IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BIZ POLL ON MY NIGHTSTAND

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

DUET RESOURCE GROUP

224 South First St.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Walker’s Point FOUNDED: 1968 OWNER: Dan Mahlik EMPLOYEES: 18 SERVICE: Furniture and design firm

BIZ POLL A recent survey of BizTimes.com readers.

How do you expect your company to perform in 2022?

Better than in 2021: 53.1% About the same as in 2021: 28.1% Worse than in 2021: 18.8%

Share your opinion! Visit biztimes.com/bizpoll to cast your vote in the next Biz Poll.

What brought you to Walker’s Point from Vliet Street?

Kim Melka, senior creative design director: “It was a three-year renovation process for us and it was an important step for the business as well. We were on Fourth and Vliet before, but it was just one of those locations that didn’t get a lot of visibility, so this is doing exactly what we wanted this to do.” Mahlik: “We work closely with the (art and design) community, and a lot of that A&D community is in this part of the city, so we thought it was really important to be as closely located to them as we could to open up our space for innovation, collaboration and community.”

What market trends are you seeing?

Mahlik: “Right now, with so much stimulus funding in the educational space, especially K-12 and a lot of referendum work in that segment, that’s probably where we’re seeing the most strength in our company, followed by corporate. We’re involved in a lot of conversations around what workplace should be, what it was pre-pandemic, what it is moving forward. We’re in that dialogue daily.”

How has the business changed since it was founded?

Melka: “The business has really morphed over the years. We started as a manufacturers’ rep agency for different furniture manufacturers and then … with the business turning over to Dan in 2004 and especially in the last 10 years, we’ve turned into the full-service furniture dealership model with installation, interior design and then also project (management).” n

on my nightstand...

TRAVIS SPELL

Business development manager Riverworks Development Corp.

“University of Success” By Og Mandino

“UNIVERSITY OF SUCCESS” by Og Mandino has left quite a mark on Travis Spell’s life.

The 1983 self-help book is a collection of life lessons from 50 people Mandino considered the “greatest success authorities in the world.” Over 10 chapters – referred to as “semesters” – the book covers a range of topics from failure and taking risks to eliminating bad habits and developing financial literacy.

Spell, who works as business development manager at Milwaukee-based Riverworks Development Corp., said the book taught him how to think about success and then to organize his life in a way that would help him obtain success. He says it’s allowed him to guide others to do the same.

He highlights two quotes from the book that have stuck with him: “Often it is not the wrong start but the wrong stop that makes the difference between success and failure,” and “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.”

“Growing up I did not have these teachings, but in this book, I found the lessons and the inspiration to achieve it,” said Spell. n