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Precision Plus Applauds and Supports Events of Local Organizations

Michael Reader

One of the pluses of being part of a community is to be able to give back and support the organizations that lift the community in time of need. Precision Plus proudly supports the following events and the organizations behind them.

June 13, 2015 – “The Lombardi Walk to Tackle Cancer,” is a fundraising event organized by the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation, which has raised over $18 million to help fight cancer. “The organization’s sole purpose is to raise funds for leading-edge cancer research and compassionate care at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinics at Aurora Health Care. The Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinics are located through eastern Wisconsin.”

The walk took place simultaneously in several cities in Wisconsin, including Williams Bay in Walworth County, at Edgewater Park. All teams and walkers were eligible to receive matching funds from the foundation. Precision Plus supported the walk with a medical milestone sponsorship.

June 13, 2015 – “The Movers & Shakers Classic,” is a golf outing organized by the Wisconsin Parkinson Association (WPA). Since its inception in 1984, this charity organization “has provided information and resources about Parkinson disease to enhance public education and awareness of the disorder and to support people with Parkinson’s and their families.” There are nearly 100 WPA support and exercise groups throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states.   It is estimated that in Wisconsin, there are more than 20,000 people living with the Parkinson disease.

Proceeds from the Movers & Shakers Classic are used to promote awareness, education and research for the disease. Precision Plus sponsored a hole at the event.

July 18, 2015 – “Goombay Bash,” is a lively Caribbean-themed annual fundraising event organized by the H Foundation. Over the last 15 years, the event has raised over $6 million dollars in seed money benefiting basic science cancer research, which accelerates discoveries that can lead to cures. The money raised has resulted in over $35 million in additional research funding.

Precision Plus has long supported this event taking place at Chicago’s Navy Pier, and has extended a Big Kahuna sponsorship for the 2015 event.

July 31, 2015 –“ McGMO Charity Golf Event” at Delbrook Golf Course in Delavan, Wisconsin, was established in 1997 by Tim McGregor, Mike Grover, John Monroe, and Kim O’Keefe. Friends since high school in Delavan, each of them had been touched directly by cancer. But they did more than turn to each other for support and decided to raise money to help others fighting cancer by organizing a golf outing that would directly benefit a local hospital.

Proceeds of the event will help fund a new comprehensive Aurora Health Care Cancer Center serving western Racine and Walworth counties featuring a state-of-the-art Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic. The first year, $9,000 was raised toward the purchase of blanket warmers. Donations have grown each year and now total more than $700,000 to date.

Precision Plus supports this event with a Double Eagle sponsorship.

August 1, 2015 – The 36th Annual Town of Delavan Fire Department & Rescue Squad’s Pork Roast and Dance is a greatly anticipated community event. Delavan’s Fire Department and Rescue Squad is a volunteer/on call team which provides services such as ALS emergency medical service, BLS emergency, medical service, firefighting, dive team, hazard material response, search and rescue, support, and vehicle rescue/extrication.

The event will take place at Township Community Park in Delavan, Wisconsin from 12pm until 11pm. Fun activities are planned throughout the day. Precision Plus is a proud supporter of the Delavan Fire Department and Rescue Squad.

2015 Manufacturing Career Panel To Be Held on February 18 at Elkhorn Area High School

Michael Reader

The third annual Manufacturing Career Panel will be held on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at Elkhorn Area High School. In partnership with Elkhorn Area H.S., Precision Plus will lead a panel of manufacturing experts who will talk to an audience of over 200 students from area high schools about bright and challenging manufacturing career possibilities. The event will take place from 1:00 to 2:35 p.m.

This year, four manufacturing industry leaders will participate as panelists, with Mike Reader of Precision Plus as  Master of Ceremonies. All four panelists have demonstrated their tenacious spirit to succeed and will share their experiences and insights with the students.

Dawn Tabat, Chief Operations Officer – Generac. Ms. Tabat, currently oversees manufacturing, logistics, global supply chain, quality, safety, information services and human resources. She began her career at Generac with a summer job on the assembly line. Tabat credits her corporate success to welcoming and making the best of opportunities as they presented themselves—a trait, which she strives to pay forward. With 2013 revenues of $1.5B, Generac Power Systems is a manufacturer of backup power generation products for residential, light commercial and industrial markets.

Geoff Martin, Principal and Senior Leader – GE Healthcare Partners; Service Line Leader for GE’s Hospital of the Future Solution. Mr. Martin leads implementation teams who provide transformational solutions for organizational redesign and governance enhancement of healthcare institutions. GE’s Solutions focuses on increasing access, decreasing costs, and improving quality in healthcare through a combination of consulting and technology.

