As Milwaukee’s Managing Partner, I am committed to ensuring Foley continues its tradition of vigorous involvement in our business, civic, and charitable communities, as well as our duty to make Milwaukee an even more diverse and vibrant place to live, work, and play.”
Founded in Milwaukee 180 years ago, Foley has grown to become an ‘AmLaw 50’ firm with 1,100 attorneys in 25 offices around the world. The firm’s largest office, Milwaukee offers comprehensive legal services to a broad range of clients, including relationships that date back more than a century. Our deep commitment to service extends to the community where we live, and our 300+ attorneys and business professionals in Milwaukee support dozens of organizations through pro bono and volunteer work. For more information about Foley, please contact: Andy Wronski | Managing Partner | awronski@foley.com FOLEY.COM
WELCOME TO BIZTIMES MEDIA’S WISCONSIN 275, profiling the most influential business leaders in Wisconsin. We looked across all industry sectors, including for-profit privately owned and public companies, nonprofit and government organizations. Inspired by our colleagues at business media companies throughout the country, we were committed to doing something no other publisher had attempted to do here in Wisconsin.
The selection process for this publication began several months ago and was the biggest undertaking our team has worked on in our 27-plus years in business. We originally set out to feature 250 leaders but settled on 275. To no one’s surprise, with the many thousands of influential leaders throughout the state, we discovered that it was extremely difficult to even limit the number to 275. Advertising played no role in our selections. Thank you to the individuals who shared insight and responses to our questions during the reporting process. For more details on our methodology for Wisconsin 275, please turn to page 119. We trust that you will know and recognize many of the individuals profiled and the companies or organizations they represent. We know there are many leaders who were not included in this edition, and perhaps some selections you may disagree with. You’ll notice a heavier concentration of leaders from the larger markets, including the greater Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison areas.
In Wisconsin 275, you’ll find thoughtful insights, leadership philosophies and even personal details. One of our goals is to introduce these leaders to the Wisconsin business community in a way that’s more personal. Ultimately, we want to help you get to know them. Greater familiarity with each other – especially across different industries and regions – builds trust and a greater willingness to collaborate with
one another to ultimately grow the statewide economy.
Those of you in southeastern Wisconsin know us best as a locally owned company, founded in 1995. We publish a print magazine, BizTimes Milwaukee, 18 times a year and a business news website, BizTimes.com, featuring daily coverage of the greater Milwaukee business community. Over the years, we’ve had additional statewide focus with our annual STUFF publication, a print and online initiative for high school and tech school students focused on careers in manufacturing and the trades; and Innovate Wisconsin and WisconsinBiz, which were annual economic development publications.
I would like to thank our staff editors Andrew Weiland, Arthur Thomas and Maredithe Meyer and project writer Lauren Anderson for their efforts on this endeavor. Thanks also goes to designers Alex Schneider and Meredith Jensen and everyone behind the scenes, including Mary Ernst, Linda Crawford and our sales team. Lastly, I want to certainly acknowledge and thank our advertisers for their support in making Wisconsin 275 possible.
If you have any comments, recommendations or suggestions for who to feature in our 2024 edition of Wisconsin 275, you can reach me at dan.meyer@biztimes.com.
Dan Meyer, founder and publisher BizTimes Media
Abele, Chris 32
Adams, Todd 80
Aldana, Michael 20
Alexander, Joseph 114
Allen , Debbie 68
Anderson, Kevin 9
Andrabi, Imran 43
Anthony, Ruben 96
Ariens, Dan 80
Atwell, Bob 9
Auricchio, Errico 76
Bader, Daniel 96
Bakke, James 80 Barrett, Rick 114
Barry III, Jim 114
Bartolotta, Paul 53
Battle, Todd 112
Bauer, Kurt 112
Baumann, Wendy 9
Baumgartner, Donald 68 Bechthold, Kurt 108
Behan, Gerry 76
Bergstrom, John 104
Binkowski , Brad 114 Black, Shari 50
Blain Gilbertson, Jane 104
Bockhorst, Ken 80
Boldt, Tom 108
Bonney, Luke 32 Booth, Steve 9
Bordignon, Fabio 81
Brandon, Zach 112
Brennan, Joel 96
Brooks, Marty 50
Bugher, Mark 26
Burke, John 81
Butman, Jim 26
Carey, Deb 76
Censky, Ellen 56
Chang, Tina 34
Col Ó n , H É ctor 96
Conroy, Kevin 32
Coquard, Philippe 76
Corn, Ronald 50
Cullen/Cullen Schultz, George and Jeannie 108
Culver, Craig 53 Dahlhauser, Christine 18 Daniels Jr., John 68 Daniels jr., Ned 50
Daniels-Carter, Valerie 68 Davis, Dr. Robert 56 DeLong, Bo 88
DeLuca, Deb 88
Dickman, Craig 32
DiStefano, P.J. 18
DoAmaral, Amanda 33
Dranzik, Brian 88 Drees, Christopher 81
Dunford, Ron 77
Eberle, Paul 20
Einhorn, Stephen 37
El-Amin, Khalif 33 El-Amin, Que 115 English, Pat 10
Enos, Jill 33
Fallucca, Giacomo 77
Faulkner, Judy 35
Feigin, Peter 55
Fields, Jason 112
Foy, Morna 92
Franco, Jorge 113
Frautschi, W. Jerome 97
Friedel, Matthew 37
Fuller, Howard 69
Garcia-Thomas, Cristy 43
Gee, Rev. Alex 97
Gentine, Jeff 77
Gentine, Louie 77
Getz, Jalem 104
Gilligan, Ellen 97
Gimbel, Frank 69
Goller, Chris 10
Gorman, Gary 115
Graber, Richard 97
Gresens, Kurt 19
Gruber, David 21
Gruenewald, Emily 51 Guthrie, Dana 37 Habelman Jr., Ray 102 Haen, Dean 88 Hall, Eve 98 Hallberg, Jackie 98 Halmstad, Zach 35 Hamerlik, Mike 60 Hammes, Jon 115 Harmening, Andrew 10 Hattersley, Gavin 78 Hendricks, Diane 108 Heywood, Matt 43 Hill, Tehassi 51 Hillis, Robert 43 Hinton, Dustin 60 Holst, Bill 26 Horne, Jonathon 37 Hovde, Eric 115 Hughes, Missy 26 Hunzinger, John 109 Irgens, Mark 116 Iverson, Erik 33 Jacobson, Cathy 45 Jagdfeld , Aaron 81 Jeffers, Josh 116 Jelen, Adam 109 Jendusa, Jerry 27 Johnson Ken 38 Johnson, Fisk 82 Johnson, Michael 98 Johnson-Leipold, Helen 82 Jones, Kimberly 88 Kacmarcik, Jim 82 Kaplan, Dr. Alan 45 Keane, Tim 38 Kellner, Ted 69 Kertscher, Mike 55 Kirgues, Joe 34 Kissinger , John 117 Klappa, Gale 74 Klein, Rick 45 Kohl, Herb 69 Kohler, David 82 Kotek, Jim 83 Krentz, Kevin 102 Kress, William 83 Krutz, David 21 LaConte, Cynthia 45 LaMue, Barb 113 Landowski, Lyle 117 Larsen, John 74 Lauber, Scott 75 Leinenkugel, Dick 78 Lindner, Amy 98 Link, Troy 79 Linton, William 35 Listecki, Most Rev. Jerome 99 Liu, Jason 35 Lovell, Michael 92 Lovern, Susan 22 Lubar, David 10 Lubar, Sheldon 70
Mack, Jay 11 Mandel, Barry 117 Marcus, Greg 51 Marcus, Stephen 70 Martin, Vicki 93 Martin, Richelle 38 McLean, Andrew 104 McPartland, Pete 60 Mellowes, John W. 83 Menard jr., John 105 Merrick, Stephen 83 Michels, Tim 109 Mills, S.R. 117 Mnookin, Jennifer 93 Molepske, Michael 11 Mone, Mark 95 Mooney, Mike 118 Moore Jr., Elmer 27 Moret, Blake 84 Murphy, Emmy 118 Murphy, Mark 55 Murphy, Scott 60 Neis, John 38 Nettles, Cory 12 Nobile, Paul 62 Nunemaker, Andy 36 Nwagbaraocha, Ugo 110 Oldenburg, Wayne 84 Oliver, George 84 Orr, Albert 22 Paetsch, Jim 113 Pavelski, Jeremie and Alicia 102 Pelton, Jack 56 Pfeifer, John 84 Pierce, Robert 103 Pinkham, Louis 84 Plant, Joel 51 Poirier, Richard 62 Polednik, Marcelle 56 Popp, Jim 12 Prising, Jonas 23 Purvis, Nikki 113 Quadracci, Joel 85 Ramirez, Austin 85 Ramirez, Gus 85 Rathgaber, Dr. Scott 45
Raymond Sr., dr. John 45 Reeves, David 36
Richman, Steve 85
Richtman, Tom 13
Riesch, Ken 62
Rinka, Matt 118
Roehl, Rick 89
Roth, AV 103
Rothman, Jay 95
Rourke, Mark 89
Rowe, Matthew 22
Rowe, Mike 75
Salzmann, Ben 62
Salzwedel, Jack 63
Sannes, Ross 79
Sartori, Jim 79
Sato, Samuel 105
Schechtman, Larry 22
Schimmers, Heather 46 Schlesinger, Rick 55 Schlifske, John 63 Schmidt, John 75 Schmidt jr., Rick 110 Schuler, Michelle 36
Seaquist, Kristin 103 Seifert, Kathi 28 Selig, Bud 70 Selna, Dr. Mark 64
Shaikh, Omar 53 Sheehy, Tim 113 Sherry, Bernie 46 Sias, Thelma 70 Smiley, Don 57 Smith, Justin 110
Snyder, Jud 13 Spano, Dave 13
Specht, Chrstine 54
Stanek, Mary Ellen 13
Stayer, Shelly 79
Steiner, Kevin 64
Stollenwerk, John 71
Strittmater, Terry 19 Swallow, John 95 Thome, Carrie 39 Thompson, Tommy 71
Thornton-Bias, Kathy 99 Ticknor, Jeff 14 Torinus, John 87 Trotter, David 39 Troy, Peggy 47
Trunzo, Robert 65 Turney, Dr. Susan 47
Uhen, Greg 118 Uihlein, Dick 28 Uihlein, Liz 28
Van Laanen, Maria 52
Viglietti, Stefano 54 Vincent, Chad 103
Voss Jr., David 111 Wahl, Nicholas 23 Wall, Terrence 118 Waller, Debra 87
Walz, John 95
Wanek, Todd 105 Westrate, Bill 65 Wheeler, Kevin 87 WhiteEagle, Marlon 52 Wicinsky, Garth 65
Widmayer, Chris 36 Williams-Smith, Peggy 57 Witt, Gary 52
Woleske, Chris 47
Wronski, Andrew 23
Yabuki, Jeffrey 28
Yehle, Jim 111
Zeitz, Jochen 87
Zeratsky, John 39
Ziegler, Andy 14
Zietlow, Don 105 Zimmerman, Mike 52
9 Anderson, Kevin 9 Atwell, Bob 9 Baumann, Wendy 9 Booth, Steve 10 English, Pat 10 Goller, Chris 10 Harmening, Andrew 10 Lubar, David 11 Mack, Jay 11 Molepske, Michael 12 Nettles, Cory 12 Popp, Jim 13 Richtman, Tom 13 Snyder, Jud 13 Spano, Dave 13 Stanek, Mary Ellen 14 Ticknor, Jeff 14 Ziegler, Andy
You’ve done great things for the Milwaukee community. Your recognition as one of Wisconsin’s Best 275 couldn’t be more fitting. We are thankful for your leadership, service and contributions, making Southeast Wisconsin a better place for all.
oldnational.com
IN 2019, Kevin Anderson was promoted to chief executive officer of the Wisconsin region for Evansville, Indiana-based Old National Bank. Earlier this year, he was named market president, assuming leadership for all commercial business banking group activities across the bank’s six-state footprint. Anderson has served on the MMAC’s board of directors since 2016 and sits on the boards of United Performing Arts Fund and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Kentucky CAREER ADVICE: “Always be willing to take calculated risk. Nothing significant can ever be achieved without the willingness to take some risk.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘David & Goliath’ by Malcolm Gladwell. This is a wonderful book that provides examples and reminds us that perceived disadvantages are not what they appear to be. A great reminder for all of us in life.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “Five O’Clock Steakhouse, the classic Milwaukee supper club experience. You can’t beat the Surf & Turf special – best in Wisconsin.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Old National Bank’s merger with Chicago-based First Midwest Bank earlier this year has been transformative. It brings our company directly into one of the largest U.S. Midwest markets and nearly doubles our asset size and banking center reach. Additionally, it has allowed our Milwaukee-based team to merge with the legacy Park Bank franchise, with its stellar reputation for client service and growth.”
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF VISIONARY OFFICER WISCONSIN WOMEN’S BUSINESS INITIATIVE CORP. | MILWAUKEE
IN 1994, Wendy Baumann assumed leadership of the 7-year-old Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp., a statewide economic development organization focused on supporting women, people of color and low-wealth individuals –groups that have historically faced barriers in accessing traditional financing or resources to build their businesses. Under Baumann’s leadership, the organization’s loan portfolio has grown to $23.5 million with 600 active borrowers.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “Spain – all of it, especially Valencia. I hope to die an old, lovely woman in Spain.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Cooking. I truly think of myself as a home chef. I cook daily and have dinner parties weekly. My dad and I have a cooking series, ‘The Dad and Daughter Cooking Show.’ It airs on public television in Sheboygan County.”
BIGGEST RISK: “The biggest risk is not doing something in life. We often regret the things we do not do rather than those we do. I like the Nike theory and tagline, ‘Just Do It.’ If I had to share my biggest risk, it was probably taking on the role of president of WWBIC nearly 29 years ago when I had four young children and a very safe and secure job. But I have never looked back nor found it a risk – and I am not bored yet.”
BOB ATWELL co-founded Nicolet National Bank in 2000. He led the Green Bay-based bank as chief executive officer until 2021 when he transitioned to executive chairman. Under his leadership, Nicolet grew to 55 branches, with locations in northeast and central Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula, northern Michigan and eastern Minnesota. In 2021, Nicolet made two acquisitions – Mackinac Financial Corp. and County Bancorp Inc. – which were followed by the acquisition of Charter Bankshares Inc. earlier this year. Atwell has served as lead director for the Ariens Company board and on the board of Hospital Sisters Health System, Great Northern Corp., Saris Cycling Group, Promotion Management Inc. and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. He is also past chairman and one of the founders of Relevant Radio, a national Catholic radio network.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Beloit College; master’s, Yale University
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Our home in Sturgeon Bay. I also really enjoy Spain.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The Great Recession devastated the banking industry and many of our customers. We faced our problems honestly, worked with our customers and came out much stronger for the challenges. I lost a lot of sleep and my hair turned white, but it was the greatest period of professional growth I have had.”
FUN FACT: “I have 11 children. It’s not as hard as you might think. God provides the strength we lack.”
BIGGEST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “We closed three acquisitions in 13 months and added a lot of new talent.”
STEVE BOOTH leads Baird, a Milwaukeebased international financial services company that posted record revenues of $3.4 billion last year. With roughly 4,700 employees, it is the second-largest investment management firm in the area. Booth also serves on the boards of The Water Council, United Performing Arts Fund, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, and Carmen Schools of Science and Technology.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Southern Methodist University; MBA, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
FIRST JOB: “Working at the biggest commercial bank in Texas in the 1980s. For five years, I had a front row seat in the boom and bust of oil and gas followed by commercial real estate. I learned that the highs are too high, and the lows are too low.”
CAREER ADVICE: “One piece of advice (former Baird chairman and CEO, the late Paul Purcell) gave has been really instrumental: ‘Strategy is not only what you do, but just as importantly, what you intentionally don’t do.’”
FUN FACT: “I was a drummer in a rock band when I was a kid growing up in the Chicago area. A couple of the other guys were pretty good, and we actually played a fair amount of gigs.”
BIGGEST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “A significant success is that Hefren-Tillotson, a privately held, full-service wealth management firm with a nearly 75-year legacy in Pittsburgh, agreed to join Baird as a wholly owned subsidiary earlier this year.”
PAT ENGLISH is chairman, chief executive officer and chief investment officer of Milwaukeebased money management firm Fiduciary Management Inc. He is also a partner and member of its portfolio management committee. With about $17 billion in assets under management, FMI is one of the largest investment management firms in the Milwaukee area.
English joined the firm in 1986. He has been the CIO since 1989, CEO since 2010, and chairman since 2017. He was president from 2001 to 2010 under the leadership of founder and then-CEO Ted Kellner.
English co-manages the $1 billion FMI Large Cap fund; some of its top holdings include Dollar General Corp., Dollar Tree Inc., Charles Schwab Corp., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Prior to joining FMI, English was a research analyst with Dodge & Cox. English is a member of the Milwaukee Analyst Society and is a chartered financial analyst. He is vice-chairman of the Bradley Foundation, a Milwaukee-based grant-making institution with about $850 million in net assets. He’s also served on the board of one of the Bradley Foundation’s grantees, Encounter Books. The book publisher is part of Encounter for Culture and Education and is focused on engaging in educational activities to “help preserve democratic culture.”
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Stanford University
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CO-HEAD OF MIDDLE MARKET AND LARGE CORPORATE BANKING PNC BANK | MILWAUKEEIN 2021, Chris Goller took over corporate banking for PNC Bank’s Midwest Region, a six-state territory. Previously, he was PNC’s regional president for Wisconsin for nearly a decade. One of the largest financial services institutions nationally, PNC is among the top 10 largest banks in the state by deposit market share. Goller is immediate past chair of the Froedtert Hospital Foundation board and a member of the United Community Center and United Performing Arts Fund boards.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and MBA, Marquette University; graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, University of Washington in Seattle
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “I love going to Zarletti‘s downtown (Milwaukee) and ordering my favorite dish, Bolognese with homemade pasta. Hands down the best.”
FIRST CAR: “A 1977 Malibu station wagon, which I shared with my twin brother. It had no air conditioning, the grill was duct-taped together and the heat sometimes worked. We had it for three years until it died.”
PODCAST RECOMMENDATION: “I love listening to the BBC podcast ‘In Our Time,’ which provides storytelling in an easy, simple format that allows me to just sit, listen and absorb stimulating topics on history and life.”
WHY YOU’RE EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “I think that blockchain has and will transform the way that our financial institutions operate, creating better, faster, easier and less costly results for consumers and businesses. It will be a win-win.”
Harmening PRESIDENT AND CEO ASSOCIATED BANK | GREEN BAYANDREW HARMENING joined Green Baybased Associated Bank in 2021 as its president and chief executive officer. The largest bank based in Wisconsin, Associated Bank has 4,100 employees with more than 200 banking locations in over 120 communities throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and commercial financial services in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. Outside of its Green Bay headquarters, the bank has corporate operations in Milwaukee; the bank purchased its downtown Milwaukee office tower in 2016.
The company reported $38 billion in assets, $29.2 billion in deposits, and $93 million in net income in the third quarter of 2022. Associated has grown through acquisition in recent years, purchasing Bank Mutual Corp., branches of The Huntington National Bank, and First Staunton Bancshares Inc., all since 2018.
Prior to joining Associated, Harmening was senior executive vice president, consumer and business banking director for Huntington Bank. Earlier, he was vice chairman of the consumer banking division of Bank of the West. He also spent nine years with U.S. Bank in roles within its small business and commercial banking divisions. He serves on the boards of Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. He previously served on the board of directors of the Consumer Bankers Association for 12 years.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, DePauw University; MBA, University of Cincinnati
DAVID LUBAR leads Lubar & Co., the Milwaukee-based private investment firm his father, Sheldon Lubar, founded in 1977. David has been with the business, which invests in middle-market operating companies, since 1983. In 2021, he was named chairman of Ixonia Bancshares, the holding company for Ixonia Bank. Lubar has sat on the boards of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, BMO Financial Corp., Baird Funds Inc., the Milwaukee Brewers, Froedtert Health, and other nonprofit organizations.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Bowdoin College; MBA, University of Minnesota
CAREER ADVICE: “‘Think for yourself and trust your own judgement.’”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “Hanging out on the shore of Lake Michigan in Oostburg, just 40 minutes north of Milwaukee. We read, relax, play games and have outdoor fires.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “I have been involved in the start-up of several businesses, beginning with writing the business plan. It is far more challenging to start a company that has no history, no employees, customers, suppliers, infrastructure, than it is to take a going concern and double or triple its revenues. I have had successes like Lake Express ferry and failures which are no longer in business.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Wisconsin does not have a statewide initiative or referendum process which, with the signed support of a sufficient number of Wisconsin citizens, would allow for a statewide vote to determine passage of a new law or repeal of an existing law.”
JAY MACK left an executive position with Racine-based Johnson Bank in 1998 to lead Town Bank, then a startup. The Hartland-based bank has since grown to more than $3 billion in assets. The bank, which is owned by Rosemont, Illinoisbased Wintrust Financial Corp., has raised its profile by expanding its presence in downtown Milwaukee and entering a 10year corporate banking partnership with Marquette University. Earlier this year, the bank announced plans to expand its brand in the Fox Valley area.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and MBA, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FIRST JOB: “I worked part-time as a bank teller in high school, which later on led to other opportunities. I learned that banking can be a great profession with a variety of challenging career paths.”
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND A ONE-YEAR SABBATICAL: “I would definitely travel. But first I would catch up on my sleep.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The Great Recession was an extremely challenging time. Many of our clients were struggling from the severe economic downturn. We had to work hard to support our clients and also manage through significant headwinds facing the banking industry.”
ADVICE TO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: “Have a long-term vision. Where do you want to be in five years or more? Set high goals. Have a detailed plan and work on it every day. Also, be a team player and look for opportunities to help others around you even if you don’t get recognized for it.”
Molepske PRESIDENT AND CEOMICHAEL MOLEPSKE was named chief executive officer of Manitowoc-based Bank First in 2008. Under his leadership, the bank has expanded into other Wisconsin markets, including Appleton, Oshkosh, Tomah, Ozaukee County and Waupaca County, and grown through a series of mergers. In 2017, the bank merged with Waupaca Bancorp., increasing its asset size by about $500 million and adding six offices to its footprint. In 2019, Bank First merged with Partnership Community Bancshares Inc., expanding its branch network into Cedarburg, Mequon, Watertown and Tomah. In 2020, the bank merged with Tomah Bancshares Inc., expanding its presence in Monroe County and becoming the third largest publicly traded bank headquartered in Wisconsin. In August of this year, it completed its merger with Denmark Bancshares Inc., parent company of Denmark State Bank. With the addition of Denmark, Bank First now has assets of about $3.6 billion, loans of $2.9 billion and deposits of $3.2 billion.
Earlier during Molepske’s tenure, the bank merged its insurance subsidiary, the Vincent Group, with A.N. Ansay & Associates to form Ansay & Associates – an entity now jointly owned by Bank First and Ansay.
Following the retirement of Bank First’s former president earlier this year, Molepske assumed that title in addition to CEO and was named chairman of the board.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; MBA, UW-Milwaukee
MichaelCORY NETTLES is managing director of Generation Growth Capital, a private equity fund focused on buyouts and providing growth capital to small businesses and lower-middle market companies in the upper Midwest. He founded the company in 2007.
Its recent acquisitions include Michiganbased Killer Instinct Inc., Connecticutbased AutoShine of New England LLC and Indianapolis-based Harrell’s Car Wash Systems Inc.
Nettles previously was a partner with Quarles & Brady LLP and served as secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. While working as commerce secretary under former Gov. Jim Doyle, Nettles is credited with helping negotiate a $500 million venture capital package, along with banking and commercial lending legislation.
Nettles is board chair of Black Arts MKE, which hosts the Milwaukee Black Theater Festival. He and his wife, Michelle Nettles (chief people and culture officer at ManpowerGroup), this year made a $50,000 matching gift in support of Milwaukee Film. The couple has previously supported Milwaukee Film’s Black Lens initiative. Nettles’s current board service also includes Weyco Group Inc., Robert W. Baird’s Baird Funds Inc., the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Associated Bank. He’s recently served on the boards of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Milwaukee World Festival, Teach for America, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, City Forward Collective Inc. and Usher’s New Look Foundation Inc.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Lawrence University; J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School
Popp PRESIDENT AND CEOJIM POPP leads Johnson Financial Group Inc., the Racine-based, family-owned holding company of Johnson Bank and Johnson Insurance Services with $14 billion in assets under administration, 1,200 employees, and more than 30 locations across Wisconsin and Minnesota. Popp was named president of Johnson Bank in 2017 and CEO of JFG in 2018, following nearly three decades at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
EDUCATION: MBA, DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
HOBBY/PASSION: “My hobby is golf, although I wouldn’t necessarily call it a passion. I love to play, especially with my wife, my boys or good friends. I (also) love to build things, fix things or design things.”
FIRST CAR: “I had a 1976 Volkswagen Rabbit. How long did I drive it? Too damn long!”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “I’m a steak guy, so any great steak place works for me. The Farmstead in Cedarburg is a favorite.”
usbank.com
usbank.com
FUN FACT: “Most know me as a banker for the past 35 or so years, but I actually spent two years from 1999 to 2001 running a small, podiatry supply business with my father-in-law. As a former banker, it was a great experience being on ‘the other side of the table,’ and I gained a whole new perspective. After a few years, it became apparent that there was one too many family members in the family business – and that turned out to be me! So, I went back to banking.”
Creating a world of limitless possibilities.
Creating a world of limitless possibilities.
usbank.com
usbank.com
usbank.com
At U.S. Bank, we’re dedicated to helping improve the lives of those in our community, because when people come together with a common goal, the impossible suddenly becomes possible.
At U.S. Bank, we’re dedicated to helping improve the lives of those in our community, because when people come together with a common goal, the impossible suddenly becomes possible.
Creating a world of limitless possibilities.
Creating a world of limitless possibilities.
Creating a world of limitless possibilities.
Proud to support BizTimes Media and the Wisconsin 275 class of 2022
At U.S. Bank, we’re dedicated to helping improve the lives of those in our community, because when people come together with a common goal, the impossible suddenly becomes possible.
At U.S. Bank, we’re dedicated to helping improve the lives of those in our community, because when people come together with a common goal, the impossible suddenly becomes possible.
At U.S. Bank, we’re dedicated to helping improve the lives of those in our community, because when people come together with a common goal, the impossible suddenly becomes possible.
Proud to support BizTimes Media and the Wisconsin 275 class of 2022
Proud to support BizTimes Media and the Wisconsin 275 class of 2022
Proud to support BizTimes Media and the Wisconsin 275 class of 2022
Proud to support BizTimes Media and the Wisconsin 275 class of 2022
Member FDIC. ©2022 U.S. Bank 736901c 4/22
Member FDIC. ©2022 U.S. Bank 736901c 4/22
TOM RICHTMAN has led U.S. Bank’s Wisconsin market as president since 2017 and is nearing 40 years with the company. Owned by Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp, the bank has enjoyed the largest market share among all banks in the Milwaukee region for over a decade. It holds about 37% of local deposits, according to the most recent FDIC report. Richtman leads company-wide efforts in Wisconsin and directs commercial banking activity in the greater Milwaukee area. Statewide, U.S. Bank has more than 5,000 employees. Richtman also serves on the board of Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconson-Madison; MBA, UWWhitewater.
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “New York City to visit our children, and Canadian fishing lodges.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “I left my job as a hospital pharmacist in 1981. I found the job enjoyable, but not fulfilling enough to do it for a long time. There was little room for advancement. I went to business school for two years and joined the business community. I knew very little about banking but joined First Wisconsin National Bank of Milwaukee in 1983, which later became U.S. Bank.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “Seeing what lies ahead for my children and the commitment to community I see all around us.”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT AND WHAT DO YOU ORDER THERE: “Golden Mast Inn, old-fashioned and the walleye.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO ANNEX WEALTH MANAGEMENT | ELM GROVEDAVID SPANO founded Annex Wealth Management in 2000 and has led the Elm Grove-based fiduciary wealth management firm as president and chief executive officer since. Today, it is among the largest fiduciary wealth management firms in the Milwaukee area, reporting $4.37 billion in assets under management at year’s end in 2021. Annex enjoys a large profile in part because of personal finance shows on 1130 WISN and 620 WTMJ in Milwaukee and on WHBY in Kimberly. Spano has been chairman of the board of the Financial Planning Association of Southern Wisconsin and president of the Italian Community Center, Festa Italiana, and The United Ethnic Festivals. He’s also served on the boards of Milwaukee World Festival Inc., the Historic Third Ward, Lakeshore State Park and Miller Park Stadium Board.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Milwaukee; CFP
WHAT TWO BUSINESS LEADERS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “1) Warren Buffet. I quote the man often. 2) John D. Rockefeller – not only the first American billionaire, but I would ask him about the freedom people enjoy around the world through today’s energy sources and how would he position his company given today’s environment.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT AND ORDER: “Balisteri’s Bluemound Inn. The spiedini is pretty darn good.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALKUP OR THEME SONG: “‘Money Talks’ by AC/DC. I know of a radio show with the same name.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Time is the most valuable commodity.”
JUD SNYDER is BMO’s senior executive for southeastern Wisconsin. Earlier this year, he was named regional president of BMO’s wealth management division, overseeing a team of wealth management professionals located across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado. Snyder was previously president of BMO Harris Equipment Finance for 11 years. Snyder joined M&I Bank in 1994 and moved progressively through the organization until BMO’s acquisition of the bank in 2011.
Snyder sits on the boards of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Teach for America Milwaukee and Froedtert Health.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FUN FACT: “I never planned to go into banking or finance. I was a Russian (and economics) major in university and thought I’d work in the foreign service. Banking was originally intended to be a brief stop after college to allow Russia to settle down. It’s a good reminder that we never know where we (or our kids) will end up in life!”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “I love being outdoors and spending time in the mountains. We typically spend time out west in the summer and get to Arizona when we can in the winters.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “A few favorites include Buckley’s (their Nashville chicken sandwich is amazing!), Morel, Cloud Red and Ardent.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Be present, ask for more and be willing to step outside of your comfort zone in your professional career. Sometimes embracing change and taking a risk on something new ends up being the most rewarding and engaging thing any of us can do.”
MARY ELLEN STANEK is currently responsible for over $100 billion in assets under management as managing director of Milwaukee-based Baird and co-chief investment officer of Baird Advisors. Recognized as a pioneer in fixed-income investing, Stanek has been named to Barron’s list of the 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance and was named Morningstar’s Outstanding Portfolio Manager in 2022. Previously, she was president and chief executive officer of Firstar Investment Research & Management Co. Stanek has garnered more than 15 awards for her civic and professional contributions in Milwaukee. She is past board chair of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, past co-chair of the Milwaukee 7, past president of TEMPO and a member of Professional Dimensions and Milwaukee Women inc. She serves on the boards of Baird Financial Group, Northwestern Mutual, and WEC Energy Group, as well as many nonprofits. She formerly chaired and is a trustee emerita on the board of her alma mater, Marquette University, and is currently co-chairing its $750 million campaign with her husband, Scott.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; MBA, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee PODCAST RECOMMENDATION: “I start my day by listening to the Wall Street Journal Report Podcast with Gordon Deal. It’s a great way to launch the day.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “At Firstar, leading a business and team through an acquisition and subsequent integration. Ultimately deciding to leave and start over. In hindsight it worked out extremely well, but it was difficult.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “All In Milwaukee, a college completion program that provides financial aid, advising, program and career support to high potential limited income diverse Milwaukee students to complete college, build meaningful careers and transform the Milwaukee community. Very impressive results and a game changer for Milwaukee.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Family time. I particularly relish time with our grandchildren (we have 4!). Fortunately, they all live in Milwaukee.”
JEFF TICKNOR manages commercial banking for BMO Harris in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Focusing primarily on middle-market companies, Ticknor’s group makes loans to manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, automotive dealers, contractors, agribusiness companies and professional service companies. Ticknor has been with BMO – previously Marshall & Ilsley – for more than 23 years. He serves on the boards of Madison Symphony Orchestra, Junior Achievement of Dane County, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and Discovery World. He is also an adjunct instructor in finance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Harvard University
FIRST CAR: “1973 two-tone V8 Ford Maverik. I drove it six years during high school and my college summers. I recall it being a very ‘cool’ car that had a little giddyup and was fun to drive.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “So many things. Travel with my wife and family. Attend a Super Bowl with the Packers winning. Golfing Pebble Beach, and Ireland/ Scotland.”
FUN FACT: “I ran the Boston Marathon in 1987.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “I am a banker, so by definition, we don’t take many risks. Having said that, we moved to Madison in 2000, and I became the regional head of commercial banking. The move took me from the comfort of the corporate headquarters. I commuted from the Milwaukee area to Madison for the majority of the year, our youngest son was born, we built a new house remotely, and my wife transitioned from her career as a teacher. While the year was stressful, it was a blessing for me professionally and for our family.”
Ziegler BOARD MEMBER, CO-FOUNDER ARTISAN PARTNERS | MILWAUKEE OWNERANDY ZIEGLER co-founded Milwaukee-based institutional investment management firm Artisan Partners in 1994. He served as managing director and chief executive officer of Artisan from its founding through 2010. He served as chairman of the board of directors from 2011 to 2015, and remains a member of the firm’s board. Today, the firm’s revenues exceed $1.2 billion.
Prior to founding Artisan Partners, Ziegler was president and chief operating officer of Strong Capital Management and president of the Strong Funds. In 2009, Ziegler purchased Erin Hills golf course in Washington County from its founder, Bob Lang, for $10.5 million. That same year, Erin Hills was awarded the 2017 U.S. Open, becoming the first course in Wisconsin to host the championship. Ziegler worked with the U.S. Golf Association to renovate the course in preparation for the event. Other tournaments hosted at Erin Hills have included the 2011 U.S. Amateur and the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. It is also scheduled to host the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Championship. It has been named among America’s 100 Greatest Courses and America’s Greatest Public Courses. Shortly after purchasing the course, Ziegler banned golf carts, mandating that Erin Hills become a walking-only course.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School
18 Dahlhauser, Christine
DiStefano, P.J.
Gresens, Kurt
Strittmater, Terry LAW
Aldana, Michael
Eberle, Paul
Gruber, David
Krutz, David
Lovern, Susan
Orr, Albert
Rowe, Matthew
Schechtman, Larry
Wahl, Nic
Wronski, Andy STAFFING
Prising, Jonas
CHRISTINE DAHLHAUSER was named managing partner for Baker Tilly U.S. LLP’s Wisconsin market in 2020. She also serves as the manufacturing and distribution team leader in the Wisconsin market; co-leads the firm’s family business strategy group, which consults family enterprises, family portfolio companies and individual family member matters related to business growth and transition; and is active in managing regional operations within Baker Tilly, overseeing finance, human resources, marketing, facility planning and operations. Having joined Baker Tilly in 1991, Dahlhauser has spent her entire career with the firm.
Baker Tilly is ranked as the 12th largest accounting firm nationwide. The Chicago-based firm has 3,900 employees including 400 partners. It has 850 employees in the Wisconsin market across its offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton and Janesville. In 2020, Baker Tilly acquired Talavant Inc., a Madison-based data analytics management consulting company.
Dahlhauser is on the board of directors of the United Way of Dane County.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
P.J. DISTEFANO is managing partner of the Milwaukee practice of the international accounting firm Deloitte LLP, overseeing its audit, tax, consulting and advisory services areas.
DiStefano is also a member of Deloitte’s Audit & Assurance Operating Committee and serves large public power and utility and industrial companies as the lead client service partner and lead audit partner. Deloitte has one of the largest footprints in Milwaukee among accounting firms, with 390 local staff and 150 CPAs. It is known for its annual Wisconsin 75 list, which ranks the largest privately held Wisconsin-based companies based on annual sales revenue.
DiStefano has also served as board chair of the Milwaukee Public Museum during a pivotal period for the institution. He assumed the chairmanship early in Ellen Censky’s tenure as president and CEO and just as plans for the museum’s new downtown home were picking up steam. In the past year, the museum has secured needed public funding for the project and launched its $240 million campaign to secure additional funding for the project. DiStefano is also a board member and past chair for the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute and vice chair of Marquette University’s College of Business Administration.
of Business, UW-Madison
KURT GRESENS is managing partner and chairman of the board of Wipfli LLP. The Wauwatosa-based company is among the top 20 largest public accounting firms nationally, with a net revenue of roughly $507 million and over 3,000 employees. Wipfli has grown during Gresens’ tenure through a slew of acquisitions, including the acquisition of three companies in 2021 alone.
Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FIRST JOB: “I grew up on a dairy and ginseng farm, which I count as my first job. I learned not only the value of hard work and humility, but also taking pride in doing a job well, building resiliency and the love of nature.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘Leadership and Self Deception’ by the Arbinger Institute. It reflects the foundational mindset at Wipfli essential for how to approach relationships and solve problems with and for our team members and clients.”
BUCKET LIST: “A visit to Normandy. I’m a World War II buff in part due to the sacrifices made for the benefit of the greater good. Seeing the beaches, cemetery and region I would expect to be an emotional experience considering the magnitude of those sacrifices.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Golden House Green Bay provides hope and healing for victims of domestic violence. Having served on the board of directors and seen the impact that the cycle of abuse can have on families, sometimes for generations, this organization is working every day to help the one in three women and one in 10 men affected.”
MANAGING PRINCIPAL OF SOUTHEASTERN
CLIFTONLARSONALLEN | WAUWATOSA
TERRY STRITTMATER is the managing principal of southeastern Wisconsin for CLA, which is based in Minneapolis and has 20 offices in Wisconsin. The firm is the Milwaukee area’s largest accounting firm, with roughly 300 local employees. CLA provides advisory, outsourcing, audit and tax services for clients in a variety of industries.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Coming back together after COVID. While not mandating office presence, we have adopted the mantra of ‘Better Together,’ whether in the office or with a client, while still allowing flexibility and structured or remote work arrangements. Technology gives us freedom, but you can’t replace all you can learn at the water cooler. Our company is better and stronger than ever.”
FUN FACT: “I bicycled across Scotland. Sounds adventurous, but Scotland is really not that wide west to east.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘Glory Days’ by Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Eschewing less risky alternatives, deciding to change my college major to accounting in my junior year, then moving with my wife to Harrisonburg, Virginia, on our last dollar. Outside of a sister-in-law who lived there for one year after we arrived, we knew no one. Things worked out fine and it was a great experience.”
von Briesen is proud to have Susan Lovern recognized in The Wisconsin 275.
Susan is the President and CEO of von Briesen and co-Chairs the firm’s Commercial and Business Litigation Section. She is recognized by Super Lawyers® in several of their Top List categories including Top 10: Wisconsin Super Lawyers, Top 25 Women: Wisconsin Super Lawyers and Top 25: Milwaukee Super Lawyers. She is also recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® and The BTI Consulting Group for her dedication to client service. Congratulations Susan!
President & CEO von Briesen & Roper, s.c.
IN 2018, Michael Aldana was named managing partner of Quarles & Brady LLP and assumed leadership of the Milwaukee-based law firm. Aldana has been with Quarles more than 24 years and worked previously as a partner in its Labor & Employment Group.
He is a frequent lecturer on employment, civil rights, educational and constitutional topics. He also regularly counsels employers on human resources issues, including layoffs and employment issues related to mergers and acquisitions. He has experience in defending employers in employment discrimination cases, wrongful discharge lawsuits, wage and hour claims, and union litigation in federal and state courts and before federal and state agencies.
Participating in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Leaders at the Front initiative, Aldana created a pledge detailing his personal and organizational commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Among them, he pledged to sponsor one diverse junior associate and one diverse new partner each year. He is also co-chair of Q&B’s diversity and inclusion committee. With 150 lawyers and 340 total employees in Milwaukee, Q&B is the region’s second-largest law firm. The firm, which also has an office in Madison, has provided representation in a wide range of high-profile matters, including Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation stem cell patents and the development of the $200 million Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; J.D., University of Michigan Law School
Eberle CEO HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP | MILWAUKEE
PAUL EBERLE has led Kansas Citybased Husch Blackwell LLP for the past four years. Eberle made his way to the c-suite of legal firms as a business leader and entrepreneur. He previously founded and led Brookfield-based Capital Data Inc. as its chief executive officer; cofounded Green Bay-based LaserNet Inc.; and was managing member of Milwaukee-based Capital Properties of Wisconsin LLC. He went on to lead Milwaukee-based law firm Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek SC as CEO and later was named CEO of Husch Blackwell following its 2016 merger with Whyte Hirschboeck. Eberle has announced plans to leave the firm in early 2024. Eberle has previously helped lead capital campaigns for Guest House of Milwaukee and the United Performing Arts Fund.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, College of the Holy Cross
FIRST JOB: “Egg route. I delivered eggs on my bike from a local farm to my neighborhood clients. I made $1 per dozen.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “With new offices on the East and West Coasts, and significant growth across all existing geographies, Husch Blackwell has moved from a strong regional law firm to a top national Am Law 100 firm.”
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN TO MAKE IT BETTER: “We need to honestly confront the racial, economic and educational disparities that are limiting our future collective success.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “I started Capital Data when I was 25. I sold it to my partners when I was 40. I started in law firm leadership when I was 44 and will leave when I am 58. Every start and every finish has risk.”
Congratulations to our Chair Emeritus John Daniels and Managing Partner Mike Aldana on being selected for BizTimes Media’s inaugural Wisconsin 275 class . Their long-standing dedication to the growth and success of our firm, our clients and our community inspires us everyday to live up to their high standards.
quarles.com
Michael PaulSINCE FOUNDING personal injury law firm Gruber Law Offices LLC over 35 years ago, David Gruber has become one of Milwaukee’s most recognizable figures, his profile boosted by the firm’s prominent advertising campaigns and memorable slogan, “One call, that’s all!” A native of New Jersey, Gruber moved to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University Law School in the early 1980s and went on to establish his firm in the city. Today, the family-owned Gruber Law Offices is run by Gruber; his wife, attorney Nancy Gruber; and their son, attorney Steven Gruber. The firm has over 120 employees.
Gruber has appeared for several seasons as a “mogul” on “Project Pitch It,” WISNTV Channel 12’s “Shark Tank”-style Milwaukee entrepreneurship show, which airs throughout the state. He’s also sponsored a cash prize that is awarded to winning entrepreneurs.
Gruber is involved in several charitable organizations and campaigns. For many years, he has served on the board and financially supported Operation DREAM, a Milwaukeebased organization that provides mentoring support for over 250 young men. He has also been involved in the Milwaukee Urban League and the MACC Fund and raised awareness for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Journey House, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee & Kenosha, Independence First, G9, Make-A-Wish, Hometown Heroes, Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation, Sojourner Family Peace Center, UW Carbone Cancer, LGBT Community Center and Feeding America.
An avid Wisconsin sports fan, Gruber can be seen frequently at sporting events, including Brewers, Bucks, Marquette Golden Eagles, Badgers, UWM Panthers and Milwaukee Admiral games.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Delaware; J.D., Marquette University Law School
DAVID KRUTZ joined Michael Best & Friedrich in 1990 as a summer clerk and went on to become managing partner of the Milwaukee-based law firm in 2008. A national firm with more than 350 lawyers and professionals, Michael Best specializes in corporate government relationships, political law/public policy, IP, and labor relations, among other areas.
Krutz has extensive experience in construction law, including construction lien law requirements, construction-related insurance claims, claims for extra costs, design-build contracts and systems integration disputes. Representing general contractors, subcontractors, developers and owners, he spends much of his practice time working on construction-related contracts and contract negotiations.
Participating in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Leaders at the Front initiative, Krutz made a public pledge in support of diversity, equity and inclusion at the firm. Among his personal pledges, Krutz has said he will sponsor at least two diverse professionals at Michael Best.
