Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/145038
EVENT|NEWS PLANT|NEWS cont. Pathway. First Business has provided the initial investment of $75,000 to establish the scholarship fund. "First Business is invested in supporting the local manufacturing sector, and we are pleased that this scholarship will create opportunities for students to seek employment and careers in a leading industry segment in Northeast Wisconsin," says Mickey Noone, President of First Business Bank-Northeast. Save the date: Manufacturing Awards of Distinction Advance, the economic development branch of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, is hosting the Manufacturing Awards of Distinction on Nov. 12. Manufacturers in Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marinette, Oconto and Shawano counties are eligible for nomination. Award categories are dependent on company size, length of time in business, use of high technology and exporting. This year's banquet is at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in Green Bay. Country Visions and Agri-Partners to Merge Country Visions and Agri-Partners cooperatives announced plans to merge, which will combine $114 million from Country Visions sales and $95 million from Agri-Partners sales. The new cooperative will retain the 28 | / insight on manufacturing • July 2013 Exporting program focuses on boosting sales E xportech will begin a three-session program starting Thursday, Aug. 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, 2740 W. Mason St. in Green Bay. The program is designed to help Wisconsin companies expand and develop their export strategies. Graduates of the program have achieved sales increases averaging $500,000 within nine months of completing the program. Additional sessions will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Tuesday, Oct. 29. For more information, contact Roxanne Baumann at WMEP at baumann@wmep.org or call (262) 442-8279. F Manufacturing First Annual Expo & Conference coming Oct. 31 T his year's Manufacturing First Expo & Conference will give hands-on opportunities for manufacturers to expand their networks through interaction with others in attendance. This event was made possible with the help from First Business, NEW Manufacturing Alliance and Insight Publications. The 2013 Manufacturing First Expo & Conference returns to the KI Center in Green Bay on Thursday, Oct. 31 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year's speakers include Craig Giffi, vice chairman of Deloitte Services; Mike Weller, president of Miller Electric; Steve Stich, chief risk officer at Oshkosh Corporation; and Steve Van Remortel, speaker, chief strategist and talent coach of SM Advisors and author of the award-winning book "Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream." Visit www.manufacturingfirst.com to register and receive automatic email notifications about the event. F Country Visions Cooperative name in order to retain patron investment and offer continuity. The cooperative will be overseen by six members from the Country Visions board and six members from the Agri-Visions board. Patrons from both cooperatives will have their back equity paid to the year 1999, and remain equal going forward. The first day of business for the new company will be Sept. 1. Steve Zutz, CEO of Agri-Partners, will lead the cooperative. Bob Lowe, CEO of Country Visions, will serve as the vice president of the energy and retail division until his retirement at the end of this year. Dennis Halbach will continue as vice president of the agriculture division. With this merger, the Country Visions office in Reedsville will serve as the corporate office, while the AgriPartners office in Brillion will be closed. Manitowoc equipment helping build World Cup stadium Two Grove cranes built by The Manitowoc Company, Inc. are being used to construct the soccer stadium in Brazil in preparation for the 2014 World Cup. The Arena Corinthians, located on the east side of São Paulo, will host some of the tournament's games before becoming the new home of the Brazilian Club Corinthians soccer team. A Grove RT765E-2 rough-terrain crane and GMK6220L all-terrain crane are on the Arena Corinthians job site, assisting in the stadium w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g .c o m