Progress doesn’t happen without people. Ideas can be discussed, visions made, goals set – but none of it is realized without people. Thinking about what the next 30 years has in store for the region, it’s crucial to first look at the individuals who are – and will be – driving us forward.
For the cover feature of our milestone 30th Anniversary issue, the BizTimes editorial team chose 30 people – representing a range of industries, backgrounds and interests – to highlight as among those shaping the future of Milwaukee and the broader southeastern Wisconsin region.
We asked them to parse out their forward-looking visions in a brief written interview. We asked each to address:
- What needs to change in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin over the next 30 years?
- What do you hope to accomplish in your career over the next 30 years?
- What’s your pitch to the next generation to make Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin home for the next 30 years?
To ultimately pull off our vision for this feature and special edition, we needed a striking cover – and that’s certainly what we got from the six dynamic leaders pictured on the front page of our March 17 issue. A big thanks to the Milwaukee County Historical Society for letting us use their iconic venue – a former bank branch – as the backdrop, a symbolic depiction of past meeting future.
The 30 interviews will be posted to biztimes.com over the course of the week and linked here as they are posted.
Paid BizTimes subscribers can see the print version of all the interviews in our digital edition here.
Full interviews by day posted:
Monday:
- Stacia Thompson, president and CEO of Sherman Phoenix
- Jamie Andrzejewski, founder and owner of Nourish Natural Products
- Megan Tzanoukakis, president and CEO of Sussex IM
- Quentin Prince, executive director, Milwaukee Youth Sports Alliance
- Ryan Castelaz, founder and CEO of Discourse Coffee and Agency Cocktail
- Chris Corkery, CEO of Hundred Acre
Tuesday:
- Kate Ansay, vice president of strategy, Ansay Development
- Jake Jorgensen, chief operating officer, VJS Construction Services
- Molly Dill, managing director, gener8tor
- Gard Pecor, senior market analyst, CoStar Group
- Rich Barnhouse, president and CEO, Waukesha County Technical College
- Patrick Lubar, first vice president of commercial lending, Ixonia Bank
Wednesday:
- Kate Trevey, Nana Fotsch director, Fotsch Innovation and Engineering Leadership Development Center, Marquette University
- Grant Pauly, founder and brewmaster, 3 Sheeps Brewing
- Tarik Moody, digital operations director and HYFIN creative director, Radio Milwaukee
- Colleston Morgan Jr., president and executive director, City Forward Collective
- Richie Burke, founder, Story Mark Studios
- Amanda Payne, president and CEO, Waukesha County Business Alliance
Thursday:
- Claire Koenig, vice president of communications and advocacy, Visit Milwaukee
- Joe Poeschl, director of engagement, MKE Tech Hub Coalition
- John Chidester, commercial banker, Johnson Financial Group
- Nadiyah Johnson, founder CEO, Jet Constellations and Milky Way Tech Hub
- Michael Gosman, president and CEO, Acts Housing
- Carlos Mejia, project component engineer, Rockwell Automation
Friday:
- Theresa Nemetz, founder and president, Milwaukee Food & City Tours and Travel Deliciously
- Lena DeLaet, sales director and director, Summerfest Tech and Milwaukee World Festival Inc.
- Nicole Ryf, president, Kenosha Area Business Alliance
- Tim Gokhman, managing director, New Land Enterprises
- Sumathi Thiyagarajan, senior vice president of analytics and business operations,
Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum - Lianna Bishop, executive director, Zilber Family Foundation
Photos by Valerie Hill. Shot at the Milwaukee County Historical Society
