The apple didn’t fall far from the tree

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Feb. 3, 2017

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree

40 UNDER 40 MIKE SHAW  

At first reluctant to follow his dad’s path, Mike Shaw realized all the ‘cool things’ he was working on

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

Growing up, Mike Shaw admired his dad’s work ethic and watched him build a company that does business with clients around the globe.

However, Shaw, as a teenager, swore he wouldn’t go into his dad’s line of work.

“It’s always hard to work for family,” he said. “When you’re younger, you always want to do your own thing. That was probably my biggest agenda at the time.”

Today, Shaw is the vice president at Power Parts International, a company his father, Roger, founded in 1988, according to the company’s website. “Most of the time it’s great,” Mike said. “I get to talk to my dad every day. I like the company he built.

“I enjoy it. It was a good move.”

Mike, 34, is originally from Mequon, but lives in the town of Jackson. In addition to his responsibilities at Power Parts, he is also the part-time manager at the West Bend Airport.

At Power Parts, the company builds induction heating and melting systems.

“If you want to heat treat or melt precious metals, gold, silver, steel, you name it, we make the systems to do that,” Mike said.

As an example, Mike said if Quad/Graphics prints magazines or catalogs, Power Parts would make the parts for the printer.

Most of their business is done with oil companies, including clients in South Korea, Brazil and Mexico. The company has two plants, one in West Bend and one in Houston. Between the two plants, there are 26 employees.

Mike has been with the company, officially, for five years, including nearly the last three as vice president. Unofficially, he’s been with the company since he was little.

“I always knew what my dad did,” Mike said. “It was one of those things where it always intrigued me seeing what he does. He’d always bring home cool things all the time, projects he was working on.”

One of those cool items was a shell casing for a Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter. That item sits on the top of a cabinet in Mike’s office at the company’s headquarters, 742 S. Indiana Ave., West Bend.

“He helped manufacture how to heat-treat that,” Mike said.

As he went through high school, Mike wanted to try something different as he searched for a career. When he was 16, he started doing landscaping and excavation. He went to college to study horticulture.

“It was a great industry to be in,” Mike said. “I loved it.”

Unfortunately, the downturn in the economy made that line of work difficult and it took its toll on him.

“People weren’t building homes so we weren’t doing any excavation,” Mike said. “Landscaping suffered, too. And everybody was doing it.”

Eventually, he realized the opportunity he had with his father’s company and decided to give in.

The company’s day-to-day operations go through Mike, everything from making sales calls to organizing the staff’s responsibilities. In his tenure, Mike has been instrumental in expanding the company’s product line.

Mike’s position at Power Parts also helped add more usefulness to the West Bend Airport.

He took over as the parttime manager almost two years ago. Before that, he plowed the runaways at the airport. But since he took over, he’s overseen several projects to help the local economy.

For example, Power Parts needs to get a part to Houston. If it chose to fly out of General Mitchell in Milwaukee, which includes the nearly hour drive, getting through security check points and the flight, that is about a six-hour process.

But if Power Parts utilizes the West Bend Airport, that time is cut in half, saving time and money. It’s because of that, several other companies followed suit and has made the airport a greater economical tool.

Mike has also helped get more energy-efficient lights installed on the taxi way, saving the airport money.

Mike stays busy and he has his father to thank for that.

“Seeing how hard my dad worked all the time, how committed he was, that really kind of made me kind of a workaholic,” Mike said.

“He was a great mentor,” he added. “I learned a lot from him.”

Metalcraft to break ground on expansion

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 28, 2017

Metalcraft to break ground on expansion

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

For three straight years, Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., which has factories in Mayville and West Bend, has enjoyed record-breaking sales.

The company thought it was time to make a change.

“It was finally time to pull the trigger,” President Randy Gloede said.

The company announced Wednesday a multi-million dollar expansion to the West Bend facility. The expansion will add about 50 employees and 20,000 square feet to the north side of the facility. It is intended to add manufacturing space primarily for welding robots and other welding equipment.

It is the building’s first expansion in nearly two decades.

“We’ve done several additions at the Mayville almost every year,” Gloede said. “(The West Bend) plant has done really well for us. The customer base is growing significantly and we’re super excited about it.”

The West Bend facility has 230,000 square feet. The project will cost an estimated $2 million to $3 million. A groundbreaking event is scheduled for Feb. 6 and the project is slated to be completed by mid-June.

“Overall, it’s been every year for the last three years,” Gloede said about the company’s record-breaking sales trend.

The project will be done by Burkhart Construction out of Butler.

