Black River Industries, Inc.
Serving People With Disabilities in Taylor County for Over 35 Years!

 
BRI News

6/16/10 - Kathy Lemke Receives Extra Mile Award

Kathy Lemke received CCB’s Extra Mile Employee Award at a luncheon in her honor at Phil & Eleanor’s Supper Club. Brian Soland, Executive Director of CCB and Patti Jenson, CCB Board member, presented the award to Kathy. Stacey Rieck, BRI’s Business Manager, read her letter of nomination. Others in attendance were Paul and Elise Thornton; Deacon Joe Stefancin, BRI Board member, Holy Rosary Church; Father Gerard Wilger, Holy Rosary Church, who gave the invocation; Janice Winger, BRI; and friends and family of Kathy’s: Rhonda Brunner, Dennis and Joanne Brandner, Shirley Kleist, and Narda Lichtl. Congratulations to Kathy on winning this well deserved award. Thanks also go out to Anne and Randy Brost for going out of their way to open their restaurant just for Kathy, and presenting us with an excellent meal.

 

6/9/10 - Thomas Cook Awarded CCB's Distinguished Service Award

Thomas Cook, Executive Director of Rehabilitation For Wisconsin (RFW), accepted CCB’s first Distinguished Service Award at the June Board of Directors’ meeting at CCB. RFW is the statewide advocacy group to which BRI belongs. Thomas and RFW have led the way in the recent political struggle with the Department of Health and Family Services to preserve the right of people with disabilities to make informed choices as to where and how they work. Mr. Cook has brought a wealth of knowledge and energy to his position. We at BRI can all be thankful for his efforts on our behalf.

 

4/22/10 - Kathy Lemke Announced as Recipient of Extra Mile Award

Black River Industries has received a great honor. Kathy Lemke, our FSI Supervisor, has been awarded the Extra Mile Employee Award by Catholic Charities Bureau. Kathy has worked at BRI for the past eight years. During this time she has gone above and beyond the call of duty many times to make life better for the people with disabilities and elderly citizens we serve every day. Kathy founded our golf tournament six years ago, and ran it for the first five years of its existence. This event is now one of our major fundraisers, and has brought in nearly $25,000 to help fund our programs over the years. In addition, Kathy wrote the original Kraft grant that funded half the cost of our new walk-in cooler/freezer. It took us two years to raise the full amount of money needed to complete the project. This was accomplished through raising money in last year's golf tournament and our other fundraising efforts. Kathy's persistence in seeing the project through paid off this winter when the new unit was finally installed. This great new addition to FSI will improve our ability to provide over 50,000 quality meals to nearly 800 people a year. Kathy will be recognized in a luncheon to be held in her honor later this spring, hosted by Brian Soland, Executive Director of CCB. She will also be honored at this year's 6th annual golf outing. Please join me in congratulating Kathy for this prestigious award.

 

3/1/10 - BRI Receives AnnMarie Foundation Grant

BRI staff and clients would like to thank the AnnMarie Foundation for their generous grant award. The money will be put toward the matching share of our most recent bus purchase that will be utilized in our programs for both elderly and disabled transportation.

 

1/15/10 - BRI Receives State Knights of Columbus Grant

We were fortunate to be awarded a grant by the State Knights of Columbus for money to pay for new blades for our shredder machine. These were not cheap, and without the replacement blades, Sue and her employees in the shredding room would have been unable to handle all the year-end shredding that comes our way every January. Thanks again to the State Knights of Columbus for helping us to keep our equipment up and running.  

12/17/09 - BRI Kitchen Gets New Walk-in Freezer and Cooler

The new cooler/freezer has been installed in the kitchen! Congratulations to Kathy, Janice and Leslie for pulling together and coordinating the whole process. Thanks to Erin for unlocking/locking the doors all weekend long and all the other hands involved in the prep work so the work crew could get the job done. Everything went very smoothly and the new unit looks great! Special thanks to donors, golf outing participants, Mid-Wisconsin Foundation and Kraft Foods. Their support was immensely appreciated! Pictured below are Bev, Leslie and Darlene by the walk in cooler.

