17 minute read
THE LAST WORD - St. James 1868 owner Kate Crowle
the LASTWORD
KATE CROWLE | OWNER
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Kate Crowle is the developer, designer and owner of St. James 1868, an upscale wedding and events venue in downtown Milwaukee’s Westown neighborhood. The $8 million historic renovation of the former St. James Episcopal Church wrapped in spring 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The venue has been operational for more than a year now, but the public was invited to finally celebrate its grand opening at a Kentucky Derby-themed party earlier this month. Through all the ups and downs, Crowle says she found a way to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“Business owners learned to deal with the newly unexpected during the pandemic. I created and own a special event venue that would have debuted in April of 2020 if it were not for the public health emergency. I learned to pivot to make the best of a situation and that I cannot plan for everything. Creativity, thick skin, some flexibility and a laser-like focus on goals also helped with some of the obstacles. But most importantly, I learned how to get comfortable being uncomfortable. “I was not expected to succeed with the St. James as a first-time, female developer in a male-dominated industry. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t realize how lonely it would feel just because I didn’t fit the mold. I was told, that as a woman, I would never make the business succeed on my own. Even after opening, people asked who my male partners were. I learned years ago feeling uncomfortable in my situation is OK and may serve as a source of motivation, so I stuck with it.
“I planned to unveil the St. James 1868 as a place to bring families and friends together to celebrate life’s milestones. It didn’t happen on time, but it’s happening now, and the wait was worth it. I’m proud of the business I built and of the team that helps me deliver an exceptional experience for couples and their families. I celebrated the St. James 1868 grand opening a little late, and that’s OK. Being an entrepreneur is uncomfortable, but I think that means you are doing it right.” n
St. James 1868
Milwaukee Industry: Hospitality Employees: 13
stjames1868.com
In these upcoming Thought Leadership pages
Left to Right: Shantell Gail, Uriel Rodriguez, Gus Straub, Melissa Weiland
YEARS IN BUSINESS 162
MISSION STATEMENT: Make Lives Better
Serving Southeast Wisconsin since 1859, we are a proud, independent, community bank offering all the great products and services you’re accustomed to, with the low fees and convenient locations you need. Plus we make it a priority to give back to the customers and communities we serve through charitable giving and volunteer opportunities. As one of the top SBA lenders in the nation, we also help local small businesses get the financial assistance they need to thrive and grow. AT BANK FIVE NINE, our mission is simple: Make Lives Better. We strive every day to live our mission for our customers and communities, as well as for our employees. As a result, we are proud to have been named a “Top Workplace” by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel eleven straight years and a “Best Bank to Work For” by American Banker Magazine each of the last five years. In 2020, we were named a national “Top Workplace USA” by Energage, a company that studies organizations and their workplace and employee practices. The 300-plus employees of Bank Five Nine are offered a workplace culture that stands out from the rest. With a focus on employee development, we Ann Knutson offer our own customized training programs as well as uniquely designed SVP, Human Resources Director leadership development programs. Our benefits programs are designed to meet the needs of our employees and our compensation program is highly competitive. And, our employees work in an environment that is supportive, friendly and fun! Each employee has the opportunity to Make Lives Better for the communities we serve through volunteerism, charitable giving, financial education and random acts of kindness. In fact, our employees spend an average of 12,000 hours a year volunteering for a variety of organizations. The leadership of Bank Five Nine is highly engaged, interacting with employees informally each day, and formally through an annual leadership event, roundtables, anniversary celebrations and other company-wide events. Bank Five Nine has been headquartered in Oconomowoc, WI since 1859 and currently has 14 branch locations throughout SE Wisconsin. To learn more about our company and our amazing employment opportunities, visit our website and follow us on social media channels.
(262) 567-9909 | bankfivenine.com
Sponsored Content
Serena Thomason
Founder & CEO, Berkshire & Thomason Interior Design
Designer Sheena Easton provides fabric options for her client. HERE IS WHERE YOU WOULD FIND THE HEADLINE FOR THE STORY
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BERKSHIRE & THOMASON
Berkshire & Thomason Interior Design berkshirethomason.com | 414.555.3232
GREAT PLACES TO WORK
June 6th Issue
Let the Milwaukee area know how your company takes care of their employees – so they can take care of your customers. Biz Times Milwaukee is offering local businesses the opportunity to share with our readers why your business is a great place to work in the most effective way possible – in your own words. Space reservation: May 18
HOW SHE LEADS
August 22nd Issue
Tell the leadership story of one of your sheroes. Whether they’re in the corner office or on the front lines, showcase how they are making a difference to your customers, your employees and your bottom line.
