BizTimes Milwaukee | May 24, 2021 by BizTimes Media

The Lubar School MILWAUKEE TOOL A MAJOR WIN FOR DOWNTOWN 16 NOTABLE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS 29

COMMENTARY: VACCINES RESTORE NORMALCY 44

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MAY MAY24 24--JUN JUN6,6,2021 2021 »» $5.00 $5.00

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Celebrating the Lubar family’s legacy of entrepreneurship in our community

LOCALLY OWNED FOR 25 YEARS

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» MAY 24 - JUN 6, 2021

ANDREW FELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

BizTimes Milwaukee (ISSN 1095-936X & USPS # 017813) Volume 27, Number 4, May 24, 2021 – June 6, 2021. BizTimes Milwaukee is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January, February, 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 2021 by BizTimes Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Contents

4 Leading Edge 4 NOW BY THE NUMBERS 5 JUMP START 6 COFFEE BREAK 7 BIZ POLL ON MY NIGHTSTAND 8 THE FRANCHISEE 10 BIZ LUNCH

12 Biz News 12 HISPANIC COLLABORATIVE’S MERCADOMKE BRIDGES DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES 14 SHOP TALK: CONSTRUCTING A CYBERSECURITY STRATEGY

16 Real Estate 29 Notable Executive Assistants 37 Strategies

COVER STORY

The Lubar School

37 LEADERSHIP Karen Vernal 38 OWNERSHIP John Howman 39 ENTREPRENEURSHIP Cary Silverstein 40 TIP SHEET

An approach to business honed over generations

44 Biz Connections

Special Report 24 Manufacturing

A report on Generac melding manufacturing and technology and a report on how manufacturers will look to leverage the digital sales strategies they have picked up over the past year, after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Leading Edge

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

NOW

Construction finally begins for The Couture By Alex Zank, staff writer Construction of The Couture is finally underway, nearly 9 years after it was first proposed and 50 years after permits were pulled for downtown Milwaukee’s last 40-plus-story building, the nearby U.S. Bank Center. Developer Rick Barrett said he did some archival research at

City Hall recently and uncovered that fact. Permits for the U.S. Bank building were pulled in April 1972, while The Couture contractors pulled permits in April 2021. Crews under the supervision of general contractor, Madison-based J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., recently broke apart concrete and

BY THE NUMBERS

Direct visitor spending in Milwaukee County fell 40%, a decline of

$877 MILLION in 2020, according to VISIT Milwaukee’s analysis of data from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

4 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

unloaded excavation equipment at The Couture site as members of the media were invited to watch visible construction work commence and get an update from the project team. The Couture is a $188 million, 44-story tower that will be built at 909 E. Michigan St., first proposed by Barrett in 2012. It is to include 322 residential units, 50,000 square feet of retail space and a public transit center, among other things. Barrett’s firm, Barrett-Lo Visionary Development, is the project developer. The construction start for The Couture is a major milestone for Barrett, who also developed the 30-story Moderne at 1141 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. “The Moderne is the largest residential tower west of the (Milwaukee) River,” Barrett said. “(The Couture) will be the largest residential tower in the state.” The 42-story, 601-foot-tall U.S. Bank Center will remain the tallest building in the state. The Couture will be more than 500 feet tall and will be the fourth tallest building in Milwaukee, according to Emporis. “We’ll have to build another one. … We’ll definitely have to breach the U.S. Bank building at some point,” said Barrett with a smile. Construction crews for The Couture will spend much of the

first year performing demolition and excavation work. They will dig around 60 feet into the ground, where two sublevels of parking will be built, said Eric Wynn, general manager of Findorff’s Milwaukee operations. The equipment on site as work began will be used to tear up and remove the existing concrete slab. The sewer line on the west side of the site will be relocated. “That’s going to be integral to getting done in the next two to three months, along with the mass excavation,” Wynn said. About 15 trucks will average four or five trips to and from the site each day removing soil and other excavated material, said Wynn. The soil will be taken to one of three sites, based on its classification, he said. Vertical construction for The Couture is slated to start next year. Barrett-Lo has already preleased about 30 apartments, mostly to suburban residents looking to downsize and move downtown. Those units are mostly on the top floors, Barrett said. A heavier preleasing push won’t happen for another year. Barrett-Lo is working with Lincoln Property Co. on the apartment leasing. JLL’s Chicago office is handling leasing for The Couture’s 50,000 square feet of retail space. n

LOCATION: West Allis

LILA ARYAN PHOTOGRAPHY

CREAM CITY PRINT LOUNGE

FOUNDER: Rachaad Howard FOUNDED: 2019 PRODUCT: Bulk screen-printing service and custom apparel design WEBSITE: creamcityprintlounge.com EMPLOYEES: 4 GOAL: Expand staff and establish new partnerships with large organizations.

Rachaad Howard

‘Underground printer’ Cream City Print Lounge has big clients By Brandon Anderegg, staff writer

WHAT DOES IT MEAN for an entrepreneur to successfully pivot? Just ask Rachaad Howard, owner of Cream City Print Lounge in West Allis. Howard launched Milwaukee’s first “print and sip” studio in 2019, a full-service bar and studio where people can enjoy a beverage while learning how to design and screen print clothing. But as Cream City Print Lounge held its first screen-printing workshops, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the studio to close its doors. “That hit us real hard as we were just picking up momentum in the game,” Howard said. “So, I refocused my energy into the retail side of things.” As much as Howard is an entrepreneur, he’s also an artist, using creativity and a penchant for capturing human expression in the form of a T-shirt to help drive his business. At the onset of the pandemic, Howard designed a line of comedic quarantine shirts that brought levity to the pandemic, boosting sales by 300% in the first month, he said. Following the death of George Floyd, Howard designed social justice shirts with messages like “Kids for Justice,” “Peace, Love and Equality” and “Enough is Enough.” For Howard, T-shirts are an important form of expression, and as a Black business owner, he

said he wanted to help the community speak out against injustice. Kohl’s reached out to Howard and partnered with Cream City Print Lounge to distribute his social justice shirts in 50 retail locations throughout the country. Howard has more than 10 years of experience in the printing world and has successfully launched multiple brands through partnerships with the Milwaukee Bucks, Harley-Davidson and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. One of his most popular brands is “Rep Wisconsin,” which Boston Store previously scaled and distributed in retail stores throughout the country. Soon after the Kohl’s partnership, Howard attracted a $10,000 investment from moguls during a recent episode of “Project Pitch It,” WISN-TV Channel 12’s Shark Tank-style show. Now Howard plans to launch a mobile screen-printing bus, allowing Cream City Print Lounge to take its creative workshops on the road. As Cream City Print Lounge grows, Howard hopes to scale the business and open several locations in the greater Milwaukee area. “We’re doing a lot,” Howard said. “We call ourselves the biggest underground printer in the city because nobody knows about us, but we only deal with big clients.” n biztimes.com / 5

NOTABLES 2021

Leading Edge COFFEE BREAK

Tracie Parent

Vice president, chief operating officer, Kahler Slater 111 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee Keep up with BizTimes’ 2021 roundup of the leaders making a difference throughout southeast Wisconsin. At companies across southeast Wisconsin, notable executives are running businesses, navigating company restructurings, serving on boards, running marketing departments, and investing in growth throughout the region. The notable individuals profiled in these categories are nominated by their peers at work and in the community.

NOTABLE WOMEN IN EDUCATION

Profiling leaders who are developing our next generation of leaders. In this inaugural list, we honor outstanding women in the metro Milwaukee area who lead local educational institutions, including universities, colleges, technical schools, and primary (K-12) schools. They motivate excellence, educate and inspire the next generation, and manage their diverse teams through new challenges every year. Nomination Deadline: Friday, June 4, 2021 | Issue Date: July 19, 2021 Notable Marketing Executives Profiling accomplished women steering the marketing functions of their companies and nonprofits, while serving as leaders and role models in their workplaces and community. Nomination deadline: July 2, 2021 Issue date: August 16, 2021 Notable Women in Insurance The executives on this list are shaping their own organizations as well as the path forward for other women in the industry. Nomination deadline: September 10, 2021 Issue date: October 25, 2021 Notable Commercial Real Estate Leaders The brokers, directors, investors, developers and finance professionals on this list are among those shaping high-profile commercial real estate in Chicago. Many have brokered deals for and developed the city’s most recognizable properties. Others are helping to steer industry groups that are fostering the next generation of leadership in commercial real estate. Nomination deadline: September 24, 2021 Issue date: November 8, 2021 Notable Food & Beverage Executives The executives on this list are shaping their own organizations as well as the path forward for others in the food and beverage manufacturing industry, while mentoring the next wave of professionals and finding ways to give back to their communities. Nomination deadline: October 29, 2021 Issue date: December 13, 2021

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

6 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

kahlerslater.com Industry: Architecture, interior design, strategic advisory services Employees: 122 • Parent joined Kahler Slater in June 2020 as chief financial officer. During the interview process, she had her last meeting with the executive team on March 16, the day before the city began shutting down. • In March of 2021, she was promoted to vice president and chief operating officer. • Parent got her start in the manufacturing sector, working in various accounting roles with Greenfield-based Everbrite, LLC before moving into the tech sphere as director of finance for Concurrency, Inc. and later an operations lead with Amazon. “I will always say that I grew up at Everbrite in manufacturing. … Moving into the tech space was a concerted effort on my part. I wanted to diversify my background and I couldn’t think of something more opposite.” • A Midwesterner at heart, Parent stood out as an out-of-towner while working for Amazon in Seattle because of her Midwestern niceness. “I’m very polite. … A lot of people knew I wasn’t from that region because I said ‘thank you’ and they said ‘you’re not from here.’” • Having worked in a tech hub, Parent says there’s plenty of opportunity here in Milwaukee. “I can’t think of a better city – we’re really close to Chicago, a short flight to Minneapolis and we have the resources to have amazing technology come out of Milwaukee.” • Parent has three children. An ideal weekend for her family would involve taking in the city’s cultural assets – the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Public Museum or the new Bradley Symphony Center, which was designed by Kahler Slater. n

BIZ POLL

on my nightstand...

A recent survey of BizTimes.com readers.

Are you willing to attend in-person business events again? Yes:

95%

No, not yet:

TONY CHIAPPETTA Chief executive officer, Chiappetta Shoes

“Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China’s Past and Present” By Peter Hessler

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

FOR THOSE in the shoe business, understanding the supply chain is more important than ever, said Tony Chiappetta, chief executive officer at Kenosha-based Chiappetta Shoes. “Oracle Bones” by Peter Hessler opened his eyes to what life is like in China, one of the world’s largest footwear producers. The 2007 New York Times Bestseller was recommended by “a well-seasoned shoe dog” from New Zealand, Chiappetta said. The two were talking shop one day a few years ago. “Now this guy has stories for

days, including a few goodies about the time he was working directly with Phil Knight, founder of Nike, to locate and contract cheap and consistent manufacturing in China,” said Chiappetta. “Oracle Bones” is based on the stories of people whose lives were shaped by China’s rapid economic growth at the turn of the century. “The book offers a gripping perspective of communism in real life,” Chiappetta said. “I’m a student of the game, love history, and very much recommend this book.” n

biztimes.com / 7

Leading Edge

@BIZTIMESMEDIA – Real-time news

the

FRAN C H I S E E Curtis Grace and Keith Washington

CREAM CITY VENTURES, LLC BIGGBY COFFEE THE FRANCHISE: East Lansing, Michigan-based Biggby Coffee is a gourmet coffee chain that serves scratch-made coffee drinks, teas, smoothies and seasonal specials, as well as light breakfast fare. Founded in 1995 by co-CEOs Bob Fish and Michael McFall, the brand has grown to more than 240 locally owned and operated shops in 13 states, including five in Wisconsin. Milwaukee natives and longtime friends Curtis Grace and Keith Washington recently opened their first Biggby Coffee franchise location, in Franklin.

“What stood out to us most was the company’s transparency. Even on the first meet, they were very transparent with the numbers, there was nothing to hide. … The diversity of the company, as far as wanting to expand and include a lot of diversity, helped as well,” said Washington.

“We just kind of came across each other and realized we had like minds and like ideas,” said Grace.

