BizTimes Milwaukee | October 25, 2021

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COMMENTARY: INFLATION BECOMES BIG ISSUE 44

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OCT 25 - NOV 7, 2021 » $5.00

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Friday, November 5th, 2021 Registration & Networking – 7:00-7:30am | Breakfast & Program – 7:30-9:30am | Italian Community Center

Workforce Development that Works Save the Date for BizTimes Media’s 2021 Nonprofit Excellence Awards & Program which will include a panel discussion on “Workforce Development that Works,” featuring for-profit business leaders who are partnering with nonprofit organizations to address the region’s labor challenges across various industries, including construction, manufacturing, technology and health care.

Following the panel discussion, we will recognize BizTimes Media’s 2021 for-profit and nonprofit awards finalists and honorees. The For-profit categories include corporate citizen of the year, volunteer of the year, in-kind supporter, next generation leadership and lifetime achievement.

The nonprofit categories include executive of the year, nonprofit organization of the year (large & small) and social enterprise.

Panelists & Nonprofit Workforce Partner: • Bill Caraher, CIO & Director of Operations, von Briesen & Roper, s.c. (i.c. stars Milwaukee) [1] • Eric Wynn, General Manager, J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. (Milwaukee Christian Center) [2] • Mark Farrell, Executive Director of Talent Delivery team, Froedtert Health (Carmen Schools & Cristo Rey) [3] • Jim Johnston, VP of Operations, Bradley Corp (GPS Education Partners) [4]

1

2

3

4

2021 Finalists: Nonprofit Collaboration of the Year: • Archdiocese of Milwaukee • College Possible • Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and TRUE Skool • Latino Chamber of Commerce of Southeastern Wisconsin, North Shore Bank, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and Milwaukee Economic Development Corp.

Nonprofit Executive of the Year: • Mark Niehaus, president and executive director of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra • Ed Garza, president and CEO of The Center for Veterans Issues Nonprofit of the Year - Large: • Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin • SaintA • St. Augustine Preparatory Academy Nonprofit of the Year - Small: • HEAR Wisconsin • African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin • Silver Spring Neighborhood Center

Social Enterprise: • CannedWater4Kids • i.c. stars • Franciscan Peacemakers Corporate Citizen of the Year: • Kohl’s • Yabuki Family Foundation • Milwaukee Bucks Foundation Corporate Volunteer of the Year: • Michael Levey, partner/attorney, Quarles & Brady • Joseph Scala, sales representative, Metalcraft Automation Group In-Kind Donation of the Year: • Great Lake Roofing Corporation Next Generation Leadership: • Wes Warne, director of ticket sales and career advancement, Milwaukee Bucks • Karthik Palaniappan, lead engineer, Milwaukee Tool • Sorrina Beecher, owner at The White Agency & Write MKE Ink Lifetime Achievement Award: • Keith Mardak and Mary Vandenberg

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BizTimes Milwaukee (ISSN 1095-936X & USPS # 017813) Volume 27, Number 12, October 25, 2021 – November 7, 2021. BizTimes Milwaukee is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January, February, July, August and December by BizTimes Media LLC at 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120, USA. Basic annual subscription rate is $96. Single copy price is $5. Back issues are $8 each. Periodicals postage paid at Milwaukee, WI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to BizTimes Milwaukee, 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120. Entire contents copyright 2021 by BizTimes Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Contents

4 Leading Edge 4

5 6

7 8 9

NOW

BY THE NUMBERS IN FOCUS PUBLIC RECORD BIZ TRACKER IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT PITCH IT GETTING THERE BIZ POLL

10 Biz News 10 NEW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FACILITIES FACE WORKER SHORTAGE 12 MY TAKE

14 Real Estate

COVER STORY

16

29 Notable Women in Insurance The Two Creeks Solar Park, a 150 MW facility in Manitowoc County that was the first large-scale solar park in the state when it went online in November 2020.

Special Reports 23 Business in Kenosha

Coverage includes an examination of why significant job growth in Kenosha County has led to little population growth.

26 Insurance & Benefits Coverage includes a look at what happened to the lawsuits filed against insurance companies during the COVID-19 pandemic over rejection of business interruption claims, and a look at the rising number of employers adding tuition reimbursements as an employee benefit.

38 Strategies 38 TIP SHEET 39 MANAGEMENT Mervyn Byrd 40 MARKETING Robert Grede 41 MENTORSHIP Cary Silverstein

44 Biz Connections 44 GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR COMMENTARY 45 NONPROFIT 46 5 MINUTES WITH … PATRICK GALLAGHER, GRAND CRAFT BOATS

B E YO U R B A N K E R’S TO P P R I O R I T Y Let us get to know your business.

TO W N B A N K . U S / D E S E RV E

biztimes.com / 3

Leading Edge

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

NOW

It took five years, but Century City 1 building is now fully leased

By Alex Zank, staff writer Five years after its construction was completed, the Century City 1 building in the Century City business park on Milwaukee’s northwest side is 100% leased, the building’s owners announced recently.

Century City 1 is a 53,400-square-foot industrial building located southwest of West Capitol Drive and North 31st

Street in the business park created by the city of Milwaukee at the former A.O. Smith manufacturing complex site.

The building is now home to five tenants, including startup Craft Beverage Warehouse, urban farm Hundred Acre, and established Milwaukee companies including Klein-Dickert Glass,

BY THE NUMBERS

Ball Metalpack plans to add

50

employees to support a new food can production line at its Milwaukee plant at 8500 W. Tower Ave.

4 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

B83 Testing and Engineering and Good City Brewing.

Century City 1 was built on a speculative basis by the city of Milwaukee and Fox Point-based General Capital Group. In 2015, the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. approved a loan of up to $3.5 million (about $3 million was ultimately drawn on the loan) to help finance construction of the building, which was completed in 2016.

An ownership group led by Dan Katt of Good City Brewing acquired the building in 2018. The group assumed nearly $3.3 million in debt (including the $3 million loan and a $236,000 loan from the city’s Redevelopment Authority tied to the land) and paid $35,000 to acquire the ownership interest in the building from a city of Milwaukee entity and General Capital, which each invested $400,000 to develop the building. The city and General Capital split the $35,000 payment, leaving each with a $382,500 loss on the investment.

Katt said in a statement that interest in the building picked up earlier this year.

“We felt it was important to market the building ourselves and talk directly with prospective tenants to tell the story of the building and what our experience has been,” Katt said. “Once the (COVID-19) pandemic started to subside in early 2021, the interest

level for the space sky-rocketed and the building filled very quickly.

There is much more demand for modern industrial space in this part of the city than there is supply.”

Good City Brewing announced four years ago its plans to move to Century City from the East Side.

Most of the business park remains vacant. Katt said the filling of his building will hopefully translate to more development.

In fact, a group led by Katt wants to buy vacant land next door to build another industrial building.

The size of the building has not been disclosed, but conceptual plans depict a building roughly the same size as Century City 1.

“I’m pleased that this portion of Century City is realizing the great potential the entire site has,” Mayor Tom Barrett said in a statement. “The neighborhood is well connected to workforce and transportation.”

The city spent $24.8 million to create Century City through tax incremental financing. The TIF district has struggled and required assistance from other overperforming districts to help pay off its debts the city incurred.

Strauss Brands LLC once planned to move to the Century City business park from Franklin, but the Milwaukee Common Council rejected the proposal.

Franklin officials later endorsed a new Strauss Brands facility. n

inf cus

Supply chain terrors AFTER HALLOWEEN was largely buried alive

by COVID-19 restrictions last year, consumers in 2021 are celebrating big and sparing no expense to deck out their homes for the spookiest of seasons.

But surging demand on top of ongoing supply chain challenges has created somewhat of a nightmare for retailers, like Winkie’s Hallmark & Gifts in Whitefish Bay. The business ordered and purchased this season’s Halloween inventory a full year in advance, six months earlier than usual, only to have some orders arrive 50% to 75% fulfilled. And after popular items flew off the shelves early in the season, some shoppers are reminded of the adage that the “early bird gets the worm.”

“We can’t reorder,” said Leah Steger, vice president of Winkie’s Hallmark & Gifts. “In the past, I could possibly reorder a couple of popular things if I know people want them, but there’s absolutely no way this year. It either won’t come overseas or our suppliers have sold out within their distribution centers and warehouses.”

Meanwhile, Winkie’s has been gearing up for an even bigger holiday season right around the corner. When Christmas and Hanukkah displays were set up as early as July, the reaction from customers was: “already?”

“But then, they’re buying it because they know it might not be there later,” said Steger.

“People are already buying holiday (merchandise) in a bigger way sooner, because who knows?” n — Maredithe Meyer biztimes.com / 5

Leading Edge

THE

PUBLIC

RECORD Support for Wisconsin’s lodging industry

By Alex Zank, staff writer When it comes to industries hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels and lodging are high on the list. As tourism activities and business travel ground to a halt in 2020, so too did room reservations. Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. alone saw its occupancy drop from 73.6% in 2019 to 38.2%. Revenue for the company’s hotels and resorts dropped nearly $160 million, more than 60%, to $104.6 million. The segment had an operating loss of almost $44 million for the year.

While business has improved this year, hotels are still digging out of the hole created by the pandemic, making the industry one of those targeted by the state of Wisconsin for relief with funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. More than $70 million in grants to 888 lodging businesses in Wisconsin were awarded over the summer, but details on recipients were not made available by the Department of Revenue until late September.

“I think you have to look at this support as an investment in catalytic economic drivers,” said Greg Marcus, chief executive officer of Marcus Corp. “Our businesses are anchors of economic investment.”

$11.3 million Funding awarded to hotels in or near downtown Milwaukee.

$3.16 million Funding for Jackson Street Holdings affiliates owning The Westin Milwaukee, Milwaukee Marriott Downtown and SpringHill Suites by Marriott Milwaukee Downtown hotels.

The latest area economic data.

5.7%

Wisconsin’s real GDP grew at a

annualized rate in the second quarter, ranking 31st in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

2.4%

Private sector hourly wages in Wisconsin grew an average of

year-over-year in June, July and August, the 42nd fastest pace in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

3.9%

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is at

according to the latest data from the Department of Workforce Development.

4.3%

Passenger traffic at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport dipped roughly

from July to August, the first month-to-month drop in traffic since the fall of 2020.

$2 million Grant to Marcus Hotels & Resorts, which owns the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Pfister Hotel and Saint Kate—The Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.

$1.43 million For the owner of the Ingleside Hotel in Waukesha.

$1.2 million For the owner of Kimpton Journeyman Hotel in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.

$816,400 For the owner of the Milwaukee Marriott West Hotel in Waukesha.

$775,700 For the operators of the Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan.

$643,900 For the owner of the Iron Horse Hotel in Walker’s Point. n 6 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

58.66

The Milwaukee-area manufacturing index was

in September, up from 57.81 in August. A reading above 50 indicates the sector is growing.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Who are your clients?

Marcy Tessmann, president and CEO: “Our clients range from local, regional, national and global brands in agriculture and food.”

C.O.NXT, INC. 515 W. North Shore Drive NEIGHBORHOOD: Hartland FOUNDED: 1992 OWNER: Employee-owned EMPLOYEES: 37 SERVICE: Marketing and advertising

THE BUSINESS LOAN THAT HELPED FEED MILWAUKEE.

What benefits have you seen from becoming an ESOP? “We formed the ESOP primarily as a natural way to enable a smooth transition with the eventual retirement of two former partners. We quickly began to realize far greater benefits of becoming an ESOP once formally established. There has been a significant cultural

shift with employees sharing the ESOP owner mentality. For example, our entire agency team was involved in helping create our new brand just one year ago, we share our financial status and progress regularly and have open conversations on our business goals and plans.”

How do you attract and retain talent?

“At C.O.nxt, we’ve made a conscious effort to be clear in our purpose to attract talent that has a passion for why we do what we do as well. We’ve thrived – even over

the last two years – by helping each other stay connected in new ways, emphasize team and partnership in everything we do, share empathy and practice grace and flexibility.”

Company culture?

“We encourage constant learning – from each other, from networking or more structured educational opportunities.

From our ‘dog day is every day’ mentality to celebrating with a baby shower, tailgate party or movie night, the fun can be found around many corners of 515 W. North Shore Drive.” n

Hunger Task Force needed to meet greater food assistance demands during the pandemic. We, at First Midwest Bank, helped them close on a 120,000 square foot facility to continue feeding Milwaukee.

If you have plans to grow your business, we have ideas to help backed by over 100 years of commitment to the Milwaukee community. Contact us today.

Jerry Schlitz Senior Vice President 414.270.3234

YOU HAVE PLANS. WE HAVE IDEAS.

®

biztimes.com / 7

Leading Edge

PROJECT PITCH IT O

PERCEPTFORM LEADERSHIP: Christopher Perceptions, founder WEBSITE: perceptform.tech W H AT I T D O E S: Develops cryptocurrency and blockchain products and services F O U N D E D: 2020

PerceptForm launches bitcoin payment service, online learning platform

By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer

ctober is a big month for PerceptForm.

Founded in 2020 by Milwaukee entrepreneur Christopher Perceptions, the tech startup aims to introduce individuals and businesses, especially those in underserved communities, to the world of blockchain technology through its cryptocurrency products and services.

This month, six months after being featured on the fifth season of WISN-TV Channel 12’s “Project Pitch It,” the company is going to market with its digital payment system, PerceptPay. Using PerceptPay, buyers make purchases in U.S. dollars through debit or credit cards, and sellers receive payment in bitcoin.

A beta version of the so-called “social payment wallet” launched on Juneteenth (June 19) and, after months of perfecting the user interface, Perceptions anticipates the product will draw “hundreds if not thousands” of users from the jump. That’s thanks in part to investor backing by Hill Harper, actor and co-founder of The Black Wall Street app, which is billed as the first Black-owned digital wallet.

