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Proudly Made in Dorchester, WIProudly Made in Dorchester, WI

2 Wednesday, July 1, 2015 made in

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About Us:

Interesting Facts

24105 County MMCadott, WI

Ph: 715.289.3800

[email protected]

26-150097

CHEESE CURDSFresh Squeaky Cheese Curds every Mon., Wed., Thurs. & Sat.!

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Offering many varieties of Colby, Cheddar, Monterey Jack & others.

Yellowstone Cheese is located in Cadott, Wisconsin and opened its doors Nov. 14, 2007. We use 100% real milk no additives or fillers go into our handcrafted cheeses. Our cheese maker brings over 20 years experience to Yellowstone Cheese.

The name Yellowstone Cheese was used because we are located on the Yellowstone Trail which is the first automobile route from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound.Cadott, Wisconsin is located halfway between the North Pole and the Equator!

HENE SUPPLY, LLCN14704 Frenchtown Ave., Withee, WI 54498

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Munson Bridge WineryMunson Bridge Winery

For directions visit our website at: www.munsonbridgewinery.com

Hours: Wed.-Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 1-4 p.m.W6462 Bridge Rd., Withee, WI 54498 (715) 229-4501

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by Bryan Wegter, Medford Star NewsLooking for strong, durable, light-weight and easy-to-

use snowshoes for your winter escapades? You neednt search further than the borders of Taylor County. Northern Lites, based in Medford, has been producing high-quality snowshoes ever since Russ Post, the man who founded the company in 1992, began his quest to produce light-weight, durable and easy-to-use snowshoes.

He obviously succeeded, and the Hallgren family has taken Posts original vision and grown it into one of the most successful snowshoe manufacturers in the United States. Two brothers, Brian and Brent Hallgren, pur-chased the company in 2011 and relocated it to Medford, where theyve overseen it through prodigious growth in their own sales and the snowshoe community as a whole.

The small Medford operation, consisting of Brian, Brent, their wives Elaine and Juleen, and their kids

(when theyre home from col-lege) form the core of the busi-ness, and com-pared to larger corporations, gives customers u n p a r a l l e l e d customer ser-vice, which as anyone knows, is the lifeblood of a successful business.

We manu-facture snow-s h o e s r i g h t here. Its family owned. I think

our customer service is beyond exceptional and thats really helped us, Brian Hallgren said. If people have a problem, they know they can contact us. They know well be responsive. They could call our 800 number on a Saturday afternoon. Now, they might get a recording, but it will say call someones cell number and they can contact us directly. Well get back to them within the day for sure, but usually within the hour.

Customer service matters a great deal, but if it werent for the snowshoes themselves, Northern Lites would never have gotten off the ground. Combine ultra-light, yet strong, aluminum framing, rugged polyurethane coated nylon deck meshing, duraluminum toe and heel crampons, toughened nylon deck clips, a Biothane pivot strap and a reinforced nylon heel strike plate, and youve got a top-of-the-line snowshoe built to survive any snow conditions.

I think our product sets us apart. Its a premium snowshoe product that has a lifetime warranty and is light weight and durable. It makes it fun. To a lot of people, trudging through snow is not necessarily glori-

ous. When they get on our snowshoes, it makes it more fun, Hallgren said.

To date, Northern Lites has spread the fun across the country, and even the globe. They work with a network of dealers to sell their products locally, but also do business in states like New York, Colo-rado, Alaska, Michigan and Minnesota. Theyve worked with dealers in the United Kingdom and France, and recently made a shipment to Australia. For the most part, the com-pany makes the bulk of its sales through its online store.

As the sport of snow-shoeing continues to grow, Northern Lites is deter-mined to provide the in-creasing population of first-timers with a good initial experience. During the busy winter months, they take demo pairs out to events nearly every week-end. Hallgren noted that fi rst-time snowshoe buyers may not know what theyre looking for in a shoe and may settle for a cheap pair to start with, which can lead to bad experiences if the snowshoes prove dif-fi cult to use or unwieldy.

The snowshoe mar-ket itself is dominated by Chinese snowshoes. Theyre not lightweight, but theyre cheap. People will go I dont know if I like snowshoes and buy a cheap pair, and then have a bad time because they may not stay on or theyre heavy or clunky, Hallgren said. At that point, theyre done snowshoeing. They might stick them in a corner or in the garage and never use them again. Well take 15 or 20 pairs out to events so people can demo them. We lend them out for a day or a weekend too, thats really the only way to fi nd out if you like it.

In terms of other American snowshoe competition, Hallgren noted theres only fi ve or six companies that still

operate in the US. Red Feather, based out of La Crosse, is the nearest competition.

Nestled between two high traffi c snowshoeing locales, Perkinstown and Rib Lake, Northern Lites is in perfect position to serve the growing local community. Forest Springs Camp and Conference Center as well as the Per-

Growing a sport, one snowshoe at a timeMedford business already at the forefront of a booming activity

Brian Hallgren and the family-owned Northern Lites company in Medford ships high-end snowshoes across the United States and overseas to Europe and Australia.

Please see Northern Lites, page 4

Could we make these things overseas cheap-er? Absolutely we could. Would they be as good? We dont think so. Wis-consin-made is espe-cially important because I know for a fact we sell shoes based solely on that. -- Northern Lites co-owner Brian Hallgren


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kinstown Winter Sports Area are two hot spots for snowshoeing and other snow-based activities like skiing and tubing during the winter months and give Lites prime real estate to grow their following. At any given event at either location, Hallgren said the majority of snowshoes would be Northern Lites.

Were in a garden spot between Rib Lake and Perkinstown, Hallgren said. We have a fantastic local and national following. There are a lot more events than when we bought the company. Just phenomenal growth. Things like the 5k and 10k runs that you would see in sum-mer, theres more and more of those as snowshoeing events now. Its great that people are getting out and walking in these events. You dont have to be a run-ner to compete.

Compared to other winter sports, snowshoeing is seemingly the lowest com-mon denominator and much more inclu-sive. The bottom line is: if you can walk, you can snowshoe. Hallgren noted they see plenty of overlapping between people that already ski and are active during the winter months. He also highlighted recent non-competitive events, such as night-glow snowshoe walks, as big drivers behind snowshoeings growth. Candle-lit snowshoe events have popped up in places like Cornell, Merrill, Minocqua and Wausau. Hallgren also stated theyve seen an increase in snowshoe use in hunting and by those collecting maple syrup with snow still on the ground.

A lot of younger people are running on them, but for families they can just take an afternoon or night walk, he said.

Its the leaps in recreational participation that has Hallgren excited for the future of snowshoeing. He drew attention to the fact that several local schools, includ-ing Holy Rosary and Immanuel Lutheran in Medford and Stetsonville Elementary, have used Northern Lites snowshoes to augment their winter physical education classes. In addition to providing kids with an outdoor activity to get them off the couch during the cold of winter, its also a prime opportunity for Northern Lites to lay the foundation for lifelong participation.

