Godfrey & Kahn names Wahl next managing partner
The board of directors and management committee of Milwaukee-based Godfrey & Kahn S.C., have appointed Nicholas Wahl as the firm’s next managing partner. The appointment will take effect at the firm’s annual shareholder meeting on January 19, 2011. Wahl succeeds Rick Bliss, who will lead the firm’s client relations efforts after serving 15 years as managing partner.
“Godfrey & Kahn, its clients and employees will be well-served with (Wahl) leading as managing partner,” Bliss said. “His experience and reputation as an excellent business lawyer, his appreciation for the importance of superior client service and his commitment to teamwork make him exceptionally well qualified to lead the firm.”
Bliss will also continue to be a member of the firm’s management committee. This transition is the culmination of a multi-year succession plan that the firm undertakes for key leadership positions.
“Our lawyers and staff are phenomenally talented, clearly understand what our clients value and are committed to working together as a team,” Wahl said. “I am honored and humbled to take on this role and look forward to building on our strong foundation.”
Wahl began his career with Godfrey & Kahn in 1990 with the firm’s Real Estate and Corporate practice groups. Currently a shareholder at the firm, he is a member of the management committee and board of directors and is chairman of the Business Services Division, which is comprised of the corporate, securities, real estate, financial institutions, tax & employee benefits and estate planning practice groups. Wahl is also leading the firm’s efforts to relocate its Milwaukee office to a new office building in downtown Milwaukee.
“I am specifically grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Rick’s outstanding leadership,” Wahl said. “I am confident the values established by Dudley Godfrey and Jerry Kahn will continue to remain part of our core principles and serve our clients well for many years to come.”
Maysteel names new president
J. Monte Roach has been named president and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Maysteel LLC, a leading maker of metal enclosures, assemblies and components. Roach comes to Maysteel from Actuant Corp, where he served as president of the Americas Electrical Group. “We’re delighted that Monte has agreed to join Maysteel and the Everett Smith Group,” said J. Douglas Gray, president and chief executive officer of Everett Smith Group, Ltd., which owns Maysteel. “Monte has a strong background in strategic planning, marketing, sales, operational improvement, manufacturing best practices and Lean principles. His experience in metal fabrication and assembly and his knowledge of electrical markets are a good fit with Maysteel’s core businesses.”
Merge Healthcare names new CEO
West Allis-based Merge Healthcare Inc. has named Jeffery Surges to serve as chief executive officer. Surges most recently was the president of sales at Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Merge partner. Surges has 20 years of experience managing high-growth technology companies in the health care and information services industries, including his role as the president and CEO of Extended Care Information Network, Inc. (ECIN) before that firm’s December 2007 sale to Allscripts.
"I am extremely pleased to be joining the Merge team. These are unprecedented times in health care IT. The adoption of electronic health records is creating a new wave of growth in interoperability, connectivity, and electronic commerce in healthcare,” Surges said. "As a member of the Merge board since June of 2010, I have been fortunate to see the foundation Merge has put in place to capitalize on these trends and realize our organic growth goals."
Surges succeeds Justin Dearborn, who will assume the newly created role of president and will focus on growing Merge’s international business.
Merge also today reported a third quarter net loss to shareholders of $5.0 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $900,000, or 2 cents per share, in the same period a year ago. The company’s quarterly net sales grew to $45.2 million from $16.9 million a year earlier.
"I am very proud of our third quarter performance. As a leader in the health IT space, Merge is well positioned to take advantage of a great market opportunity being presented by the transformative electronic health record and interoperability adoption currently underway. As a result, we are providing 2011 guidance of a pro forma revenue range of $235 million to $240 million with an adjusted EBITDA of approximately 23 percent," said Michael Ferro Jr., chairman of the board.
Berres is new president of Milwaukee IREM
Heidi Berres, vice president of property management at Irgens Development Partners, is the new president of the Milwaukee Chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). Berres has more than 20 years of successful real estate management experience. IREM is a global organization that serves more than 18,000 members and 500 corporate members worldwide. Berres joined IREM in 2005. She holds the organization’s Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation and was awarded CPM of the Year in 2009. At Irgens, Berres manages 13 commercial office and outpatient medical buildings in Wisconsin and Illinois totaling 842,056 square feet. As the 2011 president of the Milwaukee chapter, Berres will lead networking and educational offerings provided for all real estate management professionals to help them prosper and add value to their companies and the properties they manage.
“Heidi is an accomplished professional who has the leadership skills and experience necessary to proactively lead the local IREM Chapter and represent its active membership group on a national platform,” said Mark Irgens, manager and president of Irgens Development Partners. “I know she will continue to make great strides for the organization in the years ahead.”
