CCEDC Fall Newsletter - Chippewa County Economic Development

THE GRAPHIC DESIGN AUTHORITY
ISSUE 1
Star Blends Expands to the Lake Wissota Business Park
Star Blends, a company based in Sparta, WI, a leading animal feed manufacturer with a
focus on blending feed for dairy cattle, recently chose the Lake Wissota Business Park
for their expanded location. Star Blends plans to employ 20­30 at the new location in
Chippewa Falls, WI, when the project is complete.
“It’s another quality company that helps diversity our manufacturing base,” said Charlie
Walker, President and CEO of the Chippewa County Economic Development
Corporation. “We are excited to have another business to add to the business park and
look forward to continued growth in the area,” he continued.
The CCEDC economic
development team and Star
Blends' representatives discuss
their expansion to the Lake
Wissota Business Park.
PROMOTING A GREAT PLACE TO
RAISE A FAMILY AND A BUSINESS !
VOLUME 15
ISSUE 2
New CCEDC Board Members Announced
STEVEN GERRISH ­ Committee Representative, Term ending 2018, Appointed
as the Chippewa County Economic Development Committee Representative
Steve is the President and Owner of Badgerland Printing. He started the
company with his father in 1995, and has grown his company into a highly
successful printing business. He enjoys watching his three daughters, Alaina
(12) Delila (9) and Kierra (6) in softball, spending time with his wife, Paula, and
girls on the lake and on the ball field.
Steve is a member of local and regional organizations, and is serving a 3­year
term on the Canon Create Team for Canon USA; a very prestigious appointment
being only 1 of 10 throughout the country to be selected for this team.
RONALD HAAS ­ Stanley Representative, Term ending 2017, Appointed as the
Stanley Representative
Ron owns Martino’s Restaurant in Stanley. Martino’s is known for being the
home of the best pizza in the Chippewa Valley. He is married to his wife of 43
years Karen, and 8 children. Ron loves traveling on two wheels, working in the
yard and garden and welding in his shop.
He created “Read it to Eat it” where children in area schools and daycares get a
free personal pizza for reading extra. He works with the Stanley and
Boyd­Edson­Delmar Fire; Ambulance; First Responders where proceeds for a
day each October go to those departments. Martino’s has raised over $20K!
SHERI JOHNSON ­ Cornell Representative, Term ending 2019, Appointed as the
Cornell Representative
Sheri is the General Manager of Mule­Hide Manufacturing and is responsible for
Sales, Production, Staffing, Quality, Logistics, Accounting, Safety/Training, and
Environmental Compliance.
In her spare time she enjoys sports, fishing, hunting, cooking, reading and
spending time with her kids Emily (18) and Evan (10) who has Down’s Syndrome.
She is dedicated to volunteerism with the Down Syndrome Association of
Chippewa County, and serves as a volunteer on the Board for the Chippewa
Valley Technical College Foundation.
New CCEDC Board Members Announced
ROB MOONEY, New Auburn Representative, Term ending 2019, Appointed
as the New Auburn Representative
Rob is the Production Manager at Alliance Plastics, responsible for all
production efforts as well as quoting and project management. Rob has a
strong desire to obtain better relationships within APC and with other
employers within the Chippewa Valley.
MARK SEYER ­ Chairman’s Appointment, Term ending 2017
Mark is Vice President of Peoples Bank Midwest. He enjoys working with
people, helping them realize their dreams of owing their own business.
He spends his free time hunting, riding horses and motorcycles, playing racket
ball and spending time at his cabin with his wife Cindi, and children Kyle (24)
and Shawn (23).He volunteers for Junior Achievement, Youth Leadership Eau
Claire, UCP (having chaired the UCP Telethon and VIP Program) and is a Board
member on his church council.
TOM VANDEHEY, Chairman’s Appointment, Term ending 2018
Tom is the COO of Mid­State Truck Service, based in Wausau.
Mid­State has locations in Wausau, Plover, Marshfield,
Wisconsin Rapids, Abbotsford and Chippewa Falls.
SHERIDAN WELCH ­ Chairman’s Appointment, Term ending 2017
Sheridan is the General Manager for TTM Technologies. She
appreciates interacting with functions that make a business and being
able to make a difference to the people and business she works with.
She is a runner and enjoys reading boating and fishing. She is
married to her husband, John, and has two children, Jennifer (28) and
Jonathan who would have been 31, but passed away in February. She
volunteers through her church in mission/charity work and is a strong
supporter of Habitat for Humanity and sponsors a child in Haiti.
Broadband Expansion in
County Business Park
For many years, Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) has recognized the
importance of infrastructure to job creation and innovation.
Chippewa County businesses like Bloomer Telephone and Citizens Connected have been on the
forefront of investing in high speed digital services. While Chippewa Falls has existing fiber service
through local telecom companies, Chippewa County took another step in improving Lake Wissota’s
Business Park’s (LWBP) Infrastructure by partnering with WIN (Wisconsin Independent Network) in
extending gigabyte availability to current and future customers.
In today’s data­driven marketplace, the transfer of large quantities of information at high speed is
attractive to many industries such as engineering, medical, financial, market research, and high­tech
manufacturing. Not only will LWBP have faster internet connections, the improved infrastructure
upgrades are an excellent future­proof solution to LWBP’s and increasing appetite for bandwidth. Chippewa County was a recipient of a Broadband Expansion Grant from the Wisconsin Public
Service Commission (PSC). Grant funds are being used to expand high­speed Internet access and to complete and develop
a 5.4 mile fiber optic network system running through Chippewa Falls, connecting the Riverside
Industrial Park with Lake Wissota Business Park (LWBP).
