BizTimes Milwaukee | June 10, 2019 by BizTimes Media

Family-owned BILTRITE has staying power

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Rites of passage

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4 Leading Edge 4 NOW BY THE NUMBERS 5 ON THE JOB WITH… 6 IN FOCUS 7 MY FAVORITE TECH BIZ POLL 8 BIZTRACKER GETTING THERE 9 THE GOOD LIFE 10 PROJECT PITCH IT

12 Biz News 12 MIAD STUDENTS DO REAL-WORLD WORK VIA INNOVATION CENTER 14 THE INTERVIEW

COVER STORY

Rites of passage Family-owned BILTRITE has staying power

Special Report

ZAK GRUBER | SATURN LOUNGE PHOTOGRAPHY

15 Real Estate

B:11.125”

S:9.875”

T:10.875”

BizTimes Milwaukee (ISSN 1095-936X & USPS # 017813) Volume 25, Number 6, June 10, 2019 – June 23, 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

33 Strategies 33 LEADERSHIP Karen Vernal 34 MANAGEMENT Susan Wehrley 35 A BRIEF CASE

39 BizConnections 39 NONPROFIT 40 SBA LOANS 41 AROUND TOWN 42 GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR COMMENTARY

18 Family Business

In addition to the cover story, coverage includes insights from experts who will speak at the Family & Closely Held Business Summit and an exploration of working with a sibling in business.

43 MY TOUGHEST CHALLENGE

TOWN BANK WELCOMES OUR NEWEST DIRECTORS

CECELIA GORE

Executive Director, Brewers Community Foundation

REBECCA KLEEFISCH

44 Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin th

BILL O’TOOLE

414-273-3507 | townbank.us

President & CEO, Catholic Financial Life

biztimes.com / 3

Leading Edge

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

NOW

Work underway for three-hotel development downtown By Alex Zank, staff writer Work to build a three-hotel development project in downtown Milwaukee is underway, but the developers say the hotels won’t be ready in time for the Democratic National Convention next July. Coralville, Iowa-based Hawkeye Hotels and Bloomington, Minnesota-based JR Hospitality

announced recently that crews are nearly finished with demolition work on the site and will soon begin the construction of two new hotel buildings. Both buildings will go up on the west side of North Jefferson Street between East Michigan and East Clybourn streets. One building will contain both

BY THE NUMBERS

Wisconsin now has

companies on the Fortune 1000 list, up from 22 in 2018.

4 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

a 115-room Home2 Suites and a 100-room Tru hotel, both Hilton brands, while the other will be a 116-room Holiday Inn Express, an InterContinental Hotels Group brand. Each of these brands will be a first for downtown Milwaukee. Samir Patel, senior development manager at Hawkeye Hotels, said the hotels are expected to open sometime between the third or fourth quarter of 2020. Although the development group considered finishing the hotels prior to the DNC next July, crews weren’t able to begin demolishing the existing buildings at the project site early enough this year due to weather conditions. “We won’t be open by the DNC, unfortunately,” he said. Patel added that if demolition could have started in January or February, the hotels could have, in theory, opened by July 2020. Plans for the hotels were first unveiled after the group in August purchased the site of two long-vacant buildings formerly owned by Johnson Controls International plc. One of the buildings has already been demolished, while workers are about two or three weeks away from finishing demolition work on the other, Patel said. After the buildings are fully demolished, crews will begin working on the foundations of the new buildings. Patel said the hotels should

open sometime in late fall, and after about a month of operations the developers will hold an official grand opening ceremony. The hotel developers say they were attracted to Milwaukee because of the ongoing revitalization of its downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, such as the Historic Third Ward, which lies directly south of their project site. “We’ve been looking at the Milwaukee market for a while; we were just looking at the right opportunity to come up,” Patel said. Patel added he and his colleagues believe demand for hotel rooms in Milwaukee is growing and will continue to grow in the coming years. “It is an honor to bring these three rapidly growing brands with IHG and Hilton to downtown Milwaukee,” Jay Bhakta, managing partner at JR Hospitality, said in a statement. “Guests will appreciate the proximity of these hotels to a number of major developments and The Hop streetcar system. Overall, this development will help accommodate the millions of tourists and business travelers that visit Milwaukee annually.” Amenities at the Home2 Suites and Tru by Hilton will include a shared fitness center and indoor pool. The Holiday Inn Express will feature a 24-hour fitness center and a business center. n

Sobelmans Pub N Grill

ARTHUR THOMAS

ON THE JOB WITH… By Arthur Thomas, staff writer For most of the first decade he was in business, Dave Sobelman focused on making great burgers. Then one day he posted a photo to Facebook with a slider as a garnish on a Bloody Mary. It was partially a joke to suggest maybe he’d gone too far, but instead, the idea of offering extravagant over-the-top Bloody Marys took off. Today, Sobelman’s restaurant location at

1900 W. St. Paul Ave. in Milwaukee will serve 40 to 80 Bloody Marys on a weekday, 80 to 100 on a Friday and 275 to 325 on weekend days. The total tops 400 on some summer days, and big events like a Brewers-Cubs series will bolster sales. Selling hundreds of drinks with elaborate garnishes requires lots of prep work for Sobelman’s staff. n

A completed “The Classic” Sobelmans Bloody Mary. Other versions include a cheeseburger slider, bacon-wrapped cheese balls or even a whole fried chicken.

Blanca Sanchez sprays celery hearts used for garnish. Sobelman had to search for a vendor that would provide hearts instead of stalks.

Pickled mushrooms and Brussels sprouts are supplied by Bay View Packing Co. and prepped earlier in the week.

Bay View Packing, located next door to the Sobelman’s restaurant on West St. Paul Avenue, also supplies pickled Polish sausage for garnish.

Sanchez skewers bacon-wrapped cheese balls. Staff preps hundreds of them each week.

6 Each Classic Bloody Mary includes a variety of garnishes, including lemon wedges.

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Leading Edge

BIZTIMES MEDIA – Like us

inf cus

JADE VUE, a student at Mount Mary University, recently took the runway to model an original design by fellow student Shoua Xiong during the 51st annual Student Designer Fashion Show. This year’s production included more than 60 creations from 33 sophomores, juniors and graduating seniors studying fashion design. Runway garments ranged from elegant ball gowns to edgy two-piece outfits, all designed to reflect the selected theme, “Unscripted: Off the Cuff.” Xiong received the Jockey Best of Show Award, sponsored by Kenosha-based Jockey International Inc., for her designs. Students in the merchandise management program spent an entire semester planning and executing the fashion show. Their responsibilities included promotion, stage design, hair and makeup, accessories and model selection. The group took on the bulk of those efforts, but received guidance from fashion department faculty and industry veterans, including Donna Ricco, an acclaimed designer and Mount Mary alumna who returned last year as executive fellow in fashion. The fashion show is the finale of CREO, an annual event series aimed at celebrating work produced by students throughout Mount Mary’s School of Arts & Design. CREO, meaning “to make, create, produce” in Latin, also includes two weeks of exhibitions from graduating seniors in graphic design, interior design and art therapy. n — Maredithe Meyer 6 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

ALEX SCHNEIDER

On the catwalk

BIZ POLL

A recent survey of BizTimes.com readers.

Which social media platform do you use the most for business?

42% Facebook: 18% Instagram: 6% Twitter: 5% Snapchat: 1% Other: 2% None: 26% LinkedIn:

MY FAVORITE TECH GREG PETERSON

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

Greg Peterson, general manager of sales at Cherry Americas LLC, has worked in the tech sector for more than 25 years. Cherry is a global manufacturer of computer input devices, including the mechanical keyboard switches that convert keystrokes to data (and create the clicking noise as you type). Cherry manufactures its products in Germany, and its North American offices are in Kenosha. Peterson uses a few tech tools to help him in his day-to-day:

LinkedIn “Social media is a great way of staying connected, and from a professional standpoint, I find LinkedIn to be the best way of keeping up with what is happening in the industry, as well as companies and colleagues. I can decide what I want to follow, and it is a great research tool.”

OPENTABLE “One of those apps that I didn’t think I would use when I first saw it, but now is my go-to for both personal and work dinner reservations. Wherever I am, I can find availability either planning ahead or last-minute. It has a good reviews section to get a feel for the restaurant’s value and atmosphere, and typically plenty of options to choose from.”

GOOGLE NEWS “It’s been a long time since I had a newspaper delivered. And while there are plenty of ways to keep up-to-date on the news, Google News has been my go-to for quite a while. They do a good job of providing content from a wide range of sources, and I really like their format.”

iTUNES “More specifically Apple Music. I am a big music fan and enjoy a wide range of genres. I’ve tried a few other services, and really enjoy the availability and variety of artists. I have a playlist for almost every situation, and am always adding more.” n

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Leading Edge

@BIZTIMESMEDIA – Real-time news

The latest area economic data.

1,880

The City of Milwaukee’s population decreased by

last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

2.8%

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate was

in April, a record low for the state.

GETTING

THERE

What brought you to Milwaukee? “I started my career in retail and I relocated for Express fashion, working on the talent management side… I was really familiar with Milwaukee already, having two uncles who lived here ... I spent summers here so I was familiar with the city and I thought that if I was going to plant roots somewhere, I really needed to look at Milwaukee.”

What’s your job now? “My role as the major gifts officer, it’s really a partnership between the foundation and our donors. My role is to really think about what our donors are interested in, what legacies they want to leave behind, what are their philanthropic interests and their financial interests and really connecting those.”

What makes you passionate about Milwaukee? “Milwaukee has a base of young professionals that are really, really engaged in the community and this new generation of leaders that really seem to be connected across these various organizations … Once you start investing in the city it just kind of feels like home and you just kind of want to plant your roots here.”

$5.42 billion Wisconsin companies exported

in goods during the first quarter of 2019, a 0.66% drop from Q1 of 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Difference between corporate and nonprofit world? “They’re more similar than they are different, in my opinion. I think definitely you have to navigate the corporate playing field just as much as you do in the nonprofit sector … You have to really understand the culture but really connecting with customers at the customer service level in retail is very similar to serving your community partners at the nonprofit level.”

$5.7 billion Tourism generated a total of

in business sales to the greater Milwaukee area in 2018, according to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

FIESHA LYNN BELL Major gifts officer

2.5%

Wisconsin’s real gross domestic product grew

in 2018, the second-largest increase in the Midwest and the state’s strongest year of economic growth since 2010.

8 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

Greater Milwaukee Foundation HOMETOWN: Indianapolis EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in marketing and cross linguistics, Indiana State University PREVIOUS POSITION: Director of community partnerships, PAVE + Schools That Can Milwaukee

Hultgren a noteworthy vocalist By Madison Goldbeck, staff writer

n 1994, four 16-year-old boys walked onstage and competed at the MBNA America College Quartet Contest in Pittsburgh. Paul Hultgren, vice president of business development at Milwaukee-based Valuation Research Corp., was one of them. He left that day placing ninth in the world and with the distinction of being part of the youngest quartet to compete on the international collegiate stage.

