This winter, Brillion is preparing to turn into a hotspot for Midwestern athletes with the opening of the Ariens Nordic Center.

The skiing complex, which began construction in November, is set to open this December. A crowd of athletes, coaches, Ariens staff, and community members gathered at the site of the under-construction complex Wednesday for a kickoff event.

"This venue is going to change the lives of countless young kids, families, athletes, and you are going to, with this venue, inspire a lot of big dreams and Paralympic dreams going forward," Max Cobb, president and CEO of the U.S. Biathlon Association, said. "It is going to be a jewel for this region."

Located at 1111 Round Lake Rd., the Ariens Nordic Center will sit on 200 acres of land with natural rolling hills, and will include a network of trails open to the public year-round for recreation, training, and competition for cross-country skiing, biathlon, roller-skiing, running, hiking and more. The center will make its own snow and include a paved roller-skiing loop for off-season training and a biathlon shooting range.

WEDC’s 2021 Annual Report is now available! The organization has taken a new approach to the annual report this year, featuring partner activities, accomplishments, and impact throughout all of the calendar year 2021!

Titled “Making Strong Connections,” this year’s report includes sections dedicated to:

Sargento Foods announced Tuesday that it will acquire Baker Cheese Factory, Inc., a Wisconsin company known across the country for its mozzarella string cheese.

AriensCo has purchased Thomas Equipment from A-L Parts Inc. This development allows AriensCo to offer a new four-season product line under the Gravely brand to reach into the rental and construction markets. Thomas Equipment has been a high-quality manufacturer of outdoor equipment for 79 years based in Beechwood, New Brunswick, Canada. Started in 1943 by the Thomas Brothers as an agricultural repair business, Thomas Equipment quickly expanded into manufacturing equipment for agricultural purposes, namely potato harvesting and handling. In 1969, the company introduced the world’s first hydrostatic drive skid-loader. Thomas Equipment was purchased by A-L Parts Inc. in 2013.

New Holstein’s Chamber of Commerce continues to work for the betterment of the area’s business sector which, in turn, will help the entire community. One of the ways it is doing that is with a new event just announced in mid-April which it hopes will become an annual event.

Being called “Re-Energize/Recruit New Holstein,” the event will serve as part job fair, part non-profit organization recruitment fair, and part citizen input opportunity. The event is the idea of one of the New Holstein Area Chamber of Commerce’s newest board members, Vickey Anhalt of Mae Rylie’s screen printing and embroidery, who introduced it at the April 6 meeting of the board. Anhalt said she wanted to help the Chamber spearhead an effort to try to connect businesses and non-profits with prospective employees and members and offered to chair Re-Energize/Recruit New Holstein.

Re-Energize/Recruit New Holstein— scheduled to be held Saturday, May 21 at New Holstein High School from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.—also will include the opportunity for people to provide input to the City of New Holstein. According to Anhalt, newly elected Mayor Richard Snelson is planning to hold a monthly forum.

A new subdivision, Luniak Meadows, will soon be developed in the Village of Harrison. The subdivision includes 67 single-family home lots. It is located north of Highway 10, and east of Highway N in the village.

The City of Brillion has hired Austen Frederickson to be the new Public Works Director. Frederickson replaces Andy Geiger who took a new position with AriensCo. Frederickson was previously with the Department of Public Works for the Village of Kronenwetter.

Calumet County’s business assistance partner, the Small Business Development Center, is looking to fill two positions in the SBDC at UW Oshkosh. The positions are a SBDC Business Consultant at 75% time, and a Program Coordinator – Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at 100% time. Both positions are hired as employees of UW Oshkosh and eligible for full benefits. 

The Main Street Bounceback Grant program provides $10,000 to new or existing businesses and non-profit organizations moving into vacant properties in Wisconsin’s downtowns and commercial corridors. Funds can be used to pay leases or mortgages, operational expenses and other business costs related to the newly opened location.

The reimbursement grant program is open to new or existing businesses opening a new location or expanding operations in a vacant commercial space as of January 1, 2021. Calumet County. Contact the grant program coordinator at East Central WI Regional Planning Commission for information.

Ray York of the Small Business Development Center serves Calumet County with business assistance to existing and start-up businesses throughout the county. Small Business Development Center services are available at no cost to businesses. Ray’s goal is to provide opportunities to clients by guiding them to make informed decisions to start, expand, or transition their business. He can be reached by phone at (920) 946-9379 or york@sheboygancountyedc.org.

Wisconsin Downtown Action Council (WDAC) is hosting the annual Downtown Summit presented by AARP Wisconsin this year in Appleton on May 9 and 10 at the Hilton Paper Valley Hotel.

The summit is a “hands-on” approach to conferencing offering mobile workshops and tours on the first day and both general and breakout sessions on the second day. Register now to learn, share resources, network, and develop partnerships with other communities and organizations working to improve downtowns!  Sponsorship and Exhibitor spaces are also still available.

USDA and the University of Kentucky have invited rural leaders across the country to attend the Placemaking for Small and Rural Communities Online Conference on May 23-24. Rural communities, placemaking technical assistance providers and philanthropic entities interested in supporting rural placemaking efforts are encouraged to register for this two-day conference. The event will showcase effective placemaking strategies rural communities can use and connect rural leaders to placemaking experts and potential funders.

The New North Summit is on Thursday, June 9 at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay. The program will feature speakers and presentations highlighting innovation, collaboration, talent, and teamwork. Registration is currently open.

Fox Valley Technical College offers a variety of small business-oriented free training and seminars monthly. Please visit their website to view their calendar of classes.