CRW • Corporate Report • Wisconsin's Business Magazine

We hope you enjoy reading about nine of the most interesting small businesses in Wisconsin. This is the fifth year for the competition and Corporate Report Wisconsin is proud to have teamed with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Business and Associated Bank to present the Small Business Success Stories Awards.

In the following section, you’ll read about the winners. Throughout their stories of fast growth, innovation, ability to transition from the past to the present, innovation in products and business models, a common theme emerges: These successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople had faced adversity but were tenacious enough to succeed, at times in a big way.

As in previous years, we have made the nomination process open to both the companies themselves and to anyone who knew a successful small company they wanted to honor. Thank you to all who submitted nominations. Those nominations came in from throughout the state and selecting winners was not easy. We thank the senior faculty members from the UW-Oshkosh College of Business and an Associated Bank vice president.

Thanks are also due to Associated Bank for sponsoring the awards and the UW-Oshkosh School of Business for co-sponsoring them. The finalists will be invited to an awards banquet hosted by the sponsors at the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh later this month.

Many factors go into selection of the winners and into their success, though each winner has its own unique story. Congratulations to all the winners. We believe we’ll be telling new stories for years to come.

The 2009 Small Business Success Stories Award Winners

Advanced Laser Machining • Batzner Pest Management • Door Peninsula Winery • Elmstar Electric Corp. • Elysée Scientific Cosmetics • Kennedy Communications • Lagina Plumbing • Nueske’s • Sanmina-SCI

---

 

2009 Small Business Success Stories Award Judges
Joseph Fikejs, MBA
Joe Fikejs has more than 18 years of commercial banking experience. As the director of commercial banking sales and support, his primary focus is developing tools to enable sales for commercial relationship managers to better serve clients throughout Associated Bank’s multi-state footprint. Additionally, he oversees the government-guaranteed lending division, which is dedicated to providing financing solutions to businesses in the markets Associated serves. As a commercial lender he has extensive experience working with businesses with less than $10 million in annual sales. Joe actively seeks to provide superior financial solutions to business owners he advises. He received his Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from UW–Oshkosh and holds an advanced lender degree from the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders.

Bob O’Donnell
Bob O’Donnell is the director of the UW-Oshkosh location of the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center Network. Bob has more than 17 years of business experience, including 10 years running his own management consulting and publishing company. He also has more than 14 years of experience in the adult education field working primarily in small business assistance, information technology and economic development. The WSBDC Network is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The Oshkosh location serves the needs of individuals and businesses located in a seven-county area of East-Central Wisconsin.

C. Burk Tower
Dr. Tower is a founding member of the entrepreneurship program and the Wisconsin Family Business Forum at the UW-Oshkosh College of Business. He has been a professor of management and business for 40 years and served in a number of administrative positions over that time. He has been awarded the University Distinguished Teaching Award and named a Wisconsin Idea Fellow by the University of Wisconsin System for his many years of active involvement in the business and civic communities. As faculty liaison for the Wisconsin Family Business Forum, Dr. Tower advises family businesses on mission-critical issues including business ownership structure, growth strategies and succession planning. He has been an advisor to the Young Entrepreneurs Society on campus for over 20 years. Dr. Tower earned his doctorate in business administration and his MBA from Indiana University and a BBA from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to joining UW-Oshkosh in 1977, he held positions at the University of Kentucky and Indiana University.

Dan Newman

Dan Newman is publisher of Corporate Report Wisconsin and president of Midwest Business Media, LLC. Prior to forming Midwest Business Media he was employed by Cygnus Business Media as a group publisher. He had top- and bottom-line responsibility for a group of publications whose revenue totaled over $3 million per year.  His career spans 30 years in sales, marketing and management. He holds a four year degree in Business Administration from Minnesota State University Mankato.

---

Partners see opportunity in job loss, turn their expertise and vision into business advantages      By Heather Rothbauer-Wanish

Advanced Laser Machining has grown significantly since its inception in 1996. The business, founded by John Walton and Rod Tegels, focuses on metal fabrication including punching, laser cutting, forming, welding and assembly. The business idea began after both Walton and Tegels lost their jobs at a local metal fabrication business. They decided to pursue laser cutting because of the innovation it offered at the time.

