Business of the Year: Heartland Produce Co.

Heartland Production Company 5814 104th Ave., Kenosha Industry: Produce a wholesaler Employees: 214 heartlandproduce.com

Kenosha-based Heartland Produce Co., a family-owned, full-service wholesaler, has been named Business of the Year as part of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance’s Ovation Awards program. The company sells organic and fresh produce to both independent grocery stores and national chains.

“We’re in the fresh produce industry, so everything we do … the end user needs to be happy with what they buy from us, and the family needs to be happy that they’re getting healthy produce,” said Bill Dietz, president of Heartland Produce.

In the year Founded in 1989 in Elgin, Illinois, Heartland Manufacturing was founded in 1989. In 1994, he moved his operations to the Kenosha Industrial Park. The company is owned by third and fourth generation family members. Dietz said the company has been welcoming to the community since it first moved to Kenosha.

In the year In 2021, Heartland Produce broke ground on a new 205,000-square-foot facility in Kenosha’s Greenway Corporate Park — a significant increase from the company’s original 40,000-square-foot location.

Heartland acquired 31 acres of land at the former Dairyland Greyhound Park dog track site for the project in June 2021 for $5.29 million.

The $29 million investment will provide the company with both a state-of-the-art distribution facility and room for future growth. The new facility was officially completed this spring and all staff moved in in May. Heartland recently invested over $1 million to bring new equipment to the facility.

“Our business has grown steadily every year. For about four or five years, we’ve been very active in the space. It’s something we’ve been working on for a while, maybe a few years before Covid-19,” Dietz said.

Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, the company decided to move forward with expansion plans. Heartland Products didn’t have as many supply chain problems as other companies, but it did struggle for a while with rising freight rates at the time. According to Dietz, his number one priority was adjusting employee practices to keep employees safe amid the global pandemic.

At the Heartland warehouse, work areas have been reorganized to six feet apart and a mask policy has been implemented. Employees who do not need to be in the warehouse are also given the option to work from home.

“Our biggest concern is how we can keep everyone in the workplace safe and prevent a major outbreak of COVID in the warehouse,” Dietz said.

Heartland Produce is actively involved in the Kenosha community. One of his main philanthropic endeavors is the Heartland Children’s Foundation, founded in 2014. During the annual golf outing, Heartland Produce raises funds to donate to organizations that help children and families. Past organizations to receive the donation include the Kenosha YMCA, Horizons for Women and Children and the Shalom Center.

“We raise money for a good cause. I always think that children are our greatest asset, and it’s the best thing we can do moving forward … to do whatever it takes to make them healthy, successful, protected … all the things that grow a child into a successful adult,” said Dietz.

As the company grew, it also added to its organic product line. With the addition of two fancy wrapping machines and a gyro bag, Heartland can produce wraps and bags with the two brands.