14 minute read
Corporate Spotlight
SOCIETY INSURANCE
TLW corporate member Society Insurance calls Fond du Lac home, but its impact reaches statewide in Wisconsin and even beyond the state’s border. For more than 30 years, Society Insurance has served Tavern League members as a corporate member and even longer as a business since it opened in 1915. This insurance company offers exclusive property and casualty coverage through its Top Shelf Program, specifically designed for TLW members.
Rebecca Kollmann, a corporate marketing manager at Society Insurance, says it sees and values the strong pride of ownership in TLW members, a sentiment she says is special and unique to the organization.
In addition to statewide representation through independent agents for insurance coverage, TLW members should take advantage of the value-adds Society Insurance offers its policyholders, according to Kollmann.
“How can we help [customers] manage risks within their business?” she says is a main focus for Society. “It can be one less thing to worry about, and that allows them to focus on running the business and the things they want to do for their customers.”
In-person classes and quarterly webinars are available to Society’s clients and their staff, who have seen great results through the years. Policyholders can access these online or ask their agents about in-person needs. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour and 30-hour trainings are a popular option.
Additionally, cybercrime continues to be a focus for the company, as it arms clients with vital information they need in order to protect themselves from modern-day threats to business.
That’s just the beginning of resources when it comes to risk management, though. Kollmann explains that dedicated risk control staff work full time on providing assistance and education opportunities. She says the team works as consultants with policyholders, sharing resources and addressing hot topics. “Are there things you may want to improve, or if you’ve been in business a long time, things to brush up on?” she asks. “Available resources help address things a member may want to improve, but also find ways to protect their business, their livelihood.”
Kollmann says a full listing of reports, videos, past webinars and more can be found online. Topics range from slips and falls to fire protection, crime prevention, food service safety and more. Copies of state and federal posters can even be accessed through the online library.
She says Society knows that many TLW members are smaller businesses, and these options provide an efficient and costeffective way to access resources otherwise not available. The risk management offerings are important to members, but also to Society, she adds.
Why does Society invest in this for its policyholders? Kollmann says it’s simple, really. “It’s about prevention,” she explains. “We see the pride of ownership in our TLW clients and that’s a big deal to us. We have been in Wisconsin for over 100 years and are part of the community.
“We’re big enough to offer the benefits of a large company,” Kollmann concludes. “But we’re here in the smaller community of Fond du Lac, and many TLW members are businesses we’re surrounded by. We’re living in those communities. That’s one of the reasons we really value the partnership, too.”
Society Insurance finds value in being a corporate member of the TLW, but truly wants to offer value as well. Kollmann says representatives attend local and state league events, and she encourages TLW members to reach out to a local agent if they want someone to present at a meeting.
Members can find more information about Society’s insurance plans and member benefits online or by contacting a local agent. For more information about risk control offerings, please visit societyinsurance.com/risk_control/default.aspx. TLW
LEAGUE PROFILE MANITOWOC COUNTY TAVERN LEAGUE
When Tim “Tippy” Tomchek recruits members for the Manitowoc County Tavern League, he talks about the many benefits the county can offer. And quite frankly, those benefits are “outstanding.”
To start, the Manitowoc County Tavern League membership is 128 strong.
“For the size of our county, that’s pretty outstanding,” says Tomchek, who owns Tippy’s Bar & Grill in Two Rivers. “I think we’re the seventh biggest in the state.”
He adds that what makes the county league unique is that everyone gets along.
“We have 40 to 70 members who attend meetings,” he says. “We work well together.”
One reason the Manitowoc County Tavern League has such a strong and large membership is its SafeRide Program, another benefit Tomchek promotes. He explains that the county’s four cab companies cover 90% of the county and the program provides 300 to 400 rides per month.
“It’s one of the biggest benefits of our local league,” he says. It also helps that each member who attends the monthly meeting receives 10 free SafeRide vouchers; vouchers are normally $4 each.
“We started that [initiative] almost 10 years ago,” says Tomchek, who has been the Manitowoc County Tavern League president since 1993. “We’ve given out 22,000 free vouchers and saved our members $90,000 over 10 years.”
participating members get five books to resell for $10 each. The most recent book included 104 of the county league’s 128 members.
Every patron who participates, whether his or her book has one stamp or 104, is invited to a party that includes free beer and food. For the most recent Fun Run, the league had 59 books turned in where the purchaser received stamps from all 104 stops. Another 111 purchasers hit more than 40 stops.
