Focus on Calumet
A bi-weekly update on economic development opportunities in Calumet County
and the region for businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities.
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WEDC We’re All In Small Business Grants – Phase 2
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WEDC is providing a second round of We’re All In Small Business Grants to distribute an additional $50 million to small businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first phase of the program provided more than $65 million in grants to over 26,000 businesses statewide this summer, including around 100 Calumet County businesses. Despite the infusion of CARES Act funds distributed by WEDC, however, many Wisconsin small businesses continue to struggle. The new round aims to provide grants of $5,000 each to 10,000 additional Wisconsin small businesses.
Applications for the grants will open at 8:00 am Monday, October 19, and close at 11:59 pm Monday, November 2. As with the previous round of We’re All In Grants, awards will not be made on a first-come, first-served basis.
Businesses that received funds under the first round of We’re All In Grants, as well as the Ethnic Minority Emergency Grant program, are also eligible for the second round of We’re All In Grants. Priority will be given to businesses that have not previously received funds from either of the first two programs, those with ethnically diverse ownership, and those in the hardest-hit sectors, such as restaurants and taverns, hair and nail salons and barber shops, and other services.
The grants will be administered by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in partnership with WEDC.
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Tri-County COVID-19 Testing Site – Calumet to Open October 22
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Free COVID-19 community testing will be available for drive-thru service beginning Thursday, October 22, at Christ the Rock Community Church, W6254 US Highway 10/114, Menasha, WI 54952, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. This site is available to the public through a collaboration between the Wisconsin Army National Guard, Calumet County, Christ the Rock Community Church, and emergency management teams from the tri-county area. The site will be open Thursdays-Saturdays weekly with the exception of Thanksgiving week.
Entry to the testing site is only from US Highway 10/114. Exit from the testing site is onto Woodland Road.
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SBA and Treasury Announce Simpler PPP Forgiveness Process for Loans of $50,000 or Less
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Businesses that received an SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of $50,000 or less are now able to use a simplified process to request loan forgiveness. The goal of the new application is to streamline the PPP process and allow lenders to process borrowers' forgiveness applications more quickly. Use the corresponding buttons below to get more details.
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What is the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin?
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Partnering for the fifth year in a row, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group announced the 2020 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin -- the Mobile Autonomous Robotic Cart (MARC) from MuL Technologies in Mequon.
Nearly 50,000 votes were cast in the final round of the contest. Other finalists included: Caterpillar Global Mining in South Milwaukee, C.C. Moo LLC in Stoughton, and Kimberly-Clark in Neenah. The winner was announced at the annual WMC Foundation Made in Wisconsin Luncheon, which was held virtually.
MuL Technologies was founded in 2018. It is a partner of GMI Solutions – a contract manufacturer that has been serving customers around the globe since 1983. MARC is a completely independent robotic cart with the brains to map a facility, avoid obstacles in its way, and get things where they need to go, when they need to get there. The robotic cart can be pre-programed with a destination with a single command and be sent on its way with the tap of a button.
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Calumet County Business Assistance
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Calumet County has long promoted business assistance to existing and start-up businesses throughout the county, and that tradition continues. The following is a reminder of the extensive list of services available from Ray York, Small Business Development Center business specialist, at no cost. Ray’s goal is to provide opportunity to clients by guiding them to make informed decisions to start, expand, or transition their business. What are you waiting for, contact Ray today by using the online contact form, by phone (920-946-9379), or email.
- Provide research materials to aid in the business planning process
- Industry overview, trends & outlooks (IBISworld, Statista, SageWorks, BarnesReport)
- Competition and Sales Lists (DataAxle)
- Financial ratios (SageWorks)
- Licensing & regulation (WDFI, DOR, DATCP, Contacts to County and Local Municipalities)
- Target market data (US Census)
- Business plan examples (SBDCNet, Bplans, York Template)
- Trade association, publications, and suppliers/distributor/wholesaler lists (SBDCNet)
- Commercial real-estate data and availability (CoStar)
- Local vetted contact list (county, chambers)
- Client Paid - Secondary research (BIT, WISC)
- Develop financial documents using entrepreneur provided information and industry financial ratios
- Use professional services to verify assumptions
- Project manage clients through the entire start-up, expansion, and/or transitions process
- Consistent access to professional network at the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in the UW System
- Access to more clients and potential future investors
- SBDC metrics are a great benchmark of entrepreneurial activity
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Social distancing and face covering requirements ensure in store shopping will be very different from Black Friday 2019 when the photo above was taken at Walmart.
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The COVID-19 Christmas has begun. Shoppers started grabbing deals last week during Amazon's Prime Day. The shifting of Prime Day to mid-October and the promotional response from competitors will alter the entire cadence of normal holiday spending patterns during a season that will see physical store traffic under pressure. Nevertheless, expectations are overall spending during the holiday season, a period that now needs to include October, will surpass last year's record results.
