BizTimes MKE: Milwaukee Business Insights

When Peggy Williams-Smith started as chief executive officer of VISIT Milwaukee in November 2019, she knew the organization was going to need to change. She had seen VISIT lose some of its luster during her more the two decades of experience working in hospitality in downtown Milwaukee. “It was a pretty fractured culture, it was pretty siloed and there were people who, unfortunately, I think were...

Terry Rowinski, chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Health Payment Systems, joins associate editor Arthur Thomas to discuss how he's leading the company in 2020. HPS offers an independent provider network sold to self-funded employer groups and consumer financial wellness product that helps those participating in that network understand their medical bills. On this episode, Rowinski sh...

Entrepreneur and regular BizTimes columnist Jerry Jendusa joins associate editor Arthur Thomas to talk about sustaining results during and after a crisis. In his latest column, Jendusa advises businesses to avoid being paralyzed by a crisis but also to not let drastic times lead to drastic measures. On this podcast, he discusses how business leaders can go beyond looking at their financial results...

BizTimes podcast partner Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life joins associate editor Arthur Thomas to discuss lessons learned from her diversity series podcasts. Ridley talked with four Milwaukee-area diversity and inclusion leaders to get their thoughts on how companies can see results from their own D&I efforts. On this episode, she reflects on some of the key lessons learned, draws from her own...

In the fourth of four episodes with Milwaukee-area business diversity leaders, Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life talks to Devona Wright Cottrell, associate general counsel and director at Baird. Wright Cottrell also co-founded Baird's African American employee resource group, chaired it for six years and now serves as an advisor to the group. Their conversation focuses on engaging employees in...

In the third of four episodes with diversity leaders from the Milwaukee area, Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life talks with Chris Rowland, global diversity officer at ManpowerGroup. Their conversation touches on embedding D&I practices into business operations. They also discuss responses to those who argue companies should just hire the best person for a role without regard for diversity and inc...

In the second of four episodes with Milwaukee-area diversity and inclusion leaders, Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life talks with Grady Crosby, chief diversity officer at Johnson Controls. Their conversation touches on how to align D&I efforts a businesses strategy, measuring the results of those efforts and celebrating successes along the way.  In partnership with The Brimful Life.

In the first of four episodes with Milwaukee-area diversity and inclusion leaders, Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life talks to Erikajoy Daniels, chief diversity and inclusion officer of Advocate Aurora Health. Their conversation focuses on the need for leadership commitment to D&I efforts. It also touches on some specific tactics those looking to improve organizational diversity can use to build...

George Bureau, vice president of consulting at WMEP Manufacturing Solutions, joins BizTimes associate editor Arthur Thomas to talk about the state of manufacturing in Wisconsin. WMEP has conducted two rounds of surveys since COVID-19 hit the state to understand how manufacturers are responding. The surveys have found sharp declines in business activity for manufacturers, but also some signs of imp...

At the start of every year, BizTimes Media hosts an annual economic trends breakfast. At this year's event, the coronavirus was barely on the radar of panelists and attendees. A few short months later, the virus has changed nearly everything about the economy. BizTimes invited this year's panelists -- American Family Insurance CEO Jack Salzwedel, Husco CEO Austin Ramirez, Graef CEO John...

Bill Berrien, chief executive office of New Berlin-based Pindel Global Precision, joins the Rotary Club of Milwaukee to discuss his company’s quick actions to begin making ventilator parts for OEMs around the country as the coronavirus pandemic hit.  Berrien volunteered on a LinkedIn post to have his company make parts at cost during the outbreak. That led to emergency purchase orders with tight t...

Ian Abston, co-founder of Light the Hoan, talks with Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life about his work to raise funds to illuminate Milwaukee's iconic bridge. He discusses the challenges of raising money in the city, how he and Light the Hoan co-founder Michael Hostad kept the faith in their vision, and advice for the next person with a big idea in the city. A partnership with The Brimful Life.

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the nonprofit sector as it has all our lives.  The organizations we depend on to serve the most vulnerable, educate our youth, enrich our lives and build stronger communities are in jeopardy.  Steve Zimmerman, principal at Spectrum Nonprofit Services, shares steps leaders can take to increase the likelihood of success amid these challenging times. This Rotary Club...

