DCEDC Earns Business Friend Award

The Door County Economic Development Corporation’s Business & Education Partnership (BEP) received a Business Friend of Education Silver Level Award from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for its community service work.

The nonprofit Door County BEP organizes many impactful career-awareness and work-based learning activities, such as the Door County High School Home Construction Program, Manufacturing Days, 8th Grade Career Day, Inspire Door County, class tours of businesses, job shadows and youth apprenticeships. The Door County BEP serves students from all five Door County school districts:  Sturgeon Bay, Southern Door, Sevastopol, Gibraltar and Washington Island.

Caleb Frostman, executive director of the Door County Economic Development Corporation, commended his staff of past and present BEP managers, Markie Bscherer and Korey Mallien, for earning this state honor.

“We are honored to have been recognized with this prestigious award. Input from the community over the years has been loud and clear that expanding and improving our work-based learning offerings was of supreme importance to both our students and our employers,” said Frostman. “We are very fortunate to have had incredible personnel in this position historically, including both Markie and Korey, and we expect to continue investing heavily in Academic and Career Planning services for our Door County students.”

Any Wisconsin business, business-related organization or nonprofit group that works with its local public schools to provide student offerings can submit an application to join the State Superintendent’s Business Friends of Education. Applications are verified and scored by a panel of industry professionals, local school leaders and DPI staff. The award recognizes commitments at one of four levels – bronze, silver, gold or platinum – based on the extent of the support and involvement of recipients in their local schools. There was one platinum winner and five gold, 12 silver and 17 bronze recipients.

“I sincerely hope our school and business leaders use the first recipients as a model and expand upon the exciting work of their colleagues,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers. “The business and education sectors stand to gain a great deal in working together on behalf of our students. This project is a clear example of how it can be done.”