Standard Kollsman
Jay Manufacturing
Bemis Company Inc.
Shallbetter
50
1960 - 2010
Oshkosh Corporation
Years
Retain, Grow & Recruit
Celebrating 50 years
Since its inception in 1960, Chamco’s unique approach to economic
development - creative solutions to serve business needs, a strong partnership
with the public sector, and a singular focus on industrial development - has
been enormously successful at retaining, growing and recruiting business
to establish a strong economic base in Oshkosh.
Chamco’s structure is unique as a public/private partnership between the city, county and private business
community. The partnership is financial, as Chamco is funded in part by the business community, the City
of Oshkosh and Winnebago County. It is also an operational partnership with all parties collaborating on
projects and initiatives to enhance economic development.
Dave Omachinski, Chamco Chair affirms, “It is important to emphasize that none of Chamco’s accomplishments
would be possible without our many partners in economic development and supporters in the community.
Successful economic development requires the attention and commitment of the entire community, including
the City of Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce/Oshkosh Area Economic
Development Corp., University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Fox Valley Technical College, and the Oshkosh Area
Community Foundation. In addition, our many business partners from local industry as well as hundreds of
individuals who have served as volunteer board and committee members have all played a vital role in the
growth and development of the Oshkosh area. We extend a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to all who have worked
hand in hand with us over these 50 years.”
To celebrate and commemorate the first 50 years, Chamco would like to highlight some of the many companies
it has been fortunate to assist with financial incentives, site and building selection, industrial park development
and economic development advocacy. While the tools used over these past 5 decades may have changed,
Chamco’s mission has remained constant and vigilant: to foster the industrial development of the Oshkosh
area through existing business retention and expansion and new business recruitment. Chamco celebrates this
50 year milestone with pride and looks forward to another 50 years of successful economic development!
Early Directors
“We set Chamco up as a 501 (c) 4, a social welfare organization,
dedicated to providing employment for Oshkosh. Our focus was
value-added jobs and increasing the tax base. The tax exempt status
allowed us to hold reserves for future investment for the City.”
“We were an active board - everyone was engaged and helped
out as needed. We were proactive and nimble; we maintained
confidentiality and served as a business’ intermediary with the
city and county; and were able to marshal the right resources and
support to get projects done.”
From the July 14, 2009 taped interview with the early directors pictured here.
L to R: A. Dean Arganbright, Robert Stauffer, Sr., David Borsuk, Gary Yakes,
Robert Harrington, Timothy Dempsey
2
1960
1967
Chamco, Inc.
is formed
South Industrial Park opens
Standard Kollsman industrial
building constructed
North Industrial
Park opens
1960
60’s
the
1969
Standard Kollsman
Coordinated efforts among the private business
community and public sector coupled with the
use of non-traditional financing methods in
economic development were instrumental in recruiting Standard Kollsman to
Oshkosh in 1960. Standard Kollsman Industries, Inc., was a manufacturer of
television tuners and converters and aviation technology equipment. In late
1959 Standard Kollsman was in need of a leased facility in order to continue
to grow the company. In recruiting Standard Kollsman to Oshkosh, Chamco
financed, constructed and held the lease for their new facility.
The Oshkosh community recognized the impact and benefit of the additional
jobs that Standard Kollsman would bring. They acted on their beliefs and were
not disappointed! Later that same year in 1960, Standard Kollsman became
the largest company to relocate to Wisconsin and, at its peak, employed nearly
1,200 workers in Oshkosh. Letters of congratulations followed from then Vice
President Richard Nixon and Governor Gaylord Nelson.
The original building constructed for Standard Kollsman at 2660 Oregon
Street is home today to Advanced Military Packaging, Inc.
Oshkosh applauds the founding members of Chamco and all who assisted in
bringing Standard Kollsman to our community for their foresight and innovation
in economic development.
Advanced Military Packaging
Standard Kollsman circa. 1960
Did you
Know?
Industrial Building Program
The building to recruit Standard Kollsman
to Oshkosh led to Chamco’s nationally
recognized Industrial (“Spec”) Building
Program.
Since then, the program has resulted in
19 projects to retain, grow and recruit
business including Crown Cork & Seal,
Curwood, Newark Paperboard Products,
Valley Express, 4imprint, and Leeco Steel.
(For a full description of each project, see
pp. 8-9). The first several buildings under
the program were truly speculative new
construction used to recruit business to
the area. Later, Chamco focused on either
build-to-suit or purchase and lease back of
existing buildings.
The “Spec” building program has been
very successful and would not have
been possible without the many Chamco
partners who worked diligently to make the
deals happen.
To construct its first building to attract Standard Kollsman
to the community, members of Chamco’s board of
directors kicked in cash to help finance the project.
3
50
Years
City and Chamco develop covenants for
the North and South Industrial Parks
Baldor Generators
T & J Manufacturing, a startup by a local
entrepreneur, began manufacturing
generators in Oshkosh in 1965. Thirtyfive years later, the privately owned business with 100 employees
generating $25 million in sales, moved to a new 130,000 square foot
facility in Aviation Industrial Park. The company also changed its name
to Pow’r Gard Generator Corp to better reflect their core business
as a manufacturer and marketer of portable, towable and standby
generators.
