hobby projects people work on in their own garage.
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Note: Sheboygan County’s Innovation District is unique in Wisconsin and is bringing the kind of energy and innovation that will help attract and retain young professionals and innovative people to the Sheboygan County region. Kudos to Sheboygan County for this accomplishment.
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Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest Open Through January 31
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The 17th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest is accepting entries online for the 2020 competition until 5:00 pm Friday, January 31, 2020. The contest is designed to encourage entrepreneurs in the startup stage of tech-based businesses in Wisconsin. The contest links up-and-coming entrepreneurs with a statewide network of community resources, expert advice and mentoring, management talent, and possible sources of capital. Over time, the contest has led to valuable public and media exposure for the top business plans and spurred economic growth in Wisconsin.
In 2019, finalists shared in more than $200,000 in cash and service prizes. For their initial entries, contestants will submit a 250-word (about 2,000 characters) idea abstract online at
govsbizplancontest.com
. That’s where contestants will also find business plan templates and other information, such as the Entrepreneurs’ Toolkit. The toolkit provides business startup information and assistance, networking contacts, and technical resources. Contestants who advance to subsequent contest rounds will expand their plan in stages. Click
here
to enter, become a judge, or learn about sponsorship opportunities.
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Groeschl Wealth Advisors New Office
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By Nannette Jodar, Chilton Journal, January 3, 2020
Rick Groeschl opened his financial planning office in Chilton at the former location for the old Chilton Times Journal also known as the Calumet Publishing building. His practice is known as Groeschl Wealth Advisors, which is a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
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Photo Credit: Chilton Journal
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Mr. Groeschl celebrated the occasion with his staff with a buffet and a ribbon cutting performed with the Chilton Chamber of Commerce who also presented a key to Mr. Groeschl on that beautiful warm summer-like day. Everything was perfect. Rick and his team “had a constricted turnaround time from the time they had decided on the location” to be ready for their opening day October 8th.
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Brillion Chamber of Commerce Still Growing
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In April 2018, Brillion Chamber of Commerce members sat in the house in Green Bay near Lambeau Field owned by Bob and Pat Endries to discuss how to revamp the chamber in a strategic planning session.
“I think what we really took away from that is that the chamber over the past years had kind of lost its value to our local businesses. We were brainstorming for ways on how we could bring value back in baby steps,” Chamber President Amy Myers said.
The chamber’s money primarily comes from membership and a little from events.
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Amy Myers is starting her second year as president of the Brillion Chamber of Commerce. Myers believes the chamber can help the city in many ways, including helping turn employers’ workers into Brillion citizens instead of commuters.
(David Nordby/BN)
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“My big thing is polishing ourselves up to look professional … Let’s start polishing up our events, let’s polish up our marketing things and show people we are professional and we mean business,” Myers said.
The chamber’s website has been updated, they’ve increased social media presence, and partnered with the Manitowoc Chamber on savings cards that can be used at area businesses. All chamber business employees receive the savings cards, which includes hundreds of commuters to Brillion each day.
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Keller, Inc. Names Vande Wettering as President
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Cory Vande Wettering has been named President of
Keller, Inc., replacing Wayne Stellmacher who had been President and CEO since 2006. After spending 12 years in sales, Vande Wettering intends to continue to lead Keller into the future, while still maintaining the integrity Keller has earned over the past 60 years, “I am excited to begin this new chapter as the next leader at Keller, Inc., to help grow our organization, and to continue to strengthen the legacy that our founder has instilled within our employee-ownership: to build every project as if it were our own.”
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Photo Credit Brillion News
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Stellmacher will continue to be a critical member of the Keller team as their Chief Executive Officer, remaining highly involved until his retirement in the first quarter of 2021. Stellmacher will remain a Keller Board Member beyond his retirement date. Keller, Inc. is an award winning, single-source, design/build general contractor headquartered in Kaukauna, with additional offices in Madison, Milwaukee, Tomah and Wausau. As 100% employee-owned, they are leaders in the construction industry specializing in new construction, remodel, retrofit, and reroof projects.
