Wisconsin Made | October 2023

Resilient Communities Our Wednesday, June 24, 2020 Chronotype YOUR RICE LAKE AREA NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 OCTOBER 2023 MADE Celebrating Wisconsin Products and the people who make them

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Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 3

4 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made MADE Contents Wisconsin is a state of entrepreneurs with a business climate that rewards ingenuity. In this special publication, Wisconsin Made, we give you stories of northwestern Wisconsin residents and businesses that prove that point. These businesses run the gamut. Some take Wisconsin’s own rich resources and turn them into gold. There are stories of people who adapt their own family traditions into successful business ventures, and of people who tap their inner creativity and vision to produce products that people can’t seem to get enough of. We sincerely hope that you enjoy Wisconsin Made, a premium publication brought to you by the northern Wisconsin newspapers of APG Wisconsin. 6 // Just like the miners ate 10 // Edible art 14 // Tapping into tradition 18 // The meats 22 // Small town, big link 26 // Say cheese 30 // All aboard 32 // Outdoor developement 36 // Give us the tough jobs 44 //Log homes, made by hand 47 // Pumping it out 48 // Peeking in the windows at Quanex

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6 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Just like the miners ate Ashland entrepreneur brings pasties to the Northwoods By Rick Olivo Ashland Daily Press Photo by Rick Olivo Copper Pasty owner Victoria Peters shows off a tray of freshly baked pasties at her small restaurant in downtown Ashland. With just four tables, most of her offerings are taken out. They are sold fresh-cooked and frozen and sell particularly well to hunters headed to camp.

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 7 Pasties, so the legend goes, came to the United States with the Cornish miners and sailors who spread out across the globe from Cornwall, England. The tradition of stuffing pastry with beef, potatoes, turnips and onions really took hold in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the mining communities scattered across Copper Country. It’s still almost impossible to drive for any time across the U.P. without running across a business that claims it has the best pasty (it rhymes with “nasty,” for the uninitiated) recipe around. But until about a year and a half ago, access to the savory pies ended as soon as you crossed the border into Wisconsin. Victoria Peters set out to change all that with her Copper Pasty shop in the heart of Ashland’s downtown district. Peters, who was raised in the U.P. community of Calumet, said Ashland reminds her a lot of her former home — but without the pies that once provided solid ballast for hard-working miners, and became a favorite of Yoopers. “I learned how to make them from my grandparents and the story goes in my family that my great-great-grandmother used to sell them out of her kitchen window to the miners on their way to the mines,” she said. Peters started her pasty-making enterprise in the Chequamegon Food Cooperative kitchen after her husband, John Butler, became Ashland’s public works director. But her first go at selling them commercially came earlier, in 2015 when she and her husband lived in Washington state. “One of the reasons my husband was willing to move to Seattle is that I agreed to keep pasties in the freezer,” Peters said. In Washington, she found a contingent of transplanted Midwesterners who were eager to buy her pasties, so she began selling them at farmer’s markets. After the Ashland pasty-making enterprise also proved to be a hit, Peters decided to open her own downtown shop. “The key thing about having my own brick-andmortar space is that I would love to branch out into shipping pasties, so I needed to have more space for shipping and storage,” she said. Since the business opened, it’s proven a resounding success, popular with locals and visitors. “I think it has been a good mix of people who have grown up with them or who have heard of them. They have been received fantastically well,” Peters said. Photo by Rick Olivo Hannah Sorenson said and she and her fellow workers at the Vaughn Public Library appreciate the convenience of the restaurant and its veggie pasties.

8 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Among the fans is Vaughn Public Library Children’s Librarian Hannah Sorensen, who frequently stops in at the Copper Pasty for a hot lunch to go. “We love it because it’s right across the street, and it’s hot, good food, made from scratch,” she said. Like any other food tradition imported into the United States, pasties have evolved. Peters still sells her Miner’s Pie, stuffed with beef, potato, rutabaga, carrot, onion and spices, but she has developed other recipes, too. Her breakfast pasty is filled with sausage, chorizo, potatoes, onions, egg and bell peppers. Sorenson said she loves that Peters offers a vegetarian pasty, filled with potatoes, brown rice, zucchini, carrots, onions and kale. “As a kid from the Northwoods I am used to eating pasties. It’s like the nostalgia of your childhood mixed in with a nice, hot lunch that is available at an affordable price.” Sorenson said. At the Copper Pasty, Peters intends to keep experimenting. She is working on recipes for seasonal pasties, including one using Lake Superior wild rice, and desert pasties, using Bayfield apples. “I have a lot of ideas,” she said. Although shipping frozen pasties remains a goal for the future, Peters said she is close to setting up some wholesaling arrangements with regional stores. She also takes custom orders for specialty diet needs and catering orders for small events. One of the selling points has been the use of locally produced agricultural products, including ground beef from the Jolma Family Farm in Marengo “It has always been my goal to support the local family farmers. It makes a difference,” she said. Rick Olivo Photo Workers at the Copper Pasty — Victoria Peters (from back), Sharon Homola and Sondie Skweres — prepare a batch for the oven. The operation is woman-owned and woman-operated, said Peters, who plans to expand her sale of frozen pasties to regional stores in the near future and eventually hopes to offer shipments to fans across the country.

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10 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Rebecca Flynn finds joy in making chocolate, and she spreads that joy through Sweet Driver Cafe and Chocolates, located inside The 1106, 1106 Mondovi Road, where people can come and get an edible work of art, coffee, breakfast, lunch and more. “Chocolate is a universal thing,” Flynn, who runs Sweet Driver while her husband, Dennis Vanden Bloomen, owns the business. Many years ago, Flynn read a book on chocolate making and was hooked. She became a chocolatier and eventually opened her first shop Obsession Chocolates. When it closed in 2012, she spent the next five years at home very bored. That’s when she started Sweet Driver in a room at what was then called Artisan Forge Studios, now rebranded as The 1106. Outgrowing the space, the shop now occupies the cafe space on the first floor of the building. By Ashlie Fanetti Leader-Telegram Edible Art Sweet Driver Cafe and Chocolates offers unique treats and more Photo by Ashlie Fanetti Rebecca Flynn is the master chocolatier behind Sweet Driver Chocolates.

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 11 It is here that Flynn makes her signature chocolate works of art, and serves up coffee and locally sourced meals. Sweet Driver’s truffles are made with quality couverture chocolate and made in a European method. While the process of making a batch of truffles is a couple of days, during their busiest season Sweet Driver can push out thousands in a week. Each truffle has a delectable shell and is filled with a creamy ganache. Flynn has experimented with many different flavors including hazelnut, fruits, caramel and even hibiscus, to name just a few. Photo by Ashlie Fanetti Machines temper all the chocolate at Sweet Driver. Although, Flynn can still do it fairly accurately herself. Tempering is a process of heating and cooling chocolate to stabilize it for making candies and confections. Contributed photo Sweet Driver truffles are unique in that they are an edible piece of art. These custom order turtle chocolate truffles are just one example.

