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MEISSNER TIERNEY FISHER & NICHOLS S.C. has an exceptional history of providing high-quality legal services for over 170 years. With a sophisticated practice committed to careful and effective legal representation across a broad spectrum of clients, we maintain a reputation for providing unparalleled client service. The firm represents its clients in a wide variety of matters, ranging from the challenges a start-up enterprise can face, to the operational opportunities and pitfalls closely held businesses encounter, and ultimately to the smooth succession of a successful long-standing corporation. We continue to provide clients with critical, accurate information in a timely fashion, to help them make sound legal decisions to protect and grow their businesses. JAMES J. WAWRZYN 414.273.1300 | jjw@mtfn.com www.mtfn.com
Celebrating innovators and entrepreneurs EACH YEAR, BizTimes Media recognizes top innovators and entrepreneurs in southeastern Wisconsin. At the recent Innovation + Entrepreneurship Forum, Jon Hammes, founder and partner of Milwaukee-based Hammes Co., was named the Lifetime Achievement Award winner. He joins a prestigious list of past BizTimes Media Lifetime Achievement Award winners including Harry Quadracci of Quad/Graphics, Robert Kern of Generac, George Dalton of Fiserv, Steven Marcus of The Marcus Corp., Sheldon Lubar of Lubar & Co., Michael Cudahy of Marquette Electronics, real estate developer Gary Grunau, and Valerie Daniels-Carter of V&J Holding Companies Inc. Hammes founded his company in 1991 and has grown it into the nation’s top developer of health care facilities. The company has also been project manager for the construction of several major sports facilities, including the Kohl Center in Madison and four NFL stadiums.
Good City Brewing co-founder Dan Katt is the recipient of the annual BizTimes Media Regional Spirit Award, largely in recognition of the company’s role in filling the Century City 1 building in Milwaukee’s Century City Business Park and working to attract more businesses there. ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD WINNERS INCLUDE: » James Kyle, CEO and founder, Millennium » Ryan Povlick, founder, Scratch Ice Cream » Dr. Indrajit Choudhuri, founder, MediCardia Health Inc. INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS INCLUDE: » Renaissant » Hug Sleep Read more about the Lifetime Achievement, Regional Spirt, Entrepreneurship and Innovation award winners in this special section.
Renaissant
Hug Sleep
840 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 500, Milwaukee renaissant.com
TODAY’S POST-PANDEMIC BUSINESS climate has left many industries at the mercy of the global supply chain. While companies have little control over bottlenecks and shortages, at least one thing they can fully control – for better or for worse – is their loading docks. “Loading docks are often a source of significant time loss due to inefficient truck, yard and warehouse management,” said Patrick McGartland, co-founder and executive vice president of business development at Milwaukee-based IT company Renaissant. Through its digital platform Dock|C2, Renaissant helps warehouse and logistics companies improve loading operations. The tool organizes warehouse and transportation management system 24 / BizTimes Milwaukee DECEMBER 13, 2021
Supporting Sponsor:
17145 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield hugsleep.com
PATRICK MCGARTLAND
data in one place, allowing companies to visualize their operations. It then optimizes shipping and receiving schedules based on weather, traffic patterns and other variables incorporated into its machine learning algorithms. McGartland and chief executive officer Tom Dean founded the company in 2018, initially to provide schools with a safety platform to micro-locate people and events. Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down its primary market. “While we are solving a different problem today at the loading dock than when we first started; many of the same principles apply,” said McGartland.
AS A TROUBLED SLEEPER, Matt Mundt was searching for tips for better sleep when he discovered the benefits and drawbacks of weighted blankets. While the blankets aid some sleepers, they often trap in heat, are hard to wash and are difficult to transport. In 2018, after several months of brainstorming, prototyping and iterating, he came up with his own solution: a light-weight blanket that simulates the feeling of a weighted blanket. “The next morning, I woke up feeling well rested – something I had not felt in a while,” said Mundt, a graduate of the Milwaukee School of Engineering. “It was at that moment I realized others could benefit from this product and that I had a real shot at creating a successful business.” Mundt co-founded Hug Sleep, maker
MATT MUNDT
of the flagship Sleep Pod product, in 2019 with his wife, Angie Kupper. Their breakthrough came a year later, when the startup was catapulted to the national spotlight during its appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” Hug Sleep not only left the show with a $300,000 investment but later did $4 million in sales thanks to the exposure of its product. “Appearing on the television show ‘Shark Tank’ exposed our company and product to an entirely new audience at a scale we had not previously experienced,” Mundt said. “The viewers resonated with our product and mission at a time of peak anxiety and uncertainty in the world due to COVID, at a time when many more people had difficulty sleeping. The result was record-breaking sales and exposure which helped launch Hug Sleep into its next chapter as a company.”
