TAKING CHARGE NEW LEADERS STEERING WISCONSIN’S LARGEST EVENTS IN TIMES OF CHANGE WOMEN IN BUSINESS ISSUE $6.00»202211,SEP-22AUG biztimes.com Locally Owned Since 1995 BizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukeeBizTimesMilwaukee
You moved very quickly, did what you said you would, and made quick, logical and reasonable decisions without delay or gyrations. There isn’t much more someone could ask for from a lender, especially on a project with such an unforgiving deadline and consequences for not closing exactly as required. We are immediately working on the exit to get you a full payoff quickly, but as we start that, I want to thank you both again for all that you did to make this happen just as needed. Borrower Testimonial Prescient Capital is a short-term bridge lender that excels at closing loans within 10–20 business days. Intermediaries from around the country bring prospective credit opportunities to Prescient Capital because of the rapid decision-making, certainty of closing, the privacy of credit information, and flexibility allowing creative solutions within the scope of the Fund’s underwriting criteria. Our team works with urgency and care to solve your short term loan needs. Submit your loan request online: www.pcm-funding.com/biz/ Direct access: stevey@pcm-funding.com | 262-337-9828 Terms and pricing for individual deals are based on leverage, debt service coverage, asset quality and sponsorship. Scan the code to submit a loan
WOMEN IN BUSINESS ISSUE PHOTOGRAPHYFELLERANDREWBizTimesbyDecemberandAugustJuly,March,February,January,inmonthlyexceptbi-weekly,publishedisMilwaukeeBizTimes2022.11,September–202222,August8,Number28,Volume017813)#USPS&1095-936X(ISSN POSTMASTER:offices.mailingadditionalandWIMilwaukee,atpaidpostagePeriodicalseach.$9areissuesBack$6.ispricecopySingle$108.isratesubscriptionannualBasicUSA.53202-6120,WIMilwaukee,403,SuiteSt.,JeffersonN.126atLLCMedia reserved.rightsAllLLC.MediaBizTimesby2022copyrightcontentsEntire53202-6120.WIMilwaukee,403,SuiteSt.,JeffersonN.126Milwaukee,BizTimestocorrectionsaddressSendFACILITIES:MILITARYANDNON-POSTALCFS.toUAAallSend LOCALLY OWNED FOR 27 YEARSContents » AUG 22 - SEP 11 , 2022 biztimes.com 16 Taking charge New leaders steering Wisconsin’s largest events in times of change COVER STORY 4 Leading Edge 4 BYNOWTHE NUMBERS 5 GETTING THERE –Nicole Ryf, Waukesha County Center for Growth 6 THE FRANCHISEE –Joy Vertz, Drybar 8 COFFEE BREAK – Erica Halmstad, Cedarburg Art Museum 10 Biz News 10 Rapid Radicals aims to improve wastewater treatment 12 THE INTERVIEW – Theresa Nemetz, Milwaukee Food & City Tours 14 Real Estate 36 Notable Office & Operations Managers 46 Biz Connections 46 GLANCE AT COMMENTARYYESTERYEAR 47 THE LAST WORD – Kim Stoll, Milwaukee Women inc Special Reports 16 Women in Business In addition to the cover story, coverage includes a preview of the Aug. 25 Women in Business Symposium and a profile of Woman Executive of the Year Award winner, recently retired Mount Mary University president Dr. Christine Pharr. 26 Corporate Event Planning Coverage includes a report about companies that are holding retreats and off-site events to re-energize their workforces that have been isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also includes a list of new, unique and under-the-radar local venues for business events. townbank.us/yourpartner $725,000 FixedNON-FOR-PROFITratefinancing BUSINESS®BANKWISCONSIN’SFOR Marylou Schirpke Will Mathee Rahim Keval biztimes.com / 3
Tool is on track to continue its rapid growth. Its parent company said recently that Milwaukee Tool’s sales were up more than 25% in the first half of the year and will exceed $8 billion this year. The company has first right of refusal to purchase an ad ditional 20 acres for future expan
$3 BILLION. Mount WhirlpoolmanufacturerbasedHarbor,acquiredInSinkEratormanufacturergarbagePleasant-baseddisposalwillbebyBentonMichigan-homeapplianceCorp.for will hire 150 workers in West Bend to produce hand tools for the elec trical, power utility, plumbing and mechanical 95,000-square-footMilwaukeetrades.Tool’sfacility in West Bend, the first building within the city’s 216-acre West Bend Man ufacturing Center, is located at Milwaukee Tool opens West Bend plant
Milwaukee Tool recently host ed a celebration for the opening of its newest manufacturing plant, located in West Bend, marking the first time the company has done manufacturing work in the state since the mid-2000s (other than its Empire Level and Imperial Blades divisions). Milwaukee Tool sion in West Bend, which would accommodate another 225,000 square feet of building space. “Two of those walls (on the West Bend plant) are ready to get blown out and we built this build ing with the intention of blowing walls out because we will double the size of this in a short period of time. That also means we’re going to have to double the headcount to make that happen,” Albrecht said. Earlier this year, Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. announced they would help Milwaukee Tool’s expansion in Wisconsin with an ad ditional $22.5 million in Enterprise Zone tax credits, raising the state’s total support for the company to $70.5 million. The company also announced plans to bring another 1,000 jobs to the state. The actual amount of tax credits the company receives will depend on meeting capital expen diture and job creation goals.
Milwaukee Tool now employs more than 3,700 people through out the “Milwaukeestate. Tool is an iconic global brand that, by its name alone, makes our state synony mous with quality manufacturing,” said Missy Hughes, WEDC secre tary and CEO. “As Milwaukee Tool has grown its investments in Wis consin, WEDC has been pleased to invest in Milwaukee Tool.” n
Milwaukee Tool’s West Bend plant.
4 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 Leading Edge BY THE NUMBERS BIZTIMES DA ILY – The day’s most significant news → biztimes.com/subscribe
By Ashley Smart, staff writer 3855 S. River Road. The company has invested $55 million to build the facility and fill it with technolo gy andMilwaukeeequipment.Tool first ventured into the hand tool market in 2009 by doing some initial research on products, eventually launching its own hand tool line in 2010. There are over 1,000 Milwaukee Tool em ployees across the globe dedicat ed to designing and creating new hand tool products. “What keyed us into getting into hand tools was getting out with the men and the women in the trades in our mechanical, electric, plumbing and power utility trades partners and realizing that they had to modify the hand tools they had. They were welding extra parts onto them,” said Tim Albrecht, president of hand tools, storage and PPE for Milwaukee Tool. The first products that will be manufactured at the West Bend facility are cutting pliers and screwdrivers, but Albrecht said there are several other products in the Milwaukeeworks.
*Among the UnitedHealthcare Level Funded plan sponsors who were MMAC members, 28.7% received a surplus refund in 2021, the average of which was $9,300. UnitedHealthcare internal reconciliation analysis, Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021. Please consult a tax and/or legal advisor to determine if, by receiving this refund, there are any restrictions or obligations. Surplus refund available only where allowed by law. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates, and UnitedHealthcare Service LLC in NY. Stop-loss insurance is underwritten by All Savers Insurance Company (except CA, MA, MN, NJ and NY), UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company in MA and MN, UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company in NJ, UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company of New York in NY, and All Savers Life Insurance Company of California in CA. B2B EI221554556.0 5/22 © 2022 United HealthCare Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 22-1424434-B
What attracted you to the position? “I actually am from the greater Milwaukee area originally and had been gone for about eight or nine years, working in a couple different places across the country. It’s always been on my radar that eventually I would love to move back and be close to friends and family, and then equally as importantly, when you do economic development work, it just is even more meaningful to do it in your home state.”
What are your interests outside of work?
GETTING THERE
What’s your vision for the Waukesha County Center for Growth? “It’s a very successful and impressive organization considering it’s been in existence for six years, so it’s fairly new but it’s had some good leadership obviously. … I think that over the next five to 10 years you’re going to see this organization really kind of take it to the next level. The foundations have been established, the communities in the area understand the value of this county-wide approach to economic development and I do think with my experiences in my past roles that I’ll really be able to focus in on … our key strategies.”
Teaming up to help bring your benefits costs down $9,300 average health plan surplus refund among the 28.7% of MMAC Level Funded plan sponsors who received a refund in 2021* Get all the details from an MMAC-affiliated broker or visit uhc.com/mmac Don’t have a broker? Contact Barb Smith at bsmith@mmac.org or 414-287-4173.
“And then I’m personally really into baking and cooking. I have celiac so I’ve really had to learn a lot about how to prepare my own food. And then live music, so excited to get back to that Milwaukee live music scene. We missed Summerfest this year but looking forward to doing that and a lot of the other music festivals over the next year or so.” n
NICOLE RYF Executive director Waukesha County Center for AGE:Growth39 HOMETOWN: Bayside EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in history and international economic policy studies from UW-Madison; Master’s in Urban Planning from UW-Milwaukee PREVIOUS POSITION: Chief strategy officer, Hampton Roads Alliance
“Definitely love being outside. My husband and I, we have a dog, we love going hiking, kayaking, biking, you name it, pretty much anything that we can do outdoors; that’s really appealing to us, so we’re very excited for fall.
biztimes.com / 5
Discounted rates, quality employee benefits and surplus refund*potential when medical claims are lower than expected. They’re all possible with a UnitedHealthcare Level Funded health plan for your business through the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC).
“It’s such a great market with such amazing potential. It’s the third largest city in the U.S., and they only have three locations –verses New York and L.A., they have 20.”
FRANCHISEEthe
Later, on a trip to New York City, Vertz discov ered Drybar. FEBRUARY 2018: About a year after signing her first franchise agreement, Vertz brought Drybar to Wisconsin, opening a studio at 243 E. Buffalo St. in Milwau kee’s Historic Third Ward. It took some time to build brand awareness and just as business was picking up steam, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
PHOTOGRAPHYKUBIAKCOLLEEN
“It was such a fun experience. The women were having champagne, it was a party in there. … I was literally sitting in the chair getting my hair done when I clicked on the little form to get more information (on franchising), and I just thought Milwaukee would be the perfect place.”
FEBRUARY 2022: Vertz acquired Drybar’s three corporate-owned locations in the Chicago area.
6 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 Leading Edge @BIZTIMESMEDIA Real-time news
“But ever since we’ve come back from COVID, once the restrictions were lifted, we’ve really noticed that people are more excited than ever to get out, do stuff, treat themselves. Self-care is really becoming more of a necessity, which is great for us because that’s what we do.”
OCTOBER 2016: After running her Mequon-based Shoot the Moon Photography studio for two decades, Joy Vertz was considering her next career move. Her husband had suggested she open a franchise.
THE FRANCHISE FEE: $50,000 Clients choose from Drybar’s menu of styling options, ranging from a Classic Blowout to Uptini (aka an updo), all done using Drybar brand hot tools and line of hair products.
LATE FALL OF 2022: Vertz will debut her second Milwaukee-area Drybar at 324 E. Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay, just in time for the holidays. Vertz is eyeing suburbs like Brookfield and Oak Creek for a third location within the next couple years.
PHOTOGRAPHYKUBIAKCOLLEEN
JOYDRYBARVERTZ
Joy Vertz, owner of Drybar in Wisconsin and Illinois; founder of Shoot the Moon Photography.
THE FRANCHISE: Irvine, California-based Drybar has gained a nationwide following for its signature – and only – service: the blowout. Since 2008, the company has expanded to approximately 150 independently owned and operated shops across the U.S.
SEPTEMBER 14 • WEBCAST • BE OUR GUEST! COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION. THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR Register for free at biztimes.com/businessforum UNLEASH THE POWER LINKEDINOFLinkedInexpert Richard Bliss will share the top secrets to growth & how you can crack the code. Richard Bliss is a LinkedIn Top Voices Influencer, social media coach and the author of Digital First Leadership.
• Outside of running the museum, Halmstad enjoys spending time with her two “young, adorable and exhausting” children as well as her husband, Matt. She is also a cribbage player and part of a monthly book club.
• She takes her coffee hot, black and with no fuss.
n
Erica Halmstad Executive director, Cedarburg Art Museum W63 N675 Washington Ave., Industry:cedarburgartmuseum.orgCedarburgArtsandentertainment
• She likes to stay creative by practicing her crochet skills, teaching herself piano and dabbling in digital art on her iPad. “I also get inspiration from others through podcasts or learning from others through professional associations.”
Justin Jacobs Class of 2003 First. Foremost. Forward. If math truly is the universal language, that might make Justin Jacobs the ultimate storyteller. Jacobs turned a Carroll education in math and computer science into a multifaceted career in statistical analysis, where he mines data and uses numbers to tell stories. Driven by the events of 9/11, Jacobs took his data crunching skills to solve complex problems for the Department of Defense – work that earned him honors from former President Barack Obama in 2014. He also provides analysis for professional sports, business innovation and law enforcement. Different worlds, to be sure, but Jacobs knows the language.
Leading Edge COFFEE BREAK
• She finds Cedarburg special because of the passion residents have for their hometown. “They are committed to Cedarburg and to making it a better place for their neighbors and children to live in. That’s why my husband and I decided to and raise our family decided to work here.”
• Her biggest goal role is to “help guide the museum through its strategic planning process to refocus the priorities of the next stage in this great organization with a very enthusiastic and passionate board of directors.”
• Learn more at carrollu.edu/175
• Erica Halmstad was named executive director of the Cedarburg Art Museum in June. She has experience in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, including more than five years as the membership manager at West Allis-based National Fluid Power Association.
Carroll PioneeringUniversity:For175Years!
• Halmstad enjoys nonprofit work because of the type of people attracted to it. “Whether you’re working with volunteers, board members, or committee members, anyone who donates their time for free or (who) has a particular passion about a nonprofit’s mission is special in my opinion.”
8 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022
Fifteen of the nation’s top super-regional brokerage firms and 14 premiere insurance carriers and wholesalers are collaborating with BTV’s cohort of technology innovators from across the globe. Working in collaboration with the sheer drive to elevate the industry to help our clients identify risks sooner and drive down costs, faster. Learn how the industry’s first broker-led convening platform is lighting the way to maximize technology solutions and amplify innovation within the insurance industry as we know it: BrokerTechVentures.com
Fueling the Tech-Enabled Broker
10 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 you are, you have to have a good technology.”