12 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made “I started making flavors that intrigue me,” Flynn said. Sweet Driver truffles don’t just taste good. They look good too. In the case, customers are treated to chocolates which are beautifully decorated — some are even painted. Some of the chocolates are airbrushed with colored cocoa butter, some are splattered with color and some are hand painted. Each Sweet Driver truffle is a work of “edible art” as Flynn likes to call them. “I can express my artistic abilities out of the chocolate,” she said. “Don’t ask me to decorate a room, but I can make the chocolate beautiful.” Flynn also makes chocolate bars, cocoa bombs, pastries and more. Her mother even makes homemade gelato for the cafe part of the business which opened about two years ago when Sweet Driver moved into the part of the building they are in now. Sweet Driver Cafe serves breakfast and lunch which includes homemade soups, salads, sandwiches and more. They’re most popular item is their Reuben sandwich. “People explain my food as approachable,” Flynn said. “It has more of a quality twist to it, or a twist on the flavor.” There’s something for everyone on the menu. There are even gluten free, dairy free, and vegan options available. Coffee is also a staple at Sweet Driver and it’s sourced from a Wisconsin based company. Each drink is made fresh with Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company product delivered from Milwaukee. Flynn is always trying new things at Sweet Driver, whether it’s an experimental flavor or opening up a new outdoor patio for customers to sit and enjoy. She also makes it a point to support the local community any way she can from sourcing some ingredients locally, hosting area musicians and events and showcasing local artists through her product. For instance, the packaging of the chocolate bars features work by local artists. Each wrapper is unique and colorful and includes a little bit of info about the artist who created it. “We like to support the community in town,” Flynn said. Flynn feels that feeding people is what she was born to do. She’s seen what chocolate can do for people. “Whenever somebody buys chocolate, they have a smile and are happy,” she said. “I’ve had both extremes. I had somebody just diagnosed with cancer and the first place she came was to my shop for a piece of chocolate and a hug. You can’t beat it.” Sweet Driver is open Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. To learn more about everything Sweet Driver has to offer go to sweetdriverchocolates. com. For the latest updates, and to check out what Flynn is whipping up for the day, follow Sweet Driver on Facebook and Instagram @ sweetdriver. “It’s a joyful product,” Flynn said. “Everybody likes chocolate. Well, 90% of the people I talk to do. The other 10% are lying.” Contributed photo Sweet Driver Cafe serves breakfast and lunch and offers homemade soups, salads, sandwiches and more.

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14 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made The sweet story of Maple Creek Sugarbush of Arland goes back to 1892, when Ole and Anna Hoff set up a farmstead on 80 acres in a wooded and hilly region of southwest Barron County. Like everyone back then, they subsided on what they grew and foraged — milk from their cows, vegetables from their garden, fruits and berries from trees and bushes, an occasional fish from the creek and sap from the area’s many maple trees. Their five sons all did their share, but one by one left the farm to seek their fortunes elsewhere. The youngest of the five sons was Martin, who stayed on the farm. Some years after his father purchased an additional 40 acres across the road from the farmstead he bought an additional 40 acres, enlarging the farm to 160 acres. By Ruth Erickson Rice Lake Chronotype Tapping into tradition Hoffs still bottling up sweet memories as maple syrup producers span six generations Photo submitted Maynard and Connie Hoff, front and center, pose with their children, grandchildren and great-children at the Barron County Fair this past July.

Winner of 50 Blue riBBons and Counting! Order pies for in-store pick up @ www.norskenook.com. Rice Lake • 715-234-1733 • DeForest • 608-842-3378 • Osseo • 715-597-3069 Always Hiring Smiling Faces, stop in to apply! Have a Successful Hunt Barron Electric Cooperative is proud to feature one of our Members: Whitetail Products GONE WILD, which produces products to help attract both buck and bear. Visit their website for more information. www.whitetailproductsgonewild.com www.barronelectric.com Have a safe hunting season. Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 15 Photo submitted The Hoffs display their products at the Ridgeland Farmers Market during the summer.

16 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made In those early generations the Hoff family tapped 50-60 trees, and making pure maple syrup from sap was a spring ritual that they did as a way to sweeten their day, or at least their morning pancakes. In 1940, Martin married Hazel and started a family. Their son, Maynard, who now lives across the road from the original farmstead, is among that third generation to carry on the tradition of making maple syrup. “At home, we just made it for our family,” remembered Maynard. “My dad, uncles, neighbors, they all made it. We just cooked it out in the woods.” As the years went by, the sappy tradition stuck with him and expanded. Maynard calls it “an overgrown hobby that got out of control.” “When I was in high school in the late 60s, early 70s I started tapping more trees and selling the sap,” Maynard recalled. For income? “Kind of to make money, and I just enjoyed doing it,” he replied. After becoming sweet on a city girl named Connie, Maynard married her in 1974 and settled on the original farm, milking cows and tapping trees just like his father and grandfather had done. A year later, he and his cousin Elton, who farmed with his wife Mabel west of Hillsdale and also tapped trees for maple syrup, cooked up the idea of forming a partnership. Elton, who was older, got the naming rights and called their operation Mabel’s Maple after his sweet wife. “At the most, we tapped 3,500 trees,” said Maynard of the partnership. “In 2010, we split the partnership and went our own ways on friendly terms. He was 15 years older and wanted to cut back.” By that time, Maynard and Connie’s family had grown to include two daughters and three sons — Lori, Brian, Dan, Phil and Chris — the fourth generation, all of whom grew up helping with the family’s maple syrup production. “The kids helped as soon as they could walk,” said Maynard. “It’s great fun until it gets to be heavy work,” said Connie of the process of re-drilling holes in the trees each spring, attaching hosing, and keeping watch over the tanks, evaporators, barrels, kettles and bottling. “It brings a family together — we work and play and eat.” With the whole family pitching in, they now have 5,000 taps and purchase another 5,000 taps from neighbors. Over the years Maynard and Connie’s kids have grown and married and now have families of their own, producing 16 sweet grandchildren, who make up the fifth generation, with one great-granddaughter, two great-grandsons and another one onthe-way, all branching out into the sixth generation of their family tree “I suppose it’s getting to be less common,” said Connie of passing on a family tradition from generation to generation. For them, Maple Creek Sugarbush is where it all begins. “Three of our granddaughters have gotten married in the woods, where there is a meadow, and have had their receptions here,” Connie said. “Our kids plan on keeping it going, past that two or three are definitely interested, but where life takes them, who knows?” Having retired in December 2021 from the registration desk at Barron hospital, Connie has more time to market their products, which besides maple syrup that is bottled in a variety of size jars, includes maple cotton candy, maple cream, maple leaf candy and suckers, a maple barbecue rub, and infused maple syrup that comes in three flavors — vanilla bean, coffee bean and cinnamon stick. In addition they sell some maple items from other Wisconsin-based producers, including maple root beer, maple mustard and maple barbecue sauce. The first two Saturdays in April are open houses at their Maple Creek Sugarbush, where the newly-made pure maple syrup is sold and breakfast is served. They don’t bottle up their enthusiasm just when the sap is running, however. Instead it’s a yearlong hobby. For the past several summers they sell their products at the Barron and Dunn county fairs, which are usually the third and fourth weeks of July. Come the first week of August, they showcase their products at the Wisconsin State Fair, an honor achieved by earning a blue ribbon at the spring meeting of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association, in which Maynard is a director. This year, as well as once or twice in the past, the Hoff’s maple syrup earned a perfect score for density, clarity, flavor and color. They said with the honor of showing their products comes the duty of taking shifts at the association’s booth, which they enjoy. For the rest of August Connie sets up and sells their products each Tuesday at the Ridgeland Farmers Market. Next up was a Fall Family Fun Day in September open to vendors with home produced or handcrafted items, and onward toward the holiday season, when customers can contact them for gift-giving items. Those who cannot get to the fairs, market or their sugarbush can find their products online at maplecreeksugarbush.com, or they can call 715-455-1025 or email [email protected]. Photo by Ruth Erickson Connie and Maynard Hoff show ribbon, certificate, plaque received in May at the convention of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association.

