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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Monday, September 13, 2021
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Calumet County Featured in Insight on Business September Issue
Redevelopment Renaissance
Calumet County Projects Drive Economic Growth, Meet Key Needs
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As work on the massive Brillion Works project continues to progress, AriensCo is also taking steps to address the needs of its workforce and the community, including child care, housing and health care.
AriensCo Chairman and CEO Dan Ariens says when Brillion Iron Works closed in 2016, he felt called to purchase the 140-acre property because he knew it would sit idle and hurt the community. “I don’t know anybody who would have put the kind of resources we had from the outset to get it where it is today,” he says.
The first steps for Brillion Works LLC, which manages the Brillion Works project separate from AriensCo, included investing in environmental remediation efforts for brownfield areas and consulting services for the site. The initial work also included laying out the vision for the property and understanding how streets and roads would need to be remapped, redone or created.
Ariens says efforts now focus on four key areas: supply chain, providing services including child care and health care, adding retail along Highway 10 and developing housing.
In August, the maker of snowblowers and lawn mowers opened the Brillion Early Learning Center, run in partnership with KinderCare. The center helps meet the child care demand for AriensCo employees, who receive a discount, as well as the larger community.
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Working Together on our Workforce
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Desperate to Fill Jobs, Employers are Offering Free College, Pet Insurance, All Kinds of Incentives
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September 2, 2021
As Hurricane Ida left a million people on the Gulf Coast without electricity, a thousand miles away in Wisconsin, Generac Power Systems was running flat out to meet the demand for portable generators.
The Waukesha-based company has hired more than 1,500 people in the last 12 months alone, and Ida underscored the need to fill even more positions at its factories in Wisconsin and South Carolina.
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Generac employee, Sherri Wetleitner, works on assembling engines that go into air cooled home standby generators at Generac in Whitewater on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. Generac has added hundreds of jobs in recent months and is busy making generators for Louisiana due to hurricane Ida. (Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Generac has approximately 1,200 job openings at its U.S. locations. The company expects to hire hundreds of people by the end of the year, including 400 at a new plant in Trenton, South Carolina, said Aaron Jagdfeld, company president and chief executive officer.
Generac now has record-high employment of around 8,000 people. “Every time we hit a new peak, it goes even higher. But it’s a good problem to have,” Jagdfeld said. Still, a persistent shortage of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the economic recovery for many manufacturers and their suppliers. Some companies have said their business would grow 50%, or more, if they could find enough help. Many were struggling to fill jobs even before COVID-19.
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The Demographic Drought Webinar Available
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In May, Emsi released a 41-page e-book titled, Demographic Drought: How the Approaching Sansdemic Will Transform the Labor Market for the Rest of Our Lives which was featured in the May 24 issue of this newsletter. The report was written by Ron Hetrick, and it discussed the people shortage affecting higher education and businesses, and which is expected to worsen in the coming decades. On September 1, Emsi held a webinar featuring author Ron Hetrick reviewing the report’s details, and providing additional discussion and outlining possible solutions. View the 34-minute YouTube video below.
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20 Years in Carts, HUI Going Strong
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HUI Manufacturing is celebrating a milestone in 2021 of 20 years in the medical device cart industry. In 2001, the sheet metal fabricator and contract manufacturer expanded its business into designing and building medical device carts, a decision that has paid dividends in innovation and sustaining its workforce.
Today, the Kiel-based manufacturer designs and produces medical device carts for major medical technology companies that are used in hospitals and clinics across the country and beyond.
The decision to expand into medical cart design and manufacture was a strategic move on the part of the small manufacturing facility. By finding a niche in the expanding medical market, the company was able to diversify its business model while playing to its strengths.
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Floral/Gift Shop has New Owners in Chilton
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After 16 years under the ownership of Jim and Diane Coffeen, Just for You Flowers and Gifts in Chilton will turn their shop keys over to new owners Kristy Pagel and Rick Schwenck, who
will carry on the shop’s tradition of serving the local community.
The Coffeens transitioned from a successful dairy farming career into full-time ownership of the local flower shop in 2005.
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Jim and Diane Coffeen (right) are turning over their shop keys to Kristy Pagel and
Rick Schwenck, new owners of Just for You Flowers and Gifts in Chilton.
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At the time, the shop was located on West Chestnut Street. They later moved to the present location on East Chestnut Street. Jim led the floral design and ran the day-to-day operations, while Diane delivered flowers and assisted with events.
Pagel and Schwenck said, “We look forward to carrying on the long-standing tradition the Coffeens established of providing the highest level of quality and customer service to Chilton and the greater Holyland community.”
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Bark N' Bubble Cellar Welcomed by Chamber
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Bark N’ Bubble Cellar, located at 415 S. Columbia St. in Chilton, was recently welcomed to Chilton Chamber of Commerce membership by President Kari Meyers (right). Kate Crouch is the owner of the dog grooming business and an animal stylist.