Rapid Radicals has been gain ing national attention, winning the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest in June and earning a federal Small Business Innovation Research grant in the same month. Since its inception in 2016, the company has received $1.5 million in grant funding. MMSD has con tinued to submit letters in support of Rapid Radicals as the company has “Technologyscaled. is the easiest part of solving a problem,” Peters said. “This is a really, really wickedly complex problem and engineers can sit around all day and come up with solutions and none of it matters if it doesn’t fit the needs of theWhencommunities.”wastewater enters Rapid Radicals’ treatment system, it is sent into a clarifier for chemically enhanced primary treatment to remove solids, organic materials and nutrients. The clarified water then passes into a chemical oxida tion contact chamber to disinfect pathogens, remove soluble organic materials and oxidize micropollut ants. Any residual oxidant is then removed, and clean water can be released back into the ecosystem. The name Rapid Radicals comes from how quickly the tech nology produces hydroxyl radicals, which are the strongest oxidants known to science. The compound non-selectively breaks down con taminants.Thebenefits of Rapid Radicals’ technology are its speed, scaleddown size when compared to a full water treatment plant, and the fact that the system can be placed directly at sewer overflow sites to quickly address backups. Experts in the field of water technology say this technology is contributing to the company’s success. Rapid Radicals’ proven tech nology coupled with a built-in customer base in water utilities and industrial users is a winning combination, said Dean Amhaus, president and chief executive officer of The Water Council. “As far as Rapid Radicals, it’s always going to come down to if it’s a good technology,” Amhaus said. “If it doesn’t measure up to that, it doesn’t matter what your business plan is. No matter who
BizNews FEATURE
She’s added a handful of team members who’ve helped her launch Rapid Radicals into a full-on business, including Dylan Wald huetter as chief executive officer and Will Schanen as chief oper ating officer and environmental economist. The trio shares a pas sion for water sustainability and met through their shared work. “I started by doing customer discovery and just looking at the market – stakeholders, anyone involved in it – and (learning) what are the pains and how can this tech meet (them)? That’s where I really learned about the wastewa ter industry,” Schanen said. “It was really a feet-to-the-fire moment.”
THE ORIGIN OF RAPID RADICALS
WITHIN A 40-FOOT baby blue shipping container tucked along the sprawling campus of Milwau kee Metropolitan Sewer District’s South Shore Water Reclamation Facility in Oak Creek, Paige Peters leads a small team looking to revolutionize the way municipal ities around the country handle wastewater treatment. Peters is the founder and chief technology officer of Milwau kee-based Rapid Radicals, a start up working on perfecting a de centralized wastewater treatment system that can treat water in less than 30 minutes – 16 times faster than conventional treatment.
The idea behind the technology was inspired by Peters’ co-inventor, Daniel Zitomer, a civil and environ mental engineering professor at Marquette University and director of the school’s Water Quality Cen ter. Zitomer is the lead technical advisor to Peters and the Rapid Radicals team. He was also an un dergraduate advisor to Peters. In 2010 and 2011, the summer seasons were plagued by severe storms. Zitomer’s home in Shore wood suffered a basement backup in 2010. Around this same time, MMSD had announced the goal of having zero sewer overflows and zero basement backups by 2035. The idea of a technology that can be placed at a sewer overflow site to treat water, to MMSD standards, was born. Zitomer proposed a high-rate water treatment system that works 20 times faster than at a full-sized water treatment plant.
The Rapid Radicals team, from left: Dylan Waldhuetter, CEO; Paige Peters, founder and chief technology officer; and Will Schanen, COO and environmental economist.
Rapid Radicals aims to improve wastewater treatment by Ashley Smart, staff writer
“We’ve been solving 2050 problems with 1980s solutions since 1980,” Peters said. “There needs to be a new approach.”
Waldhuetter, who describes himself as a product of Milwau kee’s water startup scene, said he was drawn to joining the Rapid Radicals team because of Peters’ unique ability to not only build a complex technology, but also to explain it to the average person.
biztimes.com / 11
Oak Creek will stay put and be used by the Army Corps of En gineers for a project focused on potable water reuse. As Peters forges ahead on her effort to commercialize her tech nology, she’s also leaving another lasting impact within the world of water“We’retechnology.alsopleased to see more women pursuing careers in the water industry,” Amhaus said. “We, still, as an industry have very, very little diversity. People don’t think about this as a career path. And then there’s somebody like Paige who has the technology, has been able to demonstrate her expertise and is confident enough to say, ‘Hey, listen. I’m going to go and start a company.’ I think people are quite positive about Rapid Radicals and where they’re headed.” n “I think one of the coolest things that Paige is doing is that it’s kind of (born) out of that cul tural identity, and it can really be an example of how the different stakeholders in this region foster technology development to solve world water problems,” Wald huetter said.
THE CURRENT PILOT SYSTEM
Right now, the Oak Creek pilot system has a flow rate of 5 gallons per minute. A sewer overflow event is measured in millions of gallons per day. The next pilot sys tem Peters will build, by the end of this year, will be up to 100 gallons per minute. So far, about $300,000 has been spent on building out the next pilot. “The next pilot will be the fourth scale at which I’ve tested the technology,” said Peters. “At that point we can pretty confi dently say, ‘OK, I can do this at 100 gallons per minute. We need 100 million gallons per day? I can do that.’ I know what my scaling factors are at that point.”
The biggest challenge Peters has faced as she scales up is find ing equipment in the right size. Any pipe related to wastewater has to have a 2-inch opening be cause wastewater contains solids. This means pumps must also be able to accommodate that 2-inch size, which makes it difficult to find parts that accommodate the size of the pilot system equipment. The team has had to rely on their engineering skills and creativity to make their own parts. “It’s hard to do pilot stuff with wastewater because you have to be able to deal with the stuff found in wastewater. You have to be able to pump it, but you have to be able to do that at a smaller scale,” Peters said. “I’m doing it scrappy and I’m doing it myself.”
Fostering growth by building relationships. It’s not business. For us, it’s personal.
The next pilot system will be located near Hawthorn Glen Park in Milwaukee. There’s a nearby lift sta tion with the capacity to pump 135 million gallons of water per day. The site has also been targeted by MMSD as a future site for high-rate water“Ourtreatment.planisto leverage these pilot systems to go to other munic ipalities with similar problems and demonstrate the success of the technology to sort of de-risk fullscale implementations with those pilots as a path to full-scale imple mentation,” Waldhuetter said. The current pilot system in 262-363-6500 www.citizenbank.bank
Paige Peters, founder and chief technology officer of Rapid Radicals, takes a water sample from one of the oxidation chambers used in her wastewater treatment system. The Rapid Radicals decentralized wastewater treatment system.
Theresa Nemetz Founder and Food
12 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 BizNews
“The thing we’re hearing from passengers time and time again is how stunning and beautiful the nature is that we are showing them. For example, we’re going sea kayaking in the Apostle Islands. We’re going birding at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. These are things that people would otherwise not have an opportunity to do if they hadn’t gone on
& City Tours; Great Lakes Shore Excursions greatlakesshoreexcursions.commilwaukeefoodtours.com
owner Milwaukee
SINCE 2008, Milwaukee Food & City Tours has ridden a wave of momentum within the local tourism industry. With founder Theresa Nemetz at the helm, the company hit its stride amid the COVID-19 pandemic, growing into a multi-million-dollar family of brands. Her latest venture launched in spring with the return of Great Lakes cruises. Great Lakes Shore Excursions is behind the array of activities and tours available to cruise passengers during port calls in Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. This season, Great Lakes Shore Excursions will service about 35,000 people across six cruise lines, including international giant Viking. BizTimes associate editor Maredithe Meyer recently spoke with Nemetz about scaling up and seizing opportunities. the
PHOTOGRAPHYHILLJAKE
“Broadly, we are seeing expedition ships are in high demand. They’re selling out, and this is because the individuals have been well traveled, they’ve traveled the world, they’ve done cruises elsewhere and now they want to see the natural beauty of America.
What are your early takeaways from the launch of Great Lakes Shore Excursions?
“It’s been incredible, and it’s far exceeded our expectations, in terms of both opportunity as well as how much hard work it is to really be a pioneer in this area. What we’ve really found is that we’re not only servicing the Viking passengers, but we’re working with other cruise ships on the Great Lakes – there’s American Queen, the Pearl Mist, the Ponant – and we see how many people are signing up for the cruises, and we know that this is just going to lead to even more cruise ships coming on to the Great Lakes in the future.”
What’s been the biggest challenge to establish a presence in other port cities? “To be able to scale to what we needed to do, not only did we need to grow in Milwaukee but we needed to grow in other port cities along the Great Lakes where ships were visiting. In many of these cities –they’re very small cities – the infrastructure has not existed to be able to serve those cruise ships. For example, there’s no tour guides in those communities, there are no individuals that work with cruise ships, and there’s not even transportation. Some of the towns that we’re visiting have 500 to 600 people that live there full time, and the cruise ship is coming in and virtually doubling their population in that day. So, in Milwaukee, we’ve had to hire about 75-100 part-time staff to help us on cruise days. That includes things like luggage handling, greeting people at airports, driving people, and then in the other port cities, we’ve hired collectively about 75-100 individuals as well.
“It’s been challenging to find the right locals to tap into their expertise and then to really be able to create experiences around them, but we are really creating a very premier product for the cruise ship passengers and creating once in a lifetime opportunities. For example, in Alpena, Michigan, we bring in a renown paleontologist who goes fossil hunting with people. … We go hiking in Duluth, Minnesota, with geologists. …
It’s taken a lot of time, it’s taken a lot of talking to locals and community members and finding the right connections, but it’s been incredible to see it come together and see the passengers really loving it.” What are Great Lakes cruise ship passengers looking to get out of their travel experience?
Interview
What’s ahead for you as local tourism continues to make a comeback? “As we’re looking ahead, we’re looking at the impact of the 2024 Republican National Convention on capacities of not only Milwaukee, but also Chicago. Right now, I’m making all my reservations for 2024 for hotel room blocks and for buses because I need to make sure that all my clients and our cruise ships are able to still be able to come to Milwaukee and Chicago at that time when inventory is going to be really tight and expensive.“Aswe continue to grow larger, I think larger opportunities continue to come our way and so we just continue to react to those opportunities and talk to people and look at how to be able to fill those needs. No opportunity that comes our way is too crazy.”
n To learn more about creating a solid financial plan, visit johnsonfinancialgroup.com/my-financial-plan Wealth management services, including financial planning, are provided through Johnson Bank and Johnson Wealth. Additional information about Johnson Wealth, Inc., a registered investment adviser, and its investment adviser representatives is available at adviserinfo.sec.gov. NOT FDIC INSURED | NO BANK GUARANTEE | MAY LOSE VALUE Questions about your financial plan? Jill has answers.
“As we’ve researched and looked at how to grow, we’ve had a chance to research all these other companies that service the cruise industry for shore excursions. We went to Alaska, for example, and we looked at a company that took 40 years to build what it has done for all the cruise lines (that visit). I have six months to do that and I’m in the middle of that six months. … It’s moving at such a fast pace because the growth is coming on to the market. By 2024, there’s going to be such increased demand for (Great Lakes) cruises.”
What are some other local gems you’ve shown off? “Specific to Milwaukee, we’ve been doing the Urban Ecology Center, going hiking with their hiking experts. At Schlitz Audubon, we’ve actually been doing seaglassing as well as bird watching. We’ve been working with Milwaukee Kayak Company and going kayaking with naturalists on the Milwaukee River, so that’s been really fantastic as well. Other things are more sightseeing-based so, for example, we’re doing a churches and chocolates tour and showing off some amazing churches in Milwaukee. We’re doing a Milwaukee’s greatest hits tour, where we’re showing off the Harley-Davidson Museum, the Pabst Mansion, the North Point Lighthouse and the Milwaukee Art Museum. We have something for everyone in each of the cities that we’re creating these experiences for.”
biztimes.com / 13 that cruise that’s taking them to these locations. We’re definitely seeing a really strong interest in nature-based and expert-led excursions.”
Wealth Advisor
JILL S.
How has the growth of your shore excursion business impacted the Milwaukee Food & City Tours brand? “We’re seeing, as people come off the ship, they’re extending their stay. They’re coming into Milwaukee a couple days early before their cruise … and staying a couple more days after their cruise ends. And they’re exploring Milwaukee, and they’re not using just Milwaukee Food & City Tours. We’re making sure they know about all the other tour operators in town and all the other attractions that they can go to. … I think that’s the beauty of what we’ve been able to do with Great Lakes Shore Excursions. It’s not just about our tour company – we are using literally hundreds of other vendors and tour operators on the Great Lakes and being able to infuse income into their companies as well. … To be able to spend money locally in each of the communities was really important to me, and it’s been amazing to see that personal impact.
By Cara Spoto, staff writer But it’s not just developers. Women have long played key roles in the marketplace as inves tors, bankers, brokers, lawyers, architects, designers and con struction workers, said Jacqueline Hrovat, a shareholder and exec utive officer at Milwaukee-based law firm Mallery s.c., which works on commercial real estate and finance transactions, including the Sherman Phoenix entrepreneurial hub, developed by Kaufmann and Johnson-Sabir.“Therearewomen in commer cial real estate. They are intelligent and respected. They may not be the face of the company, but they are in the background doing it,” HrovatSomesaid.women in the indus try – like emerging developers Obiageli ‘Oby’ Nwabuzor and Shar Borg – came to real estate on their own. Sisters Caroline and Abby Brzezinski found their way into the field because they were inspired by the work of their father, Francis Brzezinski, chief executive officer and partner at Waukesha-based Interstate Partners LLC. After separately attending the club is a little bit tired.”
“There may not be a ton of women in the top positions, but I think that is true in almost any industry. And we have great rela tionships with a lot of really smart, successful women in (CRE) here,” she Nwabuzorsaid. and Borg were both buoyed in their efforts to be come developers by partners and mentors.Borg started working in res idential real estate in 2006. This year she began her very first proj ect as a developer, working with Ryan Pattee on a 53-unit mixeduse apartment complex planned for the 1500 block of East North Avenue in Milwaukee. “It is not as easy for wom en. It’s a very-small, tight-knit, male-dominated community,” Borg said of commercial develop ment in Milwaukee. “I had to part ner with men who are ensconced in that world, and they were happy to partner with me, but not every body has those relationships.”
1 32 4
Developing women in commercial real estate
For Nwabuzor, mentors and partners have also played a key role in encouraging and helping her to realize her development goals. The director for diversity, equity and inclusion at Landmark Credit Union, Nwabuzor is cur rently working on a major redevel opment of Milky Way Tech Hub’s space at 3803 W. Fond du Lac Ave. in Milwaukee, thanks to her relationship with hub co-founder and CEO Nadiyah Johnson. A life-long Milwaukee resident who grew up in some of the city’s most challenged neighborhoods, Nwabuzor – who’s development firm Envision Growth was founded in 2019 – said leaders should be looking at people like her to help reimagine those spaces. “I think there is truly a lack of investment into the vision of Black and brown women who can make these changes,” she said. n
REAL E S TATE WEEKLY – The week’s most significant real estate news → biztimes.com/subscribe
WHEN SOME PEOPLE think of real estate and women, there’s a certain image that may come to mind. It’s not the one of a woman discussing lease terms for a class A office suite or examining a de velopment site or sitting in a glass conference room reviewing the financial details of a major deal. It’s the image of a woman running to a showing for a home in the Whilesuburbs.there are lots of wom en in the region who have built successful businesses working in residential real estate – and could care less about clichés or precon ceived notions – there are also plenty of women in the Milwaukee area forging a path in commercial realSlowly,estate.but surely, they’re buck ing stereotypes that the commer cial real estate game is one that only men can find success in. The last few years, in fact, have seen developers like Juli Kaufmann, JoAnne Johnson-Sabir, Melissa Nicole Allen and Cindy Shaffer make names for themselves through high-profile developments in the city and the suburbs.
