IBAW January 2017 Magazine

JANUARY 2017 January 9

January 20

10 Ways To Better Conversations

An Outward Focus For Business...and Life

Sales Roundtable

January 23

BUSINESS BEHIND THE SCENES St. Marcus Lutheran School

Mark King

Inside This Issue:

SEARING: ALL OPTIONS: TRANSPORTATION FUNDING SHOULD INCLUDE COST SAVING REFORMS

KEATING: A NEW DIRECTION FOR EPA UNDER SCOTT PRUITT?

INSIDE: Hear From the Candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

HUMPHRIES: Past, Present, and Future

HOLTZ:

Learn - Compete and Win

Networking matters

At AT&T, we know that making connections is critical to success. In Wisconsin and across the nation, we link businesses with their customers and the world through our wireless network with access to the nation’s largest Wi-fi network. It’s just another way we help our customers stay connected.

AT&T is proud to support the Independent Business Association of Wisconsin.

© 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.

IBAW thanks AT&T for it’s continued sponsorship.

IBAW MEDIA LINK DOT Budget

_________________________________________________________

According to state Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis), DOT wasted $3.6 million in his district to build a pedestrian bridge just two blocks from an existing bridge with sidewalks. It takes just two-and-a-half minutes to walk from one bridge to the other, but DOT felt they should spend millions of dollars for the new bridge.

Video courtesy from our friends at MacIver Institute.

Executive Director Steve Kohlmann President Jim Leef ITU AbsorbTech Secretary Dan Hansen Waukesha State Bank President Elect 2015-16 Craig Coursin Stier Construction VP. State & National Programs Charles Fry Baird Treasurer Casey Malek Sikich Directors

To view, click here.

Working with Millennials can be a challenge _________________________________________________________

Simon Sinek give his opinion on how Millennials are integrating into the workplace and how to relate to them.

Ann Barry Hanneman Simandl Law Group S.C John Weber Hypneumat Je Homan Boerke Co. Richard Blomquist Blomquist Benefits Lisa Mauer Rickert Industries Tom Boelkow BSI Design, Build, Furnish Robert Gross Gross Automation Scott Seroka Seroka Brand Development

To view, click here.

IBAW Mission: To advance business prosperity through insightful programming, executive networking and member-driven public policy and advocacy.

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

Construction Looming?

Early planning and communication is critical.

Dan Hansen

Since our founding in December of 1970, the IBAW has been a steadfast pro-business and pro-growth organization advocating for Wisconsin’s small business and encouraging the economic success of our region. Some of the concrete ways we support small businesses are through: • Insightful programing and engaging speakers • Member driven policy and advocacy efforts • Keeping business owners informed with our magazine, website and social media effort • Connecting people through high level networking

Let’s consider some unique ways the IBAW networking efforts help members build business by building relationships.

High level networking opportunities are woven throughout our programing and readily available to our membership body. Each monthly meeting starts with a minimum of thirty minutes of formal networking and through intimate table talk people share a meal and their ideas about what’s working and what’s not. We also hold larger formal events like our Manufacturing Summit or our “Big Event” where our attendance spikes well beyond the regular members. Cards are exchanged, connections established and friendships

Board Stats Name: Dan Hansen Company: Waukesha Bank Member Since: 2011 Joined Board: 2013

forged. Networking continues through our educational events at the sales round table and “With Ed” programs allowing for deeper understanding and common ground. Clearly, there are plenty of opportunities for members to meet, share ideas and build consensus around policy issues, but also form friendships, create trust and grow our IBAW business community.

Over the past two years, we’ve been developing a new program around our annual sporting clays event. It’s more than an afternoon of playing hooky from the office in blue jeans, boots and field shirts. Shooters gather into teams for lunch and fellowship before heading out to the course. Experienced shooters and newbies alike walk the course together with the freedom to discuss whatever is on their minds. It’s an open, informal atmosphere for folks to try something different and be themselves. The day concludes with an “awards” ceremony, door prize drawing and a couple drinks with new and old friends.

In conclusion, the IBAW has been actively supporting local business for years. Consistent, relevant and targeted high level networking is a key and intentional part of that effort. If you’d like to try something new, by all means shoot clays with us in May. Even if you can’t make the clay shoot, our organization remains rich with opportunities to meet like-minded, enthusiastic and dynamic people who care about what you care about and to whom small business matters.

Independent Business Association of Wisconsin

MONTHLY MEETING

“An Outward Focus for Business...& Life” Friday, January 20, 2017 | Time: 7:00 am - 9:00 am | Location: Wisconsin Club, 900 W.Wisconsin Ave. Start the New Year off on the right foot...and with the right attitude!

Get yourself - and your team - pumped up to tackle the new year. Mark King, Outward Focus, shares his message to serve others and is committed to helping organizations learn and live simple principles and in so doing achieve extraordinary results. You won't want to miss this special event.

When Mark King acted on this vision, he wanted to help create companies that would help others embrace these time-tested and enduring success principles: • People know what's right to do and they have the talents and abilities to do it.

• We will believe in others before they believe in themselves.

• If we help others succeed, we succeed.

Embracing these three principles is what it means to have an Outward Focus. Living with an Outward Focus allows you to create your destiny and make the world a better place.

Mark King

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING...

“Mark is very insightful. He brought a lot of good ideas to the table. He helped us greatly in dealing with some tough personnel issues. He has a way of seeing things very clearly and suggesting practical solutions to problems. He helped me see characteristics of people I work with that I hadn’t recognized on my own; which improved my ability to communicate clearly with these people. I continue to consider Mark as a trusted advisor, and hope to work with him in the future.” – Liz Kaiser, Stockholder at Winter, Kloman, Moter & Repp, S.C.

“Mark is also an engaging public speaker. He is highly motivating with his commanding presence, provocative questioning, and principled storytelling. He has an ability to provoke thoughtful reflection about the importance of “how” success can be achieved by serving others.”

