Business in Brief – Sept. 26 Issue

The Business News Staff

Staff

September 23, 2022

Matthews Tire presents donation to area nonprofit
APPLETON – Matthews Tire recently presented a $16,000 check to Hand-N-Hand of Northeastern Wisconsin after its 19th Oil Change for the Better event held last month.

The event was extended to two weeks this year, resulting in the largest donation in its 10-year history. 

For every regular-priced oil change performed throughout the event at all six locations (in Appleton East and West, Menasha, Waupaca, Fond du Lac and Green Bay), Matthews Tire donated $15 to the organization.  

“This donation not only supports our playgroups and classes, but it also spreads awareness,” Jenny Geiken, Hand-N-Hand founder and director, said.

“Since 2012, Matthews Tire has raised nearly $90,000 for various local nonprofits through the event. 

Port shipping on pace with 2021 
GREEN BAY – More than halfway through the 2022 shipping season, Port of Green Bay Director Dean Haen said cargo shipments through the port have totaled more than 1.1 million tons, down only slightly from the year-to-date total in 2021.

Imports of limestone, petroleum products and coal continue to lead the way.

Shipments in August hit 280,224 tons – an increase from the previous month, but down from the August 2021 total of more than 333,000 tons.

“Like most shipping seasons, we are seeing some ups and downs in the monthly shipping,” Haen said. “With another four months of cargo traffic on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, we remain cautiously optimistic we will hit our annual target of two million tons of cargo.”

A total of 24 ships, including five Canadian vessels, moved through the port in August, bringing the year-to-date total to 98.

Financial health of state banks continues into quarter two
WISCONSIN – Following a strong start to 2022, Wisconsin banks rounded out the second quarter of the year with total assets up 1.81% quarter-over-quarter from March 31 to June 30.

According to the latest numbers released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), total assets were up 5.54% year-over-year from June 30, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

Noncurrent loans and leases continued on a significant downward trend, indicating consumers’ ability to pay down debt amidst inflation concerns.

Notable indicators include: 
Residential lending increased more than 5% year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter.Commercial lending is back to where it was a year ago after seeing decreases due to supply chain issues and worker shortages.Farm loans increased 19.27% quarter-over-quarter and 4.09% year-over-year.Credit quality continues to improve as more borrowers are keeping up to date with their payments.
Guaranty Title acquiring Classic Title
FOND DU LAC – Guaranty Closing and Title Services, Inc. has announced it is acquiring Classic Title Services, LLC. 
Both companies are headquartered in East Central Wisconsin and together have nine locations in the region.

“Classic is a high-quality company with a fantastic reputation – we are excited to welcome them to the Guaranty family,” Chad Raube, president and CEO of Guaranty Service Group, the parent company of Guaranty, said. “By combining our teams into one, our additional scale will enable us to collectively delight even more homeowners throughout East Central Wisconsin.”

Classic owner Hollie O’Neil, who has owned the company since 2005, will continue to oversee the Sheboygan office. 

“It is a truly rare event to have two companies share such commonality in employee culture and customer experience dedication,” she said. “To combine both companies into one locally owned powerhouse is incredibly exciting.”

Katie Schmitz, president and COO of Guaranty, will oversee the combined company. 

Ascend Services, Inc. celebrating 65th anniversary
MANITOWOC – Ascend Services, a nonprofit that provides community experiences, education and employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities, is offering public tours during an open house Oct. 12 – either from 9-11 a.m. or 1-3 p.m. – in recognition of its 65th anniversary.

Attendees can witness programs in action, see samples of Ascend’s work and see the impact the community and services have on some of the people served under its mission.

Ascend will also unveil a historical mural in its front entryway, painted by Erin Labonte and Don Krumpus.   
October is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Ascend will also host a 65th Anniversary Employer Recognition Reception from 4-6 p.m., Oct. 20, to recognize the area businesses that partner with Ascend and provide work opportunities to its clients.