Krutz has served on the Brookfield Economic Development Committee and the boards of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Mount Mary University, Greater Milwaukee Committee and Junior Achievement of Wisconsin.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., Northwestern University School of Law
At Husch Blackwell, we believe the talent, knowledge and perspectives of our people move clients forward. We are proud to congratulate our Chief Executive, Paul Eberle, on being named to the inaugural class of BizTimes Media’s Wisconsin 275: The State’s Most Influential Business Leaders. We are grateful for Paul’s many years of servant leadership and dedication to Husch Blackwell. Under the guidance of his business acumen, we have expanded our impact and earned our reputation as an AmLaw 100 firm that embraces an uncommon approach to deliver exceptional value to our clients.
huschblackwell.com
Eberle Chief Executive511 North Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202 414.273.2100
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
SUSAN LOVERN was elected president and chief executive officer of Milwaukeebased law firm von Briesen & Roper, s.c. in 2020, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Lovern also chairs the firm’s commercial and business litigation section. In addition to its Milwaukee headquarters, Von Briesen also has offices in Madison, Neenah, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Waukesha, Mequon and Chicago. The firm has been retained in high-profile disputes including the demolition of the former Northridge Mall in Milwaukee and a case involving Milwaukee businesses’ claims to insurance coverage for COVID-related losses.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Northern Iowa; J.D., University of Iowa College of Law
FUN FACT: “I’ve twice been interviewed on television about Sandra Day O’Connor – the first time for a morning show while in the seventh grade about the importance of her then recent nomination to the Supreme Court, and the second time 25 years later in 2006 to discuss the influence and importance of Justice O’Connor’s tenure when she announced her retirement from the Court.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “I currently sit on the board for the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation. Libraries are some of our most important public and neighborhood spaces we have.”
FIRST JOB: “I sold advertising to businesses on a commission basis for a summer during high school and learned that selling is fun and rewarding if you believe in what you’re selling.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Door County; Northwest Montana; Arizona; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Europe; and any national park.”
WARE | WAUSAUMATTHEW ROWE was named president of Wausau-based business law firm Ruder Ware in 2021.
The firm has about 40 attorneys and offices in Eau Claire and Green Bay. It provides business, tax, employment, estate planning, real estate, litigation and trust services.
Rowe joined the firm in 1997 and has focused his practice on corporate finance and securities, commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions and related acquisition financings.
He was previously chairman of the board for Aspirus Inc., a $2 billion health system, and has served on the boards of the Dan Storey Foundation Inc. and the Victor and Helen Geisel Foundation Inc. He is currently vice chair of Greater Wausau Prosperity Partnership Ltd., an organization focused on economic development in the Wausau area, and a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic. Rowe also serves on Ruder Ware’s board.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; J.D., University of Minnesota Law School
HOBBY/PASSION: An avid reader who also enjoys golf and bow hunting.
AS PART OF a planned transition that had him stepping into leadership of one of Milwaukee’s largest law firms, private equity and M&A attorney Albert Orr was appointed chief executive officer of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Specializing in corporate/M&A, real estate, banking/ finance and labor/employment law, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren has just under 200 attorneys and over 300 staff.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Miami (Ohio) University; J.D., Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
HOBBY/PASSION: “I love to find new music, and I listen to a wide variety of genres. I am a long-time supporter of Radio Milwaukee and enjoy their 88Nine and Hyphen stations, and I use Twitter to follow musicians who have wideranging tastes, like Jason Isbell and Elvis Costello, and then sample the artists I hear about, hoping to find my next favorite.”
FIRST CAR: “1976 Ford Pinto. I drove it the last two years of law school and my first four weeks as an attorney.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘Let the Day Begin,’” a hit for The Call in 1986, but as a walk-up song I prefer the version by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. It has great energy.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE: “JobsWork MKE is a remarkable organization. Founded on the principle of grace with accountability, JobsWork MKE takes an intensive, holistic approach to helping motivated people overcome barriers to long-term employment.”
LARRY SCHECHTMAN was among the founding partners of Chicago law firm SmithAmundsen in 1997 and has served as its managing partner since 1999. In November, he assumed the role of managing partner of Amundsen Davis LLC following SmithAmundsen’s merger with Milwaukee-based Davis|Kuelthau s.c. The new entity comprises more than 230 attorneys and operates 12 offices throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. It is now among the largest 200 law firms in the U.S., based on domestic attorney count.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Illinois State University; J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “I know it’s not technically a restaurant, but my favorite place to eat is at Summerfest! I have attended Summerfest every year for 30 years, and it’s such a highlight of my summer that I would classify the various food offerings there as my favorite place.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “Anyone who knows me knows the answer to this is ‘Sweet Caroline.’ It has been my theme song for years, and I tend to sing it any chance I get. Our partnership might say they’ve heard me sing it one too many times.”
FIRST CAR: “A ’67 Mustang convertible, and I drove it for about two years until the back floor became rusted out.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Deciding to leave a comfortable legal practice to help start the SmithAmundsen firm with a handful of other attorneys and long-time staff. There was much insecurity and uncertainty at that time, but my partners and I truly thought there was a market for a firm that did things differently than all of the others.”
NICHOLAS WAHL has led Milwaukeebased law firm Godfrey & Kahn for over a decade as president and managing partner. With 146 local lawyers, it is among the largest firms in the Milwaukee region and specializes in corporate/securities, M&A, banking, litigation, tax, estate planning, environmental, labor/employment and other areas of law. Wahl is a member of the American, Wisconsin and Milwaukee bar associations; sits on the board of directors for TerraLex; is a police commissioner for the village of Fox Point; and sits on the board of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the board of visitors of the University of Wisconsin Law School, and the advisory board of Marquette University Law School.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Kansas; J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School
FIRST JOB: “Working summers on the graveyard shift at Fort Howard Paper Co. in Green Bay to help pay for school. I learned that work is hard and that I wanted a job which would challenge me mentally.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Your integrity and reputation are everything – always conduct yourself with that in mind.”
FUN FACT: “People seem to be surprised that I was a chemistry major. My concern is that they can’t believe I’m actually smart enough to have studied chemistry.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “I’ll change the venue to bottom of the ninth, up by 1 at American Family Field –I’m walking out to the mound hearing ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’ by The Rolling Stones.”
LAST YEAR, trial lawyer Andrew Wronski took the helm of Foley & Lardner LLP’s Milwaukee office, where he is responsible for nearly 300 lawyers and legal professionals. Wronski was former vice chair of Foley’s litigation department and president of the Milwaukee Bar Association. The largest Milwaukeearea law firm and one of the top 50 largest firms in the country, Foley counts the likes of Johnson Controls, CVS and Harley-Davidson among its clients.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; J.D., University of Minnesota Law School
FIRST JOB: “I delivered the Milwaukee Sentinel when it was a morning publication. I learned the satisfaction and independence that comes from a paycheck. I also learned the importance of customer service; my tips depended on it!”
FUN FACT: “Our family adopted Hank (stray dog found by the Brewers at Spring training 2014), and he remains alive and well in Bayside, Wisconsin.”
ADVICE FOR A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL: “Family first, always. You’ll never regret that decision.”
WHY ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE: “On the personal front, I am so excited to see what our four amazing boys become and what God has in store for them. And then, when they are on their path, sitting on a deck overlooking the lake in a little Door County retirement home with my amazing wife, Marti.”
Prising CHAIRMAN AND CEO MANPOWERGROUP | MILWAUKEE
JONAS PRISING has led ManpowerGroup, one of Milwaukee’s largest employers and one of just a handful of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city, since 2014. He leads all aspects of the staffing company’s $21 billion business, which spans 75 countries and territories worldwide. Prising is an expert in labor markets and the future of work and frequently speaks on both subjects. He currently serves as global board chairman for JA Worldwide and is actively engaged with the World Economic Forum. He is also a former chair of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and serves on the board of directors of Kohl’s Corp.
EDUCATION: MBA, Stockholm School of Economics
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “As a global community we face some big issues – addressing climate change, bridging the skills gap and unleashing dormant potential. I am an optimist and I believe that the combination of human skills, innovation and technology will help us solve these challenges. This is how we will reduce inequality driven by lack of access to opportunity and create a future that is better for the many, not the few.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘True North’ by Bill George.”
CAREER ADVICE: “To be a good leader you must be capable, have a bias for action, put others before self and have a strong moral compass.”
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN TO MAKE IT BETTER: “Wisconsin and Milwaukee, in particular, has a skilled and diverse talent pool that we need to do more to utilize.”
26 Bugher, Mark 26 Butman, Jim 26 Holst, Bill 26 Hughes, Missy 27 Jendusa, Jerry 27 moore, elmer 28 siefert, kathi 28 Uihlein, Dick 28 Uihlein, Liz 28 Yabuki, Jeffrey
MARK BUGHER served as director of University of Wisconsin-Madison’s University Research Park from 1999 until his retirement in 2013. Bugher is credited with helping develop the park into a hub for early-stage, growth-oriented businesses in the engineering, computational and life sciences sectors. The number of companies and jobs in University Research Park nearly doubled during his tenure. Today, the park contributes more than $825 million to Wisconsin’s economy annually and supports nearly 9,300 jobs statewide, according to a study from NorthStar Economics Inc.
Bugher formerly was secretary of administration and secretary of revenue under Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. He also worked for former U.S. Representative Steve Gunderson in the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
Bugher is currently chairman of the Marshfield Clinic Health System board of directors and serves on the boards of First Business Financial Services Inc. and Madison Gas & Electric Co. He is former chair of the Wisconsin Technology Council.
He is also a former chair of the Madison Economic Development Commission, a former member of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on State-Local Partnerships and was a member of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board.
A resident of Red Cliff, Bugher is a member of Bayfield County’s town of Russell board.
TROY BURNE GOLF CLUB | HUDSON CLIFTON HIGHLANDS GOLF COURSE | PRESCOTTBILL HOLST was billed in a 2018 Forbes article as the “world’s most successful caviar entrepreneur.” The third-generation Wisconsin corn farmer and owner of a scrapyard business is also a part owner of Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-Tech Co. Ltd., a caviarprocessing company based in China – the largest in the world. According to the Forbes article, Hangzhou controls 30% of the global caviar market, and the company sells its eggs to Michelin-star restaurants in France and New York City.
With a 24% stake in the company, Holst is its largest investor, Forbes said. Holst’s path to caviar entrepreneurship was winding and included a stint owning quarries in Wisconsin, the sale of which allowed him to purchase a then-bankrupt sturgeon farm in Hungary. He then bought a bankrupt German caviar company, which he renamed Desietra and helped turn profitable within a few years. That venture led him to the opportunity to launch Hangzhou.
This year, in Wisconsin, Holst purchased Troy Burne Golf Club in Hudson for an undisclosed price. The course, which was designed by architects Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry and design consultant Tom Lehman, was listed for $7.5 million at the beginning of the year. It has been ranked on multiple best course lists nationally. Holst now owns four other golf courses: Clifton Highlands Golf Course in Prescott, Wisconsin; and Gopher Hills Golf Course, Lake City Golf Club and Red Wing Golf Course, all in Minnesota.
PRESIDENT
JIM BUTMAN was named president and chief executive officer of Madison-based TDS Telecom in 2018. He has been with the Telephone and Data Systems Inc. subsidiary since 1985. He’s held various leadership positions within the company, including chief operating officer and group president of marketing, sales and customer operations. He also served as president of TDS Metrocom, which grew to a $250 million business under his leadership.
Last year, TDS Telecom surpassed $1 billion in operating revenues for the first time and exceeded 500,000 broadband connections. It has a fiber-centric growth strategy, with plans to grow to 1.3 million fiber addresses, according to Butman. The company is actively building networks in the Fox Cities, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Little Chute, Menasha, Neenah, Green Bay and Eau Claire. The company has nearly 2,700 employees, including more than 1,000 in Madison. It operates in 32 states.
Butman serves on the boards of TDS Inc., the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, National Cable Television Cooperative and the Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center. He previously served on the INCOMPAS board for many years.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; MBA, University of Wisconsin-Madison
HOBBY/PASSION: “Relaxing in northern Wisconsin, skiing, fishing, biking, golfing, and boating.”
MISSY HUGHES was appointed in 2019 by Gov. Tony Evers as secretary and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The publicprivate agency, established by former Gov. Scott Walker, is responsible for executing a statewide economic development strategy, courting businesses to Wisconsin and helping existing businesses expand with various tax incentives and grants. Hughes’ tenure has largely coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, during which WEDC has provided approximately $240 million in assistance to about 55,000 Wisconsin businesses through its CARES Act-funded grant program, We’re All In, the largest direct-aid program for small businesses in the agency’s history.
Prior to leading WEDC, Hughes was chief mission officer and general counsel for La Fargebased Organic Valley, an organic food brand and independent cooperative of organic farmers. Founded in 1988, Organic Valley is the nation’s largest farmer-owned organic cooperative and one of the world’s largest organic consumer brands. She also served as vice president of the Organic Trade Association from 2013-2019.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Georgetown University; J.D., University of Wyoming
CAREER ADVICE: “Be a deal maker, not a deal breaker.”
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Willie Smith, of Northwest Side Community Development Corp., because he’s lovely and a friend, and because he reminds me of the work we need to do to really change Wisconsin. Gina Raimondo, the secretary of commerce, because she has eyes on the entire global marketplace.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “I had a great job before this one. There was no reason to leave, except the governor called. It has been the biggest honor to serve in this role.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Working outside on my 100-acre farm in the Driftless Region.”
JERRY JENDUSA founded New Berlinbased Emteq Inc., a manufacturer of aircraft interior and exterior lighting systems and aircraft cabin management and power systems, in 1995 and grew it into a $100 million company. He went on to sell Emteq in 2014, and the same year co-founded Stuck LLC, now known as Breakthrough Strategies, a business advisory company focused on helping small- to midsized businesses grow. Jendusa is also one of the majority owners and chairman of the board for Biocut Systems. Biocut Systems and Breakthrough Strategies will be the main tenants in a 77,000-square-foot facility that is under construction in Muskego. Jendusa is also co-chair for Scale-Up Milwaukee, a member of the UWM Lubar Center for Entrepreneurship’s board of advisors and has served as a mogul on WISN-TV Channel 12’s “Project Pitch It” show.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
HOBBY/PASSION: “Analyzing businesses, business leaders and their growth journeys; outdoors and the beauty of this great country that we live in; exercising and attempting to enjoy all aspects of life, each and every day.”
FIRST CAR: “Cutlass Supreme, which I bought from my best friend’s dad in college. I couldn’t afford insurance and drove it until it was stolen and stripped down. I was then relegated to a bike.”
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN: “Connectivity of not-for-profit organizations around business growth from startups; small, mid-size and large corporations; government and universities. This is an ecosystem project.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Kids for Wish Kids, Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin Mental and Behavioral Health. My wife, Becky, and I are extremely active in each cause.”
Elmer Moore Jr. CEO
ELMER MOORE JR. was appointed in April 2022 by Gov. Tony Evers to lead the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. The public corporation has a $3 billion portfolio and provides low-cost financing for housing and small business development.
Previously, Moore was executive director of Scale Up Milwaukee, an initiative of the Greater Milwaukee Committee that leads accelerators and programs to grow small businesses. According to his WHEDA bio, Scale Up’s efforts created over 1,400 jobs for more than 200 Wisconsin organizations and secured more than $60 million in new capital investments, under Moore’s leadership. He led the launch of Scale Up’s SPARC accelerator, which works with entrepreneurs of color and women-owned businesses that generate under $1 million in revenue. It now has over 125 alumni companies. Moore founded and ran his own VC-based business, Milwaukee Denim Co., for several years. Earlier, he worked for Allen Edmonds Corp. as its director of business development.
Moore also serves as chairman of the board for the Social Development Commission, a $32 million organization. He is also a board member for the Milwaukee Harbor District and adjunct instructor for Marquette University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the area of entrepreneurship.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Muhlenberg College; MBA, Columbia Business School
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RETIRED EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP. | APPLETON
RETIRED KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP. executive Kathi Seifert continues to wield influence in and outside of Wisconsin. She’s held board positions with SuperValu, Revlon Consumer Products Corp., Eli Lilly and Co., Albertson’s Inc., Appleton Papers, Lexmark Inc., the National Board of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, ThedaCare, Investors Community Bank, Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, and several nonprofits. She is also former co-chair and continues to sit on the board of New North Inc. Prior to retiring in 2004, Seifert led the KimberlyClark team responsible for global plans for branding and product positioning, R&D programs and capital investment for personal care products. Seifert has been honored as a top woman executive by both Fortune magazine and Forbes.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Valparaiso University
FIRST JOB: “My first job after college was working for Procter and Gamble conducting market research studies. (I) learned the value of consumer feedback.”
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Melinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott. Both are doing terrific work in giving back to the world.”
WHAT WOULD CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN TO MAKE IT BETTER: “Eliminate the income tax and become more diverse and inclusive.”
CAREER ADVICE: “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”
JEFF YABUKI led Brookfield-based Fiserv Inc., a payments and financial services technology company, from 2005 to 2020. He also served as Fiserv’s chairman from 2019 to 2020.
Yabuki led the company through a series of acquisitions and divestitures, nearly tripling revenue during his tenure as chief executive officer. Fiserv’s largest acquisition, a $22 billion all-stock deal to acquire New York City-based First Data Corp., closed in 2019. It was one of the largest acquisitions in the financial technology sector at the time, and that year Fiserv had $14.4 billion in revenue. The company has continued to grow since then, reporting $16.2 billion in revenue in 2021. It ranked #227 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list.
Following his retirement, Yabuki was appointed chairman and founding partner of Motive Partners in 2021. The private equity firm focuses on growth equity and buyout investments in software and information services companies based in North America and Europe. At the time of his appointment, Motive Partners said Yabuki would help the firm capitalize on the significant financial technology market opportunity over the coming decade.
This fall, Yabuki was named the Sheldon B. Lubar Executive-in-Residence at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Sheldon B. Lubar College of Business.
Prior to joining Fiserv, Yabuki spent six years at H&R Block and was most recently executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company. And before that, he held a progression of leadership positions over 12 years at American Express.
In 2021, Yabuki, through his family foundation, donated $20 million to Children’s Wisconsin to support several mental and behavioral health initiatives at the pediatric health system.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, California State University
Uihlein CEO ULINE
DICK UIHLEIN co-founded Uline with his wife, LIZ UIHLEIN, in 1980, and, since then, the couple has grown the shipping and packaging distributor to an 8,500-employee operation with an estimated $6.1 billion in revenue.
In 2010, the Uihleins relocated the company from Waukegan, Illinois, to Pleasant Prairie. Dick, serves as company CEO and Liz as president.
The Uihleins started Uline in their basement. They initially launched the company selling carton-sizers, which reduce boxes to a desired size. From there, the Uihleins went on to grow the company to become the continent’s leading distributor of shipping, packaging and industrial supplies, with a catalog of products 800 pages long.
Uline recently ranked No. 5 among Deloitte’s list of the largest privately held companies in Wisconsin, based on sales revenue. In addition to its Pleasant Prairie headquarters and Kenosha facilities, the company has distribution centers in Minneapolis; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles; Atlanta; Dallas; Seattle; Reno; and locations in Mexico and Canada.
In a 2020 BizTimes interview, Liz described herself as a “merchant” who is focused on Uline’s ever-growing catalog of products, while Dick focuses on the bigger picture and expanding into new markets.
Dick and Liz Uihlein each have a net worth of $3.8 billion, according to Forbes. Over the years, the Uihleins’ profile has grown in the state and nationally for their contributions to conservative political causes, having reportedly given over $190 million to campaigns in the U.S and been among the top contributors to GOP candidates and causes nationwide for the past decade. They were major backers of former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and president Donald Trump. A 2018 story published in The New York Times billed the Uihleins as the “Most Powerful Conservative Couple You’ve Never Heard Of.” They gave a reported $38 million in the first 18 months of the 2022 election cycle, ranking No. 2 among federal campaign donors for Republicans and No. 2 among donors overall, second to George Soros, according to ProPublica.
Dick is also president of the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, a grantmaking institution that supports civic organizations and political groups and causes, including the Leadership Institute, the Media Research Center, and the National Right To Work Committee. Dick is the great grandson of August Uihlein, cofounder of Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. in Milwaukee.
In addition to Uline, the couple owns EAU Holdings, which operates restaurants, a salon and a spa in Manitowish Waters.
Abele, Chris
Bonney, Luke
Conroy, Kevin
Dickman, Craig
DoAmaral, Amanda
El-Amin, Khalif
Enos, Jill
Iverson, Erik
Kirgues, Joe
Chang, Tina
Faulkner, Judy
Halmstad, Zach
Linton, William
Liu, Jason
Nunemaker, Andy
Reeves, David
Schuler, Michelle
Widmayer, Chris
Einhorn, Stephen
Friedel, Matt
Guthrie, Dana
Horne, Jonathon
Johnson , Ken
Keane, Tim
Martin, Richelle
Neis, John
Thome, Carrie
Trotter, David
Zeratsky, John
AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, real estate investor, venture capitalist, former Milwaukee County executive and philanthropist, Chris Abele has left a mark on Milwaukee in various and occasionally overlapping capacities over the past three decades.
Abele served as Milwaukee County executive from 2011 to 2020. During that time, the county’s mental health system was overhauled, and public-private partnerships helped drive down homelessness rates in the county. Meanwhile, efforts to increase funding for local governments went largely unrealized, and the county has had to delay maintenance of its parks, infrastructure and cultural institutions.
Abele was chief executive officer for seven years of the Milwaukee-based Argosy Foundation, a charitable trust founded by his father, Boston Scientific co-founder John Abele, and he remains a trustee of the foundation.
Earlier in his career, Abele co-founded and later sold SteriLogic Waste Systems, a hospital services business. He also founded and continues to run CSA Commercial, a Milwaukee-based real estate company that owns commercial property in Wisconsin, New York and Maine.
In 2013, Abele committed $10 million to launch CSA Partners, a venture capital fund focused on investing in early-stage companies in the Midwest. CSA was an early investor in gener8tor, Scanalytics, zizzl, Bright Cellars and Agricycle. In 2015, he and his business partners founded Ward 4, an accelerator hub located inside the Pritzlaff Building in Milwaukee.
Outside of his VC investments, Abele has donated millions to Milwaukee community organizations. Projects he’s recently backed included the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin’s new headquarters, Milwaukee Film’s renovation of the Oriental Theatre and Milwaukee Area Technical College’s free tuition Promise programs.
Abele was also involved in the founding of Milwaukee Film, Milwaukee Shakespeare Company, and Nō Studios.
KEVIN CONROY joined Exact Sciences at a turning point for the then-Boston-based cancer diagnostics company. After securing a licensing agreement with the Mayo Clinic in 2009, Exact Sciences appointed Conroy as chief executive officer and president and relocated its headquarters to Madison. Conroy has led the company as it has gained FDA premarket approval for its flagship product, Cologuard (a colon cancer screening product), built a massive lab and warehouse facility and closed on several major mergers and acquisitions. Earlier this year, the company announced a $350 million plan to expand its Madison campuses to accommodate its rapid growth. But in November the company said it would lay off 350 employees, including 250 in Wisconsin. Exact has more than 6,500 employees, about 3,500 of them are based in Madison.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Michigan State University; J.D., University of Michigan Law School
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “My wife and I did a cycling trip in Croatia several months ago. The scenery was breathtaking, and we enjoyed taking it in, along with the local culture, as we rode along the coastline.”
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND A ONE-YEAR SABBATICAL: “I’d work for the government in health care policy with the goal of making improvements to our health care system.”
ADVICE TO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: “I tell our interns at Exact Sciences not to overlook the benefits of being a good writer. By that, I mean writing both clearly and concisely. I learned the importance of that early in my law career when writing briefs, and it’s stuck with me ever since.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Travel to Africa and the Middle East.”
AFTER FIVE YEARS working for health care tech giant Epic Systems, Luke Bonney cofounded his own health care data platform company, Redox, in 2014. Today, Madison-based Redox is recognized as one of the most successful startups in the state. The digitization of health care has helped drive usage of the platform, which allows health care organizations and technology vendors to connect to Redox once and then authorize what data they send and receive from partners through a centralized hub. Redox markets its focus on developer experience, consistent data model and nationwide network as distinctions of the platform.
In 2021, the startup raised $45 million in a Series D funding round led by private equity firm Adams Street Partners, with funding to date topping $95 million. The latest funding round is being used to “accelerate product innovation, hire new talent, and meet widespread demand for its health data integration platform,” the company said in a news release.
Redox says more than 2,000 health care organizations and 350 health care software vendors use its platform to exchange and integrate more than 25 million patient records per day across more than 90 electronic health record systems. Earlier this year, Redox expanded into Canada.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Cornell University
TITLETOWNTECH | GREEN BAY CRAIG DICKMAN leads TitletownTech, an innovation fund formed out of a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft that builds and funds early-stage highgrowth startups. Through its first fund, TitletownTech has invested in 23 startups, three of which have relocated to Wisconsin. It aims to raise $80 million for its second fund. Prior to becoming managing director of TitletownTech, Dickman was chief executive of De Pere-based Paper Transport Inc. and Green Bay-based Breakthrough Fuel, which he founded in 2004, and served as vice president at Green Bay-based Schneider National. He also co-founded the De Pere-based venture capital and accelerator firm N.E.W. Venture Foundry in 2015. Dickman is chairman and owner of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, an owner of the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders and a director on the Packers’ board.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; MBA, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
FIRST JOB: “My first job was in retail – as an ice-cream scooper – at 14. I learned to work with a wide range of people and the value of showing up on time.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Key West, Florida, and several places across Alaska. Obviously, for very different reasons.”
FUN FACT: “I spent about three years working as a contractor in the space industry and was able to watch a rocket launch live on a lunar mission; see the first images coming down in real time from the first Mars rover, Sojourner; and see the first images of the asteroid Mathilde while a spacecraft flew by the asteroid.”
FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER Amanda DoAmaral co-founded student tutoring platform Fiveable in Philadelphia in 2018. The following year, the ed-tech startup was accepted into gener8tor’s 12-week Madison accelerator program, and DoAmaral and her two team members moved to Wisconsin.
The company, which established its headquarters in Milwaukee, has evolved over the years from an online tutoring platform for AP students to a more holistic social learning platform for high schoolers. With the shift to online school during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fiveable filled a niche by offering to help students stay productive and connected with their peers while at home.
In early 2021, the company acquired Hours, a virtual studying platform founded in 2020 by then-16-year-old Calix Huang. That acquisition allowed Fiveable to expand its capabilities for hosting virtual study groups.
And in the fall of 2021, Fiveable closed a $10 million Series A funding round led by Union Square Ventures with participation from Owl Ventures and Progression Fund. To date, Fiveable has raised more than $14 million from investors, including tennis star Serena Williams-backed Serena Ventures. “The way they’ve brought students in to help guide their roadmap is unlike anything I’ve seen,” Williams said in 2021. Fiveable says it has supported millions of high school students in the past four years. The company does not have a central office, maintaining a remote-work setup since its founding.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Boston University; master’s in urban education, Loyola Marymount University
KHALIF EL-AMIN co-founded the Young Enterprising Society with his brother in 2012. The organization supports entrepreneurs and provides STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) programming to Milwaukee students. In the decade since its founding, YES has worked with over 4,000 students in eight states through its STEAM program. Its YES Blueprint program, which provides up to $100,000 in seed capital, has helped launch and scale 74 startups since its launch in 2018. In partnership with Molson Coors Beverage Co., YES also produces the Summerfest Tech Pitch Competition, which annually awards cash prizes to entrepreneurs.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point HOBBY/PASSION: “My first love/hobby/passion was basketball. I started playing as early as I can remember and quickly fell in love with the game. As a young boy, I always had a ball with me everywhere I went. I traveled all across the country playing in various AAU tournaments and high school showcases. Through my hard work and dedication, I was co-captain of my high school team, which won back-to-back state championships in 2003 and 2004, and I went on to become an all-conference performer at UW-Stevens Point.”
CAREER ADVICE: “How you do anything is how you do everything.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘Touch the Sky’ by Kanye West.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Tracing back my genealogy and visiting Africa.”
MANAGING DIRECTOR TITLETOWNTECH | GREEN BAYJILL ENOS has been with TitletownTech from the beginning, joining the venture capital firm in 2018 as director of its venture studio. Today, she is managing director along with Craig Dickman. The joint venture of the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft is focused on funding early-stage (pre-revenue to Series A), high-growth startups. To date, it’s made 23 investments through its first fund and is working to raise $80 million for its second fund. Its five investment focus areas are sports and media, digital health, supply chain and logistics, advanced manufacturing and agriculture/water/environment.
Enos’ previous experience in the VC industry is extensive. At Green Bay-based StageThree, she helped build and spin out new ventures. She also co-founded and led Green Bay-based New Venture Foundry, an early-stage investment group providing seed capital and mentorship to regional startups, and the Fox Connection, a collaboration of regional public and private universities designed to advance entrepreneurial opportunities and support for college students.
Enos previously was vice president with USi, a venture-backed enterprise software services company that was acquired by AT&T. Earlier in her career she worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
She currently serves on the board of Green Bay-based telecommunications company Nsight.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Michigan State University; MBA, Harvard Business School
ERIK IVERSON provides the vision and overall leadership for the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the designated patenting and licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s research. Previously, he held leadership positions with the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program. He also was a founder and board member of Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines, a biotech company based in Cape Town, South Africa.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Gustavus Adolphus College; J.D., University of North Dakota School of Law; master of laws in taxation, New York University School of Law
CAREER ADVICE: “Bad customers drive away good. Whether you’re providing products or services, high-maintenance, difficult customers will consume an inordinate amount of time and energy, which will leave you with less time and energy to support and work with good customers.”
FIRST CAR: “A red Caprice Classic Chevrolet station wagon, which my mother handed down to me in high school. I drove it for two years, putting a massive number of miles on it as a pizza delivery guy.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Establishing Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines in South Africa, which was the first vaccine biotechnology startup company on the continent of Africa.”
FIRST JOB: “I had a paper route for a few years starting when I was 10 years old. I learned to be responsible to get my job done, interact with each customer individually, and that my father would drive me on my route at 5 a.m. Sunday mornings only if it fell below 50.”
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON alumni Joe Kirgues and Troy Vosseller teamed up in 2012 to found gener8tor, a startup accelerator designed to help Milwaukee- and Madison-based entrepreneurs launch and scale their businesses. In the decade since, gener8tor has graduated 938 startups from its 104 annual accelerator programs, and 34 of its alumni companies have been acquired. gener8tor has 140 full-time employees, accelerators in more than 41 cities with more than $1.2 billion in total funding across 22 states and two countries; and more than 90 programs and conferences among startups, artists, musicians, corporations and job-seekers. In Wisconsin, gener8tor’s programs have helped bring millions in investment to a state that has historically lagged in venture capital. Earlier in his career, Kirgues worked as an associate at Quarles & Brady LLP.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; J.D., University of Wisconsin
FIRST JOB: “Gilles. Never forget to make sure the shake machine is fully closed before you pour in 20 gallons of shake mix.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “A Yung Gravy song because he worked at gener8tor before deciding to make very unexpected music.”
BIGGEST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “Helping hundreds of people go from unemployed/ offline to employed/online through our Skills Accelerator partnership with Microsoft.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Taralinda Willis from Curate and Chris Campbell from ReviewTrackers. We have a history of celebrating founders who successfully build and exit companies from scratch, and we owe them a dinner.”
BROOKFIELD
FIVE YEARS AFTER joining SysLogic as its first employee in 1996, Tina Chang was appointed chief executive officer of the Brookfield-based information systems consulting and services firm. She is now also chairman and sole owner of SysLogic. During her 26 years with the company, she has led the spinoff of three startups, SysSpark LLC, Cyberspect LLC and WillBridge Ltd. She has won numerous awards for her leadership and serves on the boards of Weyco Group and Strattec Security Corp. and numerous nonprofit organizations.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Madison
FIRST JOB: “I did a stint as a hand model for jewelry catalogues. It made me recognize we all have unique and natural strengths we can play up and compete on.”
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “MC Hammer. I’d love to hear his personal story of how he made it big, lost it big, and what he would do differently (or not) if he could do it all over again. (And) Jeff Bezos. We started our businesses in the same year (one of us obviously did better). I would go year by year to understand who and what influenced him to make the next move, and what tradeoffs he had to make, both personally and professionally, along the way.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “Elsa’s on the Park. I order the Daisy Mae Burger with homemade chips 100% of the time.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE: “Running and leading a business as a female in a male-dominated business world. I’m still working through it.”
IN 1979, Judy Faulkner co-founded Human Services Computer, the health care technology company that would later become Verona-based Epic Systems. Launched in a basement in Madison with an investment of $70,000 from friends and family, the company grew to fill the 136th slot on Forbes’ 2021 list of America’s largest private companies. Epic’s electronic health records software is widely used in hospitals and clinics worldwide; the company says it holds the records of more than 300 million patients. Epic reported revenue of $3.8 billion this year.
The company prides itself on having built all of its software in house and having never made an acquisition; it also invests about a third of its operating expenses into research and development.
With her family, Faulkner, whose net worth is estimated at $6.6 billion, owns 47% of the company.
In 2015, she signed the Giving Pledge, agreeing to eventually give 99% of her assets to philanthropy.
Epic has had a massive impact on the Madison area, particularly over the past 15 years. It is credited with recruiting and helping retain young people after they graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, helping mitigate the boomerang effect in the city. Today, the company employs roughly 10,000 people, making it the second-largest employer in Dane County behind the university.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Dickinson College; master’s in computer science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
CO-FOUNDER,
AS A STUDENT at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2002, Eau Claire native Zach Halmstad co-founded his first company, Jamf. The company is best known for its mobile device management system, The Casper Suite (now Jamf Pro), which has been adopted by about 70,000 organizations. Among its users are seven of Forbes’ top 10 technology companies, including IBM. The company received a $30 million investment from Summit Partners in 2008. In 2017, the company was acquired by Vista Equity Partners, and Halmstad left the company. Today, Jamf is valued at around $4.6 billion.
In 2018, Halmstad co-founded Speakfully, an Eau Claire-based startup that provides an HR technology platform through which employees can anonymously address and report workplace harassment incidents. In late 2021, the company joined gener8tor’s 12-week Milwaukee accelerator program, which comes with a $100,000 investment.
In 2013, he co-founded Pablo Group, a hospitality company focused on building vitality in downtown Eau Claire. Among several catalytic projects, Halmstad spearheaded the $20 million renovation of The Lismore hotel, which he owns, and the conversion of a former Green Tree Inn into the boutique The Oxbow Hotel (of which he is part owner). He also helped raise funds for the construction of the $45 million Confluence Arts Center.
WILLIAM LINTON is founder, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Fitchburg-based biotechnology company Promega Corp. Linton founded the company in his garage in 1978 to provide restriction enzymes to molecular biologists. By 1981, the company had grown to 15 employees, and three years later, the company launched a joint venture to set up China’s first genetic biochemical manufacturing facility. The company has grown to offer over 4,000 products – including reagents, assays and benchtop instruments – used by scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical companies. Notably, its DNA IQ kit was used to help identify victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The company has more than 1,800 employees, about 1,200 of whom work at its Madison-area facilities. Its customers span over 100 countries, with direct sales and manufacturing branches in 16 countries. The privately held company has reported revenues of about $450 million.
In 2014, Linton founded the Usona Institute, a medical research organization focused on the therapeutic application of psychedelic medicine for mental health conditions. The institute is expected to soon open its new 93,000-square-foot building, located near the Promega campus, where it plans to conduct clinical research and trials. In 2019, Usona received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the potential of psilocybin to treat major depressive disorder.
Linton currently serves as a director for the Analytical, Life Science and Diagnostics Association; BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute; Bruker Biosciences; Eppendorf and Usona Institute.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of California, Berkeley
UNDER JASON LIU’S leadership, Wauwatosa-based insurtech company Zywave has made seven acquisitions and doubled its size since 2020. More than 15,000 carriers, agencies and brokerages – including all of the top 100 U.S. insurance brokerages–use Zywave’s platform, according to the company. The fast-growing firm has about 1,200 employees globally, including 325 in the Milwaukee area. Previously, Liu was chief executive officer of SAVO, UC4 Software and Univa UD.
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “South Africa and New Zealand were great places to visit, but the best of the best was Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘Lifespan: Why We Age- And Why We Don’t Have To’ by David A. Sinclair, PhD. He is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and a foremost expert on how to extend the span and quality of your life.”
CAREER ADVICE: “I believe the secret to success in life and in business is grit, which is resilience and tenacity coupled with a growth mindset. Never be complacent. It’s important to be open to new ideas, try to get better and find creative ways to overcome barriers through constant learning.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “My favorite Wisconsin restaurant is Harbor House. It is a true classic with the best view in Milwaukee. I alternate between ordering the steak and fish dishes.”
IN 2018, Andy Nunemaker sold Dynamis Software Corp, the West Allis-based sales software company he founded six years prior, to Illinois-based Applied Systems. He went on to hold a senior VP role at Applied, and today is chief executive officer of health care software company Groupware Technologies. Prior to founding Dynamis, Nunemaker was an executive at GE Healthcare and later CEO of EMSystems. In 2020, Nunemaker was among the group of investors who purchased Glendale-based Sprecher Brewing Co. from its founder; he serves as chairman of the board. He also sits on the boards of Northwestern Mutual, EmOpti and ConsortiEX. His current nonprofit board service includes the Milwaukee Art Museum, Sculpture Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Valparaiso University; master’s, Georgia Tech; MBA, Harvard University
FIRST CAR: “My parents bought a Pontiac Tempest from Ernie von Schledorn the year I was born. I drove that car during high school and kept it well into my 20s.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “I love Puerto Vallarta and try to go several times each year.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “I love photography and wish I spent more time pursuing it. In years past, I would walk 4 miles just to take the perfect photo.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Wisconsin has so much going for it. I would love to change our election process to try to loosen the chokehold the two-party system has on our state and nation. I’ve been a public advocate for five-forward, rank choice voting.”
MANAGER OF TECHSPARK WISCONSIN (MICROSOFT) GREEN BAYMICHELLE SCHULER leads TechSpark Wisconsin, an initiative of Microsoft that works to promote economic and workforce development in northeast Wisconsin through computer science education, job skilling, digital equity and access, and supporting the startup ecosystem. Some of its investments include TitletownTech, Microsoft TEALS program, CW Talent Ecosystem Youth and gener8tor Upskilling. Schuler is also a co-founder and state president of Women in Technology Wisconsin Inc., the state’s largest member organization of female leaders in the industry.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO. The culture that he brings to Microsoft is one that I admire. … Reshma Saujani, Girls Who Code founder. I admire her strength and power to build a nonprofit.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “My love for the outdoors takes me to Sister Bay, Door County; downtown Hatfield riding UTVs; and Pelican Lake hanging at the cottage. My mother’s Italian roots has my heart in Italy where I enjoy visiting family.”
FIRST CAR: “My father told me to come to the farm. He threw me the keys to a Ford Mustang. I went out to the car, walked back by my dad and threw him the keys. … I said, ‘It’s stick, and I don’t know how to drive it.’ He threw me the keys and said ‘learn.’ I drove that car for five years.”
HOW YOU’D SPEND A ONE-YEAR SABBATICAL: “Travel the world, finding the best local food joints along the way.”
IN 2015, Milwaukee native David Reeves joined OpenGov Inc. as its chief revenue officer. In 2019 he was named president of the Silicon Valley-based cloud software company and helped grow the company to over 500 employees and an $800 million valuation. In 2020, OpenGov opened a Milwaukee office in the Global Water Center with plans to create 100 jobs. Earlier this year, Reeves retired from his position and was named an executive-in-residence at Marquette University. He also serves as a chief advisor for Midpoint Ventures, a VC firm that builds products with and invests in AI-driven startups.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
CAREER ADVICE: “Hire people that are or could be better than you. Strong leaders hire strong talent and support their employees’ careers to reach their full potential.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “It’s hard to beat the Swinging Door because I have had so many great menu items there. … Recently, I have been loving their pork chop sandwich.”
FUN FACT: “My mom is one of 15 children, and her mom was one of 17. I think I am related to most of the south side. Also, my father is a very talented musician and guitarist.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “I am a board member for the Journey House, run by Dr. Michele Bria on Milwaukee’s south side. As a native south sider, I see the challenges of growing up on the south side without all the high-paying manufacturing jobs that used to exist there in the ‘50s to ‘80s. The Journey House focuses not only on children but on the whole family and helps people rise up from poverty through experiences and programs to become the best person they can be.”
CHRIS WIDMAYER co-founded Milwaukee-based software consulting company Penrod in 2011. The firm, which specializes in CRM solutions on the Salesforce platform, serves the health care, life sciences, field service, manufacturing and technology industries. Its clients range from startups to Fortune 500 companies. The firm was bootstrapped from its founding until earlier this year, when it raised $8 million from Salesforce Ventures and an undisclosed Milwaukee family office.
Widmayer served as chief operating officer until 2018, when cofounder Joe Taylor stepped away from the business and Widmayer became CEO. Widmayer is also involved in the Milwaukee startup and tech community, hosting and speaking at events.
Earlier in his career, Widmayer was an adjunct instructor at ITT Technical Institute and worked for Kohl’s Corp. as a systems analyst. He was an entrepreneur early on, starting a successful World Wrestling Federation news website while he was in high school in the late 1990s.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
AS FOUNDER AND LEADER of Mequon-based consulting firm Einhorn Associates, Stephen Einhorn participated in the sale and purchase of over 200 businesses. Shifting from investment banking to venture capital, Einhorn founded Mequon-based Capital Midwest Fund in the mid-2000s. Its investments are focused on revenue-stage companies, particularly those related to business-to-business technology solutions, software services, advanced manufacturing, industrial and health care markets. Its fourth fund closed in November 2021 with more than $41 million raised; it is targeting $100 million in total.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Cornell University; Master’s, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Thomas Edison because he was able to combine great scientific ability with amazing practicality. Adam Smith because he understood and explained how ‘the invisible hand’ guides all businesspeople to provide value to their customers, which acts as a protector against excessive personal greed.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Prague and New York City”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP THEME SONG: “‘Take a Chance on Me’ by Abba. Everyone wants to get a chance to prove their ability and succeed.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “To start a business and shift from a paint chemist to a merger and acquisition consultant. I knew little about M&A and had to learn by trial and error how to reduce my business mistakes.”
MATTHEW FRIEDEL is a senior lecturer in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies, co-founder of its Disruptive Technologies Laboratory and director of a new business innovation incubator at UWM designed to prepare startups for angel and venture capital funding. Separate from UWM, Friedel is a founder of angel investing network Milwaukee Venture Partners and an angel investor with Silicon Pastures Angel Investment Network.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; master’s and MBA, Marquette University
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “My goal over the next 10 years is to visit at least 100 countries. I have been fortunate to visit 30 amazing countries on my bucket list. Many more incredible places to visit and amazing people to meet!”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy.’ The book taught me true millionaires don’t spend on extravagant material possessions but rather they are relatively frugal and value people (family and friends) and experiences.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Run, bike, swim. I am a three-time marathon runner and four-time triathlete. I exercise every day for fitness and mental health. I love the Oak Leaf Trail, and you will see me on it daily.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “Egypt: Cairo, Luxor, and Abu Simbel. It’s hard to describe the experience of entering the Great Pyramid of Giza (3,000 years old) in Cairo, touring the Abu Simbel temples, and taking a hot air balloon over Luxor, ‘The Ancient City.’”
DANA GUTHRIE is managing partner at Gateway Capital, a Milwaukeebased venture capital fund dedicated to investing in pre-revenue startups. A software engineer by training, Guthrie raised $13.5 million within eight months, and the fund began making investments in startups last year. Health data technology startup Geno. Me recently launched its data exchange platform and relocated from Madison to Milwaukee as a result of Gateway Capital’s investment. Guthrie previously founded and managed Alchemy Angel Investors, an angel investment network focused on early-stage startups, while working for Johnson Controls.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Master’s, University of Illinois Chicago
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “I’d like to have multiple portfolio exits, resulting in outsized returns for our investors.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “We successfully closed our first fund oversubscribed with significant institutional support and have since provided seed funding to highly scalable startups led by founders of all different backgrounds.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP THEME SONG: “‘I’m the Best’—Nicki Minaj. It’s one of those songs that make you feel like you can accomplish anything. It’s a ‘hype yourself up’ song.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “The Color of Money: Black Banks and The Racial Wealth Gap.”
