Economic Progress and Opportunity Update
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One cold week in Sheboygan warmed by two housing groundbreakings
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Professional Supply planning expansion of Sheboygan facility
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BizTimes - Professional Supply plans to expand its town of Sheboygan facility by 20,200 square feet to meet growing demand, according to records from the town and Department of Natural Resources.
The full-line janitorial and maintenance supply company is located at 4828 Professional Drive, in a 32,300-square-foot building constructed in 1993. The building occupies the eastern half of the 3.75-acre parcel, and the company plans to expand onto the western half, according to a report filed with the DNR by a project consultant.
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Congrats to Professional Supply for expanding in the Town of Sheboygan.
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Willman Industries Partners to Teach ESL at work
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Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County - On September 28, 2018, the Literacy Council received an email from Willman Industries in Cedar Grove wanting to know if we could set up English literacy classes at the foundry for their Hispanic employees who wanted to improve their reading and writing skills. “Is this anything you and your group can help us with?”
Could we ever!
By October 2, we lined up an enthusiastic tutor with a solid background teaching English-as-a-second-language for a weekly class. After negotiating a base hourly rate for our services (teaching and prep time, mileage, curriculum development, and administrative time), we rolled out the first class on October 22—less than one month after receiving the email inquiry!
Willman Industries has invested in its employees by paying for them to attend English class at the end of their shift. The class lasts one hour and the employees are often tired—nevertheless, attendance has been great. Besides learning English, “work” language including safety and basic communication with supervisors is included in many lessons. A questionnaire was sent to Willman supervisors asking if progress had been noted in their employees’ English abilities eleven months after classes began. The response was very positive and Willman management has expressed their desire to continue the classes.
On October 28, 2019, the Literacy Council sponsored a celebratory luncheon for the Willman employees who have attended class for one year. Twelve students attended and several were awarded certificates of completion for stellar attendance. We are excited to continue partnering with Willman and want to make other county businesses aware of this possibility to work together.
The Literacy Council has been “in business” for 32 years in Sheboygan County, helping adults learn to read, write, and/or speak English better. Besides this successful alliance with an area business, we also offer one-on-one tutoring to adult learners and have tutors who teach a weekly U.S. Citizenship class at Lakeshore Technical College. We aim to flexibly serve where most needed in the community, and we couldn’t do any of this without our caring volunteer tutors. Our trained tutors meet weekly with their adult students in public places such as Mead Library and work for a couple hours on their students’ goals—whether that be to learn English; learn to read or write; study to pass the GED, the U.S. Citizenship test, or the driver’s license test; work on employability skills and receive help creating a résumé or filling out work applications; and more.
The Literacy Council of Sheboygan County has evolved to meet the needs of our students and the businesses who employ them. We continue to seek avenues to reach adult students who need help with reading or with learning English. Let us know how we can help you!
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Great to see firms "thinking outside the box" to solve workforce challenges while improving their employees lives. Well done Willman Industries!!
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Oostburg School District Ranks among Wisconsin's Elite
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Sheboygan Press- Kevin Bruggink knew something didn't add up.
His small-town eastern Wisconsin school district had a reputation for talented teachers and strong community support. In his 12 years in Oostburg, he'd come to feel it was deserved.
But they didn't have the test scores to show it.
For five years, scores had been stagnant — ranking in the bottom quarter of Wisconsin school districts on the ACT, which many colleges base their admissions on. Graduates were leaving Oostburg unprepared for whatever came next, whether it was college or a job.
Bruggink thought they could do better.
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Two out of the top ten public school districts for ACT scores are in Sheboygan County. That is impressive!
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In full swing - Sheboygan County Prepares for the 2020 Ryder Cup
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Insight Magazine - Amy Wilson, president and CEO of Visit Sheboygan Inc., says people sometimes are disappointed to hear that the county’s large, high-profile golf events typically don’t deliver an immediate bounce in tourism. Good things, however, come with time.
Sheboygan County has only about 2,000 hotel rooms available. Those were booked two and a half years prior to the 2020 Ryder Cup, which will run Sept. 25-27, and they just scratch the surface of the 30,000 rooms needed for the event. This means people will look to Milwaukee, Green Bay, Fond du Lac and the Fox Cities for accommodations, leading to a 50- to 100-mile daily commute.
