Kraus-Anderson completes Rolling Hills Senior Living & Rehabilitation Center in Sparta

SPARTA, Wis. (August 2022) – Kraus-Anderson Madison has completed construction on Rolling Hills Senior Living and Rehabilitation, a $24 million retirement community located at 14400 County Highway B in Sparta, Wis. 

Designed by Community Living Solutions, LLC, the 80,000-square-foot senior living and rehabilitation center features 50 skilled nursing beds, 24 residential care (CBRF) assisted living units, and 24 (RCAC) assisted living apartments with nursing, medical visits, therapy and short-term rehabilitation services available on site.

The new state-of-the-art, one-level complex, which is fully handicap accessible, includes a safe outdoor courtyard, hospital grade ventilation system and other thoughtful design elements to address current COVID challenges and provide a safer and healthier home now and into the future.  Indoors, residents can enjoy choice menus of health conscience and homemade food, a variety of activities directed by Therapeutic Recreation Specialists, a beauty and barber shop, and bistro.

About Kraus-Anderson

Established in 1897, Kraus-Anderson (www.krausanderson.com) is one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers, which has been leading the charge in sustainable design and construction for the last 25 years. With deep experience in healthcare construction, the company is currently ranked 16th in the nation among the top health care general contractors in the U.S. by Modern Healthcare magazine. Kraus-Anderson, an EEO/AA employer, is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and has regional offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wis., Bismarck, N.D., and Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester Minn.

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North Central Group Celebrates Topping Off for The Trade Milwaukee, An Autograph Collection Hotel, Under Construction in Milwaukee’s Deer District

Hotel is one step closer to its highly anticipated early 2023 opening

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (July 27, 2022) – North Central Group (NCG), a leader in real estate development, asset management and property management, today celebrated the topping-off in the construction of The Trade Hotel, an Autograph Collection Hotel by Marriott, located in the heart of Deer District. The topping-off ceremony, which commemorated the highest point of construction being reached, was held at the construction site on the corner of Juneau and Vel R. Phillips Avenues in downtown Milwaukee.

Local business and community leaders were in attendance to witness the final steel beam being hoisted into place atop the Trade Hotel, celebrating the next phase of construction and bringing the entire operation one major step closer to completion.

The Trade Hotel, slated to open in early 2023, will boast 207 luxury guest rooms and suites, featuring California King beds, heightened ceilings and state-of-the-art finishing. A destination rooftop restaurant and lounge will offer breathtaking views of the city, while the ground-floor signature restaurant will honor Milwaukee’s rich history and local fare through an innovative yet approachable culinary experience. The Trade Hotel will also feature more than 9,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor gathering space, as well as meeting packages that can accommodate up to 300 guests.

Built in ode to the city’s blue-collar roots, The Trade Hotel will pay tribute to the hardworking men and women who built Milwaukee. From the coopers to the blacksmiths to the machinists, the building will be a nod to the city’s history while simultaneously helping to write its future. Its art and design features will celebrate the tradespeople who have made Milwaukee the great city it is today, with intricate metal and woodworking details paying homage to their skills.

“We’re thrilled to be one step closer to bringing The Trade Hotel to life and celebrating this major milestone with the community,” said Andy Inman, Chief Development Officer for NCG. “This project is a true labor of love for our team and celebrates the grit, determination, and hard work of the men and women who built this city, as well as those who continue to shape its bright future.

“We are proud to blend Autograph’s upscale, luxury hotel experience with the unbridled energy of Deer District, attracting visitors from near and far to celebrate the art, culture and cuisine that tell the story of Milwaukee,” Inman continued. “We can’t wait to open our doors and welcome guests from around the world.”

“The Bucks are so excited to welcome The Trade Hotel to Deer District in what will be a tremendous addition for the city,” said Peter Feigin, President of the Bucks and Fiserv Forum. “The Trade will build on Deer District’s promise of becoming Milwaukee’s premiere location to live, work and play, and we are thrilled to be part of a project showcasing Milwaukee’s unique history and bright future.”

To learn more about The Trade, visit thetradehotel.com

Assets can be found here: The Trade MKE

About The Trade Milwaukee
Inspired by the city’s pioneering past and a local culture that is forever moving forward, The Trade an Autograph Collection Hotelpays homage to the hardworking history and modern spirit of today’s Milwaukee. As the official hotel of Deer District, it is located in the bustling heart of downtown, adjacent to Fiserv Forum. Situated court-side in Cream City’s dynamic hub of sports, culture, and entertainment, the hotel offers 207 luxurious rooms and suites plus destination dining with a rooftop restaurant and lounge boasting stunning city views. Highlights include a 2-story VIP suite with private access and over 9,000 square feet of sophisticated indoor/outdoor meeting and event spaces for groups up to 300. Merging modern convenience with timeless luxe, it is an experience unlike anything else in the city. The Trade. Where craft meets commerce.

About North Central Group (NCG)       

North Central Group is a leader in the ownership, development, and operation of premier hospitality properties. Established in 1981 by Founder and Chairman David Lenz, North Central Group (NCG) is a family-owned business with over 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry. We own and operate more than 25 properties across multiple states and national brands. We leverage our unparalleled expertise to provide hotel management services, hotel development expertise, and real estate-focused services to property owners and investors throughout the U.S. ncghotels.com.