2009 Grace, who now works as a full-time branch manager at U.S. Bank, and Keith, who owns two Milwaukee-area real estate companies, met while working in customer service at AirTran Airways. As they embarked on separate career paths, the two continuously talked about opening a business together. FALL 2019 Grace and Washington were first introduced to Biggby Coffee at a franchise expo in Rosemont, Illinois. As they learned more about the brand, their interest grew. One evening in October, they drove up to Biggby’s Wausau location to try the product and meet with the area rep. JANUARY 2020 Grace and Washington sign their first franchise agreement as Cream City Ventures, LLC. They soon began hunting for real estate.

“The whole Milwaukee market is a prime location for Biggby because it’s different – it’s a higher-end specialty brand that’s fun and inviting,” said Washington.

APRIL 2021 Biggby Coffee’s newest shop and drive-thru opened at the Shoppes of Wyndham Village, 7770 S. Lovers Lane Road, Franklin. It’s the first of five franchise locations Cream City Ventures plans to open in the next five years. With a second franchise agreement already signed, Grace and Washington plan to have a location secured by the end of the year. THE FRANCHISE FEE: $20,000

8 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

“We want to take over the world one coffee cup at a time,” said Washington.

TELL US YOUR INSPIRATIONAL BUSINESS STORY! We’re highlighting the best stories from across the MKE Region with our Focus on the Future awards. MMAC’s annual 2021 Focus on the Future Awards program recognizes the very best of small business, start-ups, nonprofits and diverse businesses across Southeastern Wisconsin and honors their contributions to strengthen our economy.

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Leading Edge

BIZ LUNCH

Lunch

Biz

ADDRESS: 100 E. Wisconsin Ave. WEBSITE: tuapastatp.com CUISINE: Build-your-own pasta MOOD: Fast-casual PRICING: Pasta, $8-12.50 (protein is additional); salad, $6 -10 Tua Pasta had only been open for about two months before restaurants everywhere were forced to close their doors and rely on online ordering and curbside pick-up. Located in the 100 East office tower along the Milwaukee RiverWalk, the eatery has missed out on most of the weekday traffic it normally gets from hungry downtown professionals during non-pandemic times. “We tried to improvise as much as we could,” said Alvaro Niño de Guzman Jr., who owns Tua Pasta with his father, Alvaro Niño de Guzman Sr. For example, diners last summer could cruise up by boat to grab their freshly made pasta dishes or gelato. These days downtown office buildings remain largely empty, but indoor dining has started to pick up thanks to tourist activity and sporting events held in recent months at the Wisconsin Center. Once office business picks up, diners can expect to see more specialty items, such as scallops, on the menu.  10 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

1 2 3

Pastas served at Tua Pasta are made in-house daily. Fettuccini and Rigatoni noodles are most popular. Alfredo is its top-selling sauce.

A new item on the menu this summer, made-to-order alcoholic gelato.

Tua Pasta has outdoor patio seating along the Milwaukee River.

CONTRIBUTED

TUA PASTA

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Leadership & Developing A Culture of Excellence STEVE CANNON

Former President/CEO of Mercedes Benz USA and current CEO of AMB Group, where he leads all business operations of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United of Major League Soccer, Atlanta Falcons Stadium Company, PGA Tour Superstore and the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch

JUNE 9 | 11AM COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION. THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR

BizNews FEATURE Monica Semington, owner of Monash Natural Blends, works with a client.

Hispanic Collaborative’s mercadoMKE bridges digital divide for small businesses By Sophie Bolich, for BizTimes IF YOU ASSUME the COVID-19 pandemic was tough for every entrepreneur, Monica Semington is at least one business owner who proves that presumption wrong. Even on a fuzzy Zoom interview, her face lights up when reflecting on the past year for Monash Natural Blends, her essential oil business. During the pandemic, several Milwaukee organizations have redoubled efforts to support Latino-owned small businesses and improve the city’s overall climate for Latino, immigrant and migrant communities. For Semington, the extra support has breathed new life into her business and given her more direction for where she wants to take it. Semington started Monash in 2018 on Cesar E. Chavez Drive as part of the Pop-Up MKE initiative; before that she had been sell12 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

ing products at farmers markets around the county. She later moved the business to Grand Avenue in Waukesha, where she continued to sell product until March 2020 when the pandemic forced her to close shop. At that point, Semington struggled with doubts about her business. “Before the pandemic, I didn’t have a business plan, I didn’t have any guidance,” she said. “I always had all these ideas, but it was too much, and I was not really focusing on anything.” With the grants she received during the pandemic, including Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s We’re All In and federal Paycheck Protection Program funds, Semington realized that she needed to strategize and use the money wisely if she wanted to save her business. She decided to sign up for a rebranding class

and connected with her business mentors, branding consultant Jay Olson. Various exercises helped her realize that her motivation as an entrepreneur stems from the desire to connect with people. “I started my company Monash Natural Blends because I love making meaningful connections so my clients feel nurtured, loved and empowered,” Semington said. “That’s my ‘why.’” “This changed everything,” she added. “Because this is not just a sales pitch, this is really drawn from my life and what is really important to me.” Semington also credits her other mentor, Athena Agoudemos, a business consultant at the Small Business Development Center. Along with a shifting business plan, Semington needed a new logo and a professional website, two daunting tasks for many small business owners. In fact, a 2020

survey by the Milwaukee-based Hispanic Collaborative of over 1,000 businesses and households found that more than 60% of small, Latino-owned businesses do not have a website, and more than 85% of them do not have e-commerce capabilities. In response, the Hispanic Collaborative launched mercadoMKE, a nonprofit online marketplace that helps Latino-owned businesses with marketing, website design, financial literacy and e-commerce. mercadoMKE provides these services for free to businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, having a functional online presence was enough to make or break a business. Laura Hernandez, operations lead and account coordinator for mercadoMKE, said that while many younger people view online shopping as second nature, older generations may not be as familiar with the technology. mercadoMKE’s role is to help build businesses that may not have the money to spend on an IT or marketing person, she said. Many businesses seeking mercadoMKE’s services don’t have logos or pictures of their product, and owners often tell Laura Hernandez that they looked into websites but felt overwhelmed by the cost and lack of guidance. “Some businesses were able to adapt quickly to online ordering and pickup,” she said. “But small businesses – Latino-owned businesses – some of them just didn’t know where to get started or how to do this. Basically, what we’re doing is we’re stepping in and kind of bridging that gap.” Nancy Hernandez started her own marketing firm, ABRAZO, in 2001 and said her experience helps her understand the needs and priorities of other business owners. “We’re not the ones that are doing the work,” said Nancy Hernandez, who is also the president

“We’re the ones that are helping to identify what the issue is, quickly bringing together some solutions and getting resources in the hands of the community, so that the community can do it.” − Nancy Hernandez, president of the Hispanic Collaborative

of the Hispanic Collaborative. “We’re the ones that are helping to identify what the issue is, quickly bringing together some solutions and getting resources in the hands of the community, so

that the community can do it.” Aside from helping to build an online presence, mercadoMKE’s website houses a directory for Latino-owned businesses in Milwaukee. The website lists more than 45 local businesses including restaurants, retail shops, artisanal products, clothing and bakery. There is also a directory for services like mechanics and maintenance work. Today, mercadoMKE continues to encourage camaraderie among business owners. “What we want to do is foster community,” Laura Hernandez said. Grants from the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center and Advocate Aurora Health helped fund mercadoMKE, while organizations like Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp., Mexican Fiesta and Voces de la Frontera assisted in its implementation. Hispanic Collaborative

launched in early 2019 as an effort to make Milwaukee one of the top cities in the country for Hispanic and Latino residents. The initiative is in part a response to a 2016 study that indicated “Milwaukee lagged far behind similar-sized cities for Hispanics/Latinxs,” on a variety of quality of life indicators, said Jacki Black, Marquette University’s associate director for Hispanic initiatives. Nancy Hernandez said the study provided ample data but was lacking solutions, so the Hispanic Collaborative created the Hispanic wellbeing index to measure Milwaukee against other cities. Milwaukee is now ranked 44 out of 50. The goal is to move up to the top 10. The Hispanic Collaborative focuses on improving key variables including voter registration, median household income, sup-

port for undocumented persons, education and support for small business. “We felt that there should be a set of recommendations and it should come from the Hispanic community,” Nancy Hernandez said. “The benefits are immense ... and put our Hispanic population in a different position to help fuel not just their own families’ and communities’ economic growth and social mobility, but the entire region.” As Latino business owners carry on a tradition of entrepreneurship in Milwaukee, Semington said she hopes her business will flourish as a safe and accepting place for people to find community. “I have the chance with my company to make a difference and to do something positive,” Semington said. “To me it’s just, people are people. I want everyone to be part of it.” n

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BizNews

SHOP TALK Constructing a cybersecurity strategy By Brandon Anderegg, staff writer A GANG of cybercriminals launched a successful ransomware attack earlier this month against Colonial Pipeline, the largest refined products pipeline in the United States, with $15 billion in annual revenue. Another multi-billion-dollar company, Molson Coors Beverage Co., was targeted earlier this year in a cyberattack that disrupted brewery operations, production and shipments. How can a small to mid-size manufacturer defend against a criminal enterprise with an ability to disrupt the country’s largest companies? The truth is that all companies, big or small, will be the subject of a cyberattack. However, larger companies with a more complex network may be more vulnerable; they carry the allure of a six- or seven-figure payout if the attack is successful, cybersecurity experts say. “It’s not a losing battle for smaller companies,” said Kevin Bong, senior manager of the technology division and penetration testing lead for Sikich. Small manufacturers typically have simple and straight-forward networks, which offer a lot of opportunity to defend against and recover from attacks. “If you make the effort to do the basics and do a vulnerability assessment, you actually get yourself in a good security posture,” Bong said. “You don’t have the complexity of those large organizations where one little gap will 14 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

allow someone in.” Attackers are finding that the manufacturing industry lacks the security posture of heavily audited industries like banking and health care, which has led to increased cyberextortion among manufacturers of all sizes, Bong said. In fact, more than 50% of manufacturing companies experienced two or more information security events during 2020, according to a Sikich survey conducted in March of over 125 manufacturing and distribution executives. Of the cybersecurity incidents that executives reported, 81% were email phishing scams, 42% were unemployment fraud and 9% were ransomware events. Organizations like Microsoft and the National Institute for Standards and Technology are pushing companies to take a more holistic approach to cybersecurity. Firewalls and anti-virus software are great, but companies need to develop management and structure around cybersecurity, said Todd Streicher, vice president of CyberNINES, a cybersecurity services firm. More than 5,000 manufacturing companies in Wisconsin have contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, which means they must comply with cybersecurity frameworks developed by NIST. These frameworks help companies assess and improve their ability to prevent, detect and respond to cyber-attacks. What is the process when an employee leaves the company?

When should a company disable an employee’s account and network access? “All these things are identified through this framework,” Streicher said. “It’s not just throwing technology at it. It’s looking at things in a fully comprehensive manner.” Companies without DOD contracts are adopting NIST framework strategies because it’s the gold standard, and it provides a business with a competitive advantage, Streicher said. In fact, some companies will give prospective partners a security questionnaire to gauge whether that relationship would pose a risk for their own organization. “From a business maturity perspective, you need to contend with these things to put yourself in a better position,” Streicher said. NIST frameworks promote practices like quarterly vulnerability assessments, where a third-party organization evaluates if a company’s information system is susceptible to any known weaknesses. Other security best practices include multi-factor authentication, especially for employees accessing a company’s servers remotely and for passwords associated with backup files. If a hacker accesses a password for backup files, they will encrypt data and delete the backups, leaving a company with no choice but to pay a ransom. “Every manufacturer needs to stop what they’re doing and ask their IT guy, ‘can someone who

STEPS TO BOLSTER CYBERSECURITY • U se pass phrases instead of eight-character passwords. • Ensure remote access by employees requires multi-factor authentication. • Regularly update anti-virus software and firewalls. • Develop company-wide or department-specific cybersecurity practices and a management structure for employees to follow. • Understand what is covered under a cybersecurity insurance policy. has stolen our password delete our backups?’” Bong said. If the answer is “yes,” then those files need to either be stored offline or placed on a cloud that requires multi-factor authentication to access. Companies with modern cybersecurity are changing eight-character passwords to pass phrases like “staple battery horse 27” – simple enough for a human to remember, but far more difficult for a hacker to guess or for a computer to crack because of its ambiguity and length, Bong said. Manufacturers are also purchasing cybersecurity insurance, which covers ransomware payment and other expenses associated with an attack including legal counsel or resources to recover lost data. n

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Building Value and (Re)Creating Culture Join BizTimes Media and a distinguished group of family business owners and leaders for idea sharing and hands-on learning to help you as you look past the pandemic to what’s next. Learn and network in person with others who are on same journey as they navigate their way through recreating their culture post pandemic, grow through innovation, transition to a new generation and more.

