Lake Ridge Bank’s Ben Udell Named a BankBeat 2024 Rising Star

September 12, 2024 (MADISON, Wis.) – Ben Udell, Senior Vice President-Digital Innovation at Lake Ridge Bank, was recently named one of BankBeat’s 2024 class of Rising Stars. In July, BankBeat honored six bankers from across the Midwest who have made outstanding contributions to their bank, industry and community, showing promise to continue making a substantial impact for years to come. Nominees must be under the age of 45 and can hold any position within banking.

Rising Star Honorees are chosen from banks located in Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Udell is the only banker honored from Wisconsin this year.

With an MBA from UMass Amherst and a degree from the Graduate School of Banking at UW-Madison, Udell has a special interest in using AI smartly and ethically – and teaching others to do the same. He is a national leader in helping banks tap into the transformative power of generative AI and has presented on this topic at the Wisconsin Bankers Association, Financial Brand Forum, and other national events.

“Ben is part innovator, part disrupter,” says Paul Hoffmann, Lake Ridge Bank President. “Through his role in digital innovation, Ben is trying to help people be more productive and do a better job so we can provide an amazing client experience while future-proofing our bank.”

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Lake Ridge Bank’s mission is to “build prosperous communities, one relationship at a time.” For more than 100 years, this has meant getting to know each of our clients to offer personalized services to meet their specific financial goals. Lake Ridge Bank offers a full line of financial products and services. We focus on offering products and services to make your banking easy. Our business banking and mortgage lenders are trusted leaders in their field with the expertise to provide the right loan at the best rate possible for our clients. As a community bank, we are dedicated to reinvesting in, and making our communities great places to live, work and raise a family. Visit lakeridge.bank to learn more about how we can help you.

Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

Lake Ridge Bank. Go Far. Go Together!

For additional information, please contact Mark Schellpfeffer at mschellpfeffer@lakeridge.bank.

Bank of Sun Prairie Awarded Best Financial Institution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2024

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 Awarded Best Financial Institution
Community Bank’s Assistant Vice President Pam Blattner Also Named Best Businesswoman

Sun Prairie, Wis.— Bank of Sun Prairie won Best Financial Institution and AVP Senior Branch Manager Pam Blattner won Best Businesswoman in the 2024 Best of Sun Prairie Awards, conducted by the Sun Prairie Star. Bank of Sun Prairie is the only financial institution headquartered in Sun Prairie and its dedication to its citizens, nonprofits, schools, businesses, and community organizations is unmatched. Last year, the bank’s employees volunteered 5,300 hours and the bank supported 100-plus organizations through sponsorships and contributions.

Best Businesswoman Blattner leads the bank’s financial education community efforts as its head Financial Fitness Center Course Instructor. Bank of Sun Prairie’s strong commitment to financial education is demonstrated through their Financial Fitness Center offering 52 digital courses and 17 financial literacy workshops tailored for community, schools, businesses, and nonprofits.

“Thank you for recognizing Bank of Sun Prairie as the 2024 Best Financial Institution. It is our honor to work in this amazing community. We will continue to deliver the right balance of compassion and innovation in all the communities we serve,” shared Jimmy Kauffman, Bank of Sun Prairie’s president and CEO. He continued, “It is also my privilege to celebrate Pam Blattner as Sun Prairie’s Best Businesswoman ‒ her dedication to Bank of Sun Prairie, our customers and to area organizations is remarkable, especially her work leading our financial education efforts and her service to the Sun Prairie Business and Education Partnership (BEP) and Friends of the Neighborhood Navigators. This recognition is well-deserved.”

Bank of Sun Prairie is a locally owned, full-service community bank with $748 million in assets with close to 100 employees at its five branch locations, its newest housed at Sun Prairie

West High School as financial literacy outlet. 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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Contractor Profile: Great Lakes Roofing Corp.

Chris Lampien, president of Great Lakes Roofing, discusses a culture of purpose with the company he loved enough to buy from its founder

When the carnival-like atmosphere of the Republican National Convention descended on Milwaukee last July, the novelty appealed to Chris Lampien, principal of Great Lakes Roofing, who considered heading downtown to experience the hubbub firsthand.

