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

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June/July 2011VOL 19 #3

GREEN BAY’S SUPERIOR BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE

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The BBJ is published bimonthly by the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 1660, Green Bay, WI 54305-1660. The BBJ is supported entirely by advertising revenue from member companies of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. For information about the advertising rates and deadlines, contact Sales at 920.593.3404. The BBJ (USPS 010-206) is published bimonthly for $18 a year by the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 1660, Green Bay, WI 54305-1660. Periodicals postage paid at Green Bay, WI. posTmasTer: Send address changes to The BBJ, P.O. Box 1660, Green Bay, WI 54305-1660. ph: 920.593.3423.

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contents.Volume 19, #3 | June/July 2011

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| BBJ JUNE/JULY 114

VIEW POINTTEXT fred monique

4 | BBJ JUNE/JULY 11

In politics, polarization (or polarisation) is the process by which the public opinion divides and goes to the extremes. It can also refer to when factions of a political party gain dominance in a party. In either case moderate voices lose power and influence as a consequence.

A number of academic studies indicate that beginning in the mid-1970s there has been a trend in American politics of increasing polarization. Events unfolding at both the state and federal levels since the start of the current year have elevated this trend to disconcerting and potentially damaging levels. Included among the vast array of polarizing actions we have experienced beginning in January 2011 are: recalls, recounts, picketing and boycott efforts; Demo-cratic senators leaving the state for Illinois; occupation of the state capitol building; school closings due to teach-er sick-outs; and linking spending cuts to federal debt ceiling increases. Each of these actions has economic, social and political impacts.

First, from a purely economic per-spective, the financial costs associated with the above have been considerable. Recent estimates place the cost of protests at our Wisconsin capitol over public workers’ collective bargaining rights at more than $7.8 million for local law enforcement including overtime. In addition, damage from the monthlong protests to the capitol building will cost an additional $270,000 to repair. At the time of this writing, esti-mates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election recount was estimated to cost at least $500,000 statewide based on actual average expendi-tures in the 22 counties that completed their efforts. As the upcoming

recall elections are the same as every other election, municipal ex-penditures for each recall is estimated to be $100,000 to $120,000 per election. And this assumes there are no primaries with multiple candidates in contention. Add to the above, costs associated with the approximate two-month delay in refinancing the state’s debt obligations as part of the original budget repair bill. That resulted from the departure from the state of the 14 Democratic senators and the financial impacts of school closures in the largest and second largest school districts (Mil-waukee and Madison), among other districts. Factor in teacher sick-outs to join demonstrations and you can see the substantive financial impact on each of us in the state.

Beyond these financial burdens there are also numerous non-monetary so-cial dislocations resulting from this current state of discord. Polarization has become an obstacle for reaching bipartisan agreements necessary to pass legislation. One of the most dis-tinctive features of American politics is that it is highly fragmented. Such fragmentation often makes it near impossible for the incumbent party to effectively legislate without forging

coalitions and gathering support from members of the opposite party. The problem with this is that this polarization of parties has eroded the ability to engage in bipartisanship. It has made it exceedingly difficult to build the cross-party coalitions necessary to create effective legislation. Further, polarization on policymaking has created initial gridlock as pref-erences of the parties have diverged. Such gridlock, as typified in the early stages of the recent national healthcare debate, can sometimes only be overcome through loop holes. For example, the only way health-care was able to succeed was through a loophole known as the budget

poLarizaTion….and not the climatic type

The current political climate at both the federal and state levels reduces the quality of legislative outcomes and the capacity for meaningful policymaking.

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 5

reconciliation process. Reconciliation bills cannot be filibustered. And while such a process enabled the Democratic Party to pass healthcare, it is undesirable, and only serves to decrease the legitimacy and author-ity of government.

Other trends stemming from this polarization is the increas-ing frequency of displeased constituencies utilizing both judicial reviews of legislation and recall efforts on legisla-tors. Beginning with the Su-preme Court’s intervention in the 2000 presidential election, litigation is being used more aggressively as a political strat-egy. This extended to March 18 when Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi issued a stay on Governor Walker’s collective bargaining bill in response to a lawsuit filed by the Dane County district attorney (DA). The DA had ar-gued the legislative committee violated the state’s open meetings laws, and that the budget repair bill was illegally passed because it contained budget-ary provisions and hence required a quorum. Also, as improbable as the past months have been in state politics, Wisconsin is about to begin a journey into the political unknown with a series of legislative recall campaigns on a scale the nation has rarely, if ever, seen. Even though state law is designed to make recalls difficult and rare, once the first recall effort was launched, it increased the incentive for further recall efforts to be launched. Neither side wants to be outpaced by the other and the recall efforts themselves become part of the battle for public opinion. This is regardless of the sever-ity of the actions prompting the original recall effort.

To sum it up, the current political climate at both the federal and state levels reduces the quality of legislative outcomes and the capacity for meaningful policymaking. The existing nature of polarization in U.S.

politics negates the consen-sus building efforts of such groups as Chambers of Com-merce and inhibits successful governance. It not only distorts the policymaking process but also fundamentally alters and warps outcomes. In order to move forward in American politics, we must mitigate the causes of and thereby reduce polarization.

Going forward, the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce will con-tinue its broad coalition and consensus building efforts. We will do so on public policy issues as well as taking only positions entirely consistent with our core mission.

Recent estimates place the cost of protests at our Wisconsin Capitol over public workers’ collective bargaining rights at more than $7.8 million for local law enforcement including overtime, and damage from the month-long protests to the Capitol building will cost an additional $270,000 to repair.

6 | BBJ JUNE/JULY 11

TECH WATCHTEXT al pahl

A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to stay at rest.

Expect Tanya Townsend, chief information officer of Hospital Sisters Health Systems and Prevea Health, to remain in the former state until the end of October. She won’t fall in into the latter state – perhaps, literally – until sometime thereafter.

Townsend remains in planned, directed motion; she leads a team of 140 technology professionals in an epic nine-month quest to install, develop, train and implement an all-encompassing medical records system across two hospitals, building on the system already used by 250 partner physicians. Key stakeholders include each and every employee at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, St. Vincent Hospital, St. Nicholas Hospital (Sheboygan), Prevea Health, AND every patient those institutions touch.

The aggressive timeline includes replacing 2,300 PCs along with pos-sibly adding as many as 2,000 computers from an as-yet-undetermined mix of desktops, laptops, tablets and workstations on wheels – and all the while maintaining, and probably improving, a robust, suitably redun-dant and secure network that will rely heavily on wireless connectivity.

The ambitious goal is a smoother, quicker, more integrated sharing of increasingly detailed medical information, plus a safer medical envi-ronment with better outcomes for patients, who will themselves reach over the Internet into the improved pool of medical information.

The “spoils” are $26 million to $30 million in increasingly-difficult-to-qualify-for federal funding. Townsend’s “prize” is expanding this system 60 miles down the road to St. Nicholas, beginning in January.

how hshs and prevea evolved technologicallyTownsend was a career medical information worker when Hospital Sisters Heath Systems (HSHS), a 13-hospital organization spanning Wisconsin and Illinois, put her in charge of technology in its Eastern

Wisconsin Division, which was St. Vincent, St. Mary’s and St. Nicho-las in Sheboygan at the time; and now includes Prevea Health. She became the new kid on the block just three years ago, when HSHS already had an electronic medical records (EMR) system plan in place for its 13 hospitals and was going to put that same program into eastern Wisconsin. About that same time, the American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act began earmarking federal funds to incent providers to use EMR in a “meaningful way” – the definition of which has been evolving ever since, with a major revision just handed down in April.