– Kim Pettiford, Senior Director, Sales Channel Business Development at Harley-Davidson Motor Company

LOCATION

THE WISCONSIN CLUB 900 W. WISCONSIN AVE. MILWAUKEE

7:00 AM

REGISTRATION & NETWORKING

7:30 AM

BREAKFAST & PROGRAM

9:00 AM

PROGRAM ENDS

To register, CLICK HERE.

UPCOMING EVENTS Sales Roundtable: 10 Steps to Better Conversations Monday, January 9th 2017 | Time: 7:30 am - 9:00 am | Location: CT Access, 740 Pilgrim Parkway, Elm Grove Communication is key in any business situation but it's critical when it comes to sales. When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations — and that most of us don't converse very well.

We'll discuss the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. Join us and bring your questions - and insight - along.

A free event open only to IBAW members.

Registration is required. Click here.

Business Behind the Scenes: St. Marcus Lutheran School Monday, January 23 2017 | Time: 8:00 am - 9:30 am | Location: 2215 North Palmer Street, Milwaukee

Take the Tour - Get Inspired!

This event is a follow up from our December presenter, Henry Tyson, Superintendent of St. Marcus, a choice school.

On this school tour, you’ll see scholars and educators in action and learn more about the Christ-centered, ‘No Excuses’, ‘Whatever It Takes’ model. See firsthand how this inner city school is transforming education in Milwaukee's inner city as well as its young residents.

The tour is inspiring enough alone, but we promise a cup of coffee, too. It's an amazing place, don't miss it!

Agenda (Tours typically take 60 - 90 minutes) 7:45 AM - Gather 8:00 AM - Tour 9:30 AM - End + an informal Q&A discussion for those who can stay longer.

Parking: Secure, fenced parking is provided right in front of the school.

Cost: Free for IBAW members • $32.00 for non members.

To register, CLICK HERE.

Fasten Your Seatbelt - Turbulence Ahead Steve Kohlmann, IBAW Executive Director Happy New Year everybody!

We made it through drama of 2016. It was quite a year considering we were in a election year and all the drama that came from that. There’s an ancient Chinese saying that says “May you live in interesting times” and it was indeed interesting last year and I’m sure it will continue in 2017.

From a legislative standpoint, both here in Wisconsin and nationally, things are in the bit of a holding pattern for now but is sure to heat up and be a bumpy few months.

In Wisconsin, the battle over the DOT budget is front and center for the next few months. Gov. Walker has promised no increase in the gas tax and I believe that he is going to stick to his guns on this one. Other representatives, such as Robin Vos, have again been testing the waters for more funding. Everything it seems is on the table to increase the insatiable appetite of funding for the DOT and the road builders. If you are in southeastern Wisconsin and have driven through the zoo interchange project you have seen some great progress being made. And it’s a great time for those who want more funding to threaten that the project will take longer and be more of a hassle to get the proper amount of dollars.

But make no mistake about it, like all government agencies, there’s probably plenty of fat to be cut from the budget and the DOT budget deserves to be looked at with a close eye.

Case in point; there are two large pedestrian bridges in our area which the DOT rebuilt at a cost of $3.6 million each. Both bridges are within a few hundred yards of other bridges that already exists and are fully capable of handling pedestrian traffic.

One crosses I-41 near Center street and the other one crosses I-894 near Cleveland Avenue. Our friends at MacIver Institute along with Representative Joe Sanfilippo, have a great story on this and you can find it in the Media Links Page at the beginning of this magazine. Also in this magazine is an article by Eric Searing which gives you more insight on what’s happening at the DOT and the budget.

When Gov. Walker first took office he used a word in his acceptance speech that a few politicians use: frugality. There simply needs to be more frugality and accountability in Wisconsin government.

On the national level, President-Elect Trump is sending the signal that “business as usual in Washington” is in for a rough ride under his presidency. Less regulation, a simplified tax code, and repeal and replace Obama Care, are just a few of the items he has on his agenda. It’s still too early to get a handle on what is in store and how are all this will be executed. I believe the first three months of his presidency are going to be a whirlwind change for Washington. Thankfully, Wisconsin is well represented in Washington by people close to the president such as Speaker Paul Ryan and White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus. Not to mention Sen. Ron Johnson has been re-elected and will be a great ally of common sense.

2017 will be an interesting year to watch both here in Wisconsin and nationally. You can count on the IBAW to keep you updated and well-informed on what’s happening and how it will affect your business. Many of these issues can be very complex and it’s our job at the IBAW to distill that information down and give it to you in a manner that’s easy to understand; and in plain english.

Thank you for your support last year and in the future. I wish you and your team much success in the new year. If there is anything the IBAW can I help you with, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

ALL OPTIONS Transportation funding should include cost saving reforms.

Overshadowed by the Trump and Johnson victories this past November is what happened with the Republican majorities here in the Wisconsin state legislature. Going into the 2016 election cycle, Republicans in the State Assembly were already holding a sizeable 63 seat majority out of 99 total seats. In the State Senate, Republicans held 19 out of 33 seats.

Incredibly, by the end of the day on Tuesday November 8th, those majorities grew to 64 seats in the Assembly and 20 seats in the Senate.

With such historic victories on the books, now comes the hardest part: governing.

Eric Searing, Special Consultant for the IBAW

Although Governor Walker has not formally announced his 2017-2019 state biennial budget yet, one issue that has come up repeatedly over the last year is transportation funding.

This past June, Governor Walker sent a letter to Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb asking him to submit his department’s complete budget request to the State Budget Office by September 15, to “allow for a full public discussion.” In that same letter, Governor Walker made it clear that he would not consider raising the gas tax or vehicle registration fees without an equal or greater reduction in taxes elsewhere to provide additional revenues for the department.

