Frank Gumina named Chief Legal Officer at WPS

Contact:

Tom Enwright

(608) 977-7165

thomas.enwright@wpsic.com

Frank Gumina named Chief Legal Officer at WPS

MADISON, Wis.—Sept. 6, 2018—Frank Gumina is the new Chief Legal Officer at WPS Health Solutions. He succeeds Dan Schwandt, who was named Chief of Staff while continuing his role as Chief Governance Officer.

Prior to joining WPS, Gumina worked in the private practice of law for over 27 years serving corporate clients in a vast array of legal matters with particular focus in the health care market. For a number of years, Gumina held an executive management position in one of Wisconsin’s largest law firms and, prior to joining WPS, was a partner at Husch Blackwell in Milwaukee.

Gumina is a graduate of the Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee. He has been a guest presenter at the State Bar of Wisconsin and Marquette University Law School and School of Business.

He serves on the Board of Directors for Tomorrow’s Children, a Wisconsin-based residential care center for children. He is also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, Defense Research Institute, Society for Human Resources Management, and State Bar of Wisconsin (Health Law and Labor/Employment Sections).

About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans and their families. In 2018, the international Ethisphere® Institute named WPS one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the ninth straight year. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

31st Annual Heat’s On Project Seeks Dane County Veteran Homeowners to Receive Free Furnace Maintenance

For Immediate Release:

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Contact: Julie Walsh, Julie.Walsh@mechanicalindustries.org

Phone: 608-288-1414

31st Annual Heat’s On Project Seeks Dane County Veteran Homeowners to Receive Free Furnace Maintenance

MADISON, WI – Madison Area Mechanical & Sheet Metal Contractors Association (MSC) and Steamfitters Local 601 will host the 31st Annual Heat’s On event on Saturday, October 13, 2018. Over 60 area steamfitters will volunteer a day of labor to inspect and service heating systems in qualified veterans’ homes. Trucks and equipment used for the day are donated by local union heating contractors, and replacement parts are donated by area suppliers. Heat’s On is seeking requests for veteran homeowners in Dane County area to receive free furnace maintenance during this year’s event.

“Giving back to the community and helping to protect our veterans who have fought and protected us is an honor and a privilege,” says Paul Christensen, Owner of 1901, Inc., a heating, cooling, and plumbing contractor in Madison. “Heat’s On is one of our favorite days at the office. I’m proud of our team who volunteer their time to make sure our veterans are safe for the upcoming winter.”

Criteria to receive free maintenance:

Veteran home owner, or surviving spouse
Dane County Resident
Gas Furnace
If you are a veteran home owner, or a surviving spouse of a veteran, and are interested in having Heat’s On come check your furnace, contact one of these sponsoring organizations by September 28 to be considered for free furnace maintenance:

Dane County Veteran Service Office (CVSO), phone: 608-266-4158
Madison VA Hospital – Patient Education Resource Center, phone: 608-280-2031
Homeowners who do not meet the criteria, but would like to have their heating systems serviced, can contact the MSC office at 608-288-1414 for a union contractor referral.

Heat’s On has been serving Dane County residents since 1987, and have performed maintenance services on over 2,500 furnaces. The purpose of Heat’s On is to reduce the occurrence of residents going without heat or facing other life-threatening emergencies associated with home heating systems.

“Lack of maintenance and dirty filters can shorten the life of a furnace,” says Brad Werlein, President of General Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., a commercial and residential heating and cooling contractor in Madison. “Something this simple can save not only hundreds of dollars in fuel costs, but it can save a life as we experienced during last year’s event.”

Last year, Heat’s On replaced the furnace of a World War II veteran who had been taken to the hospital twice with carbon monoxide poisoning. The leak in the furnace that was causing the poisoning was discovered and fixed by Heat’s On.

About MSC:

MSC is a non-profit contractor association representing union contractors in the heating, piping, air conditioning, and sheet metal industry. Their members are dedicated professionals who provide high-quality, cost efficient products and services with a commitment to safety.

About Steamfitters Local 601:

Steamfitters Local 601 is comprised of approximately 2,400 members, and represents a 14-county area in southeastern Wisconsin. While the majority of membership is comprised of Steamfitters and Refrigeration/Service Fitters, they also represent other classifications such as gas distribution, helpers, and welders. Their members work on a variety of jobsites including residential and commercial heating and cooling systems, breweries, and power plants.