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18 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made I ndependent meat shops are not rare but they are becoming fewer, and farther apart. The meat shops are still popular for unique product lines and wild game processing. “Things have changed,” said Brian Skomaroske, owner of Country Sausage Inc. in Phillips. In addition to providing specific orders for area restaurants, Country Sausage and other meat shops continue to be a destination for area residents but also the visitors who like to “stock up” before heading back after a weekend, holiday or seasonal stay, he said. These are customers who like their unique products or want their bacon sliced “just-so,” especially during “BLT season,” he said. “Some people have paper thin, and some people want it three quarters of an inch thick,” Skomaroske said. Customers seek out jerkies and other meat and cheese snacks with a flair or a regional influence. There is the standard bratwurst, blood sausage and liver sausage, but there are also the seasonal items, such as the cranberry bratwurst during the fall that is blended with craisins. Tom LaVenture Price County Review Small town sausage makers remain popular The Meats Photo by Tom LaVenture Brian Skomaroske in the front end of his Country Sausage business in Phillips, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 19 “People like their snacks,” Skomaroske said. “They stock up.” Other products become popular by word of mouth by people who moved away and come home to visit parents or stay at their cabins. The cheddar wursts (bacon, jalapeno, Philly, and mushroom mozzarella Italian) are popular as are the potato sausage products, which are beef or pork with potatoes, onions and seasonings all mixed up into a sausage. The sausage is simmered for about 45 minutes for a “hash like” sausage. The shop makes between 50 and 75 pounds every week, he said. But during December they may go through 500 pounds. “There is a group from the Milwaukee area that comes north and they drop off a cooler and tell me, ‘I’ll be back in two weeks, fill it. I don’t care what’s in it, as long as it’s full of potato sausage,’” Skomaroske said. The regional third party products such as smoked fish from Everett’s Fisheries out of Port Wing, maple syrups from Hama Sugarbush of Phillips, and the olives, mushrooms, cheeses and spreads of several other area vendors. Meat shops tend to carry a variety of bratwurst and cheddarwurst, along with pork and beef packages with a mix of steak, chop, chuck roast, ground, stew meat, ribeye, bacon and sausage products. Most carry a wide range of sausage and jerky products from beef, Polish and landjaeger, to jalapeno and pepper jack. People also seek out natural casing wieners, the large hot dogs and ring bologna. The family business includes Skomaroske, his wife, daughter and son-in-law who all work full time. An older brother also helps out. “I started cutting meat when I was in the sixth grade,” Skomaroske said. “I’ve been doing it for a long time, ever since we opened when I was 11 years old.” Other than a four-year tour with the U.S. Air Force from 1988-92, Skomaroske has always been with the business. Even while in the service he would help out when he could get away while stationed 220 miles away at the former K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The business was founded in 1979 by his late father, Dennis “Roscoe” Skomaroske, shortly after he completed schooling for meat cutting. He was a machinist who completed meat cutting school and continued working as a welder until the business could sustain itself. The original meat shop was adjacent to the Dennis Skomaroske home on Springs Drive in Worcester. The present location opened at N7871 State Highway 13 in 1992. “From ‘92 to ‘95, we actually had both places going,” Skomaroske said. “We were making sausage here and cutting everything over there. We used to butcher on the farm, which we don’t do anymore, we’re too busy.” Dennis Skomaroske was a hunter who was inspired to try various seasonings with his sausage recipes, Brian said. There are so many sausage recipes out there and they worked to make it different, he said. “When you get sick of eating the same thing all the time, you make something else,” Skomaroske said. The other niche service that local butchers/meat shops serve is wild game processing. It’s a very important seasonal component of the business, Skomaroske said. During the six week bear season there are no days when the shop is closed because a bear carcass can’t sit for more than a day before processing, he said. Last year the shop processed 144 bears including 36 bears that came one day. “You never know how many you’re going to take in a night,” he said. Photo by Tom LaVenture The Country Sausage store in Phillips, Wisconsin.

S ay CHEESE! WISCONSIN C HEESE 774 N Lake Ave, Phillips, WI 54555 • (715) 339-3104 20 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made The shop no longer has the time to process wild deer but will still process bear, he said. The time involved in sausage making just does not allow for deer processing. “This will be the first year we’re not doing deer,” Skomaroske said. “We can’t keep up.” The deer hunters didn’t like his announcement but there are other meat shops that will process wild game within driving distance, he said. If you can’t process a deer in Phillips, there are shops in Medford or Butternut, or Dorchester and Colby. Contact Country Sausage at 715-339-3631 or visit the Facebook page. Photo by Tom LaVenture Some of the original and third party vendor foods in the front end cooler of Country Sausage in Phillips, Wisconsin.

