Just got news of an interesting job opening at Outlook Group. Since some of my readers have asked for leads, here you go!

About the position

Reporting to the Vice President of Sales & Marketing, as the Business Development Manager you will be responsible for driving new business growth within your territory in the upper Midwest region of the U.S. including markets such as Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Cincinnati and Detroit.

What you will do
 Call on a variety of consumer product company prospects in order to build a relationship, uncover needs and win business.
 Intimately know volume, pricing and operational needs of new and existing customers
 Participate in trade shows and sales blitzes
 Actively prospect customers by generating target lists and cold calling
 Effectively manage existing accounts while aggressively develop new ones
 Collect, analyze and report competitive activity incorporating findings into strategic responses

What we require
 Bachelors degree in Business Administration or related field
 Label or packaging industry experience is strongly preferred
 Minimum of 2 years of relevant and recent packaging industry experience
 Exceptional listening skills
 Superb verbal and written communication skills
 Critical thinking personality with decision making driven by data
 Be located in major markets in the upper Midwest (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Cincinnati or Detroit) without requiring relocation
 Have a “hunter” sales attitude

Ready to apply?
Please submit a resume by visiting https://home.eease.com/recruit/?id=480190

Appleton was recently hit with a snow storm in which winds drove lots of snow that stuck onto the sides of trees, homes, and even traffic signs. The result is an occasional snow-impaired traffic sign that might confuse some drivers. Tip: Some signs become less correct after snow.

Attended a marvelous office party at The Seasons restaurant last night, one of Appleton's classiest restaurants, but one that is surprisingly affordable for the quality. We had a beautiful side room with great food, buffet style. The scallops wrapped with bacon were my favorite item - just perfect and intriguing. I was especially impressed with the service. While standing around talking, anyone that wanted something to drink or wanted help with anything was instantly and quietly assisted. Unobtrusive but attentive - not easy to do.

The owners of The Seasons also own the classy Thai restaurant that too few of you have visited: Lemongrass. Give it a try for a high-quality Thai food experience. Yum!

I went to the Red Ox Supper Club on south Oneida Street with a friend for lunch today. My, it's changed for the better since I was last there a few years ago. It has a more pleasant interior--and what a menu! Lots of interesting items, including 12 different selections for grilled salmon. I tried the prime rib Philly sandwich, and rate it as the best Philly in town, even if it departs somewhat from Philadelphia-style Phillies. The prime rib was so tender - thick, juicy pieces. The bun had the perfectly crisp interior toasting that adds crunch and flavor to a Philly. Real cheese was used, not processed cheese, which I greatly prefer. Mushrooms were grilled just right. It's served au jus. My friend tried one too and was also impressed.

Service was great.

I hope to take my wife there sometime soon for dinner.

The Red Ox Supper Club is at 2318 South Oneida Street, Appleton, WI. Phone: (920) 830-4121. Tell them Jeff sent you!

The History Museum at the Castle is in a beautiful old limestone building that once was a Masonic temple in downtown Appleton. It's one of my favorite buildings, and continues to have a lot of great events and interesting exhibits. Have you been there recently? Here's a photo I took a few weeks ago, before we were hit by all the snow we've got now.



(Click to enlarge.)

Horns A Plenty Christmas has become an Appleton tradition, reflecting the rich musical culture of the Fox Valley. Led by master French horn instructor Don Krause, over 80 players in the Fox Valley Horn Club gather the Saturday before Christmas each year and play beautiful Christmas music. This year, the event will be on Saturday, Dec. 19, at St. Joseph Middle School, 2626 N. Oneida Street, Appleton, WI, 54911. The concert is at 2:30 p.m.

The Classical School, a public charter school in Appleton focused on academic excellence, had its annual holiday dinner for staff last night. I was there with my wife who now teaches math and music there. The dinner was at one of the nicest venues in the Valley, the North Shore Country Club, thanks to a Board member who is a member of the Club. Beautiful setting, great food (one of the few places that can cook salmon just right, not overcooked and dry), and excellent service.

The real highlight of the evening was musical. Throughout the first part of the evening, we had some terrific piano music in the background courtesy of Dan Dinkler, the impressive musical director of Appleton Alliance Church. Dan also accompanied Peter Leschke, another Classical School supporter, as Peter sang some Christmas songs. (More about Peter in a moment.) I saw Dan in action recently at one of the most beautiful and touching funerals I've ever attended, the funeral for Bruce Paynter, a highly respected and beloved leader at Kimberly-Clark who truly cared about people and following God. Dan's work of ministry and music at the funeral added much to that tremendous event. But I had heard of Dan before that event. During a random encounter at the Performing Arts Center in Appleton, a couple I met volunteered how much they loved attending the Alliance Church, partly because of the talented and inspiring worship pastor, Dan Dinkler. This was my first time chatting with him in person. After sharing his musical gifts so freely and humbly, I was very grateful and happy to share my gratitude for that, and for the other positive things he does for the community.