Hultgren (second from left) performs with The Border Project.

the Hultgren

Good LIFE

Hultgren went from being part of that Appleton West High School quartet, Four Score, to singing the lead in today’s well-recognized quartet, The Border Project. His longtime hobby of singing in barbershop quartets began when he was eight years old and auditioned for the Appleton Boychoir. “The Boychoir traveled and performed nationally and internationally, singing routinely in front of large audiences, which got me comfortable at a very young age

performing and being in front of crowds,” Hultgren said. Hultgren performs and competes in The Border Project alongside Robb Thiel, Patrick Boehm and Matt Hall. “My quartet members are great musicians who can read, learn and practice their own parts on their own time,” Hultgren said. “When we get together as a group, we line up our voices, song dynamics and song interpretation together to be performance-ready.” The Border Project enjoys performing fun and recognizable songs, from The Partridge Family’s “Come on Get Happy,” to Disney’s “I See the Light,” to U2’s “MLK,” and even classics like “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and “Sweet Georgia Brown.” “We pair our songs with an entertaining comedic set,” Hultgren said. “It is good, clean fun for families and audiences of all ages.” n

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Leading Edge

PROJECT PITCH IT PUMPFIVE LLC LEADERSHIP: Talethea Thompson, founder and CEO A D D R E S S: Cardinal Stritch, 6801 N. Yates Road, Fox Point WEBSITE: pumpfive.com W H AT I T D O E S: Fuel delivery service F O U N D E D: April 2018

PumpFive delivers gas to your car By Molly Dill, staff writer

ast year, Talethea Thompson was a 911 operator. She decided to switch careers, and while she was figuring out her next steps she was driving for a ridesharing service. That meant Thompson was stopping to fuel up her vehicle frequently. And she hated doing it. “I was complaining in my car. I just didn’t want to go to the gas station again,” Thompson said. “I was driving for Uber and Lyft at the time and I was like, ‘Why can’t somebody just bring the gas to me?’” Thompson called around to city and state regulators, and bounced the idea off her network and realized: Somebody can. “Once I started researching it, I also realized that it was already being done. It was extremely validating,” she said, citing similar startups in California and Texas. Her company, PumpFive, delivers fuel to drivers’ vehicles while they’re parked at work or at home. Based on a $19.99 monthly membership model and with gas sold at 8 to 12 cents less than most gas stations, Thompson has found traction with her concept. Thompson has three part-time employees who help her with fueling, buying gas at retailers like Woodman’s and Costco to get the lowest price. But she hopes to secure a wholesale fuel contract soon. “It is my intention to expand throughout the state,” and within five years, franchise PumpFive, Thompson said. This summer, Thompson is adding auto detailing to her service offerings. She will contract with area detailers to book appointments, sharing in some of the earnings. The entrepreneur has taken advantage of several programs, including Launch MKE and Young Enterprising Society’s Cultivator 2, to

Customers place orders for gas, and Talethea Thompson fuels them up while the driver is at work or at home.

gain training and expand her network. Thompson, who has bootstrapped PumpFive, launched the company’s app in November and has grown it to 122 active users. On “Project Pitch It,” PumpFive received a $5,000 prize and the Stritch Pitch Award, which includes business classes, office space, mentorship and staff support from Cardinal Stritch University. The other benefit of appearing on the show, she said, was exposure to potential customers. Aside from auto detailing, Thompson plans to expand to provide oil and tire changes in the future. And since individual accounts are growing by word-of-mouth, she is now focused on establishing corporate accounts. “If the vehicles are fueled the night before (or) the morning of, then when the employees arrive, the vehicles are ready to go,” she said. n

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Sponsored Content

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BizNews FEATURE Connor Sannito is working to bring his original toy designs to market.

MIAD students do real-world work via Innovation Center By Lauren Anderson, staff writer ink360,

a Fort Atkinson-based bottle and can printing company, needed mockup designs to demonstrate its 360-degree direct-to-bottle printing technology, and found a solution at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. The company, which typically serves clients in the small batch distillery, winery, brewery, oil and soda industries, wanted to develop illustrations to show off its wraparound printing services to potential clients. Familiar with MIAD, the company reached out to the school, and the two organizations struck an arrangement in

which eight students would produce illustrations for the company and get paid for their work. Being in the arts, MIAD students often present their ideas to classmates and instructors. But this wasn’t simply an educational exercise. The stakes were the same as any other business arrangement. “This was outside of their coursework,” said Drew Maxwell, executive director of the MIAD Innovation Center. “It’s treated as a professional job. They came here and, instead of working in a cafe for summer, they did what they came to MIAD to do and were

getting paid. They could even be fired. It’s totally professional.” Over the course of a summer, the students created about 60 branding mockups for ink360. “It worked out really well,” said Ken Matthews, founder of ink360. “It was a nice marriage. Students were really receptive to our needs … They came back with creative ideas. They did an outstanding job.” MIAD leaders want to see those types of symbiotic relationships – in which students gain experience and companies get their artistic and design needs met – grow as part of the school’s new Innovation Center. The Innovation Center concept emerged as a solution to a pattern at the school. Every year, graduating students, having completed a large portfolio of projects over the course of their studies, would leave MIAD and abandon their original work in the process. “I’m in my fourth year at MIAD and one of the things I really noticed about MIAD was how much intellectual property students were producing on a regular basis,” said Jeff Morin, president of MIAD. “And they really looked at it in a casual way. Students produce amazing projects for their senior thesis, but those students are graduating, starting their careers, moving on, and on some level they were just leaving it behind,

without realizing the monetary and intellectual value.” Leaders saw a need to help students see the value in their work, and even monetize it. The Innovation Center, which formally launched in fall 2018, has become an incubator-like space where students can pursue their entrepreneurial ideas, try taking their products to market, and work with corporate and nonprofit clients to gain professional paid experience. MIAD’s new push is a win-win for students and business leaders, who frequently reach out to the school seeking students’ services, Morin said. “There were two reasons to start the center,” he said. “One was to provide a service to our students, to help them take things to market. The other reason was to respond to the market because there is a high level of need.” For nonprofit or startup companies, MIAD’s services are a lower-cost option than they might find elsewhere, as MIAD provides services on a sliding scale. The Innovation Center is funded primarily via philanthropy. The center is based out of a former classroom that was converted into a creative hub, located in the lower level of MIAD’s Historic Third Ward campus building. The space intentionally integrates various disciplines. At any given time, students could be working on developing a new garment of clothing, drawing an illustration

MEET BETTER. EVENTS THAT WORK

12 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

LEFT: MIAD students developed designs for Fort Atkinson-based bottle and can printing company ink360. ABOVE: Casey Hoaglund created the illustrations for Milwaukee artist Trapper Schoepp’s recent music video.

or developing a virtual reality product. “One thing that distinguishes us from other innovation centers is that, if someone came to us and wanted an architectural layout and product development and a logo and brand development and a video, our answer is, ‘yes,’ Morin said. “Because we pull from all our academic programs. We have interior architecture majors, product design majors, fine arts majors, communications and illustration majors. Anything from the front door of the business on – whether layout, design, signage, identity, product – they can come to one place.” Casey Hoaglund, a MIAD se-

nior studying illustration, has taken on some significant professional projects as a student. Through the Innovation Center, Hoaglund became connected with the Milwaukee Ballet, for which she designed a large 50th anniversary poster that will hang in the entryway of the company’s new Third Ward rehearsal facility when it opens in the fall. Hoaglund’s poster embeds augmented reality technology that animates the image when a viewer’s phone hovers over it. After working on projects for several professional clients throughout her time at MIAD, Hoaglund said learning to express her

ideas and talk about her artwork with real-life clients has been one of the most valuable lessons. “My classes teach you how to present your ideas, but it’s to your peers and teachers,” she said. “We get to do that in a professional setting. And it’s not just a trial run; we’re actually working.” As a freshman, Connor Sannito, a 19-year-old budding industrial designer, developed an original toy design that won a creative challenge competition that was open to all MIAD students. Maxwell saw the potential in Sannito’s idea and encouraged him to take it to market. Sannito, who spends many of

his non-class hours in the Innovation Center, happened to be working on his project when Morin was leading a group of representatives from a major Wisconsin sports team on a tour of MIAD. Morin regularly hosts C-suite tours in an effort to “chip away at the hidden gem” quality of the school and interface with the community, Morin said. On this particular day, the chance encounter led to a big opportunity for Maxwell. “Once they saw what he was working on, they said they wanted first dibs,” Morin said. Since then, Sannito has been working with Maxwell on developing about eight products to pitch the client, the name of which they did not disclose. The potential for taking his products to market looks “really promising” at this point, Sannito said. Meanwhile, he said, having an audience with a major client has forced him to elevate his presentation skills. “The first few pitches I did there was a lot of stuttering, a lot of shaky hands, it was a mess,” Sannito said. “As you can tell, that wouldn’t translate well to a real pitch to a company. The more I’ve worked on that with (Maxwell) and other faculty, it’s helped sharpen my skills and made me better at presenting my ideas, because that’s half the battle.” “What they get from the Innovation Center is confidence,” Morin said. n

Imagine everything that comes next.

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BizNews

the

Interview

AFTER WIPFLI LLP managing partner Rick Dreher’s term ended May 31, Kurt Gresens was appointed to replace

him. Gresens, 49, has worked at Wipfli for his entire 27-year career and was most recently practice partner. He will continue to be based in Green Bay as he helms the Wauwatosa-based company, which uses a decentralized management structure. Dreher will remain with Wipfli to aid with the transition and continued support. BizTimes managing editor Molly Dill sat down with Gresens as he began the new role to learn more about his strategy for the fast-growing accounting and professional services firm. How will your previous experience help in your new role? “When I was transitioning out of the practice partner role, even before that, I had worked with clients in the manufacturing and distribution industry. In my … role as practice partner, I had the ability to especially understand what the client’s needs are, what their expectations are for high-quality service.”

Are you planning to make any changes? “In some ways, the answer would be ‘no,’ because although we certainly are looking to make changes as a firm on behalf of our clients and associates, I have been part of the firm’s leadership team for years. In general, the answer is, yes, we plan to change, but no, it’s not a change in terms of our direction.”

Is talent a strategic initiative? “Much like other industries, we’re in a war for talent and we intend to win that war, but we know that our clients … have increasing needs and are demanding in a certain sort of way that we as a CPA firm fill those needs. Our plan is to continue to improve and adapt and skill up our associates so that we all have the skills necessary to operate into what we predict to be the firm of the future.”

How is the accounting industry changing? “Our profession is being impacted certainly by technology, much like other industries – whether it’s artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotic processing. We see that in our client base, as well. Our clients are being affected by technology and the challenge, but we would look at it as an opportunity to embrace the technology disruptions that are facing all of us. As technology changes how we do what we do, we know that our associates … will be able to operate in what we call an advisory, a consultative type of way with our clients.”

Wipfli has been making acquisitions at a rapid pace in recent years. Do you intend to keep up that pace?

Is it challenging to integrate those companies at the speed you’re moving, with culture especially? “We have been successful in ensuring that the culture of the firms that we’ve merged with are similar cultures to the culture that we have right now. For all the mergers and acquisitions that we’ve done, one of our most important litmus tests to whether an integration or whether a merger will be successful from our perspective is that culture fit.” n 14 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

“We have been aggressively merging accounting firms, but more than just accounting firms, too. We have completed various mergers with consulting firms, or non-CPA firms. And yes, I expect that that pace will remain. The opportunities of the profession that I described earlier are causing many CPA firms to think about what their future is and all of this change requires a number of investments. So the opportunity for us to be a good landing spot for firms who are struggling with these changes, as well, is real and provides us with that opportunity.”

