Catering - Wisconsin Grocers Association

Wisconsin Grocer 

One South Pinckney Street, 

Suite 504 

Madison, WI 53703 

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 

www.wisconsingrocers.com Summer 2008 

PERMIT #10 

RANDOLPH WI 

U.S. POSTAGE PAID 

PRST STD 

Also 

Legislative 

Report Card 

Discover the Niche 

Market of 

Catering

2 WISCONSIN GROCER www.wisconsingrocers.com

Russ Davis Wholesale, celebrating over 50 years 

in business, is an employee-owned company 

dedicated to customer satisfaction. With 

a complete line of produce items in 

four warehouse locations and a fleet 

of more than 60 trucks, the company 

is totally prepared to take care of your 

needs. Russ Davis Wholesale 

utilizes the latest technology 

throughout its organization, 

from pressurized rooms for 

bananas, to computerized 

packaging equipment for 

potatoes and onions. 

The company also 

boasts one of the 

largest retail support 

staffs in the industry 

and top dedication to 

customer satisfaction. 

266 4th St. NE 

Wadena, MN 

1-218-631-3070 

1-800-332-7104 

6085 Claude Way E. 

Inver Grove Heights, MN 

1-651-645-2720 

1-800-645-2720 

1411 17th St. SW 

Jamestown, ND 

1-701-252-2633 

1-888-702-4739 

DBA Blackjack Express 

PO Box 129 

Wood Lake, MN 

1-507-485-3401 

1200 Commerce St. 

Merrill, WI 54452 

1-715-539-2800 

1-888-539-2803 

Visit our web site at www.russdaviswholesale.com 

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER 

2008 Summer WISCONSIN GROCER 3


WGA OFFICERS 

CHAIRMAN 

Lee Guenther 

T.A. Solberg Company Inc., Minocqua 

VICE CHAIRMAN 

Brad Brooks 

Affiliated Foods Midwest, Norfolk, NE 

SECRETARY/TREASURER 

William Dowling 

Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc., Milwaukee 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Gary Bickmore 

Nash Finch, Minneapolis, MN 

Mike Coppersmith 

Festival Foods, New London 

Karen Godin 

Godin’s Piggly Wiggly, Mequon 

David Hegenbarth 

Hegenbarth Food Group, Inc., Galesville 

Steve Loehr 

Kwik Trip, La Crosse 

Paul Lucas 

Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee 

Dave Koenig 

Fresh Brands, Inc., Sheboygan 

Jeff Maurer 

Pierce’s Markets, Baraboo 

Tim Metcalfe 

Metcalfe Markets, Inc., Madison 

Kevin P. Morris 

Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Milwaukee 

Dave Ryman 

CERTCO, Inc., Madison 

David Spiegelhoff 

Gooseberries, Burlington 

Aija Upite 

SUPERVALU, Pleasant Prairie 

WGA STAFF 

PRESIDENT/CEO 

Brandon Scholz 

VICE PRESIDENT-GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS & COMMUNICATIONS 

Michelle Kussow 

EVENTS DIRECTOR 

Cheryl Lytle 

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR 

Sarah Decorah 

INTERN 

C. J. Smith 

Please help us conserve resources. If you are receiving multiple 

copies or wish to be removed from this mailing list, please call the 

WGA office at 888-342-5942. 

Wisconsin Grocer is published five times a year by: 

Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. 

One South Pinckney Street, Suite 504 

Madison, WI 53703 

www.wisconsingrocers.com 

Toll free 888-342-5942; fax 608-244-9030. Materials in this 

publication may not be reprinted in any form without permission 

of the Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. 

EDITORIAL INFORMATION: Publication dates; March, May, 

July, October, January. Please submit all press releases and stories 

to Brandon Scholz, Publisher at the Wisconsin Grocers 

Association, Inc., One South Pinckney Street, Suite 504, Madison, 

WI 53703; toll free 888-342-5942; fax 608-244-9030. Wisconsin 

Grocer magazine is designed by Lorraine Ortner-Blake, 

lorrjim@dwave.net. 

ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Please submit all advertising 

material and questions to Cheryl Lytle, Wisconsin Grocers 

Association, Inc., One South Pinckney Street, Suite 504, Madison, 

WI 53703, call 608-244-7150; fax 608-244-9030; e-mail 

cheryl@wisconsingrocers.com. 


7From the President 

Carrying the Load 

9 Government Affairs 

Legislative Report Card 

14 Government Affairs 

New WIC Food Choices in 2009 

16 Discover the Niche Market of 

Catering 

19 Beer Tastings Offer Big Benefits 

for Grocers 

23 Bountiful Breweries Create Delicious 

Ways to Experience Wisconsin 

By Jill Makovec, 60th Alice in Dairyland 

21 Member Profile 

Fire! at Larry’s Piggly Wiggly 

15 Ace Equipment 

2 Affiliated Foods 

8 Capital Newspapers 

11 Certco Food Distribution Center 

25 H. Brooks and Company 

18 Miller Brewing Company 

4 Nash Finch Company 

2008 Summer Issue 

BEER TASTINGS 

Big 

OFFER 

Benefits 

In-store beer tastings are win-win events for grocers and customers, 

particularly when locally-made, Wisconsin brew is involved. PAGE 19 

Discover the Niche Market of 

Catering When done right, becoming a pampered 

chef is a great way to increase your bottom line. PAGE 16 

Advertisers 

32 Professional Cards 

3 Russ Davis Wholesale, Inc. 

33 Shazam 

8 Shullsburg Creamery 

36 Society Insurance 

25 Sponsors Green Space 

35 SUPERVALU 

24 Green Report 

Green Activities Showcased 

27 Around the State 

Grocers in the News 

30 Industry Q&A 

Packaging Sold Products/Taxable Labels 

DATE 

July 29 

Sep 30 

& Oct 1 

2008 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

FSC certification means that a product has passed through a complete “chain of custody” from an FSCcertified 

forest, to an FSC-certified paper manufacturer, to an FSC-certified merchant, and an FSC-certified 

printer. Each part of the chain has its own standards for compliance. 

2008 Summer WISCONSIN GROCER 5 

EVENT 

FOR 

GROCERS 

WGA Golf Outing at Fire Ridge Golf Club, 

Grafton, Wisc. 

WGA Innovation Expo at Monona Terrace 

Madison, Wisc. 

8 Check Recovery Solutions 

25 Swiss Valley Farms 

13 Sysco Food Services of Baraboo 

6 TCI Architects, Engineers, 

Contractor 

10 Wisconsin Lift Truck 

34 Wisconsin Wins 

This magazine was printed on Utopia Two: Extra Green Gloss. This paper is FSC certified with 30% postconsumer 

recovered fibers (PCRF ) and green power renewable energy. The Forest Stewardship Council 

(FSC) sets forth principles, criteria, & standards for the wood fiber industry that span economic, social, and 

environmental concerns. FSC was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable 

forestry worldwide. FSC standards for forest management have now been applied in over 57 countries 

around the world.


Carrying the Load 

Brandon Scholz, WGA President and CEO 

I did a short survey 

with some of our 

WGA members 

asking what they do when 

someone in their business isn’t 

carrying their load, not doing 

their share or relying too much on 

someone else to get the job done. 

Not a single member said 

they’d let that employee 

continue to work that way. 

They all indicated that they 

would take a course of action— 

sit the employee down, have a 

serious discussion about their 

job and responsibilities and 

then come to a mutual 

agreement on what should be 

done to solve the problem. In 

the end, the goal would be to 

have that employee become a 

contributor to the success of 

the business and not rely on 

others to get the job down. 

The fancy textbooks and 

motivational speakers might call 

this the 80–20 rule: 20% of the 

people do 80% of the work 

which benefits 100% of the 

group. It’s likely that at some 

point in your business, you’ve 

experienced this unfortunate 

challenge and worked to find a 

solution. 

You’ve probably gathered by 

now this is an issue the WGA 

is struggling with and we are 

working to find a solution. The 

first step is to identify the problem. 

You can help by taking this 

simple quiz: 

Question: When was the last 

time you made a contribution to 

the WGA’s Political Support Fund 

to help ensure that legislators who 

support the grocery industry 

have the resources they need to 

be re-elected? 

If you answered/wrote a 

check in the last six months, 

then consider yourself in the 

20% category. If you haven’t 

supported the WGA’s Political 

Support Fund, then 

let’s work together to see what 

we can do to help you be a 

contributor to the success of 

our program. In order to be 

successful, we need to grow 

that 20% to 100%. 

You may not like politics, 

politicians or political 

campaigns, but they are a fact 

of life in our business. These 

folks are going to run for public 

office and someone is going to 

win. We think it is a wise 

investment on your part to 

try and help those who don’t 

want to regulate and tax your 

business into oblivion. We 

don’t think it is wise to sit back 

and let the chips fall where they 

land and see what happens. 

WGA Board Member Dave 

Spiegelhoff from Gooseberries 

said that all WGA members 

pay the price for the 80% who 

don’t support the program. 

What’s the cost? Consider these 

actions by the legislature if the 

wrong people are elected: 

• Minimum wage could be 

increased to $7.50 and indexed 

for inflation increasing your 

labor costs every year. 

• Universal health care will be 

forced on retailers before the 

details of this massive health 

care overhaul can be vetted. 

Cost to retailers? At least 12% 

of your payroll. 

• Plastic bags and plastic bottles 

will be banned from use and 

sale, or at a minimum 25¢ tax 

would be imposed on each 

plastic bag you give to a 

customer. 

• Fees could increase for food 

safety (again) and recycling, a 

10¢ bottle deposit fee would 

be imposed; a tax could be 

imposed on beer and soft drinks. 

• Gift cards could be eliminated 

by bans on expiration dates 

and service fees. 

• You’ll continue to pay the 

rental fee on soda vending 

machines. 

• The fee you are paid to collect 

sales tax could be reduced or 

eliminated. 

• Grocers could be sued for 

any breach of your credit 

card transactions or shopper 

card database. 

• The Unfair Sales Act could 

be repealed. 

• Gangs of thugs can steal you 

blind and not be held accountable 

past a misdemeanor charge. 

As Dave says, what part of this 

don’t you understand? 

As the leader of the WGA, 

I know it can be risky to be 

blunt by putting the issues on 

the table and challenging all 

WGA members to answer the 

call to action. But the fact of 

the matter is, it has to be done. 

As members of the state’s only 

grocery industry association, 

our obligation is to tell you 

what the consequences of 

action or inaction are going 

to be. If we take action, I can 

assure you that we will tackle 

and defeat the items on the 

list above. 

If there is no action and we 

continue to rely on the 20% 

who have carried the load, I 

can’t make a single guarantee on 

these or any other issues that 

will come before the legislature. 

The call to action is simple. 

Help your fellow grocers by 

carrying the load. Mail your 

check today. 

Mail your personal check to: 

Wisconsin Grocers Political Support 

Program, One S. Pinckney St., Suite 

504, Madison, WI 53703 

From the 

PRESIDENT 

We don’t think it 

is wise to sit back 

and let the chips 

fall where they 

land and see 

what happens. 

WELCOME 

New Member 

Eggen’s Supermarket 

Jon Eggen, Owner 

Located at 830 10th Ave., 

Baldwin, WI 54002 

Avery Christine Scholz was born 

on May 7, 2008. She was 7 

pounds, 15 ounces, and 19 inches. 

