Welcome to Marshfield’s newest full-service hotel

Winner of the Holiday Inn Torch Bearer Award rewarding excellence in quality and customer service

91 beautifully appointed guest rooms and luxury suites

Parrot Bay swim center features indoor pools, game room and our towering three-story spiral waterslide

5800 total sq. ft. of meeting space and full-banquet service

Photo tour at www.holidayinn.com/marshfield

Holiday Inn & Conference Center750 S. Central Ave. • Marshfield, WI 54449

Reservations: (715) 486-1500 or www.holidayinn.com

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Nekoosaoo

arshfield’s downtown district is getting ready for its close-up.

South Central Avenue, a well-traveled thor-oughfare that runs through the heart of the

city, is about to change hands from state ownership to local care, and before it does, it’s going to get a little TLC.

The road itself is in need of significant repairs, and while the jackhammers and cement trucks are already out, the city is throwing in cosmetic improvements as well. Local officials, community leaders and business owners are now working furiously to prepare for the South Central Avenue Reconstruction Project groundbreaking in April 2009.

Main Street Marshfield works to promote and preserve the downtown district. Denise Sonnemann, executive director of the organization, has been working for months on recon-struction preparations. Sonnemann is excited about the upcoming improvements that will give downtown Marshfield a whole new look.

Bells and whistles of the new downtown include updated flower pots, brick inlays for the sidewalks and crosswalks, historic lamp posts and benches for pedestrians. The idea behind the project is to redefine downtown as a locale within the city for shopping, dining and leisure.

“We want it to be a destination where people want to come and shop and walk around, and just kind of hang out and have a cup of coffee,” says Rita Meier, chair of Main Street’s organization committee. “It can be that. We have some great ideas.”

Hopes for the future include a small park and a shuttle to transport people to and from the downtown district.

Color is one of the most noticeable ways to enhance a city’s vibrancy, which is why former Marshfield Mayor Nate Norberg and his wife, Arlene, don’t mind getting their hands a little dirty. Together, they coordinate Flower Power, a completely volunteer-driven brigade of f lower planters who bring life to downtown Marshfield and other parts of the city. Flower Power is working with the city on the reconstruction to fold their f lowery efforts into the larger design.

“It’s very important to the city for beautification, and it’s enjoyed by everybody,” Norberg says. His group also offers wintertime wagon rides and hopes to begin leading warm-weather wagon tours of the downtown’s various gardens. “We want to bring people downtown and make everybody aware of what we’re doing.”

A cornerstone of Main Street’s efforts is the preservation of the district’s historic charm.

Bill Mitten of Mitten’s Furniture, Appliance & Electronics understands what Main Street means by “historic.”

“When our business started, the downtown was basically the only business area in any city or town,” says Mitten, whose grandfather opened the store more than 70 years ago. “We’ve always been proud to be downtown, and we’re going to continue to feel that way. What is happening is going to be good, and it is going to bring the people downtown.”

The reconstruction project is slated to be completed by fall 2009, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

ut on the farm, some things never change.It doesn’t take any more imagination today

than it did 50 years ago, for example, to figure out what stinks about thousands of cows.

But the technological leaps of the 21st century have not leap-frogged the agriculture industry. Farmers are getting savvy about how they deal with the growing pains of a successful herd. And they’re going the green route.

Norm-E-Lane Farms is home to one of the latest and greatest earth-saving gadgets: an anaerobic digester, more commonly known on the farm as a cow stomach.

Simply put, cow manure goes into the device, is converted to biogas over a period of many days, and the methane in the biogas is burned to generate electricity – quite a lot of electricity, in fact. The dairy farm is currently producing and selling back to the local utility company enough electricity to power roughly 500 homes.

The odor is completely eliminated because all of the cow waste is used, and the contraption also yields top-quality liquid fertilizer and animal bedding.

“It’s a great innovation, especially for odor reduction, which is becoming more and more of an issue,” says Jeremy Meissner, co-owner of the family farm with his father, uncle and cousin.

Norm-E-Lane’s cow stomach is only one of many ways in which the face of agriculture is changing. The industry is rising to the demands of an economy that wants more output faster and with less waste.

“If everything worked out the way I envision it, Marshfield would be powered by cows,” says Brad Guse, a vice president and agricultural lender at M&I Bank who also serves as chair of the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s agribusiness committee. “It could happen.”