Kurt Gresens Managing partner, Wipfli LLP 10000 Innovation Drive, Suite 250, Wauwatosa Employees: About 2,200 wipfli.com

Real Estate

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

ENGBERG ANDERSON ARCHITECTS.

The Ikon Hotel is one of several new hotel developments aiming to finish up prior to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee.

Hotels hoping to open by DNC facing tight deadline, development challenges

Since the announcement this spring that Milwaukee will host the Democratic National Convention in July 2020, several developers have set a goal to open new hotels in the area prior to the convention. The window is closing fast, however, on their ability to accom-

plish that goal. That’s according to a group of industry consultants, who also detailed the challenges those projects will face in the months leading up to the DNC. The national spotlight will be on Milwaukee next July, as thousands will be in town to participate in and cover the 2020 DNC. But to even qualify as a host, the city had to guarantee a minimum of 15,000 hotel rooms within 40 minutes of the downtown convention center district and Fiserv Forum. However, this doesn’t account for the many thousands more that will undoubtedly flock to the city for the convention and related events. It’s both the large demand for rooms during the convention and the national exposure the event itself offers that has developers aiming to complete their hotel projects by then. To realistically reach this goal, developers should have things like government approvals and financing already lined up, said Greg Hanis, hotel industry analyst and president of New Berlin-based Hospitality Marketers International Inc. Hanis also recommends a hotel be open and operating at least

FEATURED DEAL: W I L S O N ’ S I S L A N D The 3-acre Wilson’s Island on Pewaukee Lake was recently sold for $670,000. The island includes 1,400 feet of water frontage, a two-bedroom fully furnished cabin, a furnished guest cottage, three piers, a storage shed and a generator shed. State records show the island was acquired in early May by Green’s Machines Properties LLC, which is registered to real estate investor Stephen Green. It was sold by JML Holdings LLC, a real estate investment firm registered to businessman Jim Lindenberg. Although the island itself is private property, over the years people have taken to hanging out close by the island where the water is shallow and the bottom is sandy. Wilson’s Island is located toward the northeastern portion of the lake, just north of the Starke Peninsula. The property was initially listed for sale at $890,000 in July. BUYER: Green’s Machines Properties LLC SELLER: JML Holdings LLC SIZE: 3 acres PRICE: $670,000 biztimes.com / 15

WHO REALLY OWNS IT?

THE ALCHEMIST THEATRE After closing in December, The Alchemist Theatre in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood was purchased in February by local developer Scott Genke, of SG Property Development + Management. The building, constructed around 1927 and located at 2569-73 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., is an example of a Mediterranean-style mixed-use building. Genke plans to restore the exterior and modernize the interior. The ground floor could be used by a restaurant, while the second floor will include four updated apartments. Genke also owns the neighboring vacant lot, where he plans to develop a multi-family building. Together, the two projects are called Bay View Addition. ADDRESS: 2569-73 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee OWNER: Scott Genke ASSESSED: $451,000

Bringing a wealth of experience to our clients for generations. Godfrey & Kahn has provided strategic legal advice and proactive solutions to family-owned and privately-held businesses for over 60 years.

16 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

30 days, if not 60 days, in order to work out any issues prior to the big event. “You’re really getting close on being able to get these things open, and the advice I have for the developer is if you don’t have everything in order right now and you’re trying to push it to get (the hotel) open for the DNC, it might be very difficult,” he said during an interview in late May. Michael Hool, president of Strategic Hospitality Resources LLC, an affiliate of HMI, agreed with Hanis. He added a limited-service hotel typically takes nine to 12 months to build. When adding food and beverage components to the project, construction takes at least 12 months. Hotel projects that were recently unveiled and are also targeted to be open prior to the DNC include the 80-room Ikon Hotel at 2100 W. North Ave., Milwaukee; a 40- to 50-room boutique hotel planned for 419 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee; and a 107-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 10201 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis. The developers who spoke with BizTimes for this story made clear it was not imperative their hotels open by the DNC, though it would be a nice bonus. For instance, Kalan Haywood, president of Haywood Group LLC and developer of the Ikon, said it would be “icing on the cake” if the development finished up in time for the convention. However, his focus is on the long term for the hotel, which would be built in a former Sears building on the city’s north side. Haywood said he’s owned the building for about a year-and-ahalf and had always aimed for a 2020 project completion. However, the announcement of the DNC provided an even more specific target for an opening date. Haywood is still working on the capital stack for the Ikon project. A $4 million city loan was recently approved by the city, and now Haywood has turned his attention to incentives offered through the Opportunity Zone program. He’s also seeking historic tax credits.

Patrick Prabhu, one of the developers of the hotel on West Vliet Street, noted a couple challenges that may prevent his project from opening before the convention. The hotel Prabhu is proposing would involve renovating an old warehouse building, and still needs approvals from the city. Specifically, Prabhu said construction costs are increasing due to a shortage of labor and rising material costs. This comes, in part, from the sheer amount of demand for new development projects. Beyond the shortage of construction workers, the service industry is also facing challenges with finding enough experienced employees, noted Lindsey Kaptur, president of LEK Hospitality LLC, another HMI affiliate. Kaptur said a well-run hotel needs more than just people in uniforms. Service staff need experience and proper training, especially if their first big task will be something as large as a national convention. She said a shorthanded or unready staff could tarnish the hotel’s reputation. Prabhu said it was more important for everything to run well in the hotel than for it to be open in time for the DNC. “We have to get the hotel right, the configuration right and the amenities right,” Prabhu said. “It would be nice (to open by the DNC) if we can, but we can’t sacrifice quality to get it done.” n

ALEX ZANK Reporter

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An Owner’s Guide to the Future

Futurist David Zach shares fascinating forecasts and clear-headed observations regarding traditions we should hold onto. Followed by featured presenters: Dan Ariens, Nick Chiappetta, Tony Chiappetta, Jerry Weidmann, Paul Bartolotta and Keith Trafton. Moderated by Dr. David Borst. Followed by 11 concurrent roundtable sessions.

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STORY COVER

Rites of passa Family-owned BILTRITE has staying

Standing: Marty Komisar and Brad Komisar. Seated: Gail Komisar, Randi Schachter and Sarah Komisar.

18 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

sage

power

ZAK GRUBER | SATURN LOUNGE PHOTOGRAPHY

By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer

andi Schachter knew from a young age that she would one day work at her family’s business. As she grew up listening to conversations about the company over family dinner and at home, she became invested in how business was going. While away at camp one summer, Schachter received a letter from her father saying business had been “really tough.” She remembers the genuine worry and concern that came over her after reading that news, wishing her father had not shared it with her. “We heard the good, the bad and the ugly,” she said. Now, as a fourth-generation family member and sales and marketing director at Greenfield-based BILTRITE Furniture-Leather-Mattresses, Schachter, 40, appreciates the part of her childhood that revolved around the company – even if it meant accepting shoptalk as typical dinner table conversation, being dragged along to out-of-town furniture shows and working weekends during high school. Schachter said that exposure later helped her understand what it took to run a family-owned business: long hours and hard work. “I grew up always knowing and caring and worrying about the store and knowing that I was going to one day join the business,” she said. “BILTRITE has been part of our family and part of who we are.” Schachter, better known from BILTRITE’s TV ads as Randi K., is one of five third- and fourthgeneration family members who operate the custom home furnishings and mattress retailer, which is now in its 90th year of business. BILTRITE sells a wide range of small-scale furniture, including solid wood American and Amishmade dining, bedroom and living room pieces. Schachter works alongside her parents Marty Komisar, 67, and Gail Komisar, 64, her brother Brad Komisar, 37, and his wife Sarah Komisar, 29. All five family members are actively involved in BILTRITE’s day-to-day operations, both behind the scenes and on the showroom floor, interacting with customers at its 65,000-square-foot store and warehouse facility on West Layton Avenue. In the midst of the current retail industry disruption, BILTRITE stands as one of a few multigenerational, family-owned furniture retailers in the Milwaukee area to remain independent and in business. biztimes.com / 19

And even as e-commerce and online retailers such as Wayfair, Overstock and Amazon emerge as tough competition, BILTRITE is poised for continued growth. The key is staying true to its roots as a single-location business that doesn’t sell online. “We’ve been doing this longer than the internet,” Schachter said.

STORY COVER

First generations

1 2 1: First generation owners Frieda and Irwin Kerns and their daughter, Claire. 2: Second-generation owner Mort Komisar. 3: Marty Komisar, Mort Komisar (standing), Maureen Komisar and Claire Komisar (sitting). 4: Second-generation owners Mort and Claire Komisar with first generation owners Irwin and Frieda Kerns.

PHOTOS: CONTRIBUTED

Irwin Kerns started BILTRITE Furniture in 1928 as BILTRITE Upholstery, selling custom-made sofas at its first storefront on North Third Street and West Garfield Avenue near downtown Milwaukee. One year later, Irwin and his wife, Frieda, gave birth to their daughter, Claire. In 1948, Kerns purchased a five-story, 12,000-square-foot building on West Mitchell Street in Milwaukee that would house BILTRITE for the next 71 years. The move allowed the business to expand its inventory and become known as BILTRITE Furniture. “There were 18 furniture stores on Mitchell Street at the time – I’m not kidding, every 30 feet,” Marty Komisar said. In 1950, Claire married Mort Komisar, who immediately joined her family’s business. Mort later took over in 1964, but not for long. Claire and Mort’s son Marty Komisar started working part-time at the store by age 12, spending his teenage years learning about furniture retail from his grandfather and father, and attending furniture shows in Chicago twice per year, he said. Marty succeeded his father in 1970, shortly after earning his accounting degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and has led the company as president and chief executive officer ever since. Throughout his career, Marty has been involved with almost every aspect of running the business, from accounting and buying to sales and delivery, he said, doing whatever needs to get done. Currently, he is also head merchandise buyer, is involved with marketing and sales and assists with operations. Schachter and her brother Brad Komisar, head of computer, sales and warehouse operations, joined the company in 2001 and 2003, respectively, immediately after graduating from High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, both with degrees related to home furnishings. Like their father, the siblings grew up around the business, so their paths to eventually join the company were clear early on. But they had to work their way up to their current leadership roles. “I started going on work trips with my father when I was six years old,” Brad said. “When I was six or seven, they had me go around for a half day with the delivery guy, just to be with him and go on a delivery route. I’d work on Saturdays in middle school and high school, and on spring break, winter break. I’m sure I was a pain a number of times, but it helped me know what it’s about.”

Family dynamics 4 20 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

After his son Marty took over, Mort continued working at BILTRITE as a salesman. And he

BILTRITE family tree Four generations of family members who have been involved in the day-to day operations of the business.

