Business development
Acuity Insurance is now offering personal and commercial lines insurance in Arkansas. Additionally, Acuity surpassed $2 billion in annual revenue for the first time in its 97-year history in 2022, finishing the year with $2.22 billion in written premium, driven by an 11.3% growth rate that generated a record $225 million increase in top-line revenue.
Bank First Corporation and Hometown Bank completed a merger.
Bellin Health Titletown Sports Medicine & Orthopedics has partnered with Velocity Performance Training.
The Boldt Group has invested in TitletownTech to support startups across industries, including construction and manufacturing. TitletownTech invested in Tusk Logistics, a Chicago-based supply chain company that has built a national network of regional parcel carriers.
FifthColor acquired its long-time partner, Event Solutions.
Jewelers Mutual Group acquired the core technology of Luxsurance, LLC.
Nesnah Ventures, a family-owned private equity firm headquartered in La Crosse, announced the acquisition of Valley Scale, an industry-leading scale company serving Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan from facilities in Green Bay, Rice Lake and Wausau.
Business comings and goings
Appleton Bake Shoppe, LLC purchased land on Wisconsin Avenue.
Badgerland Badge & Sign officially opened at its new space in the Broadway District, 119 S. Chestnut Ave. in Green Bay.
The former Vinland Still & Grill was reopened as BAGO Bar & Grill in Neenah by longtime owners Katie Samuelson and Hank Klundt. Additionally, Samuelson recently acquired a food truck, which will serve customers in the BAGO Bar & Grill parking lot and on the road.
Jon Sievert purchased Casper’s Truck Equipment in Appleton and Butler and will continue to operate the business under its current name.
Foot Locker notified the state of Wisconsin in January that it will lay off 97 employees and close its Oshkosh call center permanently by April 28.
Integrated Safety Solutions opened in Fond du Lac.
Paper Transport, a Wisconsin-based for-hire truckload carrier and provider of brokerage services, obtained two new locations in the Broadway District of Green Bay.
Entrepreneur Nicholas Orth purchased the shop formerly known as PJ’s Auto at 2904 Calumet Ave. in Manitowoc and changed the name to Precision Autoworks.
Mid-America Real Estate said Planet Fitness leased a property at 697 South Green Bay Rd. in Neenah.
PTI Transport opened at 340 N. Broadway in Green Bay.
Scooters Coffee opened at 527 W. Johnson St. in Fond du Lac.
Construction
Bayland Buildings is working on projects for Cedar Grove Warehouse, Manchester, Tennessee; Crumbl Cookies, Wausau; Advanced Tooling Specialists, Inc., Menasha; McKey Perforating, New Berlin; Buddy’s Vets, Bellevue; Forever, Hobart; and Mission Specific, Whitewater.
Construction is progressing on the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh building and community center project. The five-part project includes an expansion of the club’s elementary and middle school age spaces, a new teen center, a new playground and multipurpose field, a community center and a second gym. Once complete, the project will double the size of the club and allow it to serve 150+ more youth each day.
Alliant Energy is progressing work at its Onion River Solar Project, completing civil sitework including driveways and access roads, field preparation and support structures for panels. The 150-megawatt installation in the Sheboygan County town of Holland is expected to be complete later this year.
Keller, Inc. is working on projects for Dental Associates; Milwaukee; Appleton Dental Group, Appleton; Riverview Lutheran, Appleton; Rhodes Bake-N-Serv, Columbus; Door Community Child Development Center, Sevastopol; Fox Valley Montessori Academy, Appleton; and CJK Properties of Pulaski. Additionally, Keller’s VandenBoom Verstegen Wealth Management project in Kimberly and The Bank of Luxemburg project in Howard were recognized with GOLD Projects of Distinction Excellence in Construction Awards by Associated Builders & Contractors of Wisconsin.
Education
The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs granted $99,970 to Fox Valley Technical College to support its Innovation Accelerator for Veterans program and $75,000 to Lakeland University to provide entrepreneurship opportunities for veteran populations.
