Business development
Crane Engineering has acquired Professional Pump, Inc., a leading distributor of pumps and fluid process equipment in Belleville, Michigan. The acquisition expands Crane Engineering’s service locations to include its headquarters and OptiFlow Design Center in Kimberly; service centers in Burnsville and Grand Rapids, Minnesota; and its new location in Belleville, Michigan.
A-mazing Events, a full-service event management partner in Appleton, announced the creation of its new trade show management division. The new division utilizes exhibitor management software to give clients full access to all aspects of their projects, including trade show schedules, show details, inventory levels and more.
HNTB Corporation is expanding into Green Bay to support the increasing amount of transportation and infrastructure related work and clients throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The firm has leased a 2,456-square-foot office located in the Ashwaubenon Boardwalk building.
The Vande Hey Company opened a second landscape showroom and garden center at 650 Casaloma Drive in Appleton. It includes 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.
Cornerstone International Alliance reported that through its members, a consortium of lower middle market mergers and acquisitions and investment banking firms, it completed 169 deals with an enterprise value of more than $1.3 billion in 2022.
Cruisers Yachts launched a redesigned website that showcases the Cantius and GLS lineups.
The new Barnstormer Boutique within the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh opened in May. The theme of the Barnstormer Boutique, which also serves as the admission counter for the museum, is styled with a barn wood exterior reminiscent of the early aircraft hangars. The interior features a number of the museum’s vintage artifacts.
TitletownTech has expanded its portfolio with its investment in Croux, a platform that connects talent with flexible work opportunities.
Dura-Fibre, LLC has acquired a portion of Greif Chicago Converting’s product lines to expand its offerings in custom laminated products and packaging. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company expects to add 60 staff members at its 125,000-square-foot plant in Menasha.
Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin has entered into an expanded professional services agreement with Heart and Vascular Institute of Wisconsin. It will increase the number of Ascension Medical Group locations that will provide a full range of cardiology and electrophysiology services.
Kohler Company has acquired U.K.-based Kast Concrete Basins, a boutique designer and manufacturer of concrete basins and sinks. Kast specializes in bathroom basins for the premium market. The 12-year-old company was founded by Tim Bayes, who will now serve as Kohler’s managing director/head of creative.
A food truck serving New American street food in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties has been launched. Originally founded as Solutions Catering LLC in 2018, the business changed its name to Harvest Street after acquiring its food trailer from 3 Sheeps Brewing in February.
Construction
Seaway Printing broke ground April 27 on a larger building that will open by the end of the year. The 57,000-square-foot office, production and warehouse facility at 2812 American Blvd. in Green Bay will allow the rapidly growing business to meet customer demand while integrating the newest technology. Bayland Builders is the design/build general contractor.
Bassett Mechanical announced it will expand its Kaukauna headquarters. The 16,200-square-foot expansion will include a new training area, a new cafeteria with an outdoor patio, and updated entryway and reception area, along with additional conference rooms, offices and workspaces.
A to Z Machine broke ground on a 30,000-square-foot production facility in Appleton, marking the company’s first expansion as an employee-owned entity. The new building, which is being built by Consolidated Construction Co., will expand the company’s first shift capabilities and support its continued growth.
Keller, Inc. is the architect and general contractor on a 58,022-square-foot feed mill building project for United Cooperative in Waupun. Keller, Inc. is also working on the following projects: an interior demo project for St. Vincent de Paul Society in Neenah; a 4,800-square-foot addition, re-roof and façade update project for Therma-Tron-X, Inc. in Sturgeon Bay; and Door Community Child Development Center’s new 18,000-square-foot building in Sturgeon Bay.
Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, Inc. completed two projects. AZCO opened its newly renovated 30,900-square-foot space in the City Center East building on College Avenue. The first tenants of Harbor Lofts, 130 Main St., Menasha moved in April 1.
Construction began on Curative Connections’ Yesteryear Village. Renovation of the 14,000-square-foot space is expected to cost $4.9 million. Miron Construction Co., Inc. is the contractor and EUA is the architectural engineer.
Game Trade, 400 Reid St., Suite C, De Pere, has announced plans for an expansion of its facilities, which when complete will increase its retail space by roughly double to 2,300 square feet. Immel Construction is the project construction manager.
Green Bay Botanical Garden held a ribbon cutting for the new Bell Children’s Garden. A total of $13.3 million was raised for the 2.5-acre garden named after Carol and Bruce Bell.
Awards
Conger Industries Inc. was named a recipient of Toyota Material Handling’s annual President’s Award, which recognizes the top Toyota forklift dealers in North America, during the company’s annual dealer meeting in Nashville. The award recognizes the dealers who perform at the highest level in parts, service, equipment sales, customer satisfaction and overall operations.
The Wisconsin Safety Council announced winners of the organization’s 29th annual Corporate Safety Awards. The program recognizes Wisconsin companies that are dedicated to prioritizing a culture of safety in the workplace and have maintained exceptional safety records. New North winners were: Oshkosh Defense; RGL Logistics, Appleton; Airgas North Central, Appleton; Foth, De Pere; and Immel Construction, Green Bay.
Fox Valley Technical College received a 2022 Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations at the council’s national conference in Orlando, Florida. The Bronze Award for Successful Diversity, Equity & Inclusion marketing celebrates the college’s work highlighting FVTC graduate Xiong Yang and his history-making career as one of a handful of Hmong firefighters in Wisconsin.
HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital in Green Bay, as well as HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, received awards for successful efforts to provide families with tissue donation information and options. The American Tissue Services Foundation presents the awards to hospitals that achieve tissue donation rates higher than the national average, which is 35 to 40%. The overall combined tissue donation rate for HSHS St. Vincent, St. Mary’s and St. Nicholas hospitals was 52% in 2022.
The Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin recognized J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. among Wisconsin businesses with the highest standards of ethics and trust with their employees, customers and local communities. The BBB Wisconsin Torch Awards for Ethics is an annual program of the BBB of Wisconsin Foundation.
AriensCo in Brillion has received re-certification from the Wildlife Habitat Council for its conservation efforts, this time at Certified Gold status on four projects. The Wildlife Habitat Council empowers companies to advance biodiversity, sustainability, employee engagement and community relations goals.
Faith Technologies Incorporated in Menasha has received a global Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Award. Launched in 2022, the awards celebrate industry leaders that prioritize innovation and decarbonization. Six recipients were chosen from 241 award submissions. FTI was recognized in the “Impact to My Customers” category.
Bellin Hospital has received its 10th consecutive “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery.
Marion Body Works presented awards to its top five fire and emergency dealers, as well as named its top fire and emergency dealership. First place went to Todd Prellwitz, Emergency Vehicle Services; second place to Alan Harris, Northeastern Fire Associates; third place to Jason Harris, Uncle Sam Fire Apparatus; fourth place to Tony Carlini, TC Fire Apparatus; and fifth place to Josh Merberg, Neville Fleet Service. The top dealership was Emergency Vehicle Services.
Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction in Oshkosh has received R2v3 certification. It is the latest release of the R2 standard by Washington-based Sustainable Electronics Recycling International. Requirements have increased the emphasis on reuse and protecting data, strengthened data security controls, and enhanced controls for test, repair and reuse operations to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the operations.
The Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, was recognized as the 2022-23 NBA G League Franchise of the Year. This is the first time the Wisconsin Herd won the award since its inaugural season in 2017-18. The team was also awarded 2022-23 Promotion of the Year for the “Be the Light” Black History Month Celebration Platform.
Education
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is constructing a new residence hall that will open to students in fall 2024. Immel Construction is the construction manager and Berners Schober is the architect. The $38 million project is funded by the University Village Housing Inc., a private, nonprofit group that was formed for the development of affordable student housing at UW-Green Bay. The new residence hall will house up to 200 students.
Ripon College broke ground on a new outdoor athletic stadium and a science center that are part of a $35 million improvement plan that also includes residence hall upgrades. Renovations to the existing 68,500-square-foot Farr Hall are estimated to cost $24.5 million and will include 19,000 square feet of new construction. Construction of a 157,000-square-foot on-campus stadium will take place on lower Sadoff field between Willmore Center and the residence halls.
Business comings and goings
Quarterdeck has opened its doors as the newest coworking space in Green Bay. The club is designed exclusively for high-growth founders, teams and startups focused on SaaS or tech-enabled businesses in the area. The space is located in downtown Green Bay within the Railyard Innovation District. Currently, Quarterdeck is home to Headway, Startup Wisconsin and Eventstack teams.
The Ridge YMCA at Capital Credit Union opened at 1121 W. Main Ave. in De Pere. This new Express Y is an adult model wellness center located on the third and fourth floors of the Capital Credit Union building. This facility will be available for adult YMCA members ages 18 and older.
Mid-America Real Estate announced the following recent transactions: Starbucks leased 2,200 square feet at 1347 South Broadway, De Pere, from Heritage Holdings 1373, LLC. Club Car Wash purchased 1.75 acres of land in Bellevue from Midwest Expansion Bellevue LLP.
S & L Properties Bellevue LLC purchased 1.5 acres of land in Bellevue from Midwest Expansion Bellevue LLP. Troy Rademann purchased 4,779 square feet at former Hometown Bank, 4190 Boardwalk Court, Grand Chute, from Bank First N.A. Dave’s Hot Chicken leased 3,000 square feet at 2674 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon, from Midwest Expansion, LLP. AT&T leased 2,062 square feet at 2350 S. Oneida, Ashwaubenon, from 506070 Oneida, LLC.
Grants
Schreiber Foods announced a gift to UW-Green Bay’s Institute for Women’s Leadership. With the gift, the Institute will be renamed the Schreiber Foods Institute for Women’s Leadership at UW-Green Bay. The amount of the gift was not released.
Lubenow Companies Inc. raised $9,153 during its annual Hauling for Good campaign, during which a percentage of the proceeds from each mile driven are donated to the Littlest Tumor Foundation — an Appleton-based nonprofit that serves children and families facing neurofibromatosis.
Fortifi Bank of Berlin recently hosted the Supper for 6 food drive and collected more than 1,000 food items that were donated to local families in need. The Supper for 6 drive asked donors to fill grocery bags with enough non-perishable food items to create a meal for six people.
All the rest
Oshkosh Area United Way held its annual Day of Caring in early May. More than 170 volunteers from 24 businesses and organizations performed 26 community service projects at 19 organizations.
Jewelers Mutual Group released the Crime Awareness Video Series featuring security expertise from Jewelers’ Security Alliance and Jewelers Vigilance Canada on crime trends, security tips and actionable solutions to help educate and keep the jewelry industry safe and secure. Jewelers Mutual Group also announced a benefit for customers who use the LUX Digital Vault mobile app. Customers will have 15 days to evaluate their insurance needs while still being protected on new jewelry purchases.