Irwin Kerns

Frieda Kerns

husband

wife

Mort Komisar

Claire Komisar

husband

wife

Marty Komisar

Gail Komisar

husband

wife

Founder

(Kerns)

Randi Schachter

Brad Komisar

Sarah Komisar

sister

brother/husband

wife

(Komisar)

preferred that position over running the company because he didn’t have to worry about it as much, Schachter said. “My grandfather was an excellent salesman,” Schachter said. “There are still people who walk in here and go, ‘Where’s Mort?’ He was loved by all of our customers; he could talk to anybody and had an enthusiasm to sell. He liked the family business, but he didn’t want to run the family business. He just wanted to sell.”

Mort, who passed away in 2014, and Claire continued to work part-time at BILTRITE into retirement, which was long enough to be part of the company’s second relocation. BILTRITE had outgrown its longtime West Mitchell Street location, so in 2005, it purchased a parcel of land off of I-43 and I-894 in Greenfield to design and build a larger, more accessible store. The new facility opened the next year, boasting ample parking and visibility from the highway.

Since that expansion, business has quadrupled and continues to grow, Schachter said. And BILTRITE was able to pay off the building’s 20-year mortgage in less than 10 years, Marty said. However, the process leading up to the move had been a point of contention. Around that time, Schachter and Brad had joined the company as full-time employees and Mort and Claire were still involved, which meant biztimes.com / 21

there were second-, third- and fourth-generation family members working side-by-side. “There was butting of heads for about a year,” Marty said, adding conflict and disagreement are natural for a family business, especially when multiple generations are involved. Mort initially was not on board with the idea of moving, Schachter said, but the younger generations welcomed the change as an opportunity to grow. He eventually realized it was the right decision for his family’s growing company. Among the company’s ownership and its 30 employees, a wide range of generations are represented, from millennials to a few retired Traditionalists who work part time. “We’re multi-generations working here, so we all think differently, but we’re also trying to serve multigenerational customers – millennials, baby boomers, seniors going into assisted living or downsizing – from age 20 to 100,” said Gail Komisar, store and human resources director, head of accounting and merchandise buyer. She said those different perspectives have allowed the company to cater to the tastes and preferences of customers of all ages.

STORY COVER

Closed Sundays

7 5&6: BILTRITE was located on West Mitchell Street in Milwaukee from 1948 to 2006. The building was refaced in 1989.

PHOTOS: CONTRIBUTED

7: An old Biltrite newspaper ad for mattresses.

Despite cross-industry talent shortages in recent years, BILTRITE has been successful in recruiting and retaining employees on both ends of the generational spectrum. In 2016, the company brought back an oldschool philosophy that has since become a major part of BILTRITE’s culture and a recognizable slogan on its TV ads: “Sunday Closed To Be With Family.” The policy has since helped the company attract new employees, especially millennials, and keep older staff members working longer at the company, Marty said. Most of the Komisars, as owner-operators, were accustomed to working seven days per week, at least after the new store opened, Schachter said. Now, as the family grows into its fifth generation with new additions Jordan, Simon and Sloan, they, too, appreciate the additional family time outside of work. “Sometimes we see each other for both breakfast and dinner on Sundays,” Marty said. And what’s more, the response from customers was overwhelming. “We never got so much feedback and phone calls and letters,” Schachter said. “To this day, we have somebody come up to us every day and say, ‘Thank you so much for closing on Sundays. We think that’s really cool.’” Eliminating one business day per week was initially a risk, but since closing on all but five Sundays per year, sales revenue has seen year-overyear growth, increasing by 7.5% during the first year, Marty said.

Working with in-laws 6 22 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

In 1977, Marty married his wife, Gail, a Brooklyn, New York native who said she quickly learned that fitting in with the Komisars meant understanding retail and learning how to talk furniture.

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BILTRITE’s current store and warehouse in Greenfield.

Luckily, she had experience working in home furnishings at a department store and had also grown up in a family business household. “When I moved here, I started looking for a job in retail, but of all these jobs I could get, my schedule wouldn’t be like Marty’s schedule, so basically it was like, ‘You’re going to work in the store and we’re going to teach you how to sell,’ and I learned,” Gail said. “I went to the school of hard knocks and started that way.” Gail now works as store director and is on site most days, frequently spending time on the show floor. And at 64, she doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon. Her roles and hours have shifted and evolved throughout the years, but Gail continued honing her skills while on the job – initially under the watchful eye of her father-in-law, Mort, who always tested her, she said. “I had to work hard to get accepted,” Gail said. Her daughter-in-law, Sarah, can relate. She had gone to school to become a teacher, but soon after marrying Marty and Gail’s son, Brad, she decided to join the business. Five years later, she uses her background in education to train new sales associates as sales trainer, working also in sales and design and assisting with social media and merchandise buying. Sarah never felt pressure from her husband, but ultimately wanted to be part of the family’s livelihood, she said. As an in-law and a millennial, Sarah said, she adds a fresh perspective to the company. “I bring to the table the view of the customer, and a lot of customers are millennials at this point,” she said. “I feel like I can see both sides of it; I see it 24 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

from the family business standpoint, but I also see it from a customer standpoint. And sometimes my view is different from Marty’s or Randi’s because I’ve seen it from the outside.”

What’s next

Marty has not yet solidified plans to transition out of the company’s lead role, he said. He and Gail are not interested in retiring and they still play a crucial role in daily operations. “They still need to be a part of this business. It’s a lot to run the store and they’re better working than retired,” Schachter said. But as he ages, Marty said, he can’t help but think about the future of BILTRITE. “Succession planning is, I think, the hardest thing for a family to figure out. Who’s going to the be the president? Who’s going to be the vice president?” Marty said. “You got son- and daughter-in-laws involved that influence the ones that work in the store.” He said the company has considered bringing in outside specialists to help plan the transition.

Inset: (from left) Marty Komisar, Gail Komisar, Sloan Schachter, Randi Schachter, Jordan Schachter, Eric Schachter, Sarah Komisar, Simon Komisar and Brad Komisar.

“It’s a topic of discussion, something we have to look further into,” Schachter said. The family also can look to the other family-owned businesses that are part of Furniture First National Buying Group, the national industry group they helped establish in 1994. For now, the Komisars are focused on operating their business with values that have guided the store for generations, all while working to grow the store’s volume, adapting to industry change, and keeping merchandise new and fresh. However, BILTRITE will remain a single-location brick-and-mortar operation because that’s what works, Schachter said. “Here we are living in this Amazon world and we’re doing our thing,” she said. “Everyone’s under one roof and you can’t go wrong with that. We’re good at being a one-store destination. n

PHOTOS: CONTRIBUTED

STORY COVER

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STORY COVER

Local family-owned furniture retailers navigate industry disruption

BY MAREDITHE MEYER, staff writer

BRICK-AND-MORTAR RETAIL across the country has faced major obstacles over the past decade, following the 2008 financial crisis and the rise of e-commerce. Certainly, home furnishing retail companies are no strangers to those challenges. The furniture industry, among others, was once heavily dominated by family-owned small businesses, which typically were started by a first-generation immigrant and passed down from generation to generation, said Sharron Bradley, chief executive officer of Roseville, California-based Home Furnishings Association. “It’s been a longstanding way of owning a furniture company,” Bradley said. “People came to the U.S. and started stores. Entry wasn’t difficult to become a store owner back then, and they passed those stores down one generation to the next.” Many of those family-run furniture retailers, several of which happen to be based in areas east of the Mississippi River, have consolidated, have been purchased by larger companies or have shut down completely, Bradley said. But not all of them. “There are still multigenerational families that own (furniture) stores all over the country,” she said. Such is the case in southeastern Wisconsin, where some of the industry’s biggest local names continue to be family-owned and -operated as many as four generations later. Waukesha-based Steinhafels Inc. began in 1934, when John E. Steinhafel and Arthur Mueller opened a furniture store called Mueller-Steinhafel Furniture on North Teutonia Avenue in Milwaukee. Mueller died in 1944, and Steinhafel bought out his share of the business. The business has since expanded to 18 stores with 800 employees in Wisconsin and Illinois, and has been passed down to the third and fourth generations of the Steinhafel family. John’s grandson, Gary Steinhafel, currently serves as president and in 2013 Gary’s son, Andrew Steinhafel, joined the company as director of IT. “The unique thing about furniture, at least on the retail side, is that there are still quite a few privately-held, independent companies in the industry, and a subsection of those are family-owned,” Andrew Steinhafel said. “But in Wisconsin, some of them have lasted three, four generations and that is not the norm.” Steinhafels networks with a number of noncompeting, family-owned furniture retailers from other regions of the country, but most have only made it to first- or second-generation 26 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

ownership, he said. Being a multigenerational family-owned business is a major part of Steinhafels’ brand identity and reputation among customers, Andrew said. Purchasing furniture is often a steep investment, so customers want to shop at stores they know and trust. “People are looking for brands that won’t go away in one to two years because in three to four years from now, if you have an issue with the furniture, is that company still around?” he said. Milwaukee-based Bachman Furniture Gallery was first established in 1920 by Russian immigrant Joseph Bachman. In 1958, he and his son, Howard, opened a 25,000-square-foot store at North 68th Street and West Capitol Drive in Milwaukee that would house the business for the next 60 years. Howard and his wife, Irene, owned the compa-

1942 by Henry Felker as a refrigeration service company called the Henry Cooler Co. An advertisement later misspelled the company’s name as Henry’s Colder Co., inspiring its current moniker. Colder’s branched out into refrigerator and freezer sales in 1946 when Henry’s brother, Harry Felker, joined the company. Soon after, Colder’s added clothes washers, dryers and ovens to its appliance selection at its first retail location at North 18th Street and West Fond du Lac Avenue. In 1983, Colder’s purchased the former Wickes Furniture building on Highway 100, which remains its current West Allis location. It also has stores in Oak Creek, Delafield and Grafton. Colder’s is currently owned and operated by three of Harry Felker’s children. Felker was involved in the business into his 80s, and passed away in 2011.

People are looking for brands that won’t go away in one to two years because in three to four years from now, if you have an issue with the furniture, is that company still around?