“Our beta has really been spent creating experiences that mirror social media because one thing people understand is money and social media. It’s a brand-new concept in general, but it’s a combination of other things people already use,” Perceptions said, describing PerceptPay as a hybrid of Venmo, Instagram and Amazon, but with bitcoin.

Also this month, PerceptForm is rolling out its educational platform, known as PerceptGrow. The company had already released two online courses on cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), amassing more than 1,000 students from across the globe. Building off that momentum, PerceptGrow establishes

SUPPORT

MKE’S

PerceptForm founder Christopher Perceptions

a community where members have access to courses and are incentivized to continue learning. Users are quizzed on course content to earn cryptocurrency for good scores. Those earnings are then used to vote on what concept the community will learn about next.

Perception said he’s been an entrepreneur since the age of 18. Growing up in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park and Uptown neighborhoods – with a mother who was a Christian evangelist and a father who dealt drugs – he didn’t have direct access to resources or mentors that could help him build a business. Now, he’s placed education at the forefront of his company’s growth trajectory.

“Before we make a billion, we want to impact 1 billion people. Education is one of the best ways we can do that,” he said.

The company recently announced plans to develop its first PerceptMine bitcoin mining facility, in North Carolina, where Perceptions relocated. The company has a remote mindset and plans to hire employees from Milwaukee, he said. n

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GETTING

THERE

What are you most excited about in your new role?

BIZ POLL

A recent survey of BizTimes.com readers.

Should local governments in Wisconsin be allowed to ask voters, via referendum, for a sales tax increase to meet their funding needs?

Yes:

80.4%

No:

19.6%

“I’m just really excited to learn. There are so many things to learn coming into this new role and I’m eager to just take it all in. I’m also most excited about playing a bigger role in supporting minority entrepreneurs in the city of Milwaukee.”

Why have you stayed in Milwaukee?

“I love Milwaukee. I’ve stayed in Milwaukee because I am extremely passionate about giving back to the city that has given so much to me.

Growing up in Milwaukee has taught me so much about working hard, never giving up and believing in myself. I can’t imagine myself pouring into another city when there’s so much work to be done right here.”

What’s one piece of advice you’d share with aspiring leaders?

“Find your purpose. Leadership is hard and not for the weak. You will encounter tons of obstacles, moments of uncertainty and moments where you just want to quit. Yet, when you understand your purpose and find your ‘why’ for leadership, you have something to fight for.

Leadership is bigger than just wanting to tell people what to do.”

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

What does your ideal Milwaukee weekend include?

“Sleeping in late – 10 a.m. is ideal. Getting up and going to a good brunch, and then spending time at Target. I hate shopping, but I love a good Target outing – it’s therapy. A good dinner at the Wicked Hop, and then going home to binge-watch Housewives of New Jersey, Atlanta, Potomac or Salt Lake City. That’s my guilty pleasure.” n

From small business owner to executive positions, Frank Krejci will have an honest conversation about the lessons learned from his wide-ranging career.

JONA MOORE Vice president, African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin AGE: 34

LEADERSHIP CULTURE INNOVATION

PRESIDENT WEDNESDAY, PERSPECTIVE NOVEMBER 10, 2021 STRATTEC’s Frank Krejci

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BizNews FEATURE The new 120-bed Granite Hills Hospital in West Allis is preparing to receive patients later this fall.

The Milwaukee area is getting new behavioral health facilities, but who’s going to staff them?

By Lauren Anderson, staff writer REPRESENTATIVES from the health care, government and nonprofit sectors gathered in late summer to celebrate construction progress on a new mental health emergency center being built on Milwaukee’s near north side.

The emergency center – a partnership among Milwaukee County and the area’s four largest health systems that’s backed by public and private dollars – was widely celebrated at the beam-signing ceremony. Throughout the program, speakers lauded the new facility as the most important thing the region has done related to mental health in decades, a significant investment in dismantling racial inequities in health care, and a needed intervention in the broader police reform effort.

The 12,000-square-foot facility, expected to open next year, will receive people experiencing psychological crises and help transition them to longer-term care. The emergency center is one of two new facilities in the county designed to serve those in crisis, along with Granite Hills Hospital, a 120-bed West Allis facility that will provide inpatient behavioral 10 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

health services when it opens later this fall.

Following decades of calls for reform to the way mental health care is delivered in Milwaukee County, the new buildings for many represent signs of progress. But long-standing staffing challenges – exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic – have created an uphill battle for those leading the new facilities, who will have hundreds of positions to fill when they open in the coming months.

Some of the new positions will be filled by current employees of the county Behavioral Health Division’s hospital campus at the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa, which will eventually outsource all of its emergency services to the new emergency center being built at the intersection of North 13th and Cherry streets in Milwaukee and its inpatient services to the privately-run West Allis hospital.

Even if all current BHD employees transfer, however, it wouldn’t be enough to fully staff the new facilities. The BHD has 197 fulltime employees currently working in inpatient services. When open

and fully operational, the new facilities will together have roughly 320 employees, including 250 at the hospital and 70 at the emergency center.

Granite Hills, owned by Pennsylvania-based Universal Health Services, has been actively recruiting staff and holding town halls at BHD in recent months.

Granite Hills chief executive officer Jennifer Bergersen assumed that position this summer after 22 years with the county’s BHD, most recently as chief operations officer under CEO Mike Lappen. The two organizations have taken a collaborative approach to the staffing transition, Lappen said.

“We recognize that in order for us both to be successful, we have to have some sort of coordination around staff, so it’s been a really thoughtful process,” he said, noting Bergersen has already hired a handful of leaders and staff from BHD. Once Granite Hills ramps up its inpatient services, BHD will incrementally wind down until it’s able to close its oversized and aging campus. Granite Hills plans to open to 10 to 12 patients this fall and scale up from there.

Granite Hills’ inaugural group of employees likely will come from outside of the BHD, Lappen said, noting the hospital doesn’t have “the staff to spare” at the moment.

The Mental Health Emergency Center also plans to hire employees currently working in the BHD’s Psychiatric Crisis Services facility.

“We hope to attract as many of them as possible,” said Pete Carlson, vice president and chief administrator at Aurora Behavioral Health Services.

As operations manager of the new center, Milwaukee- and Downers Grove, Illinois-based Advocate Aurora Health is responsible for hiring the new employees, but it will be able to draw on the HR departments of its partner health systems – Froedtert Health, Ascension Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin – to fill open positions, Carlson said.

“We hope that the workers are there. …We’ve got provider shortages pretty much all the time anyway, so that, frankly, is nothing new,” Carlson said. “… We are going to leverage every pipeline, every possibility that we have to fill positions. … It’s a little bit of a crapshoot, though, because there are others looking for the same folks.”

BHD has felt those workforce pressures for a while. Its current focus is on keeping its hospital and PSC employees until they can transfer elsewhere.

When BHD announced that it planned to outsource its inpatient behavioral health services, the department began offering retention bonuses amounting to 20-30% of an employee’s salary to direct-line staff who stayed on through that transition.

Inpatient behavioral health facilities are particularly hardpressed to find qualified workers.

Nurses are in short supply across the health care industry, and that pool narrows even further for nurses who have a thorough un-

derstanding of mental illness and are prepared to care for patients in psychiatric crises.

“These are really specialized folks. I don’t think most people understand that running a high-acuity psychiatric unit, it requires a very specialized knowledge and skill,” especially related to patient safety and de-escalation strategies, Lappen said.

“That can be an art form,” he added. “How you approach people, how you speak with them, establishing a treatment alliance and trust in people – those soft skills are really hard to teach. We can teach people how to do these things, but some people are good at it, and some people aren’t.”

BHD leaders expected they would face a challenge in retaining employees amid the looming hospital closure, but they couldn’t have anticipated it would be compounded by a global pandemic,

which has caused burnout among workers and increased the demand for mental health services.

Despite aggressive recruitment efforts – including $7,500 signon bonuses for full-time RNs and emergency service clinicians and $1,000 referral bonuses – Lappen estimates BHD has not hired a permanent hospital employee in three months. It’s left the hospital to rely on traveling and temp nurses.

Earlier this month, BHD increased its hourly hospital staff pay by $5 to $10, depending on the shift. It’s also offering a “critical fill bonus” of $250 per eight-hour shift for employees who pick up work outside their assigned hours.

“We figure instead of paying temps and travelers, we’d rather reward people who have stuck with us and who are mission-aligned and want to be here through the close,” Lappen said.

Lappen noted that a hospital

of Granite Hills’ eventual size will benefit from economies of scale that BHD no longer has. As of early October, BHD had a census of 26 adult and five child inpatients on its sprawling campus, which was built in the late 1970s with a capacity of 1,300 patients.

In recent years, the department has shifted its strategy toward providing more upstream services in outpatient clinics, community settings and through crisis mobile response teams, rather than in inpatient facilities.

“One of the advantages that Granite Hills has is that they are going to run a 120-bed hospital, so your fixed costs, like pharmacy and dietary and all those things that are spread out across the larger census, you can make it work,” he said. “That is the biggest difference between us and Granite Hills.

We have always been basically a bare bones facility.”

The difference in reimbursement structures between the two facilities is another key difference.

BHD operates as a critical access hospital for under- or uninsured patients, while Granite Hills will accept a payer mix that includes those with private insurance.

Once operational and fully staffed, Granite Hills leaders envision it becoming a training ground for future mental health professionals. Bergersen said she expects to partner with area higher education institutions to provide residencies and internships for students.

“We want to have contracts with various schools in the region so we can have students from all clinical backgrounds and disciplines come to our setting so we can help develop the future mental health experts that we need so desperately in order to do this valuable work,” she said. n

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BizNews

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

Health Care & Wellness

MY TA K E

Vaccine mandate

President Joe Biden last month announced that most federal workers would be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine and that private companies with 100 or more employees will have to require their employees to get the vaccine or be subject to regular COVID-19 tests. The vaccine mandate has received significant criticism, including from Sen. Ron Johnson. n

November 22, 2021 Space Reservation: November 3, 2021

Banking & Finance December 13, 2021

Space Reservation: November 24, 2021 Contact Linda Crawford today!

Phone: 414.336.7112 Email: advertise@biztimes.com

TELLING YOUR STORY

IN YOUR OWN WORDS… BT360 CONTENT SOLUTIONS helps companies create and deploy engaging content to enhance their brand and drive meaningful engagement.  Custom Publishing  Content Marketing  Custom Events & Webcasts  Deployment & Distribution  Lead Generation & Lead Nurturing

SEN. RON JOHNSON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN Republican

ON THE MANDATE “The Biden administration’s decision to mandate vaccines for working Americans, without recognizing natural immunity and making exceptions for it, is an outrageous trampling of civil liberties. Rather than address legitimate concerns and answer basic questions regarding vaccine safety, President Biden and his administration have chosen coercion over transparency.”

THE STORYTELLING ARM OF BIZTIMES MEDIA

12 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

“We have the tools to combat the virus, if we can come together as a country and use those tools. … The path ahead, even with the delta variant, is not nearly as bad as last winter. But what makes it incredibly more frustrating is that we have the tools to combat COVID-19, and a distinct minority of Americans –supported by a distinct minority of elected officials — are keeping us from turning the corner.”

PUBLIC REACTION “I’ve received a growing number of emails and other communications from individuals who are highly concerned about the coercion, the pressure, and the reprisals they will face if they do not give in to these vaccine mandates. Many of these individuals are first responders and health care professionals already concerned about worker shortages in their industries, and they fear mandates will make matters worse.”

 Research, Audit & Strategy For more information, please visit BIZTIMES.COM/BT360 or contact Maggie Pinnt, 414-336-7127.

Democrat

“It will take a lot of hard work, and it’s going to take some time. Many of us are frustrated with the nearly 80 million Americans who are still not vaccinated, even though the vaccine is safe, effective and free, … pandemic politics, as I refer to, are making people sick, causing unvaccinated people to die. We cannot allow these actions to stand in the way of protecting the large majority of Americans who have done their part and want to get back to life as normal.”

THE IMPACT “(Biden’s) mandate … is a dangerous precedent for what a U.S. president can unilaterally impose on the American public. ... I will continue to support and fight for those who believe in individual freedom, health autonomy and privacy, and oppose vaccine mandates and vaccine passports.

We’ve given up enough freedom during this pandemic. It’s time for Americans to reclaim their freedom.”

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What’s Next?

The commercial real estate industry continues to adapt We’ve moved past lockdowns that devastated the economy, but as many office staff continue to work from home, the future of the office market remains murky.

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5 2977-2979 N. Oakland Ave. Owner: 2977-2979 N Oakland Ave LLC Tenant: Oakland Cafe 14 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

2 2915-2917 N. Oakland Ave. Owner: 2915 N Oakland Ave LLC Tenants: Clark Graphics, The Skin Museum

6 2974 N. Oakland Ave. Owner: Carver Property Management A & K LLC Tenants: Sal’s Pizza Eastside

3 2935 N. Oakland Ave. Owner: Joel E. Garber 2012 TR Tenant: George Webb

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4 2949-2951 N. Oakland Ave. Owner: M & J Oakland LLC Tenants: Knuckleheads CBD and Vapes

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ManpowerGroup has a new landlord of its downtown Milwaukee headquarters.

The 280,000-square-foot building at 201-229 W. Cherry St. is now owned by Louisville, Colorado-based Real Capital Solutions.

An affiliate of Real Capital acquired the property for $70.43 million from an investors group that includes Chicago-based Bentall Kennedy and Warba Bank, a Kuwaiti public shareholding company.

The building was last sold in 2017 for $66.5 million, according to city records. It was built in 2007 and is assessed at $66.73 million.

Online listings show it is 78% occupied by a single tenant. ManpowerGroup recently downsized its office footprint, freeing up one of the building’s four stories.

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FEATURED DEAL: MANPOWERGROUP HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

The approximately 60,000-square-foot office building once served as the headquarters of Bank Mutual. Its owner, an affiliate of F Street Group, is now marketing the site as a “world headquarters in the making.”