Carla, Brandon, baby Avery and 

sisters Emma and Betsy (not in the 

pic) are doing great! 

Thanks to all for notes, cards, 

flowers, and gifts! 




Legislative Report Card 

By Michelle Kussow, Vice President, Government Affairs and Communications 

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS 

Legislators were graded based on this 

list of legislation significant to the WGA. 

Points were given to an individual for 

introducing or voting in favor of 

legislation that the WGA supported. 

Extra points were given for introducing 

pro-WGA amendments, speaking for or 

against proposals, certain committee 

action, and general support of the 

WGA’s issues. 

BEER SAMPLING 

SUMMARY: Legislation 

introduced by Senator Pat 

Kreitlow (D-Eau Claire) and 

Representative Scott Newcomer 

(R-Hartland) to allow retailers 

to sample beer in limited 

quantities—two three-ounce 

samples per day—to customers 

of legal drinking age for 

consumption on premises. 

WGA POSITION: Support. 

OUTCOME: Act 9 was signed 

into law by Governor Doyle 

effective May 19, 2007. 

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Class A 

retailers can offer beer samples. 

However, any beer samples 

provided by a brewer or 

wholesaler must be purchased 

from the retailer on whose 

premises the samples are 

provided, and the sampling 

must be authorized by the 

retailer. 

ORGANIZED RETAIL 

CRIME 

SUMMARY: Representative Joel 

Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) 

introduced Assembly Bill 340 

to 

deter organized retail crime and 

retail theft through the 

following: 1) Lowering the 

felony threshold for retail theft 

from $2,500 to $500. Under 

existing law, the total value of 

the merchandise stolen needed 

to reach $2,500 before the 

crime could be considered a 

Class I felony; 2) Increasing 

the penalty for retail theft of 

merchandise valued at less than 

$500 to a Class I felony if the 

thief steals with intent to resell. 

This provision essentially makes 

it a felony to steal anything 

with intent to resell; and 3) 

Requiring proof of ownership 

for the following items sold at 

flea markets: baby food; 

cosmetics; devices; drugs; infant 

formula; batteries; and razor 

blades. 

WGA POSITION: Support. 

OUTCOME: The bill passed the 

Assembly and fell short in the 

Senate. Senator Lena Taylor 

(D-Milwaukee) attempted to 

compromise on the felony 

thresholds which would have 

helped to pass the bill in the 

Senate, but the session ended 

without action in the Senate. 

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: It is 

estimated that ORC results in 

the loss of $30 billion in 

merchandise annually. In recent 

years, Wisconsin grocers have 

become targets for organized 

retail crime rings. Organized 

retail crime negatively impacts 

both consumers and businesses, 

increasing prices on 

merchandise purchased by 

consumers and insurance 

premiums purchased by 

businesses. Specifically in 

Wisconsin, it is estimated that 

$631 million in merchandise is 

stolen in ORC merchandise 

resulting in a loss of more than 

$31.5 million in sales tax 

revenue for the state. 

DATCP FEES 

SUMMARY: On the heels of 

the latest 25% retail food 

establishment license fee 

increase which went into 

effective June, 2007, the 

Wisconsin Department of 

Agriculture, Trade & Consumer 

Protection (DATCP) proposed 

another 30% fee increase. The 

WGA opposed the rule every 

step of the way and received 

back-up from the Assembly 

Agriculture Committee chaired 

by Representative Al Ott 

(R-Forest Junction) which 

directed DATCP to reduce 

the fee increase by 25%. 

WGA POSITION: Opposed 

original rule, supported 

compromise. 

OUTCOME: The fee increase 

was passed and will become 

effective with the July 2008 

license renewals. We consider 

the 25% reduction a small 

victory given the current 

climate at the State’s Capitol. 

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Retail 

Food Establishment License 

Fees will increase as follows: 

Food Warehouse: annual 

license fee $80–$320 (based 

on size and type); Retail Food 

establishments annual license 

fee $45–$685 (based on size 

and type). 

DATA SECURITY 

SUMMARY: Under the guise of 

consumer protection, the 

credit unions worked with 

Representative Brett Davis 

(R-Oregon) and Senator Bob 

Wirch (D-Kenosha) to draft 

legislation that requires retailers 

to destroy credit card 

information after the transaction 

has been authorized. If the 

information was not destroyed 

and a breach of security occurs, 

the retailer is subject to a 

lawsuit by the credit union to 

cover the costs of the breach. 

The bill provided numerous 

exemptions including PCI-DSS 

compliance, but essentially 

leaves the small retailers open to 

lawsuits. 

WGA POSITION: Opposed. 

OUTCOME: The bill passed the 

For more information 

contact Michelle 

Kussow, Vice President 

Government Affairs 

and Communications 

888.342.5942 

As always, if you have any 

questions on these or any other 

legislative questions, please 

call Brandon or Michelle at 

888-342-5942. 




Legislative Report Card continued. 

State Senate, but failed to make it to the 

Assembly floor. The bill was introduced 

with one month left in the legislative 

session, so timing was on our side. 

During this month, though, we activated 

membership to contact their legislators 

while we worked directly with the bill’s 

authors and leadership to explain the drastic 

effect this could have on retailers. In the 

end, the speaker of the assembly and the 

bill’s author decided to hold the bill because 

of numerous concerns. 

IMPACT ON MEMBERS: If passed, this would 

allow financial institutions the right to sue 

retailers for the costs of identity theft— 

opening and closing accounts; credit card 

fees; the actual cost of the thefts. The WGA 

argued that retailers pay interchange fees to 

cover the costs of fraud and identity theft 

and this is a doubling effect. 

GIFT CARDS 

SUMMARY: For the third consecutive 

session, legislation was introduced by Rep. 

Krusick (D-Milwaukee) and Senator Tim 

Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) to prohibit 

expiration dates and service fees from gift 

cards. A coalition of retail and other 

interested parties, worked with Senator Jim 

Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) and Rep. Scott 

Gunderson (R-Waterford) to introduce a 

compromise bill that would allow retailers 

to put expiration dates on gift cards and 

certificates and charge service fees as long 

as both are disclosed. 

WGA POSITION: Opposed Krusick/Carpenter 

bill and supported Sullivan/Gunderson bill. 

OUTCOME: Neither bill was passed after 

heavy lobbying by both sides. 

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: If Krusick’s bill were to 

pass, retailers would be very limited with 

gift cards and Wisconsin’s economy would 

see significantly reduced gift card spending. 

The Sullivan/Gunderson bill would allow 

retailers to disclose service fees and 

expiration dates and put the responsibility 

on the consumer to make an educated 

choice. 

SODA VENDING 

SUMMARY: On behalf of the WGA, 

Representative Jerry Petrowski (R- 

Marathon) introduced a bill that would 

prohibit DATCP from enforcing 

regulations related to coin-operated soda 

vending machines. Of specific concern to 

retailers is the rule that requires soda 

bottlers to charge a rental fee to retailers for 

soda vending machines. 

WGA POSITION: Support 

OUTCOME: A hearing was held, but no 

action was taken. It was recommended that 

the bottlers and the retailers work together 

to find a solution that does 

not involve legislation. 

IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This bill would allow 

soda vending wholesalers to negotiate, on 

an individual basis, with each retail food 

establishment the terms of providing coin 

operated soda vending machines. 

The purpose of this legislative report card is to grade 

our elected officials for their votes on WGA-related 

bills. These grades can then be used by members of 

the Wisconsin Grocers Association to make educated 

decisions during the 2008 elections. 

As an opinion leader in your community, it is necessary that you are 

involved in the election of the people who represent you and your 

business in the State’s Capitol. 

A 

The following legislators earned 

the highest grade given by the 

WGA. These individuals have 

consistently supported and 

introduced legislation that benefits the 

grocery industry, and therefore are 

considered a “Friend of Grocers.” Their 

efforts will be recognized by receiving a 

WGA endorsement and a minature 

grocery cart, which applauds their hard 

work on our behalf. 

ASSEMBLY 

Ballweg, Joan (R–Markesan) 

Davis, Brett (R–Oregon) 

Fitzgerald, Jeff (R–Horicon) 

Gronemus, Barbara (D–Whitehall) 

Gunderson, Scott (R–Waterford) 

Huebsch, Michael (R–West Salem) 

Kaufert, Dean (R–Neenah) 

Kleefisch, Joel (R–Oconomowoc) 

LeMahieu, Daniel (R–Cascade) 

Moulton, Terry (R–Chippewa Falls) 

Newcomer, Scott (R–Hartland) 

Ott, Alvin (R–Forest Junction) 

Petrowski, Jerry (R–Marathon) 

Stone, Jeff (R–Greendale) 


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Certco, Inc., Distribution Center 

www.certcoinc.com 

5321 Verona Road Madison, WI 53711-6050 (608) 271-4500 



Legislative Report Card continued. 

Van Roy, Karl (R–Green Bay) 

Vukmir, Leah (R–Wauwatosa) 

SENATE 

Breske, Roger (D–Eland) 

Kreitlow, Pat (D–Chippewa Falls) 

Olsen, Luther (R–Ripon) 

Plale, Jeffrey (D–South Milwaukee) 

Sullivan, Jim (D–Sturtevant) 

Taylor, Lena (D–Milwaukee 

B 

The following legislators have been 

given a “B” grade by the WGA. 

This admirable mark is given to 

legislators who are generally 

supportive of our industry and, therefore, 

deserving of the WGA endorsement. 

ASSEMBLY 

Albers, Sheryl (R–Reedsburg) 

Bies, Garey (R–Sister Bay) 

Fields, Jason (D–Milwaukee) 

Friske, Donald (R–Merrill) 

Hahn, Eugene (R–Cambria) 

Hines, J. A. (R–Oxford) 

Honadel, Mark (R–S. Milwaukee) 

Jorgensen, Andy (D–Fort Atkinson) 

Kerkman, Samantha (R–Genoa City) 

Kestell, Steve (R–Elkhart Lake) 

Kramer, Bill (R–Waukesha) 

Lothian, Thomas (R–Williams Bay) 

Meyer, Dan (R–Eagle River) 

Montgomery, Phil (R–Green Bay) 

Mursau, Jeffrey (R–Crivitz) 

Murtha, John (R–Baldwin) 

Musser, Terry (R–Black River Falls) 

Nass, Stephen (R–Whitewater) 

Nerison, Lee (R–Westby) 

Nygren, John (R–Marinette) 

Ott, Jim (R–Mequon) 

Owens, Carol (R–Oshkosh) 

Petersen, Kevin (R–Waupaca) 

Rhoades, Kitty (R–Hudson) 

Strachota, Pat (R–West Bend) 

Suder, Scott (R–Abbotsford) 

Tauchen, Gary (R–Bonduel) 

Townsend, John (R–Fond du Lac) 

Vos, Robin (R–Racine) 

Vruwink, Amy Sue (D–Milladore) 

Williams, Mary (R–Medford) 

Wood, Jeffrey (R–Chippewa Falls) 

SENATE 

Darling, Alberta (R–River Hills) 

Decker, Russell (D–Schofield) 

Erpenbach, Jon (D–Middleton) 

Fitzgerald, Scott (R–Juneau) 

Grothman, Glenn (R–West Bend) 

Hansen, Dave (D–Green Bay) 

Harsdorf, Sheila (R–River Falls) 

Kanavas, Ted (R–Brookfield) 

Kapanke, Dan (R–La Crosse) 

Kedzie, Neal (R–Elkhorn) 

Lassa, Julie (D–Stevens Point) 

Lazich, Mary (R–New Berlin) 

Leibham, Joseph (R–Sheboygan) 

Miller, Mark (D–Monona) 

Risser, Fred (D–Madison) 

Vinehout, Kathleen (D–Alma) 

C 

The following legislators received a 

“C” for expressing a willingness to 

support our industry. The WGA 

will encourage them to be more 

supportive in the next legislative session. 

