• The Lakeshore
Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan Counties
Random Lake enhancement fund created
The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation Foundation announced the creation of the Community Enhancement Fund – Random Lake with a $1 million anonymous donation.
The Community Enhancement Fund program was created in early 2023 to raise charitable contributions to support community development initiatives from nonprofit organizations, local municipalities and private residents. The funds are not for business development efforts, but for community development projects designed to create venues that will attract and retain residents while contributing to the quality of life and growth of the local economy.
The anonymous donor approached the SCEDCF as a public-private partnership after hearing of the program to support community growth, beautification and placemaking efforts in Random Lake.
Through separate donations in 2023, the SCEDCF was able to fund the implementation of a master plan for the village of Random Lake. The village interviewed several firms and selected GRAEF to provide master planning services, with the final presentation expected to be given to the village board in May.
Starting in May 2024, the Community Enhancement Fund – Random Lake will seek proposals that improve the vibrancy and livability of the community while making a long-term, tangible difference in meeting specific community needs or goals consistent with the master plan.
The SCEDCF will establish a Community Enhancement Fund account for each community in Sheboygan County. However, an initial donation of $500,000 is required to create an account for a specific community. The donation to create the fund could be from multiple individuals or corporations committed to creating interesting community venues.
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry to use $11M investment for expansion
Cinnaire has announced an $11 million New Markets Tax Credit Investment in the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, a longstanding employer in Manitowoc providing aluminum- and copper-based alloy castings for a wide range of industries.
The foundry will use the investment to expand with more manufacturing and office square footage as well as add 80 new jobs.
The 50,000-square-foot foundry construction and 12,000 square feet of renovated office space will create entry-level and living wage jobs and meet a growing demand for nonferrous metal foundry products manufacturing utilizing advanced processes.
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry CEO Sachin Shivaram said, “We see how high-quality employment like what we offer can transform lives and we make extra effort to ensure that our jobs are accessible to anyone seeking employment. NMTCs will play a huge role in helping us continue to be the type of employer that our community has relied on: One that offers high-quality employment and goes the extra mile to help make these great jobs accessible to low-income individuals.”
WAF’s expansion project will be completed in two phases — the industrial component, which is new construction, will finish in March; the office remodel will finish in October 2024.
• West Central
Green Lake, Marquette, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara Counties
Waupaca Area Community Foundation turns 20
Waupaca Area Community Foundation started two decades ago with an idea Jack Rhodes brought with him from Ohio after he retired and moved to Waupaca, according to Tim Neuville, a founding board member.
Organized in 2003, the group’s first donation was $4,000 from a Waupaca High School student group and the first distribution of funds was in 2005, when there were 20 requests for funds but only $3,500 to distribute.
The foundation launched its own fundraiser gala in 2006, and community support resulted in the event raising $38,000. The gala now raises between $75,000 and $100,000 per year and draws more than 100 people.
Fundraising has expanded to include endowments and family funds, with a total of 57 funds. The foundation investment total has reached $8 million.
Areas of focus for grants include supporting organizations that include arts and culture, community development, education, environment, and health and human services.
Generally, projects are awarded in Waupaca, Weyauwega-Fremont, Iola-Scandinavia, Ogdensburg, Manawa and King.
In 2023, the Waupaca Area Foundation awarded $522,257 in grants and received $814,559 in contributions.
Waupaca chamber leader stepping down
Terri Schulz plans to retire as president of the Waupaca Chamber of Commerce in May.
Schulz, a Waupaca native, took the job in 1993 when she was on the board of directors and the chamber’s executive director stepped down.
The chamber has expanded its role significantly since 1993, when it was primarily focused on promoting events. It now plays an active role in economic development and business assistance as well as promoting tourism and conventions.
In a 2022 interview, Schulz said that expanding workforce housing and access to broadband are priorities for the community. She cited Waupaca’s central location and amenities including recreational opportunities as the strengths of the community.
Schulz credits partnerships with the business community, local government and school district for the success of the chamber.
• The Northwoods
Florence, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto Counties
Fairchild Equipment opens new facility
Fairchild Equipment opened a new facility in Marinette after it outgrew the Mary Street location it opened in 1992.