Green Bay-based Associated Bank put the building up for sale following its 2018 acquisition of Bank Mutual. Milwaukee-based F Street bought it and surrounding lands in December 2020. The $2.3 million acquisition totaled 22 acres and included a neighboring former bank branch.

F Street says on its website the building was recently updated with modern design features and office amenities. The company calls it “an ideal location” for a business looking to establish itself as a community leader.

ADDRESS: 4949 W. Brown Deer Road, Brown Deer OWNER: F Street 4949 LLC ASSESSED: $4 million

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biztimes.com / 15

STORY COVER

BY ARTHUR THOMAS, staff writer

T

alk to Bob Tutkowski about the operations of the Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek or walk around the power plant with him for even a few minutes and it becomes clear why coal plants require tens of millions of dollars in maintenance annually.

It’s not that the plant appears to be in disrepair – far from it. The two Elm Road units, which have a combined generating capacity of 1,268 megawatts, are the newest coal power plants in the state.

The reality is bringing 17,000 tons of coal to the site by train seven or eight times per week, moving that coal into storage and then into silos, grinding it into a talcum powder-like consistency, blowing it into a furnace and igniting it to boil water to create steam to move a turbine to power a generator to create electricity involves a lot of moving pieces.

And all that doesn’t even address the process of condensing the steam back into water or the steps the utility goes through to remove nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and ash from the plant’s emissions.

“You’re seeing pretty much just water vapor,” Tutkowski, asset manager for the Elm Road plant at We Energies, said of what emerges from the plant’s chimney.

Coal power plants have gotten cleaner. The biproducts of coal combustion used to end up in landfills. Now, ash is captured for use in concrete, and exhaust gasses are combined with limestone to create gypsum used in drywall and agricultural applications. Some old ash is even being reclaimed from landfills and burned again because new technology allows for more complete combustion.

16 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

A plant like Elm Road takes time to develop.

The utility submitted its application to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in 2001 and the units went into service in 2010 and 2011. It also takes money, like $2.3 billion to build, and millions more to expand coal storage and fuel flexibility.

But even with cleaner burning coal power plants, the future of energy generation for Milwaukee-based WEC Energy Group is in other sources.

The company, the corporate parent of Wisconsin Electric, Wisconsin Gas and Wisconsin Public Service Corp., has set a goal of cutting its CO2 emissions by 80% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. It already met its original goal of cutting those emissions by 40% in 2019, a decade ahead of schedule.

“When we set the targets, we thought we were very aggressive, but we’ve been able to achieve those and more,” said Scott Lauber, senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of WEC Energy Group.

As recently as May 2018, WEC had an “aspirational” goal in its investor presentations to have coal, natural gas and carbon-free energy sources each generate a third of its electricity in 2030. WEC now estimates just 8% of electricity will come from coal that year, down from 73% in 2005.

To get there, the company is retiring older coal plants and investing in renewables, targeting them to be 39% of the electricity supply. In total, WEC plans to build or buy 1,800 megawatts (MW) of solar, wind and battery storage capacity, with about 76% of that announced so far, including 975 MW of solar, 316 MW of battery storage and 82 MW of

wind, a $1.9 billion investment to date.

The plan has taken major steps forward this year with WEC announcing a total of $1.37 billion in investments to buy three solar and battery storage projects being developed by Chicago-based Invenergy. Madison Gas & Electric will also have an ownership stake in the Paris, Darien and Koshkonong projects, which are located in Kenosha, Walworth and Rock, and southeastern Dane counties, respectively.

WEC’s filings for the existing projects suggest another solar and battery project is planned.

A rapid and complex transition The shift away from coal, and towards solar, is a dramatic change for WEC. In the summer of 2007, Wisconsin Electric sought permission from the PSC to build significant new emissions controls on the Oak Creek Power Plant, a much older coal power plant that started operating in 1959 and is located just south of the Elm Road plant on the same site.

Without the new controls, the utility faced the prospect of shutting down the Oak Creek plant by the end of 2012 because of a consent decree with the EPA. In its application, the company said the facility still had another 20 to 25 years of useful life remaining.

Had the plant been retired, Wisconsin Electric would have needed to replace more than 1,000 MW of generating capacity. Company officials said their modeling suggested installing the controls would save customers more than $600 million over

Solar panels at the Badger Hollow Solar Park, a 300 MW facility in Iowa County jointly owned by WEC utilities and Madison Gas & Electric. biztimes.com / 17

STORY COVER

WEC ENERGY GROUP Coal Renewables Natural Gas Nuclear

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY BY FUEL TYPE 17%

Coal Natural Gas

7% 3%

Coal Natural Gas Renewables Nuclear 17%

2005 17%

7%

Coal Natural Gas 7%

Renewables73% Nuclear 3%

2005

2005

3%

22% 36%

73%

Coal Natural Gas Renewables Nuclear

2020 Coal Natural Gas 17%

36%

17% Coal Natural Gas

Renewables6% Nuclear

7%

8% 3%

24%

7%

2005

3%

Coal Natural Gas

2030

(ESTIMATED)

17%

17%

2005 Coal Natural Gas Renewables Nuclear 73%

39% 7%

29% 18 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

7% 3%

3%

2005

2005 SOURCE: WEC ENERGY GROUP INVESTOR PRESENTATION, SEPTEMBER 2021

options that involved retiring the plant.

The transcripts from the PSC case for the project barely make any mention of renewables as an option to replace the aging plant. When they did come up, wind power was the primary option. Solar barely receives a passing mention.

The PSC ultimately approved the $875 million project, and the systems were placed in service in September 2012.

WEC Energy Group now plans to retire the Oak Renewables Creek Power Plant’s two generating units in 2023 Nuclear and 2024, three to nine years earlier than the remaining life from 2007 would have suggested. The move is part of the massive remaking of the company’s power generation mix (see chart).

But what does it matter where the utility gets its power from? If the lights go on when the switch is flipped, why should a business or residential customer care?

From a global perspective, consumers are increasingly concerned about climate change and want to see their power coming from clean sources.

Investors have also taken a greater interest in environmental, social and governance issues, shaping where companies are choosing to spend their money.

“It’s all adding up to a host of pressures that folks who don’t change will be left behind,” said Tom Content, executive director of the Citizens 73% Utility Board of Wisconsin.

Reliability is also an issue. How can solar provide power when the sun goes down? What happens if the wind doesn’t blow? Coal may come with environmental issues and higher operating and maintenance costs, but as long as the company Renewables has supply and stays on top of repairs, it is always Nuclear available to heat water, create steam and power a generator.

And beyond the environmental and reliability factors, business and residential customers ultimately care about the cost of their electricity.

“Everybody has sustainability goals these days; the concern is we all still need competitive rates,” said Todd Stuart, executive director of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, an organization made up of the 25 largest energy customers in the state.

“For my members, (energy is) usually in the top three costs of doing business.”

WEC’s modeling suggests the remaking of its electricity generation could save customers Renewables $880 million.

Nuclear Retiring the Oak Creek plant – and with it tens of millions in annual 73% operating, maintenance and fuel costs – will help generate the savings. The same is true for the Wisconsin Public Service stake in an Alliant Energy coal plant in Columbia County. The utilities will also avoid future capital spending to keep the aging plants operating.

However, the projected savings come against maintaining the status quo, not some other mix of new investments in renewable technologies or other ways of reaching emissions goals.

WEC’s focus is on reducing carbon coming from its generation fleet, but if the state and its res-

idents are looking to do the same, the cheapest way would be to use less energy, said Content, whose organization advocates for individual consumers and small businesses.

“We think there’s opportunities for savings in the clean energy transition, but it has to be done in a thoughtful way and in a thoughtful way that goes beyond just what the utility’s proposing,” he added.

There is typically a rate increase following new construction, Stuart said.

“We need to be really careful to avoid unnecessary rate increases and avoid rate shock in the coming years,” he said.

WEC was due to have its rates reviewed by the PSC this year but reached a “stay out” agreement with stakeholder groups. The agreement’s conditions included WEC filing its next rate case by May 2022, setting the stage for important issues to be discussed next year.

If $1.9 billion in renewable investments weren’t enough to prompt questions from stakeholders, the utility is also still recovering the costs from the emission controls project at Oak Creek and, as authorized by the PSC, earning a profit on that investment.

The exact amount of costs left to recover on the Oak Creek plant is unclear. When the Pleasant Prairie coal plant, which received significant upgrades in the 2000s, was retired in 2018 it still had $645 million to recover. The Oak Creek costs could be in the same neighborhood.

“One of the lynchpins to help ensure a more cost-effective clean energy transition is to find a way to reduce those costs,” Content said.

One option is environmental trust bonding, which was used on $100 million of the Pleasant Prairie costs to save consumers an estimated $40 million. Lauber said a similar approach might be possible for the Oak Creek plant, but Stuart also noted using the tool is voluntary.

“A utility is not obligated to use it,” he said.

Using it on Pleasant Prairie was part of a settlement and didn’t cover all the costs.

Alliant Energy is using a levelized return to recover costs for its Edgewater 5 plant, which will shut down next year. Also part of a settlement, the approach cuts the utility’s return from 10% to effectively 9.2%, and Lauber said it could be a possibility.

Investors and the utility put money into the Oak Creek emissions projects as long-term assets, he said, and the question now is how to get an appropriate recovery when the right decision is to retire an older unit.

“I don’t think it’s right for us to look at it and say ‘we could save our customers maybe some money and clean the environment, but let’s wait until these assets run the entire end of their life,’” Lauber said.

Another issue facing ratepayers and the company is the cost of nuclear power supplied to WEC from the Point Beach plant in Two Rivers. Wisconsin Electric sold the plant to what is now NextEra Energy in the mid-2000s. The price of energy from the plant, part of an agreement negotiated with the

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STORY COVER

sale, had increased 1% annually for most of the past decade, but it is now increasing 6% per year.

The result is more than $800 million in additional minimum contracted costs above the 2018 level through 2025. The rate of the yearly increase climbs to 7.15% in 2026, pushing costs higher.

“It’s not sustainable,” Content said. “We don’t have a silver bullet for that, but it’s something we have to keep discussing and try to find an answer to.”

WEC officials pointed out that the sale of the nuclear plant also generated $900 million in bill credits for customers after the sale. It also provides a carbon-free energy source for nearly 20% of electricity sold by WEC.

Why solar and where?

For anyone familiar with the varieties of Wisconsin weather, the fact that WEC is investing billions into solar may come as a surprise. The Badger State, after all, is not sunny California or Arizona.

However, “we have a pretty good solar resource in Wisconsin, believe it or not,” said Dan Krueger, executive vice president of planning at WEC Energy Group. “Our solar resource is just as good as Florida’s because we don’t have the cloud cover at peak hours like Florida has.”

Southern Wisconsin, in particular, has one of the strongest solar resources in the state because of its latitude and weather patterns, Invenergy officials noted in documents for the Paris solar project.

“Solar has been a great fit for us because it generates at the peak hours when we need it most, and it saves customers the most money,” Krueger said.

Matching the energy generation to the times when it is needed is a key part of why WEC is able to shift to a more diverse mix of sources. Hot summer days that require lots of electricity to run the air conditioning often come with plenty of sunshine to generate power with solar panels.

In contrast to the continual maintenance of a coal plant, solar projects require less upkeep. In its application to develop one project, an Invenergy affiliate noted that, based on average precipitation in the area, regular cleaning of the solar panels wouldn’t be needed.

Other maintenance might include replacing air filters, testing connections, battery replacement and minor greasing of gearbox parts. The ground cover maintenance would include mowing, although the application left open the possibility of using grazing livestock.

WEC has invested far more in solar and battery projects this year than in wind.

“Wind is good; it’s not great,” said Krueger, explaining that solar projects leave some gaps as demand ramps up in the mornings and again in the evenings. Using fossil fuel plants to fill the need wouldn’t meet the clean objectives of the company, but wind couldn’t reliably meet the need either.

That’s where battery storage enters the pic20 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

ture, a component of each of the solar projects announced over the past year. The solar panels will charge the batteries ,which will then supply power when the sun goes down and in the mornings.

Wind is playing a role in other parts of WEC’s business. The company has invested more than $2.3 billion in eight wind projects across Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota and Kansas. Those projects will provide power to the likes of Google, Facebook, Verizon, AT&T and Allianz for at least a decade.

“The day may come when we seek to have more wind in Wisconsin. It just has to fit what our load is evolving to at that time,” Krueger said.

But the solar projects have had some complications.

Opponents of the Koshkonong project have sought the recusal of a PSC commissioner for previously advocating for the project and taken issue with Invenergy developing the project and then selling it to the utilities, claiming the entities are skirting regulatory processes and requirements.

Those issues are in addition to more common complaints about large projects, including how solar panels might change the view for a rural homeowner.

In the Kenosha County town of Paris, some neighbors expressed concern about drainage issues, interference with satellite television reception, the cost of installing barriers to block the view of solar panels, the industrial look of battery units, potential increased fire risk and noise levels.

Others saw it as a positive step toward addressing climate change, which one landowner described as the most critical threat to “our way of life.” Supporters and those leasing their land for the projects also noted the value of providing income to farmers and preserving farmland for potential future use.

WEC officials point out that the owners of the land where the panels are actually placed enter into lease agreements with the company willingly.

Krueger said the company is open to dialogue with those who are concerned and noted the PSC requires the projects to have 125% of the needed land to allow for compromises.

“No one likes anything in their backyard,” said Lauber. “It’s a challenge across the industry and across others too.”

What about future technology?

Advancements in technology and declining costs of solar are two of the reasons WEC has been able to move so quickly from aspiring to reduce coal to a third of electric supply to targeting just 8% of its supply from coal in 2030.

Krueger said individual solar panels have gone from 300 watts to 500 or 600 watts, with the possibility of 1,200 watts, all from the same size panel.

“It is incredible when you look at the solar cost curves,” Lauber said. “We looked at solar before, but it was just so cost prohibitive it didn’t make

any sense.”

“Five years ago, we would have never thought about batteries, and now they’re there,” he added.

