For BizTimes Milwaukee’s second edition of Wisconsin 275, a special publication profiling the most influential business leaders in the state, we sent a questionnaire to each of the 275 individuals that we picked to include on the list.
In the questionnaire, one of the questions that we asked the Wisconsin 275 was: If you could choose any other career path, what would you want to do?
The most common answers for members of the 2024 Wisconsin 275 class were that they would want to teach, coach or have a variety of roles in the world of sports.
Here are some noteworthy answers for what alternative career paths the Wisconsin 275 say they would choose:
Chad Bauman, executive director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater: “I originally trained as an educator and at some point, I will return to teaching. It is my first passion and arguably the most important role anyone can play.”
Chris Miskel, president and CEO of Versiti: “Sponsors and mentors who emphasized talent development altered my career trajectory and outlook on leadership. Seeing talent achieve its full potential is really my favorite part of the job. So, if not leading Versiti, it would probably be coaching — executives, professionals, or athletes. I love to see people conquer what they thought wasn’t possible.”
Jim Popp, CEO of Johnson Financial Group: “I would either teach/coach or design/build houses. The teach/coach thing is easy, since it’s such a natural way to impact others — especially kids. It’s hard, but there is so much satisfaction in seeing someone you’ve coached or mentored succeed. The building thing is just something that I enjoy. I’m not sure I’d be any good at it, but I would have fun doing it!”
Summer Strand, chairperson of Public Service Commission of Wisconsin: “A teacher and/or sports coach. Throughout my career, I’ve had several teaching opportunities and enjoyed them all. In high school, I taught English and creative writing to elementary summer school students. In law school, I taught constitutional law to high school students. Recently, I’ve mentored law students and was a guest lecturer in college and graduate school classes. I also volunteer at my children’s school and coach their youth sports teams.”
Gale Klappa, chairman of the board, WEC Energy Group: “In another life, I would love to be a play-by-play broadcaster for NFL or NBA games.”
Tom Shannon, executive chairman of BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation, Inc.: “Building a cutting edge family office dedicated to professional athletes always has seemed to be an interesting career.”
Nic Wahl, president and managing partner of Godfrey & Kahn: “Easy. Starting pitcher for the Brewers. I would get the ball every five games and then get to play golf and cards on my off days. A shout out to the Brewers for playing some great baseball (last) year.”
John Walz, president of Milwaukee School of Engineering: “I gave serious thought to becoming a physician, but I am very happy the choice I made. (In total honesty, a major league baseball player, but this was a dream.)”
Rick Barrett, founder of Barrett Lo Visionary Development: “I would go into sports management, especially something like a general manager position for a baseball team or a football team. It’s like real estate development. It’s a constant effort to try to build and look at things long-term from your team’s perspective, but achieve short-term successes as well. You also have a lot of critics and you’re a polarizing figure, so it’s very similar to being a developer. Some people like to be friends with everybody, but I prefer to shake things up. I like to think about things in a different way. I love to move the needle — to make sure everybody knows that I was here.”
Todd Kelsey, president and CEO of Plexus Corp.: “While I wouldn’t have a chance from a talent standpoint, I’d trade in my CEO role for a spot on the PGA Champions Tour!”
Peter Feigin, president of the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum: “I would have like to be a chef, as I appreciate their creativity and artistry. (I have no cooking skill set.)”
Dr. John Raymond, president and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin: “Astrophysics. I am a big fan of hard science fiction. I’ve always been fascinated by the inner working of the universe that underpins our reality.”
David Anderson, head of U.S. commercial banking, Wisconsin Region, at BMO: “Fighter pilot! Had my eyesight been better I would have selected the military to fly fighter jets.”
Some members of the Wisconsin 275 answered that they did not have an alternative career in mind because they would not dream of changing the path they chose.
Terrance Williams, president and CEO of TruStage: “You may not believe it, but I knew from a very young age that I wanted to build a career in this profession. From as early as 17, I knew I wanted to work in insurance. As a young person growing up in South Carolina, I saw firsthand the implications of the lack of access and awareness had on a community. My aunt, who was one of the first women of color to become an officer at a major insurance company, inspired me as a teenager to explore insurance as a career and help lead the charge toward making a brighter financial future accessible to everyone.”
Alan Kaplan, CEO of UW Health: “I have had the privilege of beginning my career as a practicing emergency medicine physician. Now I have the privilege of leading a remarkable organization serving the missions of providing direct clinical care, conducting world changing research, educating the next generation of health care providers and improving the health of communities we serve. Looking back, I would not change anything.”
Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee: “I can’t imagine any other career path than the one I took. I love what I do and the impact it has.”