11/13/09 - BRI Receives Weather Shield LITE Foundation Grant

The staff, clients, and Board of Directors at BRI would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Weather Shield LITE Foundation for their recent donation to BRI. The full amount of the grant will be applied toward equipment upgrades in the Day Services and Work Services Programs. We appreciate that even in these hard economic times, foundations such as this are still able to reach out to organizations like ours.

11/11/09 - BRI Receives Mid-Wisconsin Foundation Grant

Our thanks go out to the Mid-Wisconsin Foundation for a very generous grant we were just awarded. The money received from this biennial grant is the final piece in the puzzle that will allow us to complete the walk-in cooler/freezer project for FSI. This was a two year fundraising effort. We couldn't have gone on much longer with our current unit. I know I speak for Kathy and her staff in thanking the Foundation, and the other grantors and donors for making this possible. Our kitchen produces over 50,000 meals a year. The Foundation's grant will touch many lives.

11/18/09 - Beth Kayhart Honored with Extra Mile Award

Beth Kayhart received the Extra Mile Employee Award at a luncheon that was held in her honor at Camp 28 in Rib Lake. Brian Soland, Executive Director of CCB was in attendance and addressed the attendees. Patti Jensen, CCB Board member presented the award to Beth. Also in attendance were Paul, who read his letter of nomination, and his wife, Elise; Beth's parents, Lester and Mary Meyer; her son, Kyler; and her husband, Corey. On behalf of the entire BRI family, congratulations again to Beth.

11/12/09 - Medford Lions Club Donates to BRI

BRI received a generous donation from the Medford Lions. The money was raised in their annual golf tournament this summer, and will be used to enhance our Day Services and Vocational programming. We wish to extend our gratitude to all the Lions for thinking of us. Additional money raised in the tournament funded a new structure that they built on our "lemonade hole" on the other side of the river at the golf course. So next year, we can dispense lemonade under cover on a nice patio. Thanks again to the Lions!

10/22/09 - New Bus Arrives from WI-DOT Section 5310 Grant

Pictured below is the new bus that arrived several weeks ago. It seats seven passengers and one wheelchair. This bus was awarded us with funds we obtained in a Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation Section 5310 grant that we wrote two years ago. Next month we begin work on our next grant that will hopefully result in our being awarded funds for two new buses. We hope you enjoy the comfort and safety of our new bus.

            

10/22/09 - Anniversary Employees Honored

Sixteen clients and staff were honored for their years of service to BRI at our annual Employee Recognition Luncheon at Happy Joe's Restaurant. Honorees were awarded certificates and gifts for their signature anniversaries that ranged from five to thirty years working at BRI. Sheryl B. was the senior member of the group, having started way back in October of 1979. She tells me almost every day, "I can't believe I've worked at BRI for 30 years!" Well, you better believe it Sheryl, because you have. This event culminates our Employee Appreciation celebration On behalf of the management and Board of Directors, I would once again like to extend our very heartfelt thanks to everyone who is a part of the BRI team. We wouldn't have been nearly as successful as we have this past year without such great teamwork. Below are a few pictures taken of our group at Happy Joe's!

                    