After being located in the Chippewa Valley Innovation Center for 18 months, the business owners relocated to their current site in Chippewa Falls. By 2005, the company had doubled its building size, going from a 17,000 square-foot facility to 34,000 square-feet and an additional $1 million equipment investment. The company has been successful and anticipates sales of $10 million in 2009.

“Our use of technology and high-quality employees has allowed our company to be successful,” Walton says. “We expect to see significant growth well into the future.”

One aspect of growth is the welcome addition of government contracts. Advanced Laser Machining is working with Oshkosh Corp. and its fulfillment of a government contract for MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs). The Chippewa Falls-based company is a key supplier for the fabricated products used to build the M-ATVs. Walton says that the employees view the work as a way to give back to the troops that are protecting the country.

“We are contracting directly with the federal government now to produce products,” Walton explains.

By adding high-technology laser and machining equipment on a regular basis, Walton and Tegels hope to continue their work well into the future.

“We will continue to attempt to go for high-end, more difficult projects,” Walton says.

The company was nominated by Charlie Walker, president/CEO of the Chippewa Falls Economic Development Corp.

“John Walton and Rod Tegels of ALM are outstanding business leaders who have created an excellent and growing metal fabrication business in Chippewa County,” he says in his nomination. “From their humble beginnings in an incubation center in 1996, then growing to a state-of-the-art facility in the Riverside Industrial Park by 2004; ALM has achieved steady and continual growth, re-evaluating their status along the way.”

The owners of Advanced Laser Machining are grateful for the help they received when starting the company and strive to give back to the community. The company contributes to charities and nonprofit foundations in the Chippewa Valley, serves as a member of the Chippewa County Economic Development Corp. and is also involved with the Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

With approximately 50 employees and projected growth, the owners’ goal for the company is simple: To become one of the best places to work in the Chippewa Valley.

---

Batzner Pest Management treats every client like it’s the company’s only client       By Patrick Newman

The entire state of Wisconsin benefits from the services of Batzner Pest Management, a three-generation, family owned company based in the Milwaukee area that has been in business for more than six decades. The company has locations in New Berlin, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Racine and Madison.

Manning the helm is Jerry Batzner, whose stated aim is to provide “legendary services that guarantee a pest-free environment” for his clientele. He provides an explanation on this outlook like this:

“Providing this type of service means we treat every client like they’re our only client, giving them our undivided attention and being there for them when they need us,” he says.

This customer service-based philosophy has served Batzner and his organization in good stead, as they are now the state’s largest independent pest management company, offering not only general pest management services, but also bird and nuisance wildlife control, bioremediation and building repairs. His customers’ satisfaction has been ensured by thorough employee training, total quality and continuous improvement programs, and a code of ethics that guides its employees as well as a dedicated focus on open lines of communication within the company.

“Henry Ford once said, ‘If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself,’” quotes Batzner.

“Communication is an essential element in moving forward together and I think the open communication that all employees have with each other, their managers and myself is why Batzner is still continuing to grow.”

The company’s success continued to be recognized within the industry, most recently with accolades from the International Pest Management Institute of North America of Batzner’s efforts to reduce the potential risks to human health and environmental damage through their Green Shield Certified Service offerings. This honor comes on the heels of a plethora of other awards including a “Top 100” nod from PCT Magazine and a “Quality Pro Mark of Excellence” award from the National Pest Management Association.

Batzner is also not oblivious to the central role the communities surrounding his service centers have played in Batzner Pest Management’s success as a small business. And as such, he believes strongly in giving back to those communities as a sign of his gratitude. His most recent beneficiaries include the United Way, Trees for Tomorrow, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Crime Stoppers of Racine County, and the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. Batzner Pest Management also provides complimentary pest management services to the New Berlin Day Care Center.

