According to Community Development Director Michael Ostrowski, the city would still award the money to the coalition of local organizers working on this project if the grant is not awarded. In that case, the funds would need to be matched privately. Thus far, the coalition has raised over $98,000 for the project.

Farmshed has agreed to complete building improvements that bring the value of the buildings to $250,000; they are currently valued at approximately $103,000.

Next steps are cleaning up the site, roofing the office building and covering the greenhouse in plastic prior to spring.

• Non-profit arts and Culture sector is a $3,255,400 Industry
• Supports 86 Full-Time Equivalent Jobs
• Generates $94,000 in Local tax revenue
• Generates $256,000 in State tax revenue

The impact and leverage of these organizations increases when one looks at the spending habits of those attending performances. On average, a person attending an arts and culture event in Portage County spent $20.61 over and above the cost of their admission. The survey concluded that there are approximately 200,000 such event goers annual in Portage County resulting in an additional $4M of local economic activity.

This study demonstrates that communities which support arts and culture are investing in an industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue and is a cornerstone of tourism. Something we can all agree is good for our regional economic stability and community development.

For a more detailed view of the results of Arts & Economic Prosperity III study contact:

Otis McLennon
Executive Director
Arts Alliance of Portage County
otism@artsportagecounty.org

*The above figures deliberatly exclude the impact of the budgets of various art programs at UW- Stevens Point. That impact would increase most of the reported figures by over nine fold, rendering the value of the arts and culture industry in Portage County equal to $12.2 million. UWSP’s impact was withheld to provide a clear picture of the size and econimic impact of the non-profit, community based arts and culture industry.

This is not a new idea … but I believe it is the right idea. Let’s buy American and spend our money at home for a change. We can turn the “pressures from without” this Christmas into the “pleasures from without” … without the piles of cheaply made goods and merchandise produced abroad at the expense of American manufacturers.

As an e-mail that has been circulating on the internet says, “It’s time to think outside box.” Who says a gift needs to be a Japanese or Korean gadget wrapped in Chinese-produced wrapping paper?

Look… everyone gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates for a barber or beauty salon? Or how about a spa massage or pedicure and manicure? Or a gym membership? Or getting someone’s car detailed or a car wash? Or an oil change from a local provider? Or how about dinner out locally… and it doesn’t need to be the Hilltop! (Editor’s note: The Hilltop is Chuck’s favorite stop) There are countless ways that you can buy American and, more importantly, buy locally.

I am suggesting a new tradition… Get creative and spend your money right here in Portage County. Christmas shouldn’t be about emptying our pockets and watching our hard-earned wages go overseas. This may be the season to give our local merchants and business people a pat on the back and a boost to their wallets. We really can do without… without all that foreign merchandise. So check the tags; check the labels. And try to make sure you are buying locally and buying “Made in the U.S.A.”

If everyone in this country spent just $3.33 to buy U.S. goods this Christmas, it would create 10,000 new jobs. It is obvious that the government hasn’t been able to create jobs with the billions it has spent with nothing to show for their efforts except more debt. I think it is high time we all got together and did something to get the ball rolling and put America back to work. Let’s buy American moving forward. Look for the “made in the U.S.A.” labels. You may have to pay a bit more to stand up to the pressures from without. It is a small price to pay to get our jobs back… our plants back… and our economy rolling once again. Then on Election Day in 2012… we can work on electing better officials.

Thank you very much and Happy Holidays.

Petroleum is not a renewable resource, it’s drying up and it’s expensive. So the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology (WIST) is working on a means to convert waste from paper mills into isoprene — essentially replacing a petroleum-based product with one that is biologically produced from renewable resources. In other words, one person’s garbage is another person’s…rubber or aviation fuel.

Biologically produced isoprene can be used to make renewable biofuels. Isoprene-based biofuels are uniquely suited to the aviation industry because aviation fuels need to contain a lot of energy in a very small space (enough energy to lift the plane, yet light enough not to bog it down). Isoprene is perfect. It’s a heat sensitive organic compound that has a high energy density and will remain in liquid forms at very low temperatures (in other words, when you’re flying at 40,000 feet in the air). Incredibly, there is four times more energy in a pint of this biofuel than bioethanol.

Using byproducts from the paper industry, WIST is working with American Science and Technology, of Wausau, to get “maximum conversion” of that waste into other products such as rubber and aviation fuel. The rubber and biofuel research, which is supported in part by the Department of Defense, involves fermenting wood sugars into isoprene, then capturing the isoprene from the vapors. This process has been successfully completed within the laboratory and is now moving into the pilot phase.

The researchers hope to provide a win-win-win situation: paper mills will no longer have to bear the cost of disposing of the residual sludge, the environment fares better when less waste is put into landfills, and consumers benefit from better aviation fuel and sustainable rubber.

For a synopsis of the isoprene project, watch Eric Singsaas, director of research, demonstrate the benefits of biofuels as alternatives to fossil fuels.

For assistance, contact Jeff Schuler, Portage County Planning and Zoning Director, 715-346-1334.