1. Shar Borg 2. Jacqueline Hrovat 3. Caroline & Abby Brzezinski 4. Obiageli Nwabuzor
University of Wisconsin School of Business’ Real Estate program, the sisters each worked in commercial lending in Chicago for a few years before deciding to return home. Caroline joined Interstate Partners in 2008. With the industrial real estate market still recovering in 2012, Abby struck out on her own upon returning home, eventually partnering with a college friend to form Waukesha-based Red Sky Partners, which owns, manages and develops multi-family proper ties across the region. Recently, the sisters have gotten to work on some projects together, like Breeze Terrace, a 213-unit apartment building in Pleasant Prairie. For both sisters, having the support of their father has been key to their success, but so have the relationships they’ve formed with other women in the industry. Women occupied less than 37% of the jobs in the commer cial real estate industry in 2020, according to a study by the Commercial Real Estate Women Network. But to Caroline, “the narrative that CRE is “an old boys
14 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 Real Estate
Our Experts at Work provide professional services in interior design, construction, painting, commercial furnishings, and facility services. We create highly functional, healthy work environments that support client brands and fulfill business drivers.
“We now have a limitless number of workplace resources to support our clients,” says Gary Zimmerman, President/CEO, Creative Business Interiors. “The MillerKnoll merger is the catalyst behind our rebranding, encouraging us to refresh our image to represent our expanded offerings across all three of our market locations.”
“Rebranding was the next logical step to commemorate these accomplishments and position ourselves for ultimate success with our new assets.”
Over the past 12 months, Creative has reached many significant milestones, including celebrating its 30th anniversary, being named a MillerKnoll certified dealer, and welcoming a new generation to its leadership team.
Mayer shares that Creative’s rebranding will be leveraged to enrich the company culture and support its workforce amid a competitive talent market. “By rebranding, we are breathing excitement into our team, clients, and industry professionals. We are representing what our industry is all about—staying on top of the latest workplace trends.”
The Creative name is rooted in the company’s commitment to creating unique and highly effective workplaces. The merger of Knoll and Herman Miller has only strengthened Creative’s ability to serve organizations, especially those in the healthcare industry.
1535 South 101st Street, Milwaukee, WI 53214 | ph. 414.545.8500 Milwaukee ▪ Madison ▪ Green Bay | creativebusinessinteriors.com
“The last year has been absolutely pivotal for Creative,” says Shannon Mayer, Director of Marketing, Creative Business Interiors.
RebrandingAnnounces
Creative Business Interiors
Commercial design, build, furnish firm Creative Business Interiors announces the beginning of an extensive rebranding by unveiling a new logo. The rebranding will soon include an updated website, a renovated showroom, and redesigned digital and print assets.
About Creative Business Interiors
NEW LEADERS STEERING WISCONSIN’S LARGEST EVENTS IN TIMES OF CHANGE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has caused many changes to the live events industry. As concerts, conventions and festivals recover and move forward from the pandemic, BizTimes Milwaukee looked into how Wisconsin’s two largest, most iconic events are faring. Wisconsin State Fair recently wrapped up its 11-day run at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis; Summerfest took place over three weekends in June and July at Henry Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Both organizations have new leadership: Shari Black took over as State Fair’s chief executive officer and executive director in March, while Sarah Smith Pancheri was named president of Summerfest operator Milwaukee World Festival Inc. in June. Two different leaders, two different organiza tions, each with their own culture and leadership structure, both navigating the same changing landscape.BizTimes associate editor Maredithe Meyer spoke with Black and Pancheri – along with some of their fellow executive leaders – to find out what’s ahead for these two iconic, annual Wiscon sin events.
16 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022
BY MAREDITHE MEYER, staff writer
COVER STORY WOMEN IN BUSINESS ISSUE
Wisconsin State Fair Summerfest
MEYERMAREDITHEMEYERMAREDITHE
TAKING CHARGE
To Black and her team, today’s operational chal lenges are opportunities to do things better or dif ferently going forward – all while staying true to State Fair’s roots. Black’s passion for agriculture lies at the heart of her vision.
BLACK SEEKS INNOVATION, CELEBRATES STATE FAIR’S AGRICULTURAL ROOTS
biztimes.com / 17
“We had to meet reality of a shrinking labor force. We didn’t want to keep moving forward with
ADAPTING TO NEW REALITIES With the worst days of the pandemic in the rear view, staffing up for this year’s fair wasn’t as challenging as it was in 2021. The park opened a hiring center with evening and weekend hours and on-site interviews, which proved to be more effective than an all-day job fair, said Black. State Fair Park currently has an average payroll of 200 people throughout the year, 90 of which are full-time year-round staff. Prior to 2020, the orga nization would employ an average of 1,700 people during the fair. That number has fallen to around 1,400 to 1,500 since the pandemic – and that’s likely where it will remain from now on.
“As people move further and further away from the farm, we have a responsibility to teach people about what food is …,” she said. “People need to understand what they’re putting into their bod ies and how important it is to put the right things in their bodies, so that is really what we’re trying to do. We are educating people on agriculture and why it is so important.”
WHEN SHARI BLACK was named CEO and exec utive director for Wisconsin State Fair Park earlier this year, she stepped into her dream job. The Waukesha County native began showing cattle at the Waukesha County Fair when she was 9 years old. By the time she was 23, Black was run ning the fair as executive director. Fifteen years in that role readied her to move up the ranks at Wis consin State Fair Park in West Allis. Black remembers telling her advisor while earning a bachelor’s in communications at Carroll University that she wanted to run the State Fair someday. Now at 44, she’s doing exactly that. “I always knew, every step I made in my career, I knew that my ultimate goal was to become CEO of Wisconsin State Fair,” she said. “There definitely was planning that went in to carving out my path, and then of course a little bit of luck.”
Park’s various facilities.
The annual State Fair has averaged attendance of one million fairgoers in the five years prior to the pandemic, with a record-setting 1,130,572 attend ees in 2019. Coming from a county fair where the average attendance is typically between 100,000 and 200,000, Black said Wisconsin State Fair felt like the “big leagues” when she joined the team as senior director of event sales and services in 2016. It reminded her of how she felt as a young exhibi tor walking into the Case IH Coliseum at State Fair Park for the first time. Black stepped into her role – first on an inter im basis last October and then officially in March – amid rapid change and lingering uncertainty in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last summer, Wisconsin State Fair was the re gion’s first large-scale festival event to return since the start of the pandemic. Announcing its return only three months ahead of time – and thanks to an ongoing industry-wide labor shortage – staffing up was a major challenge. But, under the direction of Black’s predecessor and mentor Kathleen O’Leary, the fair attracted more than 800,000 attendees and had one of its strongest financial years in a long time, said Black. 2022 has brought record-high inflation and never-ending supply chain issues, which makes the task of planning for an event that convenes about 1 million attendees and thousands of ex hibitors over 11 days all the more daunting. That’s not to mention the hundreds of public and private events throughout the year at State Fair Shari Black, CEO and executive director of Wisconsin State Fair Park
PHOTOGRAPHYFELLERANDREW
In the business of large-scale live events, effi ciency plays an equally as important role on the customer-facing side. “We want people getting in as quickly as they can and enjoying the fair,” said Black. “That’s part of the ex perience. We want you to have a good experi ence when you’re com ing, verses waiting in line to get your tickets.” But there’s a balance to strike between improv ing the entry experience and keeping people safe, which Black says is top priority. New this year, State Fair implemented a policy that prohibits carry-in bags larger than 9”x10”x12.” It’s the most drastic change to the fair’s entrance policies in years and bulks up the existing metal detection and bag search protocols. Security checkpoints at the entrances were expanded this year to improve traffic flow, and leaders have explored other solutions that could po tentially reduce the number of staff manning each metal detector by 50%, said Dennis. But any new contracts need to be vetted to ensure the technol ogy wouldn’t undermine existing safety protocols. “State Fair is a family event, we try to be super accommodating and flexible, but the world keeps changing in terms of (what’s safe),” said Dennis. Another sign of the times, fairgoers this year saw an increase in price for food and other favor ites, such as 25-cent milk – now $1 a glass – from the MilkWhileHouse.State Fair Park has no control over how vendors set prices to offset rising costs, the fair of fers various deals and gate promotions – thanks to corporate partners like Wells Fargo, Meijer and Prairie Farms – to keep the experience affordable for families, said Black. “Everything is going up in price, we know
She said improvements have been made within the youth expo area and are in the works at Grand Champion Hall, with potential plans to merge the twoAsvenues.State Fair seeks to expand its reach, high lighting its focus on agriculture is an opportunity to set itself apart in a market known for live festivals, said Jen Puente, chief marketing officer at State Fair“(Agriculture)Park. is what makes us unique. You look at a lot of the other festivals and events in the Milwau kee area and we’re the only one that has this many animals…,” Pu ente said. “Being in Mil waukee, in a little bit more of an urban center, we have a responsibility to teach kids and families about agriculture.”
AG
SPOTLIGHTING
SARAH SMITH PANCHERI and her team were faced with an unprecedented scenario when eight major acts dropped out of the 2022 Sum merfest lineup just days before and during the annual music festival on Milwaukee’s lakefront. The team at Milwaukee World Festival Inc. scrambled to fill open slots with performers who were already on the schedule – including Steve Miller Band which headlined the BMO Harris Pavilion two nights instead of one – and added an artist who was performing elsewhere in the area. One cancellation was far less replaceable: Justin Bieber, who postponed his show just two weeks prior due to facial paralysis from Ramsay Hunt syndrome. On what was slated to be one of the festival’s biggest nights, the American Fami ly Insurance Amphitheater sat empty. 2022 was the Big Gig’s second year experi menting with a weekend-only format – instead of its traditional 11-day run. Summerfest was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then postponed to September in 2021, when it was held on three weekends. The festival re turned to the summer this year. Yet another sign of the mark COVID-19 has left on the entertainment business nationally, the string of cancellations was one of a few fac tors Summerfest says contributed to lagging at tendance this year, compared to pre-pandemic levels. Attendance during the festival’s nine days totaled 445,611 fans, which was up 8.8% over 2021 but down 38% from 2019. “It is impossible to avoid these situations, especially when an artist cancels due to illness. And we are not alone. The industry is juggling touring schedules and artists, due to the effects of the pandemic,” said Pancheri, who was named president less than three weeks ahead of Sum merfest’s opening weekend. Her appointment came as MWF’s longtime, high-profile leader Don Smiley announced his forthcoming retirement. Smiley, who has led Samantha Dennis
COVER STORY
From Black’s perspective – having grown up in a family of farmers and now as head of Wisconsin State Fair – the relationship between the fair and Wisconsin farmers is mutually beneficial.
18 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 these plans, crossing our fingers that we got back to what used to be pre-COVID (levels),” said Samantha Dennis, chief organizational development officer. She oversees IT and human resources, which in cludes working with each department on recruit ing and training employees for the fair.
To help fill the manpower gap, State Fair has implemented new technology such as kiosks, where fairgoers can purchase admission at the en trances and tickets for games and rides at SpinCi ty. The organization also looked internally at the fair’s operating model, asking what processes could be streamlined and what departments could be cross-trained.“Webuiltin tons of efficiencies because we weren’t going to be that 1,700 labor force any more, it just wasn’t happening,” said Dennis. “It’s really hard to get work for 11 days regardless, coming out of the pandemic, it’s even harder.”
“The ag industry makes up 11% of the jobs in the state of Wisconsin, so not only are we looking at that, but the economic impact (State Fair has) on this community is really important, and all of these (farmers) that are coming, they’re running their own businesses. They need this event in order to support their livelihood,” she said. that we’re dealing with the inflation rate being high and, of course, our vendors are seeing that as they’re purchasing their supplies,” she said. As far as inflation and global supply chain dis ruption, the fair and its vendors are in the same boat. Plans were set to replace the park’s northwest bathrooms ahead of the 2022 fair, but with a short age of building materials, the project wouldn’t have been done in time, so it was pushed back to 2023.
Orders for necessary supplies, like paper towel and hand soap, had to be placed six months earlier than usual to ensure they would arrive in time for peak season. Planning around supply chain lags began right after the 2021 fair, and Black expects working that far ahead might become the new norm, at least to be on the safe side. Addressing concerns over higher prices at this year’s fair, Black pointed to the value of a $17 (adult) admission ticket. “You can come and stay all day long and be entertained all day,” she said. “We have so much to offer.”
While fairgoers spend 11 days eating fried food, listening to live music and descending the Giant Slide, Black hopes they also visit the Ag Village and walk away with a new appreciation for Wiscon sin’sOnefarmers.ofBlack’s aspirations as CEO is to shine a brighter light on the fair’s agricultural tradition. Jen Puente
SUMMERFEST LEADERS LOOK TO GROW BIG GIG BRAND, HONOR FESTIVAL LEGACY
biztimes.com / 19
A TEAM EFFORT
the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization since 2004, will remain chief executive officer through 2023. His departure will follow that of Summerfest’s longtime talent buyer, Bob Babisch, who will re tire at the end of this year after four decades as head of entertainment and transition into a con sulting role. Babisch’s connections to talent agen cies and management firms in the music industry have led to some big gets for the Big Gig over the years, including the Rolling Stones, Prince and Paul McCartney.
The hardest climb is not Denali, K2 or Everest.
Peak Performers Don’t Climb Alone. As the world’s largest CEO peer advisory and executive coaching organization, Vistage has helped guide high achievers along their leadership journey for 65 years — brave leaders running small and midsize businesses against all odds. They climb with a trusted team of peers and an accomplished guide who knows the lay of the land. It’s a proven approach that’s helped 100,000+ business leaders around the world plant ags on their greatest dreams and ambitions.
Sarah Smith Pancheri, president of Milwaukee World Festival
Are You Living a CEO’s Life of Climb?
PHOTOGRAPHYFELLERANDREW
Learn more at Vistage.com/iClimb
The hardest climb is the mental climb, the internal struggle. It lies deep within you as a CEO or business owner. And to break new ground, you have to show up big every day — especially when the headwinds are strong and uncertainty lies around every bend. Living a Life of Climb demands your best. It requires resourcefulness and the courage to make tough decisions. It calls for a relentless drive to push forward past every challenge and obstacle. It means you lift as you rise to elevate everyone around you along the way.
If you’re ready to reach new summits in business and in life, the path starts here.
JOIN THE CLIMB
Take your business to new heights with an elite team of peers
Recent shifts in its executive leadership have given way to the next generation of leaders at MWF, with Pancheri now at the helm as president. She first joined MWF in 1999 as director of cor porate sales and left seven years later for leader ship roles at Marquette University’s development department and later at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. She returned to MWF in 2015 as vice president of sales and marketing and was promoted to chief operating officer in 2019. During her current tenure, Pancheri has been involved in more than $150 million in capital development on the grounds, including a $53 million upgrade to the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
“Given the nature of the event business, we’re really fortunate to have experts in the different dis ciplines across the organization,” Pancheri said. “So, in terms of how we approach a problem or how we address opportunities, it really is about bringing the disciplines together that are most impacted or can most influence a particular issue, and we make that decision as a collaborative team. That was true 10 years ago, and that will be true 10 years from now.”
Smiley set the tone for MWF’s team-oriented environment, said Pancheri. And it’s a philosophy she’s carried with her on her way toward the top. “He created and has put together a seasoned, experienced and collaborative team, and that’s something that I definitely learned from him in terms of hearing from a variety of voices as well as approaching any issue with a variety of different perspectives,” she said. It’s a culture that extends beyond the leader ship team, said Gaye Littell, who’s been with the organization for 35 years, currently serving as vice president and executive producer. Overseeing the operations department, Littell is heavily involved in efforts to attract and retain the target 2,000 parttime workers needed for MWF’s festival season –about 1,700 this year (MWF is continuing to recruit more part-time employees). MWF is not immune from today’s workforce challenges amidst a tight labor market, but Littell said she’s seeing more sea sonal workers stay on the payroll longer this year.
