Milwaukee’s John Hawks Pub gets new owner
After 40 years under the same owner, John Hawk’s Pub on Milwaukee’s Riverwalk has named Brian Ward, owner of Ward’s House of Prime in downtown Milwaukee the new owner of the pub. With the announcement, Robert Bell, founder of John Hawk’s Pub, will retire in early May.
According to Bell, Ward has been actively involved in every aspect of the restaurant industry since age 15 and he is the perfect person to continue the Pub’s legacy in Milwaukee and build on its future success.
“I’m honored that Robert has the confidence in me to continue the legacy he built here in Milwaukee and I’m looking forward to updating it to make it my own while keeping its original integrity,” said Ward. “John Hawks is a Milwaukee landmark and it’s great to be leading its rebirth for future success.”
Ward plans to change the restaurants current many to feature homemade soups, fresh salads and hearty sandwiches as well as a variety of English fare, he said.
The facility’s deli will also be enhanced to have more a ‘New York style approach’ and appeal.
In addition, Ward is planning on renovating the entire facility to give it more a contemporary English feel including adding more booths to the dining area and large screen TVS and games to make it more of a lounge area where people want to hang out.
More English and European beers and upscale brands of scotch and whiskey will also be added to the menu, Ward said.
Experts to share insights at BizTimes Wellness Summit
Companies interested in starting or improving a corporate wellness plan for their employees are invited to attend the second annual BizTimes Wellness Summit.
BizTimes invites business owners or presidents, human resources directors, chief financial officers, wellness coordinators and other C-level executives to attend the conference, which will take place Friday, April 15, from 7: 30 to 10 a.m. at the Italian Conference Center in downtown Milwaukee.
The mission of the program is to promote wellness and help companies lower their health care costs.
The summit will begin with a discussion about the latest trends in wellness, including nutrition, fitness and emotional well-being. The discussion will be led by wellness expert Connie Roethel, R.N., president of Core Health Group in Mequon.
The conference also will include a panel discussion by the executives of five companies that have developed robust corporate wellness plans for their employees. The panelists will include:
Chad Feltz, human resources manager of West Bend Mutual.
Craig Kloeppel, health management contract manager of CNH America LLC/Health Fitness in Racine.
C.J. Dykstra, assistant vice president of human resources of Park Bank in Milwaukee.
Lisa Mrozinski, total rewards manager-benefits, Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. in Milwaukee.
Mari Lauer, human resources director of Gateway Plastics Inc. in Mequon.
The panelists will discuss the latest trends in wellness, the challenges of starting a wellness program, the development of a wellness culture in the workplace, the return on investment for employee wellness and the latest, greatest ideas for corporate wellness plans.
The summit is presented by BizTimes Media LLC and the Wellness Council. To register to attend, visit www.biztimes.com/wellness.
New ‘app’ will allow Brewers fans to order concessions on smart phones
Milwaukee Brewers fans at Miller Park this season will be able to order concessions from their smart phones.
The Brewers are partnering with Bypass Lane to offer fans a solution for ordering food and beverages straight from the comfort of their seats, giving fans the easy convenience of pre-ordering and paying through their smartphones.
“We are excited to add Bypass Lane to Miller Park,” said Brewers chief operating officer Rick Schlesinger. “This latest technology will provide a convenient and simple way for fans to order concessions without missing the action on the field.”
Bypass, an Austin, Texas-based company, has developed the applications use on Android, Blackberry OS6, Dell mobile devices, iPhone, Palm mobile devices and others.
Through Bypass, fans are given the opportunity to view full food and drink menus of select concessions stands in the vicinity of their seats and are able to place orders by paying with a credit card using Bypass’ secure payment platform. When the order is ready for pickup, a text message is sent to the fan from the nearest Bypass Lane, helping them get back to their seat in short order.
Marquette to extend benefits to registered domestic partners
Marquette University president Robert Wild today announced he has directed the Milwaukee school’s Department of Human Resources to include coverage for registered domestic partners in the university’s health insurance plans, beginning with the start of the new coverage year, Jan. 1, 2012.
Wild said he had wrestled with issue over the past few years.
“If we are truly pastoral in our application of the Jesuit principle of cura personalis, I asked myself if I could reconcile that with denying health benefits to a couple who have legally registered their commitment to each other,” Wild said.