In late July, the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a memo at the request of State Representative John Nygren, the co-chair of the Legislature’s budget writing committee, that showed a projected $939 million shortfall in the state’s transportation budget.

Since then, Republican leaders in the Assembly have been calling for a broader discussion over the future of transportation funding here in the Badger State. Just last month, the Assembly Committee on Transportation held an informational hearing regarding the DOT’s biennial budget request.

Infrastructure is vitally important to our state economy, but so are keeping taxes down.

While Wisconsin has made a great deal of progress in reducing the tax burden on businesses and residents, we are still a relatively high taxed state.

That being said, adequately funding transportation for the long-term is one of the greatest challenges facing policymakers right now. This is also not a problem that Governor Walker

or Assembly Republican leadership helped create, we can thank our former Governor Jim Doyle for that. Some estimates put Doyle’s transportation fund raids at around $1.3 billion. Yes, billion, with a “B.” Since then a state constitutional amendment has been passed to prevent future raids on the transportation fund like the ones Doyle did, but the damage he inflicted has been done.

In a state where people are fond of saying we have two seasons, winter and construction, lawmakers are going to encounter a very skeptical public when it comes to any discussion of raising taxes or fees to provide additional revenues in transportation. Most Wisconsinites will want to see a serious discussion about cost efficiency and transparency take place first, and frankly, they deserve to.

Last year, lawmakers passed a partial repeal of the state’s antiquated prevailing wage laws for local and municipal projects.

If the legislature is serious about exploring “all options” on transportation savings in the next biennium, they might want to consider a full repeal of the law for state highway projects. Other areas of potential savings that have been suggested include consolidating federal transportation funds, federalizing the standards of the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act as it relates to highway construction exemptions, reducing the number of state engineers and engineering-related positions and continuing the sale of DOT’s surplus property.

It is also worth noting that the number of state engineers and engineering related positions increased to over 1,200 positions in the 2013-2015 state budget. On the issue of surplus property, if you ever find yourself down in the Menomonee Valley and want to remember the good old days of taking your vehicle in to one of the old emission testing facilities, you’re in luck! You can stroll down St. Paul Avenue and memory lane to see a piece of history that is owned by the Wisconsin DOT. Still sitting there.

Lastly, in October of 2015, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved an evaluation of the DOT’s State Highway Program. The results of that audit are expected to be released early this year. According to Audit Committee staff, an audit of the State Highway Program could:

• Examine changes and trends in revenue, expenditures, staffing, and state highway conditions over time; • Analyze and consider potential improvements to DOT’s planning, design, construction, and maintenance processes for the State Highway Program, including the traffic forecasting, construction bidding, and engineering selection processes; • Compare the estimated cost of state highway projects, as determined by DOT before project work began, with the actual cost of completed projects; • Assess DOT’s performance measures, including those related to highway safety, and evaluate DOT’s use of such measures to inform its management the State Highway Program; and • Determine the extent to which DOT has implemented relevant recommendations made in past audit reports.

Businesses want to move their products and services to consumers as quickly as they can. They can only do that with a vibrant and healthy transportation infrastructure system. On the other hand, they also understand that higher taxes and fees means less money in the pockets of their consumers and higher business expenses for themselves.

The Republican leadership of the State Assembly should be commended for their proactive efforts on the issue of transportation funding here in Wisconsin. If all options are on the table for finding solutions, let’s wait and see what the Legislative Audit Bureau uncovers before we move forward with any new tax or fee increases.

MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION With the shortage of qualified workers, having a pipe line of well-educated young people has never been more critical for the Wisconsin workforce.

Below are the two candidates running for office for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.The IBAW has not endorsed either candidate. Instead we hope you’ll review the introductions below and draw your own conclusion on who should get your vote.

Past, Present, and Future

Learn - Compete and Win

John Humphries Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Lowell E. Holtz Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

I’m pleased to have this opportunity to tell IBAW readers about my background and to share my vision for education in Wisconsin. Like many of you, I come from a home where hard work was prized above nearly all else. Both of my parents started and ran businesses. My dad’s small paving firm grew over 25 years to cover a dozen states. He was active in IBAW and taught me to think like a businessman: focus on the bottom line, be creative, and look for growth opportunities. I often remember the things my parents taught me about hard work and humility, about learning and leadership. I’ve been using those same skills in my career for the last 20 years.

Members of the Independent Business Association of Wisconsin operate every day in an intensely competitive environment. Your team must be trained to play at the top of its game, or face an uncertain future. It's a cold reality, especially here in the Frozen Tundra, but the free market reigns supreme in the local, national and global markets in which you participate. So how does education – and a candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction – compare and affect your operations?

I’ve worked in rural La Farge, suburban Middleton, and urban Beloit. I know firsthand that the challenges underlying low achievement - poverty and school funding in particular can be overcome by using the existing $11 Billion in state taxpayer funding more efficiently and effectively. Many states across the country--and many schools right here in Wisconsin--also understand the impact they can have when they focus on achieving genuine results by doing more with less. It’s a skill ingrained in every business leader’s mind.