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College launched a long-term scholarship endowment, created with donations through the NWTC Foundation, available to greater Shawano area residents. The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services announced the Howard-Suamico School District will receive a $24,950 grant toward its youth firefighter training program. The district will host classes for firefighter certification at Bay Port High School through Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. The program is designed to produce a new generation of paid, on-call firefighters for the Howard and Suamico fire departments. The grant will be used to supply students with turnout gear.
St. Norbert College awarded its Phil Hauck Scholarship to Kaleb Schad of Suamico, Joanne Klysen of Green Bay, Erin Evosevich of Crivitz, Emily Klemme of Suamico, and Marissa Heim of Green Bay. Additionally, “John McGivern’s Main Streets” filmed in De Pere at locations including the St. Norbert College campus, Union Hotel, Seroogy’s, Luna Coffee and others.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay was awarded a $865,010 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to help address the state’s caregiver crisis by providing training for supervisors of vital workers caring for older adults and people with disabilities. UW-Green Bay also is offering a new project management certificate program in cooperation with UW-Milwaukee. Additionally, former U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble was named UW-Green Bay’s first practitioner in residence at the university’s Political Science Program.
The Wisconsin State Building Commission approved about $178.3 million for key projects across the state, including for an HVAC system replacement project at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Funds also went toward an exterior restoration of the Historic Boat House, the oldest lighthouse in Wisconsin at Door County’s Rock Island State Park, as well as projects at state parks and maintenance and repair projects at government facilities in Brown, Sheboygan, Winnebago and Waupaca counties.
Awards
Ducommun was named a gold-certified Fox Cities Employee Friendly Workplace by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce.
Faith Technologies received a gold-level 2022 Projects of Distinction Award from Associated Builders & Contractors for its work at Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Future Neenah recognized The Boldt Company as Corporate Citizen of the Year.
Finalists for the 34th Annual Manufacturer of the Year Awards sponsored by Baker Tilly, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, included The Village Companies in Pulaski; Robinson Inc. in De Pere; Hydrite Chemical Co. in Oshkosh; Brakebush Brothers, Inc. in Westfield; Inland Label and Marketing Service LLC in Neenah; Appvion LLC in Appleton; Redline Plastics in Manitowoc; Muza Sheet Metal Co. LLC in Oshkosh; Wisconsin Lighting Lab, Inc. in Fond du Lac; and Evergreen Tool Co. Inc. in Peshtigo.
Redline Plastics in Manitowoc was named a finalist for the Processor of the Year award for 2022 from Plastics News. Redline Plastics also was named to Plastics News’ “Best Places to Work” list for the third year running.
Rennes Group and St. Paul Elder Services were recognized in the Best Nursing Homes for 2022-2023 by U.S. News & World Report, earning High Performing ratings for their short-term rehabilitation programs.
ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah’s bariatric program, in a partnership with Surgical Associates of Neenah, S.C., was recognized as a nationally reaccredited program, meeting the highest standards for patient safety and quality.
Wickman House in Ellison Bay was named a James Beard Award semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category.
Grants
The Scripps Howard Fund awarded $5,000 to Connections for Mental Wellness to support school-based mental health initiatives.
Faith Technologies Incorporated made $11,000 in donations to three charitable organizations through its annual holiday giving campaign. Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention received $10,000, and the Diversity Awareness Project and National Environmental Education Foundation each received $500 donations.
