BizTimes Milwaukee | April 11, 2022 by BizTimes Media

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FLEXRIDE CONNECTING MILWAUKEE RESIDENTS WITH WAUKESHA COUNTY EMPLOYERS 24 MEET THE NOTABLE COMMERCIAL BANKING LEADERS 28

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BizTimes Milwaukee (ISSN 1095-936X & USPS # 017813) Volume 28, Number 1, April 11, 2022 – April 24, 2022. BizTimes Milwaukee is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January, February, March, July, August and December by BizTimes Media LLC at 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120, USA. Basic annual subscription rate is $96. Single copy price is $5. Back issues are $8 each. Periodicals postage paid at Milwaukee, WI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to BizTimes Milwaukee, 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120. Entire contents copyright 2022 by BizTimes Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Contents

4 Leading Edge 4 NOW BY THE NUMBERS 5 BEHIND THE SCENES – MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM 6 JUMP START – DRINKIN’ BUDS 7 BIZ TRACKER 8 FRESH DIGS – S.C. JOHNSON’S WAXBIRD COMMONS 9 BIZ POLL WHAT I’M LISTENING TO 10 THE FRANCHISEE – LIME PAINTING

12 Biz News 12 T HE INTERVIEW – GREATER MILWAUKEE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT JOEL BRENNAN 14 BEVY OF ROAD AND TRANSIT PROJECTS COULD BE FUNDED BY INFRASTRUCTURE ACT

COVER STORY

16 Real Estate

A stronger Waukesha Downtown businesses helping community move forward after parade massacre

Special Reports

18 Business in Waukesha County In addition to the cover story, coverage includes a report on the FlexRide program that is designed to help workers in Milwaukee connect to employers in Menomonee Falls and Butler.

26 Banking & Finance Coverage includes a report on how fintech products and companies offer community banks a chance to level the playing field.

28 Notable Commercial Banking Leaders 37 Strategies 37 38 39 40

LEADERSHIP George Satula MANAGEMENT Cary Silverstein COACHING Susan Wehrley TIP SHEET

44 Biz Connections 44 G LANCE AT YESTERYEAR MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER 45 NONPROFIT 46 5 MINUTES WITH … GARY WITT AND MATT BERINGER OF THE PABST THEATER GROUP

B E YO U R B A N K E R’S TO P P R I O R I T Y Let us get to know your business. TO W N B A N K . U S / D E S E RV E

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Leading Edge

BIZTIMES DAILY – The day’s most significant news → biztimes.com/subscribe

NOW

Patrick Hammes

Hammes Partners raises $739 million through latest health care real estate fund By Ashley Smart, staff writer Hammes Partners, a Milwaukee-based investment management firm focused on the U.S. health care real estate market, recently announced the closing of its third institutional private equity fund with $739 million in capital commitments.

The fund, called Hammes Partners IV, reached its hard cap within seven months. The goal of the fund was originally $725 million, but the company saw interest from investors that exceeded that hard cap. The money raised will be used by the company to invest

BY THE NUMBERS The Michels Family Foundation is donating

MILLION

to the Medical College of Wisconsin to support the research of rare cancers. 4 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

in acquisition and development opportunities in U.S. health care real estate. This is the company’s third institutional private equity fund. Patrick Hammes, managing principal of Hammes Partners, said such a fund is unique to this area, as other institutional private equity funds are typically headquartered on the coasts or Chicago. “To do this in Milwaukee has been really rewarding. We started this institutional private equity fund platform just over 10 years ago. When you think about how much we’ve been able to raise from institutional investors in Milwaukee, I think it’s a great accomplishment for a team and I think it’s great for the city,” Hammes said. The company’s past two institutional private equity funds raised $440 million and $687 million of equity, respectively. With the latest fund raise, it has now raised a total of more than $1.8 billion. Investors in the latest fund include foundations, pension funds, insurance companies, family offices, investment and wealth managers, and funds of funds. “I think that reflects the fact that we’re in an attractive industry,” Hammes said. “We’re in health care, which continues to grow as a percent of our economy. Within health care, we’re in a verti-

cal of it called outpatient facilities that is continually growing.” Hammes Partners is a national organization, but Hammes said the company would be interested in helping local health care providers with this latest round of funding. “We would certainly like to support any of the local health care providers with their ambulatory outpatient needs. We’ll certainly be working to have those discussions,” Hammes said. Hammes Partners IV is a fully discretionary pool of capital, which allows company leadership to immediately invest the funds as needed when an acquisition or development opportunity arrives. Hammes said this allows them to move quickly and remain nimble while always having capital to invest. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic changing the landscape of the health care world, Hammes said the health care real estate segment, particularly outpatient venues, is expected to continue its growth. “We think that given the need for providing care in a more convenient, cost-effective setting, that trend will continue despite COVID. We’re seeing health care providers across the U.S. continue to build new ambulatory outpatient facilities. The long-term trends for our sector remain intact,” Hammes said. n

BEHIND THE SCENES JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

Milwaukee Public Museum By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer

ucked away inside Milwaukee Public Museum’s 400,000-square-foot building – behind the “Streets of Old Milwaukee,” the Puelicher Butterfly Garden and displays of ancient artifacts and life-size dioramas – staff and researchers are hard at work keeping Wisconsin’s natural history alive. In a lab on the fourth floor, postdoctoral research fellow Nick Dowdy extracts DNA from tiger moths. Meanwhile, collection and digitization manager Alyssa Caywood is overseeing a years-long effort to create a digital record of all 4 million objects across MPM’s collections. Taking inventory is especially crucial as the MPM prepares to move into a new facility in 2026. “It’s going to be a huge process, with a lot of moving wheels. That’s going to need a lot of detail-oriented people who are invested in dotting i’s and crossing t’s in order to just make sure that things move safely from here to there,” said Caywood. n

Tiger moths are part of MPM’s collection of 290,000 specimens of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies).

Once extracted from the tiger moth specimen, DNA is stored in a freezer kept at -80 degrees Celsius, or -112 degrees Fahrenheit.

MPM’s butterfly garden gets weekly shipments of about 400 chrysalises from around the world.

A macro DSLR lens captures every detail of this estimated 450-million-year-old fossil from Dane County.

A storage room in MPM’s geology department.

biztimes.com / 5

Leading Edge

JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

@BIZTIMESMEDIA – Real-time news

BUSINESS LOCATION: Sheboygan FOUNDERS: Justin Hopf and Matt Swanson FOUNDED: 2020 SERVICE: CBD-infused drink mixes WEBSITE: drinkinbudshemp.com EMPLOYEES: 2 GOAL: Continuing to grow the Drinkin’ Buds brand and expand distribution EXPERIENCE: Past experience in the ag industry at Bayer’s Crop Science division

Two Sheboygan ‘Drinkin’ Buds’ create a line of CBD-infused drink mixes By Ashley Smart, staff writer

6 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

Justin Hopf and Matt Swanson

A PAIR OF DRINKING BUDDIES have found a novel way to also foster their love of agriculture through their CBD-infused drink mixes. Justin Hopf and Matt Swanson are the founders of Sheboygan-based Drinkin’ Buds. Both Hopf and Swanson have experience working at Bayer’s Crop Science division, and they connected over their love of agriculture. After the 2018 Farm Bill passed in Wisconsin, legalizing the production of hemp, the pair wanted to give it a shot. They decided to grow an acre of hemp on Swanson’s property, which was once a dairy farm that includes a barn. As their first crop was growing, the pair needed to determine a market for their product. They examined options including CBD crude oil biomass. “We started to realize that the price for crude (oil) wasn’t even going to allow us to break even,” Swanson said. Hopf and Swanson wanted to find a niche before going to market while creating a brand that could continue to grow. They eventually landed on the idea of a drink additive. “Justin and I are also drinking buds so that seemed rather serendipitous,” Swanson said. The pair set out to find a way to infuse CBD into Wisconsin’s iconic drink, the Old Fashioned. This proved to be a challenge. They

initially tried putting CBD oil into bitters, but the oil would float to the top of drinks. They realized they needed something water soluble and created a unique CBD isolate. They also found a supplier of a dry bitters substitute for their mix. They continued growing the Drinkin’ Buds brand with margarita and Bloody Mary mixes. All their drink mixes are below 0.3% THC. “Some of the main categories of why CBD can be useful to you (are) it helps quite a bit with anxiety, inflammation, pain, and it also helps as a sleep aid,” Hopf said. “As far as putting it in our products, we think there are health benefits to CBD. It also enhances the experience of having a cocktail.” Hopf and Swanson have been bootstrapping the company since its inception in 2020 but recently gained some support through the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corp. and Small Business Development Center at UW-Green Bay. As for next steps, the pair want to build brand awareness and expand their distribution model to include grocery stores, bars and restaurants. “We want to keep developing the brand to be relevant in wherever the space is that beverages and cannabis meet,” Swanson said. n

The latest area economic data.

10,090

Milwaukee County’s population decreased by

in 2021.

20,700 Wisconsin added

private sector jobs in February.

2.9%

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate in February was

53.81

Lucius Nieman Class of 1875 First. Foremost. Forward.

Lucius Nieman didn’t let hard beginnings deter him from his dreams. Sent to live with grandparents at age two when his father passed away, Nieman discovered the newspaper business. As a teen, he set type for the Waukesha Freeman while attending Carroll. Brief stints as reporter and editor with the Milwaukee Sentinel and St. Paul Dispatch followed, before he assumed ownership of the Milwaukee Journal and built it into one of the nation’s top metropolitan dailies. The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard continues his legacy today. • Learn more at carrollu.edu/175

Carroll University: Pioneering For 175 Years!

The Milwaukee-area manufacturing index was

in March, down from 60.72 in February. Any reading above 50 indicates growth in the sector.

3.8%

Wisconsin’s gross domestic product grew

BizPeople Highlight a new hire, promotion or accolade and share it with readers throughout southeastern Wisconsin. Visit biztimes.com/bizconnect to submit your news!

in 2021, which was less than almost every other Midwest state.

biztimes.com / 7

BIZTIMES MEDIA – Connect

JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

Leading Edge

FRESH DIGS

S.C. JOHNSON’S WAXBIRD COMMONS OW N E R / DE V E LOPE R : S.C. Johnson A RC H I T E C T: Gensler C O S T S : Undisclosed Y E A R C OM PL E T E D : June 2021

8 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

IT IS NOT UNCOMMON to hear a company say it wants to mix the old with the new in its facilities, but the new Waxbird Commons on S.C. Johnson’s Racine campus takes the adage to new heights. Enter the modern lobby and you’re greeted by the building’s namesake airplane, which was purchased by the company in 1929 and was used on promotional tours to help grow the company. Go around the corner and you will find a modern art gallery amongst timbers from S.C. Johnson manufacturing facilities. At the end of the hall, a digital screen highlights the company’s efforts to reduce plastic waste in oceans while advertising from the 1940s and ‘50s is displayed across

the hall and a mural depicting the company’s founder reviewing products from over the years is nearby. Beyond highlighting the past, Waxbird Commons has a function, with around 120 conference rooms. Large glass doors on one set of meeting rooms can open to create a larger event space while former loading dock doors now open to collaborative meeting spaces. Waxbird Commons also has a sustainability component, with a geothermal exchange helping save energy on heating and cooling, more than 500 solar panels on the roof, recycled plastic film in the parking lot asphalt and 100,000 bricks and more than 500 timbers salvaged from other buildings. n

BIZ POLL

on my nightstand...

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Are you investing in cryptocurrency? YES:

31%

NO:

DEAN AMHAUS President and CEO The Water Council

69%

“Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis” By John Doerr

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

WHEN MKE TECH HUB chief executive officer Kathy Henrich recommended “Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis” to Dean Amhaus, she cautioned him about the start of the book by John Doerr. “You start the book, and you get depressed,” Amhaus, president and CEO of The Water Council, said, noting the climate challenges the world faces and speed needed to address them. “But then you really come away with a level of hope that we can actually make some changes

Presents:

in a positive way and companies can plug into the solution system.” Doerr, an engineer, venture capitalist and chairman of Kleiner Perkins, is also the author of “Measure What Matters.” In “Speed & Scale,” Doerr turns the tool of objectives and key results, OKRs, to climate change, identifying measurable steps needed to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050. While the book is primarily focused on carbon issues, Amhaus said he still found it quite relevant to The Water Council’s work. n

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Craig Kowalczyk and his nephew, Anthony Butz, who joined LIME Painting of Milwaukee as its first visual reality consultant.

CRAIG KOWALCZYK LIME PAINTING THE FRANCHISE: Greenwood Village, Colorado-based LIME Painting LLC offers high-end custom painting, restoration and contracting services for residential and commercial properties. Chief executive officer Nick Lopez founded the company in 2013 and started franchising five years later. Today, LIME has franchisees in 50 markets across 18 states. AUGUST 2021: Craig Kowalczyk leaves his longtime job at Madison-based American Family Insurance. The COVID-19 pandemic led him to re-evaluate his priorities when it came to family, work and personal goals. He decided it was time for a career change. Franchise consultant Kim Daly interviewing LIME Painting CEO Nick Lopez for her YouTube channel, The Daly Coach.

“I was a property adjuster at one time, and I enjoyed visiting people at their homes, plus I was a real estate developer for a second home. I love the craftmanship that goes into these houses and have always been attracted to beautiful structures,” Kowalczyk said.