JONATHON HORNE leads the Idea Fund of La Crosse, a venture capital fund established in 2016 to invest in seedand early-stage startup companies. The Idea Fund was the first VC fund to receive an investment from the Badger Fund of Funds. Over its first four years, the $13 million fund invested in 11 companies across the state, with an average initial investment of $500,000. Its portfolio includes Madison-based Quiver Quantitative and Eau Claire-based Smartcare Software. Earlier this year Quiver closed a $2 million funding round, and Smartcare closed a $5 million Series A funding round. The Idea Fund’s first investment was Madison-based Curate Solutions, a technology platform that provides civic intelligence and monitoring services. Curate was acquired by FiscalNote in 2021.
This fall, the Idea Fund announced the launch of a second venture fund focused on pre-revenue startups. Idea Fund II has attracted $20 million in investment capital and aims to raise $25 million.
A La Crosse native, Horne previously worked in investment banking for J.P. Morgan in New York City. He is a board member of Marine Credit Union and Children’s Museum of La Crosse.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Lawrence University; MBA and J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
AFTER WORKING AS A CHEMICAL ENGINEER and licensing manager at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Ken Johnson went on to become a successful early-stage venture capitalist. In recent years, he’s dedicated his efforts to growing the state’s ecosystem of entrepreneurship as a partner of the Badger Fund of Funds and managing director of Kegonsa Capital Partners. Founded in 2004 to manage Wisconsin-based venture capital funds, KCP’s niche is being the first to invest $500,000 in entrepreneurial startups. In 2011, the firm partnered with Sun Mountain Capital to form Sun Mountain Kegonsa, which was selected to manage the Badger Fund of Funds. The Badger Fund is the lead investor in five Wisconsin-based VC funds managed by first-time managers. As of June 2022, funds under the Badger Fund umbrella have invested $12.5 million in 34 Wisconsin startups, and those companies have gone on to raise an additional $54.4 million from other sources. The Badger Fund funds include the $13 million Idea Fund of La Crosse, $11 million Winnebago Seed Fund, $10.2 million Winnow Fund, $13.5 million Gateway Capital Fund and $26.5 million Rock River Capital Partners.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; MBA, Illinois Institute of Technology
RICHELLE MARTIN manages the Winnow Fund, a pooled investment fund designed to back startups incubated in Wisconsin universities. The fund itself is backed by Johnsonville Ventures, MGE Energy Inc., Inventure Capital and The Capital Times. To date, it has raised more than $10 million and is actively making investments. Previously, Martin was assistant director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Office of Industrial Partnerships.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “It may sound small, but working by myself. I’m used to being in an office as part of a team, and I’m a pretty social person. This is the first time I don’t have coworkers to bounce ideas off of or to distract me when I need a break, or to commiserate about a tough day. I have to be completely self-motivated, and when there are a lot of things that need attention, I have to manage them all.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “I want to start a second fund, and I want to be able to keep a plant alive.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “I’ve been working with the Justin J. Watt Foundation for over a decade. I started as a law student in UW’s Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic, helping J.J. create the organization. I now serve as a director on the foundation’s board.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “Ha Long Bay in Madison. My usual order is the cà tím xào dòn (eggplant stir fry), with veggie curry puffs as an appetizer.”
JOHN NEIS has been with Madison-based Venture Investors since 1985, initially serving as the firm’s vice president and a director on its board and later becoming its managing director in 1997.
The venture capital firm provides seed, early-stage and growth capital for companies in the therapeutic, diagnostic, medical devices and digital health sectors.
Neis has served as a director on many of the firm’s portfolio companies. He currently sits on the boards of Cellectar BioSciences, Delphinus Medical Technologies and Health Scholars.
He joined the board of Third Wave Technologies, a diagnostics company that created tests to detect HPV virus, when it was a three-employee operation and served through its initial public offering. The company was later acquired by Hologic for $580 million. Neis also previously served on the board of TomoTherapy when the company had one employee and served through its public offering, which turned out to be the fourth largest health care IPO in the first decade of the 2000s. He’s also been a director on the boards of NimbleGen Systems, which was acquired by Roche for $272.5 million, and Inviragen, which was acquired by Takeda for up to $250 million.
Neis is past president of the Wisconsin Venture Capital Association board of directors and currently serves on the boards of the Wisconsin Technology Council, Morgridge Institute for Research, Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, among other appointments.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Utah; master’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business
HOBBY/PASSION: An avid bicyclist (5,000 miles in the past year) and cross-country skier.
FUN FACT: He has completed 28 American Birkebeiners and three other Worldloppet races in Norway, Germany and Italy.
TIM KEANE is credited with building one of Wisconsin’s oldest and largest angel networks and mentoring many startup founders. He is a director for First Business Bank and sits on the boards of several growth-stage firms. Earlier in his career, Keane worked for GE Healthcare before founding Retail Target Marketing Systems, now part of Fidelity Information Systems.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; master’s in education, Seattle University
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “(The late) Herb Kohler was a great leader whose creativity and willingness to swim against the tide is so self-evidently successful. Kevin Conroy, CEO of Exact Sciences, who has the ability to see the potential in an idea that was languishing and the ability to build a team that can fulfill that vision in a field that is obviously doing so much good for the world.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “I’ve had a photography business for a long time, which has taken me to a lot of wonderful places.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “Ca’Lucchenzo in Wauwatosa. The Balanzoni di Vitello is spectacular.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “(My wife) Mary and I are big supporters of ‘In White America: Kaukauna and King 50 years later,’ a documentary by Wisconsin filmmaker Joanne Williams. Secure Futures is a great example of a local not-for-profit making a big impact on many kids with financial literacy training, a core necessity for young adults. I’m glad to support them every year.”
CARRIE THOME leads NVNG Investment Advisors, a Madisonbased firm that works to connect corporate and institutional investors with venture opportunities. Last year, the firm closed on $40 million in its first capital fund of funds. Earlier this year, NVNG created a database to increase exposure of Wisconsin companies to national and international VC communities. Thome previously oversaw the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation’s $3 billion investment portfolio.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling’ by Edgar Schein, possibly because it was just given to me and is top of mind.”
WHY ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “Watching my four sons continue to develop and become successful young men. I am also excited by the idea of what we can build NVNG into over time.”
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN: “The perception of what is considered risk and to seek more acceptance of the concept that it is OK to try and to fail, versus not trying at all. To be innovative is to take risk.”
BIGGEST RISK: “Forgoing a continuing professional career as a chief investment officer, where I had success and a network and, instead, becoming an entrepreneur to build a new organization.”
DAVID TROTTER manages the Winnebago Seed Fund, a Neenah-based fund founded in 2016 to make seed investments in Wisconsin startups. Trotter is also managing director of the fund’s general partner, Winnebago Capital Partners.
One of several regional funds under the Badger Fund of Funds umbrella, the $11 million Winnebago Seed takes a so-called “Money for Minnows” approach to investing by seeking to be the first investor in a startup, and in some situations joining entrepreneurs to form new companies. As of mid-year, the fund has invested $7.5 million in 16 startups, including the Milwaukee-based health-care analytics platform Sift Healthcare, the Madison-based document narration and sharing platform AirDeck, the Milwaukee-based AI platform Socialleads, Milwaukee-based medical device maker RoddyMedical, Mount Horeb-based personal care company American Provenance and Appleton-based inventory tracking and asset management software Arbre Technologies.
JOHN ZERATSKY spent time working for YouTube, Google and VC fund Google Ventures before co-founding his own Milwaukee-based VC fund, Character, with Jake Knapp in 2021. After less than a year in business, Character announced in late 2021 that it had closed on more than $30 million for its first fund and invested in six startups. Among its first investments is Seattle-based Phaidra Inc., an industrial artificial intelligence company. In addition to investing up to $1 million in seed capital to startups, Character helps businesses find and expand product-market fit, using the so-called design sprint process Zeratsky helped develop at Google Ventures.
Zeratsky’s 2016 book “Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days” helped popularize the design and prototyping process. Zeratsky also co-wrote “Make Time,” a book about creating time and finding focus in daily life. Zeratsky is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop facilitator.
While at Google Ventures, Zeratsky worked with nearly 200 portfolio companies.
An alumnus of UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology, he now serves as an advisor to the dean and faculty of the school.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FUN FACT: He and his wife, Michelle, spent 18 months traveling in Central America aboard their sailboat, Pineapple, before moving to Milwaukee in 2019. The couple visited Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Cayman Islands.
We are thrilled that our very own, Dustin Hinton, has been recognized as one of the Wisconsin 275. Wisconsin 275 acknowledges the 275 most influential executives across economic sectors throughout the state. Thank you for making a difference — and for making us a better organization.
Dustin Hinton
President and CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin and Michigan Employer and Individual
43 Andrabi, Dr. Imran 43 Garcia-Thomas, Cristy 43 Heywood, Matt 43 Hillis, Robert 45 Jacobson, Cathy 45 Kaplan, Dr. Alan 45 Klein, Rick 45 LaConte, Cynthia 45 Rathgaber, Dr. Scott 45 Raymond Sr., Dr. John 46 Schimmers, Heather 46 Sherry, Bernie 47 Troy, Peggy 47 Turney, Dr. Susan 47 Woleske, Chris
ThedaCare is proud to celebrate Dr. Imran A. Andrabi being named one of Wisconsin’s 275 most influential business leaders. Dr. Andrabi is one of 7,000 ThedaCare team members who are inspired to create a healthier future for all. ThedaCare.org
DR. IMRAN ANDRABI took over as president and chief executive officer of Neenah-based ThedaCare in 2017. Previously, Andrabi was regional president and chief executive officer of the Toledo region for Mercy Health. With more than 7,000 employees, ThedaCare serves 600,000 patients across 180 points of care, including eight hospitals. In October, ThedaCare announced a joint venture with Froedtert through which the health systems will build medical campuses in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh. Construction is also currently underway on a $100 million project to modernize its Neenah hospital campus.
EDUCATION: M.D., King Edward Medical College in Pakistan; pre-medicine studies, F. G. Sir Syed College
CAREER ADVICE: “God has given us two ears and one mouth. Use it in that proportion.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “At the age of 24, I left my home and family back in Pakistan. I came to this country with my wife, a child on the way and no job. I was unsure how it was all going to work out. This is the essence of the American Dream. God has been super kind to me and my family.”
FUN FACT: “I was a lead vocalist in a pop band in medical school … ha ha!”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE: “The future is bright and full of possibilities. We must be willing to get out of our own way and let the creativity, innovation and change happen. This pertains to health care, our communities, our lives and the way we will live in the future.”
HEALTH CARE executive Cristy Garcia-Thomas joined Aurora Health Care as its chief experience officer in 2011. Following the Milwaukee-based health system’s merger with Advocate Health in 2018, Garcia-Thomas transitioned to chief external affairs officer of the combined system. In her role, GarciaThomas oversees diversity, equity and inclusion, community relations, and charitable giving for the health system. Previously, Garcia-Thomas was CEO of the United Performing Arts Fund. She currently sits on the boards of Delta Dental, WEC Energy Group, Greater Milwaukee Committee, the United Community Center, the Hispanic Collaborative and the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Kansas State University
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Right now, it’s working on getting Super Bowl tickets.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration’ by Isabel Wilkerson. It’s the story of the great migration of Black Americans out of the South.
FUN FACT: “I have a bit of a dance background. In my early childhood, I was the youngest of 36 first cousins. We had a family Mexican dance troupe that traveled the state of Kansas. More recently, I participated in Stepping with the Stars and won.”
A NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “The Aurora Healing and Advocacy Services. It holds a special place in my heart because I know the importance of the support this program offers to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. I’ve personally seen individuals thrive and reclaim joy following some of their darkest times after seeking out these services.”
Heywood PRESIDENT AND CEO ASPIRUS HEALTH | WAUSAUMATT HEYWOOD has led Wausau-based Aspirus Health as its president and chief executive officer since 2013. The nonprofit health system has 11,000 employees and operates 17 hospitals and 75 clinics throughout Wisconsin and Michigan.
Under Heywood’s leadership, Aspirus acquired Portage-based Divine Savior Healthcare in 2019, creating a $1.4 billion combined health system. In 2021, the health system acquired seven hospitals, 21 physician clinics and air and ground medical transport services – located across north and central Wisconsin – from Ascension Wisconsin. The ownership change added 2,700 employees to the Aspirus system.
The system is also currently building a new $15.6 million hospital in Ontonagon in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and earlier this year, it opened a new primary care clinic in downtown Wausau.
Heywood has served on the boards of the United Way of Marathon County, Woodson YMCA Foundation and the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
Before joining Aspirus, Heywood was executive vice president and chief operating officer of New Hanover Health Network in Wilmington, North Carolina.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Dartmouth College; master’s, University of Michigan School of Business
ROBERT HILLIS founded Milwaukee-based Direct Supply in 1985 as the first virtual distributor of medical equipment for nursing homes. Today, Direct Supply’s products are used in health care, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities throughout the U.S. The company is 100% employee owned.
Direct Supply partners with startups and universities through its Innovation & Technology Center, an applied research hub located on the campus of Milwaukee School of Engineering. The company is also active in advocating for national policy improvements for the senior living industry. Hillis has said the company has raised more than $50 million for various organizations to advocate in Washington, D.C. on these issues. About a third of Direct Supply employees voluntarily contribute 1% of their paychecks to support its industry advocacy efforts, which are directed through the Direct Supply Partners political action committee.
Hillis serves on the board of directors for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and the board of regents of the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology; MBA, Indiana University
Your questions and concerns about your health matter. Ascension Wisconsin care teams are here to empower you and your family by listening, respecting your experiences, and creating a care plan that works for you. You deserve to be seen and heard. That‘s why our doors are always open to provide health and healing, for the whole you — body, mind and spirit. To us, you are more than a patient. And together, we are a community.
HEALTH CARE administrator Catherine Jacobson leads Wauwatosa-based Froedtert Health, one of the state’s largest private employer, with more than 13,000 employees. During her decade as president and CEO, Jacobson has steered the health system through widespread consolidation in the industry, severe staffing shortages and a global pandemic. Last year, Jacobson was named chair of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce board.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Bradley University; CPA
FIRST JOB: “I worked in a hospital kitchen and learned service workers are not always treated well by professionals and that still exists today. It taught me to reach for more in my career and gave me a huge appreciation and understanding I still carry today.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “Any place warm. My favorite is my home in Scottsdale, Arizona.”
ADVICE YOU’D GIVE TO A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL: “Excel at your current job before looking on. Look for ‘stretch’ assignments, both inside and outside of work. And make sure you own your career. If things aren’t working for you, then you need to find other opportunities.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Education is my most passionate cause.”
HEALTH | MADISONDR. ALAN KAPLAN assumed leadership of UW Health in 2016, With more than 1,850 physicians and 21,000 employees, the Madison-based academic health system operates seven hospitals, including the state’s No. 1 ranked hospital, and over 80 outpatient sites. Under his leadership, UW Health entered a joint operating agreement with UnityPoint Health-Meriter in 2017. Kaplan was previously executive vice president and chief clinical transformation officer for Iowa-based UnityPoint Health. He was also the founder and president/CEO of UnityPoint Clinic and president/CEO of UnityPoint at Home.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign; M.D., Rush Medical College; master of medical management, Carnegie Mellon University
HOBBY/PASSION: “I am a conservation farmer, which is a method of farming that promotes minimal soil disturbance and planting diversity.”
FUN FACT: “About 15 years ago I realized that I needed to improve my communications skills in order to lead, so I joined an improv class and took that class every week for a year. I’m still not funny, but I can speak in front of a group of people with no problem.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Overcoming conflicting cultures in times of growth and change is very challenging. This was true when we were developing a joint operating agreement between UW Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter.”
Dr. Scott Rathgaber CEO GUNDERSEN HEALTH SYSTEM AND BELLIN HEALTH | LA CROSSEAFTER SUCCESSFULLY GROWING the Dohmen Co. for a decade as its CEO, Cynthia LaConte led the Milwaukee-based, family-owned pharmaceutical wholesaler through a massive transformation in 2018. The 160-year-old company divested its life sciences division and soon transitioned from a for-profit S-Corp to a notfor-profit philanthropic enterprise focused on food-driven health solutions, committing to change what it said was a flawed health paradigm. As chairperson, LaConte continues to provide leadership to the now foundationowned business.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Mount Mary College
FIRST JOB: “My first real job was as a server at The Fudge Pump, where I learned to always strive for perfection –even if it’s just making that little curl at the top of a soft serve cone.”
WHAT HAS YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE: “I’m completely invigorated by our organization’s transformation from S-Corp to a foundation-owned philanthropic enterprise. There’s incredible liberation that comes from moving your success metric from building shareholder wealth to building community health. It allows you to be laser-focused on your vision and building social return. I encourage anyone considering the idea of selling their business and starting a foundation to research the Philanthropic Enterprise Act of 2017 first. Then call me.”
IN DECEMBER, Dr. Scott Rathgaber became chief executive officer of the newly merged Bellin Health and Gundersen Health System. The combination of the two organizations – which finalized Nov. 30 –created a $2.4 billion health care system. Bellin and Gundersen have 11 hospitals and 14,000 employees.
Previously, Rathgaber had served as CEO of La Crosse-based Gundersen since 2015. Prior to the merger, Gundersen had revenues of $1.54 billion in 2021 and over 9,000 employees. Its footprint includes seven hospitals and over 60 clinics throughout western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota and northeast Iowa.
Under Rathgaber’s leadership, Gundersen explored a possible merger with Marshfield Clinic Health System that the organizations eventually abandoned in 2019.
Immediately before becoming CEO, Rathgaber was medical vice president of the system’s hospital operations, neurosciences, general surgery, anesthesiology, emergency services, occupational health services and pharmacy.
Rathgaber is active in advocating on behalf of hospitals through the Wisconsin Hospital Association, participating in roundtables with lawmakers and traveling to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers. He also advocated on behalf of his and other hospitals supporting Operation Allies Welcome, in which more than 13,000 Afghan evacuees were housed at Fort McCoy in Monroe County in August 2021.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Wabash College; M.D., Indiana University Medical Center
RICK KLEIN joined Aurora Health Care in 1986 and served in various leadership roles related to business development, strategy and payer relations before becoming one of the top executives of the Milwaukeebased health care system.
Following Aurora’s merger with Advocate Health in 2018, Klein transitioned to chief business development officer of the combined $11.7 billion system. In his role, Klein is responsible for business development, managed care contracting, growth, affiliations, and mergers and acquisitions.
The health system is currently pursuing plans to merge with Charlotte, North Carolina-based Atrium Health, which would create a $27 billion system with a combined footprint across Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
Prior to joining Aurora, Klein was the assistant vice president of marketing for the former Firstar Corp. Klein serves on the boards of several Advocate Aurora portfolio companies, including Quartz and Advocate Physician Partners. He is a past board member of the Georgetown Scholarship Program and the AboutHealth network.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Georgetown University; MBA, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management
DR. JOHN RAYMOND SR., leads the state’s only private medical school and the metro Milwaukee area’s seventh largest private employer. The Medical College of Wisconsin has expanded under Raymond’s leadership, opening regional campuses in Wausau and De Pere, and growing its footprint on its home campus in Wauwatosa. Raymond became a household name during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he provided daily virtual briefings in partnership with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce to keep area business executives informed of the virus’ spread.
EDUCATION: M.D., The Ohio State University
FUN FACT: “I listen to progressive rock and metal music.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “I am a director of the board of the Milwaukee Academy of Science, a charter school that serves predominantly African American children and which has a remarkable track record of excellence, and successes in inspiring our scholars to attend colleges, universities and technical schools.”
WHAT IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE WISCONSIN: “It would be good for our state if the Legislature and governor’s office could work toward common purpose.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT AND ORDER: “Buckley’s Milwaukee, carrot cake.”
IN DECEMBER, Heather Schimmers became regional president of the Gundersen region following the merger of Green Bay-based Bellin Health and La Crosse-based Gundersen Health System. The merger created a $2.4 billion system with a total of 11 hospitals and 14,000 employees.
Schimmers previously served as chief nursing officer and chief operating officer for Gundersen since 2021. Prior to the merger, Gundersen had revenues of $1.54 billion in 2021 and over 9,000 employees, including about 2,000 nurses. Its footprint includes seven hospitals and over 60 clinics throughout western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota and northeast Iowa.
Schimmers previously worked for Ascension Wisconsin, including as its chief nursing officer and earlier as vice president of patient care services for St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and director of nursing at Mercy Medical Center. She is also past chair of the Ascension Wisconsin Nursing Executive Committee. From 2014 to 2016, she completed an executive leadership fellowship program with the Advisory Board in Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION: Associate, Cardinal Stritch University; Bachelor’s and MBA, Kaplan University/Purdue University Global
BERNIE SHERRY was named ministry market executive of Ascension Wisconsin in 2016, an appointment that came shortly after Ascension absorbed the operations of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. Sherry became responsible for leading the integration of four legacy systems (Wheaton, Columbia St. Mary’s, Ministry Health Care and Affinity Health System) into a single health care system under the Ascension brand. Today, Ascension Wisconsin operates 24 hospital campuses and over 100 health care facilities and employs more than 1,200 clinicians from Racine to Eagle River. Sherry serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Area of Commerce, Greater Milwaukee Committee, Network Health and the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Gannon University; master’s, Medical University of South Carolina
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Ascension Wisconsin’s most significant success has been the resilience of our associates, leaders and providers. I’m grateful for their commitment, sacrifice and service to provide healing and hope to all, especially the most vulnerable among us.”
FIRST JOB: “My first job was as a service station attendant. I learned a lot about responsibility, accountability and customer service. I learned the customer is always right.”
FUN FACT: “I met my wife when I was 10 years old at church.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Three more months of summer.”
WITH PROFESSIONAL ROOTS as a nurse, Peggy Troy moved progressively through the health care field to become the first female president and CEO of Children’s Wisconsin in 2009. In recent years, the 5,000-employee organization has expanded the physical footprint of its Wauwatosa campus and executed on a $150 million initiative to address growing mental and behavioral health needs among Wisconsin children over the next five years..
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; master’s in Nursing, DePaul University
FIRST JOB: “My first professional role was as a nurse intern at Children’s Hospital, back when it was located on what is now part of the Marquette University campus.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “The Sports Dock in Pewaukee. I order the mushroom Swiss burger and fries.”
WHY ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “At Children’s Wisconsin, we have set a course to make a difference in the lives of kids. Our kids are our future, and I am thrilled to be a part of this important journey.”
CAREER ADVICE: “You can’t lead with ego; you have to lead with humility. I had a mentor early in my career who really impressed upon me the value of servant leadership – that we make our greatest contributions by rolling up our sleeves alongside others to get things done.”
DR. SUSAN TURNEY became the first chief executive officer of Marshfield Clinic Health System in 2014. The integrated health system, which serves Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has more than 12,000 employees, including 1,600 providers.
The system comprises more than 60 clinic locations, 11 hospitals, a children’s hospital, research institute and a health plan. Its flagship hospital, the 520-bed Marshfield Medical Center, is one of the largest in the state. It is also building a new hospital in Wisconsin Rapids, which is expected to open in the spring.
Previously, Turney was CEO and executive vice president of the Wisconsin Medical Society, during which the society founded the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network. Later, she was named president and CEO of MGMAACMPE, a national membership association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices.
Early in her career, Turney completed her internal medicine residency at Marshfield Clinic and went on to practice there for 22 years and served as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and medical director of patient financial services.
Turney has served on committees for the National Quality Forum and the American Medical Association.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Northland College; M.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison – School of Medicine & Public Health
IN DECEMBER, Chris Woleske became system executive vice president and regional president of the Bellin region following the merger of Green Bay-based Bellin Health and La Crossebased Gundersen Health System. The merger created a $2.4 billion system.
Woleske was named president and chief executive officer of Bellin in 2018. Prior to the merger, the health system had more than 5,000 employees with a geographic reach spanning northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It is comprised of Bellin Hospital, Bellin Psychiatric Center, 29 Bellin Health primary and specialty care physician clinics and retail health clinics. She is credited with supporting the strategic planning and operational execution of key initiatives for Bellin Hospital, Bellin Medical Group, Bellin Specialty Group, Bellin Psychiatric Center and Bellin Health Oconto Hospital.
Before joining Bellin, Woleske practiced law at Liebmann, Conway, Olejniczak and Jerry in Green Bay and was an owner and manager of a family business, Woleske Construction Co. Woleske is a past chair of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation Board and currently serves on Marquette University’s board of trustees, the Wisconsin Hospital Association board of directors and the Green Bay Packers board of directors.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; J.D., Marquette University Law School
CONGRATULATIONS to Cynthia LaConte, one of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Business Leaders. As past President and current Board Chair of the Dohmen Company Foundation, Cynthia’s visionary leadership has improved the health of our state and nation.
The Dohmen Company Foundation believes the solution to improve the health of our nation is surprisingly simple. It’s food. Join us in our pursuit of life without diet-related disease. Learn more at DohmenCompanyFoundation.org
entertainment 50 Black, Shari 50 Brooks, Marty 50 Corn Sr., Ronald 50 Daniels Jr., Ned 51 Gruenewald, Emily 51 Hill, Tehassi 51 Marcus, Greg 51 Plant, Joel 52 Van Laanen, Maria 52 WhiteEagle, Marlon 52 Witt, Gary 52 Zimmerman, Mike Restaurants
Bartolotta, Paul 53 Culver, Craig 53 Shaikh, Omar 54 Specht, Christine 54 Viglietti, Stefano Sports
Feigin, Peter 55 Kertscher, Mike 55 Murphy, Mark 55 Schlesinger, Rick tourism
Censky, Ellen 56 Davis, Dr. Robert 56 Pelton, Jack 56 Polednik, Marcelle 57 Smiley, Don 57 Williams-Smith, Peggy entertainment, hospitality, sports, tourism
EARLIER THIS YEAR, Shari Black was officially promoted to executive director and chief executive officer of Wisconsin State Fair Park after having served as its interim leader since fall 2021. Black oversees the team of 50 full-time permanent staff and more than 1,000 seasonal employees responsible for putting on the annal event that draws one million visitors to the fairgrounds every summer. Off season, the park also hosts hundreds of public and private events at its various facilities. Black joined the State Fair in 2016 as its event services director after spending 15 years as executive director of the Waukesha County Fair Association.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Carroll University
HOBBY/PASSION: “I love history. I love to read about it, visit historical locations, look at pictures, artifacts, etc. Anything to do with history is fascinating to me.”
FUN FACT: “I can back up a trailer or hay wagon like no one’s business.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Finding a way for us to generate revenue without having a fair (during COVID-19). Our teams were very strategic in developing programming, which allowed us to provide some of the most beloved fair experiences without a fair. We were able to create several new revenue sources that helped us keep our staff employed, give our fair patrons a taste of the fair and stay financially viable through 2020.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Always stay true to who you are.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO WISCONSIN CENTER DISTRICT | MILWAUKEE
MARTY BROOKS is leading the Wisconsin Center District through its $456 million expansion project that, when completed, will nearly double the size of the downtown Milwaukee convention center. After being named CEO in 2018, Brooks secured key approvals for the project, paving the way for construction to begin on the long-planned expansion. Work remains on track for an early 2024 completion, in time for the Republican National Convention that summer. Previously, Brooks managed facilities for the NBA, NHL and NFL.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Maryland
CAREER ADVICE: “You meet the same people going up as you do going down. Be honest and respectful to everyone. You never know who may be the next person you are interviewing with for a job or be your next boss.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “I love to vacation at the beach. I love the sights, sounds and smells of the ocean. The calmness then rage of the surf is incredible and parallels the volatility of our life.”
FUN FACT: “I was president and executive producer of Miss Universe Inc. for four years, then sold the business to Donald Trump.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘Jump’ by Madonna. The song is about how there is only so much you can learn in one place; the more that you wait, the more time that you waste; don’t ever look back; and the only thing you can depend on is your family. That sums up how I have lived my life.”
RONALD CORN chairman of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, a federally recognized tribe based in the village of Keshena with about 8,720 members. It is the largest employer in Menominee County, employing about 700 people. Its chartered businesses include Menominee Casino, Bingo & Hotel in Keshena, forest management business Menominee Tribal Enterprises in Neopit, Menominee Indian Economic Development Authority and Kenosha Gaming Authority.
In July, the MITW and Hard Rock International announced plans to build a casino and entertainment center on a 60acre site in Kenosha, located southwest of I-94 and 60th Street. The proposal includes a casino, hotel, Hard Rock Cafe, live music venue and other amenities.
The tribe and Hard Rock previously tried to develop a massive, $800 million entertainment complex and casino at the former Dairyland Greyhound Park site in Kenosha. Then-Gov. Scott Walker rejected those plans in 2015. The newest proposal reflects a scaling back of the earlier plans. The tribe recently commissioned a poll of Kenosha-are residents to gauge their support for the proposal, finding 60% of respondents were in favor of the project and 16% were opposed.
Corn has said the new casino development effort would help provide resources for the ongoing and growing needs of the tribe, which is both one of the largest and poorest in the state.
NED DANIELS JR. is chairman of the Forest County Potawatomi Community, the biggest employer in Forest County and a large employer in Milwaukee County. Today, FCPC employs about 2,700 people, about 1,900 of whom work in Milwaukee County.
As chairman of the FCPC, Daniels works with the five-person executive council to manage the economy of the tribe, govern its administration and handle all agreements with local, state and federal governments.
The tribe owns Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, which attracts about 6 million visitors annually. Opening as a bingo hall in 1991, Potawatomi has expanded significantly over the past three decades, including in 2014 when it added a $150 million hotel. Earlier this year, it announced plans for a $100 million update to the casino’s third floor.
FCPC also owns Potawatomi Business Development Corp., its capital investment and real estate arm based in Milwaukee, and Northern Light Casino and Indian Springs Lodge in Carter, Wisconsin.
Prior to being elected chairman in 2018, Daniels and his wife, Kim, operated several small businesses in Forest County. He also served on the Potawatomi Gaming Commission and as an elected member of the Executive Council for two different terms.
There are roughly 1,400 Forest County Potawatomi tribal members, about a third of whom live on reservation, trust or fee land. Its reservation totals about 12,000 acres.
EMILY GRUENEWALD is a member of the four-person executive leadership team that oversees Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts. As chief development officer, she has driven advancement efforts during a challenging time for the performing arts sector. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Overture hosted roughly 700,000 patron experiences annually; following its reopening in 2021, it hosted more than 288,000 in-person experiences last year. Gruenewald previously was executive director of philanthropy and engagement for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Minnesota; MBA, UW-Whitewater
CAREER ADVICE: “A friend told me to ‘run my own race’ when I ran my first marathon, and I find it applies to everything in life.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “My grandparents purchased a cottage outside of Rhinelander in the 1950s, and it remains a place of refuge and fun for our family. We used to just go up in the summer, but during the pandemic we started going in all seasons, and I have newfound love for it.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘Oh, What a Beautiful Morning’ from Oklahoma! It’s a song of optimism and opportunity.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Every big life decision is a risk, and usually it’s for the best. I’m glad I went on that blind date so I’d meet my husband. I’m glad I trained for that first marathon even though I had no idea what I was doing. I’m glad I applied for the position of executive director even though I was underqualified and only 24. I’m glad I had kids even though I’ve had a demanding work life. If I didn’t take risks, I wouldn’t have a full life .”
Marcus PRESIDENT AND CEO THE MARCUS CORP. | MILWAUKEEGREG MARCUS is the leader and face of The Marcus Corp., the Milwaukee-based, publicly traded, family-led movie entertainment and lodging business, founded by his grandfather, Ben Marcus, in 1935.
Marcus succeeded his father, Stephen Marcus, as president in 2008 and as chief executive officer in 2009. He was elected to the board of directors in 2005. Today, the corporation’s theater division is the fourth largest theater circuit in the U.S.; it owns or operates 1,064 screens at 85 locations in 17 states under its Marcus Theatres, Movie Tavern by Marcus and BistroPlex brands. Its lodging division, Marcus Hotels & Resorts, owns and/or manages 17 hotels, resorts and other properties in nine states. Its Milwaukee properties include Saint Kate —The Arts Hotel, The Pfister Hotel and Hilton Milwaukee City Center.
Under Marcus’s leadership, Marcus Theaters acquired Movie Tavern – a deal valued at $126 million that added 22 locations and 208 screens and expanded the business into eight new states.
He also led the company through the shutdown of all movie theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow rebound in the months since reopening them.
Marcus is current chair of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and past chair of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. Marcus’s recognizability in the community has been boosted by his appearance in the Marcus Corp.’s commercials that run at the start of movies in its theaters.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Indiana University; J.D., Boston University School of Law
TEHASSI HILL is chairman of the Oneida Business Committee, the nine-member board that provides tribal governance for Oneida Nation. Oneida, a federally recognized tribe of the United States, has over 16,500 members and its reservation, located in Brown and Outagamie counties, totals 65,400 acres. Oneida is the fifth largest employer in Brown County and 14th largest in Outagamie, employing roughly 3,085 people. One of the major drivers of its economy is Oneida Casino in Ashwaubenon. In 2021, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Hill signed a compact amendment permitting Oneida Nation casinos to offer sports betting – making it the first legalized sports betting operation in the state.
Previously, Hill served two terms as a council member for the Oneida Business Committee. Hill also serves on the board of directors for the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, a consortium of 11 tribes in Wisconsin and Lac Vieau Desert of Michigan, and is liaison for the National Congress of American Indians. Hill also serves on the Natural Resources Damage Trustee Council and is a designee to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Tribal Operating Committee. Prior to working in government, Hill got his professional start operating an industrial, commercial and residential painting business.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
JOEL PLANT joined Madison-based concert venue promotion company Frank Productions as its chief executive officer in early 2017. He was previously the chief of staff in the Milwaukee Police Department, an aide to former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz with a focus on public safety and neighborhood issues in the city, and Madison’s first alcohol policy coordinator. While working in the mayor’s office, Plant helped develop downtown Madison’s annual Freakfest celebration, which first introduced him to Frank Productions. Plant has also worked as a research assistant for the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing and as a crime analyst in an Arizona police department. He has criminal prosecution experience.
With a national footprint, Frank Productions provides oversight to two brands, Madison-based FPC Live and Nashville-based National Shows 2. It has produced national tours for the likes of Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 2019, FPC Live entered a preferred promoter agreement with Summerfest’s parent company, Milwaukee World Festival Inc., through which FPC has preferred booking rights to national touring shows during non-Summerfest dates at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater and BMO Harris Pavilion.
That partnership grew into a proposal late last year from FPC to develop a new concert venue complex near the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. Following opposition from neighborhood residents, FPC dropped those plans, and days later announced a new proposal to instead build a $50 million concert venue complex at the former Bradley Center site in the Deer District in downtown Milwaukee. Once it opens, the complex is expected employ about 18 full-time staff and hundreds of part-time workers, EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; master’s, Arizona State University; J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
MARIA VAN LAANEN became one of the first employees at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center when she was hired as its director of marketing in 2001 – a year before the $45 million venue opened its doors to the public.
Since 2014, she has served as president and chief executive officer of the downtown Appleton performing arts center. During her tenure, she has been a part of more than 7,000 events at the center, ushering in 37 Broadway Wisconsin premiers. She’s also overseen the growth of its programming for area students, including the Frank C. Shattuck P.A.T.H.S. Program and Center Stage High School Musical Theater Program, and the launch of The Broadway League’s Family First Nights and Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program. She also helped the center reach its $30 million Keystone Fund fundraising goal.
Hosting roughly 400 events annually, the center includes a 2,100-seat opera-style theater, a 350-seat black box style theater and a 75-person private function space. Van Laanen is a Tony voting member of The Broadway League, where she is a member of the board of governors, and a member of the National High School Musical Theater Advisory Board and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Government Relations committees. She also serves on the YMCA of the Fox Cities board and is a member of Imagine Fox Cities’ Belonging Group.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
GARY WITT was handpicked by entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Cudahy in 2002 to lead the Pabst Theater in downtown Milwaukee. Today, Witt oversees the group of music venues that includes the Pabst, Riverside Theater, Turner Hall Ballroom, The Backroom at Colectivo and Miller High Life Theater. Pabst Theater Group, which has about 350 employees, hosts nearly 700 shows and events annually at its own venues as well as Fiserv Forum, the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Bradley Symphony Center. Witt was a vocal advocate for music venues throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, sounding the alarm on the lack of financial support available to the hard-hit live entertainment industry.
High school
FIRST JOB AND WHAT YOU LEARNED: “Peeling potatoes to make amazing French fries at a great hot dog place. Persistence. Every job is worth doing.”
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Steve Jobs and John Doerr. Because I want to continue to grow to become even more intentionally restless, with ferocious curiosity and have an even better ability to execute.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The 100% shuttering of our business due to the pandemic. A few of us started a trade group called NIVA. I hired a major lobbying firm (Akin Gump) and we were able to obtain $16 billion dollars from the federal government to help to save the independent concert venues in America.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP SONG OR THEME SONG? “Van Morrison, ‘Spanish Steps.’”
PRESIDENTMARLON WHITEEAGLE was named president of the Ho-Chunk Nation, a federally recognized tribe based in Black River Falls, in 2019. He is serving his first four-year term. Previously, he was the editor of Hocak Worak, the Ho-Chunk Nation’s tribal newspaper. He is also a Marine Corps veteran.
The tribe, which has scattered communities and acreage, has about 6,500 members. Its trust land acreage (totaling about 3,500) is located in Adams, Clark, Crawford, Dane, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Sauk, Shawano, Vernon and Wood counties and in Illinois.
Ho-Chunk Nation is the largest employer in both Sauk and Jackson County, employing roughly 3,100 people. The flagship among its enterprises is Ho-Chunk Casino, Hotel and Convention Center in the Town of Delton, near Wisconsin Dells. The facility has 302 rooms and suites, 1,900 slot machines and 45 tables games. Ho-Chunk also owns and operates Majestic Pines Casino & Hotel in Black River Falls, Rainbow Casino in Nekoosa, DeJope Bingo in Madison, Whitetail Crossing Casino in Tomah and Ho-Chunk North Casino in Wittenberg.
This year, the tribe received federal approval to move forward with its long-planned $405 million casino complex in Beloit. The project, which will be developed on about 32 acres, will include a casino, convention center, hotel and water park. It’s expected to create 1,300 permanent jobs and 3,000 construction jobs.
EDUCATION: Associate, MiraCosta College; bachelor’s, San Diego State University
OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, Mike Zimmerman has owned and operated 30 businesses spanning the health care, sports and entertainment industries. Since 2014, he has led ROC Ventures Inc., the owner and operator of a collection of entertainment and sports brands, including The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin and the adjacent mixed-use $200 million Ballpark Commons development, which includes apartments, commercial space, Luxe Golf Bays (a driving range entertainment center similar to Topgolf) and Franklin Field baseball stadium.
The Rock Sports Complex, which includes a ski hill and several baseball fields, draws roughly 125,000 visitors annually.
Zimmerman personally owns the Milwaukee Wave, and in 2019 he founded the Milwaukee Milkmen, an independent professional baseball team that plays at Franklin Field in the American Association of Professional Baseball. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s baseball team also plays at Franklin Field.
Zimmerman was also a co-founder and investor in Nineteen88 Productions, the company behind the Milwaukee Marathon, Run MKE and The Hill Has Eyes.
Partnering with Mandel Group, ROC Ventures recently announced plans to redevelop the Orchard View shopping center in Franklin into a mixed-use town center that would include a hotel, ice-skating rink and more than 500 apartments. Mandel Group and ROC Ventures also have plans for a mixed-use development that would include 432 apartments and some retail on nearby vacant land southeast of Loomis Road and south of Rawson Avenue, and a 78-unit apartment building along South Ballpark Drive and adjacent to New Perspective Senior Living.
CHEF, OWNER, CO-FOUNDER
THE BARTOLOTTA RESTAURANTS | MILWAUKEE
PAUL BARTOLOTTA is a two-time James Beard award-winning chef and co-founder of The Bartolotta Restaurants. The restaurant group – which Paul co-founded in 1993 with his brother, the late Joe Bartolotta – today includes 17 restaurants and catering facilities in the Milwaukee area that range from fine dining (Lake Park Bistro, Harbor House and Bacchus) to casual grab-and-go concepts, like Downtown Kitchen inside the U.S. Bank Center. For three consecutive years, Joe and Paul were selected as semi-finalists for the James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Restaurateur, and Paul was also a finalist in 2020. This year, Bartolotta’s acquired the Harbor House property, opened Roundhouse at McKinley Marina, and is in the process of opening its newest fine dining restaurant at the former Seven Seas building in Delafield. Paul participated in the bidding process to bring the 2024 Republican National Convention to Milwaukee, traveling to Salt Lake City and hosting the site selection committee at Lake Park Bistro.
EDUCATION: Graduate of the Restaurant and Hotel Management program at Milwaukee Area Technical College
FIRST JOB: “I was a dishwasher at Balistreri’s Italian Restaurant in Wauwatosa. I learned hard work, discipline and to love working in a restaurant kitchen environment.”
FUN FACT: “I am actually an introvert and a homebody. Despite my public personality, I am quite shy.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “The fact that we have not only reopened our venues and are operating successfully after COVID-19 but are really in growth mode as a company is a huge success that we are proud of.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “To eat Japanese food in Japan and visit the fish markets there.”
FRESH OUT OF COLLEGE, Craig Culver got his start in the restaurant business managing a McDonalds. A few years later, he and his parents together purchased an A&W location in Sauk City, operating the restaurant for several years before selling it and buying a supper club. In 1984, the family purchased the A&W property again and renovated the restaurant, adding a blue roof and painting the walls white. That restaurant became the original Culver’s, home of butter burgers and frozen custard.
Culver went on to lead the company from a single restaurant to over 530 locations and $1 billion in revenue until 2015, when he stepped down as CEO. An inflection point for the company under Culver’s leadership came in 1990, when the first successful franchise opened in Baraboo. Franchising proved key to enabling the chain’s spread. The restaurant began multiplying throughout the Midwest in the 1990s and nationally throughout the early 2000s.
Under the leadership of Culver’s successors, the company has continued to grow its presence throughout the U.S., with the chain now boasting more than 850 restaurants in 25 states and employing more than 30,000. Culver remains chairman of the board and the face of the brand. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame in 2016.
Today, the Culver family continues to hold majority ownership of the company.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
PARTNER CARNEVOR; 3RD STREET MARKET HALL | MILWAUKEE
IN 2006, restauranteur Omar Shaikh opened Carnevor, a high-end downtown Milwaukee steakhouse that has become known as the go-to haunt for many professional athletes and area executives.
Shaikh is also part of the team responsible for the redevelopment of downtown Milwaukee’s Grand Avenue property. He spearheaded the multi-year effort to open 3rd St. Market Hall, a 40,000-square-foot food hall that houses local vendors, Top Golf, a selfie museum and gaming lounge.
Outside of hospitality and development, he is a partner in Wisconsin Ticket Concierge, O & B Consulting and Tuk Tuk Chicago, a short-distance electric cab service. As a member of the Wisconsin Center District board of directors, he advocated for the district to get the needed approvals to move forward with its long-planned convention center expansion. Shaikh also served on the host committee that worked to secure the 2024 Republican National Convention. He is a past board chair for VISIT Milwaukee.
Shaikh is also chairman of the Milwaukee Kitchen Cabinet, which organizes the “Three Days of Christmas” initiative to provide holiday meals and gifts for nonprofits. Its “Do Good with Food” program has also raised over $41,000 to benefit Children’s Wisconsin.
