BizTimes Milwaukee | May 27, 2019

BAUMGARTNER GETS THINGS DONE Bravo! Entrepreneur: Lifetime Achievement Award winner

plus MARY LOU YOUNG LEAVES MARK ON NONPROFIT, FORPROFIT SECTORS 25 EL-AMINS CREATE INCLUSIVE ECOSYSTEM TO REVITALIZE MILWAUKEE 28 EVEN AFTER TOPPING INC. 5000, ENTREPRENEURSHIP DOESN’T GET ANY EASIER 32

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MAY 27 - JUN 9, 2019 » $3.25

15TH ANNUAL BIZEXPO | MAY 30TH | SEE PAGE 55 FOR FREE ONSITE REGISTRATION.

Presents:

Thursday, June 13, 2019 | 7:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Italian Community Center

An Owner’s Guide to the Future

We’re surrounded by inevitable changes, from AI to generational workforce shifts, but not all change is progress and sometimes knowing what shouldn’t change is more than half the battle.

Join nationally-recognized futurist David Zach for some fascinating forecasts and clear-headed observations about what traditions we should hold onto.

Featured Presenters: • Dan Ariens, Chairman & CEO, Ariens Company • Nick Chiappetta, COO and Tony Chiappetta, CEO, Chiappetta Shoes • Jerry Weidmann, President, Wisconsin Lift Truck, part of Wolter Group LLC • Paul Bartolotta, Chef and Co-Owner and Keith Trafton, COO & Managing Partner, The Bartolotta Restaurants

ZACH

Moderator: • Dr. David Borst, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Family Business Leadership Partners

ARIENS

N. CHIAPPETTA

T. CHIAPPETTA

WEIDMANN

BARTOLOTTA

TRAFTON

BORST

Roundtable Discussions: After the presentations, roll up your sleeves and join the 12 concurrent roundtable sessions led by family & closely-held company leaders. Confirmed roundtable speakers:

NICK CHIAPPETTA Chiappetta Shoes

TONY CHIAPPETTA Chiappetta Shoes

BILL EDSTROM Avidity Sciences

BOB PIEKENBROCK

PATTY PIEKENBROCK

Crescent Electric Supply Company

Crescent Electric Supply Company

JAKE HANSEN Jacsten Holdings

JAMES PHELPS JCP Construction

JAY KOENITZER Helwig Carbon Products

MARIA RUPENA KARCZEWSKI

Rupena’s Fine Foods

SAM MAGLIO Maglio Company

RICK SMITH raSmith

ROBYN TRESTER-VAUPEL

Trester-Metropolitan

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BizTimes Milwaukee (ISSN 1095-936X & USPS # 017813) Volume 25, Number 5, May 27, 2019 – June 9, 2019. BizTimes Milwaukee is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January, July and December by BizTimes Media LLC at 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120, USA. Basic annual subscription rate is $42. Single copy price is $3.25. Back issues are $5 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 2019 by BizTimes Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Contents

4 Leading Edge 4

5 6

7 8 9

NOW

BY THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE SCENES MY FAVORITE TECH BIZ POLL WHAT I’M LISTENING TO JUMP START THE FRANCHISEE QUOTE/UNQUOTE

10 BizNews 10 THE INTERVIEW 11 FAMILY & CLOSELY HELD BUSINESS SUMMIT PREVIEW 12 MADE IN MILWAUKEE

14 Real Estate 16 Golf in Wisconsin COVER STORY

18

43 Startups and Innovation 46 Strategies

Baumgartner gets things done

Special Report

46 INNOVATION Dan Steininger 47 MANAGEMENT Aleta Norris 48 TIP SHEET

51 BizConnections

17 Applause!

Meet the winners of the Bravo! Entrepreneur and I.Q. (Innovation Quotient) Awards, the Woman Executive of the Year, the Regional Spirit Award winner and the Lifetime Achievement Award winner, plus all the main stage event panelists for BizExpo 2019.

51 PAY IT FORWARD 52 GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR COMMENTARY 53 AROUND TOWN 54 MY BEST ADVICE

WE’RE PROUD TO BE

WISCONSIN’S BANK FOR BUSINESS ™

414-273-3507 | townbank.us JAY MACK President & CEO

JOHN JOHANNES Executive Vice President, Commercial Real Estate

DENNIS KRAKAU Executive Vice President, Commercial Banking

biztimes.com / 3

Leading Edge

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

NOW

Willie Wade

Employ Milwaukee CEO faces federal charges in alleged strip club bribery scheme

By Lauren Anderson, staff writer Willie Wade, former Milwaukee alderman and current chief executive officer of Employ Milwaukee, has been charged with three counts of wire fraud for an alleged scheme in which he falsely claimed he was negotiating on behalf of a current Milwaukee alderman to accept a bribe for a vote approving

licenses for a downtown Milwaukee strip club.

Wade obtained $30,000 in cash in the alleged bribery scheme, said the office of Matthew Krueger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Each wire fraud count has a maximum penalty of 20 years

BY THE NUMBERS

Haribo plans to make

132

MILLION

pounds of gummi candies annually after its facility in Pleasant Prairie is operational in 2021.

4 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.

Wade, 56, represented Milwaukee’s 7th District as alderman from 2003 to 2016.

He left the Common Council to join Employ Milwaukee, then known as the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, in early 2016. In 2018, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett selected Wade to succeed Earl Buford as president and chief executive officer of the organization.

Representatives with Employ Milwaukee didn’t respond to requests for comment.

According to the indictment, the alleged wire fraud was related to an unnamed company’s application in 2016 for a license to operate a strip club in downtown Milwaukee. That company could be Silk Exotic, which in May 2017 was granted Common Council approval for its license application to operate a strip club on North Old World Third Street.

The strip club, located at 730 N. Old World Third St., opened in 2018 following legal battles with the city.

According to the indictment, Wade told an unnamed local business owner with an interest in the company that he could obtain votes in support of the license application, but “would need to be paid.”

Wade told the individual that a

payment of $15,000 would result in a “done deal,” the indictment said.

He later sought to increase the bribe amount by giving a handwritten note to the business owner, demanding “20k cash by midnight Sunday night.” Wade said the note contained the current alderman’s “conditions,” and that, if the alderman didn’t receive a bribe, he planned to abstain from the vote.

The alderman was not aware of Wade’s representations and had never offered or agreed to accept a bribe, according to the indictment.

According to the indictment, Wade obtained an initial payment of $15,000 on May 8, before the Licenses Committee voted on the application, and a second $15,000 payment on May 9, after the full council approved the application.

The Common Council approved the proposal in a 10-5 vote.

The aldermen who voted in favor of the strip club application were: Ashanti Hamilton, Cavalier Johnson, James Bohl Jr., Khalif Rainey, Bob Donovan, Chantia Lewis, Michael Murphy, Mark Borkowski, Anthony Zielinski and Russell Stamper. The aldermen who opposed the strip club application were: Nic Kovac, Robert Bauman, Milele Coggs, Jose Perez and Terry Witkowski.

Representatives with Silk Exotic didn’t respond to requests for comment. n

1

BEHIND THE SCENES

BEHIND THE SCENES TAMMY CHATMAN, FLIGHT FOR LIFE

Flight for Life Safety Day

By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer

W

aukesha-based Flight for Life is known for saving lives with its emergency medical transport services.

But before crewmembers of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center nonprofit service can provide care, they undergo extensive training.

Once per year, all FFL staff from its three air bases, in Waukesha, Fond du Lac and McHenry, Illinois, and its Kenosha ground base gather for its annual Safety Day. Training topics include correct body mechanics for loading and unloading a patient cot, map reading, weather reporting and survival training.

“FFL’s yearly Safety Day gives us an opportunity to prepare and plan for the unexpected,” said Matt Reinhart, program safety officer. “It enhances our ability to respond quickly and appropriately to unplanned situations.” n

1

Eric Furbee, a critical care transport paramedic, ventilates a human patient simulator in the back of an ambulance.

2

Eric Furbee and Tiffany Mundt, a transport nurse, work with the human patient simulator in the back of an ambulance.

3

A FFL team participates in emergency landing training with the FFL egress trainer, which is elevated and moves back and forth to simulate turbulence.

2

3

4

5

4

Kira Dimitrijevich, FFL-Kenosha transport nurse, and Carly Behrens, FFL-Kenosha critical care transport paramedic, in the back of the FFL egress trainer.

5

Rich David, now-retired FFL-Waukesha and Richfield flight paramedic, reviews proper procedure for loading an isolette into the aircraft. biztimes.com / 5

Leading Edge

BIZTIMES MEDIA – Like us

BIZ POLL

A recent survey of BizTimes.com readers.

Should Congress be permitted to review President Trump's tax returns?

YES:

NO:

54%

46%

MY FAVORITE TECH ROMKE DE HAAN Romke de Haan, principal consultant for GuidePoint Security LLC, helps businesses address IT security and modernization at GuidePoint Security.

From privacy to productivity, the Milwaukee-based technologist has found a few tools that work for him.

1Password “Using platforms like 1Password allows the app to create and manage your passwords so you don’t actually have to remember them.

And most importantly, they are unique for each account. I would recommend having an individual complicated password for this and the email service you use that you can remember just in case you need to revalidate the account.”

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

What I’m

LISTENING TO ROSS LEINWEBER Founder Bold Coast Capital

PLURALSIGHT “I love learning. Being a technologist, you have to stay on top of what’s hot and upcoming in tech. Pluralsight has some of the most amazing courses for the geek in you to acquire new knowledge or sharpen those skills further. At only $35 a month for personal usage, the investment goes a long way. I try to do at least one module a day and it’s been a huge boost in my knowledge.”

TILE “I have no idea what my life was like before tile. Spending hours trying to find my keys or wallet has been reduced to seconds with these lovely devices. You just simply attach it to your keys, or slide a Tile Slim into your wallet and you are now connected to the location of that item while it’s in your phone range. You can also connect the app to Siri. About once a week, I’m instructing to Siri, ‘Find my keys.’ What a time and stress saver!”

WINSTON “One of my favorite hardware devices that is just launching this spring is the Winston home privacy device. I got to take this for a test over the winter and I am a total fanboy over it. It secures and protects your home from identity theft and keeps your connections private.” n 6 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

The Twenty Minute VC Host: Harry Stebbings ROSS LEINWEBER listens to a number of podcasts, but his favorite is “The Twenty Minute VC” because of its time-efficient, structured approach.

Host Harry Stebbings gets some of the most lucrative industry guests, said Leinweber, founder of Milwaukee venture capital firm Bold Coast Capital.

“He’s been doing it for an extended period of time so he’s established and because he’s an established player who’s been around for a period of time, he gets great guests,” Leinweber said.

When he has a spare minute (or 20, in this case), Leinweber likes to devote it to discovery on topics of interest to him. This one is right in his wheelhouse – and it doesn’t hurt that Stebbings has an interesting British accent.

“I think they give you great perspective on the mindsets of investors and business builders,” Leinweber said.

Hearing the emotion in the voice of an investor describing his or her journey makes podcasts a great medium for this topic, he said. n

LOCATION: Cream City Labs, 733 N. Van Buren St., Milwaukee

LILA ARYAN PHOTOGRAPHY

PYTHONIC AI FOUNDERS: Matt Younkle and Baoqiang Cao FOUNDED: March 2019 PRODUCT: Automated medical records review platform WEBSITE: pythonic.ai EMPLOYEES: Two GOAL: Finish building the product EXPERIENCE: Younkle is an inventor of TurboTap, and previously co-founded Madison startups Cardigan and Murfie.

Cao founded Chicago startups Motor Salutem and legalchrome.com, and previously worked in machine learning and data analysis at American Family Insurance.

Experienced entrepreneurs automate medical records review

By Molly Dill, staff writer

Baoqiang Cao and Matt Younkle

MILWAUKEE-BASED Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. recently selected Milwaukee startup Pythonic AI as the winner of its second Reverse Pitch MKE competition.

Pythonic co-founders Matt Younkle and Baoqiang Cao triumphed over six other teams in the pitch contest. They will receive a seed investment of up to $85,000 from Northwestern Mutual, and a spot in its Cream City Labs innovation space at 733 N. Van Buren St., next to the company’s downtown headquarters.

In Reverse Pitch, Northwestern Mutual executives present their business challenges to entrepreneurs from around the country. Entrepreneur teams come up with solutions, then pitch them back to the company.

Pythonic AI uses machine learning and natural language processing to automate portions of medical records review in the life and disability insurance sector. The aim is to incubate the software platform at Northwestern Mutual and then market it to other insurers to speed the underwriting process, Younkle said.

Pythonic AI’s MedReviewer platform not only helps streamline processes and create economic value for Northwestern Mutual, but also provides access to a big addressable

market, said Karl Gouverneur, corporate chief information officer and head of digital innovation at Northwestern Mutual.

“We know that there is a need to reduce the amount of review required to analyze PDF medical records in the underwriting process for an insurance policy or evaluating a claim,” he said.

Younkle, 45, and Cao, 43, met about a year ago. They had already been exploring the application of machine learning to understanding medical documents, Younkle said.

Younkle and Cao are working with underwriters at Northwestern Mutual to understand how they currently evaluate medical documents and what items they are looking for in the risk assessment process so they can build a taxonomy into the platform.

“There will need to be a degree of customization,” Younkle said. “When you attempt to automate something, it’s important that it fit in really nicely with existing workflows.”

The co-founders’ current goal is to create a minimum viable product with the funding from Northwestern Mutual.

“We’re very early stage, so we’re in development right now,” Younkle said. “We’re working toward a pilot.” n biztimes.com / 7

Leading Edge

@BIZTIMESMEDIA – Real-time news

the

FRAN C H I S E E Jeff Liegel and Chad Stevenson.

S&L COS. CULVER FRANCHISING SYSTEM LLC

S & L opened its first Florida restaurant in 2014 in Fort Myers.

“We were looking at more restaurants out of state because Wisconsin was pretty built out, and (Art and Deb) were getting close to their retirement years and just didn’t feel comfortable taking on debt and new partners and things like that,” Stevenson said.

THE FRANCHISE: The Culver family opened the first Culver’s restaurant in 1984 in Sauk City.

Thirty-five years later, Prairie du Sac-based Culver Franchising System LLC has grown to more than 700 franchise locations in 25 states, including more than 50 throughout southeastern Wisconsin. Portage-based S&L Cos. is the largest franchise group for Culver’s, operating 33 locations, with five more being developed, in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Florida. It owns two, soon-to-be three, locations in Kenosha.

1994 Art and Deb Stevenson found S&L Cos. and open their first Culver’s restaurant in Portage. Their sons, Jeff Liegel and Chad Stevenson, work at a Culver’s in their hometown of Reedsburg during high school. After graduating, each attends one year of college before joining the family business.

2010 Liegel and Stevenson purchase S & L Cos. from their parents. The company had built its first outof-state restaurant in Kokomo, Indiana in 2006.

The company’s most recent opening in Brownsburg, Indiana.

“We had a lot of Midwest people familiar with Culver’s, and where do they go in the wintertime? They go to Arizona and Florida,” Liegel said.

