Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Kris Poehnelt, standing left, project engineer of Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats, discusses his company’s plant expansion Wednesday at the Shawano County Economic Progress Inc. annual meeting.
The president of Belmark Inc. said Thursday his company’s Shawano plant development is off to a strong start and should begin to take shape by this summer.
“It’s moving ahead very nicely,” Belmark President Karl Schmidt told a group at The Gathering banquet hall in Shawano.
Schmidt addressed about 100 business and civic leaders at the 12th annual meeting of Shawano County Economic Progress Inc., a regional business development organization.
The crowd applauded an upbeat assessment of economic developments of varied shapes and sizes throughout Shawano as well as such surrounding communities such as Gresham, Wittenberg and Marion.
“We have a lot of exciting things happening all around the region,” said Dennis Heling, chief economic development officer for the group commonly known as SCEPI.
Heling highlighted the results of a facade improvement program that has helped more than 40 businesses make improvements to the exterior or interior of their facilities. The program has allocated $180,000 in grants to businesses, leveraging a combined $1.2 million in investment, Heling said.
“It’s really an exceptional result,” he said. “And I’m really proud of it.”
Other developments in the spotlight Thursday included the Stubborn Brothers Brewery coming to the former Crescent Pitcher Show in downtown Shawano, renovation and expansion of the United Cooperative operation in Shawano, expansion of the Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats plant in Wittenberg, and a future Prevea Health clinic planned at the former Anello’s Torch Light restaurant site in Shawano.
Shawano City Administrator Brian Knapp presented a list of development achievements and prospects, and said the city benefits from economic growth in surrounding communities, too.
Shawano city officials once considered starting their economic development department, Knapp said, but they elected instead to continue investing in the SCEPI organization. Knapp said city officials have since been pleased with the results.
“I’m happy to say that was a good choice,” he said. “It was worth the double-down.”
SCEPI officials worked with city officials and others in persuading Belmark to choose Shawano as the site for the De Pere-based manufacturer’s new plant. The packaging maker announced last summer that it would invest $36 million to build a production facility near County Road B and Waukechon Street.
Scheduled to open in summer 2018, the plant is expected to create 25 to 35 jobs initially and ultimately to employ 120 or more.
In his presentation Thursday, Schmidt recounted how Belmark weighed Shawano against other possible sites for the development. He said preparing the construction site and getting settled in the community have reaffirmed that the company was correct in choosing Shawano.
“It’s been a very, very good process,” he said. “We’re excited about coming.”