Thank you! To our sponsors, exhibitors and attendees for taking part in southeast Wisconsin’s largest business-to-business experience: BizExpo. On May 1, 2023, hundreds of Milwaukee-area professionals visited BizExpo for a daylong event focused on connecting business executives to information and resources crucial for business growth.

The day began with the Elevate Your Leadership keynote presentation led by national speaker Tim Kight, Founder and CEO, Focus 3. BizExpo also featured ten business strategy seminars with actionable tips to help run your business better, a busy exhibit floor, hundreds of opportunities to meet face to face with area business professionals and community leaders, and the Power Hour networking reception. Participation in this event offered a one-of-a-kind opportunity to make connections with purchasing-decision makers and close game-changing deals.

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM

SEMINAR ROOM A
The Six B’s of Balanced Leadership

• John Rutkiewicz, Facilitator and Coach, Living as a Leader

Research shows that the very best leaders achieve and maintain a balance between two very important factors – results and relationships. In fact, a lack of balance between these two factors – with an over-emphasis on one or the other – is a common derailer for leaders at all levels. Join us as we explore six leadership strategies that, together, can help you lead in a balanced and highly effective way. We’ll also look at specific tactics, exercises and additional research that support a balanced leadership approach.

SEMINAR ROOM B
CyberSecurity – Important steps to safeguard your company from today’s threats

• Duane Maas, President, MC Services

Security breaches that are constantly in the news make you wonder if you are doing enough to keep your systems and data safe. For good security it is important to concentrate on the most vulnerable areas of attack first instead of using a wack-a-mole approach. No one can patch everything perfectly all at once. There were 25,226 publicly announced vulnerabilities last year. The most common entrance that criminals use to attack your business is people. Consequently, the first item to address in keeping secure is educating employees on best practices for safe computing and how to recognize and respond to cyber threats. In this session you will learn where to concentrate your resources so you can sleep at night.

SEMINAR ROOM C
Supporting your sustainability goals.

• Jeff Mackey, Energy Efficiency Services Engineer, We Energies

We Energies’ Energy Efficiency Services team partners with large customers on sustainability goals and other efficiency programs. Energy efficiency engineer Jeff Mackey will show you some of the typical requests from customers and how the team found solutions. You’ll also learn about many of the services available at We Energies to help you manage your energy use and costs.

1:15 PM – 2:00 PM

SEMINAR ROOM A
Financial Strategies To Help You Start, Manage and Expand Your Business

• Matt Haas – Speakers, VP, Small Business Banking Manager, Johnson Financial Group
• Eric Waite, AVP Small Business Banking, Johnson Financial Group

Every business is unique and faces different challenges and opportunities. Maximize your success by understanding the key financial strategies that can help you reach your business goals. Matt Haas, VP Small Business Banking at Johnson Financial Group will provide insights on establishing a financial partnership and discuss financing and cash management solutions to support your business whether you are just starting out or planning for future expansions.

SEMINAR ROOM B
Strengthening Your Organization’s Strategic Advantage: Building a Smart and Healthy Culture

• Julie Tolan, Co-Owner, Lauber Business Partners

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment, the success of an organization depends not only on its profitability but also on its ability to create a healthy and sustainable workplace. The concept of a smart and healthy organization is gaining traction as organizations realize the benefits of prioritizing employee well-being and creating an environment that fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration. This program will discuss what it means to be a smart and healthy organization, and the steps organizations can take to become one. A smart organization has expertise in traditional areas like strategy, finance and accounting, operations, engineering/design, marketing, sales, and human resources. A smart and healthy organization also prioritizes employee well-being and creates an environment that promotes physical, emotional, and intellectual health. Smart and healthy organizations have a positive work culture where employees feel valued, respected, and appreciated. The culture is one of trust, transparency, and collaboration. They prioritize employee well-being by offering health and wellness programs, flexible work arrangements, and mental health support. They foster innovation and creativity by encouraging employees to share ideas and experiment with new approaches. They provide opportunities for employees to learn and develop new skills and knowledge. They are committed to sustainability and take steps to reduce its environmental impact. Prioritizing employee well-being and a healthy workplace helps organizations. The company, its employees and customers enjoy the benefits of elevated levels of expertise derived from the functional expertise typically associated with smart companies. Investing in team and individual development enhances team cohesiveness, elevates team performance, and improves company results. Employees who feel valued and supported are more productive and engaged in their work. Organizations prioritizing employee well-being experience lower turnover rates as employees are likelier to stay with the organization. Health and wellness programs can improve employee health and reduce absenteeism. Organizations prioritizing sustainability and employee well-being are viewed as responsible and ethical, enhancing their reputation. This enhanced reputation is key to attracting and retaining the best talent, which continues to help drive organizational performance higher.

