BBJ February March 2012

February/ March 2012VOL 20 #1

Published by the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce for Chamber members

ers celebrating 20 people you should know the docreators the movers the shakers the elevators the makers creators

achievers the creators the dedicators the risk-takers thekers c thangers the doers outside-the-box thinkers moverr

ers the inventors the deliverere launchers the designerdvancers the hard-workers movers the collaborators adv

facilitators the engagers managers the resolvers the facilitat solution-seekers the initiators the developers the discovere

leaders the leaders the reactors the builders the founders doers the growers the fighters the evolvers the exceedersoers

expanders the challengers the establishers the improversdisc ovators the designers the pioneers the discovererrs

t se originators the INNOVATORS the accomplishers creators

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| BBJ February/March 122

14 Global Locations

www.megtec.com • [email protected]

MEGTEC Systems, Inc.…proud to be an employer in Brown County for over 40 years, providing innovative solutions for our customers involved in:

MEGTEC’s global headquarters is located in a 365,000 sq. ft. facility in De Pere, Wisconsin, and is a center for excellence in Engineering, Manufacturing and Service.

Advanced Materials Processing

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© 2011 United HealthCare Services, Inc. Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affi liates. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affi liates. Health Plan coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin, Inc. UHCWI551324-000

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INNOVATION. TECHNOLOGY. GROW HEALTHY.

FEATURES

08 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Why building a partnership between IT and other business areas can further business by leaps and bounds.

09 BBJ PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW - THE INNOvaTOrS 20 people who embrace innovation and creativity in the way they conduct business every day.

BBJ DEPARTMENTS

04 vIEW POINT

06 TECH WaTCH

08 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

50 MEET a MEMBEr

54 CHaMBEr BrIEFS

56 CHaMBEr NEWS

ADVERTISERS

01 Bank Mutual 02 Uni ted Heal thcare 53 Ryan Photography 02 M EGTEC 01 Network Heal th Plan Back Cover Cel lcom 53 Camera Corner Connect ing Point 07 LAU NCH FI LM.com 55 Green Bay Metro 55 Chi ldren's Hospi ta l of Wisconsin Ins ide Front Cover Lambeau Fie ld Ins ide Back Cover TDS

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Copyright© 2008 Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

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Contents.Volume 20, #1 | February/March 2012

08

09

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VIEW POINT

Current Young Professionals recently celebrated its annual Future 15 & Young Professional Awards, a relatively recent evolution of its awards celebrations into a winter event. The amazingly well-attended event honored 17 award recipients—the Future 15 including a Young Profes-sional of the Year chosen from the Future 15 pool of honorees, as well as a Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Next Generation Best Place to Work. Kudos to these deserving young professionals and their employers!I have to say I’m wowed by all the young professionals who make up the Current Young Professionals program. Current was established about 10 years ago with a four-pronged approach geared to individuals ages 21 to 40:

Attract young talent to the area•Engage them in the community•Develop them as leaders•Retain them for long-term gains•

At more than 900 individual members and 60-plus corporate members strong, Current has a huge impact on our community. These are young professionals who are committed not only to their professional devel-opment as leaders but also to contributing to the greater Green Bay community. Current offers both individual and corporate memberships to engage young professionals depending on their work situation.

The program is definitely not just a social group. Current’s program-ming is carefully balanced to offer a variety of activities that meet both the needs of young professionals and their employers. These include lunch 'n’ learns, an annual leaders’ luncheon that’s a great opportunity to be seated with—and learn from—mentors in the community, themed events, workshops that feature in-depth professional development op-portunities, and After Five gatherings that foster personal friendships.* As you can see from this rather hefty list, these events don’t just deliver niceties or even benefits that reside solely with the individuals or even their employers. Consider these flooring statistics that show the need to “Get Current:”

One-third of area young professionals are undecided about staying •in the area. 23 percent of • Current’s members are more likely to stay in Green Bay because of Current.Translation: • Current has an annual economic retention impact of $11.8 million! For the average corporate member, that’s a 32,000 percent return on investment when their young professional staff gets involved with Current’s programming.

Bottom line, I think Current has unlimited potential not only in Greater Green Bay, but also for our entire region. And who better to speak to it than the young professionals and the businesses who have been on the receiving end?

Take Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea Health. He is in the unique position to have served as a large financial con-tributor to Current, platinum 2012 Future 15 sponsor, corporate member, and sustaining sponsor of the program. He was honored as a Future 15 recipient last year and presented at several Current events as a young professional who also oversees one of the largest health-care organizations in Northeast Wisconsin. He wears two hats, as both a young professional himself and a decision-maker for an organization that employs more than 200 providers and 1,000 employees.

“Current is an opportunity for our organization’s young leaders to net-work and gain better insight into their future while retaining them in the community. One of our key goals as an organization is to retain young talent, particularly the young physicians we recruit. With Current, we don’t have to independently invest in that; we can share that investment with our [Current corporate members] in town. There hasn’t always been a dedication to keeping young professionals in the community. By [Prevea] making this commitment to Current, we’re showing our commitment to investing in our young professionals and the future [of our community]”, he says.

In the 2011 LIFE Study survey (see sidebar for more details), 40 percent of leaders surveyed rated “attracting and retaining young profes-sionals” a high priority, the third most highly rated potential action item.

Ashley Groskreutz, replenishment analyst – yogurt at Schreiber Foods Inc., and Current steering committee chair, can speak to Current’s benefits on a personal forefront. She has been a member of Current’s steering committee for the past five years and began serving as its chair in September 2010. She seized the opportunity to get involved with Current early on in her career with Schreiber Foods, thanks to a men-tor’s direction, something she sees as instrumental to accelerating her professional development. She’s gleaned wonderful professional de-velopment know-how from events as an attendee, board of directors understanding as a committee member, and personal growth. “Serving as chair has forced me out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions and helped me to develop my leadership skills,” she says. “And I’ve had the opportunity to make connections with people I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to interact with both inside and outside my company.”

Even a known communications professional like Molly Vandervest, mar-keting and events manager for Downtown Green Bay Inc. (DGBI), has reaped benefits from being involved with Current. She became involved in 2005 upon returning to the area from school at UW-Madison and credits Current and other young professionals with helping her see Green Bay as a community friendly to families and young professionals alike. “To be honest, when I was 22, it was extremely intimidating to walk into a networking event with seasoned professionals. Current was a training ground of sorts for me.”

Her employer, DBGI, also enjoyed being the first corporate member of Current. “It was a perfect fit because the success of downtown is de-pendent on the involvement and engagement of a number of different

CURRENT young professionals

TEXT LaUrIE raDKE

4 | BBJ February/March 12

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BBJ February/March 12 | 5

groups in a community, but perhaps especially that of young profession-als,” she says.

For example, the volunteer partnership between Current and DGBI Fridays on the Fox event helped them solve a staffing challenge on Friday nights during the summertime, as well as delivering the unfore-seen benefit of increased event attendance because the event was promoted to Current membership. In addition, having the opportunity to present “What’s Up Downtown” to Current member has rendered some of DGBI’s best advocates and volunteers, she adds.

In writing an article about Current, we would be remiss in not calling at-tention to the person who has spearheaded its most significant growth

and evolution for the past five and a half years, Brian Johnson, Current program manager “He’s an extremely dynamic and energetic staff per-son who’s a true asset to Current,” says Vandervest. “It’s too bad we can’t give him an award as he is one of the most deserving.”

And after working with the Chamber for the past five months, I second that!

If you’d like to learn more about Current, reach out to Brian directly at 920.593.3408, [email protected] or visit GreenBayCurrent.org.

*This is a key component in an employer’s ability to retain talent in our community.

The 2011 LIFE Study (Leading Indicators for Excellence) is the most complete source for information about socio-economic condi-tions in Brown, Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago counties. This report—sponsored by the United Way of Brown County, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Green Bay Community Foundation—provides a broad view of the trends, strengths and chal-lenges for the entire Fox River region by examining 10 key indicators for economic, physical and emotional well-being. The study revealed some interesting insights into items of particular interest to young professionals.

The study asked community members and leaders, “In terms of the following aspects of life in Brown County, how would you rate the Brown County area?” In the rating of 10 sectors, here’s how these issues rated on a scale of 0 to 4, with 1 being poor and 4 being excellent:

o Providing recreation and leisure opportunities – 3.3 among leaders and 3.1 among community members;o Providing arts and cultural opportunities – 2.7 among leaders and 2.9 among community members; o Building a strong economy – 2.7 among leaders and 2.8 among community members.