Of course, those kinds of advancements and having gone from barely mentioning solar to building multiple utility-scale projects begs a question: Should ratepayers be concerned today’s investments will be obsolete in 10 years?

“Looking forward, because of the way technology continues to advance, it makes it harder,” Content said. “Are we locking ourselves into a technology that’s not the right one, that’s not going to be the winning technology 10 years from now?”

Lauber acknowledged technology advances quickly, but also said the near decade before WEC wants to reach its emission and generation mix targets is a long time.

“You can’t wait for it,” he said of technology, adding that as solar advances the company will have an option to install more efficient equipment during maintenance cycles.

Krueger said the “incremental evolution” of solar, wind and batteries could play a major role in WEC hitting the emissions targets and its longer-term goal of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

“The future is very encouraging,” he said, describing the existing renewables as proven and constantly evolving.

Liz Stueck-Mullane, vice president of environmental at WEC, also pointed out the company is investing in wider industry research efforts aimed at a low-carbon future. She highlighted carbon capture and hydrogen as two areas of interest.

In the late 2000s, the utility ran a successful test to capture carbon emissions from its Pleasant Prairie plant. The issue, however, remains the cost of what to do with the carbon once it is captured.

“Regionally, we’re not in an area where you can store it because you need a geological formation to be able to do that, or you have to pipe it, you have to take it somewhere,” she said.

Stueck-Mullane said hydrogen, particularly the green variant which comes from renewables, is also a key area. The issues include making it cost effective and the safety considerations of an odorless, colorless and flammable gas.

Krueger also noted hydrogen has about onethird the energy content of natural gas, so utilities will need to study how it can operate within their systems.

There’s also the possibility of more distributed energy generation through solar, including on the rooftops of homes and businesses. A recent PSC study suggested it is technically feasible to install 39 gigawatts of solar on Wisconsin rooftops by 2034, although just 1.6% of that would likely be installed under the study’s simulations.

“More companies are evaluating behind the meter generation. You will see some larger solar projects built by the customers coming online in the very near future,” Stuart said, suggesting the projects would be five or 10 megawatts or even larger.

“Utilities may want to evaluate how to better partner with large customers for their sustainability goals,” he added.

Keep up with BizTimes’ 2021 roundup of the leaders making a difference throughout southeast Wisconsin.

At companies across southeast Wisconsin, notable executives are running businesses, navigating company restructurings, serving on boards, running marketing departments, and investing in growth throughout the region. The notable individuals profiled in these categories are nominated by their peers at work and in the community.

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Nomination Deadline: October 29, 2021 Issue Date: December 13, 2021

Nomination Deadline: October 29, 2021 Issue Date: December 13, 2021

Look for these Notable and Rising Stars nominations in 2022!

Notable Women in Law Nomination deadline: December 10, 2021 Issue date: January 24, 2022

Notable CFOs Nomination deadline: June 10, 2022 Issue date: July 25, 2022

Rising Stars in Wealth Management Nomination deadline: January 7, 2022 Issue date: February 21, 2022

Notable Office and Operations Managers Nomination deadline: July 8, 2022 Issue date: August 22, 2022

Notable Women in Engineering Nomination deadline: February 4, 2022 Issue date: March 21, 2022

Rising Stars in Law Nomination deadline: July 29, 2022 Issue date: September 12, 2022

Notable Commercial Banking Executives Nomination deadline: February 25, 2022 Issue date: April 11, 2022

Notable Women in Manufacturing Nomination deadline: August 26, 2022 Issue date: October 10, 2022

Rising Stars in Real Estate Nomination deadline: March 25, 2022 Issue date: May 9, 2022

Notable Veteran Executives Nomination deadline: September 23, 2022 Issue date: November 7, 2022

Notable LGBTQ+ Executives Nomination deadline: April 22, 2022 Issue date: June 6, 2022

Notable Women in Health Care Nomination deadline: October 28, 2022 Issue date: December 12, 2022

Rising Stars in Technology Nomination deadline: May 6, 2022 Issue date: June 20, 2022

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

STORY COVER WEC does have two programs to work with businesses wanting to generate solar power. The first is Solar Now, which allows a company to host up to 2.25 MW of solar and receive a lease payment from the utility. The other is the Dedicated Renewable Energy Resource program or DRER, in which a customer pays for the costs of new renewable generation and the utility makes payments based on energy production.

At the same time, there are questions about how customers can add their own solar.

The city of Milwaukee sought to work with Iowa-based Eagle Point Solar to put solar on seven city-owned properties. Wisconsin Electric denied Eagle Point’s interconnection request, and the issue ended up in court and is being contested at the PSC. One of the main issues in the case is whether the arrangement between Eagle Point and the city would make the former a public utility. Eagle Point argues it is providing power only to the city, not the entire public.

Wisconsin Electric says it is not trying “to stop the development of solar or the ownership of distributed generation by its customers,” contending that Eagle Point is asking the PSC to approve “a new regulatory model for third-party electric generation facilities in Wisconsin.”

Whether residential consumers should be incentivized or more readily be able to add solar to their homes is among the questions shaping the transition to renewable energy. WEC officials emphasized that would distort who pays for the reliability of the grid, pushing costs toward those who cannot afford their own solar.

“The cost of maintaining the grid is spread across all customers based on usage, so someone who puts a solar panel on their house and reduces their usage while the cost of maintaining a reliable grid hasn’t gone down, all the wires, all the generators are still out there, so that balloon gets squeezed just a little bit towards everyone else,” Krueger said.

He added that consumers across the state have invested in the grid and WEC’s utilities have been recognized regionally and nationally for their reliability. The utility-scale projects WEC is pursuing also offer economies of scale and come in at “a tremendously lower cost.”

“We truly benefit, and that benefit flows to all the customers, not just those who can afford to put their own rooftop (solar) on their building or their house,” Krueger said.

Content noted that not having to pay up-front costs by renting or leasing solar would open the technology to more people and make it more cost effective.

“There is a value to the grid and the other cus-

tomers on the grid of more solar, whether that’s built by homeowners or small businesses or the utility itself,” he said.

The role of coal

So where does all of this leave Bob Tutkowski and the 160 people who work at the Elm Road Generating Station? For now, part of their focus is on a once-per-decade project to take one of its turbines completely apart for inspection and repairs.

It’s a big undertaking that requires an eight-week outage for one of the units.

Longer term, he acknowledged the role of Elm Road in WEC’s system will likely change and the plant will run less than it does currently.

“How it will change each individual job, that’s yet to be determined,” Tutkowski said, noting the first step will be to work through the retirement of the nearby Oak Creek plant.

At the same time, the Elm Road plant offers reliability, which is part of how WEC has gone about planning its power generation mix.

“The nice thing about the coal-fired power plant, we have the coal pile reserves right here, so we’re able to withstand the trains that get interrupted coming from the west or the east, a derailment someplace,” Tutkowski said.

Company executives have said it is possible the plant could be converted to natural gas.

“There’s a lot of optionality there, so we’ll continue to evaluate that,” Lauber said. n

greater 2021

together AWARDS

Doug Jansson Leadership Award

Frank Kirkpatrick Award

President’s Leadership in Racial Equity and Social Justice Award

William C. Frye Award

CARMEN PITRE

MARK EPPLI

Congratulations to the 2021 Greater Together Award recipients, whose leadership is an inspiration to others as we work together to build a better Milwaukee for all.

greatermilwaukeefoundation.org

22 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

NESS FLORES

VIRGIS AND ANGELA COLBERT

Special Report BUSINESS IN KENOSHA

Kenosha County’s booming job growth hasn’t translated to population growth

BY ARTHUR THOMAS, staff writer TIM CASEY KNOWS the challenge of finding an apartment in Kenosha firsthand. He rented an apartment when he was hired as the city’s development director in the fall of 2020 and just recently completed the process of finding a new one.

“You’ve got to move quickly on apartments in Kenosha because the vacancy rates are very, very low and the product goes very quickly when it does become available,” Casey said.

Casey’s housing search is just a small look into one of the biggest challenges facing Kenosha County. In the past decade, the county has seen some of the most robust job growth in the state. Pre-pandemic, Kenosha County private sector employment had grown more than 36% since 2010, adding more than 15,000 jobs.

It was the fourth most jobs added by any county in the state and the strongest percentage increase among the 25 largest counties.

The county has even surpassed its pre-pandemic employment levels after initially shedding more than 8,100 jobs in April 2020.

The state of Wisconsin, which had grown employment 12.6% since 2010, is yet to return to its early 2020 levels.

For all of its job growth and the big economic development announcements and construction projects that led to it, Kenosha County saw sluggish population growth over the past decade. The county added 2,275 residents from 2010 to 2020, an increase of just 1.6% to 169,151.

Most of the county’s population growth has been in the village of Pleasant Prairie, which added 1,531 residents, a nearly 7.8% increase. The city of Kenosha added only 768 residents, an almost 0.8% increase. The rest of Kenosha County, excluding the city and Pleasant Prairie, added just 426 residents, a 0.9% increase from 2010.

Wisconsin’s population, meanwhile, grew a little more than 3.6% in the past decade and the U.S. grew 7.4%.

Todd Battle, president of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, described the problem as “mission critical” when asked how important it is for Kenosha County to see stronger population growth in the coming years.

Battle described the county’s lack of population growth as perplexing. Sure, Kenosha is in the Upper Midwest, not the south or southwest areas that have seen robust growth. The county, like others in the

state and region, is fighting against aging population and lower household formation. But it is also positioned at the edge of Chicagoland and the state of Illinois, which have seen out-migration in recent years.

“This area seems to have good attributes, it seems to have some natural advantages, it’s got economic development and business growth, it’s growing in terms of economic opportunity.

Why wouldn’t its population base be growing at a healthier clip?” Battle said.

It’s not just that Kenosha is lagging Sun Belt areas. Battle pointed out other smaller cities are doing well. Fort Collins, Colorado, grew 18% in the past decade to reach almost 170,000 people, and Boise, Idaho, reached more than 235,600, an increase of 14.6%.

Within the Midwest, Olmsted County, Min-

nesota, home to Rochester, grew 12.9% to almost 163,000, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, grew 5.8% to almost 199,000.

“They blow our doors off,” Battle said.

Kenosha did outpace Rockford, Illinois, which lost more than 4,200 residents to dip below 150,000, and Aurora, Illinois, lost more than 17,000 residents, bringing its population to around 180,500. The two Illinois counties closest to Kenosha – Lake and McHenry – saw growth of only 1.6% and 0.5%, respectively.

The figures from Illinois, and Lake and McHenry counties in particular, are part of the explanation for Kenosha County’s slow population growth.

Prior to the boom in job growth, Kenosha County was very much a bedroom community, Battle

KENOSHA’S POPULATION GROWTH COMPARED TO SIMILAR-SIZED MIDWESTERN CITIES 2010 POPULATION

2020 POPULATION

CHANGE SINCE 2010

GROWTH (%)

106,769

121,395

14,626

13.7

Dearborn, MI

98,153

109,976

11,823

12.1

Champaign, IL

81,055

88,302

7,247

8.9

Ann Arbor, MI

113,934

123,851

9,917

8.7

Bloomington, MN

82,893

89,987

7,094

8.6

Troy, MI

80,980

87,294

6,314

7.8

Elgin, IL

108,188

114,797

6,609

6.1

Sioux City, IA

82,684

85,797

3,113

3.8

Green Bay, WI

104,057

107,395

3,338

3.2

South Bend, IN

101,168

103,453

2,285

2.3

Davenport, IA

99,685

101,724

2,039

2.1

Cicero, IL

83,891

85,268

1,377

1.6

Westland, MI

84,094

85,420

1,326

1.6

Kenosha, WI

99,218

99,986

768

0.8

Duluth, MN

86,265

86,697

432

0.5

Waukegan, IL

89,078

89,321

243

0.3

CITY

Rochester, MN

Evansville, IN

117,429

117,298

-131

-0.1

Lansing, MI

114,297

112,644

-1,653

-1.5

Livonia, MI

96,942

95,535

-1,407

-1.5

Bloomington, IN

80,405

79,168

-1,237

-1.5

Springfield, IL

116,250

114,394

-1,856

-1.6

Peoria, IL

115,007

113,150

-1,857

-1.6

Hammond, IN

80,830

77,879

-2,951

-3.7

Gary, IN

80,294

69,093

-11,201

-14.0

Flint, MI

102,434

81,252

-21,182

-20.7

Chart Source: U.S. Census data processed by Angeliki Kastanis of the Associated Press.

Cities included are from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin and had 2010 population of 80,000-120,000.

biztimes.com / 23

Special Report

said. Many residents would drive to jobs in other counties every day. As the number of jobs has grown in the county, residents have had an opportunity to cut their commute and stay closer to home.

While there are certainly economic benefits to new jobs going to county residents, population growth isn’t inherently one of them.

A similar situation may have also played out in the reverse with companies. Many of Kenosha County’s economic development wins have come from luring Illinois businesses to come over the border.

While the companies may be making a 15-minute move to the north, the employees could be staying put in Illinois. Eventually they may move to Wisconsin too, but there can be a lag to that decision. Again, there may be economic benefits from new payrolls coming into the county and state and more money being spent with other businesses, but there is no immediate population growth.

“That’s definitely part of the story,” Battle said while still suggesting the county should have seen stronger population growth.

The lack of population growth is directly tied to the county’s available labor force, which Battle said is one of the major things holding the region back from even more growth. While it might be

possible to make some progress by improving labor force participation, the county needs more people to truly move the needle.

“Really what it comes down to is your headcount, not your labor force participation rate,” Battle said. “So, we need more headcount.”

Attracting more people requires someplace for them to live, which means the county needs to figure out its housing situation.

“We need more housing and we need it faster and it needs to be better and it probably needs to be more affordable,” Battle said.

That’s where people like Casey enter the picture. Not just for his own experience searching for an apartment, but his daily work as Kenosha’s director of city development.

In his view, the population growth is coming.