The idea has since morphed into a county-wide initiative to plan for bike and pedestrian facilities. The initiative is funded by a $120,000 reimbursement grant awarded to Portage County by the State of Wisconsin. “The basic idea is to improve general circulation in Portage County by providing people with bike and pedestrian options that provide them with safe routes to urban and rural communities, schools and work. We also have numerous recreational sites in Portage County and we hope to connect these far-flung parks and lakes.”

It’s an idea that makes a lot of sense. According to the “2011 Wisconsin Bicycling Benchmarking Report” Stevens Point had the largest percentage share of bicycle commuters in the state — yes, greater than both Madison and LaCrosse. “It’s an idea inspired by people in our community — it’s really their idea,” adds Schuler. “And we’re finding the greater community is very exited about the possibilities. People want accessibility. They want safe paths they can take with their children. Bike groups are eager for new avenues. Commuters like alternative modes of transportation. And in this economy, it makes sense to find more cost-effective modes of transportation. People are encouraged by the new sense of connectivity — one which also promotes health and wellness,”

Portage County will be partnering with experts who specialize in assessing streets and routes, noting linkages and identifying key routes that will be safe for all travelers.

“The planning process presents us with an opportunity to have an in-depth discussion about agriculture in Portage county with a wide range of community members,” notes Jeff Schuler, Portage County Planning and Zoning Director. “Agribusiness is very important to our economy — but its existence and growth depends on successfully balancing the business development needs throughout the county. For that reason, we really think that farm preservation planning is an important tool for all economic development in the county. It helps us reexamine how economic development works in Portage County and how we organize our business development resources.”

Explains Schuler, “Planning helps us reduce land use conflicts. We have to be smart about where we plan to place new neighborhoods so they don’t impinge on agribusiness. And we have to be cognizant of neighborhood and community concerns about land use as it concerns expanding and new agribusiness opportunities.”

And then there’s the aesthetics of land preservation. “The planning process also covers open natural resources — preserving the wooded areas, lakes and streams that make this region so beautiful,” notes Schuler. “In planning for farm preservation, we’re really planning for all economic development in this region. From Community Supported Agriculture and the “buy local” movements, to the recreational, urban and neighborhood concerns of residents. We need the big picture to ensure economic development benefits everyone.”

Originally a remodeling business, over time the family-owned and operated company added construction, manufacturing, contractiong and trucking.

But when a difficult economy found the company in a position to have to scale back, Blenker Cos. opted to expand outside of central Wisconsin through the opening of Envision Home at Last, a company that pairs with custom homebuilders throughout the Midwest.

Co-owner Pamela Jewell said the reality of the housing market in the state left the company with no choice but to move in a new direction.

“There’s just not enough business locally, and homebuilding levels are not going to bounce back very soon,” Jewell said. “To continue to move forward, we have to increase our market share of the homes being built.”
Envision provides pre-built walls, floors and other aspects of a home to their partner builders, and also sells other items such as windows. Builders are trained and have a showroom to walk customers through the process of designing their homes, and later construct the house.

“In a way, it’s kind of like a co-op,” said Blenker President Jason Blenker. “We are looking to help speed up the process of getting the home that people want built.”

As Envision has grown, so has the region in which the company does business. While Jewell said the company previously did business in a circle no bigger than 90 miles from Amherst, the company now is helping to build homes in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and Michigan.

That expansion also has allowed Blenker Cos. to begin to add jobs again. After falling from 55 to 42 full-time employees in the past two years, the company has jumped up to 60 along with about 20 part-time workers. Blenker said the company is projecting 50 to 75 percent growth over the next five years.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to grow,” Blenker said.

Source: Stevens Point Journal

After completing the Northcentral Technical College (NTC) Machine Tool Program, Alan and Debra Marten moved to St. Paul, Minnesota for his journeysmanship. After a few years there, Debra, a native of Portage County, and Alan, a native of Marathon County, opted to move back to the Stevens Point area in 1984. The problem? No machining jobs were available. Instead, Alan and Debra began their one-person machining business in their Stockton garage.

Within a year, they had adapted from using manual machines to using CNC milling machines. The business took off because they could work with larger customers doing Great Lakes regional work. Alan had established business connections during his journeymanship in St. Paul and routinely made long-distance drives to meet with his Minnesota customers. Getting connected 1984-style. “The machine tool community does a lot of networking,” notes Debra Marten. “We have always attended these events and put in a lot of face time at customer open houses and tool shows. And we’ve been members of the Portage County Business Council for over 20 years — it’s a great way to network and stay in touch with people and the issues that affect our region. Personal networking has been a key to our success.”

The CNC machine also presented more opportunities for Marten Machining in Wisconsin. Today, Marten Machining does business all over the U.S. and Europe — in the past year alone, they’ve made three trips to Europe, primarily Germany and Switzerland, for business as well as workforce training.

Technical Education is Our Lifeline
“It’s a constant cycle of learning,” notes Debra Marten. In fact, workforce education and training are — according to Debra — the lifeline that has sustained and will continue to sustain their business. “Alan is a product of NTC. From the start, we’ve worked with students. SPASH students serve as apprentices here and they are graded on and receive credit for their work through the Youth Apprentice Program (YAP). YAP has been very successful for us and for the students. It gives them an opportunity to work in a field they are interested in to see whether they like this type of work or not before they commit to it in college.