Case in point: The agribusiness and energy councils of MACCI are spearheading an effort to power a cheese plant with an anaerobic digester on a USDA experimental dairy farm. The digester would process not only cow manure but also waste from the cheese plant itself to generate cheese-making electricity.

“That technology, while it’s not new, has not been adapted on the farms very readily,” Guse says. “Wisconsin has gained a

foothold in that because of the large number of dairy farms that we have.”

Keeping agriculture ahead of the technology curve is important to this region that relies so heavily on the industry.

“Dairy is certainly the bread and butter of Central Wisconsin,” says Tom Drendel, superintendent of the University of Wisconsin – Marshfield/Wood County Agricultural Research Station.

In fact, just the four counties surrounding Marshfield would rank among the top 15 states for number of cows, edging out Vermont with more than 150,000 heads.

“So when you say how big of an impact dairy has in Central Wisconsin,” Drendel says, “it’s tremendous.”

Fortunately, the industry that made the region famous has an eye on the agricultural future – and the innovative technology to prove it.

ith the opening of the $40 million Laird Center for Medical Research, Marshfield’s profile in the health-care world just got a whole lot bigger.

Named for former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Marshfield resident Melvin Laird, the $40 million Laird Center sits on the campus of the Marshfield Clinic, which itself has long been a hub of activity for a broad range of biomedical research. The clinic continues to develop cutting-edge technology on its own and in partnership with other major medical and education institutions in the state and around the country.

The new facility will allow for the expansion of existing research as well as new efforts in areas that only now are beginning to be explored, says Reed Hall, executive director of the Marshfield Clinic.

“We have great potential for spin-off opportunities and growth within our own clinic, and anticipate a lot of inventions in the future,” he says. “We have a remarkable, state-of-the-art facility to work from and many issues evolving ahead of us.”

Hall and others involved with the Laird Center’s development say that the complex wouldn’t exist without the enthusiastic buy-in of Marshfield’s residents and business community. From major donors on down, the community has been an active supporter of the clinic’s work and new efforts, says Steve Yorde, chief development officer for the clinic.

“We received $17 million of the $40 million from indi-viduals,” Yorde says. “Some of those were grateful patients and their families, some were businesses and companies. We also had strong contributions from the doctors and staff.”

All told, the clinic had about 900 donors for the Laird Center, a number that demonstrates community support as well as how medical research and development is becoming a strong force for regional economic growth.

“Any addition to the clinic is always a bonus to the city and

surrounding area as far as attracting additional, spin-off busi-ness,” says Jason Angell, director of planning and economic development for the city of Marshfield. “When it comes to medical development, just having the Laird Center here is a strong advantage because, along with the clinic, it gives us that much more of a leg up on our competitors.”

The city can hone its business-recruitment message to target research firms and supply companies, Angell adds.

“We’re not at the point where we’re competing with the Mayo Clinic, but we’re more of a player at the regional level,” he says. “When we can point to the facilities that are right here in town, we can showcase who’s here for the long haul. That can provide an extra level of security for people who are looking to relocate a headquarters or maybe expand their business into Marshfield. The clinic and the center are perfect building blocks for our community.”

And while the major building activity at the clinic is over for now, ongoing projects will help Angell and other city planners realize that goal, Hall says.

“Our personalized medicine program continues to be strong, and the Wisconsin Genomics Initiative has great potential for universities and other public health institutions within the state,” he says. “Working together, there are some very exciting things on the horizon.”

or a taste of Marshfield history – along with some palate-pleasing microbrews and menu selections – folks are

checking out the Blue Heron BrewPub and West 14th Restaurant, two eateries located under one roof in the historic Parkin Place building on West Ninth Street.

“Part of the attraction is that we’re in this old building,” says Rita Meier, one of the owners. “The Parkin building is on both the state and the national historic registers.” She and her husband, physician Paul Meier, and two other couples – chef Joe and Cari Loos (from the original West 14th Tavern and Eatery) and Dr. Tom and Paula Hinke – came together to develop the dining complex that opened in 2005.

The former dairy processing plant where Marshfield residents remember purchasing ice cream treats when they were kids now serves up pints of Honey Blonde, Tiger’s Eye, Parkin’s Pilz and other microbrews available only here.

Central Waters Brewing Co. initially brewed beer for the establishment, but its growing bottled beer market soon

demanded the company’s full attention. However, brewmaster Craig Ziolkowski left Central Waters to stay on and craft recipes exclusively for Blue Heron and West 14th.