“A lot of our core corporate partners and stage partners said there’s this growing need for Mil waukee to become more of a tech hub and tech eco system and asked, ‘How can Summerfest help that cause?’” said LaunchedDeLeat.in2018, Summerfest Tech convenes area businesses, startups, investors, nonprofits and students within Milwaukee’s technology sector for two days of events, including an annual pitch com petition, at Henry Meier Festival Park.
COMMUNITY TIES As a nonprofit organization, MWF relies heav ily on corporate sponsorships to put on the Big Gig and a host of other events throughout the season. The work of maintaining those long-standing part nerships and going after new opportunities is a team effort, said Lena DeLeat, director of Summer fest Tech and sponsorship manager. RISING Keep up with BizTimes’ 2022 roundup of the leaders making a difference throughout southeast AtWisconsin.companies across southeast Wisconsin, notable executives are running businesses, and investing in growth throughout the region. Rising Stars are mentoring, teaching and volunteering in their communities. The leaders profiled in these categories are nominated by their peers at work and in the community.
20 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022
“We have a core of very dedicated supervisors and leaders within their own realms of the depart ment, and they stay with us. That turnover is less and less every year,” she said.
COVER STORY NOTABLES &
STARS 2022
The goal is to leverage the iconic Summerfest Despite her impact on the organization and a new position of power, Pancheri is quick to pass off any accolades to the credit of her colleagues, high lighting their collective expertise and perspectives over hers – or anyone’s – alone. As MWF’s 50-per son full-time team navigate both external and in ternal change – in the midst of the busiest concert season in more than 15 years for Henry Maier Fes tival Park – a culture of collaboration keeps the or ganization moving forward.
Visit biztimes.com/notable for information and deadlines Look for these Notable and Rising Stars nominations in 2022!
“We try to make it so there’s not one person that is the only person that can speak to a certain sponsor,” said DeLeat. “Whether it’s Don or some one coordinating assets, … the whole org will some times touch and connect with a sponsor or partner because we’re so collaborative.” DeLeat and her team work with dozens of cor porate partners to customize what their sponsor ship looks like from year to year. They ask how the company wants to work with Summerfest to fulfill its internal goals as well as goals around corporate stewardship and giving back. At the end of the year, they check in on those goals and set new ones for the year ahead based on what the organization is trying to “put out into the universe,” she said. It was out of these high-touch conversations that Summerfest Tech was born.
Notable Veteran Executives Nomination deadline: Sep.23, 2022 | Issue date: Nov. 7, 2022 Notable Women in Health Care Nomination deadline: Oct.28, 2022 | Issue date: Dec. 12, 2022 BizTimes Media is proud to announce the second annual BizTimes Media’s Notable Women in Manufacturing list, a special editorial feature within BizTimes Milwaukee’s October 10th print issue and online (Biztimes. com) that will shine a light on the executives who are shaping their own organizations as well as the path forward for other women in the industry.
Nomination deadline: September 2, 2022 Issue date: October 10, 2022 N OTA BLE WO ME N IN MANUFACTURING
Ultimately, MWF’s new growth initiatives like Summerfest Tech as well as Summerfest Business Alliance, which launched in 2021, build off what the Big Gig has done best for 57 years and will con tinue to do for years to come, said Pancheri. “We’ve got a tradition in our community of attending and cultivating these festivals so that they’re successful, so for us, investing in that legacy is really important,” she said. n
As Summerfest Tech has grown in size and scope – with partnerships up 20% this year over 2021 – the event has provided a vehicle for MWF and Summerfest to expand its reach and create “niche” relationships with new and existing part ners across the Midwest, allowing them “to interact with our brand in a different way,” said DeLeat.
biztimes.com / 21 brand to highlight and grow Milwaukee’s tech scene. Similar to the wide range of music genres festival-goers can enjoy, Summerfest Tech offers something for everyone – “whether you’re a stu dent all the way up to a c-suite,” said DeLeat. The event is free thanks to sponsorships. “We really try to mirror what Summerfest does …,” DeLeat said. “The same way Summer fest is able to stay probably one of the lowest cost, high-talent music festivals, Summerfest Tech aims to do the same, bringing in this unbelievable pro gramming talent.”
U.S. BANK IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE WOMEN IN BUSINESS SYMPOSIUM! We all have goals – let us help you pursue them. usbank.com/goals Nina Johnson, Branch Banking Market Leader, U.S. Bank 800-USBANKS PRESENTED BY: AUGUST 25, 2022 8:00AM8:30-NOONREGISTRATION-BREAKFAST & PROGRAM BROOKFIELD CONFERENCE CENTER REGISTER TODAY! BIZTIMES.COM/WOMEN SIGNATURE SPONSORS: A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESENTING SPONSOR: PARTNERS: SCAN REGISTERTO Some of Milwaukee World Festival’s leaders, from left: Mary Schanning, general counsel and chief administrative officer; Sarah Smith Pancheri, president; Gaye Littell, vice president and executive producer; and Lena DeLeat, director of Summerfest Tech and sponsorship manager. PHOTOGRAPHYFELLERANDREW
WHAT IF YOU COULD GATHER some of the brightest women in their respective fields – an entrepreneur, the chief financial officer of a utility giant, a banking executive, a nonprofit leader and an expert in organizational communication and education – and learn how they’ve managed to not only steady their ships in the wake of COVID-19 but sail towards new and brighter vistas. That’s the idea behind BizTimes Media’s Wom en in Business Symposium, set for Aug. 25 at the Brookfield Conference Center. The annual event features a panel of five successful business leaders who will share key insights about their professional and personal journeys. They include Nina Johnson, Wisconsin consumer and business banking market leader for U.S. Bank; Xia Liu, chief financial officer of WEC had to switch tracks after finding out the former dry cleaners building that she had planned to buy could not be used for food processing.
For Liu, there was the decision to move herself and family across the southern and southwest ern U.S. for increasingly high-profile positions at companies like Southern Company, Georgia Pow er, and CenterPoint Energy, eventually landing here in Wisconsin in 2020 to take her current job Energy Corp.; Gretchen Jameson, chief learning of ficer for Kacmarcik Enterprises; and Nubian Sim mons; owner and president of The Pink Bakery Inc. The discussion will be moderated by Kathy Thornton-Bias, president and chief executive offi cer at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. As part of the panel discussion, the group will share tangible insights on how they move for ward in their own lives and as leaders in their re spective organizations.
A former graphic designer, Simmons initially started The Pink Bakery as a way to create aller gen-free baked goods for people who, like her, are allergic to many of the ingredients commonly used in cookies, brownies and cakes. She will share her story of how she turned obstacles into successes.
The Milwaukee native had initially planned to open a traditional brick-and-mortar bakery in Memphis, where she had briefly relocated but
The realization, while tough, eventually pushed Simmons to switch to developing baking mixes instead of actual baked goods.
22 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 Special Report Reinhart salutes all of our region’s Notable Women in Business for the many contributions they make to the vitality of our economy and community. 414.298.1000 reinhartlaw.com biztimes.com/mfg PRESENTED BY: PRESENTING SPONSOR: SUPPORTINGSPONSORS: SPONSOR: Register Now! Tuesday, October 11, 2022 2:00-2:30pm - Registration & Networking 2:30–6:30pm - Program | Breakout Sessions | Networking Reception Brookfield Conference Center Discounted registration for manufacturers WOMEN IN BUSINESS Being the change Women in Business Symposium panelists offer insights on taking control of your professional destiny
BY CARA SPOTO, staff writer
Today, Simmons’ company, which makes pre mium top allergen-free baking mixes out of its manufacturing facility in Milwaukee, is the first business in the state of Wisconsin to be gluten-free certified, and top allergen-free certified. “I was a former graphic designer. I never thought I would bake,” said Simmons. “To be able to shift over into this space just shows how dynamic we can be as people and all the things we can learn how to do. We don’t have to stay in a box if we don’t want to.”
The panelists will discuss the factors that led them to either make a career change or stay in their field but take on a new job with a different company or in a different state.
U.S. Bank is proud to support the BizTimes Media’s Women in Business Symposium. with WEC Energy Group. For Thornton-Bias, it was the choice to move from the c-suite at companies like Saks Fifth Ave nue and Verlo, to take a job leading one of the larg est Boys & Girls Clubs in the country.
Saluting women for their vision, dedication and leadership.
“I spent 30 years in the retail industry as an executive with various companies, and three-anda-half years ago, I made the smart decision to leap from that industry and it has been a blast,” said Thornton-Bias.Thepanelists are also expected to discuss how they’ve managed to address disruptions, both mi cro and macro, as they’ve navigated their careers and personal lives these past two years. “If you do a Google search, you’ll find that in 2008 the Harvard Business Review had an article titled ‘The Great Disruption,’” said Jameson, who decided to be her “own disruptor” when she left a vice president position at Concordia University Wisconsin last year to take a newly created post with“WeKacmarcik.arealways in disruptive states. It’s been pretty remarkable the last two years, but it is kind of a state of being when you are leading in a certain space,” she added.
Registration for the Women in Business Sym posium starts at 8 a.m., with the main panel dis cussion commencing at 8:30 a.m. The panel discussion will be followed by a keynote address from Dr. Christine Pharr, retired president of Mount Mary University and BizTimes Media’s Woman Executive of the Year. Afterwards, attendees will get a chance to at tend multiple breakout sessions for deeper discus sions on topics like building better work relation ships and becoming an employer of choice. n NINA JOHNSON XIA LIU GRETCHEN JAMESON NUBIAN SIMMONS KATHY THORNTON-BIAS CHRISTINE PHARR
We’re committed to the programs and organizations that inspire personal achievement, teamwork and empowerment. With a good plan and a supportive team, you have what it takes to achieve your goals.
biztimes.com / 23
Member FDIC. ©2022 U.S. Bank 807901c 8/22 usbank.com/community
“When you become a (university) president, you have to think about much bigger things. You have to think about finances, relationships with alumni and donors, how to not only attract but re tain students. It takes a little while to absorb all the important roles,” Pharr said.
Christine Pharr made a big impact on Mount Mary
24 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 Special Report WOMEN IN BUSINESS 2022 Woman Executive of the Year
There’s no question that Pharr has led numer ous projects that have helped shape the identity of Mount Mary as an institution of higher learning, but she does not take all the credit alone. She at tributes her successes to those who have worked with her and to the process of spending time earn ing the trust of both faculty members and stu dents with each new role she’s taken on.
BY ASHLEY SMART, staff writer DR. CHRISTINE PHARR, recently retired pres ident of Mount Mary University and BizTimes Media’s 12th Woman Executive of the Year, dis covered early on in her career that she’s a person who gains energy from social interactions. As a woman in science, she realized that being in a lab setting was not the right fit for her. Her first venture into the world of education happened while she was pursuing her master’s degree in chemistry. At the same time, she was working as a teacher’s assistant. “I loved it, and I just knew then that was sort of my calling,” Pharr said. “I think the more I got into leadership positions, the more I realized I could make a bigger difference.” At the time, she and her husband were living in Idaho. She took her first teaching job as a pro fessor at Lewis-Clark State College. From there, she worked her way up the ladder to becoming vice president of academic affairs at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, later moving to Milwaukee to become president of Mount Mary University in 2017. “I wanted to work at a place where my person al ethos and values aligned with my job, because I never considered my job to be a job. I considered it to be a vocation,” Pharr said. Her personal values were front of mind as Pharr led Mount Mary through several transfor mational projects. The project she is most proud of is the completion of Trinity Woods, a $45 mil lion intergenerational housing complex for single mothers studying at Mount Mary. The complex also includes assisted living units for the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Pharr spent about 15 to 20 hours a week for a year and half planning for the project and led ef forts to raise $2 million in funding. “The rewards of it, I think, are going to be tre mendous, and I’m very proud of it and happy that it came together,” she said. Pharr also has a longstanding desire to pro mote women in science, which ties in nicely to Mount Mary’s mission of serving women. Pharr helped Mount Mary climb up the ranks to be come the number one college in the Midwest on U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of top-performing schools for social mobility in 2022. During Pharr’s tenure, Hispanic represen tation among full-time undergraduate students jumped from 21% in 2017 to 31% in 2021. Black Science in Nursing program after the construc tion of a $2.5 million Health Sciences Center. Also during Parr’s tenure, Mount Mary introduced its Compass Year program, which serves first-year students whose major is undecided.
“I have this joke that what I want on my grave stone is, ‘She asked a lot, she gave a lot,’” said Pharr. “I hope people remember that I really worked hard, and I did ask a lot of people, I know that. This (Woman Executive of the Year) award, it’s honor ing me of course, but no one is successful alone. We, together, accomplished a lot.” On July 1, Pharr passed the baton to Mount Mary University’s 13th president, Isabelle Cher ney, who spent the past two decades in academia, most recently as vice provost for graduate educa tion at Merrimack College near Boston. Her aca demic research focuses on the effects of gender on STEM education and career pathways. n student population rose from 17% to 19%. “We began to have a critical mass of students who saw Mount Mary as a place where they could be supported with wraparound services of all types. As that word got out in the community, we began to attract more and more students regional ly,” Pharr What’ssaid.more, she oversaw the creation of the President’s Emergency Fund, which provides fi nancial assistance to all Mount Mary students who are facing financial emergencies that could interfere with their academic success. “It was really to help students with any needs they had. Whether it was their car broke down, or they couldn’t buy books, or they couldn’t make their rent payment, whatever it was, we would make sure those weren’t the reasons students dropped out of school,” Pharr said. The job of a president includes – among many things – both attracting and retaining students. With high school graduation rates declining in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of higher education is being forced to adapt. To help attract students, Pharr hired a consul tant to identify opportunities for new programs. This led to the creation of a four-year Bachelor of CHRISTINE PHARR
Summit Credit Union 1709 Landmark Dr. Cottage Grove, WI 53527 Contact: SummitCreditUnion.com/FinancialWellnessFinancialWellness@summitcreditunion.com800-236-5560
SPONSORED CONTENT
The stronger people are financially, the stronger we are as a community. That’s the driving principle behind every credit union. At Summit Credit Union, we live that commitment by providing free, nationally recognized financial education to hundreds of thousands of people, Summit members and nonmembers alike. We’re especially proud to help propel women forward in their businesses. But we know it’s hard to make headway if employees’ minds are on money concerns instead of work. That’s why we invite employers to partner with us to offer a program called Financial Wellness for Employees by Summit. Financial Wellness for Employees by Summit helps people face their financial realities with confidence. And that pays off for both the employer and the employee, who is happier and healthier (and more productive) at work – and in life! This is a customized, easy-toadminister program for companies that want to lead the way in employee benefits. For example, in fitting the program to your company’s needs, we might include on-site coaching events to address your employees’ overall areas of interest. At the same time, we would offer online, on-demand education that’s tailored to each unique individual. That flexibility to deliver top-notch financial education to your employees at home or in the workplace – at no cost – can help women everywhere really own their money. And owning it is what financial wellness is all about.