The Green Bay Packers are donating five social justice grants of $50,000 each to regional and state nonprofits including Better Days Mentoring in Green Bay; House of Hope in Green Bay; Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund Inc., in Madison; Legal Action of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the Convoy of Hope’s Gratitude for Green Bay Resource Fair, which is hosted at Lambeau Field. Additionally, the Packers and Bellin Health are partnering to donate automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and expand access to CPR and AED training following the cardiac emergency experienced by Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin. The team donated $100,000 to fund AEDs and Bellin Health will provide training to facilities that receive the AEDs. Also, for the 20th year, Sargento Foods donated $2,000 to help fight hunger in Wisconsin for every touchdown scored by the Packers, a contribution that now totals more than $1.7 million. During the 2022 season the Packers scored 42 touchdowns. Packers alumnus Donald Driver also contributed to the cause, donating an additional $20,000 and bringing the total donation to $104,000 for this season.
The M&M Area Community Foundation recently awarded a $750 mini grant to expand a free diaper program through Pioneer Presbyterian Church serving families across Marinette and Menominee counties.
Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists donated several large-item medical supplies to the Ukraine Medical Association of North America to help in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Shawano Area Community Foundation awarded $18,500 in grants through its annual competitive grant cycle to 11 nonprofit organizations.
Tundraland Home Improvements awarded a Mile of Music scholarship to Menasha student Audrey Lingnofski, including a brand-new drum set and lessons for a year.
All the rest
3 Sheeps Brewing Co. hosted a fundraiser for Above & Beyond Children’s Museum in Sheboygan, which sustained extensive water and ice damage Dec. 25.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed penalties of $174,351 to Briess Industries of Chilton after inspectors identified safety and health violations in August.
Compassionate Home Health Care’s annual #RocktheDock music festival fundraiser has changed locations to accommodate growth. The festival will be held in Voyager Park in De Pere Aug. 19. Additionally, the organization’s 12th annual holiday giving campaign in 2022 was able to provide 3,200 people with personal care and cleaning items through 30 nonprofit organizations.
The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce now offers free membership for its Pulse Young Professionals program and launched a corporate Champion of Young Professionals program. Any Fox Cities company can apply to be classified as a YP champion and pledge to provide support and a positive work environment for YPs within the company.
HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital and Prevea Health in Sheboygan are offering a new approach to total hip replacement procedures, allowing patients to recover and return to normal activities faster. The HANA® table, which was recently added to the growing fleet of surgical technology at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital, is the only surgical table designed exclusively to improve a surgeon’s accessibility and visibility of the hip during the replacement procedure.
The City of Green Bay is developing a plan to achieve its goal of 100% clean energy and carbon neutrality for the entire Green Bay community by 2050.
Passenger traffic at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) rose 14.2% in 2022 over the previous year. In response to the increased demand, airlines are increasing flight frequency and plane size. In addition, Pilotsmith at GRB is offering a private pilot written test prep course, designed to give student pilots all the tools and knowledge they need to pass their FAA written exams. A remote pilot FAA test for drone pilots is also available.
The Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation reinstated Ag-Career Days, a farm career exploration experience for all 7th- and 8th-grade students from five Northeast Wisconsin school districts. It will be held at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy farm in Kewaunee in April.
The Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership announced three new grant programs, including the New Business Grant for startup expenses, Experience Generator Grant to attract businesses who contribute to the overall downtown experience and Creative Sign Grant to undertake creative sign projects that add to the uniqueness and character of Downtown Fond du Lac.
Habitat for Humanity Lakeside dedicated a new home on S. 9th Street in Sheboygan to the Tin-Aye family in January.
Lakefront Brewery is installing a canning line and is eliminating glass bottles from its offerings.
Lakeland Care, Inc. in Fond du Lac is increasing its volunteer time off from eight hours to 24 hours per year for each employee.
Sheboygan was selected to host the inaugural Mercury Midwest Challenge, a powerboat racing event and festival organized by Powerboat P1, the Formula One Championship Series and Mercury Racing of Fond du Lac.
The Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce introduced a refreshed brand at its 115th Annual Meeting & Recognition Program.
The Urban Hub in Green Bay is the host site for the Global Game Jam (GGJ), an annual international event at which developers and enthusiasts of all skill levels collaborate to make original games over a 48-hour period.
