Business development
Bank First Corporation received regulatory approval for its upcoming merger with Hometown Bancorp, Ltd.
The Lawton Standard Co. recently added Waukesha-based American Iron & Alloys, LLC, to the Lawton Standard family.
Business comings and goings
Mount Prospect, Illinois-based Lemons of Love, a community-based cancer support organization, is opening a second location in Plymouth.
Valley Transit’s Neenah Transit Center relocated closer to Neenah City Hall at East Doty Avenue. Furthermore, Walnut Street Valley Transit and the City of Appleton are conducting a planning study to explore the redevelopment of the downtown transit center.
Robert McKinney opened AAA Insurance McKinney Agency in Appleton.
Biggby’s Coffee opened a second location in Sheboygan.
Senior Helpers, an in-home senior care provider, opened in Plymouth.
Uptown Social opened in the former Save-A-Lot building in Sheboygan.
Holy Family Memorial Ortho Now, an affiliate of Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin health network, opened in Sheboygan.
Concentra and Bellin Health opened a new joint walk-in medical center at Ramada Way in Green Bay. Bellin Health’s Occupational Health Clinic at 1630 Commanche Avenue, Green Bay, has closed and merged with the new facility. Bellin Health will continue its existing occupational health operations in Sturgeon Bay and Marinette, as well as Iron Mountain, Michigan. Bellin Health also introduced the Ceribell Rapid Response EEG monitoring device, advanced technology to detect and diagnose non-convulsive seizure activity in critically ill patients.
Thunderbird Bakery owners Trent Wester and Elizabeth Redman purchased the former Reichenberger Meat Market and Grocery on the corner of Knapp Street and 6th Avenue in Oshkosh, planning a retail storefront. Thunderbird also signed a lease at the Beach Building, occupying the former Planet Perk location within the Rise & Grind coworking space on Algoma Boulevard.
Construction
Excellerate, a division of Faith Technologies Incorporated, started work on a new 385,000-square-foot smart manufacturing facility. The facility located at 2125 W. Evergreen Dr. in Little Chute will create more than 200 jobs.
Appleton Bake Shoppe LLC purchased 1.6 acres of land in Appleton.
Oshkosh Cold Storage began construction on a 254,000-square-foot warehouse in the Oostburg Business Park.
The Ashford Place Apartment Homes LLC, a new 73-unit housing development from Wisconsin Lakefront Property Management LLC, will open in Sheboygan in spring 2023.
Setzer Properties began work on a 218,000-square-foot distribution facility in Manitowoc to be leased to and operated by FedEx Ground as the company expands operations in the area.
Bayland Buildings Inc. is working on projects for Yacht Works Kewaunee Boat Storage in Kewaunee; Scooter’s Coffee in Oshkosh and Hartford; The Suite Life in Green Bay; Buddy’s Vets in Bellevue; and Door Peninsula Winery storage in Carlsville.
Keller, Inc. is working on projects for Milwaukee-based F Street Development in Saint Augusta, Minnesota; Elexco Inc. in Seymour; Utility Sales & Service in Appleton; Good News Project, Inc. in Wausau: and Premier Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Janesville.
Education
High school students can earn college credit with three new online courses in business, health and criminal investigations through Marian University.
St. Norbert College recognized cadets Andrew Lopez, Anton Bruley and Joshua Martin for participating in the Task Force McCoy 2022 Army Ranger Challenge at Fort McCoy.
UW-Green Bay is offering a new project management certificate program in cooperation with UW-Milwaukee. UW-Green Bay also is now offering career coaching services to working adults.
UW Oshkosh’s radio station WRST-FM was recognized at the annual College Broadcasters Convention in Baltimore for best radio sports play-by-play with team Calvin Leverenz and Brady Meyer. Andrew Hansen took second place for best station imaging; Miles Schmidt earned second place in the best student media website division; and Bryce Holtman earned fourth-place honors in the best DJ category.
Awards
Bellin Hospital received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group.
Bank First, the subsidiary of Bank First Corporation, was named one of the 2022 Best Banks to Work For by American Banker and Best Banks Companies Group.
United Way Fox Cities was certified as a silver-level Employee Friendly Workplace by the Fox Cities Chamber.
First Business Bank announced it has earned 2022 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence recognition from Energage. First Business Bank also was named a Top Workplaces USA winner, a Top Workplaces Regional Award winner, and a Financial Services Industry Award winner in 2022.
Hang 10 Poké, a business idea of food service entrepreneur Kean O’Brien, won the NEW Launch Alliance Pitch Event Dec. 1 at TitletownTech in Green Bay. AntiMussel and Starr Merrie Native Gifts took second and third places, respectively. The event featured regional startups, which also included E-PT Solutions, GlobaLASEReach, Nature Packaged, Rebook Travels and The Honest Cannabis Company.