SEPTEMBER 2021: After listening to a podcast interview with national franchise consultant Kim Daly, Kowalczyk reaches out and later joins her program. Daly worked with Kowalczyk to find a company that was the right fit for his skillset, experience, financing and market. NOVEMBER 2021: Kowalczyk signs on as a franchisee and purchases his first territory: Waukesha County’s Lake Country. Not only did LIME’s corporate values (“love, integrity, mission, excellence”) resonate, but also the nature of the work. FEBRUARY 2022: LIME Painting of Milwaukee opens for business. In the depths of winter, that means laying the groundwork for spring and summer’s busy production season. After canvasing many of Lake Country’s affluent neighborhoods and talking with homeowners about their contracting needs, Kowalczyk will follow up with free estimates for services ranging from exterior paint restoration to indoor cabinet coatings. THE FRANCHISE FEE: Initial investment ranges from approximately $125,000 to $162,000.

10 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

“I wanted something that would bring joy and happiness to others. I wanted to be working and interacting with people face-to-face, not just virtually,” said Kowalczyk.

In Wisconsin, where structures weather the elements of all four seasons, most of LIME’s business will be driven by exterior painting and restoration contracts.

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Interview

JOEL BRENNAN recently took over as president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee,

succeeding Julia Taylor who retired in late 2021. Brennan served the past three years as secretary of the Department of Administration under Gov. Tony Evers. Before that, he was the CEO of Discovery World in Milwaukee for 11 years. He now leads an organization of nearly 200 private-sector leaders, whose mission is to improve the civic life and economy of southeastern Wisconsin. BizTimes Milwaukee reporter Maredithe Meyer caught up with Brennan to talk about his latest career move and GMC’s top priorities. How have you adjusted to your new role? “My role for the last three years gave me insight into statewide issues, but I also still lived in the Milwaukee community; my wife and I have two kids in high school here. So, I feel like I still had my finger on the pulse of what’s going on locally. But by the same token, there are things happening here on the ground that I’ve been trying to get a good sense of from the people who are engaging in them. … If I have currency in this community, it’s around relationships and the ones I’ve cultivated over the past 25 years since I finished college. So, it’s really trying to make sure I use those to the benefit of hitting the ground running here.”

What issues are top of mind for GMC members these days? “Education, both early childhood and K-12 education, and higher ed. It’s an issue that the community and membership of the GMC puts a real priority on. Hand-in-hand with that is economic opportunity for all and workforce development. There are few employers that aren’t challenged right now to find the level of workforce that they want. “There are two other issues that are wound into both of those. One is around racial equity. There’s been a heightened level of conversation in this community in recent years, but it’s an issue that we’ve wrestled with for the past 35 or 40 years. … Then, finally, public safety and crime. I’ve heard not only from the public sector, but also from community leaders, the business community and our membership that it’s an issue of prominence and, in some ways, it’s gotten even more prominent because people feel that there’s an unease in the city around reckless driving and automobile thefts.”

“What we do post-COVID-19 has to be about not only recovery to where we were in March of 2020, but how we’re going to move forward even further and faster than before. “One opportunity is the additional (American Rescue Plan Act) grants the state is making with federal dollars. Those dollars coming into this community provide us with additional ways for members to leverage their efforts and for southeastern Wisconsin to continue down the path that we want to – whether it’s around equitable recovery, small business recovery, workforce development.”

What’s your take on Republican lawmakers’ proposal to overhaul Milwaukee Public Schools? “I think the best questions that have been asked about this have been, ‘What next? What’s the ultimate outcome here?’ My children, who are now in high school, graduated from one of the specialty schools within MPS that drew from everywhere in the community. Those specialty schools are standouts … amongst the other challenges that MPS has. If you break up MPS into four districts, those high-performing schools may either go away or become much more challenged in attracting students. And that’s one thing people need to understand about what comes next in that case.” n 12 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

GMC has focused on the vaccine push over the past year. Now that COVID-19 has abated, what’s next at this stage of the pandemic?

Joel Brennan President Greater Milwaukee Committee 247 W. Freshwater Way Employees: 12 gmconline.org

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TERRY ROWINSKI President & CEO, Health Payment Systems, Inc. BIZTIMES: What are the challenges facing the health care industry today? TERRY ROWINSKI: The problem is exasperatingly familiar: Wisconsin businesses are struggling with rising health costs that continue to outpace inflation. Employees and their families must often choose between going into debt from out-of-pocket medical costs or forgoing needed care. Overall health suffers, costs go up, no one is happy. The vicious cycle continues. BT: The health care system in the U.S. is broken—but whose job is it to fix it? TR: Ideally, our elected officials would, but so far that hasn’t happened. Back in the summer of 2016, our strategic leadership team sat down to consider potential scenarios for what might happen in health care over the next three to five years. We had plenty of grand ideas—a dual-payer system, cross-state monopolies, retailization—but none of us predicted the actual outcome: that not much has truly changed. Year-on-year health care costs keep rising (albeit at a more tepid pace), cost-shifting from employer to employee continues, consumer out-of-pocket medical debt keeps rising and the circle continues. BT: What are the points of interest surrounding the future of health care? TR: As we sit with our customers (Wisconsin-based employers), a recurring set of themes are becoming apparent: • Concern for 2020+ downturn on the economic front and what it means to their profitability achieved under the now great expansion, • How to attract and retain great people even in a pullback; and • How to make a meaningful impact on their top line costs of running the company with health care eating so much of the budget. BT: And so we ask the question again: who is responsible for fixing health care? TR: If not the government, then surely the insurance companies, the health care providers, or the health care technology startups, right? While I feel strongly that everyone has a part to play, I’m going to suggest that it’s time for employers (and employees) to take the wheel in order to reduce health care costs within their organization. The time has passed for handing off full responsibility to your broker or relying on a software product that promises to work magic. BT: What tips do you have for employers? TR: In that vein, our advice to our clients is multifold: 1. Start (or continue) to treat health care and the expense associated with it as a fiduciary duty of your firm to its employees and their families, your ownership, and your community. Your job isn’t over after open enrollment; this is something to manage all year long. 2. Take ownership for working within the community that serves your company to create and implement innovative practices that focus on keeping healthy people well and getting the sick in a much better place. Design a benefits package that supports your employees’ needs, then encourage them to use it, especially for wellness and preventive

WEALTH MANAGEMENT & ESTATE PLANNING Q&A September 12 Issue

Terry Rowinski

maintenance care. 3. Don’t ever settle for a provider or network cost summary that states that their discounts are the best. Do your due diligence, focusing on the endcost to you as an employer and to your employees and their families. 4. Keep Wisconsin money in Wisconsin. While it may be easy to purchase a national solution claiming to fix all of your company’s health care issues in one sitting, it truly doesn’t work that way. The state is full of brilliant and cost-effective solutions that when coupled together can bring the cost of health care down, access to high-quality providers up, and improve the long-term health and wellness of the community. I’d love to continue this conversation with you—please reach out anytime on my LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/in/terryrowinski/

735 North Water Street, Suite 333 • Milwaukee, WI 53202 (414) 299-5015 • trowinski@hps.md • www.hps.md

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BizNews FEATURE

AMTRAK

Future inter-city passenger rail routes as envisioned by Amtrak and state rail advocates could receive a funding boost as part of the infrastructure act.

Bevy of road and transit projects could be funded by infrastructure act By Cara Spoto, staff writer WHEN PRESIDENT Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law last November, the five-year funding package was celebrated by some for the variety of infrastructure needs – from broadband expansions and lead pipe replacements to billion-dollar bridge projects – it could fund. Six months later, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and local officials are working to determine which projects in the state could receive a boost from an additional $1 billion in formula funding designated for transportation projects in Wisconsin and which have a fighting chance at receiving billions of dollars in grant money being made available through the legislation, officially called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “There is going to be a lot of money for states to apply for competitive grants,” said Craig Thompson, secretary of WisDOT. “We are going to be very aggressive in finding projects that we can 14 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

apply for grant dollars for.” Wisconsin is slated to receive $5.94 billion in formula funding over the course of the next five years as part of the transportation portion of the law as well as another $225 million for bridge repairs and replacements, Thompson said. There’s also a 30%, or $114 million, increase in the federal money the state will receive to pay for mass transit projects. That money will mainly go to assist larger transit systems in cities like Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. Airports across the state will also receive a 60% funding increase, boosting their five-year federal funding to $74 million. WisDOT should have a better grasp on what projects will benefit from the formula funding after the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee reviews their updated funding proposals that include the added Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) dollars. Once the committee has voted on those recommendations, counties, cities

and villages will have a chance to see what local projects might benefit from the added formula funding.

Interstate projects With formula funds now in the state’s hands, WisDOT officials are busy selecting projects they feel would most benefit from the additional federal funding. While IIJA dollars will be able to fund studies for newer projects, most of the projects that will receive funding to help with actual construction or other infrastructure costs are those that have already been studied as part of the state’s own multi-year capital improvement plan. Among those projects is the reconstruction of a 23-mile-long section of I-41 between Appleton and De Pere that would include replacing bridges and overpasses and adding an extra lane of traffic in each direction. Proposed improvements to the 3.5-mile-stretch of the I-94 corridor between 16th and 70th streets

in Milwaukee, which includes the interchange at Highway 175/Brewers Boulevard by American Family Field and five exits, could also benefit from IIJA funding. The state has proposed adding an extra lane in each direction, taking it to an eightlane freeway, but just how best to improve the deteriorating roadway, which has a high crash rate but also serves as a major commuter route, remains up for debate. A coalition of environmentalists, transit advocates and other groups put forward an alternative to expanding the roadway last fall. Dubbed “The Fix at Six,” their plan would keep that stretch at six lanes while investing more in transit infrastructure and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. Addressing the debate surrounding the project, Thompson said WisDOT has agreed to do a supplemental environmental study of the project and is making sure that officials are “looking at updated traffic counts.”

Safe streets and transit According to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the best solution to the I-94 issues will be a project that helps and does no further harm to neighborhoods that were bisected when the freeway was first installed more than 60 years ago. “We are looking at how can we better connect communities, instead of separating them,” Crowley said. The county also hopes to take advantage of the new Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program that was established as part of the IIJA. The discretionary grant program is expected to provide $5-6 billion in grants over the next five years to regional, local and tribal governments to fund initiatives designed to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The added funding could help the county and city find solutions

Evening commuters on I-94 near the 35th Street exit. State and local officials are still debating how best to use federal infrastructure funding to improve the aging stretch of highway between the Marquette and Zoo interchanges.

for slowing down traffic on city and county roadways, preventing crashes and making streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, Crowley said. As it focuses on those initiatives, the county’s ongoing work on the East-West Bus Rapid Transit project – a nine-mile, regional bus service aimed at connecting downtown Milwaukee, the Near West Side, Marquette University, Wauwatosa, and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center – could also receive a boost from IIJA funding. IIJA dollars could also help the county with efforts to create a North-South Rapid Transit Service along 27th Street as well as purchase electric buses, Crowley said.

Passenger rail The state will also likely benefit from $16 billion in directed grants that Amtrak could receive over the next five years to pay for improvements and expansions to its national network. Amtrak will be receiving $24 billion over five years specifically to improve its northeast corridor serving areas like New York and Washington, D.C. So, the $16 billion in grants will likely be targeted to other parts of the country

and could benefit current or new routes in the Midwest. In addition, Wisconsin transportation officials will have the chance to compete for $36 billion in discretionary grant money through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program. These funding opportunities could provide money to add new passenger rail routes in Wisconsin, including an expansion of the Hiawatha route that would extend the current Chicago-to-Milwaukee Amtrak service to Madison and Green Bay. There are also proposals to bring Amtrak service to Eau Claire and Superior, which, like Madison and Green Bay, currently have no operating passenger rail stations. The state has already done

extensive studies of many of the envisioned routes, which puts it in a good position to receive some of those grants, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said. “The feds want plans. They want to know you have talked to your constituents about what they want and need,” Magliari said. As state, county and local government officials begin to map out the kind of contracts they will need to get their infrastructure projects completed, Ugo Nwagbaraocha, president of Milwaukee-based Diamond Discs International and the head of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors, hopes they put a focus on ensuring minority-owned contractors and subcontractors have the knowledge and time to effectively enter bids. Specifically, Nwagbaraocha

said governments should host prebid meetings that will allow smaller contractors to get a better sense of what a contract will involve before entering a bid. He would also like to see more opportunities for strategic unbundling, which would give smaller contractors the ability to know about the subcontracting opportunities on prospective jobs. Such efforts would not only help minority contractors, but would also assist state and local governments with meeting the “disadvantaged business enterprises” goals that are often required when contracts receive federal funding, Nwagbaraocha said. “As a small business owner, you are often reactive rather than proactive,” he said. “One of the major things we are focusing on at NAMC is how do we begin building that preparedness.” n

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Real Estate

REAL ESTATE WEEKLY – The week’s most significant real estate news → biztimes.com/subscribe

6 5 4

7 8

WHO OWNS THE BLOCK? EAST CAPITOL DRIVE, FROM COTTONWOOD TO MAPLE AVENUES, HARTLAND

1 111 E. Capitol Drive Owner: Heartfelt Properties LLC, registered to Richard R. Soper Tenant: Tabi’s Lake Country