Explore the business community offerings o f the Hayward Area a t haywardareachamber.com 715-634-8662 Hayward, Wisconsin... where you can mix business and leisure Henry Repeating Arms is the leading lever action manufacturer and one of the top-five long gun manufacturers in the USA. The passion, expertise, and dedication of our employees embody the company’s motto, which is “Made in America Or Not Made At All”. Rest assured, when you read the roll-mark on the barrel of a Henry it’s going to say “Made in the USA.” Apply today at www.henryusa.com 107 West Coleman Street Rice Lake, WI 54868 Jack Link Farms 715-466-2234 PO Box 33, Minong, WI 54859 Proud to be operating and meeting cattle needs in Northwest Wisconsin for over 50 years. Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 21

22 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made By Regan Kohler Spooner Advocate Nationally recognized quality meat products made in small-town Minong Small town, big link

Hayward | Spooner | Superior | Milwaukee | Manitowoc New Richmond | Bismarck, ND All hemp and CBD products contain less than .3% Delta 9 THC per the 2018 Farm Bill. New Richmond | Bismarck, ND Ignite Dispensary is an 18+ establishment with ID verification. IgniteDispensary.com CBD | D8 | HHC LEGAL HEMP D9 PREMIUM CIGARS Hayward | Spooner | Superior | Milwaukee | Manitowoc ‘The Northwoods’ LARGEST SELECTION of Cigars and Cannabinoids! WARNING: Some products contain nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. burnettareaartsgroup.org Celebrating 20 years Meetings monthly1st Mondays, 5 pm.at the Gallery burnettareaartsgroup.org • [email protected] Original work by local artists at One mile South of Webster off State Rd. 35 • Classes • Student Art Show (March) • Burnett Arts Festival (June) • Arts Alive on 35 (August) • Kids Summer Art Camp (July) • Northwoods Holiday Event (Nov.) a 501 (c) non-profit arts group serving NW Wisconsin Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 23 The Sasquatch is a supernatural, mythical being many talk about and search for in Wisconsin, and he can be seen around Minong often. Sasquatch is the face of Jack Link’s Meat Snacks, the family-owned beef jerky business that began in the 1880s with a vision from Chris Link. “The Link family has been providing quality meat products in northwest Wisconsin for nearly 150 years,” said Lisa Oster, communications and public relations specialist for the company. The business goes back four generations. Chris Link came to America from the “old country,” according to the website, to settle in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, bringing with him his family’s sausage recipes. His smoked meats soon became the talk of the town. Chris’ son Earl was the one to open Minong’s first general store and butcher shop, and Earl’s son, Wilfred “Wolf” Link, born in 1916, grew up in the meat business, growing up to be a cattleman. Along came Wolf and his wife, Adeline’s, son Jack, who was hunting with his own young children and had the idea to make beef jerky with his great-grandfather’s recipes. The family created Jack Link’s Original Kippered Beef Steak, their first product for what would eventually become Jack Link’s Meat Snacks, “the first meat snack of its kind,” said Oster. Jack purchased a packing plant from the Link Brothers in 1978. He began selling his beef steaks to convenience stores around Wisconsin in the 1980s. Not long after, he purchased his own jerky packaging machine to begin selling the products nationwide. Link Snacks, Inc. was founded in 1985. Today, Jack and his son Troy, who is CEO of the business, work side by side to continue the tradition and create even more tasty jerky snacks. “The Jack Link Company has grown steadily since 1985, thanks to exciting new products and an investment in production, distribution and support facilities,” Oster said. The company launched their beef and cheese combos first. In 1994, “our famous bagged beef jerky hit shelves for the first time. Road trips, camping, fishing and hunting (were) forever changed,” Oster said. Further came the beef sticks, beef steak nuggets and more. “It’s so hard to pick a favorite among our jerky, sticks and steaks because they all taste amazing,” Oster said. “Our top flavors are the classics - Original, Teriyaki and Peppered.” The first facility Jack Link’s produced in outside the United States was in Brazil. European distribution came not long after that, and they opened in New Zealand’s market in 2002. Troy took over as global CEO in 2013, while Jack moved into the role of founder and chairman. The company then acquired the meat snack division of Marfoods in Taylor, Mich., renaming it Classic Jerky Co. and expanding private-label manufacturing capabilities. “Our incredible growth as a company hasn’t been limited to Wisconsin, or even to North America,” Oster said. “Our growth has included putting down roots all over the world. Today, we operate facilities on four continents, with distribution throughout North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Rim.”

24 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made The company employs approximately 4,000 team members in more than 11 countries around the world. The jerky business is not the only thing the Links are known for in this area, though. The Links operate Link Ford and RV in Minong, and a Ford company in Rice Lake. The Minong dealership and service center was opened in 1946 by Wolf and Jack’s Uncle Francis Link. Link Ford and RV received two major awards from Ford Motor Co. in 2022 - the President’s Award and 75 Years in Business Award. The President’s Award recognizes Ford dealerships in the top 10% out of nearly 3,000 in the nation. “Jack started selling jerky off the back of a Ford,” said Chief Operating Officer John Sedlak. In 2018, Jack Link’s Aquatic & Activity Center opened to the public, a full-service event center with fitness equipment and classes, a pool and sauna, gymnasium, track and game and event rooms. The pickleball equipment alone has been drawing people to the center. In 2018, Jack Link’s Aquatic & Activity Center opened in Minong, and since then the pool has been a huge draw for youth and adults alike. Sasquatch is the face of Jack Link’s Meat Snacks, encouraging people to “feed their wild side.”

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 25 Photo by Dan Reiland Jack Link’s Meat Snacks founder and Chairman Jack Link (second from left), his wife, Mary Jo (left), and son Troy, CEO of Jack Link’s, received awards for their dealership Link Ford and RV in 2022 from the Ford Motor Co. Jack Link’s has been producing and selling beef jerky for nearly 150 years. “Nearly 40 years after Jack Link founded his namesake business, many things have changed for us, but one thing never will: our unwavering commitment to providing highquality, great-tasting and nutritious protein snacks,” Oster said. And Sasquatch is at every Link event and special occasion, greeting people with the mission to “feed your wild side.” Jack Link’s Meat Snacks is located at One Snack Food Ln. in Minong. Link Ford & RV is located at 660 W. Hokah St. in Minong, and the aquatic center is at 714 W. Hokah St. To learn more, visit jacklinks.com.

26 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Dena Boiteau says working at the Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) cheese plant in Jim Falls has been rewarding. “We’re known for cheese in Wisconsin. And working here is the most Wisconsin thing you can do,” said Boiteau, the plant’s division manager. At the World Dairy Expo in September, the mild cheddar made at the AMPI facility in Jim Falls claimed first place. The plant earned a second-place finish for its whey. Pepper jack cheese earned a secondplace award and Colby jack earned third place. Meanwhile, the AMPI plant in Blair earned first place for its sharp cheddar and third place for its aged cheddar. The production numbers for the Jim Falls facility are staggering. “We’re averaging 325,000 pounds of cheese a day,” said Shawn Sadler, cheese plant superintendent. “We’re processing 2.8 million pounds of milk every day.” Milk is hauled from up to 70 miles away to the plant, he added. About 50 milk trucks a day are brought to the plant. The AMPI plant in Jim Falls has 147 employees. The facility never shuts down, operating 24 hours a day. “The cows don’t stop giving milk, so we’re here, taking the milk,” Boiteau said. “We run very smoothly, and it’s a testament to all of our employees here. We have to get quality milk to make quality cheese. People here care we put out a quality product.” Sadler explained that it takes 12 to14 days between the time the milk arrives, is turned into cheese, and is shipped out. “There are rows and rows of 700-pound boxes (of cheese). It’s quite impressive,” Sadler said. By Chris Vetter Say cheese To a rewarding workplace Leader-Telegram staff