As with your business, the culture and environment of a school system emanates from the top. We must pursue excellence and continuous improvement, while naming, owning and fixing problems when they arise. Today's administration, led by Tony Evers in Madison, prefers to "fix" things by simply changing the definition of a "failing school" to make it "good" again, rather than truly addressing poor performers. That's not leadership – that's malfeasance. Evers' failure to insist upon the successful implementation of the Opportunity Schools legislation is the same thing: looking out for a broken system and ignoring a law, instead of helping our children and Wisconsin's future. To the contrary, in Beloit, I improved a very diverse, urban school district, converting a district faced with sanctions into a strong performer. We did this by expecting achievement and disciplined behavior, enhancing security with retired law enforcement officers,

Workforce Development is Economic Development Part of getting results must mean getting out of the Madison bubble and working more closely with the business leaders who hope to employ our graduates. That means expanding Career and Technical Education options and opening new pathways to industry-recognized credentials in computer programming, healthcare, hospitality, and more. One young man’s story especially resonated with me. Speaking at a

Culture and Leadership – Setting High Expectations

national conference, he talked of his formal training in basic office software in high school. He then used those skills to get a job in tech support at the local technical college to pay for his continuing education and earn more credentials. In turn, he used those new credentials to get a job in technology at the university while he earned a Bachelor’s degree in computer science. He now works as a programmer for a defense contractor, because he treated education as an ongoing journey, not as a task to be checked off. We should do the same.

and engaging every child and their family during visits in their homes. With the backing of our school board as a foundation, we changed our culture, decreased truancy, increased graduation rates, and expanded the number of Advanced Placement classes. No child is too poor or disadvantaged to learn, and no system or business is too broken to fix. It just takes strong leadership with the right goals and expectations to get it done.

Advanced Career Education Students or “ACES”

When a company competes in the marketplace, it's hard to win without engaging its customers. Education is no different, though our business model is a complex one with a variety of customers: every parent and taxpayer, employers seeking talented new hires, and, most importantly, our children – who also happen to be our product (twelve years in the making)! By collaborating with these community members, our educators can instill a love of learning, while arming our children with an educational foundation to meet your needs and help ensure their success. During our tenure in Beloit, I forged strong partnerships with economic development and community leaders, gaining the endorsement and support of the NAACP, the Southern Baptist Convention Chair, El Centro, and the owners of some of the largest businesses in the United States. Of course, the greatest partnership must be with our families – while recognizing some of them include parents, even grand parents, who did not graduate or were otherwise failed by our current school system. Like a business that has under delivered, the DPI under my leadership will take efforts to correct that failure, promoting and investing in GED and HSED programs. Participating in these programs will make such family members more employable, improving their lives while enabling them to serve as even better role models for their children. And as for our kids, since no two are alike, it's important to offer a variety of extracurricular activities to encourage participation and gain traction at school. In my case, playing center and nose guard in football kept me in school – and the lessons learned and toughness gained there continue to serve me well today.

I will propose a unique way to connect high school students with local businesses needing skilled employees.

My Advanced Career Education Students or “ACES” proposal will help us replicate successes from Wisconsin and the nation. Working with local businesses, high schools would create training centers for juniors and seniors to gain skills needed to enter the workforce. Here are some opportunities for ACES: ● Computer technology skills in Stevens Point where Skyward is a leading employer, or in Verona where Epic Systems employs thousands of programmers. ● Opportunities in hospitality and water safety in Wisconsin Dells. ● Manufacturing and welding in Milwaukee with many businesses needing skilled workers.

Rather than having a small number of students able to access these business partnerships only through their high schools, we should open these programs up to any student who wants to access them. By funding these models using Educational Savings Accounts (like a voucher for high school career training), we put the power in the hands of students and parents, allowing them to truly customize their child’s education from a variety of diverse sources in a way that has never been done before. We will be releasing more details on this proposal as our campaign progresses, but I believe it presents a transformational opportunity to create a school to career pipeline that actually works for kids, parents, communities, and businesses. I trust parents to guide decisions about the best interests of their children, including when looking at career training.

Engaging Customers

BOTH CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE

HUMPHRIES

HOLTZ

Basic Skills Lead to Workforce Skills We must not forget that without the basic reading and math skills necessary to get high-tech training in high schools, we will never realize our potential.

Unfortunately, during the nearly sixteen years the incumbent has been at DPI, Wisconsin has fallen from a top-ten state to 25th in elementary reading. During the same period, Florida - which spends less per student than Wisconsin - rose from the bottom half of states to the top-ten, even with high levels of poverty and many kids who are just learning English. I am endorsed by ten of the nation’s leading experts on school reform, including the Wisconsinite who led Florida’s efforts. While Florida raised overall achievement, they also closed achievement gaps so much that their Hispanic kids now outperform ALL kids in 31 states, including Wisconsin! We can do better.

Winning Together A famous coach in Green Bay once said, "Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all time thing". By focusing every day on satisfying our customers, instead of maintaining an archaic and inefficient system, DPI under my leadership will learn from past mistakes, compete for our customers, and continue to improve and win – right alongside our students, businesses and the state of Wisconsin. Our communities are blessed with exceptional talent, and I look forward to partnering with you and obtaining better results.

Dr. Lowell E. Holtz Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Challenging the Status Quo: A Vision for Our Schools Unfortunately, these challenges extend beyond elementary schools and achievement gaps. Almost 20% of graduates need remedial math classes during their freshman year in college, a problem for even our best high schools. I know Wisconsin can do better, because I worked at DPI for 7 years, seeing firsthand the many opportunities for improvement that were passed up by the current leadership. If I am elected, we will use the lessons from other successful states to improve academic achievement.

Imagine a DPI Chief who helps schools leverage new opportunities and has a focus on opportunities. When I worked there, I was well-known for helping schools. It’s my passion for the critical role of DPI - supporting schools and not standing in the way of improvement that will be the hallmark of my work if I am elected.

Whether a school is public, private, voucher, or charter, under my leadership, DPI will be there to help or will get out of the way.

Thank you again to the IBAW Board, Steve Kohlmann, and Jim Leef for the opportunity to appear in your newsletter. I enjoy talking about education and school reform and anyone is free to call me at (608) 438-6109.

Please visit my web page at www.humphriesforschools.org to learn more, and please vote Humphries on February 21st and April 4th!

HUMPHRIES

HOLTZ

: S E L A S

2nd Monday of the Month SALES ROUNDTABLE 7:30 am - 9:00 am Free & open to IBAW members only Register at IBAW.com

Sales can be a tough road of ups, downs, potholes and a few bumps.