“There’s going to be a very strong development curve of residential,” Casey said, pointing to 135 single-family lots currently in development across three subdivisions and more than 500 units of apartments.

He said developers are coming to Kenosha from Milwaukee and Chicago and proposing projects on specific sites. Those projects are in pre-development or conceptual stages, but the interest is there.

“As part of their due diligence, they are referencing or show us market studies that indicate very

strong demand, both owned and rented, across a range of price points,” Casey said, noting the studies call for hundreds of new units in workforce and market-rate multi-family and in single-family homes.

He said part of the issue across Wisconsin was a lack of interest in land development for subdivisions coming out of the Great Recession because the category was hit so hard. While the multi-family sector has generally garnered more traction, Casey said he is encouraged to see single-family home development beginning to return.

Kenosha also has border agreements in place with neighboring municipalities that could add close to 2,000 acres of land from Somers and Bristol and potentially another 3,000 acres from Paris, providing more space for industrial development or quality locations for housing.

Even after more than a decade of growth, the county hasn’t slowed down. The city alone is currently home to construction on 2.2 million square feet of large industrial buildings being developed on spec.

“Just the fact that those buildings are going up is generating a lot of prospect activity,” Casey said of companies showing interest in the region.

More job growth could eventually jump start population growth in Kenosha County. n

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Special Report INSURANCE & BENEFITS

Courts side with insurance companies on COVID-19 business interruption insurance lawsuits

BY MAREDITHE MEYER, staff writer FOLLOWING THE INITIAL BLOW of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, insurance companies were inundated with business interruption claims from customers in need of a lifeline.

Businesses ranging from restaurants to health systems sought payment for steep income losses due to government-mandated shutdowns or, in some cases, the presence of the coronavirus itself.

The claims were largely denied by insurers under the premise that COVID-19 does not directly cause physical damage to property.

Arguing otherwise, businesses took legal action. According to national data collected by the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, more than 2,000 business interruption (BI) coverage lawsuits against insurers have been filed since March 2020.

Courts have largely sided with insurers. Of those 2,000-plus cases, only about 33% have been decided in trial-level state or federal courts, with about 40% of decided cases now up for appeal. To date, 90% of trial court rulings between state and federal courts have been made in favor of insurers.

This outcome doesn’t come as a huge shock to those in the industry.

“The contract language is pretty clear: Property damage needs to be part of the claim, and the courts, for the most part, have seen that quite clearly,” said Andy Franken, president of the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance. “We’re confident at the end of the day, despite some outlier courts, that the policy language will be upheld.”

BI insurance is typically added to a property/casualty policy and, therefore, is intended for events like fires, explosions and other natural disasters that damage a business’s property and halt operations as a result.

The success rate for insurers is even higher for cases that involve policies with exclusions for virus, bacteria and communicable disease, like COVID-19. Such exclusions were adopted by the industry following similar coverage disputes that emerged from the SARS outbreak of 2003. Written into most BI insurance policies today, virus exclusions serve as an extra layer of protection against paying out a mountain of claims for an event that impacts the masses.

“Some of our analysis put (COVID-19) claims up26 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

wards in the trillions of dollars,” said Jim Whittle, vice president and counsel at American Property Casualty Insurance Association. “The entire insurance industry in the U.S. would not have the capacity to pay that, so you’re looking at bankruptcies of insurers who are otherwise insuring other activities that we need.”

The issue of virus exclusions is a subject of dispute in ongoing litigation against one Wisconsin insurance company, Fond du Lac-based Society Insurance, which has been sued by dozens of Midwest-based hospitality businesses after broadly denying BI insurance claims last year.

The cases were combined under a multi-district litigation in the Northern District Court of Illinois.

Judge Edmond Chang selected three bellwether plaintiffs: Chicago-based Big Onion Tavern Group LLC, Chicago-based Valley Lodge Corp., and Madison-based Rising Dough, Inc. Unlike most rulings in other courts, Chang has sided with the policyholders, denying Society Insurance’s motions to dismiss the case earlier this year.

According to court documents, the BI insurance policies in question do not contain specific virus or pandemic exclusions, and the businesses argue “that this fact alone, given that Society would or should have known of this industry best practice, implies that the policy necessarily encompasses business interruption due to viruses and pandemics.”

The central question of the case is whether the coronavirus and subsequent government mandates that restricted the use and operation of the business’s properties could be considered “direct physical loss of property.”

In his February ruling, Chang said a reasonable jury could find “the pandemic-caused shutdown orders do impose a physical limit: the restaurants are limited from using much of their physical space.”

Meanwhile, he decided that Society Insurance does not owe coverage under the policy’s contamination provision and the civil authority provision, which kicks in when the government prohibits access to the property and area around it.

Other Wisconsin-based companies that have sued Society Insurance include Badger Crossing Inc. in Cashton, Santino LLC in Menasha, Colectivo Coffee Roasters in Milwaukee, and Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Door County.

From the insurance industry perspective, government is far better suited to address mass loss resulting from widespread disaster. Franken said insurance companies and other business groups are pushing for changes at the federal level.

“We supported the American Rescue Plan Act and the Paycheck Protection Program, but really, there needs to be some backstop of the federal government to help small businesses in future pandemics,” he said.

Going forward, education remains crucial to the consumer side of insurance. Whittle said insurers will likely adopt a standalone document to give to customers when they purchase BI insurance clearly stating that the policy does not cover pandemic losses. In addition, he encourages businesses to do their homework.

“Business owners need to be proactive and ask questions to get the coverage that they need,” said Whittle. n

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Special Report INSURANCE & BENEFITS

Some area employers add tuition reimbursement to their portfolio of benefits

BY LAUREN ANDERSON, staff writer IT WAS ONE high-performing youth apprentice that first gave Precision Plus Inc. president Mike Reader the idea seven years ago to begin offering tuition reimbursement to his employees.

The local high school senior had been working for the Elkhorn-based manufacturer through a Youth Apprenticeship program over the fall semester when he approached Reader in his office. He told Reader that his parents weren’t enthusiastic about his career aspirations. They wanted him to get an accounting degree from a four-year university, but he wanted to go into manufacturing. The student asked if Reader would have a conversation with them.

“We brought them in to show them what he had been working on,” Reader said. “They were fully convinced. (The student) had a good idea of what he wanted to do, maybe they should just let him do what he wants to do.”

The encounter not only helped change the parents’ notions of what modern manufacturing is actually like, but it also inspired Reader to begin offering an additional benefit in an effort to retain top talent and encourage their continued learning.

Precision Plus decided to institute a tuition reimbursement program for all of its employees.

These days, the company is marketing the benefit more heavily in the midst of the current industry-wide battle for talent that is driving up wages and forcing employers to bulk up their portfolio of perks for employees.

“It’s an extremely competitive environment,” Reader said. “I’ve never seen wage inflation in the 25 years I’ve been at this like it is now. It is mind-blowing and not any fun. So, we’ve promoted it a lot.”

Precision Plus is among a growing number of companies offering and touting their tuition-related benefits. Even prior to the current severe labor shortage, more than half of U.S. employers surveyed in 2019 by the Society for Human Resource Management said they offer educational assistance benefits to their employees.

Recently, several of the country’s retail giants – including Amazon, Target and Walmart – have announced plans to cover 100% of the cost of their employees’ college tuition, joining Starbucks, which is credited by some with pioneering the employee benefit.

28 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

It’s more common, however, for employers to cover a portion, rather than all, of employees’ school costs. A 2019 International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans survey of employers found the most common reimbursement amount to be between $5,000 and $5,999.

Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters began offering tuition assistance to employees three years ago. Nicolle Merkel, hiring manager for the Thiensville-based coffee company, said the benefit is particularly attractive for its employees, who are largely college students or high school students who plan to pursue higher education after they graduate.

“We bring it up with everyone who applies,” Merkel said, adding that the benefit sets Fiddleheads apart from some of its competitors.

At Fiddleheads, the reimbursement comes in the form of a check at the end of the semester, and it’s made available to students who attend any local accredited university. Employees must clock in 350 hours over the past year of employment, be in good standing with their supervisor, commit to working 25 hours weekly and take a minimum of nine credits per semester in order to receive the reimbursement. They also must maintain their employment for at least 45 days after the semester ends.

Precision Plus was intentional to structure its program with claw-back provisions in place, Reader said. Employees must stay with the company for three years in order to receive the full reimbursement. If the employee leaves before then, the company requires payback.

“I want the candidate that’s embarking on this

to understand that there is some expectation of some loyalty,” Reader said.

Among the company’s roughly 100 employees, a half-dozen take advantage of it, he said. It’s generally attractive to students who join the company directly after high school and are interested in continuing their education. Most study at either Gateway Technical College or Milwaukee School of Engineering, Reader said.

Tuition reimbursement may not be the deciding factor for a candidate who’s on the fence about taking a job, but Reader sees it as a “mild differentiator” in the market.

“It fits into the culture that we’re trying to instill in everyone of lifelong learning, and that we invest in our greatest asset, which is our people,” he said.

Reader admits the ROI of tuition reimbursement is somewhat difficult to calculate.

“My response to people on the ROI question is, ‘I know the result of doing nothing, so we’re going to continue to press this as long as we can,’” he said.

As with any retention strategy, it’s not a silver bullet. The student that first inspired Precision Plus’s program ended up leaving the company less than two years later to pursue a civil engineering career.

Though labor challenges are immediate, offering tuition reimbursement is somewhat of a longterm play for employers, Reader said.

“If (employees receiving the benefit) don’t want to work with us going forward, maybe they can be an advocate in the business community for us in the future,” he said. n

SETTING UP A TUITION ASSISTANCE BENEFIT PROGRAM The Society for Human Resource Management recommends employers consider these questions when structuring a tuition assistance benefit program: » Who will be eligible to receive the benefit? All employees? Their spouses and dependents? » Will cash or another benefit be made available in lieu of the educational benefit to employees who don’t want or need it? » Will student loan repayment be offered? » Will the organization establish a strategic partnership with a specific educational institution? » Will the organization approve of all educational institutions or only certain ones? » Will the organization reimburse only courses related to its business?

JOANNE SZYMASZEK EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, JOHNSON

FINANCIAL GROUP PRESIDENT, JOHNSON INSURANCE

BizTimes Milwaukee presents its inaugural showcase of NOTABLE WOMEN IN INSURANCE, spotlighting accomplished female professionals throughout the insurance industry in southeastern Wisconsin.

Colleagues say Joanne Szymaszek is the type of leader many aspire to be.

Szymaszek, executive vice president of Johnson Financial Group and president of Johnson Insurance, has been particularly influential in advancing opportunities for women.

She is the executive sponsor for Johnson Financial Group’s Inspiring Women Employee Resource Group, providing thought leadership and building the strategic direction of the group.

METHODOLOGY: The honorees do not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from nomination materials. This list features only individuals for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after a review by our editorial team. To qualify for the list, nominees must be based in southeastern Wisconsin and must serve in a senior level role in their organization.

Photo by grenny form PxHere

“A caring mother and wife, Joanne is a champion of women’s empowerment throughout the Johnson Insurance team and all of JFG,” said Randy Raymond, senior vice president and commercial insurance manager for Johnson Financial Group.

She has also been involved in numerous community organizations over the years, including TEMPO Milwaukee, Impact 100, Junior Achievement and March of Dimes. She’s also a board member for Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin and a member of its government affairs committee. Her other current board appointments include the Grange/Integrity agent advisory board, West Bend Mutual Insurance agent advisory board and Zywave broker advisory board.

Congratulations

Joanne Szymaszek for being recognized as a Notable Woman in the Insurance Industry by Biz Times

Joanne is the Executive sponsor for Inspiring Women Employee Resource Group, part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at JFG. She has been instrumental in providing thought leadership and assisting in building the strategic direction of the group. She is a champion of women’s empowerment throughout Insurance and all of JFG.

Joanne Szymaszek President of Johnson Insurance Services JohnsonFinancialGroup.com

biztimes.com / 29

COREEN DICUSJOHNSON

KRISTINA TALKOWSKI

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

BRANCH VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

CNA INSURANCE

HAYS COMPANIES

Kristina Talkowski has deep roots in the insurance industry, from her beginnings as a casualty underwriter to now holding a vice president role with CNA Insurance.

In an industry typically dominated by white men, Claire Huschen has broken down age and gender barriers, according to client Ian Abston.

A Wisconsin native and graduate of the Wisconsin School of Business, Talkowski is the first woman to hold her position in this region for the Chicago-based firm. In her role, she is responsible for driving innovative solutions for commercial insurance clients and leading and engaging with independent agents and staff in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Huschen entered the insurance sales field in her early 20s and often found herself to be the youngest, and only female, in the room.

Prior to joining Network Health, Dicus-Johnson served as central market president at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, now Ascension Wisconsin. She previously served as senior vice president of physician and revenue operations for Wheaton Franciscan and held various leadership positions at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Wisconsin, including staff attorney and director of business development.

Talkowski is also an advocate of growing and developing talent within CNA. She assists with sales training of CNA’s underwriters and acts as a mentor through CNA’s Women Impacting Leadership employee resources group. Outside her own firm, she regularly speaks to the University of Wisconsin’s Risk Management student group and serves as a mentor for the university’s sales seminar and Business Badger’s charity events.

At her previous employer, Huschen created its first women’s roundtable, where women across leadership could discuss and tackle internal issues. She’s also been a part of TEMPO’s Emerging Women Leaders program and is a member of The Hoan Group, where she serves on the nomination committee.

Dicus-Johnson has received numerous awards for her leadership, including the Health Care Heroes Executive Leadership Award from BizTimes Media in 2018. She received Donald Driver’s Driven to Achieve Award in 2015 and a Marquette University Alumni National Award in 2014 and was inducted into The Fellows Wisconsin Law Foundation in 2012.

She is also active in the community, encouraging her region to be involved with The Gathering, an organization that helps feed people in the community that would otherwise go hungry. CNA’s local branches have also taken part in various fundraising events, most recently for the Roger Abbott Foundation for blood disease research.