“We also work with the tech schools – NTC and Mid-State Technical College (MSTC). Both students and graduates are full-time workers here. We have interns and engineering students from various University systems working here during the summer, spring and winter breaks,” adds Marten.

“These programs are getting better all the time and therefore we keep promoting and working with them. Alan is on the Advisory Board at NTC and MSTC for the machine tool programs and he works with the apprenticeship program.” Adds Marten, “It helps both us and the students. It provides us with the opportunity to understand one other — what the new generation of the workforce needs and is capable of and what we can provide them.” Adds Marten, “All of our employees are highly trained, competent, very specialized and skilled and all of them are from Wisconsin, mostly central Wisconsin. Every one them has somehow been touched by our educational system – high school, a tech school, apprenticeships. I really believe tech education is the key to developing the area.”

And the training doesn’t stop in the classroom. Marten Machining provides in-house training and specialized off-site training. Recently, a couple of Marten Machining employees visited Germany for training on the specialized equipment Marten orders from there. In return, some of the Germans came here – a true partnership in education.

To Infinity and Beyond
Debra credits her son Dave, Vice President at Marten Machining, with ensuring “we keep moving forward. He’s part of the next generation and has spearheaded a lot of our growth. All our employees are basically the next generation – they’re younger than us,” adds Marten. “Dave is very proactive in making certain our equipment, computer systems, new technologies and inspection equipment are the best available.”

The result? A healthy business despite the economy. “The economy has affected a lot of manufacturers that are high-production facilities. Many of them turn to China for production,” explains Marten. “But our customers come to us in search of very specialized fixtures, tooling or machine parts that require unique designs and precision manufacturing. Our work requires specialized talent, accuracy, precision and quick turnaround — not high production. So there is a high demand for our services.”

High indeed. Consider this, Marten Machining parts are orbiting the earth in NASA satellites. They’re part of research projects in Antarctica. And are used by the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Nanotechnology Department and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Physics Department and Space Research.

Concludes Marten, “People don’t realize how great this region is. We need to get the story out there. Thanks to hard work and a great educational system, we’ve been able to put a piece of Stevens Point, Wisconsin craftsmanship into space and on Antarctica. Not bad.”

About Marten Machining. Our core capabilities are high precision five axis milling, CNC turning, wire EDM and surface grinding. Marten Machining has also developed capacity for producing high accuracy parts in short and medium production runs with Hermle five-axis machining centers that use automated pallet changers and can machine parts unattended. The dimensional accuracy of parts and products are inspected and verified with an enhanced accuracy Leitz PMMC coordinate measurement machine.

Marten Machining has knowledge and experience in milling, turning, EDM and grinding parts from a wide range of materials including but not limited to aluminum, carbide, copper and brass, engineered plastics (such as Peek, Celazole, Ultem, Delrin), stainless steel, tungsten heavy alloy, titanium and other hard to machine and super alloys.

According to Paul Fowler, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology (WIST) at UWSP the students have initiated a research project that takes sustainability one step further. “Because of the students, we’ve taken the first step and replaced a petroleum-based product with an environmentally-friendly plant-based one. But the students are looking at the next step: what do you do with that eco-friendly container? They understand that those containers typically end up in a landfill and that’s not the best environmental fate.”

What are the alternatives? According to Fowler, the PLA containers could be composted, but industrial composting isn’t well developed. “So WIST is helping students research alternatives. We’ve started by setting up collection points in dining halls and cafes. We’re working with these containers to process them — to basically convert them back to their starting materials and see how we can convert those materials into something useful.”

That “something useful” turns out to be — for the moment — de-icer and anti-icer materials for the aviation industry. Airports can’t use rock salt because it is corrosive to airplanes and the de-icers and anti-icers currently used are petroleum-based. “Our research shows that we can convert the PLA containers into effective de-icers and anti-icers, but now the challenge is collecting enough of these PLA materials to make the process cost-effective,” adds Fowler.

“It’s about chain of custody,” Fowler states. “Our students realize that it’s not enough to use environmentally-friendly materials. We need to look at the next steps and the environmental impacts of those steps. It’s easy to talk about sustainability, but our students are working to put it into action. ” He continues, “Sustainability is about protecting the environment. But it’s also about social and economic changes as well. We need to balance all three. We need to change how people use materials and make it economically beneficial as well. We’re doing this on a shoestring budget and the students are very enthusiastic, but the challenge remains — broadening our collection of these PLA materials, cleaning these materials and processing them. We’re looking to see what other organizations are using these resources so we can pool our collection resources. We need more of these containers. It’s the economies of scale — the more we get, the more we can play with it and validate the process.”

The goal of the FRESH campaign is to implement and study a collection and chemical recycling process for PLA plastics used at campus dining facilities. FRESH will be collecting data throughout the 2011-2012 academic year on information about recovery rates, contamination rates and costs.