“We have awesome beers,” Meier notes, “and now we have our very own brewer.” And while they can’t buy it in a bottle, customers can purchase a growler to take beer out of the pub.

Guests rave about The Pub’s signature sandwich that features thick strips of prime rib, sautéed peppers, hearty garlic sauce and a slab of melted sharp cheddar cheese on a ciabatta bun. Other Blue Heron favorites include the chicken pesto panini and sweet potato fries.

West 14th, located upstairs, offers fine dining selections ranging from exotic fish and tender steak to grilled pork medallions with port wine cranberry sauce.

Both establishments also have space available for special events and parties. Visit or for more information.

ood pantries all over the country are struggling to keep their shelves

stocked with food and household neces-sities for increasing numbers of people in need. Winter can be the toughest season of all.

But here in Marshfield, the commu-nity takes great pride in helping its neighbors by gathering literally tons of food for local food banks at the annual Rotary Winter Wonderland. The dazzling display of holiday lights runs from the day after Thanksgiving through December 30 at Wildwood Park and Zoo.

“There is no charge to come through the park, but we do ask for a donation of food or money,” says Shannon Nienast, steering committee chairman for Rotary Winter Wonderland. “Last year [2007], we collected more than 17 tons of food (about 35,000 items), which goes to support local food pantries.”

The event started in 2006, and overwhelming community support has already made it a shining success.

“What started as a joint project between the Noon Rotary and Sunrise Rotary has grown to be a truly com-munity-wide event,” Nienast explains,

noting that local businesses donate to help fund the event.

It takes hundreds of volunteers to string the 350,000-plus bulbs that light up the park, but 20,000 visitors each year appreciate the effort. The drive-through route takes about 10 minutes, while folks on foot spend anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes in the park – and see a lot more that way.

“The setting is the zoo, so displays include lots of animals,” Nienast says. “There’s a live Santa every night through December 25 and a live nativity scene. Our signature display is called the Electric Splash – inspired by the foun-tains at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.” Other attractions include Christmas karaoke, a snowman contest and a children’s parade.

ome 1,000 stores across the United States buy furniture produced right here in Marshfield. So do hotels, resorts

and retailers – from family-owned Marshfield Furniture.The business built its Marshfield factory more than

50 years ago and today is considered the premier manufacturer of special-order furniture in the Midwest.

“The company has evolved over time to produce quality products that are in demand all over the country,” says Bill Mork, owner and president. “We pride ourselves on being Wisconsin-made, made in the USA.”

In addition to traditional patterns, the company has developed unique designs for niche styles, including Western, Southwest, country cottage and outdoor themes. It offers more than 80 frame styles and 500 different fabrics, many of which are exclusive licensed artwork stamped on leather or woven into tapestry upholstery.

Furthermore, the company’s sofa design makes it easy to convert a regular sofa into a sleeper. The patented

hen it comes to education, this town gets an A+.

Marshfield School District’s sports, music and art programs and modern, safe schools boast outstanding perfor-mance, says Bruce King, superintendent of schools. But its academics earn the highest honors.

Based upon Advanced Placement science test scores, Siemens Corp. named Marshfield High School the 2007-08 top science school in the state.

“We just found out that the high school had the top two AP scholars in Wisconsin for the second year in a row,” King says. The national AP program annually awards the state scholar des-ignation to only one female and one male student per state.

Nearly 300 MHS students took AP classes in 2007-08, and almost half of those qualified as AP scholars, an accomplishment that requires a grade of 3 or higher on an AP exam and counts toward college credit. Nationwide, only

about 18 percent of AP students earn scholar designations.

It’s no wonder Newsweek magazine’s 2008 list of top public high schools ranked Marshfield No. 2 in Wisconsin and among the top 500 in the nation.

The district serves more than 4,000 students at five elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. “Our facilities are excellent,” King says.

Area private schools also deliver impressive results, particularly Marshfield Area Catholic Schools. Its consolidated, college-preparatory private education system spans early childhood through high school and sends the majority of its graduates on to post-secondary learning environments.

Father Don Meuret, dean of MACS, estimates that 99 percent of students pursue higher education – many at prestigious institutions. “We’ve had students accepted at every major uni-versity, including Yale, Harvard and Berkeley,” he says.

convertible design allows customers to upgrade without having to buy a whole new sofa, Mork explains.

