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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Mural Tells Visual Story of Chilton’s History
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Chilton native James Barany has always had a love and appreciation of the arts. As a young child he visited the Chilton Post Office with his grandfather, James Skarda, who served as beloved principal of Chilton High School for many years. A mural at the Post Office painted by muralist Charles Thwaites deeply influenced young Barany. “I clearly remember being lost in the image as I gazed upon it, trying to decode and understand it as a boy,” Barany said.
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Barany graduated from Chilton High School (CHS) in 1988 and went on to become a professor of art at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design—the same school that trained muralist Thwaites. During the summer of 2019, Thwaites’ influence came full circle when Barany was asked to be lead artist and designer of historical murals for Chilton and nearby Stockbridge.
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A portion of the new Chilton Mural.
Photo credit: Darlene Buechel
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Barany worked with the Calumet County Historical Society (CCHS) using real historical photos and events and spent about four months going from a concept to a digital version for both murals. “The designs were then finalized by steering committees, members of CCHS, and approved by the building owners, helping to make sure the images reflected the ideas and history of each community in a progressive and tasteful manner,” Barany explained.
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Drive down Main Street in Chilton (or better yet walk) and you will not miss the vibrant, colorful mural gracing the side of the building at 40 W. Main. The mural, about 32 feet high and 55 feet long, vividly depicts the history of Chilton. Four types of paint product were used including wall conditioner, primer (acrylic gesso), high-grade colorfast acrylic paint, and a durable protective sealant. About 12 gallons of each type of paint, or 48 gallons total, were used to complete the mural. Barany estimated the project took about 1,500 hours of work from research and design to painting the mural. The images in the Chilton mural span 75 years—from 1840 through 1915—and paint a realistic picture of the growth of the city.
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The Chilton mural crew, with Jim Barany shown on the top, left.
Photo credit: Darlene Buechel
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Note: This mural adds a needed “wow” factor in uptown Chilton. It will enhance community pride and draw visitors from near and far. Kudos to Barany for conceptualizing the project, to the Chilton community for welcoming it, and to the funders for their financial contributions. It will be fun to see the Stockbridge mural take shape as well.
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New Vice President of Business and Community Development Named
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Mary Gage has been named the new vice president for business and community development at WEDC. WEDC’s previous vice president of business and community development, Barb LaMue, is now the executive director of
New North
.
Gage has worked with WEDC, and previously with the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, since 1996, in roles including economic development consultant, senior loan officer, director of business finance and compliance, regional account manager, and senior economic development director. Most recently, as senior economic development director with WEDC, Gage managed a team of seven regional economic development directors who are responsible for the delivery of WEDC programs to partners, businesses and municipalities
.
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T
radewinds: Department of Commerce General Counsel Holds USMCA Discussion in Green Bay
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By Jessica Thiel, Insight on Manufacturing, July 2019
With its concentration of manufacturing, agriculture, and dairy businesses, Northeast Wisconsin stands to benefit from provisions in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a key figure from the U.S. Department of Commerce told businesses leaders at a roundtable discussion in Green Bay. The Greater Green Bay Chamber hosted the discussion between Peter Davidson, general counsel for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and representatives from small, medium, and large businesses from the greater Green Bay area. “I think USMCA is going to be a big boost for Wisconsin and the greater Green Bay area as well,” he told the group.
Davidson says the USMCA stemmed from a desire to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement to rebalance trade relationships and eliminate barriers. The Office of the United States Trade Representative touts it as a “mutually beneficial win for North American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses.”
“There are several agricultural provisions in the USMCA that I think will be beneficial, particularly in the dairy areas. There are some real breakthroughs on Class 6 and Class 7 grade milk,” Davidson says.
Eliminating milk classes 6 and 7 would mean ending a program that allowed low-priced dairy ingredients to undersell United States dairy sales in Canada and third-party governments, according to The Office of the United States Trade Representative.
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Note: Whether trading with Mexico, Canada, or other countries, international trade is a valid
opportunity to help improve sales of domestic products. A Global Trade conference will take place on October 25 at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton to help businesses learn how to take advantage of international markets.
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New Dairy Research Food Grant Program Announced
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The Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research has announced a new program designed to foster innovative new food or beverage products that use a dairy products. Funded by the WI Economic Development Corporation, the grant program targets Wisconsin-based food or beverage entrepreneurs and companies of 50 or fewer employees. Successful applicants can receive a partial reimbursement for hiring a business consultant or educational experience like ExporTech. Depending on the invoice size, up to 75% can potentially be reimbursed to the applicant. For further information or to request an application, please contact Vic Grassman, Center for Dairy Research, 608-512-6661;
vgrassman@cdr.wisc.edu.
