Raider Manufacturing ramps up
By Casey Krautkramer
The Marathon Board of Education last Wednesday learned more about the process for making Raider Manufacturing a reality for the district’s technology education department.
Technology education teacher Wayne Kroeplin gave the school board a presentation last Wednesday about his second visit to the student-run business, Cardinal Manufacturing, in the Eleva-Strum School District on Feb. 22. This time he brought Marathon High School students Will Bretzke, Addison Knoeck, Treyton Hornung and Cassius Ninabuck on the trip. School board member Paula Vesely also went along. Kroeplin and high school principal Dave Beranek first toured Cardinal Manufacturing in October.
“The first time we went it was exciting and energetic but there was a sense of ‘Is this really real or is this kind of scripted? Like, are we really seeing how kids are acting in school or in this manufacturing environment?’” Kroeplin said. “During our second trip, I get excited about stuff pretty easily, but I try and hold myself back because it might not be excitement-worthy. But, the more we are looking into this, it is really good stuff.”
Approved by the board last year, Raider Manufacturing is based on the Cardinal Manufacturing model.
Cardinal Manufacturing began in the 2007-08 school year when instructor Craig Cegielski approached the school board about the potential of pursuing an in-school manufacturing business similar to the one he started in his prior position in the School District of Antigo. The school board approved it and Cardinal Manufacturing now has significant sales and national notoriety, according to the Eleva-Strum School District’s website. Eleva-Strum students working for Cardinal Manufacturing do repair jobs, welding, woodworking, design, machining, manufacturing, 3D printing, laser marking and engraving for companies.
Kroeplin said Raider Manufacturing, similar to Cardinal Manufacturing, requires students to create and submit a resume, project portfolio and a letter of recommendation. Once accepted, students are assigned a role that may include quoting jobs, ordering materials, manufacturing parts, quality control and inspection, shipping, customer service, accounting, marketing and maintaining work hours.
Cardinal Manufacturing says on its website that its program not only exposes students to career opportunities in manufacturing and teaches them soft skills for future employment. It also works toward changing the attitudes of school counselors and parents to be more open to the idea of encouraging students to look at manufacturing careers. Students get the chance to try welding, machining, construction, production management, accounting, office management and marketing prior to committing to a career or area of study in college.
Conney Edmondson, executive director of Central Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (CWMA), brought a few central Wisconsin business owners to the Feb. 22 tour of Cardinal Manufacturing. She attended last Wednesday’s meeting and said that CWMA is most known for organizing the Heavy Metal Tour each fall so central Wisconsin eighth graders can get introduced to manufacturing jobs. She said CWMA also helps businesses create a connection with school districts, for example, in the development of Raider Manufacturing.
“My job is to be the conduit between the manufacturers and you as educators,” she said.
Edmondson said she has worked in both industries and knows a lot of manufacturers, including County Materials, want to be part of making Raider Manufacturing a success. Besides County Materials, Edmondson said other central Wisconsin businesses such as Greenheck in Schofield and Pointe Precision in Plover are interested in working with Raider Manufacturing.
Vesely noted that someone from Marinette Marine was at Cardinal Manufacturing looking for help when she was on the tour.
“We went around and talked to students and they were actually solving problems,” Vesely said. “They had invented stuff and were actually selling it to corporations.”
Kroeplin said he for sure has 14 Marathon High School students, and tentatively 16, who have been hired by Raider Manufacturing and assigned different roles based on their skills and experiences.
The first phase of Raider Manufacturing this spring and summer is having Rebecca Sonnentag, County Materials executive vice president of marketing and communications, work with Bretzke, Knoeck, Hornung and Ninabuck on branding and marketing the school’s company. The first phase also includes possibly receiving financial help from CWMA to remodel the high school’s technology education classroom and update its equipment.
Kroeplin also wants to create a culture in school to support Raider Manufacturing. He said there will be a grand opening, and the second phase will occur this fall with employee roles (account manager, project manager, marketing, design/engineering, manufacturing and production), employee training, job shadowing, as well as prototyping and market testing.
Board member Ted Knoeck said he loves the idea of Raider Manufacturing and noted that Edmondson quelled his concern about Marathon High School not having enough space when it really takes off.
“I can share with you that you have people in this community that are supporters who know the constraints and have the ability to fix those constraints when the time comes,” she said.
Edmondson said there is an opportunity for the district to receive more open enrollment students in the future who want to be involved in Raider Manufacturing. Beranek said a part-time open enrollment option is available for students who want come to Marathon High School for a few hours each school day to participate in Raider Manufacturing and then return to their home district.
Other business
■ The board voted to hire Vince Dinkel, 2013 Marathon High School graduate and football alumni, as the new Red Raiders varsity head football coach. Dinkel was Marathon’s defensive coordinator the past three seasons. He replaces Ryan Winkler, who resigned after serving the past seven years as the varsity head coach and offensive coordinator. Dinkel played wide receiver at Division 2 Bemidji State University in Minnesota.
■ Joy Free, early childhood education teacher, will retire as a Marathon County Special Education employee at the end of this school year.
■ The board voted to hire K & M Electric for $10,880 to retrofit an electric breaker panel and cover for the high school kitchen.
■ Board members voted to renew the district’s contract with SocialSchool4EDU, which has been the district’s social media manager for the past six years. The new three-year agreement will cost $10,000 per year, an increase of $500 per year compared to the current contract.
■ The board voted to renew the district’s Delta Dental insurance plan, with a 5 percent increase for the 2025-26 school year.
■ Superintendent Rick Parks told the board that he continues to have discussions with Marathon village administrator Steve Cherek about the village wanting to charge the school district for using either the new softball field on CTH NN or the old softball field at Veterans Park for high school softball practices and games. Parks said he expected Cherek to start out with a smaller amount in rent than what he proposed. Right now, he said it would be cheaper for the district to construct its own softball field.
■ The school board met in closed session with HYA (Hazard, Young and Attea) to review district administrator candidates and determine which candidates will receive the first round of interviews.
GOOD NEWS- Tech ed teacher Wayne Kroeplin speaks to the Marathon School Board last week about a recent tour of Cardinal Manufacturing in Eleva-Strum, and the starting of a similar student-run business at Marathon High School called Raider Manufacturing.
STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
Conney Edmondson