The grounds at Whistling Straits will include a vendor village with anything spectators, golfers and their entourages, and the media will need, and “people don’t really leave that just to pop into Sheboygan,” Wilson says.
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This article is a great overview of tourism development in Sheboygan.
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Advocate Aurora Health pledges $50M to help Wisconsin, Illinois communities
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Milwaukee Business Journal - Advocate Aurora Health Care is committing $50 million over a five-year period toward supporting health and wellness and economic development projects that improve low-income communities in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Through the investment, the health system, which is one of the ten-largest systems in the U.S., will partner with community development financial institutions to fund initiatives like small and diverse-owned business development, affordable housing expansion and investing in federally qualified health and food centers, the system announced Tuesday.
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Many large firms continue to see the importance of supporting the local community. Thank you Advocate Aurora.
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Commercial PACE saves building owners money: National study shows only one default out of 1,870 deals
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The National Review - A recent study by the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab shows that commercial property assessed clean energy loans (PACE) are growing in popularity and are a good bet for lenders and property owners. Through 2017, projects worth $887 million have been completed, creating more than 13,000 jobs. The study found just one default on a PACE loan out of 1,870 deals nationwide since 2008.2
PACE is an innovative program that enables property owners to obtain low-cost, long-term loans for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation improvements. Projects financed using PACE can generate positive cash flow upon completion with no up-front, out-of-pocket cost to property owners—eliminating the financial barriers that typically prevent investment in revitalizing aging properties.
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PACE loans are designed to increase building owners' cash flow from the first day by having energy savings pay for energy improvements in a long-term fixed financing solution. Sheboygan County has approved this type of lending.
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Acuity to Hire 100 in 2020
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Acuity - Acuity announced that as a result of strong business growth, it plans to hire 100 employees in the next year. The insurer has increased its staff by nearly 50 percent over the past seven years.
“Because of Acuity’s continued success and expansion, we have been able to provide rewarding jobs for more and more people,” said Joan Ravanelli Miller, General Counsel/Vice President - Human Resources. “From high school or college graduates seeking entry-level opportunity to experienced professionals looking to take on new challenges, Acuity is an employer of choice in the insurance industry.”
“We are increasing our staff not just to respond to our strong growth, but as an investment in our future,” said Ben Salzmann, Acuity President and CEO. “We need to have all the resources in place to serve a growing customer base and to fulfill our mission of rebuilding shattered lives, propelled by innovation, grounded in relationships.”
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The impressive growth is expected to continue. We look forward to welcoming the scores of additional households needed to accommodate growth.
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Sheboygan County Listed among the Most Affordable County for Renters in Nation
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AdvisorSmith.com - Sheboygan County ranked 27th in a list of over 800 Counties for the lowest Rent-To-Income ratio. According to the study, Sheboygan County Renters can expect to pay 14% of income on rent. The study used averages and medians such as:
- Sheboygan County's median income of $60,896
- Sheboygan County's average household size of 2.43
- Sheboygan County's Weighted monthly rent of $709.62
The highest rent/income ratio was 64.5% in the Bronx, NY and the lowest was Odham County, KY of 10.9%.
Housing affordability is an important issue for renters in the United States, and there is wide variability in the affordability of housing throughout the country. In this study, AdvisorSmith examined the least and most affordable counties for renters using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. We ranked the counties by affordability and also segmented our analysis by county population size.
To determine housing affordability, we used the median household income in each county. Our study also used the average household size to create a weighted median rent that was used to calculate the percentage of household income that is spent on rent. We then ranked the counties by the ratio of rent-to-income in 827 U.S. counties.
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Housing affordability has been in the news a lot. Many of the new apartments in the area are at price points far above existing units. Yet, Sheboygan County even with these newer, upgraded units continues to be a place that is incredibly affordable for the average american family. Combined with our 3,000 open jobs Sheboygan County truly is #SomeplaceBetter for many.
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Rural Feasibility Study Grant Program Available
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Compeer Financial - The purpose of the Rural Feasibility Study Grant Program is to fund feasibility studies that may result in economic development and improved community assets for rural areas in Compeer’s 144-county territory in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Through this grant program we are helping to ensure a strong future in rural America. Eligible feasibility studies may include:
- Market research
- Cost analysis
- Financial projections
- Assessment of suitable facilities, equipment, etc.
