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Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards
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. 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.
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Renaissant
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
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.
Hug Sleep
17145 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield hugsleep.com
MATT MUNDT
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.
Mundt co-founded Hug Sleep, maker 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.”
Jon Hammes built firm into a national leader in health care real estate
BY ANDREW WEILAND, staff writer
THIRTY YEARS AGO, Jon Hammes left his position at Dallas-based Trammel Crow Company, one of the largest commercial real estate development firms in the nation.
Hammes had been with Trammel Crow since 1974, the same year he received a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At Trammel Crow, he worked his way up to becoming a managing partner, serving as the firm’s regional partner in its Chicago office.
Hammes left Trammel Crow in 1991 to start his own real estate development company in the Milwaukee area. However, it was a challenging time to do so. The economy was in a recession and the real estate industry was in even worse shape.
Hammes Co. turned its attention to health care. That industry was intriguing because of its size, and developers of health care buildings were “not quite as sophisticated as compared to the type of players we were competing against during my Trammel Crow tenure,” he said.
Hammes thought his firm could apply its expertise to health care real estate, providing project management services to help facilities get built on time and on budget.
At the time the health care real estate market was commodity-driven, so projects were usually awarded to the lowest bidder, Hammes said. Seeking an advantage and a better way to grow the business, Hammes Co. positioned itself as a consultant to guide health care providers through the planning and evaluation process for building new facilities, which helped the company get awarded project management contracts for the construction projects.
“We rolled all of those services into a strategic planning group, and we were out in front of the market,” Hammes said.
That approach led Hammes Co. to become the industry leader. For 19 years, it has been ranked as the nation’s top health care facility developer by Modern Healthcare’s Construction & Design Survey.
The company also became a major player in sports facility development. It started in the 1990s when UW-Madison was working on plans for the Kohl Center. The project was behind schedule and over budget. The state turned to the private sector to manage it, and, through an
JON HAMMES
RFP process, Hammes Co. was selected.
“I guess the thought was if we could build a high-rise office building or a hospital, we should be able to take those same fundamental disciplines and apply it to a sporting facility,” Hammes said.
After the completion of the Kohl Center, Hammes Co. became project manager for several other major sports facility projects, including Ford Field for the Detroit Lions, the expansion of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, MetLife Stadium for the New York Giants and New York Jets and U.S. Bank Stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.
Hammes Co. also launched a private equity fund in 2014 to raise capital for health care real estate investment and development. The fund was necessary to help it compete with large real estate investment trusts. The company initially raised $400 million for the fund and three years later raised another $700 million. The money mostly came from state pension funds. By leveraging it with debt, the company generated more than $3 billion for its health care real estate investments and developments.
“It’s been a significant game-changer for our organization,” Hammes said.
The fund is an example of how the company has remained nimble and innovative.
“We’ve always embraced the idea of staying ahead of the market a little bit and looking at our own bundle of services and realizing internally where we need to change,” Hammes said.
Hammes Co. has completed a staggering number of projects over its 30 years in business.
Hammes also said he’s grateful for mentors including Trammell Crow, whom he described as “a second father to me,” and James Graaskamp, professor and real estate department chair at UW-Madison.
At Graaskamp’s urging, Hammes taught at UW-Madison for a time. He has served on several education-related boards including Teach for America, Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association, Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
“I think we have a responsibility to help others,” Hammes said. “It’s been a fun ride. It’s been a very rewarding career. There’s been a number of mentors and role models. … I feel very fortunate.
Dan Katt, co-founder of Good City Brewing
GOOD CITY BREWING and its co-founder Dan Katt are not shy when it comes to taking risks.
In 2018, the company took a chance on the Century City Business Park on Milwaukee’s northwest side. An ownership group led by Katt bought the 53,000-square-foot Century City 1 building, where the brewery moved some of its operations.
“We saw great potential for the site and future development and just felt like we could play a small part in getting the ball rolling,” Katt said.
His partners were on board with the move. The decision meant that Good City had found the modern warehouse space it was seeking. It also meant the company would be a catalyst to bring
DAN KATT
investment in a part of the city that badly needs it.
“We always intended the name ‘Good City’ to speak to all of Milwaukee, not just the East Side where we started, or downtown where we were expanding, but also the northwest side or wherever people call home,” Katt said.
To be sure, the business park has been slow to develop. But the future appears brighter.
After five years, the Century City 1 building is now finally fully leased. Katt has now filed plans to develop a similar facility next door. He said the high demand for modern industrial space in Milwaukee outpaces supply. Users also want immediate access to a dense labor pool.
“Our hope is that we can continue to build momentum to attract businesses who care deeply about Milwaukee and who see value in being at Century City like we do,” Katt said.
Beyond that, Good City has seized another opportunity in Wauwatosa amid the COVID-19 pandemic, recently opening a taproom at the Mayfair Collection. At the time of the announcement, Katt said he and his colleagues thought they were crazy for even entertaining the idea, given the challenges surrounding the pandemic.