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Premier Financial Credit Union Holds Ribbon Cutting for Newly Expanded Office
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Steve Nothem (third from left), chief executive officer of Premier Financial Credit Union, cut the ribbon Monday evening on the credit union’s newly expanded and refurbished office in Kiel. Mary Jo Muellenbach, president of the Board of Directors for PFCU, helped hold the ribbon in the center. Other local dignitaries included Mayor Mike Steinhardt (left) and State Representative Tyler Vorpagel next to him. To Nothem’s left are Kiel office manager Peggy Goch, PFCU Board member Phil Vergowe, and PFCU President Brad Grant. To Muellenbach’s left are Jeff Smies (Smies & Associates, Architect LLC), Bill Lorrigan of Lorrigan Construction, Kevin Schmitz (K & J Construction), Jesse Schuh of Lorrigan, and PFCU Board member Jerry Ausloos. A reception was held along with the ribbon cutting.
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Support for Business and Entrepreneurs
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Through Calumet County’s partnership with the Small Business Development Center, from 2015 to 2019, the SBDC assisted with $3.5M in capital formation, 11 business starts, and 150 jobs supported in Calumet County. In 2019 alone, there were 17 local clients served. Those businesses run the gamut of size, experience, and type, but one thing they have in common is they are better prepared to move forward due to their interactions with the SBDC staff.
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- Small Business Counselor: Small Business Development Center business counseling services are offered by Ray York, Sheboygan County EDC and Small Business Development Center Entrepreneurship Specialist. Available to all existing businesses and entrepreneurs monthly. To schedule an appointment or learn more, call 920-946-9379 or email Ray.
- First Steps: The Small Business Development Center offers a free, interactive, online class to help entrepreneurs explore their business idea and assess their entrepreneurial readiness as well as identify strengths and weaknesses as a business owner. This interactive online class includes downloadable worksheets, hands-on exercises, local entrepreneur stories, and additional resources to determine next steps. The best part about the class is that it is available anywhere and anytime, and it’s free! For more information or to register for first steps, click here.
- Entrepreneurial Training Program: ETP is taught in eight efficient sessions to help businesses and entrepreneurs develop a plan for a thriving, profitable business. This will allow entrepreneurs to organize and better manage a business, along with receiving funding and writing a detailed, comprehensive business plan. The next program begins in Sheboygan in April, but it’s never too soon to think about signing up.
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Students who take Steve Bartel’s Tiger Manufacturing class at Chilton High School are provided real-world opportunities to put their newly learned skills to work for customers in the community.
During spring semester last year, Terry Criter, president and owner of
Global Recruiters Chilton and member of the Chilton School Board, was able to hire students from the class to help remodel his new office space, and in the process give them practical experience using the basic carpentry skills they had learned in their earlier classes.
With his business office space needs expanding, Criter said he learned about the commercial space available at 509 N. Madison St. from his neighbor Steve Austin, who owns the property, while at a neighborhood gathering. The location, which used to house a video rental shop and tanning salon, was going to need some remodeling to create the office space that Criter wanted.
Criter said he also recalled learning about the work that Steve Bartel’s students had been doing in their Tiger Manufacturing class during an earlier School Board meeting, and he became interested in the possibility of getting the Tiger Manufacturing students to help out with the remodeling project.
Criter said because there were still six months left on the lease at his old location, there was going to be ample time for the students to get the work done and they could treat the space as a lab of sorts. He said Bartel was interested because the class would run from February to May, so the timing worked out, adding, “Steve liked it because this project was in town, a mile from the school, and it’s inside, so the elements didn’t matter.”
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Tiger Manufacturing class students from Chilton High School worked on creating office space for Terry Criter’s business last year. The students put up walls, built tables, created a sliding door, and more for the expanding business.
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Chilton High School students in the Tiger Manufacturing class who helped with an office space renovation last year included (front, from left) Markus Suttner and Hayden Woelfel; and (back) Wyatt Schmitz, Jon Karls, Mike Karls, Brayden Mueller, Kaiden Mikalowsky, Joe Boehnlein, Cameron Owens, Collin Anhalt, and Bryce Kobriger.
