Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/112770
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Midwestern company has helped us a lot. It means local, fresh and homemade.��� Front Porch sells its products in 3,000 pet stores and also online and has definitely found its niche in the billion-dollar pet food industry. Wild Rose is still within 2 1/2 hours of Milwaukee so Baldus says he can still easily get there and enjoy what the village has to offer. He adds that the village has welcomed him with open arms. ���I have received much help and friendship from groups in the communities, such as the Rotary and Lions, as well as other businesses,��� Baldus says. Growth from within Europlast LTD, a custom injector molder based in Endeavor, is another tri-county employer that expanded within the past year by opening a new plant in Westfield. The new plant allowed the company to add 17 employees, Wheeler says. Europlast has been in Endeavor for 25 years and employs 46 fulltime workers. ���About $4 million was invested in the new Westfield plant and the new equipment,��� says Wheeler, adding that the TCREDC and the Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative helped fund the expansion. With agriculture being the area���s main industry, Wheeler says it���s vital for small manufacturers like Europlast to grow since it helps diversify the area���s overall economy. ���It���s been a nice year for business expansions,��� he says. Then there are small start-ups like Eco Hub, which is located in Oxford in Marquette County. The small business buys and sells refurbished equipment and attracts shoppers from throughout the region, says owner John Zimmer. ���Personally, I���ve always been interested in buying refurbished goods and saving money and figured other people would be too and I���ve been right,��� says Zimmer, adding that since the store opened before Christmas there �� Tri-County Regional Economic Development Corp: www.tcredc.org �� Eco Hub: ecohubwi.com �� Europlast LTD: www.europlastltdusa.com �� Front Porch Pets: www.frontporchpets.com has been a steady stream of customers coming through. ���In a rural area, there���s less income to spend on some of these expensive items, but you are really able to see a savings when you buy the refurbished product, which still has its warranty. People can also save by not having to drive to Madison or Stevens Point, too.��� Zimmer says the store���s inventory constantly changes and sells anything you can plug into a wall outlet, fill with gasoline or run with a battery. ���Refurbished goods are becoming much more popular and many people buy them online, but Eco Hub is definitely one of the few retailers around to offer the products in bricksand-mortar setting,��� he says. TRAIN. INSPIRE. INVIGORATE. Is your staff this excited about their jobs? training@morainepark.edu on the web PERFORMANCE-MINDED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS 920-924-3449 morainepark.edu/training PERFORMANCE-MINDED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS Six Sigma I Leadership & Supervision I Technical Skills I Customized Training Solutions I Strategic Development 38 | Insight ��� M a r c h 2 013 w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m