MON AM News: Sentry Equipment plans to lean more on AI to support future growth; Baldwin urging Ascension Wisconsin to reconsider staffing plan

August 18, 2025

— Sentry Equipment plans to lean more on AI to support further growth, as the technology is expected to help address the company’s skilled labor concerns.

That’s according to Marcease Warren, vice president of manufacturing for the Oconomowoc-based industrial machinery company. It makes equipment for portable filtration, sample automation, coolant recycling and other processes.

In a recent interview, Warren said the nearly 100-year-old business has been struggling to find skilled workers to man its shop floors amid a competitive local labor market. It has about 200 employees overall with half located in Oconomowoc, he said.

“It’s been difficult to find machinists … especially in Waukesha County, the unemployment rate is ridiculously low out here, so we’re all competing for those same pools of resources,” he said Friday. “And then you’re … trying to poach from other companies to see if you can attract that talent from somewhere else into your organization.”

Waukesha County’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3% in June, below the statewide rate of 3.2% for the month, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Workforce Development.

“It’s difficult to find those passive jobseekers, especially in the manufacturing realm,” Warren said.

Looking ahead, Warren said the company plans to leverage AI to offset challenges with finding skilled workers. Sentry Equipment has already launched an early project using AI to help streamline the company’s contract review process.

“We’re looking at it, from enhancing how we create procedures to just day-to-day operations,” he said. “So AI is going to play a big role in how we can grow without necessarily having to add headcount at the same rate that we’re growing.”

One application he’s focused on is using AI to speed up a documentation process, reducing the time needed for a given project from more than a week to just four to eight hours, Warren said.

“It’s just given us the ability to do things a lot faster and a lot cleaner,” he said.

Meanwhile, the company has adjusted its recruitment strategy from looking only at those with the requisite skills to hit the ground running, focusing instead on bringing in younger hires with basic skills that can be built up while on the job. That includes high school students participating in programs connected to manufacturing and the trades.

“If you have the right attitude or personality and you’re a good cultural fit, then we’re going to put in the time and resources into training you,” he said.

The company also promotes its employee stock ownership plan to potential hires, offering extra benefits for employees, as well as the opportunity for internal advancement. Warren says many of the company’s office workers were formerly on the shop floor and found new roles that were a better fit.

As the business navigates local workforce hurdles, broader challenges related to tariffs largely haven’t yet had an impact on Sentry Equipment, according to Warren. He explained the company is “kind of on the fence” about tariffs as the company’s suppliers haven’t imposed higher prices.

“But on the opposite side, we are a global company, so 20% to 30% of our sales do come internationally,” he said. “So we’re not sure what that long-term impact will be.”

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is urging Ascension Wisconsin leadership to “reconsider” partnering with TeamHealth, as the health system is reportedly planning to outsource its Milwaukee-area intensive care staffing.

In a letter to Ascension Wisconsin President and CEO Daniel Jackson, the Madison Dem referenced reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the health system plans to end contracts with local critical care doctors and work with TeamHealth instead.

She noted the Tennessee staffing company is owned by private equity firm Blackstone and charges it has “a history of business practices that compromise patient care and safety.” Baldwin is raising concerns that Ascension’s cost-cutting measures “will once again come at the expense of patients,” leaving intensive care units in Milwaukee without enough doctors.

In an emailed statement on the letter, an Ascension Wisconsin spokesperson said “we appreciate the Senator’s questions” and looks forward to engaging with Baldwin and her staff on this topic.

“We welcome the opportunity to share how Ascension Wisconsin is improving care for the people of Wisconsin and how we are progressing in our shared goal of ensuring ongoing access to safe, quality healthcare,” the spokesperson said.

Baldwin has previously raised concerns about Ascension’s cuts and other decisions impacting patient care, such as closing down facilities and “squeezing” staff. She argues her concerns “continue to be justified” as the health system is choosing to work with TeamHealth.

“You are choosing to do business with a firm that has drawn intense scrutiny and litigation over its staffing practices and allegations of improper billing, overcharging patients to the point of fraud,” Baldwin wrote.

TeamHealth did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Baldwin’s letter.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— Stalled legislation that would give incumbent utilities the first shot at building new transmission lines was the most lobbied bill during the first six months of the year, according to numbers compiled for WisPolitics.

Add in the hours spent on legislation some Assembly Republicans introduced in the hopes of breaking the impasse, and interest groups put in twice as many hours on “right of first refusal” as the next most lobbied bill during the first part of the session.

So far, that effort has led to a stalemate. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, told WisPolitics in December that he wanted the legislation passed by the spring to provide certainty ahead of the deadline to submit bids for new work slated for Wisconsin.

But proposals were due July 28 to MISO, the electric grid operator for the central U.S., from those wanting to build a 345 kV transmission line in southeastern Wisconsin with an estimated price tag of $568.3 million. And plans were to be submitted by Monday for a 765 kV line — the state’s first of that capacity — with an estimated cost of $1.2 billion.

A MISO spokesperson said the bids are confidential until the selection report is released later this year.

The offices of LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos — both proponents of the bill — didn’t respond to messages last week on the legislation’s prospects for the fall session.

Dubbed ROFR, the legislation was already the subject of an intense lobbying effort last session. Opponents argued giving utilities already doing business in Wisconsin the right of first refusal to construct, own and maintain a new transmission line that connects to one of their existing ones would undercut competition and lead to higher costs. Meanwhile, backers have argued it would actually reduce expenses because the utilities could spread some costs of the coming transmission lines outside of Wisconsin rather than having them borne solely by state ratepayers.

In the 2023-24 session, groups put in 5,789 hours seeking to influence the Capitol on the bill. By comparison, they put in 3,936 hours on the second-most lobbied bill, legislation related to community solar programs. Neither became law last session.

See the full story from the WisPolitics Friday Report.

CORRECTION: An item in Wednesday’s WB AM News should have said workers’ compensation insurance rates for employers will be 3.2% lower starting in October.

Vortex Optics CEO emphasizes care, human touch at Barneveld company

Milwaukee-area firm among top 10 fastest-growing private companies in latest Inc. 5000 list

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– Wisconsin dairy experts build ties with Thailand market

CONSTRUCTION

– Madison’s first shipping container house hasn’t been an easy build

– La Crosse developers pursue revised approach to redeveloping downtown Green Bay parking lot

– What’s being built on the new site on Neubert Road in Greenville? We got an answer for you

ENVIRONMENT

– Extreme rain events more common, but local governments not without options, report says

FOOD & BEVERAGE