KEY FINDINGS:

areas of progress•Artsandculture •Manyappealingnonprofitvenues •Outdoormusicevents•Recreationandleisure •Outdoorrecreationopportunities •Tourism,events •Sportsopportunitiesforspectatorsandparticipants•Self-sufficiency •Improvingaccesstofreshfooddowntown•Work •LowercostoflivingintheU.S.

read more at www.lifestudy.info.

areas of concern •Generalcommunity •Ensuringpositiveimpactofdiversity •Engagingnewleaders•Recreationandleisure •Continueddowntowndevelopment•Work •Needforjobswithhigherwages •Retainingyoungprofessionals •Mismatchedjobandworkforceskills

aeas of strength•Qualityofeducation •Varietyofqualityeducationalopportunitiesatalllevels •Highereducationandlifelongopportunities•Tourism •Varietyofpopularamenitiesfortourism•Outdoorentertainmentandcommunityevents •Numeroussuccessful,affordableeventsforthepublic•Economicdevelopmentefforts •Progressondevelopmentofdowntownsandwaterfront throughout the area •Effortswithinbusinessdevelopmentdistricts

areas of opportunity•Healthydevelopmentofallyouthincludingforthosenotgoingto college, better work and social skills needed• Economy •Forgood-payingjobs,diversification •Focusneededonattractingandretainingyoung professionals •Needforcloseralignmentbetweeneducationand workplace skills•Inclusivenessofcommunityincludingpublicperceptionsofthevalue of diversity have declined•Politicalefficacy/civilengagementincludingsupervisorelections not contested; not enough young, female and diverse leadership•Preservingeducationqualityincludinghighereducational attainment rate needed•Decliningfundingforartsandcultureincludingmanynonprofitarts and culture venues report reduced revenues from several sources, especially donations

LIFE STUDY CaPTUrES INSIGHTS ON YP PrIOrITIES


Everybody says it. Wouldn’t it be cool to say, “I have an app for that,” in the same way Green Bay Packers stockholders say, “I am an NFL owner.” Wouldn’t it be cool to say, “There’s an app for that. And it’s mine.”

An increasing number of businesses are deciding it makes sense to have their own apps. Time is money, and an app may save both. Perhaps it makes one of their business processes easier or less ex-pensive. Maybe it makes it easier for their clients or suppliers to do business with them. Perhaps their far-flung staff uses it to stay in touch or move orders around.

Regardless of the origin of your idea for an app, proceed cautiously and ask a million questions, both internally and externally. Know thy-self, and really, really get to know the people you hire to build your app. Such is the advice of David Troup, whose company develops both apps and hardware. He is the chief executive officer and founder of DMiNTERACTIVE (DMI), where application development is just one of the myriad technological services the firm offers. DMI has 27 employ-ees spread across five time zones, from Green Bay, where all software engineering is done, to Maui. Apple is just one of the major players with which DMI works closely.

“There are some cool reasons to build an app, but at the end of the day, if you are spending company money, you need to look at return on investment,” Troup begins. “Your company needs to be better after-wards than before. You can’t spend money without advancing.

“Vendor selection for app development is so important,” he says. “Be-fore you spend a dime with them, you need to sit down and spend a lot of time together. Not everybody takes that approach, but I recommend it. The time investment you make on the front end pays dividends in projects.”

Begin with internal meetings, asking questions like: What are we really trying to do? How will this initiative help our business? What

fundamental rules drive our company forward, and how does this affect those?

You need to be in this for the right reasons. Some prospective clients, Troup laments, may see an app and say, “That could work for us.” But it has to be unique to them. It has to be positive on their bottom line, and it can’t be a square peg in a round hole. That’s a compromise, and nobody likes a compromise.

“If a competitor has an app and you acquire it, you have caught up to them. How are you going to leapfrog them?” he says.

From the top down, DMI staff prefer to spend lots of time up-front concentrating on the client, their goals and processes. “We like to sit down and brainstorm with them; explore what their opportunities are,” Troup explains. “Their original idea should be greater or more impactful after we work with them. Not that clients can’t figure some things out on their own, but we can make it better because we know the technol-ogy, phones (hardware) and people.

“We sit down and talk about your business. You are the master of your business. We are the master of technology. You dictate to us what works and what doesn’t for your business. We look at that and say, ‘Here is how we can apply technology to improve whatever your goals are.’”

Like Pulaski’s MCL Industries, featured in this space in the last edition, DMI will go beyond what brought the companies together, into the client’s products and processes. “We re-engineered a product for one client,” says Troup, whose firm had originally been hired to simply de-velop a website. “Nobody else they had in there would have said, ‘You know, there’s a problem with your product.’ We don’t have a problem telling them that they have an ugly baby. You can’t hide from the truth. Your product will either be mildly successful or fail, but we want to see your product wildly better. It has to be something I would want to put my name on. We want to see success for our business, but we want to see success for our clients. That’s what I love about coming to work every day; I can’t get enough of it.”

TECH WATCHTEXT aL PaHL

There's an app for that.


There are some similarities be-tween hiring someone to develop your website and an app for you. For one: You’re going to need revisions at some point. Look for stable companies who not only will still be in business down the road, but will still have the same team of developers. This is more

important with apps than websites. If hardware changes or other forc-es require you to update your software, and you come back to the firm and there’s a whole new team of developers, you’re going to spend money just to get them up to speed.

But there are also big differences between maintaining a website and an app. “Websites are more of a content-management issue,” notes Troup, pointing out some companies get away with keeping their site the same for years, by regularly changing the content. You don’t need developers to change content. When you hire an app done, you’re buy-ing into managing the life cycle of the app. Planning and development start the process. Then you have quality assurance. You find bugs, and they go back to the developers. After an app has been out awhile, you’ll come up with ways to improve it. And then hardware manufacturers, such as Apple or Google (the force behind Android) make changes,

which requires you to update your app. “With Apple, there are only a few pieces of hardware to design for,” he says. “But with Android, there is literally a mountain of hardware. We have to own every piece (of An-droid phone hardware) out there” to

test apps against every Android hardware appliance the app might encounter.

One advantage, by the way, of developing an app that will only be used by your employees (as opposed to one that might be used by your suppliers, clients or the general public) is that you can control the hardware your employees use to run it. That simplifies development.

Like every project your firm does, hiring out an app requires constant, quality communication. “This is like building a house with your builder,” Troup says. “You better have everything spec’d out. Same thing for apps. The client has to know what he’s going to get. Make sure the functionalities are all spec’d out.”

And here’s something many clients don’t consider: Who owns the code? You or the developer? DMI staffers are often presented with what they term “phoenix” projects; a client brings in a partially finished app that was started 12 or 18 months ago, and Troup’s team must now raise it from the ashes. If the client’s original contract says the first developer owns the code, that means the client is walking in the door with nothing more concrete than an idea.

Sorry to say, there is not an app for that. But you could probably hire someone to write one.

“If a competitor has an app and you acquire it, you have caught up to them. How are you going to leapfrog them?”

David Troup, owner, DMiNTERACTIVE


IT professionals have long felt that businesses do not understand tech-nology, and businesses have long felt that IT does not deliver at the speed of business.

Let’s look at that for a minute. We have two teams who do not trust or understand each other. This will never equal success. A project without a business sponsor and an IT team that does not understand the business will also never equate to success. I am not saying all business projects are failures; I am simply stating that with a different approach there can be understanding. We all want success, correct?

The problemIn recent years I took an IT management position at a very successful airline. The issues I had seen over the years in other organizations also ex-isted at this airline. The business was too busy to fully engage in a project, and the IT department only went skin-deep to understand the business drivers and value it could bring to the table.

New direction, hire and teamThis new direction started with the hire of an applications manager, one who was supported by executive management as well as the leaders in the maintenance and IT departments. Prior to hiring, we worked out the report-ing structure, expectations, commitment, business objectives and value so our new hire could hit the ground running.

The person we chose as the applications manager had no aviation back-ground, but he was very sharp and had a hands-on attitude. After IT filtered through the candidates, this person interviewed with the business units he was responsible for, in this case the maintenance department. The head of the department and key persons on his staff were tasked with interviewing the candidate to ensure he was a great fit.

The second week after the applications manager started, he and I took a road trip to all three maintenance bases. He got a first-hand understand-ing of what issues and opportunities were out in the field. The following week he sat in a training class with newly hired mechanics. The third week he attended ERP training on the system running the department. Last-ly, his office was not located in the IT department; instead, he sat in the maintenance building where he was an integral piece of their everyday business and workflow. Because one person can’t do everything, an ana-lyst was also hired. The analyst also sat down in the maintenance building and received the same onboarding and training as the applications manager.

The company’s portal administrator and business intelligence analyst spent one to two days per week in the maintenance building as well.

At this point the team was set in motion. We set up an afternoon workshop to kick off a strategy for the maintenance department, weighing the initia-tives and prioritizing the work. This sent out the first message that we were committed to delivering, but we couldn’t do it without having team commit-ment from both sides.

The outcomeThe success was outstanding. The maintenance department went from being the biggest opponent of technology to being the new technology evangelists for the company. They were the first department to go paper-less. They crossed the chasm from submitting “IT projects” to working on “business projects.” They were now speaking our language, and we could speak theirs. The IT team was invited to socials and lunches, new friend-ships were formed and, best of all, projects were much more successful. When you think about it, like any relationship, it took time to build trust and respect. Because of the great success with the maintenance department, an IT liaison for each department has been added. These liaisons are the focal points that bridge the gap between the business and IT.

In many cases companies do not want to invest the time to address these types of issues. You’ll definitely want to reconsider; this was an investment that will pay out for years to come. But, like any good investment, it requires caring and feeding; it is not a “set it and forget it” type of transaction. This mind-set and approach is not tied to a specific business model or type of company; it is based on common sense and basic relationship building. With a little effort from all of the parties involved, your IT department and your business units can learn to work together seamlessly, and your com-pany will enjoy greater project success as a result.

