Rewarding excellence

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jun 13, 2002 | by Cahalan, Steve

The city of La Crosse, Downtown Mainstreet Inc. and the owners of Wettstein's electronics and appliance store were honored Wednesday for efforts that led to the 2002 Great American Main Street Award that was presented to La Crosse in April by The National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The city, DMI and Dan, John and Ralph Wettstein received the Triangle of Achievement Award at the annual Industry Appreciation Breakfast sponsored by the La Crosse Area Development Corp. And Collee State Bank. More than 100 people attended the event at the Radisson Hotel.

La Crosse was one of five communities in the country to receive the national Main Street award in April.

The city and DMI developed the City Vision 2000 Master Plan, a downtown revitalization plan that was first implemented in 1993. The Wettsteins have been active in downtown revitalization efforts.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Factory Inc. at 2600 Hemstock St. received the Diamond Recognition Award, also known as the Manufacturer of the Year Award, for its continued growth. The business started in 1982 in a small pole shed in Brice Prairie and now has about 330 employees. It makes kitchen cabinet doors.

Coulee Region Entrepreneurial Business Plan Awards were presented to JZ Manufacturing Co. of La Crosse, which took first place in the annual business plan competition; Pertzsch Design Inc. of Onalaska, second place; and Nextique.com of La Crosse, third place. The competition is sponsored by LADCO and CenturyTel.

JZ Manufacturing, owned by Jamie Zelm, is a new business that makes lightweight, compact folding utility trailers used to move cargo behind an allterrain vehicle or lawn and garden tractor. Pertzsch Design, owned by Kathryn Pertzsch, is a new interior design business. And Nextique.com, started by Nick Lichter, offers a virtual showroom - similar to that of eBay - where antique traders can list their products and shop for other products.

Before the awards presentation, LADCO Executive Director James Hill told the audience that the state soon will designate eight technology zones to help increase high-tech jobs and employment. Each one will provide state income tax credits to eligible businesses.

"We did submit by their (state officials') estimation a very, very good application" for a technology zone, Hill said. The La Crosse area's application includes 14 different sites in the counties of La Crosse, Trempealeau, Jackson, Monroe, Juneau, Vernon and Crawford, he said.

La Crosse County Board Chairman Steve Doyle told the group that "a lot of progress in the area of economic development" has occurred in the county in the past decade. Doyle, who became chairman two months ago, said he wants to continue and even accelerate economic growth.

He said he plans to meet in the next few days with "some of the players" for input on what the county's role should be in economic development.

Doyle also said he has asked the county board to create a task force on intergovernmental collaboration within La Crosse County and the La Crescent area in Minnesota. The task force would have six months to develop recommendations on how governmental units can work together to share resources and save money.