Bubbler Executive Appointments and Awards

Weyers to succeed Hansen as Johnson Financial CEO
Richard Hansen, chief executive officer of Racine-based Johnson Financial Group, will retire at the end of the year, and the company has announced that he will be succeeded by Russ Weyers, currently the president and chief operating officer of the firm.
“Dick joined our company 15 years ago when we were a small local enterprise,” said Helen Johnson-Leipold, chairman of Johnson Financial, the parent company of Johnson Bank. “He has significantly strengthened our banking and insurance businesses and has expanded the footprint and portfolio of our company. He’s built a very strong team of associates, giving us remarkable growth and success.”
Hansen and Weyers have worked together over the past 15 years, which should make Weyers’ transition into the CEO role smooth for the company and its employees, Johnson-Leipold said.
“Succession planning is very important for all of our family enterprises,” she said. “One of our keys to success is our people-focused values. And to find that in a leader in combination with the long-term thinking and acumen that Russ has is a great combination, something that is unique to the leaders of our companies.”
“We’ve kind of grown up here together,” Hansen said. “He’s participated in developing our vision proposition and has demonstrated to all of us his ability to deal with the dramatic change we’re going through while staying focused on the community.”
Although the company is facing changing financial regulations and challenging economic conditions, Weyers believes Johnson Financial will achieve significant future growth.
“We’re a financial company that follows the rules and treats our customers with respect,” he said. “It’s our job to figure out (new regulations) and follow them correctly. The (financial reform) bill will create new and unique challenges for us. We’re in an economic situation that no one knows (what will happen). But with the plan we have today and the people we have today, we will be successful.”

Harley adds firepower to executive team
Harley-Davidson Inc. announced it is bolstering its executive team by adding Paul Jones as vice president, general counsel and secretary and J. Darrell Thomas as vice president and treasurer.
Jones most recently has served in a similar role at Regal Beloit Corp. He previously was a partner in the Milwaukee law firm of Foley & Lardner, LLP, where he provided counsel to Harley-Davidson.
Thomas served at PepsiCo as vice president and assistant treasurer. He previously worked in banking where he focused on financing and related matters for the automotive and financial services industries.
"Paul and Darrell are seasoned executives who bring strong leadership capabilities to Harley-Davidson," said Harley chief executive officer Keith Wandell. "Their broad and diverse experience will be a key asset to our team as we continue to execute on our business strategy, with its focus on growing the reach of the Harley-Davidson brand globally."