Free Enterprise Award
42nd Annual Free Enterprise Award Dinner | Monday, May 19, 2025 | 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Oneida Hotel of Green Bay
The Rotary Club of Green Bay and The Business News will honor outstanding business and community leaders at our annual Free Enterprise Award dinner on May 19, 2025 beginning at 5:30 pm. Started in 1983, this has become a coveted award for community leaders. This event also serves as the primary fundraiser for the Rotary Foundation of Green Bay.
Over the last 17 years, the Green Bay Rotary Foundation, Inc. has distributed over $1,300,000 in funds back to our community. This includes all aspects of our distribution process, such as FEA, scholarships, and grants. The FEA component of this from the last nine years is over $750,000.
We are proud to present the 2025 Free Enterprise Award to Randy Homel, CEO of Foth. This selection continues a long line of businesspeople in the Green Bay community that have exhibited the tenets of Rotary in their daily and business lives.
Under Homel’s leadership as CEO, Foth has doubled in revenue and maintained an impressive member retention rate of more than 92%
annually. His collaborative spirit has instilled a company-wide focus on building long-term, win-win relationships with client partners, business partners and Foth members. Homel’s career journey showcases the power of dedication, continuous learning, and visionary leadership. His story
exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit within the context of a long-term commitment to a single organization, resulting in substantial growth,
industry recognition, and a legacy of success.
Today, Foth is a North American full-service science and engineering firm serving communities and private industries, headquartered in De Pere, Wisconsin. Foth delivers technical excellence in three main areas: environment, infrastructure, and manufacturing. By combining science, engineering and technology with ingenuity and passion, Foth members solve problems, build enduring client partnerships and create bright futures.
The Jackie Nitschke Center in Green Bay has been selected as the principal recipient of the proceeds of this prestigious award event. Since 1973, they have serviced adults and families facing the struggles of substance addiction and mental health challenges. They strive to provide life-saving hope, healing, and recovery to create stronger families and healthier communities.
To honor the Rotary motto of Service Above Self, please join us Monday, May 19, as we celebrate this year’s Free Enterprise Award recipient, Randy Homel and to support the Jackie Nitschke Center. For information on sponsorship opportunities, or to reserve corporate tables and individual seats, please click on the images below.
Previous Award Recipients
2024 – Bruce A. Bell & Karl A. Schmidt
2023 – Kate Burgess & Tom Burgess – Elevate97
2022 – Chris Woleske – Bellin Health
2021 – Mark Murphy – Green Bay Packers
2019 – Craig Dickman – Breakthrough/TitletownTech
2018 – Michael Haddad – Schreiber Foods
2017 – William “Red” Lewis – PDQ Car Wash
2016 – William F. Kress – Green Bay Packaging
2015 – Susan Finco – Leonard and Finco Public Relations Inc.
2014 – Mark McMullen – Associated Bank
2013 – Tim Weyenberg – Foth
2012 – Mark Skogen – Festival Foods
2011 – Terry Fulwiler – WS Packaging Group
2010 – Rick Chernick – Camera Corner Connecting Point
2009 – Robert “Bob” Gallagher – Associated Bank Corp.
2008 – George Kerwin – Bellin Health Systems, Inc.
2007 – Larry Ferguson – Schreiber Foods, Inc.
2006 – Timothy Howald – Tweet/Garot Mechanical, Inc.
2005 – Larry Weyers – WPS Resources Corporation
2004 – Frank A. Wood – Green Bay News Chronicle
2003 – John C. “Jack” Meng – Schreiber Foods, Inc.
2002 – James F. Kress – Green Bay Packaging
2001 – Carl W. Kuehne – American Foods Group
2000 – Harry B. “Nick” Conlon – Associated Bank Corp.
1999 – K.C. Stock – KCS International, Stock Lumber Co.
1998 – James Madigan – FEECO International
1997 – Leo Frigo – Frigo Cheese, Paul’s Pantry
1996 – Don DeMeuse – Fort Howard
1995 – Louis Konop – Konop Vending
1994 – Robert Bush – Schreiber Foods, Inc.
1993 – Robert Harlan – Green Bay Packers
1992 – Donald Schneider – Schneider National
1991 – Ron Weyers & Wally Hilliard – American Medical Security
1990 – Donald Long – Imperial, Inc.
1989 – Steve Van Dyke – Foth & Van Dyke
1988 – Frederick Baer – Paper Converting Machine Co.
1987 – Paul Ziemer – Wisconsin Public Service
1986 – Phil Hendrickson – Krueger International
1985 – John “Jake” Rose – Associated Kellogg Bank
1984 – Merlin Bush – Schreiber Foods, Inc.
1983 – George Kress – Green Bay Packaging