He recently created another innovative piece of furniture, following his experience with chemotherapy. A proud, two-time cancer survivor, Mork designed a chair to provide maximum seating comfort to patients receiving treatment. “The chemo is uncomfortable enough,” he says. “The recliner you’re sitting in while you receive it shouldn’t be uncomfortable too.” The invention is now being used in a number of hospitals.

Marshfield Furniture employs 115 workers who have been with the company an average of 11 years – a factor Mork believes leads to its repute for high-quality products. “We work hard, and we have a good crew,” he says.

We are a local community bank with two branches located at:

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Heritage Bank907 N. Central Ave.

Marshfield, WI 54449 (715) 384-4005

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ushels of fresh, green produce; flats of juicy berries; glistening jars of

honey, jams, jellies and maple syrup; bedding plants and cut flowers; potatoes, apples, rhubarb, onions and gourds – all of these homegrown delights can be found at two farmers’ markets flourishing in Marshfield.

“You’ll also see some arts and crafts. Another big thing is homemade bread,” says Arlene Norberg, administrative assistant at Main Street Marshfield, the downtown revitalization organization that sponsors the farmers’ market at Pick N Save’s parking lot on South Central Avenue. In three years, it has grown to include some 15 vendors.

Open Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m., mid-June through September, the market draws about 200 customers a week, Norberg says. “We’ve had very good turnout – a steady flow of people. The community’s been very supportive.”

Local farmers also bring their wares to the 10-year-old market held in the parking lot of Festival Foods on North Central Avenue every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., mid-July through October.

“We have all – and only – local growers at our farmers’ market,” says Andy Cveykus, store director. “Our vendors – anywhere from 20 to 30 every week – grow the food they sell. We don’t allow vendors to bring in food they’ve bought somewhere else.” Talk about homegrown.

And if you’re hankering for that homemade whole-grain bread, you can get it from the Burich Bunch Bakery booths at both farmers’ markets. Gary Burich and his family built the bakery on their farm just in time for the 2008 season.

“We have six children, [ages three through 13], and they all help on some level,” Burich says, from grinding the grain into flour to measuring grains into bins.

“The farmers’ market offers a nice variety of things,” Burich adds, “plus it’s a chance to gather and develop relationships, not only as customers and vendors, but as neighbors sharing our lives.”

– Stories by Carol Cowan

hy don’t we have paper towels?”

This is a ques-tion Susan Twiggs

has become accustomed to hearing at her Marshfield business, Karuna Yoga Studio. She understands her students’ confusion but explains that using cloth towels reduces the studio’s paper waste – one of many steps Twiggs has taken to qualify her studio as “green.”

Natural cork flooring (to save trees), a geothermal heating system (to conserve fuel) and no-mow grass (to reduce emis-sions) are just a handful of the studio’s earth-friendly measures.

“Environmental and green stuff is very compatible with yogic values. You try to have a filter and think about, ‘How is this affecting the environment?’” Twiggs says.

Marshfield is brimming with busi-nesses and individuals that are taking a more natural approach to daily living.

For example, Sustainable Marshfield is a committee established by the city council in early 2007. Some of its focuses include energy conservation initiatives, earth-friendly building and developing, and energy-efficient transportation.

The Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry has also formed a committee to assess the changing energy landscape and keep the city at the forefront of green technology.

“We want to promote renewable energy because it’s clean and it’s the right thing to do. But we also want to promote economic development,” says Jim Schnaedter, chair of MACCI’s renew-able energy council.

Currently, MACCI is working with the University of Wisconsin and a private engineering firm to install an anaerobic digester for research. Plans for a wind farm in the area, though in

their infancy, are also being discussed.Schnaedter is also associate dean of

business and general education at Mid-State Technical College, which operates two solar panels that generate electricity for the school. The panels were installed as part of the school’s three new programs: renewable electrical energy, renewable thermal energy and bio-refinery, none of which can be found elsewhere in the state.

Area demand for in-home alternative energy applications is certainly on the rise. Ron Fischer, part owner of House of Heating, says they’ve been installing geothermal heat ing systems at a rate of two or three per year for the last 19 years. In 2008, they installed 15.

“[For] most homeowners using oil or propane gas to heat their homes today, this could save them 60 to 70 percent on

their fuel costs,” Fischer says.In the push for energy efficiency and

conservation, many believe knowledge is half the battle. It was partly this under-standing that led Marshfield Utilities to create the new position of energy and water conservation coordinator in 2008.