Chamco frequently served as a resource throughout the growth of
the business, facilitating with site assistance, training grants, and the
purchase of industrial park land. In 2000, Pow’r Gard was purchased by
Baldor Electric (BEZ on NYSE) of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Baldor expanded
the plant again in 2006 adding 125,000 square feet with Chamco
assisting with a forgivable loan from the Department of Commerce.
Baldor’s Vice President/General Manager,
Jeff Hubert says, “We look to Chamco
when we are faced with challenging
issues presented by business growth.
Chamco knows how to solve problems
through its own expertise or by bringing
in the necessary resources.”
Baldor Generators
Baldor Electric designs, manufactures and markets industrial electric
motors, mechanical power transmission products, drives and
generators.
4
Did you
Know?
O.E.C. Graphics purchases
land in South Industrial Park
for future expansion
T&J Manfucturing/
Baldor Generators
70’s
the
1973
1972
Chamco paid to extend a rail spur into the North Industrial
Park, a key feature of industrial park marketability.
1973
Oshkosh Industrial Parks
The city of Oshkosh was on the forefront with
its creation of industrial parks in the late 1960s.
At that time a special subcommittee of the city
undertook a comprehensive study of industrial
development and concluded: (1) the city of
Oshkosh should have a bank of suitable land
reserved for industrial development; (2) the
developed land should include the installation
of sewer, water and roadways and (3) the
city should leave the promotion of industrial
development to a group solely organized for
this purpose.
Since then, Chamco and the city have partnered
to create industrial parks and develop covenants
governing the parks; acquire land for park
development; and market and sell land in
the parks to industrial businesses. Oshkosh’s
four industrial parks - the North, Northwest,
Southwest and Aviation - have been enormously
successful, with two parks at capacity and the
Southwest already one of the area’s largest at
792 acres and continuing to grow.
The city often uses Tax Incremental Financing
to develop the infrastructure for the industrial
parks which allows the city and Chamco to
offer sites that are “development-ready” at a
low cost. The Southwest Industrial Park is the
city’s most successful TIF District.
In today’s competitive environment we continue
to strive to provide ample “development-ready”
industrial park site choices at an attractive price.
With good access to transportation arteries,
the parks provide an appropriate home for
our industrial businesses which in turn create
thousands of jobs.
1977
Southwest Industrial
Park opens
1978
1979
Oshkosh Truck commences
$2.7 million expansion
Arrowhead Conveyor purchases
10 acres of land for 60,000 sf. facility
Armstrong-Blum/Marvel
Manufacturing
Jay Manufacturing
1979
1973
Marvel Manufacturing
Jay Manufacturing
In 1979, one of Chamco’s first land sales in the new Southwest
Industrial Park was to Jay Manufacturing, a metal products
supplier. Chamco sold Jay 1.5 acres for the construction of a
new 20,000 square foot facility. In 2005, Chamco facilitated
Jay’s award of a $12,900 grant to train employees and a
$550,000 low interest loan from the Department of Commerce.
Jay came full circle with Chamco in 2009, 30 years after its first
land purchase, when it purchased an additional 11 acres for
future expansion.
The family owned company dates back to 1955 and has grown
steadily through the years, from a three person operation to over
60 employees in two locations operating seven days a week. Jay’s
Vice President/COO, Matt Jameson, says they come to Chamco
for assistance with expansion
needs because “Chamco has
a reputation for being a
good partner. The staff
is very professional and
knowledgeable. We know
we will get service when
we need it.”
Jay Manufacturing floor
Did you
Know?
Chamco relocated several central city industrial businesses to the industrial
parks to make room for redevelopment of Wisconsin Avenue, the Park Plaza
Mall (now City Center) and Marion Road/Pearl Avenue.
Marvel Manufacturing got its start in Illinois in 1904
as Armstrong-Blum Manufacturing Company, a family
business focused on the design and manufacture of
metal cutting saws. The business relocated from Illinois
to the Aviation Industrial Park in Oshkosh in 1979 as
part of a coordinated recruitment effort. Twenty-five years
later, in 2004, three senior managers purchased the
company and named it Marvel after one of the saws it
manufactures.
“The family was going to sell the company to an outof-state firm but we really wanted to keep those
68 jobs here in Oshkosh. We needed information
to help us evaluate and plan the purchase and
Chamco was the resource we looked to” said Bob
Beach, one of the new owners. “Chamco was a
great business partner. We were fortunate to have
them on our team.”
The new owners made a $6 million turnaround in the first
year of operations and growth took off. In 2007, Marvel
and Chamco teamed up again, this time on a $250,000
grant from the Department of Commerce for technology
upgrades and training.
Marvel not only saved 68 Oshkosh jobs it also grew the
employee base to 140, most in highly skilled technical
and engineering positions.