26 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 Special Report
employees would get together regularly, Liu said, but now the compa ny has more than doubled in size and many of its newest employees are outside of the Milwaukee area. ZyFest was created as a way to bring every one together for a fun event where they could lis ten to speakers and participate in team-building exercises, like dragon boat races. There was even a lip-synching competition. But ultimately, Liu said he wanted to provide resources for attendees to grow as employees and as a people. The reaction from ZyFest attendees? “It was immediate, loud and good,” Liu said. However, it wasn’t an immediate sell. Liu said about half of the employee base didn’t want to go at first, but they realized it was needed. In today’s world of remote and hybrid working, Liu said it’s easy to find reasons not to host events or meetings to bring the workforce into one location. However, “there is no price tag on human connec tion,” he Milwaukee-basedsaid.
BY KATHERINE BECK, for BizTimes
Some companies holding retreats, off-site events to re-energize their workforce
“First, is to celebrate and recognize our associ ates for the exceptional contributions they have made to keep our clients and the firm successful over the past 28 months. Second, is to remind as sociates how much better we are together. While hybrid work is providing a great deal of flexibility for associates, our success comes from both the in tentional and unintentional encounters we have, both in and outside the office,” he said. “Third, is to communicate our strategic priorities, the firm’s performance and what we need associates to do to ensure the firm and our clients are prepared for the Jeremyfuture.”
WHILE MANY EMPLOYEES have returned to the office, even if just on a part-time basis, some workers feel like the human connection was lost during the pandemic. To address this concern, some area companies are finding ways to bring everyone together with the intent to grow relationships and reenergize their workforce. At the end of June, Waukesha-based manu facturer Husco International gathered its leaders at Rustic Manor 1848 in Delafield to “reinvigorate the relationships across our Husco sites,” said An gela Stemo, vice president of global human capital at Husco.TheCOVID-19 pandemic separated people, and by holding this special off-site retreat, the goal was to reconnect them, she said.
Wauwatosa-based fintech Zywave went even further and rented out the Summerfest grounds for its two-day ZyFest at the start of August. Jason Liu, Zywave’s chief executive officer, said it was all about human connection and personal and profes sionalPre-pandemic,development.Zywave
The Like|Minded Company has an optional day once a month for employees to get together, such as at a coffee shop or a client’s workplace. There are also quarterly get-togethers, three of which are held in Milwaukee and one that is conducted as a retreat, possibly at a campground.
Two groups that especially benefitted from ZyFest were the new associates who were hired recently or were gained through acquisition. These employees felt like they were missing out on the company’s camaraderie, Liu said. “As a company that’s been around for 26 years, you can’t stay stagnant. In this new world of remote … you have to constantly adjust and get bet ter. I think this is a natural evolution of where this is going, which is trying to create experiences for employees that are not only social but help to grow employees professionally and personally,” Liu said. To help plan the event at Rustic Manor, Husco worked with BusinessOutside, a company that spe cializes in facilitating company retreats, workshops and“Wespeakers.focused on incorporating physical move ment into the sessions,” Stemo said, adding people were encouraged to go for walks together and have one-on-one dialogue. “Personal conversations are so much easier when you are both walking.”
PHOTOGRAPHYSPOTTSWOOD
Fojut, co-founder and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based The Like|Minded Com pany, said his company has a fully remote staff, but he makes it a point to bring employees together to encourage connections. The Like|Minded Compa ny created software that uses algorithms to con nect individuals within an organization. “That connection is so important,” Fojut said. “As a company that is selling that, we have to live it.”
“Companies are mistaking communication for connection,” he said, adding that serendipity doesn’t happen as much. “Nothing tops being in person. You have to make time for that, prioritize it.” n invited to Milwaukee. During the event, there were team meetings for business units and depart ments and social events.
Prioritizing human connection
financial services compa ny Baird has increased its offsite events by 30% in 2022 compared to 2019, said Rodney Jones-Ty son, global chief human resources officer. About one-quarter of Baird’s employees were hired since the pandemic started. In June, Baird held its Come Together celebra tion during which all 4,600 Baird associates were different and there was so much more employee engagement.”Jones-Tyson said there are three goals for Baird’s employee get-togethers.
CORPORATE EVENT PLANNING
Stemo said the retreat was considered a success and something Husco will do again in the future. “We don’t think we would change how we do it. I really think that we hit the mark,” she said. “We got really positive feedback because it was so Zywave employees participate in a lip-synching competition during the company’s first ZyFest on the Summerfest grounds.
biztimes.com / 27 If you believe in MERIT ... ABC of Wisconsin is your resource for merit contractors. We believe in fair and open competition, and awarding work based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation, and rewarding individuals for skills and performance, resulting in a better product. Find merit contractors at abcwi.org. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin is helping members win work and deliver work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work. TOUGH. TRUSTED. MERIT.
Special Report Planning Ahead for 2023? Request a copy of the 2023 editorial calendar today • Special Reports • Thought Leadership pages • Events • Business Cares covers • Notables and Rising Stars recognition • Supplements For more information, contact Linda Crawford at 414-336-7112 or advertise@biztimes.com CORPORATE EVENT PLANNING 5 new, unique or under-the-radar venues for your next corporate event AS WORKFORCES RECONVENE for in-person meetings and socials, companies have an array of venues, and experiences, to choose from across the Milwaukee area. Here are a few: NEW THE STARLING 102 N. WATER ST., THESTARLINGMKE.COMMILWAUKEE The 8,505-square-foot space, formerly home to SURG on the Water, seats 150 to 200 people and features an expansive outdoor patio and bar area along the Milwaukee Riverwalk. NEW THE GARAGE AT 1903EVENTS.COM400HARLEY-DAVIDSONTHEMUSEUMW.CANALST. With floor-to-ceiling windows and five glass garage doors, this newly TheoutdooraccessMenomoneeoffers8,200-square-footconstructedvenueviewsoftheRiverandtotheadjacentspace,knownasSquare.
PLATINUM SPONSOR: 2022 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP PRESENTS: BizTimes Media presents the ninth annual awards program to salute southeastern Wisconsin’s best corporate citizens and most effective nonprofit organizations. Nominate the people and for-profit organizations who are making a positive difference in the community by donating their time, talent and treasure. Nominate the nonprofit organizations that are making the region a better place to live, work and play. Self-nominations also are encouraged! 2022 Awards Categories: Call for Nominations! Submit your nomination at biztimes.com/npawards Corporate Citizenship Awards • Corporate Citizen of the Year • Next Generation Leadership • In-Kind Supporter • Corporate Volunteer of the Year • Lifetime Achievement Nonprofit Organizations, Leadership & Support Team Awards • Nonprofit organization of the year (Small & Large Categories) • Nonprofit Collaboration of the year award • Nonprofit Executive of the Year • Social Enterprise Nomination deadline: August 26, 2022 Event date: November 4, 2022 UNIQUE URBAN SLOPES N35 W23770 CAPITOL DRIVE, URBAN-SLOPES.COMPEWAUKEE The 4,800-square-foot space looks like a ski lodge, complete with a fireplace, bar and four SkyTechSport downhill ski and snowboard simulators that are available for group bookings and private parties. UNIQUE 3RD STREET MARKET HALL 275 W. WISCONSIN AVE., 3RDSTMARKETHALL.COMMILWAUKEE Whether it’s the turf area, shuffleboard courts, Top Golf Swing Suites or glass-ceiling atrium, there’s a space for any private or semi-private party at downtown Milwaukee’s new food and entertainment hall. UNDER THE RADAR THE GREEN ROOM AT THE RIVERSIDE PABSTTHEATERGROUPRENTALS.COMTHEATER Once only open to performing artists, this backstage room is now available for high-end corporate and private dinners prepared by Pabst Theater Group’s executive chef Kevin Sloan, pictured here. DILTSHARRISON PHOTOGRAPHYHILLJAKE PHOTOGRAPHYHILLJAKEPHOTOGRAPHYHILLJAKE PHOTOSHILLJAKE PHOTOGRAPHYHILLJAKE
Denise spent her career working in various areas of retail with more than 20 years in HR at Bon-Ton Stores, leading human resources for eight of those years. There, she gained success in designing and delivering human capital strategies and programs that drive organizational change and excellence, even in times of Denisedifficulty.believes that Human Resources should be the light not the lampshade, meaning you must be willing to shine light on Sheopportunities.ispassionate about establishing positive culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion not just as an initiative but as a necessity. But Denise is the first to admit, it’s not just her or HR that is responsible for building that culture. “In order for positive culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion to be more than just another initiative, you must engage the entire company. Engaging associates who have the same passion to create positive culture reaps rewards for everyone,” she said. As an example, in just two years, the company went from not participating to receiving a 100 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index. “It was truly a company-wide effort,” Denise said. “It took many of us focused on what we needed to do to be a CEI Best Places to Work. Associates have told me there’s a different energy at Johnson Financial Group today. We’re really proud of our evolution!” n
DENISE DOMIAN joined Johnson Financial Group in August of 2019 as chief human resources officer. Being fairly new to the company himself, chief executive officer Jim Popp, was looking for someone with new ideas and a fresh perspective. He wasn’t afraid to hire someone with no previous financial services background.
BEING A LEADER IS A TEAM SPORT
HOW SHE LEADS Sponsored Content
Denise Domian Chief Human Resources Officer, Johnson Financial Group
Johnson Financial Group (888) 769-3796
Denise Domian
biztimes.com / 31 HOW SHE LEADS Sponsored Content
AS LOCAL LEADERS within J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank Wisconsin, Jennifer Green, managing director, head of investments and advice, and Danila Danesi, vice president and banker, understand that leadership is about empowering others.
J.P. Morgan Private Bank Wisconsin (414) 977-2029
“We have the power to lift and support each other through intellectual conversations and interactions,” Jennifer said. With the support of a 25-person team, they collaborate to ensure that their female clients have the knowledge and confidence to manage their financial lives. To bring this mission to life, they host regular events to delve into financial topics, demystify investment lingo, and forge deeper relationships with their female clients.Jennifer and Danila can attribute their success as advisers to various mentors over the years. As the daughter of a small business owner, Jennifer learned several key lessons early on, specifically the rewards that come from hard work and discipline. As she embarked on her career, one key mentor gave her the confidence to be herself, share her expertise, and inspire those around her. She built on these lessons over time, which have culminated in her current role as head of investments & advice.
Danila also learned the value of hard work at home from her father, a prominent academic. That message was reinforced when she took on her first role in the financial industry at an investment firm. On the trading floor, she learned not to cut corners and constantly improve her craft, thus building trust and respect amongst her colleagues. Both apply these lessons as leaders, ultimately focused on lifting those around them.Thisapproach is central to how they work with the team at J.P. Morgan, engage with clients, and through their leadership roles in the community.
This framework spills over into their mission to empower other women. As for the next generation, Danila firmly believes: “Take risks. The only regret you will have are the risks you didn’t take.” “Be a team player,” Jennifer added, “Live by the motto ‘Together Everyone Accomplishes More.’” n
Jennifer Green & Danila Danesi
EMPOWERING SUCCESS: SUPPORTING WOMEN IN MEETING THEIR FINANCIAL GOALS
Jennifer Green & Danila Danesi
Managing Director, Head of Investments and Advice & Vice President, Banker, J.P. Morgan Private Bank Wisconsin
In 1996, when Nancy and Aleta started their company together—the first iteration—many well-meaning people told them not to do it.
Aleta Norris & Nancy Lewis
POSITIVELY
“Our company has worked well for so many years because Aleta and I have passions for different parts of the business,” added Nancy. “Aleta loves to go out and find our customers, and I love to support the team in the delivery of our services.”
32 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 HOW SHE LEADS Sponsored Content
Co-founders, Living As A Leader
NANCY LEWIS AND ALETA NORRIS, co-founders of Living As A Leader—a leadership training, coaching, and consulting firm based in Milwaukee—have been positively impacting the employee experience for thousands of organizations for more than 30 years. This comes through increasing the effectiveness of leaders at all levels via training, coaching, writing, and speaking.
Aleta Norris and Nancy Lewis IMPACTING LEADERS FOR DECADES
Nancy and Aleta recently published Live As A Leader: Tools and Inspiration to Reinvent Yourself, Your Team, and Your Life, along with their co-author, John Rutkiewicz. Visit livingasaleader.com/book to learn more! n
“’Don’t go into a partnership,’ more than one person told us,” said Nancy. ‘It will not end well.’ Yet here we are all these years later having made a difference for organizations, their leaders, their employees and—the icing on the cake—the families who also benefit from the more effective leaders who ultimately go home at the end of the day.”
Living As A Leader (262) 505-5405
After six years of trying to be an all things to all people company through Impact Consulting Group, a broad-services consulting firm, Aleta and Nancy decided in 2002 to focus solely on developing leaders at all levels of an organization. “We did this because we believe employees deserve to go to a place of work where they feel cared about and are able to do great work that they enjoy. This can only happen with strong, intentional, capable leadership,” said Aleta. “We rebranded our company as Living As A Leader, and we’ve been blessed to do work with leaders across the United States, and globally, for the past 20 years with the support of our very talented team of facilitators and coaches.”
All of these efforts are important steps toward achieving our vision of creating a welcoming and inclusive culture in which every individual is comfortable bringing their full selves to work. n
Katrene (Katya) Zelenovskiy
biztimes.com / 33 HOW SHE LEADS Sponsored Content
• Promoting full and equal representation on firm committees –often an important step toward leadership opportunities — for diverse and women attorneys.
Milwaukee Office Co-Managing Partner, Quarles & Brady
• Establishment of the Women’s Forum Circle of Trust Groups to foster small-group, more personal opportunities for networking, business development and mentorship among our women attorneys.
Katya Zelenovskiy
Quarles & Brady (414) 277-5000
HOW MY LAW FIRM’S CULTURE SUPPORTS GENDER EQUITY
This focus includes a deep commitment to mentoring, developing and promoting diverse and women attorneys and business professionals across the firm. Our commitment to the success and well-being of women across our firm is manifested in a variety of ways, including:
QUARLES & BRADY has a long-standing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. In fact, fostering DEI is one of the four primary strategies of our long-term growth plan.
• Taking steps to ensure bias isn’t creeping into the compensation process. One example of how this issue is addressed is a “ramp down, ramp up” process for attorneys who take leave. Recognizing that the hours an attorney bills leading up to and returning from a leave are reduced, we account for that to ensure they’re not penalized during compensation discussions.
• Full and equal participation of diverse and women attorneys in the request for proposal and pitch process, with the objective of achieving long-term diversity for the firm by providing client opportunities to diverse and women attorneys.
• Our Women in Leadership initiative, which enables the firm’s thought leaders to create programs and policies that underpin sustainable careers at the firm. One example of action taken because of this program is the implementation of flexible working arrangements and work/life balance policies that promote flexibility in the paths to partnership and leadership for female attorneys.
Nina Johnson
Senior Vice President and Market Leader for Wisconsin Branch Banking, U.S. Bank
NINA V.A. JOHNSON joined U.S. Bank in April 2019 and serves as the senior vice president and market leader for Wisconsin Branch Banking.
Nina has worked in the banking industry for more than 38 years and has held several leadership positions in her tenure. She holds an MBA in Global Business Management and bachelor’s in Business Management. Prior to joining U.S. Bank, she served as a Community Affairs and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Officer. Through that work, she was responsible for overseeing CRA regulatory platforms at several banks, including the development and support of low- and moderate-income (LMI) relationships in the Midwest and Georgia. A community-minded professional, Nina has served on more than forty non-profit boards, committees and consortiums, including the Froedtert Hospital Board, the SecureFutures Advisory Board, and the ACTS Housing Advisory Council. She is also a member of Professional Dimensions and Milwaukee Women Inc.