— Andrew Steinhafel, Steinhafels Inc.

ny until they both died of cancer in 2006, within nine months of one another. Bachman Furniture was then passed down to Howard’s son, Joe Bachman, who had joined the business in 2003 as general manager. He had originally chosen to attend law school with no idea he would one day join the family business. As an only child and the sole remaining family member, Bachman took full ownership and was tasked with leading the company on his own. “I credit my parents for their education on (operating the business),” he said. “The furniture industry is not something you can just buy into... It’s the daily basis of being on the grind. You learn that by doing the work and being there.” In 2018, Bachman purchased a 60,000-squarefoot portion of a historic building on West St. Paul Avenue in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, with plans to renovate the space and relocate the 99-year-old Bachman Furniture Gallery there. That new store will open later this month. Bachman said the new location will help create an experience that customers cannot get from furniture shopping online, “something where they can sit, touch, feel.” “If we make stores interesting enough, we can go head-to-head with online (retailers),” he said. West Allis-based Colders Inc. was founded in

Co-owner and vice president of merchandising Tom Balistreri joined the family and the business in 1983. He said Colder’s has prospered through both successful and challenging economic times by treating its customers like family. Greendale-based Penny Mustard Furnishings is owned by brothers Arvid and Ben Huth, who started the company together at the ages of 19 and 21, respectively. Growing up on a farm in Eau Claire County, they had never stepped foot in Milwaukee before moving here in 1993 to open their first store on South 74th Street and West Layton Avenue. Penny Mustard has since expanded to nine locations — three in southeastern Wisconsin, five in Illinois and one in northern Indiana. As owners of a family-operated, locally-based business, the Huths try to source products from companies like theirs instead of importing furniture from other countries, Ben said. “Most of our furniture (at Penny Mustard) is made in Wisconsin,” Huth said. “The closest workshop is in Muskego. By going local, we are supporting other families, too.” The oldest member of the Huths’ second generation is only 12 years old, so the brothers haven’t given much thought to retirement or succession, he said. n

Special Report FAMILY BUSINESS

Stay curious to prepare for the future Experts will give advice at Family & Closely Held Business Summit

THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE for the future is to stay curious. That’s among the advice futurist and keynote speaker David Zach plans to give the business owners and executives gathered for BizTimes Media’s annual Family & Closely Held Business Summit on Thursday, June 13. Zach will give an overview of trends likely to affect businesses over the next five to 10 years, and some approaches to finding opportunities and solutions using both traditions and trends. The goal is to aid business leaders in preparing for future decision-making. A great way to stay curious, Zach said, is to step away from the business, get lunch with someone who is different from oneself, and listen to that person with an open mind. “At the core of thinking about the future is to stay curious and realize that broader curiosity prepares you to find better solutions,” he said. “As

we become adults and develop competence in one particular area or another, we tend to become too focused and that’s when we miss things from the outside of our ‘comfortable competence.’ A lack of curiosity always threatens competency because curiosity keeps us fresh and challenged.” Family businesses have a tendency to fall back on tradition, and there may be valid and valuable reasons to do so, Zach said. Newer is not always better. A panel of local family business leaders will also present on their businesses at the Family & Closely Held Business Summit. They are: Dan Ariens, chairman and chief executive officer of Ariens Co.; Nick Chiappetta, chief operating officer, and Tony Chiappetta, CEO, at Chiappetta Shoes.; Jerry Weidmann, president of Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp., part of Wolter Group LLC; and Paul Bartolotta, chef and co-owner, and Keith Trafton, COO and managing partner, at The Bartolotta Restaurants. The discus-

BY MOLLY DILL, staff writer

D VI DA

sion will be moderated by David Borst, executive director and COO of Family Business Leadership Partners, and will touch on themes including: transitioning the business, lessons learned, leadership development, innovation and growth. The Bartolotta Restaurants is in the midst of a transition as Paul’s brother and co-owner Joe passed away this spring. The pair started the business with one restaurant in 1993 and grew it

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Ariens

N. Chiappetta

T. Chiappetta

to 16 restaurants and catering facilities in the Milwaukee market. There are also three other family members involved in the business: Paul’s sister Maria, sister-in-law Jennifer and niece Mary. Paul said the company invests in the next generation of leadership through employee development, and aims to create opportunities for anyone committed to the company’s culture and growth strategy – family or not. “My nieces, who have showed entrepreneurial spirit, are in the early phases of their respective careers and have much to learn from inside our organization and from outside experiences,” he said. “For example, my niece Anna works for an excellent restaurant group in Ohio. That’s important because if she decides to join our business, she will bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to help us grow.” Tony Chiappetta jokes that he and Nick were basically born in a shoe box, as they are the fourth

Weidmann

Bartolotta

generation of their family to run the shoe company. The family has been successful over 98 years because of a focus on core competencies, he said. “Since graduating from (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), we’ve systemically identified our core competencies, developed our business plan off what we do best, and try every day to execute on what we think is the best plan of action,” Tony said. “We like to say we have a ‘holy trinity’ of services including full-retail, one-on-one assistance, we manufacture custom orthotics in-house, and we have a full repair shop – about the best core group of solutions for any shoe store.” Changing products, manufacturing processes, machinery, people and the company over the years have all been key to Ariens Co.’s success, Ariens said. “To survive over 85 years, like any company we have had to evolve, innovate, or we would have disappeared,” he said. “The business environment

Trafton

Borst

is competitive; keeping our brands, products and manufacturing processes contemporary is our main focus. At the same time, as a family company we are always challenged with balancing the capital requirements of the businesses for the future with the ownership structure and ownership returns.” Family business leaders often struggle with bringing personal relationships into the workplace. The Wolter Group has 13 immediate relatives from three generations involved in the business, Weidmann said. Among those is his wife, so their family and business life are intertwined. “Over the years, we have learned to limit our business conversations during personal times, keeping each other informed but not providing unwanted commentary and advice,” he said. Following the panel discussion, there will be 11 roundtable discussions led by family and closely-held company leaders. For more information or to register, visit biztimes.com/family. n

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Special Report FAMILY BUSINESS

Siblings as business partners: Trust and commitment among top benefits BY ARTHUR THOMAS, staff writer DAVE MICHALSKI was a senior in high school when his brother Ed started Milwaukee-based Pro Engineering & Manufacturing Inc. in 1977. As soon as he graduated, Dave joined Ed in the metal fabrication business, working together from a pickup truck with welding equipment in the back. “He was the entrepreneur and I was the full labor force,” said Dave, now vice president of the company. Ed, president of Pro Engineering, said the two were always close growing up, which made the transition to business easier. “Working together wasn’t a big jump for us,” he said. “We weren’t rivals in our youth; we were complementary.” The chemistry and relationship the pair built in the early days helped as the company grew to dozens of employees and sales across the country and around the world. Those who work with their family members on a regular basis say there are a couple keys to staying in business together, including keeping disagreements from becoming personal and setting boundaries. The benefits of working with a brother or sister include a built-in level of commitment and willingness to work toward a common goal. “In the best sense, you know you can really trust each other,” said Frank Keppler, co-owner of Milwaukee-based Brew City Brand Apparel, noting an employee or high-level manager would be more likely to leave for more pay or a better opportunity. “When you really need to land something, there’s a high degree of commitment between the owners.” Like the Michalskis, brothers Frank and George Keppler started at Brew City Brand Apparel early in life, helping their father with his stand at The Shops of Grand Avenue mall. At the time, it was more of a summer job, but the duo would grow into roles leading the sales and creative sides of the business. Mike and Paul Ryan of Brookfield-based contract manufacturer RSP Inc. came to work together later in life. A variety of circumstances lined up as Mike left a consulting job in Chicago in 2005 to join the company where Paul was already working. The Ryans said initially they spent a lot of time poring over the details of a quote together before developing an idea of what the other was thinking. Now, the trust they have developed is a main 30 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

2 benefit of working together. “I have absolute trust that he’s here and looking out for the business and can make easy or tough decisions while I’m gone,” Mike Ryan, RSP’s chief executive officer, said of his brother. Sisters Cassie Erato, Amanda Baltz and Katie Wessel watched their father Randy Spaulding take the entrepreneurial plunge in starting West Bendbased Spaulding Clinical Research LLC in 2007. For a time, all three siblings worked in the business. Today, Erato is chief operating officer at Spaulding Clinical, while Baltz leads Spaulding Medical, a spinoff business. Erato and Baltz spent several years working through how to spin off Spaulding Medical. It required weekly meetings to talk through the details and a focus on non-business issues. “The same way you would in a marriage or a friendship, instead of burying those things you have to bring them to the surface and talk though them,” Erato said.

1: Dave and Ed Michalski of Pro Engineering and Manufacturing. 2: Brew City Brand employee Sue Ullenberg on the production floor at the company’s Third Ward facility.

Being willing to talk about their relationship was not enough. Baltz, Erato and their father found they needed to set time aside to avoid business issues dominating their conversations. In the beginning, they relied on a business coach to facilitate those conversations. “Having a mediator in that situation is priceless,” Erato said. “I think you have to be extremely intentional about working the relationship,” Baltz added. Wessel, who started Milwaukee Pretzel Co. LLC with her husband Matt in 2014, pointed out that whether the partner is a sibling or a spouse, it is easy for the business to dominate the conversation. “It should. It’s your whole life. It’s everything,”

3 3: Paul and Mike Ryan use giant scissors to cut the ribbon for a new facility for RSP Inc. in Brookfield in 2017.

she said. “Of course you’re going to talk about it all the time and of course it’s going to dominate, but to be healthy you have to set boundaries.” The division of labor can sometimes be obvious, depending on the siblings involved. At RSP, the Ryans share a lot of overlap when it comes to account management. Mike’s skills skew toward the sales side while Paul, the company’s president, leans toward operations and production. “When a decision falls in his skillset, I’m like, ‘You make the decision,’” Mike said. “I’ll agree and we’ll discuss it. If something falls in more of my skillset, I think he feels likewise.” The brothers said the company’s guiding principles give them a common goal so when they disagree it is likely more about how to reach that goal. “We’ve had our missteps, but I think part of it is when you do misstep, not holding a grudge and hanging on to it,” Mike said. “It’s just like, ‘Hey, we’re both in this together. I didn’t like your decision but

we did it and now we’re here and let’s move on and make the next decision.’” For the Kepplers, the division of labor emerged organically, with George taking the lead on sales and Frank focused on product development. Over time, however, Frank said more of the workload, travel and interactions with customers fell on George, creating some tension between the two. “We’ve tried to not lower expectations but divert them from being personal,” Frank said, noting that the first reaction is often to question why the other person did or did not do something. “We try to phrase it more about what can we do to fix that instead of going back to the past and blaming.” Dave Michalski said he appreciated the fact that his brother did most of the traveling as the company grew, allowing him to stay home with his family, while Ed took his family on some trips. “I’d come back with some harebrained ideas,” Ed said. “Dave would either go, ‘That seems pretty neat, let’s try it’ or, ‘Ed, are you out of your mind?’” “I always felt that we had a real good balance,” Dave added. “Ed was kind of a dreamer and I was a pessimist. I think I tried to keep us grounded and

moving in a common direction.” Their relationship has evolved over the years, but there is one key to their disagreements. “We don’t let it go personal; we don’t go there,” Dave said. At West Allis Blue, Mark Naber, vice president, and Kari Conradt, controller, took over daily operations in 2014 from their parents after convincing their dad the company needed to invest in equipment to move into graphics and environmental branding. Naber takes a big picture approach to things, while Conradt is detail-oriented and handles many of the business’ administrative functions. “What’s great about our relationship is we can say what we need to say honestly and openly and it never gets brought home,” Conradt said. Having a sibling looking after the company’s books gives Naber a level of confidence he would not have with a non-family member. “Running a business is a stressful deal,” he said. “It gives me great comfort to be able to do it as a team with someone I trust. If I had to do it myself, I don’t know if I could do it.” n

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Strategies LEADERSHIP

and the impact were not congruent.