The program HSHS was putting in was not the same system Prevea had been using for 10 years. Townsend’s research showed Prevea’s people loved what they had, and she didn’t think the two systems would play nicely together. Townsend successfully got the attention of new HSHS Chief Executive Officer Therese Pandl, Prevea CEO Dr. Ashok Rai, and other key leaders, who agreed to pause the implemen-tation process. What followed were 18 months of “discussion, heated debates and lots of data capturing and analysis,” recalls Townsend, who eventually received the go-ahead to install the system Prevea was already using, a product called Epic.

“From an integrated records standpoint, Epic made sense because Prevea already had it up and running and had it for the last decade,” Townsend notes. “Physicians love it and use it. They have adopted it fully.”

That would have made installing a different system very challenging, given that meeting meaningful use requires physician participation and adoption of the EMR. They could have left Epic in place, but that would have meant bridging to the hospitals’ new system, a possibility fraught with challenges of integration and technical interface development.

Building on top of what Prevea already has allows the teams to get up and running pretty quickly. “We are taking the base system, with lots of validation to make sure it is going to meet our needs, and we do customizations where we have to,” Townsend explains. “What Epic allows us to now do is have a shared, integrated database with Prevea, as well as our hospitals, and we can now extend that to other

TechnoLogicaL evoLuTion sTiLL requires very personaL Touch

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 7

independent practices if they choose to partner with us. We become their vendor, essentially."

Having Epic also allows for communication with Epic customers across the country, including Kaiser Permanente (in 10, mainly west-ern, states), UW-Madison, Meriter or ThedaCare. “We can now share information with them pretty readily because Epic has done this foun-dation-sharing assessment so we can share records with one another,” she adds.

A further word of explanation: Most facilities talk about EMR. HSHS speaks in terms of an electronic health care system. “It reaches across the continuum of care,” explains Townsend.

Her team is implementing everything into Epic, beginning with sched-uling and registration. Orders, care plans, assessments, nursing, daily activities, discharge planning. radiology and other specialties will be integrated.

“All the way to billing,” Townsend says. “Pretty much the whole continu-um from start to finish. And it is completely integrated on the ambulatory side as well.”

lessons transcend industriesIf you run another business, what you can learn from this major change in the medical business begins with planning and communication. Townsend’s team has a system in place in case a hospital wants to make a decision that might impact the current Prevea system. “We have to figure out how we are going to make those decisions,” explains Townsend, before launching into an example as “simple” as hyphenated

last names among patients. “How a hyphenated last name is entered today in Epic is different from how the hospitals entered it in their cur-rent system. Or it could be as complicated as, ‘How do you want to do your billing? Do you want one bill or separate bills?’”

Such systemic implementations have considerations, including: Will you integrate existing paper records into your new electronic world, and if so, how? How far back will you go?

Townsend says she is less concerned about the Epic software than about the myriad decisions being made – and yet to be made – about hardware and infrastructure, managing the transition, and planning for the “go live” day. “We are going to go ‘big bang;’ everything at all once, at St. Vincent and St. Mary’s,” she says.

Townsend urges companies planning such a transition should do the best they can to understand what they’re undertaking including having a project plan. “Understand the resources you are going to have to com-mit. Understand what workflow changes you might have to consider. And you need the buy-in and engagement, up-front, of your executives. Something of this magnitude should never be an IT project. It should not be run by the CIO. It needs to have some sponsorship at even a higher level. For example, our HSHS and Prevea CEOs are sponsors of this project, and our entire executive council serves as Project Oversight. We meet weekly to make sure things are on track.

“And I believe they are.”

She will know for sure by the end of October.

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Fifty years ago, Green Bay looked mighty pale, ethnically speaking.

“It was pretty white-bread,” says Jim Golembeski, executive director, Bay Area Workforce Development Board.

Its hue and flavor deepened gradually, and then in the 1990s, that big loaf of Wonder Bread rose to something grainier, as people of many colors mi-grated to the area to work in meat packing facilities and mills. Others came north after exhausting the labor market in Milwaukee.

“In the year that ended 1998, Green Bay was the fastest-growing job market in the country,” Golembeski says. “The jobs we were creating were unskilled kinds of jobs, but there were a lot of them.”

Fast-forward to 2011, where the population of Latinos in the Green Bay area is between 7 percent and 12 percent, depending on who you ask, and that of African-Americans has risen, too.

The rate of influx may have slowed down, but the numbers are still growing, due to new generations. Signs of these demographic shifts can be seen in the number of local businesses catering to or owned by minority residents.

Celestine Jeffreys is the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s diversity manager. She helps minority-owned businesses find the resources they may need, and, in general, she helps them feel comfortable and wel-come in Green Bay.

“We help them improve their diversity plan, help them analyze it, help them see how a company or nonprofit goes about hiring diverse employees and what kind of environment they have that can help keep the employees,” Jeffreys says.

does diversifying make cents? Sure, diversifying one’s stock portfolio is supposedly the way to keep out of the red, but diversifying the workforce? What possible difference does it make what color employees are?

Having a diverse workforce is a big plus when it comes to the inter-national marketplace, where image is king. “In my experience, when I think about diversity and what it means today, it means ‘I am showing

a diverse face to the world, and I have a rich source of innovation,’” Golembeski says.

“We are making more products to ship to Brazil and China, and when you are playing out there in the global marketplace, you have to show a global face to world,” he says. “You need people who understand cultural differ-ences and niceties of the countries they are serving, people who look like your foreign customers.”

Wisconsin’s international exports increased more than 18 percent last year, to $19.78 billion, according to the state Department of Commerce. It says exports to Canada and Mexico rose around 25 percent, while those to China, Germany and Japan increased as much as 21 percent.

Industrial machinery, electrical equipment, and medical and scientific equipment are the state’s top three export categories.

No matter who owns them, all businesses speak a lan-guage in common: money.

Golembeski says a business case can definitely be made for diversity in the workforce. For one thing, incorporat-ing people with varying backgrounds and outlooks adds to the big pot of ideas. Innovation of products and pro-cesses is what is driving the global economy right now, Golembeski says.

“Developing new ideas, adapting to customer needs, and getting them to market is an increasingly important part of a successful economy,” he adds.

All of that requires as much input as possible.

“If I’ve got a bunch of males from Green Bay, Wis., who grew up here, and we sit down and throw some ideas around, our ability to innovate is limited because they all have the same background,” he says. “If I mix in some women, they will add a different view. If I add people with different cultural backgrounds, they will add even more viewpoints to the table, and the in-novation process is accelerated.”

Golembeski cited Procter & Gamble as one of the most successful com-panies locally that understands that.

| BBJ JUNE/JULY 118

lee marie reinsch TEXT suBmiTTed PHOTOGRAPHY

The Changing FaCe oF green Bay

Jim Golembeski, executive di-

rector of Bay Area Workforce

Development, says having a

diverse workforce is a necessity

in an international marketplace.

