Culver's of Rhinelander Generously Donates to Hodag Dome

The Hodag Schools Foundation (HSF) is pleased to announce that another local business has
expressed its support for the Hodag athletic multipurpose complex with a $25,000 donation. This
donation, from Culver’s of Rhinelander, comes in the form of a pledge over five years, designated for
improvements specifically for the Hodag Dome.

Josh and Jen Clark, own and operate the local Culver’s restaurant along with eleven additional
Culver"s restaurants located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and Florida. “We were both involved in
athletics, and we feel strongly about the values that sports and extra-curricular activities bring to kids in
our community,” says Josh.  “Rhinelander is our home. We have two boys, Connor and Cooper, who will
grow up with the advantage of having a dome complex to be active all year and hopefully be better
students, athletes, and well-rounded people because of this new facility.  We are also proponents of
growing the Northwoods, and this will be a huge attraction to potential families moving up here.  The
final element is the mental health aspect.  Anyone that has lived up here for an extended period knows
the winters can get long and this will really help to get people out of the house and active during those
long, dark winter months.”

For almost 35 years, Culver's guests have been treated to cooked-to-order food made with
farm-fresh ingredients, served with a smile. The restaurant's nationally recognized customer service is
based on small-town, Midwestern values, genuine friendliness and an unwavering commitment to
quality. The Culver’s owned and operated by the Clarks have roughly 55 team members and managers
in the Rhinelander community and over 550 in all of their restaurants.  The Clarks also have a local
business, Clark Business Solutions, which has three local employees that provide accounting services to
Culver"s restaurants locally and throughout the country.
 
Clark also mentioned that in addition to the many benefits of the dome mentioned, some might
not be known until later. While being active throughout the entire year is important, the Clark family
feels the dome will be a direct correlation for growing new business in the area as well. “If we are
attracting more people to Rhinelander, they will stay at our hotels, eat at our restaurants, and shop at
our local establishments.” Josh continues, “I believe this will be huge for attracting talent and people to
the Northwoods and make this the place to live if you are making a move north.”
Josh adds, “A few years ago I used to hear about how bad our roads were when people would
come up from out of town.  The PRAT tax that [the city] has implemented has allowed the improvement
of the city roads and infrastructure, and I look at the dome as being a very similar improvement.  It is an
investment in our future and something that will pay dividends for years to local business, tourism,
housing, and tax revenue.  Hopefully, the dome will be a deciding factor when a family is contemplating
a move to the Northwoods.”

“It is great to have local business step up to support this project,” says HSF Board member Brian
Gaber. “We at HSF are delighted that Culver’s has invested in Rhinelander’s future education.” SDR
Board Ann Munninghoff Eshelman echoes that sentiment, “I am very happy and proud to see the
Rhinelander community support its schools with such unprecedented generosity. Heartfelt thanks to
Culvers –as well as all the other dedicated community members and organizations.”
 

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