He and his wife, Connie, have served as co-chairs for several Milwaukee-area fundraisers, including the Harry & Rose Sampson Jewish Community Center’s KidShare and Sharp Literacy’s A Novel Event.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Cardinal Stritch University
CHRISTINE SPECHT leads Menomonee Falls-based Cousins Subs, the business her father, Bill Specht, co-founded 1972. The fast-casual sub franchise includes nearly 100 shops throughout Wisconsin and Illinois, with plans to open two Indianapolis locations next year. Specht got her start in the family business as a teenager cashiering in the Germantown shop. Specht returned to Cousins in 2001 to become its human resources manager. She was named president and chief operating officer in 2008 and led a large-scale rebranding strategy for the company before becoming president and CEO in 2015. In 2019, she transitioned to solely hold the CEO role, where she continues to guide Cousins’ growth strategy.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; Master’s, American University
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME
SONG: “‘American Girl’ by Tom Petty. There is so much promise in this country to achieve your dreams, and sometimes that comes with sacrifice.”
FUN FACT: “I enjoy shooting clays. I’m not very good, but when I have more time, I’d like to practice more and join a league.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Telling my dad that I could run Cousins Subs. I didn’t have experience running a company and, aside from knowing the people-side of the business, I wasn’t sure exactly how I would re-energize the brand, improve the financials and build a second foundation. But my instinct told me that with the right people, I could accomplish anything.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “Besides Cousins Subs, of course, another restaurant that my husband and I enjoy going to is Jake’s in Brookfield. It is our “go-to” when we have a night out on our own.”
SELF-TAUGHT chef Stefano Viglietti and his wife, Whitney, opened their first Sheboygan restaurant, Trattoria Stefano, in 1994. Six years later, they opened Il Ritrovo, serving certified Neapolitan pizzas. In 2005, the Vigliettis launched Field to Fork, a cafe and grocery store that features local and organic meats and produce. Their fourth endeavor, gastropub The Duke of Devon, operated for 16 years before closing in 2021 due to staffing challenges. The couple recently relocated the retail component of Il Ritrovo to their newest venture, Stefano’s Slo Food Market.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Knox College
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “I love visiting southern Italy, especially the regions of Abruzzo and Puglia.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “I would say the fact that we kept our restaurants open through the pandemic was a great accomplishment. We kept our culture intact and were able to come out the other side in a fairly good position relative to most restaurants.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “We are excited that we are bringing a downtown grocery store to a city that hasn’t seen one in decades that is focused on selling local and sustainable products, including grass fed meats, pork and lamb. We are excited about building a stronger community through the use of food and trying to shorten the supply chain between field and fork as much as possible.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is a book that changed my perspective on the world when I read it during college.”
WHEN PETER FEIGIN was selected to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014, the new owners of the team had big aspirations, namely, making the Bucks one of the most successful franchises in the NBA. Eight years later, that mission has largely been accomplished under Feigin’s leadership. His tenure has been punctuated by securing $250 million in public funds for Fiserv Forum, constructing and opening the $524 million arena, closing on a naming rights deal with the Brookfieldbased financial services company, building out a full calendar of nongame-day events at the venue, and developing the surrounding block into an entertainment destination – now known as the Deer District. Those accomplishments were capstoned by the Bucks’ 2021 NBA championship. Today, the team is valued at about $2.3 billion, according to Forbes.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Franklin & Marshall; Financial Executive program, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
FIRST JOB: “I was a coordinator for all of Arthur Ashe’s clinics and appearances during the last months of his life. I learned about the importance of urgency and details.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Greece and Brooklyn.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Owning a taco stand with my son and daughter called ‘Papa y Hijos.’”
PODCAST RECOMMENDATION: “The Daily, a podcast which offers a great summary of news via the New York Times.”
Murphy PRESIDENT AND CEO GREEN BAY PACKERS | GREEN BAYWHILE A SUPER BOWL WIN may be the crowning achievement of an NFL executive’s career, Mark Murphy’s tenure has also been marked by significant developments off the field. The Titletown District, a mixeduse development that came to fruition under Murphy’s leadership, has transformed the area surrounding Lambeau Field into a hub for non-game-day tourism, entertainment, and the Packers’ partnership with tech giant Microsoft. During the season, the Packers wield major influence in Brown County and beyond, with each home game creating an estimated $15 million in economic impact.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Colgate University; MBA, American University; J.D., Georgetown University
FIRST JOB: “Painter for my high school’s maintenance department. I loved my boss. I learned that you could have fun while working.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The death of our head coach at Northwestern (when he was athletic director) on the eve of the season. Had to hire a new head coach and keep the program running smoothly.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “The Journey to Adult Success House (JAS House). A home for foster kids who have aged out of the foster care system. My wife, Laurie, and I started it, seeing the challenges that our foster kids faced when they turned 18.”
WHAT COULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Better train and airplane services.”
Mike Kertscher PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER ROAD AMERICA | ELKHART LAKEMIKE KERTSCHER has been with Elkhart Lake’s Road America Inc. for the past two decades. He rose up the ranks at the Sheboygan County racetrack, from program coordinator to several different leadership roles before being named president and general manager in 2019.
The 640-acre park hosts more than 500 events annually, attracting about 800,000 visitors and generating more than $100 million in economic impact. It employs 22 fulltime staff members and about 500 seasonal employees.
Road America – which includes the four-mile track, the interior Briggs & Stratton Motorplex and the surrounding grounds – has been an annual stop on NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, its second highest level of competition, for the past 11 years.
In 2021 and 2022, Road America hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. In 2021, the event drew more than 100,000 racing fans over the Fourth of July weekend and filled up the property’s 1,600 campsites. The event, which was sponsored by Jockey International and presented by Kwik Trip, brought the largest crowds the venue had seen in decades. However, the NASCAR Cup Series will not return to Road America in 2023.
Road America has also hosted IndyCar Series races since 2016.
EDUCATION: Associate, Moraine Park Technical College; bachelor’s, Lakeland University
PRESIDENT – BUSINESS OPERATIONS MILWAUKEE BREWERS | MILWAUKEERICK SCHLESINGER oversees business operations for the Milwaukee Brewers, valued at $1.28 billion according to Forbes. With more than 2.4 million fans attending Brewers’ home games annually, the franchise has focused on the fan experience and improving ballpark amenities. Notably, Schlesinger oversaw the 2021 transition of the name of the team’s home from Miller Park to American Family Field, under the reported $4 million annual naming rights deal with the Madison-based insurance company.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of WisconsinMadison; J.D., Harvard University
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, and Howard Schulz, CEO of Starbucks. I spend money with these two companies on a daily basis, and I would like to learn how they have managed to grow their operations while maintaining quality and customer service.”
FIRST JOB: “Garbage man for the Village of Bayside. I learned to show up for work every day and give your best effort every day.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Quitting a high-paying law firm job to work for The Walt Disney Company in motion picture finance and development.”
WHY YOU’RE EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “Our country and our people. As Winston Churchill said, ‘We invariably do the right thing after first exhausting all other alternatives.’
ELLEN CENSKY was tapped to lead the Milwaukee Public Museum in 2018, as the organization was on the cusp of a major undertaking. With the potential lapse of its accreditation at stake, Censky has steered the organization through the planning for its new facility in downtown Milwaukee. With government funding now secured, two major challenges lie ahead: completing a $240 million fundraising campaign and constructing a new museum that will serve the community for years to come.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; doctorate in biology, University of Pittsburgh
CAREER ADVICE: “Check your ego. It is not about you.”
FUN FACT: “I was once stalked by a jaguar while doing scientific field research in the Chaco of Paraguay.”
BIGGEST RISK: “When I was doing research on lizards in the Caribbean, I spent lots of time camping by myself on a deserted island off the coast of Anguilla. The island was a known drug-drop place. I had to navigate keeping myself safe, not being lonely and doing my research. Probably the riskiest thing I have done, but I survived and the research is published.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Yvon Chouinard, CEO of Patagonia, and Cynthia LaConte, CEO of Dohmen Company Foundation. Both these leaders have taken new and interesting approaches to running a business that is profitable but also gives back in a big way to the community.”
Pelton CHAIRMAN AND CEO EAA | OSHKOSHJACK PELTON was named chief executive officer of the Experimental Aircraft Association in 2015. He was elected chairman of the board three years earlier, becoming the first to hold that role outside EAA’s founding Poberezny family. In his role, Pelton leads the organization’s board and staff as the organization works to grow participation in aviation.
Known as the world’s largest aviation celebration, EAA AirVenture draws more than 500,000 people to Oshkosh annually. A 2017 study found the event created $170 million in economic impact to the five-county area.
A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Pelton comes from a family of pilots. He built his first airplane with his father as members of EAA Chapter 1 in Riverside, California, in the 1970s. He has been dedicated to restoring and flying vintage aircraft throughout his life and holds airline transport and commercial pilot certificates.
He is the retired chairman, president and CEO of Wichita, Kansas-based Cessna Aircraft Co., where he oversaw new aircraft development, testing, certification and improvements for all Cessna models. Previously, he was senior vice president of engineering for Dornier Aircraft in Germany.
He is past chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association board and served on the boards of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Business Aviation Association and the Corporate Angel Network. He also was volunteer chairman of EAA’s Gathering of Eagles, the annual fundraiser held during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
PRESIDENT AND CEO AMERICA’S BLACK HOLOCAUST
DR. ROBERT DAVIS was tapped to become president and CEO of America’s Black Holocaust Museum in 2019 and led the cultural institution to its long-awaited reopening in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood in 2022. Previously, Davis was CEO of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, where he helped secure the organization’s largest foundation gift it had received at that time.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate of veterinary medicine, all from Tuskegee Institute and Tuskegee University
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Kenya, Tanzania, Paris, Rome, Turks and Caicos, Hilton Head, Washington, D.C.”
FUN FACT: “I collect rocks and quartz, and I am a Marvel Comics nerd.”
ONE THING THAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “More diversity, significant educational reform and wealth equity.”
BIGGEST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “The grand reopening and re-emergence of America’s Black Holocaust Museum after being closed since 2008. Since we reopened in late February, we have already received a VISIT Milwaukee award and a MANDI Award, and (were) named by Time Magazine as one of the 52 places to see in 2022 in the world.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ by Miles Davis. It is bold, beautiful, passionate, sweet, subtle and yet explosive.”
MARCELLE POLEDNIK was named the inaugural Donna and Donald Baumgartner director of the Milwaukee Art Museum in 2016. Previously, Polednik was director and chief curator at MOCA Jacksonville, the chief curator at the Monterey Museum of Art and an assistant curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Since joining MAM, she’s credited with refocusing the organization’s artistic program on original scholarship and activation of its collection and has led efforts to broaden the reach of MAM’s art in the community.
Under Polednik’s leadership, the museum unveiled a strategic direction in 2020 to guide its work into the future. Its four pillars include relevance to the community, robust community programming, expansive hospitality and impact aligned with financial strength and discipline. Having been forced to close its doors for periods of time throughout the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Polednik is now leading the organization as it rebounds from those setbacks. In 2021, the museum launched its “Lakeside at MAM” summer programming, which returned for a second year in 2022.
Prior to the pandemic, the museum had nearly 322,000 visitors
Outside of the MAM, Polednik curated Nares: Moves, the first retrospective of British contemporary artist Nares, in 2019.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Southern California; master’s and Ph.D. in Art History, Institute of Fine Arts at New York University
WHEN HE RETIRES at the end of 2023, Don Smiley will have served as chief executive officer of Summerfest operator Milwaukee World Festival Inc. for two decades.
Smiley is credited with leading the rebuilding of Henry Maier Festival Park; the nonprofit operator made $160 million worth of investments in the festival grounds during his tenure. That work culminated in the recent rebuilding of the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, which allows the venue to host more and bigger touring acts. Smiley previously served as chairman of the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District from 2010 to 2017. He is also past president of the Florida Marlins.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
FIRST JOB: “My first job was operating a newspaper route in Racine. I learned how important local journalism is to your community.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and any golf or fishing destination with my son and friends.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Managing through the 1994 Major League Baseball strike as the new president of (the Marlins) was a big challenge. Another challenge was dealing with the hundreds of issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019-2021 and its impact on the special event industry – and even yet today to some degree – while serving as CEO of Milwaukee World Festival Inc.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “To play Augusta National, home of the Masters, with my son. I would also like to own a minor league baseball team.”
Williams-Smith PRESIDENT AND CEO VISIT MILWAUKEE | MILWAUKEE
PEGGY WILLIAMS-SMITH has led VISIT Milwaukee, the region’s convention and visitors’ bureau, since late 2019. Just a few months into her role, Williams-Smith had to steer the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended the local tourism economy and rendered the Democratic National Convention a mostly virtual event. As the region rebounds, VISIT is responsible for helping draw conventions, trade shows and leisure travel back to the city. Milwaukee’s successful bid for the DNC helped it secure the 2024 Republican National Convention, which VISIT Milwaukee estimates will have a $180 million to $200 million economic impact and draw 45,000 visitors.
FIRST JOB: “Arby’s as a cashier. I learned, immediately, that I loved going to work. I loved the sense of accomplishment it gave me and the feeling of family I got from my coworkers.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The effects of COVID. Coming into a new job and having to lay off one-third of the team within the first six months.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Securing the Republican National Convention for the summer of 2024.”
WHY YOU ARE EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “The new leadership in our region. We have energetic young leaders who grew up in our city. They know the issues we face, but they know that the way to move forward is public and private collaboration.”
60 Hamerlik, Mike 60 Hinton, Dustin 60 McPartland, Pete 60 Murphy, Scott 62 Nobile, Paul 62 Poirier, Richard 62 Riesch, Ken 62 Salzmann, Ben 63 Salzwedel, Jack 63 Schlifske, John 64 Selna, Dr. Mark 64 Steiner, Kevin 65 Trunzo, Robert 65 Westrate, Bill 65 Wicinsky, Garth
MIKE HAMERLIK has led Mononabased WPS Health Solutions for the past decade. One of the largest health benefits providers in the state, the nonprofit WPS has more than 4,000 employees, with offices in Eau Claire, Green Bay, Monona, Milwaukee and Wausau. Hamerlik recently announced his plans to retire in 2023. Hamerlik serves on the boards of Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corp., WPS Health Plan Inc., The EPIC Life Insurance Co. and the WPS Charitable Foundation Inc. Prior to WPS, he was president and CEO of Noridian Administrative Services. Earlier, he was executive vice president of government and corporate operations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. Last year, he was among 2,000 CEOs nationally to sign the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, a pledge to support a more inclusive workplace for employees, communities and society.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and J.D., University of North Dakota
FIRST CAR: “1938 Ford Tudor Standard. I still have it.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT AND ORDER: “The Tornado Room in downtown Madison. The ribeye steak.”
CAREER ADVICE: “‘Make yourself useful.’ There are always competing demands for our time and attention. Try to focus on the ones that are useful to the goals of the organization.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Quiet and peaceful lakes in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, and Maui.”
McPartland CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO SENTRY INSURANCE | STEVENS POINTPETE MCPARTLAND joined Sentry Mutual Holding Co. in 2010 as president and chief operating officer. Two years later, he was named chief executive officer of the Stevens Point-based mutual insurance company. Sentry has more than 4,000 employees nationwide, about half of whom work from its Stevens Point headquarters.
In addition to the insurance business, McPartland has oversight of Sentry’s hospitality arm. It owns and operates SentryWorld, an 18-hole golf course, a new 64-room boutique hotel, a banquet facility, two restaurants and a sports complex on its main office campus. In 2023, SentryWorld will host the 43rd U.S. Senior Open, which will be the third United States Golf Association championship to be played at SentryWorld. Sentry is the insurance provider for the USGA.
Sentry has also served as the title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions since 2018. This year, the company announced it would extend that partnership through 2035. McPartland recently said aligning itself with the PGA Tour was “one of the smartest decisions we’ve ever made.” Since becoming a title sponsor, the company has created a scholarship program for Maui Public Schools graduates and supported the Maui United Way and hunger relief in Maui County.
Closer to home, the company’s employees and foundation donated $1.3 million to the United Way of Portage County this year, accounting for more than 40% of the organization’s 2022 goal.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Florida
DUSTIN HINTON has led UnitedHealthcare’s operations in Wisconsin since 2014. The insurance company leads the state in market share, with 1.6 million members, 8,600 employees, and a network of roughly 200 hospitals and more than 38,000 physicians across the state.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Illinois HOBBY/PASSION: “Musky fishing. I love the quest of catching a 50-incher and the thrill of a potential strike at the side of the boat.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “My happy place is our cottage in Rhinelander (not fancy). Barcelona, Kauai, and Ti Kaye in St. Lucia were pretty special trips.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Lower health care costs. I agonize (over) what increasing costs do to employers throughout our state. We have the fourth-highest health care costs in the country.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “I was moved out of a role – not by choice – 12 years ago. My boss at the time told me that it would be hard for me to understand at the time, but it was the best thing for me and my career. She believed I was in the wrong role, and she would help advance my career in a different job/lane I was better suited to be in. It’s still hard for me to accept but looking back now she might have been right.”
SCOTT MURPHY became president and chief executive officer of Neenah-based Jewelers Mutual Group in 2015. Jewelers Mutual provides loss prevention insurance to nearly 10,000 retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and appraisers, and personal jewelry insurance to nearly 1 million consumers. In addition to its Neenah headquarters, the company has offices in Dallas and Miami.
Jewelers Mutual reports more than $17 billion in bound jewelry coverage. In 2021, the company reported $614 million in assets. It ranked No. 59 this year on Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75 list of the 75 largest private companies in the state, based on sales revenue. It also ranked among Ward’s 50 top-performing property-casualty insurance companies this year.
Under Murphy’s leadership, the company transitioned to a mutual holding company in 2020. Also that year, the company acquired Wexler Insurance Agency, followed by its acquisition of fine jewelry e-commerce site Gem + Jewel in 2021. It also became the “official jewelry insurance” of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, its first-ever partnership with a professional sports franchise.
Previously, Murphy was an executive partner and principal in insurance industry consulting group Triad Analytic Solution. Earlier, he was chief operating officer at GMAC Insurance and held executive positions within the Great American family of insurance carriers, Infinity Insurance and Windsor Insurance Group.
EDUCATION: MBA, University of Tennessee
Now, more than ever, employers in Wisconsin are looking for a local health plan they can count on. One that will be by their side for the long haul.
That’s why we are expanding options to meet employer needs by:
} Offering a level-funded solution to deliver predictable monthly premiums and protection against large claims.
} Simplifying the underwriting process.
} Providing the dual option of Anthem’s affordable Well Priority network alongside a broader, more robust network.
} Updating employer tools to make health plans simpler.
We’re also supporting employee whole-person health by:
} Providing programs for holistic care.
} Integrating virtual care with digital support through SydneySM Health app.
} Simplifying communication among care providers.
} Expanding behavioral health network access and resources.
If we know one thing — it’s that nothing is more important than the health of the businesses we serve. This is the essence of who we are and what we can deliver.
about what Anthem can do for you at anthem.com.Paul Nobile PRESIDENT
PAUL NOBILE is president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wisconsin. Nobile, who has led Anthem in Wisconsin since 2015, oversees all aspects of its commercial business in the state, including sales, marketing and underwriting, cost of care, provider relations and network development and clinical management functions. Anthem is the second largest insurance company providing medical coverage in the state. Under Nobile’s leadership, Anthem has established a value-based care collaboration with Ascension Wisconsin. Anthem also recently announced it would expand coverage through the Wisconsin Health Care Marketplace to 59 additional counties in 2023.
Previously, Nobile was regional vice president of sales and account management for Anthem in Wisconsin. Earlier, he worked for UniCare, Rush Prudential Health Plans, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare. Nobile has served on the boards of the Alliance of Health Insurers, National Association of Health Underwriters and the Wisconsin Association of Health Underwriters.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Illinois at Chicago
FUN FACT: “My dream was to play professional hockey.”
PoirierPRESIDENT AND CEO CHURCH MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. | MERRILL MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY double graduate, former lawyer and retired Navy Reserves officer Richard Poirier is prepared to close out his career in 2024 after eight years at the helm of Church Mutual Insurance Co. Headquartered in Merrill and credited as the largest insurer of religious organizations in the country, Church Mutual has nearly 1,200 employees, 800 of whom are based in Wisconsin. Following a site search that included other states, the company announced plans to open an office in downtown Milwaukee’s 833 East building.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and J.D., Marquette University
CAREER ADVICE: “Know your employees, know your customers, know your numbers.”
BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ: “‘Team of Rivals’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It’s about the political genius of Abraham Lincoln and learning how to balance personalities to forge a strong team.”
WHY YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE: “The college talent we’re bringing to the organization; these young people are the next generation, full of energy and fresh ideas. They have a strong commitment to purpose, and they want work that is professionally fulfilling but also makes a positive impact on others. At Church Mutual, we always talk about elevating the human condition, and this generation’s beliefs align so well with that goal.”
Riesch PRESIDENT R&RINSURANCE SERVICES | PEWAUKEE
KEN RIESCH co-founded R&R Insurance with his father in 1975 and has helped grow it into one of the state’s largest independently owned insurance agencies, with about 200 employees. Headquartered in Pewaukee, R&R also has offices in West Bend and Appleton. Riesch is president of the Waukesha Memorial Hospital Foundation and serves on the board of directors of West Bend Mutual Insurance, Waukesha State Bank, Waukesha County Community Foundation and Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Washington
FUN FACT: “I was an All-American swimmer and Olympic hopeful that broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly, and shortly after that Mark Spitz broke my record.”
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “How best to transfer the business to the next generation and ensure its long-term success. It was important to ensure that the agency that my family started decades ago would continue to run after I was no longer there and ensure there is no leadership vacuum. It is exciting to think about the future of R&R in my children’s capable hands.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘I Did It My Way’ by Frank Sinatra.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “The Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation. Its mission is to find a cure for paralysis through funding the latest in medical research and to provide assistance to those that suffer from neurological disorders. It is named after my son who was paralyzed from the chest down, with limited use of his arms, after a devastating accident in April of 1998.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO ACUITY | SHEBOYGANBEN SALZMANN has led Sheboyganbased property and casualty insurer Acuity since 1999, growing it from under $250 million to nearly $2 billion in written premium (revenue) during his tenure. The company insures over 125,000 businesses, including 300,000 commercial vehicles, and nearly a half million homes and private-passenger autos. It is one of the largest employers in Sheboygan County, with over 1,500 employees. The company has hired at a rapid rate in recent years, announcing plans to hire 100 or more employees for years on end. It hired 144 employees in 2021 and announced plans earlier this year to hire another 130. Acuity has been recognized as a top employer by various publications, including Forbes’ America’s Best Midsize Employers list, where it ranked No. 26 nationally. It’s also reported impressive year-overyear growth, including an all-time record in 2021 when it surpassed both the $3 billion surplus and $6 billion asset milestones.
It moved up from No. 21 to No. 16 on the Deloitte Wisconsin 75 list from 2021 to 2022.
Under Salzmann’s leadership, Acuity has also garnered attention for its massive headquarters, located off of I-43. The 1.2-million-squarefoot campus, which has capacity for 4,000 employees, includes such features as a 400-foot flagpole (flying a 140-by-70-foot American flag), 2,000-person theater, 65-foot Ferris wheel, and ceramic carousel horse. Thirty-two of Salzmann’s 42 years in the insurance industry have been with Acuity. Prior to becoming president and CEO, he was chief information officer at the company.
JACK SALZWEDEL retired as chief executive officer of American Family Insurance at the end of 2021 after nearly 40 years with the Madisonbased insurance company and 10 years at its helm. He is now board chair of American Family.
Under Salzwedel’s leadership as CEO, the company’s assets nearly doubled from about $17 billion to $31 billion, active policies grew from 8.3 million to 12 million, and its employee count increased from 7,900 to 13,500. Today, American Family Insurance group is the nation’s 13th largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 232 on the Fortune 500 list.
Salzwedel oversaw Am Fam’s acquisition of The General Insurance in 2012, the acquisition of Homesite Insurance in 2013 and the acquisitions of HomeGauge and Networked Insights in 2017. It also expanded geographically, growing from 19 to 50 operating states.
The company made significant investments in the Milwaukee community, including its presenting sponsorship in 2017 of Summerfest and 2019 naming rights agreement for the Milwaukee Brewers stadium, now known as American Family Field.
The company also established The American Family Insurance Championship, a PGA Tour Champions golf tournament in Madison that has raised millions for the American Family Children’s Hospital and other charities.
In 2021, the company committed $105 million to reducing equity gaps over the next five years.
Salzwedel has served as co-chair of the American Family Children’s Hospital advisory board, and as a board member of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Bank Advisory Board, UW Chancellor’s Advisory Board and Aldo Leopold Foundation.
John Schlifske
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL | MILWAUKEE
JOHN SCHLIFSKE joined Northwestern Mutual in 1987 as an investment specialist, rising through the company’s ranks to become president in 2009. Today, Northwestern Mutual is among the largest employers in the state and ranks No. 97 on the Fortune 500. Schlifske has spearheaded the company’s efforts to bolster Milwaukee’s tech talent and startup ecosystem, most visibly through its Cream City Labs initiative and its data science institute, in partnership with Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Carleton College; master’s, Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University
FIRST JOB: “Working for my dad’s trucking business. While my career has evolved, I still carry lasting lessons from the experience: the importance of taking care of others, and that humility and learning from those around you leads to personal growth.”
FUN FACT: “Football is a personal passion of mine. As a former college player, the game taught me a lot about the importance of teamwork, focusing on the fundamentals and staying innovative. Go, Pack, go!”
BIGGEST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “2021 was our best year with record results across nearly every key performance measure. … We grew our total number of clients to nearly 5 million. Our life insurance sales grew 52%, our highest ever and significantly outpacing our competitors.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Every city has the potential to become a tech hub and in Milwaukee, we need all hands on deck to recruit, retain, prepare and inspire tech talent.”
DR. MARK SELNA was appointed president and CEO of Quartz, a Madison-based family of health insurance plans, in 2020. Quartz – which is jointly owned by Gundersen Health System, UW Health, UnityPoint Health and Advocate Aurora Health – has more than 800 employees and 375,000 members across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. A pediatrician by training, Selna was previously co-founder and chief clinical and innovation officer for Ark.one Health Inc., a predictive analytics solution provider based in the San Francisco Bay area. Prior to that, he held executive roles with Centura Health in Denver, Sutter Health
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UCLA; M.D., University of Virginia, pediatrics residency, University of Colorado
FIRST JOB AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN: “Kentucky Fried Chicken, wear gloves.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Seek mentors, be an active listener and don’t presume that you know the needs of your customers.”
WHAT TWO BUSINESS LEADERS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “1) The founders/leaders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to understand how to evolve and sustain a very effective social model. 2) The founders/leaders of any family foundation that has persistently and significantly grown its wealth for multiple generations.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Managing cash flow in startup companies.”
KEVIN STEINER is president and chief executive officer of West Bend Mutual Insurance Co., one of the largest employers in Washington County. Steiner, who joined the company in 1994, was named president in 2008 and CEO the following year. At year’s end in 2021, the firm reported $1.64 billion in direct written premium and wrote a record $220 million of new business. The company has grown its territory in recent years to now include Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
West Bend Mutual Insurance has roughly 1,500 employees, about 850 of whom are local. It is actively involved in its home town, helping fund the city’s Downtown Riverwalk project, the Historic West End Theatre renovation, West Bend Baseball Association’s Carl M. Kuss Field renovation and a new multi-sport court in Regner Park. The company distributed $2.3 million in community support grants last year. The West Bend Mutual brand has also grown in recent years in Milwaukee with its sponsorship of a luxury loft seating area in Fiserv Forum.
Steiner serves on the Kettle Moraine YMCA board of directors and was a 2022 co-chair of United Way of Washington County’s campaign.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-River Falls; MBA, UW-Eau Claire.
ROBERT TRUNZO leads CUNA Mutual Group, a Madison-based insurance and financial services company with over 4,200 employees and annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. Last year, CUNA’s assets under management doubled to $35 billion following its acquisition of Assurant’s prearranged funeral insurance and final expense business. Earlier in his career, Trunzo was Secretary of Development under Gov. Tommy Thompson and chaired the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park Board of Directors as it oversaw the development of American Family Field, then Miller Park.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Kentucky; J.D., Marquette University Law School
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “(Becoming) president and CEO in January 2014, developing a new strategy for CUNA Mutual Group. Creating and executing a strong communications and engagement plan to generate buy-in and support from the leaders and employees.”
WHICH WISCONSIN BUSINESS LEADERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH? “Kevin Conroy and Greg Gard.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Florence, Italy”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “My wife, Anne, and I created the Trunzo Scholars Program at the University of Kentucky, which provides financial support for students pursuing internships in politics, government, law or public policy and for students seeking to study abroad.”
AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE | MADISON BILL WESTRATE assumed the top post at American Family Insurance earlier this year as part of a planned leadership transition. Westrate was previously chief operating officer of the Madison-based insurance company before becoming enterprise president in 2017 and then being named CEO-elect in 2021. With more than 13,500 employees across its family of companies, American Family is one of Dane County’s largest employers. It has ranked on the Fortune 500 for 20 years and reported $14.2 billion in revenue in 2021.
The company’s visibility has grown in the Milwaukee area in recent years thanks to its naming rights sponsorships of the Summerfest grounds’ amphitheater and Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium. Nationally, it’s gained recognition as the first U.S.based insurance company to sign a pledge to reach net-zero carbon by 2040 and meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early.
The company, through its American Family Ventures initiative, has also been active in the venture capital and startup scene. It operates the Spark building on Madison’s east side, which serves as a coworking space and houses the company’s institute for corporate and social impact and DreamBank.
The company is also a major player philanthropically, doling out $14 million to charitable causes across the state last year. Westrate is chair of the United Way of Dane County board of directors, a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and on the board of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Northwestern College
PRESIDENT AND CEOSECURA INSURANCE | FOX CROSSING
GARTH WICINSKY was named president and CEO of SECURA Insurance earlier this year, becoming the sixth chief leader in the property/casualty insurance company’s history. Wicinsky was selected by SECURA’s board of directors in November 2021 when previous president and CEO Dave Gross announced his retirement. Wicinsky joined SECURA’s human resources division in 1996 and was promoted to progressive leadership roles over the next 25 years. SECURA has about 750 employees. In addition to its Fox Crossing headquarters, the company has an office in Middleton, and it operates in 14 states.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; MBA, UW–Oshkosh
FIRST CAR: “My dad loved cars, and he learned auto body repair from his dad. We had cars around all the time, and we were always buying and fixing up cars throughout my childhood. My first vehicle was a 1973 International Harvester pickup truck.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Throwing my hat in to become CEO (of SECURA), knowing full well that the road ahead will be both exciting and challenging.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘The Five Graces of Life and Leadership’ immediately came to mind, as it’s a recent book I read that resonated enough for me to send it on to a few of my mentors.”
FIRST JOB: “My first career role after college was with the City of La Crosse. I was lucky to work for a leader, Jim Geissner, who cared about my career and about me as a person. It was a great learning experience.”
Garth Wicinsky Bill Westrate CEO
68 Allen , Debbie 68 Baumgartner, Donald 68 Daniels Jr., John 68 Daniels-Carter, Valerie 69 Fuller, Howard 69 Gimbel, Frank 69 Kellner, Ted 69 Kohl, Herb 70 Lubar, Sheldon 70 Marcus, Stephen 70 Selig, Bud 70 Sias, Thelma 71 Stollenwerk, John 71 Thompson, Tommy
AFTER WORKING for Wisconsin Gas Co. for 20 years, Debbie Allen left her job to become a McDonald’s Corp. franchisee. She went on to grow her business, Nevada Corp., to 10 restaurants, which had 700 employees and $15 million in annual sales. Then, after selling her restaurants, Allen in 2016 launched her own consulting business, DNA Network, which provides coaching for executive
leaders of small businesses.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Concordia University; MBA, Marquette University; doctorate in business administration, Capella University
FIRST JOB: “My first real job was as a cashier for McDonald’s. Twenty-five years later, I purchased my first McDonald’s restaurant.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “My passion is two-fold. I compel and inspire people to live out their purpose and passion in life, and I help entrepreneurs learn how to ‘work on the business,’ not always in the business.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The toughest business challenge I had to overcome was not understanding how to read financial statements. I made money when I overcame this challenge.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “MATC’s Promise Program. It allows both direct from high school students and returning adult learners access to higher education. So many are economically disadvantaged and first-generation students.”
JOHN DANIELS JR. joined Quarles & Brady LLP in 1974, becoming the first African American employee hired by the Milwaukee-based law firm. Daniels was named partner at Quarles in 1981 and joined its management committee in 1994.
In 2007, he was named chairman and managing partner and went on to lead the firm through the Great Recession. Amid economic headwinds, Quarles managed to add new lawyers and locations across the firm under his leadership. He is credited with “fundamentally transforming Quarles from its traditional legal industry structure to a model of a 21st-century professional services business,” according to a company bio.
A former national president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, he’s counted corporate household names among his clients, including General Electric, Kraft Foods and Xerox. As chair emeritus, he continues to serve as a strategic business advisor to many of the firm’s major clients.
Daniels has been a major player in Milwaukee civic life for decades. An advocate for high-quality education, Daniel founded the MKE Fellows program in 2011 to provide scholarships and mentorship for the young men who have demonstrated academic talent. His board service has focused primarily on the areas of education, financial services, health care and real estate. He has chaired the boards of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, Advocate Aurora Health and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, North Central College; master’s, University of WisconsinMadison; J.D., Harvard Law School
WHAT TWO BUSINESS LEADERS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Jamie Dimon (CEO of JPMorgan Chase) because he has an enormous capacity for seeing ahead of the curve and he had experiences in his career where he had to learn from a challenge. Ken Chenault, former CEO of American Express and a former law school classmate of mine. Not only did he do an incredible job at American Express, but in the second phase of his career, he’s had a major impact on the development of incredible new companies.”
BUSINESSMAN AND PHILANTHROPIST Donald Baumgartner founded Milwaukee Shipbuilding Corp. with his father in 1951 to do U.S. Department of Defense work during the Korean War. The company was renamed Paper Machinery Corp. in 1956 and grew to become an international manufacturer of converting machinery for the production of paper cups, paperboard containers and custom packages. In 2016, Baumgartner initiated the company’s transition to 100% employee ownership. Today, he serves as chairman of the board and personally holds patents on machines for manufacturing paper drinking cups.
Among many civic contributions, Baumgartner is past president of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s board of trustees and was instrumental in bringing the Santiago Calatrava addition to fruition at the Milwaukee Art Museum. As chair of the museum’s building committee during that time, Baumgartner worked personally with Calatrava during the construction process.
Baumgartner is a life director of the Florentine Opera Co. He and his wife, Donna, are longtime supporters of the Milwaukee Ballet, giving $10 million for construction of its headquarters in the Historic Third Ward. The Baumgartners have also sponsored Milwaukee Film programming. Donald Baumgartner is a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
Baumgartner’s many adventures – from his crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a yacht to scuba diving in Australia and the Maldives to participating in Formula One races in Monaco and Brazil – are captured in a biography written by Milwaukee author Kurt Chandler, “With the Wind at His Back: The Charmed and Charitable Life of Donald Baumgartner.”
VALERIE DANIELS-CARTER and her brother, John Daniels Jr., launched Milwaukee-based V&J Foods with a single Burger King restaurant in 1982. Daniels-Carter went on to grow the company into V&J Holding Companies Inc., the largest female-owned restaurant franchise organization – and one of the largest restaurant franchise companies – in the U.S. Within 16 years, Daniels-Carter grew the company into a 137-unit, multi-brand operation. Daniels-Carter joined the Green Bay Packers board in 2011, and in 2014, she was among a small group of business leaders to purchase a minority stake in the Milwaukee Bucks. Her civic and corporate board service is extensive. She has served as the chair of the AAA board of directors from 2017-19.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, Lincoln University; MBA and Doctorate of Humane Letter, Cardinal Stritch University.
FIRST JOB: “Walking children to school when I was 6 years old. I learned early on that I had an entrepreneurial spirit.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Institute for the Preservation of African American Music and Arts. The mission of IPAMA is to accurately present a holistic account of African American contributions to society while empowering communities through cultural and educational awareness. (And) Kenya East Africa First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ (COGIC) Department of Women.”
WHAT TWO BUSINESS LEADERS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Steve Jobs and Ervin ‘Magic’ Johnson. To learn of their business acumen and their abilities to use untraditional methods to successfully reach their objectives.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT AND DISH: “Five O’Clock Steakhouse, prime rib.”
CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST and education reform advocate Howard Fuller has been a national leader in the school choice movement, promoting voucher and charter schools as a vehicle for Black uplift. Fuller’s early education advocacy work in Milwaukee included a successful fight against the conversion of North Division High School, his alma mater, into a magnet school in the late 1970s. Fuller argued that, by drawing families from across Milwaukee to the school, the magnet school would push out local Black students.
In the late ‘80s to early ‘90s, Fuller led Milwaukee County’s Department of Health and Human Services. In 1991, a year after the launch of the city’s comprehensive school voucher program, Fuller became superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. Fuller has said his staunch support for school choice is not rooted in free-market principles – a position largely held by conservative proponents of the program – but rather in social justice.
In 2004, Fuller founded his own school, a private voucher school known as CEO Leadership Academy; it later converted to public charter school Milwaukee Collegiate Academy. In 2019, the school was again renamed in Fuller’s honor. Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, which is located on Milwaukee’s north side and serves about 325 students, focuses on preparing students for entry into and success in college. This summer, the school launched a $25 million capital campaign to help fund the construction of a new high school building, which could eventually lead to a new feeder middle school.
Fuller is also distinguished professor emeritus of education at Marquette University and founder and director of its Institute for the Transformation of Learning.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Carroll University (then College); master’s in administration, Case Western Reserve University; doctorate in sociological foundations of education, Marquette University
TED KELLNER is the co-founder, former chairman and former chief executive officer of Fiduciary Management Inc. in Milwaukee. He is also co-founder and executive chairman of Fiduciary Real Estate Development Inc.
Following his early career at Nicholas Co., Kellner founded Fiduciary Management in 1980. Today, FMI is one of the largest investment management firms in the Milwaukee area, with about $17 billion in assets under management.
Kellner also founded and continues to serve as executive chairman and majority shareholder of Fiduciary Real Estate Development, which owns and manages more than $750 million in multi-family residential units.
Outside of business, Kellner is perhaps equally known in the community for his civic contributions. He and his wife, Mary, are major supporters of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, their shared alma mater. The couple has given millions of dollars to the school’s athletic programs and facilities and scholarship opportunities. Portions of the campus’s two major sports venues bear the couple’s last name: Kellner Hall in Camp Randall and Kellner Club in the Kohl Center. In 2017, the couple committed $25 million toward UW-Madison’s $3.2 billion comprehensive campaign.
The couple also gave $5 million to UW-Milwaukee in support of scholarships and faculty and staff in its business, education and entrepreneurship schools.
Kellner has served on the nonprofit boards of Children’s Wisconsin, the Greater Milwaukee Committee (past chair), Medical College of Wisconsin, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (past chair), Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee World Festival Inc., and United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County. He is also past chair of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, past president of the Wisconsin Alumni Association and past president of the Wisconsin School of Business Board of Visitors.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Madison
AFTER SERVING as an assistant U.S. attorney earlier in his career, Franklyn Gimbel founded Milwaukee-based law firm Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown LLP in 1968. Gimbel has expanded his practice over the years into civil litigation, including complex business, employment, communications and First Amendment cases.
Outside of the firm, Gimbel’s community service has been extensive. He served as chairman of the Wisconsin Center District board of directors from 1994 to 2015, a period that included construction and renovation of the Wisconsin Center, the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Miller High Life Theatre.
He is past president of the Milwaukee Bar Association, past chairman of the State Bar of Wisconsin board of governors and past president of the State Bar of Wisconsin. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquette University in 2015.
Gimbel previously served on the Greater Milwaukee Foundation board, the Greater Milwaukee Committee and Marquette Law School Advisory Board and is past president of the Downtown Rotary Club.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., Marquette University Law School
FIRST JOB: “Jac F. Donges Gloves, a men’s clothing store owned by my great-uncle. I learned that when you are selling services/products, it is essential to create a friendly relationship with the prospective customer.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN:: “Leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office and opening my own law practice. Fortunately, 55 years later, it was the right thing to do!”
MILWAUKEE NATIVE HERB KOHL worked in his family-owned Kohl’s Corp. grocery and department store business before being elected to four terms in the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1989 to 2013.
He founded the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation in 1990 to disburse grants to Wisconsin students, teachers and schools. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded nearly $18.5 million in grants and scholarships to more than 7,670 people. In recent years, the foundation has flash-funded all Wisconsin teachers’ funding requests through the crowd-funding platform DonorsChoose.org
In 1985, four years before taking office, he bought the Milwaukee Bucks for $18 million to keep the NBA franchise in the city. After 30 years, he sold the Bucks in 2014 for $550 million to New York-based billionaires Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry and made a $100 million contribution toward a new arena for the team, the largest single gift in Wisconsin at the time.
In 1995, he donated $25 million to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to construct what would become the Kohl Center, the home of UW’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s hockey team. Kohl was also one of 10 original investors in the Milwaukee Brewers. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
He also gave $1.5 million to the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison to create the Herb Kohl Public Service Research Competition in 2016.
As of 2016, he was the wealthiest person in the city of Milwaukee, according to Forbes, which estimated his net worth to be between $630 million and $1.5 billion.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Madison; MBA, Harvard University
SHELDON LUBAR is founder and chairman of Lubar & Co., a family-owned, Milwaukee-based private investment and wealth management office. He was chairman and chief executive officer of the Christiana Companies Inc. until its merger with Weatherford International in 1999 and chairman of Total Logistics Inc. until its acquisition in 2005 by SuperValu Inc. He’s held federal governmental appointments under presidents Carter, Nixon and Ford, and was past president of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. His $10 million gift to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee established the Lubar School for Entrepreneurship, and its home, the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. He also co-founded and served as president of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and J.D., UW-Madison
FIRST JOB: “Marine National Exchange Bank. I learned everything about banking: estate planning, lending, investing and management.”
IN 1962, Stephen Marcus joined the movie theater business his father, Ben Marcus, founded 27 years earlier. Stephen went on to serve as president from 1980 to 2008 and as chief executive officer from 1988 to 2009, overseeing its growth in the movie theater and hospitality industry. He was instrumental in its acquisition of The Pfister Hotel and the Milwaukee Hilton and construction of the tower expansion to the Pfister. He was elected chairman of the board in 1991 and today continues to serve as chairman.
A civic leader, Marcus has chaired the Greater Milwaukee Committee and co-chaired annual campaigns for the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and the United Performing Arts Fund. As chair of Summerfest in the 1970s, he is credited with helping grow the annual festival by bringing in a variety of food vendors.
He is also former chair of the Marcus Corp. Foundation, which has contributed to many projects and causes in the region. The Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee is named in recognition of a naming rights contribution from The Marcus Corp. Foundation more than 25 years ago, which provided funds to renovate and expand the facility. The Marcus family also previously was naming rights sponsor of the amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds.
In partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, the foundation created the Marcus Prize, which is offered every two years in recognition of emerging talent in the world of architecture. The Marcus family also donated the Warner Grand Theatre (a former Marcus theater) to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, which converted the venue into the Bradley Symphony Center. In total, the Marcus Corp. Foundation has donated more than $10 million to nonprofit organizations
In 2017, Stephen Marcus spearheaded the launch of Sculpture Milwaukee, an annual public art display in downtown Milwaukee, in an effort to help revitalize Wisconsin Avenue.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Madison; J.D., University of Michigan Law School
LIFELONG MILWAUKEE RESIDENT Allan H. “Bud” Selig led Major League Baseball from 1992 until his retirement in 2015. Decades before he became MLB commissioner, Selig was instrumental in bringing major league baseball back to Milwaukee. After the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, Selig led a group that sought to bring another MLB team to Milwaukee, acquiring the Seattle Pilots and moving them to Milwaukee in 1970 to become the Milwaukee Brewers. The high point of Selig’s ownership of the Brewers was the team’s 1982 American League championship and only World Series appearance in franchise history.
Selig also led the controversial fight to build the stadium now known as American Family Field in the 1990s.
