Randy Homel Selected to Receive Rotary Club of Green Bay 2025 Free Enterprise Award

The Rotary Club of Green Bay and the Rotary Foundation of Green Bay, Inc., are proud to announce the selection of Randy Homel of Foth as the 2025 Free Enterprise Award recipient. This selection continues a long line of prestigious business pioneers and entrepreneurs in the Green Bay community who have exhibited the tenets of Rotary in their daily and business lives.

“I am humbled by this honor to be included among our area’s most pioneering business and entrepreneurial leaders who have received the Free Enterprise award,” Homel said.

From an early age, Homel seemed destined for a future in engineering. He pursued an education in what started as an innate childhood passion for repairing, rebuilding and invention.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Homel turned an internship at Foth into a position as a project engineer, working on machine development projects and specializing in concept development and engineering analysis.

Over the next several decades, his roles would expand to include project manager, client leader, business unit leader, chief operating officer and, for the past 12 years, CEO and board chair.

“I am proud of my journey at Foth, an organization that lives up to our purpose: solving our clients’ toughest science and engineering challenges,” Homel said. “I never set out to become the CEO of Foth, but I am forever grateful to those who helped me get to where I am today.

Under Homel’s leadership as CEO, Foth has doubled in revenue and maintained an impressive member retention rate of more than 92% annually. His collaborative spirit has instilled a company-wide focus on building long-term, win-win relationships with client partners, business partners and Foth members.

Homel’s career journey showcases the power of dedication, continuous learning, and visionary leadership. His story exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit within the context of a long-term commitment to a single organization, resulting in substantial growth, industry recognition, and a legacy of success.

Today, Foth is a North American full-service science and engineering firm serving communities and private industries, headquartered in De Pere, Wisconsin. Foth delivers technical excellence in three main areas: environment, infrastructure, and manufacturing. By combining science, engineering and technology with ingenuity and passion, Foth members solve problems, build enduring client partnerships and create bright futures.

“What I am most excited about is the visibility this recognition will provide to Foth, specifically our clients and employee-members,” Homel said. “I am proud of our 87 years operating as a member-owned organization of 700-plus members in 29 office locations working to make a difference to an expanding list of public and private partner clients.”

The 42nd annual Green Bay Rotary Club Free Enterprise Award presentation dinner, co-hosted by the Rotary Club of Green Bay and The Business News, will be held on Monday, May 19, 2025 at the Oneida Hotel.

For tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please visit greenbayrotary.org/fea.

The co-chairs of the 2025 Free Enterprise Award event are Sue Lagerman, Kathryn Kroll and Megan Dickman-Renard.

ABOUT ROTARY

The Rotary Club of Green Bay was founded in 1917 and is part of Rotary International. Founded in 1905, Rotary is one of the largest international humanitarian service organizations in the world; it consists of business and professional leaders who provide volunteer and humanitarian service and help build goodwill and peace in the world. The Rotary Club of Green Bay meets every Monday. For more information, please visit greenbayrotary.org.

Previous Free Enterprise Award recipients:

2024  Bruce A. Bell and Karl A. Schmidt/Belmark inc

2023  Kate Burgess and Tom Burgess/Elevate 97

2022  Chris Woleske/Bellin Health

2021  Mark Murphy/Green Bay Packers

2019  Craig Dickman/TitletownTech

2018  Michael Haddad/Schreiber Foods

2017  William “Red” Lewis/PDQ Car Wash

2016  Will Kress/Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

2015  Susan Finco/Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc.

2014  Mark McMullen/Associated Bank Corp.

2013  Tim Weyenberg/Foth

2012  Mark Skogen/Festival Foods

2011  Terry Fulwiler/WS Packaging Group

2010  Rick Chernick/Camera Corner Connecting Point

2009  Robert “Bob” Gallagher/Associated Bank Corp.

2008  George Kerwin/Bellin Health System, Inc.

2007  Larry Ferguson/Schreiber Foods, Inc.

2006  Timothy Howald/Tweet/Garot Mechanical, Inc.

2005  Larry Weyers/WPS Resources Corporation

2004  Frank A. Wood/Green Bay News-Chronicle

2003  John C. “Jack” Meng/Schreiber Foods, Inc.

2002  James F. Kress/Green Bay Packaging

2001  Carl W. Kuehne/American Foods Group

2000  Harry B. “Nick” Conlon/Associated Bank Corp.

1999  K.C. Stock/KCS International, Stock Lumber Co.

1998  James Madigan/FEECO International

1997  Leo Frigo/Frigo Cheese, Paul’s Pantry

1996  Don DeMeuse/Fort Howard

1995  Louis Konop/Konop Vending

1994  Robert Bush/Schreiber Foods, Inc.

1993  Robert Harlan/Green Bay Packers

1992  Donald Schneider/Schneider National

1991  Ron Weyers & Wally Hilliard/American Medical Security

1990  Donald Long/Imperial, Inc.

1989  Steve Van Dyke/Foth & Van Dyke

1988  Frederick Baer/Paper Converting Machine Co.

1987  Paul Ziemer/Wisconsin Public Service

1986  Phil Hendrickson/Krueger International

1985  John “Jake” Rose/Associated Kellogg Bank

1984  Merlin Bush/Schreiber Foods, Inc.

1983  George Kress/Green Bay Packaging