The program begins with a keynote conversation, followed by a panel discussion, concurrent breakout sessions and a cocktail reception.

Keynote Speaker: Carl Rick, Training Manager/Third Generation Spokesperson, Kwik Trip (1)

Panelists: Ryan Riegle, President & CEO, Regal Ware (2) Lacey Sadoff, President, Badger Liquor (3) Andrew Stenihafel, President, Steinhafels (4)

Breakout Sessions: Living Through the Sale of Your Business Nick Fricano, Founder & CEO of Healthfuse will talk about living through the sale of his business in 2020 to a private equity firm: pre-sale, transition, and post-sale where Nick currently serves as Healthfuse CEO.

Master Your Growth Goals Meeting your goals requires planning. This interactive session will discuss the how and why of establishing breakeven points by department, service, product, and/or location – bring your questions.

Proposed Wealth Tax Changes Under the Biden Administration This session will provide a summary of the current wealth tax system, the proposed changes, and steps to consider now or in the near future to minimize such taxes.

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Milwaukee Tool will take over the former Assurant building at 501 W. Michigan St. for its planned downtown Milwaukee expansion.

Milwaukee Tool plans a major win for downtown office market By Alex Zank, staff writer

MILWAUKEE TOOL’S expansion into downtown Milwaukee is a generational real estate opportunity that will give a boost to a local office market just starting to emerge from a pandemic-fueled downturn. That’s how city leaders and commercial real estate industry experts describe the deal. Milwaukee Tool this spring announced plans to take over the former Assurant building at 501 W. Michigan St., where it will move one of its business divisions and hundreds if not thousands of jobs. Ty Staviski, Milwaukee Tool’s chief financial officer, said in public hearings the company will have hundreds of jobs in the building by October. A city incentive deal calls for an initial 1,210 jobs in exchange for a $12.1 million grant. A second $7.9 million grant could support a building expansion and another 790 jobs there. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said the expansion is the largest one-time infusion of jobs down-

UGLY BUILDING: F O R M E R S E A R S OUTLET STORE IN GERMANTOWN The former Sears Outlet store building in Germantown has sat vacant for some time. It is located at N96 W18650 County Line Road, at the far west end of the County Line Road retail corridor. But this 21,000-square-foot building may soon be open again for business. It was acquired this spring by a Nevada investment firm that is in turn leasing the space to discount tool and equipment retailer Harbor Freight Tools. The store is to open in November after the new owners make renovations. No activity was plainly visible from the parking lot in mid-May. Harbor Freight could bring some shoppers back to this corner of the corridor, as the shopping center next door has a couple large vacant storefronts. New momentum is also being generated across the street, with construction underway for a new Chick-fil-A restaurant.

16 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

town in at least 20 years, maybe even 50. Milwaukee Tool will acquire the building and remodel it before moving in employees. It will take 372,000 square feet of office space off the market in downtown Milwaukee, and more specifically the Westown neighborhood. This deal would drop the office space vacancy rate of the “Downtown West” market from 28% in the first quarter to 21%, according to Chris Allen, national director of analytics at REDIComps and Catylist. Downtown West had the highest office space vacancy rate among the Milwaukee-area submarkets that REDIComps tracks, Allen said. It hasn’t moved much recently either. Its vacancy rate was nearly the same in the first quarter of 2020. The vacancy rate for the broader central business district, which also includes east of the Milwaukee River as well as the Historic Third ward, would likewise drop from 18.5% to 16.6%, he said. “I would say that’s a needle pusher,” Allen said of the Milwaukee Tool deal. Taking away that much vacancy at once strengthens the office market, said Ned Purtell, principal of Founders 3. “Having huge blocks of vacancy does not help landlords or the overall market maintain healthy rental rates,” Purtell said. More broadly, the addition of that many employees will provide a big boost to others, such as those in the business of food and beverage or hospitality, he said. The deal came about partly out of necessity. Milwaukee Tool had hired hundreds of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many were working from home, and they simply didn’t have any place to put them. But it also has to do with attracting young talent. That’s a common refrain heard from companies that have relocated or opened new offices in city centers in recent years. “By extending our corporate presence into downtown Milwaukee, we are poised for continued

growth,” Steve Richman, president of Milwaukee Tool Group, said in a statement. “As one of the largest employers in southeastern Wisconsin, we’re thrilled to expand our presence in the city, as we continue to attract, retain and recruit from a diverse pool of local talent.” Purtell said Milwaukee Tool is a high-profile example of a general pickup in office activity of late. Activity died down during the height of the pandemic. Although some deals got done, many office users opted not to make any big longterm decisions on their space. Things seem to be turning around with the widespread availability of vaccines and the easing of restrictions. Purtell said a lot of users are again looking at office space, including in Westown. They are also looking to execute longterm leases again. But the Milwaukee Tool deal itself has boosted interest in the downtown market among office tenants, said Lyle Landowski, chief operating officer of Colliers International | Wisconsin. Milwaukee Tool has for a long time been in the suburbs when it comes to Milwaukee-area operations. Its headquarters will remain in Brookfield, and it recently selected Menomonee Falls for a new massive multi-purpose corporate campus. But its expansion to the Assurant building has caused other office users to take a closer look at downtown. It is largely about attracting workers, Landowski said. “Objectively speaking, activity has picked up significantly,” he said. “I think, if you were to survey the market, you would find over the last month activity has been picking up. But there’s no question, since Milwaukee Tool announced, there’s been a renewed interest in downtown. “That’s more than just cursory; there’s a lot of firms that are asking the question and are sincere about it, ‘How do we address our talent strategy?’” Landowski added. “‘And if Milwaukee Tool is doing this, what does that mean for our organization?’” n

GREENLINK RESIDENCES Milwaukee-based F Street Group is creating 137 multi-family units, a new village community green and rentable event space in Brown Deer. Construction got underway last fall, but the developer held an official groundbreaking ceremony this month. The first component of the project includes a pair of three-story apartment buildings featuring an outdoor courtyard with pool. The second component includes the Public House 55 event venue, a beer garden and the community green space. The project is located at 8705 N. Deerwood Drive, at the former village Department of Public Works site. It is also the location of the former Village Center when it was founded in 1955. SIZE: 148,225 square feet DEVELOPER: F Street Group CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: Altius Building Co.

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STORY COVER

The Lubar School

An approach to business honed over generations BY ARTHUR THOMAS, staff writer YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LOOK FAR around the Milwaukee area to see the influence of Sheldon Lubar and his family. They’ve made millions in donations and their name is on schools, buildings, research centers and boards all over town. Beyond gifts of time and treasure, the Lubar family has also shared an approach to business that’s helped shape the community in its own way and that a new generation is now learning to apply. At Lubar & Co., the Milwaukee-based private investment firm Sheldon Lubar founded in the 1960s, the approach goes under the label of professional ownership, a term the company trademarked a few years ago. “Professional means we are dedicated (to) building that business toward being the best business possible,” said David Lubar, president and chief executive officer of Lubar & Co. “When my dad started, and this is still the case but maybe not as much as before, 18 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

businesses were subsidizing a personal lifestyle.” Some business owners would charge clothing, meals, country club dues and vacations to the company, Lubar explained. “We keep all that out. We try and keep politics out. It’s really what’s the business, what’s the potential of the business and how do we come together with management to realize that potential?” he said. Sheldon Lubar traces the idea back to the late 1950s when he was working at Marine National Exchange Bank. He was asked to run a small business investment company for the bank. Despite some concern that the bank’s focus on large clients like Allen-Bradley and A.O. Smith would make it challenging to take equity in small businesses, Sheldon said yes. Looking back on it now, he says the business was full of problems “that I created with my investments.”

ANDREW FELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

David, Sheldon and Patrick Lubar in the offices of Lubar & Co. at the 833 East building in downtown Milwaukee.

“What the problem was, in my mind, right or wrong, was that I felt I could run any of these businesses better than the people I was investing with,” he said. “That’s an overall statement. We just weren’t getting good results.” Lubar said he felt buying a company and owning a majority of it provided a path to better results. That’s what Lubar did a few years later when he started Lubar & Co., buying Sorgel Electric, a manufacturer of dry type transformers. Lubar said that’s where the idea of professional ownership really began to take shape as he was running the business to create value for its shareholders. Nearly five decades later, it’s the same approach Lubar applied to Ixonia Bank, which the Lubars acquired a majority stake in in 2012 after contributing the vast majority of a $21.5 million recapitalization and the majority of a second $7.7 million capital raise in 2013. Regulators were close to taking the bank over when the Lubars stepped in. The bank had lost nearly $16.4 million across the three years before the investment and lost nearly $15 million in 2012. Sheldon said part of the motivation for the investment was the potential for jobs to be lost if the bank was shut down. He set out objectives for the bank of soundness, profitability and then growth. “In that order,” he said. At one of the first shareholder meetings following the deal, the first question was about how the Milwaukee Brewers might perform for the year. It was directed at former Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, who became a board member of the bank’s holding company when it was acquired by Lubar & Co. The second question was to Sheldon: When would the bank reinstate its dividend? The bank had declared a nearly $1.7 million dividend in 2009, even as it lost $1.8 million, but didn’t pay one in 2010 or 2011. In the five prior years, the bank had paid more than $3.2 million in dividends. Returning to paying a dividend wasn’t in the plans. “The lowest cost of capital a company can have are retained earnings,” Lubar recalled responding. “Since we intend to grow and be a significant factor in Wisconsin in the banking world, there is no such thing as having too much capital, so don’t expect dividends.” Lubar said he added that he wouldn’t be taking a salary, so shareholders did not need to be concerned he was cashing in. “What we’re going to do is get rid of the bad assets here, we’re going to be smarter about the loans we make, we’re going to be more aggressive trying to get good customers in and we’re going to use the capital that we have to expand the bank,” he said. Those goals have largely been accomplished. Ixonia’s provision for loan and lease losses has been almost non-existent in most years after steadily climbing in 2011 and 2012, reaching nearly 8% of assets at one point. Its total assets have grown from a low of $269 million in 2014 to $389 million at the biztimes.com / 19

end of 2019 and grew to $536 million as of March 31. It has been profitable every year but one, and it has also expanded into the Milwaukee market with an office downtown. “It wasn’t charitable, but it saved it from being liquidated,” David Lubar recalled of the Ixonia investment, noting Sheldon was looking to invest in a bank in the greater Milwaukee area and Ixonia provided more opportunity than others he considered. David recently took over for Sheldon as chairman of Ixonia Bancshares, the bank’s holding company, and joined the bank’s board. The next generation of Lubars is also involved at Ixonia Bank. Patrick Lubar, David’s son, is vice president and Milwaukee commercial banking lead for the bank. He joined in 2017 as a credit analyst, picking Ixonia over an opportunity with a regional bank in Chicago with a little encouragement from his grandfather. Working in a family business, let alone with the Lubar last name, can come with challenges and the potential for questions about what doors may have been opened for you. “I’ve had a very intentional focus on establishing credibility for myself. I try to prove it by working hard and contributing,” Patrick said. “I think through genuine conversations with people and showing genuine interest in all my coworkers and 20 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

colleagues and genuine care for the growth of the bank, that I can show what my true intentions are. They are to be here to learn, to develop and to establish myself as a contributor on the team.” He added that the opportunity to work with his father and grandfather in a business setting has been inspiring, and it has given him an upclose view of their differences in style. Patrick said his grandfather is very much an entrepreneur who knows what to do, can tackle something on his own and trusts his decision making. “My dad is much more team-oriented. He gathers input from many different sources and evaluates it,” Patrick said. “He does a lot of research and he’ll make a thoughtful decision that way. My grandpa, he trusts his gut.” David said he has also learned a lot from watching how Sheldon works over the years. When David first returned to Milwaukee to join Lubar & Co. after starting his career in Minnesota, Sheldon handed him a pad of paper, pointed him to a desk and tasked him with figuring out what he would do to be productive. “There have been many, many lessons about how to deal with people and about how to treat them fairly and respectfully that I’ve learned mainly through observation,” David said. As an example, he pointed to efforts to lead

companies with facts, logic and vision, not simply through ownership, although he acknowledged having ownership control means sometimes people will just agree with you. “The point being, it’s not carrying a big stick; it’s speaking softly and have an informed decision,” David said. “You have to prove that your judgment, over time, is good judgment, sound judgment.” “Being able to observe how (Sheldon) makes judgments and the judgments he does make and the positions he takes and what positions are strong positions and what ones are flexible, that’s all part of how you deal with other people,” David added. The Ixonia Bank deal wasn’t the only time that saving jobs factored into a decision Sheldon made. In 2005, Minnesota-based SuperValu agreed to acquire Total Logistics Inc., a company the Lubars had taken public in the late 1990s but still had a significant stake in, for $233 million. Part of Total Logistics was Zero Zone, a North Prairie-based manufacturer of commercial refrigeration cases it had acquired in 1999. SuperValu’s bankers came back to Lubar not long after the Total Logistics deal was done. They wanted to sell Zero Zone back to the Lubars. It turned out that Wal-Mart, which accounted for 11% of Zero Zone’s sales in 2003, didn’t want to

ANDREW FELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

STORY COVER

“ It becomes very subjective as to what’s a great team and what isn’t. … It can be something as basic as does the CEO trust us, and do we trust that person, and do we each have mutual confidence in each other that we’re working together and we have the long-term objectives of the company as our top priority?”

