Manitowoc auto dealer helped local restaurants through pandemic by buying free lunches — plus more business news
MANITOWOC - Lakeshore companies and consumers play an important role in the larger northeastern Wisconsin business community.
Here are a few Streetwise tidbits that reflect the interconnectedness.
Maritime Ford pays for lunch
For nearly three years, the friendly folks at Maritime Ford, 1305 Franklin St., provided a free lunch at a local restaurant to hungry customers and community members.
Sales Manager Aaron Mueller said the dealership decided to provide lunches to unsuspecting customers as a way to help support local restaurants.
“We did it once a month, and it was always a local restaurant, never a chain,” he told Streetwise.
They kicked off the program in October 2019, at first not advertising where it would be happening, but allowing customers to be happily surprised when their server told them lunch was on Maritime Ford.
Mueller said they then posted the location on the morning of the sponsored lunches on Facebook to bring more people to the restaurants and maximize the impact.
These meals took on a new significance during the coronavirus pandemic, and Maritime ramped up the program, he said.
“We had a few places tell us it helped them stay in business,” he said.
Lunch places included Time Out Sports Bar and Grill, BRIX, Ryan’s on York, El Tequila and more.
This summer, Maritime brought food trucks to their parking lot for hungry guests. The program ended in August.
All told, Maritime Ford spent about $33,000 on the initiative — or around $2,500 to $3,000 at each establishment, Mueller said.
“It was a great way to spend our advertising dollars locally,” he said. “We always want to keep things local and to invest our dollars in the community. I was happy to see the community support behind the initiative. We think it went really well.”
US Cellular opens new store
As part of its “Grow in Green Bay” initiative, US Cellular is opening five new locations in northeastern Wisconsin, including a new store in Two Rivers.
A grand-opening celebration at the new store, 1803 Washington St., runs through Saturday.
The celebration includes a chance to enter and win 50-yard-line tickets to a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field, an AJ Dillon Green Bay Packers’ jersey, an authentic Packers' mini helmet and other prizes.
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
More: AMMO Inc. to celebrate new Manitowoc plant; new store coming to Eighth Street | Streetwise
A.C.E. Building Service contributes to shipbuilder facility
A.C.E. Building Service, a Manitowoc-area provider of commercial and industrial construction services, broke ground on a new machine shop for Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay.
The new 19,000-square-foot building will contain two overhead cranes — one with a 5-ton capacity and the other with the ability to raise 30 tons.
The new facility will make room for some work operations that had been done outside to move indoors.
A.C.E. Building Service has worked on Bay Shipbuilding projects for 50 years.
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Got a tip, question or comment for Streetwise Manitowoc? Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com or call 920-606-2586. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc car dealer Maritime Ford bought free lunches for community
