Shopko Foundation Pledges $200,000 to St. Norbert College for its New Science Center

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From Shopko Foundation, July 31, 2013
by Tara Zeller, tara.zeller@shopko.com, 920-429-4368

The Shopko Foundation has awarded a grant of $200,000 to St. Norbert College to support the renovation and expansion of its 46-year-old science building into a modern, state-of-the-art facility. The Gehl-Mulva Science Center will create opportunities for both St. Norbert students and the surrounding communities, and will allow the school to better prepare current and future students for the ever-changing demands of science in today's world. The renovated building will also house the new northeast Wisconsin campus of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

"We are honored to have Shopko's extremely generous support for the science building renovation and expansion," said St. Norbert College President Thomas Kunkel. "St. Norbert College has had a strong relationship with Shopko for many years, and as we move into this exciting future we look forward to building a deeper and even stronger partnership."

The existing science building will be completely redesigned and renovated at a total cost of $39.2 million. The project will benefit all science students at St. Norbert, as the building will be updated to include improved research facilities, labs and teaching spaces. The new science building will also include a science museum/outreach center in which science faculty and teacher-education faculty can collaborate on educational outreach activities for K-12 students.
"The Shopko Foundation is committed to supporting projects which improve health and education in our store communities. St. Norbert's renovation and expansion of the science building will result in improved educational opportunities for all of its students, as well as support the Medical College of Wisconsin's initiative to reduce the shortage of physicians in northeast Wisconsin," said Mike Bettiga, Shopko interim CEO and chief operating officer. "We are happy to partner with St. Norbert College on this important project, which aligns with the mission of the Shopko Foundation and will have far-reaching benefits for the Green Bay area."
The construction project is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed in May 2015. Classes for students of the Medical College will start at St. Norbert in the summer of 2015. About the Shopko Foundation

Founded in 2007, the Shopko Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation operated exclusively for charitable purposes. To maximize its impact, the Foundation has a narrow focus on areas of giving that support the health of Shopko customers, teammates and communities. The Foundation also recognizes that education is fundamental to an individual's health and functionality in society. Funds support established nonprofit organizations with a proven record of success in maintaining solid, critical programs or innovative new organizations and programs supported by established nonprofits or successful leadership. The Shopko Foundation issues grants to support organizations or programs that help citizens of all ages maintain or improve their physical health and help students succeed in school and become self-sufficient adults.

For more information, visit www.shopko.com/foundation.

About Shopko

Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Shopko Stores Operating Co., LLC is a $3 billion retailer that operates over 325 stores in 21 states throughout the Midwest, Mountain, North Central and Pacific Northwest regions. Retail formats include 134 Shopko stores, providing quality name-brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services in small to mid-sized cities; five Shopko Express Rx stores, a convenient neighborhood drugstore concept; 18 Shopko Pharmacy locations; and 176 Shopko Hometown stores, a smaller concept store developed to meet the needs of smaller communities.
Shopko is owned by affiliates of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm focused on leverage buyouts, equity, debt and other investments in market-leading companies.
For more information, visit www.shopko.com.