ANDREW FELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

– David Lubar

count SuperValu, a competitor, as one of its suppliers. Lubar was interested, but none of his colleagues wanted to support it, so he passed. Six weeks later, the bankers were back. They’d been unsuccessful in selling Zero Zone. Now, either Lubar would buy the company or it would be liquidated. “Guys, we made so much money on this,” Lubar recalled telling his colleagues. “I’m not going to throw 100 and some people out on the street. We’re going to buy it back and we’re going to turn it around.” In another case, the Lubars were part of a group that helped save Peck Foods from being shut down. The meatpacking company, located in the

Menomonee Valley, was facing foreclosure from its bank and around 1,500 jobs, primarily held by Black and Hispanic Milwaukee residents, were at risk. Sheldon’s task was to get the bank to compromise on the $40 million it was owed. He called then Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist and Gov. Tommy Thompson for help, asking them to make it clear the Chicago-based bank would not be welcome to do business in the state if it shut down the plant. “We weren’t going to invest if we thought we were going to lose our money and the company was going to fail. I mean, what are you accomplishing there? But we were driven by and attracted by

the fact that there were so many minority people working there at what was then high-paying jobs,” David Lubar recalled, noting the group felt they could at least stabilize the business. Part of the Lubars’ approach is partnering with company management, not just in developing a plan for a business, but in owning it. Sheldon said the most important thing in a manager is character and he looks for people with integrity and honesty who are proud of what they do. “That’s what I tell a person: Are you proud of what you do, can you announce it to the world and really feel that you’re respected?” he said.

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“There is no magic. There aren’t some people born great managers and some aren’t. I mean, you can be what you determine you want to be and if you’re fair and square with the people you’re associating with, they’re going to support you,” he added. David Lubar pointed out that the evolution of a management team can cut both ways with a team performing well in one economy and poorly in another. Measuring the performance of a management team also isn’t necessarily straightforward. Looking at revenues or profits may be a common way, but there are many factors influencing the top and bottom line besides the experience and decisions made by the CEO and the rest of the team, David said. “It becomes very subjective as to what’s a great team and what isn’t,” he added. “It can be something as basic as does the CEO trust us and do we trust that person and do we each have mutual confidence in each other that we’re working together and we have the long-term objectives of the company as our top priority?” The Lubars incorporate patience as a core part of their approach to companies and investments. “We don’t make impetuous, knee-jerk decisions,” David said. “We think things through, we ask for data, we collaborate with the management team to understand, ‘well, what is going on here?’” He pointed to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, when revenues in almost every Lubar business collapsed, as a moment that may have led to being overly reactive. He praised the firm’s management teams for instead coming together on worker safety and preparing for the unknown. David said it highlighted how competent and capable the teams are, even if it doesn’t show up in the financial results. Patience can be tested in other ways, too, like figuring out how quickly to grow a business in a time of changing markets and rapidly evolving technologies. “The faster you grow, typically, the more risk you take on,” David said. “Not always, but generally, because things are moving so much faster. With speed comes the possibility of errors and mistakes, but with speed comes rewards if you’re successful.” Patience and an investment philosophy can also be tested by a mergers and acquisition market that remained strong or even improved over the course of the pandemic. Billions of dollars are available at private equity firms and corporations to pursue deals, and more recently the rise of special purpose acquisition corporations, a vehicle for taking a company public overnight, has added even more money to the market. “There’s temptation to go outside whatever your investment guidelines are,” David said. “Well, if we want to make acquisitions, we have to compete with what’s happening in the market and so if the market is outside of one’s guidelines, then you have to either change your guidelines or say, during this period of time, you’re not going to be very active in 22 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

“ … Every day, in practice, you have to go out and make your own decisions and you’re experiencing things on your own. I’m guided and influenced by the family philosophy, but I think my reputation and my credibility is judged on the decisions I make every single day with my colleagues and with the customers I serve.” – Patrick Lubar

the market, and that takes discipline. So, sometimes we’re in the market and sometimes we’re not in the market.” “Whatever we do, you’re always sort of accountable to the market, otherwise you’re out of the game,” he added. With plenty of things to test their patience, how does Lubar & Co. go about making decisions? David said it is a collaborative process that involves gathering information, putting forward a thesis and challenging that thesis. “There’s kind of a little joke here that decisions make themselves,” David said. “You pull all the information together and if you’re looking at it, it’s like ‘yes, this is what we should be doing’ or ‘no, that’s what we should not be doing.’” For David, it is important to get input from as many people as is appropriate, which means the

group changes when the decision is about making an acquisition, changing accounting systems or hiring a new team member. “It’s all about getting input,” he said. For Patrick, the Lubars’ values of patience, trust, respect, integrity and support are things he tries to apply with his customers, but he is also aware the family name and its philosophy only carry him so far. “The family has developed a philosophy, but that’s all it is, it’s a philosophy,” he said. “So every day, in practice, you have to go out and make your own decisions and you’re experiencing things on your own. I’m guided and influenced by the family philosophy, but I think my reputation and my credibility is judged on the decisions I make every single day with my colleagues and with the customers I serve.” n

ANDREW FELLER PHOTOGRAPHY

STORY COVER

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Special Report MANUFACTURING

Data-driven ‘culture shift’ has helped Generac grow

24 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

PHOTO COURTESY OF GENERAC POWER SYSTEMS.

Above: Evolving technology helps to position Generac as a leader in manufacturing. Left: Generac continues to streamline productivity by using robotic computers to help assemble parts.

Right: Technology is an essential part of the assembly process at Generac.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GENERAC POWER SYSTEMS.

GENERAC POWER SYSTEMS is on the move. The company joined the S&P 500 this year and is on pace to generate revenues of more than $3 billion in 2021. During Generac’s first quarter, sales for its residential products – including standby generators – surged 110% over a year ago. Now the company plans to add capacity at its plant in Jefferson and open its new manufacturing facility in South Carolina sooner than expected. Home standby generator demand was already on the rise because of the “home as a sanctuary” trend, a term Generac coined to describe the growing work-from-home population. However, Generac also benefited from major power outages in Texas caused by winter storms earlier this year. What Texas experienced during the power outages only highlights the importance of power security in the home and workplace, Generac president and chief executive officer Aaron Jagdfeld recently told analysts in a first quarter earnings call. The company estimates that 4.5 million utility customers were left without power for several days, making it the fifth largest event recorded since Generac began tracking outages more than a decade ago. “This was a very unique winter event with unusually cold weather in a state that represents our second largest addressable market opportunity for home standby generators,” Jagdfeld told analysts. Generac doubled its capacity at Wisconsin plants compared to levels from 12 to 18 months ago, and now the company plans to double capacity for standby residential generators. The new 421,000-squarefoot manufacturing and distrubtion facility in Trenton, South Carolina is part of Generac’s strategy to boost production, Jagdfeld said. “That second line we’re adding in Wisconsin, the quicker ramp of South Carolina and then bringing on more equipment early next year is what gets us to doubling where we’re at today,” Jagdfeld said. “So, if we do get an active hurricane season, we feel like we would be ready for that.” Generac’s first quarter was its highest-ever quarterly revenue, increasing from $475.9 million to $807.4 million, or a 70% increase compared to last year. Net income also jumped to $149 million, or $2.33 per share, compared to $44 million, or 68 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2020. The manufacturer experienced broad-based growth across its entire business during the first

PHOTO COURTESY OF GENERAC POWER SYSTEMS.

BY BRANDON ANDEREGG, staff writer

Left: Tim Dickson, chief information officer of Generac Power Systems

quarter, prompting the company to adjust its guidance to about 40% to 45% growth compared to a previously reported range of 25% to 30%. If Generac, which crossed $2 billion in sales in

2018, were to hit its guidance, the company would have more than doubled its revenue since 2016 and quadrupled its revenue from 2011, which was $792 million.

A digital mindset Generac is in the midst of a digital transformation that is not only driving growth now, but also laying the foundation for the company’s future. It’s a melding of manufacturing and technology; leading that cultural shift is Tim Dickson, Generac’s first chief information officer. Dickson’s role at Generac is to scale the company’s global IT architecture and capabilities, which involves digitizing the customer experience, developing digital strategies and improving supply chain and logistics. The La Crosse native has never been a CIO himself, but has held IT positions with HP, IBM, Dell Inc. and Motorola Services and more recently, Laureate International Universities. Before hiring Dickson in 2020, the manufacturer didn’t have a CIO position. But as Generac acquired a series of clean energy and renewable energy companies, information technology became a focal point for the manufacturer’s evolving strategy, Dickson said. “It was really a huge paradigm shift for the company, the board and Aaron to now view IT as a strategic enabler for growing the business and to capture the growth that we’re experiencing right now,” Dickson said.

Generac began looking at its services and products through a more digital and data-driven lens, using mobile applications, recommendations, predictions and notifications to transform how customers and dealers experience products. Dickson says it was a transformation the company needed to make both internally and externally to compete in the clean energy and renewable energy market. “That’s just the way that this space operates and that’s just a little different than what the company experienced in the past 60 years,” Dickson said. As part of Generac’s digital transformation, the company also hired more software engineers and upskilled IT employees. Dickson also held the company’s first “hackathon,” which provided employees with an avenue to share pent-up ideation. Some employees offered ideas for growth and new business opportunities while others developed methods of automating processes that had been manual for years. Generac has since implemented nearly half of the ideas generated through the hackathon. “At the end of the day, it was a culture shift,” Dickson said. “A culture shift for not only my team, but also the other teams that participated. Now we have a model to quickly turn those ideas into real

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production of products and services and technology.” Another daunting initiative was to consolidate datasets across the entire enterprise, not only between business units, but also data generated by its products through Internet of Things technology. With an enterprise-wide data set integrated into one platform, Generac can use machine-learning algorithms and artificial intelligence to create valuable insights about its customers, products and business units, Dickson said. Building consumer profiles and understanding where to apply investment funds for promotions and campaigns are a couple of ways Generac is leveraging data. But the company can also use data to generate power scores, which highlight parts of the country that are most receptive to products in times of need and outages, Dickson said. In fact, Generac has more than one million backup generators on the marketplace, which emit data used to create 360-degree profiles of customers and to track how products are functioning. “IoT has always been a part of Generac, but leveraging that data in the mode of AI, in predicting, recommending and things of that nature I don’t think were part of the past,” Dickson said. “Those are some of the things I’ve brought into the culture.” n

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Special Report MANUFACTURING