Courageous conversation VERY FEW LEADERS appreciate how they are perceived by others. Fewer still have a realistic understanding of the negative dynamic they create in a team, both through what they say and what they do not say. Not long ago, I facilitated an executive team retreat for a client organization. The leader was new to her role and the organization. During the three-day retreat, the leader often referenced her former place of employment, talking specifically about the competence of her former team, how smart and strategic they were, etc. While it was not her intention to intimidate her current team, that was the result. What they heard was that they did not measure up. They weren’t good enough. Her words deflated their enthusiasm and reduced their level of confidence. The impact of sharing past stories and accolades resulted in the opposite of what she was looking to achieve, which was to motivate and inspire. Likewise, the CEO of a publicly-held company decided, when frustrated with his team, to tell them that three of them did not measure up in the opinion of board members. He went on to say that he “had their backs.” The energy in the room plummeted. The silence was deafening. One of the team members changed the subject. No one knew what to do or say to recover. INTENTION VS. IMPACT Neither of these leaders intended to level their teams. In both instances they may have intended to inspire their teams, engender loyalty, and motivate them to do and be their best. They had little recognition that what they intended

GIVING FEEDBACK/ FEEDFORWARD TO THE BOSS In both instances, members of the teams have asked how best to offer feedback to their bosses. They want their bosses to succeed. They are committed to their organizations. A model of feedforward that we often teach our clients is the RISC model. This model is used specifically when asking for a behavior change, so that while the conversation includes the behavior to be addressed, the focus is on what we need or want to have happen in the future. The dynamics inevitably change when someone has position of power over another. However, when you can determine that your boss is really interested in feedback/feedforward, this model can work. FEEDBACK/FEEDFORWARD IN ACTION 1. When offering feedback to your boss, you must determine his/her capacity to receive the feedback. It will be important to ask if he/she would like to receive your feedback before diving in. 2. Assuming the boss says yes, and assuming you have determined that your boss is able to receive feedback, be sure that your intentions are to support the best in your boss and your team. 3. Utilize the RISC Model to ask for a behavior change. • REPORT the specific behavior (even if the behavior has been repeated, use only the current experience). State the behavior only. Do not ascribe intention. • IMPACT (What was the impact for you? The team? What might it be for the organization? What was the impact on the boss?) • SPECIFY what you want instead. • CONSEQUENCE (Consider the positive consequences. What is the benefit to the boss to change his/her behavior? What might be the cost if he/she doesn’t? This takes reflection on what will make a dif-

ference to your boss, not what might make a difference for you. Here is an example of how the conversation might go. You may begin with gratitude. “Thank you for your willingness to hear feedback from me. I want to do all that I can to support your best leadership for the sake of the organization. “R: In yesterday’s meeting with our team, you indicated that board members have criticized a few of us and that you have our backs. “I: When you said that the board criticized some of us, I froze. I shut down. All I could think about was: Who was criticized? Was it me? I couldn’t contribute to the other topics on our agenda. “S: If there is criticism about me, I would like for you to let me know privately. “C: You will then have my full engagement, energy and best ideas in our meeting.” The conversation will be different if you elect to talk about the impact on his/her leadership and success. Or, if you decide to share what you believe was/is the impact on the team. Each of these steps takes careful preparation, focusing on the behavior, not the person or your perception of the leader’s motives. It’s a courageous conversation, necessary for strengthening trust and safety on any team. Do you have the courage? n

KAREN VERNAL Karen Vernal is the president of Vernal Management Consultants LLC, a Milwaukeebased leadership and organizational firm. For more information, visit vernalmgmt.com. biztimes.com / 33

Strategies MANAGEMENT

Get with the program How to create greater employee mindfulness and alignment I HAD A CLIENT who owns a company and was frustrated because his talent often didn’t stop and think about the values and goals before making decisions. When he noticed this lack of mindfulness, he would tend to react to these situations, frustrated he had to be the one to point out the cues they were missing and then give directions on what to do. When I asked him to articulate the ideal situation to me, he said, “I want to trust my employees are mindful of two things: 1) How to create an exceptional customer experience and 2) How to decrease waste and expenses.” To help my client better align his employees to his company’s values and goals, I shared with him my five-step Gut Intelligence Goal Alignment Process. This process increases employee awareness, alignment and achievement to the values and goals by teaching them how to trust their gut to make effective decisions in the daily moments that matter. Here is the five-step Gut Intelligence Goal Alignment Process: 1. Identify what behavior you want changed and create a problem-solving question. 2. Align your intention to a value and goal. 3. Create an initiative and give it a name to make it real. 4. Train employees on the skills needed to succeed. 5. Benchmark, coach and recognize the behavior change you want with a monthly scorecard. 34 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

To begin this goal alignment process, we first shifted his mindset and behavior from micro-managing to one that proactively led his employees to the goal. His problem-solving statement was: “How might we be more mindful of creating an exceptional customer experience AND decrease waste and expenses?” Next, we looked at his strategic plan and chose one of the company’s values and goals that most closely related to his intention. The value “exceptional customer satisfaction” and goal to “decrease waste and expenses” worked well, along with an initiative we called Dare to Be Aware. Now, it was time to establish an action plan to engage employees. The action plan included giving the managers and employees the skills they needed to succeed by offering three workshops: “Mindfulness Techniques,” “Effective Coaching Conversations,” and “How to Decrease Waste and Expenses.” In our first workshop, Mindfulness Techniques, we ensured each department had a list of best practices to create an exceptional customer experience. This included how to answer the phone, inquire and listen to needs, fulfill requests, take orders, fulfill orders, collect money, overcome complaints and resolve concerns. To increase mindfulness, we then taught my S.T.O.P. Technique to help them be more present and aware so they could: Slow down, Tune in, Observe what was happening and Perceive the best solution. In our second workshop, Effective Coaching Conversations, managers learned how to use both praise and performance enhancement to more effectively align employees to their potential. They were taught to first praise what the employee is doing well with specific examples, before making suggestions for improvement. Employees were also taught how to respond in a manner that showed they were open-minded and collaborative in creating a new action plan for better goal alignment. The final workshop, on How to Decrease Waste and Expenses, helped employees by increasing mindfulness on which expenses and waste were getting out of control. In addition, departments collaborated on ideas to create positive behavior change so the value and goal could be met. Finally, to create accountability to the Dare

to Be Aware initiative, we had managers use a monthly scorecard to rate employees from 1-10 on the four criteria below: 1. Followed customer service best practices for their department. 2. Used the S.T.O.P. technique to notice early cues of any customer dissatisfaction. 3. Resolved quickly any discrepancies and dissatisfaction. 4. Addressed their department’s list to decrease waste and expenses. The scorecards were used for managers to benchmark progress, recognize success and coach their employees on how they could be more mindful by creating an action for the agreed upon improvement. With the five-step Gut Intelligence Goal Alignment Process, employees were now being mindful of how they could contribute to increasing customer satisfaction and decreasing expenses and waste. Not only was the value and goal being met, but the culture was now operating at a level of trust. CHALLENGE: How will you create greater mindfulness and goal alignment in your organization? n

SUSAN WEHRLEY Susan Wehrley is the owner of BIZremedies, a business dedicated to creating greater mindfulness and conscious effective leadership with her Gut Intelligence Process and program called “ALIGN.” She was recently appointed to the Forbes Coaches Council as a thought leader. You can learn more about her at: bizremedies.com.

A BRIEF CASE

How do I really listen to and act on employee feedback? Rachel Schickowski Robyn Trester-Vaupel

Kathleen O’Leary

President Trester Hoist & Equipment Inc.

Chief executive officer Wisconsin State Fair Park

“Three years ago, ‘communication’ was a bad word in our organization. The majority of feedback I received came as a complaint – many times through second and third sources – usually centered on lack of communication. “I then implemented quarterly meetings with each employee. The meeting would lead with a question or concern the leadership team had for the upcoming quarter. This would open up the discussion to what concerns or problems the employee was facing: What resources do you need to perform your job better? What concerns do you have for the future of this company and your role? After meeting with each team member, I would compile all the input and categorize it into themes. It became apparent each quarter that certain areas of the business elicited the most concerns. “At our weekly leadership meeting, we would discuss the ‘issues’ list and address how to solve these. By the time the next quarterly meetings with employees came around, I was able to present what progress we had made or resolutions we had come to on their specific concerns. Any feedback issue left open would be addressed the following quarter. “A new acquisition (of Metropolitan Crane & Hoist Co. Inc.) last year more than doubled my staff size, so now our quarterly meetings are three times a year. As we continue to address feedback and concerns, the lists are becoming more manageable and the feedback is more constructive.”

“Effective leaders embrace change while emphasizing continuity. Change is inevitable, but as leaders we also need to preserve the integrity of our organization. Good employees are the backbone of any successful organization; therefore, we must listen to our employees throughout the change process. “We recently embarked on, as I call it, ‘Change Management Reimagined.’ This was a reorganization effort, with the goal of being more efficient and effective while creating opportunities for empowerment, advancement and opportunity. The process began by pulling together a group of senior level managers and getting their feedback and suggestions. It was an interactive, open forum for expression of ideas. This was just the beginning as it turned into several more sessions, and the employees, not me, ultimately led the meetings. “Employees could voice opinions in the room with others, individually via email, or anonymously in our ‘idea box.’ All ideas, concerns and suggestions were taken into consideration throughout the change process, and I could not have done it without my employees’ input. “Moving forward, we have created a model where senior staff meets with their employees bi-weekly, and then with me. At these meetings we not only give updates on what is going on in our respective departments, but also listen to feedback and concerns from each department. While we are in the early stages of this reorganization, I feel it has given all our employees a voice and look forward to it taking Wisconsin State Fair Park to the next level.”

Manager, employee engagement Rockwell Automation Inc. “We spend a lot of time at work – potentially 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime. So, it’s important that those hours are spent at a job we enjoy, doing meaningful work, for a company we’re proud to work for that enables us to thrive. “Here at Rockwell Automation, our company culture depends on employee engagement. Managers and leaders play a key role to foster connections. We have a few ways of doing this at our company. We have ongoing opportunities for dialogue and feedback through meetings, social channels and employee resource groups. These help build trust and ongoing conversation all the time. “We also have our annual engagement survey (comprised of roughly 29 questions), which provides insight into what employees think. Using employee engagement survey technology, our managers can identify the key drivers of engagement from their survey results and select what to solve with their teams. “It’s easy to spend too much time in the data. My advice is for managers to take time to process the results, then move on and share insights with your employees. It’s natural to want to fix everything that came back as an opportunity; fight the urge and keep things simple. If you want to make progress that your team will feel, pick one or two areas that matter most to your employees. Have ongoing check-ins with your team about progress. Take visible, data-driven action and keep listening, always.” n

biztimes.com / 35

Marketplace

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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 36 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

BizConnections BIZ PEOPLE

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

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES Maureen Hansen Promoted to President of SVA Wealth Management. SVA Wealth Management would like to congratulate Maureen Hansen, CLU® on her promotion to President. With over 30 years of financial experience, Maureen provides ongoing, comprehensive wealth management strategies and financial guidance for individuals while delivering personalized service. Working closely with clients, Maureen focuses on building long-term relationships based on trust and understanding. She specializes in asset management, divorce consulting and retirement planning.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Wangard Partners, Inc. hires Brian Spoerl to launch health care development services. Wangard Partners, Inc. is adding health care real estate development to its portfolio of services and has named Brian Spoerl vice president of health care real estate development to oversee the firm’s growth in that sector.

