Ocean Spray recognized by Technical College System Board;
Mid-State Technical College credited with "accelerated" production expansion
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Ocean Spray Cranberries of Wisconsin Rapids has been awarded the
inaugural "Futuremakers Partner Award" by the Wisconsin Technical College
System Board. This new award is designed to recognize organizations that partner with
technical colleges in pursuit of strong futures through sustainable jobs.
System President Dan Clancy presented the award to Ocean Spray for the company’s
significant financial and workforce investment, to increase the economic vitality of
the Wisconsin Rapids region. The award was made at the recommendation of Mid-State
Technical College (MSTC), who works in close partnership with Ocean Spray to meet the
company’s need for skilled employees. Many Ocean Spray employees are MSTC degree and
diploma program graduates or have benefited from customized educational opportunities
from the college.
Most recently, MSTC received a Wisconsin Workforce Advancement Training (WAT) grant to
upgrade the skills of workers at the Wisconsin Rapids cranberry processing plant. WAT
grants are a key component of the Grow Wisconsin effort.
"Our workforce advancement training program is an important tool in growing
Wisconsin, and I am pleased that, together with the Wisconsin Technical College system,
we could provide assistance to Ocean Spray to help them expand," Governor Doyle
said. "Ocean Spray’s investment in their workers and their capital is an
investment in Wisconsin. Ocean Spray is a world class company, and their expansion is
helping create good, family supporting jobs for hard-working Wisconsin families."
New workforce skills were required to fully realize the benefits of $75 million in
capital improvements for production expansion, the largest capital investment the
company has made in a manufacturing facility.
"The training from the college was essential to our growth," said Ocean Spray plant manager Kirk Willard. "The complexity of growing an organization in a short
amount of time presented many challenges. In general, the timeline for bringing the
production online was vastly accelerated due to MSTC."
Willard added it typically takes four months to develop a new production line for ideal
cranberry processing. MSTC training helped cut that down to eight days.
"This was a collaboration of business, education and government working together
and resulting in highly-desirable outcomes. It’s a great example of how things can and
should work," said Dr. John Clark, president of MSTC. "The Ocean Spray – MSTC
partnership has helped Ocean Spray grow through improved productivity and become more
globally competitive."
Wisconsin Technical College System Board members toured the Wisconsin Rapids Ocean
Spray plant this week, which includes two, new, sweetened dried cranberry production
lines and has expanded from 50 to 168 full-time employees.
"Our Board members were thoroughly impressed with the level of advanced technology
integrated into Ocean Spray’s operations and how that has impacted production,"
said Stan Davis, WTCS Board President. "When you consider the impact this company
has had on central Wisconsin and the level of engagement between the company and its
local technical college, it’s easy to see why Ocean Spray was chosen to be the
inaugural recipient of the WTCS Futuremakers Partner Award," Davis added.
The Wisconsin Technical College System has 16 technical college districts throughout Wisconsin, which offer more than 300 programs awarding two-year associate degrees, one
and two-year technical diplomas and short-term technical diplomas. In addition, the
System is the major provider of customized training and technical assistance to
Wisconsin’s business and industry community. More than half of all adults in Wisconsin
have accessed the technical colleges for education and training. Find more about
educational programs at www.witechcolleges.org.
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