Manufacturers will leverage digital sales strategies post pandemic BY BRANDON ANDEREGG, staff writer THE VIEW OF MANY manufacturing companies toward virtual experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic is pretty straight-forward: Zoom will never replace face-to-face interaction, particularly when it comes to selling a product or service. After all, the adage in manufacturing is “if the customer just visits my facility, they’re sold.” But in the absence of that physical interaction, sales teams became proficient at leveraging digital sales strategies, and Wisconsin-based manufacturers say they will continue to use these strategies to drive growth post pandemic. When the initial shock of supply chain instability eased, manufacturers began looking at how they could create more dynamic sales presenta-

tions. Part of that pitch included leveraging video, webinars and more targeted advertising, said Michelle Neira, senior communication manager at Innio Waukesha Gas Engines. “From a marketing standpoint, it’s getting creative with content and marketing strategy because a lot of that stuff is no cost, low cost,” Neira said. Video content will continue to play a critical role for Innio Waukesha Gas Engines’ digital sales strategy. The manufacturer has found success through partnership marketing initiatives where video content illustrates how customers are using their engines to power their business, Neira said. “We’re using more third-party testimonials, blogs and digital content to help promote our products,” Neira said. Manufacturing companies are also using virtual facility tours as a means for attracting new business, said Mary Scheibel, CEO of Trefoil Group, a local marketing agency that works with manufacturers. Where virtual tours served as a replacement during the pandemic, they are now leveraged as a lure on the front-end of the sales pipeline. Virtual facility tours are more than just a video showcasing the layout of a manufacturing facility. A well-constructed virtual tour will have inter-

views with key members of the leadership team who provide insight on a company’s culture and the innovative technologies that set their company apart from competitors. If a virtual video portrays scale and capability and highlights what makes a manufacturer unique, then it can take a sales presentation to the next level, said Bob Bordignon, MGS Mfg. Group senior vice president of strategic accounts. In a meeting with a Fortune 500 company, Bordignon could tell that a C-suite executive was not familiar with MGS manufacturing processes nor the company’s culture. However, a 10-minute video changed the course of the conversation. “Going into the video, a lot of questions. Coming out of the video, a lot of confidence,” Bordignon said. “They saw products being manufactured and an environment that was heavily invested in … and all of those things help them understand the culture, short of being face to face.” Virtual facility tour content can also be redeployed in other sales strategies, Scheibel added. A lot of companies will take snippets from virtual tours to create 30-second promotional videos for social media. These shorter videos will showcase a particular technology and are accompanied by

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CEO, AG Architecture

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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.

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.

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CEO Q&A

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BizTimes Milwaukee is proud to present the inaugural showcase of Notable Executive Assistants,

spotlighting

accomplished

professionals in the region. The individuals profiled on the following pages were nominated by their peers and showcase the diversity of talent in our market. The unsung heroes on this list keep their organizations running smoothly, playing a crucial role in the success of their companies and its leaders.

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 a review by our editorial team. To qualify for the list, nominees must be based in southeast Wisconsin.

GINNY CZARNECKI

KELLY HETHERINGTON

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

MUELLER COMMUNICATIONS

WALBEC GROUP

Whether you’re a corporate executive, a nonprofit leader or a highly regarded elected official, when Ginny Czarnecki calls, you answer, according to her boss, James Madlom, co-CEO (with Lori Richards) at Mueller Communications. “It might be her pleasantly persistent style — you know she’ll find you eventually — or the fact that she is likely calling on behalf of one of the many movers and shakers in Milwaukee that the firm represents, but Ginny always gets through,” Madlom said. In her nearly 30 years as executive assistant at Mueller Communications, Czarnecki has built relationships that have proved to be invaluable when a crisis hits, a vote count is needed on a key piece of legislation, or a quick connection is needed. The temporary move to working from home has made Czarnecki’s role even more complex as she navigates the firm’s executives’ schedules — which now include things like home schooling. Called a “scheduling ninja” by colleagues, she is a whiz with piecing together complex schedules, finding the right amount of time needed and getting everyone to the table. She also plays a supporting role in the community, holding numerous leadership roles in Executive Women International (EWI) of Milwaukee over the past 20+ years.

Juggling various tasks while keeping a team of executives on track is an important skill set that cannot be taken for granted. For the past 15 years, Kelly Hetherington has been using those skills to serve the leadership for the Walbec Group’s family of companies. “Her depth of knowledge, experience and willingness to go the extra mile enables her to provide the level of support our senior executives require. Requests come her way daily and she handles them with grace, accuracy and confidentiality. Hetherington’s superpower is her ability to bring harmony and positive solutions to teams. She is a patient and empathetic problem solver you can count on,” said Kurt Bechthold, chairman and CEO of the Walbec Group. “Kelly remains calm under pressure and carries herself with a positive attitude and willingness to always add value. She is highly organized and follows through with every commitment. Her unique talent is to anticipate the needs of the executive team before they even have to ask,” he added. Hetherington also supports initiatives throughout the organization. She helped launch the Women of Walbec Mentorship program and the new Walbec Achievement Awards.

Kelly Hetherington

CONGRATS KELLY!

2021 NOTABLE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AWARD WINNER wearewalbec.com

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Helping people reach their destinations with unparalleled heavy civil and site development design, engineering, and construction services. Together, we are Walbec – your infrastructure experts.

biztimes.com / 29

KAREN BELL

MARY HENSGEN AND KRISTINA FOWLE

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR OWNERSEDGE OwnersEdge is an ESOP holding company that has expanded rapidly since it was established in 2014. Executive administrator Karen Bell has been instrumental in creating, leading, managing and implementing strategic initiatives, new programs, processes and systems across the company and its four geographically dispersed affiliate companies since 2016, according to her boss, chief executive officer Lisa Reardon. Bell handles a large scope of responsibility in a fun, friendly, graceful, organized and professional manner, Reardon said. “She’s hungry to learn and eagerly takes on projects where she has little to no previous experience,” Reardon said. Bell reports directly to Reardon and also supports the CFO, CHRO and two executive VPs. She leads two executive assistants and created a centralized admin services group to ensure consistency among all companies. She is the director of internships and established relationships with area colleges and universities to recruit interns and develop a talent pipeline for future hires. In 2019 and 2020, she managed two expansions of QComp Technologies, including a 10,000-square-foot production facility addition. She’s currently the lead project manager for a $250,000, 12,000-square-foot technology showcase for Baycom and CC&N.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS

ROBIN BROTHERHOOD EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR ERC MIDWEST, LLC

HUSCO Mary Hensgen and Kristina Fowle, executive assistants at Waukesha-based Husco International, work together to support Husco chief executive officer Austin Ramirez, Husco chairman Gus Ramirez and the Ramirez Family Foundation. This is an incredibly dynamic and challenging job since it requires the ability to shift between being a traditional executive assistant, a personal assistant and a foundation executive assistant, according to Austin Ramirez. “On any given day, Mary and Kristina are required to shift gears between scheduling meetings with politicians or CEOs, taking dogs to the kennel, planning a major corporate event, reviewing scholarship applications, scheduling board meetings, processing a multimillion-dollar donation or any of a thousand other tasks required to keep the business and family running smoothly,” Ramirez said. Adding to the challenge is the fact that both Gus and Austin are constantly traveling and often managing multiple concurrent urgent priorities. “When I ask Mary or Kristina to take care of an item, I can immediately take it off of my mental to-do list because I know it will be completed on time and with a high degree of excellence. This is a huge boost to my personal productivity,” Austin Ramirez said.

Michael Malatesta, chief executive officer of ERC Midwest, LLC, had been told many times he needed an executive assistant. But, he said, it wasn’t until he met Robin Brotherhood in 2005 that he found out everyone was right. “When she walked into my life and business, things started to change for everyone. Robin knew what she was doing. She helped me break bad, long-established habits. She cleaned up my messes. But most of all, she became an extension of me, doing everything she could to free me up and keep everything that I had been doing moving along as well, or better, than I had been doing,” Malatesta said. “When I started a new company in 2018, Robin joined me. We combined three companies to start this new one and had no playbook. No problem. She just adapted, thinking her way through the new challenges, anticipating what needed to be done and offering to do it, without being asked, because she just knows how to make everyone around her more successful. “While she was doing all this, she also helped me get my podcast off the ground, booking guests, organizing details and making everyone feel like they’re getting a great experience.”

Congratulations Robin Brotherhood CONGRATULATIONS! All of us at OwnersEdge would like to congratulate Karen Bell on being chosen for the 2021 BizTimes Media Notable Women in Executive Assistant. We are proud of you Karen!

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE! ownersedgeinc.com N16 W23217 Stone Ridge Drive, Suite 250 Waukesha, WI 53188 30 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

Robin, You Rock! Thanks for keeping us moving forward – Your ERC Midwest – Teammates

Corporate Office 1400 N. 113th Street Wauwatosa, WI 53226 1-855-485-0450 • ercmidwest.com

SUSAN COTA

TAMMY KORLESKY

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CEO UNITED WAY OF GREATER MILWAUKEE AND WAUKESHA COUNTY According to her boss, Susan Cota has been instrumental in the work of United Way her entire career. “But over this last year her work has been truly exceptional,” said Amy Lindner, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County. Like all organizations, United Way had to make some extraordinary shifts in 2020. While many organizations had to make the tough decision to pull back on services, United Way had to figure out how to do more. “During this past year, we increased fundraising — including a first-ever dedicated fundraising campaign outside of our fall campaign period — helped backbone a community-wide mask-making effort before masks were widely available and increased funding and other support to both long-standing partner organizations and new organizations,” Lindner said. Cota led the key work needed for increased communication and collaboration with staff who were working remotely for the first time, the board of directors and key community volunteers and partners.

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR WEED MAN OF MILWAUKEE

CHERYL DATKA EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER QPS EMPLOYMENT GROUP

Tammy Korlesky has been a leader at Weed Man of Milwaukee for 15 years. Her role there started as customer service manager and evolved into administrative manager. For the last three years she has served as the executive administrator supporting chief executive officer Andy Kurth.

According to Anne Jabusch, assistant marketing manager at the QPS Employment Group, Cheryl Datka is the very definition of an unsung hero — someone who is gracefully behind the curtain, making sure everything is happening in an orderly fashion.

As Weed Man pivoted due to COVID-19, Korlesky’s leadership pivoted too, according to Shane Griffith, chief operating officer at Weed Man.

Just months shy of her 10th QPS anniversary, Datka is the executive administrative manager of the six-member executive team.

“She helped Weed Man develop new systems for entering orders efficiently and securely in a remote environment, orchestrated the details of an office remodel, and led a successful remote holiday party for the entire organization. She also spent time training the next generation of leaders, including our recently promoted administrative manager. With Tammy’s support, Weed Man of Milwaukee grew a staggering 27% during 2020 but maintained the family feel that we strive for,” Griffith said. Korlesky did this all while finding a little extra time to spend with her family and putting a few extra miles on the bicycle. She started her career in the green industry more than 35 years ago. She was a manager at a Jung’s Garden Center location near Madison for nearly 15 years.

But, Jabusch says, her impact can be felt on the entire 350-member organization and beyond. When the pandemic hit, Datka immediately started working to find health and safety supplies to ensure all 54 of the QPS branches could continue to operate safely. She ensured all branches had a site-specific safety plan. “Cheryl is the master puzzle-solver of calendar management. She supports QPS activities for the executives but also manages personal activities for our owners. One of our owners’ children is a budding NASCAR superstar and has had a chaotic travel schedule for years, and she arranges travel, hotel and personal appearances that have gone well beyond the scope of QPS,” Jabusch said. “Cheryl literally works with every facet of the company. She is the glue that holds QPS together.”

CONGRATULATIONS Susan Cota

and all Notable Executive Assistants In the almost 20 years that Susan Cota has served our community in her role at United Way, she’s supported three different CEOs, twenty board chairs, hundreds of colleagues and hundreds of volunteers. But most importantly, she has been a crucial part of the team that has raised and invested almost $1 billion in this community. Congratulations on this honor and your Live United team appreciates you!

for representing the best of our beliefs! From, Your QPS Family

biztimes.com / 31

REBECCA ESHLEMAN

JAN MITTELSTAEDT

JILL HARENDA

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT/ EXECUTIVE SALES ADMINISTRATOR

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

GOLDSTEIN LAW GROUP, S.C.

KESSLERS DIAMONDS Kesslers Diamonds can tell when something - or someone - really shines. According to her boss, Jan Mittelstaedt is a cut above the rest.

Goldstein Law Group, S.C. is a law firm serving local businesses with respect to workplace and corporate law.

“She has proven time and time again that she is the solder that holds our 100+ employees together. We have the pleasure of benefitting from 50 years of Jan’s experience as an executive assistant, and her positive attitude radiates through every task she completes on our company’s behalf,” said Joe Gehrke, CEO of Kesslers Diamond Center, Inc.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, the firm was faced with two immediate challenges: serving clients who were facing myriad questions relative to setting up remote operations, essential workforce, determinations, FFCRA, PPE, etc. and transitioning and shoring up its own operations.

