Breaking New Ground Business expansions, new residential developments, and an unconventional blending of past, present, and future help set ...
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Breaking New Ground Business expansions, new residential developments, and an unconventional blending of past, present, and future help set Waunakee apart from other Dane County communities.
O
ver the past 15 years, the Village of
Waunakee has refused to stand still.
From attracting diverse new busi-
nesses (and retaining long-standing ones)
to maintaining one of the highest-regard-
ed school districts in the state, to publicly
promoting community creativity, the village’s
progressive approach to growth is gaining
widespread attention. Randy Guenther, COO and CFO of Hovde Properties, stands atop Hovde’s newest
Waunakee development, Lamphouse, overlooking Waunakee’s Main Street.
“Waunakee has been very gracious and
open in listening to ideas, and that’s not
always the case in other communities,” says ing the village’s history as a railroad commu- ago. Village Crossing’s early-1900s motif
Randy Guenther, chief operating officer and nity — a factor just as vital to local commerce pays tribute to the original Koltes structure,
chief financial officer for Hovde Properties, a today as it was 150 years ago. That’s why the and one of its original walls is incorporated
Madison-based property management firm Waunakee Area Chamber of Commerce’s into the contemporary design.
that has spearheaded two high-profile down- offices are housed in the charming Wauna- That blending of past and present illus-
town mixed-use developments in the village. kee Railroad Depot, which is listed on the trates the undeniable pride that runs deep in
“Waunakee has its standards. To its credit, National Register of Historic Places. this community of almost 14,000 residents,
it sticks to those standards, and so do we. What’s more, Hovde’s Village Crossing which was founded in 1870 and is located
That’s what makes us such a good fit here.” — anchored by The Lone Girl Brewing Co. just a short drive north of Madison. The
Those standards are part of a vision that — is located on the former site of the Koltes village is home to a thriving downtown, busy
includes continued yet sustainable commer- Lumber Co., a century-old family business parks, and popular community events at-
cial and residential growth while still respect- that fell victim to the recession a decade tended by both residents and non-residents.
It also is the kind of place where drivers still
randomly stop on a busy street, smile, and
Waunakee Community School District Superintendent Randy Guttenberg
takes a seat at the impressive Waunakee Intermediate School, which opened in 2016.
wave a pedestrian through the crosswalk.
No wonder the money lifestyle website
GOBankingRates.com named Waunakee
one of the two best suburbs in Wisconsin.
(Hartford, near Milwaukee, was the other
one.) The ranking, released in August, was
based on housing affordability, the annual
cost of living, school district scores, and crime
rates. In 2018, the National Council for Home
Safety and Security designated Waunakee as
the second-safest municipality in Wisconsin
(behind Hobart-Lawrence in Brown County).
“If you want to enjoy small-town America
within a growing community with people
who take pride in where they live and work,
Waunakee is it,” says Chris Zellner, a lifelong
resident who was elected village president
in 2015. “And right now, we’re going through
a renaissance.”
‘Fab’ Schools
One of the first questions prospective
residents and business owners ask before
locating to any community is this: “What
are the schools like?”
In Waunakee, the answer is an easy one.
“Our schools are based on the high
expectations the community holds for us,”
says Randy Guttenberg, superintendent for
A Special Supplement to In Business Magazine Waunakee.com
the Waunakee Community School District. grade 4), one intermediate school, one mid- even a community aquatics facility as early
“We have the support of village leaders, dle school (grades 7 and 8), and one high as 2022. “When I came to Waunakee, one of
the chamber of commerce and the local school (grades 9 through 12). Heritage Ele- the first things I noticed is how much people
business community, and residents young mentary has been named a Wisconsin Title value this community,” Guttenberg states.