LEGAL SERVICES Attorney Jacob J. Curtis joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c. Curtis is a Shareholder in the Government Law Group that brings a unique skill set to clients as he draws upon on his experience as a lawyer, strategic advisor and public official. He received a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin.

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES

OTHER

TECHNOLOGY

Tammy Koester Parks Promoted to President of SVA Trust Company.

John Baltes Elected to CEO of SVA, A Professional Services Company.

SVA Trust Company would like to congratulate Tammy Koester Parks, JD on her promotion to President.

SVA, a Professional Services Company, announces the election of John Baltes to CEO. John has also been elected to CEO of SVA Financial Group and he is the interim President of SVA Certified Public Accountants.

Tammy has over 25 years of experience in the areas of estate planning and trust either as a trust officer or as an attorney in private practice. She administers trusts and other fiduciary accounts for high net worth clients and their families. Tammy works closely with clients to help them with their estate planning concerns and objectives, as well as helping multiple generations define their legacy.

CONSTRUCTION Hunzinger Construction Company has promoted Matt Langreck to Project Manager.

LEGAL SERVICES Matthew R. McGovern joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c. McGovern is a Shareholder and Chair of the Energy and Clean Technology Section. He focuses his practice on energy, cleantech and government relations matters. He received a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

John is a tenured member of SVA’s Board of Directors where he has served as Chair. Having 30 years of leadership and business strategy experience in combination with a strong data systems background, he is credited with founding SVA Consulting and has been instrumental in leading many firmwide growth initiatives around business development, change and innovation.

EDUCATION

Bryan Bechtoldt Promoted to President of SVA Consulting. SVA Consulting, a member of the SVA family of companies, would like to congratulate Bryan Bechtoldt, MS, EdD on his promotion to President. In his role, Bryan works with SVA’s clients to help them prepare their organization for transformation through shaping vision and development of implementation strategies. To this process, he brings a broad set of knowledge from practical business experience and academia. This combined knowledge often allows Bryan to position differentiated thought to a growth based or problem solving exercise.

LEGAL SERVICES MSOE promotes Elizabeth McLean to director of STEM

Attorney Daniel J. Balk III joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Elizabeth McLean has been promoted to director of STEM at MSOE, where she is responsible for the university’s K-12 STEM programming, and MSOE’s partnership with Project Lead The Way as an affiliate university.

Balk is a member of the Health Law Section with the focus of his practice being transactional, regulatory, compliance and HIPAA issues for various regulated health care entities.He received a J.D., cum laude, from Marquette University Law School.

LEGAL SERVICES Samuel G. Robertson joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

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

Robertson is a member of the Business Practice Group and the focus of his practice is Estate Planning, Trust and Estate Administration and general business matters. He received a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin. …continued on page 38 biztimes.com / 37

BizConnections BIZ PEOPLE

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

LEGAL SERVICES

STAFFING

Attorney Peter J. Walsh joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c. Walsh is a Shareholder in the Business Practice Group with the focus of his practice on estate and asset protection planning and inheritance litigation. He received a LL.M. Taxation from the University of Florida, J.D. from DePaul University.

WFA Staffing hires Account Executive Joshua Prunuske. WFA Staffing Group is pleased to welcome Joshua Prunuske to the company. Josh joins the firm as an Account Executive following 7 prior years of successful Sales experience. Josh will be instrumental in growing our business in Southeastern Wisconsin.

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

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

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A SUPPLEMENT OF

NONPROFIT NEWS COLUMBIA HEALTH SYSTEM GIVES $3 MILLION TO SUPPORT WOMEN’S HEALTH Columbia Health System, the operator of the former Columbia Center Birth Hospital in Mequon, has established a $3 million endowment at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to support women’s health in Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties. The gift will establish the $2.75 million Columbia Health System Endowment Fund for Women’s Health to support services related to preconception, family planning, adolescent health, maternal health, mental health, medical screenings, domestic abuse and research innovations in women’s health care delivery. A separate fund, the Columbia Health System Endowment

for The Family Enrichment Center of Ozaukee Inc., was created with an initial $250,000 investment and will provide annual support for the Grafton-based nonprofit. It continues the Birth Hospital’s decade of support for the Family Enrichment Center. Both funds will be administered by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Columbia Health System previously oversaw Columbia Center Birth Hospital, which ceased operations in 2018. — Lauren Anderson

c alendar Guest House of Milwaukee will host Wine Not 2019 on June 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Glass + Griddle, 1130 N. Ninth St. in Milwaukee. The event will benefit Guest House’s mission of providing shelter, housing, education and services to Milwaukee’s homeless. More information is available at guesthouseofmilwaukee.org. Capuchin Community Services will host the Capuchin Walk for the Hungry on June 14 at 6 p.m. at Henry Maier Festival Park, 200 N. Harbor Drive in Milwaukee. The event will benefit St. Ben’s Community Meal and the House of Peace emergency food pantry. The 2-mile walk will begin at 7 p.m. More information is available at capuchincommunityservices.org. The Hope Center will host the Tee Up for Hope 11th annual golf outing on July 15 at Broadlands Golf Club, 18 Augusta Way, North Prairie. Registration and lunch begins at 10 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m. More information is available at hopecenterwi.org.

D O N AT I O N R O U N D U P Marquette University received a $1 million gift from alumnus Barry Cosgrove and his wife Ingrid to provide scholarships to first-generation college students in College of Business Administration and journalism majors. | The Wisconsin Humane Society was awarded a $200,000 grant from The Rachael Ray Foundation to support its foster program. | The Junior League of Milwaukee has awarded $5,000 each to St. Joan Antida High School and SaintA Inc. | United Way of Racine County’s Do More 24 Racine event recently raised more than $39,000 for Racine County nonprofits. | Landmark Credit Union members and associates raised $45,357 for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin through the sale of paper links and hearts at each of Landmark’s branch locations.

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SPOTLIGHT

A M E R I C A S C O R E S M I LWA U K E E 7101 W. Good Hope Road, Milwaukee (414) 358-2711| americascoresmke.org Facebook: facebook.com/americascoresmilwaukee Twitter: @mkescores

Year founded: 2004 Mission statement: America SCORES Milwaukee’s mission is to inspire urban youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world. Primary focus: Youth development. Other focuses: Soccer, service-learning, poetry, mentorship, social-emotional health, life skills. Employees at this location: Five Key donors: Bader Philanthropies, Milwaukee Kickers, Milwaukee Public Schools, Potawatomi Hotel and Casino’s Heart of Canal Street, Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation. Executive leadership: Kate Carpenter, executive director; John Eggebrecht, associate director

Co.; Tammy Gilpin-Ripp, Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club; Jesse Gaytan, Robert W. Baird & Co.; Kaitlin Hong, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; M. Scott LeBlanc, Godfrey & Kahn S.C.; Ryan Morrissey, Uline; Julian Palacios, Tenex Capital Management; Jason Schreiber, Harley-Davidson Inc.; Melanie Sobelman, Sobelmans Pub n Grill Inc.; Abby Young, Dominican High School; Adrian Zilvetti, Freedom Wealth Alliance. Is your organization actively seeking board members for the upcoming term? No. Ways the business community can help your nonprofit: Sponsorship, in-kind donations, employee volunteer outings, program volunteers. Key fundraising events: SCORES Cup – Milwaukee’s largest corporate indoor soccer charity tournament; SCORES Inspired Art/ Silent Auction.

Board members: Mike Angeli, GE Healthcare; David Braden, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; Eric Brandser, Zetley, Carneol & Stein S.C.; Aaron Cranfill, TKO Miller; Adam Czaia, Robert W. Baird & biztimes.com / 39

BizConnections SBA LOANS: APRIL 2019 The U.S. Small Business Administration approved the following loan guarantees in April: MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Al Hafez Enterprises LLC, 6800 W. Capitol Drive,

Milwaukee, $598,000, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co.;

Buzz & Suds Corp.,

120 W. Town Square Way, Oak Creek, $337,000, The Huntington National Bank;

Buzz & Suds Corp., 120 W. Town Square Way, Oak Creek, $30,000, The Huntington National Bank;

D&M Heating and Air Conditioning SSG LLC,

4227 S. 13th St., Milwaukee, $350,000, Sunset Bank & Savings;

H & S Enterprises LLC, 6001 N. Teutonia Ave., Milwaukee, $1 million, Byline Bank;

MKE MindBody Wellness Inc., 3174 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee, $50,000, Celtic Bank Corp.;

MKE Tuk Tuk LLC, 6650 W. State St., Unit #2, Milwaukee,

$48,700, Associated Bank;

RACINE COUNTY

New Paradise Realty Inc.,

CheddarHead Holdings-2 LLC, 2860 S. Green Bay Road, Suite

7625 W. Appleton Ave., Milwaukee, $722,000, First Chatham Bank;

Old Hwy. 70 LLC,

9287 N. Broadmoor Road, Bayside, $150,000, United Midwest Savings Bank;

300, Mount Pleasant, $150,000, Old Plank Trail Community Bank;

Kessler Irrigation and Lawn,

Poiema Automation Inc.,

8331 W. Calumet Road, Milwaukee, $100,000, Wells Fargo Bank;

Self Storage LLC, 6003-6045 Teutonia Ave., Milwaukee, $987,500, Byline Bank;

The Chef’s Table LLC, 500 S. Third St, Milwaukee, $341,600, Wisconsin Bank & Trust;

34622 63rd St., Burlington, $162,800, Associated Bank;

Ross Holdings LLC, 8420

County Highway V, Caledonia, $208,000, WBD Inc.;

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Elite Tool & Manufacturing LLC, N171 W21048 Industrial Drive, Jackson, $450,000, Cornerstone Community Bank;

Elite Tool & Manufacturing LLC, N171 W21048 Industrial Drive, Jackson, $100,000, Cornerstone Community Bank;

Drive, Waukesha, $570,000, Waukesha State Bank;

Marcomatic Industrial Controls Inc., W134 N5345

Campbell Drive, Menomonee Falls, $4.4 million, Byline Bank;

OFP Ingredients LLC, 140 S. Concord St., Oconomowoc, $1 million, Capitol Bank; MacArthur Road, Waukesha, $262,000, WBD Inc.;

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY

Richfield Parkway, Richfield, $977,000, WBD Inc.;

Odd Jobs Plumbing LLC,

Techplex LLC, N115 W19150

Hometowne Windows & Doors Inc., 2911 South

1005 Richards Road, Suite E, Hartland, $100,000, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp.;

Irrigation Works Inc.,

Friedman Drive, Waukesha, $35,000, U.S. Bank;

County Line Road, Germantown, $260,000, BMO Harris Bank;

Edison Drive, Germantown, $286,000, WBD Inc.;

WAUKESHA COUNTY

Aqua Revival LLC, 1417

BG Holdings II LLC, 2350

Aqua Revival LLC, 1417

Blocker LLC, 200 W.