- Development of a business plan
A total of $105,000 is available with grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 based
on needs indicated. The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America reserves the
right to award all or part of the grant amount requested.
Non-profit, educational institutions, and local governments are eligible to apply.
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Organizations in Sheboygan County are encouraged to consider this grant as a source of funding to further your mission.
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Hour of Code to teach kids basics of Computer Programming in Plymouth
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Gearbox Labs - Gearbox Labs and Plymouth Public Library are getting ready for Southeastern Wisconsin’s Hour of Code December 9-15. We’re working with NEWaukee and the MKETech Hub Coalition on their goal to teach at least 5,000 hours of code across the Southeastern Wisconsin region to introduce coding to learners of all ages.
In 2015, 7 million job openings in the U.S. were in occupations that value coding skills. 60% of U.S. schools don't teach computer science and there is a shortage of workers in these occupations. We are working together to address that need. The Tech Hub is committed to doubling the number of technology workers in the Milwaukee metro area alone to 150,000 by 2025.
Gearbox Labs will be providing a free 2 hour workshop on coding in C/C++ using the Arduino UNO platform at Plymouth Public Library on December 12, 2019 from 5:30 until 7:30 pm.
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A free class is being offered for kids to learn about coding.
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Safeguarding Local Economies: WEDC Releases Community Economic Preparedness and Recover Guidebook
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WEDC - Without an economic recovery strategy, a disaster incident can cause a micro-recession, which could negatively affect your community for years. Steps taken by local leaders in the first critical hours, days and weeks can make a significant difference in offsetting this detrimental side effect of an already unfortunate situation. This guidebook and supporting resources provide a framework of discussion for local business and community leaders to develop an economic recovery strategy for their own community and connects disaster management functions with economic principles to identify key issues and suggested actions to prepare and recover from a disaster.
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Pine Haven to Celebrate National Honor
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The Sheboygan Falls News - Pine Haven Christian Communities is the only home in Sheboygan County to have been included on U.S. News & World Report's list of the nation's best nursing homes for both long and short term care.
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Congrats to Pine Haven and its staff for this honor.
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Vollrath Acquires Assets of Albers Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
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Vollrath - The Vollrath Company announces the acquisition of strategic assets of Albers Mechanical Contractors, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn. With over 23 years of experience operating in the foodservice marketplace, Albers expands Vollrath’s high-end custom fabrication capabilities and capacity for its Serving Systems and Components division. This includes a selection of adjustable breath guards and custom refrigeration components as well as added millwork and installation capabilities.
“Integrating the Albers fabrication capabilities expands our offering in a critical growth area,” says Paul Bartelt, president and CEO of Vollrath Company. “Their products and capabilities are a natural fit to develop our Serving Systems and Components business, and we know our customers will appreciate the additional high-quality options.”
Vollrath will establish a new facility in Newport, Minn. The over 70,000-square-foot building will be the 11th manufacturing facility for Vollrath Company and ninth in the U.S.
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Congrats to Vollrath Company on your growth.
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Trends: What Germany can teach us about energy efficiency
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This Old House - In this video, Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey takes host Kevin O'Connor on a tour of Germany with an eye toward renewable energy and sustainable home heating.
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The technology exists to be smarter on how we are using energy. Germany provides a good, proven template on how it can be done.
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Dates & Classes:
- November 23rd – Digital Marketing Trends
Time:
9:00 AM - Noon
Cost:
None
Location:
Varies by class
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OR
SCEDC team contact information:
Dr. Joseph Sheehan, Executive Director
C: 920-946-3767
Dane Checolinski, Director
C: 920-946-9378
Mary Motiska, Special Project Assistant
C: 920-980-0177
Ray York, Entrepreneurial Development Specialist
C: 920-946-9379
Ron Rumack, IoT Coordinator
Wisconsin Internet of Things Council
Ron@WisconsinIoT.org
Nick O'Brien, Director of Innovation & Engagement
FreshTech Innovation Programming - District
C: 920-452-2350
Nick@FreshTechInnovation.com
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