M3 Insurance Announces Strategic Partnership with The Employer Group

M3 Insurance (M3) announces the formation of a strategic partnership with The Employer Group (TEG), a human resources solutions company based in Verona, Wisconsin. In this partnership, TEG will function as a wholly-owned subsidiary of M3 and will continue to offer customized solutions to organizations of all sizes and industries, ranging from serving as a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) to providing full payroll services and a wide array of human resources administration and consulting.  

Effective January 1, 2023, Angie Heim, previous owner and president, will continue with TEG as a senior executive as part of the succession plan she created to ensure TEG continues to thrive into the future. Heim purchased TEG in 2007.

We’re thrilled to be able to operate independently while continuing to provide outstanding service to our clients. We couldn’t be more proud of the exceptional services, remarkable team, and stellar reputation we’ve built over the past 15 years.

— Angie Heim
Senior Executive | The Employer Group

Also effective January 1, 2023, Luke Anderson, current TEG vice president since 2019, will serve as president of TEG. In this role, Luke will oversee the management team, lead key initiatives, and work with M3 leadership to focus on TEG’s overall success.

Anderson’s role has evolved since he started with TEG in 2009, from payroll specialist to payroll manager, and most recently to vice president. His precise focus on quality payroll and HR services, along with his excellent client acumen and leadership skills will not only benefit TEG’s staff but also its clients and our community.

This partnership fits strategically with our desire to offer our clients a broad and extensive array of HR consulting support. M3 is committed to advising and supporting clients as they navigate complex and evolving topics, and we couldn’t be more excited to provide them such a high level of expertise and service through TEG.

— Mike Victorson
CEO | M3 Insurance

About The Employer Group

Since 1995, The Employer Group has provided expert human resources solutions to organizations of all sizes and across a number of industries. As The Human Resource Resource™, we specialize in all things payroll and HR-related, from providing direct deposits and preparing payroll tax forms to conducting HR assessments and creating employee handbooks. We’re also a registered PEO, which gives us the opportunity to provide a comprehensive level of service to our clients.

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About M3 Insurance

M3 is a top insurance broker and risk management firm in America. We’re leaders in the products we represent and the industries we serve. M3’s people are an extension of your team, providing world-class resources to help you manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide employee benefits. And our focus on community builds better places to live and work.

Agrace: January 2022 Update

Volunteers Needed for Agrace Adult Day Center

Volunteers are needed to provide companionship to clients at the Agrace Adult Day Center. Agrace will host orientation for new volunteers Thursday, February 9, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at its Madison campus. Pre-registration is required. To register, call (608) 327-7163 or visit Agrace.org/Volunteer and fill out an application.

Agrace Offers Grief Support Group Options in February

In February, Agrace is offering professionally led, in-person and virtual (accessible with a tablet, computer or smartphone) grief support options.

• Spouse/Partner Loss Support is a grief support group series for adults whose spouse or partner has died. The six-week series meets Thursdays, February 2 to March 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Agrace Grief Support Center. The eight-week series meets Fridays, February 3 to March 24, from 10 a.m. to noon. Pre-registration is required.

• Bridges is for adults grieving the death of any loved one. Meetings are held every other Wednesday at the Agrace Grief Support Center. In February, meetings are February 1 and 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pre-registration is required for each session.

• Bridges (virtual) is for adults grieving the death of any loved one. Meetings are held every other Wednesday. In February, meetings are February 8 and 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. via Zoom. Pre-registration is required for each session.

There is no fee for these programs if a participant’s family member was in hospice care in the past 12 months; fees for others can be lowered or waived, if needed. Pre-registration is required; call (608) 327-7118 with questions or to register.

Get Expert Customized Grief Support—by Text

Agrace now offers thoughtful, customized text messages from a service called Help Texts. It’s free and you can sign up even if you are also receiving grief support individually or in a group. To sign up or learn more, visit HelpTexts.com/Agrace.