But it can also be fast paced, exhilarating and rewarding.

If you’re in sales, you know there are things only other sales people understand; the thrill of scoring the big account, the uncertainty of “let me think about that.”, the frustration of phone calls or emails that don’t get returned. IBAW’s Sales Roundtable is a support and knowledge resource for sales professionals, business owners, marketing and branding experts who are charged with driving sales.

Join us to discuss the strategy, tactics, inspiration, and motivation to increase sales. It’s a FREE benefit of your membership!

Who should attend: • Sales professionals of any level.

• Business owners • Sales Managers • Marketing & P.R. Professionals

“For many years I ran sales meetings for as few as 3 and as many as 22 sales rep’s now I can go as a participant once a month to IBAW’s Sales Roundtable.

BONUS! Join the IBAW Sales Roundtable and get a compact disc with the BEST in Sales Survival Music. Play it to pump you up before that big meeting or to console you if you hit a sales slump. Guaranteed to make life better.

It’s a focused meeting and everyone wants the same thing – to be more effective at selling.”

- Jerry Wick, CEO, Custom Data Too Mail

The Possible Tax Reform Implications in 2017 of a Trump Presidency Jim Brandenburg, CPA. MST - Tax Partner, Sikich LLP, Brookfield,WI

As Donald Trump prepares to enter the White House, small businesses across all industries, including many here in Wisconsin, are wondering what his election, coupled with the Republican Party’s hold on Congress, might mean to their companies. Though no tax legislation has been formally proposed yet, there are tax plans on the table from the House Republicans and the president-elect that offer an idea for what Wisconsin businesses and their owners could expect in 2017 and beyond. Again, nothing is final yet, only speculation, and the legislative process can take many twists and turns before any new tax laws are enacted.

Tax reform looms on the horizon House Republicans have been working on a tax reform package over the past few years that they planned to introduce next year, although its fate depended in large part upon the outcome of the 2016 elections. With Mr. Trump heading to the White House in January and Republicans retaining control of Congress, the likelihood of tax reform being enacted next year is significantly higher.

Trump released a tax proposal last year, and House Republicans also unveiled a tax reform plan earlier this year (Senate Republicans have not yet released a plan). There are some similarities in the Trump and the House GOP plans. For example, both plans lower the corporate tax rate to near the same level and also offer similar lower individual tax brackets. As a result, these plans could serve as blueprints for tax reform efforts in 2017. There are several key provisions below that IBAW members should be aware of, and these could have a dramatic impact on small businesses and their owners.

Tax rates: The nation’s corporate tax rates are among the highest in the world, and many in Congress seek to lower the rates in hopes of making U.S.-based companies more competitive. Under possible tax reform legislation next year, the top corporate tax rate (for C-corporations) could be reduced from 35 percent to somewhere in the range of 15-20 percent.

Many closely-held businesses, including many contractors, distributors, manufacturers, technology firms, etc. in Wisconsin are set up as “pass-through” entities (S-corporations and LLCs/partnerships) and thus, taxed at the top individual tax rate.

While both the House GOP’s plan and Trump plan revealed earlier in 2016 called for lower tax rates for individuals, this would still leave a sizable gap between the top individual tax rate (both plans aim to lower the top rate from approximately 40 percent to 33 percent) and the proposed corporate tax rate of 15-20 percent. To “deal” with this discrepancy, both of these tax proposals include a special tax rate on “pass-through” businesses of approximately 15-25 percent.

However, the details of this special taxing regime for pass-through entities are not yet spelled out, and these tax savings could end up creating complexities for impacted businesses and their owners. Once the dust settles with tax reform, it is likely that whether a business operates as a C-corporation or as a pass-through entity, it will see a reduction in its tax liability. Further, for those with foreign operations, additional tax relief measures and changes are possible.

Entity selection: Even though tax reform will likely result in lower tax rates and thus lower overall taxes, a Wisconsin business and its owners may need to evaluate whether they should be taxed as a C-corporation or as a pass-through entity.

Once all the tax rates (ordinary rates, pass-through rates, capital gains and dividends rates, etc.) are finalized, as well as the effective dates and transition rules, these can be applied to a company’s unique situation. The company and its tax advisors can then perform a thorough analysis to determine what entity status is most favorable. In some cases, it might perhaps

make sense for a business that is now taxed as an S-corporation to switch over to a C-corporation status (or vice versa). The key is for a company to be prepared to conduct this analysis and not to assume it will retain the status it presently employs.

Capex: One of the more intriguing tax proposals that could impact businesses in Wisconsin (especially manufacturers and those with large capital expenditures (capex)) is the tax treatment for these capex costs. Both tax plans would allow companies to fully deduct these amounts currently when the assets are acquired and placed into service, instead of depreciating them over a number of years. This change might also include real estate (but not land), which is often a major expenditure for manufacturers, contractors, and real estate firms. In many cases, a company’s real estate is housed in a separate entity (say an LLC), and if these capex provisions are adopted in tax reform, businesses across all industries would need to evaluate closely how these new rules work and how they should handle any future capex expenditures.

Interest: As part of permitting a full current deduction of capex items, tax reform legislation might also impose limitations on interest expense deductions. Therefore, a company that finances a capex addition might not be able to deduct both the cost of the property and the interest on the borrowing. Again, as more details emerge on the interest limitations, Wisconsin businesses can evaluate how best to finance their capex and other items.

LIFO Inventory and Research Tax Credit: Many Wisconsin manufacturers have used the LIFO (“last-in, first-out�) method of inventory for their products. The LIFO method generates tax savings for a manufacturer or distributor that has experienced rising prices with its goods over the years. In addition, more and more manufacturers and other businesses in recent years have taken advantage of the Research Tax Credit for their products and processes. There is both a federal and a Wisconsin Research Tax Credit available to them. While many tax incentives and special credits may be curtailed as part of the overall tax reform process, Congress has expressed support for the LIFO inventory method and the Research Credit. Impacted Wisconsin businesses should closely monitor to see if LIFO and the Research Credit are retained.

