Dozens gathered the morning of Oct. 6 to watch Oconto Falls High School’s technology education department and a local business receive a statewide award.
The presenting of the Wisconsin Business Achievement Award took place inside the performing arts center at Oconto Falls High School, followed by lunch with live piano music in the commons.
“The WBAA was created in 2014 by the Flowers Family Foundation to recognize recipients for their positive impacts on the Wisconsin economy as well as their local communities,” said George Flowers, the foundation’s director.
The Flowers Family Foundation has deep roots in Oconto Falls. The foundation’s former director, the late Rockne G. Flowers, graduated from OFHS in 1948 and went on to experience great success in the world of business.
“My father, Rockne, kept many lifelong friends from his graduating class,” Flowers said. “He was also a lifelong subscriber of the Oconto Falls Times Herald, and he read his newspaper religiously.”
The two winners selected were Revolution Industrial Services LLC and the OFHS tech ed department.
Winners were presented with a plaque and a monetary award to be donated to a Wisconsin-based charity of their choosing.
Revolution, a family-owned full-service millwright company, is headquartered at 138 W. Main St., Lena. The company also operates a fabrication shop in Oconto Falls. It specializes in machine installation, maintenance, design and fabrication.
“It is a great honor to receive this award,” said Buck Borchert, the company’s owner. “In 2015, this business was just a dream of mine, and now, the company has grown to 60 employees.”
When Borchert first began the business, his office was the kitchen table.
“Each night we would have to clear off the table for supper,” Borchert said. “I was a one-man show lining up jobs that I could do in the afternoon so in the morning and evenings I could go out and do estimates.”
Now, the company has a dedicated office building, a renovated 1950s service garage. Revolution has made a significant improvement to the appearance of the once deteriorating appearance of Main Street.
“The building we remodeled for our office was an old-time garage,” Borchert said. “Our shop across from it was the old 1960s Chevrolet dealer, and the old bank less than a block away is our storage facility, with three vaults.”
Revolution operates locally and abroad. Industrial machine manufacturers in the Green Bay area hire the company to assemble and disassemble large factory equipment at their facility, and then haul that equipment to another location and reassemble again.
“Currently, we have a crew out in Baltimore, Maryland,” Borchert said. “There’s enough work abroad to keep the guys busy who want to travel, and enough work here locally to keep the guys busy who want to stay home.”
The charity of which Revolution chose bestow the monetary award of $25,000, was Trades Forever Foundation. The mission of this organization is to foster, equip, empower and mentor the future generations of tradeswomen and tradesmen.
“Trades Forever provides scholarships to young men and women in our local community who are pursuing a future in either trade apprenticeships or technical school for the trades,” Borchert said.
The OFHS tech ed department also received the WBAA with a monetary award of $75,000.
“It is a great honor for our tech ed department to be recognized for this award,” said John Bursa, department head.
The money will provide new cutting and welding equipment for the tech ed department.
“We will be able to purchase a new CO2 laser engraver and a new laser welder, and also update a fair amount of our multi-process welders,” Bursa said. “These new pieces of equipment will introduce our students to the cutting-edge of welding technology, as well as enhance the welding program by providing reliable, industry-standard equipment for GMAW and FCAW processes.”
The tech ed department offers a range of classes in metalworking, woodworking, construction, drafting and mechanics.
“As immensely helpful as the award is, we are still in need.” Bursa said. “We do not have a CNC metalworking lathe or a CNC woodworking lathe yet, and one of the few pieces of CNC equipment that we do have, the wood router, is in dire need of an upgrade.”
Despite having outdated equipment, the teaching facility excels at preparing students for the future. The tech ed department regularly sees its students achieve at the state and national level of SkillsUSA.
Three students placed at the 2025 state competition. Bryce Christensen earned state champion honors in sheet metal, going on to rank seventh in the nation; Kaden Hines earned state champion honors in electrical construction wiring, going on to rank 22nd in the nation; and Hunter Ingram earned second place in carpentry.
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