Bryan Macpherson, senior manufacturing engineer, will oversee the project in West Bend.

“Imperative,” he said when asked about the importance of the project. “With the work that we have coming down the line, if we don’t put this expansion on, we won’t be able to satisfy our customer’s needs.”

Planning for the project began about three years ago when the company purchased some land off Progress Drive and turned into employee and visitor parking.

Currently, the employee and visitor parking lot is where the expansion will go.

Metalcraft of Mayville was established in 1922 as the Peerless Traveling Goods Company with luggage as its principle product. In 1958, the name was changed to Dorst Metalcraft Inc. after the company gradually entered the metal fabrication market.

In 1973, E.A. Gallun Jr. purchased the company and changed the name to Metalcraft of Mayville. About 10 years later, the company built the West Bend plant.

Today, the company has more than 500 employees among the two plants. It serves the agriculture, commercial, construction, forestry, industrial, military and mining industries.

In 1983, Metalcraft of Mayville became the primary builder for SCAG Power Equipment.

The company also builds parts for Caterpillar, John Deere, Oshkosh Corporation (formerly Oshkosh Truck) and military vehicles, such as humvees.

Upcoming projects by Caterpillar and John Deere happily forced Metalcraft to view expansion opportunities.

“The Mayville plant does a lot of more of our propriety products,” Gloede said. “The West Bend plant does quite a bit more of the contract manufacturing, any industrial or military type customer. We’ve had a lot of growth on that side of the business.

“West Bend has had some really great commercial relationship.”

The proverbial trigger was pulled on the project in October.

“We put this into high gear,” Macpherson said.

“It’s had its moments, a few bumps in the road,” he said when asked about any challenges in the short time span in the planning of the project. “The city of West Bend has been very cordial working with us. They were helpful with us getting the approval process going quickly.”

The last expansion was about 15 years ago, which is being added to with this project.

“Last year was a record year for us and we’re projecting to do better than last year this year,” Macpherson said. “With improvements, it’s going to be another record year for us.”

Helping heroes who need a hand

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 28, 2017

Helping heroes who need a hand

MPTC teacher helps build houses for homeless vets

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

For years, Gary Roehrig carried guilt with him after not getting a chance to serve in the armed forces and his country.

Roehrig was in the draft in the 1960s. However, he had two brothers who were already in the military and in war zones, which took away his opportunity because of a law implemented in 1948 — the Sole Survivor Policy or the Sullivan Law.

The law is designed to protect family members from the draft or from combat duty if they have already lost family members in military service. The law was the focal point of the 1998 movie, “Saving Private Ryan.”

Roehrig’s father was also in the military, including being involved in the invasion of Normandy in and the Battle of the Bulge.

“My whole life, I always wished I had the opportunity to serve,”

Roehrig said. With patience, he came across the perfect opportunity and he didn’t waste it.

Roehrig, a teacher at Moraine Park Technical College in West Bend and an ABC Carpentry Apprentice instructor, is taking part in an effort to build homes for homeless veterans in Racine with the help of MPTC students.

“I think it’s outstanding,” he said about the opportunity. “These guys served our country.”

The project is called the “Tiny Home Initiative.” The goal is to help homeless veterans not only find homes but also be integrated back into society.

There will be 14 small homes, each about 8 feet by 16 feet, that will make up what will be called “The James A. Peterson Veterans Village.”

Five are on site already. Moraine Park is building two more.

“They’re essentially big man caves,” Roehrig said. But their purpose is far greater than that.

In addition to the village, there is a community center that will host a full kitchen supplied with a food pantry. There are also showers, bathrooms and a meeting hall.

Each tiny home will be furnished and equipped with a mini-fridge, a microwave and a compost toilet.

“The intent is that it not become a place where they can get away from society, but integrate them back into society,” Roehrig said. “They’re basically a living room with a loft for a bedroom. And they’ve got a little closet in them.”

It is a two-year transitional living program where the veterans can get mental health counseling, AODA counseling, work search, veterans benefit search, financial advice and housing placement.

There is also a furniture pantry where people can donate furniture, including a couch or a dining set, to the program and be given to the veterans.

“As these veterans transition out of this and become more integrated into society and they start looking for housing on their own, it’s not like they’re going in with nothing,” Roehrig said.

Roehrig heard about the program almost a year ago.

Each year in the apprentice classes, the students have to have practice floor framing, wall framing and roofing.

“We build a building,” Roehrig said. “Like a 12-by-15foot building. We put all sorts of cables in. But when we get done, we tear it apart and throw all the pieces away. I’ve always been concerned about the uses of our resources and those kinds of things. There’s got to be something better than just tossing this stuff in the dumpster.”