Participating MSC Contractors (Madison):

1901, Inc. (formerly H&H Industries), Owner Paul Christensen, phone: 608-273-3434
All Comfort Services, President Kendall Richards, phone: 608-838-7300
Commercial Air, Service Manager Tami Schultz, phone: 608-221-8886
General Heating & Air Conditioning, Labor Manager Mike Polster, phone: 608-271-3900
Participating Supply Houses:

Design Air, Branch Manager Barb Verbitsky, phone: 608-226-0344
First Supply, Sales Manager Scott Stritzke, phone: 608-222-7799
Gustave A. Larson, Store Manager Aaron Demuth, phone: 608-628-0209
Industrial Control, Owner Mike Stoffel, phone: 608-273-1717
Johnston Supply, Owner Dan Kunze, phone: 608-223-1499
Temperature Systems, Sales & Refrigeration, Roy Kempfer, phone: 608-327-2345
For more information, please contact Julie Walsh, Madison Area Mechanical & Sheet Metal Contractors Association at 608-2881414 or julie.walsh@mechanicalindustries.org

Earlier Autism Diagnosis Possible for Some Children Based on Metabolic Biomarkers in Blood, New Research Shows

Blood, New Research Shows
MADISON, Wis.–Metabolic signatures in the blood of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may lead to earlier diagnosis of the condition for some children, according to newly published research. These biochemical signatures provide insight into how the body metabolizes certain amino acids important to typical neurodevelopment. Children with these metabolic signatures are placed into metabolic subtypes, or metabotypes, that are highly associated with an ASD diagnosis.

The new findings appear online today in Biological Psychiatry in a publication entitled “Amino acid dysregulation metabotypes: potential biomarkers for diagnosis and individualized treatment for subtypes of autism spectrum disorder.” David G. Amaral, Ph.D., of the University of California – Davis MIND Institute, and scientists from NeuroPointDX, a division of Stemina Biomarker Discovery, Inc., of Madison, Wisconsin, authored the publication, which is the first resulting from the Children’s Autism Metabolome Project (CAMP), the largest study of the metabolism of children with ASD.

Autism spectrum disorder is made up of a diverse set of neurodevelopmental disorders that arise from differences in underlying genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors, resulting in a spectrum of cognitive, behavioral, and biological profiles. ASD is marked by communication, behavioral, and social difficulties. No reliable, objective biomarkers have existed to aid in the diagnosis of ASD, which is currently diagnosed based on the behavioral characteristics exhibited by an affected child.

While a diagnosis is possible in children as young as 24 months, the average age of ASD diagnosis in the United States is over four years. Early diagnosis is important because intensive behavioral therapy has been shown to improve the symptoms of autism; the benefit of such intervention is greater the earlier it is started.

“Using a metabolomics approach to detect ASD risk holds substantial promise for the identification of objective ASD biomarkers because metabolism is sensitive to interactions among the genome, gastrointestinal microbiome, diet, and environmental factors that all contribute to an individual’s unique metabolic signature,” said Elizabeth Donley, NeuroPointDX Chief Executive Officer, a co-author of the publication. “Metabolic testing can provide important biochemical signatures that help identify disruptions in biological processes that underlie an individual’s ASD.”

Past studies have been too small to reliably detect these metabolic dysregulations and characterize them into metabotypes. To test for metabolic imbalances that could reveal metabotypes and potential diagnostic biomarkers of ASD, the researchers conducted CAMP, a large-scale, eight-site study that recruited 1,100 children (ages 18 months to 48 months) with clinically confirmed ASD, developmental delay, or typical development. Prior research by this team and others, as well as preliminary analysis of the CAMP samples, suggested analysis of amino acid dysregulation might be a useful approach to identifying unique metabotypes with potential to serve as objective biomarkers of ASD.

When scientists at NeuroPointDX compared plasma metabolites from 516 children with ASD with those from 164 age-matched, typically developing children from the CAMP study, they were able to stratify the ASD children into subpopulations based on shared metabolic signatures. Imbalances in glutamine, glycine, and ornithine with lowered branched chain amino acids (BCAA: leucine, isoleucine, and valine) identified three ASD-associated Amino Acid Dysregulation Metabotypes (AADM). These three AADMs together were present in 16.7% of the CAMP ASD subjects and were detectable with a specificity of 96.3% and an accuracy (PPV) of 93.5%.