And why not? A major political party rarely comes to your proverbial backyard for its quadrennial nominating event. Still, judgment overruled curiosity in the end, offering insight into the 46-year-old Wisconsin native.

Read more at RoofingContractor.com

DeWitt’s Best Lawyers® in America and Lawyers of the Year 2025 Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DeWitt LLP
Nuzhat Noor
nnoor@dewittllp.com | 262-439-2362

DeWitt’s Best Lawyers® in America and Lawyers of the Year 2025 Announced

MADISON | MILWAUKEE, Wis. and MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (August 15, 2024) – Today DeWitt LLP announced the 28 attorneys from the firm who were included by the Best Lawyers® in America in its 2025 edition. Additionally, three DeWitt attorneys were named as Lawyer of the Year in the 2025 edition.

For more than 40 years, Best Lawyers publications have garnered respect from the legal profession, media, and the public as the most dependable and impartial source for legal referrals. All candidates are nominated and evaluated by their peers. Lawyers cannot pay to be listed, making recognition by Best Lawyers a unique and prestigious honor.

Best Lawyers in America 2025

Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Brookfield

• Douglas H. Frazer (2007) – Litigation and Controversy -Tax Law
• Jeffrey J. Liotta (2012) – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Real Estate
• Brian R. Smigelski (2013) – Construction Law
• John P. Yentz (2013) – Corporate Law

Madison, Wisconsin

• Brian L. Anderson (2005) – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
• Jon P. Axelrod (1997) – Commercial Litigation
• Frederic J. Brouner (2005) – Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law
• Stephen A. DiTullio (2007) – Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Bryan C. Esch (2011) – Real Estate Law
• Eric A. Farnsworth (2005) – Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Jeff A. Goldman (2016) – Trusts and Estates
• Stuart C. Herro (2005) – Real Estate Law, Trusts and Estates
• Joseph T. Leone (2007) – Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law
• Anna L. Loess (2024) – Family Law, Trusts and Estates
• Troy A. Mayne (2005) – Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
• William E. McCardell (2007) – Construction Law, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management
• Michele L. Perreault (2024) – Family Law
• Ronald R. Ragatz (2006) – Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law
• Theresa L. Roetter (2013) – Collaborative Law: Family Law
• Wrede H. Smith, Jr. (1995) – Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Trusts and Estates
• Timm P. Speerschneider (2006) – Environmental Law, Land Use and Zoning Law

Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Eric H. Chadwick (2016) – Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent
• Rachel Dahl (2024) – Real Estate Law, Trusts and Estates
• Matthew A. Drewes (2022) – Community Association Law, Construction Law, Real Estate Law
• Robert W. Due (2014) – Family Law
• R. Leigh Frost (2021) – Family Law
• Kathleen M. Newman (1993) – Family Law
• Brian R. Pollack (2023) – Patent Law

(Year) First year the lawyer was listed in the published practice area.

Lawyer of the Year – Best Lawyers in America 2025

Madison, Wisconsin

• Brian L. Anderson – Trusts and Estates
• Joseph T. Leone – Patent Law

Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Brookfield

• Jeffrey J. Liotta – Litigation – Real Estate

About DeWitt

Founded in 1903, DeWitt LLP is one of the ten largest law firms based in Wisconsin, with an additional presence in Minnesota. It has more than 130 attorneys practicing in Green Bay, Madison and Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota and has the experience to service clients of all scopes and sizes. DeWitt is known for its work in a variety of legal areas including family law, background screening, business law, employee stock ownership plans, employee benefits, intellectual property, patents, trademarks and copyright law, construction litigation, employment relations, environmental, estate planning, family business, litigation, real estate, tax law, and more. Additional information is available at dewittllp.com.