Then, one day, he found out about the veterans village.

“When I saw this, I thought, ‘Wait a second. It’s a win for everybody,’” Roehrig said.

He called the program’s organizer, Jeff Gustin, and told him he and his students would be happy to help in whatever way possible.

“He said, ‘Oh God yes,’” Roehrig said.

Within weeks, planning began. Then, he realized there was a problem.

The original plan was to build the homes at Moraine Park, put them on a truck and take them to Racine. He realized that wasn’t possible because the houses would be too tall to fit under overpasses.

The solution?

Build the homes in West Bend or panelize them, then take them apart, stack them onto a truck and be reassembled in Racine.

From there, Roehrig said it was Gustin’s idea to get the veterans involved by helping each other put the homes together.

“The other issue we had was code enforcement,” Roehrig said. “The Racine building inspectors would have to come up and take a look at them. If we’re panelizing them to be put up (in Racine), the inspectors can be on site.”

Outside of getting veterans off the streets and into homes in Racine, Roehrig hopes a similar program makes its way into Washington County.

“This becomes a template for other communities,” he said. “The community rallies around it.”

“The heart is in the right place,” he added.

And that’s the case for Roehrig.

“I was not privileged enough to serve for this country,” he said. “This is my way for helping those guys out. So many of them made the ultimate sacrifice.”

For more information on how to help, visit www.vets outreachwi.us/vets-village/.

Hooked on an art, craft

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 26, 2017

Hooked on an art, craft

Local women to be featured in Cedarburg exhibit

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

Kathleen Limbach walked into an antique shop one day in the early 1980s and couldn’t believe what she saw.

She looked at the owner of the store and pointed to something on the wall.

It was a rug.

“I asked the woman who owned the antique store if it was made, who did it and how to contact her,” Limbach said.

It’s safe to say she was “hooked.”

That was the start of Limbach’s hobby as a rug hooker. That was in 1983.

“The colors were great,” she said. “They were old looking, antique looking, and the design was very very simple. I thought, ‘I think I can really do that.’” From there, it was an adventure, initially met with struggle and disappointment before becoming enjoyable.

Limbach, who lives in Naples, Florida, from November to May and in West Bend the rest of the year, will be one of eight rug hookers, including two others from West Bend, showcased in an exhibition called “The Art and Craft of Rug Hooking,” which opened Wednesday at the Cedarburg Art Museum, W63 N675 Washington Ave.

The other West Bend rug hookers are Nancy Allen and Renee Haugen.

Rug hooking is where someone pulls loops of yarn or fabric through a base such as burlap or linen. The loops are pulled through a backing material by using a crochet hook.

The eight rug hookers call themselves “The Thrum Chums.”

“Thrum is a small piece of wool that comes off the side of the strip when you cut a strip,” Limbach said. “It’s part of the language of rug hooking. It was originally made up of women from Ozaukee and Washington County.” They took several classes in the early 1980s to learn the techniques of rug hooking. When their teacher stopped, they decided to form a group to teach each other. It also turned into a social group.

“I’ve always been into doing something with my hands,” Haugen said.

Having done everything else imaginable as far as arts and crafts with her hands — needlepoint, crossstitch, knitting — Haugen thought, “Why not?”

“It was something I wanted to try,” she said.

“Once I started on rug hooking ... you have such a choice of colors, a choice of patterns. It’s unlimited to what you can do,” Haugen said.

Early on, the social aspect is what kept Haugen and Limbach involved.

Limbach’s first rug was a house with a bird on top and two trees on either side. It was a simple design. Executing it was a different issue.

“I was so tired of that rug when I finished because it took me so long to do,” she said. “I never finished that rug. It’s on a shelf.”

She spent more than a year on it, but didn’t finish the edges. At times, the project seemed tedious and too time consuming.

However, Limbach loved the process.

“The reason I never finished the edge of my first rug was because I was very anxious and excited about starting a new project,” she said. “Every rug hooker is like that. We always have another project we want to hook. We laughingly say, ‘We hope we are on Earth long enough to hook all the rugs we have planned in our minds.’” Haugen agreed. Her first project kept falling apart.

“It was discouraging,” Haugen said.

But, just like Limbach, Haugen liked the process and the creative freedom it gave her.

“I think it’s fun, it’s very relaxing,” Haugen said. “It’s fun to see it evolve.”

There is debate of whether rug hooking is a craft or an art. The case can be made for both.

It is a craft because of the materials used, such as cloth. It is an art because most rug hookers, including Limbach and Haugen, come up with designs of what they’re going to make.

