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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 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 15 • I NSIGH T | 37 the region. e company recently launched its fih ship in the class and has several others under construction at its shipyards. While shipbuilding is an industry with a long history in the region, one with ties dating even earlier into the state's past may be poised to write a new and exciting chapter. e region's timber industry has been missing out on opportunities because of capacity limitations of the individual mills that call the area home. Now, with the assistance of the Grow North and New North economic development agencies, the region's saw mills will work cooperatively as part of a hardwoods marketing group, collectively selling the capacity and capabilities of the group to capture opportunities such as overseas orders that oen exceed what the mills can do individually. With the completion of a recent opportunity study, the three-year project kicks off this month. "I think what the opportunity analysis did was give us a much better understanding of how we could generate a higher return from the producer's investment," says Connie Loden, senior project manager with the New North. "ey have a better understanding of the collaborative opportunities and it positions us well for the next phase." e recently published opportunity report addresses a range of issues for the mills, from different product demands to aggregating sawdust and scrap to pooling each mill's collection of character woods or rare species to achieve the economies of scale necessary to tap into those markets. Marketing and additional research to exploit new opportunities will be conducted by the new Wisconsin Wood Marketing Team. Lumber isn't the only industry eyeing new opportunities. e region's manufacturing sector has also experienced several wins as it continues to grow. Evergreen Tool Co., a maker of precision seals and hole-cutting tools used in fire suppression installations, as well as plumbers and electrical installers, recently acquired Hasselblad Machining in Green Bay and will consolidate the two companies in a new facility being built in Peshtigo's industrial park. "ey were pretty aggressive about bringing us in," says Joe Beranek, owner of Evergreen Tool, of the decision to locate the company's new 16,000-square-foot facility in Peshtigo. "Marinette was also a possibility, but Peshtigo had the space we needed if we need to expand in the future." e city of Peshtigo will also provide nearly $500,000 in a loan for the new facility, which is expected to eventually employ nearly 40. Construction is expected to be complete by November. Evergreen supplies parts to nearby Ansul, part of Tyco International, the world's leading supplier of fire suppression products. e company is also an active exporter, with about 15 percent of its sales overseas. "is is an area where manufacturers serve a lot of niche markets well beyond the region," Beranek says. "We've got a pretty diverse group of manufactures, from ships to fire suppression to helicopters." Perhaps none of the markets are as niche as those developed by Peshtigo's Sentinel Structures, which in late July loaded two trucks with a unique cargo — the new, 107-foot masts for the C.A ayer, one of the last surviving schooners from the West Coast lumber trade. e ship is part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Sentinel Structures was an early pioneer in the process of creating wood laminates, and used more than 30,000 board feet of Douglas fir to create the new masts for the ship's restoration. e company generally produces laminated wood arches, beams and trusses. is is not its first go-round with a historic ship. Sentinel Structures is also a preferred supplier of materials used in the restoration of the U.S.S. Constitution. "It's been a very interesting experience," Andreas Rhude, president of Sentinel Structures, says of the company's involvement with historic ships. "We specialize in a lot of things our competitors won't touch, and its lead to some unique opportunities for us." C O U R T E S Y S E N T I N E L S T R U C T U R E S Employees at Sentinel Structures in Peshtigo created new masts for the historic ship C.A. Thayer using the wood lamination processes the company pioneered.