It’s important to know that changes like the ones outlined in this article do not happen overnight. There was a lot of trial and error involved, but change CAN and WILL happen when both parties work toward common goals.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTTEXT KENNY YOUNG, DIrECTOr OF ENTErPrISE arCHITECTUrE aND DEvELOPMENT aT SKYLINE TECHNOLOGIES INC.

Kenny Young is the director of enterprise architecture and development at Skyline Technologies Inc. Kenny can be reached at 920.257.2132 or [email protected].

Building a partnership between IT and your business

COVER STORY


Special thanks to this year’s judgesJody Weyers, American Red CrossJill DeGroot-Schulke, Ameriprise Auto and Home InsuranceSherrie Tuma-Czechanski, Bellevue Independent and Assisted LivingScott Stein, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

Each year, the BBJ magazine’s People You Should Know celebrates individuals in the Greater Green Bay community who warrant an extra glance. This year’s focus is on innovators – people who are innovative and creative in how they do business.

Nomineeswere judgedon their innovativeness/creativity,calculatedrisk taken in being innovative (whether in changing a process, tackling a new niche, or rebranding), relevance and impact of the innovation on the business’s livelihood, and the relevance and impact of the innova-tion on the business community at large.

20 people you should knowTEXT JENNIFEr HOGELaND PHOTOGRAPHY KrIS Maz www.LaUNCHFILM.com

creators the movers the shakers the elevators the makers creators achievers the creators the dedicators the risk-takers thekers

c the changers the doers outside-the-box thinkers moverr ers the inventors the deliverere launchers the designerdvancers the hard-workers movers the collaborators adv

facilitators the engagers managers the resolvers the facilitat solution-seekers the initiators the developers the discovere

leaders the leaders the reactors the builders the founders doers the growers the fighters the evolvers the exceedersoers

expanders the challengers the establishers the improversdiscoverers the designers the pioneers the discovererrs

t se originators the INNOVATORS the accomplishers creators

His specialty alone makes Dr. Jonathan Tammela an innovator. But because of the significance of his contributions in the treatment of gynecologic cancer, he’s highly regarded as an asset to the community.

Dr.TammelajoinedPreveaHealth/St.VincentRegionalCancerCenterin 2005 and became the only gynecologic oncologist in Northeast Wisconsin. With only about 800 such specialists practicing across the country, many patients must travel to major cities for their gynecologic cancer treatments. Dr. Tammela chose to practice in Green Bay because he recognized the opportunity to make a significant difference in the community.

A St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center survey revealed that since Dr. Tammela became part of the community, more than twice as many women with gynecologic cancers receive their care close to home. The percentage of gynecologic cancer patients who have had their cancer surgically staged increased from 20 to 98 percent. Dr. Tammela says, “To have the opportunity to have the proper surgical staging, to establish the extent of the disease and to have the availability of radical, aggressive surgery, when appropriate, dramatically improves outcomes.”

“Dr. Tammela is an excellent surgeon. He’s up-to-date on the latest cancer treatment protocols,” adds Erich Metzler, M.D., OB-GYN, Prevea Health. “He provides another level of care for patients in Northeast Wisconsin.”

An early adapter of technology, Dr. Tammela’s use of the daVinci robotic surgery system offers a less invasive surgical approach to gynecologic cancer procedures. Patients appreciate the smaller incisions, less pain and quicker recovery times. He also embraces new treatment techniques; one allows him to skillfully infuse chemotherapy drugs into the abdominal region, closer to the area affected by ovarian cancer.

An active researcher, Dr. Tammela provides access to clinical research trials through the National Cancer Institute, enrolling 17 patients in clinical trials in the first nine months of 2011. These cutting-edge therapies and drugs offer area gynecologic cancer patients the same treatment opportunities as if they went to Mayo Clinic or Harvard. But much, much closer to home.

JonaThan Tammela, m.d.Gynecologic oncologist at prevea health/st. Vincent Regional Cancer Center


Dr. Tammela joined Prevea Health/St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center in 2005 and became the only

gynecologic oncologist in Northeast Wisconsin.

CanCeR TReaTmenTTRailblazeR.


miChael heRmesowner/president of hermes law ltd.

Michael Hermes brings new life to the practice of law. He began by dedicating his law firm, Hermes Law Ltd., solely to business litigation. Unlike the traditional “do everything” law firm, Hermes Law Ltd. was founded on the unique combination of principles and practices of a large litigation firm while maintaining the personal touch of a small firm.

As the mastermind behind the dedicated services of litigation and pre-litigation disputes, Hermes has been able to achieve milestones previously unreachable by small practices. His vision was to create a straight-forward approach to law that eliminated hierarchy and layers of inefficiency. Backed by a passionate and skilled team, Hermes created an innovative approach to the practice of law. “We don’t want to overlook any opportunity to help our clients or to improve our business,” says Hermes.

He is not only inventive in the way he built his firm but also in the way he delivers and frames arguments. Hermes takes time to understand hisclientandhis/hermatters;heputsahumanfaceondullorcomplexdisputes. As the only locally based law firm working on the Fox River PCB cleanup litigation, the community also feels the firm’s impact.


Another one of his astonishing triumphs was changing the customary culture of a law office. He began by encouraging employees to think creatively and strategically. His idea was to fashion a fresh, contemporary workplace that fosters an inventive business approach, respects the home and life balance, and pushes the mind to think outside the box. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all world. I want to know the ‘why’ behind the reason things are done a particular way so that we can tailor a solution to the particular problem,” says Hermes.

Hermes only enforces two office rules. First, get the work done. Second, provide a timely response to clients. There are no secret policies or hidden motives behind the creation of this type of working environment. He explains he’s dedicated to building a niche firm while permitting employees a seamless transition from home and work as they pursue perfection in their job.

As the mastermind behind the dedicated services of litigation and pre-litigation disputes, Hermes has been able to achieve milestones previously

unreachable by small practices.

dediCaTed liTiGaToR.


Dr. Paul Summerside strives to improve the status quo. He wakes up every morning asking himself what he can do to better the health of the community. He believes being innovative requires constant effort to improve and to get better. He models this belief by creating initiatives and takes it a step further by encouraging and stimulating innovativeness in others.

Two years ago statistics revealed 38 percent of BayCare Clinic’s own health plan members were obese and 63 percent were at be-low-average physical fitness levels. Dr. Summerside feared those employees who should be examples of good health were at risk for stroke, heart attack and cancer. He was determined to drive change.

Dr. Summerside designed a program built around personal responsibility; he provided incentives to inspire behavioral changes. This wellness initiative, known as the Healthy Lifestyles Program, was rolled out to BayCare’s employees in January 2010. It tackled the quantifiable contributor that typically results in high health care costs – inactivity and poor eating habits. After just less than one year, Dr. Summerside’s vision for a more healthful workforce celebrated

remarkable results – the number of participants with an “excellent” body composition and fitness level doubled and the program had a 72 percent retention rate. This revolutionary program was implemented at Aurora BayCare Medical Center and is now being offered to other local companies to create a more healthful community.

Dr. Summerside was also influential in developing a working rela-tionship between BayCare Clinic and WiSys Technology Foundation, a nonprofit organization that facilitates research and developmental programs that train university students and generate new discover-ies. With his efforts, BayCare Clinic physicians were introduced to UW faculty and students to encourage collaboration on research and inventions.

By bringing together the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Summerside facilitated the first-ever presence of medical school education in Northeast Wisconsin. Now 25 BayCare Clinic physicians work with medical students, advancing the mission of Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine (WARM), and enticing young physicians to continue practicing in rural areas.

paul summeRside, m.d., mmmChief medical officer and chief compliance officer at BayCare Clinic, emergency physician at aurora bayCare medical Center


By bringing together the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Summerside

facilitated the first-ever presence of medical school education in Northeast Wisconsin.

healTh iniTiaToR.


Seniasor Rodriguez-Gomez believes everyone needs a place to fit in and to have an opportunity to shine. As administrative staff at Preble High School, Rodriguez-Gomez has a hand in shaping and influenc-ing the lives of local youth. She strives to incorporate innovative ideas and to engage students at school. Through her efforts, more students are finding success in and outside the classroom.

She believes there are students who want to do well in order to belong to something, but there are others who need to belong to something in order to do well.

Rodriguez-Gomez noticed the Latino students at Preble High School were struggling to find a group or club where they fit. Their frustration was showing up in their schoolwork and through their behavior. She sought solutions rather than punishments. Rodriguez-Gomez began listening to their stories and determined their lack of motivation; she discovered the group’s rebellion was a plea to be included.

“I’m constantly trying to find methods, strategies or ideas after I take time to understand others’ reasons for acting or reacting the way they do,” says Rodriguez-Gomez. “I always try to understand and then think outside the box to find solutions, options or possibilities.”

She founded Teens for Change, a group for these at-risk students. Although the program didn’t qualify for school funding, the teens were given a place to meet. But, Rodriguez-Gomez wasn’t satisfied. This proactive educator applied for grant funding to give the teens an opportunity to gain basic life skills and valuable experiences. AAUW answered her plea, granting the group $10,000 to use over the next two years.

Her initial goal was to change the group’s “negative noise” to some-thing positive, but along the way she inspired students. The trust she earned translated into student involvement. Members of Teens for Change now join in school activities like talent shows, homecoming competitions and food drives.