5
50
1980
Years
Bemis Company
80’s
Bemis Company
The Bemis Company began operations
in St. Louis in 1858 as a textile packaging
company. Although the packaging has
evolved from textile to paper to flexible plastic, the cornerstone of
the company remains the same: a commitment to customer-focused
innovation, leadership in material sciences and best practices in
manufacturing in each of its markets.
In 1965 Bemis acquired Curwood in New London and in the late
1970s they decided to add another facility. Bemis Chairman Jeff
Curler says they chose Oshkosh because it had a good transportation
network and a dedicated and highly skilled workforce. As Bemis
prepared to open the Oshkosh plant, Curler looked to the city and
Chamco for help with site selection, to purchase land and to smooth
out any problems along the way.
The plant opened in 1980 with 30 employees;
today Bemis Company in Oshkosh employs 2,300.
Curler stated, “You could give Chamco credit for
bringing 2,300 jobs to Oshkosh.”
Bemis Southwest plant
Chamco later worked with Bemis on
several expansion projects including
building and leasing a warehouse in
the 1980s, facilitating a $3 million
Enterprise Development Zone tax
credit, and assisting with Curwood
expansions in the 1990s.
The future looks bright for Bemis and its continued growth in Oshkosh.
The recent acquisition of Al-Can will increase the company’s sales
to $5 billion annually and consolidate the roots of plastic packaging
back in the Oshkosh area by bringing Al-Can close to where it began
in Menasha as Marathon Packaging. The Bemis Company is “very
committed to Wisconsin, the Fox Valley and Oshkosh” says Curler,
“we like it here and we want to keep growing here.”
6
Monnett Experimental Aircraft (now Sonex)
locates and leases facility in Oshkosh
Miles
Kimball
the
Did you
Know?
1981
1980
Miles Kimball
The Miles Kimball Company was founded in 1935
with a simple mission: to provide folks with an
assortment of unique and unusual gifts by mail.
Today, the company is one of the largest direct
marketers and distributors of consumer gifts and
household products, processing 5 million orders
annually. Miles Kimball calls Oshkosh home,
employing 1,500 workers (including seasonal) at its
downtown location in City Center and its distribution
facility in the Southwest Industrial Park.
Chamco assisted Miles Kimball in 1980 when it
purchased land for a 42,000 square foot facility,
in 1999 when it purchased 64 acres for the current
342,000 square foot distribution facility and again
in 2007 when it closed its call center in Las Vegas,
Nevada, and moved the jobs to Oshkosh. Chamco
also facilitated a Department of Commerce training
grant in connection with the 2007 move.
Miles Kimball President Vicki Updike comments, “We
have had very positive experiences working with
Chamco. It is a great asset to the community.”
When it was necessary to obtain a letter of completeness from the DNR in order to
facilitate the move of Miles Kimball to its current home on 64 acres in the Southwest
Industrial Park, Chamco picked up almost half the remediation costs.
1982
1984
Hoffmaster
1989
Morgan Doors begins
$8 million expansion
1982
Northwest Industrial
Park opens
Pepsi-Cola 67,000 sf.
expansion
Oshkosh Truck/
Oshkosh Corporation
1984
1989
Lapham Hickey puchases
17 acres of land to build
63,750 sf. facility
Basler Turbo Conversions purchases 12
acres of land and builds 70,000 sf. facility
1989
Oshkosh Corporation
Hoffmaster
Oshkosh Corporation traces its beginning to 1917 when two inventors
started the Oshkosh Motor Truck Manufacturing Company. Today
Oshkosh Corporation is a Fortune 350 global enterprise with 12,500
employees and more than $7.1 billion in sales. Oshkosh continues
its proud heritage of innovation and leadership and is a leading
manufacturer and marketer of vehicles and equipment for the access,
defense, refuse, concrete placement, and fire & emergency markets.
Hoffmaster has been producing specialty disposable
tabletop products in Oshkosh since 1947. Starting
out with four employees working out of the second
floor of a warehouse, today Hoffmaster employs 600
and occupies 485,000 square feet of space.
Oshkosh realized its first phase of major growth in the mid-1980s with a
major contract for the U. S. military for Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical
Trucks (HEMTT) driving a $10 million expansion. The company built
more than 16,000 HEMTTs over the next two decades.
Over the years, Chamco assisted Hoffmaster with
land purchases, site selections, plant expansions and
a training grant of $156,000 from the Wisconsin
Department of Commerce. In 1998, Chamco
helped Hoffmaster in a successful bid for a $3 million
enterprise development zone tax credit, the first ever
awarded to an Oshkosh business.
A second major expansion occurred in 2000 and Chamco helped
facilitate a $3 million tax credit from the Department of Commerce.
Most recently, Chamco, the city, the county and the Oshkosh Chamber
worked with Oshkosh Corporation to find state and local incentives to
help them win another military contract. As a result, Oshkosh Defense
was awarded the five-year contract to build the Family of Medium Tactical
Vehicles (FMTVs), a $3 billion contract for up to 23,000 vehicles and
trailers as well as support services and engineering.
Did you
Know?
To facilitate the move of Weldon, Inc. (now
Curwood) to a new facility in Oshkosh,
Chamco purchased Weldon’s existing facility.
