Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/112770
insight on Economic By Mar yB eth Mat zek development Drawing them in Small businesses find success in Green Lake, Waushara and Marquette counties w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m courtesy of Front Porch Pe ts D avid Baldus went against the grain when he relocated his business from Waukesha to Wild Rose in Waushara County, but to him the move made perfect sense. Baldus is the founder and president of Front Porch Pets Inc., a manufacturer of dog treats, including an alternative to rawhide chews for dogs made out of sweet potato, called Sam���s Yams. ���What I love about being in Wild Rose is that you can literally walk out your front door and be in the country and go hiking, biking, fishing or whatever,��� says Baldus, who trained and worked as a product development chef for restaurants and businesses before deciding one day to make a product with sweet potatoes as a healthier alternative than rawhide. ���I love having the opportunity to create a business that allows me to enjoy the outdoors and all the recreation this area has to offer.��� Front Porch Pets is one just example of a business in the tri-county area of Marquette, Green Lake and Waushara counties finding success by keeping it local, says Bill Wheeler, executive director of the Tri-County Regional Economic Development Corp. ���It���s wonderful to have a business move in here from a bigger city and I think when people see this kind of success, it will lead more to look at the same thing,��� he says. When he moved to Wild Rose last year, Baldus started with 18 employees and now has 30 with plans to grow even more. Later this year, David Baldus moved his pet food manufacturing business, Front Porch Pets, from Waukesha to Wild Rose in Waushara County to be closer to suppliers and to take advantage of the area���s high quality of life. the company plans to build greenhouses to grow herbs to use in its products. The greenhouses will be heated by capturing the heat from the company���s driers. Baldus says moving to Wild Rose wasn���t just about a better quality of life, it also brings him closer to his suppliers ��� the farmers who grow the different products he uses in his pet food and treat lines. ���We���re in such a great location with so much agriculture around us. It sets us apart from the competition,��� he says. ���The fact that we are American made, and I believe even a Wisconsin-based, [continued] �� M a r c h 2 013 ��� Insight | 37