St. Croix EDC: Mark Tyler presents workforce and Success by Six topics at EDC awards banquet

S. Mark Tyler, the founder and president of OEM Fabricators, Inc. based in Woodville, Wisconsin will speak at St. Croix EDC’s 2014 Business of the Year banquet on Thursday, Feb. 26 at R&D Banquet Hall (Ready Randy’s) in rural New Richmond.

Tyler founded OEM in 1986 as a steel fabricator serving original equipment manufacturers. Today OEM employs 480+ team members at its facilities in Woodville, Baldwin, Neillsville, and Phillips, Wisconsin. OEM serves a diverse customer base with a broad array of manufacturing processes. The company has twice been named a Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year, most recently in 2012, being the first company to receive the honor in the Workforce Development category. St. Croix EDC honored OEM Fabricators as the 2004 Business of the Year in St. Croix County (large employer category).

On the frontlines of workforce development in Wisconsin since the 1980s, Tyler has been instrumental in bringing together individuals, business leaders, educators and governmental entities for conversations that foster new and creative ways of approaching workforce challenges to produce economic gains for our region. In his banquet remarks Tyler will trace the evolution of workforce development priorities and how they intersect with his passion for championing Success By Six (SB6), a United Way initiative to support the physical, mental, emotional, and social development of children by age six.

In 2013, Tyler was awarded the Association for Career and Technical Education, Region 3 Award of Excellence, and the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators Award for Special Service to Wisconsin. An active member of the community, Tyler has participated in a wide spectrum of state and local boards and task forces, including:

Wisconsin Technical College System Board;

University of Wisconsin Board of Regents;

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce;

Governor’s Council on Workforce Investment;

West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board (member and past chair);

Manufacturing Works, Gold Collar Careers (founding board member); and

Success by Six (board member for St. Croix County)

Tyler and his wife Jackie operate Emerald Glenn Farm, an equine breeding and training farm that specializes in American Shetland and Welsh ponies.

On January 15th, St. Croix EDC announced its top businesses for 2014. They include Magma Flooring LLC (River Falls) as Emerging Business of the year; 45th Parallel Spirits, LLC (New Richmond) as the Small Business of the Year; and Vital Plastics, Inc. (Baldwin) as the Business of the Year (large employer category). Daryl Standafer of North Hudson, a retired banker and community supporter, is the recipient of the 2014 EDC Directors Award. Standafer has served on several boards, including St. Croix EDC, Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, St. Croix County Historical Society, and Carpenter Nature Center. He served on the County Board for 18 years, including six years as board chair and is currently a trustee on the North Hudson Village Board.

The February 26th banquet is open to the public but reservations are required. Reservations can be made by contacting St. Croix EDC. The cost of the dinner is $35, and the deadline to register is Wednesday, February 11th. The evening starts with registration, networking and social time (cash bar) at 5:00 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 followed by the awards and program.

For more information, contact Nita Dusek of St. Croix EDC at (715) 381-4383 or nita@stcroixedc.com.