Businesses highlight collaboration with UWRF at UWs Business Day in the Capitol

 

Businesses highlight collaboration with UW-River Falls at Universities of Wisconsin Business Day in the Capitol 

May 7, 2026 - Business leaders representing Wisconsin’s dairy industry showed their support for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls at Universities of Wisconsin Business Day in the Capitol Wednesday in Madison. The event, held during Small Business Week, brought together businesses from across the state to highlight their partnerships with the Universities of Wisconsin and to showcase local businesses supported by the UWs Small Business Development Centers.  

Mat Bartkowiak, vice president of Corporate Responsibility and Development for Nelson Jameson, a leading provider of comprehensive supplies and solutions to the food, dairy and beverage processing industries, Trevor Wuethrich, president of Grassland Dairy Products, Inc. and Ken Heiman, co-owner of Nasonville Dairy, all attended the event and highlighted the value of their relationships with UWRF. The group met with legislators and staff in the Capitol to share the importance of UW-River Falls to their businesses, visiting offices that represent both the districts around UWRF as well as the home districts of some of the businesses. 

“I'm excited anytime I visit a UW campus like UWRF and see the Wisconsin Idea in action: work directly benefiting every Wisconsinite, impacting not only the dairy industry but also supporting communities and providing young people with a path to build a life here and make a difference,” Bartkowiak said. “The UWs’ ability to provide continuous training and outreach opportunities drives both our industry and our state toward future success.”   

“One of the best things UWRF brings to the table is the leadership talent its graduates contribute to the workforce,” Heiman said. “UWRF has many dairy-related majors and they seem to be stepping up year over year to fill the needs of our industry.”     

“Wisconsin is the Dairy State and we are committed to keeping it that way,” Wuethrich said. “Investing in UW-River Falls means investing in the future leaders who will uphold that legacy.” 

UWRF Interim Chancellor John Chenoweth expressed his appreciation for the continuing support of local businesses.  

“UWRF benefits from the strong engagement of our business partners,” Chenoweth said. “Their support results in opportunities and hands-on experiences for our students that UWRF alone could not offer. We are proud to know that a large number of Falcon alumni are contributing not just to the state’s talent pipeline, but also serving as leaders of some of the state’s most prominent industries. Knowing that our business partners are willing to make time to visit legislative offices to tell the story of why they support UW-River Falls is in itself a testament to the importance of these partnerships.” 

Photo: Leaders of Wisconsin’s dairy industry highlighted the value of their partnerships with UW-River Falls Wednesday as they participated in Universities of Wisconsin Business Day in the Capitol. Pictured l-r: Ken Heiman, co-owner of Nasonville Dairy; Trevor Wuethrich, president of Grassland Dairy Products, Inc.; Mat Bartkowiak, vice president of Corporate Responsibility and Development for Nelson Jameson; UWRF Chief of Staff Beth Schommer. Universities of Wisconsin photo.