Business development
Goodwill NCW opened its relocated Howard Donation Center at 2331 Velp Ave. in Green Bay.
ThedaCare Medical Center-Fond du Lac, the health system’s ninth hospital, opened in April. The organization broke ground on the $35 million hospital in February 2024. The 25,000-square‑foot hospital has emergency care, inpatient beds and 24/7 coverage with board‑certified emergency medicine physicians.
Krause Agency, De Pere, acquired a downline of life insurance agents from O’Brien Insurance Services. The downline includes 198 agents across the country, increasing Krause Agency’s national network of active agents to more than 1,300. In addition, the acquisition includes top contracts for ELCO Mutual Life & Annuity’s Platinum and Golden Eagle whole life products.
RGA Public Relations, a Sheboygan‑based strategic communications company, has been hired by the organizers of the Sheboygan Film Festival. The event will take place Oct. 2-5.
Georgetown Cleaners, Fond du Lac, is under new ownership. Georgetown Cleaners is a family-owned business that was started in 1959 by George Morris and is now owned by the Pelletier family.
Take Flight Enterprise expanded operations into a new space at 6451 S. Business Drive in Sheboygan.
West Allis-based Ope Brewing Co. announced plans to open Ope North, a taproom at 1932 W. College Ave. in Appleton. Ope’s flagship brewery is a 10,000-square-foot facility in West Allis that opened in 2022.
Vault 202 Brewery & Taproom is scheduled to open later this summer in a space between Chase Bank and Copper Rock Coffee in downtown Appleton. The investors of Vault 202 partnered with Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, Inc.
Lakeland Care, Inc. opened a new office at 1 E. Waldo Blvd., Suite 2, in Manitowoc.
Zero 60, a national electric vehicle charge point operator brand by Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI), has launched its first renewable energy charging station in Lake Placid, New York.
Air Methods renewed its partnership with EAGLE III, extending a successful collaboration that has supported the Green Bay region with lifesaving air medical transport services. EAGLE III originally partnered with Air Methods in 2007 following Air Methods’ acquisition of CJ Systems Aviation Group.
The third cohort of the U.S. Venture Sustainability Accelerator gener8tor includes Arduro, ElectricFish, Emobi, E.V.I. and Flux II. Each year, the program invests $100,000 into each of five startups.
Peggy Bakes will expand production at Nourish Farms’ commercial kitchen in Sheboygan County.
Titletown’s newest addition, the Packers Athletic Club, opened its doors in May.
Roof Scientist has onboarded its first franchisee, Dan Lindstrom, to spearhead the expansion of its technology in the area between Oshkosh and Green Bay.
Catalpa Health launched the Catalpa Foundation May 2 during a community celebration at its Appleton clinic. The new fundraising arm will help expand critical mental health services for children and teens across Northeast Wisconsin, with a 2025 fundraising goal of $1.8 million.
Zac Bryner opened Midwest Super Speedway, an electric go-kart track in Green Bay.
Carbliss announced its official launch into Kentucky, its 15th state.
Third Base Ventures, led by Craig Dickman, Rob Zerjav and Brad Raaths, has agreed to sell the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to Diamond Baseball Holdings, an organization that owns and operates Minor League Baseball clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball.
Construction
Bayland Buildings is the general contractor for the new Darboy Shell, a 5,762-square-foot convenience store at N95995 County Road N, Appleton. The convenience store will feature a Dunkin’ and a 3,900-square-foot car wash. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall. Bayland is also working on a 3,280-square-foot facility for the Shawano VFW Post 2723. Bayland Buildings is the design/build general contractor for a 3,738-square-foot addition at Living Stone Alliance Church in Appleton and a 2,440-square-foot addition at Hometown Auto in Sheboygan. In addition Bayland Buildings recently completed a 10,652-square-foot project at Folkman Plaza in Hobart.