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Multi-Unit Spherion Franchisee Honored as a 2024 Franchise Rock Star by Franchise Business Review

31-Year-Old Millennial Spherion Franchise Owner Recognized for Impressive Sales Growth and Community Impact

MADISON, Wis. – Austin Kassner, a local business leader and multi-unit franchise owner with Spherion Staffing & Recruiting (Spherion), recently earned recognition from Franchise Business Review as a 2024 Franchise Rock Star. This trusted publication named Kassner to the ‘Millennial’ category for his significant contributions to the communities his offices serve in Madison, Wisconsin and Rockford, Illinois.

“It’s an honor to be featured by Franchise Business Review as a 2024 Franchise Rock Star. This award is recognition of the incredible service that our tenured team provides to both candidates and clients across our markets ,” said Kassner. “I strive to create an environment where everyone has a seat at the table and feels encouraged to share their perspectives. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to do this as part of the Spherion organization with the support of their leadership team.”

Kassner was selected from more than 36,000 franchisees, representing 360 brands that participate in Franchise Business Review’s research. Notably, Kassner’s Spherion offices in Wisconsin and Illinois have grown significantly since he took over franchise ownership in 2022. Under his leadership, his teams have secured 28 new clients, expanded services for existing clients and increased revenue growth by more than 9%.

Beyond his business accomplishments, Kassner is committed to giving back to the communities that his businesses serve through organizations such as The River Food Pantry, United Way, YWCA,  and the Regional Access Mobilization Project Inc.

“I’ve had the pleasure of watching Austin grow and expand his business since joining us, and his innovative ideas have brought a fresh perspective to our brand,” said Kathy George, president of Spherion. “He has quickly emerged as a standout leader within our franchise system and is always willing to advise other business owners looking to capitalize on opportunities for growth in their local markets. On behalf of Spherion, we congratulate him and the entire team in Madison and Rockford for this well-deserved recognition.”

The Franchise Rock Stars were nominated by their franchise brand’s leadership in one of eight categories. They’re franchisees who set admirable examples when it comes to leadership, business acumen, financial and professional success, and contributing to their community.

Spherion brandishes the “power of local” through a network of independent and empowered franchisees. Each Spherion franchisee enriches their communities by connecting and facilitating employment opportunities every day—and when they’re successful together, their investments flow back into the neighborhoods where they live and work. The power of Spherion is in its local roots.

To learn more about Spherion’s franchising opportunity, visit spherion.com/franchising.

Visit FranchiseBusinessReview.com to see the full list of 2024 Franchise Rock Stars.

About Spherion – Madison, WI

Driving careers. Growing businesses. Bettering the community. These tenets have been at the core of Spherion Madison since its doors opened over 30 years ago. Locally owned, Spherion provides comprehensive staffing & recruiting services, including: flexible staffing, temp-to-hire, professional direct-hire placement, and workforce management solutions. The Spherion Madison team invests the time to develop relationships with everyone they work with to deliver differentiated results. Its tenured team understands the greater Madison market and has a proven history of matching the right candidates for the right role across a wide array of industries.

About Spherion

With more than 75 years of staffing and recruiting experience, Spherion stands out as a leader in the industry, leveraging the power of “local” to support its vast network of independent franchisees. True to its tagline, Let’s Get to Work, Spherion provides temporary, temp-to-hire, direct hire, and managed hiring services to more than 4,000 businesses nationwide across 200+ locations. With a 4.8/5 star Google review score and recognition as a Top 100 Staffing Company to Work for by World Staffing Awards, a Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review, and ranking #63 on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2024 Franchise 500 list, Spherion capably caters to the ever-changing demands of America’s workforce. Backed by the world’s most equitable and specialized talent company, Spherion provides superior staffing and recruiting solutions through its franchise model.

To learn more about Spherion, visit spherion.com.

About Franchise Business Review

Franchise Business Review (FBR) is a leading market research firm serving the franchise sector. FBR measures satisfaction and engagement of franchisees and franchise employees and publishes various guides and reports for entrepreneurs considering an investment in a franchise business. Since 2005, FBR has surveyed hundreds of thousands of franchise owners and over 1,200 leading franchise companies. To read our publications, visit https://franchisebusinessreview.com/page/digital-guides/. To learn more about FBR’s research, please visit www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com