---

 

Like a fine vintage, Door Peninsula Winery just gets better each year       By Laurie Arendt

Winemakers often find that certain years produce better results than others, and though this year is not quite over, it will certainly be a vintage reserve year for Door Peninsula Winery in Sturgeon Bay.

Corporate Report Wisconsin’s Small Business Success accolades come on the heels of the business being named the Door County Industry of the Year.

“It’s been an exciting year for us,” says Door Peninsula Winery COO Rob Pollman. “But behind those awards, we have a lot of people to thank. We have a great staff here and a pretty smooth running operation now.”

That wasn’t the case when Pollman’s parents first bought the winery in 1984.

“I just asked them about it and they said that their hope was that they didn’t go broke, that they could somehow make a living doing this,” chuckles Pollman. “It’s true.”

Rob Pollman came on board at the winery about 15 years ago, a point in the corporate history when his parents hopes were just starting to come to fruition.

“The business was starting to turn the corner at that point,” he says. “My goal was to keep growing the business, to continue looking for new ideas to make things successful.”

And he has. The largest producer of wine in the state of Wisconsin — and Door County’s original winery— continues to make an impressive showing at international wine competitions year after year.

Since 1984, the winery has tripled its retail area and production space, added a restaurant and is now one of the largest wineries in the Midwest, producing 50,000 cases of wine annually.

“We are known for our fruit wines, and we started out by relying on juice from cherries and apples produced here in Door County,” says Pollman. “About seven or eight years ago, we started blending those fruit juices with grapes, which has since become a big trend. We always try to stay ahead of the game.”

While some of the grapes used in those blends are brought in from southwest Wisconsin, the winery also started producing its own grape harvest, and the vines were planted and continue to be maintained by winery staff. No pesticides are used in the small, hand-tended, eight-acre vineyard and herbicides are applied only occasionally through spot application.

In July 2007 Door Peninsula Winery started efforts to be more environmentally responsible in all aspects of growing, production, fulfillment and sales. For example, approximately 7,200 wine bottles (about nine pallets) from the retail area/sampling bar are recycled annually along with 550 cubic yards of cardboard. The winery is currently seeking Travel Green certification from the state of Wisconsin and plans to continue their green habits regardless of the certification.

Door Peninsula Winery now has 12 year-round and 18 seasonal employees. Last year, approximately 225,000 visitors went through the production space and enjoyed a guided wine tour at the facility.

---

 

Second-generation thinking provides a bright future for Elmstar Electric Corp.        By Patrick Newman

The construction business is one composed predominantly of males (91 percent of its workforce is male, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics), making Carmen Fosick’s success story at Elmstar Electric Corp. somewhat of an anomaly within the industry. Kaukauna-based Elmstar was founded by her father Gus Fosick in 1979, who transformed an operation small enough to fit within the confines of half an office building into a burgeoning commercial, industrial and municipal enterprise whose yearly sales amounted to nearly $8 million in 1996.

In 1998 Fosick assumed control of Elmstar from her father and was both forced to provide herself in a male-dominated industry and confront that the company would have to streamline its business practices.

“We were definitely struggling as a company, and then, above that, I as a young kid was now in charge … if I were an outsider looking in, I might have felt the same way: Elmstar is probably going to go out of business,” Fosick says of her early tenure with the company.

“I believe I succeeded through determin-ation, and really studying the business,” she adds. “I’m pretty analytical, so I tried to make what we do into a science.”

Her studies identified several areas of Elmstar’s business model in need of heightened productivity: Accounting, estimations and managerial practices.

Systemization of each of these facets of the operation has allowed Fosick to lead Elmstar through a rough stretch brought on by the events of 9/11 as well as a drying pool of project opportunities.

As Fosick restructured the company, she instituted policies where everyone — including herself — needed to be responsible and accountable for their actions. At the same time she also added new service lines of data communications and fiber optics to make Elmstar more diversified. Under Carmen Fosick’s leadership, positive changes started to occur.

The end result? An increase in the firm’s profits by ten percent despite the difficult business climate.

