New North Summit showcases ‘the power of collaboration’

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

June 16, 2025

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – Regional leaders in the form of business owners, operators and supporters all gathered in the Lambeau Field Atrium earlier this month for a day of community, collaboration, storytelling and celebration.

The intention of the New North Summit – an annual event organized by the regional economic development nonprofit New North Inc. – per organizers, is to celebrate the region’s progress, learning from what and who made it possible in the process.

This year’s event featured insight from a plethora of leaders such as Plexus Executive Vice President/COO Oliver Mihm and New North Board Co-chairs Marry Goggans (retired president of Encapsys, LLC) and Sachin Shivaram (CEO of the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry) – as well as Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

Their message, among many others, called back to the summit’s theme – Rooted in Resiliency – which celebrated the growth Wisconsin’s northeast region has been able to achieve despite economic uncertainty.

Public, private, perfect example

By way of video message, Murphy said though he couldn’t be at the summit in person, he and the Green Bay Packers were pleased to host “an incredible New North Summit… and also proud to celebrate New North’s 20th anniversary.”

“This year’s theme brings together business education and community leaders to celebrate two decades of innovation, leadership and digital growth,” he said.

A prime example of how the region has grown – especially in its logistical and entrepreneurial capabilities – Murphy said, is the success of the 2025 NFL Draft.

“Twenty years ago, it would not have been possible to host an event of such a magnitude as the NFL Draft,” he said. “But six weeks ago, we did, and we did it extremely well, surpassing expectations. The support of this community and many businesses in our region was instrumental and a draft success.”

Putting the region on a global stage, Murphy said the draft showed the rest of the world what Northeast Wisconsin residents have “all known for a long time – the New North (region) is a great place to live, work and play.”

“It’s a vibrant hub for business and innovation, home to talented professionals and individuals with big dreams and the work effort to achieve it,” he said.

Private businesses, as Murphy said, have been and continue to be instrumental in establishing the region’s reputation – a fact demonstrated at the summit during a panel discussing the impacts of Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation’s (SCEDC) Live Work Housing program powered by the Forward Fund.

Don Hammond, chair of the SCEDC, said the Forward Fund – a public-private initiative to fund entry-level housing developments – was an idea born out of necessity, with Kohler Co., Masters Gallery Foods, Sargento and the county each donating $2 million to help make the lakeshore more economically accessible.

“We’re well underway on our goal to get 400-500 houses, entry-level houses, into the marketplace, but our goal is bigger than that,” he said. “Our goal is not only just for us to build these houses, but also (to serve) as a proof of concept to private investors that, yes, we can build entry-level housing again and do it affordably, but do it profitably.”

Prior to helping fund the SCEDC’s initiative, Steve Westphal, a senior lawyer at Kohler Co., said he and his team did “a deep dive analysis” and found that “really, since the Great Recession in 2008,” the area’s new housing stock wasn’t being built at the affordable level.

Westphal said Kohler is “constantly looking” for private-public partnerships, which Sheboygan County Administrator Alayne Krause said are critical to help the county tackle problems such as housing shortages.

“We know that having housing is critical to our community’s economic development, workforce stability, etc.,” she said, “and though typically, it’s not the county government’s role to be building houses or solving those workforce challenges, we know that it’s all critical to the viability of our community.”

Sheboygan County, Krause said, took that initiative when funds from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act made their way to the region known as the Malibu of the Midwest – matching the $2 million donations of Sargento, Kohler and Master Gallery Foods.

“We thought this was a great opportunity to take those one-time funds, put them towards a common challenge that we’re all facing and do our part to step up and try and solve that problem,” she said.

Being able to put down roots and build equity in a home, Sargento CEO Louie Gentine said, is not only a key component to a family’s long-term financial stability but to that of a community’s as well.

“I think that is one of the key things that will benefit the county – having thriving individuals and families who are able to contribute and give back to their community,” he said. “I do think that (always starts at) housing.”

Jeff Gentine – President/CEO of Masters Gallery Foods, as well as Louie Gentine’s cousin – said after getting a call from Louie, Masters Gallery Foods also decided to invest in the Forward Fund because of what it meant for the company’s workforce.