Héctor Colón is president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services, one of the Midwest’s major health and human services organizations that provides aid to nearly 40,000 individuals a year.  Héctor reflects on how his childhood experiences shaped his leadership style. The influence of his mother helped Hector learn the true value of servant leadership and how to balance putting others first while also...

Beth Ridley talks with Dr. Tiffany Mullen, co-founder of Vytal Health, a company that provides functional and integrative medical consultations and services online. One could argue that the healthcare industry is a great example of what goes wrong when leaders don’t put people first. Healthcare costs continue to rise, but our overall health and quality of experience with healthcare providers isn’t...

Serving others, connecting work with purpose and meaning, staying grounded and striving for better are some of the values Christine brings to life at Cousins. Christine makes leading with such optimism look easy, but she shares that she’s really intentional about developing these positive leadership competencies. One of Christine’s tips for being a successful leader is to walk away from the laptop...

The 2020 BizTimes M&A Forum featured a panel discussion with Andrea Bukacek, CEO of Bukacek Construction, Sharad Chadha, CEO of Sprecher Brewing, Paul Grunau, chief learning officer at APi Group, and Ryan Martin, CEO of Midwest Composite Technologies.  Panelists shared lessons learned from their own M&A journeys, including the importance of trust in a deal and financing coming together, th...

John Austin, a Senior Fellow with the Brookings Institution, talks about his recent report: “As the venture capital game gets bigger, the Midwest keeps missing out.”  According to the report, those working to accelerate economic growth in the Heartland must face some stark realities. The Great Lakes region continues to export wealth to coastal economies, even as investment leaders try to equalize...

This episode was recorded live at PodFest in Milwaukee. Beth Ridley talks with David Lee, CEO of the start-up arts and culture non-Profit, ImagineMKE. From screen writer to chef, actor to investment banker and now non-profit leader, David’s professional journey has been eclectic to say the least. But through it all, being interested, curious and willing to learn have been keys to David’s success a...

James Hedrick, co-founder and CEO of Azul 3d, was recently named to the 2020 Forbes 30 under 30 in the Manufacturing and Industry category. During a recent Rotary Club of Milwaukee presentation, he talked about the surge of developments in 3D printing and what it means—tailored for a lay audience.  This was a joint program with the Kellogg and Harvard Business School alums. In partnership with the...

Michael Sheppard, managing partner at IronwoodDrive Financial Group, uses diversity as a differentiator in an industry that has been slow to reflect the changing demographics of consumers. Michael encourages his financial advisors to embrace their differences and be their authentic selves in order to establish trust with clients - which is the key to success. In partnership with The Brimful Life

Procrastinate and Flourish!  This was a favorite saying of former Federal Reserve Chairman, Paul Volcker.  Using his career as a reference point, Sara Walker of BMO Wealth Management discussed the changing role of global central banks and the expectations and limitations they face.  This backdrop created the foundation for an economic and capital markets review and outlook.  Consumer activity was...

Tina Jones has been executive director of Girls on the Run of Southeastern Wisconsin since 2012. On this episode she and Girls on the Run ambassador Lyrique Jackson join host Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life to talk about the organization, lessons learned from running and the upcoming Sneaker Soiree. Jones also discusses how she’s learned to take things as they come and Jackson shares how Girls on...

Is it possible to have a non-partisan discussion about impeachment?   Former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge John Franke believes the answer is “yes,” and started the New Year by giving Rotarians a look at the ultimate check and balance given to us by our Constitution.  The President cannot fire Congress; why is it that Congress has the power to send the President packing?  In what ways is an impea...

In addition to speaker presentations, the 2020 BizTimes Economic Trends Conference featured a panel discussion featuring Michael Knetter, economist and president of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, John Kissinger, president and CEO of GRAEF-USA Inc., Austin Ramirez, president and CEO of Husco International, and Jack Salzwedel, CEO of American Family Insurance.  Event sponsors included Annex...