Fosick’s efforts have been recognized by the construction industry, as Elmstar was selected in 2008 as the TEGG service provider for northeast Wisconsin, a franchising opportunity that has allowed them both to better ensure customer satisfaction and reinforce sales. But despite positive results internally and recognition from the external business community, Fosick still identifies her, and the company’s, strongest asset as the staff.

“I really consider my coworkers at Elmstar friends and family…and I know I couldn’t have done it without them,” she says.

“Each of us at Elmstar has the same work ethic — without it, I don’t know if Elmstar would still be around.”

---

 

Elysée Scientific Cosmetics uses technology and science to bring beauty to clients’ lives        By Patrick Newman

Providing innovative, quality products designed to negate the effects of gaining upon the skin has been the mission of Elysée Scientific Cosmetics since its inception. Under the leadership of Linda Marshall, the Verona-based company has achieved this goal with a great measure of success.

Founded on reliable and proven European formulas by Dr. Elizabeth Blumenthal, Elysée was brought to the United States in 1940. In 1975, Elysée moved its Corporate Headquarters from San Francisco, Calif., to Madison. Their product line has received perhaps the greatest public endorsement a cosmetic company can: A strong celebrity following, including the likes of Dionne Warwick, Stephanie Powers, two celebrities the company has developed fragrances for, and actress Jennette McCurdy, co-star on Nickelodeon's iCarly.

The key to garnering favor from such heady clientele, according to President/ Owner Linda Marshall, is a matter of avoiding becoming a “me too” company, one that makes use of other companies’ formulas and techniques without any unique innovation.

“What really sets us apart from the majority of other cosmetic companies is the fact that we do all of our own formulating, manufacturing and testing of our products right here, in house,” she says.

Common in today’s beautification lexicon are terms such as “alpha hydroxy acids,” “vitamin A” and “anti-aging ingredients.”

Much like other cosmetic companies, Elysée has incorporated each of these substances into their products. However, unlike their competitors, Elysée has been employing these ingredients in their skin care products since the 1940’s, roughly 40 years earlier than anyone else in this country.

But their formulating department, which is headed by Marshall’s son, John, is not resting on their laurels based upon those early innovations. Quite to the contrary, they have busied themselves studying the science behind skin cell aging, and how to counteract it, an endeavor Marshall finds promising:

“We’re living in exciting times,” she says. “We now know that we can extend the lifespan of these cells, and keep skin looking healthier.”

The scientific study and production of pure, high-quality products are only pieces in the greater puzzle of corporate success, according to Marshall. She also believes it is also of great import to keep in mind “the importance of the whole family” as well as giving back to the community. Which is why, in accordance with this sentiment, the Marshall family has set up the James E. Marshall OCD Foundation, named in honor of Marshall’s late son and dedicated to raising money for genetic research and education regarding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The firm has also become involved with the Look Good…Feel Better program designed to nurture the self-esteem and confidence of breast cancer patients and is a supporter of shelters for abused women and children.

---

 

“Adapt and overcome” helps Kennedy Communications navigate old and new frontiers        By Patrick Newman

Kennedy Communications President Bill Kennedy is a man concerned with solutions, both for his client base and for his own company. As the head of a fast-growing, integrated marketing firm, he has created a business predicated upon a streamlined methodology of delivering these solutions, a strategy epitomized in his maxim “adapt and overcome.”

With a growing digital revolution in marketing and advertising, Madison-based Kennedy Communications has realized the critical need for clients to integrate old and new media types has grown increasingly pressing. When asked to further detail his thoughts on exactly what it means to help his clients “adapt and overcome” in this context, Kennedy said: “Every business is faced with change. The toughest thing most business owners face is trying to adopt those changes. So what we do in making our recommendations to our clients is try to get them to recognize and adopt those changes. And then to have, ourselves, the expertise to help them overcome that change and adapt to it.”

Through Kennedy Convergence, his full-service web department, Kennedy has successfully implemented this pragmatism in aiding his clients in integrating interactive media into their marketing and advertising efforts. Having grown 48 percent in the last year and operating nearly 200 web sites, his approach is working. Existing as further proof that Kennedy Communications has fully embraced the new media is their new public relations division, through which they provide solutions to their clients’ media issues by Tweeting, Facebooking, blogging and streaming on their behalf.