A.L. SCHUTZMAN COMPANY With more than five years of experience in a professional office executive assistant position, Rebecca Eshleman skillfully manages administrative duties and client relations for her colleagues and customers at A.L. Schutzman Company and has a track record of strong performance in high-volume, high-pressure environments, according to colleagues. Eshleman has extensive experience with all administrative tasks, including correspondence and scheduling. Having previously held positions in the legal and business fields, Eshleman is able to tailor her skills to meet the needs of various clients. As executive assistant and executive sales administrator, she ensures the smooth operation of the company with her robust knowledge of the snack foods industry and efficiently handles new customer accounts while working with different teams throughout the company, said Angeline Phillips, e-commerce sales administrator at A.L. Schutzman. Eshleman also provides support to the research and development team by constantly bringing new and innovative ideas that keep A.L. Schutzman competitive in a fast-growing market.

OFFICE MANAGER

Mittelstaedt maintains and coordinates contract agreements, board presentations, and radio audits. She even ensures every employees’ dedication is recognized with an annual anniversary card in the mail. COVID-19 brought challenges to businesses in the past year. But while Kesslers was shut down as a non-essential business, Mittelstaedt helped manage relationships with the company’s radio station partners. She spent four to five months managing these relationships on a weekly and monthly basis while the business recovered from a two-month shutdown.

Office manager Jill Harenda took charge of the second so the attorneys could attend to the first. In May 2020, the firm turned its focus to returning to the office. Harenda took the lead setting up health and safety protocols, securing PPE, and procuring air filters (and filing for a city of Milwaukee grant to cover the cost). “None of this was easy, or anything anyone was truly prepared for, but in the end, we didn’t miss a beat. Of course, this is the very reason such efforts rarely get noticed,” said Mark Goldstein, principal attorney at the Goldstein Law Group, S.C.

“It was because of her relationships with these stations that the company was able to strike the right balance between supporting our partners and ensuring we would re-emerge from the pandemic with an eye towards the future,” Gehrke said.

Congratulations Jill! GREAT SNACKS GREAT JOBS GREAT PAY

AND

WE’RE

HIRING!

The pandemic presented a challenge like no other, but also an opportunity to step up and to demonstrate, to our clients and also to ourselves, who we are and what we’re about. Onward!

goldsteinsc.com • 414-446-8800 161 South First Street, Suite 400 Milwaukee, WI 53204

32 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

SUE HERZOG

JENNIFER RZEPIEJEWSKI

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

Herzog processes subscription requests and manages all circulation calls and emails. She is the main point of contact for all event sponsors, coordinating all details of sponsorship inclusions. She also programs online ads daily for BizTimes eNewsletters, records invoices and journals all receivables in QuickBooks. If all that wasn’t enough, since she joined BizTimes Media in 2017, Herzog has assisted with event coordination and other virtual and onsite event registration and set-up responsibilities. According to colleagues, she provides outstanding customer service by connecting with clients on a personal level. “Sue is detailed oriented, organized, and efficient in completing tasks both small and large. Her cheerful disposition and dedication drive her to provide outstanding customer service to our clients, quickly building relationships and achieving positive outcomes. Overall, Sue’s work ethic combined with her easy-going personality make her a valuable part of our company,” said Mary Ernst, BizTimes Media director of operations.

VJS CONSTRUCTION SERVICES Jennifer Rzepiejewski joined the VJS Construction Services, Inc. team in 2017 and has been an incredible asset ever since, according to colleagues. “Her reliability and dedication to the company makes everyone’s jobs easier, especially the executives. She anticipates needs and keeps her team organized and aware of schedules and deadlines. Jenny is always willing to go out of her way to help someone in need,” said Jason Schneider, vice president at VJS. Along with her regular duties, Rzepiejewski sits on the VJS Wellness Committee and VJS Culture Strategic Initiative. These initiatives are credited with helping VJS be recognized as a “top workplace” and “best place to work” consistently since 2018. More important than Rzepiejewski’s administrative skills, according to Jake Jorgensen, director of strategic integration, is her personality and attitude, which create a positive impact on the entire office. “Jenny is enthusiastic and excited to come to work every day. She goes above and beyond to form a personal relationship with every employee and truly embodies the VJS culture. Jenny goes out of her way to be inclusive. Her positive attitude raises the energy level of the office and makes people happy. Jenny is always there for her coworkers no matter what her workload is like,” he said.

Congratulations Sue Herzog!

BizTimes Media is proud to recognize you as an outstanding 2021 Notable Executive Assistant! “among the most patient people I’ve ever met.”

“detail oriented, organized and efficient.”

“hands down the best executive assistant we could have asked for” “friendly diligence… relentless organization… She’s an incredible member of your team.”

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

BIZTIMES MEDIA BizTimes Media couldn’t highlight Milwaukee’s too-often-unsung heroes — the executive assistants that help keep Milwaukee’s most forward-thinking companies moving forward — without profiling its own secret weapon, Sue Herzog.

DONNA JESKE

ROCKWELL AUTOMATION Donna Jeske has had a wide-reaching impact on the evolution of Rockwell’s culture. The positive energy she brings to this highly visible role is a perfect complement to the significant changes Rockwell is making, according to her boss, Blake Moret, chairman and chief executive officer of Rockwell Automation. “The work is serious, but Donna fosters a spirit of collaboration that people can feel, regardless of their role. This sense of shared purpose is always desirable, but at no time more than during the last year, when people have often felt alone, tense, and anxious about the future,” he said. “Donna maintains this positive energy across the wide spectrum of people who contact this office, from customers to board members to employees. She is firm when needed, but she also champions the idea of personal accessibility across business functions and levels that is a prized part of Rockwell’s culture. Combining these attributes with a legendary work ethic is a rare talent.” Jeske often serves as a conduit between the outside world and what goes on inside Rockwell. Many community leaders go out of their way to remark on how much they enjoy working with her, Moret said.

Congratulations Donna! We’re proud to see you selected as one of 2021 BizTimes Media Notable Executive Assistants

“professionalism, commitment to helping sponsors and friendly personality. It’s a pleasure working with Sue!”

You are invaluable!

Donna Jeske Executive Assistant to the Chairman & CEO

biztimes.com / 33

JANET MUSHALL

WENDY SCHLEY

LIZ SYRRAKOS

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE DEANS

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

GRAEF

KORB + ASSOCIATES

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY Beginning 13 years ago when Janet Mushall first came to Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) to assist Curt Gielow as the founding executive dean of the then-new CUW School of Pharmacy, her immediate impact on the planning, organizing, preparing and operational execution of the new school was evident. Her skills in multi-tasking, event planning, delegation and general management were immediately challenged, according to Gielow, president/owner of Gielow Ventures. “She was responsible for the furniture and finishing coordination of the new pharmacy school building. A few years ago, she took responsibility for a similar role in the development of the new Batterman School of Business in the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center on campus. Her involvement in support of the executives for whom she worked was, and continues to be, substantial,” Gielow said. In Mushall’s personal time, she founded Meghan’s Mission. Based in Sussex, the organization is dedicated to providing financial support to needy families with loved ones going through breast cancer treatment. This effort is in memory of her oldest daughter, Meghan, who died of breast cancer at age 32.

Since 1993, Wendy Schley has been an asset and a positive influence at GRAEF, a Milwaukee-based multi-discipline, engineering, planning and design firm. She always ensures that the firm is productive and well cared for, coworkers say.

As an integral team member at Korb + Associates (formerly Korb Tredo Architects) for more than 8 years, Liz Syrrakos continues to successfully support a dynamic working environment, according to her boss, owner/principal Jason Korb.

They say Schley’s helpful and collaborative working style makes her a trusted and approachable member of the GRAEF team. She often comes in on weekends or stays late to support teammates with complicated invoicing, onboarding employees, planning events, and making sure things are ready for the next business day.

“She is driven, outcome focused, and thrives in the pressure of her position. Liz is a stage 3 cancer survivor with exceptional positivity who believes in the importance of increasing the quality of life, in all capacities, for all people. With this focus, she also spends a great amount of time volunteering at various organizations around Milwaukee,” Korb said.

When COVID-19 impacted where staff could work and meet, Schley made sure that everyone was prepared, comfortable and that potential issues were preemptively resolved. She volunteered to safely come into the office to practice/prepare for high-profile meetings so teammates could continue to work safely at home. Schley notices when teammates are working long hours and will get them snacks and dinner so they can power through long nights. She also goes out of her way to make celebrations personal, especially for last year’s virtual holiday party. “Clients often share that they want to work with ‘a Wendy’ In their office,” said Justyce Dixon, corporate communications lead at GRAEF.

Syrrakos not only works directly with Korb, which enables him to successfully manage the office, but also offers her assistance to the busy management team. Over the past year, she has supported the office through the adjustment of working remotely. Syrrakos researched policies for best practices during the pandemic and helped staff during this transition. She helped to maintain a cohesive working environment by coordinating office virtual happy hours, welcoming new staff and encouraging office-wide morale.

Korb + Associates Architects is honored to have Liz Syrrakos as part of our team. Congratulations on being selected as one of this year’s Notable Executive Assistants.

Congratulations JANET MUSHALL! The entire Concordia community is grateful for your uncommon dedication.

CUW.EDU | CUAA.EDU 34 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

WANDA SOVA

LAURIE SIEHS

ERIKA ZIGNEGO

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

SENIOR EXECUTIVE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR/ OFFICE MANAGER

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

ASSOCIATION OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS

LOCKTON COMPANIES

Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, offered several reasons why Wanda Sova is a Notable Executive

Laurie Siehs is a senior executive business administrator/office manager of Lockton Companies’ Milwaukee office.

Assistant. “Wanda is a highly productive, proactive, professional and well-respected member of the team,” Slater said. According to Slater, Sova: • Manages, develops and mentors the AEM administrative team that supports all areas of the organization. • Has been instrumental in developing and managing AEM’s internship program, which has created a talent pipeline for the organization. • Led an internal team to create company health and safety guidelines related to COVID-19. • Leads AEM’s internal office culture task force. • Organizes the Investors Conference at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the largest construction trade show in North America. • Is an integral member of the Annual Conference planning team and co-creator of the crisis management plan for the Annual Conference.

Siehs is a perfect representation of the Lockton corporate motto — “We live service!,” according to Sean Coykendall, a producer at Lockton. Since she joined the company in 2013, there is no job or task that Siehs doesn’t jump into both feet first, he said. Siehs has: • Led Lockton’s office/real estate build out. • Plays a key role in coordination of Lockton’s local COVID response. • Leads and coordinates the company’s charitable efforts including United Way, local food banks, and at-risk youth organizations. • Organizes and plays host to signature corporate events. • Oversees the company’s multi-state recruiting efforts. “We’ve even had clients ask to interview her and have her take personality tests from their own HR departments because they were looking to find someone as close to her attitude and skillset as possible,” Coykendall said.

METRO MLS Erika Zignego has worked for Metro MLS as CEO Chris Carrillo’s executive assistant for five years. Besides assisting Carrillo, she is the vice president of accounting, oversees human resources and manages numerous Metro MLS programs. Metro MLS is a multiple listing services that serves more than 9,000 realtors in Wisconsin. “Erika is an unsung hero who plays a critical role in Metro MLS’s success and ability to impact the real estate industry locally and nationally,” Carrillo said. “Erika was a big proponent in implementing Metro MLS’s Teams program over the last year. The program makes it easier for brokerage team members to work together in the MLS system. More than 150 teams have signed up for the program so far.” When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Zignego helped launch TrustFunds, a safe way to transfer property transaction funds, which has been a big hit with members. She also manages Metro MLS’s photographer program, vetting and training photographers so they can reliably assist realtors. “Erika is truly an advocate for our members and Metro MLS. She does a tremendous job of building relationships and assisting members with any questions to make sure they are satisfied with their membership,” Carillo said.

