Capitol Bank Hires Elizabeth Loughrin as Private Banking Administrator

For Immediate Release

Natalie Gregerson
Capitol Bank
710 N. High Point Road
Madison, Wisconsin 53717

Capitol Bank Hires Elizabeth Loughrin as Private Banking Administrator

Madison, WI: Ken Thompson, President and CEO of Capitol Bank, is pleased to announce the hiring of Elizabeth Loughrin as Private Banking Administrator. Elizabeth comes to Capitol Bank with 10 years of experience in retail and private banking in the Boulder, CO and Madison, WI markets. Elizabeth graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a bachelor of science degree.

“We look forward to utilizing Elizabeth’s energy and approach to expand Capitol Bank’s reach and better serve our customers,” said Thompson.

Elizabeth is a Midwest native, spending most of her life in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. She resides in Madison and enjoys outdoor activities with her family. Elizabeth’s hobbies include experiencing local cuisine, attending concerts and visiting art galleries.

Elizabeth is a member of Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, the Middleton Chamber of Commerce and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

About Capitol Bank: Capitol Bank, locally owned and operated, is committed to serving the communities in which we live, work and do business. We are proud of the partnerships we have established with organizations, businesses and individuals in the Madison and Verona communities. Our philosophy of community support is demonstrated at the corporate level, as well as in the time and energy our employees devote to our community each year. Capitol Bank is Member FDIC.

Innovators in Diversity and Inclusion Named to Madison Magazine’s 2019 M List

Three organizations and two individuals are being recognized for their work in creating exceptional opportunities for underserved populations as recipients of the seventh annual M List awards. This year’s honorees, selected for their innovative contributions to diversity and inclusion, are Harambee Village, the Loka Initiative, Maydm, Annik Dupaty and Shiva Bidar, who is the recipient of a special M List award given by Madison365.

https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/city-life/innovators-in-diversity-and-inclusion-named-to-madison-magazines-2019-m-list/1088957336

Madison Ballet Announces New CEO Jonathan Solari

FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT JONATHAN SOLARI (608) 210-1676 jonathan@madisonballet.org

***ART IS AVAILABLE***

Madison Ballet Announces New CEO Jonathan Solari

MADISON, WI Madison Ballet continues its growth plans with the announcement of a key leadership appointment of Jonathan Solari as CEO. During the last six months, Madison Ballet has embarked on a one million dollar capital campaign, moved to new studios and offices on Odana Road, and now announces the addition of Jonathan Solari as CEO.

Solari’s appointment as CEO of Madison Ballet combines a long career in the arts with a love for continuously strengthening his adopted home of Madison.

At age 27, Jonathan founded New Brooklyn Theatre to restore a historic theatre in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of New York City. Under his leadership, the company was heralded as the “flash point for the fusion of theatre and politics” by The New York Times. It partnered with Harvard University to perform Chekhov in Turkish farmlands and presented Ibsen on a stage floating outside of the state capital in West Virginia. His production of Edward Albee’s The Death of Bessie Smithis credited with saving Brooklyn’s Interfaith Medical Center from closure in what The Wall Street Journal called the “most dramatic blend of theater and health policy in nearly 30 years.”

As a theatre and opera director, Jonathan has worked with some of the greatest artists of his time. He has staged works for Lincoln Center, Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castelton Festival, and Belarus Free Theatre, among many others.

Since moving to Madison with his wife, Courtney Nelson, he has worked to build a culture of philanthropy with organizations including Community Shares of Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood, Working Capital for Community Needs, and United Way of Dane County. He loves to exchange ideas through travel and currently serves as the at-large member of the City of Madison’s Sister City Collaboration Committee.

“The Madison Ballet Board and I are thrilled to have Jonathan lead us into the next generation of the Madison Ballet,” noted Bob Cottingham, Board President. “Jonathan brings together the perfect combination of arts vision, partnership, collaboration, and donor development. Madison Ballet has been around for nearly four decades, and we are excited to support the strategy Jonathan wants to deliver–what he calls ‘radical access’ to students and performances. During the interview process, Jonathan spoke of eliminating the curtain instead of raising it in terms of providing access to the Ballet,” added Cottingham. “We know the Madison Ballet will continue to be a vibrant arts organization under his leadership.”

