As FaB Wisconsin celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2022, the year marks another milestone for its founding Chief FaBricating Officer, Shelley Jurewicz, who announced she will be retiring on June 30, 2022.
“I want to thank you for sharing the journey with me in forming a unique and valued food and beverage business network that places our makers and manufacturers at its core,” she shared.
Launched in 2012, working with industry leaders, Jurewicz led the formation of the food and beverage business network for the Milwaukee 7 Partnership for Economic Development and the MMAC. Today, FaB’s mission stands firm: to make Wisconsin a networked place to grow your food or beverage manufacturing or related industry business.
“Throughout her 30 years with the MMAC, the last 10 leading FaB Wisconsin, Shelley has always been a creator. She’s one who can come up 30,000 feet to see and make connections, and who people will follow to accomplish things together. She was asked to create a food and beverage network that would support industry growth and she did just that in FaB,” shared Tim Sheehy, President of the MMAC.
Over the 10 years, FaB Wisconsin created:
- An industry business network that reaches 500 food and beverage companies in Wisconsin.
- Access to an unparalleled network of FaBricators – members sharing industry experience to support fellow food and beverage business growth.
- Valuable knowledge sharing through Industry Briefings, Best Practice Forums, and an Annual Meeting that combined to date have attracted 10,000 professionals.
- Searchable industry specific resource directories including a co-packing directory to secure added production capacity.
- The annual FaBcap Accelerator from 2015-2020, graduating 50 food and beverage manufacturing and technology companies with annual sales totaling $36,772,563, that have gone on to attract $864,250 in grant funding, $7,579,781 in debt funding, and $9,935,024 in equity funding. And collaboration with the Food Finance Institute which continues to offer the accelerator.
- An updated industry narrative raising the profile of food manufacturing in the farm-to-fork paradigm.
- The annual Farm-Factory-Fork Career Discovery event, which has attracted 55 high schools and 2,500 students to date, creating industry career connections.
- FaBsafe, a food manufacturing safety training certificate utilized by 67 companies and going online this summer and into schools this fall.
- A needed voice, advocating for food and beverage manufacturers.
“On behalf of the FaB Board – thank you, Shelley, for creating something we didn’t know we needed. We’re incredibly grateful for your leadership and vision,” said Giacomo Fallucca, Chairman & CEO of Palermo’s Pizza and FaB Executive Board Chair. “You’ve laid the ground for even bigger work to come from FaB – thank you!”
Upon retirement, FaB’s Chief Operating Officer, Gina Balke, will continue to oversee operations working with FaB’s Director of Communications, Emily Allen, as the Milwaukee 7 and MMAC begin the search for FaB’s next Chief FaBricating Officer.
Shelley can be reached at FaB Wisconsin until June 30 and on LinkedIn.