5 155 E. Capitol Drive Owner: Sherpers Inc., registered to Gary N. Scherper Tenant: Capitol Professional Building (multiple tenants) 16 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

2 112 E. Capitol Drive Owner: BL Branch Group II LLC of Syracuse, New York Tenant: BMO Harris Bank

6 221 E. Capitol Drive Owner: Lake Country Players Inc. Tenant: Lake Country Playhouse

3 109 E. Capitol Drive Owner: GD Holding LLC, registered to Lars K. Nielsen Tenant: Hometown Pharmacy

7 130 E. Capitol Drive Owner: Emandemco LLC, registered to Sam Emanuele Tenant: Zesti

4 122 E. Capitol Drive Owner: LT Group LLC, registered to Jerome Arenas, owner of Palmer’s Steakhouse Tenant: Palmer’s Steakhouse

8 119 E. Capitol Drive Owner: August E. & Dona J. Fabyan 1998 Living Trust Tenant: Lake Country Travel

JON ELLIOTT OF MKE DRONES LLC

St. Paul Avenue, along the Fox River in downtown Waukesha, has been seeing a bit of a renaissance, with long vacant parcels being transformed into new developments. Then there’s the former Hardee’s building at Northwest Barstow Street and St. Paul Avenue. Owned by Historic Prairieville LP and managed by affiliate Berg Management Co., the former fast-food restaurant has sat vacant since May 2014, when the eatery was shuttered. Since then, the building has been plagued by vandalism and an absence of interest from would-be tenants. Despite an ill-fated proposal to transform the property into a future Mad Rooster Café – a bid that fizzled in 2017 after restauranteur Andreas Bouraxis was convicted of tax fraud – the building has only hosted squatters in recent years. Berg Management’s commercial property manager Rosie Strauss said the company plans to raze the blighted structure and as of late March was waiting on necessary approvals from the state

BREAKING GROUND

UGLY BUILDING: F O R M ER H A R D EE’ S I N D O W N TO W N WAU K E S H A

WEST ALLIS CONDO PROJECT A developer hopes to replace a vacant PyraMax Bank building in West Allis with a $17 million condo development dubbed “Urban Pioneer.” Gregory P. Dugan of Transit Oriented Development LLC recently submitted a proposal to the city to develop two properties along the south side of West National Avenue, at 8001 W. National – where the former PyraMax Bank sits and an adjacent lot – into a 36,590-square-foot, five-story building consisting of 43 condos. In that mix would be eight ground-floor townhomes, 23 one-to-two-bedroom units, and 12 “micro-units” that would be between 450 and 600 square feet and contain a murphy bed, kitchen and bathroom. There would be 27 underground parking spaces and 10 surface parking spaces, providing at least one parking stall per building unit. PyraMax Bank closed the branch in late 2019. DEVELOPER: Transit Oriented Development LLC SIZE: 36,590 square feet CONSULTING ARCHITECT: StoreMasters LLC

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STORY COVER

A STRONGER

WAUKESHA LAUREN ANDERSON

DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES HELPING COMMUNITY MOVE FORWARD AFTER PARADE MASSACRE

18 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

BY LAUREN ANDERSON, staff writer

hese days, visitors often stop by Tami Evanoff’s shop just to talk. Burlap & Lace Marketplace has for years en-

joyed the support of loyal customers and captured the casual foot traffic in downtown Waukesha, its window display of local handcrafted and

vintage items drawing in passersby. In the weeks and months following the Nov. 21 massacre

of Christmas parade marchers on Main Street, the boutique at 272 W. Main St. is where many patrons have chosen to stop when returning to the site of the traumatic scene. “Every day,” said Evanoff, owner of Burlap & Lace. “Every day, I get people in that were victims. It’s their first time back downtown, and they come here. We sheltered a lot of people that night. So, we see those people often coming in. A lot of times people just want to come in and talk. And I’m fine with that because that’s been really good for me, too.” Evanoff recalls how events unfolded in the early evening on the day of the parade. She was preparing to walk out the store’s front door to join the festivities when her daughter rushed in as mayhem broke out on the street. People were screaming and crying, panicked after hearing the sound of gunshots, later confirmed to be when a police officer opened fire in an attempt to stop the SUV that plowed into parade marchers. “I just propped the door and said, ‘Get inside, get inside, go to the back of the store.’ I had two employees in here with me, so I stayed (near the front of the store) and the other two guided people to the back of the store. When they said shots were fired, more people piled in. We took them to the way back of the store and did whatever we could for them. We were just there to comfort them.” Having provided an immediate refuge that day, Burlap & Lace today serves as an ongoing respite for locals attempting to process the profound – and, for many, still incomprehensible – tragedy that claimed the lives of six people (ranging in

Burlap & Lace, a boutique located at 272 W. Main St. in downtown Waukesha

age of 8 to 81) and injured dozens, some severely. After the incident, police arrested 39-year-old Darrell Brooks, the alleged driver of the SUV, who now faces six charges of first-degree intentional homicide and dozens of additional charges. biztimes.com / 19

“When you think of the hundreds of thousands of cities in our country and the millions of cities around the world, why Waukesha?’” said Jerry Couri, president of Couri Insurance Agency in the city’s downtown. Many continue to ask similar questions, and the downtown business community faces others: How do you draw visitors back to the site of what was a horrific scene witnessed by many? And how does a community move forward after an event that’s altered its history, while not letting that event define its future? “It’s still very much on everyone’s mind. Where things go from here – we’re still navigating that part of it,” said Chris Janet, president of the Downtown Waukesha Business Association and an agent with State Farm Insurance and Financial Services. “You can’t undo the parade. … For everyone down here, it’s interwoven into everyone’s fabric now.”

STORY COVER

On a cold and windy night, a man relights candles at a memorial set up at the corner of Clinton and Main streets in Waukesha.

20 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

MICHAEL MURNAN SMITH

‘PEOPLE NEED PEOPLE’ In immediate response to the parade violence, downtown businesses were among those on the front line, triaging and providing shelter. Within days, their attention turned to supporting victims monetarily and providing spaces for the community to process the tragedy. The Waukesha Downtown Business Association sprinted to produce “Waukesha Strong” T-shirts, which funneled tens of thousands of dollars to the United for Waukesha Community Fund. Shops distributed free blue light bulbs for residents to install at their homes as a symbol of unity in the parade’s wake. “I heard from businesses that I had never heard from,” Janet said. “There was more community outreach and people asking, ‘What can I do to help? What can we do to support the community?’ It intensified the strength within the community that was already there.” Rhonda Schmidt, executive director of the Waukesha Civic Theatre, said business leaders in particular leaned on one another. “In the weeks and months following the parade tragedy, the neighborhood became even more of a neighborhood,” she said. “Our neighbors are really important to us. I remember coming into Burlap & Lace, and Tami and I hugging and holding each other because we’re healing. The same is true with the (Jest for Fun) Joke Shop and Martha Merrell’s (Books & Toys), and People’s Park. … The neighborhood is still hurting, but we’re healing together.” As downtown businesses stepped up to support community members, the community reciprocated. In one of the most visible displays of solidarity, shoppers returned to downtown to patronize local shops less than a week after the parade, on Small Business Saturday. “Just about every retail store I talked to had giant numbers that day,” Janet said. “It was really busy. It was good to see.” Customers waited in line for two hours at Burlap & Lace that day, wrapping from the register around the entire inside perimeter of the store, Evanoff said.

TIM SNOPEK

County Community Foundation. “Many businesses reached out immediately and were heavily involved in the generous outpouring of gifts to the United for Waukesha Community Fund.” Recently, the fund’s committee announced it would disburse the $6 million raised over four months to 560 individuals affected by the attack. The families of the six people who died in the attack are to receive $200,000 each; the 29 people who were hospitalized and applied for funds will receive a combined $2.5 million. Another $408,000 will be disbursed to 37 people who received outpatient treatment for their injuries, and $1.7 million will be shared among nearly 500 people who were physically present at the parade as participants, spectators and first responders. Wisconsin Hero Outdoors, Family Service of Waukesha and Catholic Memorial High School, organizations that are each providing mental health services to victims, will receive a total of $59,400.

TIM SNOPEK

“People were kind. They were patient,” she said. “They were … it was overwhelming. It still is. One guy who was in line told jokes the whole time. It was light. It wasn’t heavy. I walked around and cried most of the day, I was so overwhelmed.” Shoppers were particularly motivated by downtown businesses’ commitment to redirecting some of their profits to support parade victims, Janet said. Proceeds were largely channeled through the United for Waukesha Community Fund, administered by the Waukesha County Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. Of the 15,000 donors who contributed to the fund, 600 of the gifts were from corporate and business donors. “We are so grateful to the corporate community for their support of those impacted by the parade,” said Melissa Baxter, president of the Waukesha

A temporary memorial was established at Veterans Park, on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and North West Avenue in Waukesha.

city carrying lanterns as a symbol of hope. In late March, Martha Merrell’s hosted “A Day of Healing” in partnership with Burlap & Lace, another event designed to bring people downtown – especially parade participants, first responders and spectators. Raffle ticket sales were directed to the fund for a planned permanent parade memorial. “The city, with intention, keeps going,” Schmidt said.

GROWING DOWNTOWN “The horrific events of last November will be with our community forever, but as this incredible outpouring of support has illustrated, it will never define our city,” Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said in the disbursement announcement. “Instead, our identity is rooted in an unshakeable commitment to come together and help one another, even in the most inconceivable circumstances, and I am truly grateful for how many people have joined us in that unity.” Since the parade, every time the business community has been faced with the question of whether to move forward with pre-existing plans for community events in the downtown, the overwhelming response has been “yes,” Janet said. “People need people,” he said. And downtown businesses continue to create reasons to gather. In December, People’s Park owner Dan Taylor spearheaded a lantern stroll, in which dozens of people walked through the

As recently as five years ago, downtown Waukesha’s business community had fewer members than it does today. One in five commercial spaces in the city’s center was vacant, arteries off of Main Street didn’t see much foot traffic, and road construction projects regularly disrupted anchor businesses’ operations. Combined with the city’s reputation for having a confusing street grid and its difficult-to-navigate Five Points intersection, the downtown wasn’t capturing its $100 million retail and dining spending potential, according to a downtown Waukesha market analysis conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Seeking to bring in more visitors, city leaders made a concerted effort to lean into the downtown’s strengths, including its historic limestone buildings, distinctive shops, proximity to the Fox River and well-established community events, like Friday Night Live and JanBoree winter festival. A rebranding effort in 2016 helped the downtown better market its eclectic mix of local restaurants, bars, tattoo biztimes.com / 21

STORY COVER

parlors, coffee shops, antique malls and bookstores. Known by locals for being a little quirky, the downtown community gained a new lexicon to describe itself – “charming,” “delightful,” “trendy” – along with a new logo that now appears on banners and wayfinding signs, thanks to the campaign. Those efforts began paying off. Prior to the pandemic, activity picked up with the rise of new residential developments and the entrance of new small businesses. “We’ve had downtown on a pretty nice trajectory,” Janet said. “Storefronts have been filling up, especially from five to 10 years ago, when it was a very different scene down here. We have healthy cornerstone businesses that are constant draws, and we’ve had some more coming in.” Optimism for the future and a commitment to the downtown prompted Evanoff, who had managed Burlap & Lace since 2017, to buy the boutique from its out-of-state owner in June 2020 as COVID-19 threatened to upend the retail industry. “People said, ‘Are you crazy?’” Evanoff recalled. “I said, ‘No. I know what a good business this is. People come down here to come to Burlap & Lace.’” Customers proved their loyalty, with crowds lining up down the block outside Evanoff’s shop days before she planned to reopen after the state-mandated shutdown of nonessential businesses lifted during the initial stage of the pandemic. “It’s been amazing ever since that day. We haven’t seen business slow down since,” Evanoff said. For a downtown community that has seen progress in courting more people to its district, a traumatic community event on its main thoroughfare threatened to upend that momentum. Businesses could have kept their doors shuttered; residents could have chosen to stay away from Main Street. Yet many have found solace in continuing to convene in the city’s center, business leaders say. Evanoff initially intended on closing up shop for a full week after the parade, but customers implored her to remain open. 22 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

TIM SNOPEK

Many downtown Waukesha businesses, including Mainstream Bar & Grill, lit up blue lights and passed out bulbs to community members as a sign of unity following the parade massacre.

“I just kept hearing from people, ‘You have to open, you have to open. People need it. People need to come down here. People need to talk,’” she said. “So, I opened, and it turned out to be the best thing for me as well. Being able to just talk helps a lot.”