Were doing a fair amount of business in the schools. Thats becoming more common, he said. Theyre all over and its becoming more and more popular and thats going to help the growth. You put kids on them when theyre in grade school and they have a good experience, obviously one thing leads to another. The schools, if they take care of the shoes, as in dont just throw them in a corner, can last for a long time, maybe 15, 20 years, maybe more, maybe forever.

Their durability is an attractive feature for school districts always looking to cut costs on equipment. Another appealing feature, especially for teachers faced with the daunting task of strapping a class of 20 into snowshoes, is how easy the bindings are to use.

Thats another plus. The bindings are easy to ex-plain to young kids and the kids can do it themselves. Its possible to over-engineer bindings. I mean, what

are we trying to do here? Were trying to attach a foot to a snowshoe. Its not rocket science, Hallgren said.

When it comes to picking a suitable snowshoe, there are two things to keep in mind. First is what your total packing weight (body weight plus gear) will be and sec-ond is the kind of snow conditions youre going in. For adventurers of all sizes or motivation, Northern Lites has a wide line of choices. From their race series, all the way down to their newly introduced youth models, they have the shoes to get the job done. Their racing series

has been worn by champion athletes such as Josiah Middaugh and Travis Macy. But for those a little less competitive, they have plenty to choose from. Their Quicksilver models are perfect for trail walking or recreational use, while their most rugged Extreme Series models are rated for users carrying more than 250 pounds.

Regardless of the model, you can rest assured youll be walking on some of the fi nest snowshoes money can buy. Each set is hand-made to the highest standards and even if after hard use your pair somehow breaks down, the workers at Northern Lites havent met any repair they cant handle.

Above all else, Northern Lites is at the forefront of a growing sport and offers Central Wisconsin, quickly becoming a mecca for snowshoeing, premium gear made for, and by, locals dedicated to the sport.

To be Wisconsin-made is huge. We take a lot of pride in being here in Med-ford, fi rst of all. Being American-made is huge, too. Could we make these things overseas cheaper? Absolutely we could. Would they be as good? We dont think

so. Wisconsin-made is especially important because I know for a fact we sell shoes based solely on that. Folks in Wisconsin have a lot of pride, I mean, look at the Packers. They support their own and were very appreciative, Hallgren said.

While right now its mostly quiet at Northern Lites, come the fi rst of September things will ramp up quickly. Luckily for the owners and employees at Lites, theyve got plenty of inventory built up, and a loyal and grow-ing following to lean on.

Northern Lites, from page 3

Northern Lites snowshoes await the attachment of bindings at the Medford manufacturing plant.


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www.wenzelsfarm.com

Find us at your local grocery store.

Pick up our brats and wieners for the grill

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Lynn Dairy, Inc.Lynn Dairy, Inc.W1929 Hwy. 10, Granton, WI 54436

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Many changes in the dairy industry have taken place since Walter Schwantes purchased Lynn Dairy in 1949, but the Wisconsin tradition of making quality cheese generation after generation remains the same.

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715-223-4573We have a store (hours vary - call rst) with many things not found in catalog. Stamping supplies ~ Puzzles of all sizes and

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By Ginna Young,Cornell, Cadott & Lake Holcombe Courier Sentinel

For those who get that big buck every fall, or fi nd antler sheds in the woods, the fi rst instinct may be to mount the trophy on the living room wall, but there is another option: donation to Shedding Hope in Lady-smith. The non-profi t organization takes deer antlers and turns them into items that can be sold at benefi ts for cancer patients.

Shedding Hope was started after its creator, Ralph Barten, had a lower back fusion in 2001, and awoke from surgery completely blind. Although the surgery itself was a success, a small leakage of blood went undiscov-ered for several days, and drained the optic nerve dry.

I was in the hospital sitting there feeling sorry for myself, when some kids with cancer came on the TV, said Barten. These kids had stage 3 cancer, but they were happy and having fun. I thought, if they can face death every day and be happy, I can face being blind; I dont have a reason to complain.

Barten says he knew he wanted to help in some way, and started talking at schools, but wanted to do m o r e. E v e n t u -ally, as a lover of hunting and the outdoors, Barten decided to make things from deer antlers. His first creation was a zip-per pull made from a chunk of antler

with a length of chain.I tell kids theyre like a lucky rabbit foot, Barten

said. They were created by God and Mother Nature, and when you wear them, you have the two most power-ful forces on your side.

Some donations stay with local organizations such as Lions Clubs, while others have made their way to Texas, Wyoming, New York and West Virginia.

There isnt a state we havent sent zipper pulls to, including the Wounded Warriors Project, said Barten.

Barten now gives away hundreds of zipper pulls each year to organizations and benefi ts, but his creativity doesnt stop there.

With the help of his wife, Jo, he makes necklaces, lamp bases, towel and hat racks, and mug holders out of antlers. He also crafts walking sticks from diamond willow saplings.

Most of the bigger items Barten donates to benefi ts to raise money for those in need, but some he keeps and sells to offset operating expenses. While he doesnt make a monetary gain off his creations, Barten says hes still

well off.Im rich, said Barten.

I get hugs from kids, moms, grandmas -- it makes my day to make them smile for awhile.

When Shedding Hope first began, the Bartens spent around $300 each year to ship donations. Because of their ever-growing outreach, it now costs between $3,000 and $6,000 annually to make and send items to charity organizations.

Since the Bartens are on Social Security, they say they cant do much on their own, which is why they rely on donations.

Sometimes people send me a little back for what I donate, and that helps with postage, said Barten. If a random per-son gives me $20 here, $20 there, it all adds up; with that, I can go buy a spool of chain at the hardware store.

At times, Barten has even purchased old antlers from an attic or garage. Old antlers are still usable if they arent white or chalky.

Shedding Hope is always on the lookout for donations of antlers in good condition, diamond willow branches, barn boards or monetary donations.

Making zipper pulls and necklaces keeps Barten busy, but it hasnt dampened his enthusiasm for the outdoors. In 2012, he was nominated to participate in a Buckmaster Life Hunt in Alabama, and has been awarded other trips over the years.

During one such hunt, he and his friend, who is a full quadriplegic, shared in the experience through ad-vances in technology. A scope was hooked up to Bartens gun, and viewed on a computer face on his friends chair, enabling him to tell Barten where to sight the gun and when to pull the trigger.

If you know someone with a challenge, dont be afraid to take the fi rst step, said Barten. Ask them to go fi shing or hunting. We can still do things, we just might need to fi nd a little different way to do it.

Barten says he wants people to be encouraged by his story, and strives to continue to inspire those with a debilitating or terminal illness to persevere, and live life to the fullest.