A sort of integration of new and old has also taken place within Kennedy Communications as well, in the form of the separated generations of its staff. Comprised of baby boomers and Gen Y members, Kennedy’s 17-member firm has been forced to confront differing styles of project management and accomplishment. In addressing this dichotomy within his team Kennedy says that he has simply had to utilize his own maxim of “adapt and overcome” to allow the change necessary to the company’s growth to take place.

And if Kennedy’s approach to client and intercompany relationships doesn’t seem enough to deem him a success story, then Kennedy Communications’ raw revenue growth numbers over the course of the last two years is: From $5.6 million in 2007 to almost $8 at the halfway point of 2009.

---

 

A solid growth strategy has helped Lagina Plumbing build a stellar reputation in the plumbing industry        By Patrick Newman

It was quite an honor when Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction selected Lagina Plumbing Inc. as the commercial plumbing subcontractor for the popular P.F. Chang’s China Bistro at Mayfair Mall in suburban Milwaukee.

While it was an honor to be chosen by a national contractor of such stature, southeastern Wisconsin general contractors and building owners have also come to trust Lagina Plumbing for high profile construction projects as well as day-to-day commercial plumbing needs. Major office, industrial, educational, health care and multi-tenant residential structures in the Milwaukee area bear the Lagina Plumbing stamp.

A minority interest in Louis Schmitt Co., a Milwaukee-based plumbing company, started Jim Lagina on the road to eventually owning the company back in 2001. At that time Louis Schmitt’s small operation was comprised of one company vehicle, a field staff of two, and a lone office employee. In 2005, when owners John and Dee Schmitt retired, Lagina acquired full ownership. A well thought-out plan helped Jim Lagina transition from the long-established Louis Schmitt Co. name to Lagina Plumbing Inc. while gaining strong market recognition.

The business now has 35 employees, including a field staff of 27 and an office staff of eight, 10 vehicles and an innovative prefabrication shop in a renovated 90-year-old building Lagina purchased in 2006. The purchase and renovation of the 12,000-square-foot building gave the company room for additional growth and represents Jim Lagina’s commitment to the city of Milwaukee and to the renaissance of that “Silver City” business district overlooking the Menom-onee Valley.

The prefabrication shop is just one example of the innovative approaches Lagina Plumbing takes — approaches that help the company operate leaner and smarter, and that also benefit its commercial plumbing customers. Those customers also benefit from Lagina Plumbing’s embrace of technologies such as Autodesk Revit MEP and Total Station, from its knowledge of “green” water efficiency approaches, and from Lagina Plumbing’s outstanding safety record that keeps workers on the job. The company has gone nearly five years without a job-loss injury.

Lagina says one of the major keys to the growth and success of the business is a continued “big picture” focus and an ongoing appreciation for every project no matter how big or small.

Lagina Plumbing’s annual revenue is in the multi-millions.

The company further supports the community via numerous charitable endeavors and industry educational efforts, such as the plumbing apprenticeship council.

“I think all along that we recognized we had a plan we needed to implement,” Lagina says. “Of course we had some financial challenges to put closure to it. But we dealt with the idea of us seeing this company and turning the direction of what it does. And we’ve put this real strategic plan in place to figure out what we do best, and [to do] what do we need to implement on our side to be that creative, resourceful company that people would call on instead of other companies who would do the same old thing.”

---

 

From humble beginnings, Nueske’s now provides products of choice to loyal customers across the nation        By Laurie Arendt

In the heart of the Great Depression, R.C. Nueske had an idea: He could begin selling some of his family’s traditionally made smoked meats, created with recipes that the Nueske family had used for generations, to ease their hardships. He loaded up the back of his automobile with the Nueske family’s freshly smoked hams, sausages and bacon.

His destination? The many resorts that dotted Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Although money was tight for everyone, people knew a good thing when they tasted it and word of R.C. Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats traveled far and fast.