As a leader, she works to create centrality, maximize digital and mobile banking platforms, and build synergies when the opportunity arises.
Nina is a wife and mother of two sons, 22 and 16. She is the daughter of a phenomenal woman whom she calls “Mom,” the cornerstone of her family and a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Marian University class of 2016. Nina’s favorite past-times are going to the movies, creating recipes and writing. Nina admires servant leaders and those who lead by example. Her favorite slogan is “Don’t Ever Give Up!” n
BUILDING SYNERGY THROUGH HER LEADERSHIP U.S. Bank (800) USBANKS (872-2657)
Nina Johnson
34 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 HOW SHE LEADS Sponsored Content
Peggy Armstrong
PEGGY ARMSTRONG has over 25 years of experience in the banking industry, 23 of which she’s spent with Town Bank, N.A. supporting her high-net-worth clients with their personal banking needs.
FIRST LEADER
WINTR UST
biztimes.com / 35 HOW SHE LEADS Sponsored Content
THE VALUE OF BEING A PEOPLE-
At Town Bank, Armstrong embraces a people-first leadership style by prioritizing open communication, setting clear expectations, and exhibiting belief in her team’s ability to Sheperform.credits her longtime boss, Jay Mack, with leading by example and shaping her ability to treat those she leads with equal importance to the work she manages, calling it the fabric of strong teams. For Armstrong, being a people-first leader also requires flexibility, because when people feel appreciated and accommodated, they tend to reciprocate that. Give trust and respect, and you are trusted and respected in return.
“My only goal every day is to remember to be kind, even amid chaos and frustration,” Armstrong said. “At the end of my career, I hope to have expressed kindness in a consistent matter and to be remembered for that, above all.” n
Town Bank Private Client Services (414) 273-3507
A lesson she learned very early on in her career is to embrace change, because the faster you learn and adapt, the more successful you’ll be. She demonstrates this skill in the tailored, outside-the-box solutions she creates for her clients, making their complex financial needs simpler.
Peggy Armstrong Executive Vice President, Town Bank Private Client Services
Sylvia Bachmann Executive Project Manager - Operations SYLVIA BACHMANN EXECUTIVE PROJECT MANAGER OPERATIONSOF HUSCH BLACKWELL
The honorees do not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from nomination materials. This list features individuals for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after a review by our editorial team. To qualify for the list, nominees must be based in southeastern Wisconsin. They must be currently employed as an office and/or operations manager, or similar role, for their company or nonprofit organization, which must have a significant presence in southeastern Wisconsin.
As Husch Blackwell’s executive project manager of operations, Sylvia Bachmann focuses on firmwide strategic goals and helping others succeed.
36 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 At Husch Blackwell, we believe the talent, knowledge and perspectives of our people move clients forward. We are proud to congratulate our Sylvia Bachmann on her selection as an inaugural BizTimes Notable Office and Operations Manager. Sylvia exemplifies the professionalism, collaborative approach and client-focused service that shape our firm’s core values. Bold in Confidentvision.inaction. huschblackwell.com 511 North Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 414.273.210053202
BizTimes Milwaukee is proud to present its inaugural showcase of Notable Office and Operations Managers, spotlighting critical leaders who make sure their organizations run smoothly. The individuals profiled here serve as office and operations managers for companies and organizations in southeastern Wisconsin. They were nominated by their peers and showcase the diversity of talent in the METHODOLOGY:region.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
“Sylvia Bachmann loves to help others reach their full potential,” Eberle Bachmannsaid.was also part of the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategic planning committee. Working with an outside consultant, this committee created a multi-year DE&I strategic plan, setting goals for initiatives such as diverse talent retention and hiring the firm’s first chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bachmann was a regular volunteer at Guest House of Milwaukee and organized Husch Blackwell’s Com munity Outreach Committee’s monthly Spread the Love initiative, bringing people together to make sandwiches to donate to local shelters and organizations in need.
In her 23 years at Husch Blackwell, Bachmann has had a transfor mational impact on the law firm, spearheading the development of the executive support team and its structured team approach to de livering high-level, streamlined support to its executives, according to Husch Blackwell chief executive officer Paul Eberle.
BIENIEWSKIANTHONY
Bieniewski prioritizes continued education for his teams. He en sures resources are allocated to support employees’ professional and personal growth, according to colleagues. “The word I would use to describe Tony’s leadership style is ‘direct,’” said Nick Recht, sales manager at TEKLYNX Americas. “Tony has high expectations, makes them known, communicates them clearly and holds his people accountable. What is unique about Tony in his senior leadership role is that he is never scared to get directly in volved in the day-to-day when it is necessary.”
“Diane is a consistent and reliable resource to our entire company. She works with integrity and is always willing to help people find the answer or a solution to a problem,” said Peter Cokinos, chief operat ing and revenue officer for Palermo’s Pizza. “Our customers consis tently let us know that they are impressed with Diane’s attention to detail and level of care.”
VALUED PIZZAIOLOH om e t o w n P iz z aTM DIANN BALKE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT JP CULLEN Diann Balke has been with JP Cullen since 2007, starting as the office receptionist. After just two days with the company, she immediately applied for the ad ministrative assistant role for the esti mating team. In 2013, Balke became executive assistant for JPC’s vice president, Larry Rocole, and now, Shannon Metoxen, division manager. In addition, Balke served as the vice president of JPC’s support group through December 2021. In her current role, Balke completes executive assistant administra tive duties and reviews contracts and organizes office operations and procedures. She also has a role in onboarding new employees and training proj ect teams on using Microsoft Teams when the company needed more virtual meetings and collaborative tools. “I have had the honor of working alongside Diann for many years. During that time, I found Diann to be enthusiastic about the work that she does. She has made the work personal for her, and it shows. She genuinely wants to help all those around her, personally and professionally,” said Wendy Booth, executive assistant for JPC’s industrial division.
DIANE SALEWSKI
OPERATIONS AND IT MANAGER TEKLYNX Under Anthony Bieniewski’s leadership as operations and IT manager, Glendale-based TEKLYNX recently consolidated business systems and tools into a centralized ERP system to improve user experiences.
Salewski is also a part of the Palermo’s Pizza sales team, which has experienced significant demand amid the pandemic.
biztimes.com / 37
Diane Salewski has served Paler mo’s Pizza for more than 10 years as an executive administrative assistant, supporting the Milwaukee-based company’s chief operating officer and chief revenue officer and the sales team. Her role goes beyond administrative assistant. Salewski also over sees Palermo’s front-of-house reception as the front line to the business, offering hospitality and professionalism to everyone who visits the facility.
“Anthony takes on many different challenges in high-stress sit uations, never wavering or showing signs of stress,” said Doug Niemeyer, president and general manager at TEKLYNX Americas. “He will be honest and tell you he doesn’t know the answer to something but will go and find out.”
ASSISTANTADMINISTRATIVEEXECUTIVE PALERMO VILLA INC. / PALERMO’S PIZZA
38 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 office moving | third party logistics | warehouse solutions chcoakley.com | (414) 372-7000
Key
SARAH PLOHOCKY OPERATIONS MANAGER AND CONSULTANTBENEFIT KEY CONCEPTSBENEFITLLC
Specialized face coverings and thermometers were purchased, and consistent testing was and continues to be done. Lapp also created a system where the CHC fleet undergoes routine check-in servicing for preventative maintenance to get ahead of any potential issues.
For being recognized as an amazing operations leader. You keep the wheels moving and we’re grateful to have you as part of the CHC family. Benefit Concepts LLC Actuarial and Employee Benefit Services keybenefits.com
DAN BORCHARDT SENIOR DIRECTOR OF NORTH OPERATIONSAMERICAN PRIMEX FAMILY OF COMPANIES
For the past 18 months, the Lake Geneva-based Primex Family of Companies has had to respond to a shifting economy and supply chain disruptions. This meant delayed shipments, increasing costs and unpredictable sales. Dan Borchardt, senior director of North American operations, has navigated these changes while managing a team of almost 30 office and operations employees. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the Primex of fice employees have gone remote, but Borchardt remains on-site in charge of all facilities. In response to supply chain disruption, the company changed its processes and arranged alternate shipment methods to obtain the finished products. It also implemented a new ERP system with RFP “Dancapability.was a driving force behind it all,” said Jessica Sherman, as sociate director of people and talent management at Primex. “We made the decision to consolidate our facilities, which took months of planning all led by Dan. During the busy holiday season, Dan coor dinated team activities to keep employees engaged, motivated and, most importantly, to retain them. This included weekly lunches, an incentive program and a holiday decorating contest.”
CongratulationsWENDYLAPP
Colleagues at Wales-based Key Benefit Concepts say the compa ny’s office operations efficiencies in creased significantly as a result of the organiza tional skills and leadership of Sarah Plohocky, operations manager and benefit consultant. “She takes personal responsibility and pride in assuring that KBC’s systems and procedures run smoothly, reports are generated accu rately and client services are provided at the highest caliber possi ble,” said Linda Mont, managing member at KBC. “Sarah’s leadership style is to provide resources and empower staff to do their jobs ef fectively without the need to micromanage, though is always there to help as needed.”
“We’ve always believed in promoting from within, but Wendy has really taken us to another level. She’s put a career enhancement process in place by meeting with her staff, putting their goals on paper and really works with them to develop and grow a career with CH Coakley,” he said.
“When we were searching for a new operations manager and Wendy expressed interest, there wasn’t a reason to look outside of CHC be cause our new manager was right in front of us,” said Brian Coakley, vice president of commercial moving.
Plohocky instituted step-by-step guidelines outlining processes within the organization. She created template language for various correspondence, saving personnel significant time while increas ing uniformity in the company’s communications with clients and others, Mont said. Plohocky also assessed KBC’s client relations management system, explored options and recommended a new program. She managed the transition and cleaned up glitches that arose, Mont said.
WENDY LAPP ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS CH COAKLEY Wendy Lapp, assistant vice president operations at Milwau kee-based CH Coakley, began as operations manager in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because mov ers were considered essential workers, Lapp created a safety policy to protect both CHC employees and clients.
Congratulations to Sarah Plohocky Recognized on the list of 2022 Notable Office Operations Managers
JONATHAN SANCEN DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL OPERATIONS SIXTEENTH CENTERSCOMMUNITYSTREETHEALTH
JAYME CAIN OFFICE MANAGERSERVICESLEAD RSM US LLP Jayme Cain is the RSM US LLP office manager lead for the Mil waukee, Madison and Rockford offices. Colleagues describe her professionalism and ability to support those on her team as “phenomenal.”
BOB ISACSON MILWAUKEE ADMINISTRATOROFFICE QUARLES & BRADY LLP
Sancen also steered the center’s front desk team through the launch of a new electronic medical records system, delivering addi tional training. The new system led to a 40% increase in the accura cy of patient registrations, while coping with a reduced workforce, according to Elizabeth Claudio, vice president of operations.
Congratulations, Jonathan!
biztimes.com / 39 on being selected as one of the 2022 Notable Office and Operations Managers! Thanks for everything you do to contribute to the success of our firm and our clients.
“There is almost nothing that goes on in the office for which Bob does not have some responsibility, and he is renowned for being calm under pressure,” said Dave Fleisher, chief operating officer at Quarles & Brady.
Jon Sancen started as clinic manager of Sixteenth Street Com munity Health Centers’ Parkway Clinic in Milwaukee just before COVID-19 hit the U.S.
In addition to the drive-through testing, which included a medical visit with each test to address acute needs and prevent complica tions, he also created a follow-up protocol where patients got their results in 24 to 48 hours, were reexamined for complications and had contact tracing performed.
“In particular, he played a critical role in helping our team effective ly manage the challenges associated with the pandemic. Our office remained open throughout the pandemic for those who preferred to come in, and Bob worked closely with our attorneys and business professionals to ensure their individual needs were met,” Fleischer “Itsaid.is hard to even describe the scope of Bob’s responsibilities. He is irreplaceable. It probably would take two or three people to even try to replace him,” said Katya Zelenovskiy, co-managing partner at the Milwaukee office. “He is kind, genuinely caring and never utters the words, ‘That’s not my job.’”
To further maximize access, Sancen leveraged partnerships with many local health systems for much-needed manpower when vac cines became available.
Cain is on a team that is leading a portion of the launch of a new model of RSM’s office services department, now known as Enter prise Support Services. This model will be used in over 80 U.S. of “Thefices. team is developing processes to elevate administrative sup port services, increase efficiency and create clearly defined career paths. While developing these processes, Jayme supports and men tors her own teams in their own career growth,” said Danielle Fouts, administrative assistant at RSM. “She has made her mark at RSM by encouraging her staff and col leagues to elevate themselves, break the mold and take their place as essential contributors, adding value to the team,” said Kathleen Porter, RMS senior administrative assistant. Cain is also the RMS culture, diversity and inclusion leader for Wis consin and Rockford, bringing together several employee network groups to embrace the culture and diversity within the firm.
The Sixteenth Street family proudly celebrates your recognition as a BizTimes Notable Office & Operations Manager. You increased access to care for our patients when they needed it most. Thank you for your dedication to our community.414 672 1353 sschc org
As the office administrator of Milwaukee-based law firm Quarles & Brady, Bob Isacson oversees the operation of the law firm’s largest office, including manage ment of all office administrative staff, overseeing facilities, event planning and coordinating meetings.
As the virus spread, Sancen led the operational response, from forming a team to fit clinical staff for N95 masks and implementing one of Milwaukee’s first drive-through testing sites to heading the clinic’s post-pandemic recovery.
Congratulations to Bob Isacson quarles.com
40 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 TRACI CANNON OFFICE MANAGER HUPY ABRAHAM,AND S.C. Office manager Traci Cannon oversees the day-to-day of 11 Hupy and Abraham office loca tions, coordinating office manage ment and communication between them.
EMILY CILIBERTO OPERATIONS MANAGER SNACKTIME CAPITAL/ APACHII CAPITAL & CREATIVE Apachii Capital & Creative is a Milwaukee-based venture capital company that specializes in build ing e-commerce and digitally native vertical brand companies and products that can “scale fast and wide using creative marketing channels,” according to its Apacchiwebsite.isone of a family of brands owned by Snacktime Capital. “Emily has been my operations director for years now,” said Josh Delaney, owner of Snacktime Capital. “She’s helped grow two com panies that later went on to get acquired after she had helped cre ate better systems within each. These businesses generated more than $30 million in revenue in a few short years under Emily’s oper ational direction.”
“She manages inventory, logistics, various supply chain vendors as well as executes tasks within the team,” said Delaney.
The committee is comprised of one employee from each department. She leads the discussion on a range of topics to tap into staff poten tial while generating ideas and collecting feedback.
I know that she not only has my back, but my peers’ backs as well. She goes out of her way to let others know that they are noticed and appreciated,” said a Hupy and Abraham legal administrative Inassistant.addition to traditional business operations, Cannon leads the firm’s “fun” initiatives. As part of the “Fun Squad,” she develops monthly themes such as celebrating March Madness, Derby Days and Summer Solstice.