Prepare for changes ahead Nothing is final now, and all of the tax proposals in play could be revised or scrapped, and other, new changes could be proposed. The effective dates and transition rules of these tax changes are important, and these details also need to be ironed out. However, please keep in mind that once the tax reform process gets started, things could move quickly. Therefore, IBAW members and Wisconsin businesses should keep a close eye on potential tax legislation and work with their tax advisers to understand the implications as measures are proposed and enacted. The companies that take an involved approach in educating themselves about the looming tax legislation will be the ones best equipped to capitalize on future tax changes.

About the author: Jim Brandenburg, CPA, MST, is a Tax Partner at Sikich LLP, a professional services firm with offices in Brookfield. He can be reached by email by clicking here.

A New Director for EPA Under Scott Pruitt?

Raymond J. Keating, SBC Council, Washington D.C.

Under President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has seriously ramped up its regulatory activity, which has threatened and negatively impacted small businesses, investment, economic growth and job creation. President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt signals a potential sea change that should be celebrated by small business owners and their employees.

Regulatory Overreach and the Obama EPA First, there’s the Clean Power Plan whereby the federal government regulates greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. SBE Council’s Center for Regulatory Solutions (CRS) published an analysis that warned about the various ways that the CPP would inflict harm on U.S. small businesses, including higher electricity costs, killing jobs, threatening U.S. manufacturing, and reducing electrical grid reliability.

Second, consider the EPA’s mandates for a stricter ground-level ozone standard. Again, SBE Council issued a series of reports on how this regulatory morass would negatively affect small businesses and regional economies. For example, a CRS analysis noted that the EPA’s ozone regulation costs will be significant for small businesses and the U.S. economy, not to mention the health costs tied to lost GDP. Third, in August of this year, 14 states and assorted industry groups went to court noting that the EPA has exceeded its statutory authority with its Methane Rule relating to new, reconstructed and modified oil and gas wells that use hydraulic fracturing. As noted in this SBE Council analysis, “Indeed, the increased costs of complying with these regulations will have a negative impact on investment and on consumers.

As widely reported, the EPA projects higher costs of $530 million in 2025, while other studies point to annual costs of $800 million…For good measure, these and other EPA costly and misguided regulations imposed on the oil and natural gas industry fall heavily on the small businesses that overwhelmingly populate the energy sector. Consider, for example, that 90.7% of employer firms among oil and gas extraction businesses, 78.1% of drilling oil and gas wells businesses, and 81.5% of firms among support activities for oil and gas operations businesses have less than 20 workers.”

Fourth, in its Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, the EPA has moved to place local waterways – from streams and wetlands, temporary bodies of water and even ditches – under its jurisdiction. The rule would enact a federal permitting scheme that will impose hefty news costs and red tape on small businesses. The intent of WOTUS is to clarify the Clean Water Act, but in practice it will mean greater uncertainty, more litigation, higher compliance costs, and lost jobs. The rule will extend federal bureaucrats’ reach into every corner of the American economy, affecting small businesses of every type, including those involved in, among many others, oil and gas production, mining, homebuilding, and agriculture.

Thankfully, a court issued a stay on WOTUS in October of 2015 and EPA’s various legal maneuverings in response have come up short, although the rule continues to be litigated. Again, at issue for small business is federal overreach into an area that has been successfully dealt with by states and localities and how a new layer of federal rules will impede new projects and drive up costs. Even the EPA’s own regulatory analysis found that the new rule will drive costs higher for small businesses, but incredibly EPA regulators certified that it would not.

Impact on Small Businesses Over eight years, the Obama EPA has been unconcerned that its hyper-regulatory activity has inflicted and will inflict significant harm on the U.S. economy. And make no mistake, those costs fall most heavily on small businesses.

In a September 2014 study titled “The Cost of Federal Regulation to the U.S. Economy, Manufacturing and Small Business,” written by economists Nicole V. Crain and W. Mark Crain and published by the National Association of Manufacturers, it was reported that the per employee costs of federal environmental regulations fall much heavier on small firms, with the per employee costs for firms with less than 50 workers running 89 percent higher than the cost for all firms, and 252 percent higher than the per employee costs for firms with 100 or more workers. For manufacturing firms, the differences were striking as well, with the per employee costs of environmental regulations running 94 percent higher for firms with less than 50 workers versus the cost for all manufacturing firms, and 226 percent higher compared to firms with 100 or more workers.

But there’s real hope that things at the EPA will change dramatically with Trump’s choice of Scott Pruitt.

Consider that Pruitt has been working against EPA overreach in his role as Oklahoma attorney general. As The Washington Post reported that Pruitt, “joined a coalition of state attorneys general in suing over the agency’s Clean Power Plan, the principal Obama-era policy aimed at reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector. He has also sued, with fellow state attorneys general, over the EPA’s recently announced regulations seeking to curtail the emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from the oil and gas sector.”

In a piece for NationalReview.com on May 17, 2016, Pruitt and his co-author wrote: “President Obama’s Clean Power Plan is a particularly noteworthy example. This EPA regulation, one of the most ambitious ever proposed, will shutter coal-fired power plants, significantly increase the price of electricity for American consumers, and enact by executive fiat the very same cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions that Congress has rejected. The Clean Power Plan was promulgated without any consultation with Congress. No bills were debated, no votes were taken, and the representatives of the American people had no opportunity to object or offer their own suggestions. The checks and balances built into our system of government were simply ignored as inconvenient impediments to the president’s agenda.”

