Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

180 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 north of Eau Claire, is the economic and cultural center of Rusk County. “We’re one of those traditional small towns,” says City Administrator Alan Christianson who was born in Ladysmith and returned to it after college. “Just about everybody knows everybody else here.” And yet, this “small town” also has several main industrial areas and is home to several large manufacturing companies including Weather Shield Windows and Doors; Henry Repeating Arms (a firearms and long gun manufacturer); Indeck Bio Fuels (a maker of wood pellets); Centerline Architectural Supply; ADF Inc. (a producer of acrylic displays); Besse Lumber Company; PJ Murphy Wood Products; and A&M Fiberglass Manufacturing, BiOrigin, Westlake Enterprises and Rockwell Automation. Ladysmith also has a thriving downtown district with local shops and businesses, many of which were severely impacted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. And because its small