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 9

Bob McDonald, chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble, says that by 2012, he aims for the company to reach five billion people. Currently, P&G reaches 4.2 billion people.

McDonald echoed Golembeski’s assertions March 11, 2011 in an online address marking the compa-ny’s diversity & inclusion efforts: “One challenge in reaching those people is that we have to know them. We have to know their habits, their cultures, their lan-guage, their needs … so we can design products, services and experiences to meet those needs.” His remarks can be heard on the company’s website, www.pg.com.

“We have to have an organization that reflects the con-sumers we are trying to serve,” McDonald says.

inside environment importantAccording to Humana’s Human Capital Leader Geof-frey Rulland, the workplace climate is so important that it can make or break a career. The more supported and embraced an employee feels, the better that employee performs and the more he or she gets involved with what he or she is doing.

“It allows them to bring their A-game to work,” Rulland

says. “Some companies look at it (diversity) from an affirmative action standpoint, but if you just hire people who look the part and you don’t do anything to make them feel included -- if you don’t embrace that person’s differences – you are going to lose that person.”

And replacing people costs money, Jeffreys reminds us.

“If you go to the trouble to hire an employee, the last thing you want is for that person to leave six months later, not for performance issues but for some other issue,” such as

workplace culture, Jeffreys says. “It makes good business sense to do things that are reasonable to make sure your employees are comfort-able in your workplace.”

comfort = cushy chairs?Feeling comfortable in the workplace has nothing to do with ergonomics. Rather, it’s a feeling of being provided for and of having access to ameni-ties that make one feel at home. Not all are obvious workplace issues.

“For example, say you are an engineer from India and you move to a new town and your wife needs a sari,” Jeffreys says. There may be nowhere in your new community to get a sari, and you may have to drive 50 miles to find fabric.

Another example: Hairstylists specializing in the hair needs of African-Americans. Oftentimes a primarily white community may not have salons with stylists who have this skill.

Or special foods for other groups.

“Immigrants may want the foods they’re accus-tomed to,” Jeffreys says. “It’s all about making sure people are comfortable in our community and how companies can give information to their employees to that end.”

Having to trek out of town for goods and services every-one else takes for granted can make a person feel like he or she is not really a part of the community.

In helping to create an environment of acceptance, Hu-mana encourages network resource groups, which are volunteer groups for associates with common interests and backgrounds. The company’s diversity calendar alerts associates to cross-culture holidays.

mission accomplished?Diversity was the “it” buzzword 10 years ago in human resources. It’s quieted down a notch or two. Not that it’s not important, says Choua Yang, chair of the diversity

committee for the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM) and an employment assistant with the human resources department at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

“We have been measuring (the rate of ethnic diversity) quarterly for years but we are at the point now where it’s not one of our top goals because we have been making a lot of progress,” Yang says. “It’s time to start looking at other goals.”

The school’s affirmative action committee looks at the ethnic ratio of staff and faculty and compares it with that of the student body. Current-ly, around 11 percent of the student population is non-Caucasian, as is around 6 percent of the faculty.

Yang says she believes that having a mix of people on staff benefits both minority and non-minority students. Exposure to minority instructors broad-ens the life experience for non-minorities by enabling them to interact with people of cultures they might not have experienced otherwise, Yang says. And for minorities, it’s helpful to see leaders they can emulate.

“My take on it is that it’s about increasing chances for our students to succeed, by giving them an environment they can be comfortable with and seeing individuals similar to themselves as role models to look up to,” she says.

more important qualities than colorRulland might beg to differ with Golembeski and Yang when it comes to diversity relating mainly to color.

Choua Yang, an employment assis-

tant with NWTC, believes having a

mix of people on staff benefits minor-

ity and non-minority students alike.

“Every one of us brings to our workplace differences. What is true is that we can no longer afford to do business the way we used to do business.” -Anna Steinfest, vice president of wealth management, US Bank

| BBJ JUNE/JULY 1110

“When we talk about diversity, it’s not just race. It’s beyond race,” he says. “It’s educational background, it’s upbringing, it’s age.

“If you walk into a room and everybody is white and they’re all male, you don’t know if somebody grew up in Europe; you don’t know, with that says, if somebody has worked internationally. That brings a whole new gamut of expe-riences to the table, and we would consider that to be different than somebody who’s only worked in the United States,” Rulland says.

He likened it to an iceberg. “To the naked eye, all you see is what’s above the water (gender, color, ethnicity). You don’t see what’s below (religion, education, background, experi-ence). If you don’t take into consideration the underwater things, you are really missing out.”

Right now, Humana is focusing on generational differ-ences within the workplace and understanding them. One generation might not understand why a younger generation uses social media during the work day and how that might relate to work.

They might actually be looking for more information on a topic just raised and thus provide value to the company, Rulland says.

“What we do is get generations to understand generations other than their own and to try to realize how other generations may perceive their own generation,” he says.

It all boils down to getting over the perception and being open to the fact that people are different.

We all have prejudices, and that’s okAn organization that helps companies develop leadership and combat dis-crimination started at Procter & Gamble as a program to help employees appreciate the differences between people. People Supporting People is now run as a separate non-profit joint venture with the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Sarah Stumpf plays a key role.

“People Supporting People helps people understand what are the biases [we] have in relation to other people – age, abilities, lifestyle choices, sex-ual orientation,” Stumpf says.

Many people have never taken the time to understand those biases, she says. “We want to believe we are not biased, but as you get into to some of these exercises, you see it’s not true. We do have biases.”

Perhaps the word prejudice might be more apt. According to Thesaurus.com, facts differentiate the two words: bias is based on facts, but preju-dice “occurs without one knowing or examining the facts.”

“I think it’s important to be more cognizant of things – even holidays,” says MEGTEC Human Resources Director Amy Gillis. “Not everybody celebrates Christmas.”

While MEGTEC doesn’t have large pockets of any one particular ethnicity, the company as a whole is sensitive to cultural differences that may exist. “What we have learned is that we have to help our associates and educate them,” Rulland says. “In the IT space, there are a lot of people from India, and they celebrate different holidays and have differ-ent religious practices and take time off, and [co-workers who aren’t enlightened] may think, ‘Why aren’t they here?’ and ‘If I can’t see them, they must [not be working]’ when that’s not the case. We get that out in the open and make it part of our culture.”

layers of differencesEven within groups of like people exist layers of differences: cultural, gender, religious, economic, status and education

levels, to name a few.

“In the Hispanic culture, educational non-equality is a dimension,” says Anna Steinfest, vice president of wealth management with US Bank.

The problem is that diversity has a bad name, she says. “Everybody asso-ciates it with affirmative action. That is not true. True diversity is different.”

Steinfest prefers the word inclusion. She is an expert on diversity issues and has served with many international programs that promote minority women in the workforce. “Every one of us brings to our workplace dif-ferences,” she says. “What is true is that we can no longer afford to do business the way we used to do business.”

American businesses are competing with everyone in the world, so to solve problems and stay ahead, it’s wise to harness all differences and ideas. That way, you bring to the table different solutions than your com-petitors, Steinfest says.

“Right now you don’t even know who your competitors are,” she says. “Who knew Amazon would put Borders out of business? Or that Netflix would put Blockbuster out of business?”

