For Immediate Release
Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing and PR Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: November 5, 2025
Lactalis USA presented with Futuremaker Partner Award
Selection honors decades of collaboration with Southwest Tech
Fennimore -
The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board has selected Lactalis USA’s Belmont plant as the recipient of its prestigious Futuremaker Partner Award, recognizing the company’s exceptional, decades-long collaboration with Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. The award was presented Nov. 4, at Southwest Tech in Fennimore.
“It is my distinct honor to present the Futuremaker Partner Award to Lactalis USA on behalf of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board,” said Sara Rogers, WTCS Board president. “Southwest Wisconsin Technical College partners with many outstanding companies across the region, but Lactalis’ Belmont location truly stands out. Their long-standing, deeply rooted relationship with Southwest Tech — dating back to the early 1980s — has made them an exceptional partner in every sense. Lactalis consistently hires Southwest Tech graduates and invests in workforce development through contract training. Their commitment to the college and its students is unwavering, and their impact is felt across campus and the broader community.”
Lactalis established operations in Belmont in 1981, marking the company’s first manufacturing facility in the United States. Throughout the years the company has invested in and expanded the Belmont plant which employs more than 330 people and produces Président Brie and Feta cheeses. Lactalis is now the world’s largest dairy company with more than 85,500 employees worldwide. Since 1981, the company has become a leader in the U.S. dairy market with 13 manufacturing facilities, 5,000 employees and an unrivaled house of brands including Président, Galbani, Kraft Natural Cheese, Yoplait, Stonyfield and more.
“For Lactalis, it’s really about everything we do together,” said Dennis Cooley, Southwest Tech executive director of advancement. “As partnerships go, this is one of the college’s strongest — and it’s only getting better. Lactalis has been a key supporter of our Sponsor-A-Scholar Program, has alumni in nearly every area of its organization, and continually seeks new ways to develop its people. That shared focus on growth defines our relationship.”
The partnership includes leadership development programs, customized safety and maintenance training, and ongoing collaboration on workforce innovation. Lactalis regularly sponsors scholarships, participates in job fairs, serves on advisory committees, and supports student-focused events.
“The connection between Lactalis USA and Southwest Tech is truly beneficial to both of us,” said Kendal Garrison, human resources manager for Lactalis’ Belmont plant. “We proudly sponsor programs to equip Southwest Tech students with the skills needed for a successful career in technical and manufacturing operations. The college also helps us to stay ahead of technological trends through custom training and the expertise of its graduates who work for us. We currently have nine Southwest Tech graduates in our maintenance department alone, and that number keeps growing.”
For many employees, the partnership has been life-changing. Amon Redfearn, now maintenance supervisor on first shift at the Belmont plant, began as a part-time trainee while completing his Electro-Mechanical Technology degree at Southwest Tech. “Starting with limited hands-on experience, I faced a steep learning curve,” Redfearn said. “Southwest Tech taught me the fundamentals, and Lactalis gave me the opportunity to apply them. Over 13 years, I’ve grown through multiple roles and I’m proud to contribute to the company’s success.”
Together, Lactalis and Southwest Tech exemplify the purpose of the WTCS Futuremaker Award — a recognition reserved for organizations that invest deeply in technical education and the future of Wisconsin’s workforce.
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. The college was recently named the winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online, HyFlex and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |
About Lactalis USA
Lactalis USA is committed to enriching lives by producing nutritious and great-tasting dairy products. The company offers an unrivaled house of beloved dairy brands in the United States including Galbani® Italian cheeses, Président® specialty cheeses and gourmet butters, Kraft® brands in natural and grated cheeses, Breakstones® cottage cheese, ricotta and sour cream, Cracker Barrel® cheese, Black Diamond® cheddar cheese, Parmalat® milk, , yogurt brands such as siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Green Mountain Creamery®, Mountain High, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Oui® and Karoun®, Gopi®, Arz® and other brands in the ethnic channel.
In the United States the company has approximately 5,000 employees, with 13 manufacturing facilities located in nine states, and corporate offices in New York City, San Fernando, Calif., Chicago, Ill., Minneapolis, Minn., Buffalo, N.Y. and Bedford, N.H. Lactalis USA is part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, a French family business founded in 1933 in Laval, France.