NETWORK HEALTH As president and chief executive officer, Coreen Dicus-Johnson guides the strategic direction of Network Health, a Menasha-based health insurer that is co-owned by Ascension Wisconsin and Froedtert Health.

Last year under her leadership, 96% of Network Health’s Medicare Advantage members stayed with Network Health. Employee engagement reached the 84th percentile, earning Network Health a place in the National Business Research Institute Circle of Excellence. Also last year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rated the company 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recognizing Excellence With deep roots in the insurance industry, Kristina Talkowski drives innovative commercial insurance solutions for brokers and policyholders. We’re honored to recognize her leadership and significant impact at CNA and in the community.

Congratulations, Kristina, on being named one of the Notable Women in Insurance!

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30 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 16, 2021

CLAIRE HUSCHEN

“She quickly rose to prominence after outperforming her peers in the sales arena,” said Abston, executive director of The Hoan Group.

“Claire has worked hard to tip the scales not only in working for equal pay but by supporting and mentoring young women.”

She’s served as a coach for Special Olympics in Wisconsin and Minnesota, a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters, a board member for Bel Canto and currently sits on the board of GPS Education Partners.

“Her true gift is connecting people and organizations where they can benefit and mutually help one another,” Abston said.

Congratulations to the nominees for Notable Women in Insurance.

We applaud all the nominees, including Network Health’s President and CEO Coreen Dicus-Johnson, for their hard work and achievement.

Like these strong women leaders, Network Health does what’s right, even when it isn’t easy. We’re honest and hardworking, just like you, Wisconsin.

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That’s why we take extra steps to make health insurance affordable and understandable, so you can make the most of your coverage.

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MARIAH MATEO SARPONG

MEGAN ZIMMERMAN VICE PRESIDENT OF EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND BENEFITS

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

MICROINSURANCE CENTRE AT MILLIMAN From her base in Milwaukee, Mariah Mateo Sarpong has an impact across the globe, according to her colleague.

Her work in microinsurance has helped people in Africa, Asia and Latin America manage their risks and sustain their economic gains, said Michael McCord, managing director at the MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman.

“Literally millions of low-income people have better, more appropriate insurance in part because of Mariah’s efforts,” McCord said.

As director of communications and knowledge management, Mateo Sarpong helps promote microinsurance “through the C-Suites and boardrooms of insurance companies all over the world,” McCord said.

She also works to provide development experiences for Milliman employees to apply insurance and actuarial skills to microinsurance projects and takes a leadership role in the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts.

Outside of work, she coaches social entrepreneurship students at her alma mater, Lawrence University, and serves on the board of KidsGive, an education-focused program linked with Sierra Leone.

MARSH MCLENNAN AGENCY Megan Zimmerman, vice president of employee health and benefits at New Berlin-based Marsh McLennan Agency, is focused on developing creative solutions to today’s health care challenges while advocating for her clients, according to colleagues.

Zimmerman is dedicated to guiding her clients to cost containment and efficient health care consumption in today’s marketplace, according to Elliot LePoidevin, Wisconsin president for Marsh McLennan Agency.

“Megan delivers results for Wisconsin-based employers via her diverse background across several key facets of the health care system including dietetics, near-site/on-site clinic management, and creative self-funding strategies,” LePoidevin said.

Zimmerman is driving conversations at a national level on these topics, which are expected to grow in importance as current transparency legislation goes live in 2022.

She is also involved with Health Rosetta, an association of health and benefits professionals working to solve challenges across employer-provided health insurance.

She also plays an active role in the Wellness Council of Wisconsin, Concordia University’s Healthcare Advocacy Program, Professional Dimensions and volunteer youth athletics activities.

STEPHANIE RIESCHKNAPP OWNER AND SENIOR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONSULTANT

R&R INSURANCE SERVICES, INC. As a third-generation owner and senior employee benefits consultant of Pewaukee-based R&R Insurance, Stephanie Riesch-Knapp knows what it takes to make her agency and her clients successful.

Known for her empathy and professionalism, Riesch-Knapp has formed deep relationships with her clients, complementing the technical skillset she brings to benefits consulting.

Alongside her father, Ken Riesch, and brothers, Jack and Bryon Riesch, she’s credited with leading the firm’s vision of employing top talent in the industry, investing in technology, providing employees with development opportunities and supporting the communities in which the agency serves. With 200 insurance professionals, R&R has become one of the largest family-owned independent agencies in the Midwest.

Outside of R&R, Riesch-Knapp is involved with numerous community organizations, including Milwaukee Academy of Science, TEMPO, Waukesha County Business Alliance, Waukesha County Community Foundation, Catholic Memorial High School and The Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation.

The work matters.

Congratulations to Mariah Mateo Sarpong for being recognized as one of 2021’s Notable Women in Insurance.

Mariah’s work has improved the lives of millions and exemplifies our vision to bring positive change to people and communities across the globe.

Mariah Mateo Sarpong Director of Communications and Knowledge Management MicroInsurance Centre at Milliman

Every day, Milliman works with clients to improve healthcare systems, manage emerging risks, and advance financial security, so millions of people can live for today and plan for tomorrow with confidence. milliman.com

CELEBRATING NOTABLE WOMEN IN INSURANCE R&R Insurance is proud to recognize Stephanie Riesch-Knapp and all those chosen by BizTimes as “Notable Women in the Insurance Industry”.

As a third-generation owner and Senior Employee Benefits Consultant at R&R Insurance, Stephanie Riesch-Knapp knows what it takes to make the agency and her clients successful.

Thanks again to Stephanie and to all women deserving of such recognition, both now and in the future.

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SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

PROPERTY AND CASUALTY CONSULTANT, PRINCIPAL

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

HAUSMANN-JOHNSON

WEST BEND MUTUAL INSURANCE

ROBERTSON RYAN & ASSOCIATES Since joining Robertson Ryan & Associates as an underwriter in 1995, Christine Rogers has risen through the ranks to now be a senior member of the executive team.

Rogers has navigated the challenges of being in a male-dominated industry and created paths and leadership opportunities for women and minorities, according to colleague Allan Degner, vice president of marketing at RRA. “Her critical thinking, insurance knowledge and strategic leadership style ensure success in managing with class, charisma, competence and care,” Degner said.

In 1997, Christine was promoted to personal lines manager and held that position until 2018, when she was promoted to vice president of benefits and personal insurance. Throughout her two-decade tenure, she has grown the personal lines department premium from $10 million in 2000 to over $70 million in 2021.

Diana Schmidt has worked to keep her community connected amid the pandemic.

When COVID-19 disrupted normal networking events, Schmidt, a property and casualty consultant and principal with Hausmann-Johnson, invited Milwaukee-based interior design firm Lerdahl to join her firm for a first-ever all-women golf outing.

“We started with a golf lesson by the course Golf Pro and nine holes of golf and ended with a group of executive women leaders that became fast friends,” said Kristi Thering, vice president and general manager of Lerdahl. “Each month last summer we met, played golf, and grew our circle of influence. She handled the changing work environment and networked outside, and we each found ways to connect and grow our business.”

“She works tirelessly through evenings, weekends and vacations to go beyond her duties,” Degner said. “There is not anyone else who would do what Christine does; she is invaluable to our success.”

“Diana’s superwoman power causes others she meets to rise up, be positive and face challenges head on. She is an amazing leader in the insurance community,“ said Thering.

Congratulations DIANA SCHMIDT for making the list of

Notable Women in Insurance We are so proud of your commitment to helping your clients and community reach their highest potential!

Diana Schmidt

MS, ACI, CPCU, AU, ARe, AIC

Property & Casualty Consultant | Principal

34 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 16, 2021

myhaus.com Milwaukee | Madison

congratulations christine rogers

In 2019, she was promoted again to her current role of senior vice president of customer service, where she has built four departments with 200 service team members managing over 40,000 accounts.

Meanwhile, she invested in giving back in the community. Schmidt is a board member of Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit organization that provides food over the weekend for more than 2,000 children in need in Waukesha County. She’s leveraged her penchant for networking to help raise awareness and tens of thousands of dollars for the organization, Thering said.

For Heather Dunn, simplicity is key.

Dunn manages three teams totaling 70 people in her role as senior vice president and chief financial officer of West Bend Mutual Insurance.

She has managed the streamlining, updating and building of systems that create internal efficiency and better serve West Bend’s clients, according to Kevin Steiner, president and chief executive officer of the company.

“Whether migrating the company’s budgeting and financial reporting from Microsoft Excel to a more sophisticated system adept at handling the needs of a large company like West Bend, or consolidating a vendor list from 14 to two, reducing costs and a lot of headaches, Dunn leads with vision and gets results,” Steiner said.

Dunn enrolled her billing team in an Effortless Experience program that trains employees on how to interact with customers and solve problems with confidence, and it is now being rolled out in other areas of the company.

Part of her team’s work is to proactively address potential issues before they occur to reduce the number of calls from customers experiencing problems. Thanks to Dunn’s forward thinking, her team was prepared to handle the unforeseen challenges and hard conversations resulting from the pandemic, Steiner said.

The entire team at Robertson Ryan applauds Christine Rogers for her success and accomplishments.

She leads our team with class, charisma, competence and care.

Congrats on being recognized among an elite group of Notable Women in Insurance!

Congratulations, Heather Dunn!

All

of us at West Bend Mutual Insurance Company are proud and honored that Heather Dunn has been recognized as a Notable Woman In Insurance. We’re grateful for the hard work and dedication Heather brings to our company, our valued customers, and our community, and we congratulate her for this recognition!

West Bend Mutual Insurance Company has been insuring homes, autos, and businesses for more than 125 years. Headquartered in West Bend, Wisconsin, the company employs more than 1,400 associates and partners with 1,500 independent insurance agencies in 15 states to bring these products and services to their valued customers.

BRANDY ENGER

NICOLE CUTRARO

ANGELA LOBERG

DIRECTOR OF PERSONAL LINES

VICE PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KEY ACCOUNTS AND SMALL BUSINESS

MID-STATE INSURANCE

VIZANCE As director of personal lines for Vizance, Brandy Enger oversees 30 personal insurance advisors across the company’s 13 locations.

She is the first woman to hold that senior-level role for the Hartland-based firm. Colleagues credit Enger’s collaborative and inclusive approach to her building an engaging and vibrant team culture.

“Brandy excels in strategic thinking and thoughtful communication and has built strong relationships with her internal associates and external partners,” said Sarah Ocampo, chief of staff at Vizance.

Beyond supporting her own team, Enger also recruits, welcomes and mentors other associates across the company, Ocampo said. She also actively participates in onboarding new agencies that merge with Vizance.

“Vizance has experienced a tremendous amount of growth recently, and Brandy’s leadership has been instrumental during this period of change,” said Jeff Cardenas, president of Vizance. “With over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, her accomplishments in ramping up proactive client communication, streamlining processes and developing the next generation of leaders have catapulted Vizance’s personal lines team to new heights.”

Nicole Cutraro has worked with Mid-State Insurance through many changes.

As vice president of the Mequon-based agency, Cutraro oversees sales, a new agent mentorship and training program, technology, marketing and events. In addition to working with a large and growing portfolio of commercial-insurance clients, her main focus is working with staff to find better ways to serve the customers.

“Nicole has also been instrumental with technology in our ever-changing industry,” said Joseph LaBarbera, president and owner of Mid-State. “In addition to managing and developing the sales force, she currently works with the most complex agency clients. She embraces the research needed to provide exceptional service and communicates the coverage concerns to our clients. She is constantly furthering her education in insurance and professional designations.”

Cutraro has spearheaded the adoption of many technology platforms to offer education and training programs to clients. She has also served on advisory committees with multiple insurance carriers to provide improved insurance products, coverage and claims service.

A licensed insurance agent with a Certified Insurance Counselor designation, Cutraro brings 20 years of finance and insurance experience to Mid-State, with a background in property, casualty, life and health insurance.

CONGRATULATIONS,

BRANDY ENGER! 2021 NOTABLE WOMAN IN INSURANCE

UNITEDHEALTHCARE OF WISCONSIN Angela Loberg, executive director of key accounts and small business for UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin, has established herself as a trusted and innovative leader within the organization, according to colleagues.

Loberg has responsibilities for overall profitability and growth of UnitedHealthcare’s health plan tied to employers with two to 3,000 employees that are both fully insured and self-funded. She oversees a team of directors and managers whose work consistently makes the Wisconsin market one of the most profitable within UnitedHealthcare’s commercial operations.

Over the past year, Loberg has participated in leadership webinars with UnitedHealthcare’s national leadership team. She also oversaw a volunteer effort with national nonprofit “Today is a Good Day,” which provides personal and financial support for families with babies in the NICU. Loberg led UnitedHealthcare employees in assembling support kits for families with infants in the NICU at Children’s Wisconsin.

Other programs and initiatives she has received honors for include an online enrollment process, a healthy eating nutrition program, and an effort designed to increase access to behavioral health services.

Oh, yes you did We join BizTimes Milwaukee in recognizing Angela Loberg as a Notable Woman in Insurance.

Thank you for making a difference with our customers and brokers — and for making us a better organization.

We are fortunate you are on our team.

Angela Loberg Notable Woman in Insurance

Your accomplishments in elevating our client experience and developing the next generation of leaders have catapulted Vizance’s Personal Lines practice to new heights!

Learn more: www.vizance.com EI211135251.0 10/21

36 / BizTimes Milwaukee AUGUST 16, 2021

ADITI JAVERI GOKHALE CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER AND PRESIDENT OF INVESTMENT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

TAMMY ROOU VICE PRESIDENT, ENTERPRISE COMPLIANCE

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL

In her role as chief commercial officer and president of Northwestern Mutual’s retail investment business, Aditi Javeri Gokhale has been instrumental in developing and driving the Milwaukee-based company’s strategy and go-to-market approach.