Stay positive, dont ever quit, Barten said. I hope

Shedding hopeOutdoorsman does not let lack of sight

stop him from seeing others needs

After waking up totally blind after back surgery in 2001, Ralph Barten of Ladysmith began useing deer antlers to make products such as lamp bases, which he donates to organizations that help people in need.

you never have to call me. But if you ever have a friend or relative whos sick, Ill give you one of everything I make.

To make a donation to Shedding Hope call 715-532-9857.

I thought, if they can face death every day and be happy, I can face being blind; I dont have a reason to com-plain. -- Ralph Barten


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by Mark Berglund,Medford Star News

While the name may not be found in retail cheese cases, you have eaten Gil-man Cheese. Have you ever refueled with a Jack Links snack of meat and cheese? Thats Gilman Cheese. How was the cheese snack on your last airline fl ight? The Gilman Cheese label was likely on that product. Did you enjoy the Wiscon-sin cheese in your holiday gift box? Many of those products come from Gil-man Cheese.

Under the leadership of owners Tom and Char Hand, the company has seen remarkable expan-sion in the past decade. Gilman Cheese is not a producer of cheese, but its cookers, cutters, smokehouse and packing operations are finding many ways to fi ll customer needs.

Gilman Cheese own-er Tom Hand is wearing many different hats these days as the company con-tinues to expand in terms of sales, capacity and campus footprint in the community where the name comes from. You might see him with the proverbial sales force hat on as he communicates with vendors, clients and the potential future. At times, he wears the virtual hardhat of construction as several expansions at the plant along the Yellow River have met the demand. Finally, most days also see him donning the actual hairnet of a man working directly with staff on production and logistics.

Gilman Cheese plans to build a company offi ce build-ing and complete another expansion of its production capability this year as demand and markets for its prod-ucts continues to grow.

The current offi ces are attached to the production, which is handy for checking on progress there, but a little cramped for meeting with customers, taking new job ap-plications and all the other business activity which takes place here. The new offi ce will be on the current Gilman Cheese property, but housed in their own building. Hand said the new facility will be 2,000 to 3,000 square feet.

Once the offi ces are complete, the construction plan will turn back to the plant as the north and south wings are connected with a 4,000 square foot addition. The extra space will house two more packing lines. The lines will be used as the company has nearly doubled its cooking capacity from 60,000 to 110,000 pounds a day.

The business is ready to come to us as opposed to building it to bring in new business, he said. An increase in cheese spread and smoked cheese capability are the main goals with this upgrade.

Hand said there will be other infrastructure updates, such as paving all the parking lots and completing the electrical upgrade from last year.

Gilman Cheese plant manager Tom Olson checks on employees as they prepare products for packaging and shipping. The company does not make its own cheese, but uses Wisconsin products to fi ll customer orders for various snack food packages.

The new business offi ce will be busy as the $35 million a year company attracts visitors from clients around the world to see how the operation works and strengthen bonds.

Gilman Cheese does not produce cheese, but it uses good Wisconsin product and turns it into value-added items. It also packages it with product like sausage sticks for a number of markets.

The company has grown from 14 employees to the 120-130 range with 15 to 20 employees being added. The staff additions come as area businesses are getting increas-ingly competitive for employees. Gilman Cheese and many of the companies in Medfords industrial base are increasing salary offerings and benefi ts. Hand said the starting wage was recently increased to $12 an hour for full-time hours and benefi ts. The average worker makes between $13.50 and $14 an hour. Benefi ts include health and dental insurance, a 401K plan, disability plan, and holiday and vacation time offerings.

The company has also introduced an employee as-sistance program which provides help with legal or counseling expenses. The program pays for the fi rst three meetings with a lawyer or counselor. Hand said he hopes the benefi t helps employees who may have issues they cannot easily address.

Hand said the company hopes to attract employees who want to stay with the company. Paying a higher wage and offering benefi ts is part of the strategy. We just dont follow that [low wage] philosophy. We pay as much as we can afford to pay because it gives you a solid worker who wont leave you, Hand said.

Hand said the workforce will expand after Memo-rial Day with about 20 seasonal positions. He expects

the workforce demand to remain high through Christmas.

Hand said ability is important for potential employees, but attitude is equally valuable.

We are quick to hire if someone has an easy smile. We look for people who can treat another per-son with respect and kind-ness, Hand said. The workforce is so strong in this area.

Hand said the company is investing in leadership development training this year. It is working with Chippewa Valley Techni-cal College and 21 key leaders in the company to make better connections from supervision to staff.

We are looking at ar-eas like how do we ad-dress problems, how do we counsel an employee, and how do we improve our communication skills, Hand said.

The company is having a good sales year with in-creased orders by a variety

of airlines. The airlines offer Gilman Cheese branded products as part of the snack packs they offer for sale on fl ights. Gilman Cheese will produce about 10 million pieces for domestic air carriers with interest increasing with foreign carriers.

We get calls and emails from all around the world, Hand said. Now, we have a national and, to a lesser extent, international brand with this cheese product.

Hand said the snack packs are seen as a revenue stream by the airlines, so demand should remain solid if those companies put limits on expenses like free snacks.

The company has no national sales force, so growth has often developed from word of mouth and other con-nections. He said some inquiries happen after a well-placed consumer tries the product in another context and then reaches out.

A lot of our growth is reactionary. I think 2016 will be another big year for growth, Hand said.

Another step forward the company is making in 2015 is working toward a higher SQF level 3 certifi cation. SQF stands for safe, quality food and is a group responsible for a worldwide standard for safe food production standards. The designation comes from an independent party. The company is currently certifi ed at SQF 2.

Gilman Cheese, which changed its name from Drangle Cheese a few years ago, is the largest private sector em-ployer in the village.

Its wonderful to travel to California, Florida or the East Coast and get a little taste of Gilman Cheese. Its so rewarding to have a national presence, Gilman Cheese

You may not know it, but youve likely eaten Gilman cheese

Please see Gilman Cheese, page 7


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Hand said. Two weeks ago I got a call from Washing-ton D.C. from someone wanting to know where they could buy Gilman Cheese. Its neat this little village is providing cheese throughout the country.

The Hands changed the name to better refl ect their pride in the connection between the community and company. Hand said customers who make the trip to the community are impressed with what they see.

They are surprised by the size of the village and then the size of the plant. They fi nd it an attractive place with a pretty Main Street, he said.

Hand said the expansion is possible because the village supports the companys efforts.

The village is a dream to work with, he said. I couldnt ask for a better business and community rela-tionship.

The 2015 expansion project included a second cook room, additional cooler space, and a 40 percent increase in capacity for smoked cheese. The changes have included an upgrade to the power supply and other infrastructure needs.

Its up to the good Lord to tell us how big we can grow. It can happen as long as we dont take things for granted, Hand said.