A deeply touching moment came after Peter and Dan performed some holiday songs. Peter Leschke, creative arts director for Christ the Rock church in Appleton, shared an original song he composed to thank the Classical School for the way they are changing the lives of children. He played the piano as he sang. It was a powerful, sincere song that drew a lot of moist eyes and a standing ovation. A wonderful reminder of how teachers and schools can shape lives for good. The song will be recorded and made available sometime soon, hopefully on YouTube. Stay tuned!

Appleton Alliance and Christ the Rock are, I believe, the two largest churches in the Valley. How wonderful that leading talent from both were there for the Classical School, sharing their talents and lifting our hearts.

Just another classical Appleton moment. This is such a terrific community to live in, such a great place to raise a family, such a good place for children to learn and grow. Many thanks to the talented teachers in this area and the many other staff members and parent volunteers that make education so successful in this wonderful valley.

I love the red-tailed hawks that rule over much of the Fox Valley. Here's a greeting from one near where I work in Neenah. Click to enlarge slightly.

Recently I was using the Dunn and Bradstreet Million Dollar Database (actually, it doesn't cost nearly that much) to look up some info for some of our clients at Innovationedge, and thought I'd peek at some results for Appleton as well. For companies with Appleton addresses, here are the top 60 employers from the database. It is not quite up to date, especially after some of the layoffs in the past year as well as other changes, but it does give you a good feel for major companies in Appleton. Not all of the large ones are headquartered here. For example, West Corp. has headquarters in Omaha. The number after each company, of course, is the estimated number of employees in the D&B database.


1. Thedacare, 4,000
2. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp., 3,100
3. Pierce Manufacturing Inc. (now a division of Oshkosh Truck), 1,800
4. Thrivent Financial, 1,731
5. Appleton Papers Inc. (Appleton), 1,425
6. Miller Electric Mfg Co., 1,400
7. Appleton Medical Center Inc., 1,230
8. St Elizabeth Hospital Inc., 1,007
9. West Corp., 1,000
10. McCain USA Inc., 800
11. SMTC Manufacturing Corp of WI, 700
12. County of Outagamie, 650
13. Reynolds Consumer Products Inc., 600
14. Fox Valley Technical College, 575
15. Jansport Inc., 550
16. Valley Packaging Industries, 500
17. Affinity Health System, 500
18. Young Men's Christian Assn., 435
19. Secura Insurance, A Mutual Co., 413
20. YMCA of The Fox Cities, 400
21. Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, 400
22. Lawrence University of WI, 373
23. Franciscan Care & Rehab., 307
24. Big Ten Ribs Inc., 300
25. Valley Packaging Industries, 290
26. Touchpoint Health Plan, 250
27. Brewster Village, 250
28. Voith Paper Inc., 220
29. Pacon Corp., 215
30. Great Northern Corp., 212
31. S C Schenck, 205
32. Stumpf Motor Co Inc., 160
33. Les Stumpf Ford Inc., 150
34. Victoria's Appleton Inc., 150
35. Fox Cities Performing Arts Ctr., 150
36. Sabee Products Inc., 000 150
37. Bergstrom Chevrolet Olds, 138
38. Surface Mount Technology Corp. (SMTC again?), 135
39. August Winter & Sons Inc., 125
40. Suburban Electrical Engineers, 125
41. Plexus Npi, 125
42. Creative Group Inc., 120
43. Fireline Sprinkler Corp., 118
44. Applied Industrial Techs, 117
45. Community Blood Center Inc., 117
46. Peabody Manor, 112
47. Paul J Hoffman Corp, 108
48. Thrivent Financial Bank, 105
49. CMD Corp., 100
50. Progressive Converting Inc., 100
51. City of Appleton, 100
52. Appleton Operating LLC, 100
53. Good Co Ltd., 100
54. United Van Lines Agent, 100
55. Darboy Club Inc., 100
56. Hand & Upper Extremity Center, 100
57. Consolidated Construction Co.,100
58. Poyry LLC, 95
59. Integrity Mutual Insurance Co., 91
60. Theda Care Physicians, 90