TUE AM News: Talking Trade with Brian Dranzik, Milwaukee Mitchell Intl. Airport, and Jack Rabenn, Crow Holdings; Ag co-op planning $700M soybean facility near Evansville

September 15, 2026

— In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” partners in the new $80 million cargo terminal at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport say the project will bring more airborne economic activity to Wisconsin.

The podcast features an interview with Brian Dranzik, the airport’s director, and Jack Rabenn, managing director of the industrial group for Crow Holdings Development.

Adding the new cargo terminal has been more than five years in the making, Rabenn says, noting it will bring “an amenity to the state that it’s never had before.” The 330,000-square-foot facility includes a new taxiway and space for multiple large aircraft.

“Ideally we’d be taking some [traffic] from O’Hare, but we’re really a complement to it more than anything,” Rabenn said. “There’s plenty to go around in the Midwest … there’s a lot of demand that originates or ends up in southeast Wisconsin or broader Wisconsin.”

Much of the air cargo that moves through the region currently passes through Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Rabenn said.

“It’s just not efficient, there’s a lot of leakage for the state. So that’s the initial goal here, is to provide that service and amenity to the supply chains,” he said, referring to the area’s manufacturing sector.

Construction on the facility’s building frame and land are currently wrapping up, while Crow Holdings is continuing work on a 400,000-gallon fuel system. The company is targeting November to finish much of the project.

Dranzik says the new terminal will help address current fueling limitations, noting “it’s a scramble” to get diverted flights refueled on time without the new capacity.

“This facility allows us to handle that, and it provides kind of a variety of potential revenue opportunities for the operator as well,” Dranzik said, adding “the ability to retain that traffic, either coming from the state or the local area here, and provide jobs and provide the growth, it’s just going to be a wonderful benefit for us.”

Talking Trade is hosted by E.M Wasylik Associates Managing Director Ken Wasylik and M.E. Dey & Co. CEO Sandi Siegel and sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Carroll University and Michael Best Strategies.

Watch the full episode here.

“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe and find more episodes here.

— A large agribusiness cooperative has announced plans for a $700 million soybean processing facility in southcentral Wisconsin, with construction slated to start within weeks.

CHS yesterday rolled out details for the soybean processing facility near Evansville, which is planned to open in fall 2028. Once operational, the site will have capacity to process 80 million bushels of soybeans per year, boosting the company’s overall processing capacity by more than two-thirds.

The co-op has existing oilseed processing facilities in Minnesota, including a site in Hallock that processes 525,000 metric tons of canola seed per year, and locations in Fairmont and Mankato that process about 119 million bushels of soybeans annually.

Once the Evansville facility begins production in the soybean-rich region of the state, it’s expected to employ about 80 people and produce 1 billion pounds of oil and 2 million tons of meal per year. The co-op notes “significant demand” for soybean meal among livestock producers in the area.

Along with the nearby soybean production, the co-op says access to rail service and transportation infrastructure “make it well positioned” to serve domestic and global markets for soybean products.

In yesterday’s announcement from the co-op, Gov. Tony Evers touted the company’s efforts to expand soybean processing in the state.

“Whether it’s creating permanent jobs for families or ensuring our farmers and producers have the tools and support they need to get their products to market across the globe, today’s announcement of a new facility is a win-win for our farmers and our state,” Evers said in a statement.

Wisconsin Soybean Association President Doug Rebout also praised the project announcement, noting it signals strong demand for the state’s soybean crop.

“Additional processing capacity gives growers another reliable market close to the farm and helps create long-term opportunities for Wisconsin soybeans in both meal and oil markets,” he said in the co-op’s announcement.

See project details.

Listen to a recent “Talking Trade” podcast with Rebout.

— Home sales in the greater Milwaukee area dipped by 2.3% in August, continuing a five-year streak for late summer downturns in the local market.

That’s according to the latest report from the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors, which shows 1,604 homes were sold across Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties last month. That’s down from 1,641 in August 2025.

“For whatever reason, buyers have taken the month of August off, but brokers are not worried,” report authors wrote, noting vacations and school year preparation can disrupt homebuying activity in August.

At the same time, listings are on the rise, as the four-county area had a “much-needed” 6.1% increase in August. That brought the year-to-date total to 11,982, exceeding the same point last year when 11,298 homes were available.

“When sales pause and listings increase the market usually experiences a decline in prices and longer days on market,” authors wrote. “However, we are not in that kind of market.”

The report highlights strong demand among buyers driving prices “up sharply” by 11.1% over the year, reaching $497,552.

“Additional supply — in the form of condominiums, townhomes, and single-family houses — would help slow the pace of price increases though it would not cause prices to decline,” authors wrote.

See the report.

— UW-Milwaukee is launching a new effort to expand the “real-world impact” of its research with $6 million from the National Science Foundation.

The university yesterday announced the four-year grant funding from the federal agency establishing the UWM TRANSLATE initiative, led by Lubar Entrepreneurship Center Director and Prof. Ilya Avdeev.

This project aims to “rethink” the university’s efforts to translate research into practical applications, while also forming a model for other urban public research universities. It will focus on various aspects of the university’s systems, ranging from faculty incentives to tenure and promotion criteria, as well as professional development and industry partnerships.

Meanwhile, the project will also put a greater emphasis on use-inspired research, looking at challenges facing private industry and other sectors. It will provide new support for researchers, along with training for students, faculty and leadership and an accelerator program offering up to $100,000 to certain projects.

Three so far have been approved, including a patient rehabilitation robotics project, an aquatic phosphate sensor, and an AI cybersecurity tool.

Avdeev says the effort seeks to “redesign the system” so translating research becomes part of the university’s culture rather than a side project.

One existing challenge is that faculty members interested in partnerships may not be aware of current technology needs for businesses, according to Avdeev.

“Those conversations only happen when a strategic partnership builds trust,” he said in the release. “This is where we see the biggest opportunity for change and the opportunity to design something new.”

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