Being open to new metaphorical “bread” recipes ideas can improve the end product. “Forty years ago, we would not be having these discussions,” Rulland says. “We were not even thinking about these issues back then.”

And that just could be the best thing since sliced bread.

“We help them improve their diversity plan, help them analyze it, help them see how a company or nonprofit goes about hiring diverse employees and what kind of environment they have that can help keep the employees.” -Celestine Jeffreys, diversity manager, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

Geoffrey Rulland, Humana's

human capital leader, strives

to make the company's

workplace inclusive.

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 11

Watch Out

In a time in which the majority of Wisconsin businesses remain cautious and cite minor victories, two area companies with ties to the Advance economic devlopment division of the Green Bay Area Chamber were recognized for their remarkable growth and impact on Wisconsin’s economy. Each year Wisconsin Companies to Watch honors second-stage companies headquartered throughout the state that are high performers, achievers or innovators in the marketplace. While these companies are selected because they’ve had a hand in shaping Wisconsin’s economic landscape, many of them are flying under the radar.

Two of this year’s honorees include LIVEyearbook from Neenah and Green Bay-based Cherney Microbiological Services. Both are poised for significant growth and shared their compelling stories that make them worthy of watching.

liveyearbookLIVEyearbook creators set out to shake up the time-honored tradition of printed school yearbooks by proposing a web-based platform. Dan Nickchen and Todd DeNoyer recognized flaws in the one-size-fits-all book and had the background to modernize the yearbook concept, of-fering something unique to schools across the nation.

The company was founded in 2010 with nothing more than an idea – morphing printed books into a custom product that can also be viewed digitally. They raised the initial equity through private investors. In June they hired the development team to build the platform.

“Rather than doing something static like DVDs and CDs we de-cided to go directly to cloud computing. Students can customize and then buy a printed book, but they will also have the ability to view their book on any web-based device,” says Don Noskowiak, president of LIVEyearbook and member of the Advance board of directors. While LIVEyearbook isn’t inventing the technology, they are cleverly putting today’s technology to use and delivering a product in a format that meets the tech trends of students.

“Everyone loves the idea. It’s unique and offers schools flexibility and choice they haven’t had before,” adds Noskowiak. “People don’t know what they don’t know. Schools aren’t necessarily looking for this product but once it is in front of them they wonder where it has been.”

Now that they’ve built their model the company is pushing to make its presence known. In the 2010-2011 school year, LIVEyearbook con-vinced 25 schools to offer the Facebook generation an update to the antiquated yearbook. A second round of equity is being raised for the company to expand its reach.

Jennifer hogeland TEXT suBmiTTed PHOTOGRAPHY

LOcaL cOmpanies tO keep On eye On

COVER STORY

One of the downfalls of yearbooks for the last 100 years was that students would only be in two or three pages of the book but had to pay $50-$60 for the keepsake. “Only about 15 percent of pictures taken are put in the yearbook, until now,” says Noskowiak. The bril-liance behind the LIVEyearbook platform is that it houses the library of all pictures, which students are able to pick and choose from, to create a personalized yearbook at the same price or less than before. The number of pages within a yearbook can vary based on the amount of customization chosen.

This model doesn’t displace what the school does. LIVEyearbook’s suc-cess – and the reason other companies failed – to the fact it allows schools to retain the overall control of the yearbook’s content.

There is a favorable financial implication to the schools. The LIVEyearbook platform doesn’t require minimum order quantities, eliminating the investment risk for schools. Schools share in the revenue generated through additional page customization and the creation of activity books.

LIVEyearbook has six full-time employees and an intern. It expects to add another one or two employees this summer. “We are in growth mode. As schools are added, it is our intention to provide back-end customized technology support here locally,” says Noskowiak. The company's goal is to have eight to 10 full-time employees by the end of 2011.

Honored to be one of the 20 Wisconsin Companies to Watch, Noskow-iak explains they are making a big bang in the industry. He adds, “We are thrilled to be getting noticed.”

cherney microbiological servicesDebra Cherney founded Cherney Microbiological Services more than 20 years ago because she believed she could improve the service offered by her employer. “I dreamt of providing a superior level of customer service. I was fortunate to have been mentored by people in the community who saw I had what it takes to be an entrepreneur,” says Cherney.

“Starting a company requires you to be fearless. You have to have the vision and the drive to succeed. You can talk yourself out of just about anything,” she adds.

Cherney’s dream became a reality in 1989; Cherney Microbiological Services began as a startup at the Advance Business Center business incubator. Cherney established her company, prepared to serve the in-dustrial microbiology industry, with her mother as office manager and a former colleague to assist with the technical components of the busi-ness. Microbiology was the foundation – and the bread and butter – of the company.

By 2000, Cherney had 11 employees and was encouraged to expand her wings, fly from the nest, and move to a bigger facility. They settled into a facility on Green Bay’s east side.

Cherney set her vision on growth. Before she knew it she exceeded her initial target of 25 employees. She says, “All of a sudden we were at 26, and we just kept marching. You can’t be complacent. You can’t be satis-fied where you are. You have to just keep pushing forward.” They are now at 54 employees and have no plans of slowing down.

Because the company is in the time-sensitive industry of product test-ing, Cherney realized early on the keys to her success needed to be quality and service.

“People don’t know what they don’t know. Schools aren’t necessarily looking for this product, but once it is in front of them they wonder where it has been.” -Don Noslowiak, president, LIVEyearbook

Nickchen, DeNoyer and Noskowiak comprise the team behind LIVEyearbook.

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The majority of her customers had their own small in-ternal laboratories, but Cherney was able to differentiate her business by being responsive. Their turnaround times are fast. She explains, “Many companies look to us as a partner they can trust to handle the more sophisticated work or maybe to handle an urgent project. When you put all these apples in one basket we keep very busy,” she says.

“We’ve developed a mutual respect. We talk to our cus-tomers, listen to what they say and understand what their needs are,” says Cherney. “We share with them what we see coming down the pipeline and ask our customers where we can help.”

Cherney Microbiological Services features more than 600 tests for its customers to choose from; it conducts up to 100 tests for some customers a week. This 24/7, 365-day-a-year company has overcome the biggest test-ing challenges – organizing and establishing a consistent method for all its offerings. “We’ve been diligent and are dedicated to perfecting the communication process with our customers,” says Cherney. It also gets its share of attention by being a certified woman-owned business, a rarity in their science-based testing industry.

Even though her company has experienced remarkable growth, Cherney doesn’t spend too much time poring over the numbers, and she certainly hasn’t forgotten her roots. She serves on the board of directors for Advance Business Center business incubator where she was a tenant for more than 10 years.

Cherney Microbiological Services was chosen as a Wisconsin Company to Watch because of its remarkable growth in recent years. While the majority of the country struggled, it experienced more than a 12 percent growth in 2009 and 2010; the company projects a 40 percent growth over last year.

In order to continue accommodating the needs of its 250 current cus-tomers and counting, Cherney Microbiological Services is preparing to expand its facility, tripling the size of its current location.

Space limitations have prohibited the company from bringing in ad-ditional equipment. The expansion will permit Cherney Microbiological Services to maintain 35 to 40 incubators compared to the 12 before.

