Duluth Trading Co. pledges $1.2 million to Boys and Girls Club of Dane County

MOUNT HOREB, Wis. (WMTV) - Duluth Trading Company pledged over one million dollars Tuesday to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.

The pledge came as part of a four-year partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, Duluth Trading Company announced.

The Mount-Horeb-based retailer will raise $1.2 million on behalf of the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center. The funds will support youth and careers in the skilled trades.

“At Duluth Trading, we are thrilled to launch this partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County as a proud supporter of the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center,” President and CEO of Duluth Trading Sam Sato said. “As a brand that was built in the trades, we are humbled to join the Boys & Girls Club in their work to enable the next generation of tradesmen and women.”

The McKenzie Regional Workforce Center will work to prepare youth in Dane County for careers in skilled trades. The agency aims to connect students in the greater-Madison area with trade-oriented businesses and mentors at their training center.

“Because of partners like Duluth Trading, our dream of opening a skilled trades center is becoming a reality. This will be life changing for a lot of young people in this community,” President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County Michael Johnson said. “McKenzie Regional Workforce Center is specifically tailored to create opportunities for young adults to access resources, programming and support systems that will mitigate achievement gaps, create economic opportunities, accelerate economic mobility and generate transformational change for families in south central Wisconsin.”

The partnership also grants the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County the opportunity to name the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center’s outdoor pavilion. The pavilion is set to open in fall 2022 and will help with future job training.

This announcement marks Duluth Trading Company’s first partnership. Since 2020, the company has donated $700,000 to various causes.