Industry Tech Insights recognized The Lake Companies as one of the Top 10 Companies Revolutionizing Manufacturing in 2022.
Pierce Manufacturing’s Pierce Volterra electric fire truck won a Popular Science 2022 Best of What’s New Award in the category of Emergency Services and Defense.
The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC) named the 2022 Sustainable Business Award winners, including: Sustainable Product of the Year, ContainerBoard Paper by Green Bay Packaging; Executive Sustainable Leadership, Chris Drees, President, Mercury Marine; Sustainable Champion, Scott Louks, Sustainability Manager, Mercury Marine. Green Bay Packaging and Mercury Marine also achieved the Green Master designation, along with Appvion, Purevant Living, Kohler and Oshkosh Corp from the New North region.
Grants
Meijer is giving $1 million to food pantries across the Midwest, including St. Joseph Food Pantry of Menasha and The Salvation Army of Green Bay after customers made more than 4 million purchases including Meijer brand items during Thanksgiving week.
The Gordon Flesch Charitable Foundation awarded more than $155,000 to 38 Midwestern charities, including $21,500 to five Appleton-area organizations: Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, Covey, Exceptional Equestrians, Grow It Forward, Inc. and Riverview Gardens.
Delaware North, which operates food service at Lambeau Field, announced a $100,000 donation to UW-Green Bay to support its First Nations programs.
The Green Bay Packers and Tork donated $26,500 worth of hygiene products to several local nonprofits in need through their “Tackle Hygiene with Every Catch” campaign. Beneficiaries include Pillars and Harbor House.
Waupaca Foundry is supporting the M&M Area Community Foundation’s Future Fund initiative with a $3,000 commitment to the foundation’s children’s saving program for kindergarten students across Marinette and Menominee counties.
All branches of The Stephenson National Bank & Trust participated in a collection drive during October and November. The Menominee office donated collected items to the Marinette Primary School; the Oconto office to the Oconto County Commission on Aging, Inc.; the Pembine office to Karen’s Food Pantry of Niagara; the Crivitz office to the Crivitz Food Pantry; the Wausaukee office to Pastor Fred’s Food Pantry; the Green Bay Loan Services Office to the Fostering Futures Program with CASA of Brown County; and the Marquette office to JJ Packs, which provides nutritious food for children in need on the weekends. The Marinette office held a company-wide silent auction that raised over $2,300 for local food pantries.
Wisconsin middle school student groups will receive grant awards up to $500 through funds from the NFL Volunteerism Grant or Brown County United Way to help fund service projects to help their schools, neighborhoods or surrounding communities, under the guidance of a Wisconsin school or nonprofit organization. The list includes Chilton Middle School, Bay View Middle School students in Howard, Wrightstown Middle School and the organization Lovin’ the Skin I’m In.
A recent Medical College of Wisconsin Advancing Healthier Wisconsin (AHW) research grant will help connect families with children under age 5 to local developmental assistance resources in Green Lake, Marquette, Shawano, Waupaca and Waushara counties. First 5 Fox Valley received the grant, with ThedaCare as its health care partner.
The Oshkosh YMCA accepted a check from Oshkosh Area School District teacher Jennifer Sperling and her second-grade class in support of the Oshkosh Y Beyond Limits Veteran Program.
Tundraland Home Improvements, a LEAF Home company, remodeled a bathroom for a U.S. Army veteran free of charge (and as a surprise) for Baths for the Brave, an initiative to help improve accessibility for U.S. veterans.
All the rest
Foundations Health & Wholeness launched “Breaking the Stigma,” which will consist of a compilation of videos done in partnership with Bay Area Workforce Development Board, to bring awareness to the stigma of teens in foster care. Foundations also launched a community-wide men’s mental health initiative called Dudes and T.A.C.O.S. (a Trailblazing Adventure of Connection, Outreach and Support) to bring awareness to the issue of men’s suicide.
First American Capital Corporation, Inc. debuted a new brand and website: www.faccwi.org. Its social media channels are @FirstAmericanCapitalCorporation on both Facebook and LinkedIn.
The Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) screened more than 2,300 passengers Nov. 14 — its busiest day since March 7, 2008.
Jewelers Mutual Group launched a new effort, Partner for Protection, to curb the rise of jewelry crime in the U.S. and Canada.
The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation announced On Broadway, Inc. in Green Bay was awarded a multi-year Levitt AMP Green Bay Grant Award of $90,000 in matching funds to present a free outdoor music series at Leicht Memorial Park through 2025.
Lakeside Marina added the On the Fox Boat Club members-only boat-sharing group through its marina in Oshkosh.
The Thompson Center on Lourdes reopened classes and programming at its St. Bernadette Campus Nov. 21 following repairs due to a fire.
