Baird Capital Partners recently hired Michael Bernstein as an executive-in-residence focused on healthcare services investments. Bernstein most recently was CEO of Innovative Health Strategies which was sold to IMS Health in December 2007, and prior to that was President and COO of Cobalt Corporation, a $1.6 billion publicly traded Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance holding company. Bernstein will be based in BCP’s Milwaukee office. As Executive-in-Residence, Bernstein will help the BCP team in sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities as well as contribute value-added operating experience to existing portfolio companies.
First Business Bank–Milwaukee recently promoted Kathy Giorgi to client services supervisor. Giorgi celebrated her five year anniversary with First Business Bank in February. She has more than 20 years experience in the client services industry, and most recently held the role of Client Services Representative for First Business Bank.
Acuity Insurance has named Lisa Mauer, owner and president of Milwaukee-based Tool Service Corp., an industrial tool distributor, to its board of directors. Other companies in the Tool Service enterprise include Tool Fabrication Corp., which designs and builds cutting tools, and Fluid Service Corp., which provides onsite fluid management for manufacturing firms.
Wisconsin Department of Commerce Secretary Jack Fischer recently appointed Aggo Akyea as director of the Bureau of Minority Business Development. Akyea has been the minority business enterprise program manager at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation since 2006, providing consultation to minority businesses in order to maximize their prime and subcontracting opportunities within the department’s state-funded purchasing and construction projects. He served as marketing and certification consultant for the Department of Commerce from 1991 to 2006, certifying minority firms for participation in public sector contracts and organizing and conducting the annual Marketplace Trade Fair.