CONGRATULATIONS ERIKA ZIGNEGO NOTABLE ASSISTANTS EXECUTIVE

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leader Lori Richards) at Mueller executive, a nonprofit Madlom, co-CEO (with Whether you’re a corporate to her boss, James answer, according Czarnecki calls, you fact that she is likely eventually — or the Communications. know she’ll find you but Ginny persistent style — you that the firm represents, “It might be her pleasantly and shakers in Milwaukee one of the many movers calling on behalf of relationships Madlom said. Czarnecki has built always gets through,” or a at Mueller Communications, a key piece of legislation, as executive assistant count is needed on In her nearly 30 years a crisis hits, a vote be invaluable when that have proved to navigates needed. more complex as she even quick connection is role ninja” has made Czarnecki’s Called a “scheduling to working from home like home schooling. The temporary move of time neednow include things schedules — which finding the right amount the firm’s executives’ together complex schedules, is a whiz with piecing by colleagues, she to the table. Executive Women leadership roles in ed and getting everyone holding numerous role in the community, She also plays a supporting the past 20+ years. of Milwaukee over (EWI) International

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ORDER YOUR REPRINTS!

2021 NOTABLE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

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.

Congratulations Erika on being named a 2021 Notable Executive Assistant! Thank you for your tireless efforts and commitment to Metro MLS. biztimes.com / 35

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Strategies LEADERSHIP

Navigating the waters of pandemic transition Adaptability and flexibility of leaders will be tested IN EARLY MAY 2020, I wrote an article with a similar title, “Navigating the Waters of Pandemic Grief.” We were a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotions ran high. Fear. Uncertainty. Grief. The collective loss during these past months was unspeakable. Daily we watched on television screens, numbers of people hospitalized, on ventilators, and dying from COVID-19. To date, the number has risen to nearly 600,000 deaths in the United States alone. We continue to experience collective loss, trauma, and grief. No one has been immune. When the pandemic began, we anticipated that we would be on the other side of it within a few months. Instead, after 14 months, we are just now beginning to look forward to the possibility of returning to normal. Except it will not be normal. We will be asked again to change our patterns of work, to engage in person, to have our children return to the classroom with safety protocols including masks, distance, etc. And change, even good change, comes with corresponding loss. Ask any new parents about their sleep after one month with their first child. We have navigated the waters of the pandemic and the corresponding loss with more courage than we may have realized. And while there is

hope on the horizon with the number of people receiving vaccinations, there is yet another big wave of uncertainty coming. And again: Emotions run high. Fear. Uncertainty. Grief. Employees have adjusted to working from home. Some even prefer it. There are employees who have come to appreciate flexibility in their schedules, adjusting their work time as they integrated the responsibilities of family life. I spoke with an employee who said that, while working from home, he often responded to emails late in the evening, without giving it a thought, because he had control over his time. During the day, he may have taken a walk, thrown in a load of laundry, etc. So, working late in the evening was not uncommon because he had control of his time. As we anticipate this new transition for work, leaders will be met with varying stages of loss and grief from employees. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross defines the stages as: » DENIAL: “This can’t be happening.” » ANGER: “Why is this happening to me?” » BARGAINING: “I’ll do anything to change this.” » DEPRESSION: “What’s the point of going on after the loss?” » ACCEPTANCE: “It’s going to be OK.”

examine?” (Those behaviors that are repeated over time without conversation and agreement.) What agreements may still work? Which need to change? If we expect employees to return to the office full time, for example, will we expect them to answer emails, complete reports, etc. after business hours? » What is the necessary and effective communication to employees, stakeholders, etc. if we change the invisible agreements that evolved during the pandemic? » What is my responsibility to create a “welcome back” experience that matters to employees? (Resource: “The Power of Moments” by Chip and Dan Heath) » And finally, “What is my Plan B for my Plan A?” We can do hard things. We have and we will. We will navigate the challenging waters of our new normal with courage, creativity, compassion, flexibility and grace. We will stumble, but we will do it together. “Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” – Steve Jobs n

WHAT WILL BE REQUIRED OF LEADERS IN THE NEXT TRANSITION? Adaptability and flexibility will be characteristics of leaders that will be tested, strengthened and required in this evolving post-pandemic transition as leaders respond to the individual and collective needs of their employees. Questions for leaders to consider are: » “How can I be responsive and adaptive to the needs of my employees?” » “How will I recognize the stage of loss/ grief an employee is in, and how might I best respond?” » “How will I lead with compassion, empathy and gratitude?” » “What invisible agreements do we need to

KAREN VERNAL Karen Vernal is a consultant and close advisor for Vernal LLC, a Milwaukee-based leadership and organizational firm. She can be reached at Karen@ccvernal.com. biztimes.com / 37

Strategies OWNERSHIP

Ensuring a smooth transition Keys to a successful ESOP PART 2 OF 2

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of two columns featuring an interview with Bill Goggins, CEO of Harken Yacht Equipment in Pewaukee. Harken sold itself to employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan trust in 2020. This column discusses what it takes to be a successful employee-owned business. For the founders, Peter and Olaf Harken, was it all about leaving a legacy? GOGGINS: “Yes and no. While legacy was important to Peter and Olaf, it was more the Harkens wanting a business that could last in perpetuity (in modern business jargon, ‘business sustainability’). And it was also about rewarding employees for getting Harken to its current level of success. As long as I have known the Harken brothers, caring for the employees here has always been their number one priority.” What was the reaction of the employees when they learned they were becoming employee owners? “Most were shocked but in a good way. It was truly amazing the news didn’t leak in advance. Most employees didn’t know what becoming an ESOP really meant, and they certainly didn’t fully understand the ‘What’s in it for me?’ question. So, the education of the team here was, and still is, su38 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

per critical. We had major initiatives for our team’s education. We hosted a live online panel discussion, also recorded for replay. Education and communication will be one of the keys to our success. “Another key success factor is our strategic planning process. We’ve engaged in a formal planning process since 2015 and this drives high levels of accountability within our executive team. We meet quarterly as well as annually. We set 3-year, 1-year and 90-day goals. We’ve also pushed this process down to the next levels of management. If we’re going to be successful, we must be accountable.” You have a big team around the world. Because an ESOP is a U.S. entity, the non-U.S. employees cannot participate in the ESOP. What was the remaining global employees’ reaction to the sale to the U.S. employees? “Their first reaction was truly relief. Everybody appreciated having a succession plan in place. Everyone believed this was a much better outcome for the team than a sale to a private equity firm or another outside company. One strength of our culture is our ‘One Harken’ mentality.” Let’s talk about culture. In your view, what are the key culture characteristics for an ESOP to be successful? “Number one is having leadership that is service oriented. Our workforce cares about quality and shares Harken’s core values. We have done and continue to do an excellent job of making hiring decisions based first on a culture fit, and only then on experience and education. We have a team that is committed to the Harken mission. “I also believe, in addition to great leadership, you need followership. This means teammates who are willing to be bold. We have always been good at long-term thinking and taking calculated risks. Peter and Olaf always had a willingness to invest in their business, especially in downturns.” Does the ESOP give you any special competitive advantage? “Yes, for sure. Many advantages, actually, but I am really most excited about the possibility of fu-

ture acquisitions. The ESOP creates an attractive option for other business sellers who share common values. The ESOP is an excellent qualifier for companies that are a good cultural fit. Harken wants companies we acquire to be ‘cut from our cloth.’” As CEO, does the ESOP change anything for you personally? “Not as much as you’d imagine. We have always strived to take care of each other as if we were family. Harken will always be Peter and Olaf’s company, and now, it is in our care and custody. It’s a huge honor and responsibility.” So, there it is – a brand-new ESOP company. Great for Harken, great for Wisconsin, great for business. Congratulations, Harken! n

JOHN HOWMAN As a serial entrepreneur and business and community leader since 1983, John Howman has led a variety of businesses, from technology to consumer products companies. He leads two groups for Vistage, a professional development group for CEOs, presidents and business owners. He can be reached at JHowman@AlliedCG.com.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Swimming with the sharks Business lessons learned from popular TV show DURING EACH EPISODE of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” you see budding and experienced entrepreneurs jump into the shark-infested waters looking for a deal. While many are quickly attacked and devoured, others survive. So, let’s explore why some get a deal and others don’t. During each episode the inexperienced entrepreneur will tend to make the same critical mistake: They overvalue their business. They also see market potential that cannot be supported by their current and past financials. The multiples they use are not based on reality, but what they believe the company will be worth. A number of the sharks are quick to point out the flaws in the valuation and challenge the company’s value. In many cases, the entrepreneur is unable to defend the valuation, and the sharks attack. The result is “I am out,” and there is no deal. Let’s look at a positive example from a past episode. Two young entrepreneurs Joe Demin and Rachel Connors developed Yellow Leaf Hammock in 2012, a business that directly hired weavers from small villages in Thailand. Their colorful cotton rope hammocks provide employment and income for these villagers and their families. The business has a dual mission, fostering sustainable economic development for marginalized individuals and empowering women to become breadwinners. Their presentation in May 2020 attracted interest and investment from Daniel Lubetzky, the executive chairman at Kind snacks. He invested $1

million for 25% of their business. This is the largest investment ever made on the show. Yellow Leaf Hammocks are now part of the furnishings on Carnival Cruise ships. Many of the successful entrepreneurs who are looking for a deal have demonstrated growth in sales over a number of years. Others base their projected sales growth on limited market research and incomplete sales cycles. Many of these businesses are based on “niche” products or services and don’t have the wide appeal to be successful. The reality is that a number of these entrepreneurs are myopic and don’t see the big picture. They underestimate the financial challenges they will face as they try to fund the scaling of their business and their increase in market share. Many have personal debt, SBA loans and in some cases established relationships with shareholders. As they share these obligations with the sharks, the pie gets smaller and the sharks are less interested. All of these elements are important factors in establishing the value of their business. The entrepreneurs who get a deal come with a clear vision of what they want to achieve and what they are willing to give up in order to bring a shark onboard. In some cases, they have their eyes on a particular shark, who they feel will enhance their business and bring the necessary skills and funding required. Many times a particular shark will discuss how they can take their business to the next level. In some instances, more than one shark will team up to make a deal, bringing multiple skillsets to their business. How do we translate what we see on the screen each week into our businesses? We must be mindful of the lessons from the members of “Shark Tank” when we enter the financial marketplace looking for funding to expand our businesses. 1. Prepare a multi-year business plan demonstrating your sales history and your strategies for future growth. 2. Be able to articulate who your target customer is and how you plan to reach them. 3. Discuss the multiple channels you will use to deliver your product. For example, webbased sales, retail distribution channels, wholesale distribution, and in some cases

franchising. 4. If you have invested in a patent, copyright or other intellectual property protection, make sure the potential investor knows that fact. This is seen as a major asset to your business and can prevent competition from entering the market. 5. Have detailed up-to-date financials that show cashflows, profitability and inventory valuations, including aging. The sharks have turned down opportunities when there was too much invested in raw materials and finished goods inventories. In order to raise operating funds, they needed to liquidate all or a portion of their inventory. 6. More than once the sharks asked the customer acquisition cost. This is a cost you should know. There is no doubt you will need to field tough questions from potential investors and funders, but are you ready to face the sharks? n

CARY SILVERSTEIN Cary Silverstein, MBA, is a speaker, author and consultant, a former executive for Gimbel’s Midwest, JH Collectibles, and a former professor for DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School. He can be reached at csilve1013@aol.com. biztimes.com / 39

Strategies

Tip Sheet Avoiding workforce overload

any workers are familiar with the feeling of having more work to do than time in the day. Authors Erin Kelly and Phyllis Moen explored that idea in “Overload: How Good Jobs Went Bad and What We Can Do About It,” a book published in

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2020 and adapted for an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Kelly, an MIT professor, and Moen, a University of Minnesota professor, studied the IT division of a Fortune 500 company using interviews, surveys and a work redesign initiative called STAR (short for Support, Transform, Achieve Results). Voluntary departures were 40% lower for those who participated in the redesign. NOT JUST BALANCE The authors point out that looking at the problem as an issue of work-life balance risks making it seem like an issue only for mothers, involved fathers or those caring for older relatives. “… overload affects both men and women, at all ages and life stages. At TOMO (the pseudonym for the Fortune 500 company), for instance, younger workers, singles, and people with few or no family responsibilities also felt overwhelmed and overloaded at work,” the authors write.