2015 S & L expands into Florida, adding five restaurants during the next two years. The first is in Fort Myers, which is where Art and Deb spent their winters.

S & L’s partner group at the company’s convention earlier this year in Nashville.

8 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

2018 S & L has a record year, adding nine new restaurants to its portfolio. Some of those locations are acquired, but most are developed. The company currently has 1,900 employees and has operating partners at all but two of its 33 restaurants.

THE FRANCHISE FEE Culver’s franchisees invest $55,000 to acquire an individual franchise for a 15-year term.

“If we go and look for a site for the next Culver’s, it’s because we have somebody who wants to go there or they own a restaurant – it’s not Chad and I going out and thinking about another one we need to own. It’s definitely for them,” Liegel said.

“ QUOTE

unQUOTE

C Y N T H I A L AC O N T E

”

CEO, T H E D O H M EN CO. At BizTimes Media’s recent M&A Forum at The Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, The Dohmen Co. CEO Cynthia LaConte shared her lessons learned about mergers and acquisitions. The company, which last year sold its Life Science Services business to Chicagobased Water Street Healthcare Partners and New York City-based JLL Partners, has divested and acquired several segments over the years. It recently transitioned from a family-owned corporation to a benefit corporation owned by a private foundation. n

“Acquisition just shouldn’t be something that you do opportunistically.”

“For the folks in the room that tend to get a little squeamish about the soft stuff like vision and values, I would suggest to you to rethink that because your company’s core ideology is, in my opinion, the single most powerful tool that you can use to make decisions about your growth strategy.”

“Always run your business like you’re going to keep it forever. You’ve got to have the power to leave the table and walk away from the deal.”

“Compartmentalize and make interchangeable to the extent you can the operations of your business. If you want the flexibility of being able to sell a portion of your business while you build and grow other areas, you need systems that can easily unplug and plug into the buyer’s systems.”

“Just like you wouldn’t have one stock in your portfolio, never be just one thing in your business. And don’t let your business get stuck in the rut of thinking of itself as one thing.”

“You can recover from paying a little more for a company or conceding on a deal term or two, but you cannot recover from getting into a non-growth area or buying the wrong company within it.”

biztimes.com / 9

BizNews

the

Interview

MADISON-BASED American Family Insurance announced earlier this year plans to

open a downtown Milwaukee office that will house positions related to data analytics and business innovation, agent recruitment and development, along with areas focused on community issues and investment. The announcement coincided with the insurance company’s new 15-year naming rights agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers to rename Miller Park after the 2020 season. Leana Nakielski, American Family’s new strategic partnerships director, recently spoke with BizTimes Milwaukee reporter Lauren Anderson about how she is helping lay groundwork for the new Milwaukee operation.

How have your background and experiences brought you here?

“After graduating from UW-Madison, I came to Milwaukee for what I thought would be a summer internship in 2003, but 10 years later I was still with that amazing organization, which was Growing Power. I ended up leaving Growing Power in 2012 to launch the development program at Highland Community School, where my three children attend. I went on to work for the Hispanic Chamber for a short time and then the Greater Milwaukee Committee (as their first development director) prior to my role now with American Family. I’ve been in the nonprofit sector for the last 16 years, doing very community-based and grassroots level, relationshipdriven work. So this transition to American Family, with the strategic partnerships focus, the community impact focus, and bringing together a lot of different players in the community around what we’re trying to achieve – it’s a natural evolution for me.”

What is your role?

“It’s a new role in a new division, Inclusive Excellence, our diversity and inclusion strategy, so it’s a lot of building and creating as we go. I’m charged with two main priorities. The first is helping shepherd forward the launch of an expanded corporate workplace in downtown Milwaukee, which was announced earlier this year. The other major aspect of my work is forming strategic partnerships for talent pipeline development and community impact. We’ll partner with community organizations, universities, K-12 schools and other business partners to help support, or possibly create, programs, events and activities that benefit youth, young adults, and people seeking to skill up or switch careers.”

What kinds of jobs will the new Milwaukee office house?

JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

“Our new building in Milwaukee is really about creating a thriving urban workplace and hub that supports our vision for the future of work, creating meaningful organizational and community impact for our employees, our community and our customers. The claims, legal and sales departments from our Pewaukee office will move to this office. We’ll look to add corporate roles such as marketing or data science or finance – that’s a little bit to be determined. But it’s certainly meant to be high tech and other roles we see being able to fill with talent pools in Milwaukee.”

What do you envision Am Fam’s connection to the startup community being?

“We recently announced sponsorship of the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center with UWM, which is a great resource for the university, campus and Wisconsin. Last fall we launched the Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, which functions like a VC firm aiming to invest in scalable companies with a double bottom line of social and financial return. Our Milwaukee building will also have a Dream Bank, similar to the Spark building in Madison, where people can gain access to resources, tools, programs and events to help them achieve their dreams, and if becoming an entrepreneur is one of them, we’re happy to help support that.” n 10 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

Leana Nakielski Strategic partnerships director, American Family Insurance 6000 American Parkway, Madison Employees: 8,100 amfam.com

EVENT PREVIEW

Futurist David Zach will provide insight at Family & Closely Held Business Summit

ZACH

Annual BizTimes event to be held on June 13

By Andrew Weiland, staff writer NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED futurist David Zach will provide a business owner’s guide to the future as the keynote speaker for the annual Family & Closely Held Business Summit, presented by BizTimes Media.

The event will be held on Thursday, June 13, from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago St. in Milwaukee.

Zach will provide forecasts and observations about the business world, covering topics ranging from artificial intelligence to generational workforce shifts.

Zach has delivered presentations throughout North America and Europe to more than 1,500 clients, ranging from the American Bankers Association to the Oklahoma National Guard. He has served on the board of the American Institute of Architects.

Following Zach’s 30-minute talk, four Wisconsin family business leaders will provide insights, philosophies and stories about how they have navigated the complex issues related to growing a successful closely-held business.

Those speakers will include: »» Dan Ariens, chairman and chief executive officer of Brillion-based Ariens Co.

»» Paul Bartolotta, chef and co-owner and Keith Trafton, chief operating officer and managing partner of Milwaukee-based The Bartolotta Restaurants »» Nick Chiappetta, chief operating officer and Tony Chiappetta, chief executive officer at Chiappetta Shoes »» Jerry Weidmann, president of Brookfield-based Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp., which is part of Wolter Group LLC Following their remarks, there will be a Q&A with Ariens, Bartolotta, Trafton and Weidmann, led

by David Borst, executive director and chief operating officer of Family Business Leadership Partners.

After the presentations, there will be 11 concurrent roundtable sessions led by family and closely-held company leaders from area businesses. The roundtable discussion leaders will include: »» Nick and Tony Chiappetta »» Bill Edstrom, Jr., former family business owner, shareholder, Avidity Sciences »» Jake Hansen, principal, Jacsten Holdings »» Jay Koenitzer, stockholder and board member, Helwig Carbon Products Inc.

»» Sam Maglio, president, Maglio Cos. »» Jacqueline L. Messler, Trusts, Estates & Succession Planning Attorney, Davis|Kuelthau »» Bob Piekenbrock Jr., Founding Member, Schmid Family Council and Patty Piekenbrock Reiman, Schmid Family Council Founding Member and Communications Director, Crescent Electric Supply Company »» James Phelps, president, JCP Construction LLC »» Maria Rupena Karczewski, president, Rupena’s Fine Foods »» Richard A. Smith, CEO, R.A. Smith Inc. »» Robyn Trester-Vaupel, president, Trester-Metropolitan The Family & Closely Held Business Summit is sponsored by Davis & Kuelthau, The Riverwood Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley, National Exchange Bank & Trust, and SVA. Vistage, Family Business Legacy Partners and the UW-Madison School of Business family Business Center are event partners. n

Register today at biztimes.com/family

ARIENS

BARTOLOTTA

TRAFTON

N. CHIAPPETTA

T. CHIAPPETTA

WEIDMANN

MEET BETTER. EVENTS THAT WORK

BizNews

New CEO targets more aggressive growth for Custom Equipment TERRY DOLAN has spent three decades working in the equipment industry, primarily with larger manufacturers. When he started talking to Richfield-based Custom Equipment LLC, he saw a smaller business with great products that filled a niche in the market.

“What I saw was they needed some more strategic direction and needed just to continue to energize this business to really meet more aggressive growth targets,” Dolan said.

Dolan started on Jan. 3 as president and chief executive officer of the company, which was acquired

by Michigan-based private equity firm Stratford-Cambridge Group in late 2017. Prior to joining Custom Equipment, Dolan was president of the U.S. and Latin American markets for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.

He also previously was executive vice president at Waukesha-based Generac Power Systems Inc. and held positions with Case Corp. and Ingersoll Rand Inc. Steve Ellis, chairman of Custom Equipment, said Dolan’s background is a perfect fit for the company.

“He has a strong proven background in construction equipment and channel development and has extensive knowledge of the rental industry both in North America and internationally,” Ellis said.

Custom Equipment makes the Hy-Brid brand of scissor lifts used primarily by trades in the construction industry for working at heights of up to 22 feet. The company sells push-around models that users 12 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

move manually and two types of self-propelled lifts, a pro series and a lift with zero turning radius.

Dolan said the lightweight, low ground pressure design of Hy-Brid Lifts is a key differentiator for Custom Equipment.

“When general contractors or people in the trades are looking to have more units on a platform, whether they’re refurbishing a building or designing and building a new building, they can get more of their workers working at height at the same time,” he said.

Dolan said Custom Equipment also works to promote lifts as an alternative to ladders.

“Ladders are probably the No. 1 cause of injuries on job sites,” he said, noting a ladder requires a user to hold on with one hand and work with the other, while lifts offer the safety of being connected with a lanyard. “You also have the ability to lift 500, 550, in some instances 700 pounds at full height. You can get one or two people up there working freely with their hands, maneuvering on this platform.”

Custom Equipment actually got its start making lifts that could handle heavy weights and two people on a platform for mausoleums and crematories.

“It’s a very small market, it’s very niche, but it’s kind of how the company got started,” Dolan said.

Dolan’s first few months on the job have primarily been spent meeting with key customers and understanding how end users work with the company’s lifts. Custom Equipment primarily sells to rental

Terry Dolan took over as CEO of Custom Equipment LLC on Jan. 3.

CUSTOM EQUIPMENT LLC 2647 Highway 175, Richfield

INDUSTRY: Mobile elevating work platforms EMPLOYEES: 50

hybridlifts.com

companies, who in turn rent the lifts to contractors or tradespeople.

“We’re doing a lot right now on strategic planning to expand our channel, our paths to market,” Dolan said.

Specifically, he said the company would like to target other industries outside construction, including manufacturing, data centers or hospitals.

The challenge in reaching those markets comes from customers being aware of the brand and its potential as an alternative to using ladders, Dolan said.

Like many manufacturers in the region, the company is also dealing with the lack of available labor in a low unemployment environment.

Dolan said the company has around 50 employees currently across facilities in West Bend and Richfield, and has increased staffing by 20% to 25% already this year.

To find more help, Custom Equipment is working with GPS Education Partners to bring in high school students and partnering with a staffing firm and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections work release programs to hire people going through welding training

programs.

Dolan said the company has also had to get creative, offering part-time and flexible shifts to people looking to pick up extra hours at a second job. Most of those hires have added to staffing on second shift or on the weekend, he said.

“They’re always with other people who are full-time members of the team, but it really has brought in some great talent for us,” Dolan said. “It was an interesting approach for our HR group to take a look at and for the management team, figuring out how to manage it.” n

ARTHUR THOMAS Reporter

P / 414-336-7123 E / arthur.thomas@biztimes.com T / @arthur8823

STUFF made and built in southeastern Wisconsin

Recruit tomorrow’s workforce Changing the image of careers in manufacturing and the skilled trades in Wisconsin.

Space reservations now open for STUFF Southeast Participate in the 3rd annual edition of STUFF Made & Built in SE Wisconsin to raise awareness and recruit employees – going directly to junior high, high school and college students as well as workforce centers throughout the region.

Southeast Edition: 2018 Association Partners: STATE OF WISCONSIN

Publishes: August 2019 | Space reservation: July 10, 2019

To reserve a profile, biztimes.com/stuff2019 Contact Linda Crawford today at advertise@biztimes.com or 414-336-7112

THESE COMPANIES ARE HIRING! Thank you to our 2018 profile participants!

Real Estate

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

CITY OF KENOSHA

The city-owned site that may soon be home to a new residential development, with the 5th Avenue Lofts development just beyond that.

CURTIS WALTZ, AERIALSCAPES INC.

Kenosha seeks residential projects to continue downtown revitalization

IF THE CITY of Kenosha had its way, a now-vacant site in its downtown would soon be home to its latest significant residential development – something that officials say is needed to continue to build up the area.

At the beginning of May, the city

BIRD’S EYE VIEW: 94 LO G I S T I C S PA R K Logistics Property Co. LLC is developing a three-phase industrial park near the intersection of 38th Street and 128th Avenue, just west of I-94, in Kenosha.

Aaron Martell, executive vice president of the Midwest region for the Chicago-based firm, said construction is progressing on Phase I of the project with Building One, a 750,000-square-foot speculative building, set to be completed in the third quarter. Building Two, a 290,000-square-foot spec development, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

Phase II includes 106 acres with 1.7 million square feet of planned development, while Phase III calls for another 824,000 square feet of development on a 51-acre site. LPC plans to break ground on those phases in 2020 or 2021.

Construction is ongoing on the first phase of the 94 Logistics Park development in Kenosha.

14 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

issued a request for proposals for the construction of a new multi-family development at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, just a block away from the lakefront. The city would like to see construction begin next year.

Zohrab Khaligian, Kenosha community development specialist, said the RFP represents the latest example of the city taking an active role to help reshape its downtown.

These initiatives started to ramp up in 2016, when Mayor John Antaramian was elected, Khaligian said. The mayor returned to office after retiring in 2008, at which time the city had identified a number of problem properties in the downtown area.

Many of those blighted properties still were in 2016, so Antaramian vowed to have the city actively invest in them, Khaligian said.

If something is redeveloped at the site identified in the RFP, it would join other multi-family offerings such as the 5th Avenue Lofts, which is immediately north of the redevelopment site. The 104-unit apartment complex finished up about two years ago, said S.R. Mills, chief executive officer of Kenosha-based Bear Development

LLC, the developer on the project.

Reaching further back, Khaligian pointed to HarborPark, the former American Motors Corp. location that has since been cleaned up by the city and now includes the Kenosha Public Museum, the Civil War Museum, an electric streetcar system, Kenosha HarborMarket and a mix of townhomes, condos and apartments.

The city acquired that site in 1994 and around 2000 began putting in the necessary infrastructure, Khaligian said.

“That was a big shot in the arm for downtown because the biggest thing that was missing was there weren’t enough rooftops in the downtown … to provide (demand) for commercial and retail uses,” he said.

Mills said downtown Kenosha still needs more residential in order to be strengthened.

“I think when we look at successful downtown revitalization efforts, usually everybody wants retail and more restaurants and shops, but the cornerstone of that (revitalization) typically is more rooftops,” he said.