But that’s what has defined Good City since its founding: its willingness to take calculated risks. Katt said he’d like to see more people in the community do the same.
“My hope for Milwaukee would be to see more individuals taking risks, more people leaving comfy jobs to bet on (themselves) and start a new business,” he said. “For businesses, I am no expert or business genius, but I think the ‘risk’ should be to bet on our community here in Milwaukee, in southeast Wisconsin. Invest here, get really involved, put down roots and keep investing so our money stays here and is recycled into all sorts of economic prosperity for the entire region.”
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FINDING HARMONY IN A NEW HOME.
Dr. Indrajit Choudhuri
Founder and chief executive officer
MediCardia Health Inc.
Mequon (fully remote) medicardiahealth.com DR. INDRAJIT CHOUDHURI hadn’t set out to launch a company.
But, as an electrophysiologist with the Froedtert South Medical Group, he saw a problem in the health care industry that needed a solution.
Patient data is often housed across various platforms, requiring specialists like Choudhuri to log onto several portals to seek out a full picture of a patient’s medical information. Electronic health record platforms house a lot of information, but they aren’t comprehensive.
“Using the systems that we use today, the information is scattered all over the place. On a patient-by-patient basis, I never had a great sense of confidence that I wasn’t missing something,” he said.
DR. INDRAJIT CHOUDHURI Choudhuri began developing in 2017 the idea for what would become MediCardia – a digital health platform designed to aggregate, organize and operationalize comprehensive clinical data for clinicians.
Initially bootstrapped by Choudhuri, the company incorporated in 2020, received its first round of angel funding that year, and has since raised a $3 million seed round. MediCardia, which is in Verona-based Epic Systems’ App Orchard platform, is now focused on bringing the product to market.
In a change-averse industry, Choudhuri said his company is focused on innovating to improve patient care, reduce provider burnout and lower costs.
“Changing the industry is what’s required,” he said. Millennium is one of the fastest growing companies in America and has been named to the Inc. 5000 list six times.
“Like so many entrepreneurs, having the mindset that no one can do this better than me drove the first 10 years of the business,” Kyle said. “(But) learning that allowing (employees) to do what they are good at gives them a sense of purpose and self-accountability that has resulted in explosive growth for Millennium and our whole team.
“We encourage everyone in the organization to be curious. Don’t just sell products and services, listen to the clients and find ways to help them meet their vision of success. Allowing and promoting curiosity allows a business as simple as a material distributor to be innovative and grow at levels that far exceed industry trends.”
James Kyle
Chief executive officer and founder Millennium 120 S. Wright St., Delavan Mymillenium.us
JAMES KYLE
THIS YEAR, Delavan-based Millennium broke ground on a new 75,000-square-foot office and warehouse that will serve as the rapidly growing fiber optic network materials distributor’s new headquarters.
The company was founded by James Kyle. Since 2004, he has led his team to acquire and develop a network of warehouses and services to help its clients plan, finance and build communications networks.
“We offer enterprise-level resources to growing fiber optic network owners,” Kyle said. “Whether it’s engineering, financing their projects, extending capital equipment rental options or managing their materials, we help our clients connect homes to their network faster and at a lower cost per home passed.”
The Right Ingredients Make All the Difference
Reinhart's multi-disciplinary food and beverage team delivers a full complement of legal services to the food and beverage industry. We understand the unique challenges you face. Our attorneys have the experience necessary to guide you through the regulatory maze, keep you updated on trends and emerging issues, protect your hard-earned assets, and minimize your risk and liability.
reinhartlaw.com · 414.298.1000 Ryan Povlick
Founder
Scratch Ice Cream 1818B N. Farewell Ave., Milwaukee (production facility) RYAN AND JUSTIN POVLICK scratchicecream.com Earlier this year, Scratch landed a contract to sell its products across WHEN MILWAUKEE-BASED Scratch Sendik’s Food Market’s 16-store footprint. Ice Cream launched in 2016, its hand- The deal was a major milestone, espepacked pints of small-batch ice cream cially as business recovered from the were sold out of display freezers at a few COVID-19 pandemic. frozen yogurt shops in the area. But as challenging as it was for
Today, the company’s retail footprint Scratch and other local businesses, Povlick spans 50 locations across southeastern believes the pandemic spurred the startWisconsin, including restaurants, grocery up’s breakthrough. stores and storefronts at Zócalo food truck “The day after we were forced to shut park and Crossroads Collective food hall. down our dine-in at our shop, we launched
Founder Ryan Povlick took interest a door delivery service, called Care Packs,” in ice cream production early in his re- he said. “It took off on social media, and covery from a heroin addiction. Working we got a lot of exposure to people that for his aunt and uncle’s frozen yogurt never heard of our brand.” business, Yo Mama!, he spent off time While delivery sales carried the busilearning and developing recipes from ness through those early months, it was scratch. Povlick owns the business with the newfound brand awareness that has his brother Justin Povlick. fueled Scratch’s growth.
