HONORING MILWAUKEE REGION COMPANIES THAT SHOWED US THEIR BEST DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
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hroughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been inspired by the stories we’ve heard from our business community. COVID-19 has challenged all of us to innovate, evolve and remain true to our values while making very difficult decisions along the way.
By Chris Jenkins
MMAC Communications Director
“ WE KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING TOGETHER, IT TRULY DOES MAKE US COMMUNITY AND IT'S POWERFUL TO SEE SO MANY TEAMS WORKING TIRELESSLY KEEPING OUR CITY THRIVING.” - CARRIE WALL
President and CEO, YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee
To recognize the spirit of resilience we’ve seen throughout the Milwaukee Region in 2020, MMAC created the Focus on the Future awards. “The Milwaukee Region has always been filled with honest, hardworking, decent people who just want to do the right thing,” says Rick Schmidt, President and CEO of Focus on the Future honoree C.G. Schmidt. “It’s during a pandemic where you really see people who do want to step up and really help make a difference in their communities. Milwaukee is just a great place with great people. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.” During the initial stages of the pandemic, C.G. Schmidt employees volunteered to bottle hand sanitizer for health care workers and shifted their K-12 education outreach efforts from in-person to virtual. And there are so many other examples. Central Standard Craft Distillery shifted some of its production of spirits to make hand sanitizer. Central Office Systems and Exciting Events began producing temperature check-in stations. Milwaukee Tech Hub and The Commons found a way to make sure college students could still do internships, helping to build our future work force. In total, we honored 65 companies, organizations and individuals for their inspiring efforts.
Additional information:
MMAC.ORG/FOCUS.HTML
“They didn't just lean in, they stepped in to make a difference in so many
lives,” said Carrie Wall, President and CEO of Focus on the Future honoree YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee. “We work with so many of these organizations to broaden our impact. And we really need to do that. And we know the importance of working together, it truly does make us community and it's powerful to see so many teams working tirelessly keeping our city thriving.” And to keep their businesses thriving, Gehl Foods responded to rapidly shifting market demands by packaging its foods for home consumption rather than in movie theaters and restaurants. “This is clearly about the entire team that rallied together, recognizing - continued on page 10 mmac.org |
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