On the retail bonus front, Lowe's is giving an additional $100 million in bonuses to recognize front-line hourly associates. The company has paid out more than $775 million in pandemic pay this year.
Amid a national debate about health care, Walmart is offering more details about its plans to build a health insurance business. The company will begin selling Medicare insurance plans starting October 15.
The average Costco location now exceeds annual sales of $200 million following the release of fourth quarter results that revealed the powerful effects of pandemic purchasing.
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Mathes to be Honored as Kiel Citizen of the Year
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Officials of the Kiel Lions have announced that Mike Mathes has been named “Citizen of the Year” for 2020 in Kiel.
Mathes will be honored at the annual banquet—open to the public—on Sunday, November 1, at Millhome Supper Club (River Room); doors open at 5:30, and the meal starts at 6:30 pm. The cost of the banquet is $20 per person. Mathes recently announced his fulltime retirement after a career spent working at and leading Kiel’s hometown newspaper. A nomination letter for Mathes said, “...the real reason Mike deserves this recognition is his never-ending love of the community in which he grew up and, because of that, all that he has done to support Kiel.
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Community Celebrated at Brillion’s Best & Brightest
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The third annual Brillion’s Best & Brightest Awards, presented by the Brillion Chamber of Commerce, looked and felt a little different this year.
Stone Prairie was the new host venue of the site, while previous host Cobblestone Creek catered the event. There were masks worn and less guests and citizens because of COVID-19 concerns. Still, the event carried the same positivity as the previous two
years celebrating the Brillion community. “The chamber board wanted to make sure the event happened. The biggest thing we were concerned about was air circulation. How timely was it that Brillion’s newest venue, Stone Prairie, is open to the outdoors
and well ventilated? On top of that, it is heated,” Chamber of Commerce President Amy Meyers.
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Business of the Year: Amy Myers, Brillion Chamber of Commerce President is with Joy and Mike Buboltz (center and right) of Hardware Plus.
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Young Professional of the Year: John Kees, Kees Masonry Solutions (right), presented by John School (center).
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Chilton Citizen of the Year will be Honored Nov. 1
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Chilton Journal, October 15, 2020
The 2019 Citizens of the Year, Kim and Nancy McKeen, will be honored by the Chilton Chamber of Commerce, family, friends, and the community on Sunday, November 1, at 2:00 pm at the Chilton Twilight Drive In Theatre, 1255 E. Chestnut Street, Chilton.
Due to COVID-19, our March banquet was postponed. With restrictions in place, and by using guidelines provided by Calumet County, we plan to move forward with this well-deserved recognition.
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Jamie Wieting (left) is with Kim and Nancy McKeen, 2019 Chilton Citizens of the Year.
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Smoky Lake Honored for Exporting
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The Wisconsin 2020 Small Business Exporter of the Year is Smoky Lake Maple Products in Hilbert. The business began in 2008 at the home of Jim and Angela Schumacher, in Kaukauna. The married couple spent their weekends in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - at Jim’s cabin between Big Smoky Lake and Little
Smoky Lake – and it was there they
tapped maple trees in late winter and
turned the sap into maple syrup.
What started as a weekend hobby
became a home-grown business. Jim
started by experimenting with ways
to make the cooking of maple syrup a
more efficient process.
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Jim and Angela Schumacher, owners of Smoky Lake Maple Products, were honored for their dedication to exporting their products, which are manufactured at their plant in the Hilbert West Side Industrial Park. (Ed Byrne/BN)
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In 2011, he left his job as a plumber and began manufacturing his own line of maple syrup equipment. Eventually, the business outgrew the Schumacher home, and they built their first free-standing showroom and manufacturing shop in Hilbert’s new West Side Industrial Park. Since then, the facility has expanded, and on September 10, the U.S. Small Business Administration named Smoky Lake the state’s top small business exporter.
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Pielhops Ready to Carry Wieting Legacy
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Sarah and Jason Pielhop understand the significance of becoming the first non-Wieting family members to own Wieting Funeral Homes, serving Brillion and Reedsville.
But to them, Merlin “Fuzzy” and Kathy Wieting, the longtime owners of the funeral home, are like family. “This is something that they wanted us to do and trusted us to do. Fuzzy’s dad started here back in 1957, so I mean it’s a family legacy,” Jason said.
“It was awesome that they trusted us with that,” Sarah said. “We’re literally living in the apartment that they grew up in and now it’s ours,” Jason said.
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The Pielhop family (Jason, daughters Nora and Julia, and Sarah) stands outside of Pielhop Wieting Funeral Homes in Brillion. The Pielhops are the new owners of Wieting, adding their name to the business that has locations in Brillion and Reedsville. (Melissa B. Photography photo)
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“We’re doing the same story they did. We’re working here, we’re living here, we’re going to be in the community for a longtime,” Sarah said.