Jack Links from Minong has become a valuable customer of Gilman Cheese. Like the local com-pany, it operates in a small, north-western Wisconsin community.

Jack Links has been very suc-cessful, Hand said. It is a reason-able company to work with and they have the same issues and staff-ing in a small town like we do. Weve compared notes on those issues.

The new customers are na-tional brands. You will fi nd Gilman Cheese products packaged under the Jack Links brand when you need a snack. If you fi nd yourself on American, Delta or Jet Blue Airlines and someone offers you a cheese snack, thats Gilman Cheese. The company has added business with Hickory Farms as well.

Our organic business has tripled from last year, Hand said. Our fat-free cheese business is up 50 percent from last year. The company has found a niche with air-line customers with a one ounce packaged bar included in airline snack kits. Hand said the company is develop-ing a cheese spread cup for individual servings as well.

Hand said developing the airline-friendly bar was a new test for the company.

It had to be a small, single serving, it needed to be shelf stable, and it needed a very mild fl avor profi le. We are also working on a cup of smoked gouda. It needs to appeal to the largest number of customers, Hand said.

Hand said the company is still trying to grow its or-ganic, low sodium, and fat-free markets.

There are only a few organic companies in the coun-try. We cant get enough raw material. When we need it, we will be ready for them, he said.

Word of mouth also helps to spread the companys reputation. Hand said the updated facility helps drive the business. Our willingness to expand has drawn the business. I think its because of that our existing custom-ers have given us more business.

Wisconsin is still Americas Dairyland in the eyes of Gilman Cheese customers.

The Wisconsin name on our products is big, Hand said. Sometimes, we take the quality for granted. When our customers are looking for cheese, they are looking for Wisconsin fi rst. Gilman Cheese has teamed up with Hollands Marieke Gouda to provide the smokehouse capacity for the world-class cheese being produced in nearby Thorp.

It has been a great customer. They are reasonable and easy to work with, he said.

The name Gilman Cheese is a reflection of the workforce who make the products. The company has a workforce in the 130-135 range, with approximately 20 additional workers during the summer. We pull in a lot of our workforce from Gilman, Cornell, Thorp, and some from Stanley and Medford, Hand said. The quality of our workforce is incredible, he added.

One of the new additions was an expansion of the breakroom. The original room held about 30 employees at a time, but it will have the room and services for 120.

Weve had the same little picnic tables in the break-room and people end up eating their lunch elbow to elbow now, he said. When we are done, we will have seating for 120, fi ve vending choices for food and coffee, more

microwaves and more lockers. It will be nice to have some elbow room at lunch.

Hand said the new space will give the business a chance to have full company meetings again.

We wanted it to be big enough to talk as a group. We wanted to get back to monthly or quarterly meetings. We like to be an open company, he said. This company has prospered largely because of its staff. Nobody can do it alone. You have to have everyone pulling together and in the same direction.

Its a reasonable, fl exible staff.Hand said interaction with the employees on the line

is one of the best ways he has to gain new ideas and grow the business.

I have a sunroom at home which overlooks the garden and thats my quiet space, but its amazing how many ideas come in the plant. You see things on the fl oor that you cant see at a desk. I love being on the fl oor with our staff. Its a bright, energetic staff, and I can share ideas with them, he said. They have experience and we try to capture it as much as we can.

As the business expands, so do job opportunities. One tip Hand offers for job interviews is to bring your friendly face. We hire on a smile. It tells me you are a kind person who can fi t in here, he said. We look for a positive at-titude, all-around aptitude and good energy. As long as someone has a basic skill set, we feel we can train them. One thing we cant teach is personality.

Hand looks at other regional industries as models of how the company can grow and the staying power it can have. He mentioned Grassland Butter, Abbyland, Tomb-stone Pizza, and Marathon Cheese as companies with similar origins which have grown into economic cor-nerstones in the area. There are several companies like that in the area and we hope to be one as well, he said.

In addition to jobs, Gilman Cheese looks for ways to support the village and community it shares a name with. The new Main Street park was funded by the company. It donates cheese to the local food service program. The

Gilman Cheese Mile in the village park developed from the companys wellness efforts. Tom and Char Hand fund scholarships to local graduates every year.

Weve probably provided $75,000 in scholarships already. Were so glad to do it. Its nice to meet the kids when they come back from their fi rst semester to collect the scholarships. Its interesting to see how they have grown, he said.

Hand thinks the company and community will grow together. All of the companys supervisors have been promoted from line jobs. Its a good place to work and live.

Its a safe, friendly community and there is so much to do here with a strong Main Street, the park and the riverwalk, and the festivals, he said. The people who live here are so community-minded. They are fi refi ght-ers and EMTs and members of the Lions or Lioness. I am amazed at the level of civic involvement you see in Gilman.

Gilman Cheese Corporation has a new set of eyes in a leadership role as Sam Olson was promoted to the title of plant manager this spring. Olson joined Gilman Cheese on March 27, 2012 as operations manager. He later acquired the duties of safety coordinator and SQF [Safe Quality Food Institute] practitioner.

Gilman Cheese has seen increases in sales, employees and its physical operation. For Hand, having Olson ready to take on the responsibility will allow him to focus on other company functions.

I had the full role of plant manager and CEO [chief executive offi cer] and honestly it was too much to do both. The business has to be run, so we had to bring in someone to run the plant, Hand said.

Hand hired a search fi rm and after two rounds of can-didates, Olsons local ties and experience in cheesemak-ing made his resume stand out. The pair met in Marathon City for the fi rst interview and the potential was evident. I knew it was right right away. This interview had a dif-ferent feel to it, Hand said.

Olson said working with the staff gives him confi dence to continue his growth with the company. The people are great. They are friendly and they are cooperative. They have the work ethic to do it, Olson said. They care just a little more.

The management connection is working well as ideas fl ow between Hand and Olson.

We see each other about 10 times a day and probably send 20 emails a day. We shoot a lot of ideas to each other. Its a constant communication, Olson said.

Its good to get a new set of ideas, Hand said. Its been my way so long, there is a chance the company could stagnate without him.

Hand is 55 years old. He said Olson, who is 37 years old, brings insights of a different generation to the decision-making process. Hand said shifting the plant manager duties to Olson has given him more time for important and timely contact with customers and vendors.

I used to be the least responsive person in the com-pany. The customers are shocked to get responses. Hand said. The company has also added a customer service representative in recent months.

Olson grew up in the area and graduated from Owen-Withee High School. He learned his fi rst lessons about cheesemaking and the dairy industry from a family in farming and a grandfather who drove a milk hauler route for Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI). He was 16 years old when he went from riding in the cab of his grandfathers milk truck to a job with AMPI. He learned fast and well and has never looked back. Hes held a cheesemaker license for 15 years and his resume includes stints with Foremost Farms USA in Lancaster and Saputo Cheese USA in Lena. He was a cheesemaker at Lactalis in Belmont prior to joining Gilman Cheese.