She adds, “I really believe in people and the potential to do better. I’ll encourage anyone around me to find their best and show it to this world since we all came with our own gifts and talents; some of us just need the push to demonstrate it.”

seniasoR RodRiGuez-Gomez student engagement and attendance support staff at preble high school

Seniasor Rodriguez-Gomez believes everyone needs a place to fit in and to

have an opportunity to shine.


GRoup adVoCaTe.


Jason Gegere has taken the pen and paper out of the referral process. An idea guy, Gegere recently created an online service to connect individuals and businesses.

His first entrepreneurial venture began 10 years ago when he cre-ated his own web development company, HTMLgraphic Designs. The small business community felt the impact from Gegere’s website creations, evident in their well-rounded online presence. While still running HTMLgraphic Designs in a limited capacity, he’s relied on his web development know-how to design an online solution for a new startup, Passing Green.

With an inventive design and focus on the user experience, Passing Green’s system allows small businesses to generate and manage re-ferrals. As the technical co-founder, Gegere worked diligently to build a robust online solution that would help thousands of businesses gain new leads and customers by helping with the basic task millions of people do every day: passing referrals of friends and colleagues to businesses. Since starting Passing Green, he’s added more than 150 businesses to the service, generated more than 400 referrals and closed more than $35,000 in business.

The wizard behind the curtain, Gegere silently strives to make an im-pact on the community by connecting people. “I have made lifelong connections at every event I attended, and I find myself continuously reaching back to the people I meet. The world is big and the web is even bigger. But, if you focus and connect you will find your way with ease,” he says.

As an innovator, Gegere continually looks for opportunities to improve what exists, to identify new methods and to streamline processes. “If I can create something that can shave even a single hour off of a daily process, that is going to add up in a big way,” adds Gegere. His impact on the community at large unites professionals and, with both ventures, he allows hundreds of thousands of people to find the infor-mation they need with the click of a mouse.

Jason GeGeReweb developer for passing Green

Gegere worked diligently to build a robust online solution that would help thousands of businesses gain new leads and customers.


ReFeRRalCReaToR.


pRoduCT deVelopeR.


“Ideas can and do come from anywhere,” says Robert Doster. This thinker finds his professional and personal inspiration from the world around him.

Doster has headed the research and development divisions for Car-nation Foods, Clorox, Shaklee, and for the past 12 years at Enzymatic Therapy, now Schwabe North America. As chief scientific officer, he’s brought innovation to natural medicines, dietary supplements and nu-traceuticals.

Examples of Doster’s creative product development include a probi-otic that became the fastest selling probiotic in health food stores, the use of unique product forms such as tasty liquid vitamin products, drink mixes, cleansing products, “gummy” supplements and chewable tablets, and a product that boosts the immune system. “Creation of products that improve the health and wellness of the consumer is a gratifying outcome from doing this type of work,” says Doster.

In 2011, new products contributed approximately 17 percent of Schwabe North America’s ongoing revenue, exceeding its target. Doster’s overall product development initiatives added approximate-ly $44 million to the company’s overall growth rate. This allowed Schwabe North America to expand its operations and create more than 100 new jobs.

Looking forward, Doster reveals he will be heavily involved in the launch of a large complement of products in 2012.

An advocate for doing the right thing, Doster consistently challenges convention. He spends countless hours researching a product’s safety and effectiveness. By reverse engineering products, he ensures they are not only safe but allows the company’s manufacturing operations to improve their production processes.

He collaborates with industry groups and regulatory agencies, which govern the dietary supplement and natural medicine categories, to de-fine safety and efficacy. Under his leadership, the Laboratory Group established new methods for analytical processes that are widely ad-opted by industry groups and competing companies.

While his professional contributions are remarkable, Doster doesn’t stop inventing when he leaves the office. He has his hand in furniture design and construction, bicycle design and fabrication, metalworking and more. “I feel anyone can be innovative, but it starts with awareness of what’s happening in the world around us,” he adds. “And we need to be prepared for failure. I seldom get it right the first time.”

RobeRT C. dosTeRChief scientific officer for Schwabe North America

“I feel anyone can be innovative, but it starts with awareness of what’s happening in the world around us.”


As executive director of On Broadway Inc., Christopher Naumann is not only a leader, but a doer. He knows that in order to accomplish the many goals of On Broadway, he needs the help of many hands – and isn’t hesitant to roll up his sleeves to make an impact.

He explains the natural role of any main street program director is to be an innovator. Naumann is required to dissect the difficult and complex problems of the Broadway District and offer more than one simple solution. These issues might require a lengthy, often mad-dening, path to get to the solution, but it’s a challenge Naumann relishes.

Tasked with making the Broadway District a great place to be, and stay, in business, Naumann has sought opportunities to improve the area’s vibrancy. He began by building on the successes already ex-perienced by the district. “Whereas the ‘we’ve always done it this way’ or ‘I’m going to do it my way’ approach can cause challenges within an organization like On Broadway, Chris has excelled at assessing thesituation,reviewingthechallengeand/oropportunityandmovingforward with a solution, balancing what has been historically used with new and innovative approaches,” says Jami Harrington, business development specialist for the city of Green Bay.

With the Wednesday Farmers’ Market being one of the district’s big-gest draws, Naumann worked his magic, promoting the storefront businesses. He had the streets closed to traffic, which would typically rob the retailers of sales, but he cleverly placed the vendors on the street, facing the storefronts, making them the focus of the crowds.

One of his greatest obstacles yet to overcome is the perception of the “lack of parking” in the district. With the existing parking options scat-tered here and there, Naumann has begun unifying property owners to find a solution. He reveals he hopes to have the district’s first “joint association” multiple ownership parking lot up and running in 2012.

Under Naumann’s watchful eye, the district has experienced continual business growth, adding 16 new businesses to the area in the past year.

ChRisTopheR naumannexecutive director for on broadway inc.

Under Naumann’s watchful eye, the district has experienced continual business growth, adding 16 new

businesses to the area in the past year.


downTown pRomoTeR.


builT To suCCeed.


As a 57 percent shareholder in Northern Electric Inc. (NEI), Tracy Conard manages and controls the company’s direction. Working in a male dominated industry, it isn’t uncommon for her to hear mut-terings that women don’t belong in construction. But, confident in her business know-how, Conard is also brilliantly using gender to her advantage.

Conard and her husband founded NEI in 1992. She had the business knowledge, and he had the electrical skills that gave them the courage to take the entrepreneurial leap. At that time women in the trades were few and far between, and there were few diversification goals in the construction industry.

Equipped to handle everything from basic electrical wiring to com-prehensivedesign/build constructionmanagement,Conardsetoutto earn customers based on the company’s capabilities. But, after 20 years in business, she realized what a rarity it was to have a woman at the helm of an electrical contracting company, so she sought certifica-tion from the state Department of Commerce as a Women’s Business

Enterprise. With laws dedicated to diversification, NEI’s certification has assisted many companies, government and local municipalities in meeting their diversification goals. Reacting to this need has paid divi-dends for the company.

Conard keeps her eyes wide open and is constantly looking for opportunities to evolve NEI to not only meet, but to exceed, her customers’ needs with new offerings. She says, “I am constantly think-ing of ways to evolve the company, becoming even more accomplished in advanced technologies, achieving greater diversity in our workforce, and expanding our overall capabilities.”

Her open mind has paid off as their reach continues to expand. An NEI electrical customer requested they assist them with a health-care project, an industry completely unrelated to electrical contracting. The project was something completely foreign to Conard and her team, but they accepted the challenge. They’ve since added an entirely new division to the contracting company that services the customer’s needs.

TRaCy ConaRdCeo of northern electric inc.

Equipped to handle everything from basic electrical wiring to comprehensive design/build construction management, Conard set out to earn customers based on the company’s capabilities.


Joe Kiedinger was taught growing up that he could do anything. And, that’s how he leads his life. He overcomes obstacles and only sees the possibilities those challenges left behind.

Kiedinger, along with his wife, Danica, founded Prophit Marketing Inc. and About Me International. Both companies were formulated to offer unique marketing tools for clients.

Highly motivated to create something special, Kiedinger spent three years studying what successful companies did to create a strong brand. He combined the information and developed the Prophit Marketing System.

Kiedinger’s creative process goes beyond what traditional market-ing and ad agencies offer. His system takes into account the human aspect of business. Kiedinger realized early on that business leaders have distinctly different working styles, personalities and communica-tion processes – all of which are critical in marketing strategies. He is so passionate on the subject he wrote a book, The Brander-in-Chief.

Kiedinger also strongly believes in putting a priority on one’s colleagues and developing a healthy company culture that he trained in Servant

Leadership and began offering related services to his clients. The response to the training concluded this method greatly contrib-utes to a positive working environment. This discovery led to one of Kiedinger’s most recent inventions, the About Me Card.

“Our team has been working for many years on creating the world’s first communication tool that fosters and grows the human spirit,” says Kiedinger. The About Me Card is an automated employee engagement tool that explains to leaders and co-workers how to effectively communicate with one another in 60 seconds. “With just a little training you can treat any person with respect and lead them through their natural motivations,” he adds. Out to change the world of communications, Kiedinger’s innovative tool has had a meaningful and inspirational impact on users.