“We all enjoy each other’s company,” Limbach said. “We all have shared interests. I use my rugs everywhere, the floor, the wall. They all have important memories for me. That’s what made me stick to it.

“I do a lot of my own design. That’s a creative outlet for me. The end product looks pretty cool when you’re finished.”

According to Limbach, rug hooking can be traced back to the early 1700s when, in colder climates, people wanted rugs for the floors, but couldn’t afford to buy them. At that time, the rug hookers used old clothing and peeled-off strips.

“It was a way of being very thrifty but also warming up their floors,” Limbach said.

How and why people hooked rugs advanced through the decades.

“As time went on, the industry patterns were professionally made by other people,” Limbach said. “Women hooked those patterns. That would’ve been about early 1900s.

“As we know it now, many of us draw our own patterns or buy printed patterns of old rugs, historical rugs or of things you like, such as flowers.”

Limbach likes to document family history.

“I don’t keep a diary; I haven’t written a memoir,” she said. “This is my way for somebody, someday to know what my life was about.”

“They add personality to a home,” she added.

“It’s a good expression of how you feel,” Haugen said.

For more information about the exhibition, call 262-377-6123 or visit www.cedarburgartmuseum.org.

For more than 20 years, Quad/Graphics in Lomira has printed the program for the big game

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 25, 2017

For more than 20 years, Quad/Graphics in Lomira has printed the program for the big game

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

LOMIRA — Workers on the manufacturing line at Quad/Graphics didn’t have time to sulk after the Green Bay Packers’ 44-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

They had to complete an assignment — the type they usually have 30 days to complete — in less than 24 hours: print the Super Bowl program.

Quad/Graphics has been printing the keepsake for more than 20 years. This year, it is 292 pages — full color — with seemingly endless amounts of information, from team rosters to Super Bowl history. Also in the program are stories regarding things to do in Houston, the site of this year’s Super Bowl, which is Feb. 5 between the Falcons and the New England Patriots.

The book is almost as much a visitor’s guide as it a guide to the game.

“It’s controlled mayhem,” said Bob Lang, senior customer account manager at Quad/Graphics Lomira plant and the one responsible for overseeing the production process of the program. “It’s controlled chaos.”

Quad/Graphics is contracted to print the program by H.O. Zimman out of Lynn, Massachusetts. They put the program together with advertising and editorial content by the National Football League.

H.O. Zimman prints several publications like the Super Bowl program. Others include The Master’s golf tournament, the U.S. Open tennis championship, the Pro Football Hall of Fame yearbook and the National Baseball Hall of Fame yearbook.

From a business-execution standpoint, the manufacturing team for the program was glad both games Sunday were blowouts.

That, Lang said, is a rarity.

On the NFC side, the last two title games have been blowouts. But from 2008-2015, all the games were decided by less than seven points.

The AFC game hasn’t been as tight in recent years. Since 2008, only three games have been decided by seven or less points.

“Usually, they’re two very competitive games,” Lang said. “Occasionally, there is a blowout. That’s the exception, not the rule. The last several years, right down to the wire.”

The goal is to have hundreds of thousands — maybe millions — of programs printed, out the door, on delivery trucks and on newsstands by Wednesday after the championship games, less than three days after the Super Bowl matchup was set.

“That’s pretty quick for a printed piece,” Lang said.

He has been overseeing the production for 13 years and was happy to report there haven’t been any slip-ups.

The first time Lang was involved in the project was Super Bowl XXV featuring the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills.

His first Super Bowl overseeing the book’s production was Super Bowl XXXIX between the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.

“It was hugely intimidating,” Lang said. “I’m an experienced magazine guy. It was like no other magazine and the customer is right there. You’re not calling them on the phone, sending them an email to say, ‘Hey, I posted pages 42 and 44. Can you double check?’”

❑❑❑

Planning for the Super Bowl program

Selling advertising spots or pages in the program begins months ahead of the Super Bowl. Planning for the editorial content begins when the NFC and AFC championship games are set. This year, it was the Packers against the Falcons and the Patriots against the Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.

For the week leading into the championship games, the H.O. Zimman staff develops potential storylines for the Super Bowl based on the four possible matchups and write those stories.

On the weekend of the championship games, H.O. Zimman sends three people to Quad/Graphics — two writers and a page designer.

Of the 290 pages, not counting the cover or back cover, about half of them are full-page ads. The rest is laid out on a page design program by one person.

Everyone on the production crew at Quad/Graphics, plus the staff members from H.O. Zimman, watch each game on TV to see how the games are unfolding.