Mills said his firm selected the site for 5th Avenue Lofts because it represented the largest possible impact for downtown.

“There were other pad-ready sites that would have worked as well, but this site also presented a pretty big negative as it was a … functionally obsolete industrial building that wasn’t being used,” he said.

Of course, downtown Kenosha has other recent developments going for it beyond residential.

Heather Wessling Grosz, president of Downtown Kenosha Inc. and vice president of economic development at the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, pointed to the Stella Hotel & Ballroom. The hotel and event location is in the transformed former Heritage House Inn and Elks Club building at the southwest corner of Eighth Avenue and 57th Street.

“That (project) I think definitely is a catalyst,” she said.

Altogether, over the past few years there has been between

$40 million and $50 million in investment in downtown Kenosha, Wessling Grosz said. This includes the Stella hotel project, investments by small businesses, and municipal projects such as widening sidewalks and rebuilding streets.

The city also has other properties that still need redevelopment.

Two significant examples are the Alford and Barden’s buildings, both large former department stores. Khaligian said so far the Barden’s building has had some traction, with the first floor being used by a craft brewery to expand and the second being used as a banquet facility.

The Alford building, however, presents challenges. For one, it is in worse condition than the Barden’s building. Its interior layout is challenging, too, in that the middle floor of what appears to be a three-story building from the outside is actually a mezzanine, Khaligian said.

Large former department store spaces aside, downtown Kenosha is doing well with retail. Alexandria Robinson, Downtown Kenosha Inc. executive director, said the small boutique storefronts in the area are filled. Further, the group’s façade grant program has enough interest that applicants are being turned away.

The annual State of the Downtown event was held in mid-May, highlighting all the work and accomplishments happening in downtown Kenosha.

Perhaps next year, attendees will be talking about a new residential development going up near the lakefront. n

UGLY BUILDING: STEEPLEHOUSE GRILL There is a sign in front of the building at W282 N7298 Main St. in Merton identifying it as the Steeplehouse Grill, even though that restaurant has never opened.

The property’s former owner, Don Shrader, in 2013 secured approvals from the village to renovate the building and operate a restaurant there. Tom Nelson, Merton’s village administrator, clerk and treasurer, said the building was undergoing renovations until 2014, when Shrader ran out of money.

Then in 2018, Shrader told the village that even though the property was now owned by Indiana-based WJH Real Estate LLC, he was still in control of it, Nelson said.

Village officials are now waiting to see what will come of a foreclosure of mortgage court case over the property. A status conference on the case is scheduled for early June.

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By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer Erin Hills golf course in the town of Erin in Washington County, which was the host of the 2017 U.S. Open, will be the site of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, the United States Golf Association announced.

Erin Hills will also be the host site for the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur tournament, the USGA said. The U.S. Mid-Amateur will utilize Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in Wauwatosa as its stroke-play co-host course.

“We are thrilled to return to Erin Hills, and to bring the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Mid-Amateur to such a memorable and deserving course,” said Mike Davis, chief executive officer of the USGA. “To bring these championships to a public facility all golfers can enjoy is especially exciting for us. The USGA has a great relationship with the facility, and Erin Hills has proven to be one of the premier golf venues in the nation, as well as an excellent test.”

The tournaments will be the

fourth and fifth USGA championships to be held at Erin Hills. In 2017, the course played host to the first U.S. Open ever held in Wisconsin. Erin Hills was also the site of the 2011 U.S. Amateur and 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links championships.

Erin Hills is a 7,823-yard, par 72 public course designed by Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten and opened in 2006.

It is located in the rolling hills of the Kettle Moraine area and was ranked the eighth-best public course in the U.S. by Golf Digest in 2017, and earlier this year was named the 42nd best golf course in America.

The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open will be the third U.S. Women’s Open to be played in Wisconsin – the championship was held at Blackwolf Run in Kohler in 1998 and 2012. The U.S. Mid-Amateur returns to the state for a second time after taking place at Milwaukee Country Club in 2008. n

M AY 3 0, 201 9 | 1 5 TH A N N U A L B I Z E X P O

BIZTIMES.COM/BIZEXPO

Bravo! Entrepreneur & I.Q. Awards 18 Lifetime Achievement Award: Donald Baumgartner

Bravo! Entrepreneur winners 34

Joe Fazio Dr. Madan Kandula

28 Regional Spirit Award: Que and Khalif El-Amin

35

John Kissinger Trueman McGee

32 Even after topping Inc. 5000, entrepreneurship doesn’t get any easier.

36

Stacy Peterson John Rinaldi

37 Paul Stillmank Richard Yau

Women in Business 25

Woman Executive of the Year: Mary Lou Young

I.Q. (Innovation Quotient) winners

30 Reinvention can spark a new career path.

38

Chasing Paper DeltaHawk Engines

39 HellermannTyton Janesville Acoustics

Donald Baumgartner

40 Mars IT Corp.

PartsBadger 41 Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute

TAI Diagnostics

42 Riverwater Partners TechCanary

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STORY COVER

BAUMGARTNER GETS THINGS DONE onna Baumgartner says foresight is the reason her husband Donald was able to ride the growing popularity of fast food and coffee to build a business that supported hundreds of jobs, millions of dollars in donations to the Milwaukee arts, and global adventures.

Donald says he was lucky.

“I’d like to say, using Donna’s word, that I had all this foresight and could see where the market was going to be and was preparing for it, but really it came to us,” Donald said during an interview in his River Hills home.

Donald, 88, started Milwaukee Shipbuilding Corp. with his father in 1951 to do U.S. Department of Defense work during the Korean War. The company was renamed Paper Machinery Corp. in 1956 and built into a global leader in manufacturing the machines that form paper cups and other containers.

While the business’ success allowed Donna and Donald to travel the world, he also invested significantly in the company and the Milwaukee arts community. The Baumgartners ultimately sold the business to employees through an employee stock ownership plan in 2016.

For his commitment to growing business locally and major contributions to the arts in Milwaukee, Donald Baumgartner will receive the 2019 Bravo! Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by BizTimes Media.

The award will be presented during the annual Bravo!

Entrepreneur & I.Q. (Innovation Quotient) Awards luncheon at BizExpo on May 30 at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee.

18 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

Left: Donald Baumgartner receives an export award from President Ronald Reagan in the Rose Garden at the White House in 1986.

Below: Donald Baumgartner built Paper Machinery Corp. into a leader in paper cup forming machines.

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BY ARTHUR THOMAS, staff writer

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Bravo! Entrepreneur: Lifetime Achievement Award winner

BRAVO! ENTREPRENEUR : LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER

ZAK GRUBER - SATURN LOUNGE PHOTOGRAPHY

A break in the U.S.

Donald Baumgartner

Whether it was luck or foresight, Donald says Paper Machinery Corp. did not hit its stride until it began selling in the United States. The company faced stiff competition when it first started. Major cup companies Dixie, Lily-Tulip, Solo, Sweetheart and Bondware dominated the U.S. market and each company made its own forming machines.

In the early days of the company, Donald went into another business with his friend, Ozzie Jaeger. Their plan was to make cups of their own and sell them to the shops to which Jaeger sold bread. They bought a Paper Machinery Corp. forming machine and set up production in a former mortuary. The problem was their production far outpaced demand from Jaeger’s customers and they ended up with a surplus of cups.

A chance meeting with a man named Herb Geiger at the yacht club would ultimately give PMC the jumpstart it needed. Geiger owned coin-operated coffee vending machines at businesses around the city.

He felt his supplier was overcharging for cups and saw an opportunity to make his own. Donald and Jaeger ended up selling their business to Geiger and he began production of his own. Word began to spread to other independent vendors and PMC suddenly had a market in the U.S. “Pretty soon we were supplying machines to any number of vendors,” Donald said.

As Donald worked to break into the U.S. market, he also looked overseas for business opportunities, selling first in pre-Castro Cuba, then Venezuela, Canada, Europe and eventually, Japan and Asia.

“In Japan we really hit the jackpot,” Donald said.

Not only did PMC find demand for its products in Japan, but also customers that were more particular.

“If you said the machine was going to run at 200 (cups) a minute, it better damn well not run at 199,” Donald said.

He added sometimes Japanese customers would want to send an entire machine back if it had a biztimes.com / 19

STORY COVER

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single scratch.

“They were really very, very difficult customers, but they made us better producers,” Donald said. “We learned to build a better product thanks to the pressure we got from the Japanese.”

Selling around the world came with another challenge, however.

Finding blue-collar workers willing to leave home and travel for the company wasn’t always easy, Donald said.

“We knew that we had to service what the hell we sold and we had to keep it running and make it profitable for our customers,” he said.

Donald’s approach to the business in general focused on finding the right people.

“I made a study of what the average toolmaker made in Milwaukee,

what the average machinist made and set our rates way the hell above those so I could attract the very best,” he said. “I knew I needed people and I needed good people and aside from paying high wages I put bonuses in front of them so that they had incentives to do better, to work harder.”

A major key to the business’ success was building a quality machine, which required strong mechanical and electrical engineers. Donald said he was fortunate to hire gifted engineers and noted the Milwaukee area has many people with strong technical skills.

“This is a wonderful area to do what we did,” he said.

As for Donald, his skillset came in a different area.

“I didn’t have a lot of technical skills,” he said. “I wasn’t a toolmaker or a machinist or a mechanical

Left: Donald Baumgartner built Paper Machinery Corp.

A surprise announcement In 2016, Donald surprised employees by announcing he would be selling the company to them. He had seen businesses started by his father sold to out-of-state firms, only to see local operations shut down and jobs move away. He did not want the same result for PMC. “I was well aware that this company was built not just by me and my son, but by the guys that were on the floor, by the guys that were out in the trenches, and they needed to be rewarded,” he said.

Advisors cautioned Donald that he could be leaving more than $100 million in upfront payments on the table by doing an ESOP. Three years after the deal, he says he has no regrets. He remains chairman of the PMC board and goes to the office on a regular basis.

“We will get our reward eventually,” he said.

Donald noted the Baumgartners are scheduled to receive a signifi-

CONTRIBUTED

Below: Donald Baumgartner, right, looks at Paper Machinery Corp. plans with his son John, a longtime executive at the company.

engineer, but I did have an ability to get things done; that showed up at a very early age. I was impatient and I sort of would bulldoze my way through projects one right after another and I managed to get a lot done and I think that’s the key to my personal success.”

20 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

cant payout in 2020 based on the company’s performance and the business is essentially sold out for all of next year.

“The new group is doing pretty well,” he said. “They’re meeting all their projections. I like the way they’re running the operations. I just keep an eye on it; from what I’m seeing it looks pretty damn good.”

The new group tasked with leading the company is also full of PMC veterans. Luca Dellomodarme, president of PMC, has been with the company 16 years. Scott Koehler, chief financial officer, is in his 27th year and Mike Kazmierski, executive vice president, has been with the company 41 years.

The trio said Donald built the company by being willing to invest in it.

“We see a lot of private companies that ownership is more interested about their own personal wealth or are very conservative in nature,” Dellomodarme said. “Donald was never afraid to reinvest in new technology, new equipment, new products.”

Kazmierski said in some companies employees who do not aspire to higher positions in the business might be encouraged to leave at some point, but Donald was good at figuring out where a person’s limits were and pushing them to reach that point.

“I would say he’s a benevolent person as far as understanding people are different and everybody you hire isn’t a superstar, most aren’t, and you need a lot of hardworking, skilled professionals to run a business,” Kazmierski said. “I think you find examples of that throughout our company. A lot of people have been promoted from within and have stayed in those positions for decades.”

Dellomodarme said Donald was loyal to employees and would allow the business experts to do what they do best.

“Some owners have a tendency to want to micromanage the employees,” Koehler added. “I think Donald understood that you should really hire smart people and just let them go.”

Kazmierski said Donald’s approach helped spawn an ownership mentality of sorts before the ESOP announcement took place.

Donald said his parents, both of whom ran businesses as he was

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BRAVO! ENTREPRENEUR : LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER

1&3: Donna and Donald Baumgartner. 2: Donald on a trip to Africa. 4: Donald and Donna on a Ferrari tour in Italy. 5: Donald in a helicopter on the way to a McLaren event in Canada in 2017. 6: Donald and Donna participated in a reenactment of the Mille Miglia race in Italy.

7: Donald with a McLaren.

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STORY COVER

growing up, had spent every minute of the day at work, watching employees carefully for fear someone would steal from them.

“They were at the job a lot more than I ever was,” he said. “They had an attitude that they could do it better than anybody who worked for them and I had an attitude that I can’t possibly do it as well as the people who work for me.”

Global adventures

Hiring the best people he could find also had another benefit for the Baumgartners.

“They did all the heavy lifting; it made time for Donna and I to go play,” Donald said.

The Baumgartners certainly had their share of adventures, many of them chronicled in Milwaukee author Kurt Chandler’s biography of Donald, “With the Wind at His Back: The charmed and charitable life of Donald Baumgartner.”

Donald’s life has been full of

adventures. There was the perhaps ill-advised crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a yacht that had not been tested for such a journey in 1979.

There was the 1986 Rose Garden ceremony where President Ronald Reagan recognized PMC for its success in exporting. Other trips included scuba diving in Australia and the Maldives, Formula One races in Monaco and Brazil, and photography trips on safari in Africa and through the jungle of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Donald has also taken to collecting sports cars. He started with a

1954 Kaiser Darrin while in his 20s before graduating to Cadillacs and then Mercedes. He later would buy a Rolls-Royce, Ferrari Testarossa and a McLaren P1 – one of 375 made.

Both of Donald’s parents were ambitious. He got a desire to succeed from them and saw that hard work will produce results, Donald said.

There is one lesson he did not get from them, however.

“I grew up during the Depression when things were damn tough and money was very scarce,” Donald said. “They could have but didn’t really teach me the value of

Left: Milwaukee Art Museum Right: Donald Baumgartner and Santiago Calatrava outside the Milwaukee Art Museum expansion that Calatrava designed.

a dollar. When I had money, I spent it freely. They never did. They held on to every dime, so I didn’t learn that from them.”

Supporting Milwaukee arts Beyond their adventures around the world, Donna and Donald also

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STORY COVER invested in the business and the Milwaukee community.

Even before selling the business, the Baumgartners were significant supporters of the arts in Milwaukee, contributing time and money to causes including the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera Co. and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Donald and Donna had given to a number of causes on a smaller scale over time.

“As we became capable of giving more money, we started thinking we needed to focus more,” Donald said. “We thought we would do more good if we just focused in a narrow area.”

Since the Baumgartners sold Paper Machinery Corp., the couple has made major gifts, including $8 million to the Milwaukee Art Museum’s endowment fund to pay the future salary of museum directors and $10 million toward the Milwaukee Ballet’s new facility in the Historic

Third Ward. The couple also made $1.5 million gifts to Milwaukee Film, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Florentine Opera.

Donald is a lifetime trustee of the Milwaukee Art Museum and a life director of the Florentine Opera.

Donna continues to serve on the board of the Milwaukee Ballet and the Milwaukee Film Festival.

Donna and Donald each came to the arts from their own direction.

She was a potter. He saw his first opera as a teenager.