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Sargento Prompts Schools to Look at ‘High Tech Ed'’
Industry 4.0 Classes Raise Bar in Industrial Arts
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High school used to be all about getting top students ready for college. Now there’s also attention being paid to students who want to head right into the job market after high school. Now the new slogan in education is “college ready, career ready, life ready” – with options besides college getting attention. Into this picture enters Sargento Foods, the largest employer in the Village of Hilbert.
School Superintendent Tony Sweere said Sargento is the catalyst, working with schools in northern Calumet County and pointing them to a new program designed to help high school students make a successful transition to the workplace. Sargento approached several area schools about its partnership with LAB Midwest, a Mequon company that works with schools and industry in a variety of initiatives.
One is called Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics; others are Industrial Grade CNC and Robotics, 3D Printing Using Composites and Metal, and Drones and Autonomous Vehicle Technology. “I would see a couple of these things being introduced into our tech ed area,” Sweere said. “I think it brings more legitimacy to our tech ed area.” Sweere said Hilbert, Brillion, and Stockbridge schools want to work with Sargento on the program; Chilton and Reedsville chose not to participate.
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Brillion News Celebrates 125
th
Anniversary
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Brillion News celebrated its 125
th
anniversary in the newspaper business on July 18. The local newspaper has been continuously owned by the Zander Family. Shown right are sisters Kris, Darcy, and Beth representing the fourth generation of family ownership with an acknowledgement from the Brillion Chamber of Commerce. Below, Sen. Andre Jacque presents the Zander family with a State of Wisconsin proclamation noting this significant business milestone.
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(Photo credit: David Nordby, Brillion News)
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Residents Discover Libby’s House Difference
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There are a lot of assisted living facilities in this area and beyond, all of them doing their best to provide the best possible care for their residents. Staff members at Libby’s House of Chilton do the same but also believe they have carved out some niches and do some things differently to the benefit of their residents. They call it “The Libby’s House Difference.”
Located at 323 Field Ln., Chilton, Libby’s House opened in 2011 and is locally owned and operated by Tina Thill. She said she is rededicating efforts to let the community know the special lengths to which Libby’s House goes to provide a safe and comfortable home for their residents. One area in which Libby’s House sets itself apart from some other assisted living facilities is the fact that it specializes in dementia care. Thill said the staff focuses on memory care, adding, “We’re celebrating the moments, knowing people can’t always remember.”
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Free Small Business Counseling Available
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Calumet County offers a free service for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and existing businesses – one-on-one meetings with a business counselor from the Small Business Development Center. Our business counselor is available to meet with Calumet County entrepreneurs and businesses at the Courthouse in Chilton; he also travels to individual business locations for the counseling sessions.
The individualized business counseling sessions are held to help answer questions and put businesses and entrepreneurs in a better position to make the best decisions for themselves and their businesses. To learn more, or to schedule a visit with the business counselor, contact
Mary Kohrell
using the information provided below.
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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 critical 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. Get more details and register
here
. The closest session is on August 14 at 5:30 pm at the Fox Valley Technical College Venture Center in Appleton.
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WI Downtown Summit, October 15-16
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The Wisconsin Downtown Action Council’s 2019 Downtown Summit will be held in downtown Green Bay on October 15 and 16. The event will feature two days of professional networking opportunities and community-focused keynote speakers, professional peer networking, relevant breakout sessions, and mobile workshops. Educational content will be focused on issues relevant for downtown organizations, municipal leadership, and downtown business or property owners.
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2019 New North Summit, December 5 in Green Bay
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The 16th annual New North Summit will be held on Thursday, December 5, at the KI Convention Center in downtown Green Bay. Registration now is open for the full-day event, which will feature a variety of the popular “ED Talks” around Economic Development, updates on various development projects across the region in collaboration with local partners, talent and business development videos, presentation of workplace excellence awards, the sharing of regional success stories, and all-important networking. New to this year’s lineup is a Regional Pitch event by pre-selected entrepreneurs that have advanced through local events across the region.
Themed “A 2020 Vision of the Future,” the 2019 Summit is geared towards business executives, education leaders, non-profit heads, manufacturers, IT professionals, HR practitioners, elected officials, community members, and other stakeholders from around the region and state. Networking begins at 7:30 am; the Summit runs from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
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.
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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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