OCONTO FALLS – A Wisconsin Business Achievement Award returned home this fall in a moment that tied together community, legacy and the future of local trades education.
The Flowers Family Foundation, established by the late Rockne and Joanne Flowers, presented the 2025 Wisconsin Business Achievement Award to the Oconto Falls High School Technology Education Department during a ceremony held on Monday, Oct. 6, at the high school auditorium. The Foundation also recognized Revolution Industrial Services, Inc., owned by Jeremy “Buck” Borchert of Lena, with the Wisconsin Small Business Achievement Award.
The monetary amounts were $75,000 to the Oconto Falls High School Technology Education Department and $25,000 to Revolution Industrial Services.
Rockne Flowers, an Oconto Falls High School Class of 1948 graduate and longtime president and CEO of Nelson Industries, founded the award program to honor Wisconsin businesses that strengthen both their communities and the state economy.
The Oconto Falls Tech Ed Department, led by educators John Bursa, Matt Beschta and Elijah School, with support from Tony Grulkowski at Oconto Falls Middle School, was recognized for its collaboration with local industry and its record of preparing students for the workforce. The program’s annual “Trades Day – Skilled Hands in High Demand” event draws more than 50 companies and a dozen high schools each year, and nine former students are now teaching tech ed programs elsewhere in Wisconsin.
Bursa said the department’s success comes from strong community involvement and direct relationships with employers.
“We reach out to area businesses so students make those connections before they graduate,” he said. “We want them to leave here already on a path toward a good career.”
Award funds will be used to upgrade welding and machining equipment, including new laser engraving and welding systems and modernized shop machinery. The additions will strengthen student training and competition opportunities in SkillsUSA while continuing to build practical workforce readiness close to home.
Revolution’s award proceeds are being directed toward the company’s newly created Trades Forever Foundation, which will help fund scholarships for area students pursuing apprenticeships or technical-school training, including those in Oconto County.
Borchert, who was born and raised in Lena and operates a facility in Oconto Falls, said the idea was to formalize a scholarship effort his company has supported for years. “We’d been doing scholarships privately through the company, but we needed a place to park the money and keep it growing,” he said. “The Trades Forever Foundation will make sure young men and women know there’s a real, attainable American dream in the trades.”
For the Flowers family, seeing the award presented in Oconto Falls carried special meaning. George Flowers said it was hard to put into words what the day meant for his family. He recalled how his father returned to the high school a few years ago, spent time visiting the tech ed department, and enjoyed reminiscing with old friends about Oconto Falls “back in the day.”
During that visit, Rockne spent nearly two hours catching up with fellow longtime resident Jim Moynihan, who for many years owned the A&W in Oconto Falls. George said the two laughed and swapped memories of early Oconto Falls, and that the conversation reminded his father why he had always stayed connected to his hometown.
“It was extremely special for a lot of reasons,” George said. “He came back a couple of years ago and got to see the progress the tech ed department has made. It really meant a lot to him. They just had a ball talking about Oconto Falls back in the day. It’s hard to even explain how much it means.”
George said the moment would have been perfect for his father, though Rockne likely would have preferred less attention. He described him as a man of extreme humility, someone whose accomplishments spoke for themselves.
“You’d never know, walking into a room, the things he was accomplishing,” George said.
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