and old. I think that degree of cooperation I School of Recognition for its success in
sets us apart.” educating students from low-income fami- Business Support
Over the past 12 years, the district’s lies, and the Wisconsin Character Education The 2014 renovation of Main Street (also
enrollment has jumped from 3,400 to 4,300 Partnership recognizes Prairie Elementary known as State Highways 19 and 113) — a
students, and schools remain fiscally healthy. as a State School of Character. project that leveled the pavement, added a
“We’ve never cut programs or staff based on In 2016, the high school opened the roundabout at its busiest intersection, and
funding since I’ve been here,” Guttenberg Waunakee Innovation Center Fab Lab, fund- unified from end to end the appearance of
says. ed with a combination of state grants, school the village’s main thoroughfare — sparked
Village residents have shown their sup- district dollars, and local business support. a resurgence in development and redevel-
port for the continuing evolution of superior The center offers students free access to 3D opment and served as a catalyst to bring
schools by supporting new construction. printers, CNC machines, and other equip- in new visitors.
In 2014, voters approved a $44.8 million ment, and spurred new enthusiasm in sci- “Waunakee has gone from a place peo-
referendum for a new Waunakee Interme- ence, technology, engineering, art, and math ple drive through to a place where people
diate School for grades five and six, as well (also known as “STEAM”) programming. drive to,” says Brent Bickel, pastor of North
as an addition to and renovation of Prairie “Kids who never would have stepped Ridge Church, who also happens to be
Elementary School and the renovation of into their high school tech lab before are president of the Waunakee Area Chamber
the old Waunakee Intermediate School now finding new ways to grow and learn,” of Commerce.
into an expansion of the adjacent Heritage Guttenberg says. He adds that the village All but one local business survived the
Elementary School. offers children a variety of fresh opportunities road construction, which closed off direct
All told, the village is home to three such as parks and recreation services, club traffic and rerouted drivers heading east and
elementary schools (kindergarten through sports, library programming, and maybe west. In fact, approximately a dozen new
NOW LEASING QUALITY OFFICE AND RETAIL SPACE
• 1,200 to 4,393 sq ft. available DOWNTOWN
• Estimated average traffic of 15,100 vehicles per day WAUNAKEE
N. Madison St. - 2,700 AADT
• Great frontage and signage opportunities AADT = Annual Average Daily Traffic
Cross St.
• Flexible space for a variety of sizes and uses
• 24/7 building maintenance
• Ample parking available on-site and nearby E. Main St. - 15,100 AADT
• Outdoor patio space for restaurant users
South St.
• Estimated population of over 27k people within 5 miles
114 E. MAIN
203 E. MAIN
Hovde Properties | 608.255.5175 | info@hovdeproperties.com | hovdeproperties.com
A Special Supplement to In Business Magazine Waunakee.com
Chamber President Brent Bickel (right) and Executive Director Ellen Schaaf Village President Chris Zellner (left) and Administrator Todd Schmidt (right)
(left) outside of the historic Waunakee Train Depot Station on Main Street — are thrilled that the community is now able to enjoy its new 40,000-square-
home to the Waunakee Area Chamber of Commerce office. foot public library, which opened in August 2019.
niche retailers and service providers — in- “There’s a lot of excitement in the air “We’ve been very committed to partner-
cluding Wisconsin Candle Co., the Red Barn right now,” says Ellen Schaaf, the chamber’s ing with the village, and if it’s good for busi-
Company Store, Gather Creative Studio & executive director. “People outside of the ness, we’re on board,” Bickel says. “It’s better
Guest House, and several clothing boutiques, community are talking about what’s hap- to work together than separately. Now, we
health and wellness centers, and specialty pening in Waunakee.” don’t always agree, but the level at which
stores — dot Main Street and the downtown The chamber is celebrating 40 years in leaders of this community strive to create a
area. They are tucked neatly in between leg- 2019, and its membership has burgeoned place where new businesses are welcome
acy businesses like Waunakee Furniture ETC, from about 165 members in the early 2000s is one that I have not seen elsewhere.”