Faith Technologies Incorporated receives safety honors from NAWIC
MENASHA – Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI), an engineering, construction, manufacturing and clean energy company, earned the first place Safety Excellence Award from the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) for the Midwest region, and second place nationally, each in the subcontractor category.

Rocky Rowlett, vice president of safety for FTI, said this is the third consecutive year the company has received honors from NAWIC for its proactive safety and health programs.

“We are on a path to zero injuries, and our safety efforts are focused on continual improvement,” Rowlett said.

NAWIC’s safety award is presented to NAWIC member companies who recognize safety as a corporate value and commitment and have implemented safety and health programs and innovative solutions for creating strong safety cultures within their organizations. 

Family-friendly Pop Con returns to area  
BROWN COUNTY – Pop Con, a family-friendly event focused on pop culture and camaraderie, is back from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Brown County Central Library.

Attendees can listen to interviews and meet local artists and authors, like featured presenter Lori M. Lee, an author of young adult and middle-grade novels, who’s book “Pahua and the Soul Stealer” won the 2022 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature and the 2022 Wisconsin Library Association’s Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award.

Other presenters are Robb Mommaerts (a Wisconsin cartoonist and illustrator) and Dr. Bryan Carr (host of the podcast Serious Fun).

The day will feature presentations, board games and a cosplay contest.

St. Norbert College moves up six spots in best college rankings’ guide 
DE PERE – The 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report best college rankings have just been released, and St. Norbert College (SNC) moved up six spots on the list.

SNC is listed in the top tier, is ranked 111th overall and is eighth in the rankings among 221 Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S.

“We appreciate this recognition and are proud to be among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges and to be ranked eighth among Catholic liberal arts colleges in the country,” President Thomas Kunkel said.

SNC also ranked at 44 in social mobility ranking, which measures the extent to which colleges and universities graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants, typically those who come from low-income families.

U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best College” rankings can be found online at usnews.com/colleges, with the guidebook on newsstands in late October.

New program looks to help companies improve employee satisfaction, retention
FOX CITIES – The Fox Cities Chamber has announced a new program – ENGAGE Fox Cities – aimed at helping employers improve employee satisfaction and retention.

“It’s a great way to connect your employees with their community and help improve retention and satisfaction,” Amy Schanke, director of Leadership Fox Cities, who is managing the program at the chamber, said.

The first program is scheduled from 5-8:30 pm. Friday, Oct. 28, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 29.

To register, visit foxcitieschamber.com/engage-fox-cities-employer-program or contact Amy Schanke at (920) 734-7101 or aschanke@foxcitieschamber.com by Oct. 14.

Lakeshore Technical College ranked among best two-year colleges in nation
CLEVELAND – Lakeshore Technical College is ranked fourth-best in the nation for educational outcomes by WalletHub.com, which also ranks it among the top 4% of two-year colleges. WalletHub, a personal finance website, compared more than 650 two-year community colleges across cost and quality indicators, including tuition and fees, student-faculty ratios and graduation rates.

Lakeshore is also ranked the fourth-best community college in Wisconsin and 13th-best in the nation by Niche, which compares data from different sources, including the U.S. Department of Education and its own survey of current college students and recent alumni.

“Consistently being recognized as one of the top community colleges in the nation across a variety of publications affirms our status as a powerhouse in the community college sector,” Lakeshore President Dr. Paul Carlsen said.

Developing region’s next-generation of leaders
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – New North Inc., a regional economic development nonprofit, announced it has partnered with Forward 48 in an effort to grow the region’s next generation of leaders.

Barb LaMue, president and CEO of New North Inc., said Forward 48, a leadership development program that connects the state’s top emerging talent (under age 40) with high-profile leaders, is expanding into the region with its fall 2022 cohort.

“We believe it is critical to keep the best young minds within New North,” LaMue said. “The design of the Forward 48 program, which gives participants an engaging, hands-on learning experience, goes a long way toward that.”

Applications for the fall 2022 cohort are now open at forward48.com, with an Oct. 1 deadline.