Selig was named chairman of MLB’s executive council in 1992, effectively serving as interim commissioner until he was officially installed six years later. During his tenure, the game’s annual revenues grew from $1.2 billion to $9 billion. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. Today, Selig is a Distinguished Professor of Sports in America at Arizona State University and a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University. He endowed the Allan H. Selig Chair in the History of Sport and Society in the United States and the Distinguished Lecture Series in Sport and Society at UW-Madison in 2010.
He and his wife, Suzanne, support arts and education in the Milwaukee community, including the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Film, the Milwaukee Public Library and UW-Milwaukee, among other organizations.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Madison
A RETIRED HIGH-PROFILE EXECUTIVE and community leader, Thelma Sias spent three decades with We Energies, where she ultimately led its community engagement efforts. In 1986, Sias joined Wisconsin Gas Co., which was later acquired by Wisconsin Electric and parent company Wisconsin Energy Corp. By 2003, she had risen the ranks to become vice president of local affairs, where she worked with community leaders and local government officials to further the company’s business initiatives and lead multimillion-dollar projects. She also served on the We Energies Foundation board. A native of Mississippi, Sias grew up on her family farm and watched her parents’ involvement in the civil rights movement, which she has cited as a motivator for her work. Early in her career, Sias was the supervisor of the Ethnic Heritage Recruitment Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, serving the needs of African American and Native American students. In 1982, she moved to Milwaukee to work for an alderman before joining Wisconsin Electric. Later in her career, she founded and continues to serve as chief executive officer of consulting firm The Sias Group LLC.
Sias serves on many boards, including the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, the Sojourner Family Peace Center and the African American Women’s Project. Sias is also a member of The Links, a social and service organization of prominent Black women in the U.S. She has won numerous accolades. Savoy magazine named her on its 2016 list of Top Influential Women in Corporate America. In 2017, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation recognized Sias with the Doug Jansson Leadership Award, the Milwaukee Fellowship Open gave her a Civic Leaders Award, and she was added to The History Makers’ Collection at the Library of Congress.
JOHN STOLLENWERK is credited with building Port Washington-based shoe manufacturer and retailer Allen Edmonds Shoe Corp. into the upscale men’s footwear brand it’s now recognized as. Stollenwerk was part of a group that purchased the company in 1980 and later bought out his partners. He served as CEO from 1980 to 2006, when he sold the company to private equity group Goldner Hawn. In his retirement, Stollenwerk has focused on philanthropy, with a focus on Catholic education in the Milwaukee area. In 2020, he gifted $2.5 million to establish a pathway program that provides scholarships and support for Marquette University High School students who want to go to Marquette University.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s, Marquette University
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “John Schlifske – great leadership, integrity, personality, and he wears Allen Edmonds. Anne Zizzo –entrepreneur to the max, friendly and a ‘doer.’”
FUN FACT: “Went to the Jesuit University in Buenos Aires on an Organization of American States Scholarship. Was the director of the Biafran airlift for Catholic Relief Services. Wife, JoEllen, and I lived in São Tomé. At 18, I began a painting company, hiring other students to help with (Marquette) tuition. My German relative, Maria Helena Stollenwerk, was beatified by (Pope) St. John Paul (II).”
BIGGEST RISK: “Buying Allen Edmonds while at the same time beginning an animal feed factory/business in Brazil.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “Blue Suede Shoes”
THE LONGEST-SERVING governor in Wisconsin state history, Tommy Thompson also holds the record for being the only politician to be elected to that office four times. His tenure (1987–2001) was marked by reform of the state’s welfare system, his involvement in the creation of Milwaukee’s school voucher system and passage of legislation to fund construction of American Family Field in Milwaukee. Thompson served as chairman of the Republican Governors Association and of the National Governors Association in the 1990s. He was then appointed U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under then President George W. Bush, from 2001-2005.
Most recently, Thompson served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022, filling in when former president Ray Cross retired.
Thompson is the chairman of the board for Milwaukee-based Physicians Realty Trust, a health care real estate investment trust. He was named to the board in connection with the REIT’s initial public offering in 2013. In 2021, Physicians Realty Trust acquired over $1 billion in outpatient medical office facilities, bringing its gross real estate investments to just under $6 billion while growing its total portfolio to over 16 million rentable square feet.
Thompson also currently serves on the board of United Therapeutics Corp. and as executive chairman of TherapeuticsMD, Inc.
From 2005 until 2009, Thompson served as a senior advisor for Deloitte & Touche USA LLP and was the founding independent chairman of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. From 2005 to early 2012, he served as a senior partner at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He served as chairman of the board of Logistics Health from January 2007 to May 2011, and served as president from February 2005 to January 2011. Thompson served on the board of directors of Centene Corp. from 2005 to 2022. He also was formerly a board member for C.R. Bard, Inc., Cytori Therapeutics, Inc., Cancer Genetics, Inc., CareView Communications, Inc., and Tyme Technologies, Inc.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and J.D., UW-Madison
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT AND DISH: “Ishnala Supper Club (in Lake Delton), old fashioned and filet steak or walleye.”
74 Klappa, Gale 74 Larsen, John 75 Lauber, Scott 75 Rowe, Mike 75 Schmidt, John food & Beverage 76 Auricchio, Errico 76 Behan, Gerry 76 Carey, Deb 76 Coquard, Philippe 77 Dunford, Ron 77 Fallucca, Giacomo 77 Gentine, Jeff 77 Gentine, Louie 78 Hattersley, Gavin 78 Leinenkugel, Dick 79 Link, Troy 79 Sannes, Ross 79 Sartori, Jim 79 Stayer, Shelly manufacturing 80 Adams, Todd 80 Ariens, Dan 80 Bakke, James 80 Bockhorst, Ken 81 Bordignon, Fabio 81 Burke, John 81 Drees, Christopher 81 Jagdfeld, Aaron 82 Johnson, Fisk 82 Johnson-Leipold, Helen 82 Kacmarcik, Jim
manufacturing (continued) 82 Kohler, David 83 Kotek, Jim 83 Kress, William 83 Mellowes, John W. 83 Merrick, Stephen 84 Moret, Blake 84 Oldenburg, Wayne 84 Oliver, George 84 Pfeifer, John 84 Pinkham, Louis 85 Quadracci, Joel 85 Ramirez, Austin 85 Ramirez, Gus 85 Richman, Steve 87 Torinus, John 87 Waller, Debra 87 Wheeler, Kevin 87 zeitz, jochen
88 DeLong, Bo 88 DeLuca, Deb 88 Dranzik, Brian 88 Haen, Dean 88 Jones, Kimberly 89 Roehl, Rick 89 Rourke, Mark
FOLLOWING WEC ENERGY GROUP’S acquisition of Integrys Energy Group, Gale Klappa retired as its CEO in 2016. The following year, he was reappointed by the board of directors to provide continuity after his successor had a major health setback. In 2019, Klappa was named executive chairman of the company. WEC, the Milwaukee-based holding company of Wisconsin Electric Power Co. and Wisconsin Gas LLC, has more than 4.5 million electric and natural gas customers and approximately 7,000 employees. Klappa sits on the MMAC’s executive committee, co-chairs the Milwaukee 7, serves on the UWM School of Business Advisory Council, and is a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Southern California (for the great weather), England and Scotland.”
FUN FACT: “My first job after graduating from college was morning news anchor at a radio station in Minneapolis. It was ‘Fast Eddie and Joe Gale’ in the mornings.”
IF YOU COULD GIVE YOUR FAVORITE PERSON ANY GIFT, WHAT WOULD IT BE: “An around-the-world trip for my wife.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Incredible work toward curing childhood cancer.”
Under the leadership and direction of Gale Klappa, executive chairman, and Scott Lauber, president and CEO, WEC Energy Group continues to be one of the nation’s premier energy companies — serving 4.6 million customers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan.
At WEC Energy Group, we’re focused on leading the way with a balanced, sustainable approach — investing in low-emitting and carbon-free generation, promoting research and development, and delivering affordable, reliable and clean energy to our customers.
Learn more at wecenergygroup.com
JOHN LARSEN was named president of Alliant Energy Corp. in 2018 and its CEO and chair the following year. The Madison-based public utility, which includes subsidiaries Interstate Power and Light Company and Wisconsin Power and Light Company, has completed two acquisitions under Larsen’s leadership. Alliant is executing on a “Clean Energy Blueprint” to add 1,100 megawatts (MW) of solar generation in Wisconsin by the end of 2023 and plans to eliminate all coal from its energy generation mix by 2040. Larsen is a member of the Business Roundtable and a board member of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of North Dakota
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “Anthony’s Ristorante in Woodruff. Everything on their menu is great!”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “I am proud of our work this year to support the National Child ID program here in Wisconsin. Through our donation, we supplied nearly 1 million ID kits to children from kindergarten through 12th grade across the state. These kits will provide peace of mind to families in the event their child ever went missing.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Always be your authentic self.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “The employees of Alliant Energy. … The future is bright because of their ideas and innovative approaches to accelerating a clean and reliable energy future for all of us right here in Wisconsin.”
SCOTT LAUBER was named president and chief executive officer of WEC Energy Group earlier this year, succeeding retiring CEO Kevin Fletcher. One of the largest public companies in Wisconsin, WEC Energy Group is the parent company of Milwaukee-based We Energies and Madison-based Wisconsin Public Service, as well as Michigan Gas Utilities, Upper Michigan Energy Resources, Minnesota Energy and Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas. Lauber’s role includes oversight of WEC’s utilities throughout Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. The company, which has about 7,000 employees, reported revenue of $8.3 billion and net income of $1.3 billion in 2021. Lauber has been with WEC since 1990, most recently as chief operating officer. Lauber is also on the board of directors of American Transmission Co.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “AC/DC, ‘It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock ‘n’ Roll)’. It’s a great song and impressive how they incorporate bagpipes.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Become a student of the business and always continue to learn and grow.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Las Vegas and Switzerland.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Leading the effort to decarbonize our generation fleet and continue to provide customers affordable, reliable and clean energy. In addition, we are helping to shape the future with a hydrogen power pilot test that is the first of its kind in the world.”
MIKE ROWE joined Pewaukeebased American Transmission Co. in 2006 as vice president of construction. He was promoted in 2012 to executive vice president and chief operating officer, and in 2015, he took over leadership of the company and was elected to the ATC board. With more than $5.6 billion in assets, ATC claims to be the first multistate, transmission-only utility in the U.S. Rowe is leading the company through massive shifts in the industry. Reflecting the larger migration toward renewable energy, the company is working to change its generation mix. In 2021, 42% of the energy used by consumers in its service area came from coal, with 7% coming from renewable resources.
By 2035, less than 1% is expected to come from coal and 25% from renewable resources.
Previously Rowe was director of engineering and asset management for Kansas City Power & Light. Earlier, he worked for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago, including as its director of project management.
He currently serves on the ProHealth Care Foundation board of directors and previously served on the boards of the Edison Electric Institute and the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies and is a past director of the Midwest Reliability Organization.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Illinois; MBA University of Chicago
JOHN SCHMIDT has led Appletonbased U.S. Venture as its president and chief executive officer since 2007. The firm includes a family of brands focused on the distribution of traditional and renewable energy products, lubricants, tires and parts. Previously, Schmidt was president of CMD Corp. from 1991 to 2007, leading its growth from a startup to an established capital equipment manufacturer.
Last year, U.S. Venture bought naming rights to the new seven-story office tower on the west end of the Titletown District in Green Bay, now known as the U.S. Venture Center. This year, Breakthrough, a division of U.S. Venture, relocated its new headquarters to the building’s fourth and fifth floors. U.S. Venture also recently partnered with gener8tor to launch an investment accelerator program focused on sustainability and mobility in Appleton. Startups and small businesses chosen for the accelerator program will each receive $100,000 investments from the company, through gener8tor’s venture fund.
Schmidt is board chair of Riverview Gardens Inc., an Appleton-based social enterprise that uses urban farming as a vehicle for job training, and is past board chair of COTS Inc., a transitional shelter helping individuals experiencing homelessness in the Fox Cities. He served as a co-chair of YMCA of the Fox Cities’ $9.2 million capital campaign to build two new YMCA facilities.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
At Rockwell Automation, we connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible.
Congratulations to our Chairman & CEO, Blake Moret, for being named one of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Business Leaders.Scott Lauber Mike Rowe CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO AMERICAN TRANSMISSION CO. | PEWAUKEE John Schmidt PRESIDENT AND CEO U.S. VENTURE | APPLETON
FOURTH-GENERATION CHEESEMAKER Errico Auricchio founded BelGioioso Cheese Inc. in Brown County in 1979 after having moved from Italy to Wisconsin. Today, the Green Baybased company produces 27 cheese varieties, sourcing its milk from more than 200 Wisconsin dairy farms and distributing its product nationwide and internationally. When he first founded BelGioioso, Auricchio brought with him two artisan cheesemakers from Italy; as of last year, the company has seven Certified Master Cheesemakers on staff. The company has over 700 employees working across its 10 plants in Wisconsin and two plants in the state of New York.
BelGioioso is a major player in the mozzarella cheese market alongside the likes of the Kraft Heinz Co., Grande Cheese Co., Organic Valley, Saputo Cheese and Sargento. Last year, BelGioioso purchased Polly-O – a brand known for its ricotta, mozzarella and string cheese items – from Kraft Heinz. BelGioiso has racked up many awards for its cheeses over the years and most recently took home four medals at the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest. Auricchio is chairman of the Consortium for Common Food Names, an international organization, and is a founding member of the Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute.
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT NEW GLARUS BREWING CO. | NEW GLARUSDEBORAH CAREY and her husband, Dan, founded New Glarus Brewing Co. nearly 30 years ago. As a gift to Dan, Deb raised the capital for the startup brewery, and in 1993 the couple negotiated to rent a New Glarus warehouse in exchange for stock in the fledgling company. The couple sold their home, raised $40,000 in seed money, and, after approaching local news outlets about the business idea, they brought in another $200,000.
Today, New Glarus ranks 12th among the top 50 largest craft brewers in the country, according to the Brewers Association. In a state known for its beer, it ranks second among all breweries, trailing only Molson Coors in production. It produced about 230,000 barrels of beer last year.
It is also one of the older craft brewers in the country, having established itself decades before the explosion of new microbreweries in the 2010s.
Best known for its Spotted Cow label, New Glarus limits its distribution to the state of Wisconsin. In the mid-2000s, the company opened a new $21 million Bavarian villagelike facility in New Glarus, which draws over 100,000 visitors annually.
Deb serves as president, while Dan is master brewer. She was recognized by thenPresident Barack Obama and the White House as a Champion of Change for her entrepreneurship.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Carroll College (Helena, Montana)
Behan EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KERRY GROUP | BELOITGERRY BEHAN has worked for over 35 years for Kerry Group, an Ireland-based international food corporation with operations in Beloit. Behan has held various senior financial and business management roles in the Americas region, including chief operating officer and regional chief executive officer. He was appointed president and chief executive officer of Kerry’s Global Taste & Nutrition business in 2011, overseeing the global expansion of the company’s largest operating division.
He has been an executive director on the board since 2008. In 2021, he served as acting president and CEO of Kerry’s North America operations while the company searched for a new leader.
Kerry has over 22,000 staff and 150 innovation and manufacturing centers across 30 countries. In 2021, the company completed a $125 million expansion of its Georgia manufacturing facility, the company’s largest ever capital expenditure investment. At the time of the announcement, Behan said the facility will be “one of the most advanced and modern food manufacturing facilities in the world.”
Locally, Behan serves as vice president of Beloit 200, a group of local business leaders led by Diane Hendricks. The group created nonprofit organization Kids First Beloit, which launched The Lincoln Academy, a new public charter school in the city.
BORN AND RAISED in the Beaujolais region of France, Philippe Coquard joined Wollersheim Winery in Sauk County in 1984 as its winemaker. A 13th-generation winemaker, Coquard grew up working on his family’s farm and went on to earn degrees in winemaking, viticulture and wine marketing.
After moving to the Prairie du Sac winery, Coquard later became a son-in-law of its founder, the late Bob Wollersheim. Today, Coquard co-owns the business with his wife and Bob’s daughter, Julie Coquard. Members of their family work in various areas of the business, including winemaking, distilling, marketing, the vineyard and the stores.
Overlooking the Wisconsin River on a hill in the Lake Wisconsin viticultural area, Wollersheim produces over 1 million bottles of wine annually. The business has expanded over the years with several additions, growing its production capacity and retail operations. Its best-known and most popular wine is Prairie Fumé, which is credited with helping raise Wollersheim’s profile when it was introduced in the late-1980s.
Wollersheim won the Winery of the Year award in 2012 at the San Diego International Wine Competition. In 2015, the business opened its distillery, selling gin, absinthe, whiskey and bourbon. Wollersheim also owns Cedar Creek Winery, a sister business located in Cedarburg.
RON DUNFORD was named president and chief executive officer of Schreiber Foods in 2019. The employee-owned, Green Bay-based dairy company produces cheese, cream cheese, yogurt and other products for fast-food restaurants, grocery stores and wholesalers. It reports annual sales of more than $5 billion, distributing its products from plants in the U.S., Germany, Mexico, India and Brazil. Ranking among Forbes’ top 100 largest private companies nationally, Schreiber has more than 9,000 employees.
Dunford has been with the company since 1996. He was named a vice president in 2000, senior vice president in 2002, president and chief operating officer of food service chain sales in 2003, president and COO of global operations in 2006, and president of Schreiber U.S. in 2014.
Dunford has been on Schreiber’s board of directors since 2003. He has also served on the boards of Mentors International, the Innovation Center for U.S Dairy, the International Dairy Foods Association and Utah State University Center for Entrepreneurship. He is also past chairman of the National Cheese Institute. He is currently a co-chair of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s $20 million “Ignite the Future” campaign, alongside Packers president Mark Murphy and other Green Bay business leaders.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Utah State University
Gentine PRESIDENT AND CEO MASTERS GALLERY FOODS | PLYMOUTHJEFF GENTINE is carrying on his family’s cheese legacy as president and chief executive officer of Plymouth-based cheese supplier Masters Gallery Foods. Gentine is the grandson of Sargento Foods founder Leonard Gentine Sr., and son of Masters Gallery Foods founder Butch Gentine Jr.
Jeff Gentine began his career as a private label buyer for grocery wholesaler Richfood Inc. in Richmond, Virginia. He joined Masters Gallery Foods in 1996 as a regional sales manager and went on to hold other positions in procurement and manufacturing operations. He worked for more than 10 years as executive vice president before being named president and CEO in 2017.
He serves on the board of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the International Dairy Foods Association’s Cheese board.
Masters Gallery has one of the largest privately held cheese inventories in the U.S. Its divisions include private-label retail, food service and industrial sales. The company has more than 900 employees.
The company is currently investing $60 million to expand its cheese packaging and distribution facility in Oostburg. The expansion, which will bring the total facility to more than 285,000 square feet, is expected to create 105 new jobs.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Bryant University
FAVORITE CHEESE: Spanish Manchego or extra-aged Wisconsin cheddar
CHAIRMAN AND CEO PALERMO VILLA INC. | MILWAUKEE
GIACOMO FALLUCCA is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Palermo Villa Inc., one of the largest independent frozen pizza brands in the U.S. Fallucca represents the second generation of family leadership for the Palermo group of brands, which includes Palermo’s Primo Thin, King Cheese, Screamin’ Sicilian, Urban Pie Pizza and Connie’s Pizza.
Palermo’s has had an impact on Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, opening its plant and headquarters there in 2006, pioneering the trend of manufacturers and businesses to set up operations in the Valley since then. The company has since expanded its plant multiple times.
Fallucca is executive chair for Food and Beverage Wisconsin and a member of Vistage. He is also a board member of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and MKE United. He has been involved with the Sherman Phoenix entrepreneurial hub and marketplace in Milwaukee from the project’s beginning, both as a donor and mentor for new business development. Earlier this year, Palermo Villa acquired a majority interest in Sherman Phoenix business Funky Fresh Spring Rolls. Fallucca has also served as president of the board of Operation Dream, a peer-mentoring program for at-risk youth. He is a part owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
LOUIE GENTINE is the third-generation family owner and leader of Plymouthbased cheese maker Sargento Foods. A $1.4 billion company with over 2,000 employees, Sargento is one of the largest cheese suppliers in the U.S. Having worked in the family business during high school and college, Gentine got his professional start working as a commercial lender. He later returned to Sargento in 2000, went on to hold leadership roles in marketing, production and procurement, and was named chief executive officer in 2013. Earlier this year, Sargento announced plans to acquire Baker Cheese Factory, a family-owned company best known for its string cheese.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Notre Dame; MBA, Loyola University Chicago
FIRST JOB: “Truck washer at Sargento Foods. (I learned the) importance of hard work and what ‘elbow grease’ means, given that I had to wax the tractors.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘Good Night Moon’—best book to read to your children before bedtime!”
FUN FACT: “I have climbed/hiked 30 of the 58 14ers in Colorado (mountain peaks over 14,000 feet) and the highest in the lower 48 states, Mt. Whitney in California.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. My son Jack was diagnosed when he was 14 years old. My wife, Paula, and I had been supporters of JDRF before then, but for obvious reasons we have not only learned more about this great organization but have seen first-hand how JDRF has helped my son manage diabetes along with the progress they are making to finding a cure.”
IN 2019, Gavin Hattersley was named chief executive officer of Chicago-based Molson Coors Beverage Co., the producer of beer brands Miller, Coors, Leinenkugel’s and Blue Moon.
Under his leadership, the company in 2020 changed its name from Molson Coors Brewing Co. to Molson Coors Beverage Co., reflecting its growing focus on non-beer brands, including hard seltzers. That year, the company also consolidated its operations, making Chicago its North American headquarters and adding hundreds of jobs in Milwaukee. It has about 17,000 employees worldwide, reported $10.3 billion in sales last year, and ranked No. 352 on the Fortune 500 in 2022.
In 2020, the company launched its Project Justice Initiative, through which it has donated $4.5 million to BIPOC organizations that are dedicated to equity, empowerment, justice and community building. Among the grant recipients have been several Black-owned businesses based in Milwaukee, the city’s Sherman Phoenix entrepreneurship hub and the MKE Fellows program.
Hattersley previously led MillerCoors, the U.S. business unit of Molson Coors, since 2015. He was previously chief financial officer of Molson Coors from 2012 to 2015 and MillerCoors CFO from 2008 to 2012. He also was senior vice president of finance for Miller Brewing Co. from 2002 to 2008.
Hattersley serves on the board of Penfield Children’s Center Inc. and The Economic Club of Chicago and is chairman and senior director of The Beer Institute Inc.
In 2020, he bought a home in the Milwaukee suburb of River Hills.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of South Africa
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF BEER MERCHANT JACOB LEINENKUGEL BREWING CO. | CHIPPEWA FALLS
DICK LEINENKUGEL leads Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., the familyfounded, Chippewa Falls-based MolsonCoors subsidiary best known nationally for its Summer Shandy. Dick Leinenkugel plans to retire at the year’s end, passing the business to his nephew and sixth-generation Leinenkugel, Tony Bugher. Beyond beer, Leinenkugel has dabbled in politics, serving as Department of Commerce secretary under Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and later making a brief run for U.S. Senate.
BEST CAREER ADVICE: “The Marine Corps taught me leadership by walking around. Good ideas often come from those closest to the action and you have to be open to listening to ideas from anyone.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT, ORDER: “Culver’s, double butter burger deluxe. Honey Bear in Eagle River, baby walleye with Leinenkugel’s beer on draught.”
MOST SIGNIFICANT RECENT SUCCESS: “Turning around a decline in Summer Shandy in the face of hard seltzers and keeping it relevant in the beer marketplace to grow distributor net revenue.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Help our rural communities to have even greater access to great educational, workplace and health care opportunities.”
TROY LINK is president and chief executive officer of Jack Link’s Protein Snacks, the largest manufacturer of meat snacks worldwide.
The company, which is based in the village of Minong in Washburn County, has a portfolio of brands that includes Jack Link’s, Lorissa’s Kitchen, MATADOR, SQUATCH, World Kitchens, Grass Run Farms Meat Snacks, Bifi and Pepperami.
Link joined the family business in 1988 – two years after its founding – while he was still in high school. Working under his father, founder Jack Link, Troy Link was named vice president of sales and marketing in 1996, where he helped widen the company’s distribution with key national retailers. Troy Link became president in 2003 and 10 years later was appointed CEO.
In 2014, the company acquired Unilever’s meat snack division, a deal that includes the BiFi brand and Peperami. In 2019, Jack Link’s acquired Tyson Foods’ Golden Island brand.
Troy Link was also influential in developing the company’s signature “Messin’ With Sasquatch” campaign.
Earlier this year, Jack Link’s announced plans for a new, $450 million plant in Georgia, which is expected to create 800 jobs – the company’s first manufacturing facility outside of the Midwest. The company is also planning expansions of its Alpena, South Dakota; Underwood, Iowa; and Minong facilities.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Stout
JIM SARTORI took the reins of Sartori Cheese in 1986 at age 30. Representing the third generation of family leadership, Sartori led the Plymouth-based company as chief executive officer for 34 years before passing the baton to Jeff Schwager in 2020.
The family-owned cheese manufacturer and marketer is best known for its premium cheeses, including BellaVitano and SarVecchio. The company has won more than 400 national and international quality awards, including the 2017 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest for its Black Pepper BellaVitano. It sells its products in all 50 states and more than 45 countries. Under Sartori’s leadership, the company made a series of acquisitions, including Linden Cheese Company, Antigo Cheese Co. and Tellory. He has served on the board of the National Cheese Institute and the International Dairy Foods Association’s cheese board.
Outside of the cheese business, Sartori is a founding impact investor of Eskala, a microfinance company associated with Marquette University’s Global Brigades organization. The company launched in 2021 after raising an initial seed round of $1.2 million with investments from Sartori and Gemini Global Advisors president Jim Stollberg. Sartori has also previously given to the Marquette Innovation Fund and other entrepreneurship initiatives at the university.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University
CEOROSS SANNES has spent the past decade at City Brewing Co., progressing from vice president of business development and operations to chief operating officer to chief executive officer. Sannes was named chief executive of the La Crosse-based contract brewery in 2021 following its acquisition by a group of investors. Sannes succeeded former CEO George Parke III.
Under the equity investment, investors Charlesbank Capital Partners, Oaktree Capital Management LLC, Blue Ribbon Partners LLC and City Brewing’s management now own 100% of the company. City Brewing claims to be the largest full-service alcoholic beverage contract manufacturer in the U.S. It provides co-packing and supply chain services to customers across its hard seltzer, traditional FMB, beer, spirit-based RTD, and premium non-alcoholic beverage brands.
At the time of the equity investment, City Brewing announced it would make a $630 million investment to accelerate the company’s growth, enhance its innovation capabilities and meet demand from key customers.
Part of its investment included its acquisition of the historic Irwindale brewery in southern California from Pabst Brewing Co. Now named the Irwindale Brew Yard, the facility is the largest full-service, low-alcohol beverage contract production facility in the western United States, according to City Brewing. It’s expected to have capacity of 110 million cases per year by 2024. Sannes has said the brewery rounds out the company’s national footprint.
The company operates four facilities, which are located in La Crosse; Memphis; Latrobe, Pennsylvania; and Irwindale, California. It has more than 1,800 employees.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of North Dakota and Minnesota State University Moorhead
IN 2019, Shelly Stayer became the third person in Johnsonville’s history to serve as board chair, succeeding her husband, Ralph C. Stayer, and his father, Ralph F. Stayer, in the role. Over her previous two decades at the Sheboygan Fallsbased sausage maker, Stayer led several new product introductions, including a branded mustard line and the indoor Sizzling Sausage Grill. She also led Johnsonville’s marketing sponsorship efforts with the Tailgate Village at Lambeau Field and its Milwaukee Brewers sponsorship. Active in philanthropy and nonprofit work in both Wisconsin and Naples, Florida, Stayer was recently appointed to the board of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marian University
CAREER ADVICE: “Have all the facts before making a decision. In my business endeavors, working to gather all pieces of critical information before making a decision has served me well.”
FUN FACT: “A few years ago, I began deer hunting with my husband. From bundling up to brave the cold to just enjoying being out in nature, I love everything about this great new tradition. And I’m proud to say I’ve been successful in this new hobby!”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “I have been honored to help found the Shelly Stayer Shelter in Collier County, Florida. This is a 62bed, 15,000-square-foot facility helping support and house victims of human trafficking and domestic violence.”
BIGGEST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “I’d say getting back to being fully staffed as well as servicing our customers while managing supply chain issues have been two of our greatest accomplishments in 2022.”
TODD ADAMS is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Zurn Elkay Water Solutions. With roughly 2,600 employees, Milwaukee-based Zurn Elkay manufactures and markets water control and safety products for clients in the health care, hospitality, education, retail, residential and office markets.
This year, the company completed its merger with Elkay Manufacturing Co. to become Zurn Elkay, a deal valued at $1.5 billion. Adams has said the company is confident in its ability to deliver on “$50 million of synergy opportunities” as a result of the merger.
Adams joined the business, then Rexnord Corp., in 2004. He was appointed CEO in 2009 and chairman of the board in 2020. Previously, Adams was president of the water management platform and senior vice president and chief financial officer at Rexnord. Earlier, he held senior financial roles with The Boeing Company, APW Ltd., Applied Power and IDEX.
He sits on the board of trustees at the Manufacturers Alliance as well as the boards of Badger Meter Inc., Children’s Wisconsin and Hunger Task Force. Adams was also elected to the Marquette University board of trustees in 2015 and was elected vice chair in 2020; he’s also served as a member of the Marquette University President’s Society.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Eastern Illinois University; Certified Public Accountant
James BAKKE PRESIDENT AND CEO SUB-ZERO GROUP INC. | MADISON Ariens CHAIRMAN AND CEO ARIENSCO | BRILLION
DAN ARIENS represents the fourth generation of family leadership for AriensCo, a Brillion-based outdoor power equipment manufacturer. He joined the company in 1983 and became president and chief executive officer in 1998. With more than 2,200 employees across its operations in the U.S., Norway, the U.K. and Germany, the company manufactures equipment used for lawn, garden and snow removal.
AriensCo has made several acquisitions under Dan Ariens’ leadership, including of Germany-based AS-Motor in 2021 and Thomas Equipment in 2022. In recent years, the company has spearheaded the $50 million redevelopment of the 140-acre former Brillion Iron Works foundry site with plans to turn it into a mixed-use development with a hotel, shops, a clinic, apartments and a park. Ariens has said a goal of the project is to drive population growth in its hometown and make AriensCo more attractive as an employer.
Looking to draw more visitors to Calumet County, the company also established a hospitality division in 2020, opening two event venues, Stone Prairie and Round Lake Farms. It plans to open Ariens Nordic Center, a skiing venue, this year.
The company, through its foundation, has donated millions toward STEM education and the public school system in Brillion.
A proponent of lean manufacturing principles, Ariens has been recognized with the Eli Whitney Productivity Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and mentors other organizations on lean leadership. He was inducted in 2012 to the Association for Manufacturing Excellence Hall of Fame.
Ariens is past chair of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and past vice chair the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. He sits on the executive committee of the Green Bay Packers’ board.
JAMES BAKKE has led Sub-Zero Group for the past 30 years. He represents the third generation of family leadership at the Madison-based manufacturer of refrigeration, freezer and wine storage products. SubZero operates production facilities in Madison, Fitchburg; Phoenix and Goodyear, Arizona; and Richmond, Kentucky. In recent years, it has completed a $62 million expansion of its Fitchburg plant to accommodate another 300 employees. This year, the company announced plans to build a 400,000-square-foot assembly plan in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The $140.6 million project is expected to create 192 jobs.
Earlier under Bakke’s leadership, the company acquired Wolf Range Co., adding residential cooking appliances – such as cooktops, wall ovens, warming drawers and ventilation equipment – to its portfolio. In 2018, the company launched the Cove brand of dishwashers. Also during his tenure, Sub-Zero has introduced product lines, including various types of wine storage equipment. Bakke has served on the board of directors of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, PDQ Corp. and the Madison Ronald McDonald House. Before becoming president, Bakke spent 10 years working in various positions within the family business. He began his career in 1977 as a sales representative with Oscar Mayer Inc.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ken BockhorstCHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO BADGER METER | BROWN DEER
KEN BOCKHORST joined Badger Meter in 2017 as its chief operating officer and was promoted to president, chief executive officer and chairman each successive year after. The Brown Deer-based manufacturer of flow measurement and control products has 1,900 employees company-wide and ranks among the 50 largest public Wisconsin companies by revenue. Badger Meter has managed to grow its top line amid supply chain challenges in recent years. Previously, Bockhorst was an executive vice president with Actuant Corp., and held prior leadership roles at IDEX Corp. and Eaton Corp.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marian University; Executive MBA, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “Too many great choices to pick one restaurant, but the Lobster Pot Pie at Third Coast Provisions in Milwaukee is amazing.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem. Making sure that you do everything within your power to succeed. You never know how many opportunities you will get, don’t let it pass you by.”
FIRST CAR: “1977 Chevy Nova. Rescued it from the junk yard at 16, and drove it for four years.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Our Badger Meter team has pulled together to overcome many of the significant challenges posed by the supply chain crisis. To do this on the back of successfully navigating a global pandemic has been like hitting grand slams in back-toback innings. I couldn’t be more proud of the results achieved during these times by all of our employees across the world.”
FABIO BORDIGNON in 2021 was named general manager of Italian shipmaker Fincantieri’s subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group. Bordignon’s oversight includes the finance, HR, legal, compliance, and environmental, health and safety departments for Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the shipyard located along the Menominee River in Marinette that focuses on government work. Fincantieri Marinette Marine builds highly technologically advanced vessels, including the U.S. Navy’s Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship.
Earlier this year, Fincantieri Marinette Marine completed a $300 million fabrication facility and panel line for the production of the U.S. Navy’s newest class of ships, and the company began construction on the Constellation-class guided missile frigate in August. That work is part of a contract with the Navy, potentially valued at $5.5 billion, and is expected to create as many as 400 new jobs. Outside of Fincantieri, Bordignon serves on the board of New North, the economic development organization focused on northeast Wisconsin.
EDUCATION: MBA, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
CAREER ADVICE: “Be a life-long learner. ‘There’s a big difference between 20 years of experience and one year repeated 19 times.’”
FUN FACT: “I was raised on a farm outside of Venice, driving tractors, riding horses and milking cows.”
DreeS PRESIDENT MERCURY MARINE | FOND DU LACCHRIS DREES joined Mercury Marine in 1998 and went on to hold various positions with the company before being named president in 2019. The Fond du Lac-based marine engine division of Illinois-based Brunswick Corp. has more than 7,000 employees globally. A 2017 report by the Fond du Lac Economic Development Corp. found Mercury has an annual impact of more than $4 billion on the Fond du Lac economy, with more than 80% of contracted work at its facility awarded to Wisconsin-based companies.
The company’s main consumer brands include Mercury Marine outboard engines, Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages, and Mercury global parts and accessories including propellers and SmartCraft electronics. Prior to becoming president of the company, Drees was president of marine parts and accessories.
Mercury Marine has been awarded three times the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year award in its largest category. It has invested more than $1 billion in expansion and research and development over the past decade.
The company recently opened a new distribution center near Indianapolis for its parts and accessories business. With the transition, it is repurposing and expanding its Fond du Lac plant for manufacturing. The company is adding 100,000 square feet to support production of its propulsion systems.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; MBA, Marquette University
Burke PRESIDENT TREK BICYCLE CORP. | WATERLOOIN 1984, John Burke began working at Trek Bicycle Corp., the Waterloo-based bicycle manufacturer and distributor that his father, Dick, founded almost a decade earlier. He took the helm of the company in 1997 as its president.
During his tenure, Trek has become the largest bicycle company in the country, selling about 1 million bikes annually and employing about 3,500.
The brand’s profile has grown over the years thanks to the famous cyclists who ride its bikes.
In 1999, Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France riding a Trek 5500.
TIME magazine named Trek among its 100 Most Influential Companies list in 2022 for its recently released sustainability report that quantified the environmental impact of producing and shipping its bikes. The company is now working to reduce its reliance on air freight.
Burke has authored three books, “Presidential Playbook,” “12 Simple Solutions to Save America,” and “One Last Great Thing,” a memoir about Dick Burke. He has said he has considered running for president as an independent candidate. His sister, Mary Burke, ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2014 against Scott Walker.
Burke served as chairman of President George W. Bush’s President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports. He is also a founding board member of the Bikes Belong Coalition.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Boston University
HOBBY/PASSION: Burke is an avid cyclist and runner. He’s finished the Ironman Wisconsin and Boston and New York’s marathons.
AARON JAGDFELD was named president and chief executive officer of Generac in 2008 and has since led it to become one of the fastest-growing manufacturers in the state. The Town of Genesee-based maker of generators has roughly 9,600 employees company-wide, a little over a third of whom are based locally. Thanks to strong demand for its residential home standby generators in recent years, Generac is on target to do more than $5 billion in net sales this year.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wiconsin-Whitewater
HOBBY/PASSION: “I’m a nerdy ‘AFOL,’ which stands for Adult Fan of Lego. I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s putting together Lego sets and building just about anything I could think of. I spent an enormous amount of time as a kid building and the creativity that it sparked was amazing. Today I still enjoy building.”
FIRST CAR: “A 1981 Mercury Capri with T-tops. I bought it used when I turned 16 and drove it all the way through college putting more than 200,000 miles on it.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The transition from a founder-owned and -led company to a private equity owned and operated company. Our founder, (the late) Bob Kern, sold the company to a New York private equity firm in late 2006, and it took our team and me personally some time to adapt to a completely different approach to business.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck.’ I can’t think of a better song to help get me energized about the day ahead!”
FISK JOHNSON represents the fifth generation of family leadership for multinational household cleaning supplies manufacturer S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. Johnson is chairman and chief executive officer of the Racine-based company, which is owned by the Johnson family.
S.C. Johnson has about 13,000 employees and reported revenue of $10.5 billion. Its well-known brands include Windex, Pledge, Glade, Shout, Ziploc, Scrubbing Bubbles and Raid.
Johnson joined the family business in 1987 as a marketing associate; he was appointed chairman in 2000 and CEO in 2004. His net worth is estimated at $3.3 billion, according to Forbes.
Among his public policy work, Johnson served as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation, a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and a director on the board of Conservation International.
A lifelong scuba diver, Johnson became motivated to address ocean plastic waste. In 2018, he signed The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, which is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with UN Environment and establishes a vision for companies to help create a circular economy for plastics. In 2017, he and his family donated $150 million to Cornell University to establish the S.C. Johnson College of Business.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Master’s in engineering, Master’s in physics, MBA, doctorate in physics, all from Cornell University
JIM KACMARCIK joined the management team of Kapco Metal Stamping in 1985, assuming the second-generation of family leadership for the Grafton-based contract manufacturer of metal components. Today, the company has nearly 700 employees across its nine Wisconsin facilities. Kacmarcik is also chairman and chief executive officer of Kacmarcik Enterprises, an umbrella organization that includes Kapco, Advanced Coatings Inc., House of Harley Davidson, Forward Madison FC, Speedkore Performance Group, Given Entertainment, and several of Kacmarcik’s philanthropic initiatives. Kacmarcik is the owner of the new Milwaukee professional soccer team that will play at the Milwaukee Iron District – a project Kacmarcik has been working to bring to fruition for several years. Kacmarcik is also a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “I recently went to Iceland with my family, and it was absolutely beautiful. One of the most stunning places I’ve had the pleasure of traveling to.”
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN TO MAKE IT BETTER: “Mindset. Wisconsin really is a place of opportunity. If you have an idea or a vision, and the work ethic to bring it to life, it’s possible in this state. I think we naturally have kind of a little-brother mentality, where we’re constantly comparing ourselves to more populous states, but Wisconsin has everything you could ask for.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “When my dad passed away. … You’re never ready to lose the person who was the leader of a company and the person you learned the most from, but also your dad.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Spending time with my family, traveling and Milwaukee Bucks basketball.”
CHAIR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER KOHLER CO. | KOHLERHELEN JOHNSON-LEIPOLD has led Johnson Outdoors as chairman and chief executive officer since 1999. The Racine-based company, which manufactures and markets outdoor recreational equipment and clothing, operates 24 locations and has about 1,400 employees. The company reported record revenue of $751.7 million last year.
After starting her career in advertising, JohnsonLeipold went on to join family business S.C. Johnson, working her way to become vice president of worldwide consumer products in 1997.
She was named chairman of Johnson Outdoors in 1999, chairman of both Johnson Financial Group and The Johnson Foundation in 2004, succeeding her father in all three roles.
She is among eight billionaires living in Wisconsin, with a net worth of $3.3 billion, according to Forbes.
She’s served on the board of The Prairie School, an independent private day-school founded by her mother, Imogene Powers Johnson. In 2017, she and her siblings pledged $150 million to Cornell University to fund the SC Johnson College of Business.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Cornell University
DAVID KOHLER represents the fourth generation of family leadership for the Kohler Co. One of the largest employers in the state, Sheboygan County-based Kohler Co. has roughly 40,000 employees across its operations. David Kohler, who has been with the company for three decades, was named president and chief executive officer in 2015. He was also elected to board chair and CEO in September of this year, following the death of his father and Kohler Co. executive chairman Herbert Kohler Jr. that same month. In his role, he oversees the company’s three business groups – kitchen and bath, power and hospitality.
Under David Kohler’s leadership, the company acquired Clarke Energy Ltd., a UK-based provider of engineering, construction, installation and maintenance of power plants that use gas engines, in 2017. In 2021, Koher Co. acquired Curtis Instruments and Heila Technologies. Kohler Co. surpassed $8 billion in annual revenues in 2021.
David Kohler was general chairman for the 2015 PGA Championship and was general chair for the 43rd Ryder Cup in 2021, both of which were held at Whistling Straits, owned by Kohler Co. In addition to Kohler Co., Kohler serves on the board of directors of Old Course Ltd, Interface Inc., Interceramic and the Green Bay Packers. He also serves on the board of the Kohler Foundation and on the advisory board of the Duke University Fuqua Center on Leadership and Ethics.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Duke University; master’s, Northwestern University
JAMES KOTEK has been president and chief executive officer of Neenah-based Menasha Corp. since 2004. A manufacturer of corrugated and plastic packaging, Menasha Corp. has about 7,000 employees across its 112 facilities in North America and Europe. The company ranked No. 18 on Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75 list of the largest private companies in the state, based on sales revenue.
Between its two businesses –Neenah-based Menasha Packaging Co. and Oconomowoc-based ORBIS Corp. – its products and services include retail merchandising packaging, displays, plastic reusable containers and pallets, protective packaging interiors and packaging supply chain and fulfillment services.
Kotek joined Menasha Corp. in 1991 and held various financial, management, marketing and manufacturing positions before being named president of ORBIS Corp. In that position, he oversaw two of the largest acquisitions in the company’s history – LINPAC Group Limited’s North American material handling business in 2006 and Norseman Plastics Holdings Ltd. in 2008.
Kotek currently chairs the ThedaCare Board of Trustees and is former chair of United Way Fox Cities.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Notre Dame; MBA, Marquette University
JOHN W. MELLOWES assumed leadership of Charter Manufacturing Inc. in 2013, succeeding his father in that role. Mellowes represents the fourth generation of family leadership of the Mequon-based metals manufacturing businesses; he is the great-grandson of Charter founder Alfred Mellowes.
The Charter family of companies includes Charter Steel, Charter Wire, Charter Dura-Bar and Charter Aarrowcast. Its customers include automakers, automotive suppliers and off-highway equipment manufacturers. The company has more than 2,500 employees. In 2022, it ranked No. 25 on Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75 list of the state’s largest private companies, based on sales revenue. The company’s revenue has exceeded $1 billion in recent years.
Under Mellowes’ leadership, Charter Dura Bar acquired iron distribution business Lokey Metals in Fort Worth; Charter Automotive acquired assets of Cobra Metal Works; and Charter Manufacturing acquired Aarrowcast Inc., a Shawano-based maker of gray and ductile iron castings.