Ave., Port Washington, $1.3 million, Byline Bank;

Cranker Real Estate LLC, W226 N735 Eastmound

S34 W29942 Little John Drive, Genesee, $214,000, WBD Inc.;

Go Pak LLC, 206 Enterprise

Road 31, Suite 100, Racine, $125,000, Educators Credit Union;

WALWORTH COUNTY

SP Mart LLC, 223 W. Grand

Drive, Waukesha, $100,000, First Bank Financial Centre;

Maxmar LLC, 2325

Tanin Auto LLC, 7012 State

RW Shaw Construction Services, 1306 Sixth Ave., Graf-

Tower Ave., Cedarburg, $150,000, First Home Bank;

Little John Property LLC,

Legacy Subs LLC, N96 W15360

W. 8006 Highway SS, Adell, $54,500, Landmark Credit Union;

RW Shaw Construction Services LLC, W75 N846

sha, $168,000, Fifth Third Bank;

Centec Security Systems Inc., W33 N727 Westmound

DeMore’s Innovative Design Inc., N56 W19868

OZAUKEE COUNTY

ton, $150,000, First Home Bank;

Business Initiative Corp.;

Racine St. Unit D, Delavan, $350,000, Falcon National Bank; Racine St. Unit D, Delavan, $2.1 million, Falcon National Bank;

PolyPail Inc., 1615

Grebby St., Delavan, $194,600, BMO Harris Bank;

Corporate Drive, Waukesha, $1.5 million, WBD Inc.;

Summit Ave., Wales, $226,700, Waukesha State Bank;

Board Together LLC, W189 S7773 Racine Ave., Muskego, $78,600, Wisconsin Women’s

Silver Spring Drive, Menomonee Falls, $50,000, Associated Bank; Road, Suite Five, Delafield, $1.3 million, WBD Inc.;

160th St., New Berlin, $19,800, Landmark Credit Union; W244 S8440 Industrial Drive, Big Bend, $340,000, The Huntington National Bank;

Irrigation Works Inc.,

W244 S8440 Industrial Drive, Big Bend, $25,000, The Huntington National Bank;

Jahnke & Jahnke Assoc. LLC,

711 W. Moreland Boulevard, Wauke-

Saave Organization LLC,

Silver Summit Inc., 921 The Anxiety Center Acquisition LLC, 15850 W.

Bluemound Road, Suite 208, Brookfield, $250,000, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp.;

Village Primary Care Providers LLC, 1111 Delafield St., Suite

219, Waukesha, $20,000, U.S. Bank.

H U M A N E A N I M A L W E L FA R E SOCIETY OF WAUKESHA C O U N T Y, I N C .

Advertise in these upcoming special reports and get your message in front of area business executives.

PHONE: (262) 542-8851 WEB: hawspets.org The Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County leads the community in animal welfare and assures sanctuary for animals in need.

Mid-Year Economic Forecast

2019 GIVING GUIDE

July 22, 2019

R2 Properties LLC, 1904

F EATURED NONPROF I T

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Space Reservation: July 3, 2019

The Business of Nonprofits

July 22, 2019 Space Reservation: July 3, 2019 Contact Linda Crawford today! Phone: 414.336.7112 Email: advertise@biztimes.com 40 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N S T I T U T E O F WISCONSIN PHONE: (414) 225-6220 WEB: iiwisconsin.org The International Institute of Wisconsin is an organization dedicated to the promotion of international cooperation, understanding, and a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural perspective through education, arts, exchange, communication, social activities, and immigration and naturalization services. The Institute initiates, coordinates, and sponsors a variety of activities and programs appropriate to the fulfillment of this primary purpose.

2019 GIVING GUIDE F EATURED NONPROF I T

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AROUND TOWN

Governor’s Prayer Breakfast The 2019 Wisconsin Governor’s Prayer Breakfast was held on National Day of Prayer, May 2, at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. It was the event’s 10th anniversary. The guest speaker was Mike Lindell, the inventor and chief executive officer of MyPillow Inc.

MIKE SCHILLING of BMO Harris Financial Advisors and DONALD TUSHAUS of Tushaus & Associates LLC.

STEWART MARRITT and STEVE WISSE of Oostburg State Bank.

JOSHUA SCHWAB and JOE STORKSON of Fearing’s.

JAMES MATTHIAS of Archdiocese of Milwaukee, DOUGLAS GUNDLACH of S. C. Johnson & Son Inc. and KURT PEOT of Ruekert-Mielke.

TIM DITTLOFF of Stewardship Innovations and RANDY BRICE of Telenotes.

GWEN GREELER and GARY HENDRICKSON of Brothers And Sisters In Christ Serving.

MARY SMITH, beauty consultant, and KELLIE SIGH of Milwaukee Public Schools.

DEB and MIKE WABISZEWSKI of Town Bank.

2019 Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Conference

More than 300 human resources leaders gathered for MRA-The Management Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Conference recently at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. Special guests and speakers included Susan Fronk, president and chief executive officer of MRA, Angela Adams of Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Reggie Jackson of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, and Shirley Davis of SDS Global Enterprises Inc. The daylong event included multiple workshops. 9.

MIKO GILL of Social Development Commission and CHRISTINA COOPER of Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee.

10. SHERRY SIMMONS and ELLE TERRY, both of Waukesha County Technical College. 11. DAVE RUEHLOW and NISVET BASIC, both of Generac Power Systems Inc.

12. DAVE PYE, LEON BROWN and CATHERINE WANZER, all of Quad/Graphics Inc. 13. LEAH HANDLEY-ZAFFIRO and MADISON SEITZ, both of Rockwell Automation 14. LINDA GONZALEZ and NANDA FOWLER, both of Froedtert Health. 15. STEPHANIE HARRILL and LUISA HERRERA, both of UW Credit Union.

16. THERESA NWAOGWUGWU, KATIE CRONIN, AYIESHA DOMINO BROWN and CHRISTINA HERRERA, all of Acelero Inc. Photos by Madison Goldbeck biztimes.com / 41

BizConnections VOLUME 25, NUMBER 6 | JUNE 10, 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

This photo, taken circa 1913, shows a man posing on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. A horse-and-buggy is coming up behind him. Harley-Davidson Inc. was established in 1903 in Milwaukee and grew into an international household name. The company last year celebrated its 115th anniversary.

ADMINISTRATION

Find the fairway GOLF DIGEST RECENTLY published its list of the top 100 public golf courses in the United States. Amazingly, 10 of them are located in Wisconsin. Only California has more courses on the list, with 11. Michigan tied Wisconsin for second place with 10 of its own. For many Americans, Wisconsin is the land of the “frozen tundra.” But when the snow melts, Wisconsin has a lot more to offer and is actually a golfer’s paradise. A 2010 industry report found golf had a $2.4 billion annual economic impact on Wisconsin’s economy and there’s little doubt that has only grown since, especially with the opening of the acclaimed Sand Valley Golf Resort near Nekoosa. Sand Valley was developed by Mike Keiser, renowned for developing Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. Two Sand Valley courses made the Golf Digest top public courses list. When Sand Valley opened in 2017, Golf Advisor named Wisconsin its No. 1 golf destination 42 / BizTimes Milwaukee JUNE 10, 2019

for the year. “Central Wisconsin is set to boom as the Midwest’s next hot golf destination,” Golf Advisor wrote. Wisconsin’s best golf courses are drawing golfers from outside of the state to play here, providing a significant economic boost. The state needs to take advantage of its growing status as a golf destination. Next year, Whistling Straits will host the Ryder Cup. The Straits Course at Whistling Straits, located north of Sheboygan, is the top-rated golf course in Wisconsin, according to Golf Digest, and the third-best public course in the nation. Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run, both developed by Kohler Co., have two courses each on the Golf Digest list. Kohler Co. wants to create another championship-caliber golf course at a 247-acre site south of Sheboygan, along Lake Michigan and adjacent to Kohler-Andrae State Park. The company has owned the undeveloped land since the 1930s. But the bathroom fixture manufacturer is running into legal trouble in trying to get the course built. Earlier this year, an administrative law judge overruled a wetland fill permit for the course approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Kohler wants to fill 3.7 acres of wetlands on the site. The judge said the

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

Classic bike

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

Independent & Locally Owned — Founded 1995 —

DNR lacked sufficient information to approve those plans and that filling the wetlands could cause environmental damage. Critics of the Kohler golf course plans would love to see the project killed. Some say the DNR under Scott Walker’s administration gave Kohler Co., which also plans to cut down half of the trees on property, preferential treatment in approving the plans. Hopefully there will eventually be a resolution to build the golf course with limited environmental impact. We need to accept the fact that any new development changes the original landscape of a site. But done the right way, a new Kohler Co. golf course south of Sheboygan should be able to protect the site’s most important natural assets and still create a new destination to enhance Wisconsin’s status as the best place to play golf in America. n

ANDREW WEILAND EDITOR

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

my TOUGHEST

C ARRIE MAT TESON

Challenge

Position: Owner Company: Fiber-Seal of Milwaukee Inc. What it does: Fiber-Seal of Milwaukee Inc., which is a licensed distributor for Dallas, Texas-based Fiber-Seal Systems, provides fabric protection treatment services for furniture and upholstery at residential and commercial properties in southeastern Wisconsin. Career: Matteson worked at U.S. Bancorp (formerly First Wisconsin) as a credit analyst soon after graduating from college. She started Fiber-Seal of Milwaukee in 1980.

THE CHALLENGE Matteson was diagnosed with breast cancer in fall 2014 at the age of 57. During the months that followed, Matteson underwent several surgeries, endured chronic pain and discomfort, and suffered from situational depression. “Four surgeries in under four weeks is a lot to overcome personally, and a lot to keep your business going… I don’t work for a major corporation, so I don’t have the (Family and Medical Leave Act) and those types of benefits. I am an owner-operator – you can’t stop working for six to eight months.” Her diagnosis, surgeries and following two-month recovery took place during some of the busiest months of the year for Fiber-Seal of Milwaukee. Missing work was already difficult as the owner and operator of her own business, but the timing presented an even steeper challenge. “You are just trying to educate yourself and juggle all of this. You just don’t have time to educate yourself, make a decision and move forward and implement that decision.”

THE RESOLUTION “I had owned the business for over 35 years and I was not going to let a cancer diagnosis be the demise of my business.” Matteson’s employees and family members stepped up to keep the business running smoothly. “Our IT/accountant shifted over and took office responsibilities, so our office person could be on the road going into clients’ homes while I was in the throes of deep recovery.” She also relied on strong professional connections she had made throughout her career and didn’t sugarcoat the situation at hand. “I didn’t want people to hear, ‘I’m sorry, she’s out of the office.’ I wanted people to know the honest truth.”

LILA ARYAN PHOTOGRAPHY

THE TAKEAWAY “I feel that I’ve always been a fairly purposeful person – I like to learn, be stimulated, have a purpose. Your purpose changes throughout your life. All of a sudden, I had to be my own purpose and make that a concerted focus. I can’t run my business if I’m not taking care of myself in this case.” Now, four years later, one of Matteson’s newfound purposes is sharing her story, raising awareness and advocating for breast cancer research and prevention. Earlier this year, she was selected as the honorary breast cancer survivor for the Milwaukee American Cancer Society’s annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. “I think it’s important for people to realize that there are free services out there for small business owners, like talking to other cancer survivors and getting help for situational depression. As a person who doesn’t work in a big business, these types of resources in our community are vital.” n biztimes.com / 43

STUFF made and built in southeastern Wisconsin

Recruit tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 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!