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Register now to save your seat at Insight’s 11
th annual InDevelopment Conference. The event will take place
March 18 at the Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center in Oshkosh.
This year’s keynote speaker is Michael Belot, senior vice president of Bucks Ventures and Development. Belot develops and implements the strategic real estate and business growth objectives for the Bucks’ overall organization, including the 30-acre entertainment district.
For more information about the event and to register,
click here.
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Women of Influence Awards
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Insight Publications is hosting the inaugural Insight Women of Influence Awards Luncheon on
March 31 at the Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel & Conference Center in Neenah to recognize women making a difference in the New North. More than 80 women were nominated for this year’s awards.
To view the winners and nominees and to register for the event,
click here.
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Lean Overview for Government
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With restricted budgets and increasing demand, the need for continuous improvement and lean within the public sector is at an all-time high. Continuous improvement is not just about change. It is about making the work we do easier, better and more efficient. Join us for this overview session which will introduce you to the common forms of waste that restrict our workflows causing process complexity and delays in delivering services and information.
Date: Friday, January 17 | 8:00 am - 12:00 noon
Fee: $79.00
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OSHA 10-Hour Voluntary Compliance: Construction
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This 10-hour training was developed by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide construction workers, supervisors and other personnel responsible for construction activities, with an awareness of safety and health concerns in the construction industry. Receive an OSHA 10-hour card upon completion.
Dates: Monday, February 10, 2020 | 7:30 am - 4:30 pm and
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 | 7:30 am - 12:00 pm
Fee: $299.00
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Creating a Continuous Improvement Culture
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A culture of continuous improvement is an ideal every organization believes in. Establishing and supporting an engaged workforce is a key element of success in today's competitive environment. During this course, explore the key elements of employee engagement and develop an understanding of your organization's current state. Material covered includes a methodology for communicating continuous improvement strategies and establishing a baseline for recruiting, hiring and training new and current employees.
Dates: April 23 and 30, 2020 | 8:00 am - 12:00 noon
Fee: $359.00
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Building Your Business Model
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Evaluating and modeling potential new business ventures is the focus of this course. Students will explore and map how a business intends to make money through the four main areas of a business: customers, offer, infrastructure, and financial viability. Through a hands-on, experiential approach students gain a better understanding of how to transform a start-up into a repeatable and scalable business venture.
In-person:
Dates: Wednesdays, January 22-March 11, 2020 | 12:30 to 2:50 pm
Location: Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton Campus, Room B126
Cost: $304.80
or
Online:
Dates: January 20 - March 14, 2020
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Explore Starting a Business
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The complimentary “Explore Starting a Business” session provides a look inside at what it takes to launch a startup and small business. Explore key factors in starting and growing a business. Begin to determine if you have a feasible idea, learn about critica
l questions to consider, and additional entrepreneurship training opportunities. Whether you are looking to turn your side hustle into a full-time gig, grow your small business, or scale a startup, this session will help you understand your next steps.
You will learn about:
- The entrepreneur/business owner mindset
- Critical questions to consider when launching or growing a business
- Entrepreneurship Training: The experience and the results
- 12 essentials for ramping up your business
Get more details and register
here. The next sessions will be held on February 12 at 5:30 pm at the Fox Valley Technical College D.J. Bordini Center in Appleton.
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E-Seed Express: Entrepreneurship Training
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Thinking of starting a business? Need help? E-seed™ Express assists start-up, early-stage entrepreneurs and experienced small business owners in developing management and planning tools for their businesses. Participants develop a business plan through completion of weekly activities and business planning templates. Experts from the small business and entrepreneurial community provide insight into legal, management, marketing, technology, accounting and financing aspects of operating a successful small business.
Dates: Saturday, February 8, 2020 | 9:00 am - 3:30 pm and
Mondays, February 17 thru April 6 | 5:30-8:30 pm
Fee: $299.00
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Calumet County Community Economic Development contact information:
Mary Kohrell,
Community Economic Development Director
Connie Leonhard
, Program Assistant
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