Cherney reveals the company is staging itself for an opportunity to make another large leap. The company expects the additional space will

allow it to enhance its offerings and take on new clients. “I am looking forward to bringing in new technology. The new floor space will allow us to naturally continue to offer more services,” adds Cherney.

“Starting a company requires you to be fearless. You have to have the vision and the drive to succeed. You can talk yourself out of just about anything.” -Debra Cherney, owner and president, Cherney Microbiological Services

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If it’s true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, people should be becoming pretty sweet on their banks and other financial institutions.

Not because banks are departing for greener horizons, but because they’re making it easier for patrons to keep their distance. “If you are traveling in the western part of the country and you realize you did not move the money to make your mortgage payment before you left home, you can do that on your mobile device 24 hours a day, seven days a week just as easily as you can play ‘Angry Birds’ on your iPhone,” says Nick Papachristou, director of corporate marketing for Associated Bank.

He’s referring to mobile banking, which is a lot like online banking but via smartphone. While not every bank offers mobile banking yet, most

are inching toward it, and many have offered online banking and other remote capabilities for years.

“The range of choices and conveniences expands in direct proportion to these innovations that are coming down the pike,” Papachristou says.

so far, so goodTechnology has progressed to the point of enabling patrons to be so far, yet so near. As more banks and other financial institutions advance to mo-bile banking, businesses and individuals can move money, deposit checks, even send checks to another person without leaving their premises.

“If I wanted to send you $25 because you took me to dinner, I could do that without sending cash or a check through the mail,” Papachristou says. “Essentially the functionality you used to do on your computer you can now do on your mobile device.”

If you have a late night at the office, and it’s too late to run to the bank to make a deposit, no worries. With electronic check capture, you can scan checks from the office or from home – at midnight while wearing your robe, if you want.

“If you think about that, it really does provide value to the consumer. You are not limited, in terms of being able to manage your money, by the hours of the branch, the location of the branch, your schedule,” he adds.

That kind of freedom is liberating and empowering for consumers, Pa-pachristou says, and it’s good for banks, too, because satisfied customers are good customers.

lee marie reinsch TEXT suBmiTTed PHOTOGRAPHY

FinanCial insTiTuTionsBanking on TeChnology, ConvenienCe, ConneCTions$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

“If you are traveling in the western part of the country and you realize you did not move the money to make your mortgage payment before you left home, you can do that on your mobile device 24 hours a day, seven days a week just as easily as you can play ‘Angry Birds’ on your iPhone.” -Nick Papachristou, director of corporate marketing, Associated Bank.

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 15

“While it’s not a big capital investment, it delivers extreme value to the cus-tomer and to the marketplace. With a little bit of retooling and reallocation of resources, it doesn’t take a huge amount of investment to expand into new digital areas,” Papachristou says.

forget me notWhile freeing patrons to keep their distance physically, financial institu-tions want to stay close at heart. By focusing on relationships, they’re

ensuring another old saw doesn’t become truth – that things out of sight are out of mind.

“You are not a number at our bank – you are a person,” said Union State Bank President Jeff Kleiman.

The you’re-not-a-number/you’re-special approach must work because every bank BBJ talked to for this story is using it.

“If you bank wherever, you might get an 800 number, but we are local,” Kleiman says. “Our loans are approved locally by people who know our

area. It doesn’t have to go to a corporate office which may or may not be in our state.”

He gave as an example the farmer who may not qualify for a loan with a corporately owned bank because he doesn’t look promising on paper. “Maybe he needs a seasonal loan; his cash flow comes in at different times of the year,” Kleiman says. “We know this farmer, we drive past his farm every day and we are aware of his issues.”

Union has four sites in Green Bay, Two Rivers and Kewaunee.

“When you have a relationship with people, you try to under-stand their needs,” says Jeff Gahnz, vice president of mar-keting and public relations for the Green Bay-based Nicolet National Bank. “It’s easier to work with customers because we know who they are, and we want to make it more and more convenient to do busi-ness with us.”

Nicolet Bank’s 10 branches include four former Anchor Banks the com-pany acquired in 2010 and six other locations in Northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Nicolet National started out 10 years ago as a commercial bank and grew into a bank known for managing trusts and investments, Gahnz says.

Whatever you wantFinancial institutions have taken on the daunting task of trying to be all things to all people.

“The person you dealt with five years ago, 10 years ago, is most likely the same person you are dealing with today. We know our customers; we know our customers’ stories.” -Jill Feiler, president, Denmark State Bank

Greenleaf Wayside Bank staff proud themselves on providing stellar service to their customers, 90 percent of whom live within a

few miles of the bank.

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If that means stationing bank employees at every soup kitchen and char-ity walk, they’re willing to do it. If it means inviting customers to drop in and talk about their dreams and goals, they’re willing to do it. If it means upgrading software so every transaction can be done at home in one’s pajamas, they are willing to do that, too.

Some financial institutions are playing up their longevity in the community or focusing on their size as a strength: bigger is better because it offers larger resources and worldwide connections; smaller banks ensure cus-tomers don’t become mere numbers.

“Larger national banks are able to be more avant-garde than smaller banks just by the fact that they can make a larger investment in research and development,” Papachristou says. But what they all seem to have in common is a desire to improve the customer relationship and to make their services more convenient for the customer.

face timeCustomers may like Internet banking, but every once in a while they may want to visit their bank in person, Union Bank President Jeff Kleiman says.

“People just want to have that personal touch, and those are the ones we can cater to,” he says.

Looking through historic photos denoting his bank’s 100-plus years in business, Kleiman sees lots of happy faces and people who appear proud to be associated with his bank. It’s that spirit he wants to preserve. “It’s almost a family type of relationship,” he says. “I think community banks, and especially small community banks, have that as an advantage.”

Denmark State Bank doesn’t have an 800 number, either, and bank president Jill Feiler is proud of that.

“If you need service, you contact your local banker,” she says. “The per-son you dealt with five years ago, 10 years ago, is most likely the same person you are dealing with today. We know our customers; we know our customers’ stories.”

Greenleaf Wayside Bank President Dave Krutz echoes similar sentiments about his small, independent bank, 90 percent of whose customers live within a few miles of the bank.

Granted, there are a number of customers who never step foot in the bank – snowbirds, for example, or students away at college, says Green-leaf Wayside’s Terry Lardinois.

“My son, for example doesn’t have a dollar bill in his wallet. He swipes a card for everything,” Lardinois says.

But there’s always that sector that prefers to talk to a human being. They come in to the bank every month, even though they don’t get their Social Security checks mailed to them anymore, just to chat.

“It’s a social event for them,” Lardinois says. “For many of our long-time customers, it’s the high point of their week. They still stop in, and it’s a chance to catch up, see what’s new with so and so.”

Greenleaf Wayside marks its 100th anniversary this year with a number of celebrations, including ice cream socials, prize give-aways and birthday cake.

cooking up publicityInstead of trying to lure customers through the door, Bank of Lux-emburg Chief Operating Officer Rebecca Edler is stepping into their living rooms. She’s appearing regularly with local television personality Amy Hanten on Fox 11’s “Living With Amy” show.

The show involves cooking and lifestyle tips. One week can fea-ture Edler making apple salad with Snickers bars; another week will have her talking about time-saving strategies like e-billing and automatic savings transfers.