“This is to demonstrate Marshfield Utilities’ commitment to the community by establishing a position such as this to help homeowners and business to be as energy efficient and conserve as much water as possible,” says Michelle Adamski, bearer of the new title.

In addition to promoting education and awareness regarding energy, Adamski will work to organize free energy audits to show homeowners specifically how they can cut back on their power bills and reduce their total energy consumption.

When Victor Ceron arrived in Marshfield in 2002, one thing was immediately clear: “Obviously, Marshfield needed a Mexican restaurant,” says Ceron, a trained restaurateur who lost no time in opening El Mezcal Restaurant.

Since then, it has become a local favorite. Diners come for the burritos, chimichangas, fajitas and cheese enchi-ladas – and the atmosphere. Enter the restaurant, and “you feel like you are in Mexico with the music, the decorations, the food and the service,” Ceron says.

There is no shortage of rave reviews either. Visitors to the popular travel Web site TripAdvisor.com rate El Mezcal as the No. 1 restaurant in Marshfield, and customers are lavish in their notes of praise posted online.

Marshfield has it all, as far as Ceron is concerned.

“There’s a variety of cultures here,” Ceron says. “They have people coming from around the country to work at the Marshfield Clinic. And it is a great place to establish my family.”

The restaurant has been so successful

that Ceron and his business partner have opened three more eateries in neighboring cities.

Russ Wenzel likes to say his great-grandfather came to Wisconsin from Germany more than 100 years ago with a “smile on his face and lint in his pocket.”

He also brought along the tradition of sausage making, inspiring his son and grandsons to open a family business in 1949.

Sixty years later, Wenzel’s Farm Sausage has grown into a large wholesale sausage company employing nearly three dozen workers. The company makes and dis-tributes more than 30 products under its own name, as well as four private-label brands at grocery and convenience stores throughout the Midwest.

Wenzel’s beef sticks are its most pop-ular product, says Russ Wenzel, who now owns the company. It also produces bologna, summer sausage and kielbasa based on the original recipes Wenzel’s great-grandfather brought with him from the old country.

After more than a century, manu-facturing methods have changed, relying on computer-controlled grinders and stuffers rather than filling casings with sausage by hand. But Wenzel says that his family’s commitment remains to producing the highest quality sausage. The company also offers online sales at

.

When the tallest skyscraper on the planet opens in the tiny Middle Eastern nation of the United Arab Emirates, visitors will be walking through doors made by Marshfield DoorSystems.

The company manufactures doors and door components for commercial buildings, including schools, hotels, prisons, hospitals, office buildings and religious institutions. In 2007, the com-pany shipped more than 700,000 doors to customers across the world.

Marshfield DoorSystems traces its roots to 1890, when it was established in Marshfield by an immigrant from Norway. More than a century later, the company has become a world leader in architectural doors. When Burj Dubai, the tower in the United Arab Emirates, is complete, all of its doors will be

from Marshfield DoorSystems, says vice president JoAnne Firestone.

A fellow Marshfield business, Felker Brothers, is also involved in the project, supplying stainless steel piping for the ambitious high-rise, expected to top more than 160 floors. After five years of construction, Burj Dubai is slated to open in fall 2009.

Mitten’s Furniture, Appliance & Electronics has been a downtown fix-ture for 70 years, operating in two other locations before settling into its current 46,000-square-foot store and warehouse.

“We’ve moved and expanded a lot, but all our locations have been downtown because it’s a great place to do business,” says owner Bill Mitten, grandson of the store’s founder.

Mitten says the company started out as an appliance-only store but expanded to include furniture in 1989. It has a 10,000-square-foot Broyhill Furniture Gallery on the ground floor.

The business continues to sell a full range of refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and other appliances, as well as household electronics. The store also offers delivery and servicing, Mitten says.

“You could take care of pretty much anything in your house here,” he says.

Some customers come from as far as

100 miles away, he says, though most live within 30 miles of the city.

When a firefighter steps into a burning building, there’s a good chance he or she will be relying on footwear designed and manufactured by Weinbrenner Shoe Co.

The company has been a pioneer in protective workplace footgear since 1892 and is responsible for many of the safety design elements that are the industry standard today.