Its been a little easier transition since I know central Wisconsin, Olson said. I asked a lot of questions along the way and listened when I needed to.

Olson said the days of learning from Hand continue. Ill truly never get it all. Its a process to keep doing

more and Tom will give me more as he is ready, Olson said.

Our business relationship is a special one. He can feel free to talk to me, Hand said. I want to make sure I dont hang on too long. I want to delegate more of my duties and weve already done that over three years. Eventually, I want him to take it overall. It might be two years, it might be fi ve years, but Ill be out of the mix.

Olson started his career with Gilman Cheese on his wedding anniversary. Being a part of the staff for three years gives him a track record with the family-like com-pany. His work as safety offi cer has led to the companys best ratings ever. The attention to detail in this area has lowered the company bond rating and increased employee safety bonuses. His leadership on SQF was instrumental in getting the company to level 3.

Without his leadership, we wouldnt be at that level, Hand said. SQF is a big part of what we are doing. Were not just a little cheese company in Gilman, we have cred-ibility in the industry.

Gilman Cheese, from page 6

The Wisconsin name on our products is big. Some-times, we take the qual-ity for granted. When our customers are looking for cheese, they are looking for Wisconsin fi rst. -- Gilman Cheese owner Tom Hand


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Some would say the heart of maple syrup production lie in states out east, like Vermont. Tim Sternitzky of Granton would beg to differ. He would certainly know. His family has been making syrup in Clark County since 1858 and, in business, he is known as The Maple Dude.

Sternitzky is proud of his local product. This is a Wisconsin product, and its all done right here, he said. Its not blended with other products from other areas or sent off to be bottled. Plus, I think it just tastes better.

Maple syrup production has been ingrained in Ster-nitzkys heritage from a young age. As a boy, he helped his grandfather, Herbert, and father, Ernie, collect and boil sap on the back 15 acres of the familys dairy farm near Chili.

Back then it was all done on a fairly primitive level with a fl at, open pan, just out in the woods, Sternitzky recalls. I remember gathering buckets of sap, all the old-fashioned way. We had maybe 50 taps.

While Ernie continued to make syrup, Tim went on to pursue other interests as he grew older after fi nishing high school. It was at a point in his mid 20s that his inter-est in syrup production suddenly returned.

It was about 2003, and for some reason, the desire to make syrup just came back and hit me, Sternitzky said. I wanted to get really involved in it again. I became very interested in production and modern methods of increas-ing productivity. Its just something that took over me.

Since catching the bug, as Sternitzky puts it, he has made an effort to expand his maple syrup operation a little each year. The open pan was eventually placed in a small shed and ultimately replaced with a profes-sional wood fi red evaporator. There was still no power

or water available to the little shack, but progress was being made.

Buckets on trees and hand delivery were re-placed with a vacuum pump system that deliv-ered sap to the boiling area on the edge of the woods.

As he gained success, he made connections that led to growing syrup sales.

About two years ago, Sternitzky hit a plateau. Through networking with restaurants, retailers and other customers, plus a growing array of super-markets carrying his syr-up, sales climbed to the point where the 15 acres of wooded land on the farm with about 1,000 taps werent keeping pace with demand. He devised a clever plan to maintain the loca-tion of the family homestead while expanding business opportunities.

My plan for growing production was to buy sap from guys who wanted to tap their own trees, while doing the best I can with the taps I have, Sternitzky said. And continue to expand and make more syrup.

He began a series of investments in his business to utilize the location of the farm along STH 10 to create a retail presence in the area. A new 42 by 72 building was completed on the west end of the property in the

The maple dudeArea producer whets maple appetites

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Tim Sternitzky of Granton carries on maple syrup production tradition that dates back in his family to 1858.

summer of 2014. The new building was intended to be the central location of all syrup production and sales for The Maple Dude.

A well and electricity were installed in the building. Bottling, retail, storage and modern production areas were incorporated into the design. Sternitzky brought the large 3x10 drop fl ue evaporator and permanently installed it in the production area. A dedicated kitchen area allows for clean and effi cient bottling.

Please see Maple Dude, page 9


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Jack and Haley, Sternitzkys kids, have also become involved in the family business. Jack is frequently at The Maple Dude on weekends and likes to help his grandfather, Ernie, haul sap or assist his dad with stocking the fi re in the evaporator. Haley hopes to be involved in operating the store when it opens.

Sternitzky also made the important purchase of a reverse osmosis machine. The machine works by us-ing high pressure electric pumps to drive sap through a series of membranes that separate water from sugar to make syrup. A traditional evaporator works by us-ing wood heat to boil sap and stave off water content through steam.

Impressed with the performance of the reverse os-mosis equipment, Sternitzky said, As Im processing more and cooking more sap, now in the 5,000 to 6,000 taps neighborhood, I defi nitely need that machine to handle that kind of volume. Just the savings in time and savings in fuel (wood) makes it worth it. Its really incredible.

Ads in local newspapers and Craigslist have added to a loyal group of sap suppliers. This past season, Ster-nitzky had a crew of 27 people from whom he purchased sap. He is always on the lookout for more sap sources and tree tappers.

Contributors range in size from hobbyists tapping just a few trees on their property, to professionals with over 1,000 taps. Some are paid for their efforts by the gallon of sap they contribute based on its sugar content and others choose to have the sap made into syrup for their own enjoyment.

Sternitzkys aim has been not only to expand the operations of The Maple Dude, but also to help others become involved in syrup production. Thats why, as of last year, he became an authorized dealer for Dominion & Grimm Inc., a maple syrup equipment manufacturer based in Canada.

Having an inventory of equipment for tapping trees has helped Sternitzky assist sap gatherers in starting their own operations. He feels this ultimately aids the overall infl ow of raw sap to The Maple Dude. Taps, vacuum line, cleaning solutions and sap bags are in stock and available to syrupers. Any larger or more unusual sap-making equipment or supplies can be special ordered.

When Sternitzky opens the retail portion of his facil-ity, he hopes to keep a couple high effi ciency evapora-tors and fi lter presses on hand for sale, aimed at those interesting in pursuing larger scale production.

The Maple Dude store will sell more than just syrup and supplies. The Sternitzky family also raises bison, which are rendered by a meat processor in Lindsey. Sternitzky bison meat and other local meats from the processor will be stocked in the store.

Additionally, Sternitzky hopes to sell other local products like cranberry items, cheeses, candies and gift items. He is planning to purchase a machine to make maple cream.

It is Sternitzkys hope to have The Maple Dude store open by fall. He wants to have the retail space fully stocked and prepared before the grand opening. For syrup season next spring, he would like to host an open house that will include product samples and tours of the syrup production facility.