This project allows LWBP, a 200 acre mixed­use, State of Wisconsin Shovel Ready Certified
business park with high speed internet access making this location more attractive to
businesses looking to expand or relocate operations.
Progressive Rail Tour
CCEDC’s President and CEO, Charlie Walker and CCEDC Board member, Steve
Gerrish, participated in a freight rail familiarization tour on the Progressive Rail, Inc.
(PGR) short line. The tour took them from Chippewa Falls to New Auburn.
PGR staff members and CCEDC discussed the importance of freight rail to business
and the health of local, national, and global markets. Chippewa County is fortunate to
be served by three railroads — the Canadian National (CN), PGR, and the Union Pacific
(UP), as well as the CN Intermodal Facility in Chippewa Falls. Chippewa County's rail system provides direct access to 100% of the U.S. population,
all major Canadian markets, and to international shipping ports. Transporting goods by
freight rail can move huge volumes of goods and products to the global marketplace like
no other form of ground transportation. Having a reliable and effective transportation
infrastructure is crucial to our position in the global marketplace and economic
competitiveness. TRAIN FACT:
While truck traffic is the dominant
mode of freight transportation in WI,
freight rail continues to play a vital
role in the movement of products for
WI companies. WI's 10 railroads last
year carried more than 2.7 million
carloads of freight weighing in at
nearly 164 million tons.
CCETA Program a Success
The Chippewa County Explorer Training Academy (CCETA) was created in conjunction with CCEDC,
the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Chippewa County, Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC),
Workforce Resource, UW­Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center (MOC), and several Chippewa County
independent school districts to help alleviate the skills gap issue. Leveraging the CCEDC, eight private
sector advanced manufacturing companies, Chippewa County, Wisconsin Fast Forward grant
program, and Workforce Resource, the CCETA was able to fund a six­week boot camp program for 23
students during summer 2016.
Students started the week with tours of both Spectrum’s 1st Avenue and Johnson Street buildings.
They learned about Spectrum’s furniture line and were exposed to design, equipment acquisition,
assembly, and packaging.
Students spent the week's afternoons at Alliance Plastics. Participants were exposed to production,
engineering, quality management, fabrication, tool making, and extrusion. During the extrusion process
materials are forced through the die, where it is formed into its designated shape. A majority of
students had no prior knowledge of thermoplastic extrusion.
Rex Systems Incorporated hosted the week. Students
continued to build their soft skills through the Critical
Core Manufacturing Skills (CCMS) certificate. The
UW­Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center worked with
students and taught the principles of Lean
Manufacturing.
CCETA Program a Success
The fourth week of the Chippewa County Manufacturing Boot Camp was held at Processed Metals
Innovators, LLC in Bloomer. PMI is a fully integrated steel fabrication facility.
Students started each morning at Bloomer High School. They continued to complete their Critical Core
Manufacturing Skills (CCMS) certificate. Students discussed Developing Personal and Team
Productivity, Thinking Critically, and Problem Solving Strategies. The UW­Stout Manufacturing
Outreach Center worked with students to teach Value Stream Mapping. The fifth week of the Chippewa County Manufacturing Boot Camp was hosted by the Chippewa Valley
Technical College’s Gateway Campus, which is the home of the Manufacturing Education and Applied
Technology Centers. Students worked to complete their Manufacturing Skill Standards Council
(MSSC) Maintenance Awareness Certificate.
Students finished up at TTM Technologies
and Advanced Laser Machining where they
completed their training certificates in OSHA
10, first aid/CPR, critical core manufacturing
skills, and introduction to manufacturing lean
principles.
The Manufacturing Boot Camp provided
attendees the opportunity to learn and
improve soft skills through leadership training
programs, emphasizing team development,
and an opportunity to engage in a program of
activities that encouraged an understanding
of work ethic, discipline, honesty, trust, and
getting along with others.
Upcoming Events
Explore the Advantages of Doing Business in Germany
Join the Chippewa County Development Corporation and the German­American Chamber of
Commerce on September 13, 2016, 3:00­4:00 p.m., at W.S. Darley & Co., 1051 Palmer Street,
Chippewa Falls, to discuss foreign direct investment, US/German trade opportunities, and explore
the idea of your company doing business in Germany.
The event is free of charge and advanced registration is required by contacting the CCEDC office
at 715­723­7150 or info@chippewa­wi.com. Tax Exempt Financing Workshop
Upcoming Events
Financials Workshop
WEDC Listening Session
Click here
to register!
Board Members List
Board Chair: Matt Chilson, Chilson Automotive | Lisa Bruhn, Marshfield Clinic
Jennifer Lindstrom, Rice Lake Weighing | Dennis Bachman, Citizens Connected
Steven Gerrish, Badgerland Printing USA | Paul Salm, BMO Harris Bank
Ron Bruder, Applied Data Consultants | Bart Chapek, JLH Enterprises | Chris Conard, PMI LLC Scott Dorn, Spectrum Industries | Ronald Haas, Martino’s Restaurant
Nicole Hager, Stanley Correctional Institution | Sheri Johnson, Mule Hide Manufacturing Robert Mooney, Alliance Plastics | Richard Morrison, Cray Inc. | Michael Pynch, Wipfli
Rebecca Reinhart, Bank Mutual Corporation | Mark Seyer, Peoples Bank Midwest
Robert Schultz, Xcel Energy | Karen Smith, Security Bank
Thomas Vandehey, Mid­State Truck Service | Sheridan Welch, TTM Technologies
CCEDC Staff
Charlie Walker, MPA, CEcD, President/CEO
Jerilyn Sahr, Business Retention and Marketing
Cheryl O'Kelly, Office Assistant
715.723.7150 | http://www.chippewa-wi.com
770 Technology Way, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729