Jack Link was formally inducted into the Wisconsin Manufacturing Hall of Fame at the Manufacturer of the Year Awards ceremony last month.
“The selection criteria for this award include economic impact, leadership, civic engagement, community philanthropy, and enduring legacy,” says Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce President and CEO Kurt Bauer. “Jack is at the top of the list for all of those.”
After accepting the award, Link gave a brief history of the Minong-based family company. Link learned the fundamentals of meat processing at an early age in his family’s butcher shop. After the family meatpacking business closed, he identified an opportunity to improve the quality and consistency of meat snacks available in the marketplace. Drawing on his great-grandfather’s recipes and traditional smoking methods, Link developed protein products made from real cuts of beef.
His continued leadership and vision helped popularize jerky as a mainstream, on-the-go snack across international markets, growing the company to be the largest manufacturer of jerky in the world.
Link was joined at the event by his family, including his son, Troy Link, who now serves as the company’s CEO.
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