MEMORIALIZING TRAGEDY The installation of a monument – or possibly multiple monuments – to honor the parade victims and memorialize the tragedy is seen by many as an important part of the community’s healing process. Temporary tributes and makeshift memorials emerged after the parade, most visibly at Veterans Park on the west end of Main Street. But now, the 13-person Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission – a panel that includes downtown business leaders, educators, and close family members and friends of those who died in the massacre – is leading the effort to develop a landmark commemorating the tragedy permanently. Couri is chair of the commission and expects to convene as many as 18 meetings over the next year to give space for people to process their experiences, offer input on the memorial and develop fundraising strategies to bring those plans to fruition. He said he feels a duty to help preserve the memory of the lives lost. “To try to push it away, that’s just not right,” Couri said. “We’re going to try to do something that allows a healing process.” “No one knows what it’s going to do or how it’s going to go. And there’s really nothing we can draw from in past history. All we can do is try,” he added. Still in the early stages of brainstorming design ideas, the commission contemplated during an early March meeting what it might look like to honor parade victims. Dan Taylor of People’s Park suggested a memorial could involve planting trees for each of the six victims. “Maybe for Jackson, we’d plant a little baby tree

or a younger tree, and have a plaque that is very simple, listing the names of the people who were lost,” Taylor said, referring to eight-year-old Jackson Sparks, who died from injuries sustained while marching with his baseball team. Another commission member, Taylor Smith, is the daughter of Jane Kulich, a Citizens Bank employee who was killed while marching in the parade representing the bank. Smith said her mother loved trees, flowers and gardening, so integrating those in the memorial would be appropriate. “That resonates very deeply with me,” she said. Discussion has also centered on where the future memorials should be installed: On the parade route? Or removed from the scene? How do you make a place for a memorial in honor of an event that was so out of place? Commission members largely agree there should be a small memorial located on Main Street, with a larger memorial located elsewhere in the city. In late March, the panel unanimously agreed to move forward with Grede Park – a green area located adjacent to Veterans Park and southwest of the city’s center – as the site of a potential larger memorial. Several ideas have been floated for the smaller Main Street memorial, including sculptures, plaques inset in pavement or specialty lighting installed in an alley near the Five Points intersection off of Main Street. In that same alley, a “Waukesha Strong” mural is in the works that would integrate six cardinals, flowers and butterflies, according to preliminary renderings. Other possible memorial concepts involve using green space in front of various Main Street storefronts. Jennifer Andrews, community development director for the city, acknowledged that a Main Street memorial could make it difficult for some to bring themselves downtown. “That’s a place that could be a trigger for some people,” she said. Some community members haven’t yet been able to return to the parade route. “Everyone’s on different healing schedules,” Janet said. “It’s different if you were physically there and then bringing yourself back – it’s hard.” Evanoff said she has been heartened by witnessing the resilience of victims. “I’ve seen many of them come downtown,” she said. “Many of them come into this store. … I’m in awe of those people who have been able to say, ‘I’m going back down there.’” Giving space for customers to process their grief and make their return to the downtown on their own timeline is all part of the process, Schmidt said. “Having people be able to share their stories at their comfort level and to be able to replace painful memories with joyful ones, I think it is really important,” she said. “Because before the tragedy, joy was center stage. The experiences of going to restaurants, going into a shop, going to a show – those were the experiences of coming downtown. So, recovery is building more of those experiences that will help us all heal.” n

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Special Report BUSINESS IN WAUKESHA COUNTY

FlexRide connecting Milwaukee residents with Waukesha County employers

necting potential employees to available jobs. Since the program launched, the number of participating companies has grown from 10 to 16. The pilot’s job board includes a variety of employers, including Alto-Shaam, Aramark, Arandell Corp., Bradley Corp., FedEx, Froedtert Health, Harley-Davidson, Scan-Pac and Western States. One of the employers on the job board, Leonardo DRS, moved its operations from the northwest side of Milwaukee to Menomonee Falls in 2018. While there is strong interest in the program, Muhs acknowledged actual ridership could be higher. “There’s a gap between the number of people who have signed up for it and the number of people who are actually using it,” he said. Muhs said the groups behind the pilot made a point of marketing it to businesses paying family-sustaining wages. As a result, many of the current employees do have reliable transportation. At Scan-Pac, Armstrong is taking steps to encourage employees to use the service, including reimbursing employees who use it and changing attendance policies to not penalize employees if they are late to work while using it. “As with anything new, it takes a lot of effort to promote and make sure people are aware of it,” Armstrong said. With around 150 of those who have signed up for the program currently unemployed, it will take time for them to connect with employ-

BY ARTHUR THOMAS, staff writer IT IS A LITTLE LESS THAN a mile from the nearest bus stop to Scan-Pac Manufacturing in Menomonee Falls. While there may be some days where a 25-minute walk is tolerable, Leon Road, a frontage road along I-41, is not exactly designed for pedestrians, and Wisconsin winters or hot summer days only make it worse. For many suburban employers, transportation has often come up as a barrier in attracting workers. It also acts as a roadblock for un- and under-employed people, many of whom live on the north side of Milwaukee, in getting a job. Craig Armstrong, president of Scan-Pac, has personally picked up employees in Milwaukee or paid for them to use an Uber. He said Scan-Pac’s production requires a number of hourly workers, and the reality is the company is recruiting from an income bracket where transportation is often an issue. Even when employees have a car, it can still be pretty unreliable. “It is a real-world problem I don’t think many people think about in today’s age. They just assume people can get to work because everyone has a vehicle, but that’s not necessarily the case,” Armstrong said. There have been previous efforts to improve transportation. A lawsuit settlement over the reconstruction of the Zoo Interchange created a pool of money to support bus routes that went to Menomonee Falls, Germantown and New Berlin. While the JobLines, as they were called, had some success, the number of passengers per bus hour was lower than other Milwaukee County Transit System routes and the funding ran out in 2019, ending the service. A new pilot program that launched in February is aiming to solve some of the problems the JobLines routes could not address. Designed as a last-mile solution, the FlexRide program offers workers from Milwaukee rides to employers in designated areas in Menomonee Falls and Butler. It also provides rides from three stops in Milwaukee. Kevin Muhs, executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, said the commission and other organizations have been working on transportation solutions to connect employers with jobs to un- or under-employed people. “Really the hang-up we’ve seen so far, specifically on the transportation piece, has always been gathering enough financial resources to move something forward,” Muhs said. A National Science Foundation planning 24 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

grant received by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee helped initially eliminate the funding roadblock. It allowed the research team to talk with both workers and businesses about what kind of system would work. The initial grant was followed by a $1 million implementation grant, which allowed the system to go from the planning stage to become a reality. That grant should be enough to fund the pilot through October. “The big thing it does is relieve the burden of who’s going to jump first,” Muhs said. Since the program launched, a little more than 200 people have signed up and are now eligible for rides, according to Amanda Payne, senior vice president of public policy at the Waukesha County Business Alliance. Currently, participants must be Milwaukee residents and over the age of 18. Among those who have signed up, 72% are unemployed and 83% do not currently have a vehicle, Payne said. Around three-quarters of those who signed up are Black, 58% are women and 56% live in households that make less than $1,500 per month. Payne praised the work of Employ Milwaukee in building awareness for the pilot and con-

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ers. Muhs said a ramp-up period should have been expected. “The real key is growing the labor pool for businesses and growing access to opportunity for the workers,” he said. “That has been ramping up, but it does take time.” Muhs said it will likely take another few months for ridership to pick up. Seeing an increase in usage is needed as the next step in potentially scaling FlexRide to other areas. “Our hope is this is a solution that could be used throughout Waukesha County,” Payne said. The Menomonee Falls and Butler areas were chosen for a number of reasons. Muhs noted the prior service by bus routes that aimed to connect workers and employers offered a chance for researchers to make comparisons. Payne said the areas also offer a mix of jobs in different industries, including manufacturing, hospitality and health care. There is also geography. With the largest concentrations of un- or under-employed people in the region being on the north side of Milwaukee, it is just a few miles to get people to potential jobs in Menomonee Falls or Butler. Muhs said that same relative distance would make areas like Brookfield, New Berlin, German-

town, Mequon or even Franklin and Oak Creek options to replicate the FlexRide program. “As you get further from those concentrations of un- and under-employed individuals, it doesn’t mean this service couldn’t work, but you do have to start thinking a little more creatively about how you combine people’s trips so that you’re not just driving two or three people 10 or 15 miles to work, because that’s just not going to work from a cost perspective,” Muhs said. Ultimately, if the ridership does increase, expanding the program will come down to the availability of funding. Muhs said the program partners have talked with and explored a number of potential funding sources, including businesses, local governments, grants and philanthropy. He noted there is a limited fare charged for some rides and that could potentially be increased, although only to a certain point. “You obviously can’t increase it to cover the cost of the trip,” Muhs said. “If you could do that then everybody would just be paying for their own Uber or Lyft to get to work.” Payne said a lot of the groups working on FlexRide have been working on various transportation ideas for a number of years. She

said they’ve known any solution would need to take a regional approach and be innovative. As for the willingness of employers to pay for programs that help connect workers to their jobs, Payne said many are already using corporate ride-share accounts or other solutions. “I think a lot of our employers are already in that space,” Payne said. “It matters to them what the solution is and how effective it is.” In general, Muhs said employers that the commission has spoken to are open to the idea. “I don’t want to speak on their behalf because we haven’t had those concrete conversations yet, but generally they’ve indicated at least an interest in discussing what financial support would look like,” he said. Armstrong said employers do not need to be overly involved in their employees’ lives but should also do simple things to help remove barriers preventing them from getting to work. “As employers, we have to step beyond the boundaries of our traditional approach of, ‘put a job ad out and people will come flocking to us,’” he said. “We have to bridge that gap into the community and be part of the community in helping solve employment challenges, because (some) people just can’t get to work.” n

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Special Report BANKING & FINANCE

Fintechs offer smaller banks a chance to match larger competitors BY ARTHUR THOMAS, staff writer THE AMOUNT OF venture capital dollars invested in U.S. financial technology startups nearly tripled last year to $63 billion, according to CB Insights research. Investment in the sector has been trending higher since 2016. It’s not hard to imagine a world where that investment surpasses community banks and smaller markets, but the reality is technology offers smaller banks a chance to compete on a more level playing field that otherwise could be dominated by big players. “There is this friction that has been moved, these barriers that have been moved with the massive advancements in technology that now allows this to be possible that a community bank can provide for the needs of its business customers with equal footing of any of the other larger competitors out there,” said Charles Potts, executive vice president and chief innovation officer at Independent Community Bankers of America. A September paper from the Federal Reserve highlighted the ability of fintech to help community banks in a number of areas, including improving a bank’s processes, monitoring technical infrastructure, enhancing customer-facing aspects of the business and even diversifying a bank’s customers and revenue sources.

26 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

“As the landscape of financial technology continues to evolve, a bank’s access to and understanding of that technology will play a vital part in its ability to effectively meet the needs of its community,” the paper concluded. “With appropriate Potts risk management and compliance guardrails, fintech partnerships present a notable opportunity for community banks to strengthen existing operations, particularly when the partnership serves the unique strategic objectives of both parties.” In some cases, banks are purchasing software or partnering with technology providers. In others, banks are acquiring fintech companies. For example, Horicon Bank, which has 19 offices in Wisconsin, acquired Atlanta-based Monotto last year. Monotto aims to improve financial literacy and planning among millennials and offers banks products to better engage those customers. Mark Nelson, chief information officer at

Horicon Bank, said when the deal was announced that the flexibility offered by its core banking provider made it possible for the bank to work with fintechs to offer customers the best products. “By bringing Monotto’s software development capabilities in house, we hope to be able to offer those same solutions to other financial institutions in a step forward to modernize the world of banking,” Nelson said. The COVID-19 pandemic only served to push banks to adopt new technologies. Madison-based FIPCO, which provides software that helps banks with compliance and forms, saw a 50% increase in use of e-sign among its software clients, and many took advantage of the firm incorporating PPP forms into its software. “A lot of banks were not offering online tools,” said Pam Kelly, president of FIPCO. She noted that while COVID did push adoption, the need to move quickly meant some banks went Kelly for creative analog options, like conducting loan closings through a bank drive thru. Kelly said banks lagging in technology see the need to be in the space but are challenged

by not having internal teams to research, analyze and implement products. She added not all financial technology products are aimed at community banks. “They aren’t always positioning their marketing and their cost at a mid-to-small community bank price,” Kelly said. Potts and ICBA, a Washington D.C.-based organization representing community banks nationally, run an annual accelerator program to help fintech companies better match their product to the community bank market. When the effort started, the number of applicants was in the dozens or low hundreds. Now in its fourth year, the program will interact with 1,200 to 1,500 companies. Potts said the program’s growth is the result of bankers using the products that are homed in it and large, well-capitalized companies seeing value in the needs of community banks. “We’re no longer having to sell ourselves to justify what we’re doing,” Potts said. When technology allows community banks to better compete with larger institutions, they’re able to also utilize their more traditional differentiator: customer service. As Potts described it, community banks can be both high tech and high touch. For Wausau-based Incredible Bank, mixing technology and quality service is a point of pride. The bank, which describes itself as the first online, national community bank, has 16 offices, primarily in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula but has customers in every state, according to Kathy Strasser, executive vice president and chief operating and information officer at Incredible Bank. “We have gone to the market with a very different approach of, ‘We are going to be a community bank, but we’re not. We’re a national online bank that’s technology-focused, but we’re going to deliver an experience

like none other,’” Strasser said. Incredible Bank started in 2009 as a vehicle to collect deposits for its holding company, River Valley Bank. Initially, it didn’t receive much attention internally as River Valley worked to recover from the Strasser Great Recession. Eventually, when executives did turn their attention to it, they knew they needed to find a niche if they wanted to operate the bank nationally and match the experience consumers receive elsewhere. “We knew that we had to make whatever we were doing online very simple,” Strasser said. The niche came in the form of high-end motorcoach financing and then to the market for converted touring coaches and buses. The idea is that by serving those customers well and getting loans approved quickly, the bank will get a chance to provide a mortgage on the customer’s next home or to offer business financing. “Next thing you know, they’re moving all their deposit relationships to us and now you have a full-blown customer in Nevada or Oklahoma or Florida or wherever it may be,” Strasser said. Competing at the national level as a smaller bank means Incredible Bank needs technology that matches big banks, Strasser said, adding that her team will take claims from major brands about how fast customers can open an account or close on a mortgage and use them as a benchmark. “The big banks have hundreds of people in their technology department. The community

banks, we don’t have the budget to go out and build technology, right?” Strasser said. She said community banks instead need to get creative with their use of technology, be willing to take on some risk and supplement with people where possible. In some cases, Strasser said technology won’t work as needed, isn’t available or could be too expensive. “We’ll put people behind it and I say, ‘Let’s use people until it hurts,’” Strasser said. “Why go out and buy a $100,000 piece of software if I can put maybe one person behind it manually?” Eventually, as use of a service grows, the bank may need to add people or find ways to incorporate technology, but not relying solely on technology allows the bank to get started. “Obviously automation is a priority, but you’ve got to balance it,” Strasser said. She added that at industry conferences other bank leaders will explain that their bank doesn’t have the size or resources to adopt technology, or they suggest Incredible should be charging for services like sending money. “Our opinion is some of these things are just table stakes,” she said. “How do I charge you for Zelle when you can get it for free at Capital One?” Many smaller banks may be worried about their return on investment, costs, or having a core technology provider that does not integrate well with fintech offerings, Strasser said. Those concerns can delay implementation of new technology. “But if I’ve waited, the market keeps moving and changing, and now I’ve waited two years. Now I’m so far behind and I have all these investments to make, I worry that a lot of these banks won’t be able to keep up,” she said. “It’s almost like you need a strategic initiative that says we are going to keep up, we have to keep up, we’re going to make investments every single year.” n