Beyond his successful business ventures and creations, Kiedinger reaches out to the community by sharing his time and talents. Equipped with a bit of humor, he provides passion-filled, energetic speeches at the Excellence in Leadership services at Christian Values in Business, post-college career sessions at St. Norbert College, and workshops for organizations like the Current Young Professionals Network.

Joe kiedinGeRFounder and co-owner of prophit marketing inc. and about me international

“Our team has been working for many years on creating the world’s first communication tool that

fosters and grows the human spirit.”


CommuniCaTinG expeCTaTions.


pRoCess impRoVeR.


pRoCess impRoVeR.

Most employees panic when their company begins talking about lean business principles. But, Sean Skinner took the feared concept to transform the culture at St. Vincent and St. Mary’s Hospitals.

As director of continuous process improvements (CPI) for the hospitals, Skinner utilized lean improvements to create efficiencies and to improve patient care rather than cause a loss in jobs. He says, “I am leading a very disciplined yet creative continuous improvement methodology that eliminates waste in health care to root cause, adds value for the patient, and gets our colleagues and physicians excited about improving patient care.”

He challenges the status quo, rules, policies and regulations when they interfere with patient care and innovation. “Sean is a total be-liever in the lean process because he has firsthand knowledge of the results that it produces. His challenge was to create the excitement he has for CPI in all whom he encounters. That is what he did for my team and for me, and now we are believers in this process,” says Patti Wauters, director, inpatient surgical services at St. Vincent Hospital.

He tackles projects where he can save money, create new income, increase colleague productivity, and improve patient safety and sat-isfaction. One such project was centralized scheduling. By evaluating the process and workflow, Skinner reduced the average call-in wait time by 94 percent, dropped the number of abandoned calls by 84 percent and added an additional 25 appointment slots per week with-out adding resources.

Through a sorting and standardizing event at St. Vincent Hospital, Skinner reduced supply levels by 40 to 60 percent, saving $4,000 or more per month. During a rapid improvement event, Skinner and his team were able to improve patient access to the vascular lab by two weeks, adding the ability to accommodate 10 more patients per week. This brought more than $100,000 in annual net revenue to the hos-pital. By controlling and improving the hospital costs, the community feels the savings.

Skinner reveals the Lean process is an endless journey, but he intends to continue using the CPI methodology to meet the current and future challenges of health care.

sean skinneRdirector of continuous process improvements (Cpi) for st. Vincent and st. mary’s hospitals

As director of continuous process improvements (CPI) for the hospitals, Skinner utilized lean improvements to create efficiencies and to improve patient care rather than cause a loss in jobs.


makinG impRoVemenTs.


Mark Radtke has a long history of innovation. In his nearly 30 years atWisconsinPublicService/IntegrysEnergyGroup,hereliedonhisinventive and creative leadership to guide the company into new pro-cesses, new projects and new business opportunities. His career is marked by the calculated risks taken to improve the utility company.

His pioneering mind was evident early in his employment at Wiscon-sin Public Service with the development of a networked computing platform for its electric grid energy management system. He saw the potential for process improvement and worked with a team to develop a real-time computer monitoring and control system that would evolve with its business and technology needs. While it was an unusual ap-proach in the ‘80s, Radtke recognized the rapid developments in computer networking and applied concepts to the energy industry. His improved application of the energy metering technology contin-ues to have a positive impact on the business community.

As an engineer, Radtke’s made countless other improvements to the company and industry over the last few decades. He moved through

the ranks at Wisconsin Public Service, continually innovating and creating products designed to save customers money. In 2010 Radt-ke became the executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Integrys Energy Group. His new role was a natural fit as he sought out ways to build a more resilient company. One of Radtke’s goals was to move the organization into the compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel-ing business. The economies made sense, but the technology wasn’t being deployed as quickly as Radtke hoped. He put together a team to learn and evaluate the business potential. He’s been leading the charge to discover a technology that fits the business model to make CNG a mainstream fuel.

Mary Frank-Arlt from Wisconsin Public Service says, “Radtke fo-cuses on the outlook for growth in the use of natural gas vehicles in the U.S. transportation industry, and Integrys’ plans to deploy additional CNG infrastructure, driving customer confidence in in-vesting in natural gas vehicles and fueling with CNG.” Radtke’s innovations are getting attention in Brown County, the utility industry and nationwide.

maRk RadTkeExecutive vice president and chief strategy officer for Integrys Energy Group Inc./Wisconsin Public Service

As an engineer, Radtke’s made countless improvements to the company and industry over the last few decades.


As director of RF engineering for Cellcom, Bob Sobieck is part of a collaborative team of engineers who build and operate Cellcom’s wireless network. He is charged with coming up with creative solu-tions to solve a variety of problems in the fast-paced wireless industry. Sobieck always comes to the rescue, proposing ideas that put Cell-com ahead of industry trends.

Sobieck doesn’t fit the mold of a typical engineer. He’s a social guy and sees engineering as more of an art than a mathematical chal-lenge. Being part of the ever-changing wireless industry, Sobieck has been part of many experiments and provided a variety of solutions.

An example of his solution-oriented thinking was in response to cus-tomers in the northwoods of Wisconsin who were in a dead zone and off the grid in terms of power. Cellcom’s engineers refused to let the cost of bringing electricity to the site get in the way of helping the customer. It was then Sobieck’s idea for creating an alternative energy cell site was born.

His proposal was to work with emerging technologies that incorporate

renewable energy. The green site resembles other cell sites but uses technologies including solar panels, windmills and a hydrogen fuel cell. This innovative approach was replicated in Door County where the cliffs that lined the rugged shoreline were blocking signals from mainland towers, leaving area residents with limited cellular service.

An advocate for the environment, Sobieck has rallied for small changes to be made to cell sites as part of the green revolution. While lighting is required on all sites, he pushed Cellcom to use LED lights to reduce energy consumption. Radios are continually updated with more efficient models that use less electricity. “These small changes make a difference on the electricity bill and lessen Cellcom’s environmental impact,” says Brighid Riordan, director of public affairs at Cellcom.

For him, innovation is cyclic. He says, “There are periods of innova-tion followed by learning that fuels the engine for more innovation.” His current focus is on 4G technology, which he expects will provide remarkable growth opportunities. Sobieck adds, “The goal is to work to meet the demand now but have an eye on the future so you will be in a good position to be successful long term.”

bob sobieCkdirector of RF engineering for Cellcom


“There are periods of innovation followed by learning that fuels the engine for more innovation.”

makinG The Call.


One of Judy Turba’s gifts is identifying possibilities and developing them in an unexpected way. Once involved in a mission or project, Turba works to improve it and take it to the next level.

Her inspiration doesn’t come from working with products, services or technology. She makes her impact by touching the lives of people. As programming director for the Norbertine Center for Spirituality, she’s in the “innovation of the soul” business. She embraces and promotes collaboration for the greater good.

While the Center for Spirituality has been in existence for more than 25 years, Turba brought her enthusiasm to the position three years ago. She felt individuals, especially with today’s economic stresses, needed to take better care of themselves as the whole person – body, mind and spirit – to be happier and more fulfilled.

Turba got creative, offering programs other than the traditional retreat center model. Topics tied to supporting the whole body with programs for the under or unemployed, water aerobics combined with spiritual

reflection and days of renewal for men and women. She says, “I try to look at what else could be done and then attempt to develop exciting and compelling programs, presentations, projects or concepts to meet the need.” Thanks to her lead, the number of programs and retreats offered annually went from 18 to 67. By putting on her PR hat and spreading the world about the local treasure, 10,000 visitors came to the center last year.

“To me, innovation also means collaboration,” says Turba. “There is nothing more exciting than taking an idea, bringing others into the creative process, and developing something new and innovative, culminating an end result that is greater than the original idea.”

It is her kind heart that makes Turba such a wonderful fit at the St. Nor-bert Abbey. But it’s just her generous and caring nature to help others. She’s traveled to Zambia, spending time in one of Africa’s poorest regions. Her determination to “do more” spurred Turba to write a book and coordinate an organization to raise funds for Zambian children.


Judy TuRbaprogramming director for the norbertine Center for spirituality and public relations coordinator for the st. norbert abbey

“I try to look at what else could be done and then attempt to develop exciting and compelling programs, presentations, projects or concepts to meet the need.”

GiFTed missionaRy.


FoRwaRd ThinkeR.


Committing to doubling his office space at the first ripples of the recession in 2007 was a gutsy move for Lance Peroutka, owner of Element. The marketer knew that getting enough business to support his expansion was going to be challenging.

Peroutka knew he needed to refocus his business to match the new mind-set the depressed economy had created. Business expectations increased while marketing budgets decreased. To continue to grow his business and gain new accounts, Peroutka revamped the agency’s services to include new, cost-effective marketing solutions such as social media and search engine optimization programs. He says, “Our industry changes so fast that you have to always be willing to evaluate new marketing and advertising tactics.”

One of the program additions allowed Element to help businesses “get found” online. Another permitted clients to build relevant fan bases that they could market to via social media. Last year, Peroutka pushed for the development of a proprietary social media monitoring tool, Reactor Social, which enabled businesses interested in tracking and documenting online activity the ability to do so.

