Insight on Business

November 2014

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w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m N o v e m b e r 2 0 14 • I NSIGH T | 9 FROM THE EDITOR YOU CAN TELL BY THE TWINKLE IN his eye that quite a lot goes on in the mind of Oscar C. Boldt. But unless you know the history of the Boldt Company, and notice the construction firm's name on big projects all over the region – and far beyond – a little small talk with this community icon will only reinforce how humble he is. We figured the best way to get the story of Boldt would be to ride along with O.C. on a tour of some major projects his company has done through its 125-year history. Sean P. Johnson, our senior associate editor, was up for the adventure. And what a ride it was. Without giving away the story, I'll just say that O.C. pointed out some of his favorite projects – such as the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center – as well as some places where only memories reside, such as the home he grew up in. Turn to page 20 for the story. Among many other community initiatives, Boldt has been one of the biggest supporters of New North, Inc. since the brand was launched 10 years ago. O.C., along with his son, CEO Tom Boldt, have recognized the importance of promoting Northeast Wisconsin as a cohesive region, with strength in numbers and collaborative initiatives among industry, education, community organizations and government. As co- chair of New North, Inc., Boldt's President and Chief Operating Officer Bob DeKoch has taken a lead role in the effort, along with retired Kimberly-Clark executive Kathi Seifert. Our Connections feature this month highlights the New North Summit, coming up Dec. 2 at the Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan (see page 18). e theme of this year's event is "Every Part Counts," highlighting the diverse industries of our regional economy as a strength. John Torinus Jr., former journalist, entrepreneur and businessperson, will be one of two keynote speakers at the summit. Torinus continues to serve as chairman of Serigraph Inc., a Wisconsin-based, global company he led for 20 years as CEO, and leads such organizations as BizStarts Milwaukee (he also worked as a business editor at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and his father for years was editor and general manager of the Appleton Post-Crescent). He plans to talk about how the region needs to channel the strengths of our diverse economy to really make them count. "It's true, yes, a diverse economy is a good thing, and obviously some sectors operate at different cycles," he said when I spoke to him mid-October. "But within that economy you need to know where you're going to put your chips down. You've got limited numbers of chips – resources are not infinite." We'll explore this idea further in the New North Report to the Community, which will be mailed along with the December issue of Insight. at said, since the launch of Insight Publications I've oen been asked, "What is the relationship between Insight and New North?" While we believe in and support the mission of the 18-county economic development organization, at Insight, we've worked hard to differentiate our brand. Given that the footprint of New North, Inc. mirrors our circulation area, it's a natural for us to cover the activities of New North in every issue. We also produce the annual and mid-year New North reports. (Most of the written content, as well as the design, is compiled by our staff and contributors at no charge to New North; the publications are made possible by the companies who support them through advertising.) We also serve as volunteers on New North committees, including the Branding and Marketing, Small Business & Entrepreneur and Summit Planning committees. is work allows us to bring you, our Insight readers, news about regional initiatives as they develop. We look forward to Blue Harbor Resort as the setting this year – the first time since 2007, when Insight on Manufacturing made its debut. As always, we hope to see you there! Making an impact that ripples regionwide – and beyond

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