“We are excited to be taking this step to help us continue to support the business communities in Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan,” said CEO Chad Fairchild. “It has been our commitment to those businesses and their trust in us that has allowed us to become a major supplier of material handling equipment, parts, service, and fleet management for Northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”
Officials say the new facility will better accommodate the product line Fairchild Equipment offers, which includes warehouse and materials handling equipment as well as engineered storage solutions and fleet management services.
The new facility is triple the size of the previous one. It will feature a showroom and a variety of new, used and rental equipment in stock. It will also feature a larger parts department, helping customers to get the parts they need faster. With a larger service department, customers will also be able to get their equipment serviced more quickly.
“We are excited to be able to offer our customers a larger facility with more services and products,” said Mark Stammer, director of sales for Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. “We thank the companies that have entrusted us with supplying and maintaining their material handling equipment over the years. It’s been with our commitment to those businesses and their trust in us that has allowed us to become a major supplier of material handling equipment, parts, service and fleet management for Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.”
Menominee Indian Tribe gets federal funds for salmon study
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding $177,190 to the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin for a study of salmon as a food source.
The funds will support the Menominee Tribal Wildlife Kokanee Salmon Project in Upper Bass Lake.
More than $6.4 million is being awarded to federally recognized tribes to benefit fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. This year’s funding will support 36 tribes for conservation projects across 17 states, including Michigan and Wisconsin.
The Tribal Wildlife Grants Program helps fulfill federal trust responsibilities and achieve tribal sovereignty by expanding tribes’ natural resource capacity. Since its inception in 2003, including this year’s grants, the competitive Tribal Wildlife Grants Program has awarded more than $118 million to Native American and Alaska Native Tribes, providing support for 662 conservation projects.
The Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin (Lac Courte Oreilles Ma’iingan Relationship Plan) will receive $110,510 to update the 2013 Ma’iingan (gray wolf) management plan to better reflect Tribal Ecological Knowledge and contemporary ecological, biological and social science for this culturally important species.
• Interstate 41 Corridor
Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Winnebago Counties
Appleton podcast recognized by Wisconsin Policy Forum
The Wisconsin Policy Forum announced that the city of Appleton received a 2023 Salute to Local Government Award for its efforts to advance racial equity through the podcast Appleton Engaged.
Appleton Engaged is a general topic podcast that features guests from many different organizations, perspectives and backgrounds; It is designed to support Appleton’s commitment to fostering a welcoming community for all.
In addition to educating the community about available resources and interesting projects, the program also addresses themes related to diversity, inclusion and the experiences of marginalized communities.
The podcast is hosted by Timber Smith, the city’s diversity, equity, and inclusion coordinator, and Andy Anaam, the city’s communications & public engagement manager. Together, they engage with guests, delving into narratives that discuss the challenges, inspirations, informational resources and tangible efforts driving progress in the community.
“Appleton Engaged is one of the many ways we are working to foster a more welcoming community,” said Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford.
Appleton Engaged is available on major streaming platforms.
Excellerate manufacturing plant opens in Little Chute
Excellerate, a division of Faith Technologies Incorporated, has opened a new 385,000-square-foot smart manufacturing facility in Little Chute.
The new facility utilizes clean energy technologies to lower carbon emissions with the goal of reaching net zero in the future.
Work within the facility is concentrated on constructing modular electrical buildings, which are fully integrated electrical modules utilized in the rapidly growing data center market. MEBs are fully self-contained electrical units that can be quickly deployed into data centers, eliminating the majority of on-site electrical work. The facility also supports the continued growth of renewable energy technologies.
“Our Excellerate work has been growing exponentially over the past several years as our customers are seeing the value in the high-quality modular work we provide,” said Pat McGettigan, executive vice president of Excellerate. “By moving electrical work to a controlled manufacturing environment when possible, we save our partners time and money, while providing the safest, most productive workspace for our team members.”
Excellerate operates five manufacturing facilities nationwide: the new Little Chute facility, as well as Appleton, Neenah and Milwaukee and Olathe, Kansas.
The project was led by Solvare, a capital development business. This project included partners Faith Technologies, The Boldt Company, McMahon and Tweet/Garot Mechanical Inc.