ASSEMBLY 

Benedict, Chuck (D–Beloit) 

Berceau, Terese (D–Madison) 

Colon, Pedro (D–Milwaukee) 

Cullen, David (D–Milwaukee) 

Garthwaite, Phil (D–Dickeyville) 

Gottlieb, Mark (R–Port Washington) 

Grigsby, Tamara (D–Milwaukee) 

Gundrum, Mark (R–New Berlin) 

Jeskewitz, Suzanne (R–Men. Falls) 

Kessler, Frederick (D–Milwaukee) 

Kreuser, James (D–Kenosha) 

Lasee, Frank (R–Green Bay) 

Molepske, Jr., Louis (D–Stevens Point) 

Pocan, Mark (D–Madison) 

Pridemore, Don (R–Hartland) 

Richards, Jon (D–Milwaukee) 

Roth, Jr., Roger (R–Appleton) 

Sheridan, Mike (D–Janesville) 

Sinicki, Christine (D–Milwaukee) 

Toles, Barbara (D–Milwaukee) 

Wieckert, Steve (R–Appleton) 

Young, Leon (D–Milwaukee) 

Zepnick, Josh (D–Milwaukee) 

Ziegelbauer, Robert (D–Manitowoc) 

Zipperer, Rich (R–Pewaukee) 

SENATE 

Cowles, Robert (R–Green Bay) 

Ellis, Michael (R–Neenah) 

Jauch, Robert (D–Poplar) 

Lasee, Alan (R–DePere) 

Lehman, John (D–Racine) 

Robson, Judith (D–Beloit) 

Roessler, Carol (R–Oshkosh) 

Schultz, Dale (R–Richland Center) 

Wirch, Robert (D–Pleasant Prairie) 

DThe following legislators have been 

given a “D” because they have 

voted against the WGA on key 

issues and have not supported 

major policy efforts. The WGA will 

encourage these officials to support our 

issues. 

ASSEMBLY 

Black, Spencer (D–Madison) 

Boyle, Frank (D–Superior) 

Hebl, Gary (D–Sun Prairie) 

Hintz, Gordon (D–Oshkosh) 

Hraychuck, Ann (D–Balsam Lake) 

Hubler, Mary (D–Rice Lake) 

Mason, Cory (D–Racine) 

Nelson, Tom (D–Kaukauna) 

Parisi, Joe (D–Madison) 

Pope-Roberts, Sondy (D–Verona) 

Schneider, Marlin (D–WI Rapids) 

Seidel, Donna (D–Wausau) 

Sherman, Gary (D–Port Wing) 

Shilling, Jennifer (D–La Crosse) 

Smith, Jeff (D–Eau Claire) 

Soletski, Jim (D–Green Bay) 

Staskunas, Tony (D–West Allis) 

Steinbrink, John (D–Pleasant Prairie) 

Travis, David (D–Waunakee) 

Turner, Robert (D–Racine) 

Van Akkeren, Terry (D–Sheboygan) 

Wasserman, Sheldon (D–Milwaukee) 

Williams, Annette (D–Milwaukee) 

SENATE 

Coggs, Spencer (D–Milwaukee) 

F 

The following legislators have 

worked against the WGA and its 

members and have voted against 

WGA positions. They have earned 

an “F” grade. 

ASSEMBLY 

Hilgenberg, Steve (D–Dodgeville) 

Hixson, Kim (D–Whitewater) 

Krusick, Margaret (D–Milwaukee) 

SENATE 

Carpenter, Tim (D–Milwaukee) 


Play in the Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. 

GOLF OUTING 

Enjoy a day of networking while you 

support the WGA Education & 

Scholarship Foundation and the 

Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. 

July 29, 2008 | FIRE RIDGE, GRAFTON 

• 10 AM shotgun start with a casual scramble format, with ‘par is 

your friend.’ 

• 208 pristine acres in the quiet wilderness. 

• Located in “Kohler Golf Corridor” on I-43, between Milwaukee 

and Whistling Straits. 

• One of Wisconsin’s Top 20 Toughest Courses, certified 

International Audubon Sanctuary golf course. 

• All funds raised during the day benefit the WGA Education & 

Scholarship Foundation. 

• Vendor companies must sponsor to participate. 

Both scenic and challenging, 

this fundraiser at Fire Ridge 

makes the WGA Golf Outing 

a must play. 

Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. • One South Pinckney Street, Suite 

504 • Madison WI 53703 www.wisconsingrocers.com 

Make plans today to attend by calling WGA toll free (888) 342–5942. 




New WIC Food Choices in 2009 

WIC is recognized as the 

nation’s premier public 

health nutrition program. 

For over 30 years, WIC has 

been dedicated to improving 

the health of our most 

vulnerable populations 

during critical periods of 

growth and development. 

WIC authorized grocery 

stores and their suppliers are integral partners in 

providing healthy food choices to the 

women, infants and children most at 

risk. Since the beginning of the WIC 

program in 1974, very few changes 

have been made to the foods offered. 

That is about to change since the 

USDA published an Interim Rule in 

December, 2007, in the Federal 

Register that contains sweeping 

changes which must be implemented 

by August 5, 2009. 

The Interim Final Rule changes 

largely reflect the Institute of 

Medicine’s (IOM) recommendations 

published in WIC Food Packages: 

Time for a Change (2005). The 

revisions align the WIC food choices 

with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for 

Americans and infant feeding practice 

guidelines of the American Academy 

of Pediatrics. 

The foods currently provided in the 

WIC food packages are: milk, eggs, 

cheese, juice, infant formula, cereal, 

peanut butter, dried peas and beans. 

Tuna and carrots are also provided to 

exclusively breastfeeding women only. 

The revised food packages retain the 

same food categories, and adds new 

food categories to better meet the 

needs of WIC’s diverse population 

including: 

Addition of fruits and vegetables 

(either fresh, frozen or canned) for 

women and children; 

Addition of baby food fruits, 

vegetables and meats; 

Addition of soy-based beverage and 

tofu as milk alternatives (at the 

State’s discretion); 

Addition of whole grain bread and 

other whole grain alternatives; and 

Reduction in some food quantities, 

including milk, eggs and juice 

Jim Weill, president of the Food 

Research and Action Center, said the addition of 

whole grains, fruits and vegetables will reduce 

obesity and “help nutritionally vulnerable 

children form healthy eating habits from an 

early age.” 

The Wisconsin WIC Program is currently 

collecting information through a Midwest 

Regional survey and evaluating which products 

meet the nutritional requirements, are available 

statewide, and are cost effective for the program. 

We are also forming an Advisory Committee of 

STELL’S PIGGLY WIGGLY 

New Holstein, WI 53061 

Dear Brandon and Michelle, 

retailers and distributors to verify cost and 

availability of new food choices and provide 

feedback about options in the approved food 

list. The committee will also provide feedback 

about new minimum stock requirements and 

training issues. 

We look forward to working together and will 

be supplying updates as they are available. 

Carrie Coenen 

Wisconsin WIC Vendor Management Superpervisor 

I enjoyed reading the recently published edition of the Wisconsin Grocer 

magazine. The numerous articles focusing on the green movement and specific 

initiatives and pending legislation surrounding environmental issues prompted 

me to begin to re-evaluate our company’s specific approach to these topics. 

Thanks for the comprehensive information, I am sure you have planted some 

seeds with many retailers. 

I also read with interest the article, written by C. J. Smith, recapping the events 

at the recent Lobby Day, but more specifically the Health Care Forum. The 

overview of the day was informative and largely accurate. I found one 

observation by the author of the article to be rather interesting, and particularly 

illustrative of much of the public’s perception of the health care “crisis.” 

Specifically, I am referring to the description of State Representative Leah 

Vukmir’s comments. The author indicates that “Ms. Vukmir did not give an 

alternative to Healthy Wisconsin.” If Representative Vukmir did not give an 

alternative to Healthy Wisconsin, then I must have attended a different event! 

What I heard the representative describe was the fact that the present health 

insurance system is broken not because there is not enough government 

involvement in health care, but rather that there is too much! Additionally, I 

heard her discuss the fact that the system is currently broken because there is a 

total disconnect between the user of medical services, and the entity that is 

paying for the service. Lastly, I heard her talk about market solutions, personal 

accountability, pricing transparency, etc. 

I find it most interesting that those things that made America great—that made 

the American economy the envy of the world, like liberty, freedom, personal 

accountability, a free market, individual initiative, and entrepreneurship—are 

not even recognized and cherished by many of my fellow citizens. It is a sad day 

indeed when we come to believe that only the government can fix our 

problems, and we fail to look to ourselves as the solutions to our problems. 

Sincerely, 

Mark J. Stellpflug 




Discover the 

Niche Market of 

Catering 

When done right, becoming a pampered chef is a 

great way to increase your bottom line. 

Written Exclusively for WGA by Sharyn Alden 

Get ready for a one-of-a-kind experience 

where you and your customers can enjoy 

a special win-win opportunity to get to 

know each other better. 

It’s all about catering. Even in a soft 

economy, customers are unlikely to cook 

big meals when they’re hosting large events. 

What you can do is offer them the option 

of catering which helps them have a 

successful event. At the same time, it may 

boost your bottom line. 

From the customers’ side, most people have 

to interview caterers to find someone who 

can pull off their event within a specific 

time frame and budget. This can be an 

uphill struggle since caterers in the area 

may be expensive, overbooked and frazzled. 

But catering may be a natural fit for you. 

Why? Your customers know you and trust 

you, and, if they’re tried your deli offerings, 

they know you offer delicious, fullyprepared 

food that’s available for pick-up 

or delivery. 

If you haven’t added catering to your menu 

of special features, it may be time you 

jumped on the bandwagon. Think of 

catering this way. You can offer your 

customers a solution. It may be far easier 

and less costly for them to have your store 

cater their special event than it would be 

for them to hire a non-grocery caterer. 

Start by considering whether you want to 

adopt this philosophy. “No event is too big 

or too small.” If that’s your motto, stand by 

it, then promote it. The old adage that 

small acorns grow big oak trees is also true 

with catering. That small dinner party may 

lead to wedding receptions and patio 

parties once the guests have had a chance to 

sample your brand of catering. 

Incorporating catering 

Not long ago, a family in Sun Prairie called 

several caterers about six weeks in advance 

of a family event, but every place was 

booked. They remembered that friends had 

turned to the local Sentry Food Store for 

other catered events. 

The store put together a menu from various 

items in the deli, and customized the main 

entrée, a chicken and vegetable 

combination, which included the host’s 

preferences for vegetables. The entrée, along 

with fresh fruits, salads, and rolls, arrived at 

the party in chafing dishes so the food was 

kept warm. 

The party was a home run for the hosts, 

particularly since the grocery store did all 

the work beforehand and met the costs of 

the budget that was determined. 