“Chamco has been a true partner,” states Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh
Corporation chairman and CEO. “They are very connected to the
resources that businesses need. Chamco is the go-to organization
for growth initiatives.”
7
Industrial (“Spec”) Building
Program History
1960 1
2660 Oregon Street
6
1978
3550 N. Main Street
25,000 sf. new construction by Ben B. Ganther
Company
Built and sold to Weldon, Inc., a maker of food
packaging products, forerunner to Curwood, Inc.,
a subsidiary of Bemis (featured on p. 6)
Financed by First Wisconsin National Bank of
Oshkosh and Chamco
1978
3
4
1983
5
40,000 sf. new construction by Griese & Ross, Inc.
Leased and subsequently purchased by Curwood,
Inc., and currently used as a warehouse
Financed by Chamco and Industrial Revenue Bonds
held by a consortium of lenders: First Wisconsin
National Bank of Oshkosh, M&I Western State
Bank and Valley Bank
1989
2301 Universal Drive
1995
4000 State Highway 91
30,000 sf. new construction by Fox Cities
Construction
Built for, leased and subsequently purchased
by AP Westshore (featured on p. 10)
Financed by a consortium of lenders: Bank
One, Firstar Bank, M&I Central State Bank
and Associated Bank as well as Wisconsin Public
Service and Chamco
8
1999
3601 Oregon Street
11,000 sf. new construction by Fluor Brothers
Construction
Partnership with Fox Valley Technical College
(featured on p. 10) for construction of a hangar
to house a fleet of aircraft for the Aeronautic
Pilot training program
Financed by Firstar Bank and Chamco
2151 Universal Drive
24,000 sf. new construction by RJ Albright
Leased and subsequently purchased by Multicircuits,
a computer board maker
Financed by Winnebago Industrial Development
Board, Wisconsin Public Service, First Wisconsin
National Bank and Chamco
8
7
3475 N. Main Street
25,800 sf. new construction by Metal Building
Systems, Inc.
Built and leased to MM&T; later used to recruit
Crown Cork & Seal, a metal packaging
company
Financed by First Wisconsin National Bank of
Oshkosh and Chamco; later refinanced by
Winnebago County Industrial Development Board
2010 S. Oakwood Road
10,000 sf. new construction by Griese
Construction
Built for, leased and subsequently purchased by
Schiek Sports, a manufacturer and marketer of
fitness, medical and industrial accessories
Construction financing by M&I Bank with
permanent financing from Wisconsin Public
Service, Winnebago County Industrial
Development Board and Chamco
66,000 sf. new construction by CR Meyer
Built for Standard Kollsman; currently owned by
Advanced Military Packaging, a division of A.D.
Incorporated (featured on p. 12)
Financed by Wisconsin National Life and Chamco
2
1995 9
2003 635 W. 20th Avenue
78,000 sf. corporate hangar - new construction
by CR Meyer
Leased and subsequently purchased by CR Meyer
for corporate jet housing
Financed by Associated Bank
6
4
5
10 2004 2980 S. Oakwood Road
60,000 sf. existing building
Leased to Newark Paperboard Products, a new
company to Oshkosh specializing in film, paper
mill, tag and label and converter cores
Financed by Nicolet Bank
16
10
7
2
3
13
11
2004, 2007 and 2009 (4 projects)
164 W. 28th Avenue / 2728 Oregon Street
91,000 and 41,250 sf. of existing connected
buildings purchased from OshKosh B’gosh
Leased in 2004 to:
- Corrosion Resistant Technologies (CRT) and
- 4imprint (featured on p. 13)
Re-leased to:
- Pioneer Metal Finishing, a metal finishing
company in 2007, and
- A.D., Inc. in 2009 (featured on p. 12)
Financed by Business Lending Group
12 2004 101 W. Waukau Ave
78,000 sf. existing building
Leased to SNC, a manufacturer of transformers
Financed by Associated Bank
13 2005 3115 Algoma Blvd/6003 Hwy 45
13,000 sf. existing building
Leased to Valley Express for a truck transit and
vehicle repair facility
Financed by Citizens Bank
14
14 2005 650 Witzel Avenue
15
56,000 sf. existing building
Financed by Business Lending Group
Leased by UW Oshkosh (featured on p. 12)
& renovated in 2009 by Miron Construction
Purchased by UW Oshkosh in 2009
15 2005 1 E. 8th Avenue
108,000 sf. existing building
Leased to A.D., Inc and purchased in 2009 by the
City of Oshkosh to advance the redevelopment
of the South Shore of the Fox River
Financed by US Bank
9
16 2006 2900 Atlas Avenue
1
11
12
78,000 sf. new construction by RJ Albright
Built for and leased to Leeco Steel, a carbon steel,
alloy & HSLA steel plate supplier new to
Oshkosh
Financed by Nicolet Bank
8
9
50
Years
1991
1992
Aviation Industrial Park opens (expansion
of former South Industrial Park)
Fox Valley Technical
College
1991
90’s
the
Radford Company purchases
30 acres of land and builds
100,000 sf. facility
1991
AP Westshore
1994
Fox Valley Technical College
November 4, 1991 marked the opening
of Fox Valley Technical College’s Stanley
J. Spanbauer Center, the first tenant and
cornerstone of the Aviation Industrial Park. The Center serves to educate
students in Fox Valley Technical College’s aeronautic pilot, electromechanical
technology, production welding, residential building construction and wood
manufacturing technology programs. The Spanbauer Center was the result
of a partnership between the city of Oshkosh, Winnebago County/Wittman
Airport, Chamco and Fox Valley Technical College.