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SPONSORED CONTENT
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
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
WEALTH MANAGEMENT & ESTATE PLANNING Q&A
September 12 Issue
Thought leadership pays dividends. Today’s top financial advisors are invested 4 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 5, 2019 in being seen as thought leaders in their industry. Share your expertise and best practices with our high-net worth readers in this impactful advertising section. Your firm can communicate your message by answering several tailored questions. Space reservation: August 26
CEO Q&A
SPONSORED CONTENT
GENE GUSZKOWSKI, AIA
CEO, AG Architecture
BIZTIMES: What sets your firm apart from others? GENE GUSZKOWSKI: In today’s market, it is difficult for an architectural engineering firm to be a generalist. In fact, many firms are narrowing their focus and assembling teams with specialized expertise. Dating back to 1961, with previous generations of our firm, AG chose to stick with what we know best—housing—innovative senior living, trendsetting multifamily and modern mixed-use projects. We have experience in the full spectrum of housing, from affordable apartments to high-end condos.
Our projects serve several generations, from young professionals to empty nesters as well as seniors, from active boomers to those with supportive care or hospice needs. Each project has offered an opportunity to infuse the energy of walkable urban environments, spaces that are incredible urban destinations and create deeper community connections. Our passion and commitment to housing has led us around the country to work in 39 different states—that is what sets us apart. Our tagline is “a sense of community.” We truly live and breathe this mantra every day creating places where people want to live.
BT: What is your personal history, and how has it affected your leadership? GG: I was fortunate to start my career at AG, or rather, an earlier generation of the firm. I started as print boy and 52 years, more than 725 projects and 403 coworkers later, I have grown with the firm from draftsman to principal. I have watched, learned and gone through my own trial and error process. I have sought advice and been counseled by leadership and business experts along the way.
The firm has achieved success over the years with a partnership model. Within the last few years, we have focused on restructuring leadership roles to be better positioned for continued success. As we have been nurturing team members and transitioning to a new generation of leadership, my position in the firm has evolved to CEO-level responsibilities. In our work as designers, we ask people to change where and how they live on a regular basis. I apply that mentality to leadership as well. There is always room for change and improvement—and market challenges, technology advancements and multiple generations in the workplace require a willingness to adapt. As a leader, I have to institute changes and lead by example to maintain the success of this legacy firm and properly position it for the future.
BT: What’s next for your company? GG: Like other firms in the AEC industry, we are transitioning from a partnership model to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This gives each team member a greater sense of ownership and definitive stake in the success of the firm. This business decision paves the way for the future of AG. It is exciting to be a part of this evolution. Our industry and our way
Gene Guszkowski, AIA
of doing business was so different over 50 years ago. The new era of the architectural engineering firm is about empowering every team member.
BT: What is your philosophy on innovation within your firm? GG: Innovation is essential because our market demands it. The next generation of residents has high expectations, so we need to keep pushing to come up with forward-thinking, desirable solutions. From initiating a survey series to working with clients to explore alternatives, we are looking to other industries for inspiration and challenging our team to disrupt our thought process in order to uncover what’s next in senior living, multifamily and mixed-use design.
1414 Underwood Avenue, #301 • Wauwatosa, WI 53213 (414) 431-3131 • www.agarch.com/insights/
CEO Q&A
July 25th Issue
Feature your industry leader and share their insights and perspectives. Use this space to talk about your company’s latest news, innovations and successes. Space reservation: July 6
U.S. Bank Stadium
Experience the unique architecture, world-class cuisine and state-of-the-art technology that is U.S. Bank Stadium. With over 66,000 seats and six premium club spaces, this new stadium provides flexibility and functionality for any size event including corporate banquets and meetings to weddings and receptions. Book today!
MEETING SPACE: 80,000 total square feet of club space and an additional 241,000 square feet of exhibition space.
612.777.8732 | www.usbankstadium.com | 401 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis
Meeting Venues
Aloft Minneapolis
900 Washington Ave. S 612-455-8400 | aloftminneapolis.com
NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: 3 TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 2,043 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY: Can accommodate up to 100 people in largest space DESCRIPTION: Urban-inspired design, accessible technology and innovative programing.