“Members are getting their money from the investment and we raise money for SafeRide,” explains Tomchek. “We raised over $8,000 at our party on Saturday. That will fund SafeRide for a year.”
Other events include a June banquet that is open to the public; proceeds from that event benefit the Manitowoc County Tavern League’s general fund. The league also has a golf outing in July.
Another perk of membership comes when your establishment hosts a monthly meeting. Held the second Monday of the month, meetings generally last 90 minutes and include lunch. There is also a cash bar available before and after. And the host receives $10 per attendee.
“Places usually do come out ahead,” says Tomchek. “When you host a meeting, people come and see what your place is about, and they tend to hang out after. Members ask a lot if they can host.”
While SafeRide, the Fun Run and monthly meetings are great perks for the local league, Tomchek touts the state benefits as well: “Of course, we also tell members about all the state benefits, too, [such as] health insurance, and discounts on music licensing, food safety or bartender service courses. Every little bit helps.” TLW
Having spanned three centuries, it’s fair to say that Good Times Restaurant and Banquet Hall in Mishicot has stood the test of time.
“It’s an old, old building,” says Michelle Peroutka, who owns the establishment with her husband, Scott.
The building is so old that the Peroutkas had the Wisconsin Historical Society assess and research the building. It first appeared on the plat map in 1893. Through the years, it fulfilled a number of roles, including a dance hall back in the 1940s, but since the 1960s, it has always served as a “bar and restaurant sort of place.”
“The [business] in there the longest, that I know of, was Carol Koeppel’s La Fiesta from the 1960s for about 12 years,” reports Peroutka.
When the Peroutkas opened Good Times in October 2012, they “kind of went in by the seat of their pants,” she says.
“I used to drink a lot in the tavern,” says Peroutka with a chuckle, “but we never owned any kind of facility,” though she did spend 17 years in the franchise restaurant industry. The husband-and-wife team works full time at the establishment. “We really enjoy it. There’s always something new,” she says.
Good Times is open Monday through Thursday for breakfast and dinner, and all day Friday through Sunday. The menu features typical bar fare like appetizers and sandwiches, but also steaks, chicken and seafood, including a Friday fish fry, Saturday prime rib special and Sunday fried chicken.
“All our stuff is hand-breaded and homemade,” says Peroutka. “Our breading is an old family recipe, handed down through generations.”
Aside from the home-cooked food, she adds that what makes Good Times so special is its family-friendly atmosphere. “We try to keep it very personal. Any time we are open, one of us is here,” she says.
Good Times’ banquet hall is regularly abuzz with events, everything from birthday parties to weddings and high school sports and club banquets. It can seat 160 family-style; add in the dining room and the capacity boosts to about 200.
In addition to being a social center for this farm-oriented area, the Peroutkas are charitable: “Oh my goodness . . . we donate a lot to just about anything . . . benefits, sportsmen’s clubs, organizations, you name it.”
With its rural location, the establishment also boasts a baseball field, which the Peroutkas allow the local youth baseball team, the Mishicot Indians, to use.
“We donate it to them and they have full usage of it. They run and take care of the field all baseball season,” she confirms.
A member of the Manitowoc County Tavern League since June 2013, Peroutka has served as the league’s secretary for the past four years.
“When you get in, you are there for life,” she says of Tavern League. “I just enjoy all the people, the amazing friends we’ve made, and that we are all in for a common goal.”
She adds that everyone should be a member of Tavern League: “It’s such a benefit. The [TLW] keeps us informed on everything from politics to good business practices. And our SafeRide Program is amazing!” TLW
CHARITY SPOTLIGHT ANT HILL MOB MOTORCYCLE CLUB
While it takes its name from a gangster-inspired Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Manitowoc County’s Ant Hill Mob Motorcycle Club isn’t about crime and hijinks, but caring and giving back.
“When we started out, we were little troublemakers,” explains longtime member Fuzzy Bellin. “But there came a point when we decided to stop doing that and do positive work for the community.”
“We are just a group of men and women motorcycle enthusiasts who like to support the county we live in,” adds club president Perry Bunnell. “We are fun, and we like to give back and make someone’s day a bit brighter.”
Since 1983, the group has donated more than $1.2 million to charitable interests in Manitowoc County and across the state. The club has about 100 members and it is a member of the Manitowoc County Tavern League.
All this charitable giving started with what has become the club’s signature event, its annual bike show. The 38th Annual Northeastern Wisconsin Charity Motorcycle Classic will be held April 25 and 26 at the Manitowoc Expo Grounds. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Manitowoc County Police Department’s K-9 unit, the Association for the Developmentally Disabled of Manitowoc and Camp Sinawa. The event includes a dance, which draws between 1,500 to 2,000 people. The show itself draws about 2,000 people.