Agrace Adult Day Center Offers Daytime Care

Do you care for or know an older adult who cannot—or chooses not to—stay alone all day? The new Agrace Adult Day Center in Madison gives seniors the reassurance and comfort of having others with them throughout the day. It’s especially helpful for people who have dementia or trouble with their memory. It’s a welcome break for family caregivers, too. Learn more at (608) 327-7303 or Agrace.org/AdultDayCenter.

Bank of Sun Prairie’s Christopher Cox Named Chief Business Banking Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2022

Contact: Jimmy Kauffman, President and CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors
608.837.4511 ● jimmy.kauffman@bankofsunprairie.com
bankofsunprairie.com

Bank of Sun Prairie’s Christopher Cox Named Chief Business Banking Officer
Cox Assumes Commercial Lending Executive Leadership Role as Bank Grows

Sun Prairie, Wis.— Bank of Sun Prairie’s Christopher Cox has been named Senior Vice President, Chief Business Banking Officer. Cox has enjoyed a successful career in commercial banking for more than 20 years in central and southern Wisconsin where he has specialized in commercial lending and managing extensive portfolios across widely respected community banks. He now oversees the business lending department of lenders and portfolio managers after serving under recently retired Chief Lending Officer Ron Blawusch.

Bank of Sun Prairie’s commercial lending team is working throughout central and southern Wisconsin and under Cox’s leadership, the area continues to grow recently adding a junior business banker and currently recruiting a vice president, business banker to round out the growing practice.

“Chris is the exact right person at the exact right time to step into this critical executive leadership role for Bank of Sun Prairie,” exclaimed Bank of Sun Prairie’s President and CEO Jimmy Kauffman. “He brings the perfect combination of leadership skills and a deep understanding of commercial lending and complex portfolio management – and most importantly, our customers and Chris’ team respect and admire his technical expertise and warm personality, a winning combination.”

Cox earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA in accounting from University of Phoenix and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking. Cox has served as a community volunteer in board and governance capacities, serving nonprofits and organizations focused on economic development. He lives in Fall River with his family.

Bank of Sun Prairie is a locally owned, full-service community bank with $639.5 million in assets and five branches in Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove, Wis. Its mission is to be trusted advisor for families, businesses and communities offering a complete range of services, while delivering fair returns for stockholders. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.

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Wisconsin Union: University Club Will Reopen on Jan. 23 With New, Casual Dining Service Called Union Commons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 10, 2023

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

READ RELEASE ONLINE: union.wisc.edu/about/news/university-club-reopening

UNIVERSITY CLUB WILL REOPEN ON JAN. 23 WITH NEW, CASUAL DINING SERVICE CALLED UNION COMMONS

MADISON – The historic campus dining venue the University Club will reopen Jan. 23 with a new, casual dining concept, called Union Commons, and seating under the management of the Wisconsin Union, the nonprofit organization that also manages Memorial Union, Union South, the Memorial Union Terrace, and markets and cafes throughout campus.

The University Club, a Madison destination that previously offered dining service and event spaces, closed temporarily beginning in March 2020 due to COVID-19. After the club experienced financial loss during the pandemic, the University Club board of directors voted to dissolve the club as an incorporated social organization, to integrate the club fully into the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and to have the Wisconsin Union assume management of the club.      

Under Wisconsin Union management, the University Club gained the support of more than 400 full-time Wisconsin Union staff and many student team members in creating a dining experience and in providing operational support.

At the soon-to-open Union Commons at the University Club, the Wisconsin Union team will serve a variety of beverages, including Rooted Grounds coffee and espresso drinks, tea, and wine; bakery items; house-made soups; and toasted sandwiches, including a pesto chicken sandwich and a vegetarian Caprese sandwich.

The Union team welcomes patrons to study, socialize, and enjoy Union Commons menu items on the club’s porch seasonally and in seating on the first floor of the club throughout the year.

UW–Madison students with valid Wiscards are eligible for a 10% discount on most food and beverages at Union Commons as well as other Wisconsin Union-run dining locations when they make purchases using their Wiscard account.

