Fox Cities, WI, Offers the Right Address for Business
A ready workforce and an enviable quality of life keep businesses growing in the Fox Cities.
Comprising 19 communities spanning Calumet, Outagamie, and northern Winnebago counties, the Fox Cities region attracts relocating and expanding businesses with a steady supply of skilled workers, a prime location, and a desirable quality of life.
In This Article
Location Matters
The region’s location along Interstate 41, U.S. 10 and Wisconsin Highway 441 ensures companies such as Brillion, Wisconsin-based AriensCo are able to move products quickly to other parts of the country. I-41 connects the Fox Cities region with Green Bay and Milwaukee, and Wisconsin Highway 441 and U.S. 10 connect the region to Wausau and Interstate 39.
“Brillion is just 30 minutes from both Interstates 41 and 43, so that makes us essentially located between Appleton, Green Bay and Manitowoc. We’ve got a major highway running through the region, and we’re easy to get to, so that makes us a really good gateway,” says Daniel Ariens Jr., AriensCo Family Office vice president. “There’s also plenty of physical space for growth. If you’re looking for industrial, retail, multifamily or a combination, we have the space to build.”
Growth in the manufacturing sector helps drive the region’s economy, both with new companies and regional mainstays, such as AriensCo and Menasha Packaging. AriensCo has been a staple of the Fox Cities region since 1933 as an outdoor power equipment manufacturer and has since expanded into hospitality and redevelopment of the old Brillion Iron Works property. The family-owned company employs about 2,000 team members across the globe, with the majority of that workforce in its Brillion headquarters.
Established in 1849, Neenah-based Menasha Corp. is one of the country’s oldest privately held, family-owned manufacturing businesses. The company designs and manufactures product packaging and offers end-to-end services that include data and delivery.
“The businesses that are here today all work very well together. Many of these businesses sort of grew up here, so there’s a very strong commitment to the community,” says Denise Starcher, chief human resources officer for Menasha. “The region also offers businesses several resources. For example, the (Fox Cites) Chamber is constantly asking us what our needs are. If we are doing a recruiting search for an executive, they’ll actually take those individuals around and tell them about the community.”
A Smart Start
An educated and highly skilled workforce also plays a major role in the region’s economic development success. Fox Cities is served by Lawrence University, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Fox Cities Campus and Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), which offers certificate and degree programs in 15 fields of study, including manufacturing.
“We tap into the community colleges, and we partner with Lawrence University and UW Oshkosh,” Starcher says. “We’ll partner with them for internship programs, and they help us identify candidates for our workforce. We also collaborate with the community colleges for continuing education. For example, we work with the Fox Valley Tech maintenance program to help train some of our employees. This really helps us in the long run.”
Ariens says AriensCo has a strong partnership with FVTC for on-site employee education and has recently begun working closely with neighboring University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to help grow the workforce.
“We are excited to leverage UWGB’s engineering program to attract new employees as well as interns,” Ariens says.
The Livability Quotient
Studies show quality of life ranks high among the factors impacting relocation and expansion decisions, and the Fox Cities region shines in this area. Not only do businesses benefit from a host of arts, cultural and recreational options, but they also contribute to them. In 2022, AriensCo opened the Ariens Nordic Center, a cross-country ski complex featuring a 20-point Kurvinen Biathlon Target System, five kilometers of lighted trails, and three kilometers of paved trails for offseason hiking, running, and roller skiing.
“There are only three such facilities in the United States, and ours is the only one in the Midwest. This is yet another amenity that will attract and draw people not only from all over the Midwest, but all over the country. And from a business climate perspective, this is another way to attract businesses to our community and to use it as a retention tool for our workforce. Plus, it just helps continue to build our community,” Ariens says.
Business Success
Speaking of building the community, the Fox Cities region supports women business leaders as they work to start and advance their careers. Every year, for example, the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce hosts the Smart Girls Rock! mentoring program to expose area high school students to careers in STEM.
“Exposing girls to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) careers at an early age gives them a wider breadth of educational and career opportunities to consider as they plan their futures,” says Aimee Herrick, director of emerging talent for the Fox Cities Chamber. Involving girls with our Smart Girls Rock! program helps capture interest in a fun way by utilizing hands-on activities to show what STEM looks like beyond the acronym.”
Once these girls graduate from college or technical school, they know these career choices are in their own backyard, she says.
“And what a great way to have these students back in our community,” Herrick says. “Recruiting as much talent as possible to STEM fields is so important, and equipping girls with knowledge of these careers is key to maximizing that talent pool.”
A Spot at the Podium
The Chamber also hosts an annual Women in Leadership Breakfast as well as a Women in Leadership Panel through its PULSE Young Professionals Network.
“In our group, we aim to build and maintain diversity to bring to the Fox Cities something for everyone, and the best way to do that is to bring in lots of different opinions from lots of different people,” says Jodie Federwitz, director of the Fox Cities Chamber PULSE Young Professionals Network. For the Women in Leadership Breakfast, the Chamber hosts different local women leaders to talk about their journey and discuss issues such as branding and authenticity and what it’s like to be a woman in the workforce.
“We want to give a voice to those local heroines who have helped pave the way for, and mentor, our young businesswomen in the area,” Federwitz says.
New Sage Strategies in Appleton, founded by Vicki Updike, provides personalized professional development coaching to help women grow their careers. The company hosts both a Women’s Leadership Academy and a Women’s Leadership Conference for individuals looking to build their leadership skills, advance their careers and increase their professional influence.
“Confidence is still the number one thing that I coach women on. It’s confidence to know your boundaries and confidence to speak up. It’s confidence to present your ideas,” Updike says. “I moved here as a young professional and have had the ability to work in northeast Wisconsin for fabulous companies that allowed me to elevate to the president’s chair of a company. I am extremely grateful that I’m able to do that in such a wonderful region.”
Get to Know Fox Cities
Want to learn more about living and working in Fox Cities, WI? Check out the latest edition of Livability Fox Cities, WI, Economic Development.