Madison Ballet has long been a pillar of the Dane County creative community. It is the only professional ballet company among Overture Center’s ten resident organizations, and the company’s production of The Nutcracker is attended by nearly 13,000 people each season. Madison Ballet gives back to the community, participating in local arts events as well as providing close to 10% of its Nutcracker tickets free of charge to area nonprofits.

In addition to fostering a strong, connected community, the company generates a positive economic impact. For nearly half of those who attend Nutcracker each year, it is also their first visit to the Overture Center, demonstrating that Madison Ballet’s performances are a gateway to the arts community, building a strong bridge to Madison’s future as a regional arts destination.

Since the School of Madison Ballet opened its doors in 2005, Madison Ballet’s Scholarship Fund has allowed approximately 3,000 children to attend the School for free, with this number intended to increase by 15% by 2020.

More information can be found on the Madison Ballet website madisonballet.org.

ABOUT MADISON BALLET – Deeply rooted in its community for over 38 years, Madison Ballet provides exceptional arts experiences for individuals of all ages through its dazzling performances, engaging and accessible outreach programs, and the highly-regarded School of Madison Ballet. Madison Ballet brings a fresh and entertaining approach to classical dance, promoting appreciation of and access to ballet by providing training and performing opportunities throughout Madison and south-central Wisconsin. Madison Ballet is the resident ballet company at Overture Center for the Arts.

Facts:

• 29.2% of School of Madison Ballet students self-identify from communities of color.
• 17% of School of Madison Ballet students receive tuition assistance. Over $30,000 in tuition assistance was provided to students in 2017.
• The Madison Ballet School is South-Central Wisconsin’s only dance school for students in professional dance training.
• Madison Ballet was founded in 1981.

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Wisconsin’s ‘International Rising Star’ Chocolatier to be Honored by the Academy of Chocolate Awards in London Next Month

In a few weeks, Vata Edari, master chocolatier and founder of CocoVaa Chocolatier in Madison, Wisconsin, heads to London to be honored by the Academy of Chocolate Awards at the 2019 awards ceremony in London, UK. CocoVaa once again “cleaned up” with 11 more awards including 3 of only a handful of gold awards handed out internationally for 2019.

Held at the iconic Claridge’s Hotel in Mayfair, London – the most storied hotel in the world, and where 5 Michelin starred Eleven Madison Park is set to open its newest restaurant – the Academy spares no expense in its celebration of the world’s best chocolatiers and craft chocolate makers. The Claridge’s which has hosted the Academy of Chocolate Awards since it’s inception, has been historically regarded as the ‘extension of Buckingham Palace’ due to its hosting of royalty dating back to Queen Victoria.

“It’s the greatest honor to be recognized again by the Academy of Chocolate at this grand event,” says Edari, who was named an International Rising Star by The Academy of Chocolate Awards in 2018, making her one of only a small handful of US nationals to ever make the Academy’s Roll of Honour Board. “The best part of the awards ceremony is meeting other people in the industry, many of whom are women of color like me and who are rising quickly in the fine chocolate industry. I really applaud the AoC for holding this competition which is truly merit based giving us a fair chance to showcase our products to the world.”

Alongside her own products, Edari carries single origin craft chocolate bars from fellow Academy Award winners she personally connected with at last year’s ceremony. Among them is a fellow newcomer Elfi Maldonado who owns Qantu based in Quebec. Maldonado directly sources her beans from farmers in her native country of Peru. This year Qantu won 3 gold awards. “I very proudly carry Qantu’s chocolate” says Edari, who carefully curates all products she sells with a focus on quality as well as provenance. “The backstories are important to me.Traceability connects us and gives us a greater respect for producers as well
as what we put in our bodies.”

2019 marks CocoVaa Chocolatier’s third year in business and its second year entering the prestigious Academy of Chocolate Awards. CocoVaa has now won 28 total awards since it first entered in 2018 in the world’s most prestigious chocolate competition.