“It is unlikely that a single marker will detect all autism,” said lead author Dr. Amaral. “This paper demonstrates that alterations in metabolic profiles can detect sizable subsets of individuals with autism. The hope is that we will be able to generate a panel of biomarkers that will detect a large proportion of people at risk. Moreover, this approach highlights metabolic pathways that may be targets for therapeutic intervention.

“One of the major goals of the MIND Institute is the development of early biological markers for detecting the risk of autism spectrum disorder,” Dr. Amaral continued. “It would have been difficult for the MIND Institute to carry out the CAMP study on its own. CAMP is an excellent example of an academic/corporate partnership that has the promise of benefitting the autism community.”

“A reliable set of biological markers to detect increased risk for autism would improve accurate identification and reduce the impact on people with the condition,” said Thomas W. Frazier, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Autism Speaks, who was not involved in the study. “The metabolomics approach in this paper reflects a rational approach not only to detection but also to developing targeted treatments.”

“One of the critical and currently unmet clinical and research needs in the field of autism is a reliable early biological marker,” said Geraldine Dawson, PhD, FAPA, FAPS, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director, Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, who was not involved in the study. “The sooner families can receive information that their child is at high risk for autism, the sooner they can begin effective behavioral or other therapies. The research in this paper is an important milestone towards establishing metabolomics biomarkers of autism.”

NeuroPointDX continues to analyze the CAMP study samples to identify additional metabotypes that will be diagnostic for other subsets of children with ASD. By combining such ASD-associated metabotypes into a diagnostic panel, it should be possible to develop an objective blood test that enables a substantial percentage of children at risk for ASD to be identified at a very early age, when therapeutic intervention can provide the greatest benefit.

Funding for the CAMP study was provided by a grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health, the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation, and the Robert E. and Donna Landreth Family Fund.

About NeuroPointDX and its parent company, Stemina Biomarker Discovery

NeuroPointDX is a division of Stemina Biomarker Discovery, which was founded in 2007 and is located in Madison, Wisconsin. Stemina operates its business in two divisions: NeuroPointDX, focused on diagnosis and more precise treatment of neurological disorders; and Stemina, focused on screening chemicals and compounds for their potential to cause birth defects if a woman is exposed during pregnancy.

Visit NeuroPointDX at http://neuropointdx.com

Visit Stemina at http://www.stemina.com

Contacts

NeuroPointDX & Stemina Biomarker Discovery

Elizabeth Donley, 608-577-9209

CEO

info@neuropointdx.com

Or

For Media:

Bioscribe, Inc.

Nicole Litchfield, 415-793-6468

nicole@bioscribe.com

Or

Joan Kureczka, 415-821-2413

Joan@bioscribe.com

American Family Insurance and gener8tor Announce gBETA Social Impact

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Joe Kirgues
joe@gener8tor.com
(414) 940-3287

American Family Insurance and gener8tor Announce gBETA Social Impact
Accelerator program will focus on social impact nonprofits and for profits

MADISON – American Family Insurance and nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor announced the launch of gBETA Social Impact, a free accelerator for startup companies and emerging nonprofits.

gBETA is a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies with local roots. The program requires no fees and no equity. Participants receive intensive and individualized coaching and access to gener8tor’s national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. The program is designed to help startups gain early customer traction on their product or idea, and establish metrics that make them competitive applicants for fulltime, equity-based accelerators or seed investment.

gBETA Social Impact will be open to emerging nonprofits as well as for-profit startups. Five organizations will be selected for the inaugural program, which will be focused on companies making a positive impact on K-12 education. gBETA Social Impact will be based out of the Spark – Madison’s new building dedicated to innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship. The location will create the environment for program participants to collide with the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, creating opportunities for further collaboration.

“gBETA Social Impact is gener8tor’s newest, exciting program that will give entrepreneurs the resources and mentorship they need to make a difference in education in their communities,” said gener8tor Co-Founder Joe Kirgues. “Investing in our best and brightest has always been gener8tor’s mission, and this program does exactly that.”

gBETA Social Impact is made possible by a new initiative focused on corporate and social impact by American Family Insurance.

“We could not be more excited to partner with gener8tor to make gBETA Social Impact a reality,” added American Family Insurance Chief Business Development Officer Peter Gunder. “One of the things that American Family Insurance is passionate about is our community, and this program is another way to make a substantial investment in the future.”