In the late 1990s Chamco partnered with Fox Valley Technical College
(FVTC) again to acquire land and assist in annexing property to provide
access to the Wittman Airport runway. An 8 bay aircraft hangar was
constructed to house a fleet of aircraft to support aviation programming.
Today, the Spanbauer Center campus continues to serve students pursing
educational opportunities key to the demands of the local labor market.
FVTC Oshkosh Campus Director Melissa Kohn says of FVTC’s partnership
with Chamco: “FVTC has enjoyed a great working relationship
with Chamco through the years both in our business-to-business
relationship as well as our partnership in supporting economic
development by providing a knowledgeable and skilled work force
for Oshkosh and the surrounding communities.”
FVTC Spanbauer Center
10
Banner Packaging constructs
new 100,000 sf. facility
AP Westshore
In 1994, when AP Westshore, a commercial
heat treatment company, evaluated various
Wisconsin cities in which to locate a new
facility, AP’s General Manager, John Wagner
says it chose Oshkosh because of the “quality
workforce, proximity to Highway 41 and
Chamco’s responsiveness and attention to
detail.” Chamco assisted AP with selecting
their site.
Chamco utilized the Industrial Building Program
to save AP a large capital outlay on the new
30,000 square foot facility. AP again sought
Chamco’s assistance in 2003 to facilitate a
$3 million Industrial Revenue Bond to finance
a building expansion. AP has experienced
impressive growth, tripling the size of its
employment base since 1995 and increasing
sales 25% each year for the last four years.
Wagner says that “Chamco is a very helpful
resource and working with Chamco is a
great experience.”
Did you
Know?
City annexation of the land on which the west
side YMCA sits was made possible by Chamco’s
acquisition of neighboring land.
1994
1997
Swanson Wiper Corporation utilizes
$3 million Industrial Revenue Bond
financing to enable expansion
Continental
Girbau
1996
Oshkosh Architectural Door obtains
$2.4 million industrial revenue bond
to retain operations in Oshkosh
SMC Metal Fabricators purchases
14.4 acres of land and builds
110,000 sf. facility
Shallbetter readies
expansion
1997
1998
Continental Girbau
Shallbetter
1997 Shallbetter Bros. Inc. relocated from Huron,
S.D. to Oshkosh with the help of a $350,000 loan
from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and $2
million industrial revenue bond financing.
1995 saw the birth of Continental Girbau, a subsidiary of
Girbau, Incorporated, a Spanish company specializing in the
manufacture of industrial laundry equipment. Starting with
three employees at a rented facility on Bowen Street, today
Continental Girbau owns and operates a 60,000 square foot
facility, employs 23 in Oshkosh and is the largest subsidiary
of Girbau, Incorporated in the world.
Chamco assisted Shallbetter again in 2001 with
a labor training grant from the Department of
Commerce and again in 2006 with the purchase of its
current site in the Northwest Industrial Park, on which
it built a custom 58,000 square foot facility to house
its expanding operations. Shallbetter is an innovator in
the power distribution, power quality and power
generation markets.
Continental Girbau came to Chamco to find a location in
1996 and again when it needed more space to expand
in 2000 and 2002. Mike Floyd, president and CEO of
Continental Girbau says
“Chamco was instrumental
in helping secure the
land for the new facility
and if you are thinking
about expanding, seeking
property or building a
building, Chamco is the
place to go.”
Continental Girbau facility
11
50
2002
Years
Evco Plastics purchases 44 acres
of land and obtains $5.5 million
Industrial Revenue Bond financing
00’s
“The partnership with Chamco, which facilitated the successful
completion of this project, was vital to its success,” said Vice
Chancellor for Administrative Services Tom Sonnleitner. “The facilities
management relocation project was a major step forward in the
facilities plan for UW Oshkosh as it enabled construction of the first
new academic building on the campus since 1971.”
September 2009 ribbon cutting at Campus Services Center
12
University of
Wisconsin Oshkosh
2005
A.D., Inc.
2005
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
In 2005, Chamco purchased an abandoned
“big box” building in a collaboration with
UW Oshkosh. The 54,000 square-foot
building, formerly a Cub Foods grocery store, underwent a major
renovation that converted it into a state-of-the-art Campus Services Center
for the University’s facilities management operations, central stores and
the receiving departments and postal and document services. The $6.2
million project paved the way for the University to raze the former facilities
building on the campus and to use the site to construct a new $48 million
academic center.
Did you
Know?
