Until someone unlocks the secret to time travel, Wisconsin’s business leaders can only wonder what they would do if they had that ability.
BizTimes Media asked the Wisconsin 275, the most influential business leaders in the state, when and where they would go if they could time travel. A vast majority of those who responded to the question said they would go back in time — to relive life’s special moments, spend more time with lost loved ones, or experience first-hand some of the country’s most monumental events. And this wouldn’t be Wisconsin if going back to see the 1960s Green Bay Packers weren’t the pick for some.
Others looked to the future, wondering what it would be like, or about how their families are doing, or whether their company had any impact.
The following are selections of noteworthy responses from the Wisconsin 275 to the question, “If you could time travel for one day, when and where would you go?”
Looking to the past
Chris Goller, executive vice president, head of corporate, banking Midwest region, of PNC Bank: “If I could, I would love to be transported to the Ice Bowl, one of the most iconic games in NFL history, played between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys on December 31, 1967, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.”
Jim Popp, president and CEO of Johnson Financial Group: “Sounds corny, but I would probably go back and spend a day with my mother. She passed away almost 30 years ago, so she missed out on most of our family growing up. She was fun and outgoing and would have been a big part of our kids’ lives. I would go back and fill her in on all that she’s missed and make sure she knows what a great life we’ve all had.”
Jackie Q. Carter, director of Port Milwaukee: “I would travel back to 1970 to have conversations with family elders who passed away before I was born. I would ask them about their life, their parents and grandparents. I would get information I need to fill in my family tree beyond my great grandparents. I would better understand my family’s history to redirect our legacy.”
Marty Brooks, president and CEO of Wisconsin Center District: “I would spend time with both of my parents the day they passed away. I was not with either of them when they passed and was unable to express my love and appreciation to them. I miss them deeply and would gladly take one day to go back in time for that.”
Chris Miskel, president and CEO of Versiti: “My paternal grandmother died when my dad was two years old. It would be amazing to go back and spend time with her and learn more about her journey.”
Dr. John Raymond, president and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin: “July 20, 1969, to be there again for the Apollo 11 mission, the first moon landing.”
Paul Bartolotta, chef, owner and co-founder of The Bartolotta Restaurants: “I would travel back to any Christmas morning with my family when we lived on 71st Street in Wauwatosa when I was a child. Family means everything to me. And the second day would be my wedding day 25 years ago. Both moments have defined who I am today.”
Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee: “Back to 1988, as a junior in high school. My grandparents and parents were still alive. It was a time of innocence that we can’t recapture today.”
Dustin Hinton, president and CEO, Wisconsin and Michigan, of UnitedHealthcare: “I would go back and relive the birth of our son, Cole. Probably the happiest day of my wife, Dawn’s, and my lives. At the time, we didn’t realize he would be our one and only. I would relive that day in a heartbeat.”
Scott Murphy, president and CEO of Jewelers Mutual Group: “I would go back in time to talk to my younger self. Although I probably would not be able to change, I would tell myself that all those things that are out of my control that I will worry about over the years did not come true – and not because I worried about them.”
Terrance Williams, president and CEO of TruStage: “My dad was born in 1938. At the time when he finished high school, Black men in the South were not allowed to attend the university that I went to (University of South Carolina). I would like to go back and meet that young 18- or 19-year-old Terry Williams, learn what he was like and better understand the experiences that shaped the man he is today.”
Kimo Ah Yun, president of Marquette University: “July 24, 1999. Lummi Island, Washington. The day that I married my best friend.”
Barb LaMue, president and CEO of New North: “Back to the early 1900s to experience what my grandparents did when they immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island from what was then Czechoslovakia.”
Steve Lindley, president of Hooper: “It would be interesting to be in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787, for the initial signing of the U.S. Constitution.”
Rick Barrett, CEO of Barrett Lo Visionary Development: “I would want to go back to the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s and just listen to Vince Lombardi speak and hear how this man could inspire people to be so extraordinary.”
Kevin Newell, president and CEO of Royal Capital: “I’d go back in time to spend time with all of my loved ones who have since passed away, and enjoy every minute of it.”
Amy Lindner, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County: “My great-grandfather became a citizen of this country when I was a child. I wish I could be there to see his pride and happiness and to get one more hug from him.”
Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin: “Back to see mom!”
Looking to the future
Joel Quadracci, chairman, president and CEO of Quad: “I would go forward in time, perhaps 20 years after I am no longer alive, to see if my work mattered as I believe you never will know your true success as a leader in business while you’re still in it.”
Mike Daniels, chairman, president and CEO of Nicolet National Bank: “I’d go 30 years in the future to check on my kids and grandkids.”
Tim Gokhman, managing director ofNew Land Enterprises: “Go 10 years into the future to see how climate change, geopolitics and the stock market are doing.”
Craig Dickman, managing director of TitletownTech: “Into the future. I would love to see how Wisconsin looks 100 years from now.”
Jane Blain Gilbertson, owner and executive chair of Blain Supply, Inc.: “Go forward 30.5 years to our company’s 100th Anniversary Celebration with my family, past, current and future!”