I want people to come in and be able to observe the process and learn about it, he said. To have people

bring their kids and make an event out of it.

E v e n t u -ally, Sternitzky would like to make a full-time career owning The Maple Dude. He cur rent ly also operates an auto body repair business.

For now, he is taking growth one step at a time with a philoso-phy of investing in his business for slow, steady growth.

This year, Im going to be into the busi-ness one step above where I was last year, Sternitzky said. I want to go incrementally with a step-by-step approach. T h a t s w h a t works best for me and I think it will pay off. This is a really good area for syrup.

One undeniable fact is that Tim Sternitzky is proud of his ancestry -- 150 years of making maple syrup -- and hopes to carry on that legacy.

Tim Sternitzky and his son, Jack, show the reverse osmosis machine used at The Maple Dude to separate water from sugar to produce maple syrup.

Maple Dude, from page 8

He explains his passion, If you talk to any maple syrup producer, a person that makes syrup on a large or small scale, I dont know what it is, but its kind of something that you just really enjoy doing.

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Big risk in switching cheeses paid off for North Hendren co-op

Gary Humboldt, plant manager and cheesemaker at North Hendren Dairy Cooperative near Willard, stands by a days production of blue cheese. After it comes out of the vat, the cheese is allowed to bind together naturally without pressing. Mold will form in the cheese over the next several weeks to give it a unique, tangy fl avor.

by Dean LesarLoyal Tribune

Record GleanerThe farmers who owned

the North Hendren Dairy Cooperative near Willard, and who had sent their milk there all their lives, had a difficult choice to make 15 years ago -- either completely change the way cheese was made at the small plant, or sell it and see it closed.

Unanimously, the co-op membership voted for the fi rst option, to switch from the American-style cheeses that had been made there for more than 75 years and began produc-ing blue and Gorgonzola varieties. It was the only way the factory could con-tinue to exist, said plant manager and cheesemaker Gary Humboldt, yet it was a bold undertaking for the approximately 45 patrons of the co-op. Not only would it require the co-op to borrow a lot of money, but no one there knew anything about how to make the distinctive tasting new varieties.

Fifteeen years after the decision was made, North Hendren is churning out 2.2 million pounds of blue and Gorgonzola each year, sending it to restaurants and delis around the United States and some as far away as Mexico and Saudi Arabia. North Hendrens new cheese has not only been a hit with consumers and kept the factory thriving at maximum production levels, but has also competed strongly in state and national cheese-judging awards.

In mid-2000, North Hendren management was told they would be losing their market for the colby, cheddar and monterey jack varieties they had been making since the plant opened in 1923. There was just too much competi-tion for those types of cheeses, Humboldt said, and a small operation like North Hendrens was the casualty.

We tried to fi nd a new buyer for the American cheeses, but we were unable to, Humboldt said. California was producing it so much cheaper than we could.

As North Hendren searched for someone to buy its traditional cheeses, it came in contact with DCI Cheese Company of Mayville. That fi rm was not interested in North Hendrens American varieties, but, They won-dered if we were interested in going to blue and Gor-gonzola, Humboldt said. It was a risk. We had never made it before.

With only a 6-month lead time before its American cheese market was gone, Humboldt said the co-op held a special meeting, explained the options, and called for a vote. The factory could either be converted to make

the new cheeses, or sold to a larger co-op, which would likely close the Willard plant after 77 years. The vote was unanimous -- take the risk.

After the vote, the process of converting the plant began.

We basically gutted the plant, bought all different equipment, and retooled it for making the blue and Gor-gonzola, Humboldt said. That process involved going to the bank for almost $1 million.

That was a huge step for the farmers to take, Hum-boldt said. We had never borrowed money like that before.

By February 2001, the renovated plant was ready. But, were Humboldt and the employees prepared for an entirely new process?

A stroke of good fortune helped North Hendren with its fi rst attempts at the new varieties. Shortly before it began, Blue Moon Cheese in Thorp shut its doors, and several employees who had made blue and Gorgonzola there were hired.

We were very fortunate that Blue Moon closed -- very lucky, said Humboldt.

North Hendren moved into the new process slowly, making one vat three times a week. The early results were better than anyone expected. When representatives of

DCI Cheese tasted samples from the fi rst batch, The first words out of their mouths were, How did you make such beautiful blue cheese? Humboldt said.

Even with product qual-ity high from the start, It was tough going at fi rst to build the customer base, Humboldt said. A few ear-ly cheese contest awards helped build the North Hendren reputation, and the cheese was marketed under the Black River Blue and Black River Gor-gonzola labels. DCI Cheese was eventually sold to Fairmont Food Company, which was then bought out by Saputo Cheese USA. Saputo now does all the marketing for the North Hendren product, about of half of which is sold under the Black River labels.

Blue and Gorgonzola cheese are uniquely-fla-vored, their tastes powered by the mold veining that develops in the weeks af-ter the cheese comes out of the vat. A semi-soft variety, blue cheese must age at least 60 days. It is not machine-pressed, but allowed to set for the fi rst 9-10 hours.

If pressed, the molds would not form.

The curd knits itself together rather than being pressed together, Humboldt said.

Made in a similar way, Gorgonzola must age at least 90 days. While blue cheese has an acute, pungent taste, Gorgonzola is a bit milder.

Humboldt said making the new varieties is defi nitely more complicated than the cheddar and colby that were once made in the North Hendren vats.

If you dont do it right, you dont get the veining in the cheese, he said.

After the initial curing phase, the cheese is soaked in a salt brine for two days. The brine will continue to work its way all through the cheese over the next two months. After it comes out of the brine, the cheese is dipped into a solution to prevent mold from forming on the exterior, and about 50 holes are punched into each wheel, to allow oxygen to enter and carbon dioxide from the mold-formation process to escape.

North Hendren has only enough storage space for 2-3 days of production, so it ships the rest to a leased warehouse/packaging facility in Thorp. That facility has 400,000-450,000 pounds of blue and Gorgonzola cheese on the shelves at any given time. Employees there package

Please see North Hendren, page 11

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the aged wheels and bags of crumbles for direct shipment to customers.Humboldt said approximately 68 percent of North Hendrens product is sold to the

food service industry, as crumbles or wheels, for use in salads, on burgers, etc. Another 30 percent goes to retail outlets such as grocery stores, and about 2 percent is sold for industrial use, mainly in salad dressings. Some cheese is also sold at the North Hendren plant, along with other varieties of cheese and butter from area facto-ries.

Demand is up and down.

I t v a r i e s throughout the year, Humboldt s a i d . S o m e -times, we cant k e e p u p o n cheese.

T h e p l a n t uses about 77,000 pounds of milk per day, fi ve days a week. Employ-ees are on the job from 1 a.m. until 9 p.m., with stag-gered shifts tak-ing care of the various stages of the process. Five vats of cheese are made per day, with the cheese-making process itself lasting about four hours.