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 27 Sadler said between 55 and 60 trucks, each containing about 52 of the 700-pound blocks, are shipped out weekly. Sarah Schmidt, AMPI vice president of marketing, said the cheese is shipped to customers across the nation. “We work with many different customers that wrap it, shred it, cube it,” Schmidt said. The plant also produces whey which is sold and is used in products from crackers and cakes to candy bars. The cheese plant in Jim Falls dates back to the 1920s, but it has been remodeled and expanded several times. In 1986, AMPI purchased the facility, Schmidt said. In Jim Falls, workers make American cheese, Colby, monterey jack and several pepper styles, she said. “We all have aspirations of expanding at some point, too,” Sadler said. Schmidt agreed: “We have a very long view at AMPI.” Charlie Walker, Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation executive director, praised the company for its growth and said it is vital to Jim Falls. “It’s a huge employer,” Walker said. “It’s the cornerstone of Chippewa County’s cheese processing. It’s a great company.” Award winners Winning awards for their cheese is nothing new. “We’ve been pretty competitive for years,” Boiteau said. “We’ve placed quite well for many years at World Dairy.” Sadler said the plant submits a 40-pound block of cheese for competition, and it’s no different in quality than the 700-pound blocks that are shipped out to its customers. “The cheeses we select for contests are the cheeses we produce every day,” Sadler said. Schmidt added: “It really is a testament to the quality every day.” Sadler said the workers are proud of the awards from the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest. “They really like to hear about it,” Sadler said. “They joke with us that we’re hiding the awards in the office.” AMPI has just the two cheese-making facilities in Wisconsin, in Jim Falls and Blair. They also have a packaging facility in Portage. AMPI is headquartered in New Ulm, Minn., and is owned by dairy farm families across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. It is the largest farmer-owned cheese cooperative in the United States.

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30 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Liam Marlaire Leader-Telegram staff All aboard Photo by Liam Marlaire Al Weix meticulously installs letters on a “name train” he created in his town of Seymour home. Photo by Liam Marlaire One of several doll houses Weix has crafted is on display. Woodworking may have saved Al Weix’s life. Weix, a Vietnam War veteran, had just come out of back surgery in 1991 when he lost his job at Uniroyal in Eau Claire, where he had worked for 23 years. He then proceeded to watch live coverage from the Gulf War. The sequence of events proved too much. “I felt like, ‘I’m back at war again; people are shooting at me.’” said Weix, who endured a near-death experience while serving in Vietnam. Weix was briefly hospitalized after the 1991 episode to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Ultimately, woodworking played a critical role in his recovery. What began as a hobby, now a livelihood for retired veteran who enjoys making people happy

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 31 Photo by Liam Marlaire The Colby native has moved toward a slightly larger-scaled design for his train sets. “It just came to me,” Weix said of the hobby, adding that God played a role in his taking it up. “Without it, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” Weix, 79, crafts a number of items out of wood, but “name trains” are his signature product. As the name implies, cars on the miniature trains carry letters that spell out names. He estimates he’s created around 39 train sets for people. There is no charge for the products, which he often gives to those in challenging situations. “They’re for anyone who needs some sunshine in their life,” he said. “The name trains bring tears of joy to people.” Weix designs and builds the products at his town of Seymour home. His garage boasts a jointer, drill press, table, chop, arm and scroll saws and other equipment he’s collected over the years. Grizzly is his preferred brand, though others are represented in his workspace. “It’s fun to watch a rough piece of board turn into something that people would like,” he said. Weix uses no nails in his creations, opting for glue instead. The letters and some of the rail cars are painstakingly painted in the lower level of his home. He began with smaller-scale trains but now favors a slightly larger design with cargo, cow, lumber, circus and milk wagon cars. Weix also builds doll houses, of which he’s sold a couple. Dozens of doll high chairs he’s built are on display in his home. As for the trains, his inventory includes parts made and painted for 175 complete trains — each is made up of 12 different cars. He spent last winter crafting and painting thousands of letters. Wide range of interests Weix also is a collector of items made by others. He has cruised around Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America. Those trips have resulted in an impressive collection of moais representing the statues found at Chile’s Easter Island. Carved elephants from Uruguay’s Montevideo also are on display. In all, Weix said he’s spent 450 days at sea on 40 cruises. His favorite locale? Iceland. For those who follow sports, shelves at Weix’s home are dedicated to Milwaukee Brewers bobbleheads; he has every one that was available during the team’s 1982 World Series season. But though he’s always “looking for new ideas,” name trains remain Weix’s passion. He’s quick to divulge his email address — [email protected] — if anyone has a friend or family member who could benefit from a name train. ‘The train maker’ Weix has been aptly nicknamed “the train maker” at St. Olaf Catholic Church. It’s a moniker in which he takes pride. “Al’s trains are always an unexpected delight,” said Fr. James Kurzynski of Saint Olaf. “When I started as pastor of St. Olaf Parish, he brought in a train for me as a gift. “I wasn’t quite sure what to think of it at first, but then he explained how it helps him deal with his Vietnam experience. He shared a book with me that gives voice to those struggles. I came away from the experience with a deep sense of gratefulness that Al has found a healthy outlet that promotes his healing.” Weix, a Colby native, documented his time in Vietnam in a photo book titled “Vietnam 1965-1966,” which depicts the lives of military members and local residents at the time. “Al is a very sincere and sensitive soul,” Kurzynski said. “He wants to do what he can to bring joy to others. That, in turn, gives him peace and healing.” Weix raised a family. His wife of 46 years, Dori, passed away nearly a decade ago and he has three daughters — one of whom resides in southeastern Wisconsin, another in Chetek and another in Europe — and four grandchildren. Yet at times he couldn’t help but wonder why he returned from Vietnam when others didn’t. “I feel God brought me home for a reason,” Wiex said of his wood creations. “He brought me back to make people happy. “And I’ve never had so much fun in my life.”

32 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Outdoor development With more than 60 years of calling Cumberland home, Ardisam looks to continue that partnership with the community for decades to come. Ardisam is an outdoors products company that started out making ice and earth augers in Cumberland. In the decades since, it has produced other ice fishing equipment, camping tents, hunting blinds, tree stands, and lawn and garden products. “We make a multitude of outdoor products,” said Michael Furseth, Ardisam CEO. “It goes back to the original founding of the company in 1960 — earth augers, ice augers were the first two products. Those two divisions still exist. We have sporting goods and then we have the lawn and garden space that have both expanded.” Ardisam got its name because of its founders Arnie, Dick and Sam, but in short order it was only Dick Ruppel leading the business. Ruppel ran the company until the mid-1990s. His sons Mark and Ron joined the business in the 70s and took over Ardisam in 1994. “The biggest growth over the first 50 years happened in the late 90s, as we started to take off and really start to become a manufacturer here that could keep up with demand where others couldn’t in tree stands and other things,” said Graham Ruppel, who’s part of the third generation of Ruppels to work for Ardisam. Ardisam began as exclusively a manufacturer of its products but over the years has grown significantly into a worldwide company with most of its sales across North America. It still does some assembly and manufacturing but has evolved into a global distribution company. “We do a lot of product development,” Furseth said. “So we create products, a lot of R&D, prototyping capabilities, by Travis Nyhus Rice Lake Chronotype Ardisam has provided more than 60 years of outdoor product innovation Ron, left, and Mark Ruppel began working for their father in the 1970s before taking over the company in the 90s.