Mill House Quilts, and Rex’s Innkeeper. to more than 320 today. “We look at the whole picture,” adds
WAUNAKEE BUSINESS PARK
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL
LAND FOR SALE
• Fully improved sites of 3-21 acres
• Outstanding access and visibility
to state highway 19
• Convenient access to I-39/90/94
• Quality covenants to ensure asset
value
• Shovel ready
• Regional stormwater ponds
• Municipal sewer & water
• Access to a quality workforce
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT
Chuck Redjinski
608.663.6006
chuck.redjinski@ngkf.com
Waunakee.com VILLAGE OF WAUNAKEE
Todd Schmidt, village administrator and service center. Additionally, Hellenbrand
economic development director, explaining Water Center is a longtime family-owned
Waunakee’s strategy in working with busi- company in the business park.
nesses looking to establish a local presence. NORD Drive Systems, a global leader in
“What is the business? What types of jobs mechanical and electronic drive technology
will it bring? How will it engage with the systems, relocated its drive systems’ U.S.
community? It’s about those businesses headquarters to Waunakee 35 years ago
wanting to be here.” from Middleton and now is in the midst of
And many companies want to be in adding 86,500 square feet of new office
Waunakee. and manufacturing space. The project will
RenewAire, provider of energy-recov- allow the company to increase production
ery ventilators, moved to Waunakee from capacity and ensure continued short lead-
Madison in 2017 and doubled the size of its time deliveries.
facility. Meanwhile, long-established compa- “We had a challenge with temporary
nies, many in the Waunakee Business Park, parking and brought up this concern with
opted to remain in Waunakee and expand our neighboring businesses,” says Shawn
rather than relocate to another community. Liverseed, NORD’s chief financial officer.
Developer Don Tierney proudly shows off a
They include Octopi Brewing Co., which “Two companies offered to let us build a beautiful waterwheel landmark outside the
moved to the village four years ago and parking lot on a nearby stretch of open land recently opened Boston’s Restaurant & Sports
recently concluded a $10 million expansion that we could use until our expansion was Bar, which is located in his Kilkenny Commons
project that tripled the size of its brewery completed. The village administrator helped development.
and significantly increased brewing capaci- facilitate that conversation. This is one of
ty, as well as RG Heating and Air Condition- many examples of Waunakee officials being new subdivision on Waunakee’s southeast
ing, which is building a new 15,000-square- attentive to the needs of local businesses side that will feature more than 100 single-
foot facility that will house the company’s and acting with our best interests in mind.” family residential lots, plus condominium
and multifamily residential lots.
Shawn Liverseed, CFO of NORD Drive Systems, Neighborhood Success Residential development is happening in
at their factory in Waunakee’s Business Park. When Waunakee native Don Tierney built downtown Waunakee, too. The three-story,
the first of his many residential develop- 78-unit Madison & Main apartment complex
ments (billed as “Livable Communities”) in opened in 2014 and has been pivotal to the
the village in the mid-1990s, he leveraged downtown’s evolution. More recently, given
Waunakee’s natural beauty and helped the success of Village Crossing, Hovde
establish it as a place people want to live oversaw Lamphouse Apartments, a 103-unit
and raise families. building on Main Street built above 12,000
The self-made developer entered the square feet of retail space.
business unintentionally after the city of “We are a long-term owner and manager
Madison threatened to annex some of the of properties, and we see long-term poten-
land Tierney owned. With input from others, tial in Waunakee. We believe in the con-
he built neighborhood parks, swimming trolled-growth direction in which it is going,”
pools and trails, and then constructed Guenther says. “We have a lot of choices
homes around them. That strategy became for where we go to develop, and we look for
the cornerstone of Tierney’s developments, communities that share our vision and are
which in Waunakee include Southbridge, going to make the process a predictable
Savannah Village, Kilkenny Farms, and one, with no surprises. If we hadn’t had a
Westbridge — which soon will be home to good experience with our first development
a new neighborhood park Tierney affection- in Waunakee, we certainly wouldn’t have
ately refers to as “the beer garden.” done a second one.”