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GUS D. HERNANDEZ JR. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND COMMERCIAL BANKING MARKET LEADER

BizTimes Milwaukee is proud to present it inaugural showcase of Notable Commercial Banking Leaders spotlighting accomplished industry professionals and leaders in southeastern Wisconsin. The individuals profiled on the following pages were nominated by their peers at work and in the community and showcase the talent in our market. Their accomplishments set an example to shape a better future for our region.

ASSOCIATED BANK Gus Hernandez Jr. has held a variety of leadership positions in commercial banking throughout Wisconsin and Florida. As senior vice president and commercial banking market leader at Associated Bank, he and his 25-person team have experienced significant growth, generating over $740 million in new loan commitments during 2020 and 2021. “Gus has created a culture of empowerment and winning in our core commercial groups in southeast Wisconsin and Madison. His leadership style and philosophy encourage collaboration, accountability and risk management, with a focus on serving the client,” said John Utz, executive vice president, head of corporate banking and Milwaukee market president for Associated Bank. “Gus took an already talented team and made it even better. He quickly took ownership of the environment and with a trust-building style and direct and transparent feedback, he raised the engagement and drive of the team to the highest it has ever been.”

METHODOLOGY: The honorees did not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from nomination materials. This list features only individuals for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after review by our editorial team. To qualify for the list, nominees must be based in southeastern Wisconsin, must be currently employed at a bank or financial institution based in the region and must have impacted the region in significant ways through their professional, civic and philanthropic involvement.

Hernandez serves on the board of Ascend Talent Strategies and Waukesha County Business Alliance’s economic development policy committee.

CONGRATULATIONS, GUS HERNANDEZ. We’re proud that Gus Hernandez, Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Market Leader, has been honored as a BizTimes 2021 Notable Commercial Banking Leader. His dedication and creativity has led to successful development projects and partnerships that benefit the bank and, most impotrtantly, the communities where we live and work. Let’s build something better together at AssociatedBank.com/Commercial.

Gus Hernandez SVP and Commercial Banking Market Leader

Member FDIC. (3/22) P06103

28 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

AARON LENSINK

GARY HECKENDORF

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND BUSINESS BANKING MANAGER

VICE PRESIDENT AND COMMERCIAL LENDER

FORTE BANK

FORTE BANK As senior vice president and business banking manager for Forte Bank, Aaron Lensink is responsible for overseeing the bank’s business lending activities and growing the bank’s commercial portfolio. He also is a member of the bank’s executive leadership team. Lensink has led Forte Bank’s commercial lending growth in southeastern Wisconsin with an 83.7% three-year average growth rate in new loan origination. He also led Forte Bank’s PPP loan program, helping 351 clients secure a total of $25.6 million in PPP funding. Lensink holds board positions with the Medical Center Foundation of Hartford, Hartford Area Development Corp., Hartford Downtown Business Improvement District and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County. “Aaron is a down-to-earth, relatable person who takes a genuine interest in his clients,” said Tim Purman, president and chief executive officer of Forte Bank. “He takes the time to connect with his clients, understand their needs and goals, and then put together a program to help them be successful. Aaron sets an excellent example for our team of how to build and maintain relationships.”

Gary Heckendorf, vice president and commercial lender for Forte Bank, is responsible for building, originating and servicing commercial loan relationships for existing and potential clients. Heckendorf’s individual lending portfolio increased 90% from 2020 to 2021, which helped Forte Bank achieve nearly 20% loan growth over the past two years. He also was instrumental in helping 351 Forte Bank clients secure a total of $25.6 million in PPP funding. “Gary is a calm voice and people are naturally drawn to that. His customers have a lot of confidence in him and value his insight on business questions,” said Aaron Lensink, senior vice president and business banking manager of Forte Bank. “If there are challenges that come up, he and his clients work to find a solution that makes sense.” Heckendorf has been actively involved in the Jackson community with roles on the Greater Jackson Area Business Alliance and as a fastpitch softball coach.

Call us old-fashioned, but we like to do what we say. We serve as coach, advocate and connection-maker, but above all, we’re a business partner who gets the job done. Congratulations to Aaron Lensink and Gary Heckendorf on being selected as BizTimes Media 2022 Notable Commercial Banking Leaders!

AARON LENSINK

GARY HECKENDORF

www.fortebankwi.com/business

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VIKTOR GOTTLIEB

THOMAS MOORE

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SENIOR COMMERCIAL BANKING MANAGER – MILWAUKEE

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, COMMERCIAL BANKING MANAGER, SOUTHEAST REGION

JOHNSON FINANCIAL GROUP

With more than 30 years in the financial industry, Viktor Gottlieb brings a unique background to Johnson Financial Group and the clients his team serves, said Scott Cooney, senior vice president, senior commercial banking at Johnson Financial.

As the commercial banking manager in the southeast Wisconsin region for Johnson Financial Group, Thomas Moore has played an instrumental role in the overall success of the regional team, said Kyle Vitkus, vice president of commercial banking.

“Vik leads the Milwaukee team of commercial banking, responsible for the strategy and execution in the marketplace. The team is focused on helping business owners grow their companies, take care of employees and implement safe and efficient treasury management processes. This includes delivering comprehensive financial solutions, such as wealth and insurance services. Vik focuses on long-term relationships and being a true partner to our clients,” Cooney said.

“He demonstrates an attention to detail and willingness to roll up his sleeves to work with each lender to accomplish their tasks, from working with each lender to win a new deal or working with an existing client to expand their relationship with Johnson Financial Group,” Vitkus said. “As Tom continues to do this with his associates, local businesses in southeast Wisconsin feel the positive impact.”

Before joining Johnson Financial, Gottlieb was vice president/relationship manager at Associated Bank. Outside of the office, Gottlieb serves on the boards of Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and Penfield Children’s Center.

“Tom has also been instrumental in working across different departments and lines of business to achieve success,” Vitkus added. “He was instrumental in working with our marketing team on our initiatives to update some of Johnson Financial Group’s marketing materials.” Moore also gives his time to the United Way of Kenosha County, Building Our Future, United Way of Racine County, the Racine County Economic Development Corp. and the Racine Development Group Loan Advisory Committee.

Congratulations

Vik Gottlieb & Tom Moore for being recognized as a Most Notable Commercial Leader

For over 50 years, we’ve invested in the success of your family, your business and your life with the right products and advisors to help with your most valuable assets. Because what matters most is doing what’s right – for our customers, our associates, and our Wisconsin communities.

VIK GOTTLIEB Senior Vice President Commercial Banking Milwaukee

TOM MOORE Senior Vice President Commercial Banking Racine & Kenosha

JohnsonFinancialGroup.com

30 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

We are proud to recognize our Commercial Banking Managers, Vik Gottlieb and Tom Moore, as they live these values every day through a strong service commitment to their clients. Congratulations on being named the Most Notable Commercial Leaders in your community!

RAHIM KEVAL

DANIEL SCHWIND

VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS BANKING

VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY BANKING

TOWN BANK

In October 2021, Town Bank opened a full-service branch in Whitefish Bay. Rahim Keval was identified as a local banker in the North Shore market with a reputation for providing service and responsiveness in line with the bank’s philosophy and mission, according to Jay Mack, president and CEO of Town Bank. Keval’s participation in the Forward 48 leadership development program allowed him to learn advanced leadership and networking skills from Milwaukee’s top business and community leaders. “Rahim leads by example, is kind, and genuinely cares about the people around him,” Mack said. “He understands that life does not provide everyone with equal opportunities and strives to be the kind of leader that helps others rise up. Rahim leading the Whitefish Bay team establishes and sets the core foundation for building a successful new bank branch.”

Dan Schwind, vice president of community banking at Town Bank, has worked with a number of clients to resolve unusual business financing issues. He works to provide clients with a single point of contact to take care of financial needs, including mortgage and business loans, investments and retirement. “He has arranged meetings with my clients to help successfully launch business enterprises where other banks passed on the opportunity to assist,” said Michael Sargent, owner of Tax Management and Financial Horizons. Schwind also is a board member of the Greater Menomonee Falls Foundation, the Menomonee Falls Food Pantry and the Chamber of Greater Menomonee Falls & Sussex, and is the president of the Optimist Club of Menomonee Falls. The Optimist Club is partnering with the Village of Menomonee Falls for the capital campaign to raise funds for the next phase of the Village Park project.

Keval serves on the board of Penfield Children’s Center and is treasurer of Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge.

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING SELECTED TO THE

2022 BIZTIMES MILWAUKEE NOTABLE COMMERCIAL BANKING LEADERS When it comes to banking, we’re dedicated to going above and beyond for our clients. And it shows. We’re honored to have Rahim and Dan selected in the 2022 BizTimes Notable Commercial Banking Leaders for their outstanding accomplishments and successes in commercial banking over the past year.

RAHIM KEVAL Vice President Business Banking

DAN SCHWIND Vice President Community Banking

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DAVID ANDERSON

BRETT ENGELKING

MANAGING DIRECTOR, COMMERCIAL BANKING

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT - BUSINESS BANKING MANAGER

BMO HARRIS BANK David Anderson serves on BMO’s U.S. Talent Committee, which develops talent acquisition strategies for people of color and employees returning to the workforce after a significant life event and mobility initiatives to help talented employees find greater career opportunities. “Dave is a natural leader. He takes the time to know and understand his employees’ aspirations, and he then focuses on helping them achieve their goals,” said Jeff Ticknor, head of BMO commercial banking in Wisconsin. “Culture is incredibly important to him and his focus on team building and diversity strategies has helped support employee engagement and retention. He’s also extremely focused on providing a great customer experience, and he’s exceptional at developing strong, long-term relationships with his customers.” Anderson also coaches youth sports and is currently serving on the board of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, WMC Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Greater Milwaukee Committee. He is also an advisory board member of the commercial banking program at Marquette University.

Congratulations for being named a BizTimes Notable Commercial Banking Leader.

CITIZENS BANK As senior vice president – business banking manager at Citizens Bank, Brett Engelking is the type of leader his team members know they can count on, said colleague Stef Bonesteel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spearheaded the launch of the bank’s PPP operations, quickly scaling up to meet the needs of local companies grappling with shutdowns. Citizens Bank’s PPP effort resulted in a total of 897 loans originated. Engelking also set out to improve efficiencies within the bank’s larger lending operations, streamlining processes and improving internal communications, said Bonesteel, senior vice president - marketing manager. “Brett Engelking is more than a manager and executive. He is a genuine leader – the one who is the first to offer help, the kind who isn’t afraid to get in the trenches,” said Bonesteel. Outside of work, Engelking is the past chairman of the board for Easterseals Southeast Wisconsin, a member of the Mukwonago YMCA board of directors and a member of the Town of Genesee Plan Commission. He is also involved with Junior Achievement and represents Citizens Bank at community events throughout the year.

Our congratulations to

Brett Engelking Senior Vice President Business Banking Manager We admire you & all 2022 Notable Commercial Banking Leaders!