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Amish Bliss Opens in Chilton
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Amish Bliss, located at 307 E. Main in Chilton, held their grand opening on October 16 and 17. Amish Bliss offers a superior selection of freshly made bakery, candy, dry soups and mixes, and quality jarred goods. All products are carefully prepared by the local Amish community. Candy and baked goods are hand processed and baked to perfection in the confines of wood fueled ovens.
Amish Bliss believes in supporting the local community by only sourcing local ingredients of the highest quality in the production of our products, and are passionate about bringing delight to our customers by the exceptional products offered.
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Exceeding Expectations: Family Farm Grows into Pumpkin Patch and Fall Destination
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Polly Roland and her husband, Gary Juckem, didn’t have grand plans in 2003 when they left their home in the Chicago suburbs and bought the Juckem family farm in rural Wisconsin.
“When we moved back up here and bought the farm from Gary’s mom, we thought, ‘Well, what are we going to do?’” Roland said. “So we decided to start growing pumpkins on about 3 acres. We put them in the yard for sale and had a coffee can sitting outside for people to put money in.” Fast forward to today, and Roland and Juckem are the proud owners of Polly’s Pumpkin Patch, a family-friendly, agricultural destination that attracts thousands of visitors each fall to rural Calumet County.
The couple owns more than 50 acres, highlighted by a 15-acre corn maze, 12 acres of pumpkins (of which they grow more than 30 varieties), 10 acres of soybeans and five acres of strawberries.
“We’ve definitely grown a lot,” Roland said with a chuckle. “We’ve gone way past any expectations we ever had at first. Never for a minute did we dream we would ever have anything like this when we first moved here. But people kept asking for more, and we grew to fill the demand.”
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Doreen Sutilla (left), owner of One-Ten Boutique in Brillion, was recently presented
with a First Dollar certificate from Brillion Chamber of Commerce president Amy Myers.
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With a focus on the Benefits of Investing in Employee Well-being, the 2020 Employee Friendly Workplace Virtual Forum will offer an opportunity to gain clarity through data and best practices around the importance of employee friendly benefits and a supportive work environment.
Featured Panel:
Bev Grabow, Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley
Holly Lifke, The Boldt Company
Amy Otis, Capital Credit Union
Tiffany Schroeder, Werner Electric Supply
Moderated by:
Josh Kilgas, United Way Fox Cities
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Thursday, October 22, from 9:30-10:00 am
WEDC will host a 30 minute virtual “Export Coffee Break: How WEDC Grants Can Help Your Company Grow International Sales,” a high-level overview of WEDC’s International Market Access Grant that will go over allowable expenses, application procedures and the reimbursement process. Companies considering an expansion in international sales are encouraged to attend.
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October 20-22: There’s Still Time to Register!
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Do You Have 4 Minutes? Give Us Your Best Pitch!
Virtual Event on Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Cash Prizes!
Upload your pitch idea by October 26, 2020
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The CEO Leadership series continues on Thursday, October 22, 11:00-12:00 noon, to show how Wisconsin's business leaders are adapting their organizations to survive the COVID-19 crisis and thrive in the Next Normal emerging economy to come.
Join us for the next Executive Leadership Conversation Special Edition on The Journey to Lighthouse Factories.
How should business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and strategists direct their organizations to prepare for the future? How is the organization you lead adapting and evolving to this “Next Normal” and guiding your stakeholders into an uncertain future?
Speakers include:
- Brand Cheng – Chief Executive Officer at Foxconn Industrial Internet
- Foo-Ming Fu – Chief Operating Officer at Foxconn Industrial Internet
- TaiYu Chou – Chief Technology Officer at Foxconn Industrial Internet
Panelist Speakers Include:
- Ross Harmsen – Director of Business Development 5G at Foxconn Industrial Internet
- Keyi Sun – Head of Industrial AI at Foxconn Industrial Internet
- Kirk Fleischhauer – VP of Business Development Smart Manufacturing Center at Foxconn Industrial Internet
- Raunaq Chamdia – Project Manager High Performance Computing at Foxconn Industrial Internet
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Managing Offsite Employees
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Explore the best practices and helpful tools for a productive and engaged dispersed workforce. Learn how to communicate effectively, maintain a sense of community, cultivate teamwork and develop relationships built on trust. You will also learn how to proactively spot potential problems. This seminar does not cover the technology aspect of working remotely.
November 13, 2020 | 8:00 am - 12:00 noon
Fee: $149.00
Location: D.J. Bordini Center, Appleton
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Fox Cities Operational Excellence Presents ... Virtual Lean Coffee
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Virtual Lean Coffee is a structured, but agenda-less complimentary meeting. This virtual session will focus on the real-time interests and questions around Lean and Continuous Improvement.
November 3, 2020 | 1:00-2:30 pm
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Explore Starting a Business
October 20, 2020
November 11, 2020
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Work for Yourself at 50+
November 10, 2020
November 12, 2020
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Join us virtually every Wednesday!
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Calumet County Community Economic Development contact information:
Mary Kohrell, Community Economic Development Director
Connie Leonhard, Program Assistant
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