The American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Ave. S 612-871-4907 | asimn.org
NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: Mansion space and banquet room
TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 3,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY: Serve up to 240 people
BUILDING PROJECT Q&A
SPONSORED CONTENT
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIONThe Bakken Museum 3537 Zenith Ave. S 612-926-3878 | thebakken.org NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: 5 spaces, including a terrace
TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 4,500 sq. ft.
CAN YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT AND WHAT IT INCLUDES?
The new home for Marquette University’s College of Business Administration is a 110,000 square foot, four-story building that will position Marquette as a national leader. Marquette’s new facility will be a space for all on campus. It will include a mix of collaborative classrooms, a seamless one-stop student support center, a café and adjoining outdoor space designed to be a major campus hangout, and a large event space for activities such as conferences, workshops, and flexible classrooms. In addition, the new facility will include innovation leadership programs like Marquette’s Excellence in Leadership (E-Lead) and Bridge to Business for Engineers. Construction began in March 2021 and will be completed in winter 2022, ready to kick off Marquette’s spring 2023 semester.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT, WHAT DO YOU DESCRIBE FIRST?
Situated on the former McCormick Hall site at 16th Street and Wisconsin Avenue, the new building continues the campus transformation for Marquette and will anchor the west gateway to the heart of campus. Marquette’s vision for their most prominent campus centerpiece was 100-percent donor-funded in two years. “I think it is going to raise the national profile of what’s already a terrific university in this city and this region,” said Tim Hanley, acting Keyes Dean of Business Administration.
WHAT MAKES THIS PROJECT UNIQUE OR INNOVATIVE IN THE MILWAUKEE AREA?
The new College of Business Administration building is designed to be adaptable. As realized from the pandemic, learning spaces must allow for harmonious interaction between virtual learners and in-person students. The building will be dedicated to student-centered activities, informal collaboration, and gatherings. According to Hanley, “This building is a profound way to give back to generations of future Marquette Business students. It is a reflection of all our faculty and staff, their commitment to living as men and women for others, and the spirit they have instilled across our college community.”
HOW DOES THIS PROJECT IMPROVE OR BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY?
Benefiting more than just Marquette’s business students, the new College of Business Administration
TOTAL CAPACITY: Accomodate up to 200
DESCRIPTION: Classic tudor decor, facility will allow for the college’s current home, Straz By: Mike Stern, Senior Project Manager, J.H. Findorff catering on site, impeccable service. Hall, to be vacated. This shift has created an opportunity for the university’s College of Nursing program to meet the needs of their growing enrollment. Once the College of Business Administration building is completed, the project team will begin to transform Straz Hall.
WHO MADE UP THE PROJECT TEAM – FROM DESIGN TO COMPLETION?
The project team includes Marquette University, Findorff, BNIM, Workshop Architects, GRAEF and many local subcontractor partners. The team was developed through a mix of specialized early trade partners and bidding to local subcontractors. 1600 N. 6th Street • Milwaukee, WI 53212 findorff.com • (414) 272-8788
VENUES
Best Western Plus Inn & Suites
August 22nd Issue405 S 8th St. 612-370-1400 | bestwesternnormandy.com Hotel, Entertainment, Dining & Meeting NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: Banquet space for up to 160 Directory: a must-have opportunity for TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 10,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY: 500 people hotels and standalone venues to present Calhoun Beach Club 2925 Dean Pkwy. their facilities and amenities to an 612-238-4444 | damicocatering.com NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: 3 TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 9,600 sq. ft. enthusiastic corporate-events audience TOTAL CAPACITY: Serve receptions up to 1,000 and 570 for dinner parties ready to start again after the COVID slowdown.
Space reservation: August 3
Cedars Hall Banquet Center
602 University Ave. NE 612-379-8989 | cedarshall.com
NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: boardroom, theater, classroom or banquet style; small break-out rooms available
TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 5,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY: Accommodates up to 450 people DESCRIPTION: Perfect place for Business REAL ESTATE Q&A: BUILDING Meetings: seminars, luncheons, employee appreciation dinners, retirement or holiday party.PROJECTS Champions Club— University of Minnesota 300 Washington Ave. SENovember 7 Issue 612-625-1967 | campusclubumn.org NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: 11 flexible event spaces; outdoor terraceYour company has worked hard on your TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 4,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY: Groups of up to 250 latest real estate project, now it’s time to show it off to the Milwaukee area business community. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to put your new building in the spotlight. BizTimes’ Real Estate Q&A feature allows developers to showcase the heart and soul you put into your brick and mortar.
Space reservation: October 19
