This month’s cover story on Russell Moccasin is a little personal. It gave me reason to make several trips to my hometown of Berlin, a cozy little hamlet of about 5,000 residents nestled in Green Lake County. Berlin is also the birthplace of Russell Moccasin, a footwear company that produces custom-fitted handmade leather boots and shoes that are favored by outdoorsmen and women from around the globe.
But despite being worn by kings, presidents and celebrities, Russell Moccasin continues to fly under the radar in many ways. “I’ll bet if you walked down the street and asked new people in Berlin, they wouldn’t know who they are,” says Bobbie Erdmann, a City of Berlin alderperson and former mayor. “They don’t really blow their whistle.”
But there are changes in store for the business. During the course of reporting this cover story, Russell Moccasin was purchased by two new owners, marking just the third major ownership change in its 124-year history. Turn to page 24 to learn more about the next generation of this time-honored company with which I’m proud to share a hometown.
And when it comes to taking pride in your hometown, no one does so more enthusiastically than Amy Albright, the subject of this month’s Personalities feature on page 12. Associate Editor Kate Bruns sat down with Albright, who is the director of the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, to learn more about the city’s evolving identity as a year-round travel destination with big economic implications. As Albright puts it, “People are starting to realize that tourism really is the same thing as quality of life, is the same thing as recruiting new employees to an area.”
Another example of tourism as economic development can be found on page 20. A little farther north in our scenic Northwoods region, tourism leads to job creation, bustling businesses and, lately, a unique four-county partnership that rolls out the red carpet for ATV/UTV enthusiasts. Turn to our Places section to learn more about Quad County Trails — a joint effort of Florence, Forest, Oconto and Marinette counties that aims to bolster their economies.
In honor of Manufacturing Month, industry leaders from around the state will convene at Green Bay’s Resch Expo on Oct. 26 for the Manufacturing First Expo & Conference featuring keynote speaker John Sileo, who lost his multi-million-dollar business to cybercrime. Turn to page 30 for Kate Bruns’ manufacturing industry report with tips on how manufacturers can beef up cybersecurity and avoid costly breaches.
To learn even more, register for the event at manufacturingfirst.com. I’d love to see you there!