It has also consolidated operations. In 2020, Charter Automotive exited its U.K. facility, consolidating business and assets into its Milwaukee and Changzhou, China, operations. The following year, it divested of its Charter Automotive China operations.
Mellowes serves on the board of regents of the Milwaukee School of Engineering and is a former board member of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Princeton University; MBA, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
CHAIRMAN,
WILLIAM KRESS represents the third generation of family leadership at Green Bay Packaging, serving as chairman, president and chief executive officer of the pulp and paper company.
During his tenure, the company has expanded through a series of acquisitions, including Franksville-based Midland Packaging and Display and Germantown-based Great Lakes Packaging Corp. in 2014; Waukesha-based Baird Display in 2015; and Fort Atkinson-based Wisconsin Packaging Corp., Traverse City, Michigan-based Grand Traverse Container Inc. and Aurora, Illinois-based Citadel Industries Inc. in 2018. That same year, the company broke ground on a $500 million new paper mill and expansion project in Green Bay, while its sales and distribution center in Downers Grove, Illinois, also commenced construction of a new 170,000-square-foot complex. With more than 3,700 employees, the company has operations across 37 locations in 16 states.
The company recently announced plans to build a new 600,000-square-foot “super plant” corrugator plant in Fort Worth, Texas. It has also expanded in recent years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Geneva, Ohio. Its products include shipping containers, folding cartons and coated label products. Its Green Bay mill recently achieved net-zero water in its production of 100% recycled containerboard, using a reclaimed water system.
Kress serves on the boards of the Green Bay Packers and advisory boards for Associated Bank and Junior Achievement. In 2016, he received the Rotary Club of Green Bay’s Free Enterprise Award.
CEONORTHSTAR
BELOIT STEPHEN MERRICK joined Beloit-based NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes LLC in 2016 as its chief operating officer. In 2018, he was named president and chief executive officer of the commercial-stage nuclear medicine technology company. In response to its growth, the company named a new president this year, and Merrick transitioned to solely CEO.
Founded in 2006, the company produces and commercializes diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, providing radioisotopes that are used in SPECT imaging procedures and for research. NorthStar saw an opportunity as legacy companies in the market began having challenges providing a consistent supply of radioisotopes around 2009 and developed a new way of making isotopes for imaging.
Today, its radioisotope product, molybdenum-99, is available nationwide. Last year, the company was awarded $37 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop and expand its production of molybdenum-99.
NorthStar has about 275 employees. An expansion underway at its campus is expected to increase its workforce to 300 by the end of the year, Merrick has said.
Earlier in his career, Merrick worked for 17 years for Bristol-Myers Squibb, culminating as its vice president of strategic products – intercontinental. He was also senior vice president and president of international commercial operations for U.K.-based Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and later vice president of hospital – international marketing for Deerfield, Illinois-based Baxter International Inc.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Exeter; MBA, London Business School
BLAKE MORET leads Rockwell Automation, one of the largest manufacturers based in Wisconsin, with about 25,000 employees. Since assuming his role in 2016, Moret has led Rockwell’s “connected enterprise” vision, a term used to describe the combination of traditional automation equipment and software with connected devices and the ability to analyze data to improve business operations. He sits on the National Association of Manufacturers’ board of directors and is a member of the national Business Roundtable.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Georgia Institute of Technology
FIRST JOB: “A summer intern at Rockwell’s Missile Systems Division, working in a quality team assigned to new defense systems. It was very detailed work, and success was based on the accumulated years of many experts working on difficult problems.”
FUN FACT: “I recently spent four days kayaking off of Vancouver Island in British Columbia with friends and my 21-year-old son.”
BIGGEST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “About a year ago, Rockwell acquired Plex Systems, the leading cloud-native smart manufacturing platform. This was our largest acquisition to date and significantly accelerated our strategy to bring the Connected Enterprise to life.”
ADVICE FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: “Be relentless. Nothing important is easy. Success takes persistence and a willingness to try different approaches (and sometimes fail) to achieve your goals. Also, don’t ever take a job just because you think you need to in order to get the next one. It will show. You need to have passion for what you spend so much time doing.”
GEORGE OLIVER was named chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Controls plc in 2017. He previously served as CEO of Tyco and was a member of its board of directors from 2012 until its $16.5 billion merger with Johnson Controls in 2016. He was responsible for leading the integration of the two companies. He joined Tyco in 2006 as president of Tyco Safety Products and later became president of Tyco Electrical & Metal Products. He was appointed president of Tyco Fire Protection in 2011. Earlier, he spent 20 years with General Electric.
Under Oliver’s leadership, Johnson Controls spun off its Power Solutions business, selling it to a group led by Brookfield Business Partners for $13.2 billion. That business is now known as Clarios. In 2021, the company made waves when it announced it would sell its downtown Milwaukee buildings and move those employees to its Glendale campus.
Under its merger with Tyco, the multi-industrial firm established its combined headquarters in Cork, Ireland. Its primary North American operational headquarters remains in Glendale. It continues to be one of the largest Milwaukeearea employers, with nearly 2,000 employees working locally. Prior to the merger, the company had around 3,400 local employees.
Oliver serves on the board of directors of aerospace and defense company Raytheon Co. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame board of trustees and serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WAYNE C. OLDENBURG founded Oldenburg Group Inc. in 1981. The company was a manufacturer of mining equipment, commercial lighting and military products. In 2006, Oldenburg sold its coal mining equipment business to Joy Global Corp. (now Komatsu Mining) for $140 million, but kept its division that made machines used in hard-rock underground mining. In 2016, it sold its underground mining equipment and defense businesses to a New York-based private equity firm. Oldenburg kept its commercial lighting equipment division, Glendale-based Visa Lighting. He continues to serve as chief executive officer of the company, which supplies performance engineered products that are used in the architectural lighting industry.
Oldenburg is past-president of ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, a nonprofit organization that provides support of people affected by breast cancer; the organization was founded by his late wife, Melodie Wilson. For years, Oldenburg has provided rent-free space in Visa Lighting Inc.’s Glendale office building to three nonprofits: ABCD, Girls on the Run and SHARP Literacy.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; MBA (equivelant) Stockholm School of Ecomocis
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Stuart, Florida.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT AND ORDER: “Kopp’s, butter pecan custard.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Overcoming the closing of two factories, relocating and building two new ones.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO OSHKOSH CORP. | OSHKOSHJOHN PFEIFER has led Oshkosh Corp. as president and chief executive officer since 2021.
Prior to joining Oshkosh Corp. in 2019, Pfeifer worked for Brunswick Corp. as president of Fond du Lac-based Mercury Marine. He also previously was president of Brunswick Marine in Europe, Middle East and Africa and president of Brunswick Asia Pacific Group. A producer of specialty and access equipment, Oshkosh Corp. is headquartered in Oshkosh and has manufacturing operations in eight states and seven countries. It has more than 14,000 employees across its operations. Last year, the company was awarded a $942 million contract by the U.S. Army to integrate a new weapon system into an infantry carrier vehicle – work that is being done in Oshkosh. To the disappointment of some state and community leaders, the company last year opted to manufacture a new fleet of mail delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service in South Carolina after not finding a suitable production location in its home state.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “In the last 12 months, in nearly every end market we serve, we have introduced battery electric vehicles and equipment.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “Our passion for innovation which continues to drive technology advancements that increase performance, productivity and safety for everyday heroes like firefighters, soldiers, refuse collection workers and those working at great height.”
LOUIS PINKHAM became chief executive officer of Regal Beloit Corp. in 2019. Under his leadership, the Beloit-based electric motors and power transmission components manufacturer completed a $3.7 billion merger with Milwaukee-based Rexnord Corp.’s process and motion control business. One of the region’s largest deals that year, the merger closed in October 2021, leading to the new entity known as Regal Rexnord Corp. In November of last year, Regal Rexnord closed on its $279 million acquisition of Oshkosh-based Arrowhead Systems LLC.
In October of this year, it announced plans to buy Massachusettsbased Altra Industrial Motion Corp. for $5 billion. Regal Rexnord has said the deal will combine complementary power transmission portfolios and open up new avenues for profitable growth.
Regal Rexnord ranked No. 763 on last year’s Fortune 1000 and is among the 20 largest corporations in the state. With operations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia, Regal Rexnord has about 29,000 employees. It reported revenue of $3.8 billion in 2021.
Previously, Pinkham held senior vice president roles with Crane Co. and with the critical power solutions division, electrical group at Eaton Corp. plc. He’s served on the boards of the University of Chicago Medical Center, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation and on the board of governors for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Duke University; master’s in engineering management, Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering; MBA, Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management
AFTER JOINING IN 1991 the company his father founded, Joel Quadracci took over Sussex-based Quad/Graphics as its president and chief executive officer 15 years later. Today, Quadracci guides the printing company’s strategic growth amid many industry disruptions. Under his leadership, the company has diversified beyond print to offer marketing, content and creative production and integrated media management services for its clients. Quadracci serves on the board of directors for Plexus Corp., Pixability Inc., Road America Inc., the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, and on the board of trustees for the Milwaukee Art Museum.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Skidmore College
CAREER ADVICE: “This comes from my father, Harry Quadracci, who founded Quad. He said, ‘Business is pretty logical. If something seems too complicated, it’s probably because it is too complicated, and it needs to be simplified.’ I have found that to be very helpful advice, and it’s been a tenet at Quad, too.”
FUN FACT: “I race cars, and I am a pilot. In fact, this summer I was at what’s known as ‘The Greatest Aviation Celebration in the World,’ right here in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “To sail around the world.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Taking on this job as CEO of such a big company, at a young age, a year before the Great Recession, and just as our industry was about to be really disrupted. That was a watershed moment in my life.”
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, HUSCO INTERNATIONAL | WAUKESHAAUGUSTIN “GUS” RAMIREZ led a buyout of Husco International in 1985 and went on to serve as its CEO for the next 25 years. He is credited with overseeing an era of growth at the manufacturer of hydraulic and electrohydraulic controls for off-highway applications. During his tenure, sales revenue grew from roughly $13 million to nearly $400 million, the company expanded internationally, and it launched its automotive business. Gus has remained executive chairman since 2011, when his son, Austin, assumed leadership of the company as president and CEO. Ramirez is also a prolific philanthropist. He and his family invested about $60 million to launch St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, a private, Christian K4-12 school on Milwaukee’s south side that today serves about 1,400 students. Over the past two decades, Gus and his wife, Becky, have supported nearly 200 Christian schools, mostly in Central America.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, master’s, Georgia Tech; MBA, Harvard University
FIRST JOB: “Development engineer. (I) learned I did not want to be a career engineer.”
WHAT TWO BUSINESS LEADERS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Warren Buffett to discuss investment strategy and opportunities and Jamie Dimon (chief executive officer of JP Morgan Chase) to discuss global economic issues.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Buying Husco with 97% leverage.” WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “The opportunity to create ever-improving business at Husco and school at Aug Prep.”
Ramirez CEOAUSTIN RAMIREZ is chief executive officer of Husco International, a Waukesha-based manufacturer of hydraulic and electromechanical components with about 1,500 employees. Ramirez, who succeeded his father, Gus, as the leader of Husco, also helped found St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, a high-performing private voucher school on Milwaukee’s south side that is heavily funded by Gus and the Ramirez family. Among other honors, Austin was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2014 and a White House Fellow on the National Economic Council of both the Trump and Obama administrations.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Virginia; MBA, Stanford University
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “Birch – whatever chef Kyle Knall will feed me!”
ADVICE FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: “Spend as much effort cultivating your interpersonal skills as you spend developing your technical skills.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Funding children rather than schools, also known as ‘backpack funding’. In Milwaukee nearly 50% of kids attend choice or charter schools, but only receive about 60% of the funding as their district (MPS) peers.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE: “Democracy Found. Updating the voting process in Wisconsin to implement single-ballot, top-five primaries combined with ranked choice voting in the general election. Our political system is suffering from a massive incentive problem, and we need to update our voting system so that our elected leaders are rewarded for serving their entire electorate, not just highly partisan primary voters.”
STEVE RICHMAN has led Milwaukee Tool, the fast-growing Brookfieldbased tool manufacturer, as its group president since 2007. This year alone, it expanded its R&D operations in Menomonee Falls, began occupying a downtown Milwaukee office to house 1,200 employees and opened a handtool plant in West Bend, which is expected to create 150 jobs and marks a return of manufacturing activity to the Milwaukee area for the brand. Milwaukee Tool revenue has grown year over year, to about $8 billion in 2021.
FIRST JOB: “As a kid, I started a yard work business. I began working on lawns and hired additional people to take on more work/yards. I learned 1) Customer expectations and communication are absolutely critical. And 2) How to deal with employees not performing.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “The agility to respond to current demands and keep the focus on the long-term success of the business.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Milwaukee Academy of Science. (CEO) Anthony McHenry and team have led the education of the youth of Milwaukee. The MAS team has disrupted the ordinary approach to education and they are changing Milwaukee in a positive way.”
WHAT’S ON TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Going to see a UCLA basketball victory in the Final Four. Winning the championship!”
Quad congratulates BizTimes Media on its inaugural edition of Wisconsin 275, and congratulations to all the business leaders featured in this new publication. We’re honored to be in such good company.
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JOHN TORINUS purchased Serigraph in 1987 and spent 20 years as chief executive officer of the West Bendbased commercial printer and decorative molder. His experience at the helm of the 500-person company inspired him to find solutions to the rising cost of health care, and he went on to publish two books about the economics of health care. In 2016, he published “The Company That Solved Health Care,” which details how Serigraph tamped down its health care costs. In 2021, he wrote a follow-up, “The Grassroots Health Care Revolution.”
Torinus was a columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he served as a business editor, and the Daily News in West Bend, where he served as editor and general manager for 11 years.
A general partner in the Wisconsin Super Angel Fund, Torinus has also founded three startup ventures and angel invested in 15 others. Earlier in his career, Torinus served as an artillery company commander in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He has served as chairman of the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Competitive Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance and West Bend Friends of Sculpture. He was also active in the recent effort to raise funds for the restoration of the historic West Bend Theatre in the city’s downtown.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Yale University; master’s in international relations, University of Stockholm
DEBRA S. WALLER was named chairman and chief executive officer of Jockey International Inc. in January 2001, succeeding her mother, Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt, as leader of the family-owned apparel company.
Best known for its brand of underwear, Kenosha-based Jockey has roughly over 5,000 employees and reported just over $443 million in revenue last year.
Waller joined the company in 1982 as an administrative assistant and the following year became merchandise manager of Jockey for Her. She ascended the company ranks, assuming vice president, senior VP and executive VP roles before being named CEO.
In 2005, Waller founded Jockey Person to Person, a direct-selling division through which independent salespeople sell higher-end Jockey items.
The same year, she founded Jockey Being Family, a charity focused on supporting families after they have adopted a child. Waller herself was adopted as an infant.
Waller has served on the board of directors of The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Church Mutual Life Insurance Company, Marshall & Ilsley Bank and Carthage College. She was a founding member of the now-dissolved MargaretAnn’s Place, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing peer support groups and services for grieving children, teens families and communities.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Carthage College
SINCE JOINING A.O. SMITH CORP. in 1994 as a regional sales manager, Kevin Wheeler has risen through its ranks to now serve as chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Milwaukee-based water heater and boiler manufacturer. With over 12,000 employees across its global operations and 125 located at its Milwaukee headquarters, A.O. Smith is among the largest employers in the state. It also continues to grow, having completed five acquisitions since 2016 to expand its North American water treatment business.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Nevada, Reno; Advanced Management Program at Harvard University
A BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (Stephen Covey)
FAVORITE RESTAURANT ORDER: “Eddie Martini’s, a thick filet with a great glass of cabernet.”
ADVICE FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: “Start as broad as possible, and don’t narrow your job focus too early. Embrace each opportunity and strive for excellence no matter what the task.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Cage diving with great white sharks in Australia.”
JOCHEN ZEITZ took the helm of Harley-Davidson Inc. in 2020. The iconic Milwaukee brand has since gone public with “The Rewire,” its fiveyear streamlining plan; acquired StaCyc, maker of kids electric bikes; completed a spinoff of its LiveWire electric motorcycle division (of which Zeitz serves as chairman and CEO); and issued stock to 4,500 of its roughly 5,800 employees.
In the fall, Zeitz made waves when he said the company is planning to repurpose its historic, 500,000-square-foot corporate headquarters complex in Milwaukee. The move is a response to the company’s shift to remote work, Zeitz said. In 2021, the company had 890 corporate headquarters employees, down from 1,062 in 2018. Zeitz splits his time between Milwaukee and New Mexico, according to Bloomberg. In a subsequent statement, Zeitz said the company is “excited about the ideas we have to invest in our Milwaukee campuses for the future.” The Harley-Davidson Museum recently opened its new 8,200-square-foot event space, The Garage.
Outside Harley, Zeitz co-founded The B Team with British billionaire Richard Branson. That organization advocates for better and more climate-friendly business practices. Zeitz also founded the Zeitz Collection, which contains contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. The collection is held and exhibited in Kenya, Spain, Switzerland and South Africa.
Zeitz’s foundation is dedicated to developing ecologically responsible projects in Kenya. In 2019, the Zeitz Foundation launched “The Long Run,” a sustainable tourism initiative.
EDUCATION: European Business School
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO A.O. SMITH CORP. | MILWAUKEEJochen Zeitz CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO HARLEY-DAVIDSON INC. |
BO DELONG started working full-time in the fertilizer division of The Delong Co. in 1974. He became manager of its grain division in 1982 and now serves as vice president of grain, having responsibility for the company’s 14 grain elevators and its export program. He is credited with helping grow the sixth-generation, family-owned business from exporting primarily to Japan to now exporting to more than 20 different markets. The company is the country’s largest exporter of containerized agriculture products, with soybeans making up more than half of the company’s total volume. This year, it was No. 27 on Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75 list, which ranks the largest private companies in Wisconsin by sales revenue. The company employs between 350-400 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees throughout the year.
The DeLong Co. is currently building a $40 million agriculture maritime export facility at Port Milwaukee, the largest one-time investment in the port since the 1950s. The new facility will be one of the first on the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway system to handle various agricultural commodities via truck, rail and international vessel, including dried distillers grains with solubles, an animal feed supplement derived from ethanol-high nutrients. The Delong terminal is expected to generate $63 million in new statewide economic impact annually, increasing exports through the Port by as much as 400,000 metric tons per year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Bo DeLong has said the facility will open export opportunities to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
SINCE BEING APPOINTED director of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in 2017, Brian Dranzik has led the Milwaukee airport through the pandemic’s decimation of air travel, its rebound and the recent addition of several new carriers, including Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Contour Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Previously, Dranzik was the director of transportation for Milwaukee County.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s in Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
BIGGEST RISK: “Going back to school and changing course in my career by pursuing my master’s degree. It was at a point in time in my life when I was starting a family and had other obligations. I had quit my job to dedicate my attention to pursuing my degree without knowing what the outcome might be. The path may have been challenging; however, the result was clearly worth it.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Golfing Pebble Beach.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Milwaukee is not and cannot be viewed as an island. States that have embraced their largest urban centers have thrived; it is time for Wisconsin as a state to do the same.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Make-A-Wish is an organization that has such a profound and meaningful impact to help bring hope and happiness to children and their families as they go through incredibly difficult circumstances. I cannot help but to be motivated by the organization.”
DEB DELUCA is executive director of the Port of Duluth-Superior and the first woman to lead the organization in its history. The port is the largest tonnage port on the Great Lakes and ranks among the top 20 ports in the U.S., handling an average of 35 million short tons of cargo and hosting approximately 800 vessel visits annually. In October alone, more than 3.1 million short tons of cargo transited the port, and inbound cargo shipments are on track for their highest tonnage in nearly 40 years, which provides an economic boost to the area.
In response to global shipping container shortages, the Duluth-Superior port this year expanded its service to ship cargo containers over water.
DeLuca is president of the Minnesota Ports Association and an executive committee member of APEX, a regional economic and business development organization focused on growing northwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota. She is a board member of the Iron Mining Association of Minnesota and the Chamber of Marine Commerce and also serves as an alternate Minnesota commissioner to the Great Lakes Commission.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
DIRECTORDEAN HAEN is director of the Port of Green Bay, the western-most port of Lake Michigan.
The port includes 14 active terminal operators, which move more than 2 million tons of cargo on more than 200 ships annually.
Offering a direct route for shipping raw goods and materials, the Green Bay port is responsible for roughly $147 million in economic impact, according to a 2017 study. That same study found the port supports about 1,300 jobs, 564 of which were directly generated by the marine cargo and vessel activity at the marine terminals.
In October of this year, Brown County secured $10 million in federal funding to redevelop the decommissioned Pulliam Power Plant coal plant site into a new port facility – a project years in the making. The project is expected to have an economic impact of $87 million over the first five years.
Haen has also played a key role in the restoration of the Cat Island Chain in the bay of Green Bay, a habitat restoration project that involves reconstructing three islands in the lower bay.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; MBA, Lakeland University
KIMBERLY JONES has worked for the Dane County Regional Airport since 2004, was named its deputy director of finance and administration in 2011 and was selected as its director in 2018.
As deputy airport director, Jones was in charge of planning and directing the financial management of the airport’s $27 million operating budget, supervising financial operations, monitoring airport performance, assisting the director with developing policies and strategic planning, and developing the airport’s annual operating and capital budgets. Earlier in her career, Jones worked for the Des Moines International Airport.
As director of the Dane County airport, Jones has led the airport through a tumultuous two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions to the industry.
The third largest full-time employer in Dane County, the airport generates an estimated economic impact of more than $600 million annually.
The airport continues to make progress on its $85 million South Terminal Expansion project, which includes a 90,000-square-foot addition to the south end of the terminal. The new area will include a new restaurant and retail space, new restrooms, a business center, a children’s play area, and a service animal relief area. Phase one of the project is targeted for completion by the end of the year; phase two, which includes the demolition of the existing south end, is expected to be completed in July 2023.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Drake University
HAVING STARTED his career as a truck driver, Rick Roehl today leads Roehl Transport, the transportation company his father, Everett Roehl, founded in 1962. Prior to taking the helm as chief executive officer, Rick Roehl did “most every job in the company,” according to a Roehl Transport bio. The company provides national transportation and logistics services, with more than 2,950 employees and 2,250 trucks. Its transportation services include dry van, flatbed and specialized, curtainside and refrigerated van. Last year, it ranked No. 73 on Transport Topic’s Top 100 list of U.S. and Canadian freight carriers by revenue. The company says it approaches $500 million in revenue annually. In addition to its Marshfield headquarters, Roehl has terminal locations in Georgia, Indiana, Texas, Michigan and Arizona. In 2013, the company acquired Brock Cold Storage and Trucking, integrating the company’s trucking operations into Roehl. Rick Roehl maintains his Class A CDL and continues to get behind the wheel.
CEOMARK ROURKE joined Schneider National in 1987 as a service team leader. He went on to hold various leadership roles including executive vice president and chief operating officer before being named president and chief executive officer in 2019. The publicly held, Ashwaubenon-based company is a major player in logistics nationally, serving about 8,500 customers and managing about $3 billion in third-party freight per year. The company employs about 16,000 people, including 3,000 locally. It ranked No. 555 on the Fortune 1000 in 2022 and reported $5.6 billion in revenue in 2021. The company has a fleet of about 9,000 tractors and 36,700 trailers. While he was COO, Rourke is credited with leading the company through significant growth and initiating the company’s “Driver Experience Initiative” to improve drivers’ work experience.
Under Rourke’s leadership, the company acquired Ohio-based carrier Midwest Logistics System in a $263 million cash deal early this year. The acquisition has grown Schneider’s truckload revenue. It also acquired Blenker, Wisconsin-based deBoer Transportation this year.
Rourke serves on the board of directors for the Green Bay Packers, The Shyft Group and the Trucking Alliance. He also serves on the Transportation & Logistics Task Force of the Greater Green Bay Chamber.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Akron
92 Foy, Morna 92 Lovell, Michael 93 Martin, Vicki 93 Mnookin, Jennifer 95 Mone, Mark 95 Rothman, Jay 95 Swallow, John 95 Walz, John nonprofit 96 Anthony, Ruben 96 Bader, Daniel 96 Brennan, Joel 96 Col Ó n, H É ctor 97 Frautschi, W. Jerome 97 Gee, Rev. Alex 97 Gilligan, Ellen 97 Graber, Richard 98 Hall, Eve 98 Hallberg, Jackie 98 Johnson, Michael 98 Lindner, Amy 99 Listecki, Most Rev. Jerome 99 Thornton-Bias, Kathy
MORNA FOY has been with the Wisconsin Technical College System for 25 years, initially as a policy advisor, later as vice president of policy and government relations, and now as its president for the past decade. The largest higher education system in the state, WTCS consists of 16 technical colleges and serves 250,000 students annually. With more than 500 associate degree, technical diploma and certificate options, the system is particularly focused on addressing the state’s skills gap. Earlier this year, the system was awarded $16.5 million in state funds for workforce innovation projects at four of its colleges. Foy also sits on the board of Rebuilding America’s Middle Class, a national coalition that advocates for community colleges and their students
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; master’s, Indiana University, doctorate, UW-Madison
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Cynthia Marshall, (CEO of the) Dallas Mavericks, and Ousmane Kabre, (president of) Leading Change Africa. Fascinated with their work making transformational change amidst multiple barriers.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Wisconsin’s population decline.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Creating new pathways for individuals to access technical college programs and services, resulting in enrollment growth.”
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Travelling alone in Europe pre-smart phones.”
MICHAEL LOVELL has led Marquette University since 2014. Under his leadership, Marquette has executed its $600 million campus master plan, which has included constructing new buildings for the College of Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies, Athletic and Human Performance Research and The Commons residence hall. A new business school building and wellness and recreation facility are also currently under construction. In 2021, the university went public with its $750 million Time to Rise fundraising campaign; it has raised $614 million to date. Lovell also helped create the Near West Side Partners, a nonprofit aimed at revitalizing and sustaining Milwaukee’s Near West Side area as a residential and business corridor. Prior to Marquette, Lovell was chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, University of Pittsburgh
FIRST JOB: “I delivered balloons for people’s birthdays and anniversaries in a tuxedo. I was a shy teenager, so going into parties with all the attention focused on me got me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to be more relaxed in public settings.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘The Way of the Shepherd’ by Kevin Leman and William Pentak. The leadership lessons embedded in this quick read are universal and invaluable. They walk through the tenets of servant leadership, which is at the heart of becoming a strong leader that can inspire others to greatness.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT AND MEAL: “Carnevor Steakhouse, New York strip steak”
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND A ONE-YEAR SABBATICAL: “I would travel to visit religious sites all over the world.”
morna Foy PRESIDENT Michael Lovell PRESIDENTVICKI MARTIN leads Milwaukee Area Technical College, the state’s largest technical college, with more than 25,000 students. In recent years, Martin has overseen the launch and expansion of MATC Promise, a public-private partnership that provides free tuition to eligible students. Martin is also on the steering committee of the Higher Education Regional Alliance, the collaborative representing southeastern Wisconsin’s colleges and universities.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; master’s, University of North Dakota and Cardinal Stritch University; doctorate, UWMadison
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “’Dare to Lead’ by Brene Brown. It is full of great research about vulnerability and its importance to leadership practice as well as developing skills in empathy and compassion at a time when we are so siloed and divided.”
FIRST JOB: “My very first job was a work-study job in high school as part of their program. I was the first female to participate in it, and I was in the secretarial science program in high school.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Right now I am working on learning better painting techniques. I was an art major my first year in college and I am now getting back into my first passion.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Mary Barra, the first female CEO of General Motors, because she worked her way up in the company from a co-op position there when she was 18 years old. (And) Michelle Obama. I have read her book and have numerous questions to ask about her life since she wrote it.”
Mnookin CHANCELLOR UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSINMADISON | MADISONIN THE SPRING, Jennifer Mnookin was named the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the successor to retiring chancellor Rebecca Blank. At the beginning of the academic year, she became the 30th leader of the state’s flagship public university – an institution that includes 48,000 students, 24,200 employees and a $3.6 billion budget.
Mnookin was previously dean of the School of Law and Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Professor of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles. Under her leadership, the law school set fundraising records and established endowments for student scholarships. A national expert on law, forensic science and evidence, Mnookin is also the founder and former faculty co-director of the Program on Undergraduate Law, Science and Evidence at UCLA. Earlier, Mnookin was vice dean for external appointments and intellectual life and vice dean for faculty and research at the university.
Mnookin was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020. She also serves on the advisory board of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. She previously served on the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Science, Technology and Law.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Harvard University; J.D., Yale Law School; doctorate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
At companies across southeast Wisconsin, notable executives are running businesses, navigating company restructurings, arguing high-stakes legal cases and finding efficiencies in manufacturing processes. These notable individuals also mentor, teach and volunteer in their communities. The leaders profiled are nominated by their peers at work and in the community.
Notable
Notable
MARK MONE has led the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the state’s secondlargest university, since 2014. Under Mone’s leadership, UWM first attained and has maintained its “R1” designation, the highest research rating given by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. In 2018, two UW campuses – Waukesha and Washington County – were adopted by UWM as part of a system-wide consolidation. Today, UWM has 24,000 students across its three campuses and an operating budget of $674 million. A comprehensive, $251 million fundraising campaign has helped fund a host of campus construction projects during Mone’s tenure. Mone is a co-creator of the Higher Education Regional Alliance and co-founder of the M-cubed initiative with Milwaukee Public Schools and Milwaukee Area Technical College.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Central Washington University; MBA, Idaho State University; doctorate, Washington State University
CAREER ADVICE: “Emotional intelligence, especially self-awareness, humility and empathy, will take you far. What I lack in intelligence, I hope to make up for in interpersonal skills and working to create high-performing, successful teams.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Satya Nadella, a great humanitarian and highly successful technology and business leader. (The late) Herb Kohler, legendary visionary with a passion for gracious living, seeing around corners and having huge impact.”
FUN FACT: “I had six cars in high school, and I rebuilt engines, painted them and enjoyed taking care of others’ cars.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Riding across the USA on bicycle.”
CARTHAGE COLLEGE | KENOSHA
CARTHAGE COLLEGE PRESIDENT John Swallow has spearheaded several initiatives at the Kenosha liberal arts college over the past five years. Carthage has leveraged a $15 million gift to launch a career development sequence for all undergrads, lowered the “sticker price” of tuition by 30% and committed to closing equity gaps in higher education by 2030 as part of the national Moon Shot for Equity initiative. Swallow is current chair of the Higher Education Regional Alliance and was past chair of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Sewanee: The University of the South; master’s and doctorate in mathematics, Yale University
FIRST JOB: “Software engineer. I learned to prioritize clarity and readability if you want your code to last.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Ensemble singing – classical repertoire, barbershop, folk, and more. I wish only that my schedule would allow for more regular rehearsals and get-togethers.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Taking my family on a bus trip in rural Jordan, without knowing Arabic and without a guidebook, trying to return into Israel through a rarely used border crossing.”
FUN FACT: “I never graduated from high school, but started college at 15, met my wife Cameron in the choir my sophomore year, graduated at 18, and was only 20 when we married. And so, I was carded on our honeymoon. One discerning and helpful waiter placed the bottle and two glasses on her side of the table — Cameron was of legal drinking age — and walked away.”
JAY ROTHMAN was appointed president of the University of Wisconsin System earlier this year. His role includes oversight of the system’s 13 universities and 26 campuses. The system serves about 165,000 students and has 40,000 faculty, academic and university staff, and graduate assistants. Reporting to the UW System board of regents, Rothman is also responsible for the system’s $6 billion annual budget.
Prior to leading the UW System, Rothman was chairman and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner LLP, one of the top 50 law firms in the country, based on revenue. Foley has over 1,100 lawyers and 1,000 staff members. In that role, he was responsible for implementing the firm’s strategic plan and overseeing its administrative functions.
Rothman joined Foley in 1986 and became a partner in 1994. He joined the firm’s management committee in 2002. As a practicing lawyer, Rothman focused on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and corporate governance.
Rothman is a director on the boards of Quad/Graphics Inc. and Mayville Engineering Company Inc. He has also served as a director of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and previously was chairman of the Children’s Wisconsin board of directors.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; J.D., Harvard Law School
PRESIDENTMILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING | MILWAUKEE
JOHN WALZ joined Milwaukee School of Engineering in 2016, becoming the college’s fifth president. Under his leadership, MSOE received its largestever gift, a $34 million donation to build a new computational science hall on its downtown campus, and created a new bachelor of science in computer science degree focused on artificial intelligence.
In 2020, the college opened several new facilities, including the Robert Spitzer Dining Commons, We Energies STEM Center and the Ruehlow Nursing Complex lab expansion. The following year, it completed a $37 million renovation and expansion of a residential hall, creating Hermann Viets Tower.
MSOE has also built partnerships with area employers, particularly Milwaukee-based senior living industry supplier Direct Supply. In 2019, Direct Supply completed a $14 million renovation of an Innovation & Technology Center on MSOE’s campus, which connects professors and students with research projects and internships at the company.
Earlier this year, the school unveiled plans to build a $2.9 million softball stadium on its campus for its NCAA Division III women’s softball team.
Outside of campus, Walz has served on the board of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Wisconsin Technology Council and Higher Education Regional Alliance.
Prior to joining MSOE, Walz was dean of the college of engineering at the University of Kentucky and head of Virginia Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering and chairman of Yale University’s Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s, Tulane University; doctorate, Carnegie Mellon University
TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT leader Ruben Anthony Jr. was named president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Greater Madison in 2015.
During his tenure, the Urban League has increased job placements by nearly 40% and has made about 1,400 placements to date.
The organization is currently building the Black Business Hub, a development that will include offices, storefronts, a coworking space and a shared commercial kitchen, on the south side of Madison. This fall, the organization received a $2.9 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest single private donation in its 55-year history.
Anthony founded RowJAC Consulting, a management and planning firm that specializes in civil rights in government contracting, in 2013. He previously served as the interim director of Milwaukee County’s Community Business Development program, which is responsible for enforcing compliance in procurement and contracting.
Anthony has also served as an advisor to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C.
He worked for nearly 20 years with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, ending his career as deputy secretary, overseeing 3,600 employees and a budget of more than $3.25 billion.
Anthony has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a board member of the Madison Symphony and deacon at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; master’s in art, Jackson State University; master’s in science, UW-Madison; doctorate in Urban Studies, UW-Milwaukee
Daniel Bader PRESIDENT AND CEO BADER PHILANTHROPIESDANIEL BADER has led Bader Philanthropies since its founding as the Helen Bader Foundation 30 years ago. The foundation is among the largest in the greater Milwaukee area and focuses its grantmaking on Alzheimer’s and aging, the arts, youth programming and workforce development.
To date, it has provided over $426 million in funding, more than $248 million of which has been invested in southeastern Wisconsin. In his role, Bader works with the board of directors to set the organizational direction and long-term strategies for the foundation.
The foundation has made strategic investments in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood, establishing its headquarters there in 2018 and converting a neighboring building into a center for wellness services last year. Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation dispersed about $2.3 million to 63 organizations. More recently, it awarded a $5 million grant to support the development of The Opportunity Center, a sports complex proposed for Milwaukee’s north side.
Bader’s board service includes the Greater Milwaukee Committee for Community Development, Relief International and Rogers Behavioral Health System. He is also a director of Milwaukee-based Generation Growth Capital Inc. and Pasadena, California-based Materia Inc.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Rochester Institute of Technology
EARLIER THIS YEAR, Joel Brennan became president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, an organization of nearly 200 CEOs and industry leaders focused on improving the civic life and economy of southeastern Wisconsin. Brennan previously was Department of Administration secretary under Gov. Tony Evers. Previously, Brennan led Discovery World in Milwaukee and was head of Milwaukee’s Redevelopment Authority.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; master’s, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
FIRST JOB: “Fry Cook at Wong’s Wok at Summerfest and State Fair. I learned how to operate a deep fryer and have the scars to prove it.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT AND MEAL: “Harbor House. I used to ask if I could add crab cakes to the Caesar salad, and eventually they added that dish to the menu.”
FUN FACT: “Many of the relationships I developed over the years started with connections to my older siblings. (Former Milwaukee Mayor) Tom Barrett, who helped shape my career in many ways and influenced me significantly, dated one of my older sisters in high school. Frank Gimbel, who has been a friend and mentor, hired my older brother right out of law school to practice criminal law. Roy Reiman, who provided support and guidance throughout my tenure at Discovery World, employed my father more than 30 years ago.”
WHY YOU’RE EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “I am excited about a crop of young leaders who can propel us into a stronger and brighter future.”
HÉCTOR COLÓN took the helm of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan in 2017 and is credited with leading a $17.4 million turnaround of the organization. The organization has over 800 employees and assists nearly 40,000 people annually. Previously, Colón was executive director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s in occupational therapy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
CAREER ADVICE: “‘Ask, don’t tell,’ - Maureen Kolb.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Judy Faulkner and Diane Hendricks.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Puerto Rico and my new lake house.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT, ORDER: “Carnevor, filet in bone.”
FUN FACT: “I was a seven-time boxing champion and competed all over the world with the U.S. National Boxing Team. In 1992, I competed in the Olympic trials. I defeated Vernon Forrest, who became a four-time world champion, and Jose Antonio Rivera, who became a three-time world champion.”
IN THE LATE 1990S, Jerome Frautschi gave what was recognized then as one of the largest gifts to the arts from a single donor in the U.S. Having watched the decline of Madison’s downtown in preceding decades and building on the momentum from the city’s then-new convention center, Frautschi gave $205 million to build the Overture Center in Madison, replacing the outdated Civic Center. The Overture, which opened in 2004 and takes up a whole city block, includes a 2,100-seat concert hall, 1,000-seat refurbished historic theater, 350seat theater in the round and 80,000-square-foot Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Frautschi ran Webcrafters, a family-owned book manufacturing company, with his brother, John, for 42 years. The company was acquired by Minnesota-based CJK Group in 2017.
Another significant donation to the community, Frautschi and his family gifted the Second Point on Lake Mendota, called Frautschi Point, to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the late 1980s, providing a link to the western and eastern ends of the university’s shoreline. Frautschi has made several donations, through his W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, in recent years to education initiatives, including to One City Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and Madison College Foundation. The Jerry Awards, the main high school musical awards program in the state, is named after Frautschi in recognition of his support for the arts.
He previously served as president and campaign chair for the United Way and on the board of the Madison Community Foundation, MMOCA, the Vilas Trust, Ten Chimneys, the Evjue Foundation, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, the Waisman Center Board of Visitors and the Letters and Science Board of Visitors of the University of Wisconsin.
Alex Gee CEO NEHEMIAH CENTER FOR URBAN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT | MADISONA LONGTIME PASTOR of Fountain of Life Covenant Church and chief executive officer of the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, Rev. Alex Gee has emerged as one of the leading voices in the movement for racial equity in Madison. In 2013, he penned a cover story for The Capital Times, entitled “Justified Anger,” that detailed his experience as a Black man in Madison. The firstperson piece raised alarms about persistent racial disparities across the corrections, government, education and business sectors in Madison – holding up a mirror to a city known to be a bastion of liberal politics. That article set off a chain of town halls and community forums where residents discussed injustices and potential solutions. It also birthed Justified Anger, an initiative of The Nehemiah Center to develop partnerships with white allies to help dismantle systems of racial inequities.
In 2018, the Nehemiah Center received a $1 million grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health to reduce racial health disparities among African Americans.
In 2020, Gee announced plans for the creation of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, a three-story, 65,000-square-foot cultural center to be built on Madison’s south side. Plans for the $38 million center include theaters, a fitness center, art and recording studios, coworking spaces, and more. The Black-led and -designed project has been described as the first of its kind.
A groundbreaking is expected late this year with an opening slated for next year.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; doctorate, Bakke Graduate University
PRESIDENT AND CEO GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION | MILWAUKEEELLEN GILLIGAN has led the Greater Milwaukee Foundation as its president and chief executive officer since 2010. Before joining GMF, she worked for 12 years at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, including as its vice president of community investment and president of the HealthPath Foundation.
Gilligan has led Wisconsin’s largest community foundation as it has shifted its priorities to make racial equity and inclusion one of its four core grant-making areas, culminating in a generational commitment in 2016 to put racial equity at the heart of its efforts.
Gilligan was influential in the development of the foundation’s impact investing program, which has committed $30 million over five years to support small businesses, job creation and economic opportunity in communities that have lacked investment. She is also guiding the foundation’s lead role in the ThriveOn Collaboration, a partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin and Royal Capital Group to advance health equity on Milwaukee’s north side.
Earlier this year, GMF went public with its multi-year $700 million philanthropic campaign, which is focused on addressing systemic racial disparities related to housing, health, education and economic opportunity.
Gilligan is immediate past board chair of CFLeads, a national network of community foundations. She serves on the national board of the Local Initiatives Support Corp., is a member of the Milwaukee Succeeds Leadership Table and a co-chair of the MKE United Downtown Action Agenda.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Colorado Boulder
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SINCE 2016, Rick Graber has led the Milwaukee-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, a grant-making institution with about $850 million in net assets that annually grants roughly $40 million in support of organizations related to the arts, culture, education, health and conservative ideals. Previously, Graber was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, president and chief executive officer of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic under President George W. Bush, and a senior VP at Honeywell International.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Duke University; J.D., Boston University Law School
FIRST CAR: “A blue Ford Taurus. I drove it through my first year at Reinhart Boerner until I could afford a new one!”
A BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ: “‘Churchill: Walking With Destiny’ by Andrew Roberts. The story of a remarkable man who altered the course of history.”
BEST CAREER ADVICE: “Advice from Dave Cote, CEO of Honeywell: ‘Go slow to go fast.’”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Leaving a great job with Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren for the then-unknown (to me) world of diplomacy. And then years later, leaving a great job with Honeywell for the then unknown world (to me) of philanthropy.”
EVE HALL took over as president and chief executive officer of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League in 2017 after leading the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin for five years. One of 90 affiliates of the national civil rights and urban advocacy organization, GMUL focuses its programming on education, employment and civic engagement. Prior to leading the African American Chamber, Hall held an executive leadership role with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and was director of the Milwaukee office of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson. Hall co-founded the African American Women’s Project Fund, which was created to support organizations that promote the wellbeing of women and girls. She is also current chair of the Visit Milwaukee board of directors.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Florida A&M University; master’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; doctorate, Cardinal Stritch University
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “It’s between ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams, because of the way it uplifts my spirit, and ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars because of the beat and it makes me want to dance.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “The islands for the beauty and peacefulness – and major cities with art, theater, and music entertainment.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Surrounding myself with individuals stronger than me in other skill levels is critical to success. Empowering and uplifting those who report to me or support me is also an important leadership skill.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Making human resource decisions about people in ways that keep them whole while also maintaining the ongoing operation and integrity of an organization.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF DANE COUNTY | MADISONMICHAEL JOHNSON leads Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, an organization that serves more than 7,500 young people at 10 locations. During his 12 years at the helm, the organization has emphasized public-private partnerships and recently raised nearly $40 million to create a regional workforce center that will introduce young people to the trades.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Chicago State University; MBA, University of Phoenix
ONE BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ: “‘Action Has No Season’” by Michael Roberts. He is a self-made billionaire from St. Louis, a personal mentor of mine, and the book focuses on taking action no matter the season or circumstances.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Jay Z and Jeff Bezos, and (I’d) ask them for transformational major gifts.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Laying off 700 people when I was (deputy director of Philadelphia’s department of) Parks & Recreation and coming up with my first fundraising campaign to raise millions to keep people employed and the Parks & Recreation Center open in Philadelphia.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “To organize a stadium concert with 60,000-plus people that would raise millions for local kids.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN & METROPOLITAN CHICAGO | MILWAUKEE
SINCE JOINING Goodwill Industries in 1990, Jackie Hallberg has moved progressively through the nonprofit job training organization and thrift store operator to become president and CEO of its southeastern Wisconsin and metropolitan Chicago territory in 2012. With roughly 5,000 employees, 72 retail locations and $323 million in revenue, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin & Metropolitan Chicago is the largest of the 155 Goodwill organizations in North America. In 2021, the organization reported serving 42,000 individuals and facilitating over 4,000 job placements.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; master’s, UW-Milwaukee BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘The Advantage’ by Patrick Lencioni is a must read. This book has helped me think about what we need as an organization to build cohesive leadership teams and meet the changing needs of our employees and the people and communities we serve.”
