POSTCRESCENT.COM SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024 7A BETTER HEARING HEALTH Your hearing health is an insight into your overall well-being. WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT HEARING LOSS AND YOUR BODY Those with heart disease are up to more likely to have hearing loss. Up to one-third of sickle-cell anemia sufferers may also have hearing loss. Those with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia. Prediabetics have a higher rate of hearing loss.
Cotinine, found in tobacco, is linked to greater risk of hearing loss. During Better Hearing and Speech Month this May, we would like to help you ACHIEVE BETTER HEARING HEALTH. If you or a loved one experience hearing loss or any of the above symptoms, PLEASE GIVE US A CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT! 920.267.4999 Appleton 3124 Van Roy Rd Oshkosh 1820 Pointe Dr Ripon 835 Parkside St Neenah 1148 Westowne Dr FoxValleyHearingCenter.com WI-39461638 manufacturing capabili- ties and products vary widely, from clothing and sporting goods to aircraft seating and extinguishers. Toyota, Patagonia and Turtle Fur are three of its many clients. NovaLink traces its roots to the 1980s when General Motors plant manager Bill Wolfe was assigned the task of mov- ing a GM factory from his hometown of Anderson, Indiana, to Mexico.
It was upsetting news in Anderson, a city of about 55,000 people northeast of Indianapolis, which had ties to the auto- motive industry going back nearly a century. Still, the GM plant provided much- needed jobs in Matamoros, which had a population of 279,000 in the late 1980s and had once thrived in the cotton trade and shrimp processing industries. Large companies such as automotive parts maker Delphi established plants in Matamoros; some are in an industrial park with road names like Michigan Av- enue and Ohio Street. Years ago, Delphi had a plant in Oak Creek that closed in 2007, resulting in the loss of around 200 jobs. Through NovaLink, Wolfe and busi- ness partner saw an op- portunity to bring Mexican manufactur- ing to U.S.
businesses lacking the wherewithal of companies like General Motors. NovaLink partners with companies to establish their operations inside one of its facilities. The companies can pro- vide their own equipment, raw materi- als, and assist in worker training. Nova- Link provides manufacturing space and the local workforce, and manages the day-to-day operations and shipping of goods. son, Jason Wolfe, is now the president and CEO of NovaLink, which operates 400,000 square feet of manu- facturing space in Mexico and has a dis- tribution center in Brownsville.
have everything in place for a company to relocate their operation, whether from China, the U.S., or anywhere Jason Wolfe said. There will always be a need for low- cost manufacturing of inexpensive con- sumer goods, like a $10 toaster, whether in Mexico or Asia. Time to market, freight considerations and available la- bor are advantages for Mexico. Mexican maquiladora program plays a role in some of these products, but the focus has shifted to products that require more than just lower-cost Wolfe said. One of U.S.
clients sells custom boat covers. When a customer places an online order, it drops directly into the factory in Matamoros where the cover is cut, sewn, packaged and shipped. able to make these products on a real-time basis, which minimizes time to Wolfe said. The company has grown to more than 2,000 employees and has landed work previously done overseas. One ad- vantage of being in Mexico is that U.S.
clients can travel to Matamoros in a day, meet with NovaLink management, and be home the next day. Wolfe was only 13 years old when his family moved from Anderson to Brownsville. He imagined it would be like something out of a Western movie with horses and cattle ranches. What he discovered was a Mexico that was as fascinating to him as it was foreign. knew nothing about Mexico or the culture before I came down here, but I fell in love with he said.
After graduating from the University of Texas-Austin with a de- gree in business, Jason joined his broth- er, Brad, and their father, Bill, in Nova- Link. father is a mentor of mine and other employees at NovaLink. I ever expect to his shoes, but I would like to be able to leave here with the same respect that he generated with his Jason said. He added: think this company has given opportunities to many people over the years to start a career, build a life, and have a better standard of living. And extremely The Bringing It Home series was cre- ated with the support of the Pulitzer Center and the Richard C.
Longworth Media Fellowship The Center champi- ons the power of stories to make com- plex issues relevant and inspire action. The Longworth Fellowship, which was awarded to reporter Rick Barrett and photojournalist Mark is de- voted to bringing global issues to Mid- western readers. Neither the Pulitzer Center nor Longworth played a role in the reporting, editing or presentation of the series. Nearshoring Continued from Page 6A.
