Get to know: Ron Franklin

Director of Entrepreneurship, Greater Green Bay Chamber

Statistics around small business success are staggering — one in five fails within the first year.

But Ron Franklin is working to improve that, and his track record is impressive. The director of entrepreneurship for the Greater Green Bay Chamber says the businesses that go through the chamber’s Startup Hub have a 98% success rate.

“Entrepreneurs don’t have to go it alone,” says Franklin, a lifelong entrepreneur himself. “It’s not going to be easy, but there are resources to make sure businesses can be successful.”

Franklin, originally from Australia, has worked for industry-leading companies such as Coca-Cola, Campbell Soup, Kimberly-Clark and Polaris before joining the Greater Green Bay Chamber nearly five years ago.

In his current role, Franklin relaunched the chamber’s Startup Hub, a centralized starting point for entrepreneurs, innovators and businesses seeking resources in everything from accounting to marketing to creating business plans.

“We want to be seen as the front door to the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” says Franklin, who consults with roughly 350 small businesses a year. “We might not be everything for everyone, but we are the connection point for everything for everyone.”

Franklin also led the chamber’s efforts to create the tech-focused coworking space, the Urban Hub, located in downtown Green Bay. Most recently Franklin helped reopen The Cannery, which will go live this month as an incubator and test kitchen for food-based businesses. The Cannery will offer training, coaching and access to resources through a partnership with Proof, a Tennessee company that helps food and beverage entrepreneurs build scalable and sustainable businesses.

Food-based businesses face unique challenges, with the average restaurant failure rate between 50 and 55%, Franklin says.

“We want to up that to a 90-plus success rate, allowing them to be thriving businesses in the community. If we can help them grow and be successful, we can grow the local economy as well,” Franklin says. “Everything we do is around driving community growth.”

— Amelia Compton Wolff

Oshkosh acquisition

Oshkosh Corporation, a leader in purpose-built vehicles and equipment, announced in May that it plans to acquire the AeroTech business from JBT Corporation in an $800 million all-cash transaction. AeroTech is a leading provider of aviation ground support products, gate equipment and airport services to commercial airlines, airports, air-freight carriers, ground handling and military customers. “AeroTech meets all the criteria of our M&A priorities, and we believe it will enhance the financial profile of our vocational segment, further strengthening this growing segment and enabling it to move beyond our goal of $3 billion-plus annual revenue with double-digit margins,” said John Pfeifer, president and CEO of Oshkosh Corporation.

Titletown on top

Green Bay was named No. 1 on the Best Places to Live in America ranking by U.S. News & World Report, which analyzed the country’s 150 most populous metro areas. To make the top of the list, a location had to have good value, be a desirable place to live, and have a strong job market and high quality of life. The report cited Green Bay’s “thriving entertainment and arts scene, revitalized downtown and two college campuses” as appealing amenities for both young families and retirees.

Business legend

John Bergstrom, founder of Bergstrom Automotive, was one of four people inducted into the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame last month by Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. Bergstrom Automotive is composed of 32 dealerships and is one of the top 75 automotive dealer groups in the U.S., employing more than 1,800. “We are honored to add another group of innovative and successful businesspeople to our Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame,” said Michael Frohna, president of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin. “They are a shining example to young people around the state of the success that is possible with entrepreneurial ideas, ethical business practices and hard work.”