Heartland Production CompanyA Kenosha-based wholesale company that recently completed construction of a new $29 million headquarters at the former Dairyland Greyhound Park dog track site has been honored as the 2022 Business of the Year. Kenosha Area Business Alliance.
Heartland Produce highlights the list of winners of KABA’s annual Ovation Awards, which returns after a two-year hiatus to recognize top-performing Kenosha County businesses and business leaders and community support. Winners are selected by a selection committee that includes past Ovation Award winners, KABA staff and board members, BizTimes Media, and representatives from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Gateway Technical College and Carthage College.
The winners of the Ovation Awards are known by Party preparation Thursday, Nov. 3 at UW-Parkside. Biztimes Media is the media sponsor for the event. Other sponsors include Johnson Financial Group And UW-Parkside.
In the year Founded in 1989 in Elgin, Illinois, Heartland Produce Company moved to the Kenosha Industrial Park in 1994. The family-owned business distributes fruits, vegetables, organic and locally grown produce to grocery stores. Earlier this year, the company completed construction of a $29 million, 200,000-square-foot distribution and headquarters facility at Greenway Corporate Park on the former Dairyland Greyhound Park site. The company moved into the facility in May and has invested more than $1 million in new equipment.
Other Ovation Award winners:
Marian DarsottPresident and CEO Nexus Pharmaceuticals, is the 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year. Lincolnshire, Illinois-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Nexus Pharmaceuticals has completed construction of a $100 million, 85,000-square-foot facility in Pleasant Prairie in 2021. The facility represents the first phase of a $250 million multi-phase project to be completed over 10 years. The institute is expected to create more than 400 new local jobs by bringing more than 77 new jobs in the high-tech manufacturing and science sectors this year.
Finishing and Plating Services, Inc. 2022 is the small business of the year. The Kenosha-based fourth-generation family-owned business has specialized in metal finishing since its inception in 1952. The company works with zinc, zinc-cobalt, tin, phosphate and passivate. It has six plating lines operating in three shifts five days a week.
2022 Future Award Winners (organizations or organizations that have helped move Kenosha County forward, invested in or developed programs or initiatives)
Herzing UniversityIn 2020, it moved its Kenosha campus to downtown Kenosha. Milwaukee-based Herzing is a founding partner of the KELA-Kenosha Emerging Leaders Academy, a new building and program that works directly with Kenosha’s youth.
Kenosha creative placeA non-profit organization in Kenosha dedicated to creating economic opportunities for local artists, musicians, creatives, entrepreneurs and local partner organizations.
Land-Quest RealtyA Kenosha-based real estate developer that purchased and renovated the former Weiskopf School into apartments, one of the oldest buildings in Kenosha. He converted other buildings into apartments.
Kutzler Express, Inc.The Kenosha-based trucking company has added 63 more employees, bought property for a new terminal, doubled profits and increased revenue by 52 percent in the past two years.
Liftpro LLCThe Kenosha-based company offers a line of aerial lifts for rent or purchase and has invested more than $3.5 million over the past three years to add more shuttle trucks, vans and rental equipment. Over the past 14 years, he has grown his annual revenue from $400,000 to $6 million; The number of employees has increased from 3 to 14.