Edler says she hopes to reach out to a demographic her bank’s eight branches hadn’t been reaching. The idea to do the show sprang from what she saw as a gap in her bank’s patronage, which tended to be of a more mature population.

M&I Bank officially becomes BMO Harris Bank by the end of July, but the M&I name will continue appearing on statements and marketing material for at least another year, said Mike Simmer, president of M&I in Green Bay, via email.

BMO stands for Bank of Montreal, and Harris Bank is the oth-er U.S. presence of the Bank of Montreal. Combined, M&I and BMO Harris have 600 locations.

“As we move forward, customers can expect the same great service and community commitment that they have known from M&I along with the enhanced products and services which will come from the combined strength and scale of the new organization,” Simmer said.

m & i To evoLve inTo Bmo harris Bank

This Union State Bank is located at the corner of Ellis and

Milwaukee Streets in downtown Kewaunee.

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 17

“I noticed there were a lot of young families moving into Luxemburg,” Edler says. “I thought, ‘What can we do to reach them?’”

The show has succeeded in putting a face –- her face – on the Bank of Luxemburg, and it’s reaching the population she aimed for. “It has an amazing following,” Edler says of the show.

The show airs on weekday mornings from 9 to 10 a.m., and of course it can be found on YouTube.

Edler has also stepped up her bank’s use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and reports almost 9,000 impressions a month on Facebook.

dating the boy next door: Banking localWhen Feiler started with Denmark State Bank some five years ago, the bank did very little to toot its own horn. “Our marketing consisted of put-ting our name on pens and a calendar,” she says.

The unassuming little bank is now flaunting its attributes via a number of avenues. One includes radio commercials recorded by bank staffers rather than professional voice-over people, with the intent of creating a connection with listeners and prospective customers. “We want to cre-ate brand awareness; we’re saying, ‘We live in this community, we work in this community, and when you bank with this bank, you are banking locally with people you know,’” Feiler says.

Like Edler with Luxemburg, Feiler has stepped up her bank’s online presence. Its blog, at Wordpress.com, answers questions about topics like remote deposit capture and putting one’s financial house in order.At a time when “local” is a plus – eating local, buying local – and not a minus, banking local is also important, Feiler says. Like Greenleaf Way-side, Union State and Luxemburg, Denmark State Bank is also 100-plus years old. Feiler said 85 percent of her bank’s shareholders live in the area.

“Our management and our employees are from here,” Feiler says. “We think that is really important. Decisions are made locally, service is done locally.”

TITLETOWN.ORG

The area's ONLYfour-staraccredited Chamber

In July, banks like the downtown Green Bay M & I Bank will become

BMO Harris.

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SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTSTEXT Jennifer hogeland SUBMITTED arT

Art of any form strives to convey a creative thought. The creator attempts to stir up emotion or communicate a message.

While most artists create to satisfy the need for self-expression, a graphic artist attempts to unveil a concept others accept. Graphic artists’ work is highly dependent on public feedback. They maintain a delicate balance between the message and their personal style and creativity. The art of design relies on skill and imagination to invoke a reaction.

Graphic artists use com-puters and technology to promote their clients. These tools allow a de-signer to take a client’s strategy and vision and create a flyer, brochure, poster or other mar-keting piece that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is effective.

“A retired graphic de-signer once told me to think of the computer as an expensive magic marker,” says Robb Mommaerts, art direc-tor at Arketype, Inc. in Green Bay. “It is a tool. It is the designer driving it.”

Experts in visual communication, graphic designers create each piece with a purpose. Favorable feedback and, more importantly, boosting brand awareness and prompting the client’s desired action by the target audi-ence, are the goals.

“As with any art form, it is sometimes hard to get the idea out of your head,” says Mommaerts. “I look to another designer or someone else to interpret the idea and then figure out how to get it to come across in a preferential way.”

The creative processIn a client-focused, deadline-driven setting creativity isn’t always easy to

come by. Most projects involve meeting with a client, connecting with a creative team, brainstorming and doing some individual research to spark a remarkable design idea.

Producing a true work of art is challenging when faced with client de-mands and time constraints. For Kiar Olson, director of new media at Element in De Pere, brilliant ideas come from a variety of places. “In brainstorming sessions I believe that no idea is a bad idea. I throw out as many ideas as possible and sort through them. Sometimes the bad ideas have some good qualities, so those stay in the mix,” he says.

Artistic visions occa-sionally come to him in a dream; problems are solved in the middle of the night. Olson adds, “Sometimes the idea appears when I’m in the shower or walking the dog. I never know where or when it will come.”

Current projects are al-ways on Mommaerts’s mind. The challeng-ing pieces follow him home. He explains, “I’ll come up with an idea

and will sketch it out and bring it to work in the morning.” Other times he finds it best to clear his mind and start fresh in the morning.

The steps in the creative process are personal, just as unique as a painter approaches his or her canvas. “There is still an idea but as a graphic de-signer, guidelines often have to be followed,” says Olson. He suggests that, unlike photographers, painters or illustrators, who concentrate on their own vision, designers work with others motivated to make the de-sign even better.

Informal critiques keep Paul Dax, creative director at Wild Blue Tech-nologies in De Pere, on task. When crunched for time he finds getting constant feedback from fellow artists is as valuable as a formal brain-storming session. Collaboration is critical. “We rely on each other. That is

Artistic intentgraphic arTisTs never Lose sighT of The ‘arT’ in Their names

Wild Blue Technologies developed these Neatnests. The idea was simple - to minimize the structural

design of a birdhouse and offer designers a blank canvas for graphic interpretation.

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 19

one of the things that makes any designer successful is working with other people to bounce ideas off,” says Olson.

He begins with a sketch to get the general direction of his piece. “The nice thing about be-ing on a computer is that you can make changes mid-flight and it doesn’t require you to start all over,” Olson adds.

Jim Rivett, president and creative director of Arketype Inc. prefers his designers to start in the raw-est form – to start away from the computer and commit to sketches.

When he’s ready to go to the computer, Mommaerts usually tackles the structural elements of his design first. Boxes and type come before photos or illustrations. “The text and boxes are like the skeleton. The imagery can be fairly flexible,” he says. Layers pile up as the masterpiece takes shape.

adhering to design principlesGraphic artists find a great deal of freedom in some projects, although strong design layout principles still apply. Design fundamentals are fol-lowed to effectively manage the elements within a piece. Understanding and applying visual trends allows graphic artists to showcase a powerful concept to the client.

A pet peeve of trained and talented designers is that nearly everyone with Photoshop or other design program assumes they can construct an ad or flier. Mommaerts argues good design is carefully planned. He says, “There is really an art to combining imagery with text, knowing how people read a page and directing their eyes to certain areas. Some people use too many images in one piece or use too much text – you can really tell when something is carefully thought out.”

“It is good to have an art background and to be trained how to use pencils and paint. They work together. With so many tools, there is an even greater demand for good design,” adds Mommaerts.

Color plays into the mood and overall feel of a graphic creation. The trick is to find a balance of color. Mommaerts says, “Sometimes people tend to use way too much color or too many types of color, and it messes with the eye.”

