B&D Warehouse expands its Wausau-area footprint

Meghan Diemel

Contributor

February 2, 2026

WESTON – An expansion recently completed at B&D Warehouse’s Weston facility has added nearly 50,000 square feet to the Rickyval Street property.

With the addition, Tim Daanen – current president and owner of B&D Warehouse – said the Greater Wausau-area operation now spans more than 145,000 square feet, strengthening the company’s warehousing and logistics capacity.

A family-owned business, Daanen said B&D Warehouse has its headquarters and additional warehouse facilities located in Green Bay.

Offering 24-hour monitored security, sprinkler system protection, 13 truck loading docks and ceiling heights ranging from 22-26 feet, Daanen said the new facility includes food-grade warehousing, heated storage options and both public- and contract-warehousing services, along with leased facility space available on site.

The warehouse, he said, was originally built in 2006 by Mark Peter and operated as Weston Warehousing before he purchased it in 2019.

Daanen said there was some irony in the “build it and they will come” saying in regard to the expansion – noting that full warehouses take time to develop.

However, he said he pounded the pavement to increase the awareness of what he and his company have to offer in terms of warehousing and logistics services in the Wausau area, and he’s now seeing the hard work pay off.

“It’s the beginning of this year, [and] it’s starting to fill up,” he said. “I was there recently, and the volume is starting to come in, as I expected. I think there’s a need for it.”

Regional potential

Daanen said when looking for a site for expansion prior to the purchase in 2019, he was personally in awe of the number of companies in the Greater Wausau area that he had no previous knowledge of.

He said that discovery gave him confidence that adding a second location in the Wausau area was a sound business decision, particularly with an eye toward future growth.

“Wausau has a lot of industry, a lot of machine shops, [and] a lot of manufacturing…,” he said. “There’s definitely a need in that market.”

Daanen – who also teaches Junior Achievement sessions and serves on the board for Junior Achievement in Northeast Wisconsin – said he often simplifies his work in warehousing, cross-docking and transloading for those outside the industry by comparing his facilities to hotels for products.

“I found that was the easiest way to resonate with kids and also with adults,” he said. “I would say, if you’re going to Wisconsin Dells for the weekend… you leave your house, you go to the Dells, spend a few days and you come back. So, some of our clients do that, where they make , they don’t have room, they have to get it off their floor, they send it to us – maybe it’s a component for something else – and eventually they bring it back.”

Daanen said another example he uses is comparing the process to a road trip to Florida, where a traveler might stop overnight in Nashville along the way before reaching the final destination.

“[Similarly], customers send us , and then we’ll send [that product] to their customer eventually, and then it’ll end up on the shelf,” he said.

A business more than 75 years in the making

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2025, Daanen said, marked a significant milestone for a business that has continually evolved since its founding.

The company’s roots, he said, trace back to 1950 in Sturgeon Bay, when his grandfather and great-uncle – Vernon and Erv Bushman, respectively – operated in the warehousing and lumber industries.

Daanen said Vernon also purchased the Ahnapee and Western Railway and used the rail line to transport products from Sturgeon Bay and Algoma to Green Bay. 

In 1968, he said the business moved to Green Bay, operating as Bushman Dock and Terminal, with his father joining the business around that time.

Following his grandfather’s death in 1971, Daanen said his father continued to grow the business, sold off the railroad and focused on warehousing – starting with a 20,000-square-foot building in Green Bay.

Over the years, he said the original building was expanded, and today the Green Bay site encompasses approximately 325,000 square feet.

Though he had worked for the company as a teen, Daanen said he pursued other career opportunities in young adulthood, including working for Kimberly Clark, NPS Corporation/FyterTech Nonwovens and Hoffmaster.

He said he returned to the family business upon his father’s retirement.

“I said, ‘I didn’t come here to sit around and do nothing – so, what are we doing?’” he said. “I started looking for opportunities to grow, businesses to buy or buildings to buy.”

After an initial Green Bay deal fell through, Daanen said he was made aware of a potential property in Weston.

Expanding B&D Warehouse to Weston, Daanen said, allowed him to contribute his own legacy to a business shaped by three generations. 

“From Green Bay, it was only an hour and 15 [minutes],” he said. “I thought, ‘That’s actually not that bad.’ And I saw the building and [thought], ‘Wow, this is a great business. It’s a great building.’ I started talking to the owner, [and it] seemed like the owner had very similar perspectives, as far as working with customers and his employees.”

From there, Daanen said momentum continued to build, and the expansion into the Greater Wausau area began to take shape.

Building upon career lessons learned

When the chance arose to buy out other family members three to four years ago, Daanen said he did so, becoming the sole owner of B&D.

Though he had left the family business after his teens, he said his varied work experiences outside the company had readied him for the opportunity. 

He said his time at Kimberly-Clark deepened his understanding of logistics and supply chains, while working at NPS gave him first-hand experience with multiple acquisitions.

Daanen said his role at Hoffmaster provided valuable insight into private equity.

“It was a good perspective for me to see how to grow business, [and] what things to look at,” he said.

Daanen said he also gained great knowledge from working with trusted, locally based resources in banking, law and accounting.

After purchasing his family members’ shares, he said he established an outside board to maintain a clear division between family and business.

“My dad has passed away, but [I tell people] he sits on one shoulder, saying, ‘Don’t mess up the business,’ and on the other shoulder, ‘Don’t mess with the family,’” he said. “[Buying out the family] has allowed me to do that. Thanksgivings and Christmases are great, and there’s no worry about business, so it’s been really helpful that way.”

Forging his own path forward

Under his leadership, Daanen said the Wausau and Green Bay locations continue to expand on the vision shaped by his grandfather, father and other family members over the past three-quarters of a century.

And though he hopes a fourth generation will eventually take over, Daanen said he is careful not to impose his legacy or dreams on his children.

Until then, he said prides himself on going above and beyond – not only for his customers, but also for his employees and the community.

“I want to continue to grow the business and service customers in the community…,” he said. “I really just want to continue to service customers and have fun with what I’m doing and have a place where people hopefully like working here. I always say…, if I can help employees live a better life in some way, then I feel fulfilled that way, too.”