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Chippewa Valley Technical College trains the workers of tomorrow, often with help from business partners. Lippert, the world’s supplier of highly engineered products for mobile transport industries, was named CVTC’s Proven Business Partner for 2025. Lippert has been instrumental in partnering with CVTC to train and upskill the manufacturing workforce.

The award was presented Thursday, Feb. 27, at CVTC’s annual Gala. Also honored were Anna Ringstad, Regional Representative for US Senator Tammy Baldwin, as the Outstanding Recent Alumni; and Jen Stinnett, Director of Operations of Zia ACO, as the Distinguished Alumni.

Lippert, Proven Business Partner

In 2019, Lippert acquired trailer hitch and towing product business Curt Manufacturing, based in Altoona. Since then, Lippert has grown the manufacturing and production of custom receiver hitches in the market by more than 75 percent. 

Matthew Jerlecki, Lippert's director of learning, said that when looking outside of the box, they turned to CVTC.

“Two years ago, we decided to look outside the offerings at the plant by expanding our partnership with CVTC,” he said. “By offering courses, it’s advantageous for them at the College. We utilize their instructors. And it’s advantageous for our team members.”

Brian Schudiske, senior vice president of North America operations at Lippert Automotive, said their business depends on steel fabrication, which makes the partnership with CVTC crucial. 

“We’ve been able to secure almost $750,000 in grants from the state of Wisconsin and West Central Workforce Board to fund programs such as the mobile welding lab and the Fast Track Weld program,” he said. “We have been incredibly fortunate to partner with CVTC in developing our new team members. Without the program, it would be incredibly difficult to staff such a rapidly growing business that requires advanced skillsets.”

Schudiske said Lipper’s current workforce is staffed with nearly 40 percent CVTC graduates, which “delivers lower turnover and higher performance.” Jerlecki said working with CVTC is important to the equation. 

“We have a training partner that is willing to be adaptive and innovative and come up with new programs outside of their typical course catalog that Lippert needs to meet our production goals,” he said. “All of this would not be possible if CVTC was not willing to look at things in a different way.”

Jen Stinnett, Distinguished Alumni

Like many students at CVTC, Stinnett labels herself “non-traditional.” She did not go to college right after graduating from high school.

“I got married, and I had a child. I did all of those things, and I had a really good job,” she said. “But something went off in my brain that said, ‘You need something else. You need something reliable. You need more than just going to work every day.’”

She began attending CVTC in 2009 in the Health Information Management Technology program and was inspired by the program and the instructors. She graduated in 2013 and worked while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. 

A year later, she had another degree under her belt and accepted a position with Zia ACO, a company that helps small, independent clinics operationalize value-based care initiatives. Quickly, she was promoted to director.

Stinnett is an advocate for CVTC and its students. She has been a member of the HIMT advisory committee since she was a student. She also has mentored students and continues to be a resource for those going through the program at CVTC.

“It has just been incredible. CVTC is setting the state for the next generation of students to join the workforce,” she said. “The program served me so well. It has been such a pivotal piece of my career and why I’m the person I am today.”

Anna Ringstad, Outstanding Recent Alumni

Ringstad grew up in a small town but dreamed of the big city. She attended the University of Minnesota right out of high school but quickly realized it wasn’t for her. She worked different jobs over 10 years. 

“I was looking for an opportunity to better myself so I could find different job opportunities in the future,” she said. 

That’s when she walked through the doors of CVTC. During her first semester in business management, she had a Principles in Marketing class that “changed my perspective on everything,” she said. 

As a student in marketing, she wrote a $1 million grant application for a vaccine outreach program during covid.

“We got the grant,” she said. “Literally, as a student in my marketing class, I was designing a billboard campaign with an ex-NFL Green Bay star to help increase vaccination outreach.”

After she graduated from CVTC in 2022 with an applied degree of science in marketing, she saw a position open in Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s office as a regional representative. Today, she covers 24 counties in the state, meets with constituents, celebrates, brainstorms and elevates voices to Capitol Hill.

“I have stayed very connected to CVTC since I left,” she said. “These programs have a huge benefit to the region. CVTC gave me an opportunity that I didn’t think I was going to have. It was not the path I would have expected for myself, but now that I’m on it, I know that I’m in the right place.”

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