Chamco, with the City of Oshkosh,
establishes a Foreign Trade Zone in
the Southwest Industrial Park
Block Iron purchase 7.25 acres of land and
obtains $2 million Industrial Revenue Bond
financing for 40,000 sf. new facility
2002
the
2004
To assist the university with the renovation of the
Cub Foods facility, Chamco sold the property for
below appraised value.
Foreign Trade Zone
Oshkosh’s Southwest Industrial Park is home
to a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), established
in 2004 by the city of Oshkosh and
Chamco. The goal is to stimulate economic
growth by facilitating trade and increasing
United States-based companies’ global
competitiveness. A FTZ offers significant
financial benefits in areas of deferred
duties, elimination of duties and weekly
entry savings.
A.D. Incorporated
A.D. Incorporated, specializing in packaging and
point-of-purchase displays, began operations in
Oshkosh in 1995 with 8,000 square feet, two
employees and $25,000 in sales. The company
has grown to 100 employees, 274,000 square
feet and several million dollars in sales today. Its
steady expansion has required space and that is
where Chamco came in.
A.D. Incorporated leased a building from
Chamco from 2005-2009 and is a current
tenant in Chamco’s Industrial Building Program
at a separate building at 2728 Oregon Street.
President Howard Hoth has relied upon Chamco
because “Chamco provides sound advice, is
knowledgeable about available facilities and
land and has provided assistance even when
it wasn’t related to a Chamco program.
Working with Chamco has always provided
positive results.”
2005
2007
GE Oil and Gas
recruited to Oshkosh
2009
CREW, Inc. constructs
a new 23,000 sf facility
Muza Metal
Products
2006
4imprint
Buckstaff family sells company;
operations kept in Oshkosh
2007
Muza Metal Products
4imprint
In 1928, Muza Metal Products began operations as a two person
sheet metal shop in Leo Muza’s garage. Today, 82 years later, the
third generation, privately held business is a full service contract
metal fabrication and machining company whose facilities now
total 180,000 square feet.
Investments in state-of-the-art
equipment and automation
have enabled tremendous
growth. “Our revenues
have quadrupled in the last
ten years”, Dan Hietpas,
President, shares, “and
we have doubled our
work force to over 200
employees to keep up with the demand.”
Automation and upgraded equipment require a highly skilled
workforce and that first led Muza to Chamco in 2001.
Chamco was able to help the company acquire training
grants to prepare their employees as well as locate sources
for low interest loans for equipment purchases. Then, in 2006,
Chamco assisted Muza with a successful application for
a $3 million industrial revenue bond to fund their latest
plant addition.
Muza manufacturing floor
“We are anticipating and
planning for further expansion
in our business”, states
Hietpas. “Muza will continue
to rely on Chamco’s expertise
and assistance to help us
meet our business challenges
and goals.”
4imprint is the leading direct marketing provider of promotional
products in North America. The company’s origin (formerly
known as Nelson Marketing) began with 6 employees moving to
Oshkosh from Logansport, Indiana. Today, the company’s 425
associates reside in 78,000 sf. in the downtown City Center as
well as their recently completed 98,000 sf. distribution center
in the Southwest Industrial Park.
“We’ve been very fortunate to call Oshkosh home. The
Midwest work ethic and our friendly customer service
associates have been instrumental in helping us grow our
business,” according to Kevin Lyons-Tarr, CEO. “Chamco
has always made its expertise available to us and especially
assisting in our ongoing facility needs.”
4imprint is part of 4imprint Group, Plc, a publicly traded
company on the London Stock Exchange, and serves more
than 100,000 businesses with its innovative promotional
items throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom
and Ireland. Its product
offerings include pens,
personalized gifts, custom
apparel, corporate gifts,
travel mugs, tote bags,
water
bottles,
Post-it
Notes, custom calendars
and much more.
13
Retain, Grow & Recruit
Future
the
Looking Forward
Chamco and its city, county and private partners
have much to be proud of. Over the last 5
decades we have helped hundreds of businesses
start up, expand or relocate to the Oshkosh area.
These businesses in turn have created thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in
increased tax base which drives economic prosperity for all.
There are many things that make Chamco work: the public/private partnership
model, the expertise and dedication of the board of directors, the recognition of
the importance of confidentiality and responsiveness to the client, relationships
with our various partners, bringing in the tools and resources necessary to make a
project succeed, and the willingness to go the extra mile to get the job done. But
overall, Chamco’s underlying strength is the diverse group of people throughout
the community who come together for a single purpose – to foster the industrial
development of the Oshkosh area to benefit the entire community.
Competition, increased complexity, and a need for organizations to focus on their
core business will continue to drive demand for Chamco’s economic development
services. The Oshkosh area appreciates and will continue to rely upon Chamco’s
strengths - confidentiality, innovation, nimbleness, flexibility, can-do attitude, creative
uses of resources, and willingness to go the extra mile to get the job done.
Congratulations to all who have been involved with Chamco for the past 50 years
and to all who will successfully serve the community for the next 50 years!