Ciliberto also worked for Delaney as operations director when he was CEO of St. Francis-based FAB Nutrition.
“Traci is one of the best managers I have ever worked under. Not only is she knowledgeable and effective, but she is supportive of her staff’s needs and concerns, continuously going above and beyond.
JEFF JOSLYN CHIEF OFFICEROPERATING FEEDING EASTERNAMERICAWISCONSIN
MARIE COUTURE DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES AND LOGISTICS MILWAUKEE INSTITUTE OF ART & DESIGN Marie Couture, director of fa cilities and logistics at the Mil waukee Institute of Art & Design, spends her days leading a department colleagues say is central to the success of the college. Couture led MIAD’s transition to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted by the coordination and shipping of supplies to the homes of every student. She navigated the college through the complicated layers of build ing access during a time when the community worked and studied from home but needed access to studios, labs and other campus “Nospaces.day is the same as the next. Most days, things change from hour to hour,” Couture said. Other accomplishments include project management of the col lege’s renovations, including a new lobby and admissions office this summer. Couture maintains oversight of the general contractor schedules and redirects events and programming around construc tion. She has selected the paint, fabrics, finishes and furnishings for the new spaces. This work has also allowed her to form partnerships with vendors, businesses and MIAD alumni.
“Kamaljit’s wealth of experience in coaching, program management and process improvement is building an ecosystem of community to support the client in a holistic manner,” said Wendy Baumann, pres ident and chief visionary officer of WWBIC. “Kamaljit is our driving force for change.”
Kamaljit Jackson has served as vice president of programs and oper ations for the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. for more than three years.
Leading a statewide team, Jackson fosters a culture of empowering and engaging individuals at all levels to support organizational de velopment and change, according to colleagues. As a member of the executive leadership team, Jackson leads WW BIC’s training, lending, loan operations and HR functions.
KAMALJIT JACKSON VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS OPERATIONSAND WISCONSIN WOMEN’S BUSINESS INITIATIVE CORP.
After more than five years of working at Milwaukee-based Feeding America Eastern Wiscon sin, Jeff Joslyn was recently promoted to chief operating officer. During his time with Wisconsin’s largest food bank, Joslyn has been part of numerous “Underinitiatives.his leadership, software applications such as Farm Link and Meal Connect were brought to fruition. Both of these innovative technologies bring producers and growers of local food directly to food pantries and organizations,” said Tony Cartagena, public rela tions and communications coordinator at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “Not only does this cut down on costs, but it also helps provide fresh foods directly to areas that may not otherwise have Amongaccess.”other responsibilities, Joslyn also prepared food orders for the food bank. Part of his role was to plan ahead to mass order for specialty seasons, such as the holidays. Joslyn was also part of the leadership team that organized the food bank’s efforts to continue working during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure people in need had access to healthy meals.
Recently, Cannon led the development of a new initiative committee.
DENNIS CASEY MANAGING DIRECTOR DINVY LLC During Dennis Casey’s 25-plus years in operations, he has helped lead several local start up ventures including Brevient Technologies, Corvisa, Canpango and most recently Milwaukee-based Dinvy LLC. His roles included vice president of operations, executive vice president, chief people officer and managing director. His responsibilities included areas such as customer success and support, software development, implementation, recruiting and human resources. Often these roles had him travelling the globe as he worked with staff in the U.K., South Africa, the Philippines and “DennisColombia.Casey is one of the greatest mentors I’ve ever had the plea sure of working for. A true operations leader that dedicates his time to the betterment and growth of the business and its employees,” said Tessa Pelkowski, vice president of global professional services at “DennisNeostella.ispositive, real, honest, and is always there when you need him. He is an asset to any company culture and a go-to executive. Dennis has guided and paved the way for many employees through out the years and helped define what success looks like for them,” said Pelkowski.
For example, Jackson is leading the effort to collaboratively expand access to capital and other opportunities for diverse businesses. Launched in 2021, Black Business Boost is a system designed to in crease opportunities for Black entrepreneurs and business owners in underserved neighborhoods in Milwaukee. The program supports entrepreneurs with credit recovery, accelera tion, technical assistance, micro-equity and ongoing coaching and mentoring.
As a true Person of Action, Kolenda will bike 1,700 miles cross country to visit the graves of the six paratroopers in his unit who were killed in action 15 years ago in Afghanistan. His trek will begin in central Nebraska on September 25th and wrap up at Arlington Cemetery several weeks later. The funds that Chris raises on this journey will provide support to the veterans from his unit, their families, and build a Rotary Club of Milwaukee scholarship endowment.
Prior to joining the Luther Group, Anderson was the marketing man ager of Milwaukee-based Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC. As the marketing manager, she wrote and edited hundreds of proposals and other presentation documents resulting in $500 million in proj ects across the U.S.
CHRIS KOLENDA Retired U.S. Army Col. and Founder of Strategic Leaders Academy
biztimes.com / 41
The spirit of making a difference drew Kolenda to Rotary
For more information, call (414) 276-4425
Congratulations to our team member and Chief of Staff Lynda Anderson on being named to the Notable Office and Operations Manager list! 780 Elm Grove Road, Suite 120 | Elm Grove, WI luthergrp.com
LYNDA ANDERSON CHIEF OF STAFF LUTHER GROUP Lynda Anderson, chief of staff at Elm Grove-based Luther Group since 2019, has worked in the real estate industry for more than 20 years. “From the moment Lynda agreed to join the team, her impact was immediate and significant,” said Jason Lu ther, president of the Luther Group. “Her ability to manage complex tasks, eagerly attack new responsi bilities and leverage executive time through schedule management is an incredible asset to our team,” said Luther. “In addition, Lynda keeps a pulse on the culture and heartbeat of the team to ensure we continue to balance life with work and fun with project delivery. She is the glue of the team and without her we wouldn’t be as successful as we are today.”
NATE KELLER MILWAUKEE OFFICE LEAD GARDNER BUILDERS Nate Keller and Bob Gardner met at UW-Madison in 1995. When Gardner called Nate in 2017, asking him to head up a new Gardner Culture Hub in Milwaukee, Keller ran with the opportunity.
While Milwaukee-based Novir was developing protocols and following the changing science of COVID-19, business operations man ager Louise Kempe worked to keep the company’s employees safe, sourcing hand sanitizer, gloves, masks and other essential supplies needed to run the business during a worldwide shortage. Kempe led the initiative to create a plug-and-play COVID testing kit, allowing Novir to package COVID tests, PPE and training materials together to allow customers to test remotely. She also laminated instruction manuals and organized logistics with several transport ers to make sure each one of the 300-plus shipments arrived at the correct school or business on time. “Louise is the heart and soul of Novir,” said Peter Klug, vice presi dent of business and program development. Kempe even recruited her own kids and their friends to come in on nights and weekends to pack up testing supplies and PPE for over night shipments to help make sure kids were able to attend summer camps safely in 2021, said Andy Blanchard, program manager.
LOUISE KEMPE BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER NOVIR
Four years, 24 employees and hundreds of completed projects lat er, Keller is a leader that will go to bat for any member of his team, according to Kelly Sullivan, Milwaukee lead for project strategy and development at Gardner Builders. “He will support them, build them up and, most importantly, put his team first. His empathy, humility, and excellence have been the driving force that has led to exponential growth, personally and pro fessionally,” said Sullivan. “Nate has not only helped Gardner flour ish in the market, but he has also helped build roots for Gardner in the community by sitting on the board of Revitalize Milwaukee and Westown Association.” Keller is also involved with the MACC Fund, the Commercial Associ ation of Realtors Wisconsin and NAIOP. He is also on the board for Guest House of Milwaukee.
BEATRICE THORSON DIRECTOR OPERATIONSOF GIMBEL, REILLY, GUERIN & BROWN, LLP According to her colleagues, Be atrice Thorson has transformed Milwaukee-based law firm Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP in almost every way possible. “She has instituted so many policies throughout the firm to make things more efficient, cost-effective and easier in general,” said Britt Frank, marketing director. “Bea did a software change/buildout entirely on her own and was in charge of the complete overhaul that allowed more security, better billing practices and paperless “Withoutcapabilities.”Bea’s
innovation and handling of the new software, the staff would not have been able to work from home during the pan demic. Besides this, she continues to handle the monthly billing pro cess, including all execution and client interaction. Through these changes and diligence, Bea has saved the firm tens of thousands of dollars,” said Frank. According to her supervisor Erin Strohbehn, “Bea has been a game changer for this firm. We were in desperate need of updating in so many ways, and she came in and put it all into place.”
KATHY WAGNER DIRECTOR OPERATIONSOF KATHY’S HOUSE In 2014, Kathy’s House, began work to become a national model in hospital guest housing. Last year, work was completed on a new 30,600-square-foot hospital guest house on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus in Wauwa tosa. Kathy Wagner, director of operations, was integral to realizing that goal, according to Patty Metropulos, president and CEO of Kathy’s “SheHouse.served as the project lead, managing innumerable contrac tors, volunteers and staff while ensuring a consistently exceptional guest experience right from the opening,” Metropulos said. “She helped to gather and share feedback from a variety of stakeholders to incorporate in planning the design, furniture and fixtures. With her help, our new building was recognized by The Daily Reporter as a ‘Top Project’ and received the Celebrate in Design Award in the category of Service.” Wagner also led the effort to create new policies needed as the or ganization transitioned from being a renter to a building owner. New responsibilities were paired with her existing duties of managing accounting, payroll, facilities, maintenance, guest services staff, overseeing and onboarding a new contracted security staff, and supporting the board of directors.
For the past nine years, opera tions manager Liz Syrrakos has played a key role in the success of Milwaukee-based Korb + Asso ciates Architects (formerly Korb Tredo Architects), according to KA managing architect Ali Kopyt. “Her daily contributions are highly valued, and her skills evolve with the growth of the company,” Kopyt said. Syrrakos takes the lead in the office on contracts, grant writing, marketing needs, executive support, new client integration, client services and logistics.
However, the division has not had to turn down a single job due to a lack of materials, according to colleague Kris Moran. “Mike has great foresight and is able to see logjams ahead so that we can prepare for them,” said David Carpenter, regional operations manager. “He ordered materials before shortages hit our market. When suppliers cringed at a lack of materials, he was counting in ventory at overflowing warehouses.”
“She makes sure the copiers work and water is delivered. She makes sure supplies are in stock and helps us pivot when supply chain (is sues) hit the firm so that clients are not impacted. COVID-19 has not made any of these tasks any less important. In fact, these jobs have been more important to us through COVID because our work has only increased,” he added.
He is responsible for Great Lakes’ fleet of cranes and tractor trailers, keeping them in working order and DOT certified.
GREAT LAKES ROOFING CORP. Mike Zell, operations and lo gistics manager for German town-based Great Lakes Roofing Corp. oversees the company’s material handling function, estimating and ordering all materials and loading and unloading of every roofing project.
Zell and the material handling division is tasked with making sure the company does not run out of materials, and the past 18 months have been challenging with pandemic-related supply chain issues.
When Aimee Sullivan joined Town of Brookfield-based Craw ford Evaluation Group in April 2013, there wasn’t a position open at the firm. “But I was determined to find space for her,” said David Crawford, president. “From my interaction with Aimee, it was clear that she could be an asset for our company. Early on, Aimee worked in the medical records department, but she had more capacity.”
“Over the past nine years, Aimee’s dedication and commitment has been unparalleled,” Crawford added. “Her ability to interact with staff was productive in so many areas, I was compelled to contin ue to advance Aimee within our company. I came to value Aimee’s diverse skills in communications, problem solving and decision Inmaking.”January 2018, Sullivan was promoted to general manager of op erations. She was promoted to her current position in January 2021. “We navigated some difficult obstacles and decisions together as a small business,” said Crawford. “I was impressed with Aimee’s resourcefulness when we faced uncommon and difficult scenarios together, including COVID-19, staffing, rolling layoffs and operating safely within this difficult environment.”
LIZ SYRRAKOS OPERATIONS MANAGER KORB + ARCHITECTSASSOCIATES
MIKE ZELL
Syrrakos is also involved with organizations such as Open Door Cafe at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Young Adult Oncology Group of MCW, Professional Dimensions and the Wisconsin Chapter of Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women. She is a mentor for Imerman Angels, a Chicago-based support network for cancer pa tients.
AIMEE SULLIVAN VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS CRAWFORD EVALUATION GROUP
“He is someone that has always come through when there is a change in schedule, scope, material etc., and he always contributes to solutions for our customers,” said Carpenter.
JULIA MAY OFFICE MANAGER WALNY LEGAL GROUP LLC While Milwaukee-based Walny Legal Group LLC experienced growth over the past 18 to 24 months, implementing new sys tems, management programs and billing software as well as hiring more than 50% of its current em ployees, office manager Julia May was the glue that held the firm together, according to Eido Walny, founder and managing partner. “While the lawyers focus on their legal practice, and staff support the lawyers, Julia is the one who makes sure that billing gets run, that A/R is collected, that bills get paid,” said Walny. “She is the one who makes sure that our systems grow with us and helps to eval uate where our weaknesses are so that those can be addressed.”
OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS MANAGER
“Liz is an asset to any team she becomes involved in,” said Tom Fo ley, project architect at KA. “She is a beacon of positivity and lever ages this into every aspect of her work. She is an expert at keeping both the day-to-day and long-term vision of the firm on track.”
42 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022
NUMBER OF MEETING ROOMS: 4 TOTAL AVAILABLE MEETING SPACE: 8,000 LARGEST MEETING SPACE: 7,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY (# OF PEOPLE): 500 (414) 933-4700 | tripolishrine.com | 3000 W Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI Wisconsin Club Beautiful ballrooms at two locations, perfect for weddings, business meetings and private events up to 300. Impeccable service, delicious food, classy presentation, personalized service from expert planners, and on-site parking.
| 777 North Water Street, Milwaukee, WI Pizza Man Pizza Man Wauwatosa is a rustically modern restaurant space with the perfect ambiance for your next gathering! Choose from the private wine room, garden atrium, or semi-private upper level. PRIVATE MEETING ROOM: Yes GROUP SIZE: 20-100 CATERING OR DINING OPTIONS: Pizza Man offers appetizers, buffet options, entreés, and desserts. Truly something for everyone. (414) 249-2000 | pizzamanwi.com | 11500 West Burleigh Street, Wauwatosa, WI Henry Maier Festival Park Henry Maier Festival Park, located on the shores of Lake Michigan and in the shadow of Milwaukee’s skyline, features a unique collection of venues perfect for events of all sizes. (414) 291-5320 | milwaukeeworldfestival.com | 200 N Harbor Dr., Milwaukee, WI Green Bay Packers Events Did you know Lambeau Field and the Titletown District has over 20 event spaces to accommodate smaller events of five to large gatherings of 2,000+ people. NUMBER OF MEETING ROOMS: 20 TOTAL AVAILABLE MEETING SPACE: 100,000 sq. ft. LARGEST MEETING SPACE: 45,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY (# OF PEOPLE): 2,000 (920) 569-7149 | packers.com/lambeau-field/lambeau-field-events/ | 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, WI Pabst Theater Group Make your next event a memorable one with four historical and unique venues in downtown Milwaukee. Featuring a variety of capacities, in-house AV, bar service and event staff. SEATING: 50-2,500 (414) 242-8143 | pabsttheatergrouprentals.com | 710 N. Plankinton Ave., Milwaukee, WI Hotel/Meeting Venues EntertainmentDining/Catering Lupi & Iris 777 N Van Buren St., Milwaukee, WI (414) 293-9090 | lupiandiris.com DESCRIPTION: Our beautiful thoughtfully designed private dining rooms can accommodate up to 100 guests. PRIVATE MEETING ROOM: Yes GROUP SIZE: 0-80 CATERING OR DINING OPTIONS: Our catering menu is inspired by the French and Italian Rivera using fresh local ingredients. Elegante Luxury Event Venue 12601 W. Hampton Ave., Butler, WI (262) 320-7158 DESCRIPTION:whitsonwonderproductions.com| Premium full-service event space in a great location with an exclusive list of production services. NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: 2 TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 6,000 sq. ft. LARGEST MEETING SPACE: 3,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY: 150 The Box 311 E Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI (414) 551-5021 | theboxmke.com NO. OF MEETING ROOMS: 1 TOTAL MEETING SPACE: 3,000 sq. ft. TOTAL CAPACITY: 200 people 600 EAST Café & Biz Center 600 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI (414) 224-6594 | 600eastcafe.com PRIVATE MEETING ROOM: Yes GROUP SIZE: 1-14 CATERING OR DINING OPTIONS: Indoor and out door dining, take out and pick up as well as catering options for breakfast and lunch.