With one facility in downtown Marshfield and another in Merrill, Wis., the company produces more than 1,800 pairs of shoes and boots a day, equipping firefighters, construction workers, police officers, postal workers, electricians and soldiers.

Orders are placed from as far away as Japan and Barbados. In fact, Weinbrenner supplies the footwear for all of the latter island’s firefighters and police, plant manager Steve Wolf says.

The company’s designers continue to create and test leading-edge styles in safety footwear. For instance, a new insole for some of Weinbrenner’s Thoroughgood Hellfire brand of firefighter boots con-tains seven layers of interwoven bonded material to protect feet from nail punctures while being considerably lighter and more comfortable than steel plates.

– Anita Wadhwani

CHECK OUR VITALS

Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry

... A Great Place to Grow a Business!

MARSHFIELD, WISCONSIN

access to larger metro markets

research facilities

system, technical college and

and distribution

he Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry has a very simple message: There’s no such thing as being too young, or too busy, to help promote business

and the community. And with a full roster of programs, it practices what it preaches.

A prime example of the chamber’s efforts is the Leadership Marshfield program, which began in 1993. Each year, it accepts applications from 24 individuals from all walks of the city’s life and educates them on everything from local government operations to business and industry sectors, even throwing in quality of life issues to round out the program.

The spirited graduates not only complete a community project during the program but also often seek elected office or otherwise step up their contributions to the city.

“Throughout the eight-month program, they look at a particular sector of Marshfield, and it’s a real eye-opener for both people who are new to our community and people who have lived here for years,” says Debbie Bauer, program director. “The projects they have worked on over the years have included the sister city program, Habitat for Humanity houses and our blue-tub recyclables program. These are things that started with Leadership Marshfield and will carry on for many years, making a real difference in our community.”

The chamber also focuses on the city’s young people, both by being an advocate for the school system and through the Youth Apprenticeship program, which teams area high school students with businesses in which they’re interested. Roxie Wetterau, workforce development director for the chamber, says the Youth Apprenticeship program has grown significantly

since being authorized by the state legislature in 1991.“Businesses get to observe potential job candidates firsthand,

and they take a lot of pride in knowing that they’ve been able to create a more skilled workforce for their industry,” Wetterau says. “And the students get that training, as well as a head start on a career while they’re still in high school.”

The program participants, who earn part-time wages and other benefits, are evaluated for their competency in specific areas. Having formerly overseen Saint Joseph’s Hospital’s apprenticeship, Wetterau vouches for the program’s value.

“We retained three of 10 employees who began as nursing assistants,” she says. “And some of the others who went to college to get their nursing degrees may well come back, which is what we are hoping for.”

Advocating for businesses, both in terms of overall growth and employee training and retention, ties into another of the chamber’s major pushes: economic development.

“Due to most of the community’s growth coming from existing businesses, our business retention program is a vital component of the chamber’s economic development efforts,” says Karen Olson, business development director. “We attempt to analyze how the business is currently doing, their plans for the future and then discuss how we can assist them in their efforts to grow the business.”

Connecting entrepreneurs and small businesses with mentor organizations, grants and other funding opportunities is another major focus, she says, along with marketing local business and industrial parks and other commercial assets.

– Joe Morris

Six weeks-1st day of Kindergarten

4K-2nd grade

Pre-K & 3rd-5th grade

6th-8th grade

9th-12th grade

igh school graduation is the start, not the finish, of educational opportunities in Marshfield, a

fact greatly appreciated by employers and residents alike.

The University of Wisconsin – Marshfield/Wood County and Mid-State Technical College’s Marshfield campus both offer a wide range of programs, everything from associate degrees and specialized certificate programs to arts and language classes for those who wish to expand their own horizons.

Both institutions continue to invest heavily in their workforce-related pro-grams, adding new areas of study as well as new methods of teaching that shorten the time it takes to complete a degree’s worth of coursework. That’s certainly the case at UW – Marshfield/Wood County, which now offers the FastTrack Degree program, allowing part-time students to obtain an associate degree with a business emphasis in two and a half years.

The program’s classes use the hybrid method, which incorporates traditional classroom work with online instruction and is also most cost-effective, says Dr. Andrew Keogh, dean and chief executive officer of UW’s Marshfield campus.

“Typically, online courses are more expensive,” he says. “But with FastTrack, you pay the traditional classroom tuition rate but have the convenience of online. That’s a savings of nearly $100 per three-credit class.”