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gener8tor is a nationally ranked accelerator that invests in high-growth startups. gener8tor supports the growth of these startups through its network of experienced mentors, technologists, corporate partners, angel investors and venture capitalists. gener8tor is a proud member of the Global Accelerator Network (GAN) and is sponsored by American Family Insurance. gener8tor is a GOLD-tier accelerator in the U.S. as ranked by the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project. Learn more about gener8tor at www.gener8tor.com.

gBETA is a program of nationally ranked startup accelerator, gener8tor. gBETA is a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage startups. Each program is capped at five teams, and requires no fees and no equity.

American Family Insurance is the nation’s 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group and ranks 311 on the Fortune 500 list. The company sells American Family-brand products, including auto, homeowners, life, business and farm/ranch insurance, primarily through its exclusive agents in 19 states.

Sani-Matic Inc. Breaks Ground on New 93,500 Square-Foot Manufacturing and Office Facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 23, 2018

SANI-MATIC INC. BREAKS GROUND ON NEW 93,500 SQUARE-FOOT MANUFACTURING AND OFFICE FACILITY

New facility to accommodate growth, increase operational efficiencies and support collaborative culture

MADISON, Wisc., August 23, 2018—Sani-Matic, Inc., a Madison, Wisconsin-based manufacturer of sanitary process cleaning equipment and components, today began a new chapter in its 75-year history with a groundbreaking ceremony commencing construction of the company’s new facility. The move will bring its two facilities under one roof, accommodate ongoing growth, provide operational efficiencies, and enhance the customer experience.

The property for the planned 93,500 square-foot facility is located eight miles from the company’s current facilities in the newly developed Park 151 industrial park in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. It will be the second building developed within the park and is slated for completion in May 2019.

“We have been operating from two facilities for several years to accommodate our ongoing growth, but it isn’t an efficient way to work and doesn’t support our strong collaborative culture,” stated CEO and President Aaron Zell. “As our scalable growth initiatives continue to help us grow, it became clear we needed a new facility to reunite our 160 employees under one roof and accommodate our ever-growing team of experts.”

The property also supports continued growth with space available for expansion.

A facility to inspire learning and innovation

The facility will feature 67,500 square feet of manufacturing space and 26,000 square feet of office space. The office area will include a training classroom and lab, automation and engineering labs for innovation, and dedicated Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) customer rooms that connect to the manufacturing floor.

“We host several trainings for our distributors, manufacturer’s representatives and customers every year,” commented Zell. “We also have many customers visit us to participate in week-long Factory Acceptance Tests. That is why creating an environment that is easy to work in as well as one that encourages learning and inspires innovation was heavily weighted in our planning.”

Selecting a location and community

The facility’s location was carefully chosen for its proximity to the company’s current facility. “The commitment to retaining every employee was top of mind in our choice of property. We didn’t want to lose good employees due to commuting challenges,” said Zell. “We also wanted to remain close to the Dane County airport and the City of Madison for talent recruitment and ease of access for our customers.”

Zell added, “The City of Sun Prairie has been an excellent partner during this process—from site selection to the final approvals needed to proceed. We look forward to becoming an active community partner.”

Sun Prairie city officials share the enthusiasm and desire to develop a strong partnership. “Sani-Matic is a great business to have in Park 151, and their project will be a key anchor in what we anticipate being one of the most attractive business parks in Dane County,” stated Sun Prairie Mayor Paul Esser. “Like Sani-Matic, we are looking for businesses that will bring good jobs with competitive wages to the area as well as be an active partner in the Sun Prairie community. We are excited about their investment here and welcome them to Sun Prairie.”

About Sani-Matic, Inc.

Sani-Matic, Inc. delivers reliable sanitary process cleaning solutions through targeted engineering, automation and craftsmanship. For the past 75 years, the Madison, Wisconsin-based manufacturer has successfully served the food, beverage, and biopharmaceutical industries with a full line of equipment and supporting sanitary components including clean-in-place (CIP) systems, clean-out-of-place (COP) parts washers, GMP cabinet washers, tunnel washers, boosted pressure systems, strainers, spray devices and more. The company’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based ownership firm, WING Capital Group, continues to invest in Sani-Matic’s long-term success. WING Capital Group also owns Wisconsin-based manufacturing firms Kickhaefer Manufacturing Company (KMC) and Muza Metal Products.