“I think the arts bring everything to the community. They bring education; it’s more than what’s on the stage,” Donna said, adding that learning about art can help children develop self-esteem and confidence while building a richer community.

“It’s very important for businesses to recognize what that sort of education does in the life of a child. They seem to be into more social services, but there is no greater social service than arts education.”

“It’s the soul of the community,” Donald said.

In addition to charitable contributions, Donald had a major hand in the Santiago Calatrava-designed expansion of the Milwaukee Art Museum, completed in 2001, at a cost of about $125 million. He was part of the committee that selected Calatrava, chaired the building committee for the expansion and later served as president of the museum’s board of trustees.

“I look back at the Calatrava as one of the larger achievements of my lifetime,” Donald said. “I’m extremely proud of the work that I did and I’m extremely proud of the building. To this day, I look at it and I think, ‘My God, how did we ever do that?’”

The architect stayed at the Baumgartners’ house on one occasion during construction when hotel rooms in Milwaukee were booked. Donna said he stayed up most of the night painting watercolors and left a stack of them behind for the couple. When Calatrava heard Donald would be receiving a lifetime achievement award, he sent his friend a letter congratulating him.

“He wrote me a letter, but it’s not

just a letter. It’s a work of art; it could be framed,” Donald said.

“He never does just anything without drawing,” Donna added.

Calatrava’s designs continued to evolve as construction of the museum’s expansion got underway and costs increased, partially due to interest payments. Donald said it was important to him that the architect’s vision came to life on the city’s lakefront.

“This is Milwaukee and there are a lot of conservative voices out there,” Donald said. “It took a lot of persuasion to convince these people that we needed to fulfill Calatrava’s vision for what the museum could look like … he was visionary and I knew for damn sure that if we fulfilled his vision we would have something totally spectacular and I didn’t want to cut it short in any way possible.”

Donald’s commitment to the Calatrava project extends beyond the construction project. Each of the forming machines PMC ships out its doors include a Made in Milwaukee logo that features the building’s iconic brise soleil. •

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS : WOMAN EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

Mary Lou Young leaves mark on nonprofit, for-profit sectors

BY LAUREN ANDERSON, staff writer Having recently completed a successful decades-long career spanning the corporate and nonprofit sectors, Mary Lou Young says she wouldn’t change a thing.

With the perspective and reflection that retirement brings, Young said she sees how each step of her career led her to where she needed be, culminating in her role overseeing global community relations for Rockwell Automation Inc. and later helming the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County.

“How lucky am I that I would do the same career again?”

Young said. “The entire thing; I would do the same route. I didn’t feel that way every day, but I cer-

Mary Lou Young

G R E AT E R M I LW A U K E E F O U N D AT I O N

CONGRATULATIONS

PHONE: (414) 272-5805 WEB: greatermilwaukeefoundation.org

MARY LOU YOUNG

To inspire philanthropy, serve donors, and strengthen communities now and for future generations.

2019 GIVING GUIDE F E ATU R E D NONPROFI T

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tainly feel that way now.”

Following her retirement from Rockwell in 2009, Young joined the United Way as chief executive officer and president. During her tenure, she steered the Milwaukee organization’s merger with its counterpart in Waukesha County, oversaw substantial growth in its annual campaign and guided efforts to move the needle on social issues, including teen pregnancy.

“I would describe her as a force for good,” said Lynn Sprangers, a former United Way board member and co-chair of its 2009 campaign. “She has this unbridled passion for building a better community. In spite of the

PHONE: (414) 367-8171 WEB: girlsontherunsoutheasternwi.org

Join us in celebrating Mary Lou by making a supply donation to Mary Lou’s Closet located within the United Way Johnson Controls Volunteer Center.

Girls on the Run of Southeastern Wisconsin inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based positive youth development (PYD) program that is designed to enhance girls’ social, psychological and physical skills and behaviors to successfully navigate life experiences.

Donations to this new community closet will be distributed through the Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership. All donations must be new and dropped off at the Volunteer Center located at 200 W. Pleasant St., Milwaukee.

To learn more, visit biztimes.com/giving PRODUCED BY

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26 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

fact that most people would look at Mary Lou and say she’s such a success story and she’s done so much good, I know that she always thinks she could do more.”

For her contributions, Young will receive the BizTimes Woman Executive of the Year Award at the Women in Business breakfast during the BizExpo conference on May 30 at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.

While United Way is known for being a funding agency, Young’s former colleagues said she helped expand the organization’s role as a community convener, where deep-rooted challenges could be addressed in collaboration with other partners.

Addressing teen pregnancy became a high-priority issue for Young early on in her time with United Way. “I wanted to be part of the change; I wanted to be part of giving young women a stronger infrastructure and some hope,” Young said.

She was a founding member of the United Way-led Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative and Collaborative Fund in Milwaukee, which has gained national recognition for its successful efforts to reduce the rate of teen births over the past decade.

The United Way and the City of Milwaukee in 2013 announced it had surpassed its goal to reduce the rate of teen births by 46% three years ahead of schedule, and set another goal to further reduce that rate by 50% by 2023.

“Everyone at the table had worked for 20 years and hadn’t made progress, but they hadn’t worked together. We did collaborative impact before it was in vogue, before people talked about it,” Young said. “...It isn’t all about the United Way. It is all about the United Way helping to lead the community to get to the right social change. You have to get the right people at the table.”

Young is also a longtime member of United Way’s Tocqueville Society and founding

member of United Way’s Women United in Milwaukee, which is the largest women’s leadership council in annual giving in the United Way network.

Cory Nettles, board chair of United Way, said Young’s impact, both as an influential woman leader and as someone who’s mentored women in Milwaukee, is another stamp she’s left on the community.

“She was a woman in a man’s world,” Nettles said. “She worked in a male-centric engineering company. To have been successful in that environment was no small matter, but to then translate into lessons for other people to learn from made her very effec-

“ I wanted to be part of the change; I wanted to be part of giving young women a stronger infrastructure and some hope.”

— Mary Lou Young

tive. Because of her maturity and professional success and her high emotional intelligence, I’ve seen her translate that into being a strong and effective advocate for women, and a mentor and coach for women.”

Her final year as CEO brought the completion of a “bucket list” project for Young: the new volunteer center at the United Way’s Schlitz Park headquarters.

The Johnson Controls Volunteer Center, which opened in August 2018 thanks to a $1 million gift from the company, today hosts group volunteer projects, training and workshops, community conversations, supply drives and donor events.

“I wanted it to be a hub,” Young said. “I wanted people to say ‘I’ll meet you at the United Way.’” •

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BRAVO! ENTREPRENEUR : REGIONAL SPIRIT AWARD WINNER

El-Amins create inclusive ecosystem to revitalize Milwaukee

BY MOLLY DILL, staff writer

Que El-Amin and Khalif El-Amin

GROW

Que and Khalif El-Amin have been entrepreneurs since 2012 with their multi-faceted company, Young Enterprising Society.

But they noticed a lot of the entrepreneurship training organizations in town didn’t cater to Milwaukee residents. So they started their own.

The brothers launched The Blueprint in Milwaukee’s central city in July 2018 to target entrepreneurs in the City of Milwaukee with an idea or a startup related to technology, advanced manufacturing or e-commerce.

They have been inclusive of entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, and have based the program in an underserved central city

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neighborhood.

“Entrepreneurship is the only way that we’re going to be able to revitalize Milwaukee,” Que said. “The big corporations aren’t coming back to Milwaukee, not in the grand scale of the industrial age, so we have to foster more entrepreneurs to be able to provide employment.”

For their efforts to revitalize Milwaukee’s central city, Que and Khalif El-Amin are the 2019 BizTimes Regional Spirit Award winners. They will be honored at the Bravo! Entrepreneur & I.Q. Awards luncheon during BizExpo at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino on May 30.

The Blueprint begins with a

three-day business bootcamp, and then the field is narrowed to fewer companies, who participate in Cultivator 1. The 12-week program culminates in a Demo Day pitch competition, with seed funding distributed to 10 of the companies that complete the program.

With one cohort of the entrepreneurship accelerator under their belt, the El-Amins have now started a secondary program to continue the entrepreneurial education for Blueprint alumni and more developed companies, dubbed Cultivator 2.

The El-Amins bring in successful entrepreneurs and investors from the community to teach some of the classes, which cover topics including: how to build a profitable business, how to position your business to raise capital, how to write pro-

“

posals, and how to deal with the psychological effects of being an entrepreneur.

“We provide when they’re getting started, just a safe environment for them to work in with the tools that’s necessary,” Que said. “But we want you to grow and expand to where your business can’t fit inside this building.”

The pair, who grew up partly on Milwaukee’s north side, started Young Enterprising Society after Que graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Khalif from UW-Stevens Point two years later. It was originally a social outlet for young professionals, and the El-Amins intentionally hosted events at exclusive Milwaukee nightclubs that didn’t traditionally welcome people of color, they said.

“A lot of it had to do with us

coming back from Stevens Point and UW-Madison respectively, just hanging out with all differ-

“ Entrepreneurship is the only way that we’re going to be able to revitalize Milwaukee.”

— Que El-Amin, Young Enterprising Society

ent type of cultures, a little bit of everybody, and then coming back here and then it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re black, then you’re going

to hang out on the north side, if you’re white then you can hang out downtown, if you’re Hispanic then you hang out on the south side,’” Que said.

Eventually, the entrepreneurial pair decided to transition from parties to more productive activities, including small business consulting, clothing lines, philanthropy and urban agriculture.

The brothers are relentlessly positive and, with a mental health therapist mother and nonprofit leader father, are hard-wired to help others.

Khalif remembers their father, New Horizon Center Inc. chief executive officer Saleem El-Amin, frequently saying, “You learn, you earn and you return.”

“I knew there was a need within the city that had given me so much,” Khalif said. “I wanted to give back.” •

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS : PANEL DISCUSSION

Deborah Allen

Maggie Fernandes

Kathy Thornton-Bias

Julie Waterman

Women in Business panelists worked hard to reinvent themselves

BY MOLLY DILL, staff writer Making the decision to do a career 180 can be a challenging one. And it takes hard work to make it happen, say several Milwaukee women who have done it.

Deborah Allen, Maggie Fernandes, Kathy Thornton-Bias and Julie Waterman have all reinvent-

ed themselves to follow their passion, they said. The four will serve as panelists at the BizTimes Women in Business breakfast during BizExpo, which will be held on May 30 at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee.

Allen has switched career

paths twice. She worked for Wisconsin Gas Co. for 20 years, then decided to become a McDonald’s franchisee, growing her business, Nevada Corp., to 10 restaurants and $15 million in annual sales.

And after 20 years in that role, Allen sold her restaurants and

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started her executive coaching firm, DNA Network LLC, targeted to minority women entrepreneurs.

Purpose has driven all of Allen’s decisions, she said. In her restaurant management role, she often helped employees out with

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rent, buying a car or finding a place to live.

“It has to be in my purpose and I’ve got to create a vision that can master that purpose,” Allen said. “When I really moved into the McDonald’s space, it was first a ministry. Because I worked in the central city of Milwaukee and so for those kids that worked for me or even the adults that worked for me, I was a role model, I was a counselor, I was a coach as well as a business owner.”

For Waterman, a desire to attend college despite her circumstances led her to join the U.S. Army, where she worked as a military intelligence analyst for eight years. As she prepared to attend college, Waterman took a trip through Europe and fell in love with chocolate. She completed her degree in music education – but then decided to become an entrepreneur, establishing Indul-

gence Chocolatiers in 2007.

“I don’t like the conventional answer. If you have two conventional answers and neither one of them is a good fit, then you need to make your own third option because you don’t have to go into a cookie cutter zone that isn’t a good fit,” Waterman said.

After more than 10 years in retail management and merchandising, Fernandes decided to reinvent herself as a software developer. She enrolled in coding classes at Milwaukee Area Technical College and with the help of the Milwaukee chapter of women’s tech nonprofit Girl Develop It, found a career in tech.

Her experience with Girl Develop It was so powerful, Fernandes became chapter president to help other women make the same type of change.

“It’s one of those things, you go to a meeting and in tech it’s very intimidating. It’s usually all

males, all white males at that, and you come into a room and there’s conversations happening and it’s just acronyms being thrown around,” she said. “You find yourself in that place that you want to give back and you want to reach back down and pull somebody up with you.”

Thornton-Bias was named president and chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee in February after a robust career in the corporate sector. She was most recently president and chief operating officer of Milwaukee-based Verlo Mattress, and previously held leadership roles at Saks Fifth Avenue, at the retail division of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and at Bang & Olufsen.

People sometimes imagine the decision to make a career change is a magical, fairytale moment, Thornton-Bias said. That’s not necessarily the case.

“Reinvention is a part-time job. It requires some planning and some thoughtfulness and you may come at it because you had an epiphany .... But then once you realize it, it takes work,” she said.

The women advised those considering a career change – either at their current company or a new one – to evaluate their skillsets and follow their instincts.

“Even though you struggle sometimes, you have to follow that little voice in your head that says, ‘Try this,’” Allen said. “You never know why.”

“I looked at it and I knew that I would regret if I hadn’t tried it,” Waterman said. “There’s never going to be this perfect moment where there’s no risk and it’s less work, so it was just a good moment for me to go for it.”

“You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Fernandes said. •

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Even after topping Inc. 5000, entrepreneurship doesn’t get any easier

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BY MOLLY DILL, staff writer Madison-based logistics technology startup SwanLeap is the fastest-growing company in America, with 90 employees and a new headquarters double the size of its previous office.

Managing a larger company is still just as difficult, but now with attorneys, joked Brad Hollister, founder and chief executive officer of SwanLeap, which was No. 1 on the 2018 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the country with three-year growth of 75,000%.

“It’s not any easier than it was with two employees and no money. It’s the same,”

Hollister said.

As a startup with an entrepreneurial mindset, SwanLeap doesn’t always have internal processes in place and things can get a bit chaotic, he said.

But it has been working this year to shore up external processes with clients, as well as internal systems such as in-house human resources.

“We’re running so fast that we really couldn’t focus on culture,” he said.

Hollister will reveal his tenets of success as the keynote speaker at the 2019 Bravo! Entrepreneur & I.Q. Awards at BizTimes

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SwanLeap’s platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide transportation management, shipping technology, and freight and parcel auditing. Its goal is to streamline the supply chain using a technology that was not previously harnessed in logistics, Hollister said.

Founded as ClearView Audit LLC by Hollister and Jason Swanson from his Elkhart Lake basement in 2013, SwanLeap is quickly approaching $400 million in revenue. It has differentiated itself in the logistics technology space with practices such as lightning integration, Hollister said.

“What we’re looking at here is doing a one-day integration of an entire business system that normally can take up to a year or more with our competitors,” he said. “It’s exciting because it really drastically changes the industry.”

Topping the Inc. 5000 list was exciting for the company, but it also brought unexpected challenges, such as top employees being recruited away, Hollister said.

“Employees got visibility into our finances a little bit through the announcement and then they started to draw their own conclusions and make their own decisions based on the glimpse that they had access to,” he said.

“It was a challenging time.”

