This interview is part of the cover feature from the BizTimes Milwaukee 30th anniversary issue, published March 17, 2025. For more information and to see interviews from other southeastern Wisconsin leaders, visit biztimes.com/30-people.
Megan Tzanoukakis
President and CEO
Sussex IM | Sussex
Age: 37
Megan Tzanoukakis in early 2023 was named to the top seat at Sussex IM, a family-owned contract manufacturer that specializes in custom injection molding, automation and value-add assembly for some of the world’s largest brands. Tzanoukakis joined the company in 2014 as a manufacturing scheduler and climbed the ranks to succeed her father, Keith Everson, as CEO. With a public accounting background, she’s worked to improve internal systems to drive efficiency and continued growth.
What would you like to see change in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin over the next 30 years?
“I’d like to see a focus on the skilled trades for our middle and high school students. Career paths in plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tool and die, etc. are good-paying jobs that will not be replaced by AI yet are pivotal to the growth of our region. This is starting to happen but needs to be stimulated by schools and parents.
“The roots of Wisconsin are in small business. We need tax and regulatory policies that don’t burden us with excessive costs and red tape. Our value is in our ability to be agile and provide our customers with innovation and it’s tough to do that with capital constraints and increasing costs of regulation.”
What do you hope to accomplish in your career over the next 30 years?
“I hope to grow and challenge the current and next generation of leaders at our company. There is so much changing and evolving in manufacturing, and we need to be on the cutting edge of that change to remain competitive in the market. In plastics manufacturing, we need to find a way to solve the challenges of recyclability and use more recycled plastics in our manufacturing processes. As a contract manufacturer, I want to partner with customers that value our expertise in innovation and automation to continue making high-quality durable products in the USA.”
What would be your pitch to the next generation to encourage them to make Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin home for the next 30 years?
“Southeastern Wisconsin is a fantastic place to live. The cost of living is low relative to most large cities, yet the opportunities to work and make a difference in a variety of industries are significant. You can work for a large corporation or a small family business and be very successful. We experience all four seasons, which provides a lot of variety for any outdoor enthusiast. My favorite part of Wisconsin is that we have 10 of the top 100 public golf courses in the country. I haven’t played them all, but they are on the bucket list. I never left Wisconsin, and there’s a reason for that!”
