Do you have any grandiose business ideas you’d like to bounce off of some of southeastern Wisconsin’s brightest and most innovative company leaders?
Maybe you’d like to bend your state legislator’s ear about an issue that has been gnawing away at you for some time now?
Do you have any suggestions for Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker or Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett?
Perhaps you’d like to learn more from some dynamic authors, speakers and consultants?
Or maybe you’d just like to share your comments – good, bad or indifferent – with the staff of about Small Business Times?
This year, we’ve compiled the "BizTech Expo A List" of some of the prominent business and civic leaders who will be stopping by the Small Business Times exhibit booth over the two days of the event. This is only the first draft of the list, with more names to be added, but it’s an impressive start:
Wednesday, April 30
- Joe Pine, author of "Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want."
- Dave Logan, author of "Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization."
- Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker
- Steve Jagler, Small Business Times executive editor
- Eric Decker, Small Business Times reporter
- Dean Amhaus, president of Spirit of Milwaukee
- Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman
- T.J. Fox, president of the Wisconsin/Illinois region for Verizon Wireless
- Ruben Hopkins, president of the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce
- State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin)
- Susan Marshall, executive consultant
- Chip Martin and ventriloquist/PR consultant Dale Brown
- Phil Mydlach, SBT columnist and consultant on executive performance
- Eric Ness, director of the Wisconsin District of the U.S. Small Business Administration
- Carlos Santiago, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Dan Schroeder, SBT columnist and human resources expert
- Cary Silverstein, SBT columnist and business consultant
- John Steinmiller, vice president of Milwaukee Bucks
- Kirk Strong, web site expert and CEO of Smart Interactive
- Andy Tarnoff, publisher of OnMilwaukee.com
- State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee)
- State Rep. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa)
- Evan Zeppos, president of Zeppos & Associates Inc.
Thursday, May 1
- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett
- Tim Sheehy, president of Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
- Andrew Weiland, Small Business Times managing editor
- Alysha Schertz, Small Business Times reporter
- David Bohl, lifestyle mentor
- Tom Bolger, president of Harris Bank Wisconsin
- Maria Monreal-Cameron, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- George Dalton, CEO of Novo 1 Inc.
- State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend)
- John Heppner, president of Master Lock Co. LLC
- State Rep. Mark Honadel (R-South Milwaukee)
- Jerry Jendusa, CEO of Emteq
- Linda Kiedrowski, consultant and president of The Paranet Group Inc.
- Jim Lindenberg, CEO of World Class Wire & Cable Inc.
- David Lubar, president of Lubar & Co. and co-chairman of United Way
- Dester Martin, chairman, African American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Milwaukee
- Mark Readinger, CEO of P&H Mining Equipment
- State Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee)
- Carl Sheeley, CEO of Fontarome Chemical Inc.
- Jeff Sherman, president/co-owner of OnMilwaukee.com
- Jerry Stapleton, SBT columnist and sales consultant
- State Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale)
- Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor
- Patti Wallner, president of the Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce
The SBT booth is just one of more than 200 booths with special attractions at the BizTech Expo.
For instance, TDS Metrocom always has something cool going on at its booth. This year, the TDS booth lineup includes:
* The D-List cast (Drew Olson and Dan Needles) of 540 AM ESPN radio will broadcast live from 9 a.m. to noon on both days of the Expo.
* Steve "The Homer" True of 540 AM ESPN radio will broadcast live on Wednesday, April 30, from 2 to 6 p.m.
Green Bay Packer offensive lineman Mark Tauscher will appear at the TDS booth on Wednesday, April 30, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
* Brent "Buzz" Williams, the new men’s basketball coach at Marquette University, will appear at the TDS booth on Thursday, May 1, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Then again, maybe just hanging out with more than 5,000 business people is reason enough to attend the BizTech Expo on Wednesday, April 30, and Thursday, May 1, in the Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park. Admission to the BizTech Expo is free at www.biztimes.com/expo by pre-registering. And as "The Homer" is fond of saying, "Free is good."
Steve Jagler is executive editor of Small Business Times.