SwanLeap has also been approached by many potential partners, and it can be overwhelming to find time to figure

out which of them would be a fit, Hollister said.

“The positive aspect is the market validation. Breaking into the enterprise software space is a very difficult thing to do,” he said.

Now at about 90 employees, 50 of whom are in Madison, SwanLeap plans to hire about 20 developers in the near future to meet demand. To accommodate its growth, the company this spring was finishing renovations to double its office space to 20,000 square feet.

Hollister previously invested $200,000 in a logistics startup that failed. This one is different, he said, because he is more focused on the ease of integration and ease of use for the customer.

“I had to stop; I had to bail; I had to pull the rip cord. But the rip cord was actually our current business,” he said. “It took get-

ting to that failure to find what our path really was.”

SwanLeap has also been cautious to grow by hiring to revenue and spending only on revenue, rather than taking on capital and potentially making irresponsible decisions, Hollister said. It did take on a small amount of capital from former Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Despite the challenges, Hollister plans to apply for the Inc. 5000 again this year. And SwanLeap expects to continue its international expansion and do something rare in its industry: rewrite its code from scratch.

Startups have growing pains, and failure will happen, but it’s important to learn to trust your employees to do what you hired them for, Hollister said.

“Whatever you did last month is not sacred. Just start over,” he said. •

Built on relationships.

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biztimes.com / 33

JOE FAZIO Chairman and CEO Commerce State Bank West Bend Employees: 80 commercestatebank.com

By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer When Joe Fazio, Tom Hopp, David Borchardt and Kevin Volm decided to open Commerce State Bank in West Bend, they had seen a need for a locally-owned bank focused on small and medium-sized businesses in that area.

Planting local roots, they secured about 200 individual shareholders from across southeastern Wisconsin who helped them raise $12 million in capital before

opening the bank’s first location in 2005.

Fourteen years later, the bank has expanded to 350 shareholders, 80 employees, more than $650 million in total assets and four full-service branches in West Bend, Cedarburg, Elm Grove and Sheboygan.

As CEO, Fazio has led the company through numerous challenges, including the 2007 financial industry crisis, which taught him how to deal with unpredictable situations.

“You can’t predict everything that’s going to happen, yet you have to somehow either be prepared for it or be strong enough to work through it,” Fazio said.

When he’s not at work, Fazio gives presentations to high school and college students on personal finance and money management, and in 2017 he wrote a book called, “This Might Be a Dumb Question But… How Does Money Work?”

He said that passion for helping others understand finance informs his day-to-day interactions with clients and drives the company’s mission.

“We approach it as, ‘We’re the experts in this stuff; we have the knowledge. We just want to make it simple for you… so you can keep focusing on your business and growing it.’” •

We think like you do.

We work well with businesses because we’re entrepreneurs, too.

We know what it’s like to be in your shoes.

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David Borchardt - CFO, COO & Co-Founder Tom Hopp - President & Co-Founder Joe Fazio - CEO & Co-Founder

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BRAVO! ENTREPRENEUR : AWARD WINNERS

DR. MADAN KANDULA Founder and president ADVENT Milwaukee adventknows.com

By Lauren Anderson, staff writer Dr. Madan Kandula has pioneered new techniques and treatments for his patients with nose, sinus, snoring and sleep apnea issues.

In 2004, he and his wife, audiologist Dr. Gwen Kandula, founded ADVENT, an independent ENT medical practice in Wauwatosa. Over the years, ADVENT saw a growing need for treatments related to sinus and sleep-related issues, which

prompted a shift in the practice’s focus.

Today, about one in five American adults has sleep apnea, and half of the population snores regularly.

“Year after year, we’ve gotten more focused on patients that are most in need and the patients we can help the most,” Madan said. “That’s really spurred our growth.”

In particular, ADVENT focuses on providing patients with in-office solutions, in contrast to the largely hospital-based settings of other providers, which can involve longer wait times.

“The traditional medical model is really broken for folks who have these issues, such as snoring, sleep apnea, nasal blockage, allergies – these are the areas we’re focusing on,” Madan said. “For folks who have the issues that we deal with, you don’t need a hospital; you don’t need all the bells and whistles hospitals provide. At the end of the day, if we have solutions that we can deliver in a low-key yet highly-effective fashion, then that’s what we should do and what we have done.”

More than 80 percent of ADVENT patients have reported success with their CPAP machines, compared to the average of about 30 percent, Madan said. •

Congratulations! from the strategic partners behind Joe Fazio, Commerce State Bank Congratulations, Joe! We are proud to partner in your success.

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Wipfli LLP congratulates Commerce State Bank for winning the Bravo! Entrepreneur Award!

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JOHN KISSINGER CEO, GRAEF-USA Inc. Milwaukee Employees: 270 graef-usa.com

By Alex Zank, staff writer John Kissinger, chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based GRAEF-USA Inc., is leading the company at a time of great change.

Not only is the engineering firm preparing to move its national headquarters to downtown Milwaukee, but it’s also working to expand its footprint in other regions of the U.S. and in other disciplines that Kissinger believes will help solve some of the largest issues of the 21st century.

Later this year, GRAEF will move its nearly 200 Milwaukee-area employees into The Avenue, the former Shops of Grand Avenue mall that’s being redeveloped to include office space and a food hall. GRAEF is involved in this project, and thus will be working to reimagine a space it will soon call home.

Kissinger believes that having a significant downtown presence will help the company recruit the next generation of talent.

“The Avenue really sold us on their vision,” he said. “We felt that we could be part of that catalytic project and be part of that rebirth.”

Meanwhile, the firm is working to grow its presence in the southeastern U.S. Last year, it acquired Miami-based Consulting Engineering & Science Inc. That acquisition was made both to grow GRAEF’s presence in that region and to expand its practice in the water market.

Kissinger said many major problems the world now faces revolve around energy, water and transportation.

“I think civil engineers can help with those issues,” he said.

With offices in Orlando and Miami, Kissinger said the plan is to continue expanding there. •

TRUEMAN MCGEE Owner Funky Fresh Spring Rolls Milwaukee Employees: 12 funkyfresh.kitchen

By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer When Trueman McGee decided to take his first steps into the food industry with the goal of helping others lead healthier lives, he did not expect to one day operate a restaurant with two locations, 12 employees and a large following.

McGee owns Funky Fresh Spring Rolls, a fast-casual restaurant and caterer that specializes in gourmet grilled spring rolls made with fresh, nutritious ingredients

in combos such as buffalo chicken and kale, and sweet potato and black bean.

The concept, which first launched in 2015, is currently one of almost 30 black-owned small businesses located at Sherman Phoenix, an entrepreneurial hub that opened late last year in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood.

Earlier in 2018, Funky Fresh opened a counter service space at The Avenue, the former Shops at Grand Avenue in downtown Milwaukee that’s currently undergoing an extensive renovation project. That Funky Fresh location is slated to reopen as a tenant of the new 3rd Street Market Hall when the project is complete.

Before establishing a retail presence, Funky Fresh operated as a food stand at area farmers markets and events, selling an average of 1,000 spring rolls per week, McGee said. Now, the business serves up about 2,500 spring rolls per week.

“When I was first starting my journey, my gut instinct told me that the food would be the big ticket, or what I would do that I’d be great at, and I just followed that instinct and I just knew deep down that if I just listened to my gut and trusted myself, that something major would happen,” McGee said. •

Congratulations! from the strategic partners behind

John Kissinger, GRAEF Graduate of the Last Decade Award

Congratulations, John!

We are proud to partner in your success.

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Read more about this year’s award recipients and inductees at www.stritch.edu/alumniawards19 biztimes.com / 35

STACY PETERSON President and owner Connoils LLC Waukesha Employees: 25 connoils.com

By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer Stacy Peterson is not afraid of taking risks.

That has come in handy over the past 12 years as president and owner of Connoils LLC. The fast-growing Waukesha-based company manufactures and distributes wholesale bulk materials, including oils, oil powders and softgels, and retail consumer packaged goods for the health and nutrition, sport, dietary, cosmetic,

and human and pet food industries.

Since purchasing the business in 2007 from Minnetonka, Minnesota-based Cargill Inc., Peterson has scaled the company to employ 25 people and distribute its products to businesses in 28 countries. Peterson said she keeps her plate full intentionally.

In mid-July, Connoils will relocate to a new 25,000-square-foot headquarters facility, situated on 9 acres of land off of I-43 in Big Bend. The expansion comes as the company rapidly expands its line of industrial hemp products, especially CBD (cannabidiol) oil.

The new facility will allow Connoils to not only produce organic CBD oil, but also to convert it into CBD oil powder using heatless drying technology, which extends the shelf-life of the product, Peterson said.

Connoils has contracted 24 Amish farmers to grow 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of hemp flower this year, she said. The company will also convert its current Waukesha facility into a hemp-growing site after it relocates this summer.

“We’ve been involved in the industry and researching it for four years, so we’ve put time into understanding what CBD is all about,” Peterson said. “…It’s not just about Connoils, it’s about helping people.” •

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BRAVO! ENTREPRENEUR : AWARD WINNERS

JOHN RINALDI CEO and founder Real Time Automation Inc. Pewaukee Employees: 25 rtautomation.com

By Arthur Thomas, staff writer Open a package from Real Time Automation and you will find one of six toys the company includes with all of its shipments. Collect all six and you win a remote-controlled helicopter.

“People actually fight over who is going to open our boxes,” said John Rinaldi, chief executive officer and founder of Real Time Automation.

The Pewaukee-based company helps manufacturers connect and integrate equipment on the factory floor. Rinaldi has built the business with a focus on simplicity, quality technical service and unique marketing.

Rinaldi also applies out-of-the-box thinking to his company culture. He has an eight- to 10-step interview process that includes one or two meals with a candidate.

One year, he offered to take the entire team to Hawaii if the company doubled its sales.

Rinaldi started his career at KimberlyClark Corp. and then went to Allen-Bradley, but always wanted to start a business and eventually tried his hand at making electronic toys. As he worked to get the toy business going, colleagues from Allen-Bradley asked him to help with customer projects, and soon he had built an industrial automation business.

The business, however, struggled to grow because Rinaldi focused in the wrong areas.

“Most engineers think of business as if we build it, they will come,” Rinaldi said. “Anybody who has been in business knows if you build it, they don’t come, it’s if you market it and sell it, they come.”

Realizing the power of marketing and sales, Rinaldi switched his focus and the business gained traction. •

Congratulations! from the strategic partners behind

Stacy Peterson, Connoils CONGRATULATIONS!

Our congratulations to Stacy Peterson of Connoils and all 2019 award winners!

Connoils, LLC is proud to congratulate our beloved owner and CEO, Stacy Peterson, for winning the 2019 Bravo!

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By Alex Zank, staff writer Paul Stillmank recognized early on that social media would change the way people work.

Founded in 2009, 7Summits joins together collaborative and digital interactions, essentially creating entire online communities for businesses. These communities provide clients with meaningful data to help them run things more smoothly and help them see things that were once invisible in siloed environments,

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PAUL STILLMANK Founder and CEO 7Summits Milwaukee Employees: 128 7Summitsinc.com

scattered throughout various systems.

“Our whole mission is we’re creating these online community experiences — and community is essential to that — that really transform the companies we work with,” Stillmank said.

Before starting 7Summits, Stillmank spent 10 years in new product development before spending another decade in the consulting and agency world. After that, he worked for a couple years at ManpowerGroup.

He then saw a report that prognosticated a $4 billion market for social media.

Looking beyond that emerging market, Stillmank thought about how a generation growing up with social media will want to work once they enter the workforce. He started thinking about interactions among customers, employees and others, and how these technological changes would alter them.

Stillmank has clear goals for 7Summits moving forward, and is working to shape the company in a way to meet them. For instance, he wants 7Summits to be the choice among Fortune 1000 companies for the type of service it provides.

So Stillmark has instilled certain structures and processes in his firm to ensure it meets the standards these companies seek in such a firm.

“We’re working to make sure we’re amplifying who we are in the market,” he said. •

RICHARD YAU CEO and co-founder Bright Cellars Inc. Milwaukee Employees: 40 brightcellars.com

By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer Since relocating to Milwaukee in 2015, Bright Cellars has hit a growth spurt and captured the attention of local investors in the process. But after the wine subscription startup garnered national-scale investments during a recent equity round, co-founder Richard Yau expects its growth to gain momentum.

Bright Cellars surveys subscribers on their palate and preferences, and uses

its algorithm to match them to wines and cheeses they are likely to enjoy.

The company was founded in 2014 by Yau and Joseph Laurendi in Boston, and moved to Milwaukee to take part in the gener8tor startup accelerator. Four years later, it has grown to 40 employees and increased revenue by 1,500%. As of 2018, Bright Cellars had 22,000 subscribers and growing, but Yau declined to disclose current subscriber numbers.

In February, the startup raised an $8.5 million Series A round of funding from investors, led by Washington, D.C.-based Revolution Ventures, which Yau said has a reputation of helping small startups grow into market-leading companies.

“It’s a big milestone for us because we are going from being a strong startup in the Milwaukee community to now having the resources and the guidance to potentially become a market leader in the future,” Yau said.

Bright Cellars is based out of a 5,500-squarefoot office in Milwaukee’s Ward4 startup hub, which was established by Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele’s venture capital fund and frequent Bright Cellars investor CSA Partners LLC. Next, Bright Cellars plans to put more effort toward scaling the business. That includes hiring another 10 employees this year, Yau said. •

Congratulations! from the strategic partners behind

Paul Stillmank, 7Summits Our heartfelt congratulations to Paul Stillmank for this well-deserved award. We are honored to be your strategic partner.

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biztimes.com / 37

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I.Q. [INNOVATION QUOTIENT] : AWARD WINNERS

Elizabeth Rees

CHASING PAPER Milwaukee chasingpaper.com Innovation: High-quality removable wallpaper

By Alex Zank, staff writer Elizabeth Rees, a third-generation member of her family’s printing company, Kubin-Nicholson Corp., founded Chasing Paper in 2013 in part because she wanted to create something she could call her own.

“In starting Chasing Paper, I drew from my own experience,” she said. “I have moved a lot in the past 10 years and each time I would get the keys to a new place, I would always be excited to decorate and make the space my own.”

The removable wallpaper she developed comes with the benefits of the traditional decorative material without the commitment.

One thing that sets Chasing Paper apart is that the products are sold in panels versus entire rolls, lending itself to how people are using wallpaper in the modern home.

“People aren’t wallpapering an entire room anymore,” Rees said. “Now people want to do smaller projects like an accent wall, a headboard or a backsplash.”

Chasing Paper products are a peeland-stick fabric instead of vinyl, which is typical for wallpaper. There is a texture and grain to the paper that sets it above other products on the market, Rees said.

The paper is reusable and lasts for several years when used with care. They come in 2-foot by 4-foot pieces at $40 each. The company currently has around 150 design options to choose from.

Chasing Paper has a studio base in Walker’s Point called Third Branch Creative Studio, which the company envisions will serve as a resource for the community, with events, programming and speakers. •

DELTAHAWK ENGINES INC. Racine deltahawk.com Innovation: Multi-fuel general aviation engines

By Arthur Thomas, staff writer More than 167,000 piston-engine aircraft operating in the United States rely on aviation gasoline, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. As the only remaining leaded transportation fuel, avgas is the largest contributor to lead pollution in the country.