FIRST JOB: “I was a park and recreation leader during college which was a defining moment in choosing my career path. I realized I needed to make a difference in the lives of people, especially where there is community need.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “I love gardening, especially flowers. It’s a very calming activity and the result is something beautiful.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Adapting and leading the organization through the pandemic and the impacts of racial and social injustice. Goodwill emerged as a stronger and more resilient organization committed to growth, deeper and scaled impact, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
PRESIDENT AND CEOUNITED WAY OF GREATER MILWAUKEE & WAUKESHA COUNTY
ATTORNEY AND NONPROFIT LEADER Amy Lindner was selected in 2018 to succeed Mary Lou Young as United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County’s president and CEO. Since then, Lindner has overseen the organization’s ambitious plan to end family homelessness in metro Milwaukee and has leveraged a $25 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to advance United Way’s racial equity efforts.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., University of Notre Dame
FIRST JOB: “Murf’s Frozen Custard on West Avenue in Waukesha. Importantly, I learned I do best in a fast-paced environment with lots of new challenges. Less vitally, I learned a ‘Black Cow’ made with orange soda is a ‘Florida Cow,’ and it’s delicious.”
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND A ONE-YEAR SABBATICAL: “Six months of travel to new places, six months on a great beach with a never-ending stack of books.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “It feels like cheating to answer this one, but yes, the work of United Way and the incredible people who choose to support our work both help to ensure that tens of thousands of people across our region have the day-to-day help they might need today and that we’re collectively working to solve big problems that we need and deserve solutions for.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “Bill Withers, ‘Lovely Day.’ Because whatever else is happening, every day has beauty and is a gift.”
THE MOST REV. JEROME LISTECKI is archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, an ecclesiastical territory that covers 10 southeastern Wisconsin counites, comprises roughly 190 parishes, and is responsible for the spiritual care of over 500,000 registered Catholics. With prominent representation of Catholic schools in the city’s school choice landscape, the archdiocese’s authority also extends to 100 schools in the metro area, serving roughly 27,000 students.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Loyola University; J.D., DePaul University College of Law; master’s of Divinity, University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary; doctorate in Canon Law, University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “Besides all of the 189 Catholic parishes in the archdiocese, I love to visit Rome, the Holy Land and Poland.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT, ORDER: “The Packing House, and an order of veal oscar.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “The growth of enrollment at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary to the point that we are now one of the fastest-growing seminaries in the country with nearly 80 men studying for the priesthood.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Navigating a Chapter 11 reorganization that allowed for just compensation for survivors of clergy sexual abuse of minors and allowed the Catholic Church to continue its spiritual, pastoral, charitable and educational mission in the community.”
Thornton-Bias PRESIDENT AND CEO BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER MILWAUKEE | MILWAUKEE
FORMER RETAIL EXECUTIVE Kathy Thornton-Bias moved to the nonprofit sector in 2019 when she became president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. As the leader of 44 Club locations, and a 300-acre camp, Thornton-Bias has responsibility for over 600 employees who provide direct and indirect service to nearly 15,000 youth.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Virginia; MBA, NYU Stern School of Business
FIRST JOB: “I started a babysitting company when I was 12. I had employees, set rates for various levels of service. It was hugely successful. We were booked months in advance. I learned to implement cancellation fees.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT, ORDER: “Zaffiros is a family favorite. Hands down the best pizza in town!”
FIRST CAR: “‘87 Ford Festiva. Stick shift, because it was cheaper than an automatic. I taught myself to drive it in 90 minutes, then drove it for 7 hours back to college.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Always start a new job on a Friday. That way you have the weekend to settle your nerves, clear your head and think how you want to approach the new role.”
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102 Habelman Jr., Ray 102 Krentz, Kevin 102 Pavelski, Jeremie and Alicia 103 Pierce, Robert 103 Roth, AV 103 Seaquist, Kristin 103 Vincent, Chad retail 104 Bergstrom, John 104 Blain Gilbertson, Jane 104 Getz, Jalem 104 McLean, Andrew 105 Menard, John 105 Sato, Samuel 105 Wanek, Todd 105 Zietlow, Don
RAY HABELMAN is the fourth-generation leader of Habelman Bros. Co., a familyrun and -owned cranberry farm in Tomah and the world’s largest fresh cranberry grower and packer. Habelman oversees operations at the company’s three central Wisconsin locations in Millston, Tomah and Tunnel City, which together total 670 acres of actively producing cranberries. In addition, the company has two certified packing facilities. It employs 40 full-time and 250 seasonal employees.
The business sets itself apart as a producer of fresh cranberries, which make up just 5% of the overall cranberry market; most cranberries are processed for juice concentrate and dried cranberries. Though it is more costly to do, Habelman has said fresh cranberries is the family’s legacy. Habelman Bros. fruit is sold in grocery stores across the U.S., Canada and Europe. The No. 1 export from Wisconsin, cranberries make up a nearly $1 billion industry in the state.
Under Habelman’s leadership, the farm has adopted various sustainable practices, including a progressive nutrient management and integrated pest management programs on the marsh.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University
KrentzPRESIDENT AND INTERIM CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, WISCONSIN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
PRESIDENT, RURAL MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. | MADISON
KEVIN KRENTZ was elected president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation in 2020 and assumed the position of interim chief administrative officer this summer. WFBF is the state’s largest general farm organization, composed of 61 county farm bureaus, and provides legislative representation, public relations, leadership development and services to farmers across the state. In addition, Krentz is president of Madison-based Rural Mutual Insurance Co., a property and casualty insurer of families, businesses and farms in Wisconsin. Krentz and his family own Krentz Family Dairy Inc., a 600-cow dairy farm near Berlin. He also serves on the American Farm Bureau Federation board of directors.
EDUCATION: Farm and industry short course certificate, University of Wisconsin-Madison CAREER ADVICE: “Always surround yourself with talented and confident people.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘The First 90 Days,’ by Michael D. Watkins. The lessons from this book helped me transition into my role as president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. I have also used this book as a tool to inspire the future collective goals of the organization.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “Culver’s. I order the bacon burger deluxe basket with Wisconsin cheese curds.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “The technological advances of the future excite me most. Everything from medicine to farming practices to leisure is influenced by evolving technology.”
HAVING GROWN UP on his family farm, Jeremie Pavelski and his wife, Alicia, now help lead the fifth-generation enterprise, Heartland Farms. Jeremie is president of the Hancockbased chipping potato supplier, under the leadership of his father, chief executive officer Richard Pavelski. The 27,000-acre potato and vegetable farm operates in five counties in central Wisconsin, supplying potatoes to the likes of Frito Lay. In addition to a variety of potatoes, the farm grows sweet corn, peas, green beans and soybeans.
Heartland Farms operates about 100 center-pivot irrigation systems, helping the farm maintain yield and quality of a sensitive crop. The farm also uses advanced irrigation technology, such as automatic rain gauges that shut down the system when the crop has received a sufficient amount of water. Heartland has also converted fully to LED lighting in its facilities, reducing its energy usage. The farm’s practices have made the Pavelskis leaders in the industry related to conservation.
The Pavelski family founded the Farming for the Future Foundation, a nonprofit that works to promote agricultural literacy and instill a greater appreciation for the origins of food through education outreach. Alicia serves as board president; Jeremie is emeritus director.
Jeremie was named “Young Grower of the Year” by the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association in 2011. He has also served on the association’s board of directors as well as its chip committee and water task force.
EDUCATION: Jeremie: Associate, North Central Technical College
Alicia: Bachelor’s, Milwaukee School of Engineering
A LONGTIME resident of South Madison, Robert Pierce has been growing and selling organic produce from his Half the 40-Acres Farm since the mid-1980s. Pierce has become a leading advocate for organic, sustainable and locally grown food, spearheading several farming initiatives in the Madison area. He managed the Dane County Farmers’ Market from the mid- ‘80s to mid-‘90s and has managed the South Madison Farmers’ Market since 2001.
In 2008, Pierce launched the Program for Entrepreneurial Agricultural Training, which works with low-income and atrisk youth, and in 2015 he established the Farming After Incarceration Release Initiative, which gives formerly incarcerated individuals a chance to participate in urban agriculture. Both programs – managed by Pierce under the umbrella of a nonprofit group called Neighborhood Food Solutions – are focused on educating community members about the economic, social, health and environmental impacts of food.
EDUCATION: Madison College
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “George Washington Carver. I would learn a lot of farming and soil information. Stevie Wonder. I feel like we would have a real spiritual connection.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Fishing, listening to different genres of music, wood working, cooking.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘Farming While Being Black’ by Leah Penniman. It would give everybody a good understanding of the hardships of the Black community doing what they have done for centuries.”
CO-OWNER SEAQUIST ORCHARDS | SISTER BAYKRISTIN SEAQUIST is co-owner of Seaquist Orchards, a multi-generation family business that is both the oldest and largest cherry producer in Door County. Located in the heart of Wisconsin’s cherry industry, the farm was established in the early 1900s by Anders Seaquist. Kristin and her husband, Dale, represent the fourth generation of family leadership of the business.
Serving as the public-facing portion of the business, Seaquist Orchards Farm Market sells a variety of jams, salsas, baked goods and other products originating from the farm. A major tourist attraction, the market draws visitors annually between late May and late October.
Kristin has led the market since it opened in the mid-1980s, overseeing its expansion to include a fudge kitchen, bakery, greenhouse and playground.
Seaquist Orchards consists of about 1,000 acres of tart cherries and more than 50 acres of apples and sweet cherries. It grows and processes up to 9 million pounds of Red Tart Montmorency cherries annually. By comparison, Wisconsin tart cherry production totaled 10.5 million pounds in 2021, according to the USDA. Seaquist’s processing business processes about 80% of the county’s tart cherries.
While some of the orchard’s cherries are used by its own bakery, cannery and market, the majority are sold wholesale. The farm also grows about 30 varieties of apples that are both sold at the market and pressed into apple cider.
FIFTH-GENERATION HOG FARMER Howard “AV” Roth owns Roth Feeder Pig Inc., a 3,000-sow farm in Crawford County. In addition to the swine operation, Roth Feeder grows corn and hay on its more than 800 acres.
Roth is moving forward with plans to establish a second animal feeding operation in the state’s Driftless Region – a proposal that has generated controversy among area residents. According to plans submitted to the state’s Department of Natural Resources, the new facility – which would be built on existing cropland and include three barns, a composting building and equipment shed – would have capacity for more than 8,000 swine and produce around 140,000 piglets annually.
Residents have raised concerns over potential negative impacts on groundwater and water within the Kickapoo River Watershed. The site is expected to generate around 9.4 million gallons of manure and wastewater each year that would be spread on roughly 1,400 acres of land.
Roth Feeder received DNR approval to move forward with construction in May. He expects to hire 14 full-time employees to run the farm and four part-time employees.
Roth served as president of the National Pork Producers Council board of directors from 2020-2021 and is also a past president of the Wisconsin Pork Association. He is a member of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and chaired the Wauzeka Township Smart Growth Committee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
CEOCHAD VINCENT leads Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, the marketing arm for the state’s dairy farmers. The organization works to promote an industry that contributes roughly $45 billion to the state’s economy annually. Previously, Vincent was chief marketing officer for Plymouth-based Sartori Co. and held executive positions with H.J. Heinz, Miller Brewing Co. and Fiskars Brands.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Michigan State University; MBA, Michigan State University
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘5 Dysfunctions of a Team’ by Patrick Lencioni. Culture is the leading force behind success.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “I’d head out with Dick Strup, the former head of marketing at Miller Brewing Co. He was my boss for 7 years, and I can attribute so much to him and his leadership. He is an incredible leader, a ‘walk through walls for him’ kind of guy. The other is Patrick Lencioni. … Our beliefs are so aligned on how to engage your team for optimum performance and amazing work cultures.”
FUN FACT: “I spend way too much time and effort growing tomatoes in our garden. And most of them are eaten by the rabbits.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Running Fiskars in Madison, figuring out how to compete with high quality USA-made products versus China imports at a fraction of the price.”
AFTER EARLY VENTURES with his brother in the bar and hotel business, John Bergstrom co-founded Neenah-based Bergstrom Automotive in 1974. He remains coowner, chairman and chief executive officer of the automotive retailer, which today is the largest in Wisconsin and one of the top 50 car dealerships in the U.S. It has about 35 locations across Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, Neenah and Oshkosh and employs about 1,400 people.
The group has expanded through acquisition over the years. In 2020, Bergstrom Automotive purchased Cliff Wall Automotive’s Subaru, Mazda and Mitsubishi dealerships in Green Bay.
An active member of the Fox Valley community, Bergstrom has helped raise funds for the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Menasha Boys & Girls Club and Bubolz Nature Preserve.
Bergstrom personally spearheaded the initiative to build a Rockefeller Center-like ice rink in downtown Neenah and led a group of investors to fund the project as a gift to the city. The Plaza at Gateway Park opened last year.
In October, Bergstrom purchased an elementary school property from the Neenah Joint School District with plans to give it to ThedaCare Regional Medical CenterNeenah.
In addition, he’s served as a director of WEC Energy Group, Banta Corp., KimberlyClark Corp., Midwest Express Holdings Inc., Sensient Technologies Inc. and the Green Bay Packers.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University
FUN FACT: Shortly after their graduation from Marquette University, Bergstrom and his brother opened a bar together in a former post office building, naming it “The Old Post Office.” To this day, Bergstrom hasn’t had a drink of alcohol.
JANE BLAIN GILBERTSON became chief executive officer and sole owner of Janesvillebased Blain Supply Inc. and Blain’s Farm & Fleet in 2014, succeeding her brother, Robert. The family-owned retail store chain today has 45 stores across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan and employs about 4,400 people.
Blain Gilbertson joined the family business in 1985 and progressively took on responsibility for areas including marketing, merchandising, buying, e-commerce and store operations. Following the death of her father and uncle, Blain Gilbertson and her brother bought out the remaining family shareholders in 1998. The siblings ran the business together for 16 years, until Blain Gilbertson bought out Robert in 2014 and he retired.
In recent years, Farm & Fleet has grown steadily, expanding into Michigan; adding new locations in its home state, with stores in Grafton, Rhinelander and Monroe; and renovating several existing stores. Blain Gilbertson has said the company’s goal is to have 50 stores by 2026.
Over the years, the retailer has also diversified, evolving from its origins as a discount supply store primarily serving farmers to a chain of stores that sells items across various categories, from home goods to clothing to outdoor recreation equipment.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Miami University
SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR Jalem Getz co-founded his first company, Halloween costume retailer GMI, in 1995 at age 22.
In 1999, he founded BuySeasons Inc., a New Berlin-based online costume retailer that grew to more than 500 full-time and 2,000 seasonal employees and $175 million in annual sales under his leadership. Getz sold BuySeasons to Liberty Media 2006 for over $55 million and remained CEO for another four years following the sale.
In 2012, he launched his next e-commerce venture, try-before-you-buy retailer Wantable Inc. The Milwaukee-based company relies on personal stylists and technology to curate a selection of clothing items that are shipped to subscribers who either choose to buy or return them. Wantable had its first profitable year in 2016 and the following year ranked No. 223 on the Inc. 5000. In 2018, the company received a $1.44 million investment in an equity round led by Cream City Venture Capital, Northwestern Mutual’s venture capital fund; Wantable has raised about $5 million to date.
The company has two Milwaukee-area locations – a 75,000-square-foot warehouse and 40,000-square-foot headquarters in the city’s Walker’s Point neighborhood. Last year, it opened a café in its office that has since become a popular gathering spot for entrepreneurs throughout the city. Now 10 years in, Wantable has around 400 employees, 300 of whom are local. Getz said in a 2021 interview that the company revenues are around $50 million.
ANDREW MCLEAN became chief executive officer of Lands’ End in November. Prior to joining the Dodgeville-based retailer, McLean was a president of American Eagle Outfitters, the Pittsburgh-based parent of the American Eagle and Aerie brands. There, he led international operations and innovation for the $5 billion retailer across Canada, Greater Asia, Europe and Mexico. He’s previously held senior positions with Urban Outfitters, Liz Claiborne and Gap. McLean is also a board advisor at Sarona Commerce Ventures, a member of World 50 Inc., and a board member of GhostRetail.
A multi-channel retailer with about 5,000 employees, Lands’ End last year reported $1.6 billion in net revenue, the highest it had seen since 2011, and $33.4 million in net income. Like many retailers, the company continues its evolution toward a digital-first approach. Its U.S. e-commerce net revenue was up 7% last year. Lands’ End has also expanded its third-party revenue stream in recent years through its partnership with Menomonee Falls-based Kohl’s Corp., now selling its clothing in 500 Kohl’s stores. It also recently launched an e-commerce partnership with home shopping giant QVC.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Manchester; master’s in engineering management, University of Cambridge; MBA, Harvard Business School
JOHN MENARD JR. planted the first seeds of what would become Menards home improvement retail chain in 1958, selling pole buildings as a means to fund his education. When he graduated college, Menard was able to devote all of his energy to the business and purchased land in Eau Claire to set up a small office and shop. He opened his first business, building supplies company Menards Cashway Lumber, from which he sold lumber and building materials to the public. He opened his first hardware store in 1972, seven years ahead of the launch of Home Depot, which would become one of its chief competitors.
Today, Menards has more than 330 stores in 15 states. It reported revenue of $13.1 billion in 2021 and ranks No. 34 on the National Retail Federation’s Top 100 Retailers list.
Menard remains majority shareholder of the closely held business. With a reported net worth of $17.3 billion, Menard is the richest person in Wisconsin, according to Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List, coming in at No. 104.
Menard has been actively involved in auto racing for decades, and he sponsored the winning car at the 2019 Indy 500.
Menard donated $15 million in 2008 to support Luther Midelfort Hospital in Eau Claire, supporting a new emergency department. In 2015, he gave $10 million to the Eau Claire Area YMCA, establishing the John and Fay Menard YMCA Tennis Center.
He has given $2.1 million to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s business college, $2.4 million to UW-Stout’s foundation and $3 million to UW-Eau Claire’s Center for Constitutional Studies. Menard also gives regularly to conservative political groups, candidates, parties and committees.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Eau Claire
PRESIDENT AND CEO ASHLEY FURNITURE | ARCADIATODD WANEK has led Ashley Furniture Industries, the largest home furniture manufacturer and retailer in the U.S., for the past 20 years. The Arcadia-based company was founded by Wanek’s father, current chairman Ronald Wanek.
Wanek got his start in the family business as general manager of Ashley Furniture Industries Taiwan, working in Asia from 1989 to 1993. He returned to the U.S. in the mid‘90s and was promoted to chief operations officer in 1996, assuming responsibility of Ashley’s worldwide operations.
Today, Ashley has over 30 million square feet of manufacturing and distribution facilities across California, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Its retail footprint includes more than 1,000 Ashley HomeStores and it sells furniture in 20,000 stores across 155 countries. It has more than 35,000 employees worldwide, including 17,000 in the U.S. The company also owns the industry’s largest transportation fleet, which includes 1,225 tractors and 4,000 trailers. Locally, the company opened a new unholstered furniture manufacturing plant last year in Chippewa Falls, which was expected to create about 200 jobs. The company has about $6.6 billion in annual revenue, according to Forbes.
Wanek and his wife, Karen Wanek (president of Superior Fresh), have donated large gifts to City of Hope in Duarte, California, for its Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute; High Point University, where their son attended college; and political candidates including former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Todd Wanek’s net worth is estimated at $2.8 billion, placing him among Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest Americans in 2022.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Stout
PRESIDENT AND CEO
DULUTH HOLDINGS INC. | MT. HOREB
SAM SATO was named president and chief executive officer of Mt. Horebbased Duluth Holdings Inc., in 2021. The holding company operates more than 65 Duluth Trading Company locations nationwide. Its portfolio of apparel brands includes Duluth, AKHG and Best Made.
Prior to joining Duluth Trading, Sato worked in executive roles at Finish Line, including as CEO from 2016 to 2019. Sato spearheaded the retailer’s merger with JD Sports and helped develop its partnership with Macy’s. Earlier, he spent 23 years at Nordstrom, including as its VP of corporate merchandising.
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “I hope to visit the Great Pyramid of Giza as well as Jerusalem one day. I would also love to become a certified sommelier.”
FUN FACT: “I think people would be surprised by my music playlist. I love many genres of music, primarily pop, rap, and R&B.”
FIRST JOB: “‘Bag boy’ was the official title, but those who have had this job know it’s much more than that. I mopped, kept areas stocked, emptied the trash, etc. It taught me many valuable lessons: humility, hard work and the importance of ‘service with a smile.’”
CAREER ADVICE: “Early in my career as a young professional taking on his first managerial position, one of my early mentors said to me, ‘Don’t be in a hurry to lead; be in a hurry to listen and learn.’ This was sound advice then, and it continues to guide me today.”
DON ZIETLOW has been at the helm of La Crosse-based Kwik Trip’s evolution from a single location in Eau Claire to an 800-store operation with a devoted customer base. Zietlow co-founded the company in 1965, the year its first store opened. In the early ‘70s, Kwik Trip opened a La Crosse location and established its corporate office in the city. Exponential growth followed over the coming decades. The store remained jointly owned by the Zietlow family and co-founder John Hansen’s family until 2000, when the Zietlow family bought out the Hansens’ interest.
Kwik Trip has continued to expand in recent years, including its 2017 acquisition of PDQ locations in the Madison and Milwaukee area, the introduction of fried chicken as part of its hot food section, a new take-home meal line prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 acquisition of Stop-N-Go. The company prides itself on producing 80% of the products featured in stores by its own commissary, bakery, dairy and distribution center located in La Crosse. Maintaining clean restrooms has also been a hallmark of the chain, company leaders say.
Today, Kwik Trip has more than 35,000 employees. It has operations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, and plans are underway for new stores in South Dakota.
It ranked No. 8 on this year’s Deloitte Wisconsin 75 list of the state’s largest privately held companies. It reportedly does nearly $7 billion in annual sales.
Zietlow announced in November he would retire at the end of 2022. His son, Scott will become president and CEO of Kwik Trip.
108 Bechthold, Kurt 108 Boldt, Tom 108 Cullen/Cullen Schultz, George and Jeannie 108 Hendricks, Diane 109 Hunzinger, John 109 Jelen, Adam 110 Michels, Tim 110 Nwagbaraocha, Ugo 110 Schmidt Jr., Rick 110 Smith, Justin 111 Voss Jr., David 111 Yehle, Jim economic development
112 Battle, Todd 112 Bauer, Kurt 112 Brandon, Zach 112 Fields, Jason 113 Franco, Jorge 113 lamue, barb 113 Paetsch, Jim 113 Purvis, Nikki 113 Sheehy, Tim
114 Alexander, Joseph 114 Barrett, Rick 114 Barry III, Jim 114 Binkowski , Brad 115 El-Amin, Que 115 Gorman, Gary 115 Hammes, Jon 115 Hovde, Eric 116 Irgens, Mark 116 Jeffers, Josh 117 Kissinger , John 117 Landowski, Lyle 117 Mandel, Barry 117 Mills, S.R. 118 Mooney, Mike 118 Murphy, Emmy 118 Rinka, Matt 118 Uhen, Greg 118 Wall, Terrence
KURT BECHTHOLD leads Walbec Group, representing the third generation of family leadership for the Pewaukee-based company. Founded by his grandfather, Walter Bechthold, and later led by his father, Ned Bechthold, Walbec today includes construction firms Payne and Dolan, Northeast Asphalt, Zenith Tech, Parisi, Premier Concrete and Construction Resources Management. The group has about 1,500 employees across the Midwest.
The company frequently works on projects for the federal, state and municipal governments, such as the East-West Bus Rapid Transit project in Milwaukee County and the city of Beloit’s 450-foot pedestrian bridge over the Rock River. Its commercial projects have included work for the developer of the 7Seventy7 apartment tower in downtown Milwaukee, Erin Hills golf course and a go-kart track project at Road America.
Earlier this year, Walbec acquired Verona-based public works and transportation infrastructure contractor Parisi Construction for an undisclosed amount. Last year, the growing company expanded its headquarters campus by acquiring a neighboring building previously occupied by AT&T.
Bechthold has served on the boards of Froedtert Health, Siebert Lutheran Foundation, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Lake Express, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, and the National Asphalt Pavement Association. He is also a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; MBA, Northwestern University
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, St. Olaf College
TOM BOLDT has been CEO of The Boldt Co. since 1998, representing the fourth generation of family leadership at the Appleton-based firm. The Boldt Co. is one of the largest in the state and has 17 offices nationwide. Among its prominent recent projects, Boldt provided construction management on the Craig Yabuki Tower on Children’s Wisconsin’s Wauwatosa hospital campus, Advocate Aurora’s new health center in Pleasant Prairie, and Ascendium Education Group’s new corporate headquarters in Madison. Last year, The Boldt Co. launched a peer suicide prevention program to combat high suicide rates among construction workers. Credited as an early supporter of green construction in the state, Boldt serves on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative, among other organizations.
FIRST JOB: “Picking strawberries. I was terrible at it. I learned I didn’t want to pick strawberries.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Completing the ESOP transition.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “Working with committed, smart people to continue to grow the business.”
CAREER ADVICE: “The encouragement from my dad to be myself and listen and learn.”
GEORGE CULLEN AND JEANNIE CULLEN SCHULTZ were named co-presidents of JP Cullen in 2020. The children of company chairman Mark Cullen, George Cullen and Jeannie Cullen Schultz represent the fifth generation of leadership for the Janesville-based contractor. The firm, which has more than 650 employees, has worked on several high-profile projects including the renovation of Camp Randall Stadium’s south end zone, the Milwaukee Fortress development, the Milwaukee Soldiers home redevelopment and Fiserv Forum’s structural steel.
CAREER ADVICE: Both: “My grandpa (our third-generation owner) taught us the most important person in the company is the person swinging the hammer. At JP Cullen, we are a field-first organization, and everyone in the company plays a part in making our tradespeople at the face of the work more efficient.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: George: “Casetta Kitchen and Counter. I tend to order their daily special, and it is the best place in Madison for lunch.”
FUN FACT: Jeannie: “I have won five competitive eating contests. Most of my competitive eating happened when I was 18 and under, thankfully mostly pie. However, I did enter a sauerkraut eating contest at Wauktoberfest in Waunakee five years ago. Despite video evidence that showed me as the winner, I received second place. I can tell you that I will never eat a warm can of sauerkraut in less than a minute ever again.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: Both: “As graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and big Badger fans, it would have to be ‘On, Wisconsin!’”
ABC
DIANE HENDRICKS co-founded ABC Supply with her late husband, Ken, in 1982. Hendricks has led the Beloit-based construction materials company since Ken’s death in 2007 and is responsible for steering ABC through its two biggest acquisitions (Bradco and L&W Supply). Today, it is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, windows, siding and gutter materials, reporting $15 billion in revenues last year and employing 15,000. It’s also the second largest privately held company in the state, trailing only Northwestern Mutual, according to Deloitte. For five consecutive years, Hendricks has topped Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, with a reported net worth of $12.2 billion.
She is also a real estate manager and developer; that work is funneled through Hendricks Holding Co. She invested multiple millions of dollars to buy and fix up properties in downtown Beloit, redeveloping entire blocks of the city. Hendricks Commercial Properties has also invested heavily in Delafield; it owns about 20 properties and is currently building a $25 million mass timber office development in its downtown.
Hendricks is a major contributor to the campaigns of Republican politicians in the state, serving as former Gov. Scott Walker’s biggest donor the year he faced a recall. She also reportedly gave over $5 million in 2016 to a super PAC that opposed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and supported Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson.
JOHN HUNZINGER has been at the helm of Brookfield-based Hunzinger Construction Co. for the past 30 of his 40 years working for the company. One of the Milwaukee region’s largest construction companies by revenue, Hunzinger Construction has worked on many high-profile projects, including Bayshore’s redevelopment; recent renovations at the Summerfest grounds, including the American Family Insurance Amphitheater; the creation of the Deer District and demolition of the Bradley Center.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Colorado
FIRST CAR: “A 1963 GMC Servomation Vending Company van. It was a $400 purchase by my brother and me. It served us well until a poor deer jumped in its path.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “I enjoy hunting and fishing with family and friends and training our yellow Labrador retriever, Judge, to be the best hunter in the family.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “The successful construction and delivery of the Komatsu Mining North American headquarters office and manufacturing campus in Milwaukee’s Harbor District on time, on budget. (It) exceeded all City of Milwaukee SBE and RPP goals and achieved LEED Gold Certification. The project sits on a 57-acre brownfield redevelopment site and includes a new 180,000-square-foot office and experience center, new 430,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a 650-car parking structure.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, The Milwaukee Rep.”
ADAM JELEN is chief operating officer for Gilbane Building Co., one of the largest construction firms doing business in Wisconsin. Previously, he served as executive vice president and senior vice president, providing local leadership for the Providence, Rhode Island-based construction firm. Gilbane built highprofile Milwaukee projects including the R1VER Project and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s expansion, and current projects include the Wisconsin Center expansion and Haribo’s Pleasant Prairie factory.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Bradley University; associate degree, Harper College
CAREER ADVICE: “For me, it was a silent, humbling piece of advice many years ago: I was in an accident trying to do too much and am fortunate to be here today. Be thankful for every minute, and make a difference in everything you do (inspire, impact, influence). It all adds up.”
HOW YOU WOULD SPEND A ONE-YEAR SABBATICAL: “Although it would be difficult to take time away, … I would work with the youth in our local industry to build the next generation.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “I am a founding member and board president of the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Milwaukee (now Wisconsin). … It is gratifying to see the program’s significant impact on local Milwaukee students through mentoring, scholarships and a robust talent pipeline into potential career opportunities.”
WHY YOU’RE EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “Our youth, inclusivity, diversity of thought, technology, environmental responsibility. When we take a look at addressing many of today’s challenges, we can create opportunity for innovation and impact.”
CG Schmidt has been Wisconsin’s trusted building partner for over 100 years. We built our reputation by tackling some of the most recognizable projects, helping to shape city skylines in Milwaukee, Madison, and across the state.
TIM MICHELS is co-owner of Michels Corp., the largest construction company in Wisconsin. The Brownsville-based heavy civil infrastructure construction firm has more than 8,000 employees and ranked No. 27 this year on Engineering News-Record’s list of the top 400 contractors nationally.
Over the years, the company has branched out and now does about 65% of its business on energy infrastructure projects (pipelines, transmission lines, electric substations, renewable energy projects), about 20% on transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges and tunnels) and additional business in communications infrastructure (including fiber optic lines).
The company is developing a $100 million campus in Milwaukee along the Kinnickinnic River in the city’s Harbor District. The campus includes an 8-story office building, with the upper floors occupied by Michels Corp.’s Milwaukee office, apartments and a restaurant. Future plans for the campus include a hotel and more office space.
Michels worked as vice president of the company before launching his bid for Wisconsin governor. Michels was defeated by incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November’s 2022 elections.
Earlier this year, the Michels family and Michels Family Foundation donated $15 million to establish a rare cancers research lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center. Tim Michels’ daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed at a young age with a rare brain cancer; today, she is in college and a cancer survivor.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, St. Norbert College; MBA, University of Chicago
AND CHAIRMAN CG SCHMIDT | MILWAUKEERICK SCHMIDT JR. represents the fourth generation of family leadership for CG Schmidt, a 102-year-old construction company in Milwaukee. Rick Schmidt is responsible for the long-term planning of the organization, while his brother, Eric, oversees business operations and corporate development as company president. CG Schmidt has provided construction management for numerous major projects including the Northwestern Mutual Tower & Commons in Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Art Museum’s $125 million addition designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Seton Catholic Schools. The organization addresses one of our community’s greatest needs by providing a faith-based, quality education to underserved youth. Seton Catholic School’s mission has a positive impact on its students, but the benefits transcend entire families and the neighborhoods students call home.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “I believe ‘Lincoln’ by David Herbert Donald, is a must read. The book takes the reader through the development of Abraham Lincoln’s moral character.”
FUN FACT: “I enjoy riding motorcycles and have owned a HarleyDavidson for many years.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Never go to your boss with a problem without proposing a solution. To this day, I find myself sharing the same advice. Thinking through an issue, evaluating options and presenting your recommendation is an exercise in both critical thinking and initiative.”
UGO NWAGBARAOCHA, president of Milwaukeebased construction tools wholesaler Diamond Discs International, has emerged as a leading advocate for contractors of color statewide, lobbying for the state to take a more active role in helping minority-owned firms better compete for federally funded projects. Nwagbaraocha has served as president of the National Association of Minority Contractors’ Wisconsin chapter since 2019, and this year he was elected to serve on the national board of directors for the NAMC. He has served on the board of directors for Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce since 2013, is chairman of MMAC’s Business Council, and is on Children’s Wisconsin’s board of directors.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee FIRST JOB AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM IT: “Summerfest security guard. Treat people with respect, and let your actions demand respect. And good music is good music!”
CAREER ADVICE: “My dad’s advice to me, ‘Make your point, but don’t burn the bridge. You never know when you might want to go back over that bridge.’ I am very thankful that I have helped build many formidable bridges in my career, literally and figuratively.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. True lesson in leadership and humility.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “More successful African American-owned businesses expanding and investing in the local communities.”
JUSTIN SMITH was appointed president and CEO of C.D. Smith Construction in 2014, following the death of his father, Gary. He now represents the fourth generation of family leadership for the Fond du Lacbased general contractor. C.D. Smith has over 600 employees and annual revenues exceeding $500 million. Some if its high-profile projects have included the 7seventy7 apartment tower development in downtown Milwaukee and the Hill Farms State Office Building in Madison. C.D. Smith, along with Gilbane Building Co., are construction managers for the current $456 million Wisconsin Center expansion project in downtown Milwaukee.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT, ORDER: “Kaminski’s Chop house at Chula Vista Resort. The Garbage Salad followed by the best beef fillet ever.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Sometimes we must take things seriously, although doing so all the time gets boring.”
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “My father passed away before his time and left me with some growing up to do. Transitioning C.D. Smith Construction from ‘my dad’s company’ to one with my stamp was challenging. I didn’t get it all right. I managed to do many things wrong and learned from my mistakes. Along the way, I managed to surround myself with a great team, and we are getting it right together. I take great pride in all of our people and fully intend to continue to build a company that would make my father proud.”
ADVICE YOU’D GIVE TO A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL: “Surround yourself with good people who are smarter than you, and be a sponge. Success will find you faster.”
DAVID VOSS JR. has led Neenah-based Miron Construction since 1979. One of the state’s largest construction firms, Miron has about 1,500 employees and reported $1.3 billion in revenue in 2021. It ranked No. 28 on Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75 list of the state’s largest private companies this year. Miron’s recent high-profile projects include the new Resch Expo, a $93 million exhibition center located across the street from Lambeau Field, and Green Bay Packaging’s new $500 million manufacturing facility. In Milwaukee, Miron was recently named construction manager for the $50 million concert venue complex planned in the Deer District.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Stout
CAREER ADVICE: “One piece of advice that I live my life by is from the Bible (Luke 12:48): ‘Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.’”
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN TO MAKE IT BETTER: “The construction delivery method used by the State of Wisconsin. I think fairly negotiating projects in the best interest of the people of Wisconsin, rather than basing the selection of a contractor simply on price, would propel our state forward.”
FUN FACT: “I’ve only ever dated one woman in my entire life, and I married her. Jane and I met in kindergarten, and she lived just four doors down. Although we didn’t start dating until late high school, she’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: “If you are looking for an incredible steak, go no further than the Union Hotel in De Pere; their food is absolutely fantastic.”
Yehle PRESIDENT AND CEO J.H. FINDORFF & SON INC. | MADISONJIM YEHLE was promoted to president and CEO of J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. in early 2020, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic’s arrival. He started at the Madison-based general contracting firm in 1999 as a project manager, leading teams in the construction of the Overture Center for the Arts and American Family Children’s Hospital, both in Madison. He was promoted to executive vice president in 2016. Now at the helm, Yehle is overseeing the company as it executes on several high-profile projects, including The Couture tower in downtown Milwaukee, The Trade in Milwaukee’s Deer District, and Marquette University’s new business school building.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “The Center for Black Excellence and Culture. The mission of the center is to create a place where the Black community and its allies can fill up on inspiration, opportunities, and hope.”
FUN FACT: “Back in high school, I was the La Crosse city golf champion my senior year.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Be a servant leader, give praise to others, delegate, trust and promote those around you. No one person ever built a building, it is a team, we should think and act that way. Be collaborative and communicative and there is nothing you can’t achieve together.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Well, in our business we take risks every day, so we are used to those uncomfortable feelings. When in those situations, I find it’s best to trust your gut and instincts.”
Whether working above ground, on the surface or beneath it, our crews improve America’s transportation infrastructure. As an energy and infrastructure contractor, Michels incorporates safety, quality and ingenuity into every project we build. Our areas of expertise include tunnels, deep foundations, highways and bridges, pipeline, marine and trenchless solutions.
TODD BATTLE has led Kenosha Area Business Alliance for two decades, overseeing the economic development organization’s business attraction, retention, expansion, talent development and economic development financing initiatives. During Battle’s tenure at KABA, the I-94 corridor has experienced significant growth due to the relocation and expansion of businesses, including many from Illinois. KABA counts HARIBO’s manufacturing facility, Nexus Pharmaceuticals’ drug manufacturing facility, and Uline’s headquarters move from Illinois to Kenosha County among its biggest success stories. Battle will leave KABA at the end of 2022 to take a role as director of industrial investments at Zilber Property Group.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Central Michigan University
FIRST JOB: “Canoe rental business on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan. I learned that you definitely want to know what is in the bottom of the canoe before you pick it up and carry it back to the trailer.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE: “I am most passionate about education-oriented causes. I serve on the Kenosha school board, and I am active with Building Our Future, which is an education-focused initiative that emphasizes a collective impact model and continuous improvement efforts. We want to implement and scale ideas that work (drive education results/improvement) and be cognizant that schools can’t do this work alone.”
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins – very thorough and thoughtprovoking research on the defining character traits and habits of exceptional leaders.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “There continues to be a ton of interest, investment and attention regarding the I-94 corridor in southeast Wisconsin. This signals a tremendous opportunity to positively impact the state, region and community.”
ZACH BRANDON has been at the helm of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce for the past decade. Under Brandon’s leadership, the chamber acquired Accelerate Madison, incorporating the organization as a chamber program focused on highlighting the region’s tech sectors. Previously, Brandon was part of the leadership team of three startups and was director of the Wisconsin Angel Network, an early-stage investment organization. Brandon also served as the vice chair of public policy for the national Angel Capital Association. He served as deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce under former Gov. Jim Doyle and as a Madison alderman from 2003-2008.
EDUCATION: BA, Kent State University
HOBBY/PASSION: “Bourbon/rye whiskey collecting.”
FIRST CAR AND HOW LONG DID YOU HAVE IT FOR: “Chevy Monza Spyder –one year because my parents forced me to sell it due to speeding tickets.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Alignment over hustle. Aligning your work and network is more important than the hustle.”
FIRST JOB AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM IT: “Automotive mechanic apprentice. Five things make an engine run: fuel, spark, air, compression, timing – the same that makes an economy work. Fuel is capital, spark is innovation, air is business climate, compression is sector density, timing is market timing.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO WISCONSIN MANUFACTURERS & COMMERCE | MADISONKURT BAUER leads Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state’s largest business association, with more than 3,800 member companies. A combined association of the state Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin Manufacturers’ Association and Wisconsin Safety Council, WMC advocates for pro-business policies – such as lower health care costs, school choice funding and tax reform – and particularly wielded its influence as COVID-19 mitigation policies were enacted throughout the early stages of the pandemic.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of WisconsinMadison
CAREER ADVICE: “Write down your goals and make a plan to achieve each of them, and then outwork your competition in executing that plan.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “I took my oldest on his first backpacking trip this past summer. The activity has always been one of my favorite escapes. I also enjoy hiking and mountain biking, and I just recently started golfing again after giving the sport up when my kids were born.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “I led the Wisconsin Bankers Association through the Great Recession, with all the challenges it presented to financial institutions. And I also led WMC through the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent business shutdowns and economic consequences. Neither crisis was easy, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE: “The WMC Foundation’s Business World program, which teaches young people about free enterprise and entrepreneurship.”
IN EARLY 2021, Jason Fields assumed leadership of Madison Region Economic Partnership, the economic development agency representing an eight-county south-central Wisconsin region. Fields also serves as managing director of Dark Knight Capital Ventures, a venture capital fund he founded in 2017 that is designed to invest in underserved entrepreneurs in the state. Fields represented Milwaukee’s north side in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2005-2013 and 2017-2021. He also founded the Financial Promise Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization that teaches personal financial and business literacy. Earlier in his career, Fields was a stock broker, banker and financial advisor.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Cardinal Stritch University
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Robert F. Smith and Warren Buffett. When you look at the level of philanthropic dollars they allocate, I would love to know what drove them to put them into a position to not only give but give to the degree that they have.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Creating a statewide economic strategy based in conjunction with the nine economic regions and working together more often and more efficiently to compete globally.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “The Verve, ‘Bittersweet Symphony,’ because it feels inspiring, and the lyrics remind me of triumph.”
THEN SERVING AS CHAIRMAN of the board, Jorge Franco assumed leadership of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin in 2013 as interim president and chief executive officer. The following year, “interim” was dropped from his title, and he has led the chamber since as its president and chief executive officer. The mission of the chamber is to advocate and promote the growth of Hispanic microenterprise, small-to-midsized enterprise and corporate partners through economic, academic and workforce leadership solutions. In his role, Franco provides leadership for the interests of the state’s more than 10,000 Hispanic Business Enterprises. The chamber’s programs and services include its Revolving Loan Fund, the HCCW Empowering Latinos program and HCCW Education Fund. In 2017, Franco assumed leadership of the U.S. Economic and Workforce Leadership Coalition in addition to his role with the HCCW. Franco says the coalition represents the interests of the nearly 100 million low-and-moderate-income consumers.
Paetsch SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MILWAUKEE 7 | MILWAUKEE
BEFORE MILWAUKEE TOOL decided to move 1,200 employees to downtown Milwaukee, before Amazon began building its sprawling Oak Creek distribution center or before gummy bear maker Haribo chose Kenosha as its first North American manufacturing facility, Milwaukee 7 was busy courting them to the region. As a senior vice president with the economic development organization, Jim Paetsch has been deeply involved in the major business deals happening in Milwaukee over the past 17 years. In 2021, he also assumed the role of M7 executive director.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Northern Illinois University; master’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Northwestern University
FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT: “A three-day trip to New York is always high on my list. Also greatly enjoy the Basque region of Spain.”
FIRST CAR: “1970 Plymouth Barracuda, which was a rocket ship. I had it for only nine months, which was probably best for all concerned.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “I proposed to my wife by pulling over at the top of the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee. That’s a long ride down the other side if the answer had been, ‘Well, perhaps we can discuss this later.’”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Literacy Services of Wisconsin, which provides adult literacy classes and tutoring for learners across southeastern Wisconsin.”
