April 10, 2025

By Lane Kimble

FITCHBURG, Wis. — There was no red trolly, no one wearing a zippered knit sweater with sneakers, and no puppeteers.

And yet Wednesday, State Sen. Dianne Hesselbein felt a bit like Mr. Rogers.

“I just think it’s fascinating how this product comes to be,” Hesselbein said.

The product? Redi-mix concrete. Ms. Hesselbein’s “neighborhood?” Wingra Stone Company’s dual plant along McKee Road in Fitchburg.

The 90-minute tour was the perfect place for Hesselbein’s own little version of the “How People Make Things” – an adventure Fred Rogers would’ve been fascinated by, too.

“We take so much for granted.  We just don’t know how things work anymore,” Hesselbein said.  “And so that’s when I think it’s really helpful to get out in the community to find out (for example) what’s up with Wingra?  How do they make all this stuff?”

The tour started in Wingra’s corporate offices for some history, ventured into the dispatch center for conversations with hard working staff, wound through the maintenance garage and mixing yard, and up into the control center.

On a busy day, more than 30 Wingra trucks will carry upwards of 1,200 yards of concrete to build roads, bridges, and buildings. The company covers essentially all of Dane County, while supporting operations to the north and east with plants in Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Lake Mills.

Hesselbein (D-Middleton) even climbed into two mixer trucks, learning some of the basics of handling the massive vehicles from an actual Wingra driver.

“That was wild,” Hesselbein said.

The tour guide, Wingra Stone Operations Manager James Ruston, says most people don’t get that involved when they visit.

“I think they don’t want to get in the way… You go up there and see all the computers and what everybody’s doing, gets a little intimidating,” Ruston said.

Ruston says the invitation is always open to any of his “neighbors” up the road in the state Capitol, ensuring they understand there are plenty of special people in this industry helping build our future.

“She was a champ, it was great,” Ruston said.  “It was good to see she was engaged and interested in those people.  I think it means more to them than anything else.”