Thysse Acquires Sign Edge, Expanding Their Specialty Graphics Capabilities

CONTACT: Brooke Barney, Thysse, 608.249.6951

OREGON, WI, March 3, 2020 — Thysse announced today that it has acquired Sign Edge, a Middleton-based specialty graphics firm.

“For the past 25 years, I’ve used my experience and expertise to creatively help clients with their brand, always working to offer them more,” said Jim Hagen, Sign Edge. “Joining the Varsity Squad at Thysse, I can now offer my clients a far greater spectrum of brand development solutions. Teaming with the like-minded professionals at Thysse is truly incredible.”

Combined, the companies share the same vision, to develop innovative ways to creatively and effectively develop, deploy and promote your brand. New and increased resources and capabilities include the production and installation of vehicle and ATM wraps, decorative and protective film for glass, wall murals, dimensional logos and lettering, floor graphics and more.

Hagen will be joining full time as Director of Specialty Graphics.

“Adding Jim and Sign Edge to the Thysse team is a vision turned reality for us,” said Dean Bott, General Manager, Thysse. “Besides Jim being extremely talented, he is a great guy and a perfect fit for our culture. The additional capabilities will allow us to better serve our existing clients and serve markets we have been eager to reach.”

About Sign Edge

A premier graphics and wrap company in Middleton, WI, Sign Edge, founded in 1994 has helped small businesses bolster their brand.  

About Thysse

Thysse is a third-generation, innovative company in Oregon, WI, specializing in visual communication. We are a design, printing and manufacturing company and we have the imagination and tools to customize projects, whatever they may be. We think about how your story is being told through your direct mail, your catalog, your fleet vehicles, your apparel, the sign outside your door, and the design of the lobby inside your door. We are where you go with your brand. For more information about Thysse, please visit www.thysse.com.

Brothers Desserts Family Acquires Schoep’s Ice Cream

The Winkler Family of Brothers Desserts announced today that they are taking over operations at Schoep’s Ice Cream in Madison, Wisconsin. Brothers Desserts was established in 1973 selling Italian Ices and Ice Creams to kids all over Southern California. They have since grown substantially making ice cream under various private labels for well-known brands and under their own labels: Brothers Ice Cream, Natural Choice, Absolute Fruit Sorbet and NutriFreeze. Their products can be found in grocery stores, club stores and specialty shops across the country.

Brothers had been looking to expand to the mid-west. In late 2019, Schoep’s Ice Cream entered into receivership and the Winkler Family was able to purchase select assets of the company – retaining most employees and preserving the brand’s name in the process.

“There’s a lot of cross over between Brothers and Schoep’s.” said Gary Winkler, the founder, and CEO of Brothers International Desserts. “We are a family run business, so when we heard of another family run business that was struggling and in receivership in Madison, we jumped at the opportunity. Schoep’s has a long tradition of ice cream production, going back when there were more horses than cars! We have been in the ice cream industry for forty-eight years, so we like to think with all of our experience and knowledge we can turn things around at Schoep’s. We look forward to continuing the tradition of Schoep’s and creating new opportunities.” Gary continued, “We love the ice cream business, it’s in our DNA. Combining Brothers and Schoep’s feels like a win-win for both our companies, our associates, our communities and our special customers. We are looking forward to creating a delicious and successful future!”

With the added manufacturing facility, the Winklers plan to expand our production capabilities, add new customers, improve Schoep’s presence in the marketplace and bring overall growth to Madison, Wisconsin.

For more information, please see BrothersDesserts.com & SchoepsIceCream.com.

Location Information:

Brothers Desserts
1682 Kettering St., Irvine, CA 92614
949-655-0080

Schoep’s Ice Cream
2070 Helena St., Madison, WI 53704
608-249-6411

About Schoep’s Ice Cream

Schoep’s Ice Cream was founded in 1928  by E.J. Schoephoester who started making ice cream in the back of his Madison, Wisconsin grocery store.  Since then the company has grown to make more than 12 million gallons of ice cream  annually and ranks as one of the largest independent ice cream manufacturers not only in Wisconsin, but in the United States as well.  With a full assortment of delicious flavors, Schoep’s Ice Cream is available in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For more than 90 years, the commitment to core values of family, tradition, and quality has not wavered.  Please visit SchoepsIceCream.com.