Wild noted that the State of Wisconsin gives legal recognition both to marriage for heterosexual couples and to a registered domestic partnership for same-sex couples.
Cas Castro, director of human resources, said, while there are details that will need to be worked out, medical, dental and vision benefits currently offered to married couples and their dependents will be extended to registered domestic partners.
To be eligible for the registry, an individual must be: 18 years old; not in a marriage or a currently registered domestic partnership recognized by the State of Wisconsin; share at least one “common residence” with the intended domestic partner; not be nearer in kin than second cousins to the intended domestic partner; and be a “member of the same sex” of the intended domestic partner.
The declaration of domestic partnership may be initiated by an application filed with the clerk of the county in which an individual resides.
Castro said the new provisions will be explained in detail in the benefit information employees receive each October.
Wild said both student and employee groups have called for the extension of benefits, most recently in a motion passed Feb. 21 by the University Academic Senate and a recommendation approved by the Marquette University Student Government March 3. Wild also said he had discussed his decision with trustees, including Rev. Scott Pilarz, S.J., Marquette’s incoming president.
“The Fair Wisconsin Education Fund applauds Marquette and is proud to have spent the past year working closely with them to strengthen their inclusivity for their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender faculty, staff, and students,” said Katie Belanger, executive director of the Fair Wisconsin Education Fund. “Their plans to provide health care benefits to the registered domestic partners of their employees mark an important milestone in their work to build a more inclusive university. Their decision to associate it with our state domestic partnership registry is an important recognition of these critical and basic protections. Today’s announcement marks a major step in building a fair Wisconsin.”
Pfister Hotel reopens renovated café to public
The Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee has transformed a portion of the entrance area of it’s Café at The Pfister with a barista counter, offering guests gourmet coffee on-the-go, freshly baked pastries and other items.
The six-week renovation project of The Pfister’s café, located on the lobby level of the hotel, is now complete and was reopened to the public today.
The café’s renovations include the addition of a patisserie into the entrance of the space with casual seating and a Starbucks® barista counter. The patisserie area now features in-house gourmet pastries and desserts from chef Robert Ash and his culinary team. The majority of the existing café has remained as originally designed in order to retain the style and reputation it has earned throughout the years.
“Along with the addition of the patisserie and Starbucks counter, the entire café has been freshened up,” says Joe Kurth, general manager of The Pfister Hotel. “The main dining room now has a more open feel, allowing for additional seating where guests can get comfortable, get some work done on a laptop or just relax with a nice glass of wine. In addition to the redesign of the entrance to the café offering guests-on-the-go more options, we will continue to serve the timeless classics our loyal customers love.”
Café at The Pfister also has updated its hours to further accommodate its customers. The barista counter will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The Breakfast Patisserie Counter Menu featuring scones, breakfast sandwiches and more, will be offered from 6 to 11 a.m.
BizTimes accepts listings for Wellness Directory
BizTimes is accepting entries for listings in its upcoming Wellness Directory.
Companies and agencies that provide products and services to promote wellness are encouraged to apply to be listed in the directory. These organizations have products or services to help business owners/managers promote employee health, lower health care costs, and improve productivity.
This directory features local organizations with a role in health care and corporate wellness. Eligible organizations include: hospitals, fitness clubs, wellness organizations, health care consultants, health insurance providers, independent health insurance agencies, clinics and independent providers.
The 2011 Wellness Directory will be published in the April 15 issue of BizTimes Milwaukee magazine.
For additional information, contact Laura Jones at (414) 336-7132 or laura.jones@biztimes.com. To apply to be listed in the BizTimes Wellness Directory, click here. To view the 2010 Wellness Directory, click here.
Nominations begin for Future 50 Awards
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2011 Future 50 Awards, saluting the Milwaukee area’s fastest-growing companies.
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) and its Council of Small Business Executives (COSBE) began the Future 50 program to recognize the outstanding achievements of local, fast-growing entrepreneurs.
The Future 50 Program recognizes privately-owned companies in the seven-county region that have been in business for at least three years and have shown significant revenue and employment growth.
The winning companies will be honored at the annual Future 50 Luncheon on Sept. 15.
To apply to be a Future 50 company, click here.
BizTimes is the media sponsor for the Future 50 program.
For additional information, contact Mary Steinbrecher at msteinbrecher@mmac.org or (414) 287.4128.
