Oshkosh, WI Successful Businesses Span throughout Fox Valley
Successful businesses span Fox Valley
Oshkosh is a land of economic opportunity, thriving as part of a much broader marketplace where businesses “do business†throughout the New North and far beyond.
In addition, Oshkosh offers convenient proximity to metropolitan areas such as Madison and Milwaukee, and even Chicago and Minneapolis are not a far drive away. As a result, Oshkosh and its surrounding area have become strong in many sectors such as aviation, construction, education, health care, IT and manufacturing.
Successful, long-standing companies span these sectors, such as Oracular IS, an IT consulting and data management firm that offers its innovation services to a variety of North American companies and their international affiliates. Another is Bemis Company, which has several production facilities in Oshkosh employing about 1,500 people who produce plastic packaging for foods like bacon and cheese, snacks, candies, bulk foods and pet foods, along with medical packaging.
Meanwhile, local employer 4Imprint is the country’s No. 1 distributor of promotional products (think: all the fun swag one can grab at conferences and expos, like T-shirts, water bottles, etc.). The company has a downtown Oshkosh office and a distribution center on the southwest side of the city.
“Our revenue in 2017 was more than $627 million, and we processed 1,185,000 orders for customers,†says Mary Curtin, 4Imprint senior vice president of administration. “We have about 1,000 employees and offer a creative environment where our people are valued and respected. Oshkosh is a great place for our company to do business.â€
Oshkosh Corporation HQ
Founded in 1917, Oshkosh Corporation is a foundation of the Oshkosh business community. Building on its more than 100 years of success, the company is constructing a four-story, 190,000-square-foot headquarters that is scheduled to open in October 2019.
“We currently have about 40 facilities where our team members are working in the area, and the new headquarters will consolidate many of those buildings and is designed to hold up to 650 team members,†says Katie Hoxtell, Oshkosh Corp. marketing manager, global branding and communications. “It will be a beautiful facility on the shores of Lake Butte des Morts that will enable our people-first culture and allow for greater collaboration.â€
Oshkosh Corp. designs and manufactures defense vehicles, fire apparatus equipment to aid firefighters, extension bucket trucks, tow wrecker trucks, airport runway vehicles, snow removal products, concrete mixers, and more. The company has 15,000 team members globally, including 3,500 in Oshkosh employed in fields such as manufacturing, IT, sales and supervisory positions.
“We are a people-first company, passionate about taking care of our team members. They then take care of our customers and investors, which allows us to take care of our communities,” Hoxtell says. “Oshkosh Corporation is also proud to be one of 135 global companies named to the 2018 World’s Most Ethical Companies list (as recognized by the Ethisphere Institute), as well as one of Glassdoor’s 2018 Best Places to Work.â€
Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin
One of the key missions at Oshkosh Corp. is protecting U.S. war fighters, and the company’s JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) won the 2017 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest awarded by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. The JLTV is manufactured for the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps and replaces the Humvee, with the JLTV offering more protection, greater payload and a smoother ride. Oshkosh Corp. has a multi-billion dollar contract with the Army.
“Like the award states, it’s a really cool product and truly makes a difference for war fighters to efficiently get their mission completed,” Hoxtell says.