He appointed an employee to be director of new media and charged him with keeping up-to-date on marketing trends. By participating and holding conferences and attending national seminars, Element remains tuned into the latest and greatest social media developments. Peroutka says, “The key is to develop products that clients can get their arms around and see how it impacts their bottom line.”

With the uncertain economy, Peroutka found he also needed to approach marketing in a different way. Each client wanted ideas that were fresh and innovative, to stand out from the competition. Gone are the days of only expensive ads and colorful brochures to promote a product or service; websites are becoming the preferred market-ing tool. Peroutka responded by expanding the agency’s interactive department. This allowed Element to integrate marketing strategies with impressive interactive capabilities. Interactive projects, includ-ing the design and development of websites, mobile applications and custom programming, account for a significant portion of Peroutka’s business.

lanCe peRouTkaagency director/principal/owner for element

“The key is to develop products that clients can get their arms around and see how it impacts their bottom line.”


As dean of trades and engineering technologies at NWTC, Mark Weber finds unique ways to educate students on skilled trades. Weber brings more than 20 years of manufacturing experience to his technical training leadership role. As a strong believer in the principles of lean manufacturing, he strives to eliminate waste while improving the technical education process.

Over the past year, it has become even more apparent the shortage of skilled labor in the fast-changing industrial market. Determined to fight the outdated stigma associated with a career in the trades, and provide students with the latest in high-tech equipment, Weber cham-pioned a model to take technology to students.

With most school equipment decades behind current technology, NWTC realized it is unreasonable for all schools to keep up with the cost of the equipment. Establishing a centralized location with the high-tech tools wasn’t an option for students living in outlying areas who’d lose valuable classroom time. Weber’s discovery changes the way students are educated. He came up with a Computer Integrated Manufacturing Mobile Lab, which was a cost-effective method for delivering computer numerical control (CNC) machining technology


to rural high schools. The mobile is equipped with 12 design stations and two state-of-the-art machine centers; it will serve up to 10 high schools and 120 students per semester.

High-tech companies are asking for highly skilled employees but the old method wasn’t keeping up. With Weber’s lead, NWTC is attracting high school students interested in a career in skilled trades by offering them the opportunity to see the future of the industry, in their environ-ment. “We will train students in the latest technology, with the latest technology,” adds Joe Draves, associate dean, power systems, trades and engineering technologies at NWTC.

Weber also remains focused on “leaning” the delivery process of tech-nical education. The skilled trades are advancing at such a rapid pace, and Weber believes it is critical to keep the classroom curriculum up-to-date to avoid passing along outdated information. He stepped up, worked with instructors to recognize the waste that exists and found ways to eliminate the unnecessary efforts in the current pro-cess. As a result, Weber is guiding NWTC to deliver more with less.

maRk webeRdean, Trades and engineering Technologies, at northeast wisconsin Technical College

With Weber’s lead, NWTC is attracting high school students interested in a career in skilled trades by

offering them the opportunity to see the future of the industry, in their environment.

lean ThinkeR.


FuelinG inVenTions.


Breakthrough®Fuel created a tagline, “Breakthrough Innovations at Work,”toreflect itscompany’sculture.CraigDickman,CEO/CIOofBreakthrough® Fuel, says that to sustain this focus, the company has to build and execute an innovative process, maintain and review an innovative pipeline, and commit a defined amount of capital and resources to innovation.

Dickman founded Breakthrough®Fuel to bring about positive change and forward motion within the supply chain management and trans-portation industries. In a “that’s the way we’ve always done it” type of industry, Dickman found his niche. He created a new method to man-age transportation-related fuel.

In the world of transportation, shippers have been using a diesel fuel surcharge index-based method to reimburse carriers for years. Having worked both in a shipper and carrier role during his career, Dickman saw these surcharges were obscure and imprecise, not per-mitting shippers the opportunity to understand or manage their fuel costs or consumption. Because he recognized a gap existed in the way shippers managed the energy to move their products, Dickman created a new method and built the technology to manage transpor-tation energy.

He developed a patented Breakthrough®Fuel Recovery program, which calculates the actual cost of fuel based on the specific ship-ment the carrier hauls. Thanks to Dickman’s clever tool, shippers are not only able to realize savings but also enjoy a heightened level of transparency in terms of fuel costs. The bottom line: They can manage their fuel more effectively. “We went from a concept, to a design, to a marketplace product that has transformed the way our clients manage energy,” adds Dickman.

What began as an idea now has grown into a phenomenon in the transportation industry with more than 2,100 companies using his process to understand and manage fuel costs. The concept of trans-portation energy management has been adopted by some of the largest companies in the market – P&G, Georgia-Pacific and Whirl-pool. These big names adopted Breakthrough®Fuel’s services because they were interested in reducing fuel costs, consumptions and emissions. Since the initial product introduction, Breakthrough®Fuel has added six new product introductions, has filed two new patents and has another three patents in progress.

CRaiG diCkmanCeo/Cio of breakthrough®Fuel

What began as an idea now has grown into a phenomenon in the transportation industry with more than 2,100 companies using his process to understand and manage fuel costs.



Wildly imaginative, Gretchen Gilbertson gives life to cutting-edge de-signs. While she’s very creative, she also has the power to inspire others to be inventive.

Gilbertson grew up in an entrepreneurial family. Following in her parents’ footsteps, Gilbertson and her husband founded Séura seven years ago and have since become a force to be reckoned with in the consumer electronics industry. As the mogul behind new product de-velopment, Gilbertson attributes their original products for propelling the company’s growth and allowing them to thrive in the fast-paced consumer environment. She says, “It is our company’s way of innovat-ing in every aspect of our business, not just product development, that makes us unique.”

Determined to establish an open forum for ideas, Gilbertson estab-lished company-wide “ideation” sessions to expand on product ideas and cultivate a new product development plan with engineers and technical staff. She instituted an “idea board,” open to all employees, welcoming product ideas and practical office suggestions on ways to save money and stay lean.

Séura set out to bridge the gap between technology and home décor, which blossomed into the creation of revolutionary electron-ics. Vanishing and non-vanishing television mirrors and lighted mirrors were just the beginning. Gilbertson was responsible for designing and engineering Séura’s own 19-inch LCD television, developed spe-cifically for optimized performance and its ultra-slim profile. Other showstoppers include a compact and innovative waterproof LCD and the most recently unveiled waterproof television for outdoor use.

Séura started out of a garage and has grown into a business that stands proudly on Ontario Road with corporate offices and manufac-turing space. It began with one-off products for residential use and has expanded to commercial and hospitality markets. Gilbertson was integral in identifying and pursuing growth opportunities, which placed Séura on the map. “While our products continue to meet the discrimi-nating demands of our customers, our way of conducting business and positioning ourselves in our industries has shaped the future of Séura,” adds Gilbertson.

GReTChen GilbeRTsonCo-founder and partner at séura

“It is our company’s way of innovating in every aspect of our business, not just product

development, that makes us unique.”

CuTTinG-edGe inspiRaTion.


lookinG ouTsideThe box.


Architects by their very nature are innovative – taking the best of what has worked in the past and blending it with solutions that incor-porate their client’s wishes. Daniel Roarty, principal at Dimension IV, challenges past methods and pushes the boundaries to come up with his latest brilliant solution.

“His approach to challenges is unique, often having most of the solu-tion and outcome understood before you can finish explaining the situation,” says Naletta Burr, director of community development and planning at Dimension IV.

Roarty brought the “building recycling” concept to the Green Bay area with the reuse of the former Larsen Canning Co. site and most re-cently the interior recycling of Port Plaza Mall. He was talking about green and sustainable design long before it became all the rage.

On behalf of Dimension IV, Roarty delivers the message that respon-sible architecture involves consideration of green, sustainable design, long range planning and economic development. He says, “By work-ing to make the public more knowledgeable and therefore better able to ‘demand’ good architecture, the architectural profession and the communities at large benefit.”

Roarty works with clients to address building issues, allowing them to operate at a higher level. His approach to design is one that not only improves the business but also impacts its bottom line. “Dan is an as-set to any organization he belongs to,” adds Chris Naumann, executive director of On Broadway Inc. “He has this innate ability to take an idea and bring it to the next level…accomplishing the goals.”

Amidst the recent recession, Roarty took a calculated risk in growing the firm’s services by adding a planning and economic division and hir-ing an urban planning and community development specialist. At the time most companies were pulling back, Roarty saw the opportunity to make an investment in the firm, expanding its offerings and building on the office’s expertise.

In order to enhance his operations, Roarty and his team created a reporting system, “Dimensions IV Reports On,” to keep the lines of communication open and permit projects to go more smoothly.

daniel RoaRTyprincipal for dimension iV


Daniel Roarty, principal at Dimension IV, challenges past methods and pushes the boundaries to come up with his latest brilliant solution.

While the trend for building big homes continues, Chad Cornette comes along to offer something unexpected. As owner, designer, contractor and construction manager of Cantilever Studio, Cornette has found his niche, providing creative home design under his phi-losophy of “build smaller with higher quality.”

He promotes occupying less space with better design; he explains smaller doesn’t mean lower budget. His designs translate into lower heating and cooling bills, more lighting to interior spaces, improved indoor air quality, better efficiency and more. An early adopter of sus-tainability, his “smaller higher quality” beliefs draw from green building practices and complements 21st century lifestyles.