Tammy Roou, vice president of enterprise compliance for Northwestern Mutual, has been with the Milwaukee-based insurance company since 1999. After joining the firm as an attorney, she was appointed as an executive officer in 2012 and has since held executive leadership positions in the audit, risk and compliance functions.

Those efforts have helped the Fortune 90 firm earn record business results, including more than $33 billion in revenue, $2 trillion of life insurance protection and record net cash flows in its wealth business.

Roou has made diversity and inclusion a key focus of hers, as a founding executive sponsor for the Northwestern Mutual Asian Employee Resource Group from 2015 to 2018.

As the most senior female at the company, a woman of color and a Milwaukeean, Javeri Gokhale champions initiatives that promote inclusivity and gender equity, helping pave the way for more women in the industry, colleagues say.

She is also a board member for several organizations, through which she leverages her expertise in risk management, compliance, ethics and law to solve problems that might otherwise be overlooked, according to Catherine Daly, communications content specialist with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL

She has oversight of Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, which recently invested $40 million in startup companies founded by Black and women entrepreneurs. She also serves as the executive sponsor of Northwestern Mutual’s Women’s Initiative, which has helped the company grow its recruitment and retention of women.

Last year, 50% of the company’s new hires were women, and it has implemented a return-to-work allowance for women advisors who become new parents.

CONGRATULATIONS!

“Her ability to articulate a problem and offer new ideas is what makes her an invaluable board member for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin,” Daly said.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ADITI JAVERI GOKHALE AND TAMMY ROOU, 2021 NOTABLE WOMEN IN INSURANCE HONOREES. At Northwestern Mutual, we are united in our mission to help our clients become financially secure — so they can live more and worry less.

Aditi Javeri Gokhale

Tammy Roou

Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer & President, Investment Products & Services

Vice President Compliance

©2021 The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI.

biztimes.com / 37

Strategies

Tip Sheet Business strategy changes from the COVID-19 pandemic

T

he COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot about daily life, but did it also alter business strategy? The MIT Sloan Management Review Strategy Forum sought to answer that question in a

recent survey of strategy experts.

Nearly 56% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the pandemic had permanently changed how companies should think about strategy while roughly a third disagreed or strongly disagreed.

about will in most cases return post-pandemic to what they were before,” said Northwestern University associate professor of strategy Meghan Busse.

“Some companies may need to change aspects of their operations, but I don’t think most companies should overhaul their fundamental strategy.”

What hasn’t changed?

Many of the respondents that said the pandemic had not changed how companies should think about strategy acknowledged it had changed operations, particularly in the areas of digitization and supply chains.

“COVID-19 does not change the way these firms should think about business strategy,” said Hong Kong University professor of management and strategy Jin Li. “The basic elements of business strategy – differentiation, cost leadership, and so on – remain the same.”

“I would expect that the goods and services that customers will want and the attributes they care

What’s changed?

Stanford University School of Engineering professor Kathleen Eisenhardt said the pandemic shifted strategic thinking to strategies that are “more robust and resilient regarding the likelihood of intense and lengthy disruptions.”

“The disruptions caused by the pandemic should highlight for firms the costs of inflexibility,” said UCLA entrepreneurial studies chair and professor of strategy Olav Sorenson. “Companies will probably move toward creating more redundancy in their supply chains. They may also generally adopt strategies that shift the balance of their costs away from fixed costs toward variable costs.” n

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF WISCONSIN NOTABLE

MINORITY EXECUTI

VES

BRANDY ENGERLINES

DIRECTOR OF PERSONAL advisors personal insurance VIZANCE Enger oversees 30 Vizance, Brandy

lines for As director of personal credit 13 locations. firm. Colleagues across the company’s role for the Hartland-based vibrant team culture. to hold that senior-level engaging and She is the first woman to her building an relationships and inclusive approach and has built strong Enger’s collaborative and thoughtful communication staff at Vizance. strategic thinking Ocampo, chief of “Brandy excels in partners,” said Sarah her team to think associates and external with her internal around her, she challenges strengths of those in leveraging the “Believing strongly Ocampo added. associates push themselves,” and mentors other outside the box and also recruits, welcomes agencies that her own team, Enger in onboarding new Beyond supporting also actively participates Ocampo said. She across the company, leadership has merge with Vizance. recently, and Brandy’s growth of of Vizance. “With a tremendous amount Jeff Cardenas, president “Vizance has experienced of change,” said in ramping up proactive during this period her accomplishments been instrumental leaders have in the insurance industry, next generation of and developing the over 20 years of experience streamlining processes client communication, to new heights.” personal lines team catapulted Vizance’s

SURANCE OMEN IN IN N O TA B L E W

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MANAGEMENT

Let go How to delegate decisions you don’t need to make

“Smart employees want to make sure that what they do makes a difference in the world. They don’t want to be order-takers.”

DECISION-MAKING WITHIN A COMPANY can determine its fate.

Who makes which decisions and when? If the business is to grow and be efficient, the leader must be willing to let go of some of them.

If you’re the CEO and a control freak, then that won’t be possible. But if growth is the goal, then Eric Coryell’s Decision Tree Matrix is a fantastic way to take decisions off your plate.

FOUR TYPES OF DECISIONS First, decide why this new way of decision-making is necessary, explain why, and make sure the entire company understands it verbatim.

Next, schedule a meeting of no longer than two hours with the entire leadership team. List every decision that teams inside the company make. This

step is crucial because managers will assign decisions to certain employees. After listing all the decisions, the fun begins: the assignments. » Level 1 decisions belong to the leaders – CEO, owner or company president. They are important decisions that the person at the top needs to make. » Level 2 decisions are assigned elsewhere.

However, the leader will want to be involved without learning about an important decision after the fact. » Level 3 decisions are delegated. The leader should still be told about it after the decision is made. » Finally, Level 4 decisions are delegated to one person. There’s no need to inform the leader.

THE PAYOFF How does this exercise help the company grow?

Leaders are taken out of the decisions that don’t require their input. That frees them up to take an active role in the strategic thinking that will let their companies grow.

Teams will become stronger and learn leadership skills because people will be making lower-level decisions that might have been handled at a higher level previously.

Each time employees come to their leaders for input on a Level 3 or Level 4 decision, the leaders must have the discipline to remind employees that the leader will trust them to make the right decision, and decline to weigh in. If the organization has been top-heavy on all decisions, it might take a while for employees to feel comfortable with this.

Be forewarned, certain leaders or even the entire group will become anxious at times and seek the safety of the leader. They don’t want to be responsible for the decisions. Before too long, the leader will discover who can handle making crucial decisions and who can’t.

Those who repeatedly refuse to make decisions might not be candidates for leadership. Your A Players will handle these decisions and grow their areas of responsibility. You must have the right people on the right seats on the bus.

PATIENCE IS KEY It’s important that the leader wait out this anxious period and encourage the team to get back to work. I’ve seen leaders who consistently save their teams when they fall. While this might stroke the ego, it won’t allow people to grow and, instead, stunts the company’s growth.

I once overheard a leader berating a direct report who didn’t follow her step-by-step method of overseeing a process which had been delegated to him. Once she made him responsible for the process, he had every right to tweak it as he saw fit to accomplish the mission. The employee began to doubt every decision he was making, and he eventually left.

Smart employees want to make sure that what they do makes a difference in the world. They don’t want to be order-takers. They want a certain level of autonomy over their jobs.

If you decide to follow the Decision Tree Matrix, be aware of the pitfalls. Don’t even attempt it if you aren’t ready to let go of control. Just know that you are actively signing up for things to remain the same.

But if you’re ready for your company to grow, and you have a fairly capable team, this is a great exercise. n

MERVYN BYRD Mervyn Byrd is a Vistage chair, CEO advisor and coach, and a speaker. You can reach him at 414-234-6391 or mervyn.byrd@ VistageChair.com. biztimes.com / 39

Strategies MARKETING

Fun ways to attract customers Ideas for next year’s promotional calendar IF YOU RUN a retail business, now is a good time to plan your annual promotional calendar.

A series of events throughout the year can generate a sense of excitement and ensure a constant flow of customers through your door all year long.

Promotional events have an attention-getting, often urgent quality that can break through buyer’s inertia. They inform prospects of a chance to get something special that won’t come again.

Here are a six proven promotions for your annual promotional calendar:

1. THE ANNIVERSARY PROMOTION Naturally, this takes place just once a year. The anniversary of your founding provides a reason to have a celebration. It doesn’t have to be your 10year, 25-year or 50-year anniversary either.

For example, you could celebrate your seventh year in business with a “Buy seven, get one free!” sale on an item. For your 27th anniversary celebration, roll back prices to the “good old days” 27 years ago when a dollar was still worth a dollar. Create a festive occasion, one sure to draw in regular customers and passers-by alike.

2. THE CONTEST Here’s an opportunity to get the whole community, or your whole industry, involved. People like to compete for prizes. Offer an award to the winner of a “Why-I-like-my-(your product here)in-25-words-or-less” contest. Or hold an art contest for kids (17 and under, no professionals). Judges 40 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

can be drawn from the local high school or community college.

Maybe all you need is a “count-the-(your product here)-in-the-jar” contest, with the winner getting free merchandise.

Contests make your business the center of attention. If you alert your local newspaper, you may even generate some free publicity.

3. THE SWEEPSTAKES These can be lots of fun, but they can also be tricky. Each state has its own set of rules governing sweepstakes. In most states, no purchase can be required in order to enter. However, the entrant can be required to come into your store to sign up. Then, on a given day, simply draw a name out of a jar.

To save money, you can offer prizes donated by other businesses. Negotiate with your vendors to contribute prizes for free, or at a substantial discount, in exchange for publicity featuring their name and logo in your flyers and advertising.

Nothing’s worse than holding a seminar and no one shows up.

6. PRODUCT GIVEAWAYS Nothing draws customers like the word “free.”

Give away a popular, but inexpensive, item with any purchase.

Giveaways work best when used to stimulate sales of other items. They get people into your place of business. Once there, it’s up to you to sell them.

Try to get a manufacturer to share in the cost of the giveaway in exchange for using their name in your publicity and advertising.

The advantages of holding promotions all year long are many. Plan your promotional calendar in advance and reap the benefits of a prosperous business and a better bottom line all year long. n

4. COUPONS Coupons are useful for a variety of promotions.

They are especially effective when introducing a new product. If you are a retailer, your vendors may be willing to pay for your advertising if you feature their products. Ask your sales reps about “co-op advertising dollars.”

If you are a retail store in a mall or shopping center, advertise in the free circular the mall distributes. Put a coupon in the ad. Use the coupon as a discount on some popular merchandise and draw prospects into your store where you can then sell them higher-margin items.

5. THE SEMINAR Many products lend themselves to demonstrations. How about a seminar on the art of using your product? Or a how-to seminar demonstrating your services? (You’ve seen the ads: “Enjoy a FREE dinner on us. All you have to do is listen to our sales pitch on [fill in the blank] time shares, financial planning, Medicare supplements, etc.)

Seminars work best when scheduled well in advance, with plenty of publicity and advertising.

ROBERT GREDE Robert Grede is an author, speaker and strategy consultant. For more information, visit RobertGrede.com.

MENTORSHIP

Mentoring our future leaders Give back by sharing your knowledge and experience

“The benefits of being a mentor are many, including growth in your capacity to lead, as well as improved listening and communication skills.”

YOU JUST RETIRED on Friday. It’s Monday morning, and you are up at 6 a.m. You ask yourself, “What do I do after my morning coffee?”

You can go back to bed, finish that book you started during vacation, or begin putting your years of experience to use. You have a unique opportunity to put that cache of knowledge to use by mentoring one or more young executives, an unemployed middle-aged executive, a struggling single mother or an underachieving high school student. The choice is yours.

So, what does it take to be a mentor? As a mentor, you are a trusted counselor, advisor or guide who, because you are detached and objective, can provide candid and honest evaluation of a problem

or a decision-making process. The foundation of the relationship between a mentor and mentee is based on trust and confidentiality. The mentee must have a high level of confidence that the advice you are providing has their best interests in mind. They also need to feel that any and all information, their opinions, fears and observations will be kept in the strictest confidence.

Your challenge is to offer high-level guidance for their long-term development. You serve as a cheerleader and provide encouragement and help the mentee have a long-range view of their growth and development. It is a two-way relationship, in some instances, both long-term and situational.

I currently volunteer at the Lumen Christi Catholic Church (LCEN) each week and, along with several other retired and active executives, mentor and guide individuals in their employment network group. Many churches, synagogues, and fraternal organizations also have ministries and support groups that could use your talents. Imagine the impact you can have on an organization or group that needs your specific talents.

You will feel tremendous satisfaction when someone you mentor gets the new position they wanted or the salary they required to support their family. The confidence you have given them could be the edge they needed to take that step, make that tough decision or move on to a new challenge.

I have also seen my mentees “pay it forward” to their peers by sharing the secrets of their success at LCEN meetings and in other networking groups.

The benefits of being a mentor are many, including growth in your capacity to lead, as well as improved listening and communication skills.

You will also learn how to engage with a different generation of leaders. Finally, the feeling of gratification you get when your mentee experiences success is amazing and makes all the investment of time and energy worthwhile. Besides the satisfaction you get from helping others, staying active will keep you both physically and mentally healthy. You also set a positive example for others in the community when you invest your time and energy as a mentor.

If you feel you can meet these criteria, it’s time for you to give back and share your knowledge

with our leaders of the future in both the for-profit and non-profit arenas. There are numerous organizations in Milwaukee and the neighboring counties that offer opportunities to share your knowledge and experience. In fact, according to VolunteerMatch, there are over 5,700 volunteers needed in various capacities in the five-county area. They range from small business consultants at SCORE SE Wisconsin to Role Models and STEM aids at the Girl Scouts of America. The Milwaukee County Library system needs computer coaches and Literacy Services of Wisconsin needs employment skill coaches and GED math teachers. Due to COVID-19, many of these opportunities are now virtual.