About Brothers Desserts

Brothers Desserts was founded in 1973 by two brothers from Brooklyn, Gary and Errol Winkler. Their goal was to bring refreshing Italian Ices to Southern California. While their brick-and-mortar locations were successful they pivoted their focus to manufacturing and wholesale for restaurants, hotels, baseball stadiums, airlines, big box stores and more. With over 45 years of ice cream experience Brothers Desserts has even co-packed for some of the most successful ice cream brands in the country. The Brothers Ice Cream division is based on classic flavors with a modern approach. For more information on Brothers Ice Cream & Brothers Desserts, please visit www.brothersicecream.com, @BrosIceCream on Instagram and Facebook.com/brosicecream, and https://vimeo.com/394023723.

Kraus-Anderson Construction completes new West Allis Infiniti dealership for Lupient

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (March 2020) – The Madison office of Kraus-Anderson Construction Company (KA) has completed construction of a new 31,726-square-foot Infiniti dealership for Lupient in West Allis, Wis. Located at 10595 West Arthur Ave., the new dealership is now open.

Infiniti of Milwaukee, owned by Lupient Automotive Group, will sell new and used vehicles. The new building includes 13 service bays to accommodate vehicle maintenance, a dual lane service reception area that accommodates up to six vehicles at a time, and an attached car wash facility.  

The unique design also boasts a large, custom glass feature wall at the front entrance, as well as a significant amount of glass and glazing on the inside and outside of the building.

Designed by Neenah-Wis.-based Gries Architectural Group, Inc., the new dealership is Lupient’s second in Wisconsin.  Lupient also owns and operates Lupient Kia of Milwaukee, located in Glendale.

Based in Golden Valley, Minn., the family-owned Lupient Automotive Group has become a leading auto group for drivers for more than five decades.  In addition to its Wisconsin dealerships, Lupient provides Minnesota dealerships in Golden Valley, Brooklyn Park, Bloomington and Minneapolis.

About Kraus-Anderson

Established in 1897, Kraus-Anderson® Construction Company (www.krausanderson.com) is one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers. Kraus-Anderson, an Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action employer, is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and has regional offices in Madison, Wis., Bismarck, N.D., and Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester Minn.

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Parent Company of Wisconsin Bank & Trust Recognized as a Forbes Best Bank in America for 2020

Madison, WI, February 27, 2020 — Wisconsin Bank & Trust through its parent company, Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF), has been named a “Forbes Best Bank 2020.”

In its annual review of the largest publicly traded banks and thrifts, Forbes ranked Heartland 40th among a nationwide group of 100 leading banking organizations with assets ranging from $9 billion to over $2 trillion.

“We are proud to be named among the Best Banks in America for 2020,” said Curtis Chrystal, President and CEO at Wisconsin Bank & Trust. “As a community bank, what sets us apart is our strong commitment to our customers, combined with access to ‘big-bank’ products and services as part of Heartland.”

“The Forbes ranking underscores the benefits of our unique structure—the strength and capabilities of a big bank, combined with the personal touch and local decision-making of a community bank,” Chrystal said. Wisconsin Bank & Trust offers full-service branches where experts can meet all financial needs throughout the community.

To compile the rankings, Forbes used data collected by SNL Financial through the third quarter of 2019 on the country’s largest publicly traded banks and thrifts. The data covered ten metrics of financial health: return on average equity; net interest margin; nonperforming loans (NPLs) as a percentage of loans; nonperforming assets as percentage of assets; reserves as a percentage of NPLs; two capital ratios (Tier 1 and risk-based); and leverage ratio. Forbes generated its ranking based on an average of the individual ranks of each metric.

About Wisconsin Bank & Trust

Wisconsin Bank & Trust (WBT), a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc., (NASDAQ: HTLF), is a business-focused community bank with assets of more than $1 billion. With 14 banking centers and one loan processing office, Wisconsin Bank & Trust serves customers in the Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Monroe and southwest areas of Wisconsin. WBT offers a wide range of personal and business banking, private client and mortgage lending services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinbankandtrust.com or call 608.203.1214. Wisconsin Bank & Trust is a member of the FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

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Brett Meyer Joins M3 as Business Development Executive

Brett Meyer recently joined M3 Insurance as a Business Development Executive. Brett educates the business community about M3 services including insurance and risk management, employee benefits, and retirement planning. He further assists customers and prospects during the sales process, presenting solutions and matching them with the appropriate service team to address their unique business insurance needs.

Brett is a licensed agent in the state of Wisconsin for life and health as well as property and casualty insurance and brings eight years of sales experience with him to M3.

About M3

M3 is a top 50 insurance broker and risk management firm in America. We’re leaders in the products we represent and the industries we serve. M3’s people are an extension of your team, providing world-class resources to help you manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide employee benefits. And our focus on community builds better places to live and work.