FastTrack students take just one class at a time – three five-week courses in the fall and spring semesters, one three-week course in the winter, and two six- or eight-week courses in the summer, according to the university.

Getting a jump-start on technology

is the focus at Mid-State Technical College, which is in the midst of rolling out a comprehensive renewable energy program. The school launched its bio-refinery technology, renewable thermal energy technician and renewable energy technician degree programs at the beginning of the fall 2008 semester, and hopes to add renewable energy specialist and energy efficiency technician to the roster by August 2009, says Dr. John W. Anderson, program coordinator.

“About three years ago, several indi-viduals began to investigate how MSTC could support the fledgling renewable energy industry and begin exposing our students to these technologies,” Anderson says.

In August 2007, the Wisconsin Technical College System’s development of the five renewable programs began with the enthusiastic backing by the MSTC board and the WTCS office and

board, Anderson says.“The formal process to develop these

programs involved extensive investi-gation to assess the employment outlook and workforce training needs within the renewable energy industry,” he says. “We quickly discovered that, while small, the RE industry was rapidly growing and that many businesses were having difficulty expanding their operations because of a lack of skilled technicians.”

The new jobs offer both competitive wages and the chance to cross-train into other related fields, Anderson adds.

“Most of the current employers are paying starting wages of $15 an hour or more,” he says. “Additionally, graduates of these programs will have enhanced access into the electrical, plumbing and steam-fitting trades or continue their education and pursue a bachelor’s degree or more.”

– Joe Morris

Your community-owned utility

he bold, bright colors of South American fruits and flowers are popping up all over Marshfield, thanks to artist Victoria Montoya Mesa.

A Colombia native, Mesa is enjoying her second stint as a Wisconsin resident. She and her husband, Juan, a cardiologist, lived in the area in the 1980s, and then returned to Colombia for several years before making their way back to Marshfield eight years ago.

The mother of three is also a physician, though she doesn’t practice in the United States. Here she wields a paintbrush rather than a stethoscope, and to great acclaim. But to hear her tell it, painting is just something she dabbles in.

“I started painting when I was pregnant with my son, 19 years ago, and it was wonderful,” Mesa says. “It felt great, and I thought, ‘This is the way to go.’ I started doing it at home, painting things I liked, things with bright colors and interesting surfaces.”

Working primarily in acrylics, Mesa focuses on fruits, vegetables and f lowers. Her perspective is so intimate, however, that you might be forgiven for not being quite sure what you’re looking at right away. That’s the idea, she says.

“I paint very, very close up, so that the canvas is full,” she says. “Sometimes you can’t tell what it is, so you have to interpret what is there. For some people it’s a piece of fruit; for others it’s a mountain range. I want people to find different things in the art.”

After working from home for years, Mesa took advantage of the newly created Chestnut Avenue Center for the Arts when

it opened in 2003. In addition to offering studio space, the facility offers classes, gallery shows, workshops and perfor-mances. Its goal is to be a catalyst for artists of all types, and Mesa’s early presence there has served as an ongoing inspiration to other artists, says Mark Nelson, president of the center’s board of directors.

“What happens in smaller communities is that sometimes people who are involved in the arts are in different places and not visible to each other or the public the way they would be in a large community,” Nelson says. “At the center, we provide a connecting point for people in the arts and for people who are interested in the arts. Victoria has been with us almost since the beginning, creating those beautiful, lush paintings. She has said that having her studio space at the Chestnut Avenue Center for the Arts has helped her creativity, which is exactly what we want to do.”

In addition to her regular paintings, Mesa has done a mural at El Mezcal, a local restaurant, and two at Columbus Catholic High School. As she moves into more large-scale work, Mesa says that she likes being plugged in with other creative types at the center, drawing inspiration from their input.

“The people there are always trying to promote art in central Wisconsin, and I can paint and also help do that,” she says. “It’s nice to have that artistic community. And when I come back from Colombia with a lot of pictures of the flowers there, that’s where I go to start painting them.”

– Joe Morris

8 0 0 . A C S . 2 3 4 5 / c a n c e r . o r g

©2002 American Cancer Society, Inc.

questions answers

aint Joseph’s Hospital is running out of wall space.

Accolades have been pouring in, continuing a long streak of award winning for the 504-bed hospital.

