» Highway 41 Corridor
Brown, Calumet, Outagamie, Winnebago, Fond du Lac Counties
Fond du Lac gets high marks for advanced manufacturing
Fond du Lac gets high marks for advanced manufacturing
Fond du Lac manufacturers received a boost when a national economic development magazine ranked the county among the tops in the nation for advanced manufacturing specialization.
Business Facilities magazine, a corporate and economic development publication, ranked the Fond du Lac County area ninth on its list — the only Wisconsin community ranked in the top 10.
This was a new category for the 11th annual Business Facilities rankings, recognizing the growing importance of advanced manufacturing to the national economy. The publication used data from the Brookings Institute and reflects advanced manufacturing processes, workforce and equipment.
In an additional boost, The Milken Institute ranked the Fond du Lac region 34th out of 179 small metros for its five-year high-tech sector output growth, and 14th for one-year growth. The county also ranked seventh for the concentration of high-tech operations.
“The future and competitiveness of manufacturing in the nation are based on innovation and technology deployment,” says Steve Jenkins, president of the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation. “As a community, we must be prepared to support our manufacturers in this regard through access to technology improvements and processes as well as a technically-educated and trained workforce.”
RR Donnelley will split into 3 independent companies
RR Donnelley will split into 3 independent companies
RR Donnelley & Sons Co. announced it plans to create three independent, publicly traded companies in order to better operate in its core markets.
If executed as planned, the split will result in one business focused on financial communications and data services; one business focused on publishing and retail-centric print services; and one business focused on customized multichannel communications management.
Company officials say it is too early in the process to detail which of the new companies will house RR Donnelley’s current Wisconsin operations, including its facilities in Appleton and Menasha.
“We see a significant opportunity to unlock value by allowing these three businesses to pursue their
own strategies and invest according to the unique dynamics of their respective industries,” says Thomas J. Quinlan III, RR Donnelley’s president and CEO. “Each company will have the strategic focus, management resources and capital structure to enable it to strengthen its market position and pursue its growth opportunities, enhancing long-term value for stakeholders.”
The transaction is expected to take the form of a tax-free distribution to RR Donnelley shareholders. The company expects to complete the spinoffs by the end of 2016.
Going green up top
You may notice St. Elizabeth Hospital looking a little greener these days.
It has finished the installation of another green roof, this one atop its new, five-story Fremont Tower.
In August, contractors finished the installation of a 6,110-square-foot LiveRoof system. The first 4,125-square-foot green roof was installed on the Heart, Vascular and Lung Center building in 2009. The hospital also installed a 3,000-square-foot green roof on its Cancer Center in 2011.
Fremont Tower was designed with an emphasis on sustainability and the plan for green roofs was part of the overall design. The building also has ground-floor and rooftop gardens shown to benefit patients during recovery as well as bolster the environment.
Ariens Co. announces $9 million expansion
Ariens Co. announces $9 million expansion
Ariens Co. will invest more than $9 million to upgrade and expand the product development facility at its headquarters in Brillion.
The 45,000-square-foot Ariens Company Design and Development Center is expected to be complete by fall 2018.
“New products have been the lifeblood of our growth strategy, especially in the last several years,” says Dan Ariens, chairman and CEO. “Customers have embraced our recent product introductions and we are responding with an expansion that will allow us to bring new products and new technologies to market even faster.”
When complete, the development facility will house a new engineering and technical center, industrial design studio, model shop and prototyping lab and a complete state-of-the-art validation and testing
center. It will become the company’s hub for research and product development, testing and product validation of outdoor power equipment including Sno-Thro machines, mowing equipment and outdoor chore products for both consumer and professional use under the Ariens and Gravely brands.
» The Northwoods
Florence, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto Counties
Bellin Health opens new Oconto Falls clinic
Bellin Health opened its new Oconto Falls clinic in August.
The 9,000-square foot facility on Highland Drive replaces the Main Street clinic, and took about six months to build from groundbreaking to completion. The provider used the same design as its new Algoma facility, which has proven popular with staff
and patients alike.
The new facility offers internal medicine, family practice services, physicals, employment- and school-related services, behavioral health and other clinical services.
New services added include mobile unit mammography, bone densitometry and physical therapy.
» West Central
Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, Marquette, Green Lake Counties
New ownership for Alliance Laundry Systems
Alliance Laundry Systems announced that BDT Capital Partners acquired a majority interest in the company from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
OTTP is expected to retain a minority interest in Alliance following the completion of the transaction.
“Our management team will hold a significant ownership stake following the transaction and is excited by the new partnership with BDT,” says Mike Schoeb, president and CEO of Alliance. “This partnership will allow us to accelerate the execution of our proven growth strategy, continue to invest in new and innovative products of exceptional quality and strengthen the value we bring to our premier distribution partners.”
Teachers’ Private Capital, the private equity group of OTTP, acquired Alliance in January 2005. During its ownership, Alliance expanded operations to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and successfully entered new segments and served new end markets.
Boston private-equity firm Bain Capital created Alliance in 2003 after purchasing what was then the commercial laundry equipment manufacturing business of Raytheon for $358 million.
The company’s profits and revenues have grown steadily, including a 37 percent jump in gross profit to $230.2 million last year, over 2013. Revenue last year was $726.3 million.
Most of Alliance’s 2,730 employees and its manufacturing facilities are located in Ripon. It also has facilities in China and the Czech Republic.
Completion of the transaction is expected in the third quarter of 2015.
» The Lakeshore
Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan Counties
A record-setting event
The 2015 PGA Championship enjoyed all-time highs for success before the first shot was ever played at Whistling Straights.
Even before the players found their way to the first hole, the tournament earned the title of highest-grossing PGA Championship in its 97-year history for ticketing and corporate sales, breaking the record set in 2004, when the event was also held at Whistling Straights.
The overall economic impact for Kohler and Sheboygan County is expected to top $100 million based
on the tournament’s history.
This is the third time the course has played host to the PGA Championship since 2004. That experience helped prepare the greater Sheboygan business community for this year’s event.
New digester debuts at Sheboygan Falls dairy
Digested Organics will construct its first fully Integrated Manure Management System at the Majestic Meadows Dairy in Sheboygan Falls.
The IMMS will process 20,000 gallons of manure per day, harvesting energy through biogas generation, concentrating nutrients for more targeted crop use and reclaiming
clean water for farm use and surface water discharge.
Digested Organic’s IMMS is a fully integrated and scalable manure treatment system, combining a high efficiency/low residence time anaerobic digester that concentrates nutrients into 30 percent of the original manure volume while recovering about 70 percent of the original volume as clean water suitable as drinking water for the animals, washing and flushing on the farm or direct discharge to local waterways with the appropriate
state permit.
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