2:30 PM – 3:15 PM

SEMINAR ROOM A
Exit Planning Options: Internal Sale, External Sale, Private Equity – Is an ESOP Right For You?

• Rick Jaye, AIF, CRC, Managing Director, Business Transition Advisors
• Kevin Perlberg, CFP, Managing Partner, Blackhawk Capital Partners
• Donald (Trace) Tendick III, MBA, CFP, Partner, Blackhawk Capital Partners

An ESOP, or Employee Stock Ownership Plan, is one of many different ways to sell your business. This program will explore these options and educate you on creating an exit strategy for business owners looking to both sell their business and provide a tremendous benefit to their employees. We’ll discuss how an ESOP can allow you to sell all or a portion of your company at fair market value, indefinitely defer all capital gains taxes, leave behind a completely tax-exempt company to the employee owners, retain the ability to capitalize on the future growth of the business post sale, and improve employee retention, productivity, profitability, recruitment, and culture.

SEMINAR ROOM B
Live Leadership Lens with Omar Shaikh and Marquette University President Mike Lovell

• Omar Shaikh, Partner, 3rd Street Market Hall, Carnevor Steakhouse
• Dr. Michael Lovell, President, Marquette University
• Arthur Thomas, Managing Editor, BizTimes Media

Leadership Lens is a monthly BizTimes Media podcast with Marquette University president Michael Lovell and BizTimes managing editor Arthur Thomas. Each month they’re joined by business leaders from throughout southeastern Wisconsin to discuss approaches to leadership, making decisions and business strategies. They will be joined by a guest for their May episode for a podcast live recording.

SEMINAR ROOM C
Securing the Future: Navigating the Intersection of Technology Management, Cybersecurity, and AI

• Gary Blawat II, VP Regional Sales Midwest, The 20 LLC
• Mike Hornsby, Cybersecurity Operations Manager, BLOKWORX

With advances in Artificial Intelligence, the way organizations secure their future is going to be a balance of risk reduction and significant productivity potential. Join us as we explore how technology management and cybersecurity are changing to meet these future demands. We’ll touch base on how AI is used to reduce costs, reduce time, and most importantly improve security.

3:45 PM – 4:30 PM

SEMINAR ROOM A
Going Beyond the Press Release: How to make your news newsworthy

• Andrew Weiland, Editor, BizTimes Media
• Arthur Thomas, Managing Editor, BizTimes Media
• Maredithe Meyer, Associate Editor, BizTimes Media
• Ashley Smart, Reporter, BizTimes Media
• Cara Spoto, Reporter, BizTimes Media

This is a chance to meet the BizTimes Media editorial team and understand how coverage decisions are made, how the audience shapes approaches to stories and how the work of covering the region’s businesses gets done. Attendees will have a chance to participate in discussions about recent business news and get tips for pitching stories and standing out amongst the noise.

SEMINAR ROOM B
Demystifying OpenAI / CHATGPT and why Google is scared!

• Matthew Friedel, Angel Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator

Recent reports say the average number of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities that companies employ has doubled over the last few years 2018 to 2023. With its ability to produce text that mimics that of a human, ChatGPT, an OpenAI big language model, has caused waves in the tech sector. Companies of all sizes are now adapting AI chatbots that can handle everything from text generation to customer care. Learn key takeaways on what is ChatGPT and OpenAI plus all the tools under the hood:

• What exactly is ChatGPT and OpenAI?
• How are successful businesses leveraging these technologies?
• Where can OpenAI be used in research and content development?

Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Brookfield Conference Center

• 2020 BizExpo Seminar Schedule & Videos
• 2019 BizExpo Seminar Schedule
• 2018 BizExpo Seminar Schedule

Interested in sponsoring an event? To reap the benefits of the ultimate in-person marketing opportunity contact Linda Crawford, Director of Sales, to discuss opportunities. Event sponsorships are limited.