He says, “Fast-paced lives benefit from less building maintenance. A home should help simplify and enrich your life.” He makes the most of space with thoughtful, site-specific design solutions.

Cornette keeps his business nimble by remaining a one-person de-sign company and creating business alliances. He is able to retain very little overhead and be flexible with the types of work he attains. With expertise in all matters of home design he is able to cater his approach to fit his clients.

When the housing market started to decline, Cornette got creative by offering additional services; and he stayed involved with each proj-ect longer. His new service, construction management (CM), allowed Cornette to be involved in every step of the process, from concept to construction to move-in. This approach also permitted Cornette to have better quality control over his designs, ensuring increased client satisfaction.

He started the Green Bay Construction Guild as an online resource for homeowners to access “contractor referred” building professionals and suppliers. The tool provides contact information for high quality builders, trades and supply companies.

Committed to environmental awareness, Cornette shares his views and expertise with the community. He accepts speaking engagements to promote green building techniques, blogs to communicate the importance of sustainability to a wider audience, and teaches in the architecture department at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to educate students on quality design.

Chad CoRneTTeowner, designer, contractor and construction manager for Cantilever studio

“Fast-paced lives benefit from less building maintenance. A home should help simplify and enrich your life.”


builT RiGhT.



The Hispanic Community Council of Northeast Wisconsin has been in existence for a number of years but struggled to recruit and retain members – until Gabriela Gamboa got involved.

Gamboa began as a volunteer, working exclusively on the planning committee for the annual Hispanic Independence Festival at Leicht Park. She moved through the ranks, eventually being promoted to a leadership development role within the Hispanic community and for the members of the council. Armed with a love for her culture and the U.S., Gamboa felt inspired to share her enthusiasm with others in the Hispanic community.

In order to resolve the membership issues, she began actively recruit-ing young Hispanic professionals from area colleges and universities. She believed these individuals have already demonstrated they have drive and leadership abilities and would be motivated to make a dif-ference. By cleverly tapping this new group, the council’s membership stabilized and the productivity of the group multiplied.

Under Gamboa, the character of the organization changed, says Dar-ryl Buck, Hispanic Community Council member. Gamboa established a system of accountability for members. They were encouraged to help increase the organization’s name recognition.

She also established a program to help those who immigrate to the area understand the workings of the community. The intent was to help Hispanics fit into the community so they can better serve their families and support their children in their studies. Gamboa adds, “We are always looking for some improvement to be better as a community and a community organization.”

The organization’s activities have expanded under Gamboa’s leader-ship. While the Hispanic Information Fair and Hispanic Independence Festival continue as annual events, Gamboa also created community dinners to increase awareness of the council, a singing competition to showcase local talent, and a scholarship program to further the educa-tion of young Hispanic women.

“We have opened new opportunities to our community,” adds Gamboa. “We are working hard to let the people know that the Hispanic commu-nity is here, and we want to be part of Green Bay.”

GabRiela Gamboapresident of the hispanic Community Council

“We are working hard to let the people know that the Hispanic community is here, and we want to be part of Green Bay.”


inCReasinGawaReness.


Greg runnoeBusiness development coordinator, Smet

What are your job responsibilities and how do they fit with your personality? “Business development, marketing and customer relations. The best part of my position is the customer relations because I enjoy the interaction during the sales process and taking care of our clients. I’ve had the opportunity to create long-lasting friendships.”

How did you get started in construction? “In my previous life I owned a heating and cooling company and did a lot of work in residential and commercial new construction. So I felt comfortable making my career change to this field.”

When did Smet move its downtown location in the Chamber building, why did you move and what are you enjoying about it?“We moved downtown the last week of September. We’ve had considerable growth over the last couple of years and were in dire need of more space. We happen to own the building and it had open space, so it made sense to make it our new home. It’s nice to be closer to where most of our meetings take place with a lot less drive time.”

What makes Smet? “Smet Construction operates as a construction management company and doesn’t self-perform any part of the projects; we do management only. This business model allows us to competitively bid out all phases of a project to get our clients the very best price.”

How has Chamber membership involvement been important to Smet’s business devel-opment and growth? “We’ve taken advantage of the many networking events that the Chamber offers including the Business Expo and sponsorship of banquets. By attending those events we’ve been fortunate enough to land projects, but more importantly, develop relationships that have been a key to our growth. We also feel that the Advance Business & Manufacturing Center brings significant value to economic development as well as business development.”

What is your favorite place to eat in Green Bay? “Parisi’s which is part of Kavarna. They have great sandwiches and scones, too.”

If you could go anywhere, where would you go and why? “We’ve done a fair amount of traveling over the years, but never made it to Alaska. My wife and I really enjoy the outdoors, so that one is on our bucket list.”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten? “Many years ago a business acquaintance told me that you have to give in life to get anything out of it. I was going through some tough times and found it was very rewarding when I could help others in need. There’s a lot to that because I’ve been blessed since that time.”

Who do you most admire and why? “Jim Marshall from The Alternative Board (TAB) was very instrumental in my development in un-derstanding business. In my previous business I was a part of Jim’s business group and learned a great deal about how to run and understand a business. We were able to make it through some trying times when the business climate wasn’t in our favor. What is your favorite season, and what activities do you like to do during that season? I enjoy fishing and the warm weather during the summer as much as I like hunting and autumn colors during the fall. Fall also means the start of the football season and the Packers.”

MEET A MEMBERTEXT LOraINE O’DELL


Donna FisherDirector of community relations, FOX 11

How have things evolved over the years in the Tv industry/world?“Technology has definitely played a big role in speeding things up for us. Now I can just e-mail a spot to a client. Before, we had to send VHS tapes. We used to use linear advertising where everything was laid out – now we use computers. It still amazes me when I think about it.”

What does a typical work day look like for you?Fisher’s role includes a combination of community relations and commercial production, including work on commercials for local clients and promo for the station. “It’s a combination of meetings, writing scripts and working on a daily log, which lists what airs in a 24-hour period. Sometimes I’ll go on a shoot for a client. It’s a complex job; there’s not just one thing I do.”

How is FOX 11 unique?“FOX 11 really has great momentum. We produce six hours of news every weekday. We have a lifestyle show and a sports show. We’re lucky to have a nice combination of personalities and good news. We recognize the importance of local news. We give stories the time they need.”

What role do you play in the Chamber’s Business recognition Luncheon and Partners in Education Golden apple awards programs, and why do you feel those programs are beneficial?“I’m the go-between for the station and the Chamber. I craft messages for programs about the Chamber. These programs shine a light on local businesses and teachers. Growing the local economy with small businesses is vital. And we see teachers make a difference every day. I can’t think of a better awards program.”

What are your favorite movies?“My all-time favorite is Empire of the Sun. I also like anything by Michael Mann.”

What do you listen to in the car, and what do you think that says about your personal-ity?“I listen to a combination of NPR, indie rock and classical music. I can’t have just one thing all the time. I love music immensely, and I also need news.”

Why is Coats for Kids a project you chose to get involved in? What role do you play in that?“Coats for Kids was established before I started here. It’s the most significant project I work on. I come up with new creative work to get people to donate. As cheesy as it sounds, it restores my faith in humanity. I stand at the Oneida Gate [at Lambeau Field] with my container – and it’s a big container – and people fill it up and are happy to do it. People feel strongly about it. It’s important to keep kids warm.”

If you could have any job for a day (aside from your own), which would you choose and why?“Equine therapy – the idea of working with kids with horses would be enjoyable. I think horses have a unique connection with people.”

What’s your favorite inspirational quote?“Keep calm and carry on.”

If you won $1 million, what would you do with the money?“I’d buy land. I grew up on a farm. I live in the city and have for a while, but I just feel more com-fortable with open space.”

TEXT LOraINE O’DELL PHOTOGRAPH SHaUN PITTS, 44 INC.


BOOK REVIEWREVIEWED BY CLarE KINDT, BROWN COUNTY LIBRARY

Today the average American’s life span is far greater than it was 50-plus years ago, and how we die will depend on how we live. John Shier states at the beginning of his book, Choose Today, Live Tomorrow, that most of us will make decisions in our lifetime that will determine the fate of our final years.

How we choose to live today may determine if we die healthy or spend our final days under the care of medical personnel and technology. He stresses the importance of taking responsibility for our own health and becoming what he calls a “professional patient,” one who is an informed and active participant in his or her personal health plan. Disease, illness and trauma that would have killed our grandparents are treatable, preventable or nonexistent because of the medical advancements of the last 50 years. But in some cases, John takes a bold step to illustrate scenarios he has witnessed firsthand where he thinks science, technology and the medical system’s economic drive may have compromised quality of life and put a financial strain on the system. He does insist that he does not think medical person-nel prolong care or provide unnecessary treatment for the sake of money; he does think patients and their families are not always given the opportunity to discuss, or challenge, procedures or extreme measures taken simply for the sake of deferring death. He shares his frustrations with the current health care system and concludes the book on his self-coined “soapbox” about how the American medical system needs to change.

