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Developments
August 2009
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Business Plan Contest Winner
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DCEDC recently announced that Kathryn Krauss of Lasee Upholstering & Marine Canvas in Sturgeon Bay is the winner of a $1,000 cash award for the best business plan originating from the NxLevel Entrepreneurial Training course conducted earlier this year. In addition to the $1,000 cash prize, Krauss will also receive a radio advertising package for her business from Door County's newest radio station, FM106.9 The Lodge. The $1,000 award was generously sponsored by Associated Bank, Baylake Bank and Citizens Bank. The advertising package is courtesy of Mike and Carrie Mesic, owners of FM106.9 The Lodge. Lasee Upholstering & Marine Canvas provides clients high-quality marine canvas products and upholstering services in a professional, family-owned environment. The company was founded in 1951 by Walter and Bernice Lasee. Kathryn Krauss, Walter and Bernice's daughter, is in the process of taking over ownership of the company. Krauss was among thirteen students representing ten start-up or existing local businesses in the class co-sponsored by DCEDC. This was the eighth year DCEDC has co-sponsored and offered the NxLevel course in Door County. The ten-week course will again be offered in Door County beginning in January 2010. |
The Natural Step for Business~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 DCEDC is partnering with Sustain Door to offer The Natural Step for Business class this fall. The five-week course will offer an opportunity for business people and community leaders to discover applications of The Natural Step to business and non-governmental organizations. Developed by Swedish oncologist Dr. Karl Henrik Robert in 1989, The Natural Step is often referred to as the compass for sustainability. Organizations, local governments and businesses around the world use The Natural Step to assess their impact on society and the environment, and to make changes toward more sustainable practices. The Natural Step for Business course begins Thursday, September 10 and will meet weekly through October 8, 5:30-7:30pm in the DCEDC conference room. The course will be conducted as a book discussion with participants reading assigned chapters of The Natural Step for Business by Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare. The discussion will be supplemented by video and in-person presentations by experts in the field of sustainable development. Outside of the purchase of the book, the course is free and open to any interested individuals. The course is limited to twelve participants to facilitate discussion. For more information or to sign up for the class, contact Ann Hippensteel at Ann@WindandSun.com or 920-743-3337. |
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WireTech Fabricators ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 We cannot express how excited we are about the recent progress in the over 15-years-in-the-making plan to relocate WireTech Fabricators to a six acre site at the corner of South Neenah Avenue and Leeward Street in the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park. The City of Sturgeon Bay has signed development agreements with WireTech to purchase their current location and provide incentives to facilitate their move. The City is close to reaching an agreement with "R" Van Rite Construction and Heritage Custom Homes to develop housing on the current WireTech site once the company has relocated.
 Construction on the new 66,500 square foot WireTech Industrial Park facility, being built by Keller, Inc., is scheduled to begin before the summer ends, with plans for WireTech to be fully moved by March 2010. Once WireTech is out of their current location, the City will raze the building and prepare the site for housing. A model home could be built on the property as early as spring 2010. The WireTech project has received invaluable support from a number of organizations, including the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. |
DKBEP Heads South to Build A House!
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 The Door/Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership High School Home Construction project is emphasizing the "K" in their acronym; the third home in the program is going to be built at 1510 Meadows Lane in Luxemburg during the 2009-10 school year. Twelve students from the Southern Door, Algoma and Luxemburg-Casco school districts will participate in the homebuilding project this year. Upon successful completion of the project, each student will earn 16 transcripted credits for advanced placement in the Wood Technical Diploma program at NWTC. The Build a Home, Build a Future program is an effort to grow the construction industry's skilled workforce by providing real-world learning experiences for Door and Kewaunee County high school students. The objective of the program is to place skilled local graduates in area construction or manufacturing businesses or prepare them to continue their education. |
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Bay Shipbuilding ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  The Sturgeon Bay City Council approved a Development Agreement with Fincantieri Marine Group/Bay Shipbuilding Company to release $6 Million in State Harbor Assistance grant funds for construction of the first section of a new floating dry dock, about 200 feet of the eventually 650 foot dock facility. Bay Ship will complete construction of the remainder of the dock by the end of 2012. FMG/Bay Ship has also commenced construction on a new 3,500 square foot weld training center and a 17,000 square foot pipe shop in the shipyard. DCEDC and City officials joined FMG/Bay Ship for a ground breaking celebration on July 9. FMG/Bay Ship also recently announced that they have been approved for a $2.8 Million federal economic stimulus grant. They will provide a 25% match for the grant that will fund new manufacturing equipment; DCEDC assisted with the grant application. Overall, Fincantieri has committed $7.8 Million for capital improvements at Bay Ship in 2009. |
Door County Job Fair
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 The Door County Job Center is holding their Fall Job Fair on Wednesday, September 16, 2-6pm in the Cherry Point Mall, 1300 Egg Harbor Road, Sturgeon Bay. Past Job Fairs have shown tremendous success linking employers with job seekers, with up to 23 employers having access to an average of 250 job seekers. For more information regarding the 2009 Fall Job Fair, including registration for employers, contact Kim Carley at 920-743-6915 or dcjc@doorcountyjobcenter.org. |
Welcome, Victoria!
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 We are thrilled to announce the addition of Victoria Marquardt to the DCEDC staff. Victoria has taken over as our new Operations Manager, replacing Mary Paitrick, who has moved out of the area to start life with her new husband and continue her education. Victoria is quickly learning the ropes and figuring out ways to make all of our projects and programs run smoother and more efficiently. If you haven't already, give Victoria a call or drop her a line to say hello! She can be reached at 920-743-3113 x202 or victoria@doorcountybusiness.com. | |
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