If all goes according to plan, however, Racine-based DeltaHawk Engines will begin production of an alternative engine early next year that would instead burn jet fuel. Christopher

Congratulations! from the strategic partners behind

Ruud, chief executive officer of DeltaHawk, said the reason avgas is still used is a lack of any alternative.

“We’re trying to create the market alternative,” he said.

The plan is to have FAA approval for the engine by the fourth quarter of this year.

While others have tried to adapt engines from other applications, DeltaHawk is designing its engine with the sole purpose of powering an airplane. A piston engine that burns jet fuel is a challenge on its own.

Dennis Webb, director of marketing and certification, pointed out an airplane engine also needs to be lightweight, small, operate at high power and be highly reliable.

“You put that all together, it’s an extraordinary engineering challenge,” Webb said.

Ruud said a talented group of engineers is pushing DeltaHawk’s designs forward and advances, like using 3D printing to validate and experiment with part designs, have also helped.

DeltaHawk also benefits from a major investment several years ago by the Ruud family.

“It takes a lot of money to employ approximately 50 people with no revenue,” Ruud said. “It’s a big barrier to entry for anyone in the marketplace, but especially for a startup.” •

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By Arthur Thomas, staff writer The typical homeowner might use a few cable ties at a time, but the customers who use cable ties made by HellermannTyton could be tightening and cutting thousands of them in a single day.

That kind of high-volume usage calls for a specialized tool to help with the process.

Designing a hand-tensioning tool was among the first things Ed Dyer, vice president of engineering at HellermannTyton North

BY MOLLY DILL,

logistics Madison-based SwanLeap technolog y startup wing company is the fastest-gro 90 employees in America, with ers double and a new headquart office. the size of its previous compaManaging a larger difficult, but ny is still just as joked Brad now with attorneys, and chief Hollister, founder of SwanLeap, executive officer 1 on the 2018 Inc. which was No. fastest-growing 5000 list of the with country companies in the of 75,000%. three-year growth than it “It’s not any easier and no was with two employees same,” Hollister money. It’s the

JANESVILLE ACOUSTICS Division of Jason Inc., Milwaukee janesvilleacoustics.com Innovation: Aerotex underbody panels

By Arthur Thomas, staff writer Historically, the underbody panels on vehicles have been made from hard plastics. Either injection molded or thermoformed, the parts would degrade over time and get brittle or break.

Janesville Acoustics, a division of Milwaukee-based Jason Industries Inc., set out a few years ago to find opportunities to convert parts from plastic to a polyester fiber-based product and quickly settled

on the car underbody. After a year-anda-half of development, the result is the company’s Aerotex product.

The product is made from post-industrial waste such as soda bottles, which are ground up. The resulting mix is made into pellets and then extruded into micro strands that are cut to length, according to Srivas Prasad, senior vice president and general manager of Janesville. The strands are then converted into blankets and compression molded into threedimensional shapes with structural integrity.

The product is both made from recycled material and recyclable.

Prasad said the challenge in developing the product was finding the right blend of materials to withstand the exposure to the elements under a car. Janesville also had to convince its customers, large automakers, to shift away from familiar products.

He said Jason works on innovation by creating an environment for employees to come up with new ideas and then deciding which ideas should receive additional funding.

“It’s okay for people to fail,” Prasad said.

“Quite frankly, we expect the initial things to fail; very rarely do the first ideas take off for the first time. It’s a process of iteration.” •

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HELLERMANNTYTON CORP. Milwaukee hellermanntyton.us Innovation: EVO 7 Hand Tool

America, worked on when he first came to the company more than three decades ago.

In 2010, the company took it upon itself to update the tool. The previous version would cause a physical shock to the user’s hand when it cut the end of the cable tie.

The tool that Dyer and his team designed, the EVO 7, made it so users only feel a slight click when the tie is cut. The new tool also included other ergonomic improvements, better balance and easier tensioning of ties.

“It was all around a much better product,” Dyer said.

The company was so confident in the tool’s improved performance it commissioned a study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Ergonomics that compared it against competitors.

“They warned us, ‘Just be aware, if it turns out your tool doesn’t come out to be the best we’re still going to publish the results,’” Dyer said HellermannTyton’s EVO 7, however, came out on top in both subjective and objective categories.

“It became so popular almost immediately, we couldn’t keep up with demand,” Dyer said. •

staff writer

said. an entreAs a startup with SwanLeap preneurial mindset, have internal doesn’t always and things processes in place he said. can get a bit chaotic, working this year But it has been processes external up shore to well as internal with clients, as in-house human systems such as resources. so fast that we “We’re running focus on culture,” really couldn’t he said. his tenets Hollister will reveal keynote speaker of success as the Entreprene ur at the 2019 Bravo!

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Rashi Khosla

MARS IT CORP. Waukesha marssg.com Innovation: AI-powered platform to measure employee engagement

By Lauren Anderson, staff writer Many companies aim to have a more diverse workforce.

MARS Solutions Group, a Milwaukee-based technology and consulting solutions business, views employee diversity and inclusion as a critical business strategy. MARS has leveraged its technology and knowhow to help companies achieve that goal.

Since its founding in 2013, MARS has focused on providing talent solutions,

particularly for the engineering, IT and administrative/clerking industries.

“As much as I love the talent industry, I wanted to put all of the technical knowhow and knowledge of data that my whole corporate career was devoted to, and help our customers make better decisions based on the data,” said Rashi Khosla, founder and chief executive officer.

The result was a suite of solutions called IDEA (Inclusive, Diversity, Equity and Advocacy), part of the company’s Ovation platform.

IDEA uses natural language processing and voice analytics to measure abstract concepts, like how employees feel about their work. The engines can read text – such as email or Slack conversations among employees – to derive the sentiments of the overall employee base.

IDEA also provides a “gamified” way for employees to recognize peers, Khosla said.

Traditionally, companies measure employee engagement and sentiment through annual surveys or performance reviews, which take months to review and act on, Khosla said.

And when it comes to diversity and inclusion initiatives, she said there tends to be an emphasis on the former more than the latter.

“Us being in Milwaukee, there is a real problem to address in terms of retaining talent and retaining a multigenerational workforce,” she said. •

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PARTSBADGER LLC Cedarburg parts-badger.com Innovation: Rapid quoting algorithm for CNC machining services

By Alex Zank, staff writer Even though PartsBadger LLC has been in business for less than three years, the company took little time to become a disrupter in the $80 billion computer numerical control machining market.

The company has a significant advantage over competitors due to its rapid quoting algorithm for CNC machining services, which brings the industry standard of three to five business days for a quote down to an instant.

The company was founded by Roy Dietsch, Steve Kotlowski and Jimmy Crawford.

Dietsch and Crawford are still with the company as CEO and COO, respectively.

Dietsch said the idea for the rapid quoting algorithm was formed due to a need he had as part of a separate business. They sent out a design for a product they had developed to 12 companies, and only three responded. Two said their machinery was so old that they couldn’t open the file to view the designs, and the other said the job would be so expensive that it’d be cheaper for PartsBadger to buy the CNC machines.

“At that point was when I realized something was very wrong with the market and thought we could do better,” he said.

The algorithm uses cloud-based technology to analyze complex threedimensional geometrics, and an extensive database of materials, coating and finishes to accurately and quickly quote machined parts.

Dietsch said the company’s success can be seen in its financial performance.

PartsBadger generated $10 million in annual recurring revenue within two years of scaling its operation and plans to end 2019 between $30 million and $40 million ARR. •

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By Lauren Anderson, staff writer As the region faces a growing demand for data science talent, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University to provide a supply of employees.

The academic institutions and Milwaukeebased insurance company announced in June 2018 plans to launch the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, a $40

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NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL DATA SCIENCE INSTITUTE Milwaukee northwesternmutual.com Innovation: Higher education/ corporate partnership

million initiative aimed at developing data science talent and fostering research.

Over the next five years, Northwestern Mutual will contribute $15 million to support an endowed professorship at each university, fund research, expand university curriculum, and develop K-12 STEM learning opportunities and pre-college programming.

The company is also providing classroom and office space in Cream City Labs, its new innovation lab in downtown Milwaukee.

“The unique partnership between Northwestern Mutual and not one, but two universities – Marquette and UW-Milwaukee – demonstrates our joint commitment to advancing Milwaukee as a hub for technology, research, business and talent development,” said Keri McConnell, senior director of the NMDSI. The universities have each committed more than $12 million to data science education and research. Classes in the institute will launch next academic year.

“The Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute is advancing southeastern Wisconsin as a hub for technology, research and business development,” said Michael Lovell, president of Marquette University. “At the same time, we’re creating a local pipeline of talent in the high-demand field of data science.” •

Paula North and Aoy Tomita-Mitchell

TAI DIAGNOSTICS INC. Wauwatosa taidiagnostics.com Innovation: Diagnostic tests for organ transplants

By Andrew Weiland, staff writer TAI Diagnostics Inc. is a Wauwatosabased biotech company that provides non-invasive diagnostics tests to monitor the health of transplanted organs in the patients that have received them.

The myTAI HEART test uses a small blood sample to determine if a patient is at low or increased risk of rejecting a heart transplant. It works by measuring the fraction of cell-free DNA present in the bloodstream

that is attributable to the transplanted heart.

An elevated donor fraction is associated with an increased risk of rejection.

“We’re looking for signs of early rejection,” said Frank Langley, chief executive officer.

The myTAI HEART test went to market during the fourth quarter of 2018.

“We have significant interest in the product,” Langley said.

TAI Diagnostics is developing similar tests for lung and kidney transplants. The lung test is in development and could launch by the end of this year. The kidney test is in clinical trials and is expected to launch in 2021.

Investor reaction to TAI Diagnostics’ innovations has been significant. So far, the company has raised a little more than $25 million in total outside funding. TAI recently launched a Series B funding round, in hopes of raising another $15 million to $20 million.

The company was founded in 2015

by Dr. Michael Mitchell and Aoy TomitaMitchell. Previously, they founded San Jose, California-based Ariosa Diagnostics Inc., a global molecular diagnostics company that was acquired by Switzerland-based Roche in 2015. Months later, the Mitchells came to the Milwaukee area to launch TAI Diagnostics. •

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Northwestern Mutual, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are proud partners of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute.

We are honored to receive the Innovation Quotient Award and appreciate the support as we work to advance Milwaukee’s technology ecosystem.

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Adam Peck

RIVERWATER PARTNERS LLC Milwaukee riverwaterpartners.com Innovation: Only investment advisory firm in Wisconsin to become Certified B Corp

By Madison Goldbeck, staff writer Riverwater Partners was the first Certified B Corporation in Milwaukee and the eighth in the state since 2016. Established in 2016, the company was also among the first investment advisory firms dedicated to Environmental, Social & Governance investing in Wisconsin.

The nonprofit B Lab designates for-profit companies as B Corps for meeting its social and environmental standards. ESG-focused investing allows Riverwater to engage

with public companies to affect factors like increasing board diversity, conserving natural resources, and ensuring that business practices are held to the most ethical standards.

“We thought it was the right thing to do,” said Adam Peck, founder of Riverwater Partners. “We look to invest in companies that aren’t only making money, but are also making a positive impact on the world.”

An independent, employee-owned business, Riverwater is dedicated to aligning its clients’ personal values with their investments and portfolio. With just five employees and help from shareholders and stakeholders, the company donates 5% of revenues back into the community.

“There is a misconception that investing in a socially responsible manner, your performance is going to suffer,” Peck said. “Based on 30 years of data…focusing on how companies impact the environment, those that do (have a positive impact), have better performance.”

Riverwater Partners’ approach is similar to other types of investing, such as a 401(k) or retirement accounts, and they do so the same as any other adviser. However, they are more environmentally and socially conscious.

“It is normal investing, but with an extra toolbox,” Peck said. •

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I.Q. [INNOVATION QUOTIENT] : AWARD WINNERS

Reid Holzworth

TECHCANARY Milwaukee techcanary.com Innovation: Insurance agency automation software

By Andrew Weiland, staff writer Founded in 2013 by Reid Holzworth, TechCanary developed insurance agency software based on the Salesforce system.

As its name suggested, TechCanary sought to be the “canary in the coal mine” for the insurance industry and prided itself on its ability to use technology to think ahead, anticipate change and innovate to meet the ever-changing needs of the insurance industry.

Having worked on the agency side of the

insurance industry, Holzworth experienced firsthand limitations and restrictions of then-available agency management and business automation offerings. As a result, he leveraged Salesforce.com to build a system to successfully manage his own business and founded TechCanary to make his insurance sales and service productivity platform commercially available.

The company experienced rapid growth, ranking No. 393 on the 2018 Inc. 5000 list. Last year, TechCanary moved its offices from Bayshore Town Center in Glendale to a larger space near downtown Milwaukee. In 2017, TechCanary acquired Atlanta-based Terminus Consulting Corp., a custom software development firm.

In April, University Park, Illinois-based Applied Systems announced that it had acquired TechCanary. Applied Systems sells agency management software for insurance agencies. Applied Systems said it will continue to operate TechCanary’s Milwaukee office.

“This transaction brings together the leading provider of agency-management systems globally with the leading insurance CRM system built on the Salesforce.com platform, providing an integrated solution for front-office sales and marketing automation needs,” said Applied Systems CEO Reid French. •

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Special Report STARTUPS AND INNOVATION DANIEL PUGLIESE

Organizations work to foster diversity in Milwaukee’s tech sector

BY MOLLY DILL, staff writer Jeffrey Patton recently graduated from a Milwaukee program dedicated to teaching him the skills he needed to enter the tech sector.

With assistance from the program, called i.c.stars, Patton landed a job as an IT analyst at von Briesen & Roper in October. The 25-year-old college dropout was working as a machine operator before hearing a commercial for i.c.stars and deciding to make the career change.

“When I came to i.c.stars, that’s when everything started to make

Alondra Macias holds up a pitch to form a team at Lift Up MKE’s recent female and nonbinary hackathon.

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Special Report STARTUPS AND INNOVATION sense,” he said. “All through high school, middle school, it was tech-related things but I just never was told by anybody that this can be something that can be made a career out of.”

Chicago nonprofit i.c.stars is one of several organizations that have taken root in Milwaukee in the past year with the aim of promoting diversity and inclusion in the region’s tech community.

By establishing these initiatives at the same time local corporations have been organizing around the mission of making Milwaukee a tech hub, the leaders of these organizations hope to make the movement inclusive from the start. i.c.stars launched its Milwaukee program in April 2018. The organization trains low-income adults in basic coding, as well as soft skills and career preparation, said Sarah Dollhausen, general manager.

“We’re really focusing on underrepresented demographics,”

Dollhausen said.

The internship program runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, for 16 weeks. It has a strict policy: no absences and no tardiness. But i.c.stars also provides wraparound services like career counseling, transportation, child care and housing assistance to students, she said.

Part of the goal of the program is to help overcome some of the barriers that may prevent low-income adults from being successful in the professional workplace.