It’s time to put all that experience, insight and wisdom you have gained over the years to work and make a difference by sharing it with others in our community. n

CARY SILVERSTEIN Cary Silverstein, MBA, is a speaker, author and consultant, a former executive for Gimbel’s Midwest and JH Collectibles, and a former professor for DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School. He can be reached at csilve1013@aol.com. biztimes.com / 41

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BIZ PEOPLE

Advertising Section: New Hires, Promotions and Board Appointments

CONSTRUCTION Brian McManus Promoted to Chief Banking Officer of First Federal Bank of Wisconsin. First Federal Bank is proud to announce that Brian McManus, most recently SVP of Lending, has been promoted to Chief Banking Officer.

In his role as Chief Banking Officer and part of the Bank’s executive leadership team, Brian is responsible for the management, leadership, and growth of the Bank’s commercial lending, consumer banking, and residential lending divisions as well as the credit administration and deposit operations teams. Brian serves as Trustee-Treasurer for Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, a member of the Community Development Authority for the City of St. Francis, and as a youth soccer coach.

INSURANCE John Whittemore Joins Network Health as VP of Medicare and Individual Sales.

Wisconsin-based health insurer Network Health announced today the addition of John Whittemore as vice president of Medicare and individual sales. Whittemore |brings more than 25 years of health insurance experience to Network Health.

BIZ UPDATE

BANKING

ACG WISCONSIN ANNOUNCES OUTSTANDING GROWTH & LEADERSHIP AWARDEES

Grunau names Sal Angelo as VP of Mechanical.

to receive the Leadership Award.

• ACG Wisconsin will celebrate the awardees during a luncheon on Friday, October 15, 2021. www.acg.org/ wisconsin/events

Sal Angelo is promoted to Vice President of Mechanical with Grunau Company. In this role, Sal will oversee all Mechanical operations and the Grunau Metals business. In addition, he will join the ranks of Grunau’s Executive Leadership Team. Sal has been with the Company for 21 years. He has built a great reputation among the many service and facility directors across the Milwaukee skyline. Grunau is excited for Sal’s expanded leadership and influence in the organization.

LEGAL SERVICES

Brandon J. Conway joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Brandon J. Conway is an Associate in the Milwaukee office of von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Conway focuses his practice on commercial litigation, shareholder disputes and toxic torts.

The Association for Corporate Growth – Wisconsin Chapter (ACG Wisconsin) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 ACG Wisconsin Outstanding Corporate Growth Award and the 2021 ACG Wisconsin Leadership Award.

• Northwestern Mutual has been selected to receive the Outstanding Corporate Growth Award.

• Timothy P. Hanley, Acting Keyes Dean of Business Administration, Marquette University, has been selected

LEGAL SERVICES

Jordyn A. Janikowski joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c

Jordyn A. Janikowski is an Associate in the Milwaukee office.

Janikowski focuses her practice on general business, contract negotiation and drafting, business starts-ups, mergers and acquisitions, limited liability companies, and succession planning.

New Hire?

Share the news with the business community!

Announce new hires, promotions, accolades, and board appointments with BizPeople.

Visit biztimes.com/bizconnect to submit your news!

Northwestern Mutual’s exceptional growth, resilience, and commitment to their policy owners, team, and community, are among the reasons they were selected for this year’s ACG Wisconsin Outstanding Corporate Growth Award.

Tim’s distinguished career, steadfast leadership, and devotion to Marquette University and the Milwaukee community make Tim Hanley a well-deserving recipient of ACG Wisconsin’s Leadership Award.

LEGAL SERVICES

Christina M. Lucchesi joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Attorney Christina M. Lucchesi represents government entities, non-profit and for-profit corporations in taxable and tax-exempt bond issuances to finance and refinance schools, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, senior living and affordable housing.

LEGAL SERVICES

Audrey R. Merkel joins von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

Audrey R. Merkel is an Associate in the Milwaukee office of von Briesen & Roper, s.c. Merkel focuses her practice on representing counties and local governments with contracting, employment, public meetings and COVID-related issues.

To place your listing, or for more information, please visit biztimes.com/bizconnect biztimes.com / 43

BizConnections VOLUME 27, NUMBER 12 | OCT 25, 2021

GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR

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

PUBLISHER / OWNER Dan Meyer dan.meyer@biztimes.com

SALES & MARKETING

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Mary Ernst mary.ernst@biztimes.com COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT / OWNER Kate Meyer kate.meyer@biztimes.com

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

Big boat, little boat

— Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Public Library/Historic Photo Collection

Inflation becomes big issue AFTER AN ECONOMIC CRASH in the second quarter of 2020 as the economy was shut down to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, it was inevitable prices would rise as the economy rebounded and pent-up demand kicked in.

But inflation is increasingly becoming a concern for consumers. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in September and is up 5.4% yearover-year, the highest increase since early 1991.

Again, price increases were expected coming off the economic shutdown, but at some point, it’s painful for consumers and a drag on economic growth. And it’s a big problem for President Biden, who is taking a lot of heat over the inflation issue.

Several things are contributing to inflation. First of all, there is a huge labor shortage driving up wages, which are passed on as higher costs to consumers. The labor shortage was already becoming a problem before the 44 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

CONTENT SOLUTIONS MANAGER Maggie Pinnt maggie.pinnt@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Paddy Kieckhefer paddy.kieckhefer@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Christie Ubl christie.ubl@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Dylan Dobson dylan.dobson@biztimes.com SALES ADMIN Gracie Schneble gracie.schneble@biztimes.com

ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR Sue Herzog sue.herzog@biztimes.com

PRODUCTION & DESIGN GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alex Schneider alex.schneider@biztimes.com

This undated photo from before 1960 shows a busy Milwaukee River in downtown Milwaukee.

While the Cadillac passes under an open bridge, a smaller boat stays out of the way. The First Wisconsin National Bank, the Marshall and Isley Bank and the Pabst buildings are all visible as well.

COMMENTARY

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

pandemic as the huge baby boomer generation was moving into retirement. But it’s been made much worse by the pandemic as many left the labor force and for a variety of reasons haven’t returned. Enhanced unemployment benefits were blamed for encouraging workers to stay on the sidelines and no doubt were a contributing factor, but the expiration of those benefits hasn’t solved the issue.

Government spending is another existing issue made worse by the pandemic. The government provided a massive amount of stimulus to individuals and businesses to prop up the economy while it was shut down at the onset of the pandemic. Some felt the government should have provided even more stimulus to keep businesses shut down longer and workers at home to prevent the spread of the virus. But that’s just not sustainable. Pumping money into the economy to keep it afloat is now having an unintended consequence.

With the economy shut down at the onset of the pandemic, demand plunged and the economy tanked. A massive pent-up demand was created and when the economy reopened and business and consumer activity returned demand surged, but supply hasn’t kept up.

We’re seeing this in massive supply chain

ART DIRECTOR Shelly Tabor shelly.tabor@biztimes.com

Independent & Locally Owned — Founded 1995 —

issues. To address them, Biden’s big move was to negotiate with the Port of Los Angeles and longshoremen to have the port operating 24-7. With tons of cargo ships floating in the ocean as they wait to be unloaded there, it’s hard to understand why the president needed to step in and why it took so long to take this obvious step.

Los Angeles and Long Beach are home to two of the largest ports in America. Forty percent of shipping containers that the U.S. imports come through those two ports, Biden said. The Port of Long Beach also recently announced plans to operate 24-7.

Having these two important ports operating 24-7 should help, but if there aren’t enough workers throughout the supply chain the problems will persist. Addressing the labor shortage needs to be the top priority. n

ANDREW WEILAND EDITOR

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

NONPROFIT BADER PHILANTHROPIES CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING OF HARPOLE BUILDING Bader Philanthropies, Inc. leaders and supporters recently celebrated the grand opening of its new Harambee neighborhood building at 3338 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.

The Milwaukee-based foundation announced two years ago its plan to renovate the two-story former bank building on King Drive – located across the street from its headquarters – into a wellness center and café.

Its tenants, which moved in earlier this year, include Sam’s Place, a jazz-themed eatery and café; Shalem Healing Inc., a nonprofit clinic offering integrated medical and holistic care; and Refua Medicinals, which blends traditional Chinese medicine and modern nutritional science,

and was created by the founder of Shalem Healing.

The center has been named the Harpole Building in honor of community advocates Reuben and the late Mildred Harpole.

The couple, known by many as the “Black Mayor and First Lady” of Milwaukee, were advocates for the city’s youth and vulnerable residents.

“It’s only fitting we name a community building to honor their determination, perseverance and courage to make the lives of others better. It is a testament to their legacy that continues to inspire so many people today,” said Daniel Bader, president and chief executive officer of Bader Philanthropies — Lauren Anderson, staff writer

c alendar Heroes for Healthcare will host its A Night to be Honored gala on

Nov. 5, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Brookfield Conference Center.

The black-tie event will include live entertainment, a silent auction, dinner and awards program. More information is available at heroesforhealthcare.org.

Chosen, Inc. will host its 2021 Open Hearts, Open Homes Gala on

Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Radisson Milwaukee West hotel, 2303 N. Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa. The event helps fund programs, support and outreach to foster and adoptive families. Registration and access to early online silent auction shopping are available at choseninlove.org/2021gala.

SHARP Literacy will host its annual A Novel Event fundraiser on Nov. 15 from 5-8 p.m. at The Pfister Hotel at 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee. The event will feature keynote speaker Green Bay Packers great Jordy Nelson. More information is available at sharpliteracy.org.

D O N AT I O N R O U N D U P Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation’s No Empty Backpacks School Supplies Drive raised a record $57,8212, which included a $30,000 donation from Educators Credit Union. | AVI Systems has established a new Next-Gen Scholarship Program that will award $3,000 to students in need at Waukesha County Technical College, Northcentral Technical College and Blackhawk Technical College. | New Berlin-based International Monetary Systems selected Chosen Inc. to receive donations from its clients, which so far has brought in over $15,000 for the organization. | The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee recently funded 19 HER Scholars for the academic year with scholarships totaling $54,000. | The Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Milwaukee County recently raised a projected $700,000 to fund research and services in the county.

nonprofit

SPOTLIGHT

DOWN S Y N DROME A SSOCIATION OF WISCONSIN, INC .

11709 W. Cleveland Ave., Suite 2, West Allis 414-327-3729 | dsaw.org Facebook: @dsawisconsin Twitter: @DSAWisconsin | Instagram: dsawisconsin

Year founded: 1990 Mission statement: The

Richard Schutte, Sami Sobhani and Kerry Laurin.

Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin’s mission is to provide support to Wisconsin families and individuals with Down syndrome and related disabilities through awareness, education, information, programs, services, and the exchange of ideas and experiences.

Is your organization actively seeking board members for the upcoming term? Yes.

Primary focus of your nonprofit organization: The primary focus

Ways the business community can help your nonprofit: Follow

We are looking for diversity and expertise in housing development/management, direct service provision, employment, philanthropy and business management.

of our organization is to help individuals with Down syndrome and related disabilities live amazing lives and achieve their dreams.

us on social media, share our work with your networks, make a tax-deductible donation on our website, or sign up to volunteer.

Number of employees at this location: 60

Key fundraising events:

Key donors: Bader Philanthropies,

Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Cardinal Capital Management Executive leadership: Dawn

Nuoffer, executive director Board of directors: Jim Fackelman,

Wendy Bushell, Joe Malloy, Ellen Trytek, Andrew Gerbitz, Julie Aguilar, Rick Allcox, Mark Andres,

We host Awareness Walks around the state of Wisconsin in the month of September and early October. Our Statewide Down Syndrome Awareness Walk is held at the Milwaukee County Zoo every fourth Sunday of September. Save the date for our 2022 Awareness Walk on Sunday, Sept. 25. We also host a golf outing in August. biztimes.com / 45

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5 MINUTES WITH…

PATRICK GALLAGHER President and chief executive officer, Grand Craft Boats LLC GRAND CRAFT BOATS LLC, a maker of custom mahogany watercraft, recently moved its headquarters from Holland, Michigan, to Genoa City in Walworth County. The company expects to employ 20 workers in the village within the next three years. It currently has about eight craftspeople building boats. Patrick Gallagher, president and chief executive officer of Grand Craft, recently spoke with BizTimes reporter Alex Zank about his recent acquisition of the business, the decision to move it to Wisconsin and his plans for the company’s growth.

YOU AND YOUR WIFE, ROSE GALLAGHER, BOUGHT THE COMPANY IN FEBRUARY. HOW DID THAT COME TO BE? “Having grown up on Lake Geneva during the summers as a kid, I always had a love for the lake and a love for boats. After being in a family business the last 20 years, I decided I wanted to make a change. … I didn’t want to buy any company that made any kind of widgets. I wanted a company that had a potential to scale up and grow, had a need for increased sales and marketing, and the more I thought about it, the wooden boat segment was the perfect fit for me.”

46 / BizTimes Milwaukee OCTOBER 25, 2021

WHY DID YOU TWO DECIDE TO MOVE THE BUSINESS TO WISCONSIN? “It was really many weeks before the acquisition that Rose and I discussed the idea of moving the operation in Wisconsin in due time. But then as we got closer to the closing, and as we got closer to having to begin our search for a VP of operations, I decided to put a stake in the ground and make the declaration to ourselves that we were going to move the operation within months after the acquisition.”

HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER OF THE COMPANY UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP? “When we set out to buy Grand Craft, even though it was a 42-yearold company, it was in many ways for us as new owners more of a startup. We were acquiring the company name and assets, as well as the existing craftsmen. But what we knew we needed to do is not only entice them to relocate, but also to hire several more here in Wisconsin.”

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE COMPANY FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? “Our goal is, within the next five years, to be building well over 25 boats (annually), and closer to 50. There’s a demand, but there’s also so many untapped markets for us. Not only domestically – in pockets around the country there are untapped opportunities for Grand Craft – but there are enormous potentials for us overseas. And so, international sales is very much a part of the growth plan for us.” n

GRAND CRAFT BOATS LLC

A docked Grand Craft Super Sport wooden boat.

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