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 33 and then we get them from somewhere in the world, sometimes put them together here, and then distribute them through a multitude of channels.” Among Ardisam brands are Eskimo and Ion ice fishing equipment and augers, Jiffy ice drills, Rivers Edge tree stands, Barronett blinds, Gazelle tents, Cage blinds, Tazz lawn and garden equipment, Earthquake tillers and earth augers, Fusion drill-powered cultivators, Yardbird chicken plucking products and Castle pellet stoves. While its online sales are increasing, Ardisam products are still sold in sporting goods, farm and ranch, and home improvement stores such as Menard’s, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Fleet Farm, Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Scheel’s, L&S Fleet Supply, Atwood’s and others. Janelle Hagen is also part of the third generation and is the daughter of Ron Ruppel. Both Hagen and Graham Ruppel said there’s some sense of pride working for the family business, but it’s more about the culture Ardisam has and sharing success with everyone involved. “There’s always a sense of wanting to keep a good thing going, no matter what the good thing is,” Hagen said. “…There’s a feeling that you want to share with the team that you’re with, and have that ongoing feeling of accomplishing something together, that same feeling that people had when they accomplished that first ice auger.” Ardisam’s commitment to the area was made clear with the completion of its new headquarters at the beginning of 2022 at 1730 Industrial Drive in Cumberland. The building has centralized Ardisam, where before different divisions were spread throughout Cumberland in separate buildings. Ardisam employs around 140 local people in Cumberland from research and development, marketing, source buyers, customer service and warehouse staff, and other departments. Ardisam is determined to stay rooted to Cumberland. Furseth said they get weekly calls from companies inquiring about buying Ardisam out, but instead the Ruppel family and shareholders formed an employee stock ownership program, giving company employees a share of the future success of Ardisam. This decision gives Ardisam stability and ties to Cumberland for years to come. “They wanted to see the company stay rooted here in Cumberland and continue to provide jobs,” Furseth said. For more information on Ardisam and its products and brands, visit ardisam.com. Ardisam moved into its new headquarters in Cumberland’s industrial park at the beginning of 2022. As part of new headquarters, Ardisam has an on-site customer service shop with a stock of in-season products. An early look at the first ice auger connected to a car battery.

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36 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made A Phillips company manufactures items that are in use all around us but are not always seen. IAP Inc. has established a presence in the industrial fan business by its ability to design and build the simplest to the most challenging of projects. IAP has 71 full time employees in sales, engineering, manufacturing, packaging and field support. There are also 35 field representatives to work with original equipment manufacturers, direct repeat customers and seek out new markets in emerging industries. IAP designs and builds industrial fans for pollution control, dust collection, wastewater treatment, heat treatment, dairy and agricultural, heavy commercial such as warehouse ventilation, light manufacturing process and ventilation. “We do a lot of the standard industrial stuff, but one of the things that comes to mind when people think of our company is the customization or the ability to see how versatile we can be,” said IAP President Mick Theis. The company has approximately 12 pre-engineered styles of fans that are modified to suit the specific needs of most clients, he said. From those base models, or from scratch, it is possible to design and engineer a fan specifically for one client. “It’s all built to order,” Theis said. “That’s always stayed with us. Industrial fans manufacturer grew by chasing challenges Give us the tough jobs Tom LaVenture Price County Review Photo by Tom LaVenture The fabricators, engineers, sales and administrative staff of IAP Inc., in Phillips.

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 37 We’re willing to customize and create the fan that fits the need as opposed to trying to put the square peg in the round hole, which in honesty is challenging, but at the end of the day, it’s really enjoyable.” IAP has designed fans for the F-35 aircraft painting facility at the Lockheed Martin Corporation facility in Fort Worth, Texas. Another design for the Tesla plant’s paint finishing system was installed at their Fremont, California plant. “For a paint finishing system, you’re given a certain volume and pressure you have to obtain to capture the paint going through a filtered system,” Theis said. “Maybe one modification would be that it needs to be spark resistant and we could use aluminum rotors as a tweak.” Another strength of IAP standardized products is that they can be highly customized to work with components of another manufacturer, he said. IAP works with a manufacturer of preconditioned air and chillers for airport jetways. They are very small blowers that handle the air and the fans need to be compact. “We had to design and engineer them just to fit in there and to develop the performance that they needed and also to fit in the space,” Theis said. “There’s an instance where people are traveling and going to an airport, and while you don’t see the fan, it’s in this box on this jetway.” IAP has made aluminum blower fans with explosion-proof motors for the country’s largest munitions plant in Tennessee. Photo by Tom LaVenture Bob Brown, left, and Thomas Cotner, fabricators with IAP Inc., in Phillips, do some welding on what will become an 81 inch diameter centrifugal fan for American Wood Dryers Inc. in Clackamas, Oregon.

Johnson Truck Bodies is growing and actively looking for 1st & 2nd shift members to join our team! STARTING WAGE $17.78/hr up to $21.53/hr 4 Day Work Week. Monday - Thursday 4 10 hour days with the occasional overtime. Full benefit package with retirement options including 401K & company funded pension plan and great benefit package. Johnson Truck Bodies is Equal Opportunity Employer Johnson Truck Bodies 215 E Allan St Rice Lake WI 54869 38 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made The aluminum fans required radiography equipment to inspect all the welds. “We had to have specific individuals that were certified welders to weld on their product, and then we had to send them out to an independent lab and they actually x-ray the welds,” Theis said. “I mean, x-raying a weld isn’t something we would do on our day-to-day fan, it’s just not a requirement. But something as stringent as meeting the standard or specification for the facility that’s building munitions for the military is pretty critical.” IAP also develops fans for agricultural companies to dry grain. Grain dust presents an explosion hazard and the fans need to ventilate while also ensuring there are no sparks to ignite the dust. “There’s dust suppression and things that fans are designed for, not only for the drying process with grain and agriculture, but also the dust suppression for safety purposes,” he said. Photo by Tom LaVenture Steven Korab, a fabricator with IAP Inc. in Phillips, creating panels for a sound dampener that will be fitted around an industrial fan.