Dave Anderson Wisconsin Managing Director BMO Commercial Banking BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC

32 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

262-363-6500 / www.CitizenBank.bank Follow | Like | Review Citizens Bank – WI

Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

JERRY SCHLITZ

DEREK SMITH

BUSINESS BANKING EXECUTIVE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

COMMERCIAL BANKING EXECUTIVE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

FIRST MIDWEST BANK, A DIVISION OF OLD NATIONAL BANK

OLD NATIONAL BANK

As a business banking executive and senior vice president for First Midwest Bank, Jerry Schlitz has led a team of 10 commercial bankers through two mergers and a global pandemic over the past two years. During the pandemic, his team facilitated more than 640 PPP loans representing more than $235 million to local small businesses. Through Schlitz’s leadership, his team has seen strong client retention while also driving loan growth, colleagues said. “Jerry is a highly respected and effective leader who focuses on helping customers and supporting his team. His dedication and time commitment to achieve positive results with customers and employees is tremendous. I have enjoyed working closely with Jerry over the last 18 years and he is truly what you want in a commercial banking leader,” said Troy Bartoshevich, senior vice president – private banking executive at First Midwest.

In addition to being a mentor, sales coach and collaborator at the office, Derek Smith is committed to making a positive impact in the disability community, colleagues say. It’s a personal mission of Smith’s to increase knowledge and share best practices with corporate leaders in Wisconsin to increase employment with people with disabilities, said Andrea Finck, vice president of community relations for Old National Bank. Because of Smith’s efforts, Disability:IN Wisconsin this year will announce The Derek Smith Leadership Award, recognizing an individual who has developed or influenced company disability employment programs or services that improve employment opportunities. Under Smith’s leadership, the organization has grown in board and membership representation across Wisconsin industries. “He stayed focused on creating a business culture for disability inclusion, building talent pipelines and aligning skills and needs to get individuals with disabilities employed,” said Judy Quigley, executive director of Disability:IN Wisconsin.

Schlitz is also on the executive board of the Three Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is a board member of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee.

In addition, Smith has delivered Christmas presents to kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, pulled weeds at a kid’s camp and is currently leading a team for the American Lung Association Fight for Air Climb this month.

First Midwest Bank congratulates

Old National congratulates

Jerry Schlitz

Derek Smith

for being recognized as a Notable Commercial Banking Leader.

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KATHY BRANTON

BRIAN GROSSMAN

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMERCIAL LENDING

REGION MANAGER, MIDDLE MARKET BANKING AND SPECIALIZED INDUSTRIES

FIRST FEDERAL BANK

JPMORGAN CHASE COMMERCIAL BANKING

Kathy Branton, vice president and a commercial loan officer with First Federal Bank, has been a partner of the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. for many years. A member of WWBIC’s loan committee for the past two years, Branton also regularly refers loan clients to the organization so they can receive access to coaching and mentoring, said Michael Hetzel, director of lending for WWBIC. Branton helps lead First Federal Bank’s efforts to support family-owned and small businesses and nonprofit organizations. She uses the Small Business Administration, community business partners and other government programs to support underserved small businesses. She helped more than 350 local businesses obtain access to Payroll Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also volunteers with the Waukesha Rotary Club and other area nonprofits. “Kathy is a visible example of the impact that a trusted banker can make in the community,” Hetzel said.

As region manager for JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking’s middle market banking and specialized industries group in Wisconsin, Brian Grossman manages bankers across four offices and is responsible for developing and managing customer relationships with midsize businesses across the state. Grossman is a member of the bank’s Wisconsin Market Leadership Team, helping lead the team’s focus on cross-collaboration across lines of business to drive growth throughout the state. Grossman is also active within the firm’s business resource groups, serving as the executive sponsor for Access Ability, a group that maximizes contributions of employees with disabilities, long-term illness or care-giving responsibilities. He’s a frequent speaker at BRG events, including NextGen and Women on the Move, to discuss best practices for career advancement. Outside the firm, Grossman serves on the board of trustees for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and as a director of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and First Tee of Southeastern Wisconsin.

Congratulations to Brian Grossman The Community Bank Difference First Federal Bank of WI congratulates Kathy Branton on being selected as a BizTimes Media 2022 Notable Commercial Banking Leader! We are proud to recognize your contributions to your clients, community, and the bank. Thank you for exemplifying The Community Bank Difference!

Kathy Branton VP Commercial Loan Officer

34 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

1360 S. Moorland Rd Brookfield, WI 53005 262-542-4448

ffbwi.com

JPMorgan Chase is proud to congratulate Brian Grossman on his well-deserved recognition as one of BizTimes 2022 Notable Commercial Banking Leaders. Thank you for all you do to make our company and Milwaukee thrive.

MARGARET CAPPER

DAVID FRANK

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, COMMERCIAL BANKING MANAGER

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT COMMERCIAL BANKING

NORTH SHORE BANK In 2021, Margaret Capper partnered with the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Southeastern Wisconsin to establish a revolving loan fund that assists Latino businesses in borrowing funds to start and grow their businesses. The loan fund allows entrepreneurs to borrow from the self-replenishing loan program to advance their business goals. Capper, who is a senior vice president and commercial banking manager for North Shore Bank, taught 12 mandatory cash-flow seminars for more than 60 applicants. North Shore’s collaboration with the chamber was awarded the 2021 BizTimes Milwaukee Nonprofit Collaboration of the Year award. “Throughout the pandemic, Margaret led her lending team with supporting areas through securing PPP loans for customers, ensuring the completion of each application, disbursed approved funds and forgiveness through the SBA,” said Jay McKenna, president of North Shore Bank. Capper also spearheaded the bank’s partnership with The Lonely Entrepreneur in late 2021. Through that partnership, she helped identify 11 Black entrepreneurs in Wisconsin to gain access to an entrepreneurial learning community, each receiving a dedicated North Shore Bank commercial banker to assist their business.

Congratulations, Margaret Capper! North Shore Bank proudly applauds your recognition as a Commercial Banking Leader. Your sincere passion, dedication, and care cultivate a collaborative workspace and community, making you an outstanding colleague and leader. Thank you for your service and thoughtful leadership. Margaret Capper

Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Manager

northshorebank.com Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender | EOE

PNC BANK David Frank has helped expand career opportunities for people with vision loss through his support of the expansion of Beyond Vision, a Milwaukee-based social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for the blind and visually impaired. Beyond Vision purchased the former Sam’s Club in West Allis to build a universally designed workspace to house all of its operations in one location, including administration, customer care, assembly, packaging and a machine shop. All departments employ people with vision loss. Frank helped the organization navigate the new market tax credit process for the project. The renovation of the 130,00-square-foot facility received financing support from PNC Bank through a collaborative effort between its commercial banking business and its tax credit solutions group. “For many people with vision loss, Beyond Vision represents a pathway to their first job. Employees develop their sense of self-worth, advance their skills through onsite training and ultimately gain economic independence,” said Jim Kerlin, president and chief executive officer of Beyond Vision. “Without David Frank and PNC Bank’s support, our VisABILITY Center would still be a dream.”

Milwaukee and PNC are lucky to have you.

Congratulations to our colleague and friend, Dave Frank, on his 2022 Notable Commercial Banking Leader recognition from BizTimes!

The PNC Financial Services Group 411 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1400 | Milwaukee, WI 53202 pnc.com

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ALISSA PEETERS ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT

TRI CITY NATIONAL BANK

CONGRATULATIONS!

Alissa Peeters, assistant vice president of Tri City National Bank, serves as the president of Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women. In that role, she helps promote the growth of women in the commercial real estate industry. “Her reach not only touches banking, but she is also willing to connect all stages of a deal, from leasing, financing, legal, to design and construction,” said Kelly Sullivan, Milwaukee lead for project strategy and development of Gardner Builders. “Alissa will connect you with who you need to know to get a deal done.” Peeters is a member of the Young Leaders Board at Meta House, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit helping women overcome substance use disorders. She is also vice president of the Wauwatosa Revolving Loan Fund, which provides gap financing to businesses to help promote Wauwatosa jobs and businesses. “She truly exemplifies what it means when empowered women empower women,” Sullivan said.

Congratulations, Alissa Peeters. GUS D. HERNAN

DEZ, JR.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT MARKET LEADER ASSOCIATED BANK

For being honored as a notable Commercial

AND COMMERC

IAL BANKING

throughout in commercial banking leadership positions has held a variety of Gus Hernandez, Jr. Bank, he and his Wisconsin and Florida. market leader at Associated new loan and commercial banking over $740 million in As senior vice president growth, generating experienced significant 25-person team have in 2020 and 2021. core commercial groups commitments during and winning in our a culture of empowerment style and philosophy encourage collaboration, “Gus has created Utz, executive and Madison. His leadership the client,” said John southeast Wisconsin Bank. a focus on serving risk management with president for Associated accountability and the and Milwaukee market took ownership of corporate banking of quickly head He better. vice president, the made it even feedback, he raised talented team and “Gus took an already and direct and transparent a trust building style been.” environment and with highest it has ever Alliof the team to the Business drive and engagement Waukesha County Talent Strategies and on the board of Ascend Hernandez serves policy committee. ance’s economic development

MMERCIA N O TA B L E C O

UKEE I Z T I M E S M I LWA LEADERS | B L BANKING

022 : APRIL 11, 2

ORDER YOUR REPRINTS!

Banking Leader.

Alissa Peeters Assistant Vice President, Commercial Lending

Your hometown bank.

Learn more at www.tcnb.com 36 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

414.874.2489

Awards, cover stories, special reports, advertisements, feature stories, whatever your interests may be. We’ll provide reprints of any published material.

Visit biztimes.com/reprints or email reprints@biztimes.com today for more information.

Strategies LEADERSHIP

Let’s isolate three key areas where leaders often fail.

Three things successful leaders do ALL LEADERS KNOW they’re responsible for everything. Or so it seems. Yet leaders live in a complicated world that commonly challenges the natural boundaries of human capability and effectiveness. That means the “to infinity and beyond” style of leadership is more myth than reality. It raises the question: How can leaders leverage their strengths while recognizing their natural limitations? To answer this, let’s start with a quote from Sir Winston Churchill: “Where there is great complexity, there is also great simplicity.” To translate Churchill’s comment into today’s reality, you must acknowledge and accept that the business world we live and work in spins faster each day. This often-frenetic pace facing leaders can be distilled down to fundamental challenges that are critical for success. Worldwide research conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership shows leaders face the same six challenges consistently:

» Developing employees » Honing effectiveness » Leading a team » Guiding change » Inspiring others » Managing stakeholders

IT ALL STARTS HERE First, leadership is about developing the right people. Jim Collins, author of several best-selling business books including “Good to Great,” says leaders must “get the right people on the bus and in the right seats.” You can make a strong case that it’s a leader’s highest priority. The people within an organization are its biggest competitive advantage. Employees also represent a company’s biggest risk and expense. To nurture mutually successful working relationships, a leader needs to leverage an employee’s strengths which fit best with the company’s challenges. This serves two purposes: It appeals to an employee’s sense of job satisfaction while simultaneously maximizing employee performance and engagement.

consistent communication, which fosters effective team collaboration. Leadership is multifaceted, complicated, and fraught with competing interests and limited resources. Finding a sense of simplicity in a chaotic world can be daunting. But good leaders have the skills to solve problems and simplify the path forward for others to follow. The whole notion of finding simplicity within complexity, as vexing as it may seem, can benefit from this perspective: The human eye can see about 10 million colors. Yet all those colors are created from only the three primary colors: red, blue and yellow. n

KNOW ME, FOCUS ON ME Second, leadership is about providing the right focus. As a leader, you can never over communicate. A big part of communication requires knowing your people – not just on a superficial, business-only level, but by taking a genuine interest in knowing each employee as a whole person. Connect with them by knowing about their family, and even some of their personal interests, hobbies and what sports they like. On the flip side, each employee must understand the strategic direction of your organization and how they can contribute to its success.

A CULTURE BUILT FOR SUCCESS Third, leadership is about creating the right alignment within the entire environment of an organization and its culture. It ensures that you intentionally scrutinize every aspect of the company’s strategic vision, critical goals, operational processes and expected results. Skillful leaders are most effective at this when they use the right tools to plan, prioritize and implement, while rallying people to achieve success. Leaders also use the best technology and provide clear and

GEORGE SATULA George Satula, is an executive leadership coach working primarily as a Vistage chairman, leading three CEO mastermind groups in southeastern Wisconsin. He is also a leadership development consultant, strategic planner and speaker. He can be reached at George@SatulaUSA.com.

biztimes.com / 37

Strategies MANAGEMENT

they would forward the response to the employee who initiated the inquiry. This was all done in a confidential manner.