While the club’s spaces are not currently available for event reservations, the Wisconsin Union team continues to work to determine future event space availability at the club. The Union team currently offers event space reservations in other buildings, such as Memorial Union and Union South, for UW–Madison registered student organizations, UW–Madison departments, government agencies, Wisconsin Union lifetime and annual members, and groups with a UW–Madison department sponsorship.

The University Club was founded in 1907 as a members-only social club to promote fellowship in the campus community. From the time it opened until its unanticipated closure in 2020, it had evolved into a place for the public to dine and for its members to host educational, cultural and social events that promote the social and intellectual life of campus and the community.

“We, at the Wisconsin Union, look forward to continuing the University Club’s more than 100-year tradition of serving as a hospitality destination that provides dining and promotes social and cultural diversity and intellectual exchange,” said Mark Guthier, Wisconsin Union director and associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs.

While the club was closed, the Wisconsin Union team worked to prepare the building for patrons, including cleaning, painting, updating signage, purchasing new furniture, and creating café space. From September 2021 to May 2022, the University Club served as a temporary COVID-19 testing site. The Union team continues to plan how the facilities can best serve patrons moving forward.

Patrons can visit union.wisc.edu/unioncommons for more information about Union Commons at the University Club.

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About the Wisconsin Union

Formed in 1907, the Wisconsin Union enhances the lives of members, University of Wisconsin–Madison students, and visitors through recreational, cultural, educational, leadership, campus involvement and social opportunities. Learn more about the Union: union.wisc.edu.  

WPS Health Solutions: Navy Lt. VanAnh McCormick saluted for Operation Fan Mail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

Navy Lt. VanAnh McCormick saluted for Operation Fan Mail
Program is sponsored by WPS Health Solutions and the Green Bay Packers

MADISON, Wis.—Jan. 9, 2023—The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions paid special tribute this week to Navy Lt. VanAnh McCormick in conjunction with the Jan. 8 game against the Detroit Lions. Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, marks its 16th season in 2022.

Born in Chicago, then living in Ohio, then in Florida, McCormick followed her immigrant father’s lead in supporting the Packers. Her father came to Wisconsin from Vietnam in the 1980s to attend college. He quickly became an American football fan and began rooting for the home team.

McCormick took part in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps while in high school in Florida. Upon graduation in 2009, she received an ROTC scholarship to attend Loyola University in Chicago. She joined the Navy in 2013 when she graduated from Loyola University. She then served on the USS Jason Dunham, a destroyer based in Norfolk, Va. In 2015, she was selected for nuclear training and went to Charleston, S.C. She was then assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in Norfolk in 2016. Following a three-month deployment, McCormick went to Naval Reactors Headquarters in Washington, D.C. for shore duty, where she trained prospective officers for all the aircraft carriers. In 2020, she attended department head school in Newport, R.I. Following that, she was selected to be a weapons officer and is now assigned to the USS Forrest Sherman in Norfolk. She has been awarded one Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals.

McCormick attended the game with her husband, Dr. Michael McCormick, who was born and raised in Appleton, Wis. The two are celebrating their birthdays as well as their seventh wedding anniversary. Also in attendance were McCormick’s aunt, Julie Maxwell, and Julie’s husband, Jereme Maxwell.

As the honoree for Operation Fan Mail this week, McCormick also received four tickets to the game and a $150 Packers Pro Shop gift card, courtesy of WPS.

The program, which debuted in 2007, is designed to honor families with a member who is on active duty or a member who is a veteran. The Packers and WPS Health Solutions will host a family at each 2022 season home game and recognize the members on the video boards during pregame activities. A total of 157 individuals, families, or groups have been recognized through the program since it began.

The Packers and WPS Health Solutions invite interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular family should be saluted this year. Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, or sibling.

Essays can be sent to Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628 or online at operationfanmail.com.

About WPS Health Solutions^®

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 3,100 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

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