“Really it’s meant to provide a transformative experience,” Dollhausen said. “Twelve-hour days pulls you away from any and everything that could be going good or going bad in your life.” i.c.stars holds three training cohorts per year. It typically receives 100 applications, and chooses 20 students from greater Milwaukee through a seven-step process.

Following completion of the

internship, alumni are considered i.c.stars residents, with access to its resources, for 20 months. The program has a graduate placement rate of about 80%, with alumni now working at area companies including The Dohmen Co., Briggs & Stratton Corp. and von Briesen & Roper. Students’ salaries increase by an average of 300% upon completion of i.c.stars, Dollhausen said.

Since von Briesen is so involved with i.c.stars, Patton had completed a project for the law firm during his internship. Following the project, the company sought him out to apply for his current role, he said.

“I didn’t think I could get it because the job title just sounded like a lot of involvement in the tech sector, which I didn’t think I had,” Patton said.

Now, he’s gained enough confidence that Patton and an i.c.stars classmate have also been consulting for local companies that need website design and development, he said.

“That internship is way more than just tech-based,” Patton said.

“I’ve learned how to write business plans and I’ve learned how to formal-

“ That internship is way more than just techbased. I’ve learned how to write business plans and I’ve learned how to formally sit at the table and present myself.”

— Jeffrey Patton, i.c.stars alumnus.

ly sit at the table and present myself.”

Milwaukee’s tech community should reflect the city’s demographics, Dollhausen said. And the companies that hire i.c.stars graduates will benefit from the diversity of its alumni when it comes to global competition.

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“It’s important because especially in tech when you’re looking at your business strategies, having a diverse workforce is important to providing different perspectives and helping in problem solving,” Dollhausen said.

This spring, colleagues Jennifer Ketz, Cynthia Smith and Patricia Cabral-Mercado formed a new company called Lift Up Careers LLC (dba Lift Up MKE) to train women re-entering the tech workforce.

The trio aim to help women who have taken time away from tech careers to raise children or take care of aging parents re-skill for leadership roles as they return to a male-dominated industry. According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, 26% of the tech workforce is women, and 56% of women leave midway through their careers in science, engineering and technology.

“I think our main goal is really to fill that pipeline,” Cabral-Mercado

said. “So as Milwaukee is continuing to grow that Milwaukee tech hub and to be seen as a destination for tech, I think diversity and inclusion have to be included in that.”

Lift Up MKE plans to host three to four cohorts of its training program per year. The six- to eight-week program will be weekend-based, and the first class will start this fall. They plan to open applications in June.

The company hosted Milwaukee’s first all-female and nonbinary hackathon earlier this month at Ward4 in Milwaukee. The turnout was beyond their expectations, with 130 participants, from mentors to hackers. “(Participants said) this was one of the most diverse events that people have attended in Milwaukee, so that was a huge compliment for us,” Ketz said.

Keeping the hackathon women and nonbinary created a safer, less competitive environment for partic-

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ipants to bring their ideas to the forefront, Cabral-Mercado said.

“Now they’ve met this new network, whether it’s from Madison, Chicago or Milwaukee,” she said.

“A couple of the ideas were very focused around, I would say, more of the woman/female role,” Ketz said.

Among the ideas participants worked on coding during the hackathon was Alerta, a safety tool that allows a woman to press one button – on a smart watch, pendant or phone – to send a text with GPS location to three or four pre-designated contacts.

“One of the things…that I think the hackathon brought forth is the power of diversity of thought. Bringing together people of different backgrounds is powerful,” Ketz said.

Maggie Fernandes runs the Milwaukee chapter of Girl Develop It, a national nonprofit dedicated to training women interested in learning web and software development skills.

Launched in 2014, the chapter

has been active in hosting tech meetups and helping women get started in the career track. Fernandes aims to provide a safe and inclusive space for women to meet each other and learn more about a male-dominated field.

But recent GDI controversies at a national level pushed Fernandes and other chapter leaders to recently form a new national nonprofit called We Pivot.

“A lot of the leaders from across the country got together and we’re putting so much energy toward trying to get this organization to go in the right direction and they’re not listening to us, so why don’t we just pivot and create our own? And so that’s exactly what we did,” Fernandes said.

We Pivot is dedicated to providing opportunities, support and education to underserved populations in the tech industry to drive more diversity in the sector. Fernandes plans to host the first Milwaukee chapter We Pivot event in early June. n

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Strategies INNOVATION

Avoid groupthink Diverse viewpoints in an organization foster innovation IN TODAY’S WORLD, the tried and true refrain that a “picture tells a thousand words” has never been more true, especially if a business can tell its story in video.

Video production is now a major business and is ubiquitous as millions of consumers watch them on websites, through emails and on their smartphones. Even the weather has gone video, with moving weather patterns developing before our eyes on our mobile devices!

And competition is fierce for those that provide a video experience for customers. It includes not just the usual cast of major corporate players with their own production studios, but thousands of standalone small shops, to one-person firms, to even self-made DIY solutions.

Rich Schmig founded a firm, Plum Media, that has grown successfully in this space for more than 20 years. The use of the name Plum connotes “best in class” images and the color purple helps the business stand out.

There are multiple reasons Milwaukee-based Plum Media has succeeded, but I am just going highlight two of them.

First is the concept of homophily. This is defined as our normal tendency to seek out or be attracted by people like ourselves.

There is a universal tendency to affiliate with teams, groups or tribes that we identify with. When we interview candidates, we often fall into the trap to hiring people who have qualities that make us feel comfortable.

46 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

But according to Noam Wasserman in his book, “Life Is a Startup,” that is a recipe for disaster.

It is far more important to promote diverse thinking as the key to preventing “groupthink” in your organization. Therefore, we should be looking for people with different skill sets and backgrounds from ours.

So, Schmig deliberately hires talent from different “gene pools” in his industry: those employees who have a history in the broadcast industry, those from independent firms that have a history of creative accomplishments and those from other walks of video life.

That assures an ongoing debate within the company and a flourishing of diverse thinking to help clients develop their video strategy.

The second management practice that sets Plum apart is its approach to “design thinking,” the current gold standard in the creative process.

In their recent co-authored piece, “The Right Way to Lead Design Thinking,” in Harvard Business Review, CEO Christian Bason of Danish Design Centre and Professor Robert Austin of the Ivey Business School argue that it’s very difficult for any design team to get beyond its own perspective and thinking patterns to get into the heads of customers.

They recommend that business leaders approach “ethnographic research” with an open mind and probing questions to get inside the customer’s thinking. The goal is to ensure a process in which employees focus on customers’ needs and wants, uncolored by their biases.

This is not easy. Most of us see the world from our own vantage point. It’s a philosophical truism.

There has to be a continual study to illuminate the user’s real needs even if that requires that the inquiry process go sideways. It’s critical to resist jumping to solutions when thinking you know what customers need.

Plum Media prides itself on doing in-depth research of its client’s customer base. The company will do it in multiple ways, which may include actual face-to-face interviews, as well as digging deep through surveys.

This is critical because it recognizes that the

viewer habits of today are in constant change, sometimes on a daily basis.

Plum’s methods focus on uncovering the real needs of the customers, which allows it to create video productions that will resonate with customers, create the “wow” experience and deliver the desired results.

The firm has an in-house staff with a wide range of diversity in skill sets to make this inquiry so much more robust. It includes in-house talent with expertise in filmmaking, theater skills, broadcasting, journalism, copywriting, animation and live streaming. A team like this is far more capable of ascertaining and addressing the needs of the customer in video.

The bottom line for any business to succeed in this fast-changing world of disruptive technology is to grasp the importance of composing teams with diverse talent to uncover real customer needs. n

DAN STEININGER Dan Steininger is president of Milwaukeebased Steininger & Associates LLC, which helps companies drive innovation.

He is also an author, and a national and international speaker. He can be reached at: dan@bizstarts.com.

MANAGEMENT

Happy employees are more productive Seven ways to make them feel more engaged AN ENGAGED EMPLOYEE is profitable for your organization. It has been proven many times through various studies: the profits derived from happy employees are undeniable. Creating a culture that embraces and fosters a productive workforce can attract and retain qualified individuals. Happiness is linked to productivity.

To stay competitive and attract the best employees, try these seven ways to ignite happiness and productivity in your organization:

topics is not easy for anyone, and usually not effective. Encouraging employees throughout the year can prevent problems before they occur. By committing to regular monthly meetings, concerns can be addressed in a timely manner.

Isn’t this a much better way to prevent and solve problems rather than annually? “So, tell me about what happened in June” does not hold as much weight when discussed in January of the following year. Instead, talk about June issues in June.

3. Thank employees.

This is free and easy. Celebrating a job well done should be frequent and genuine. Remember to adjust your positive sentiment for each employee. Some may enjoy a very public ‘job well done,’ while others may prefer a private expression of gratitude. Don’t forget to thank your employees for the expected, yet important elements of their job. “Thank you for always being someone I can count on to get things done.” It doesn’t matter if this is their job. I encourage leaders to never think or say, “Well, that’s your job.”

1. Keep employees in the loop.

Create a culture of transparency. Adopt a belief that the more your employees know, the better this is for everyone. Communicating with your employees on a regular basis requires thoughtful consideration of your delivery – both what you will share and how. A commitment to regular communication makes it easier to inform employees of the organization’s goals, along with what their role is in achieving these goals. This type of access inspires employees to be invested. Gone are the days of saying, “You don’t need to know that.”

4. Customize rewards.

Stemming from the above tip, a reward system is a great way to show appreciation for deserving employees. Incentives can assist to increase production while also attaching meaning and purpose to employees’ work. Observe, acknowledge and reward good work. Cash is always a great way to give employees spot bonuses. Here are some other examples: VIP access to their favorite band, attend a conference of their choice, a well-written and heartfelt thank you note, tech accessories, early release on a Friday, or easing into their day on Monday. Customizing the reward to specifically fit the employee receiving it leaves a lasting impression.

2. Monthly check-in conversations, instead of (or in addition to) the annual performance review.

The monthly check-in approach focuses on developing employees. By gathering and supplying useful feedback on a regular basis, employees can improve in real time. Waiting until an end-of-the-year meeting to discuss serious

5. Provide workplace flexibility.

Allowing employees to establish a schedule that works for their lifestyle can improve morale. What is their preference? Arrive early and leave early, arrive late and stay late, or work from home? A work environment should, ideally, not be rigid and uninviting. Instead, it should foster

thoughtful ideas and productivity. A stressful environment with unnecessary, or over-the-top, rules gives employees a reason to look elsewhere.

When employees can take care of real-life issues, intertwined with the work they’re doing for you, it creates a win-win situation.

6. Invest in your employees’ development.

If you don’t have money set aside to train and develop your employees, you are remiss. Allocating funds for continued growth of your workforce is a wise investment. The returns you will gain by educating your employees by far surpass any costs associated with the development.

7. Give people freedom and autonomy.

Give people the freedom to make decisions.

Many employees do not work well with a manager hovering over them. Give them ownership and control as a way of maximizing their accountability for their work outcomes. Autonomy does not mean isolation; it means trusting employees to do their best work.

Utilizing strategies like these will contribute to increased happiness and productivity in your organization. n

ALETA NORRIS Aleta Norris is a co-founding partner of Brookfield-based Living As A Leader, a leadership training, coaching and consulting firm. You may send questions to her at anorris@livingasaleader.com. biztimes.com / 47

Strategies

Tip Sheet Cutting health care costs, not benefits

A

As health insurance remains a major expense for small businesses, owners are left to consider how they can offer employees the benefits they deserve without breaking the bank.

48 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

In an article recently published by SCORE, author Drew McLellan, chief executive officer of Agency Management Institute, recommends four ways business owners can keep their company’s health insurance costs down without reducing employee benefits.

Consider telehealth and video checkups For mild or non-emergency illnesses, visiting the doctor’s office can become a time suck. “A vomiting child deserves attention, but if the solution is bed rest and Sprite, why waste half the day at the doctor?” McLellan says.

Telehealth and video checkups are an efficient and cost-effective alternative. Such options, which usually are rolled out by independent providers and available through your plan’s advocacy service, cost less because they come out of claims expenditures.

Switch to a fiduciary provider Using a fiduciary provider, rather than a pharmacy, can help cut costs for many medications, in-

cluding generic drugs.

“Fiduciary providers, both in finance and in health care, are legally required to act in the best interests of their clients,” McLellan says, which means those companies are not loyal to any plan or insurance company.

Invest in employee wellness Implementing an employee wellness program may not directly lower your health insurance bill, but if your employees are staying healthy, they are more valuable to the company in the long run.

Offer HSAs Health savings accounts help employees pay for health care and create an additional avenue for tax-free retirement savings. Your fiduciary partner can help pick the right plan that would qualify for HSAs. “Not all of your employees will take advantage of an HSA, but the benefit of flexibility will appeal to workers for whom the plan makes sense,” McLellan says. n

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GET THE WORD OUT! News? Press Releases? Awards?

Show them off in BizTimes’ new BizUpdates section.

Submit your company news at biztimes.com/bizconnect biztimes.com / 49

BizConnections BIZ PEOPLE

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

EDUCATION David Ungerman joins MSOE as director of development – major gifts.

MSOE welcomed David Ungerman as its new director of development – major gifts in February.

Ungerman will provide leadership and cultivate relationships with alumni, friends, faculty and staff to facilitate major gifts to support the university.

OTHER EUA Welcomes Back Senior Interior Designer to Workplace Team. EUA is excited to announce Jennifer Herr has rejoined the firm as Senior Interior Designer.

With 20 years of experience, Herr will use her extensive background to deliver solutions that make a positive impact on clients throughout their spaces.

SECURITY Dennis Snider brings 25 years of experience in the commercial security technology industry to Engineered Security Solutions, Inc. and joins ESS at a time of unprecedented growth. Dennis began his career in security on the technical side and has held various positions in service and management. Prior to that, he served our country in the United States Air Force. Dennis will be an integral part of the leadership team as Operations Manager.

ESS is a Wisconsin security leader providing cutting-edge solutions for commercial, industrial, municipal, law enforcement, education, financial customers and more for nearly 20 years.

MANUFACTURING

MANUFACTURING

Promotion to V.P of Operations.

Zach Henry has been named V.P. of Operations at ChromeTech of Wisconsin, Inc. He previously served as Production Manager of the Company.

OTHER

Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership Promotes Andy Porter to Senior Consultant. Porter has more than 30 years of experience, over 13 years with WMEP, in manufacturing engineering and consulting for the electronics, aerospace, metal foundry, assembly, printing and process industries.

OTHER

EUA Promotes Heather Turner Loth to Lead Workplace Strategy Services.

Heather Turner Loth has been promoted to leader of EUA’s Workplace Strategy. This strategic shift further supports clients through the overall process of strategy to influence workplace transformation, a growing area of EUA’s business.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Philanthropic officer joins Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The Greater Milwaukee Foundation has hired Fiesha Lynn Bell as Major Gifts Officer. In this new role, Bell will deepen relationships with current fund holders and develop relationships with new donors as the Foundation grows its philanthropic base.