“They’re building pages as (the games) are unfolding,” Lang said.

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The buzz on Championship Sunday

Getting the equipment, templates and other pieces to the puzzle, or “controlled mayhem,” begins Saturday night and into Sunday morning — game day.

When everyone recognized the Falcons were going to win, work began on putting together all the pages reserved for the NFC champion. The content includes team rosters, team schedule/results, headshots of each player and more.

The process was repeated once the Patriots took firm control of the game against the Steelers and eventually won, 36-17.

At that point, that’s also when the representing teams’ logos are put on the cover.

“We’re producing the book on the fly, if you will,” Lang said. “Books were already leaving (Monday).”

That’s less than 24 hours after the games ended.

“The way this book is viewed is we have until Feb. 5 and (H.O. Zimman) considers from the time the second game is over until (Feb. 5), they consider that their sell-through window, which is extremely tight,” Lang said.

Quad/Graphics prints several magazines sold throughout the world, including BusinessWeek, Time, Sports Illustrated and People. When it prints those magazines, that process is typically spread out over a month.

“It’s a very tight window,” Lang said.

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When the games are over

When the AFC Championship Game ended, it was go time.

“As soon as that is done, you’re immediately ... as soon as the story is written, the story goes downstairs to the plate room, we’re shooting printing plates, the plates go up to press, we’re then inking, making forms (a collection of pages) and then those loose forms are going out to finishing and we’re binding the book together to put the cover on and make the book” Lang said. “We’re making the book, literally, on the fly late into Sunday night.

“The games have been over for a few hours and we’re already getting books off.”

While this is going on, several trucks are waiting at the loading dock to take the books to their destinations.

“Because New England is in it, we’ve got to be on a newsstand outside of the greater Boston area ASAP,” Lang said. “We have team drivers, two drivers in one truck. That truck does not stop until it runs out of diesel fuel. When driver one runs out of hours, pull over and switch out driver two and go. They just keep going.”

❑❑❑

When the product is done

There are several safe guards in place to catch any misprints, errors or anything else that could go wrong.

The page designer and the writers review every page. The NFL also has a hand in it, making sure all looks good, as does the production crew at Quad.

After that, everyone heaves a sigh of relief.

“It’s extremely rewarding,” Lang said. “You get to see the effort that goes into it.”

He added he’s grateful for the crew he has. Most of them are veterans of the environment and understand the importance of getting the job done quickly and right.

“They’ve been doing this for over 20 years,” Lang said. “They all come together.

“We have to have precise execution, a clean hand-off from plate to press, press to finishing, finishing to trucking. All those handoffs need to be clean.”

Making a difference, and a connection

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Dec. 22, 2016

Making a difference, and a connection

Physical therapist helps a West Bend woman get her life back

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

TOWN OF WEST BEND — Jean Wolff has four kids who live in the area, 17 grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren and two more great-grandchildren due in 2017.

She loves her family.

So, imagine her frustration when a bad bout of influenza and other health issues for several weeks severely impacted her mobility — her ability to see her family.

“It’s a big deal to see my family,” Wolff said. “It was very frustrating because I couldn’t get out.”

Thankfully, there was a solution and a person willing to help her: Michelle Jurena.

Jurena is a physical therapist at Cedar Home, which was recognized earlier this month as a top-performing home health agency by Ability Network and DecisionHealth.

In more than 25 years in the industry, Jurena can’t remember all of her patients. She remembers some. She remembers Wolff and likely won’t forget her.

“She was very motivated to progress, very eager to get her life back and open to do what it takes to get to that point,” Jurena said.

Because of the health issues, Wolff lost about 50 pounds, also taking away seemingly all of the strength in her arms and legs. It got to a point where the 69-year-old West Bend woman couldn’t climb up into her husband’s 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

“That was awful,” Wolff said.

The first thing Jurena had to do was tell Wolff that what she wanted to do was possible and they would work together to accomplish Wolff’s goal of climbing up into her husband’s pickup truck and see family.

Before that, Wolff had to either take a taxi or not go at all.

“It was very frustrating because I couldn’t get out,” Wolff said.

Gaining the trust of a patient is the most important step in physical therapy. In Wolff’s case, it wasn’t difficult to do that.

Wolff recognized she had a problem and wanted to fix it. She was all ears in her initial consultation with Jurena.

Wolff’s situation was standard, nothing out of the ordinary as far as what Jurena does daily. However, she said the reason she remembers Wolff’s situation and why she likely always will was how they connected. It was on a different level than what she experienced with other patients throughout her career.

