Sussex-based Lannon Stone Products tithes 10% of its annual profits to charitable causes focused on improving the communities in which its employees live and work.
Led by owner and president Hans Dawson, the quarry company and its Lannon Stone Foundation has been a significant financial supporter of St. Augustine Preparatory Academy in Milwaukee and has supported numerous nonprofit organizations as well as community parks, fire departments and police departments. Lannon Stone employees are encouraged to give back through volunteer events, sponsorships, and community-based activities.
The Lannon Stone Foundation was among the first to invest in Aug Prep’s capital campaign for its new $100 million North Campus, currently under construction at the former Cardinal Stritch Campus in Fox Point and Glendale.
Dawson serves as a board member of Aug Prep, giving hours of personal time and leadership insight. He’s also board vice president of Bridge Builders, a central city community development organization.
Other organizations that the Lannon Stone Foundation supports on a continual basis include Teen Challenge, Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School, Sussex Outreach Services, Washington County 4-H, Living Word Lutheran High School, Camp Hometown Heroes and Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity.
“The reality about working with these organizations is that they understand that if you stand up and you look around and there’s still a problem, it means you have to solve the problem.”
– Hans Dawson, owner and president, Lannon Stone
Finalists:
Landmark Credit Union
In 2024, Brookfield-based Landmark Credit Union donated more than $519,000 and supported 96 charitable and community events, partnering with 116 organizations, including United Way, Children’s Wisconsin, Junior Achievement, Feeding America and Make-A-Wish.
Also last year, Landmark employees volunteered their time to make 3,463 sandwiches, pack 1,009 snack bags, sort 40,000-plus pounds of food and assemble 1,000 “Winter Bites” food kits to help feed the hungry. They also packed 1,012 backpacks with school supplies and assembled 300 mental health kits for those in need.
Landmark’s partnership with United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County spans more than 30 years. In 2024, Landmark pledged $216,046 to United Way’s Workplace Giving Campaign and helped the nonprofit respond to a diaper shortage. Employee volunteers took shifts packing 15,924 diapers, 35 branches collected 8,200 diapers and 1,300 baby wipes, and the company hosted an event in which 90 volunteers packed 52,000 diapers.
The credit union has also been a longtime supporter of Children’s Wisconsin and was the top contributor to the health system’s annual Chain of Hearts campaign in 2024, raising $58,808.
In addition, Landmark last year launched a site where employees can conveniently sign up for any of the 35 company volunteer opportunities available during the year. Employees can reserve 30-minute time slots during the workday to make sandwiches, pack backpacks or diapers and more.
Rebel Converting
Milwaukee-based wet wipe manufacturing company Rebel Converting, through its social outreach arm Rebel Reform, is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through education, advocacy and collaborative initiatives.
Led by executive director Loretta Kryshak and her husband, Mike Kryshak, who together own Rebel Converting, Rebel Reform works to address systemic inequities and create opportunities for growth and self-sufficiency.
The charity runs an annual bike drive to collect and refurbish hundreds of bicycles that are then distributed to children and families across Milwaukee, including through the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers annual Bike Day.
More than 500 bikes – along with helmets and locks – are given away at the event, now in its 14th year, at Kosciuszko Park on Milwaukee’s south side. Roughly 40 Rebel Converting employees volunteer to help put on the event, including transporting the repaired bikes, helmets and locks, setting up tables, and ensuring each bike is fitted properly for its rider.
Rebel Reform made an impact during the COVID-19 pandemic when it donated materials to make and distribute more than 4 million facemasks to medical personnel, first responders and the general public.