How about an EPA that actually abides by the constitutional separation of powers, follows the law, and takes into consideration the full ramifications of its rules and regulations? All federal regulatory agencies need to do that, including the EPA. That would be an ideal change welcomed by small businesses, and it seems like this real change just might be coming to the EPA under Mr. Pruitt. ______ Raymond J. Keating is chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.

10 Tactics For Building a High-Performance Culture Scott Seroka, Seroka Brand Development

It was nearly eighteen months ago when I arrived in the president’s office where she confided in me that she had a strained relationship with her business partner and that her company was experiencing high turnover. She described her partner as being “brilliant” in terms of industry knowledge and bringing aboard new business. However, he was also described as a bully with respect to his style of management and leadership. He was a micro-manager to many, had a near zero-tolerance policy for human error, and felt that an occasional dose of intimidation coupled with a dash of fear was the best way to keep everyone on their toes. She was fearful that some of her company’s key players and top-producers were about to jump ship if things didn’t change.

After completing an employee insight assessment and conducting numerous interviews with staff, her fears were confirmed.

When the partners were presented with the evidence, they agreed to restructure their relationship so that she would be solely in charge of managing, leading and nurturing all employees. I also provided them with a framework and strategy for building what I defined as a fanatical culture of high-performance, accountability and continuous improvement. Some of the recommended tactics that were implemented included:

• Replacing the dreaded annual review with ongoing feedback. I used the example that if a plane was departing from Boston and destined for Los Angeles, the pilot wouldn’t wait until the plane was flying over Canada before he acknowledged the need to get back on course. Similarly, employees, especially newer hires, need frequent feedback to know they are performing to expectations.

• Keeping employees in the know through newsletters, summits, an intranet and town hall meetings. One of the biggest gripes employees have is not knowing what is going on at the company for which they work. They need (and want) to know how the company is performing in terms of growth, meeting corporate objectives and achieving goals, and they also need to know how they fit into the big picture. Most importantly, employees want to know how their contribution makes a positive difference in the lives of its company’s customers - a fundamental component to raising morale.

• Investments in training. A few thousand dollars and a couple days out of the office for sales, service, leadership, technical, industry and human resources training would surely generate a handsome ROI. Employees warm up more to employers who care enough to invest in them.

• Investments in better tools to improve efficiency. If you’re still using dial up and floppy disks, take note. We all get it – hardware and software is expensive – sometimes very expensive. But, if such investments increase productivity and turn times while decreasing energy costs and down time, they pay for themselves quickly.

• Celebrating failure. Google lives by this. And if you’re wondering if it’s a good idea, try your best to remember what happened to all those other search engines (Yahoo, Opera, Alta Vista, Ask, Lycos, Infoseek, Ask Jeeves, etc.).

Providing employees with opportunities to try new things, challenge the status quo and fail their way to success is the only way for them to truly grow.

• Hold appreciation days. Every six or twelve months, salespeople should spend a day in the life of production, and production should spend a day and the life of sales. This is the only way each group will understand and have an appreciation for each other’s challenges, struggles and triumphs. Meetings should be held with each group afterward to discuss what everyone learned. The dialogue will surely produce ideas for improving sales, efficiencies, morale, cooperation, productivity, and doing a better job of meeting customer expectations.

• Cleaning house. Going through the office to declutter is both healthy and invigorating. Unfortunately, this may also include replacing employees who no longer provide real value to the company. Top-producers expect management to release dead weight.

• Subscribing to a process for solving problems efficiently and effectively. One of my favorites comes from Jake Knapp, the author of “SPRINT” – a book that provides a process for solving big problems and testing new ideas in as little as five days. Strong cultures tackle problems head on. Weak cultures are stuck in a perpetual state of analysis paralysis. Progress is always better than perfection.

• Face defeats head on. When a company suffers a major setback or loss, its leader should hit the company RESET button. Everyone should be brought together to perform an autopsy of the situation, define what went wrong and clear a new pathway for a better day, month and year.

• Never forget to recognize a birthday, anniversary or someone’s major life event. After all, everyone is human and craves to feel important.

Today, I’m encouraged by the fact that the company has recovered very well, met its sales goals and only suffered the loss of one consultant simply because he didn’t believe that the culture would change.

I would say they are lucky.

The Issues Impacting Wisconsin Business One of the hallmarks of the IBAW is to keep business owners informed on important topics coming out of Madison in Washington D.C..

The IBAW has released topics we feel are important to you and give you the challenges and opportunities for each.

Many of these issues can be complex. It’s IBAW’s job to distill down issues and present them in a manner that’s easy to understand and quick to read.

Read these White Paper Issues at our website: IBAW.com.

• REGULATIONS • TAXES • WORKFORCE • ENERGY • HEALTH CARE

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This is open to anyone at an IBAW member company who would like to share their real world challenges and most successful strategies for growing business. This Roundtable is meant to serve as a confidential means to learn from your peers in other industries and to help others learn from your experience – good and bad.

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The IBAW Legislative Team keeps our members up to date and informed on business issues coming out of Madison and Washington D.C..

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IBAW is on an upward trend of growth and we are actively recruiting businesses just like yours to join!

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Craig Coursin Stier Construction

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Dan Hansen Waukesha State Bank

Legislative Fix Moving Ahead for Wisconsin’s New Manufacturing & Agricultural Credit Jim Brandenburg, CPA, MST - Sikich LLP

In IBAW meetings and publications in recent years we have introduced you to Wisconsin’s new tax incentive - the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit (referred to as the “MAC”). The MAC came about in 2011 to provide an incentive for Wisconsin manufacturers and agricultural companies to remain and grow here, and also perhaps to have out-of-state companies move here. It was scheduled to begin in 2013, and when fully phased-in by 2016 it would essentially exempt any Wisconsin manufacturing and agricultural income from Wisconsin income tax. The MAC was championed by Representative Dale Kooyenga and Senator Glenn Grothman in the legislature.