Keller, Inc. is the architect and general contractor/builder for the following projects: a 4,942-square-foot addition for Bank of Luxemburg at 519 S. Lansing Ave., Sturgeon Bay; an 8,196-square-foot building addition project for Eagle Graphics at 1200 Prospect Lane in Kaukauna; and an exterior facelift and bar remodel project at Kroll’s West at 1990 S. Ridge Road in Ashwaubenon.
Awards
The Madison and Northeast Wisconsin Chapter of PRSA presented the WisCOMsin Awards. Among the highest‑scoring project award winners were Fair Opportunity Project: The Creative Company; Integrated Marketing Campaign: Red Shoes and Omni Glass & Paint; Special Events: Aurora Health Care. Red Shoes also won an award of distinction for crisis communications and an award of distinction in the social media campaign category.
SSM Health Cancer Care, Fond du Lac, has received accreditation under the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Accreditation Program.
Bank First has been ranked No. 9 in S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Best-Performing U.S. Community Banks of 2024 with assets between $3 billion and $10 billion.
The Fox Cities Chamber has been recognized as the “Most Impactful Chamber in Wisconsin” by FDI Insider, a leading international business publication.
Aurora BayCare Medical Center Comprehensive Breast Care Center earned accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
Fox World Travel has been recognized by Energage with two 2025 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Awards in the innovation and leadership categories. These awards are based entirely on employee feedback.
Moraine Park Technical College recognized its business and industry partners recently. Honored were: Employer of the Year, Seneca Foods Corporation; Excellence in Partnership, Apache Stainless Equipment Corporation; New Partner of the Year, Washington County; Innovation Award, St. Mary’s Springs Academy; and Workforce Development Champion, Melissa Bielinski, Kleen Test.
Ahern is honored to have contributed to 10 of the Daily Reporter’s Top Projects of 2024. This annual list honors winning projects that overcame notable challenges, drove effective teamwork, utilized innovative building techniques and positively impacted local communities around the state.
Lakeland Care, Inc. has received the Work-Life Flexibility Top Workplace Award for the second consecutive year.
Kundinger, Neenah, announced its Motion Systems Group has earned Diamond Team Award recognition from Parker Hannifin.
Gov. Tony Evers honored organizations as recipients of the 2024 Governor’s Financial Literacy Awards in a ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol. The recipients included Capital Credit Union, Green Bay.
Emplify Health by Bellin Green Bay Hospital earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group.
Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI) earned first place in the specialty contractor division for companies completing over 5 million work hours at the 2025 Construction Safety Excellence Awards, presented by the Associated General Contractors of America. This marks FTI’s fourth consecutive year winning in its division.
The Professional Background Screening Association Background Screening Credentialing Council announced that J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. has successfully demonstrated continued compliance with the Background Screening Organization Accreditation Program and is accredited.
Radio station 95.9 KISS FM (WKSZ) took home top honors as Medium Market Music Station of the Year at the 2025 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Awards Gala. Awards included: Best Radio Show; Best Station Promo; Best Station Event Promo; Best Client Event Promo: Let’s Do Lunch with the Bar; Best Public Service Announcement: Skating with Santa (Make a Wish Wisconsin): Best Website; Best Use of Social Media; Best Original Digital Content and Best Live Online On-Site Coverage. WHBY earned the Best Significant Community Impact award for its Women Who Wow Us series. In addition, WHBY won Best Original Digital Content and Best Election Coverage.
Grants
SSM Health donated $100,000 to The Gratitude Club. The donation will help with construction of an eight-bed women’s sober living residence, the Phoenix Nest, adjacent to its existing clubhouse. SSM Health has also donated $20,000 to the Fondy Food Pantry to support its Food for Thought program.
Nationally renowned portrait artist and longtime Door County resident James J. Ingwersen passed away March 30 and gifted his 40-acre estate — including his home, studio, gallery buildings and more than 600 original works — to the Peninsula School of Art.
Consolidated Construction Co., Green Bay, raised $43,796.57 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Education
Lakeshore College and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay have introduced the FORWARD program that allows students in high-demand fields such as education and nursing to earn four-year degrees without leaving the Sheboygan area.
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