When pushback is received on one of the design elements within a piece, Dax pulls out his creative bible, Universal Principles of Design. He says,

“When a design in question is backed up with specific principles, it is hard for people to disagree with the concept.”

a true craftAdvancements in technology have had a hand in altering the field art of design. Years ago the craftsmen were required to work with type, mas-ter the cut and paste, and be an illustrator. Seeing the results of work took time. Graphic designers now use a digital palette but still must be knowledgeable of the design’s composition. Manipulating their creation is easier; font, color and layout choices may be evaluated immediately.

“Because we are sitting in front of a computer and using software versus hand tools – like paint brushes – the one thing we never want to see get lost is the sense of craft,” says Dax. He suggests design decisions shouldn’t be made hastily just because the computer can react quickly. True artists dial into the details. Spacing and the visual appeal of a piece is a top priority.

Hand rendering is getting attention in the design world. Designers are us-ing the computer as a tool, but instead of selecting a predefined typeface or Photoshop filter they are scanning in textures or incorporating objects cut from paper. They are using paintbrushes or charcoal to hand draw their own fonts.

Technology allows the artists to bring in a personal element to their cre-ation. “It is something a computer just can’t replicate,” says Mommaerts. “When you look at something you can usually tell if it was done on a com-puter. Using something hand rendered gives it such a human feel.”

These Martin Luther King Posters each

feature an outstanding design while

communicating a strong message.

They were designed by Arketype Inc.

under the creative direction and lead-

ership of President Jim Rivett.

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rick pruski owner, event pro llc

how did event pro llc come into existence? “I started it in 2003 as a way to work with events and festival venues, and to help people with what they wanted to do. It was a direct reflection of my love of sports that really got me into this busi-ness; the excitement of the always-changing venues and events is what really got me hooked. I’m just a kid at heart, and I like to have fun, working with events, especially those that are kid-oriented. They allow me to be creative and inventive, and Event Pro is perfect outlet. Now I work with events such as the Festival Foods Fire Over the Fox that works to pull the community together and really get people connected.”

Why do you like living in green Bay?“The people. There is a real family atmosphere to the area which fits right into family events. I didn’t realize I would always stay here, but after working in the community, it’s impossible to not see what a great place Green Bay is to live and raise a family. The people amaze me with their kindness. It’s not a rat race feeling here; people really enjoy their lives.”

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?“I really like the outdoors. There is something new to do every season. I’m a big fan of fishing, es-pecially for walleye. In the winter, when it snows, I love to go snowshoeing. The trails around Green Bay are really great for biking and rollerblading, too. It’s almost impossible not to be active and find something fun to do. I love finding new things to go see and explore with my wife and kids.”

how do you stay connected through the chamber? “I think everyone is aware of the Chamber and all that they do for the community; I first encoun-tered the Chamber through the Business Expo. I’ve been on the planning committee since 1995 so I’ve seen a lot of growth, and it’s a lot of fun as well as a challenge to keep updating events so people want to come back. The Business Expo is a great way to network and discover what other businesses do. The best part is that you are constantly being introduced to new people. It’s just a great resource for people in the community.”

What motivates you?“It is so important to understand that it takes the effort of everybody to become successful, even if you are working independently on a project. Helping out is something that gives me such pride because I always end up learning something from the people I interact with. I’m a strong believer in the fact that you can draw so much insight from another person, whether it be your spouse or a stranger you are meeting for the first time.”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?“You always need to do what you feel is right, even though it is not always the easiest thing to do. You can’t question yourself too much because everybody is equally important. If you believe in something, it doesn’t matter if you are in the minority; your voice is important. Don’t let the little bumps in the road slow you down or discourage you.”

MEET A MEMBER

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dan Terriencertified radio marketing consultant, Woodward radio group

describe Woodward radio group. “Woodward Radio Group is one of six operating divisions for the employee-owned multimedia corporation, Woodward Communications, which is based in Dubuque. I work as an account ex-ecutive here at Woodward selling broadcast and online advertising for 95.9 KISS FM and 104.3 and 103.5 CHUCK FM. Woodward Radio Group also consists of 105.7 FM WAPL, Razor 94.7 FM, WHBY AM 1150 and AM 1570 The Score.”

how did you come to work for Woodward?“I fell into this career. I used to work with a forklift dealership as a sales coordinator and discov-ered that sales were for me. I first got involved with Woodward after I met one of the account executives back in 2003 at the Business Expo. I sent in my resume for an open position and was hired as the first salesperson for 104.3 The Breeze.”

What do you love and what challenges you about the radio business?“I love learning from my customers how each one of their businesses run. Every business is a science that the entrepreneurs I work with have to master. It’s a great challenge trying to come up with new ideas to get my foot in the door of their private businesses.”

on being a chamber ambassador:“I figured it would be a good way to get involved and have been an ambassador since 2004. I’m the chair-elect for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, which I am really excited about. Overall I’ve really grown a lot from being a part of such a great program that benefits the community in so many ways.”

What other chamber connections have you made?“I’m quite involved with the Power Networking Breakfasts. I can probably count on my fingers how many breakfasts I’ve missed since 2002. People have come to expect me to be there and to give marketing tips. In addition, I had set a goal date of 2009 to get involved with the Leadership Green Bay program, and it was really cool to be part of the 25th anniversary class. It’s just a group of real go-getters, and you get to see aspects of your community you wouldn’t normally see.”

What makes green Bay great?“One of the unique things about the Green Bay area is the entrepreneurship. People have the guts and the strong work ethic to build their own businesses and really go after their dreams. I think we have a lot of resources here that other places don’t have such as Advance, [the Chamber’s economic development arm], the business incubator (formally known as the Advance Business Center] and incubator partners such as SCORE.”

What do you enjoy doing for fun?“I really love going on road trips with my wife, especially in our Corvette. Sometimes it’s to some-place close like a car show, dinner at a supper club or a little farther to a Brewers game or Summerfest. I’m especially looking forward to visiting Detroit in June as a participant in Hot Rod magazine’s ‘Power Tour.’”

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTTEXT scoTT Bushkie, cBi, m&ami, PRESIDENT OF CORNERSTONE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.

i have a 59-year-old client whose company has grown an aver-age of 21 percent annually over the last four years. his eBiTda is 45 percent of sales (incredible), and everything is going up. people ask him, “Why are you selling? you’re young. The sky’s the limit.” and he tells them, “Because i watched my father work until the day he died.”

The best time to start your succession plan is the day you start or buy your business. This needs to be a two-fold strategy with a plan for 1) unex-pected accident or death and 2) traditional transition, i.e., retirement.

preparing for the unexpectedExcuse me for being frank, but you just never know when you might get hit by that proverbial bus. If something happens to you, there’s a good chance your company will either shut its doors or sell at a significantly depressed value. Either way, it means your family is going to live a very different lifestyle than you planned.

If you could no longer run your business, who would step in to call the shots? How much control would this person have compared to your spouse? Would he or she appoint an emergency board of advisors? Then what…transition to your children? To an employee team? Or sell on the open market?

These are big questions with serious consequences. It might sound at-tractive to pass the business on to your management team, but in many cases they won’t have the financial backing to pay your estate substantial cash at close. Even if they have the financial capabilities, they may not want the risk and stress that goes with being an owner. The majority of the value will get paid out over time, out of company profits. That’s great if the business does well, but it’s a problem if the new leadership—or even the economy—falters.