For two consecutive years, the hos-pital’s geriatrics and ear, nose and throat programs have been ranked on U.S. News and World Report’s top 50 lists for their respective categories. Also in 2008, Saint Joseph’s was one of fewer than 30 hospitals across the nation to receive the

Premier Award for Quality from the Premier Health Care Alliance.

“It’s an affirmation of the quality of the work that the physicians and the staff do,” says Dr. Michael Kryda, chief executive officer of Saint Joseph’s. “It starts with very good people, both on the medical staff side and on the hospital staff side.”

The U.S. News and World Report ranking is based on a survey con-ducted by the research organization

RTI International, which judges hospitals against strict statistical measures in 12 specialty categories. The hospitals that make the first cut are then whittled down based on reputation, procedure outcome and other factors such as data from the American Hospital Association. Of more than 5,400 hospitals that cleared the initial elimination this year, the Marshfield facility was one of only 170 included in the final report.

The prestigious Premier award, based on measures of quality and efficiency, puts Saint Joseph’s among the top 1 percent of more than 3,800 hospitals across the nation recognized for this important criteria.

Hospitals & Health Networks also named Saint Joseph’s one of the nation’s Most Wired Hospitals for a town of its size, an award the facility has received multiple times over the last decade.

“Information technology is a big issue in health care these days, and between ourselves and the Marshfield Clinic, there’s been a lot of interest and invest-ment in IT on Marshfield campus,” says Kryda. “It’s really insightful leadership going back for many years.”

The award stems from the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, which measures how information and technology are used to enhance safety and quality, customer service, business processes, workforce and public health and safety.

Often as a hospital’s reputation builds, so does its patient volume – but Saint Joseph’s is already preparing. Planning is under way for an expansion, slated to begin around summer of 2009. While details are still tentative, the motivation behind the project is firm.

“An expansion will position us for the future,” says Kryda, “in terms of making sure we try as best we can to anticipate the needs of the region and the patients we serve by providing them a safe, quality environment going forward.” – Michaela Jackson

here are seemingly no boundaries on outdoor activities in and around Marshfield.

A plethora of paths, parks and trails draw out urban dwellers on a daily basis, while hunting and other seasonal sports pull people into the nearby countryside year-round.

The trail system that runs throughout Marshfield is a prime example. Operated by the city’s parks and recreation department, winding trails can be found virtually everywhere: on Veterans Parkway, Galvin Avenue and Pecan Parkway; in Griese Park, McMillan Marsh and the Prairie Run development; and at the UW – Marshfield/Wood Arboretum, Weber’s Nature Park, Hamus Nature Preserve & Recreation Area and Wildwood Park and Zoo.

And there’s even more to come, as the parks department is putting the finishing touches on two additional connector trails near Wildwood Station and the arboretum.

The city also has developed a pedestrian/bicycle master plan that is reviewed and updated regularly by city staff and the board of public works, says Ed Englehart, director of the Marshfield Parks & Recreation Department.

The city just got funding for another trailway initiative. “It received approval from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for $798,000, or 80 percent of the total project cost, in funding assistance to construct an asphalt pedestrian/bicycle trail from Wildwood Park at 17th Street on the south side of the city to McMillan Street on the north side,” Englehart says. The project is scheduled for construction in 2011.

Anything that adds to hiking and biking space is good news to Dennis Riedel, who owns The Sports Den, a fixture on the local athletic scene since 1975. In addition to cycling and skiing equip ment, Riedel also operates a fitness center at the business, and he says that the area’s consistent attention to its trails and outdoor recreation opportunities continue to pay off for residents.

“The trail systems continue to get better and better,” Riedel says. “The latest grant from the [state] department of trans-portation is going to allow us to really expand alternative transportation, which is a plus. We also have a very friendly roadway system here, where it’s easy to get from one corner of town to the other pretty easily, so that’s helping more people to bike as well.”

The Healthy Lifestyles-Marshfield Area Coalition campaign also helps in that regard, promoting any and all outdoor activity, which has led to a steady rise in downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and other wintertime activities as well, Riedel adds.

For many residents, outdoor sports means hunting – and a trip to retailer Bull’s Eye Sports.

“We are a big area for white-tail deer, but black bears are becoming a little more prevalent here now,” says Scott Schoenherr, who opened the sporting goods store in 1997. “We also have a lot of people coming in for fishing equipment, and continue to see our overall customer base grow. People are going out now throughout the year, not just when it’s warm.” – Joe Morris

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