LaMue PRESIDENT AND CEO NEW NORTH | GREEN BAYBARB LAMUE leads New North Inc., an 18-county regional economic development organization that develops and implements strategies for business and talent development in northeast Wisconsin. New North represents a territory that encompasses 1.3 million people, or 22% of the state’s population, employment and GDP. Previously, LaMue was a vice president with Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., where she directed downtown and minority business development.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Lakeland University; master’s, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
FIRST JOB: “Working on our family farm. Being one of six daughters, no brothers, I learned very quickly about hard work, responsibility and teamwork.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Warren Buffet, because of his deep investment knowledge and sincere philanthropic engagement. Thomas A. Edison, because of his innovative mind, 1,093 U.S. patents, and his ‘don’t give up’ attitude. I love his quote, ‘I have not failed, I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.’”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Exercising. I used to be an avid marathon runner. My highlight was running the Boston Marathon. I had an accident in 2016, which has not allowed me to run, but I have found other valuable forms of exercise in the outdoors.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Cancer research. My mother lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting. I am a two-time cancer survivor and thank my Creator every day for giving me another day.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF WISCONSIN | MILWAUKEENIKKI PURVIS was selected to lead the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin this summer. The Milwaukee-based AACCW runs several programs in support of Black-owned businesses, including a revolving loan fund and its RISE entrepreneurial training program. Purvis previously worked for the city of Milwaukee for 13 years, initially as its small business development director and more recently as its first chief equity officer. Purvis was previously chairwoman of the AACCW, former commissioner of the Social Development Commission, and past board president of the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin Inc.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; master’s, Cardinal Stritch University
HOBBY/PASSION: “I’m artistically inclined, so whenever I can indulge in music or finish a sewing project, I’m at peace.”
FUN FACT: “Most people are surprised to learn that I’m a drummer. In fact, I used to fill in at Sunday service. Just imagine the shock on everyone’s face when I sat down at the drum set and grabbed the sticks!”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Sojourner Family Peace Center, because I’m a victor of domestic violence. SFPC’s services and staff helped me move past one of the most traumatic moments of my life, and I will always be grateful for their advocacy.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Sing the National Anthem at a Bucks or Packers game.”
Sheehy PRESIDENT MMAC | MILWAUKEEFOR NEARLY 30 YEARS, Tim Sheehy has led the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, an organization that advocates for businesses representing over 300,000 employees in the greater Milwaukee area, and has steered its agenda to increase prosperity in the region. Sheehy also chairs the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., an organization that provides financing to Milwaukee businesses to promote job retention and creation, and sits on the boards of several education nonprofits in the region.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FIRST JOB: “My own lawn service. Work hard, be a reliable partner, exceed customer expectations, and you can prosper.”
FIRST CAR: “Never owned a car until I was 32, and of course it was a minivan (kids!).”
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT WISCONSIN: “Getting more traction on the educational attainment of low-income Black and brown students to help them achieve their potential, while providing Wisconsin’s economy with the talent it needs to prosper.”
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way.’ I want every day to have few regrets.”
JOSEPH ALEXANDER became president of The Alexander Co. in 2009, assuming leadership of the Madison-based real estate development company his father, Randy Alexander, founded. The company specializes in real estate projects involving historic preservation, urban revitalization and adaptive reuse. Some of the company’s high-profile recent projects in the Milwaukee area include the Milwaukee Soldiers Home restoration and Milwaukee Fortress in the Brewers Hill neighborhood. In Madison, the firm was behind the Novation Campus, a $120 million, mixed-use development; the $35 million redevelopment of the Rail Corridor in downtown Madison; and the $110 million Capitol West condo project in downtown Madison. Joseph has personally overseen developments spanning from Kansas City to Washington, D.C., to Fort Worth.
Previously, Alexander worked as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the leadership of then secretary Tommy Thompson. In that role, his duties included consultation and implementation in the areas of general management, budgeting and facilities development oversight.
He’s served on the boards of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Downtown Madison Inc., Salvation Army of Dane County, Wisconsin
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Marquette University
RICK BARRETT is the man behind a number of high-profile developments in the Milwaukee area, including The Moderne, a 30-story apartment tower in downtown Milwaukee, and Emerald Row, an apartment development at Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek. Drawing more attention and anticipation than the rest is The Couture, a 44-story luxury apartment tower that is now under construction near the downtown Milwaukee lakefront. After many setbacks, Barrett Lo secured the needed financing and broke ground on The Couture last year.
FUN FACT: “I used to play professional baseball and was a minor league pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Getting (The Moderne) into the ground during the height of a recession, on the west side of the (Milwaukee) river, with no other development surrounding the project, was truly a herculean effort but also one of the most rewarding.”
WHY YOU’RE EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “I have five children. Watching them grow up, coming into adulthood and seeing the impact the younger generation is going to have on the world has me excited about the future and what it holds.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “High-speed rail. Finding a way to bring people to and from Wisconsin quickly and safely. Connecting up with our neighbors in Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan would be a boom to our economy and tourism and help show everyone what Wisconsin has to offer.”
JIM BARRY III, the third-generation family leader of commercial real estate brokerage and consulting company The Barry Co., has been involved in some of the biggest and most complex transactions in the region. He’s brokered deals for southeastern Wisconsin’s largest corporations, including Harley-Davidson, MillerCoors, Roundy’s, U.S. Bank and Foley & Lardner. Recently, Barry helped assemble the land – including three adjacent properties with three different owners – for Milwaukee Public Museum’s future home in downtown Milwaukee. A lawyer by training, Barry co-founded the Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society, is former finance chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and current chairman of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, Georgetown School of Foreign Service; JD, University of Chicago Law School; General Course Certificate, London School of Economics
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Paris; Rome; London; Jerusalem; Grindelwald, Switzerland; the Adirondack region of New York.”
FUN FACT: “I ran with the bulls in Pamplona during the Festival of St. Fermin in July of 2012, and I survived.”
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Reform Wisconsin tax code so that the income tax would be significantly reduced or eliminated. This could be done with a corresponding change in the sales tax. States that have done this have seen strong in-migration and economic growth. It would make Wisconsin far more competitive and a more attractive place to live.”
BRAD BINKOWSKI co-founded real estate development firm Urban Land Interests in 1974 with Thomas Neujahr. Its focus since has been on attracting employers, developing housing, preserving historic properties and creating new architecture in urban areas. The firm, which has 135 employees, manages over 1.3 million rentable square feet of office and retail space in downtown Madison. Its recent development projects include downtown apartments Quarter Row, The Pressman, 25 West Main Street and SEVEN27 at The Yards. ULI is currently working on the redevelopment of the American Exchange block on the Capitol square, with plans to create 850 underground parking stalls and a ninestory, 350,000-square-foot commercial building. It is also working on a $35 million redevelopment of St. John’s Lutheran Church, also in the city’s downtown.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Where my children and grandchildren live.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT AND ORDER: “L’Etoile, and anything they have on the menu.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Helping our retail and office tenants survive and overcome the daunting challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and violent political protests.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “To undertake and complete the development of the last great site remaining on Madison’s Capitol Square. It took 27 years to assemble this property. Once this project is complete, Urban Land Interests will have done everything possible to bring life and activity to downtown Madison.”
CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
YOUNG ENTERPRISING SOCIETY CO-FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL SCOTT CRAWFORD INC. | MILWAUKEE
QUE EL-AMIN began his career in real estate as co-founder of Scott Crawford Inc., a Milwaukeebased real estate development firm specializing in mixed-use complexes. Since its founding in 2007, the firm has constructed over 45 residential real estate developments. Most recently, El-Amin is the project developer for the Community Within The Corridor project – the $66 million redevelopment of a former Briggs & Stratton complex into a mixed-use development on Milwaukee’s north side. El-Amin also cofounded the Young Enterprising Society, an organization that supports entrepreneurs and provides STEAM programming in schools, with his brother, Khalif El-Amin, in 2012.
FIRST JOB: “Working for my father’s company, New Horizon Center Inc. What I learned most from that job was the importance of keeping accurate records.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “Bellis Bistro in Bay View. I usually order the three-cheese lobster mac.”
WHAT HAS YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE: “I am excited about living in Milwaukee, which is one of the top five places for African American entrepreneurs and what that innovation will bring to the region. I am also excited about collaborations from the northwest Indiana and Chicago region to continually grow the South Shore region to be an international powerhouse.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Be consistently persistent.”
MANAGING PRINCIPAL, HAMMES PARTNERS CHAIRMAN AND CEO, HAMMES HEALTHCARE HAMMES CO. | MILWAUKEE
JON HAMMES is the founder of the Hammes platform and launched Hammes Healthcare in 1993. Prior to that he was managing partner for Trammel Crow, serving as the firm’s regional partner in its Chicago office.
He grew Hammes into a national leader in health care real estate. He positioned the firm 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. The company has been ranked as the nation’s top health care facility developer numerous times by Modern Healthcare’s Construction & Design Survey.
The company also became a major player in sports facility development, starting in the 1990s in managing construction of the Kohl Center for UW-Madison. After the completion of the Kohl Center, Hammes Co. became project manager for construction of 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.
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.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; master’s, UW-Madison
FOLLOWING HIS EARLY CAREER representing developers and real estate syndicators as an attorney, Gary Gorman founded his own firm in 1984 to develop multifamily real estate projects. Two years into his business, in response to the passage of the Tax Reform Act, Gorman began specializing in developing affordable multifamily rental units through the Section 42 housing program. Gorman & Co. was one of the first in the nation to develop Section 42 low-income housing tax credit developments in the U.S.
Having completed more than 5,000 affordable apartment units nationwide, Gorman consistently ranks among the top affordable housing developers in the country. In 2021 alone, the company started more than 1,000 units and completed more than 280 units. In addition to affordable housing, the firm also specializes in developing workforce housing and converting historical buildings into multifamily housing. With its corporate headquarters located in Oregon, Wisconsin, Gorman also has offices in Phoenix, Orlando and Denver.
Earlier this year, Gary Gorman gave $1 million to endow a new faculty position to lead a new graduate track in affordable housing and sustainable development through the Department of Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his alma mater.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and J.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
CEO
ERIC HOVDE leads Hovde Properties, a Madison-based commercial and residential real estate company founded by his grandfather. Hovde co-owns the firm with his brother, Steve. Eric Hovde is also chairman and chief executive officer of H Bancorp, a $1.4 billion private bank holding company which owns California-based Sunwest Bank and Baltimore-based Bay Bancorp. He is also the founder and CEO of Hovde Capital Advisors LLC, an asset management firm that focuses on investing in the financial services and real estate sectors of the public equity markets. In 2012, Hovde lost in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. After hinting at a run for governor earlier this year, Hovde has since said he is considering another run for the Senate in 2024.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
TWO BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Richard Branson because he has been successful in many industries and has found great joy in whatever he does. Sam Zell because he is one of the greatest real estate investors in the past 50 years and has led an interesting life.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “Tanzania, Africa, particularly the Ngorongoro Crater. Additionally, Sydney, Australia, is my favorite city.”
FAVORITE WISCONSIN RESTAURANT: “Red in Madison. All of their sushi rolls are fantastic.”
BIGGEST RISK YOU’VE EVER TAKEN: “Early in my career, taking all of my resources and buying a troubled bank that, fortunately, worked out.”
IRGENS
MARK IRGENS is a developer, investor and operator of office and medical office buildings. His company, Irgens Partners LLC, is among the largest office property management firms in the Milwaukee area. Recently, Irgens developed one of the newest additions to the city’s skyline, the 25-story BMO Tower in downtown Milwaukee. Irgens is also a co-founder and past president of the NAIOP-Wisconsin Chapter and a member of Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin and Urban Land Institute.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “2008 recession and the fallout from it.”
MOST SIGNIFICANT RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT: “Acquisition and entitlement of Innovation Park in Wauwatosa.”
WALK-UP SONG: “‘Won’t Back Down’ by Tom Petty”
BUCKET LIST: “To take the month of August off and spend it at our lake home.”
GRAEF has been a leader in the Wisconsin engineering and design community for more than 60 years. Our dedicated staff is skilled in the latest technolgies and is knowledgeable about the ever-evolving marketplace. Helping build Wisconsin since 1961!
JOSH JEFFERS founded Milwaukee-based real estate development firm J. Jeffers & Co in 2012, following his earlier career in the private equity real estate industry. His firm has been involved in several prominent developments in southeastern Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee Athletic Club renovation, 11-story downtown Milwaukee Huron Building, redevelopment of the former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel buildings and redevelopment of the former Horlick Malted Milk Co. complex in Racine.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; master’s in public policy, Harvard University
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “I take my family to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine, every summer. It feels like a special part of the planet where mountains, rainforest and ocean all interconnect. My kids love it. Plus, the food is incredible.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “Scaling my business. To do so, we’ve had to exponentially grow from under 10 people to almost 40 people in a short time and radically rethink internal managerial strategies, investment process and procedures, risk management and company culture.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “I’d like to take my family skiing in Japan. It’s just an extraordinary place – the people, the culture, the history, the food, etc. Tokyo is unlike any other city I’ve visited. Then separately, my kids, who are 6 and 8, are learning to ski and getting pretty capable. I decided to learn how to snowboard when I turned 40, and I’m getting to be ‘capable’ myself.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Someone told me early on something to the effect that, ‘Integrity is what you do when no one is looking.’ That has always stuck with me, and it has helped me form the relationships that have propelled my business from nothing to what it is today.”
JOHN KISSINGER built his career working on prominent projects such as the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the renovation of Lambeau Field and the expansion of Chicago’s McCormick Place. He leads Milwaukeebased GRAEF, a civil engineering, planning and design firm with nearly 300 employees in 10 offices. The firm has done work on projects throughout the state including Milwaukee Tool’s corporate headquarters in Brookfield, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Southeast Recreational Facility and the Bradley Symphony Center in Milwaukee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, UW-Milwaukee; masters, UW-Madison
FUN FACT: “I like to dance!”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “(The late) Bill Shook and (the late) Michael Cudahy. Bill Shook was a construction executive with Clark Construction and a great mentor of mine. Michael Cudahy was trained as an engineer and I always found him to be an interesting conversationalist.”
TOP OF YOUR BUCKET LIST: “Visit Machu Picchu.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “The GRAEF Foundation, which was formed by our founders. The GRAEF Foundation annually awards college scholarships to engineering majors at five universities including the Milwaukee School of Engineering, UWMilwaukee, UW-Platteville, UW-Madison, and Marquette University. We also fund a scholarship for underrepresented engineering students through the ACE mentor program of Chicago. We also fund a variety of other STEM programs.”
CHAIRMAN
LYLE LANDOWSKI assumed the role of president and chief executive officer of Colliers | Wisconsin at the beginning of 2022 after 15 years with the real estate brokerage and property management firm. The firm, which has more than 200 employees, is based in downtown Milwaukee and operates statewide, with additional offices in Madison and the Fox Valley. The firm has been involved in many downtown Milwaukee office deals; its client list includes Zeller Realty, BMO Harris, Irgens, Hupy and Abraham, Associated Bank, the Milwaukee Bucks, Herzing University, Bubon Orthodontics and Crestlight Capital.
TWO WISCONSIN BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “John Schlifske (CEO of Northwestern Mutual) and Michael Lovell (president of Marquette University). They are both men of faith who seem to operate with conviction and purpose, and I believe they have helped change the trajectory of our city.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “For quick and easy, … Sheboygan. I love the pace, the lakefront and restaurants owned by Stefano Viglietti. For longer distance, our family enjoys going west, as we have family in San Diego and Lake Tahoe.”
HOBBY/PASSION: “Basketball. There is something therapeutic and healing about it for me. It is my release, but also a place I enjoy competitiveness and camaraderie.”
HOW WOULD YOU SPEND A ONE-YEAR SABBATICAL: “If I could pull it off, we would travel with family to live in another part of the world in a community that looks nothing like ours and spend time integrating into it and becoming part of it. I think it would bring us closer together, break so many of our paradigms and stretch our worldview in a life-altering way.”
S.R. Mills CEOBARRY MANDEL is the founder and longtime leader of Milwaukeebased Mandel Group, one of Wisconsin’s largest multifamily residential real estate development firms. Some of its noteable projects include The North End near downtown Milwaukee, the 36-story University Club Tower condominium building in downtown Milwaukee, Park Lafayette Towers on Milwaukee’s East Side, Taxco Apartments under construction in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood, The West and SoNa Lofts in West allis, Echelon Apartments in Wauwatosa, Lighthorse 4041 in Shorewood and Beaumont Place in Whitefish Bay. The company also has apartment buildings in downtown St. Louis, suburban Minneapolis and suburban Des Moines, Iowa.
Outside the firm, Mandel has helped fund the Associates in Commercial Real Estate program at Marquette University, which works to increase minority representation in the industry. He also sponsored the “I Have a Dream Foundation,” which provides wraparound services and scholarship funding for economically disadvantaged students and their families, from first grade to their first job.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
A BUSINESS LEADER YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Four Seasons Hotels founder Isadore Sharp. The Four Seasons brand is iconic in the hospitality industry. From a cold call, he invited me to visit with him in Toronto. I learned and was inspired by him in just three hours on how hospitality, technology and apartment industries are merging to create a living experience well beyond shelter alone. He also is a mixologist by recognizing that every minute of every day you can turn a lemon into lemonade for your customer.”
S.R. MILLS is chief executive officer of Kenosha-based Bear Real Estate Group, a family of companies that includes Bear Commercial, Bear Homes, Bear Capital, Bear Development, Bear Property Management and CMA-Construction Management Associates. Bear Development has been involved with the acquisition and development of residential, multifamily, hospitality, retail, office and industrial projects throughout southeastern Wisconsin and outside the state. Earlier this year, Bear Development and Kacmarcik Enterprises announced plans for Iron District MKE, a $160 million sports and entertainment development in downtown Milwaukee that would include an 8,000-seat soccer stadium.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, St. Cloud State University; master’s Roosevelt University
HOBBY/PASSION: “Gardening, snowboarding, hunting, wake surfing, fishing, but first and foremost my wife and kids. Anything I do with them is the most important.”
CAREER ADVICE: “When you think you’re exhausted, can’t go any further and need to stop, that’s likely half as far as you can really go.”
BOOK EVERYONE SHOULD READ: “‘Never Split the Difference’ by Chris Voss – unless we’re on the opposite end of a negotiation. Then I suggest any book but that.”
BUSINESS LEADERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: “Sam Zell and Peter Theil. They’re both contrarians that stick to their business principles, regardless of criticism.”
IN 1987, Mike Mooney co-founded Mooney LeSage & Associates Ltd., the private equity firm that would later become real estate investment company MLG Capital. Today, the Brookfield-based firm and its associated entities’ investments total roughly 36 million square feet of space, with exited and estimated current value exceeding $5 billion. Mooney has counted the likes of Quad/Graphics, Harley-Davidson, Gardetto’s, Champion International, Green Giant Foods, CrownZellerbach Paper and Allen Bradley among his clients. Mooney’s professional civic involvement is also extensive: He is the co-founder, past president and longtime director of NAIOP WI—The Commercial Real Estate Development Association and director-emeritus of the Waukesha County Business Alliance.
FUN FACT: “I’m a college dropout (2+ years at UWM). I’m one of three student government leaders who led the effort to change UWM’s mascot and colors from a cardinal and cardinal red to a panther and black and gold 57 years ago.”
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS: “New Orleans, Montreal, Sarasota, Paris, Seattle and Jackson Hole.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Growing our multifamily and industrial holdings by $1 billion and increasing the number of states we have properties in from 18 to 28. Our investor roster has also grown; it now totals over 5,000 individuals covering all 50 states.”
ADVICE TO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: “Set your phone down, do some qualitative testing to get a clear picture of your skills and attributes. Do internships in college.”
EMMY MURPHY was named Milwaukee market leader of CBRE, a Dallas-based commercial real estate services and investment firm with three Wisconsin offices, in 2021. Murphy joined CBRE’s Milwaukee office in 2019, where she handled business operations including recruitment, budgeting, licensing and pandemic-related protocols. She’s now responsible for the office’s growth strategy related to leasing, sales, valuations, debt and structured finance and property management. One of the larger real estate brokerages in Wisconsin, the firm specializes in advisory and transaction services for tenants and property owners in the retail, office, industrial and investment sectors. CBRE has additional offices in Brookfield and Madison.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
AS YOU ENTER YOUR OFFICE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BE YOUR WALK-UP OR THEME SONG: “‘A-Punk’ by Vampire Weekend.”
FIRST JOB: “Summer camp counselor. … In short, it shaped the person I am today and I still think about it multiple times a day.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “Put me on a lake with a glass of wine, and I’m a happy gal.”
CAREER ADVICE: “Go the extra mile; it’s never crowded.”
Uhen CHAIRMAN AND CEO EPPSTEIN UHEN ARCHITECTS | MILWAUKEE
AS THE LONGTIME chief executive of Eppstein Uhen Architects, Greg Uhen led the company to become the Milwaukee region’s largest architectural firm, responsible for the firm’s work on projects such as American Family Field (then Miller Park) Acuity Insurance’s headquarters expansion and American Family Insurance’s Spark building in Madison. In 2021, Uhen stepped into an advisory board position as part of the firm’s planned leadership transition.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
HOBBY/PASSION: “I love fishing, both here in Wisconsin and as travel destinations in other places. … I also have a passion for oil painting. As I transition into retirement, my goal is to become a better painter than I was an architect.”
FUN FACT: “I was a drummer in a rock band all through high school and college.”
TOUGHEST BUSINESS CHALLENGE YOU’VE EVER FACED: “By far the 2008-2010 recession. It just lasted too long, we had to let go of many really good people. It was gut-wrenching. We slashed expenses, we stopped our own compensation, but it wasn’t enough. It felt like pushing someone out of a lifeboat. It still bothers me to this day.”
NONPROFIT CAUSE THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU: “Educate Uganda. This is a nonprofit started by some close friends. It serves to improve the education of impoverished children in Uganda.”
SINCE FOUNDING RINKA in 2006, Matthew Rinka has grown the Milwaukee-based architectural firm from a one-person operation to a more than a 40-person team. RINKA’s work has included prominent projects such as the Deer District, the 30-story Moderne downtown Milwaukee apartment building and Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek. It’s also the design firm for one of Milwaukee’s most ambitious and highly anticipated projects – The Couture development near the lakefront in downtown Milwaukee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; master’s, University of Washington
FIRST JOB: “Busing tables at a restaurant when I was 16 years old. Everyone should work at a restaurant once in their lives. It teaches the value of hard work, humility and most importantly to always treat people with kindness and respect.”
FAVORITE DESTINATION: “My heart is in the North Woods of Wisconsin. More far-flung destinations I enjoy are Seoul, South Korea; New York City; Zermatt, Switzerland; Barcelona, Spain; and Key West, Florida.”
WHAT WOULD MAKE WISCONSIN BETTER: “Other than the weather, the only thing I would change about Wisconsin is our ability to believe in our potential and greatness. Wisconsinites are very humble, so change can come slowly. I’d like for more of us to believe in the bright future of our state.”
BIGGEST RECENT SUCCESS: “Expanding the firm ownership/ shareholders and growing our leadership team.”
PRESIDENT AND CEO T. WALL ENTERPRISES | MIDDLETON
MADISON REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER Terrence Wall is founder, president and chief executive officer of Middleton-based T. Wall Enterprises, a developer of multi-family apartment complexes. T. Wall has 1,250 units in operation and more than 320 in development. Its current projects include construction of The Moment, a 15-story development in downtown Madison; the redevelopment of The Bruce Co.’s property into an office and garden center and mixeduse residential development in Middleton; and construction of The Foundry on 3rd, a mixed-use development in downtown Wausau.
In 1989, Wall founded T. Wall Properties LLC, a firm that went on to have one of the largest office building portfolios in the state. Wall led the firm from its inception until 2012. Two years after his departure, it was renamed Vanta Commercial Properties.
Wall’s nonprofit involvement has included supporting the Children’s Carousel at the Henry Vilas Zoo, the Glacier’s Edge Boy Scouts of America council office building and the Tenney Park Pavilion. He was also a lead donor in the construction of the American Family Children’s Hospital, the East Side Community Center and renovation of Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart.
Wall also serves on the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank’s Wisconsin Economic Roundtable.
Wall made a brief run as a Republican candidate in Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race in 2010; Ron Johnson went on to win the party’s endorsement and defeated incumbent Russ Feingold.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison
CREATING THIS LIST OF WISCONSIN’S 275 most influential business leaders was a big undertaking. So, how did we do it?
The BizTimes Media editorial team started by reaching out to leaders around the state for their suggestions. We brainstormed internally, identifying candidates for consideration. After we had an initial list, we looked at it by industry and did more outreach, this time to leaders in specific sectors to ask for their input.
Ultimately, we developed a list of nearly 500 names for consideration. That’s when the work and debate really started. We went through our list multiple times, asking ourselves if someone met our criteria for being influential. It is hard to make decisions across industries. For instance, how does a leading farmer for one of the state’s major crops compare to the CEO of a major corporation? How do the entrepreneurs and innovators growing startup companies compare to bankers who offer loans that help businesses grow?
Ultimately, we often made comparisons within industries and did our best to make sure we represented the range of Wisconsin’s economy. We looked at things like a company’s size and its presence in Wisconsin. We considered someone’s service on boards, including with companies, nonprofits and in
the community. We generally excluded politicians and government leaders, although some made the list as their work shapes what happens in the business community.
Our deliberations often came down to whether someone is shaping the direction of Wisconsin’s economy. There is no single objective measure that can truly compare business leaders across industries for a list like this, and we inherently had to apply some of our own subjective judgement in making final decisions.
One thing that did not factor into our work is whether an honoree’s company would advertise.
Once we identified the 275 individuals on our list, we asked them all to fill out questionnaires providing greater insight into their careers and approaches to business. The responses from those who participated formed the basis of their profile. In cases where individuals did not participate, we used our own research and reporting to compile a profile.
In a few instances, individuals we selected no longer met our criteria, generally because they passed away or moved on to new positions outside of Wisconsin. In those cases, we included other individuals who were just off our initial list.
If you have suggestions for individuals to consider for future editions of Wisconsin 275, please go to biztimes.com/wisconsin275 or email them to wis275@biztimes.com.
A.O. Smith | Manufacturing and Energy | Kevin Wheeler 87
ABC Supply | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Diane Hendricks 108
Acuity | Insurance | Ben Salzmann 62
Advocate Aurora Health | Health Care | Cristy Garcia-Thomas 43
Advocate Aurora Health | Health Care | Rick Klein 45
African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Nikki Purvis 113
Allen Edmonds | Living Legends | John Stollenwerk 71
Alliant Energy Corp. | Manufacturing and Energy | Energy & Utilities | John Larsen 74
American Family Insurance | Insurance | Jack Salzwedel 63
American Family Insurance | Insurance | Bill Westrate 65
American Transmission Co. | Manufacturing and Energy | Energy & Utilities | Mike Rowe 75
America’s Black Holocaust Museum | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Tourism | Dr. Robert Davis 56
Amundsen Davis | Business Services | Law | Larry Schechtman 22
Annex Wealth Management | Banking and Finance | Dave Spano 13
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin | Insurance | Paul Nobile 62
Archdiocese of Milwaukee | Nonprofit | Most Rev. Jerome Listecki 99
AriensCo | Manufacturing and Energy | Dan Ariens 80
Artisan Partners Asset Management/ Erin Hills Golf Course | Banking and Finance | Andy Ziegler 14
Ascension Wisconsin | Health Care | Bernie Sherry 46
Ashley Furniture | Other Leading Industries | Retail | Todd Wanek 105
Aspirus Health | Health Care | Matt Heywood 43
Associated Bank | Banking and Finance | Andrew Harmening 10
Bader Philanthropies | Nonprofit | Daniel Bader 96
Badger Fund of Funds | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Ken Johnson 38
Badger Meter | Manufacturing and Energy | Ken Bockhorst 80
Baird | Banking and Finance | Steve Booth 9
Baird | Banking and Finance | Mary Ellen Stanek 13
Baker Tilly | Business Services | Accounting | Christine Dahlhauser 18
Bank First | Banking and Finance | Michael Molepske 11
Barrett Lo Visionary Development | Real Estate and Development | Rick Barrett 114
Bear Development | Real Estate and Development | S.R. Mills 117
BelGioioso Cheese | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Errico Auricchio 76
Bellin Health | Health Care | Chris Woleske 47
Bergstrom Automotive | Other Leading Industries | Retail | John Bergstrom 104
Blain’s Farm & Fleet | Other Leading Industries | Retail | Jane Blain Gilbertson 104
BMO Financial Group | Banking and Finance | Jud Snyder 13
BMO Financial Group | Banking and Finance | JeffTicknor 14
Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County | Nonprofit | Michael Johnson 98
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee | Nonprofit | KathyThornton-Bias 99
Breakthrough Strategies | C-Suite | JerryJendusa 27
C.D. Smith | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Justin Smith 110
Capital Midwest Fund | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Stephen Einhorn 37
Carnevor; 3rd Street Market Hall | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Restaurants | Omar Shaikh 53
Carthage College | Education | John Swallow 95
CBRE | Real Estate and Development | Emmy Murphy 118
CG Schmidt | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Rick Schmidt 110
Character | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | John Zeratsky 39
Charter Manufacturing Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | John W. Mellowes 83
Children’s Wisconsin | Health Care | Peggy Troy 47
Church Mutual Insurance Co. | Insurance | Richard Poirier 62
City Brewing Co. | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Ross Sannes 79
CliftonLarsonAllen | Business Services | Accounting | Terry Strittmater 19
Colliers | Wisconsin | Real Estate and Development | Lyle Landowski 117
Cousins Subs | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Restaurants | Christine Specht 54
CSA Partners | Emerging Industries | Startups | Chris Abele 32
Culver’s | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Restaurants | Craig Culver 53
CUNA Mutual Group | Insurance | Robert Trunzo 65
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin | Other Leading Industries | Agriculture | Chad Vincent 103
Dane County Airport | Manufacturing and Energy | Transportation and Logistics | Kimberly Jones 88
Deloitte | Business Services | Accounting | P.J. DiStefano 18
Diamond Discs International | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Ugo Nwagbaraocha 110
Direct Supply | Health Care | Robert Hillis 43
DNA Network | Living Legends | Debbie Allen 68
Duluth Seaway Port Authority | Manufacturing and Energy | Transportation and Logistics | Deb DeLuca 88
Duluth Trading Co. | Other Leading Industries | Retail | Samuel Sato 105
EAA | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Tourism | Jack Pelton 56
Epic Systems | Emerging Industries | Technology | Judy Faulkner 35
Eppstein Uhen Architects | Real Estate and Development | Greg Uhen 118
Exact Sciences | Emerging Industries | Startups | Kevin Conroy 32
Fiduciary Management Inc. | Banking and Finance | Pat English 10
Fiduciary Management Inc. | Living Legends | Ted Kellner 69
Fincantieri Marine Group | Manufacturing and Energy | Fabio Bordignon 81
Fiveable | Emerging Industries | Startups | Amanda DoAmaral 33
Foley & Lardner LLP | Business Services | Law | Andy Wronski 23
Forest County Potawatomi Community | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Ned Daniels 50
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Maria Van Laanen 52
Frank Productions | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Joel Plant 51
Froedtert Health | Health Care | Cathy Jacobson 45
Gateway Capital Partners | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Dana Guthrie 37
gener8tor | Emerging Industries | Startups | Joe Kirgues 34
Generac | Manufacturing and Energy | Aaron Jagdfeld 81
Generation Growth Capital | Banking and Finance | Cory Nettles 12
Gilbane Building Co. | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Adam Jelen 109 Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown LLP | Living Legends | Frank Gimbel 69
Godfrey & Kahn S.C. | Business Services | Law | Nic Wahl 23
Golden Angels Investors | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Tim Keane 38
Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago | Nonprofit | Jackie Hallberg 98
Gorman & Co. | Real Estate and Development | Gary Gorman 115
GRAEF | Real Estate and Development | John Kissinger 117
Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Zach Brandon 112
Greater Milwaukee Committee | Nonprofit | Joel Brennan 96
Greater Milwaukee Foundation | Nonprofit | Ellen Gilligan 97
Greater Milwaukee Urban League | Nonprofit | Eve Hall 98
Green Bay Packaging | Manufacturing and Energy | William Kress 83
Green Bay Packers | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Sports | Mark Murphy 55
Green Bay Port | Manufacturing and Energy | Transportation and Logistics | Dean Haen 88
Groupware Technologies | Emerging Industries | Technology | Andy Nunemaker 36
Gruber Law Offices | Business Services | Law | David Gruber 21
Gundersen Health System | Health Care | Dr. Scott Rathgaber 45
Gundersen Health System | Health Care | Heather Schimmers 46
Habelman Bros. Co. | Other Leading Industries | Agriculture | Ray Habelman Jr. 102 Hammes Co. | Real Estate and Development | Jon Hammes 115
Harley-Davidson Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | Jochen Zeitz 87
Heartland Farms | Other Leading Industries | Agriculture | Jeremie and Alicia Pavelski 102
Herb Kohl Philanthropies | Living Legends | Herb Kohl 69
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Jorge Franco 113 Ho-Chunk Nation | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Marlon White Eagle 52
Hovde Properties LLC | Real Estate and Development | Eric Hovde 115 Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy | Living Legends | Howard Fuller 69
Hunzinger Construction Co. | Real Estate and Development | Construction | John Hunzinger 109
Husch Blackwell | Business Services | Law | Paul Eberle 20
Husco International | Manufacturing and Energy | Austin Ramirez 85
Husco International | Manufacturing and Energy | Gus Ramirez 85
Idea Fund of La Crosse | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Jonathon Horne 37
Il Ritrovo; Trattoria Stefano; Field to Fork; Stefano’s Slo Food Market | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Restaurants | Stefano Viglietti 54
Irgens Partners LLC | Real Estate and Development | Mark Irgens 116
J. Jeffers & Co. | Real Estate and Development | Josh Jeffers 116
J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Jim Yehle 111
Jack Link’s Protein Snacks | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Troy Link 79
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Dick Leinenkugel 78
Jewelers Mutual Group | Insurance | Scott Murphy 60
Jockey International Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | Debra Waller 87
Johnson Controls | Manufacturing and Energy | George Oliver 84
Johnson Financial Group | Banking and Finance | Jim Popp 12
Johnson Outdoors | Manufacturing and Energy | Helen Johnson-Leipold 82
Johnsonville LLC | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Shelly Stayer 79
JP Cullen & Sons | Real Estate and Development | Construction | George and Jeannie Cullen/Cullen Schultz 108
Kacmarcik Enterprises | Manufacturing and Energy | Jim Kacmarcik 82
Kenosha Area Business Alliance | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Todd Battle 112
Kerry Group | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Gerry Behan 76
Kimberly-Clark Corp. | Emerging Industries | Technology | Kathi Seifert 28
Kohler Co. | Manufacturing and Energy | David Kohler 82
Kwik Trip | Other Leading Industries | Retail | Don Zietlow 105
Lands’ End | Other Leading Industries | Retail | Andrew McLean 104
Lubar & Co. | Banking and Finance | David Lubar 10
Lubar & Co. | Living Legends | Sheldon Lubar 70
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Inc. | Nonprofit | Héctor Colón 96
Madison Region Economic Partnership | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Jason Fields 112
Major League Baseball | Living Legends | Bud Selig 70
Mandel Group | Real Estate and Development | Barry Mandel 117
ManpowerGroup | Business Services | Staffing | Jonas Prising 23
Marquette University | Education | Michael Lovell 92
Marquette University | Emerging Industries | Technology | David Reeves 36
Marshfield Clinic Health System | Health Care | Dr. Susan Turney 47
Masters Gallery Foods | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Jeff Gentine 77
Medical College of Wisconsin | Health Care | John Raymond Sr. 45
Menards | Other Leading Industries | Retail | John Menard 105
Menasha Corp. | Manufacturing and Energy | Jim Kotek 83
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Ronald Corn 50
Mercury Marine | Manufacturing and Energy | Christopher Drees 81
Michael Best & Friedrich | Business Services | Law | David Krutz 21
Michels Corp. | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Tim Michels 109
Microsoft | Emerging Industries | Technology | Michelle Schuler 36
Milwaukee 7 | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Jim Paetsch 113
Milwaukee Area Technical College | Education | Vicki Martin 93
Milwaukee Art Museum | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Tourism | Marcelle Polednik 56
Milwaukee Brewers | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Sports | Rick Schlesinger 55
Milwaukee Bucks, Fiserv Forum | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Sports | Peter Feigin 55
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport | Manufacturing and Energy | Transportation and Logistics | Brian Dranzik 88
Milwaukee Public Museum | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Tourism | Ellen Censky 56
Milwaukee School of Engineering | Education | John Walz 95
Milwaukee Tool | Manufacturing and Energy | Steve Richman 85
Milwaukee Venture Partners | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Matt Friedel 37
Milwaukee World Festival | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Tourism | Don Smiley 57
Miron Construction Co. Inc. | Real Estate and Development | Construction | David Voss Jr. 111
MLG Capital | Real Estate and Development | Mike Mooney 118
MMAC | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Tim Sheehy 113
Molson Coors Beverage Co. | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Gavin Hattersley 78
Motive Partners | C-suite | Jeffrey Yabuki 28
Neighborhood Food Solutions | Other Leading Industries | Agriculture | Robert Pierce 103
New Glarus Brewing Co. | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Deb Carey 76
New North | C-suite | Barb LaMue 113
Nicolet National Bank | Banking and Finance | Bob Atwell 9
NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes | Manufacturing and Energy | Stephen Merrick 83
Northwestern Mutual | Insurance | John Schlifske 63
NVNG Investment Advisors | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Carrie Thome 39
Old National Bank | Banking and Finance | Kevin Anderson 9
Oldenburg Group Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | Wayne Oldenburg 84
Oneida Nation | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Tehassi Hill 51
Oshkosh Corp. | Manufacturing and Energy | John Pfeifer 84
Overture Center for the Arts | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Emily Gruenewald 51
Pablo; Speakfully | Emerging Industries | Technology | Zach Halmstad 35
Pabst Theater Group | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Gary Witt 52
Palermo Villa Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Giacomo Fallucca 77
Paper Machinery Corp. | Living Legends | Donald Baumgartner 68
Penrod | Emerging Industries | Technology | Chris Widmayer 36
PNC Bank | Banking and Finance | Chris Goller 10
Promega Corp. | Emerging Industries | Startups | William Linton 35
Quad/Graphics | Manufacturing and Energy | Joel Quadracci 85
Quarles & Brady | Business Services | Law | Michael Aldana 20
Quarles & Brady | Living Legends | John Daniels Jr. 68
Quartz Health Solutions | Insurance | Dr. Mark Selna 64
R&R Insurance Services | Insurance | Ken Riesch 62
Redox | Emerging Industries | Startups | Luke Bonney 32
Regal Rexnord Corp. | Manufacturing and Energy | Louis Pinkham 84
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren | Business Services | Law | Al Orr 22
RINKA | Real Estate and Development | Matt Rinka 118
Road America | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Sports | Mike Kertscher 55
ROC Ventures | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Mike Zimmerman 52
Rockwell Automation | Manufacturing and Energy | Blake Moret 84
Roehl Transport | Manufacturing and Energy | Transportation and Logistics | Rick Roehl 89
Roth Feeder Pig | Other Leading Industries | Agriculture | AV Roth 103
Ruder Ware | Business Services | Law | Matthew Rowe 22
S.C. Johnson | Manufacturing and Energy | Fisk Johnson 82
Sargento Foods Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Louie Gentine 77
Sartori Cheese | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Jim Sartori 79
Schneider National | Manufacturing and Energy | Transportation and Logistics | Mark Rourke 89
Schreiber Foods | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Ron Dunford 77
Seaquist Orchards | Other Leading Industries | Agriculture | Kristin Seaquist 103
SECURA Insurance Companies | Insurance | Garth Wicinsky 65
Sentry Insurance | Insurance | Pete McPartland 60
Serigraph | Manufacturing and Energy | John Torinus 87
Sub-Zero Group Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | James Bakke 80
SysLogic | Emerging Industries | Technology | Tina Chang 34
T. Wall Enterprises | Real Estate and Development | Terrence Wall 118
TDS Telecom | C-Suite | Jim Butman 26
The Alexander Co. | Real Estate and Development | Joseph Alexander 114
The Barry Co. | Real Estate and Development | Jim Barry III 114
The Bartolotta Restaurants | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Restaurants | Paul Bartolotta 53
The Boldt Co. | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Tom Boldt 108
The DeLong Co. Inc. | Manufacturing and Energy | Transportation and Logistics | Bo DeLong 88
The Dohmen Company Foundation | Health Care | Cynthia LaConte 45
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation | Nonprofit | Richard Graber 97
The Marcus Corp. | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Greg Marcus 51
The Marcus Corp. | Living Legends | Stephen Marcus 70
The Nehemiah Center | Nonprofit | Rev. Alex Gee 97
The Sias Group | Living Legends | Thelma Sias 70
ThedaCare | Health Care | Imran Andrabi 43
Thompson Family Holdings | Living Legends | Tommy Thompson 71
TitletownTech | Emerging Industries | Startups | Craig Dickman 32
TitletownTech | Emerging Industries | Startups | Jill Enos 33
Town Bank | Banking and Finance | Jay Mack 11
Trek Bicycle Corp. | Manufacturing and Energy | John Burke 81
Troy Burne Golf Club | C-suite | Bill Holst 26
U.S. Bank | Banking and Finance | TomRichtman 13
U.S. Venture | Manufacturing and Energy | Energy & Utilities | John Schmidt 75
Uline | C-suite | Dick Uihlein 28
Uline | C-Suite | Liz Uihlein 28
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County | Nonprofit | Amy Lindner 98
UnitedHealthCare | Insurance | Dustin Hinton 60
University of Wisconsin-Madison | Education | Jennifer Mnookin 93
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Education | Mark Mone 95
University Research Park | C-Suite | Mark Bugher 26
Urban Land Interests | Real Estate and Development | Brad Binkowski 114
Urban League of Greater Madison | Nonprofit | Ruben Anthony 96
UW Health | Health Care | Dr. Alan Kaplan 45
UW System | Education | Jay Rothman 95
V&J Holding Companies | Living Legends | Valerie Daniels-Carter 68
Venture Investors | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | John Neis 38
VISIT Milwaukee | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Tourism | Peggy Williams-Smith 57 von Briesen & Roper s.c. | Business Services | Law | Susan Lovern 22
W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation | Nonprofit | W. Jerome Frautschi 97
Walbec Group | Real Estate and Development | Construction | Kurt Bechthold 108
Wantable Inc. | Other Leading Industries | Retail | Jalem Getz 104
WEC Energy Group | Manufacturing and Energy | Energy & Utilities | Gale Klappa 74
WEC Energy Group | Manufacturing and Energy | Energy & Utilities | Scott Lauber 75
West Bend Mutual | Insurance | Kevin Steiner 64
Winnebago Seed Fund | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | David Trotter 39
Winnow Fund | Emerging Industries | Venture Capital | Richelle Martin 38
Wipfli | Business Services | Accounting | Kurt Gresens 19
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | Emerging Industries | Startups | Erik Iverson 33
Wisconsin Center District | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Marty Brooks 50
Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. | C-Suite | Missy Hughes 26
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation | Other Leading Industries | Agriculture | Kevin Krentz 102
Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | ElmerMoore Jr. 27
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce | Real Estate and Development | Economic Development | Kurt Bauer 112
Wisconsin State Fair Park | Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | Entertainment | Shari Black 50
Wisconsin Technical College System | Education | Morna Foy 92
Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. | Banking and Finance | Wendy Baumann 9
Wollersheim Winery | Manufacturing and Energy | Food and Beverage | Philippe Coquard 76
WPS Health Solutions | Insurance | Mike Hamerlik 60
Young Enterprising Society | Emerging Industries | Startups | Khalif El-Amin 33
Young Enterprising Society | Real Estate and Development | Que El-Amin 115
Zurn Elkay Water Solutions | Manufacturing and Energy | Todd Adams 80
Zywave | Emerging Industries | Technology | Jason Liu 35
We couldn’t be prouder of the legacy we’re building. Proud of our longstanding commitment to our communities. Proud that our expertise has put us at the top of our class. Proud to be a workplace of choice for our dedicated associates. And most of all, proud to represent a family whose deep roots in Wisconsin have allowed us to build relationships with so many people and businesses in the state we love.
If you’re looking for a trustworthy partner who is truly invested in your long-term success, visit our team in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas or JohnsonFinancialGroup.com to learn more.
Proudly serving our Milwaukee and surrounding communities, including: Brookfield, Franklin, Mequon, Waukesha, Whitefish Bay and coming soon to Delafield.