Humboldt said all of North Hendrens milk is locally produced, within 25 miles of the factory. As small farms have been sold off through the years, the number of patrons has decreased to approximately 25, but they still produce plenty of milk to meet the cheese needs. The co-op actually still sells about 20 percent of the milk from its patrons, as its cheese line is at full production.

Humboldt said the decision to switch varieties 15 years ago was a good one. Not only did the conversion keep the plant alive, but sales are growing, and the decision helped preserve a tradition of local farmers selling to their own co-op, one their families started before the Great Depression.

Some of the farmers, their parents or grandparents started the factory back in 1923, Humboldt said. We couldnt have done it without the good employees and the farmers.

North Hendren, from page 10

Brandy Zeger displays some of the blue and Gorgonzola cheese wheels and crumbles produced at North Hendren Dairy Cooperative north of Willard.

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Dairy farming provides the leading agricultural activity in Wisconsin.In terms of revenue generated, Wisconsins top fi ve agricultural products are dairy

products, beef cattle and calves, corn for grain, greenhouse and nursery products, and soybeans.

Dairy products account for 54 percent of Wisconsins total agricultural receipts earning the state the #2 postition among the states behind California for the produc-tion of dairy products.

Though they cant match the economic power of dairy product, beef cattle and calves, hogs, broilers (young chickens), and chicken eggs are also major contributers to the states agricultural economy.

Other livestock products produced in Wisconsin include honey, aquaculture, sheep and lambs, and turkeys.

Wisconsins most important crop is corn for grain, most of which goes to feeding the states livestock.

Greenhouse and nursery products, soybeans, potatoes, and cranberries are all important to Wisconsins agricultural health. Wisconsin is a leading producer of po-tatoes and cranberries among the states. Wisconsin ranks #1 among the states in the production of cranberries.

Hay and oats are also grown in Wisconsin and, for the most part are, along with grain corn, offered as livestock feed. Sweet corn and tobacco are also grown in the state.

Apples and strawberries are the leading fruit crops. Snap beans (#1 among the states), green peas, cabbage, and carrots are leading vegetables.

Manufacturers add value to raw products by creating manufactured items. For example, cotton cloth becomes more valuable than a boll of cotton through manufac-turing processes.

Machinery (engines and turbines, power cranes and other construction machinery, heating and cooling equipment and metalworking machinery)is Wisconsins leading manufactured product. Transportation equipment (motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts) ranks in second place.

Following transportation equipment, food products (butter, cheese, ice cream, evaporated and dried milk, meat-packing, canned fruits and vegetables, beer) form Wisconsins third-ranked manufacturing activity. Wisconsin produces about 1/3 of the cheese made in the United States and is a leading butter-producing state. Beer is Wisconsins most valuable processed beverage product.

Used in the construction industry, Wisconsins most important mined products are sand and gravel and crushed stone.

Community, business and personal services (private health care, law fi rms, hotels and resorts, repair shops) ranks as Wisconsins number one service industry group.

SourcesBenjamin D. Rhodes and Gary C. Meyer, Wisconsin, World Book Online Americas EditionU.S. Department of Agriculture: National Agricultural Statistics Service, Wisconsin State

Agriculture Overview, 2004, 3 January 2006

Wisconsin leads in agriculture

Wednesday, July 1, 2015 - 13made in

Janke General Contractors

Our banker Tony has helped us grow tremendously. Peoples was there nding creative ways to fund our growth with an SBA loan for building expansion, to equipment nancing and lines of credit. They also helped us get higher bonding capacity. Its been a great t for our company and I would highly recommend Peoples to anybody.

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Gilman Cheese recognizes our responsibility and privilege to help our community, locally and nationwide. Gilman Cheese:

Has offered $92,500 in scholarships to Gilman High School students seeking college educationDonates over 10,000 pounds of cheese annually to local food banks and the local school lunch programSupports national organizations including the United States Military Academy, the Smithsonian, Colonial

Williamsburg, the American Red Cross and Salvation ArmySupports local organizations including Wausaus Grand Theater, Gilmans Fall Festival, Gilmans Snieg Fest,

Gilman community choir and high school bandHosts an annual concert in Gilmans Park for the community of Gilman

Expert Craftsmanship Premium Ingredients

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At Gilman, we specilize in premium quality, shelf stable processed cheese for the gift pack, retail and airline industry. - Tom Hand, Owner and CEO

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by Brian WilsonMedford Star News

Sue Weidner doesnt think people should have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to have the perfect wedding.

Weidner makes custom and semi-custom wedding dresses out of her rural Athens home. The dresses are sold through the With This Ring, bridal salon in Wausau.

Weidners passion for sewing comes from her mother, who was a seamstress.

My mother was a phenomenal seamstress, Weidner said. She recalled how her mother would make their clothes.

When we were younger we were the best dressed kids, she said.

She tells of the red wool coats with Velcro fasteners her mother made for her and her sisters in the 1950s. They were passed to her younger sister and then to an aunt who had 10 children with each of her six daughters wearing them.

That is how well built they were, she said noting that the coats saw a good 20 years of being worn.

It is that kind of quality and workmanship that Wei-dner said is lacking in so many of the clothes available in retail stores.

People will buy a $400 jacket only to have the zipper break after wearing it three times, she said.

Everything my mother did was perfect. I strive to do the same thing, she said.

The main difference between Weidner and her mother however, is that while her mother became too stressed when someone offered her money for her work, Weidner describes herself as more of a capitalist.

Prior to coming to Central Wisconsin, Weidner owned a factory in the Chicago area where they manufactured cushions and umbrellas for outdoor furniture. She ran the business for 15 years and noted that she did not have a summer off at all during that time.

The lesson she learned from running the factory was that it is the margin that makes or breaks any business.

You arent counting in dollars, you are counting in nickels and dimes when you have a factory, she said.

It is while she was at the factory that she learned the practical lessons of effi ciency, which is why she is happy with her compact sewing space. A chair with wheels lets her move from station to station without wasted steps and while it is compact, her sewing area is set up to allow things to fl ow smoothly.

Weidner has always sewn as a side business. People would fi nd out she was good at it and would ask her to fi x a zipper or take in a dress.

When she and her husband moved to Wisconsin she worked at Graebel, but kept sewing on the side.

I was always making a little money on the side, she said.

She said one of her coworkers there could not keep a zipper in a coat to save his life and she ended up replacing six of them for him.

Eventually she met Jill Nezworski of With This Ring who heard about her sewing skills. Weidner began do-ing alterations for the bridal shop. That was about fi ve years ago.

Some of these alterations were straightforward to size them to fi t the bride, but others were more elaborate. She tells of one bride who, like Weidner, has a passion for

the Walking Dead television show and decided to do a zombie-themed wedding.

