If you’ve been to Oshkosh’s Gibson Social Club or Elsewhere Market & Coffee House, you’ve already gotten a taste of Kristen Hoopman’s signature style — rustic and eclectic, with a penchant for revitalizing the old into new.
This passion for revitalization has spurred Kristen and her husband, Eric, to purchase and renovate historic buildings in Oshkosh, Waupaca, Massachusetts and Georgia. One of their latest historic preservation developments is Camp Elsewhere, a 60-acre former children’s camp and resort nestled between Gooseneck and McLean lakes in Waupaca. It was the setting of this month’s cover shoot with the Hoopmans, who were fresh off a plane from their preservation property in France.
In this month’s cover story, Associate Editor Kate Bruns uncovers the Hoopmans’ fascinating entrepreneurial journey — Eric founded the automotive website and marketing platform DealerFire before selling it in 2015 and currently is founder/CEO of venture studio Lincoln Labs. Read more about The Elsewhere Collection and its spirit of discovery on page 18.
If there’s one person who is skilled in the art of discovery, it’s Cory Bouck, global director of business and culture integration at Johnsonville Sausage. I had the honor of interviewing Cory for this month’s Personalities feature (page 12). In his role with Johnsonville, Cory collaborates with the company’s global teams to adopt the Johnsonville culture around the world. He was also recently named chairperson of Lakeland University‑Japan Management, the Lakeland‑owned Japanese corporation responsible for ensuring a location for Lakeland’s Tokyo campus and compliance with Japanese laws. Take a look to learn how Cory will leverage his knowledge working in Asian Pacific markets to aid the strategic growth of the university.
There’s so much to discover in this issue of Insight. From a look at the impact of regional sports tourism (page 32), to small businesses such as North Woods Distillery in Coleman (page 46) and Jolted candy store in Suring (page 36), you may just be inspired to take a road trip.
I hope to see you later this month at the 2025 Women of Influence awards ceremony July 29. Until then, happy roaming.