14
Our Focus – Economic development
through industrial expansion
• Industrial Parks
• Retention, Expansion, Recruitment
• Airport Development
• Economic Development Advocacy
Our Goal – To make Oshkosh a better
place to live and work
• Higher paying jobs
• Expansion of the tax base
• Attractive business climate
• Diversification of the economy
• Corporate citizenship
Our Service – Personalized, confidential
information and assistance
• Deal structuring: analysis and feasibility
•E
xpertise obtaining resources including
state and local financial incentives
•A
ssistance with site and building selection,
including serving as the broker for the
city’s industrial parks
• Real estate transaction expertise
• Project advocacy
Our Impact
•M
ore than 500 projects for clients
needing assistance
•O
ver 1,000 acres of industrial land sold
to new, expanding or relocating businesses
•M
ore than $32 million of tax base created
through the Industrial Building Program
•M
ore than $45 million in financial
assistance secured for job training,
equipment purchases and expansions
Celebrating 50 years of serving the business community!
4imprint
Accessories Service
Accu-Tech
A.D., Inc.
Ad-Pak
Advanced Transportation
Agri-Pro Painters
Anchorage Warehousing
AP Westshore
Armstrong-Blum
Arrow Electric
Arrowhead Conveyor
Artic Ice
Athlete’s Foot Distr. Center
Aug. G. Barkow Manufacturing
AxleTech International
Badger Mill Supply
Baldor Generators
Banner Packaging
Basler Flight Service
Basler Turbo Conversions
Beck Sign
Bemis
Bemis Specialty Films
Bemistape
Ben B. Ganther Company
Berger Sausage
Beverage Service Corporation
Block Iron & Supply
Block Iron Fastener Division
Braasch Engineering
Brickham Machining
Brickham Stamping
Buckstaff
Carew Concrete and Supply
Carolina Soap & Candle
CCX Trucking
Centracor
CESA #6
CFL Enterprises
City Wide Insulation
Competition Products
Continental Girbau
Corrim
Corrosion Resistant Technology
CREW
Critter’s Archery Range
Crown Cork & Seal
Culligan
Curwood
Discher Architectural Millwork
Dowling Construction
Dumke Management
EAA
Eagle Aviation
Eastern Tank
Eastern Technologies
Electrical Contractors Supply
Enterprise Steelfab
Evco Plastics
Fastenal
Federal Mailing System
FedEx
Fenestra
FN Sheppard
Fox Valley Glazing
Fox Valley Heat Treat
Fox Valley Material Mngmnt.
Fox Valley Metrology
Fox Valley Technical College
Fox Valley Tree Service
Fyr-Kil-Fire Equip. Service
Gabert & Rusch Construction
Galow Metal Products
Ganther Properties
Gateway Transportation
GE Oil & Gas
GE Power Systems
Gear Feeds
General Beverage Sales
Georgia-Pacific
Glennco
Globe & Anchor Manufucturing
Globe Printing Company
Grabner, Putzer, Noffke, Caflisch,
& Lynch LLP
Great Lakes Marketing
Great Northern P.S.I.
Gross Trucking
Guardian Products
H. Derksen & Sons
Happ Electronics
Hoffmaster
Hydrite Chemical Company
Ideal Products
IG Boler
J. Stadler Machine
Jay Manufacturing
Johnson Foods, Inc.
Keenline Conveyor Company
Lakeside Plastics
Lamico
Langstadt Electric & Supply
Lapham Hickey Steel
Leach Company
Lee Beverage
Leeco Steel
Lenox Candles
Lincoln Contractors Supply
M&L Plastics
Marvel Manufacturing
Mathfab, LLC
Medalist Automated Machine
Medalist Industries
Medalist Laser Fab
Menards
Mercury Marine
Metal Fabricators
Midwest Merchandising
Midwest Towel & Supply
Miles Kimball
Millwork Distributors
MM&T
Modern Materials
Molco
Morgan Manufacturing
Multicircuits
Muza Metal Products
Muza Sheet Metal
Nercon Engineering & Manufacturing
Newark Paperboard Products
Northwest Environfan
Nova Counseling Services
OEC Graphics
Old Orchard
Oshkosh Architectural Door
OshKosh B’gosh
Oshkosh Coil Spring
Oshkosh Corporate Hangar
Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Marine Supply
Oshkosh News
Oshkosh Plating
Oshkosh Printers
Oshkosh Tent and Awning
Oshkosh Tool Company
Oshkosh Truck Credit Union
Oshkosh Wood Products
Outdoor Outlet
Outlook Graphics
Pacur
Paine Lumber
Pelles-Johnson Sign
Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers
Pioneer Metal Finishing
Pluswood
Poeschl Industries
Ponderosa Pulp
Premium Metal and Welding
Pro Ex Extrusion
Pump John Manufacturing
Putzer’s Menswear
Radford Company
Reliance Enterprises
RJ Galvanizing
Roy-Richards
Sadoff & Rudoy
Scharpf’s Embroidery
Schiek Ideas
Schiek Sports
School Stationers Corporation
Scott Worldwide Foodservice
Serv-Ice
Service Litho-Print
Shallbetter
Silver Creek Specialty Meats
Simmons Company
SMC Metal Fabricators
SNC Manufacturing
Sonex Aircraft, LLC
Square D Company
Standard Kollsman
Steinert Printing
Stelzner Manufacturing
Stratagraph
Swanson Wiper Corporation
T&J Manufacturing
Thill, Inc.