“We kind of connected on a more personal level,” Jurena said. “She’s had some hard struggles in life and we could both relate to that. Some people just let you into their hearts a little easier than others and is one of those people.”

How Jurena presented herself and how they were going to tackle the bumpy road ahead resonated with Wolff.

“She’s one of the sweetest people I ever met,” Wolff said. “She knew all the circumstances behind everything. She’s not judgmental. She was here to work with me. I realized what she was saying was for my benefit.”

They met twice a week for an hour at a time. In a relatively short period of time, it was like they became friends of more than 20 years.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though.

“There were times where she thought she was too tired and couldn’t do anymore or she was afraid,” Jurena said.

“With some persistence and encouragement, she did trust me. We had a good rapport. I think that’s what we came down to.”

A few weeks into their workout together, Jurena introduced a homemade step stool and put it by Wolff’s husband’s pickup truck.

Wolff was terrified.

“I didn’t want to get in the truck because I was afraid I was going to fall,” Wolff said.

Jurena remained persistent. Just before Thanksgiving, they tried it again. This time, it was a success.

“That was a big milestone,” Wolff said. “Suddenly, I got my independence back.”

For Thanksgiving, Wolff met with all her family members — 28 of them — and had dinner.

“I got to go with no problem,” Wolff said. “I got to spend the evening with them.”

As a young girl, Jurena went through physical therapy. Then, when she was a junior in high school, she learned physical therapy was something she wanted to pursue as a career.

“I’ve always been kind of nurturer, wanting to help people; I enjoy interacting with people,” Jurena said.

Recently, Wolff reached out to Cedar Home and thanked them, specifically Jurena, for the care she got and the confidence to go about her day-to-day life without any fear.

“It was like God’s blessing,” Wolff said. “I’m like a new person. I can do whatever I want to do.”

To hear this, all Jurena can do is smile.

“I love what I do and that’s part of it,” she said. “I feel great that I can be a part of helping people back to living their life again. It’s very rewarding.”

“It just takes some determination,” Jurena said when asked what lesson can be learned from Wolff’s story. “Willingness to do the work involved and with a good support system and the right tools, you can regain that strength, that function and do the things that are meaningful in your life.”

As the county prepares for a harsh winter, West Bend uses a new product to keep roads safe

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Dec. 16, 2016

As the county prepares for a harsh winter, West Bend uses a new product to keep roads safe

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

The last few winters haven’t been strenuous on Public Works departments throughout Washington County. But with a storm that could bring nearly a foot of snow to the area, according to the National Weather Service in Sullivan, preparations are being made.

Several municipalities in the county are ready — one is even trying a new product to improve road conditions.

“We are trying a new product this year,” West Bend Public Works Director Doug Neumann said. “It’s a GeoMelt product for pre-treating some of our dangerous areas of concern — hills, curves, intersections.”

According to independentag.com, GeoMelt “is an agricultural byproduct of the sugar beet industry. Using GeoMelt in conjunction with rock salt or salt brine will enhance the melting power of the chemicals to 0 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. This patented product also works with other deicing liquids and, when added to salt or salt brine, is 60 percent less corrosive than rock salt alone.”

According to the website, it works two or three days longer than average salt and works in temperatures as low as 30 degrees below zero.

The city used the product for the first time ahead of last weekend’s storm, which dumped about 6 inches of snow in West Bend.

“We were finding it worked very well,” Neumann said.

The GeoMelt works best on dry roads, which is what Neumann’s department did last week and again Thursday in preparation for this week’s anticipated blast of snow.

“The object is to reduce the amount of salt used and reduce the amount of chloride that is released into water ways and sewer systems,” Neumann said, adding the product can be sprayed onto the salt.

He learned of the product while attending a Public Works Conference and followed that up by talking to other municipalities that use it. “All the feedback I got was positive; the investment was minimal,” Neumann said. “It’s proven to work better than straight salt. It reduces the salt needed.”

With temperatures Thursday below zero, salt doesn’t work effectively. Neumann said a calcium chloride chemical would need to be added to the salt in order for the salt to work. That tactic is costly.

Neumann also reported his department is fully stocked with salt and the equipment is ready for the season.

“Our salt inventory is plenty full because of the mild winters,” Neumann said, adding the department has more than 5,500 tons of salt.

“It helps our budgeting for the salt that we don’t use,” he said. “We can reduce the contracted amount the following year.”

The city has 20 salt trucks with plows, three loaders with plows and several pickup trucks with plows.