The Academy of Chocolate Awards based in the United Kingdom is the world’s longest running fine chocolate competition. The competition’s growth since its inception in 2005 highlights the increased strength of the fine chocolate market around the world. In its inaugural year, there were only 12 entries including well known chocolate makers and chocolatiers like Valrhona from France, Amedei from Italy, William Curley and Rococo out of the United Kingdom. In 2018 there were 1200 submissions and this year a record breaking 1500 entries from over 46 countries.

Entries are blind judged by a 100-plus committee include leading chocolatiers from across the industry as well as renowned food critics from the UK and overseas. Judging takes place for over 12 weeks in more than 25 sessions using a complex scoring rubric. The high standards are reflected by the fact that few silvers are awarded and gold awards are rare. This year, out of 9 categories in the filled chocolate competition only 4 categories even saw gold winners. A total of 5 gold awards in total were given. CocoVaa Chocolatier took 2 of those 5. In the categories where CocoVaa placed gold, it was the sole gold winner.

Similarly, in the bar competition, out of 14 categories only 6 categories saw gold winners, this includes CocoVaa Chocolatier whose Eliki bar – a favorite of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, placed gold. Edari uses a single origin white chocolate made by Venezuelan chocolate maker El Rey and she carefully infuses it with cardamom to make the gold winning bar.

“The awards have a special meaning to my company this year because I entered during a period of intense stress just following the completion of the buildout of my first brick and mortar and a really bumpy first few months,” says Edari. Edari’s entries this year also coincided with Valentine’s Day which would produce a spike in revenues she badly needed. “Shipping all of my entries overseas overnight in the middle of Valentine’s Day production was an adventure, and an expensive one, to say the least. Somehow, in the midst of all of the stress, I was able to produce more award winners. I feel especially proud of my wins this year because of that.”

Edari who will be traveling to Europe with her 11 year old son Solomon, will make a stop in Ghent, Belgium for a brief stay with a fellow chocolatier who owns a shop there, before heading to the ceremony in London to collect her 11 awards for 2019.

CocoVaa Chocolatier is located at 1815 East Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin and is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with plans to expand hours in the fall.

Source: CocoVaa Chocolatier Media Team

info@cocovaa.com

400 Business Leaders Gather in Madison to Disrupt Workplace Culture

For Immediate Release
June 14, 2019
Contact: Zach Blumenfeld | 608-354-5926 | zach@cultureconusa.org

400 Business Leaders Gather in Madison to Disrupt Workplace Culture

Madison, WI — Over 400 business and thought leaders will gather in Madison on July 17-18 for the second annual CultureCon conference, a one-of-a-kind conference dedicated entirely to company culture and employee engagement.

Considering that nearly 70% of employees are disengaged at work and it is estimated that more than $550 billion is lost annually due to employee disengagement (Gallup), something has to change.

Top executives from around the country will lead 20+ breakout sessions, workshops and panels on how to change company culture for the better.

“CultureCon is a unique opportunity to hear from business leaders about what strategies they use to attract and retain talent, how they promote employee engagement, and how Madison is transforming into THE culture hub of the US,” says Zach Blumenfeld, Founder of CultureCon.

Madison is consistently ranked one of the best places to live, work and play so it was an obvious choice for the CultureCon organizers to host it here. This year, CultureCon is partnering with the City of Madison to allow attendees to have lunch at one of the many outstanding food trucks on the Capital Square.

“Since the inaugural CultureCon conference last summer, we’ve had three other MiniCultureCon events around the country,” Blumenfeld said. “These, together with our online events, have reached over 1,000 culture geeks. There is a yearning to do more to create positive work cultures and I’m excited for year two to see how CultureCon will impact people’s lives and
especially those in our local community here in Madison.”

Keynote speakers for this year’s conference include Colby Jenkins, Global Manager at Google and Director of Operations at Defense Innovation Unit, Ted Gurman, Co-Founder of Blueetree Network, Caleb Campbell, Chief of Staff, Bluetree Network, and LaTonya Wilkins, Culture Leader, Founder and CEO at The Change Coaches. Attendees are flying in from all over the
country and Canada.

CultureCon will take place at The Madison Concourse & Governor’s Club in downtown Madison. Executives are invited to an exclusive half day pre-conference on leading innovation with your team the day before the conference on July 16. Tickets are now available at cultureconusa.org.

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