Dennis Giesler, General Manager- Parker Hannifin’s Quick Coupling Division. Mr. Giesler has led the Quick Coupling Division—the world’s largest manufacturer of quick couplings–since 2008. The company also produces hydraulic and pneumatic couplings in a variety of sizes, materials, and end configurations to accommodate a broad spectrum of design requirements as well as offering hydraulic swivels, check valves and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

Rick Lofy, Lean Six Sigma Instructor at Gateway Technical College, and Coordinator, CNC Summer Youth Boot Camp held at IMET Center in Sturtevant, Wisconsin. Mr. Lofy will explain the boot camp program, and the benefits for students with regard to  skills and knowledge,  and work experience.  Additionally, he will address the boot camp’s expectations and hours.

Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus  Mr. Reader who has presented on our first two panels and is the chief organizer of the event. He along with Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at Precision Plus, have dedicated themselves to bringing the world of manufacturing to students of area schools through field trips, job shadows, internships, youth apprenticeships, and informational panels.

This event attracts high-caliber students who are up for the challenge offered in today’s high-tech manufacturing arena. Fourteen high schools have been invited to participate:

  • Badger High School (Lake Geneva, WI)
  • Beloit Memorial High School (Beloit, WI)
  • Big Foot High School (Walworth, WI)
  • Burlington High School (Burlington, WI)
  • Delavan Darien High School (Delavan, WI)
  • East Troy High School (East Troy, WI)
  • Faith Christian School (Williams Bay, WI)
  • Richmond Burton High School (Richmond, IL)
  • Union Grove High School (Union Grove, WI)
  • Waterford High School (Waterford, WI)
  • Westosha Central High School (Salem, WI)
  • Whitewater High School (Whitewater, WI)
  • Williams Bay High School (Williams Bay, WI)
  • Wilmot High School (Wilmot, WI)

For more information about the event, please contact Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at Precision Plus via phone or email.

Manufacturing helps to drive Wisconsin’s economy as a top contributor to the state’s real GDP ($50 billion in total output in 2013) and by employing16 percent (465,000) of the state’s workforce. While manufacturing was hit by the recent recession, it is making a fast-paced recovery. Reports indicate that the sector has recovered at least half of its jobs initially lost in the downturn, with the latest economic forecasts predicting continued employment growth and recovery into 2016. Manufacturing is expected to add nearly 19,000 jobs by 2020 (Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin).  Many of these jobs will require skills to support the technologically evolving and lean operations of manufacturing companies.

Manufacturing in Wisconsin will continue to be a prime source of employment as we have more workers in this career field than any other state. In addition, the manufacturing sector provides some of the best-paying non-managerial jobs, particularly for those with less than a 4-year college degree.

To view recaps of previous events, please click on the year: 20132014

Pier 290: Good Food for Good People in Williams Bay, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

Wisconsin craftsmanship takes on a new challenge!

The Gage family has been serving the Lake Geneva boating community for three generations and now embark on another venture, Pier 290.  With excursion boats based at the Riviera Docks in downtown Lake Geneva, boat service/sales in Williams Bay and Hwy. 50, and pier service around the lake, Bill and Rachel Gage set their sights on further complementing the boater experience.
Their vision was to remake the Williams Bay operations into more than just boating and fuel, but expanding into dining, refreshments and a comfortable place to unwind.

The vision must have been long in the making as the trove of memorabilia and repurposed pieces is impressive to the visitor.  One foot through the door and your eyes are overwhelmed with the woodwork and creative use of old propellers and other pieces.  Bill had salvaged many of these over the years, including classic woodwork from several of the old Lake Geneva mansions as the wrecking ball threatened to turn them into splinters.

Also salvaged before being torn down was butternut paneling from the “Reader House” at Lake Lawn Lodge in Delavan, and hand-hewn beams from one of the lodges.  The master wood craftsmen with Gage Marine’s wood boat restoration team were challenged to bring all these old pieces of hardwood back to life, doing a fantastic job.
Another opportunity presented itself last year when a storm knocked down several old Black Walnut trees in the Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy in Williams Bay.  Always an opportunistic looking to turn lemons into lemonade, Bill saw this as flooring materials for the new restaurant.  Here again, the Gage woodworking team set about transforming logs into flooring planks.  Not the typical work for the skilled team of classic mahogany boat refinishers, but very successful nonetheless.

So check out Pier 290 and all the other great things Gage Marine has going on in Williams Bay and watch this great video by Bill Gage where he talks about his vision.