Starting a third career in nursing at age 60 is only part of John’s engaging story. What makes it more interesting is the juxtaposition with his previous career; that of a philosophy professor. To go from abstract thinking to the precise science of medicine takes a discipline that many may not have. It is not until John shares the impact of per-sonal events in his life that the marriage of the two makes sense. His experiences and beliefs, both professionally and personally, shape his opinions about health and patient care. He uses personal anecdotes and self-deprecating humor throughout the book, sharing his own

fumbles that have put him in the waiting room of hospitals and clinics. Using participants and questions from his various presentations give him the opportunity to discuss topics that many may want to know more about but may be afraid to ask. There are sidebars through-out the book that exemplify his message, in both very frank and lighthearted ways.

John emphasizes this is not a how-to book; there are no specific directions on what to do or eat to ensure longevity. He does not tell the reader what do; rather he teaches us how to become more proactive and involved in our health, asking that we move from a mind-set of “fixing what’s wrong” to “preventative maintenance.” A paradigm he uses to describe the difference between “medical care” and “health care.” On his “soapbox” he preaches that patients must start taking responsibility for their own health and using medical personnel as “vehicles for health rather than as mechanics who fix the things that go wrong.”

Medical advancements have extended lives of millions of people suffering from ailments that would have caused early death years ago. But along with that come other advancements and conveniences. What I find ironic is while certain illnesses and diseases may have been fatal to our grandparents, how they lived their daily lives is what we should be striving for today to increase our longevity — fewer pro-cessed foods and a less sedentary and more sustainable lifestyle. His principles are basic, nothing that hasn’t been said before, but with real-life examples he paints two pictures of what our final years with an extended lifespan could mean; a life that exists solely because of medications or machines or one that is productive, active and fulfilling. This is a choice he believes is ours to make simply by making the right decisions today.

AUTHOR John Shier, RN, Ph.D.

notes froM that guy nurse: choose today, live toMorrow


Additional titles available at the

Brown County Library

n 100 Plus: How the Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Every-thing, From Careers and Relationships to Family and Faith

Sonia Arrison Basic Books, 2011n The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and

Long Life From the Landmark Eight-Decade Study Howard Friedman Penguin Group, 2011n The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People

Who’ve Lived the Longest Dan Buettner National Geographic Society, 2009n White Coat Wisdom: Extraordinary Doctors Talk About What

They Do, How They Got There and Why Medicine Is So Much More Than a Job

Stephen Busalacchi (Wisconsin author writing about Wisconsin physicians) Apollos Voice, 2011n You, the Owner’s Manual, Updated and Expanded Edition, an

Insider’s Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger

Michael Roizen HarperCollins, 2008

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CHAMBER BRIEFS

advance business & Manufacturing centerThe Advance Business & Manufacturing Center incubator and its other business partners hosted one of several Innovation Series on Dec. 13, ad-dressing the Strategic Benefits of an Advisory Board including such aspects as how to build

and use an advisory board. Phil Hauck served as the presenter. The series was well-attended by new and established business owners. U.S. Senator Herb Kohl visited the center on Friday, Jan. 13, to discuss the need to help small businesses and offer assistance to help them grow and succeed. The Advance Business & Manufacturing Center incubator does just that by taking start-up businesses and helping them get a solid start in the business world. The Senator recognized two tenants at the incubator: a new machine tool shop, Machine Plus, LLC, as well as a research firm, aFF research, that administers the Green Bay Packers Business Mentor Protégé Program, designed to pair established businesses with emerging businesses. Machine Plus LLC tapped into many of the resources available at the incubator be-sides the physical space including: SCOrE, Small Business Devel-opment Center, advance Brown County MicroLoan Program and NWTC.

The Advance Business & Manufacturing Center incubator hit a new milestone in January with its highest occupancy since moving into its current facility on the NWTC campus in 2005. There are currently 36 companies residing in the incubator, representing more than 115 jobs. The incubator’s offices are 93 percent occupied with industrial space at 43 percent and overall occupancy at 58 percent.

brown county culinary kitchen On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the Brown County Culinary Kitchen located at N.E.W. Curative rehabilitation

hosted the Chamber’s Business After Hours with 150 registered at-tendees. The event showcased five of the kitchen’s licensed food pro-cessors who all provided taste samples of their products. A tour of the kitchen was also provided, and the event was a huge success.

governMent affairsThe Public Policy Council heard a presentation on the proposed KI Convention Center expansion and forwarded a position statement, later adopted by the Chamber board, “to support the expansion proj-ect and urge the leadership of the community to cooperate to find ways to expedite its completion.” As a result of presentations at Public Policy and at the Partners in Education Executive Board, Chamber President Laurie Radke met with WMC to urge that it correct some shortcomings in the proposed Vocational Diploma bill, and WMC is now supporting amendments to the bill that would do so. A variety of other local state and federal issues of interest to business are be-

ing tracked, and you can follow their progress in our monthly Public Policy News digest. Sign up at www.titletown.org/communications/chamber-newsletter-signup).

The Northeast Wisconsin Chambers Coalition, with our participation, prepared a Legislative Agenda and a Legislative Scorecard that were presented at the annual NEWCC Legislative Dialogue Breakfast held on Jan. 30.

The six communities pursuing metro fire service under the ritter Forum on Public Policy’s report A Shared Vision: Metro Fire Department are working to prepare a request for proposals to jointly hire a national consultant to do an implementation plan.

The Chamber has partnered with Bay area Community Council to present a community visioning conference, Brown County 20/20:Envisioning the Future, on Feb. 17-18 that will set priorities and initiate strategies in response to the LIFE Study findings. Check out the conference website at browncounty2020.org and like us at www.facebook.com/browncounty2020 to receive conference updates. View and download the LIFE Study at www.lifestudy.info.

MeMber servicesMore than 125 Business After Hours attendees enjoyed strolling through the 2011 WPS Garden of Lights at Green Bay Botanical Garden on Dec. 14.

On Dec.16, Jeff Mirkes, Downtown Green Bay Incorporated & Olde Main Street Inc., Christopher Naumann, On Broadway Inc., Greg Polachek, Associated Bank on behalf of the Military Avenue Busi-ness Association, and Cheryl Detrick, De Pere Area Chamber of Commerce, shared great insights into what’s happening in their areas at the “What’s Up Downtown” Business & Breakfast session at the F.K. Bemis Conference Center.

We celebrated one ribbon cutting in December.

Mark your calendars for great exhibitors, seminars and networking at Business Expo 2012 – Leap to the Top of Your Game, on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at the KI Convention Center.

planningHundreds of people made thousands of comments and suggestions this fall as Chamber President Laurie Radke conducted a series of listening meetings and online surveys with both Chamber and outside groups. We asked what the Chamber is doing well, what it can do better, where the Chamber should be in five years, about our proper role in the community and why employers are or are not members. The Chamber board held a planning session in December where it provided big-picture feedback to Radke. The entire Chamber staff is participating in a series of planning meetings to consider all this information and will be proposing a new strategic plan for board consideration this spring.


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CHAMBER NEWSGO TO www.titletown.org FOr THE LaTEST UPDaTES IN CHaMBEr NEWS aND EvENTS


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Joe Kiger, Techtron Tube Corp., division of Allied Tube & Conduit, Jennifer Kiger, Keystone Appraisal Group Inc. and Geri Vobril of Minute Meals network during the January Business After Hours at the Brown County Culinary Kitchen located in N.E.W. Curative Rehabilitation.

Steve Tyink, Miron Construction Co., Inc., presented at the January Business & Breakfast. He is pictured with Darlene Albers, Community First Credit Union.

Max,[email protected],co-emcee;MariaParmigiani,WLUK-TVFOX11/WCWF-TVCW14, co-emcee; Nicole Zich, Sassy Girl, Current Young Entrepreneur of the Year recipient; and Kate Lombardi,humanresourcesdirector/legalcounsel,NicoletNationalBank(Young Entrepreneur of the Year award sponsor). Photo By Amenson Studio.

December’s Business and Breakfast provided an exclusive update on “What’s up downtown” in the areas of the Broadway District, De Pere, Military Avenue and Downtown Green Bay courtesy of (from left) Christopher Naumann, On Broadway; Cheryl Detrick, De Pere Area Chamber of Comemrce, Greg Polachek on behalf of the Military Avenue Business Association; and Jeff Mirkes, Downtown Green Bay, Inc.

➜ Max,[email protected],co-emcee;MariaParmigiani,WLUK-TVFOX11/WCWF-TVCW14, co-emcee; Andria Hannula, Current Next Generation Best Place to Work award recipient, Sarah Anderson and Toni Kattestad, Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance; and Gary Lofquist, CEO, MCL Industries, Inc. (Next Generation Best Place to Work award sponsor). Photo By Amenson Studio.

➜ Nicholas Natzke, Northwestern Mutual (Current Young Professional of the Year award co-sponsor); Dana Kressig, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Future 15 & Young Professional of the Year recipient;Max,[email protected],co-emcee;MariaParmigiani,WLUK-TVFOX11/WCWF-TVCW 14, co-emcee. Missing: Dante Pizzuti, Northwestern Mutual (Young Professional of the Year award co-sponsor). Photo By Amenson Studio.

Green Bay Area Chamber of CommerceP.O. Box 1660 300 N. Broadway, Ste. 3AGreen Bay, W

I 54305-1660

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