PRIVATE MEETING ROOM: Yes GROUP SIZE: 50 DINING OPTIONS: Our succulent meats and bold drinks are sure to be the talk of the party. (414) 431-3106 | rodizio.com
VENUES DIRECTORY Dining/Catering Hotel/Meeting Venues Entertainment
NUMBER OF MEETING ROOMS: 2 Largest meeting space: 4,500 sq. ft. (414) 431-3200 | wisconsinclub.com | 3900 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI Rodizio Grill Make your special occasion even more enjoyable as your guests experience the authentic flavors of Brazil. Rodizio is the best option for private, group and corporate dining & special celebrations.
Tripoli Shrine Center One of Milwaukee’s most historic buildings. Not only are we located just off I94, we also have plenty of free off street parking. Our on-site chef awaits you.
44 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 Marketplace AWARD WINNING LEADERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS AND WASTE MANAGEMENTS SOLUTIONS www.enviro-safe.com Germantown, WI | (262) 790-2500 | info@enviro-safe.com N New 30,000 Sq. Ft. Addition • Great Customer Service • Continuous Growth • Transportation Services • Family Owned & Operated Since 2002 • Sustainability Programs • Compliance Services (WDNR, EPA & DOT) Lobby furniture | Cubicle panels Office chairs | Carpeting Commercial + Residential CARPET CLEANING Call Mark today: 414.610.9507 | meyercarpetcleaning.com FRIESIAN EXPERIENCESHERD Where horses help heal people Sign-up now for private riding lessons! HorsesTours for Sale Corporate Events Foaling EquineHerdCommercialExperiencesPhotoShootsLifeCoachingforAdultsFacilitatingforHerdHealing friesianherdexperiences.comfriesianherd@yahoo.com262-510-8963 Contact Pavlic Vending to get your market today! Variety, convenience and healthy foods… all at no cost to your organization! 262.574.1600 | www.pavlicvending.com SH A RE YOUR PRODU C T/SE R V IC E OR ADD YOUR BUS I NESS C A R D A D VE RTIS E I N T H E MARK ET P L ACE S ECT IO N TO DAY ! Cont act A dvertisi ng Sal es fo r rates and s pecs advertise@biztimes.com or 414-336-7112 GET THE WORD OUT! News? Press Releases? Awards? Show them off in BizTimes’ new BizUpdates section. Submit your company news at biztimes.com/bizconnect
opportunity
Landscapecalledbusinessandlandscapeportfolio.andgrowthewepresentedandCompanyLandscapebusinesspropertyitselfknewitwasrighttimetoourfootprintdiversifyourOursupplymaintenanceisnowMilwaukee Supply, located at 6940 N 76th St. Or visit us online at Havenwoodsstrongexcitedmkelandscapesupply.com.www.We’retocontinuebuildingbusinesshistoryintheneighborhood. BizPeople Highlight a new hire, promotion or accolade and share it with readers throughout southeastern Wisconsin. Visit biztimes.com/bizconnect to submit your news!
Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. Welcomes Mark R. Hamilton Jr. as an MeissnerAttorney Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. (MTFN) is pleased to welcome Mark R. Hamilton Jr. as an Attorney. Mark started as a part-time Law Clerk at MTFN while he finished his final months of law school. He is now a member of MTFN’s transactional team.
BANKING North Shore Bank Hires WheelerDerek as New Vice todayNorthBusinessPresident,BankingShoreBankannounced the hire of a new vice president of business banking, Derek Wheeler. Wheeler brings over 20 years of banking experience to North Shore Bank, as well as vast community involvement and mentoring experience.
biztimes.com / 45
FINANCIAL SERVICESChristopher Evers Joins Director.AdvisorsjoinedChrisAdvisorsOperoseEvershasOperoseasChris provides advice to clients with respect to planning, execution, and feedback of investment programs. In addition, he assists clients with investment policy development, asset class assessment, investment management and ongoing client support and service. He also performs trading on behalf of client Prioraccounts.tojoining Operose Advisors, Chris was an Associate Financial Advisor at Landaas & Company in Milwaukee, WI. Chris holds a B.S. in Business Administration, specializing in Finance and Economics from Marquette University.
FINANCIAL SERVICESTammyNiemann Joins MortgageProsperityhasTammyHomeProsperityMortgage.NiemannjoinedHomean affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway as a Senior Mortgage Consultant. Tammy has many years of mortgage lending experience and her clients old and new love to do business with her.
EDUCATION
Milwaukee School of Engineering names Paul Matson, CPA as new VP of Finance and CFO Paul Matson has joined Milwaukee School of Engineering as its new vice president of finance and CFO. He works with university leaders to plan and implement strategic objectives while developing a sustainable financial model.
LEGAL SERVICES
or for more
LEGAL SERVICES
HEALTHCARE Vivent welcomesHealthBrandon Hill, Ph.D., as Chief Operating Officer Vivent Health is pleased to announce the addition of Brandon J. Hill, Ph.D., as its new executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective July 18. “The fight against AIDS requires strong, experienced and compassionate leaders,” Vivent Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Gifford said in a prepared statement. “Brandon Hill is just that. His commitment to the communities we serve, who far too often are pushed to the edges of society, is relentless. He thrives as a business executive who is equally an unyielding advocate for health equity and racial and social justice.”
BIZ PEOPLE Advertising Section: New Hires, Promotions and Board Appointments
BIZ UPDATE SOUTHEAST SALES POWERSPORTS PURCHASES NEIGHBORHOOD LANDSCAPE CO.
Southeast Sales Powersports, Milwaukee’s only powersports dealership, has expanded their footprint in the Havenwoods Business Improvement District. Southeast Sales Powersports has been in the City of Milwaukee 55+ years and are proud of our heritage and are excited to continue to grow. When the to purchase Halbman
To place your listing, information, please visit biztimes.com/bizconnect
LEGAL SERVICES Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. Welcomes Daniel A. Sievert as an isDanielAttorneyA.Sievertanattorney that serves in Meissner Tierney’s transactional practice group. He advises clients in the areas of business and corporate transactions and taxation.
Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. Welcomes David W. McCormack as an McCormackDavidAttorneyW. recently joined Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. as an attorney. He represents businesses and insurers in a variety of matters ranging from basic contract disputes to complex insurance cases.
46 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 22, 2022 GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR BizConnections VOLUME 28, NUMBER 8 | AUG 22, 2022 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 dan.meyer@biztimes.comMeyer DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Mary mary.ernst@biztimes.comErnst ENGAGEMENTCOMMUNITY / OWNER Kate kate.meyer@biztimes.comMeyer EDITORIAL EDITOR Andrew andrew.weiland@biztimes.comWeiland MANAGING EDITOR Arthur arthur.thomas@biztimes.comThomas ASSOCIATE EDITOR Maredithe maredithe.meyer@biztimes.comMeyer REPORTER Ashley ashley.smart@biztimes.comSmart REPORTER Cara cara.spoto@biztimes.comSpoto SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR OF SALES Linda linda.crawford@biztimes.comCrawford SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Christie christie.ubl@biztimes.comUbl ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Paddy paddy.kieckhefer@biztimes.comKieckhefer ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Dylan dylan.dobson@biztimes.comDobson ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Christy christy.peterson@biztimes.comPeterson SALES ADMIN Gracie gracie.schneble@biztimes.comSchneble ADMINISTRATION COORDINATORADMINISTRATIVE Sue sue.herzog@biztimes.comHerzog PRODUCTION & DESIGN GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alex alex.schneider@biztimes.comSchneider ART DIRECTOR Shelly shelly.tabor@biztimes.comTabor Independent & Locally Owned Founded 1995 — ANDREW WEILAND EDITOR / 414-336-7120 / andrew.weiland@biztimes.com / @AndrewWeiland COMMENTARY Women working at Chain Belt Co. factory This November 1929 photo shows women working at Chain Belt Company in the Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee. Completed sandcast molds are on their workstations. The company sold products under the Rex trademark and in 1964 became known as Rex Chainbelt. It became known as Rexnord in the 1970s following the acquisition of Nordberg Manufacturing. The Rexnord business was sold to Regal Beloit in 2021, and that company is now known as Regal Rexnord. — Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Public Library/Historic Photo Collection ‘We want you in SEVERALMilwaukee’PEOPLEdeserve credit for convincing the Republican National Committee to hold their 2024 national convention in Milwaukee. They include: VISIT Milwaukee president and chief executive officer Peggy Williams-Smith, former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, former Gov. Scott Walker, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, Milwaukee Education Partnership executive director Gerard Randall, Fiduciary Management founder Ted Kellner, ABC Supply Co. co-founder and chair Diane Hendricks, Uline co-founder Elizabeth Uihlein, and others. But the most interesting player in this deal is Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. Despite being a Democrat, Johnson pushed aggres sively to bring the RNC to Milwaukee. Leading a city populated overwhelmingly by Democrat ic voters, he’s had to spend some political cap ital as some residents and liberal groups have been critical of having the RNC in Milwaukee. Some aldermen were reluctant to support an agreement with the RNC for the city to host the convention, but Johnson and oth ers lobbied hard and it eventually received unanimous support from the Common Council.
“Milwaukee is open for business,” Johnson said. “We are looking forward to hosting a number of world class events with the eyes and attention on our city in the years to come.” n
Meanwhile, Nashville, the other finalist city for the 2024 RNC, essentially took itself out of the running when its Metro Council voted down their proposed agreement for the convention.
Johnson has said that one of his goals is to improve the city’s relationship with the Republi can-controlled state Legislature. His support of the 2024 RNC in Milwaukee can’t hurt. RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel had high praise for Johnson calling him “outstanding,” “wonderful” and a “great mayor.” Striking comments considering how critical Republi cans typically are of Democrat leaders of large AmericanMcDanielcities.also had high praise for Milwau kee, which she called a “world-class city.” “I am personally so excited to go to Mil waukee for our convention,” she said. “We really picked a phenomenal city. … Everyone is going to want to come to Milwaukee after this convention.”VISITMilwaukee estimates the 2024 RNC will have a $200 million economic impact on the area, attracting an estimated 45,000 people to Milwaukee. Johnson made it clear he wants to attract many additional major events to the city, naming several including the NBA and Major League Baseball All-Star games.
“If you are a large-scale convention or a sports or entertainment event, we want you in Milwaukee,” he said. “Ronna and the RNC, you guys are the vanguard. You’re welcoming ev erybody in. That’s exactly what we want to see continue to happen in the city of Milwaukee.”
The RNC will provide tremendous media attention to Milwaukee and will be the city’s opportunity to show it can handle such huge events. The city missed that chance when the 2020 Democratic National Convention became a mostly virtual event due to COVID-19.
Milwaukee Women inc Milwaukee Industry: Nonprofit milwaukeewomeninc.org
“Long before diversity became top-of-mind for business leaders, a group of forward-thinking executive women recognized the value that dif ferent gender, experiences and backgrounds can bring to businesses. In 2002, they created Milwau kee Women inc, an organization of professional women dedicated to changing the face and qual ity of leadership in the Wisconsin business com munity. While progress has been made, there is still much work to be done. “The proof is in the data. MWi’s 2021 annual research report showed that 23.3% of directors on Wisconsin’s top 50 public company boards were women, but only 4.5% of total board members were women of color. A diverse board of varying back grounds, skills, expertise and other differentiating personal characteristics promotes inclusiveness, enhances board deliberations and enables boards to better represent all of a company’s constituents. Studies have shown that companies that priori tize diversity see improved financial performance, above-average growth, positive external and inter nal reputation and sound corporate governance.
KIM STOLL
| CHAIRWOMANPHOTOGRAPHYHILLJAKE
“Companies looking to diversify their boards of directors can start with a few simple steps: (1) require a diversified candidate pool for all board positions, (2) embrace meaningful board refresh ment approaches, and (3) build a pipeline of qual ified, diverse candidates for future board roles. Achieving balanced representation in leadership can not only help companies be more successful, but it can also help to make Wisconsin the region of choice we know it can be.”
biztimes.com / 47
n
Every move of the diversity needle matters
the LAST WORD
In addition to her full-time role as vice president of sales and marketing at Milwaukee-based Badger Meter, Kim Stoll serves as board chair for Milwaukee Women inc. Representing about 130 members, the nonprofit is focused on achieving balanced representation of women on corporate boards of directors and publishes annual research on the percentage of women serving on boards of the top 50 public companies in Wiscon sin. As the organization celebrates its 20th anniversary, Stoll emphasizes the value of leadership diversity.
Congratulation to the 2022 Future 50 Winners. The Future 50 program recognizes fast growing privately-owned companies in southeastern Wisconsin that have been in business for at least three years and have shown significant revenue and employment growth. Partner:Sponsor: Register Today! biztimes.com/future50 PresentingAbbySponsor:Windows & Exteriors American Construction Services, Inc. Approyo Inc. Best Version Media Bevco Engineering Company Biocut BliffertSystemsLumber & Hardware Business Development Pros Central Office Systems Central Standard Craft Distillery Communications, Cabling & Networking - CC&N Doral GoldenFusionEmpowerEggersDuffekCorporationConstructionImprintsElectricRecruiters,LLCPathHomeCare, Inc. Husco KruegerKahlerJohnsonJamesInCheckInternationalImagingSystemsandSonsPavingSlaterCommunications Inc. Lakeland Supply Inc. Lauber Business Partners, Inc. LePoidevin Marketing Luther Group LLC M.E. Dey & Co., Inc. Macromatic Industrial Controls MARS Solutions Group Midwest Precision MooreMilwaukeeWarehouseMoldingConstructionServices, LLC Munson, PattynPartsBadgerInc.North America Peabody's Interiors QPS Employment Group Riverwater Partners Robertson Ryan & Associates Rocket Clicks Royal Basket Trucks, Inc. TheSRHKriete Group UBUNTU Research & Evaluation Z.T.Wolter,Wixon,VyronVizanceInc.Inc.Distribution, Inc. 2022 Future 50 Winners: Future 50 Awards Luncheon Thursday, September 29, 2022 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Italian Community Center