Frederick “Fritz” Usinger IV has been selected for the National Meat Industry Hall of Fame.
Fritz has served as president of Fred Usinger Inc. since 1988, making him the fourth generation of the Usinger family to lead the Milwaukee-based sausage company.
His induction ceremony will take place July 25, at the Kansas City Convention Center. This April, Fritz was also inducted into the Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame, making him the second Usinger to accomplish the feat after his father, Frederick Usinger III, was inducted into the Wisconsin Hall of Fame in 1993 and posthumously inducted into the National Hall of Fame 12 years ago.
Fritz Usinger has led the 145-year-old, family-owned company through several decades of growth and success. His accomplishments include the construction and transition to a new Milwaukee distribution center in 1993. A decade later, he was instrumental in the construction of a new processing plant, allowing Usinger’s to rapidly expand its product line to include poultry products, sliced luncheon meats, hams, bacon and more. The new plant also included 14, two-story, open-fired brick ovens.
Fritz Usinger served as a member of the Wisconsin Livestock and Meat Council since 1996. He also an active member of the Milwaukee Sausage Manufacturers Association, the Lakeshore Sausage Manufacturing Association, and the Executive Board of the Milwaukee County Boy Scout Council. Since 1998, has held the title of President for the Usinger Foundation.
An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fritz has given back to students at his alma mater by serving on the Board of Visitors and the Advisory Committee for the Meat Science and Muscle Biology program. Through donations, fundraising and strong governmental advocacy, he was instrumental in the construction of the school’s $57.1 million Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Building, which opened in 2020.