This party is just one example of how 

catering can be a win-win for both the 

customer and store when grocers become 

solutions for their customers’ special events. 

Conrad’s 

Sentry Food 

Store in Sun 

Prairie 

showcases 

party platters 

on their web 

site www.Sentry 

SunPrairie.com. 

Penny Pederson, co-owner of Sentry Food 

Store in Sun Prairie agrees that catering can 

be a business builder. “If you have a deli at 

your store, you already have a kitchen, so 


start-up costs are minimal,” she says. 

“The economy is reason enough to add the 

increased sales realized from catering to a 

store’s operation. The customer gets more 

bang for the buck when ordering from a 

store and not visiting a caterer or 

restaurant,” she says. 

The economy is reason 

enough to add the increased 

sales realized from catering 

to a store’s operation. 

Pederson says any item sold in their deli 

can be incorporated into catering even 

though she points out comfort food seems 

to be a big hit with many party planners. 

“Some of our popular items are broasted 

and baked chicken, potato salad, deli and 

sandwich platters. We also offer full hot 

dinners that include ham, roast beef, and 

turkey,” she says. 

How do you motivate customers to 

consider your store when they’re 

shopping for a caterer? Pederson reiterates 

the axiom that promotion matters. Actually, 

she says it matters big-time when it comes 

to catering. “Some of the ways we promote 

catering are through our website, through 

Welcome Wagon, weekly Sentry ads, 

internal advertising, bag stuffers and by 

word-of-mouth.” 

It is not difficult to start a catering 

department. Pederson notes, “If you’re 

offering delivery service, then you already 

have a vehicle. Among some other 

equipment you’ll need are serving bowls, 

platters, silverware and warming pans. 

While the majority of our orders are picked 

up, we also do some set-up. We don’t have 

the staff to actually serve the food, so 

it is rare when we do that, but we help 

customers along the way as much as 

possible with their party planning.” 

Leverage your 

niche market 

At the Supervalu and Gooseberries Fresh 

Market stores in Burlington, catering has 

been growing stronger for 10 years. David 

Spiegelhoff, director of operations, talks 

about catering from the perspective of 

curve. The store’s Communications Center 

grew out of the deli area and now involves 

about 80 hours a week time from two fulltime 

managers. 

Ten years ago, chef Michael Lavin was hired 

to spearhead the preparation and 

presentation of catered foods. 

Spiegelhoff cautions those who want to go 

into catering with this thought. “Go slow. 

Running an event is different than running 

a store. Hire an outstanding chef if you are 

going to serve plated events, and hire a 

good event and planning coordinator. As 

easy as catering sounds, you need to have 

someone at the helm who understands the 

cost of goods for events on a per-plate order 

basis versus someone who works on unit 

costs.” If you plan on doing deliveries, he 

suggests using a truck with lifts and one 

that can be modified for proper delivery of 

product. 

“At Gooseberries, the rewards from 

catering have come from the intertwining 

of various departments in the store,” he 

says. “People who are looking for flowers or 

cakes for special events like weddings, 

realize they can also turn to us to cater the 

food. The multi-department tie-in has been 

our biggest reward. Overall, the 

intertwining of business between flowers, 

cakes and catering has brought us new 

clientele.” 

Besides food catering, the business also does 

sight reviews before the event. They also 

offer a bar service, and rent linens, dishes, 

and tents. 

GooseberriesMarket.com 

presents CourtyardCatering 

with an extensive 

menu online. 

Spiegelhoff adds that about 50 percent of 

their catering business comes from word-ofmouth 

referral, but they also advertise on 

their website and attend many wedding and 

floral shows to promote catering. 

The Spiegelhoff family understands the 

rewards of the customized catering business 

from a personal perspective. When 

Spiegelhoff’s son Justin was married, a 

Caribbean theme was played out. For 

daughter Abby’s wedding at the family’s 

home, a sit-down dinner for 220 was 

orchestrated under a tent. 

Spiegelhoff says the bottom line about the 

catering business is this: “If done properly 

and marketed the right way, it will change 

your client mix and the quality of your 

image. Catering is a unique niche and a 

good way to connect with the community 

as long as you can offer something other 

than just meat and potatoes.” 

GIVE THEM 

SOMETHING THEY’LL 

REMEMBER... 

Some of these service-friendly 

ideas can be promoted with your 

catering business. Let customers 

know that you’ll cater not only 

parties and special events, but 

you’re there for them when they 

want to be pampered…no matter 

what the size of their event. 

Here are some perfect ways to 

promote catering and showcase 

your signature products: 

• Family parties 

• Holiday events 

• Dinner party buffets 

• Bridal showers 

• Business luncheons 

• In-store cooking classes. Promote 

foods featured in your deli 

— 




BEER TASTINGS 

OFFER 

Big 

Benefits 

Written exclusively 

for the WGA by Sharyn Alden 

FOR 

GROCERS 

In-store 

beer 

tastings 

are 

win-win 

events for 

grocers 

and 

customers, 

particularly when 

locally-made, 

Wisconsin brew is 

involved. 

It’s no secret that Wisconsin has 

some of the best breweries in the 

country. Now that in-store grocery 

beer tastings are legal, one of the 

best ways you can connect with new 

and current customers is to provide 

samples of the state’s finest beer. 

Customers love samplings 

because it takes away the risk of 

buying larger amounts of beer 

before they’ve tried it. 

Consider hosting in-store tastings of 

Wisconsin’s adventurous, creative 

and imaginative brews during any 

time of year, or around a holiday or 

special store anniversary. From the 

perspective of those who have done 

it, the results say it’s time well spent. 

Samplings promote 

loyal customers 

Grocers who provide a wide variety 

of great Wisconsin beer at in-store 

taste samplings are ahead of the game 

when it comes to customer interest 

and loyalty. When you feature a 

variety of local beer, grocers benefit. 

Customers have a natural curiosity 

and sense of intrigue when a 

sampling of beer they’re not familiar with 

is available as a sampling. 

Jeff Tewes, Cellar 70 Director with Trig’s 

County Market at Stevens Point says, “We 

stock over 400 craft and/or imported beer 

labels, and when we do tastings, we 

advertise them in our weekly flyer. The ad 

not only tells customers which beers are on 

our price promotion, but they also know 

which beers are available at our tasting bar 

for daily tasting.” The store’s tasting bar is 

available at the customers’ convenience, 

between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. 

The store also 

does special 

tastings for new 

seasonal items. 

“These special 

tastings may be 

advertised in 

special storewide 

sales. 

These have 

always been very 

successful for 

us,” Tewes says. 

Dick Leinenkugel, 

vice president of 

sales and 

L–R: Fifth generation brewers and brothers, Dick, John and Jake 

Leinenkugel in front of the brew kettle at their 141-year-old 

Chippewa Falls’ brewery. 

marketing with Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing 

Company, says the company helps grocers 

sell micro beers because of its extensive 

selection. Leinenkugel has seven year-round 

beers plus four seasonal beers, all of which 

are adventurous taste experiences. “Today’s 

beer lover, especially the craft beer drinker, 

is seeking variety,” says Leinenkugel. “They 

crave this type of taste adventure, and instore 

samplings give people a good way of 

trying something they may not have tried 

before. It also helps the grocer by getting an 

incremental six or twelve-pack sold.” 

Leinenkugel’s also allows people to mix 

their favorite styles of beer to create their 

own taste adventure. The promotion, called 

“What’s your Mix?” gives beer lovers a 

chance to try different tastes together. For 

example “Sunny Bear” is Leinenkugel’s 

“Sunset Wheat” and “Berry Weiss” mixed 

together. 

Consumers are the driving force behind 

expecting to find a variety of good locallybrewed 

beer at their fingertips when they 

shop. Carl 

Nolen, president 

of Capital 

Brewery and 

Wisconsin 

Brewers Guild, 

echoes that 

sentiment when 

he says, “Over 

the last few years 

the craft brewing 

industry has 

prospered mainly 

due to the 

consumer’s 

interest in the 


experience of sampling 

locally produced products.” 

At beer tasting events, 

education of various 

beers is a key element of 

the event, along with the 

pure enjoyment of 

sampling new tastes. 

When done right, beer 

tastings are easily a winwin 

event that results in 

a positive experience not 

only with the consumer, 

but also for the brew 

distributor and grocer. 

Nolen says, “Our 

company has benefitted 

from the opportunity to 

educate the consumer about the differentiation 

of our products from mainstream 

brands.” 

Setting up beer tastings 

If you’ve thought beer tastings in your store 

sound like a lot of work, you haven’t talked 

to Wisconsin’s great beer companies for 

suggestions and how they can make it a 

productive, upbeat, beneficial experience 

for everyone. 

Start by contacting the local brewery 

distributor. “You can also reach out to the 

Wisconsin Craft Brewers,” says Nolen. “We 

work with the retailer to coordinate the best 

time to conduct the event during high 

volume traffic days and times of day.” 

Nolen says keep the sampling area near the 

beer department where a product display is 

available. “This is important as consumers 

will more likely pick up the product if it’s 

located at the demonstration area.” If that 

area is not the best area to set up a 

sampling, you can also put it in other 

product areas of the store, particularly if it’s 

a seasonal beer brand. “For example, the fall 

is a great time to display Oktoberfest style 

beers in a seasonal display area,” says Nolen. 

About a week or more prior to a beer 

tasting in-store event, Leinenkugel’s 

promotes the special event, which is best 

done on a Friday afternoon or on 

Saturdays, with signage at all entrances, 

including the liquor department and walkin 

cooler. On the day of the event (they 

usually have two people at the event); it is 

L-R: Leinenkugel distributors, Matt Woychek and Mike Krahenbuhl from General Beer–Northeast, check 

out a Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy display tied in with lemons at a local Festival Foods store. 

announced using the store intercom. 

Interestingly, Leinenkugel says, “We have 

found that sampling is done best in a high 

traffic area of the store like the meat or 

produce departments. That way we can 

sell an orange to garnish with our Sunset 

Wheat beer or lemons with our Honey 

Weiss variety.” 

Jeff Tewes points out they host their 

daily tastings areas in the front of his 

department, near the front doors and the 

check-outs. “We’ve found this is an 

excellent location. I also have a 66-foot 

long walk-in beer cave which on occasion I 

set up as an additional demonstration area 

and point-of-purchase beer sampling area.” 

Recently the store was used by the local 

Miller distributor in conjunction with a 

very successful promotion for the new 

Miller Genuine Draft Light 64. “You would 

think the 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. time frame 

would be a good sampling time because it 

is traditionally a busy time of day, but I 

encourage my customers to sample any 

time they are in Cellar 70 as long as it is 

during legal beer tasting hours.” 

Increasing sales and building 

loyalty 

Admittedly, some grocers may be on the 

fence regarding hosting beer tastings in the 

store. Still, beer sales through beer sampling 

are nothing to scoff about. “Nolen says, “If 

the event is set up right, I’ve seen 5 to 10 

cases of beer sold at beer tastings.” 

Leinenkugel has not experienced resistance 

for beer samplings, but in fact, he reports 

the opposite is true. “Store 

owners and managers want 

us to do samplings more 

often as they see the 

incremental sales they 

generate besides the 

‘retailtainment’ a sampling 

provides,” he says. “We 

could do even more 

samplings, but our 

manpower is limited, so we 

encourage stores to conduct 

samplings on their own. Do 

it as part of a bigger food 

and beer tie-in, and it will 

definitely pay off.” 

