Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
For the Klumb family, philanthropy goes beyond tradition or obligation – it is a way of life.
As business owners for several generations (DJ’s Supper Club, Arby Construction Inc. and KS Energy Services LLC), the Klumbs take their role as leaders in southeastern Wisconsin very seriously, and work toward improving the local community with each fundraiser and charitable donation.
As president and chief executive officer of KS Energy Services, Dennis Klumb Jr. emphasizes the importance of a corporation giving back to the local community, and society as a whole.
The New Berlin provider of natural gas, electric and telecommunications infrastructure was founded by Dennis Klumb Sr. and Tom Schaitel in 2005. The company has since expanded, with locations throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. Klumb Jr. is dedicated to upholding the company’s exemplary record for safety and outstanding service.
Klumb Jr., along with the company’s staff, including executive team Schaitel (chief operating officer and corporate secretary), and Klumb brothers Rick (senior vice president, gas and pipeline) Mike (senior vice president, gas and telecommunications) and Shawn (senior vice president and treasurer), strive to continue and expand the Klumb family’s legacy of giving.
In fact, much of the large Klumb family, including three daughters, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, also donate their time to volunteering with nonprofit organizations, among them the Milwaukee Urban League, Midwest Energy Association, Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association, Marquette University, Catholic Memorial High School and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee.
Since 1995, the Klumb family has been bringing the dreams of children with serious illnesses to life with its generous contributions, totaling more than $2.2 million, to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a partnership orchestrated by Schaitel, also a passionate volunteer and philanthropist.
In 2005, Klumb Jr., who along with his wife, Pam, had been working extensively with the foundation for two decades, became chair of its board, a position he held for six years.
Klumb Sr. and his wife, Janice, started the Dennis & Janice Klumb Family Foundation as a way to host fundraisers, to give charitable gifts to nonprofit organizations, and to volunteer and help mentor nonprofits. Janice passed away in 2014 at the age of 77.
Now 80 and retired from business, Klumb Sr. remains actively involved with charities and volunteering. In 2007, Klumb Sr. founded the Klumb Family Foundation Disney Wish Fund at Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, which has granted kids visits to Disney World and Disney Resorts and Spas, trips on Disney cruise ships, trips to the Disney Store and television appearances on Disney-owned station ESPN.
The entire Klumb family participates in the Foundation’s annual Celebrity Charity Golf Outing in Lake Geneva, a day of golf, cocktails, appetizers, dinner and a silent auction. Each year, proceeds from the outing exceed $175,000, and have helped fulfill more than 400 wishes for Make-A-Wish children.
In August, Klumb Jr., a bicycle enthusiast, participated in the Make-A-Wish Walk For Wishes, acting as the event’s pacesetter.
Patti Gorsky, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, said the Klumbs are “just incomparable when it comes to their efforts, passion and dedication” toward each charity they support, but notably the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“The Klumb family footprint is indelibly etched in the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” she added. “They are good people doing good things for precious children, and have helped hundreds of kids make their dreams come true. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe how wonderful (the Klumb family) is. I’m proud to call them my friends.”