“Everything went very smoothly,” Neumann said of the season’s first snow storm last weekend. “We had our early season issues with our trucks. But the kinks are worked out.”

In Slinger, Jim Haggerty, the village’s director of Public Works, also reported the village is ready for the winter.

His hunch, though, says this winter won’t be as mild as the last few.

“This is shaping up to be a little different,” Haggerty said. “We approach every year the same: to prepare for the worst-case conditions. We set everything up the same.”

He also has no worries about the village’s salt supply. Because the village hasn’t used as much salt as in previous winters, the money saved doesn’t go into a saving account for the department. Instead, the money is put into a general fund and spent elsewhere.

Haggerty and Neumann agree that snow storms that last more than a day are often more strenuous on their departments than isolated storms that dump 5 or more inches at once — staffing and overtime hours are two reasons for that.

However, Haggerty isn’t nervous heading into this snow-plowing season.

“I feel more comfortable this year than in previous years,” he said, adding the high-quality staff and the attention that was given to equipment maintenance are two reasons for that optimism.

12 Days of Christmas offers the gift of giving

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Dec. 15, 2016

12 Days of Christmas offers the gift of giving

KML program is in its 7th year

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

Seven years ago, Kettle Moraine Lutheran’s Randy Hughes, pastor of Student Life, wanted to be realistic.

He couldn’t get past the look in his students’ eyes when they came up with this idea called 12 Days of Christmas.

He, along with the staff, students and supporters of KML, are grateful they went with it.

This is the seventh year of the program spearheaded by KML’s Student Council and National Honor Society. The goal is to collect money through student involvement to support families in need.

“As far as participation, the only thing that’ll trump it is Homecoming,” KML senior Aaron Vandermus said. “All of us get involved in one way or another.”

This year, three families were selected as eventual beneficiaries to the fundraising efforts of KML’s students and churches.

The families chosen were the Webers of West Bend, the Craigs of West Bend and the Poehlmans of Lannon.

The Craig family’s house burned down and they lost all their belongings.

The Poehlman family’s dad unexpectedly passed away at the age of 42.

And in the Weber family, the mom is battling a brain tumor, the dad has diabetes and their daughter has juvenile arthritis.

“We do go to Lutheran school, so a lot of students are looking for ways to show their faith and give back to other people,” Vandermus said. “It’s an easy way to implement what we’ve learned.”

Hughes added he consistently hears from families who were aided by KML’s efforts and thanks them for it and lets them know how they’re doing since.

A program like this has sentimental meaning for Hughes.

More than 20 years ago, his then-2-year-old daughter had liver cancer. The medical bills were quickly adding up. But Hughes was raised with the mentality to do things himself.

Living in Minnesota at the time, he recalled a conversation he had with someone who wanted to help the family but Hughes declined the help. That person was mad, claiming Hughes was selfish for not allowing people the opportunity to take part in the gift of giving.

That comment struck him and he graciously accepted the assistance from all who wanted to help.

“I didn’t want to rob anyone the gift of giving,” Hughes said.

It wasn’t long until the community raised $50,000 for Hughes and his family.

Today, his daughter is 27, a cancer survivor and a physician assistant.

Since then, the Hughes family do what they can to help, just like someone did for them.

“It did phenomenal things for us,” Hughes said.

Fast-forward to seven years ago: A former KML staff member was called to serve as a principal at a school in Nebraska, but later passed away at age 44, leaving behind a wife and five kids.

The KML students wanted to help and they came up with the idea of a 12 Days of Christmas program where they’d do several fundraisers in the course of 12 school days, collecting as much money or gifts as possible and present them to families in need.

Hughes was hesitant of the idea, but only for one reason: timing.

He recalled looking at his watch and seeing it was Nov. 29. He knew they had only a few days to get everything together before the semester ran out.

“My gut reaction was, ‘We can’t do this,’” Hughes said. “It takes too much organization.”

Then his mind was changed.

“I looked at the kids’ eyes. They were filled with excitement,” he said.

In that first year, $1,500 was raised. The students, teachers and supporters of KML haven’t looked back since.

“From there it kept growing exponentially,” Hughes said. “Last year, we collected almost $33,000 for three families over the 12 days.”

Each year, Hughes reminds his students that the money raised should not be used as a barometer for the success or failure of their efforts. It just so happens in each year, the students outdo themselves from the year before.

In the program’s second year, $7,000 was raised, then $16,000, then $23,000.

“Those families will be thankful with whatever they can get,” Hughes said.

This year, some of the fundraising activities included candy cane sales, penny wars, faculty servant, stocking auctions, student servant and a bake sale.