While a small minority of 

people have seen in-store 

beer samplings as being a 

negative influence, feedback from the 

majority of consumers has been positive. 

“The point was made that alcoholic 

consumption in retail stores could lead to 

problems, but this has simply proved to be 

wrong and has not happened,” he says. 

One of the biggest benefits is for grocers to 

have a potentially new opportunity to gain 

loyal customers. Nolen adds, “It’s a great 

opportunity for the grocer to communicate 

that they have an impressive variety of 

locally produced products.” 

Creativity also helps. Tewes says, “One of 

the best investments I have made in selling 

import/craft beers was to create a ‘Mix Your 

Own 6-Pack.’ I have twice expanded this 

section to meet customer interest and 

demand.” Tewes points out if you do this; 

you have to have a good selection of beers 

to make it worthwhile. “My concept now 

has over 250 beer labels to choose from and 

all bottles are individually priced from 99 

cents to $4.99 per bottle.” 

Customers have responded to this program 

beyond what Tewes originally projected. “It 

has also impacted my overall beer category 

gross profits,” he explains. “I project that by 

the end of 2008 the Import/Craft beer 

segment will account for over fifty percenet 

of my overall beer category dollar sales.” 

What else can be said about the benefits of 

beer tastings and innovative ways to sell 

beer? Leinenkugel says, “We average 5 cases 

of beer sold in the hour and a half when we 

are there. My personal best was 14 cases, 

but my brother John once sold 25 cases in 

just one hour!” 


MEMBER PROFILE 

Reprinted with permission from the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Randall Warner 

Larry's Piggly Wiggly market in De Pere is shown when closed due to fire damage. Cleaning equipment and fire line tape block the entrance to the store Wednesday, November 21, 2007. 

On Wednesday, 

November 21, 

the day before 

Thanksgiving, disaster 

struck Larry’s Piggly 

Wiggly in De Pere. 

Fire! 

By Dominika Malisz 

At 5:30 a.m. two bakers opened the 

door for the store’s bookkeeper and saw 

flames coming from under a produce 

display case. Right away they called 911. 

The fire had spread to other display cases 

and overhead awning by the time the fire 

department arrived. Fortunately, the fire 

was put out in about an hour’s time and 

clean-up began right away. 

Store manager Mark Nackers arrived as 

the hoses were being removed from the 

building. A floor crew was called to clean 

up. They were the only people allowed 

in the building due to insurance 

requirements. The insurance 

representatives arrived after the State 

Agriculture Department inspector. The 

inspector condemned everything, except 

the closed walk-in freezer 

in the back of the store. 

The loss agents finally 

came at about 8:00 p.m. 

To make matters worse, 

it was the day before 

Thanksgiving. There 

were several dozen turkey 

dinners pre-ordered! 

The front end manager 

retrieved the orders, called the customers, 

and the dinners were arranged to be picked 

up at Olsen’s Piggly Wiggly across town. 

The store’s damage was immense. The 

store was nearly a total loss, and not even 

because of the fire, but because of the 

smoke! Action was immediately taken. 

Dumpsters were ordered, the inventory 

service had been called, and at 5:00 a.m. 

Friday the inventory began. The employees 

were given the next day off, but were asked 

to come in on Friday to help count 

products to inventory the store or to clean. 

“The state inspector returned Friday and 

working with the salvage person from the 

insurance, allowed about a quarter of the 

inventory to be salvaged for out-of-state 

reuse,” said Tom Verhagen, president and 

general manager. As the inventory was 

going on, the state inspector reviewed the 

inventory, the perishables were being 

dumped, the clean-up was being organized 

by the insurance’s reclamation 

representatives, and the mechanics started 

repairs. Verhagen, Nackers, and Jim Grall, 

representative from Fresh Brands Inc., 

mapped out a plan to re-open in three 

weeks. Verhagen stated, “we agreed that to 

save the Holiday for our customers (and to 

maintain our customer base) we had to be 

open by Wednesday, December 12.” 

The projected date was not an impossible 

feat. The store received a great deal of help 

from vendors, employees, and its 

warehouse. After inventory, the employees 

were offered clean-up work. “They could 

stay home and collect their pay under the 



terms of our business interruption,” said 

Verhagen, “but they all offered to help 

clear-out, clean, and re-stock, except a few 

who had medical reasons.” What great 

employees! There were over 90 persons 

helping to get the store re-opened by the 

projected date! 

Photo reprinted with permission from The 

Business News 

Most of the products 

had to be destroyed, 

such as the beer, soda, 

and meat. However, 

things such as tissues 

and liquid soap were 

shipped to Mississippi. 

They passed the state 

inspection and were able 

to be re-sold in reclaim stores. 

Tom Verhagen 

Even though it was only 30 cents to the 

dollar, it was better than nothing. 

Although most of the products were lost, 

“holiday bubble” insurance coverage took 

care of most of the damage. This was to the 

store’s advantage because the total recovery 

approximated $1.25 

million. The store was 

underinsured for business 

interruption, but luckily 

they had a great deal of 

help to open the store as 

quickly as possible. 

After three weeks, the store 

re-opened. The customers 

returned, happy to have 

their nearby market open again. “The 

community expressed concern over the 

loss,” said Verhagen, “and verbalized that 

they would never again take for granted the 

services that a neighborhood store supplies 

them.” Not only did the usual customer 

base return, but there was an increase. 

There was a lot of TV coverage in favor of 

the store, and this made more people from 

the community come and support the store 

to get back on it’s feet. The community’s 

support, in both clean-up and the customer 

base was incredible. 

So, what did everyone learn? “Review your 

insurance plans yearly for coverage,” says 

Verhagen, “and know what your maximum 

exposure is on your biggest day, because 

disaster can strike then!” 

Best Combinations 

Beer and Beef 

Beef Tenderloin Sandwiches 

w/Nutty Herb-Cheese Spread & 

Caramelized Onion Relish 

Cut: Tenderloin Roast 

Main Ingredients: 

1 center-cut beef tenderloin roast (2 

to 3 pounds), not tied 

1/3 cup sun-dried tomato spread 

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 

Assorted breads and rolls 

Nutty Herb-Cheese Spread 

1/2 cup salted shelled pistachios or 

slivered blanched almonds 

1 container (6-1/2 ounces) garlic & 

herb cheese spread 

Half-and-half 

Caramelized Onion Relish 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

4 cups (about 3 medium) thinly 

sliced onions (1/8-inch thick) 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Make horizontal 

cut through center of beef roast, parallel 

to surface of meat. Cut to, but not 

through, opposite side. Open meat so it 

lies flat. 

2. Combine sun-dried tomato spread and 

parsley. Spread lengthwise on 1/2 of meat. 

Fold other 1/2 of meat over to form 

original shape of roast. Tie at 1-1/2 to 2- 

inch intervals with kitchen twine; trim off 

excess twine. 

3. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting 

pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer 

so tip is centered in thickest part of beef, 

not resting in sun-dried tomato filling. 

Roast in 425°F oven 35 to 40 minutes for 

medium rare. 

4. Remove roast when meat thermometer 

registers 135°F. Transfer roast to carving 

board; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let 

stand 10 minutes. (Temperature will 

continue to rise about 10 degrees to reach 

145°F for medium rare.) Refrigerate roast 

for several hours or until chilled. If desired, 

roast can be wrapped tightly in aluminum 

foil and refrigerated up to 2 days. Carve 

roast into 1/4-inch thick slices. 

5. To make Nutty Herb-Cheese Spread: 

Heat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts in single 

layer in baking pan. Bake in 350°F oven 

for about 5 minutes for pistachios or 8 

minutes for almonds or until lightly 

toasted; cool slightly. Coarsely chop. 

Combine cheese spread and nuts. Stir in 

enough half-and-half to thin to spreading 

consistency. Makes 1 cup. 

6. To make Caramelized Onion Relish: Heat 

oil in large nonstick skillet over medium 

heat until hot. Add onions, garlic, salt and 

pepper; cook 30 minutes, stirring 

occasionally. Stir in brown sugar and 

vinegar; cook and stir until liquid has 

evaporated. Makes 3/4 cup. 

7. Assemble sandwiches as desired with 

breads, spread and relish. Makes 30 to 35 

appetizer servings. 

Beer Pairings 

Snake Chaser 

Cream City Pale Ale 

Horseradish-Crusted Beef Ribeye 

Roast 

Cut: Rib or Ribeye Roast/Prime Rib 

Main Ingredients: 

1 well-trimmed beef ribeye roast, 

small end (6 to 8 pounds) 

1/2 cup prepared horseradish 

37 to 40 butter-flavored crackers 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, 

crushed 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place roast, fat side 

up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. 

Spread horseradish evenly over all surfaces 

of beef roast. 

2. Place crackers in food processor or 

blender container. Cover; process until fine 

crumbs form (about 1-1/4 cups). Combine 

cracker crumbs, cheese and thyme in small 

bowl. Press crumb mixture evenly onto 

roast over horseradish, generously 

covering all surfaces. 

3. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer in 

roast so tip is centered in thickest part of 

beef, not resting in fat. Roast in 350°F 

oven 2 to 2-1/4 hours for medium rare; 2- 

1/2 to 2-3/4 hours for medium doneness. 

4. Remove roast when meat thermometer 

registers 135°F for medium rare; 150°F for 

medium. Transfer roast to carving board; 

tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 

15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature will 

continue to rise about 10°F to reach 

145°F for medium rare; 160°F for 

medium.) 

5. Carve roast into slices. Makes 8 to 10 

servings. 

Nutrition information per serving (1/8 of 

recipe): 540 calories; 57 g protein; 11 g 

carbohydrate; 28 g fat; 388 mg sodium; 

158 mg cholesterol; 9.2 mg niacin; 0.8 mg 

vitamin B6; 6.4 mcg vitamin B12; 6.2 mg 

iron; 13.6 mg zinc. 

Beer Pairings 

Furthermore 

Brewery’s Three Feet 

Deep 

Furthermore 

Brewery’s Knot Stock 


Bountiful Breweries Create Delicious Ways to 

Experience Wisconsin 

By Jill Makovec, 60th Alice in Dairyland 

Wisconsin is recognized 

nationwide for its brats and 

beer heritage, but today the 

brewery industry means much more 

to Wisconsin. Many of us associate 

Wisconsin with Miller, but Wisconsin 

is home to 70 award-winning 

microbreweries producing beers 

sought after nationwide! 

Brewing beer has a long-standing 

history in the state. In our state’s 

early beginnings, farmers used the 

winter months to perfect their cheeseand 

beer-making skills. During this 

time, they were able to craft and hone 

their brewing techniques. 

When you think about it, both 

cheese and beer are products of the 

earth. Starting from the same raw 

materials, grains and grasses, the 

quality of Wisconsin cheese and beer 

is a result of the plentiful resources 

within our state. 

Wisconsin’s breweries were not only 

influenced by the abundant resources, 

but also by the variety of people that 

settled Wisconsin. The Germanic and 

Scandinavian settlers played a vital 

role in crafting the varieties of cheese 

and beer made throughout the state. 

The resources and people also 

created a unique brewery industry 

when compared to beers produced 

throughout the rest of the United 

States. Most American microbreweries 

make ales because they take less time 

to produce and distribute to the market. 