The girl was absolutely hilarious, she said. The bride brought in a dress she made and they took

off items adding red tulle and binding and other acces-sories. It was when Weidner was at a craft store and saw skull buttons that she was inspired to make her a garter of them.

When she went to throw the garter there was close to a fi stfi ght because everyone wanted it, she said.

Next year she is looking forward to doing a Halloween wedding.

One of the biggest current crazes in wedding dresses is camoufl age fabric for wedding dresses. Almost all the camoufl age dresses are made in China and Weidner took up the challenge of working to compete with those dresses with one made in the United States. She searched for sources of wholesale camoufl age fabric and has made several of the dresses now.

They sell really well, she said, noting she has sold nearly a dozen of the dresses.

Weidner takes the approach that a wedding is a special day for the bride and groom and that they should make it into one that will make them happy.

If thats what makes them happy, they should have what they want, she said. It is the happiest and most expensive day of their life and it is nice that we can be part of it.

Weidner got into making wedding dresses when a bride came into the shop who was plus-sized and was having trouble fi nding something that fi t well.

She wanted a particular dress, but it did not come in that size, she said.

Weidner said she would give it a try and worked with the bride to make her a dress and veil. The bride loved it and she started doing custom dresses for brides.

There are a lot of people who are hard to fi t, she said. For Weidner every bride she has worked with has

become part of her extended family. They stop in the store and say hi and visit, she

Seamstress specializes in crafting affordable wedding dresses

Athens seamstress Sue Weidner explains the bodice handiwork on a wedding dress she is making for a customer of With This Ring, a Wausau bridal shop.

Please see Dresses, page 13


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By Dayton HamannEdgar Record ReviewThe tree is a versatile

resource.Timber is the basis of products that are nearly omnipresent in modern life. It is applied to the walls and doorways of homes. It is formed into the furniture that fi lls the rooms of those homes. It is made into the paper on which these very words are printed. Even its bark can be repurposed into a land-scaping material for plants. Woods uses are numerous and Twin Forest Products, LLC of Marathon knows that well.

Formed in 2001, Twin Forest Products is owned by identical twins John and Jeff Lawrence. The company began when the brothers cleared trees from the properties of a local business and one of their neighbors. At the time, they simply used the trac-tors and chainsaws they owned. This was initially performed as just an odd job, but in exchange for their services the Law-rence brothers were per-mitted to keep all the wood they harvested. The brothers ended up making a profi t from the sale of the wood. In turn, they both saw a business opportunity. At that mo-ment, Twin Forest Products was born.

Twin Forest Products was fi rst just a part-time venture for the Lawrence brothers while they continued to work other full-time jobs. After seeing signifi cant success, how-ever, John and Jeff left those jobs in 2003 to fully commit their days to fostering the growth of their blossoming business. They soon purchased equipment of their own and hired additional staff. To this day they continue to expand, work-ing across Central Wisconsin on private, county and state properties and working with other local logging businesses like Granite Valley For-est Products of Marathon and New London and Northwest Hardwoods of Dorchester. Between their saw mill, offi ces, transportation services and harvesting services, Twin Forest Products now em-ploys 16 workers.

Selective timber harvest is the primary service provid-ed by Twin Forest Products. However, harvesting is much more than simply entering a forest and cutting down trees. Trees must be identifi ed, evaluated and marked in prepa-ration for harvest. Proper permits must be obtained before any cutting begins. The site must be carefully preserved during harvest and properly cleaned up afterward. Timber must be transported to various locations off the harvested site. Twin Forest Products performs all of these services.

Harvesting primarily with a processor -- a compact vehicle to de-limb the tree and cut it to length on site -- and a forwarder -- a machine with an arm to lift and load processed timber -- Twin Forest Products currently collects 150 to 200 cords of wood a day. This is equivalent to 12 to 15 truckloads of timber each day.

Semi-trucks are then dispatched by Jeff Lawrence to various mills in the area. John Lawrence noted this step in the process requires rigorous coordination, but they work hard to keep the trucks full and moving.

As their name suggests, Twin Forest Products also makes use of the wood obtained through harvest. Built in 2009, their saw mill prepares logs for use in interior hardwood trim, cabinetry, furniture, railroad ties, and toilet paper. Bark from the logs is made into landscaping mulch. Additionally, some wood is sold for pulp to be used in paper. These prod-

ucts are distributed across the state and even overseas. Debris from harvested trees deemed unsuitable for these other uses is burned as biomass fuel.

John Lawrence currently serves as Twin Forest Prod-ucts operations manager, and he takes great pride in how his business has grown.

If you would have asked me 10 years ago where I thought my business was going, I never would have pic-tured anything like this, he said.

John credits Twin Forest Products rapid expansion and high quality of work to the knowledge and skills of

Timber harvested by Twin Forest Products of Marathon is used for everything from furniture to paper products. Twin brothers John and Jeff Lawrence started the business in 2001 and have been expanding ever since.

Twin Forest Products taps into abundant area resourcehis employees and to the companys overall commit-ment to their customers.

The landowners are our number one priority, he said. Its all about them and providing them with exactly what they need.

With the recovery of the housing market, John anticipates expansion to continue. He currently plans to construct an ad-dition to the saw mill to approximately double his production capabilities. Further, he hopes to ex-pand the use of his timber to more products such as fence posts.

John also noted that although there are fewer logging contractors today compared to the past sever-al decades, he is impressed with how professional and organized current industry members have become.

Twenty years ago, it would have taken 10 guys to do what one guy does now, he said.

Logging was once an incredibly laborious and frequently dangerous prac-tice. Many workers were

needed to manually harvest an area, and it was not un-common for some of those workers to be injured on the job. Roads had to be built to reach logging sites, greatly increasing the risk of erosion and other negative envi-ronmental side effects. Uncut trees were often damaged during harvest as well.

Todays logging equipment requires more specialized training and experience, but it also demands fewer work-ers for harvest, can access sites previously too diffi cult to reach and is much more effi cient. The machinery accom-plishes this all with minimal damage to the environment. Twin Forest Products is especially careful in this respect.

We work every day as long as its dry, John Lawrence said. We cant be creating ruts and damaging the land like that.

Modern timber harvesting practices offsite place a similar emphasis on preservation and sustainability as well. For example, the extensive recording and storage of information made possible through advancements in computer and database technology makes accurate management and monitoring of forests easier and more approachable.

Ultimately, Twin Forest Products is a business deeply rooted in the needs of central Wisconsin communities but with a clear and progressive understanding of what it means to work in the timber industry in the 21st century.

The fruits of Twin Forest Products services are pres-ent in homes and on properties across the region, and it appears as if that presence will only continue to grow in the coming years.

Twenty years ago, it would have taken 10 guys to do what one guy does now, -- Twin Forest Products co-owner John Lawrence


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