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40 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made IAP provides a lot of fans in the dairy industry, he said. They also make fans for spray dryers that are used to make baby formula or powdered milk, tea and coffee ingredients using food-grade stainless steel. Several cheese plants in the state also used IAP fans for their byproduct machinery along with a few glass plants, he said. IAP is also involved with industrial pollution control with fans that use filters and scrubbers. These fans are able to operate in higher pressure applications. “Generally, it’s an ammonia-based system where they’re diluting things before they exhaust them in the air to neutralize them,” Theis said. “Those have a lot of resistance. Those are a high pressure, higher speed application for a scrubber.” Other dust applications also clean the air such as fans for a lumber facility where sawdust and other airborne particles need to be collected and transferred to a “bag house” to eliminate the hazard. IAP searches for opportunities with new and existing clients and with emerging industries such as the recent move for more domestic manufacturing of microchips. “We’re aware of projects like that and other things that come on the radar,” Theis said. The company was founded by his father, Robert Theis, a mechanical designer for an industrial fan manufacturer in Milwaukee, who would engineer and design fans when there were no principal suppliers and build them through area fabrication shops. This entrepreneurial effort evolved andIndustrial Air Products Inc. was founded in 1974, and was ready for its own manufacturing facility within two years. An avid outdoorsman, Theis frequently brought his family to a Soo Lake cabin and decided to build his new plant on a 40 acre potato farm in nearby Phillips in 1976. His expertise in the field guided the company through the many early challenges, Mick Theis said. “Bob had an amazing presence, tremendous acumen for business and the unique ability to convey his purpose in a genuine down to earth manner,” Theis said. “Bob’s legacy lives on at IAP as we continue to grow and prosper with our knowledge gained through experience and the grit and determination of all of our employees as stewards to what Bob embarked upon in 1974.” Mick Theis said his mother, Claire Theis, was also instrumental in the business and served as vice president. “My dad worked in the fan industry and he was sort of the genesis of this company,” Theis said. This company really did start with him, but mom worked right alongside him as they built the company.” The company continues to operate under the second generation of three siblings, Mick Theis, president; his Laurie Woldt, accounting and human resources; and Kris Ernst, purchasing and employee benefits manager. With the two sisters as twothirds owners the company is considered a women owned business. Photo by Tom LaVenture Donald Veverka, a burn table operator, cuts metal for industrial fan components at IAP Inc. in Phillips.

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 41 Theis started with the company at age16. He went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and returned to the company. “I enjoy what I do,” Theis said. IAP goals and projections have stayed pretty much on an upwards curve since the company started, he said. For the past eight to 12 years the company has doubled in productivity. The current goal is to triple productivity within five to six years. “In the last year, we’re on pace to do that but there are other factors and we will have to work hard at it to be able to do that. The economy, of course, always factors into everything. That trajectory is from the ability to take on projects that competitors won’t, or can’t do, whether from a technical or cost-effective standpoint based on capacity, he said. IAP has sought out these opportunities and their success has led to a strong repeat customer base and new business. One component to this success is the IAP workforce, he said. The IAP workers thrive on troubleshooting and creating solutions. This is not repetitive or monotonous manufacturing, but involves interaction among the various departments from start to finish. “Our workers are really critical and make everything work for us, it’s really our backbone,” Theis said. Along with a bright and talented engineering and sales staff, he said the IAP employees are skilled craftsmen, self-starters, versatile and thrive on the diversity of projects and the challenges that come with them. “That just lends itself to a rural area where there’s a very strong work ethic,” Theis said. “That’s a big asset to us, having dedicated people that, not to sound old school, but they know what a day’s work is, and how to work towards something. They’re very versatile and I think that also lends itself to a rural area.” Photo by Tom LaVenture Tyler Patrie, a balancer with IAP Inc. balances the blower wheel to limit vibration within the air handling fan where it will be installed.

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44 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Scandinavian Log and Timber Works just outside Hurley on Highway 2 has been building log and timberframed homes made of locally-sourced wood since 1989. In so doing, it has kept alive a Finnish tradition of homebuilding that extends back thousands of years in Scandinavia. When they migrated to the New World, Finns and Swedes brought their tradition of crafting log homes with them, building them so well that many still stand centuries later. Iron County business keeps Scandinavian tradition alive Log homes, made by hand Rick Olivo Photo Steve Estola stands near a log home being dry-fitted at Superior Log and Timber Works near Hurley. The logs are debarked, crafted to specification and pieced together before being disassembled and hauled to a construction site where they are put back together. By Rick Olivo Ashland Daily Press

Since 1974, IAP has been the resource for the initial design engineering, fabrication and delivery of custom industrial fans, blowers and dampers. With ongoing service and assistance as well as experienced sales engineers though out the world, IAP has earned an international reputation for trouble-free performance and consistent quality of all our products. W6905 Paradise Lane,Phillips,WI 54555 (715) 339-3024 Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 45 That is the craftsmanship that Steve Estola and his children preserve and practice today. “I started with my wife Robin, across the border in Michigan. I started building stuff for myself; I’ve always had an interest in log homes and big timber buildings,” Estola said. That interest, combined with the plentiful supply of timber from northwestern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, formed the heart of a new business. Although he had a successful career as an auto mechanic, once the word went out that here was a craftsman who could build log and timber structures, demand for his skills developed. “It went to half-and-half with my other work, then in 1992, we moved here to our location on the highway in the town of Kimball,” he said. He currently deals primarily with log residences, but has also done some commercial work, mostly with accent work. Much of what he and his crew builds are second homes and seasonal residences. These are not the hand-hewn rustic structures of the old frontier; Bria Estola cuts a notch in a log as she transforms it into a home. She loves working with her brothers to create unique Northwoods houses. Photo contributed by Scandinavian Log and Timber Works Zack Estola uses a hand planer to level a piece of log. He noted that he was the fourth generation in his family to build log homes. Photo contributed by Scandinavian Log and Timber Works