“It’s been a very fun thing to do,” Bellin, former club president, says. “We were just a bunch of 20-year-old kids with an idea. The first two years we had to borrow money . . . we had to borrow money to give it away! But we got very lucky and it took off to where it is today.”
own a motorcycle repair shop in Osman, for their longstanding support: “Without them, we wouldn’t be here. When we started, Mom and Dad Hoban helped us out to have this bike show, and it’s been growing ever since. The fact that we even have a bike show of this size in Manitowoc is pretty huge.”
The Ant Hill Mob Motorcycle Club also hosts an annual charity ride, which will be held in July this year, and a fun run. Books for the fun run will be available soon and it ends with a party in mid-October. All events are open to the public.
Bunnell notes that the bike show and charity ride benefit organizations in Manitowoc County, whereas proceeds from the fun run benefit statewide organizations, as that event extends beyond the county. Since it started in 1983, the bike show alone has benefitted more than 60 organizations. Last year, the club raised about $60,000 to donate.
In addition to putting on its three annual events, the club also supports area organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Manitowoc County by participating in its Bowl for Kids’ Sake bowl-a-thon, supporting the live animal auction at the Manitowoc County Fair, participating in the annual Winter Miracle Splash and partnering with the Vietnam Vets Chapter 731 at their variety tent/beer stand at the county fair.
Of course, says Bunnell, the Ant Hill Mob Motorcycle Club couldn’t do this without the support of people in Manitowoc County and beyond.
“We thank the community, Manitowoc County and surrounding communities for the great support they’ve given us for all the events that we do,” says Bunnell. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do any of these things.”
MEET THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Dan Taivalkoski is the TLW southern zone vice president.
Q. TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. I was born and raised in Racine. My wife of six years, Chris, comes from upper Michigan. My first venture into the industry was shortly after I left the Army in 1975. I leased my first establishment, Dan’s Rock Palace, with a partner — my good friend and mentor, Jerry Rasmussen from the Brat Stop. (Rest in peace.) I purchased my current location, The Beacon Tavern & Grill, in 1991 from longtime owner, friend and Tavern League member Al Trossen.
Q. WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN BECOMING A TAVERN LEAGUE MEMBER? There are no other organizations out there that look out for the interests of the on-premise hospitality industry like the TLW.
Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER AND WHAT OFFICES HAVE YOU HELD? I joined the Racine City Tavern League in 1991 when I first purchased The Beacon. At that time, there were only five or six members, but our membership has grown to over 70 members. I have held the positions of director, secretary, treasurer and SafeRide coordinator locally. At the state level, I started as the first district director and moved up to my current position. I serve on the Membership, Evaluation and Convention Committees.
Q. WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES FACING TAVERN LEAGUE MEMBERS TODAY? Unlicensed event venues, alcohol delivery and some of the folks that produce the products that we sell trying to compete directly with us!
DAN TAIVALKOSKI
Q. YOU REPRESENT DISTRICTS 1, 3 AND 9. ARE THERE SPECIFIC ISSUES UNIQUE TO THESE AREAS? I don’t believe there are any issues that are unique to the southern zone that other areas across the state are not experiencing. Our industry is one of the most heavily regulated and taxed, and we’re under constant scrutiny and attack from forces both inside and outside the industry that either do not understand our business, or are looking for an unfair advantage by avoiding the regulations and/or taxes to fairly compete with us.
Q. YOUR BUSINESS IS IN DISTRICT 1. WHAT SPECIFIC ISSUES ARE UNIQUE TO THE AREA? Most of our local leagues are very good at monitoring agendas for local government policies that would affect our businesses. We have developed a good relationship with local politicians to the point that they communicate with us and seek our input prior to introducing policies that would affect our members.
Q. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION WITH THE TLW? The camaraderie with other leaders from across the state is wonderful. For the most part, we all share the same challenges and work to solve them. Seeing the way our members rally in support of others, whether it’s a charitable organization, or just one of our local counties or leagues experiencing a hardship, makes me proud to be a part of this organization.
Q. HOW ELSE ARE YOU INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY? I am employed full time as the executive director of the Racine County Food Bank. I serve on the Sewer and Water Commission for the village of Mount Pleasant, and on the Douglas Avenue Business Improvement District board for the city of Racine. TLW