Communication is key Are you listening to your employees? THE TIGHT LABOR MARKET is creating a huge challenge for employers who are finding it difficult to find employees to fill open positions. Wisconsin’s unemployment rate was at 2.9% in February, tying a record low. There is a tremendous amount of churn in the labor market as many employees are taking the opportunity to change jobs. Wages are on the rise in many industries as employers need to compete for workers. The risk of losing your top employees is real. Now more than ever, you and your management team need to make sure you are meeting the current and future needs of your employees as well as those of your clients. So what can you do to be sure that you are accomplishing these goals? Communication is key. 1. The first step should be to maintain the lines of communications among you, your supervisors and your employees by considering the addition of a confidential email address or other secure channel. The next step is to establish a “hot line” where employees can confidentially contact the top management (CEO or COO) by email with their concerns. When I was a director of administration at Gimbels Midwest, there was a 24-hour turnaround time for responses from the manager, supervisor or even a vice president to the president. They were all required to respond to the president and then 38 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

2. Establish listening sessions at all levels where employees can safely speak about their frustrations, challenges and fears. These sessions can be conducted by neutral individuals from human resources or with the assistance of an outside consultant. Managers or supervisors should not conduct these sessions, since they may be tempted to filter out issues that directly relate to their performance or management style. 3. You may elect to take a broader approach and have an outside firm do an “attitude survey,” which basically takes the temperature of the organization and surfaces any common concerns shared by the entire workforce, by location, supervisor or department. These surveys are confidential and always point out where action needs to be taken. One caution: Once you conduct the survey, you are also committing to your employees that you will take the appropriate action where problems are identified.

also require your attention. Action points: Once many of these issues are identified in the listening sessions and in the survey, they should become action points in your annual strategic plan and delegated to the proper department or individual for execution. Some issues will require your immediate attention, such as possible changes in personnel, department organization, resource allocation, job descriptions and clients’ concerns. A final thought: Your management style and that of your team will need to adapt to the ever changing social, economic and political environment in which your organization does business today. The key to success going forward is to be proactive and agile, which permits you to respond to the needs of your clients, employees and stakeholders in a timely manner. An open line of communication and feedback at all levels of your organization and clients will help you better navigate the challenges ahead. n

4. Take this opportunity to survey your major clients either through your marketing department or an independent firm. Find out what more you can do to secure or expand your market share. What other services or products may they require? This is your opportunity to take advantage of the market turbulence. Once you have collected all the feedback from the listening sessions, marketing interviews and/or surveys, determine what weaknesses in management style, execution and client communications need to be addressed. Confront any internal and external threats to the organization that have been identified – for example, waiting times for appointments or employee morale issues such as working conditions, pay and benefits. External threats such as insufficient resources, delivery timeframes, local or federal regulations and your competition will

CARY SILVERSTEIN Cary Silverstein, MBA, is a speaker, author and consultant, a former executive for Gimbel’s Midwest and JH Collectibles, and a former professor for DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School. He can be reached at csilve1013@aol.com.

COACHING

How to become a better decisionmaker Take the time to get conscious OUR LIFE IS the accumulation of the decisions we make every day, and studies indicate that we make an average of 35,000 decisions a day. That means if we sleep seven hours a day, we are making approximately 2,000 decisions per hour. Some of these decisions of course are unconscious, while others are conscious. Take for example the decisions you make the moment you wake up. You might have a routine you don’t even think about anymore. At one time you may have consciously decided that your morning routine might be to get up at 6 a.m., turn off the alarm, use the restroom, wash your hands, put in your contacts, go downstairs, make your coffee, feed the cat, check your email and look on Instagram while your coffee is brewing. When something disrupts your routine, like an important email, you must stop and make a conscious decision: Will you continue your routine or create a new one? We all face these unconscious and conscious decisions daily but don’t usually break them down in such a way that we become a master at decision-making. We become a master at decision-making when we consciously align our decisions to our vision, values and goals. That means we need to decide about our vision, values and goals first. Then, we can align our daily decisions and our time to this focal point, and we become a master at decision-making because we are creat-

ing the life we want, at work and home. But choosing our vision, values and goals means we have to change our orientation from an outward one to an inward one. This change in orientation improves our ability to trust ourselves in decision-making. But many of us don’t take the time to get conscious enough to be fearless, focused and trust that we are fabulous enough to make our own decisions, even if others don’t approve. No matter what level of leadership you are in, there is always someone you can focus on and worry about what “they” will think. Even CEOs too often worry about what the board will think. Whomever you deem has the power becomes your locus of control. When you don’t make it a conscious habit to make decisions from your conscious mind, your unconscious mind will dictate your decisions. This isn’t always bad, as we have gut intelligence – an ability to quickly synthesize the unconscious knowing from our gut to the conscious knowing of our brains. But there are two pathways to the brain: one is the executive functioning pathway that gives us problem-solving, reason and intuition, while the other pathway goes to the amygdala, the emotional fight or flight center. Being conscious of which part of your brain you are operating out of takes self-awareness, another form of consciousness. Take John for example, who wanted to get to his child’s soccer game. He was about to walk out the door when his boss walked in, sat down and started to discuss his disappointment in the lower sales that month. John wanted to tell him he was about to run out the door but was afraid to speak up because he could tell his boss was stressed. He feared that if he wasn’t available right at that moment, his boss would assume he didn’t care. So, he stayed and missed his son’s game. With a couple of deep breaths, John could’ve become more conscious and asked himself, “How might I let my boss know that I want to have this productive conversation and I also need to leave?” Pausing to take a deep breath will quiet our chattering mind so we can make better decisions. Had John taken the time to become aware of his

fear and the possibilities that exist, he may have heard his intuition tell him to say, “I am very concerned about the lower sales too and would like to discuss some strategies I have in mind. When is the soonest you are available tomorrow because I need to leave right now?” We all have 24 hours in a day. But most of us go through the day allowing it to dictate to us how we will spend our time. We often don’t decide what to do with our day, but instead let the requests around us decide for us. To become a conscious decision-maker we need to pause in each moment. When we stop worrying about what will “they” think and start reflecting on what we want and how we might get it, we become effective decision-makers. n

SUSAN K. WEHRLEY Susan K. Wehrley is an executive coach and author of 12 books. She is also the owner of BIZremedies. You can learn more about her at BIZremedies.com. She can be reached at Susan@BIZremedies.com or (262) 696-1902.

biztimes.com / 39

Strategies

Tip Sheet Attracting and retaining Gen Z

hat’s become known as The Great Resignation has put a strain on businesses struggling to fill open positions and keep positions filled. A recent article by SCORE calls attention to the next generation of workers and the need for organizations to leave behind outdated hiring practices in order to attract them.

The article cites a 2021 statistic by Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup predicting that Generation Z would make up 24% of the global workforce by the end of last year. As more Baby Boomers retire, that figure will only continue to rise. In order to tap into this growing talent resource, employers must gain a better understanding of what Gen Z expects from their workplace and adjust accordingly. SCORE offers the following tips:

CONSIDER APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS

OPEN THE HIRING POOL

“If employers want to end the resignation trend and see employment retention, they must adapt to what employees want,” says SCORE. One desire of younger generations is flexibility at work. People adopted new habits and priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a better work-life balance. Another is a company culture that aligns with personal values. For Gen Z workers in particular, those values include teamwork, diversity and inclusion, and social impact. n

Rigid hiring requirements of the past don’t have a place in the future of work as college degree qualifications have long kept certain groups stuck in entry-level positions or out of the workforce entirely. One human resource professional tells hiring managers to avoid asking candidates about college or fraternities and sororities. Instead, place more value on the person’s skillset and life experience.

With an apprenticeship, workers can learn new skills, work on projects, gain job experience and make money. SCORE pointed to IBM’s apprenticeship programs having replaced many of the company’s college degree requirements. It opens up opportunities for people who can’t afford the traditional four-year college ride or want to avoid crippling student debt.

GIVE EMPLOYEES WHAT THEY WANT

Presents:

May 19, 2022 7:30 - 10:00 AM Lakeland University

Sheboygan County 2035: Growing an already global community Sheboygan County is home to world-class hospitality venues and global companies, but to grow and retain both in the coming decades, the county will need a workforce to support its growing economy. Sheboygan County 2035 will be an opportunity for the community to make progress on these fronts by providing time to step back and look at the long-term picture. The event includes a deep dive on affordable housing efforts, a panel discussion with representatives from the county’s leading industries and networking opportunities. Plan now to make time to help shape the future of one of the 10 most productive county economies in Wisconsin.

SAVE THE DATE! May 19th biztimes.com/2035

40 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

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800.801.8003 • luxurygroupauctions.com/Milwaukee WI BROKER: CORLEY REAL ESTATE, LLC LIC NO 938052-91 ; CHRISTOPER CORLEY RE LIC NO 56468-90. 414-708-6093.. BUYER’S FEE MAY APPLY.

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biztimes.com / 41

BizConnections BIZ PEOPLE

Advertising Section: New Hires, Promotions, Accolades and Board Appointments

NONPROFIT

ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Board Member

Tiffany Wynn has been elected to the Board of Directors of YWCA SEW. Currently serving as VP Marketing & Communications at Carroll University, she earned a B.A. in public relations from Mount Mary University and a MBA from Alverno College.

Ryan Wagner Joins NAI Greywolf as Advisor

NAI Greywolf, a full service commercial real estate company in Milwaukee, announced Ryan Wagner joined the team as an Advisor. In this role, he is responsible for business development and brokerage activity, focusing on Jefferson and Dodge counties.

HGA Welcomes Dan Michaud as Building Technologies leader

Dan Michaud joins HGA as Associate Vice President and Principal and will lead the Building Technologies department based in Milwaukee. He will build client connections nationally to implement a range of digital solutions for the built environment.

BANKING

The Equitable Bank Promotes Mike Cottrell to SVP Commercial Lending

The Equitable Bank has promoted Mike Cottrell to Senior Vice President Commercial Lending. Mr. Cottrell joined Equitable in 2014 and has over 20 years of local business banking experience.

To place your listing, or for more information, please visit biztimes.com/bizconnect

Plan Now To Grow Your Business in 2022

Talk to us about custom marketing and sales solutions tailored to your business. We are proud to serve you as the only family and locally owned business media company in southeastern Wisconsin.

Buy Local 42 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

Contact Linda Crawford at advertise@biztimes.com CELEBRATING 25 YEARS

BIZ PEOPLE

Advertising Section: New Hires, Promotions, Accolades and Board Appointments

ENGINEERING

The Sigma Group Promotes Kevin Slottke to Group Leader-Surveying Services

Kevin Slottke, P.L.S. has been promoted to Group Leader – Surveying Services at The Sigma Group Inc. Slottke has 31 years of surveying experience and a Land Survey Certification from Milwaukee Area Technical College. He has led the firm’s growth in this service area and helped grow the firm’s 3-D laser scanning and UAV (drone) capabilities for the past 10 years. Slottke served as the Past President of the Society of Southeastern Wisconsin Land Surveyors and he is currently the Vice President of the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors Foundation.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Roberto Salinas Joins Johnson Financial Group as SVP, Director of Treasury Management

Roberto Salinas has joined Johnson Financial Group as SVP, Director of Treasury Management. With over 20 years of industry experience, Salinas leads a team of treasury management professionals to help businesses streamline cash management functions.

LEGAL SERVICES

Joseph A. Camilli joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Joseph A. Camilli is a Shareholder in the Madison office of von Briesen & Roper, s.c. Camilli focuses his practice on business and corporate issues, mergers and acquisitions, and employment matters.

ENGINEERING

The Sigma Group names new Vice President

Kristin Kurzka, P.E., P.G, has been named Vice President of The Sigma Group Inc. Kurzka has 28 years of experience in the environmental consulting field specializing in subsurface investigation, remediation, and brownfield re-development. She has a degree in Geological Engineering and Geology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s in Environmental Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. With the firm since 1994, Kristin is the Geoscience Group Leader and will join Sigma’s Board of Directors. Kurzka also serves as a Board Member for the Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women.

LEGAL SERVICES

Courtney A. Hollander has been promoted to Shareholder at von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Hollander is co-Chair of the International Tax Section and a member of the Tax and Securities Sections. She holds an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University and focuses her practice on international, federal and state tax matters.

LEGAL SERVICES

Erik-Johan G. Hassell joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Erik-Johan G. Hassell is an Associate in the Milwaukee office of von Briesen & Roper, s.c. Hassell completed a clerkship for Hon. Daniel P. Duffy of the Circuit Court of Cook County and focuses his practice on litigation.

ENGINEERING

The Sigma Group Names New Vice President

Chris Carr, P.E. has been named Vice President of The Sigma Group Inc. Carr has 18 years of experience in the consulting engineering field, specializing in site development and utilities design. He has a Civil and Environmental Engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has been with the firm for 9 years, serving as the Civil Engineering Group Leader.

NONPROFIT

YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Announces the Appointment of Chief Operating Officer

YWCA SEW announces the appointment of Sheila Mayhorn as Chief Operating Officer. An executive leader with 20+ years of experience in variety of roles in both the private and public sectors, as COO she will provide oversight of day-to-day administrative and operational functions. A United States Army veteran, she has a MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, a BA in Communications from Illinois State University, and is a certified Professional in Human Resources. Sheila is a member of the Society of HR Management, Metro Milwaukee SHRM, HRCI, and National Association of African Americans in Human Resources.

NONPROFIT YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Board Member

Bregetta Wilson has been elected to YWCA SEW’s Board of Directors. The founder of Embrace Improve Empower, LLC, which supports organizations through community engagement, she has a B.A. from Cardinal Stritch University and a M.A. from Alverno College.

NONPROFIT

YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Board Member

Geof Storms has been elected to YWCA SEW’s Board of Directors. He is Director, Program Management Office at Rockwell Automation and has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of New Haven, and a MBA, Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business.

NONPROFIT YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Board Member

Preston McGlory has been elected to YWCA SEW’s Board of Directors. A graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Texas School of Law, he has served as Molson Coors Beverage Company’s Vice President of Tax since September 2020.

YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Board Member

Uniqua Adams has been elected to YWCA SEW’s Board of Directors. Currently the Development and Communications Director for City Year Milwaukee, she holds a B.A. from UW-Parkside and a M.A. from UW-Milwaukee where she is now pursuing her Ph.D.

biztimes.com / 43

BizConnections VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1 | APR 11, 2022

GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR

126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120 PHONE: 414-277-8181 FAX: 414-277-8191 WEBSITE: www.biztimes.com CIRCULATION: 414-336-7100 | circulation@biztimes.com ADVERTISING: 414-336-7112 | advertising@biztimes.com EDITORIAL: 414-336-7120 | andrew.weiland@biztimes.com REPRINTS: 414-336-7100 | reprints@biztimes.com

PUBLISHER / OWNER Dan Meyer dan.meyer@biztimes.com

SALES & MARKETING

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Mary Ernst mary.ernst@biztimes.com COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT / OWNER Kate Meyer kate.meyer@biztimes.com

EDITORIAL EDITOR Andrew Weiland andrew.weiland@biztimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lauren Anderson lauren.anderson@biztimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Arthur Thomas arthur.thomas@biztimes.com REPORTER Maredithe Meyer maredithe.meyer@biztimes.com REPORTER Ashley Smart ashley.smart@biztimes.com

Downtown Waukesha in 1950 This 1950 aerial image shows downtown Waukesha. The area north of the Fox River, now home to Waukesha State Bank and parking lots, was the site of the Wilbur Lumber Co. The large tank farther to the north near St. Paul Avenue and Barstow Street was part of the Waukesha Gas and Electric Co. plant (see page 17 for more on the site’s current use). — Photo courtesy of the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum

MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Finding Wisconsin’s influential leaders A NEW SPECIAL ISSUE is coming in December from the editors of BizTimes Media, and you’re among the first to get the details. It’s Wisconsin 250: The State’s Most Influential Business Leaders. Unprecedented in scope and the result of a year-long initiative, Wisconsin 250 will provide an engaging, personal look at the people who make Wisconsin such a powerful economic force. Carefully selected by the BizTimes Media editorial team, this print and digital publication will feature the 250 most influential business and community leaders across major industries in the state. Published and distributed with BizTimes Milwaukee’s Dec. 12 issue, along with additional statewide distribution, Wisconsin 250 will be a special annual issue of BizTimes Media 44 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

– perfect-bound, printed on heavy stock and designed to be both a lasting reference and business tool. In addition to the print issue, there will be an interactive and engaging digital platform accessible through BizTimes.com. While we are based in southeastern Wisconsin and there will be strong representation from this region, influential leaders will also come from Green Bay and The Fox Valley, the greater Madison area, and other regions of the state. This initiative will also help business leaders in Wisconsin connect with and learn about others from around the state. The 250 executives are being selected based on extensive contacts in regional business circles, numerous interviews and months of research, resulting in a highly selective biographical guide to the people who really run Wisconsin. We are now accepting recommendations for candidates to be considered for the publication. Current elected officials will not be eligible. Not all on the list will be known statewide figures, but certainly each will wield influence locally. Bringing those less-familiar names to the attention of our readers, we believe, is

DIRECTOR OF SALES Linda Crawford linda.crawford@biztimes.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Christie Ubl christie.ubl@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Paddy Kieckhefer paddy.kieckhefer@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Dylan Dobson dylan.dobson@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Christy Peterson christy.peterson@biztimes.com SALES ADMIN Gracie Schneble gracie.schneble@biztimes.com

ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR Sue Herzog sue.herzog@biztimes.com

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

REPORTER Cara Spoto cara.spoto@biztimes.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alex Schneider alex.schneider@biztimes.com ART DIRECTOR Shelly Tabor shelly.tabor@biztimes.com

Independent & Locally Owned — Founded 1995 —

important as you work to grow your business or organization. Those no longer active or who live outside Wisconsin will not be eligible. Undoubtedly, we will put some people on the list who do not want to be included, and we will leave some off who will be disappointed. Because we intend to make this an annual print and digital publication, it will change year to year. Thank you in advance for providing us with your recommendations as we assemble our first list of Wisconsin’s most influential business leaders. I’m confident our team will provide you with an engaging and valuable resource. Learn more about recommending business leaders for inclusion and advertising opportunities at biztimes.com/wisconsin250. n

DAN MEYER PUBLISHER / OWNER P / 414-336-7114 E / dan.meyer@biztimes.com T / @DanMeyer1

NONPROFITS MILWAUKEE NONPROFITS RECEIVE MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR DONATIONS FROM MACKENZIE SCOTT Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made large donations to three Milwaukee nonprofit organizations as part of a recent charitable spree. Milwaukee-based Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Inc. in late March announced it would receive $17 million as part of Scott’s donation to 21 Planned Parenthood affiliates and its national parent organization.

That followed Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee’s announcement that it also had received a $17 million donation. It was one of 62 Boys & Girls Clubs and its national organization that received a combined $281 million from Scott. Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity was awarded $5.75 million from Scott as part of her

$436 million distribution to 83 Habitat organizations and its international parent organization. PPWI and Milwaukee Habitat said those gifts were the largest they have ever received. Scott was previously married to Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos. Her net worth is estimated to be more than $55 billion, according to Bloomberg. Other Milwaukee-area organizations to receive gifts from Scott since late 2020 include United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County ($25 million), Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago ($15 million), United Way of Racine County ($5 million) and Public Allies ($10 million). — Lauren Anderson, staff writer

c alendar The West Allis Community Improvement Foundation will hold its Community Charity Gala on Sunday, April 24, from 5-9:30 p.m. at the Gage, 1139 S. 70th St. in West Allis. The gala beneficiary is Exploit No More. More information is available at westallisfoundation.org. The Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin Charitable Foundation will host its sixth annual Fired-Up Fundraiser and Charity Ball on Saturday, April 30, at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Proceeds support the organization’s cause and programming, including its Summer Camp for Burn Injured Youth. More information is available at pffwcf.org. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will host its Walk MS on Sunday, May 1, at Henry Maier Festival Park, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event raises funds for research and programs and services for the 1 million Americans living with multiple sclerosis. More information is available at walkms.org.

D O N AT I O N R O U N D U P Spectrum awarded $10,000 to the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center through the 2021-‘22 Stand For The Arts Awards, a partnership with Ovation TV. | Lakeland University received a $250,000 grant from the Kohler Trust for the Arts and Education to fund several ongoing, student-centered programs. | Versiti was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to support the organization’s focus on addressing health care disparities in Milwaukee neighborhoods through advocacy and community outreach to increase diversity in blood donation. | Bublr Bikes received a $25,000 grant from the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County to continue to operate its B3 Workforce Development Program, a career and employment program for young adults aged 14 to 21.

nonprofit

SPOTLIGHT

STREET ANGEL S INC. 1236 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee Main: (414) 614-2841 | streetangelsMKE.org Facebook: Facebook.com/streetangelsmke

Year founded: 2016

Executive leadership: Eva Welch,

Mission statement: Reaching into

executive co-director; Shelly Sarasin, executive co-director

the community to restore hope by empowering individuals, inspiring others to pay it forward, and providing basic human necessities to those in need. Primary focus of your nonprofit organization: The primary focus of

Street Angels is our street outreach program. Three nights per week, 156 nights per year, we are providing survival needs and hope to those who are experiencing homelessness. The short-term goal is to seek out individuals who are street homeless to provide them with items that will prevent immediate suffering, such as food, drinking water, clothing, blankets and hygiene needs. The long-term goal is to connect with these individuals in order to create a bond of trust so we can advocate for them and assist them with connecting to resources that can eventually lead to shelter and/or permanent housing. Number of employees at this location: Two full-time and two

part-time, along with six seasonal, part-time temporary winter warming room employees. Key donors: Bader Foundation, Kohl’s and private donors

Board of directors: Janice Wilberg

(president), Vicky Cordani (vice president), Bill Budzien (treasurer), Dan Grellinger (secretary), Melissa Brockie, Monica Cail, Tina King, Patricia Najera, Kenny Howard, Megan O’Halloran and Wenoka Smith Is your organization actively seeking board members for the upcoming term? Yes, we are always open to

recruiting new directors in an effort to keep the board of directors diversified in various ways. Ways the business community can help your nonprofit: The Street

Angels operating budget is 100% community funded through private donors, corporate sponsorships and philanthropic foundations. Any financial support that the business community is able to provide is greatly appreciated. Over 93% of dollars donated to Street Angels go directly to helping our neighbors without homes. Key fundraising events:

» Singing in The Streets Karaoke for a Cause Event, Spring 2022 » Annual 48 Hours of Homelessness Challenge, Fall 2022

biztimes.com / 45

CONTRIBUTED

BizConnections

Miller High Life Theater

5 MINUTES WITH…

FIGHTING FOR MILWAUKEE WITT: “We’re fortunate that we have a segment of the business where we can move artists from place to place and they can grow and mature and, more importantly, they can make the choice to come back to Milwaukee. Because we’re in Milwaukee and not in Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, L.A., or San Francisco, we have to fight to bring things here. “Having the investment of the buildings that we have allows us to maintain a relationship with the artists as they grow up through the buildings, including an artist like Brandi Carlile, who played Turner Hall, Pabst Theater, Riverside, and now we’re doing a show over at Fiserv Forum.”

GARY WITT | MATT BERINGER President and chief executive officer | Talent buyer The Pabst Theater Group THE PABST THEATER GROUP RECENTLY ADDED the 4,000-seat Miller High Life Theater to the portfolio of downtown Milwaukee entertainment venues that it manages. Under an agreement with the Wisconsin Center District, PTG now has exclusive booking rights to shows at the theater. BizTimes Milwaukee reporter Maredithe Meyer recently spoke with PTG’s president and CEO Gary Witt and talent buyer Matt Beringer about the deal, which comes as Madison-based promoter FPC Live and majority stakeholder Live Nation advance plans for a new 4,800-capacity indoor music venue complex in the Third Ward, which would add a new competitor to the marketplace. WHERE DOES MILLER HIGH LIFE THEATRE FIT WITHIN THE PABST THEATER GROUP? BERINGER: “One of the things that we talk about a lot is the developmental ladder, and that means some of the most important shows we do are at the 300-capacity Back Room at Colectivo. We’re building artists’ careers and fan relationships throughout the marketplace, and we’re doing it every step along the way. “What’s great about the Miller High Life Theater is it becomes part of the ecosystem we’re providing for artists and fans. … We have a true progression now, with the Back Room at 300 capacity, Turner Hall Ballroom at 987, Pabst Theater at 1,339, Riverside Theater at 2,400, and now Miller High Life Theater at 4,000 seats. We think there’s going to be a lot of things that may have bypassed or outgrown the market that now will have a great endorsement to come play here.” 46 / BizTimes Milwaukee APRIL 11, 2022

SET APART FROM BIG COMPETITION WITT: “From day one our business has been about Milwaukee. … As an organization, we have to not just operate our business, but we have to operate our business for the betterment of the city. Our business kicks off $250 million per year in external revenue to the city’s bars, hotels, coffee shops, car rental companies, etc. This is the core of what we do. “When you’re talking about a promoter like Live Nation moving in, their commitment is to the mothership. Their mothership resides in Beverly Hills. Our mothership resides in Milwaukee. We’re a for-profit business, and we need to make money and pay our 350 employees and grow, but because we’re in a city like Milwaukee, we’re charged with making the city better around us.” “… The (proposed Third Ward venue) is a general-admission, standing-room venue that will have a few VIP seats in the back. The reality is that (Miller High Life Theater) is a 4,000-capacity seated venue, and 30% of our business is comedy. … Our focus is our business, it’s not (on) their business.” n

A partial list of the 2020 Notable LGBTQ+ Executives

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR NOTABLES & RISING STARS 2022 The leaders profiled in these categories are nominated by their peers at work and in the community.

Shawn Gulyas The Thought Catalyst and Chief Talent Officer humanworks and BVK

NOTABLE

LGBTQ+ EXECUTIVES BizTimes Media is proud to announce the second Milwaukee’s Notable LGBTQ+ Executive’s list, a special editorial feature within BizTimes Milwaukee’s June 6 print issue and online (Biztimes.com) that will profile LGBTQ+ leaders in the Milwaukee area. Your company, and its executives, are invited to submit a nomination survey that will help us determine this year’s honorees. Nomination Deadline: April 29, 2022

Amanda Braun

Issue Date: June 6, 2022

Director of Athletics University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Look for these Notable and Rising Stars sections in 2022! Rising Stars in Technology Nomination deadline: May 6, 2022 | Issue date: June 20, 2022 Notable CFOs Nomination deadline: June 10, 2022 | Issue date: July 25, 2022 Notable Office and Operations Managers Nomination deadline: July 8, 2022 | Issue date: August 22, 2022 Amy Orta-Feliciano Executive Director The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center

Rising Stars in Law Nomination deadline: July 29, 2022 | Issue date: September 12, 2022 Notable Women in Manufacturing Nomination deadline: August 26, 2022 | Issue date: October 10, 2022 Notable Veteran Executives Nomination deadline: September 23, 2022 | Issue date: November 7, 2022 Notable Women in Health Care Nomination deadline: October 28, 2022 | Issue date: December 12, 2022

Jason Rae Founder, president and CEO Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce

To view this year’s winners and nominate, visit biztimes.com/notable

Coming S n Wisconsin’s Most Influential Business Leaders

I n a ug ura l Is s ue

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