10/5/09 - New Program Manager Joins BRI Team

Hi, my name is Erin Meyer and I am the new Program Manager here at Black River Industries and am very honored to have this position. I was born and raised in Whittlesey and then moved to the big city of Medford. My parents are Dave & Jayne Haenel. I have two brothers and one sister. My brother Ben lives in Minnesota and my brother Pete lives in Medford. Becky, my sister, lives in San Diego and in a week I will be flying there to visit her. In 2003, I graduated from Medford High School and went on to college at the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Social Work. I completed my internship at Taylor County Human Services and also was employed there for a Limited Term Position. In May of 2008, I married Josh Meyer and we bought a house that same month. We are trying to enjoy the up keep it takes to own a home. Family is very important to me. In our spare time we try to spend as much time with our families as we can, especially our nieces and nephews. My parents own a cabin on the Mondeaux Lake so we are out there as often as possible. I enjoy hunting, fishing, boating, camping, walking, playing softball and volleyball and many more activities. We have one dog named Doc. He is considered our spoiled baby. I am currently pregnant with our first child and we are very thrilled about taking on the job of being parents. As your new Program Manager, I will be doing most of the staffings from now on so I am very excited to meet everyone. If you have any questions or concerns, my door is always open.

10/1/09 - Knights of Columbus Donates to BRI

The Rib Lake Knights of Columbus donated the proceeds from their annual Tootsie Roll Drive to Black River Industries. We appreciate their support. The money will help support our programs. Pictured with Paul is Neil Olkives of the Knights of Columbus.

8/27/09 - Reiny Klingbeil Honored with Good Samaritan Award

Reiny Klingbeil of Medford was honored with Catholic Charities Bureau's (CCB) prestigious Good Samaritan Award at a luncheon held at the Sports Page on August 27th. The award recognizes individuals for "the compassion and kindness they have shown towards the persons served by CCB in an effort to improve their quality of life". Participants in the award ceremony included (left to right) Paul Thornton, BRI Director; Mr. Klingbeil; Peggy Dittrich, BRI Board President; Brian Soland, CCB Executive Director; and Patti Jenson, CCB Board member.

 

6/22/09 - Golf Outing Results

Over 70 golfers competed in Black River Industries' (BRI) 5th annual Golf Outing held at the Black River Golf Course on June 22nd. Proceeds from the tournament have been earmarked for the purchase of a new walk-in cooler/freezer for the Food Service Industries component of BRI. Corporate sponsors of the tournament included Catholic Charities Bureau, TDS Telecom, Kraft Foods, and Schierl Tire & Service. The Mid-Wisconsin Bank team took first place in the men's division, followed by teams from TDS Telecom and the Black River Golf Course. The Rural Mutual Insurance team took first place in the women's division. The Krug's West Side team took first place in the mixed division, followed by the Klinner/Pflughoeft team. Director Paul Thornton noted that BRI is extremely grateful for all the support from the teams, sponsors, and donors. Next year's tournament will again be held at the Black River Golf Course on June 21, 2010.

6/11/09 - BRI, Headwaters & DSI Receive Partnership Award

BRI, Headwaters and Diversified Services, have all been awarded Partnership Awards by the Wisconsin State Use Board. The awards recognize the workshops, Elbeco Garment, Inc. (which supplies us with the uniforms we sew), and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The award letter stated that the "State Use Board believes this kind of contractual partnering creates a basis for economic growth and good works by improving standards of living and advancing causes important to the well being of Wisconsinites".

6/11/09 - Reiny Klingbeil Announced as Recipient of Good Samaritan Award

Reiny Klingbeil has been awarded the CCB Good Samaritan award. The award is presented to individuals in recognition of the compassion and kindness they have shown towards the persons served by the Catholic Charities Bureau in an effort to improve their quality of life. Reiny is one of the founders of BRI, was instrumental in the very early years of the local disability movement, has served on the BRI Board of Directors, and has been a great friend and supporter of ours for decades. Reiny will receive the award in a ceremony slated for early August.

12/1/08 - BRI Awarded Grant for Buses

BRI was awarded funding for two new accessible buses by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The funded amount for these vehicles was nearly $80,000. They will arrive in 2009 and 2010.

5/1/08 -BRI Receives Lean Manufacturing Grant

In 2008, BRI received a grant for Lean Manufacturing training from the North West Manufacturing Outreach center (NWMOC) at UW-Stout. This enabled us to better utilize space in our production area and ultimately increased our production capabilities. Our leads are able to spend less time doing projects that our clients can do, and our projects are completed before their expected due date.