CONSTRUCTION

CG Schmidt Promotes First-Ever Female Executive.

CG Schmidt, a Milwaukee-based construction company, recently announced the promotion of Sarah Dunn to Vice President.

Sarah is the first female executive in the company’s nearly 100-year history.

NONPROFIT

James Keller, AIA Joins Hunzinger Construction Company.

Hunzinger is excited to welcome James Keller, AIA, as an Project Manager in our Interiors Group. James spent the last 7 years working at HGA’s Milwaukee office. He also has a Master’s of Architecture: Design and Energy Conservation Program Degree.

INSURANCE

TEMPO Milwaukee Appoints New Board Chair.

TEMPO Milwaukee announces the appointment of Marybeth Cottrill, director-private wealth advisor with BMO Wealth Management, to board chair beginning May 1, 2019 for a two-year term. Marybeth has been an active TEMPO Milwaukee member since 2006.

Erin Kelly joins Network Health as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Wisconsin-based health insurer Network Health announced the addition of Erin Kelly as vice president of sales and marketing.

Kelly brings more than 18 years of experience in sales and marketing in the health insurance industry to Network Health.

OTHER Elizabeth Emory Gabrys Joins Alan Barry Consultants.

Elizabeth Emory Gabrys has joined Alan Barry Consultants (ABC) as Vice President and CFO. ABC, a full service staffing and engineering consulting firm, assists a diverse client base by sourcing candidates and delivering custom engineering solutions.

OTHER Greater Milwaukee Foundation names development leader. Leah Fiasca has joined the Greater Milwaukee Foundation as Director of Development. In this new role, Fiasca will engage philanthropists in transformational giving opportunities aligned with donor passions and the Foundation’s strategic priorities.

ENVIRONMENT Urban Ecology Center Hires Director of Finance and Operations.

The Urban Ecology Center is pleased to announce the hiring of Rachel Nielsen to the role of Director of Finance and Operations.

LAW M. Scott McBride, Ph.D., joins Quarles & Brady LLP’s Intellectual Property Group.

McBride, partner and registered patent attorney, joins the Quarles & Brady Milwaukee office. His hire, along with three other recent patent attorneys hires, is part of the firm’s continued expansion of its IP Group.

To place your listing, or for more information, please visit biztimes.com/bizconnect 50 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

LILA ARYAN PHOTOGRAPHY

PAY IT FORWARD

Amanda Dalnodar reads to Nahilah Clark at Next Door.

Amanda Dalnodar promotes literacy through Next Door AMANDA DALNODAR, founder and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Brew City Marketing, has developed a passion for early childhood literacy by volunteering with Next Door.

Dalnodar was searching for an opportunity that would allow her marketing firm staff to serve the community when she found the nonprofit early childhood provider’s efforts to promote reading at a young age.

“Our business was getting more established and I just felt the need to give back,” Dalnodar said.

“I also work with a lot of young professionals and I felt it was important to show them by example that working hard is very important, but also giving back to the community is what brings happiness and helps you lead a more balanced life.”

Dalnodar signed up to volunteer with Next Door’s “Community Read with Me” events, during which children spend time reading

one-on-one with community volunteers.

“I was just searching online and I have a two- and three-yearold,” Dalnodar said. “When I found the Read with Me program, it just resonated with me because I have young children. I learned, through reading the website, how important it is to engage children early by reading and talking with them.”

Research indicates the amount of access children have to books is a major predictor of their first grade reading achievement and long-term success in school.

“Exposing children to books and reading is so critical in the early years because their brains are developing so rapidly at this time,” said Tracey Sparrow, president of Next Door. “Through early exposure to literacy, the children begin to build an understanding of what a book is, how it works and how much joy reading can bring to their life.”

In addition to volunteering with

Amanda Dalnodar Founder and chief executive officer Brew City Marketing Nonprofit served: Next Door Service: Volunteer

the Read with Me events, Dalnodar has hosted book drives through Brew City Marketing and lent a hand during the organization’s book cleaning events to restore used books for children in Milwaukee.

“I enjoy feeling like I’m part of the solution, that my little part is helping a small child and their family,” Dalnodar said. “And it’s also helped me want to read more to my kids because I’ve learned about the benefits.”

Meanwhile, extending the opportunity for her employees to also volunteer has been important for embedding the company in the community it serves.

“I think employees really appreciate it and when they do come out, they say it was the best day,” she said. “We’re a small group and everybody that works for us plays a

big role, so it’s hard to want to step away from the desk, but when they do, it’s one of the most memorable days of the year for them.” n

LAUREN ANDERSON Reporter

P / 414-336-7121 E / lauren.anderson@biztimes.com T / @Biz_Lauren

biztimes.com / 51

BizConnections VOLUME 25, NUMBER 5 | MAY 27, 2019

GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR

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

SALES & MARKETING

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Mary Ernst mary.ernst@biztimes.com

EDITORIAL EDITOR Andrew Weiland andrew.weiland@biztimes.com MANAGING EDITOR Molly Dill molly.dill@biztimes.com REPORTER Lauren Anderson lauren.anderson@biztimes.com REPORTER Maredithe Meyer maredithe.meyer@biztimes.com REPORTER Arthur Thomas arthur.thomas@biztimes.com REPORTER Alex Zank alex.zank@biztimes.com

ADMINISTRATION

This photo, taken by James Conklin circa 1939, shows the interior of the municipal garage at 1540 W. Canal St. in Milwaukee. The building, which is near Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, now houses the City of Milwaukee sign shop, traffic control and electrical services operations.

Silver lining of the Talgo deal WISCONSIN’S DEAL with Spanish train-maker Talgo Inc. became a major fiasco for the state, but at least a silver lining has emerged.

The story goes back to 2009, when thenGov. Jim Doyle announced the state would buy two 14-car train sets from Talgo for $47 million.

The trains would be used for the Milwaukee to Chicago Amtrak Hiawatha service and for future high-speed rail service among Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison.

Doyle was criticized by Republicans for granting a no-bid contract to Talgo.

Then in early 2010, President Barack Obama awarded $810 million in federal funds to Wisconsin to establish high-speed rail service between Milwaukee and Madison. Republicans were again highly critical, blasting the project as a huge waste of taxpayer money.

As part of its deal with the state, Talgo pledged to assemble the trains in Wisconsin, 52 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

and in 2010 chose a building at the former Tower Automotive/A.O. Smith complex in Milwaukee’s central city. The facility would produce the trains for Wisconsin and for others Talgo would supply for other parts of the country.

The high-speed rail project became one of the state’s most controversial issues. Doyle didn’t seek re-election in 2010 and Republican Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker defeated Democrat Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the race for governor. Walker quickly made good on a campaign promise to kill what he called the “boondoggle train.” The $810 million was sent back to Washington and spent on rail projects elsewhere.

That was one thing. But then Legislative Republicans also balked at the Talgo deal. They refused to accept the trains, even though the state paid for them.

Talgo sued. Eventually, the company and the state reached a settlement in which the company received between $42 million and $52 million from the state and got to keep the trains. The Talgo plant in Milwaukee was shut down in 2014.

Walker and Republicans in the Legislature blamed Doyle for the Talgo deal and were glad to move beyond it.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Molly Lawrence molly.lawrence@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Maggie Pinnt maggie.pinnt@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Christie Ubl christie.ubl@biztimes.com SALES INTERN Tess Romans tess.romans@biztimes.com MARKETING INTERN Alex Greisinger alex.greisinger@biztimes.com

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

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR Sue Herzog sue.herzog@biztimes.com

— This photo is from the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Photo Archives collection.

COMMENTARY

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Paddy Kieckhefer paddy.kieckhefer@biztimes.com

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

INTERN REPORTER Madison Goldbeck madison.goldbeck@biztimes.com

Municipal garage

DIRECTOR OF SALES Linda Crawford linda.crawford@biztimes.com

Independent & Locally Owned — Founded 1995 —

But despite its bad experience in Wisconsin, Talgo returned to its Milwaukee plant in 2017. The company was awarded a $73 million, 56-month contract from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to overhaul dozens of heavy rail vehicles. Talgo decided to reactivate the Milwaukee plant to do that work, and to staff the facility with 25 to 30 employees.

More good news came recently when Talgo announced it was awarded a $138.9 million contract to overhaul rail cars for the Southern California Regional Rail Authority. The work will be done at Talgo’s Milwaukee plant, where at least 25 employees will be added.

In a neighborhood that has struggled to attract and maintain manufacturing jobs, Talgo’s presence is a big deal and much-appreciated.

But it’s still ridiculous that the state didn’t keep the trains it paid for. n

ANDREW WEILAND EDITOR

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

AROUND TOWN American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women The American Heart Association recently hosted Go Red for Women at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

The annual event focuses on preventing heart disease and stroke by building awareness and raising funds to support research and education initiatives.

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PENNY RANSOM of Network Health and JUDY GAVIGAN.

2.

ANNE BALLENTINE of Rogers Behavioral Health and JASMINE JOHNSON of ManpowerGroup.

3.

ISIOMA NWABUZOR and DEVONA WRIGHT COTTRELL, both of Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc.

4.

DAN BASILE of Milwaukee County Transit System and RENEE MOE of Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP.

5.

EVELYN MARSHALL and ANDREA PENISTER, both of Black Nurses Rock Milwaukee Inc.

6.

AMANDA BALISTRERI of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP and HEATHER NELSON of Spring Bank.

7.

MARK KLENZ, KEDRICK STRUTZ and ANNA MARTIN, all of Coakley Brothers Co.

8.

KELLY KREUL, JEN EHMCKE and KELLY BETH, all of Wipfli LLP. Photos by Lauren Anderson

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Waukesha County 2035 BizTimes Media recently held its Waukesha County 2035 event, which brought together business and community leaders to look ahead at the challenges and opportunities facing Waukesha County.

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JELA TRASK of Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and ERIC CLARK of SWICKtech.

10. CAROL WHITE of Greater Brookfield Chamber of Commerce and CHAD SCHULTZ of Innovative Signs.

11. SANDY WYSOCKI of Mueller QAAS and BETSY ROSS-BOTHE of Fiserv Inc. 12. AUSTIN SCHMITT and DAVID RAY, both of Husco International.

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13. MICHELLE FARETTA and JILL POLIFKA, both of Gross Automation.

14. KATHY KROHN and DENNIS MAJEWSKI, both of MRA-The Management Association.

15. JOHN MANTHY and JESSICA POFF, both of BSG Analytics LLC. 16. ERIC DECKER of Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership and JEREMY UDOVICH of HiQo Solutions Inc.

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17. JIM SULLIVAN of Wisconsin Extension Manufacturing Partnership and KEITH EVERSON of Sussex IM. Photos by Molly Dill biztimes.com / 53

BizConnections

JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

MY BEST ADVICE

“ Always

err on the side of showing up.”

SARAH SMITH PANCHERI Vice president of sales & marketing Milwaukee World Festival Inc. Milwaukee Industry: Entertainment Employees: 45 full-time; more than 2,000 seasonal staff. summerfest.com “SOMETHING MY FATHER SHARED WITH ME, and I know someone shared it with him, is: ‘Always err on the side of showing up.’ When you have the opportunity, show up for someone or show up for something you believe in.

“It can be something as small as pushing yourself to honor a commitment you made that you might not be feeling up to, or showing up with the ideas you strongly believe in. Be a champion and be someone who will stand strong. Make sure you’re present in the moments that are important. It applies to your professional life, your family life, your social life.”

“Related, and another piece of advice I subscribe to is: enthusiasm is contagious. How you as an individual approach what you’re doing, sometimes it’s as important as what you’re doing. There is always an opportunity to be critical, yet when you’re able, it’s important to build enthusiasm as you approach exciting situations as well as challenging ones.”

54 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 27, 2019

AGE: 43 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: After spending the early years of her career with Summerfest producers Milwaukee World Festival Inc., Sarah joined Marquette University, where she was managing director for Milwaukee within university advancement, and later became vice president of development and communications for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. In 2015, she returned to MWF, where she is now responsible for overseeing sponsorships and corporate/event sales, as well as marketing platforms for Summerfest and all MWF properties.

IN THE NEWS: Milwaukee World Festival Inc. is weeks away from hosting the 52nd annual Summerfest at Henry Maier Festival Park. The festival grounds have undergone a series of upgrades and renovations in recent years.

Work is underway on phase one of a two-phase $50 million American Family Insurance Amphitheater redevelopment project. The first phase, which has included raising the roof and improving backstage amenities, will be complete in time for this year’s festival. n

2020 EDITION

Reserve your space in the 2020 Giving Guide!

Publication Date: November 11, 2019 Your involvement in this annual publication includes an in-depth profile, plus several advertising elements in BizTimes Milwaukee magazine, BizTimes Nonprofit Weekly enewsletter and BizTimes.com.

Stay Connected!

• Subscribe to the BizTimes Milwaukee Nonprofit Weekly eNewsletter • Submit your organizations listing to the BizTimes Nonprofit Directory For more information, visit biztimes.com

Take advantage of the opportunity for your organization to be seen by the Region’s Business and Philanthropic Leaders all year long.

Contact Media Sales today! (414) 336-7112 or advertise@biztimes.com

A SUPPLEMENT OF

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 • 9:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. POTAWATOMI HOTEL & CASINO EVENT CENTER

ON-SITE REGISTRATION TICKET

F R E E O N - S I T E E X P O PA SS R E G IS T R AT I O N Bring this completed form to the registration counter, located on the fourth floor skywalk, and the $20 on-site fee will be waived. The event tickets listed on the form below will also be available for sale at the door.

You must answer all questions for your registration to be processed.

Last

First Name Title

1. What category best represents the primary business activity of your company?

Company Name Mail Address City

State

Zip Telephone #

A __ B __ C __ D __ E __ F __ G __ H __ I __

Architecture / Engineering Business Services Communication Construction Education Finance / Banking Government Health Services Insurance

J __ K __ L __ M __ N __ O __ P __ Q __ R __

Law Manufacturing Miscellaneous Services Real Estate Retail Social Services Utilities Wholesale Other ______________________

2. What category best describes your position within your organization?

A __ Owner / Chairman / Partner B __ CEO / President C __ COO / CFO / CIO / General Manager / Other Officer

E-mail

ADMISSION & EXPO EVENT FEES Expo Pass Only

(includes access to show floor & all seminars)

Women in Business Breakfast * Bravo! & I.Q. Awards Luncheon *

$20.00 $ ___________ Fee waived with any paid Expo events

$45.00 $ ___________ $55.00 $ ___________

* Main Stage event tickets available on-site pending availablitiy.

D __ Senior or Executive VP E __ VP / Manager / Director / Supervisor F __ Other ______________________

3. What is the number of employees at this location?

A __ 1 - 4 B __ 5 - 9 C __ 10 - 19

G __ 250 - 499 H __ 500 +

D __ 20 - 49 E __ 50 - 99 F __ 100 - 249

4. Please Indicate your company’s sales volume: A __ B __ C __ D __

Less than $500,000 $500,000 - $999,999 $1 - $4.9 million $5 - $19.9 million

E __ F __ G __ H __

$20 - $99.9 million More than $100 million Do not know Do not wish to answer

biztimes.com / 55

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