Tilflx
Top Brands
Tower Mechanical Services
Triangle Manufacturing
United Parcel Service
Universal Foundry Company
US Postal Service (Carrier Annex)
Univ. of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Valley Express
Valley Manufacturing
Valley Packaging
Verkuilen Warehousing
Viking Electric
Weldon
Wells Manufacturing
Whitefield Industrial Coatings
Wis. & Southern Railroad
Wis. Automated Machinery
Wis. Industrial Shipping Supply
Wis. Instrument & Control
Wisconsin Lift Truck
Wisconsin Public Service
Wisconsin Rolled Ring
Wisconsin Screw Products
Wittman Regional Airport
Wm. A. Lemberger Company
Work Adjustment Services
WOW Logistics
WW Electric Motors
Grants from the Winnebago County Industrial Development Board’s Marketing & Promotion Fund and
Oshkosh Area Community Foundation were used to fund the printing of our 50th anniversary commemorative booklet.
15
Chamco’s Directors
Terry Abraham
Susan Ackerman
Dan Albers
Richard Allen
Carla Altepeter*
Jerry Anderson
A. Dean Arganbright*
Gregory Armstrong
Bill Arvold
Robert Barker
Don Below
Tom Belter
Douglas Bessette
Thomas Binner
Melanie Bloechl
Ben Borsuk
David Borsuk*
William Braun
Darryn Burich
Tim Casey†
John Casper
Craig Castle
Tom Castle
William Castle
Floyd Chapin
Jere Chapin
Anthony Chirchirillo
Marty Cowie
Tim Cross
Allen Davis
Robert Davis
Jon Dell’Antonia
Gary Delveaux
Michael Dempsey
Timothy Dempsey*
Tim Douglas
Tom Drummond
John Dyer*
Steve Elbing
Pierce Ellis
Dennis Elmer
Paul Esslinger
Robert Fick*
Charles Fiss*
1960 - 2010
Michael Floyd
W. Kurt Foreman†
William Frueh
Gerald Gehrt†
John Gillum
Harold Goucher
Ronald Grabner
Louis Haltug
Lloyd Hanneman
Terri Hansen
William Hare*
Robert Harrington*
Mark Harris
Elizabeth Hartman†
Anne Hintz
Stephen Hintz
Sid Hirschberg
Paul Hollowell
Leighton Hough
Bill Hunter
Gordon Jaeger
James Janes
Richard Jansen
Ron Johnson
Donald Jorgenson
Leonard Kafer
M. Edward Kelly
John E. Kerrigan
Dan Kilpatrick
Henry Kimberly
Jackson Kinney
Rob Kleman
Randy Knudtson
Richard Koehn
Melissa Kohn
Gerald Konrad
Martin Kozak
Tom Kreilick
David R. Krumrei
Don Kutchera
Ernie LaBrake
David Leibenson
Ted Leyhe
John Lord
Roger Luce
Jim Macy
Clair Martin
Phil Martini
Gerald Mathe
Jim Mather
Joe McCreery
Harry Meyer, Jr.
Louis Micheln
Peter Moll
Jason Monnett
Steve Mosling
Richard Mueller
Byron Murken
Leo Muza
Susan Neitzel
Edward Nokes
Kevin Nolan
Dennis Noone
Robert Oeflein
David Omachinski*
Doug Pearson†
Edward Penson
Conrad Ben Pitcher
Kathy Propp
Robert Pung
Nancy Roberts
Mark Rohloff
Robert Rosser*
James Rothenbach
Edward Rudoy
John Ruppenthal*
Ken Schiefelbein
David Schlitz
Jack Schloesser*
Steve Schmudlach
Robert F. Schoenwetter*
Edward Schrank
Rufus Schriber III
Dave Schultz
C. Tom Shoemaker
George Singstock
Cyril Snyder
Ron Sowle
120 Jackson Street • Oshkosh, WI 54901-4714 • (920) 232-9786
www.chamco.org
Russ Sprung
Archie Stam
Carl Stapel
Jim Stapel
Robert Stauffer, Sr.*
Carl Steiger
James Steiner
Jack Steinhilber
Paul Stevenson
David Stini
David Stry
Scott Sweet
Russell Thill
Ronald Timmerman
Mark Toll
Frank Tower
Wayne Trembly*
William Troudt*
Vicki Updike
Jane Van De Hey
William Vande Hei
Pat Vercauteren†
Dave Vierthaler
Michael Wachtel
Tom Weigt
Dave Weisgerber
Richard Wells
Pat Weston
Edward Westphal
C. William Whitlock
Debra Wirtz
Donald Wissink*
Richard Wollangk
Gary Yakes*
Bruce Yakley
Steve Youngwirth
Alyson Zierdt
Cathy Zimmerman
*President/Chair
†
Executive Director