Stoughton Trailers and Wahlin Foundation partner with UW-Whitewater to ready tomorrow’s supply chain and business professionals.

January 16, 2023

Stoughton Trailers LLC, a leading Wisconsin-based semi-trailer manufacturer and sales organization, together with the Wahlin Foundation, a private foundation supporting Stoughton Trailers communities, has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics to support business education. A combination of student scholarships and faculty fellowships at UW-Whitewater, the program is designed to promote a well-trained Wisconsin workforce through funds distributed within the College of Business and Economics.

The Stoughton Trailers Student Scholarship program will provide ten $1,500 scholarships in each of the next five years. The Wahlin Foundation Distinguished Fellowship in Supply Chain will be a $10,000 stipend awarded in each of the next five years to a qualifying member of the college’s Information Technology and Supply Chain department. Together, this $125,000 gift serves to create awareness of local employers while making quality college education more affordable to 50 future employees.

“If there is one thing that the pandemic has made abundantly clear: America’s supply chain is fragile. That includes the supply of job-ready employees. UW-Whitewater’s undergraduate and graduate programs in supply chain management work with local employers to deliver relevant education to allow graduates to hit the ground running, ready to make an impact on day one. Beyond supply chain, businesses like Stoughton Trailers need human resources, safety, sales and marketing, finance, accounting and economics professionals; all areas that our business students pursue,” said Paul Ambrose, dean of the College of Business and Economics. He continues: “Stoughton Trailers and the Wahlin Foundation understand that investing in today’s college students is really an investment in the economy of our state. Stoughton Trailers is a leader in manufacturing and distribution. UW-Whitewater is Wisconsin’s largest business school. This partnership is an example of what happens when we work together for the future of our communities.”

Dr. Andy Ciganek, department chair states, “Information technology and supply chain professionals can work in almost any industry imaginable. Supply chain, in particular, is a vast and growing field shaped by technology and international competition. UW-Whitewater houses this discipline in the business college, recognizing it as a vital component to the modern economy. Graduates of our program have 99%+ placement rate and are typically entertaining multiple offers at graduation. Stoughton Trailers is wise to recognize the importance of creating more professionals and building relationships with students early in their academic career.”

Betsy McClimon, Executive Director, of The Wahlin Foundation, Inc. offers, “Now, more than ever, people, education, and research are at the forefront of our business world. The Wahlin Foundation and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater share a common vision and ideas to promote a better future. We are excited to partner with the UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics, and its outstanding students, faculty, and alumni.”

 Dean Ambrose adds, “This scholarship program, internships and 100% faculty educators combine to ensure that College of Business and Economics graduates are ready to join our 30,000+ active alumni in creating a better business community that represents and benefits us all. We appreciate the partnership with Stoughton Trailers and the Wahlin Foundation. The communities of Stoughton and Whitewater share so much; it is wonderful that we now share another link through UW-Whitewater and Stoughton Trailers.”

Stoughton Trailers values leadership, integrity, respect, and is customer driven. Located in Stoughton, Wisconsin, the company started as a small family-owned business in 1961 and is now one of the industry’s leading manufacturers of over-the-road transportation equipment including, semi-trailers and intermodal container chassis.  The company operates from nine different facilities in the South-Central Wisconsin cities of Stoughton, Evansville, and Brodhead. In 2022 they opened a new manufacturing facility in Waco, Texas. Stoughton Trailers has a combined 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing space under their roof. Visit stoughtontrailers.com to learn more.

The Wahlin Foundation is a private foundation that provides monetary grants to non-profit organizations in the communities local to, and surrounding, Stoughton Trailer facilities. The broad purpose of the Foundation is to enrich lives and provide opportunities in these communities. Learn more at Wahlinfoundation.org.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics (CoBE) is Wisconsin’s largest business college. It is home to the #1 ranked online Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in the State, of single schools, and is the only college in Wisconsin that offers an AACSB-accredited Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) degree program.  The Department of Information Technology and Supply Chain Management offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Technology, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management, and a Master of Business Administration with emphases in both. Programs also offer majors and minors and are available on campus or in 100% online formats. CoBE is in the top 2% of the world’s business schools having earned both AACSB and AACSB Accounting Accreditation. For more information on the College of Business and Economics, visit uww.edu/cobe or email cobe@uww.edu.