46 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made they are high-end homes and as such don’t come cheap. But the results can be breathtaking in their beauty. “You are paying for hand work. It is all laborintensive. You are not buying something that is mass-produced,” Estola said. Scandinavian Log and Timber Works products tie in directly with the entire Northwoods experience, he said. Customers are willing to pay to feel like their home is part of the forest. “I would say there is a certain kind of person who is into log homes, with logs and stonework and that just fits into this part of the country,” Estola said. The homes he builds are not a part of what he called the “Kleenex mentality” that characterizes a lot of home construction that is built for the short-term, with the cheapest possible materials and the quickest possible construction time. “You can go to Europe and see log buildings that are 1,200 years old. With proper care and design, it’s a home you are building not for just a few years, but for generations,” he said. “In the discussions we have in building a home, it is commonly stated that this is going to be a home that will be passed down to their children and kept in the family. For us that is a really neat part of it.” The homes are first dry-fitted at the Scandinavian Long and Timber Works facility, where craftsmen notch the logs to fit together seamlessly. They’re then disassembled and the numbered logs are trucked to the building site, where the slab or basement has already been constructed. Then it is a matter of assembling the building sort of like a giant Lincoln Logs set, using a crane to lift and fit together logs that can weigh tons. Unlike the vast majority of the log home industry, Estola’s products are not machine lathed and cut to a standard package. “We are the tiny percentage that still does it all by hand, the way it has always been done,” he said. That’s not to say they do it all the old way. Gone are the broadaxes and hatchets, replaced by chainsaws and power planers used to shape the logs. But it is still the skilled craftsman who ensure the ultimate in fit and finish. “They are all one of a kind. Every building has to fit together,” Estola said. Among those craftsmen are Estola’s own children. On a recent late-summer morning, Austin, Zack and Bria Estola were all at work on yet another log home. “It’s interesting work,” said Zack. “It’s construction, but it’s also a fair amount of artwork. You are dealing with an organic piece of building material and you have to take a piece that is unique and fit it to a building and make it a structural building, but yet make it beautiful too.” Zack noted that his great-grandfather, grandfather and father had all been through the same learning process, transforming logs into art. “There are not many log builders left, and to be part of that tradition is a good feeling,” he said. Austin said it’s a lot of work, crafting a building from raw timber, but also a lot of fun. “For me a big part of it is the craft. It’s a unique trade. There is always something different, and it’s really enjoyable to be able to work with family,” he said. Bria said it’s rare to find women like her working with chainsaws in the log-home field, but there’s no place she would rather be. “I think it’s good to be a well-rounded person, no matter what you are doing in life. It is a cool experience to be able to work with my brothers, learn and have fun. I am thrilled to be here and super thankful,” she said. Steve Estola said he is also thankful to be able to spend every day with his kids as they take over the business. “It’s good to see them pick it up and run with it. They are able to do a lot more than I was ever able to do by myself,” he said. “I see God’s hand in it, it the business and in our family.” Austin Estola strides along a stack of logs that will be transformed into another log home. Unlike the vast majority of log homes being built today, Scandinavian Log and Timber Works homes are made by hand, using only simple machine tools to create one-of-akind structures.

Wisconsin Made October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication 47 There’s nothing more Wisconsin than Lynn’s Custom Meats & Catering in Hayward, Wisconsin—the go-to butcher shop and specialty store that keeps people coming back from all places on the map. For 13 years, Lynn Melton has been turning out an amazing array of quality meats, spices, jams, cheese, smoked fish, BBQ sauces, deli items and more out of her store at 15695 U.S. Highway 63 in Hayward. On the premises her store processes fresh summer and smoked sausages, snack meat sticks and beef jerky, bratwurst, smoked pork chops and more. There are 48 different flavored brats, all seasoned with natural and real ingredients; 15 flavors of summer sausage and several types of smoked sausages; 25 flavors of Snack Sticks; 4 flavors of beef jerky, smoked bacon— all processed onsite with high quality meat and her own seasonings. “We’re always looking to add more,” Lynn said. Year-round, Lynn’s processes venison, each batch processed separately—not mixed with anything else. Hunters bring their venison trim to Lynn’s and go home with delicious sausage, brats, sticks and more. The store has a bountiful fresh meat counter, a deli full of ready-to-go, homemade potato salad, coleslaw, broccoli bacon, wild rice cashew, and several pasta salads. Build your own sandwich for lunch with different meats, cheeses and breads or order a steak sandwich, grilled chicken breast sandwich, or a stuffed burger. Choose from wheat bread, croissant or a hard roll. Want a chef salad? Go ahead and order one. Eat in the store, on the outdoor patio, or take it to go. There’s a new ice cream machine on the floor too—self serve and Wisconsin made. Customers come from all surrounding counties and towns, including Superior, Gordon, Spooner, Winter—and, of course, Hayward. Lynn’s products will soon be available at the BP in Rice Lake. During Birkebeiner week, you can find people from all over the country. Catering available year-round for birthdays, graduations, weddings, business lunches, fundraisers and retirements. Meat, cheese and vegetable trays also available. Call 715-634-0751, visit lynnscustommeats.com and follow them on Facebook. By Kathy Hanson Staff Reporter Photos by Kathy Hanson The best of northwestern Wisconsin—Lynn’s Custom Meats & Catering Pumping it out

48 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Window and door manufacturer in Rice Lake touts innovation, customer service and employee-friendly focus Peeking in the windows at Quanex By Michelle Jensen Rice Lake Chronotype

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Our Team is looking forward to meeting you! 715-635-7888 GreenValleyDentalCare.com W7154 Green Valley Rd. Spooner, WI Serving Northwest Wisconsin Paul A. Kloek, D.D.S DeNtal SaviNgS PlaNS Available for those individuals or families without traditional dental insurance. GREEN VALLEY DENTAL CARE Oral Surgery General Dentistry Implants & Dentures Sedation Dentistry Root Canal Therapy 50 October 2023 APG-WI Regional Publication Wisconsin Made Quanex has built a name for itself in the window and door industry — as well as in the Rice Lake community — for its focus on customer and employee satisfaction. The roots of the Rice Lake manufacturer date back to the 1940s in Florida. Later, the steel manufacturing company pulled up stakes to move to Chatsworth, Illinois, to better serve customers from a centralized location. According to Quanex’s Rice Lake plant manager, Jeffery Sieg, the company worked with several major wood window manufacturers in North America, many of which called Wisconsin and Minnesota home. Because the company, which has operated under the names Nichols Homeshield and American Screen Company, aka AMSCO, wanted to move closer to its customer base, it settled in Rice Lake in 1972, Sieg said. Then Quanex, an international operation with locations in North America, United Kingdom and Germany, bought the company in the late 1980s, and Rice Lake settled into its manufacturing niche. “We focus primarily in the fenestration industry, which is the window and door industry,” Sieg said. “We do make mesh barriers for the fireplace industry as well.” But that’s not all. The Rice Lake operation also manufactures window screens, patio screen doors, patio door thresholds, and a number of clips, caps and covers for the window and door industry. Raw materials come into Rice Lake from all over the world as Quanex is an international operation, but the bulk flows in from the states, primarily the Midwest. Not only that, but much is sourced from within driving distance of Rice Lake and one source actually is in the city, Sieg said. The products the Rice Lake location manufactures are sold to large original window manufacturers — and the merchandise isn’t necessarily the straightout-of-the-mold variety. The manufacturer prides itself on producing innovative and custom work to best fit its customers’ needs. “We consider a lot of the work we do custom,” Sieg said. “We build a lot of one-off type units. When it comes to innovation, I say we are industry leaders. You need to be innovative to survive, whether that’s changing your processes, adding technology, doing different things to meet the needs of the market.” Sieg also noted that the company’s focus on innovation extends beyond manufacturing products to creating a people-friendly culture at its 311 W. Colman St. building in Rice Lake, where 375 employees work. Quanex in Rice Lake is people-oriented, he said, and it strives daily to create a worker-friendly, safe and clean environment as it focuses on employees first. As Sieg noted, “It’s not a job, it’s a career” at the local manufacturing plant. “We pride ourselves in taking care of our employees,” he said. “If we do that, our customers get taken care of with delivery, quality and service — and that’s really the foundation of what we do.”