2017 Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award Winners Announced

Neil Fauerbach, Partner – Director of Marketing
Smith & Gesteland, LLP
Office: 608-828-3110 – email
neil.fauerbach@sgcpa.com
Cell: 608-345-8178

Madison, WI – May 4, 2017: Eight family businesses were honored at the fourteenth annual Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award banquet held Thursday evening at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison. Five grand awards were presented along with three special awards.

“The resilience and creativity of the family businesses we see is remarkable. Five of this year’s nominees are over 100 Years old!” stated Julie Bogle, lead Partner in the Family Business practice at Smith & Gesteland, the award founding sponsor. “They are the cornerstones in their communities. We love recognizing the wonderful things they have done in Wisconsin.” she stated.

Thirty one companies were nominated for the awards. Winners were selected by an independent panel of judges. Grand Awards were presented in three size categories: Large (100+ employees), Medium (25-99), and Small (under 25). Special awards were given by the judges to companies excelling in a particular area.

Grand Awards
Brakebush Brothers, Inc, Westfield
Large Company
Crave Brothers Cheese & Farmstead Cheese, Waterloo
Medium Company
Wiedenbeck, Inc., Monona
Small Company

Special Awards/Titl
Central Storage & Warehouse Co., Inc., Madison
Service and Quality… Down Cold
County Materials Corporation, Marathon
Bridging the Skills Gap
Stoughton Trailers, LLC, Stoughton
Pulling for Success
Reynolds Transfer & Storage, Inc., Madison
Moving Through the Generations
Qual Line Corporation, Waunakee
Heart of Steel

The judges and sponsors also recognized Alex Upendo, founder of Build-a-Bow, LLC of Racine as an “Outstanding Entrepreneur” for his work to raise awareness of bullying.

About the Award: The Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award is sponsored by Smith & Gesteland, LLP, a Madison-based CPA and Business Consulting firm, First Business Bank, and the Husch Blackwell law firm, to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of family businesses that make an impact on their communities and on the Wisconsin economy.

Further information about the award can be found at www.familybusinessaward.com.

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