However, Wisconsin microbreweries 

craft lagers or lager-style beers. This 

is a credit to our brew masters 

resourcefulness, utilizing equipment 

from other Wisconsin industries to 

reduce capital expenses. Lager beers 

take two weeks longer to produce; 

therefore, these styles increase the 

amount of time before breweries can 

benefit from the investment. 

After the Civil War, Wisconsin was 

home to 140 breweries, and this 

number steadily increased to 350 by 

1910. However, soon after these 

numbers dramatically decreased, 

leaving about 10 breweries in the 

state by the late 1970s. Most of these 

were larger breweries like Miller, City 

Brewery, Pabst, Schlitz, Monroe, 

Leinenkugel’s and Point Brewery. 

Wisconsin is 

home to 70 

award-winning 

microbreweries 

producing beers 

sought after 

nationwide! 

Today, when most people think of 

beer, they think of Wisconsin and the 

city of Milwaukee. But, Wisconsin’s 70 

breweries are quickly making their 

own statement nationwide. Most 

breweries craft six to ten different 

styles of beer but some produce close 

to twenty. All together, Wisconsin 

crafts close to 1000 different varieties 

of beer. It is possible to travel to all 

corners of our state and find a beer 

produced locally. 

Consumer’s perception of beer has 

also changed. Currently, beer is 

explored for its influence on the 

palate and not just the stomach. 

Many consumers look to pair 

exquisitely crafted beers that 

compliment a range of food from 

appetizers to entrees. This has caused 

a return of specialization in beer 

making and to our state’s tradition of 

quality products. 

It is our state’s incredible natural 

resources that have created the most 

amazing varieties of locally-produced 

beer. Wisconsin’s abundant and high 

quality products most often are cited 

for our beer-making heritage, but it is 

the combination of several local 

ingredients, carefully refined and 

developed into something delicious, 

that have made it successful. 

Years ago, Wisconsin led the nation in 

hops production until disease 

threatened and destroyed the crop. 

Today, Wisconsin is trying to bring 

back hops production. Hops are less 

than 5 percent of the ingredients in 

beer making but contribute more 

than 50 percent of the flavor. 

Currently, Wisconsin has seven 

farmers growing hops, and some of 

those are even producing them 

organically–opening the door to more 

varieties of Wisconsin beer. 

Another ingredient important for 

brewing beer is barley. Wisconsin’s 

abundance of this ingredient was 

instrumental in the success of the 

beer industry in our state. A majority 

of the beer made in Wisconsin is 

made with six row barley; however, 

two-row barley is preferred for beer 

making. The problem is it doesn’t 

grow well in Wisconsin. However, 

with the increased attention and 

interest in buying local, breweries and 

farmers are working to increase our 

state’s production of two-row barley. 

The interest in buying local has 

encouraged breweries to produce 

beers indigenous from Wisconsin. 

The four main ingredients for beer 

production—hops, barley, water and 

yeast—can be produced within our 

state. If you take into consideration 

the unique ingredients like honey and 

cherries used to make specialty 

varieties, the abundance and quality 

of these signature ingredients is 

allowing brew masters to craft beers 

that utilize all Wisconsin products. 

This will be the next big movement in 

Wisconsin’s beer industry. 

Grocery stores can connect 

consumers and Wisconsin brews 

thanks to recent legislation allowing 

stores to sample beer for customers. 

The only catch is brewery employees, 

not distributors, need to conduct the 

promotions. However, these offer 

great ways to showcase local 

Wisconsin beers and locally produced 

fare that create perfect partnerships. 

With a heritage of livestock production 

in Wisconsin, initial thoughts are to 

pair beer with grilled entrees. In 

addition, because of the connection 

with the earth, beer and cheese are 

logical pairings for entertaining, 

maybe even more so than wine and 

cheese. This summer, promote locallyproduced 

beer that enhances the 

flavor of all delicious cuisine. 

Alice in Dairyland is Wisconsin’s 

agricultural ambassador. She 

travels over 40,000 miles each 

year to spread the word about 

our agricultural industry. Alice in 

Dairyland can be reached by 

writing to “The Face of 

Wisconsin Agriculture,” DATCP, 

2811 Agriculture Drive, PO Box 

8911, Madison, WI 53718. You 

can schedule Alice for an 

upcoming event by contacting 

the Alice in Dairyland Program 

at 608-224-5080 or by email at 

DATCPAlice@wisconsin.gov.. 

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER 2008 Summer WISCONSIN GROCER 23

GREEN REPORT 

H. Brooks Becomes 

Sustainable 

Produce 

Distributor 

According 

to an 

FMI 

survey, 

only 

15% of 

Americans are confident in 

the safety of the food supply. 

Phillip Brooks, President of 

H. Brooks, feels the reason for 

this is the constant media 

attention focused on food 

recalls, pesticide and bacteria 

scares, and increasing food 

allergies among the 

population. 

To combat this negative feel 

for the food supply, H. Brooks 

has voluntarily made changes 

to become a Sustainable 

Produce Distributor, certified 

by the Midwest Food Alliance. 

“Consumers make assumptions 

when they buy local food,” 

states Brooks, “they feel local 

food is fresher, tastes better, is 

safer and usually seasonal.” 

By becoming a Certified 

Sustainable Produce Distributor, 

H. Brooks hopes to distinguish 

themselves as a purveyor of 

certified products that are 

socially and environmentally 

responsible. “We are proud to 

take the extra steps to assure 

our products’ integrity and to 

have a “green” supply chain. 

All farmers and ranchers that 

supply to H. Brooks are 

encouraged to become Food 

Alliance Certified, which 

means they are annually 

inspected on-site by a thirdparty 

to evaluate product 

segregation, tracking, record 

keeping systems, and to assess 

performance on social and 

environmental criteria. 

This certification addresses 

the concerns in the supply 

chain regarding the traceability 

and integrity of products, and 

preserves the value of claims 

made for social and environmentally 

responsibility. 

Food Alliance Certification 

Program Guiding Principles 

for Sustainable Growth: 

1. Purity and Nutritional 

Value 

2. Quality Control & Food 

Safety 

3. Reducing Use of Toxins 

and Hazardous Materials 

4. Resource Management and 

Recycling 

5. Safe and Fair Working 

Conditions 

H. Brooks has also made 

changes to materials used 

in business, receiving and 

storage standards, quality 

control, food safety, cleaning 

standards, water usage, 

recycling, and pest 

management to achieve their 

Certified Sustainable Produce 

Distributor distinction. 

To support their customers in 

the near future, H. Brooks will 

supply marketing materials to 

retailers that wish to promote 

food safety and the commitment 

of sustainability; these materials 

will help to educate consumers. 

H. Brooks will also be offering 

training seminars to educate 

growers and to ask them to 

make the commitment to be 

socially and environmentally 

conscious. 

H. Brooks has long been 

recognized as one of the highest 

quality produce suppliers in the 

country. We are proud to be 

helping to create a path for both 

growers and retailers to go green! 

Metcalfe’s Sentry 

Celebrates Going 

Green 

Metcalfe Sentry exhibited at the Going 

Green Wisconsin Expo. 

The Going Green Wisconsin 

Expo in Madison offered more 

than 110 booths and 80 

exhibits aimed at helping 

people learn how to live and 

work in a more environmentally 

conscious fashion. 

One of the exhibitors at the 

expo was Metcalfe Sentry. The 

grocery is launching its "food 

miles" campaign, showing 

shoppers the amount of fossil 

fuels it takes for food to travel 

from farm to market. In fact, 

most of the cost of food goes 

into transportation costs, 

which is why Metcalfe's is 

emphasizing buying food from 

the state of Wisconsin. 

"Buying Wisconsin is buying 

local for us and you're helping 

the environment. We're 

putting money back into the 

economy. You're helping local 

farmers when you buy from 

us. We're giving back to the 

community as well," said 

Brianna Purvis, of Metcalfe 

Sentry. Metcalfe's said that 

new vendors and producers are 

coming in every day. 

Pierce’s Marketplace 

Portage 

Announces 

Expansion of 

Organic and 

Natural Foods 

Section 

Shoppers looking for natural 

and organic alternatives to 

conventional grocery items can 

now find an extensive 

selection of organic and 

natural products at Pierce’s 

Marketplace Portage. 

Jeff Maurer, President and 

General Manager of Pierce’s 

Supermarket, Inc., announced 

that, “A tremendous variety of 

natural and organic items, as 

well as specialty foods for 

individuals with dietary 

concerns, is now available in 

the newly remodeled natural 

and organic section of Pierce’s 

Marketplace Portage.” 

This newly designed, 160-foot 

space contains only top-quality 

natural and organic items, 

including frozen foods and 

fresh dairy products, as well as 

an extensive assortment of 

non-perishables. Customers 

will find organic and natural 

varieties including hot and 

cold cereals, rice, pasta and 

pasta sauces, baking 

ingredients, sweets and snack 

foods, non-dairy milks, juices, 

tea and coffee, canned 

vegetables, condiments, soups, 

and much more. 

Complete customer 

satisfaction is a priority at 

Pierce’s. The staff at Pierce’s 

Marketplace Portage is 

committed to continuously 

expanding their natural and 

organic food offerings in order 

to meet the unique requests 

and needs of their valued 

customers. 


SPONSORS 

Green Space 

SYCSO 

SYSCO Food Services of Baraboo, in 

partnership with Organic Valley Farms, is 

bringing Organics to a grocery store near you. 

• SYSCO Food Services of Baraboo delivers food and supplies to 

over 4000 restaurants each week. 

• Organic Valley Farms’ membership has grown to over 1200 

family farms and their high standards shine through in their 

delicious, award-winning, certified organic food, now available at 

your favorite restaurants. 

Enroll in the NatureWise ® 

Renewable Energy Program from 

Wisconsin Public Service and show 

your customers that you support 

the environment. For only a few 

dollars per month, you can bring 

more renewable energy to our communities and help protect the 

environment. As a participant, you’ll receive display materials that 

show your support of NatureWise. 

Visit wisconsinpublicservice.com or call the 

Business Solution Center at (877)444-0888 for more details. 

Are you proud of your produce department... 

and your results? 

At H. Brooks and Company we offer our customers 

proven programs for building sales and profits. 

Increased sales and profits are really just by-products of 

increased customer satisfaction of your shoppers. 

Fresh, high-quality, great looking produce just sells faster! 

Fresher product, faster turns, higher sales, 

fresher product—that’s a powerful sales cycle 

you will enjoy with H. Brooks. 

Discover the Difference 

H. Brooks and Company 

(651) 635-0126 

H. Brooks • 600 Lakeview Point Dr. • New Brighton, MN 55112 

www.hbrooks.com 



Presented 

by 

the Wisconsin 

Grocers Association, 

You give your best every day. 

Now show us what you’ve got. Compete in the 2008 WGA Creative Competition. 

Inc. 

September 30 & October 1 

MONONA TERRACE, MADISON 

Turning Sweet Sixteen is an event worth celebrating. 

SPONSORED BY So we chose a Sweet Sixteen birthday party as the theme of the 2008 

WGA Creative Competition. What can you create for $100 or less to 

help make a sixteenth birthday party special for a guest list of 30 

people? Show us your stuff in one or all of these catagories for a chance 

to win recognition plus a cash prize: 

• CAKE DECORATING • DELI PLATTER • GIFT BASKET • FLORAL ARRANGEMENT 

CASH 

PRIZES 

in all 

categories 

For more information go to www.WisconsinGrocers.com or call (888)342-5942. 

Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. • One South Pinckney Street, Suite 504 • Madison WI 53703 

Minimum 

Wage 

CHANGE 

Minimum Wage goes to 

$6.55 as of July 24, 2008. 

Minimum Wage will be matching the Federal Rate. 

The current red WGA Superposter includes this required posting. 

For information about the WGA Superposter, with all required federal and state postings, contact Sarah Decorah 

at 888.342–5942 or email her at sdecorah@wisconsingrocers.com. 


AROUND THE STATE 

Around the State spotlights notable Wisconsin grocers and industry leaders. To share your news with fellow grocers, e-mail mkussow@wisconsingrocers.com or call 888.342-5942. 

Kwik Trip Micro-biological Laboratory Opens 

Kwik Trip celebrated a grand 

opening of their full-service, 

micro-biological laboratory, 

directed by Dr. Jay Ellingsoon. 

Roundy’s 

Opens New 

Copps in Manitowoc 

Manitowoc County Domestic Violence 

Center Receives a $2,500 Donation 

Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. opened the 

doors to the company’s newest and most 

complete supermarket in Manitowoc. The 

60,000-plus square-foot Copps store, 

located at 3300 Calumet Avenue, replaces 

the Copps that operated at 3415 Custer 

Street and will 

provide their 

great customer 

base in 

Manitowoc 

with a state-ofthe-art 

store, 

complete with 

more choices 

across all 

departments and energy efficient lighting. 

Vivian King, director of public affairs at 

Roundy’s, along with store and local 

officials cut the ribbon for the new store 

during a grand opening party. She and store 

director, Lane Landon, then presented 

$2,500 to the Manitowoc County 

Domestic Violence Center. “Fighting 

domestic violence is a key concern at 

Roundy’s, and we are proud to support the 

Manitowoc County Domestic Violence 

Center,” said Robert Mariano, Roundy’s 

chairman and CEO. “With its shelter for 

victims of domestic abuse, the center 

provides a vital step to helping break the 

cycle of domestic violence.” 

The grand opening party at the new Copps 

store had a “Summer Fun in the Sun” 

theme and included food sampling, face 

painting, a chance to win prizes and music 

by the Roncalli High School Jazz Choir and 

Dante’s Bop Band. 

Arcadia Hometown Hero’s Night 

It provides third-party, independent, 

on-site food safety laboratory services 

which work in conjunction with 

Marshfield Clinic Food Safety Lab. 

Attending the opening was Congressman 

Ron Kind, State Senator Dan Kapanke and 

Kwik Trip’s Steve Loehr, who is also on the 

WGA Board. 

Sixteen different groups were honored with plaques at the Arcadia Hometown Hero’s Night. 

Dave Hegenbarth talks to 

coloring contest winner. 

The Arcadia Area Hometown Hero’s Night was the second annual 

Hero’s Night in Arcadia. This is an annual event, started by Dave 

Hegenbarth in 2001 in Sparta after the tragedy of September 

11th. Hometown Hero’s Night honors fire and rescue workers, 

and police and sheriff professionals. Twenty-two World War II 

veterans were honored this year as well. Almost 400 people were 

in attendance with 165 Hometown Heroes—everyone of them 

recognized and thanked for their service to their communities. 

The Sparta area will have its eighth annual event this November. 

The event includes a coloring contest for first graders and an essay contest for fifth graders. 

Plans are in the works to start a Hometown Hero’s Night in October in the Galesville area 

and in the La Crosse area in 2009. 

The sixteen area groups honored 

were: 

Arcadia Glencoe Fire Department 

Arcadia Police Department 

Arcadia First Responders 

Arcadia Ambulance Service 

Arcadia VFW Post 10671 

Tickfer Erickson American 

Legion Post 17 

Dave Hegenbarth presents honors to individuals who represent sixteen groups. Also, 

with Hegengarth is Barb Gronemus, 91st District Assembly Person, and Missy 

Schroeder, Miss Arcadia. 

Arcadia National Guard Charlie 

Company 

Independence Fire Department 

Independence Police Department 

Independence First Responders 

Sura Wiersgalla American 

Legion Post 186 

Waumandee Montana Fire 

Department 

Waumandee Montana First 

Responders 

Dodge Fire Department 

Dodge First Responders 

Trempealeau County Sheriff’s 

Department and 911 Dispatch 



Valu 2 U winner 

announced at 

National Avenue 

Between January 

and May the 

Sentry and Supervalu retailers 

kicked off a new way of 

reaching consumers via the 

internet. To use the new 

service, consumers went to 

www.valu2-u.com, 

where they can opt in 

for regular e-mail 

newsletters and special 

electronic deals. They 

can choose the features 

they want and select 

the products that best meet 

their needs. 

A promotion at Spiegelhoff’s 

Kenosha was targeted to increase 

potato category sales through 

sponsorship of the National Potato 

Lovers Month Promotion. The 

store built a large display in the 

front creation area which included 

500 10-pound bags of Idaho 

Potatoes, 700 baking potatoes and 

100 5-pound bags of Idaho’s. The 

three best skus of Idaho: 10#, 5# 

Cecelia Reddyin won $1000 in free 

groceries. 

A sweepstakes was used to kick 

off the promotion; 

the first grand 

prize winner in the 

Sentry group was 

from the National 

Avenue Sentry. 

Cecelia Reddyin won $1000 in 

free groceries. 

Potato Month Display at Spiegelhoff’s 

Kenosha 

Spiegelhoff’s Kenosha created a promotion for National Potato Lovers Month. 

and bulk bakers were also 

promoted. The stores creatively 

cross-merchandised Cheese-wiz, 

Idaho dry potatoes and Oscar 

Meyer shelf-stable bacon. The large 

display was mass merchandised 

using 6 four-foot-by-four-foot 

European tables. Display time 

frame was one month. Idaho POP 

materials were used to enhance 

display. The display was entered in 

the Idaho Ore-ida National Sales 

Contest. This event quadrupled 

potato category sales distribution. 

Affiliated Foods Midwest Announces 

New Distribution Center in Kenosha, 


Affiliated Foods 

Midwest (AFM) 

held a groundbreaking 

ceremony 

for their new third distribution 

center in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 

Wednesday, May 14, 2008, amidst 

a crowd of local dignitaries, 

employees, board members, and 

friends of the company. The AFM 

Cooperative, going into its 77th 

year of business, currently serves 

independent grocers throughout 12 

states in the Midwest and is owned 

and governed by its member retailers. 

The 731,000 square foot facility 

will be completed by the Spring of 

2009, adding Michigan, Indiana 

and Ohio to its distribution radius. 

“Affiliated Foods Midwest is a 

growing company known 

throughout the Midwest for its 

quality products and I’m pleased to 

welcome them to Wisconsin,” said 

Governor Jim Doyle. “This 

expansion will create good paying 

jobs for hard-working Wisconsin 

families. We have grown Wisconsin 

by making it a premier place for 

manufacturers, agricultural 

producers and new economy 

businesses looking to start or 

expand their operations.” 

AFM President Martin Arter stated, 

“The City of Kenosha, Kenosha 

Area Business Alliance and State of 

Wisconsin have provided 

tremendous assistance for our 

expansion project. After much 

research and exploring, we know 

that this will be a great location for 

Affiliated Foods Midwest. We look 

forward to being a partner in the 

community and surrounding area as 

well as the opportunities we will 

provide for future employees.” 

Arter added, “This distribution 

center will accommodate our 

growth in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and 

Iowa. Rising transportation costs 

and logistical concerns make it 

impractical to serve our northern 

region from our existing 

distribution centers. We know the 

location is crucial for long-term 

viability of Affiliated Foods Midwest.” 

Affiliated Foods Midwest’s Board 

Chairman, Marc King, noted, “For 

all of the right reasons, Kenosha is 

our ideal location. It has great 

population growth, a strong 

business climate and convenient 

location along the I-94 corridor 

from Milwaukee to Chicago. For 

our Cooperative to remain strong, 

we must maintain constant growth 

in the highly competitive and 

rapidly changing food industry.” 

Affiliated Foods Midwest is a 

member-owned cooperative 

providing independent grocers with 

a full range of foods, supermarket 

supplies and services throughout 

several states in the Midwest. 

Founded in 1931, it currently 

operates from two warehouses 

totaling 1.4 million square feet. 

AFM is a member of the Topco 

Cooperative, the 2nd largest 

procurer of grocery goods in the 

United States. AFM’s website is: 

www.afmidwest.com. 


Hegenbarth announces bid for 91st Assembly District as Republican 

August Area 

Times 

WGA’s own 

Dave 

Hegenbarth 

announced 

that he seeks 

election to the 

91st Assembly 

Dave Hegenbarth District; 

incumbent 

Representative Barbara Gronemus 

intends to retire. 

WGA’s own Dave Hegenbarth announced 

that he seeks election to the 91st Assembly 

District; incumbent Representative Barbara 

Gronemus intends to retire. 

Born and raised in La Crosse, Hegenbarth 

is a 10-year resident of rural Galesville with 

his wife, Barb, and two teenage sons, 

Spencer and Austin. 

Hegenbarth has been in the grocery 

industry since 1975 and has owned grocery 

stores since 1993; he currently owns the 

Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Galesville, 

Arcadia, La Crosse and Sparta, as well as 

the Pig Stop convenience store in Galesville. 

Hegenbarth said that his stores’ success is 

the result of his commitment to serve 

customers, his willingness to listen, and his 

ability to build consensus. 

“In order to get things done in Madison, 

we simply need to raise our expectations,” 

Hegenbarth said. “I believe that working 

together and setting aside partisan 

differences, we can address the issues that 

families across western Wisconsin talk 

about at the kitchen table.” 

Hegenbarth said that 

statewide issues like 

affordable health care, 

job creation, providing 

opportunities for 

education, worker 

training, and lower 

taxes for families have 

real solutions that can 

be achieved through 

consensus and 

leadership. In addition, issues unique to 

western Wisconsin, such as strengthening 

agriculture and controlling property taxes, 

can be addressed if people are put ahead of 

Madison politics. 

“If we work together, with an open dialog 

and an unwavering 

passion to serve 

people, we can solve 

these issues,” said 

Hegenbarth. “The 

solutions will require 

a proactive approach, 

creative problem 

solving and 

accountability. 

However, the first 

step toward these 

solutions is electing 

people who are 

committed to 

serve you.” 

Hegenbarth’s public 

service credentials 

“If we work together, 

with an open dialog 

and an unwavering 

passion to serve 

people, we can solve 

these issues.” 

$ 

j 

, 

Buy and sell 

equipment, 

find 

good employees, or 

invite 

others to your special event. 

include serving as a Cub Scout leader, Lions 

Club president, Chamber of Commerce 

board member, American 

Cancer Society fundraising 

chairman, Junior 

Achievement instructor, 

Rotary Club member, and 

chairman of the G-E-T 

Long-Range Planning 

Committee; he presently 

serves on the Wisconsin 

Grocers Association 

board of directors, as 

chairman of the G-E-T 

Education Foundation and as president of 

the G-E-T Booster Club. 