“The ask was large – $2 million – but we didn’t hesitate too long to do that,” he said. “We knew we had to address this need. We’re all hunting for the same workers in a county of (roughly) 115,000 people. So, it was an easy decision to make an investment in the community and get on board with the project.”

And though they are competing for the same workforce, Westphal and every other panelist agreed SCEDC’s housing initiative and the Forward Fund are intended to lift all ships with the rising tide they create.

“We didn’t look at this as an individual organization initiative,” he said. “This really was a partnership with the community (to find) a way to make it grow and benefit. Then if we’re fortunate enough, on the back end, to benefit as an employer, that’s great – but that really wasn’t the driving initiative for us.”

NEW collaboration

Though New North Inc. is a nonprofit, its soon-to-retire President/CEO, Barb LaMue, said it is an organization driven by the interests of private business.

“As New North proudly celebrates its 20th anniversary, we reflect on two decades of resilient transformation across Northeast Wisconsin,” she said. “Though today is a celebration, we realize growth and development happen every day because of our dedicated business and community leaders.”

Oliver Mihm of Plexus – a third-party product manufacturer founded and headquartered in Neenah in 1979 – personified what LaMue addressed with examples of how his company is driving regional growth and innovation with a global reach.

“Starting as a small, local organization, we expanded our services, diversified our customer base and grew into a global company, but through that whole process, stayed true to our roots,” he said. “(We’re) still headquartered here in Neenah, one of our largest manufacturing facilities (is) also in Neenah, our largest engineering and design center (is) also in Neenah and we have a production facility in Appleton.”

Plexus’s commitment to its Northeast community complements a point later brought up by Sheboygan County Administrator Krause – that local corporations “do such a great job of giving back to the community that they are from.”

“Globally, we employ 20,000 people across 26 facilities spanning 5.1 million square feet,” Mihm said, “(and) of that, nearly (one) million square feet and 2,000 (of those) people (are) right here in Wisconsin.”

As a solutions provider, Mihm said Plexus’s vision “is deeply rooted” in the inclusivity, well-being and engagement of its customers, its team members and its communities.

“Because, at the end of the day, people are at the heart of who we are and what we do,” he said.

Reflecting on the company’s legacy – “starting here in Northeast Wisconsin” – Mihm said Plexus’s ability to stay in the region wouldn’t be possible without organizations like New North Inc.

“Thank you, (New North), for fostering collaboration, providing vital economic support to businesses and organizations across the region,” he said.

Through marketing initiatives – such as the More YOU in NEW video series, the #findyourtruenorth social media and New North Hires Heroes veteran employment campaigns, as well as the recently launched Growing Roots, Finding Wings higher education initiative – Co-chair Goggans said New North is able to attract and retain new and young talent to the region’s workforce.

“Many of you see these campaigns kick off, and Barb and her team have made them happen, but the most exciting thing… is the results,” Goggans said. “(They have) led to the attraction of more than 19,000 new residents to call New North home.”

On the flip side, Co-chair Shivaram said the organization also works toward attracting business investment to the region.

“This (job) market activity helps define our regional strengths and attract new investment – actually contributing more than $81 billion in economic activity to the state,” he said. “It’s incredible.”

Similar to Murphy, Gov. Evers addressed the summit via pre-recorded video – expanding on the cultural and economic impact of New North and the Northeast region not only on and within itself, but across the state.

“Thanks to New North, the area has attracted more than 13,000 residents in the last three years, strengthened its talent pipeline and seen business and entrepreneurial growth,” he said. “As a state in 2024, Wisconsin had lots of exciting news that New North was part of. From Microsoft expanding in Wisconsin to our designation as a regional tech hub, the future of Wisconsin is bright thanks to your collaborative, innovative marketing.”

It’s no wonder then, LaMue said, that New North Inc. was recently accredited by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) – “one of only 89 organizations across the country and the sole organization in Wisconsin.”

“The (IEDC) reviewers commented in the assessment that the people and the partnerships are the secret sauce for our success,” she said. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the business and community leaders whose continued investment fuels our collective success… At the core of New North is our steadfast belief in the power of collaboration.”