Leading with Passion

The TLW Member of the Year is Mark Rehwinkel, Sixth District director and owner of Cusack’s Pub in Marinette.

By Maura Keller

Each year at the TLW Fall Convention & Trade Show, the Tavern League bestows its coveted Member of the Year award on an association member who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to their community, as well as the TLW, through passion, dedication and professionalism in both their service and leadership roles.

In the last few years, the TLW has awarded this recognition to such industry leaders as Don Mjelde of Richard Craniums in Green Bay, Jennifer Collison of Local Folks Restaurant & Pub in Burlington, and Brad Schinke of Kamps Bar & Grill in Combined Locks.

For 2022, the TLW Member of the Year was bestowed to Mark Rehwinkel, owner of Cusack’s Pub in Marinette. Rehwinkel is a prime example of a TLW member who has stepped forward and demonstrated outstanding service and commitment to the industry.

It was in 1999 that Rehwinkel and his wife, Patti (Cusack), took ownership of Cusack’s Pub from Patti’s father, who opened this cherished establishment in 1966 and joined the TLW. “We continued the membership and got involved in occasional meetings until I retired from the car dealership I was managing in 2005 to help Patti with the pub,” Rehwinkel says. “Ever since then, we have gone to every TLW convention and local meeting.”

“I learned so much from state leaders and our local members that I wanted to get more involved, so I got on the State Board as a Sixth District director in 2014 and I am still on the board with the support from our Sixth District members,” Rehwinkel says. “Our local league members helped me in building a strong local league.”

Specifically, Rehwinkel has been fortunate to receive a tremendous amount of help from the league’s members and officers to increase membership and hold successful fundraisers. “This allows us to donate a lot of money to charitable organizations in the county, such as food pantries, volunteer rescue squads, volunteer fire departments, veterans and county schools, plus many more,” Rehwinkel says.

Humble by nature, Rehwinkel was surprised to receive the Member of the Year award and found it heartwarming that the members of his county sent in letters to TLW President Keith Kern to nominate him.

In 2006, Rehwinkel became the vice president of the Marinette County Tavern League. A few years later, in 2010, he expanded his role by becoming the county league president. He held that position until 2020, when the vice president of the Marinette County Tavern League took over.

“I am proud to be a Tavern League member, and proud of what our state and our county do for our businesses and our communities. We live on the Michigan border and know the struggles they have without a tavern league. The TLW is not just a great organization. To me, it is also a family. Receiving this award was not only an honor, but also a moment I will forever cherish,” Rehwinkel concludes. TLW