Magazine Content Needed Consider Submitting an Article!

The MAC, however, had some problems for individual taxpayers when it was drafted and this glitch was recently identified. Here is the issue in a nutshell: the MAC would reduce a taxpayer’s Wisconsin individual income tax, but then would trigger a Wisconsin minimum tax for nearly the same amount. Thus, there may be little, if any, net savings for the MAC in 2013 (a “MAC Attack?”). The legislature is trying to remedy this situation now so that taxpayers can realize the proper tax savings with the MAC on their 2013 Wisconsin individual tax returns.

The IBAW magazine is in need of content, we rely on our members and sponsors to supply us informative articles. The digital magazine is sent out to over 650 contacts statewide and the magazine is parked on the web where, on average, it gets over 1100 views.

Legislative Update: It seems that all key legislative leaders are now on board to correct this issue. It was approved by the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee last week. The Senate and Assembly will be in session in March and voting on final passage for several bills, one of which is this tax bill with the MAC correction. It looks like the legislative timetable will have the bill passed near the middle of the March, before going to the Governor.

Thus, a best guess now is that the bill would be enacted into law somewhere in the latter half of March, 2014.

MAC Attack Options: For any of our individual taxpayers taking advantage of the MAC, this may present some filings logistics. Here are the possibilities:

1. Best case scenario - in some cases the taxpayer’s share of the MAC for 2013 will be used and not result in a Wisconsin Minimum Tax. A taxpayer in this situation could go ahead and claim the MAC and file their 2013 Wisconsin individual return. There would be no need to wait for the legislation to pass.

Consider writing an article on a timely business related topic to your particular field of business. This is an outstanding opportunity for you and your company to gain exposure and increase your brand awareness to a statewide audience. There is no cost to submitting an article.

2. Next, a taxpayer has generated a MAC for 2013, but it will trigger a Wisconsin Minimum Tax. The taxpayer in this case could wait until the law is changed (and then wait a little for the WDR to update its computer processing systems) and then file their Wisconsin tax return and claim the MAC, and not incur the Wisconsin Minimum Tax. This could present a tight timeline for the April 15 deadline, and you may need to file for an extension.

3. Similar case as #2, but this taxpayer could file their Wisconsin individual return with the MAC, but also incur and pay a Wisconsin Minimum Tax for 2013. Then, once the corrective law is enacted go back and file an amended 2013 Wisconsin tax return to obtain the proper tax benefit of the MAC. You would not need extend, but you would need to amend.

We’ll keep you posted as this legislation moves forward.

If you have any questions, please contact Jim Brandenburg or Brian Kelley at Sikich, LLP in Brookfield (262)754-9400.

Contact Steve Kohlmann for details.

Articles submitted by our members & sponsors.

Welcome New IBAW Members!

Meeting Recaps 2014 Wisconsin Manufacturing Knowledge Summit

Power Test

On June 20, 2014 the IBAW partnered with the Tool, Die & Machining Association of Wisconsin (TDMAW) to offer Wisconsin manufacturers and their suppliers a unique look at trends within the industry and to also report on some of the challenges the industry faces in the next 5 years.

Power Test, Inc. is an industry leader in the design, manufacture and implementation of dynamometers and control systems.

Special thanks to the event sponsor, First Business Bank for their efforts in helping organize this event.

For more than 37 years, Power Test has provided specialized test equipment to manufacturers, rebuilding facilities and distributors globally. Our products can be found in use at these facilities in nearly 100 countries on six continents.

Chris Halaska

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Our headquarters and manufacturing operations are located in Sussex, WI with sales representatives worldwide. Our unparalleled customer service is well known throughout the industry.

Power Test employs a dedicated staff of talented machinists, fabricators, electronic technicians, assemblers, designers, engineers, software developers, and administrative and customer service personnel.

Our exceptional product life and excellent customer service is well known throughout the industry and has made us one of the industryleading dynamometer manufacturers. Our dedication to the customer and to the advances in powertrain component testing keep us there.

Power Test N60 W22700 Silver Spring Drive Sussex, WI 53089 Phone: 262-252-4301

4 Advanced Waste Services Advanced Waste Services is an environmental services company that provides wastewater recycling and other waste and risk elimination services to manufacturers in all industries. Each day, AWS helps hundreds of businesses, both large and small, meet their community and environmental obligations. Annually, we collect, treat and recycle more than 50 million gallons of contaminated wastewater into clean, reusable water and other valuable resources like fuel, steam and electricity.

AWS is constantly helping our clients manage, reinvent and improve their sustainability successes. For example, we recently partnered with Forest County Advanced Waste Services Potawatomi Community to help Wisconsin food and beverage manufacturers convert 1126 South 76th Street food waste into clean, green renewable energy.

Suite N408B

West Allis, WI 53214 Founded in 1993, AWS employs 55 people in the Milwaukee area and a total of 150

people companywide in 5 states.

414-847-7100

Photo Key 1: A full house in the main ballroom of the Wisconsin Club as IBAW & TDMAW members prepare to hear about the state of manufacturing and the challenges the industry faces in the workforce.

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2: David Vetta of First Business Bank delivers opening remarks and highlights the importance of a strong relationship between banking and manufacturing working together for success.

3: New IBAW President, John Weber of Hypneumat addresses the change in IBAW Bylaws and calls for voting in new board officers.

4: Kent Lorenz of Acieta gives the main presentation on “Manufacturing Matters” pointing out the trends on manufacturing now and what to expect in the future.

5: Outgoing IBAW President, Steve Van Lieshout receives his award for his efforts as 2013 - 2014.

6 Photos courtesy of Tim Townsend.

6: IBAW Executive Director, Steve Kohlmann (Left) presents David Drumel with an award for his service on the IBAW board.

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