If you discover your love for manufacturing in Door, Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties, there is a chance you have D&S Machine Service owner Russ Nowak to thank. Nowak and D&S Machine Service in Luxemburg were among the five area manufacturers honored at the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance’s 2025 Excellence in Manufacturing/K-12 Partnerships Awards. Nowak was honored as being a visionary for the region, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment to local high schools including Luxemburg-Casco. A staunch advocate for developing local talent for manufacturing at the high school level, D&S Machine also participates in the youth apprenticeship program.

The event was hosted in conjunction with the Manufacturing First Expo and Conference hosted at the Resch Expo in Green Bay. At that conference, Luxemburg-Casco senior student Ella Marach participated in a roundtable discussion about her experience as a youth apprentice at American Custom Metal Fabricating in Green Bay. Director of Learning Services Mike Snowberry said last month that thanks to the youth apprenticeship program’s success stories and the support of community businesses that the district's participation rate remains high.