Also, Vandermus said one day before school started, a student stood at the foot of the driveway leading into KML’s parking lot and asked anyone driving in to toss change into a garbage can. He estimated the can to be at least 10 gallons.

The fundraising effort filled about a quarter of the can.

“I can’t believe how many students get involved,” Hughes said.

If the public wishes to participate, they can donate online or by mail. To do so, visit KML’s website, www.kmlhs.org.

Donations will be accepted until Dec. 31.

Students cope with finals week in a variety of ways

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Dec. 14, 2016

Students cope with finals week in a variety of ways

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043

“Finals week” — that phrase is a college student’s nightmare.

But Boomer is relaxed.

Sure, Boomer has fur, four legs and barks. He doesn’t have to worry about finals. There is not a lot to worry about in this 4-yearold dog’s life.

His job is to make sure students at the University of Wisconsin-Washington County know it’s OK. They will get through finals week as long as they’re like him: relaxed.

“It’s really nice to be able to take a break, even if it’s just for five minutes,” second-year student Mary Greuel said, standing a few feet away from Boomer lying on his side on a two-seated couch. He moved for a few things: when his name was called or someone gave him a good scratch.

“It’s been a fun experience having Boomer here,” she added.

Tammy Becker, Boomer’s owner, said Boomer, a former racing greyhound, comes to campus regularly because she works on campus. During finals week, though, she’ll take him around campus to mingle with students.

“You can see the release on their face in a way,” Becker said. “They might be walking down the hallway, very serious and then their face just lights up. It’s like they forget everything but the dog.”

Colleges and universities around the country do different things to help students get through what is often an emotionally challenging week for students.

At UW-WC, the school offers a free breakfast the day before finals or sit-downs with therapy dogs such as Boomer, who is a member of Healing Paws Group of Fond du Lac, meaning Boomer is a certified therapy dog.

Michelle Appel, mental health counselor at UW-WC, said another way to help students focus on finals is to keep them on campus. That minimizes distractions or temptations that can be found at home or elsewhere.

Appel is also the College Life Exploration Center coordinator. There in Room 308, students can meet other students and do just about anything from socializing to study groups to academic advice. The idea? To make college, especially finals week, as relaxing as possible.

“We care,” Appel said when asked what advice she typically offers to a student stressed by finals. “We care about their success, their well-being.”

What finals mean to a college student varies depending on the student. Those variables include the value of the final toward the final grade.

Other variables include money. One’s financial aid could depend on a certain grade in a class.

The fall semester finals may be tougher than the spring semester finals, partially because fall finals line up with the holiday season. Or consider a firstyear student: It’s the first time he or she are experiencing college finals.

In high school, the tests and the timeline is more structured. In college, it’s more like “you’re on your own.”

Greuel remembers her first college exam experience well.

“It was a little more stressful than most,” she said. “I had major knee surgery coming up. That went halfway into finals so I had to half my finals early.

“So I had the stress of doing my finals early, surgery, holidays as well as trying to adjust to college. It’s really difficult.”

Another factor to consider during finals is that a test often reviews the entire semester of work rather than up to a certain point.

“There’s so much to digest,” Appel said. “The stress of doing well on one test and so much information coming at you is overwhelming.”

Christian La Cosse, a first-year UW-WC student, has a different approach to finals week.

He believes the high stress of finals is all in people’s heads.

“I think finals are more revved up than they should be,” the 2015 Port Washington High School graduate said. “I feel like kids are stressed probably because they feel it’s an obligation to.”

That might be aided by the horror stories of finals week, such as a calculator breaking, a professor not willing to cooperate with or accommodate a student, getting sick the day of or being up 24 hours straight or more cramming for exams.

“That was terrifying,” Greuel said when asked what horror stories worried her going into her first college finals week. “Am I going to be that stressed out for finals? Thankfully, I wasn’t.

“All the horror stories I had were honestly people not managing their time well.”

That may be the biggest lesson Greuel ever learned when it came to finals week.

Another lesson she learned was communication. Jenny Tiedt, a non-traditional student, learned that as well.

“If you’re having problems, you’ve got to talk to the teacher,” Tiedt said.

They’ve also learned it’s just another test. La Cosse said if you value finals like you do any other test earlier in the school year, then nothing will be different.

“If you know it’s coming, then there’s no reason to (stress out),” La Cosse said.

It should be business as usual.

“Don’t stress out,” Greuel said. “It seems simple and it’s hard to tell someone who’s stressed out to not stress out.

“In the end, these are just tests. They’re just a portion of your grade. Don’t let it have too much power over you.”