“I had the advantage of not knowing
anything, and that gave me an edge,” he Creativity Inc.
says, adding that Waunakee has been part In order for Waunakee to stay a vibrant
of the Madison Area Builders Association’s community, village leaders recognize the
Parade of Homes every year since 1995. importance of remaining creative — not only
Tierney will begin working on two new in how they approach commercial and res-
developments in 2020. One is an addition idential development, but also in how they
to Kilkenny Farms, dubbed Kilkenny Farms identify existing sources of creativity and
West, and the other is Arboretum Village, a innovation and foster them into a formidable
A Special Supplement to In Business Magazine Waunakee.com
WOODLAND
C R E S T
MIXED-USE
DEVELOPMENT
woodlandcrestwi.com in Waunakee
LAND U
WOODLAND DRIVE
PUD - GDP
1 LOT AREA • 453,1
GFA • 57,250 SF
INFILTRATION TOTAL PARKING
30-Acre
STORMWATER PARKING STALLS/
FAR • 0.13
OPEN SPACE • 1
ENDRES RD
PUD - GDP
2
Master Planned
OL3 LOT AREA • 126,9
OL1 A-1 AGRIC
Development:
LOT AREA • 112,4
N
ENTIO
1 A-1 AGRIC
-RET
OL2
BIO
LOT AREA • 395,6
PUD - GDP
OL3
LOT AREA • 53,07
Convenience
- Hy-Vee Grocery Store FUEL PUMP CANOPY
Store
GDP BOUN
with Market Grille
COUNTY HWY Q
STORMWATER
C-STORE
AY
SARAH LANE
STW
PHASE II
CRE
- Fast & Fresh
ON
SIM
Commercial
2 OL2
OL2
DOLAN AVE
Convenience Store
PHASE II
- Commercial/Retail OL1
OL1
Buildings
PEACEFUL VALLEY PARKWAY
P
0 80 160 320
WOODLAND CREST MASTER PLAN
NORTH
WAUNAKEE, WI DATE 02.15.2019
Developed by
MO VI NG BUSINE SS
FO RW A RD
6 08. 8 4 8. 90 50
forwarddevgroup.com
Renderings by Hy-Vee Inc.
sector of the local economy. interactive gathering area outside of Wauna- This brochure was made possible by funding
“This community strikes an incredible kee High School using large stacked books from The Village of Waunakee and the
balance between being open to change with inspirational words on their spines. It Waunakee Area Chamber of Commerce.
while also staying committed to creative ex- was Kalish’s first work in the Midwest and
cellence,” Bickel says. “I know that’s a weird included two collaboration sessions with a
combination, but it’s true.” broad range of Waunakee High students.
Enter Create Waunakee, an initiative that “That’s really unique — and a reflection
brings together village leaders and citizens of this community,” Guttenberg says.
to enhance the community’s cultural resourc- Waunakee also hosts a series of free
es and activities. The recent Mutts on Main annual community events that include Light
public art project — one of many public art the Night with Santa (during which Santa
projects in the village — is a prime example Claus parades through the village streets by
of Waunakee’s longtime commitment to the a horse-drawn carriage as businesses stay
creative economy. open later) and large and widely attended
The chamber partnered with longtime festivals such as WaunaFest, WaunaBOOM,
Waunakee business Endres Manufacturing and Wauktoberfest. RESOURCES
Co. to provide local artists with large steel sil- “What makes us strong is the fact that
The Village of Waunakee:
houette cutouts of three dog breeds (German we are open to new things, creative ideas,
waunakee.com
pointer, dachshund, and German shepherd), and the entrepreneurial spirit,” the chamber’s
each perched on a steel base. Artists then Schaaf says. “People will recognize that once The Waunakee Chamber of Commerce:
created the “mutts,” similar to what artists did they take a closer look at Waunakee.” waunakeechamber.com
for the Madison Area Sports Commission’s NORD’s Liverseed agrees. “Waunakee is
“Bucky on Parade” project in 2018. a small community that strives to maintain a Cover Photo: Joe Zitzelsberger
Additionally, the recently formed Wauna- local lifestyle but is also close to the heart of
Interior Photos:
kee Area Public Arts Committee commis- Madison,” he says. “It’s truly the best of both
Julie Fix, Owner/Photographer
sioned renowned Los Angeles-based artist worlds.”
J Fix Fotoworx, Waunakee, WI
Mike Kalish earlier in 2019 to create an — Michael Popke
A Special Supplement to In Business Magazine Waunakee.com
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