WisconsinBiz

Centergy 500 First St., Suite 15 Wausau, WI 54403 Phone: 715-843-9563 centergy.net Executive Director: Peggy Sullivan Counties: Adams, Lincoln, Marathon, Portage, Wood Population: 328,399 major industries: Manufacturing,...

Grow North P.O. Box 518, Rhinelander, WI 54501 Phone: 715-365-4468 grownorth.org Executive Director: Angi Schreiber Counties: Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Oneida, Vilas Population: 119,000 major industries: Tourism, health...

2015 will see the reaping of benefits from the hard work done by leaders of New North Inc., the regional economic and marketing organization covering 18 counties in northeast and central Wisconsin.

Cheese production doesn’t end when it leaves a manufacturing plant; it needs to go somewhere to age. Chance are, the cheese in your refrigerator right now spent time in a WOW Logistics refrigerated warehouse.

When Jack Keller began J.J. Keller & Associates in 1953, the transportation industry looked very different than it does today. Keller’s first product was a paper log book to help truck drivers track their mileage.

Looking at a map of the United States, Wisconsin doesn’t jump out as a transportation and logistics hot spot, but appearances can be deceiving. Even though it’s bordered by two Great Lakes, the Badger State is well-known throughout the country for its strong ground transportation companies and their ability to get products quickly to customers.

Heartland Farms is no small potatoes when it comes to tubers; the company produces more than 450 million pounds of spuds a year. Heartland, a fifth-generation facility, ships out of Almond, Amherst Junction, Hancock and Plainfield.

For one Wisconsin firm, the soda manufacturing business is snap, crackle and … Wisco Pop! The Viroqua-based company, founded by Ashley Austin and his wife, Hallie, launched their firm in July, 2012. They now produce their beverages out of the Food Enterprise Center, a 100,000-square-foot business incubator in Viroqua.

Angelic Bakehouse’s James and Jenny Marino know their dough. A former hedge fund manager, he acts as chief operating officer and she is president and CEO of the Cudahy company, a Women Owned Business certified through The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. The couple has operated Angelic for five years, after purchasing Cybros, a 45-year-old Waukesha bakery. They updated, revamped and rebranded the product line.