“At a young age, and as a son growing up in a family business, my father always told me: Never place a high value on how large you can ‘grow the company’; pay attention to the details and concentrate on just how good you can make a product,” says current Nueske’s President Robert Nueske. “Your customers will vote by opening their wallets and growth will come.”

Now, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats remains located in its hometown of Wittenberg and continues to be operated by the Nueske family. It is now in its third generation of business, with the involvement of R.C.’s grandchildren, cousins Tanya and Ryan Nueske.

“It is sad to say that, for many companies, family ownership is in name only,” says Robert Nueske. “With Nueske’s, it’s a true commitment by family members working directly within the company along with many loyal and long-term employees.

Together, we not only produce an exceptional product but we have a sales force that has built outstanding customer relationships over the years. These customer care relationships truly bond the family name with product quality, consistency and on-time delivery.”

Nueske’s creates a wide variety of items, ranging from traditional German sausages like mettwurst and bratwurst to an Applewood Smoked Bacon that is hand rubbed with Tellicherry peppercorns. This signature bacon has proven itself a winner in taste tests time after time and has even received three gold medals in 10 years from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, an award that means the product was judged the best specialty meat in the whole nation three times over. This same product has been mentioned in almost 100 books and cookbooks during the past decade and in national newspapers.

“I am overwhelmed that our company is being recognized with this award from Corporate Report Wisconsin with so many excellent companies to choose from in this great state,” says Robert Nueske. “Witten-berg is a very small community, and our family comes from very simple beginnings, beginnings that have taught us to work hard, take nothing for granted and give back to those who have helped us bring about this success … as well as the community within which we live.”

---

 

Longevity, both with employees and customers, is key for Sanmina-SCI        By Heather Rothbauer-Wanish

The Sanmina-SCI site in Turtle Lake has seen changes and building additions during its 35-year history. One thing that has not changed is the commitment of employees. In fact, employee longevity is one of the ways the company has maintained its success.

Program Manager Cookie Frankenberg, a 32-year veteran with the company, views employee longevity as an important factor in the success of the computer injection molding and aluminum die casting facility, as well as performing precision CNC machining, painting and electro-mechanical assembly. “Our people have always gotten along well and are a close-knit group,” Frankenberg says. On average, employees have been with the company 14 years, with many employees serving the company since its inception in 1974.

“The company grew quickly because of the good benefits and pay program offered,” Frankenberg says. Sanmina-SCI in Turtle Lake now employs many family member groups; these individuals are rewarded with stable employment and an opportunity for promotion.

In recent years, the biggest challenge has been from global competition. Sanmina-SCI has utilized its in-house high-technology engineering practices, design collaboration, fabrication and automation to compete against other suppliers worldwide.

Frankenberg explains that Sanmina-SCI has implemented a Lean Manufacturing program to eliminate wasteful processes in its plant. The lean practices have allowed the company to lower production costs and gain clients.

“We will continue to use our lean manufacturing program and apply those concepts to our facility,” Frankenberg explains.

The die casting division of the company continues to focus on heavier-weight projects, where the physical weight of the product prohibits competition due to high freight costs. In addition, the company has developed alliances with global competitors in both Asia and Mexico. Sanmina-SCI was recently awarded projects based on price, even while in competition with off-shore and Mexico competitors.

“There will continue to be a lot of pressure from overseas competitors; we will look for opportunities where there are high-technology and high-engineering needs,” Frankenberg says.

In addition to a high level of customer service, Sanmina-SCI offers engineering support and unsolicited design modifications to customers. The company maintains contact with past clients and works closely with them to develop future projects.

By showing a genuine interest in the company and delivering on its promises, the company has good working relationships with customers such as Kawasaki, Motorola, 3M, Cisco, Honda, Intel and Johnson Controls.

Frankenberg expects Sanmina-SCI to grow well into the future. “We are a smaller-size company in a small town in northwestern Wisconsin; however, we have a very progressive and intelligent company here,” she concludes.

Please login to post your comments.

More Featured Articles