No one can make it alone!

Partnerships and collaboration were the theme that tied together all the award winners at the Pierce County Economic Development Corp. Awards Breakfast Friday, June 9 at the Radisson Hotel in River Falls. The common bond between all award recipients was the efforts put forward to help businesses succeed from PCEDC Executive Director Joe Folsom and his staff.

The awards honored the businesses and business leaders who made the biggest impact in 2022.

Nate Boettcher of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services kicked off the meeting with highlights of a successful 2022.

“I want to say, first and foremost, thanks to Joe Folsom, our executive director. Joe had a challenging year (health wise), but he’s here with us today stronger and more passionate than ever to ensure the success of the EDC and the businesses in our community,” he said.

Business is good in Pierce County, and the PCEDC is a big reason why.

“Pierce County still has a lot of momentum. A lot of people will talk about the I-94 corridor, especially east of the St. Croix River, but I think we’ve got a lot of great opportunities here in Pierce County to support the economy of the future,” said Boettcher.

The push for broadband expansion that Pierce Pepin’s Swift Current division helped lead was a PCEDC initiative.

“We have over 1,000 miles now of fiber optic cable in Pierce County by broadband providers,” said Boettcher. “With fiber optic internet, every business now has the opportunity to do really, really great things, and it’s such an essential service today.”

Boettcher noted the next focus is bringing in more affordable housing.

“Over the next five years, it’s imperative we solve the affordable housing issue that allows opportunities for families to raise their families and feel connected to their communities,” said Boettcher.

Folsom said another focus of the PCEDC is getting the word out about Pierce County as a tourist destination.

“Some of our focus is to create more opportunities for small businesses that are capitalizing on visitors that come to our community,” he said. “We want to take that to the next level. We see a great opportunity there.”

Here’s a look at the 2022 award winners.

Entrepreneurial Star Award – Myron Marko, Holy Donuts

Board member Becky Beissel presented Myron Marko of Holy Donuts with the Entrepreneurial Star Award.

“The backbone of the Pierce County economy is the entrepreneurs who develop the small companies providing unique and innovative products,” she said. “Marko started his business at the age of 16, and now operates out of food space created at the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center.”

Said Marko, “It’s really an awesome award. I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
He thanked Sheri Marnell, Director of the St. Croix Valley Innovation Center, for her dedication in getting the food preparation developed.

“It’s awesome to have a space like that. That’s exactly what I was hoping for,” he said.

Professional Business Leader of the Year – River Falls City Administrator Scot Simpson

Simpson has been administrator in River Falls since 2009, managing city government and community growth while putting people first, according to award presenter, Dawn Hukai of UW-River Falls.

“Scot and his team have embraced the city’s values, have put people first, pursue excellence, act with integrity, serve our community and consider future generations. They are executing a vision of a vibrant and safe community with an abundance of nature, arts, culture and metropolitan amenities,” Hukai said.

Simpson credited the award to collaboration of elected officials, city staff and outside partnerships.

“I just want to encourage everybody to keep having that partnership mentality and the humility to know that we can’t do it by ourselves,” he said.

Cornerstone Award – Paul Bauer, CEO, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery

Dan Lytle of Chippewa Valley Technical College presented the Cornerstone Award to Paul Bauer of the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery.

“Paul has exemplified leadership within the organization, and he led a sales and growth effort that transformed the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery into one of the county’s largest employers with an international reputation,” Lytle said.

Bauer has helped transform Ellsworth into a tourist destination and works tirelessly for the community, as well as “exerting influence on the dairy industry,” said Lytle.

“He has a true heart for local communities due to his belief that businesses and employees can only thrive within strong communities with excellent schools, amenities and quality of life,” said Lytle. “Paul has generously offered his mentorship and guidance to numerous upstarts, fostering their growth and strengthening our local economy. Despite his demanding schedule, Paul consistently seeks out challenges and complex local issues to tackle, from addressing the shortage of workforce housing to combatting the region’s childcare crisis and fostering workforce development. Paul’s relentless dedication has made a lasting impact on the Ellsworth community.”

Bauer was instrumental in raising $2 million for the new Ellsworth Public Library which opened this year.

“Some projects take time, and you need to invest that time and just stick with it,” said Bauer.

He said volunteers worked for years to turn around the Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival into the success it is today. Bauer serves as Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce president.

“It took about seven years to turn that around to be a strong, profitable moneymaker for the chamber that we then reinvest in the community,” he said.

At the top of his list now is solving the workforce housing and shortage of childcare issues.

“It’s a huge problem, very complex,” he said of housing.

On childcare, he said between River Falls and Ellsworth, more than 700 childcare slots are needed.

“That’s bigger than most elementary schools. It’s a huge problem,” he said.

Career Pathways Award – Chippewa County Technical College

Larry Loverud of Xcel Energy presented the Career Pathways Award to Chippewa Valley Technical College. Accepting the award was Jeff Sullivan, executive dean of integrated technologies. He noted CVTC’s efforts to reach students while they are still in high school.

“Students can try courses that interest them while also earning college credits,” he said. “There were times that we were challenged to come up with new, innovative programming to serve the workforce in Pierce County. We’re able to collaborate with different partnerships to provide training that we’ve never done before. I’m looking forward to the opportunity for future growth. We do things at our college involving welding, nursing EMS, and we want to do more.”

Workforce Development Innovator Award – Kwik Trip

Boettcher presented the award to John McHugh, director of corporate communications for what Boettcher described as “an iconic brand in our area.” Kwik Trip is a staple in local communities, with plans to build a fourth River Falls location. The chain opened a store in Prescott last year.

“As every business knows, our company is not just the product or service they sell but the people who work to ensure the success of that business. Kwik Trip is proud of their employees,” Boettcher said.

McHugh said Kwik Trip ownership is dedicated to its employees.

“All of us in the company last year got a 12 percent cash bonus,” he said.

The stores and employees are dedicated to their communities.

“We’re successful because of all of the people,” he said.