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Progress continues to be made on a daily basis on the demolition of the former Tecumseh Products Company plant in New Holstein. Workers started at the rear of the factory where the shipping and receiving had been located. A spectator viewing area is set up across the street from the northeast corner of the property. (Mark Sherry photo, Tri County News, Sept. 9, 2021)
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Brillion Nature Center Completes Funding for Construction
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Funding is complete, and now the Brillion Nature Center will begin its second phase of its renovation project with construction on the new marsh boardwalk and platform.
“We have so much to be thankful for out at Brillion Nature Center,” Louie Lecker, naturalist at the center, said.
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The former platform at the Brillion Nature Center has been taken down. Construction on the new platform and marsh boardwalk is set to be complete in mid-September. (submitted photo)
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Lecker says that when the center acknowledged in 2019 that the original boardwalk and platform overlooking the Brillion marsh were no longer safe for public use, they quickly started researching and planning for a new design that would be more functional for programs the center hosts and for the public's use, regardless of their mobility.
“We decided to create a stationary platform that would be just above the water’s surface so students could use dip nets to explore life in a wetland. We had no idea that our $204,000 fundraising campaign would be challenged by a world-wide health crisis. Nearly two years later, we are ecstatic to announce that the fundraising is complete and the construction has begun,” Lecker said.
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Jim Stecker, New Holstein's Distinguished Person of the Year for 2020
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James “Jim” Stecker of New Holstein was honored last Friday evening as New Holstein’s Distinguished Person of the Year for 2020. Stecker was announced as the winner last December but the New Holstein Area Chamber of Commerce—sponsor of the award—cancelled its annual banquet because of the pandemic. The Chamber used the occasion of the Jerry Schneider Band concert in the Civic Park Pavilion to recognize Stecker in front of the assembled audience.
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Mark Sherry, president of the Chamber, talked about Stecker’s lifetime of service to the community including the American Legion, Cemetery Association, Police and Fire Commission, Zion Lutheran Church, Calumet County Board and more. Stecker was presented with a plaque/clock from the Chamber and his name is inscribed on the plaque which hangs year-round at the Community Center in Kiwanis Park.
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Advocate for More Restaurant Recovery Funds
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The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) continues to encourage action from bars and restaurants that haven’t yet received the Restaurant Recovery Funds they applied for in May from the Small Business Administration. The IRC continues to advocate that the Restaurant Recovery Fund should be replenished with additional federal funds, so grant applicants can receive their grants. They encourage local bars and restaurants to contact federal elected officials, stating that the restaurant and bar industry is powerful and, together, their voices will not be ignored. Specifically, IRC recommends calling federal representatives at (202) 224-3121 to share your local restaurant or bar story, and also to visit saverestaurants.com/advocate to learn about more ways to take action.
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Labor Market Will Play Increasing Role in Retail’s Recovery
Americans are spending more in 2021 thanks to government stimulus and federal aid from the COVID-19 pandemic, but as help tapers off, higher wages will need to play a bigger role in the continued economic recovery.
During the final months of 2021, the economy will rely more on higher wages to offset higher spending, according to the National Retail Federation, which published its Monthly Economy Review for September 2021. However, higher wages could lead to more inflation.
“Consumer spending is currently far above pre-pandemic levels thanks to unprecedented monetary and fiscal policies that have backstopped demand by putting money into wallets,” said NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz. “But as the economy moves forward into the later months of 2021, federal aid will be tapering off and there will be an important focus on the ability of the labor market to generate ongoing strength in wages and salaries to support spending. U.S. consumers remain in the mood to spend, but the labor market and job creation will play an increasing role in their ability to do so.”
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Calumet County Business Assistance
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Business Start-Up and Expansion Assistance
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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 opportunity 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 email.
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2021 WEDA Best Practices Conference
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Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2021 | Red Lion Paper Valley Hotel | Appleton, WI
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It’s “back to basics” for the 2021 WEDA Best Practices Conference! Just like the Packers need to attend training camp before the NFL season kicks-off, economic development professionals also need to return to “training camp” to restudy industry basics and learn about new best practices that are driving growth and prosperity in communities across the state and throughout the country. That’s exactly what the Best Practices Conference offers – a unique opportunity to sharpen your skills and tighten your grasp on the foundational elements of economic development.
WEDA’s 2021 Best Practices Conference, formerly the Fall Conference, will be held in Appleton, WI from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, 2021. The conference audience will include 150-200 economic and community development professionals as well as workforce development professionals and business leaders from across Wisconsin. It is a great opportunity to re-connect and re-new relationships with business owners and professionals who work to shape Wisconsin’s economic and workforce future!
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Explore Starting a Business
October 5, 2021
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Work for Yourself at 50+
October 14, 2021
November 11, 2021
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1 Million Cups Appleton
Join us virtually every Wednesday
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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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