Expecting the kids to take over may be equally fraught with danger. Some-times children step in simply because they don’t want to hurt their parents’ feelings. They may not have the passion or even the right skill set.

Think about the possible scenarios, the value of your company, and whether or not transitioning to family or an employee group makes sense. Then meet with an estate planning attorney and put a business will in place.

know your exitNow consider your succession plan as a best-case scenario. Think about your retirement and figure out how much money you’ll need out of the business to support your lifestyle goals.

Too many business owners just pick an age and wait until they’re 60 or 65 to sell. Unfortunately, your age has no bearing on the economy, interest rates, the financing climate, industry consolidation trends or the M&A mar-ket. All of those factors, and more, affect the value of your business.

Let’s assume you turned 60 in fall 2008. Just as you started getting ready to sell, the whole financial world collapses. Many buyers stopped looking; the buyers that were still looking couldn’t get financing or were bottom fishing. Your own business performance may have struggled. It's tough to get top dollar in that kind of market.

Suddenly the business value is no longer enough to support your retire-ment plans. You may find yourself working another three or four years just to get the value back on track.

Sit down with a financial planner and figure out how much wealth you have to build to live the lifestyle you want. Then figure out what you need to net out of the business to live out your dreams.

Now sit down with an M&A firm and figure out what you could expect from a value standpoint. (You may also want to pull in a tax accountant.) If the value meets your goals, why wait? Take the chips off the table and walk away.

If you’re saying to yourself, “I haven’t done any of this,” you’re not in the minority. I’ve read that an estimated 85 percent of business owners do not have written succession plans. Now is the time to start.

Set some goals, get some professional advice and make a plan. Plan for the inevitable and plan for the unexpected. Counting on anything else is just too risky.

Scott Bushkie, CBI, M&AMI, is president of Cornerstone Business Services, Inc. located at 200 S. Washington St., Ste. 205, Green Bay. Cornerstone Business Services is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and can be found online at www.cornerstone-business.com. You can reach Bushkie at sbushkie@cornerstone-business.com.

exiT plans: do you have any?

BBJ JUNE/JULY 11 | 23

CHAMBER BRIEFS

advanceIn May, the advance Brown county microloan program is pleased to announce it has approved its first loans for the Eggs n’Bacon Wagon and ABS Environmental LLC of De Pere.

governmenT affairspublic policy highlights: The Chamber passed a resolution of sup-port for the Wisconsin idea partnership, the UW-System’s plan to allow additional management flexibility for all campuses while keep-ing UW-Madison within the system. We wrote Brown County officials urging that a redistricting plan with no more than the current 26 dis-tricts be adopted. We contacted legislators and administration offi-cials in Madison calling for funds to reconstruct the US-41 & I-43 interchange in such a way that would allow for US-41 to be desig-nated an interstate highway. Response was swift, with Gov. Walker and the WDOT backing the plan and publicly supporting interstate status. We continue to meet with significant industrial users of the gB metro sewerage district to discuss appointments to the Commis-sion and the Met’s capital improvement plans. On the federal side, we applaud the recent repeal of additional Form 1099 requirements. We also hosted a meeting of the us chamber of commerce and area chamber executives with US Rep. Reid Ribble to discuss the federal budget deficit and debt limit….The Good Government Council’s en-dorsed candidates were all successful in the April 5 general election: County Executive Troy Streckenbach, Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser. …The ritter forum on public policy, working with Brown County GIS mapping experts, is assisting fire chiefs from six urban Brown County com-munities to lay out the specifics of their vision for future consolidation so that a proposal can be brought to the communities’ leaders. Five meetings have been held, with several more needed before the plan will be finalized. …The life study– a new, comprehensive look at the quality of life in our region – completed its survey of Brown County families. Statistical indicators have been identified for secondary data gathering, and expert panels were convened to review all survey and re-search results. Results of the study will be released just after Labor Day, with local findings profiled at a Sept. 8 breakfast. Bay Area Community Council is planning a February 2012 community visioning conference that will set priorities, solutions and strategies in response to the find-ings. Six committees are now at work planning the conference.

diversiTyThe newly reorganized diversity program visited several minority-owned businesses over the past few months, discovered their needs and will develop research into referrals and programming. …the Chamber held its second diversity committee meeting; recruited two new members from for-profit sector; met with the society of human resource managers and will develop programming; held “Outreach Day” for green Bay packaging; attended information session with reps from department of commerce to discuss minority-owned business de-velopment; attended “people supporting people” workshop and is working to revise the “diversity” tab on the Chamber website, devel-op a Facebook page and brochure and create a new “Plan of Action” based on the diversity committee’s strategic goals.

memBer servicesAround 100 attendees enjoyed the April Business After Hours at or-thopedic & spine Therapy of green Bay s.c. on April 13. …dan roarty, dimension iv was the game show host for the April Business & Breakfast session “Survey Says …Sustainability.” Eight contestants from the business community answered questions and competed for points. Rave reviews were received from the attendees saying “what a fun way to learn.”…The marq hosted an awesome Business After Hours on May 11; 125+ attendees were treated to an array of scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and desserts. … “A Celebra-tory Evening to Honor Paul Jadin,” a special evening celebrating Paul’s accomplishments, friendships, partnerships and long-standing relation-ships with Greater Green Bay and honoring his far-reaching impact on the community we call home was held at the meyer Theatre on Wednesday, May 25. Profits from the event benefited the Meyer The-atre. … On June 9, 2011, we will celebrate the successes of the 19 companies nominated in the various categories for the Business Rec-ognition Luncheon Awards program at the ki convention center. …We celebrated seven ribbon cuttings and two groundbreakings in April and May.

Member services welcomes Wendy Townsend as its newest account executive. She has been an active member of the Green Bay business community, as the former owner and CEO of a daycare, office man-ager for a dentistry practice and a licensed tax preparer and market-ing manager. You can reach her for membership and BBJ ad sale information at 920.593.3416 or wtownsend@titletown.org.

CHAMBER NEWSgo To www.titletown.org for The laTesT updaTes in chamBer neWs and evenTs

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The May Business & Breakfast focused on Combining Healthy Lifestyle Information with Employee Wellness was sponsored by Jason Cuturia, Shanna Buntin, Kateana Warren and Susan Fuller of Sam’s Club. Also pictured is Darlene Albers of Community First Credit Union.

The Marq hosted an awesome Business After Hours on May 11. 125+ attendees were treated to an array of scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and desserts.

Current hosted a Project Management Workshop on May 24 at Globe University; pictured are several attendees participating in one of the session’s interactive exercises.

Pictured are the 2010-2011 Partners in Education Brown County Teen Leadership class and Rebecca Deschane, youth development manager, at the Youth Celebration hosted May 24.

A Celebratory Evening to Honor Paul Jadin was held Wednesday, May 25, at the Meyer Theatre. Here, Jay Zollar of WLUK FOX 11 prepares to present Jadin with a proclamation from Green Bay and Brown County.

The Docking Station hosted its ribbon cutting and open house at its Broadway Street location on May 12. Pictured are (center) Dana VanDen Heuvel and Peter Nugent of The Docking Station.

24 | BBJ JUNE/JULY 11

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