EMPLOYEE CONTROL, MANAGER SUPPORT The work redesign included individual teams making decisions about how to make their schedules more flexible and reduce low-value tasks. The teams also received eight hours of training spread over three months so they could put ideas into practice in between sessions. Managers also received training on how to be more supportive of employees’ personal lives and used an app that “created new habits by nudging them to act in more explicitly supportive ways.” CLEAR DIRECTION The authors note that “when work is demanding, it is essential for managers to give employees clear direction on their performance, goals, and priorities. “Otherwise, there is a risk that employees will be judged on how many hours they are working, how visible they are to their bosses, and how quickly they respond in a chaotic environment – not on what they are contributing.” n

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BIZ PEOPLE

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

ARCHITECTURE FIRM

ARCHITECT

Kahler Slater Hires Chris Jann as National Business Development Director. Kahler Slater hired Chris Jann as National Business Development Director supporting the Higher Education market. In his role, Jann will develop client relationships, guide strategic pursuits, and advance our growth within higher education.

CONSTRUCTION

Balestrieri Environmental Welcomes Amanda Stellberg as Marketing & Safety Coordinator. Balestrieri Environmental & Development is excited to welcome Amanda Stellberg to the team as Marketing & Safety Coordinator. Amanda will assist with marketing strategy, and maintaining the high safety standards set in place for the field team.

AG Architecture welcomes Katie Miller as Director of Business Development

AG Architecture, an award-winning architectural and engineering firm that continues a more than 50-year commitment to the design of innovative senior living environments across the United States as well as a portfolio of local senior living, multifamily and mixed use/retail projects, is pleased to announce the addition of Katie Miller as Director of Business Development. Miller looks forward to applying her 25 years of valuable marketing, fundraising, relationship building and leadership experience to support AG’s collaborative process and commitment to enhancing a sense of community.

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FINANCIAL SERVICES

WFA Asset Management Corporation names Marilou F. Davido CPA, CFP® as equity partner. WFA Asset Management Corp is proud to announce that Vice President Marilou Davido, CPA, CFP® has been promoted to shareholder. Since her hiring in 2015, Marilou has continually demonstrated her commitment to our firm, our clients, and our profession. Marilou brought her experience as a CPA to WFA when she started as a member of the tax team before steadily increasing her responsibilities and role within the firm as well as becoming an Investment Adviser Representative (Series 65) and earning her Certified Financial Planner® designation. She has been and will continue to be a vital part of WFA’s long-term success.

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HEALTHCARE

Cedar Community names new CEO

Cedar Community is pleased to announce that Nicole Pretre has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Nicole has 20 years of experience in the healthcare and senior living sector. She is a Credentialed Gerontologist and holds a B.A. in Journalism and Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a M.S. in Gerontology and Management of Aging Services from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Nicole serves on the West Bend Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Washington County Board of Directors. She is a steering committee member of Milwaukee Women inc, and a member of TEMPO Milwaukee.

MANUFACTURING

Glenn Rieder Names New President

Tom Donohue has joined Milwaukeebased Glenn Rieder LLC as President of the specialty manufacturer and architectural millwork contractor. He has spent 27 years in the general contracting industry most recently as President of Suffolk Construction.

GET THE WORD OUT! News? Press Releases? Awards? Show them off in BizTimes’ new BizUpdates section. Submit your company news at biztimes.com/bizconnect

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BizConnections VOLUME 27, NUMBER 4 | MAY 24, 2021

GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR

126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120

Rebuilding Grand Avenue This May 1913 photo from the D. Mueller Collection shows the reconstruction of Grand Avenue, now West Wisconsin Avenue. The photo was taken looking east from North Third Street. Businesses in the photo include United Cigar Stores Co. and Dr. Chas. Erven, Union Dental Co. on the left side of the street and The Majestic Theater on the right. The theater was built in 1908 and closed in 1932. — Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Public Library/ Historic Photo Collection

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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 Brandon Anderegg brandon.anderegg@biztimes.com REPORTER Maredithe Meyer maredithe.meyer@biztimes.com

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COMMENTARY

Vaccines restore normalcy AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR of social distancing and mask-wearing requirements it was absolutely huge news when the CDC announced new guidelines saying that people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine no longer need to wear a mask or practice social distancing, in most situations. The news came on the same day city of Milwaukee officials said they would lift occupancy and gathering-size limits for businesses and events. Those limits forced the cancellation of many events and have been devastating for many businesses, especially bars and restaurants. The elimination of COVID restrictions will provide a much-needed boost to the economy. Progress has been made in the fight against COVID. The CDC’s announcement came after more than 117 million Americans, or about 35% of the population, had been fully vaccinated. The seven-day average for the number of 44 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin fell from 808 on April 15 to 437 on May 16. And that’s way down from the peak of the virus in Wisconsin, Nov. 18, when the seven-day average of new cases was 6,563 per day. It’s clear the vaccines work and are slowing the spread of COVID-19. CDC director Rochelle Walensky said the vaccines have proven to be effective at preventing people from getting the virus, and vaccinated individuals that do get the virus are likely to have a less severe case and are less likely to transmit it to others. The vaccines have also been proven to be effective against COVID variants, she said. While it’s great news that vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear masks or socially distance, it’s incredibly important to remember this pandemic is not over. The devasting impact it’s having in India is proof. Vaccine hesitancy remains a problem. We still need a lot more individuals to get the vaccine to reach 70% to 80% of the total population and achieve herd immunity, otherwise the risk of the virus continuing to circulate, mutate and flare up will continue. Hopefully the CDC’s new recommendations will serve as motivation for more people to get their COVID shots. The CDC had been

criticized for being too cautious about its guidance. Indeed, people need an incentive to get the vaccine, otherwise what’s the point? Those who are doing our part to protect ourselves and our community deserve the right to get life back to normal. Those who continue to avoid the vaccine are putting themselves at risk, but that’s on them. There has been plenty of opportunity to get it. All Wisconsinites, 16 years old or older have been able to get a COVID vaccine since April 5. And now, anyone between 12 and 15 can get the Pfizer vaccine. More good news: BizTimes Media will resume live events with the Family & Closely Held Business Summit on June 29. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of virtual events and Zoom calls. It’s time to get together again in person. Hope to see you there! n

ANDREW WEILAND EDITOR

P / 414-336-7120 E / andrew.weiland@biztimes.com T / @AndrewWeiland

NONPROFIT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN MOVING HQ TO MILWAUKEE Citing a shift in its service delivery and work model, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc. plans to move from its current headquarters in Greendale and will establish a new headquarters within its James O. Wright Center for Work & Training at 6055 N. 91st St. on Milwaukee’s far northwest side. The organization is listing its Greendale campus, located at 5400 S. 60th St., for sale. In an announcement, the organization said the decision to sell its office was prompted

by the organization’s focus on a service delivery model that “addresses the need for services to be more deeply embedded in the communities where Goodwill operates businesses and provides mission programs.” With the building sale, a total of about 165 employees, including its leadership team, will receive new work locations and be distributed across Goodwill’s territory at locations in Milwaukee County, Waukesha County and Racine County as part of the community-based model. — Lauren Anderson, staff writer

c alendar

nonprofit

SPOTLIGHT

K IDS FROM WISCONSIN 640 S. 84th St., Milwaukee (414) 266-7067 | kidsfromwisconsin.org Facebook: facebook.com/kidsfromwi Twitter: @KidsfromWI Instagram: @KidsfromWI

Year founded: 1969

Girls on the Run Southeastern Wisconsin is hosting its Virtual 5K and

Mission statement: The Kids

Beyond between Sunday, May 30 and Saturday, June 5. Runners and walkers are encouraged to complete the virtual 5K, 10K, marathon or marathon relay anytime between those dates. More information is available at girlsontherunsoutheasternwi.org/Virtual-5K.

From Wisconsin’s objective as a statewide organization is to be a partner, connector, and megaphone for the arts in the communities they perform.

Impact 100 Greater Milwaukee will host its annual awards ceremo-

ny on Wednesday, June 2 from 5-8 p.m. at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee. More information is available at impact100mke.org. The Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery will host the 5th annual Run With Angels 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, June 12, at 6018 Superior Ave. in Kohler. The beneficiary of the event is Lemons of Love, a nonprofit organization that creates and delivers special care packages for cancer patients and children in Wisconsin and Illinois hospitals. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., followed by the run/walk at 9:30 a.m. Awards and live music will follow. More information is available at theblindhorse.com.

D O N AT I O N R O U N D U P Sendik’s Food Markets made a $116,150 donation to Milwaukee-based Sojourner, which provides emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence. | American Family Insurance and the Brewers Community Foundation donated $50,000 to provide 500 Milwaukee families with one-year memberships to the Urban Ecology Center. | The Yabuki Family Foundation made a $100,000 match grant to support the Milwaukee Public Museum and provided 4,000 museum memberships for Milwaukee families. | Batteries Plus donated smart bulbs valued at $24,000 total to Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. | Kohl’s committed $50,000 to serve as lead sponsor for Milwaukee Film’s Cultures & Communities initiative. | The United Community Center received a $50,000 matching gift challenge from an anonymous donor to raise funds for its new Early Learning Center.

Primary focus of your nonprofit organization: The Kids From Wisconsin create a musical production that offers a professional touring/performing experience as a trajectory for young adult performers. Other focuses of your nonprofit organization: Year-round

education of youth through handson performing arts workshops and music curricula in underserved schools that engage and assist in creating a well-rounded student. Key donors: Inpro Corp., Fluno Family Charitable Fund, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, Bader Foundation, The Rea Charitable Trust, We Energies Foundation and the Krause Family Foundation Executive leadership: Tina Weiss, managing director; Michael Damien Sander, executive director

Board of directors: Tim Riesterer, Dr. James P. Maney, Jr., Kent Hoffman, Tony Maze, Thomas J. Nolte, Katharine A. Azzolina, Joyce Bobber, Gabriella Deyi, Barbara I. Dorn, Scott Girmscheid, Michelle Meronk, Mark A. Juds, Charlie Krause IV, Rich Mannisto, Robert Radke, Louis Williams, Taras Nahirniak, Michael Sander, Tina Weiss Number of employees at this location: Two Is your organization actively seeking board members for the upcoming term? The organization is currently undergoing strategic planning. The leadership team is actively seeking board members to lead in financial/treasurer and public relations roles. Ways the business community can help your nonprofit: • Support through financial contributions. • Volunteers at summer performances/workshops. • Meal provisions during tour season or at shows. • Office equipment needs. • Donated printing services. • Offer matching funds for contributions. • Help share the mission through word of mouth and social shares.

biztimes.com / 45

BizConnections

TERRY LEAHY |

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Blending purpose and profit Terry Leahy is chief executive officer of MyPath, an Oconomowoc-based, employee-owned family of companies that provide specialized education, therapeutic and community support services for high-need individuals. Leahy shares how MyPath has confronted workforce challenges by giving ownership to its employees. “Who cares for us, and how do we take care of them? It’s a simple question that has been front and center since the COVID-19 pandemic changed all of our lives more than a year ago. “But for leaders in the health and human service industry, this dilemma was top of mind well before the pandemic struck. For years, the demand for services has exceeded the supply of caregivers. Employers in our industry desperately seek new ways to enhance recruitment and staff retention in a field where compassion and skills can’t be captured in a hiring algorithm. “Guided by a core principle of passion for the people we serve and the work we do, but confronting severe competition for qualified caregivers, MyPath has carved out a unique ap46 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 24, 2021

proach. Since 2002, we have offered our employees the opportunity to blend purpose and profit by participating in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. In 2016, the ESOP acquired 100% of the company’s shares. “With our ESOP, every one of our ‘Co-Owners Who Care’ has a direct stake in the success of the 2,000 people we serve each year. If they succeed, we succeed. This has enabled us to grow to the point we are now the third largest health and human services ESOP in the nation. And more than 1,000 MyPath ESOP plan participants enjoy the benefits of employee ownership. “The benefits of the ESOP for our caregivers are tangible. More than $20 million in benefits has been distributed to retiring co-owners, while

MyPath Oconomowoc Industry: Disability services & support organization mypathcompanies.com more than $30 million is held in trust for future distribution. Since the ESOP began, annual growth in the share price has exceeded 15%. Beyond dollars, the ESOP represents a philosophy of how we manage the business. As co-owners, everyone has a right – and a responsibility – to speak up about what they see in their daily environment. “In the end, our mission is to transform lives – not just those we serve, but those who provide care. By enabling our co-owners to share in the fruits of their hard work, we can offer a career path that is challenging, rewarding, and always changing.” n

JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

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