The 91st Assembly District encompasses 

Trempealeau, Buffalo, Pierce, Pepin and 

Jackson counties. The general election is 

held on November 4, 2008. 

Use the 

NEW 


Grocers 

Classifieds. 

Do you have equipment to sell or are looking to purchase new or used 

equipment? Are you looking for new department or management staff? 

Classified ads will now be offered in the Wisconsin Grocer magazine at 

$50 for approximately 35 words. Classifieds will also be posted on the 

WGA website for up to 60 days. 

To take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Cheryl Lytle at 

(888) 342-5942 or Cheryl @WisconsinGrocers.com. 

Salvation Army in Monroe was one of 51 food pantries to receive more than $7,000 in 

food donations during Roundy’s week-long Food Tour. 

Roundy’s Foundation 

The Roundy’s Foundation spent an 

entire week driving around Wisconsin 

to deliver 375,513 pounds of food to 

51 food pantries during its fourth Roundy’s on the Road: A Foundation Food 

Tour. The food deliveries were made at Roundy’s stores in twelve communities. 

Roundy’s Foundation was created in August, 2003, to further strengthen 

the commitment Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. has to the communities it 

serves. The Roundy’s Foundation is dedicated to hunger relief, families in 

crisis due to domestic abuse and literacy, and since its inception has given 

more than $2.5 million to organizations focused on community service in 

those areas of need. 

Major grant recipients include food banks, women and family violence 

shelters and literacy programs throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota. 



New addition to Breselow’s Family 

Market in Watertown 

Pat and Dennis Breselow have 

just completed a million dollar, 

2,560 square foot addition to 

their store in Watertown. 

Their sales floor increased from 

13,950 to 16,510 square feet, 

doubling the produce 

department, going from 36 frozen doors to 59, increasing the meat, 

deli, floral, bakery departments, adding a 20-foot beer cooler, and 

moving the liquor from the east side to the west side of the store. 

The Breselows also replaced all the electrical wiring, lighting, floors, 

and the compressor room; all are energy efficient. The only area in 

the store that remained the same is the entrance. 

World’s Largest Brat Fest 

Festival Foods Ground-breaking 

Festival Foods will be 

opening a new grocery 

store this fall in 

Manitowoc. The new 

store will be located on a 

seven-acre parcel that is 

bordered by Dewey Street and South 42nd Street on Manitowoc’s 

southwest side. 

The 70,000-square-foot store will feature many great departments 

and services such as: a “kitchen classics” meat department, natural 

and organic foods, fresh sushi, a healthy-choices salad and hot 

foods bar, an extensive deli and prepared foods selection, a wine 

and spirits shop, and catering services. 

The Skogen Family and Festival Foods company have been eagerly 

anticipating the new store for quite some time. The new store will 

have lots to offer to shoppers in the Manitowoc area. It will provide 

customers with tremendous value as a result of our competitive 

pricing, our wide selections that include healthy choices and our 

commitment to creating a great experience with each store visit. 

Sandra Lee with Tim Metcalfe. Lee is host on Semi- 

Homemade (Food Network) and was the official 

spokesperson of Johnsonville Brats at Brat Fest. 

Metcalfe’s annual 2008 World’s Largest Brat Fest was held 

Memorial Day weekend at Willow Island in Madison, Wisconsin. 

This was the 26th year in a row that the event has taken place. 

The goal for this year’s event was to sell over 200,000 Johnsonville 

Brats; 191,712 brats were sold, setting a new World Brat Fest record. 

The Johnsonville Big Taste Grill, which is the world’s largest tour 

grill, and the Oscar Meyer weiner mobile were also on the grounds. 

All the proceeds go to 77 local charities. Over $103,000 was raised 

last year (2007) for the charities. This year’s total has not yet been 

calculated. Over 4,000 volunteers helped to run this event which 

was spearheaded by Sentry owners Tim and Kevin Metcalfe and 

assisted by their General Manager Jeff Greenheck. Many local area 

celebrities were also involved in the volunteer work including Gov. 

Doyle’s wife, Jessica, who was a celebrity cashier. Many local 

government, television and radio personalities also volunteered. 

This year’s event featured Sologear, debuting an eco-friendly 

alternative to using charcoal and lighter fluid for grilling. Sologear 

has developed the uGo Flame Disk, solidified ethanol made from 

corn. Metcalfe’s Hilldale Sentry is one of the few stores in the area 

selling the product. 

A new world record for selling brats and raising money for charity 

made this event another WIN-WIN!!! A special thanks goes to 

owners Tim and Kevin Metcalfe whose hard work and dedication 

made this year’s Brat Fest the most successful to date. 

Q&A 

PACKAGING SOLD 

PRODUCTS 

Q: Our local grocery store 

wants to know if they 

really do need to put those 

six packs of Mike's Hard 

Lemonade in a bag before 

leaving the store since they 

have such nice handles. What are the requirements for 

bagging up products? 

INDUSTRY 

Nothing in state law requires it to be bagged; perhaps 

by municipal ordinance? 

Roger B. Johnson 

Wisconsin Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement 

(608) 266-6757 

TAXABLE LABELS 

Q: Are labels purchased from a supplier taxable? 

A: As provided in sec. Tax 11.15(2)(h), Wis. Adm. Code 

(December 1997 Register), price labels and advertising 

labels used in connection with the sale of tangible 

personal property generally do not qualify for the 

container exemption under sec. 77.54(6), Wis. Stats. 

However, if the label has information to describe or identify 

the product (e.g., ingredient list), in addition to the 

price, and the label is a part of the product, then it 

qualifies for exemption when purchased by the grocery 

store because it is for resale. 

Vicki L. Gibbons 

Director, Audit Bureau, Wisconsin Department of Revenue 

vgibbons@revenue.wi.gov 


You give your best every day. 

Now get the best from your association. Attend the WGA Innovation Expo 2008. 

Presented 

by 

the Wisconsin 

Grocers Association, 

Inc. 

Honors 

• NEW! Community 

Service Award 

• NEW! Vendor Award 

• Excellence in 

Operations Honors 

• Grocer of the Year 

Award 

Competitions 

• The Great Wisconsin 

Bag-Off 

• Creative Competition 

to show off talents 

in Bakery, Floral, Gift 

Basket, and Deli 

Platter design. 

September 30 & October 1 

MONONA TERRACE, MADISON 

INSPIRE your associations and honor your colleagues 

with grocery contests and awards. 

LEARN more to earn more at more educational seminars. 

NETWORK with retailers, wholesalers, and vendors. 

Coca-Cola showcases products at the trade show. 2007 Grocer of the Year celebrates with family. Industry pros network. The Great Wisconsin Bag-Off applauds store associates. 

Trade Show 

• Meet and mingle 

with retailers, 

wholesalers, 

and vendors. 

• Sample products, 

new and proven. 

• Share your 

enthusiasm for the 

grocery industry 

with colleagues 

and family. 

MORE 

Educational 

Seminars 

Topics include: 

• Payment Card Industry 

(PCI) Compliance 

• Grocery Trends 

• Web-based Advertising 

• Grocers Going Green 

• Plus a key note 

address! 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1 

Decorator Set-Up 

8 am to Noon 

Exhibit Set-Up 

Tuesday 1 pm to 6 pm 

Wednesday 8 am to 1 pm 

WELCOME 

Seminar #1 1:00-2:15 pm 

Seminar #2 2:15-3:15 pm 

Seminar #3 

3:30-4:30 pm 

Networking Reception 

5:00 to 7:00 pm 

Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres 

Dinner on the Town 

Sponsored Networking Dinners 

OWNER & MANAGER SEM. DEPT. MANAGER SEM. 

Seminar #4 8:30-9:30 amSupervisory Skills 

Key Note Speaker 9:45-10:45 am 

WGA Annual Membership 

Luncheon Meeting 

11:00 am-1:00 pm 

Bakery & Deli Trends 

11:15 am-12:45 pm 

Trade Show 1:00-4:00 pm 

Creative Competition Display 

Great Wisconsin Bag-Off 4:00-5:00 pm 

Reception 6:00-7:00 pm 

Chairman’s Banquet 7:00-9:30 pm 

For more information go to www.WisconsinGrocers.com or call (888)342-5942. 


Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. • One South Pinckney Street, Suite 504 • Madison WI 53703 


402-371-0555 

913-365-9741 

www.afmidwest.com 

2215 Union Avenue 

Sheboygan, WI 53082 

www.shopthepig.com 

GARY SUOKKO • 920.208.4290 

gsuokko@shopthepig.com 

- employee benefit solutions - 

The Averill Anderson Difference 

Randy Averill • Mark Anderson 

800-388-0964 

Fax 800-861-8741 • ebs@averillanderson.com 

310 S. Main Street, West Bend, WI 53095 

A Waste and 

Recycling Equipment 

MANAGEMENT COMPANY 

Providing Local & National Service, Equipment Sales, Preventative 

Maintenance, and Installation of Compactors and Balers. 

322 N. Watertown Street • Johnson Creek, WI 53038 

1-888-699-2848 • 920-699-2848 • Fax 920-699-2847 • service@jwrinc.net 

www.jwrinc.net 

Lisa Harmon 

Sales Center Manager 

a COCA-COLA ENTERPRISES company 

6364 Blanchars Crossing, Windsor, WI 53598 

Ph: 608.846.8866 • Fx: 608.846.5518 

lharmon@cokecce.com 

PAN-O-GOLD Baking Co. 

1000 Wilburn Road 

Sun Prairie WI 53590 

(608) 834-1816 

(877) 457-7860 Watts Line 

Serving the Real Independents! 

Certco, Inc. 

Dave Ryman, Director of Sales 

5321 Verona Road 

Madison, WI 53711-6050 

(608) 271-4500 

dryman@certcoinc.com • www.certcoinc.com 

875 E. Wisconsin Avenue • Milwaukee, WI 53202 

www.roundys.com 

Phone 414-231-5000 

The Right Partner Makes All the Difference 

Thomas Branta 

Market Development Manager 

262-308-7548 

Brad Miller 

Market Development Director 

630-743-9226 

Green Bay Distribution Center 

451 Joannes Ave., Green Bay WI 54304 

Jeff McClure 

Area Sales Director 

920-436-1509 

Aija Upite 

Area Sales Director 

262-947-9384 

Pleasant Prairie Distribution Center 

7400 95th St., Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158 



2008 Spring WISCONSIN GROCER 33


For More Information Please Contact: 

THOMAS BRANTA, MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Green Bay/Pleasant Prairie 262-308-7548 

BRAD MILLER, MARKET DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, Green Bay/Pleasant Prairie 630-743-9226 

JEFF MCCLURE, AREA SALES DIRECTOR, Green Bay 920-436-1509 

AIJA UPITE, AREA SALES DIRECTOR, Pleasant Prairie 262-947-9384 

SUPERVALU Green Bay Distribution Center 

451 Joannes Ave., Green Bay, WI 54304 

SUPERVALU Pleasant Prairie Distribution Center 

7400 95th St., Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158 



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If you’re in the market for business coverage for your store, check out the GRO-SURE plan from 

the experts at Society ® Insurance. Designed to meet the unique insurance needs of grocers like 

you, GRO-SURE offers some of the broadest property/casualty coverage available. It’s no wonder 

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Untitled by Boris Lyubner 

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Catering - Wisconsin Grocers Association

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