Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Wuethrich, Barker, Roth, Conard
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 4/20/2016
Wuethrich Received CVTC Award (Distinguished Alumni - 2016)
Wuethrich Receives CVTC Distinguished Alumni Award
Trevor Wuethrich (l), co-owner of Grassland Dairy in Greenwood and winner of the 2016 CVTC alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni award, is congratulated by DVTC President Bruce Barker following the Spring Gala April 7, 2016. (Contributed photo)
Trevor Wuethrich admits he was surprised to learn he would be honored with the 2016 Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTAC) Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus award at the organization’s annual Spring Gala April 7. But it wasn’t the first time he was surprised with a major award.
Wuethrich was emcee of the Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce banquet in 2014 when he was stunned to hear his name announced as the Citizen of the Year.
Both awards reflect what Wuethrich means to his community as the part owner and president of Grassland Dairy Products, the largest employer in Greenwood with over 500 workers and the largest independent butter manufacturer in the U. S. The Distinguished alumnus award also reflects his strong connections with CVTC.
“I am absolutely honored by the award,” Wuethrich said. “In the past few years I realized the importance of having a relationship with the Alumni Association.”
A 1992 Greenwood High School graduate, Wuethrich enrolled in the Marketing program at CVTC, graduating in 1994. He went to work immediately for Grassland Dairy, the family business since 1904, beginning in sales.
He is also involved with Wuethrich Transportation Inc., Greenwood Milk Products Inc., Wuethrich Brothers LLC and Graf Creamery. He’s on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association and belongs to regional and state cheesemakers associations.
Wuethrich serves as a Sunday school teacher, contributes time and financial resources for church and local community improvements and coaches youth basketball.
Wuethrich was an early supporter of the CVTC Energy Education Center project and served on the campaign committee representing the agriculture sector. CVTC classes have been invited to tour the butter facility at Grassland. Grassland maintains ongoing communication with CVTC, informing the College of Grassland’s needs for quality graduates.
“We’ve discovered over the past 20 years that people who grew up here want to come back here, and CVTC graduates like to stay close to home. We’ve hired some high-end managerial talent from CVTC.
“I am a little biased for CVTC graduates,” Wuethrich added. “I got a good education there.”
Also at the Spring Gala, 2009 Nursing Associate Degree graduate Stephanie Roth was honored with the Outstanding Recent Alumni award and Processed Metal Innovators (PMI) of Bloomer was honored with CVTC’s Proven Business Partner award.
Roth is a surgical nurse at Oakleaf Surgical Hospital in Altoona. She has stayed connected with CVTC as a volunteer at the multidisciplinary training sessions that involve students in nursing, respiratory therapy, paramedic and other health programs.
“I had a great experience at CVTC,” Roth said. “It worked for me financially; it worked educationally and in the scheduling. The teachers were great, with hands-on experience, and the education was appropriate and up-to-date.”
PMI, a steel fabrication company with a record of community engagement, has been an active participant in Critical Core Manufacturing Skills (CCMS) and Critical Core Supervisory Skills training programs offered by CVTC’s Business & Industry (B&I) Services and this year agreed to pilot a one-on-one coaching program that was used to help certify one of the CVTC’s instructors.
“We are beyond honored to receive this exceptional accolade,” said Chris Conard, president of PMI. “Working with CVTC has been rewarding in so many ways. We value our partnership greatly and truly appreciate the many ways they’ve enabled us to grow as a company.”