About Autograph Collection Hotels

A member of Marriott’s industry-leading portfolio, the Autograph Collection debuted in 2010 and includes nearly 200 independently branded hotels and resorts that reflect the distinct attributes of their market. Each is unique in terms of product offering and target customers. The Autograph Collection is a remarkable group of upper upscale and luxury independent hotels with iconic properties located in gateway and emerging cities in preferred destinations around the world. Each is exceptional, one-of-a-kind and has its own distinct perspective. The result is an array of properties that is nothing less than unique and nothing short of collectively exceptional Autograph Hotels are proud to participate in the industry’s award-winning loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy®. To learn more about Autograph Collection Hotels, visit https://autograph-hotels.marriott.com/. Follow Autograph on Instagram. Watch Autograph on YouTube. Engage #ExactlyLikeNothingElse.

About Deer District

Deer District is Milwaukee’s newest neighborhood and is redefining the city’s downtown. Anchored by the world-class Fiserv Forum, a preeminent sports and entertainment venue and home to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, the 30-acre Deer District is Milwaukee’s premier location for people to live, work and play, and is a hub for the city’s vibrant future. A year-round destination, Deer District features a myriad of dining and entertainment options in addition to Fiserv Forum including The MECCA Sports Bar & Grill, Cream City Cluckery, The Beer Garden, Good City Brewing, Punch Bowl Social, Drink Wisconsinbly and Insomnia Cookies. Deer District also features a large plaza which serves as an ideal setting to enjoy live music, festivals, outdoor movies, fitness classes and other events. Additionally, Deer District includes GATHER at Deer District, the Bucks’ state-of-the-art training center, the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center, and the 550 Ultra Lofts apartment building, which are both located directly across from Fiserv Forum. Future developments for Deer District include The Trade Milwaukee, a 200-plus room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, Fat Tuesdays, two FPC Live operated venues, additional high-end apartments, and further commercial, office space, real estate and entertainment opportunities. For more information on Deer District, visit DeerDistrict.com.

Media Contact:
Jake Leskovar
jleskovar@evokebrands.com
(608) 556-7470

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Equity Strategic Action Plan on Student Leadership and Involvement Launches at University of Wisconsin–Madison

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2022

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

EQUITY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN ON STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT LAUNCHES AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN–MADISON

MADISON – An equity action plan more than a year in the making, called the Equity Strategic Action Plan (ESAP), will kick off soon with campus stakeholders’ feedback driving the actionable ways the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Leadership & Involvement (CfLI) will work to further improve policies, practices and support of marginalized campus community members.

CfLI engaged in an in-depth organizational review of student leadership and student organization programs, resources, and services through a social justice lens in partnership with the diversity, inclusion and equity firm CultureBrokers. The teams conducted the review with multiple goals in mind, including further improving the accessibility of CfLI’s leadership and student organization resources and ensuring they are meeting the needs of marginalized communities.

The review included surveying more than 300 UW–Madison students, staff, faculty, and alumni as well as holding several focus groups. 

CfLI and CultureBrokers used the information to identify areas for improvement and to create CfLI’s inaugural ESAP.

Throughout the next year, the CfLI team will implement ESAP and share notable progress as it works toward achieving the plan’s goals, such as identifying additional programs, services and outreach that are needed for diverse students, faculty and staff.  

“We appreciate the insightful feedback provided by our campus community, and we are committed to meeting the needs of all students – especially those most marginalized,” CfLI Director Mark Kueppers said. “The Center for Leadership & Involvement team recognizes the critical need to address racism and dismantle systems of oppression. The Equity Strategic Action Plan serves as a key resource in this effort.”

CfLI helps more than 16,000 UW–Madison students in connecting with the far-ranging leadership and involvement opportunities on campus. UW–Madison’s current leadership opportunities include both in and out-of-the-classroom experiences, such as registered student organizations, Willis L. Jones Leadership Center experiential learning, the Leadership Certificate Program, Adventure Learning Programs (ALPs) adventure-based workshops, and the Student Leadership Program (SLP). Additionally, CfLI is responsible for registering and advising more than 900 student organizations each year.

Those with questions about the ESAP or campus leadership and involvement opportunities can contact the CfLI team at cfli@studentlife.wisc.edu. 

Those interested in learning more about this effort and reading ESAP can visit cfli.wisc.edu/esap.

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About the Center for Leadership and Involvement

The Center for Leadership & Involvement (CfLI) assists University of Wisconsin–Madison students in intentionally connecting with the far-ranging leadership opportunities throughout campus, including student organizations. The Center supports students in making meaning of their leadership experiences and in developing leadership capacity and the ability to affect positive change. Learn more about CfLI at cfli.wisc.edu. 

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/esap-2022.

County Executive, Alliant Energy, & SunVest Solar Kick Off Construction of Solar Farm to Make Dane County 100% Renewable

90-Acre Solar Project in Town of Cottage Grove Will Make Dane County Government First County in State to Use 100% Renewable Power

Today, County Executive Joe Parisi joined Alliant Energy and SunVest Solar executives to kick off the construction of a 90-acre solar project on county-owned land in the Town of Cottage Grove. Known as the Yahara Solar Project, construction of this project will achieve Dane County’s goal of using 100% renewable electricity at all county facilities.

“Our clean energy partnership with Alliant Energy and SunVest Solar results in Dane County achieving our goal of powering our buildings with 100% renewable electricity,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi.  “I’m proud that our county is the first in the state and just a handful in the nation to achieve this renewable energy accomplishment that combats climate change and creates local clean energy jobs.”

Once the solar project begins operation early next year, the 17-megawatt (MW) project site will be home to over 33,000 solar panels and produce more than 31,000 MW-hours of renewable electricity per year — enough to power 3,000 Dane County homes. The renewable electricity generated from this new project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equivalent to the emissions produced by over 3,800 cars or the burning of 20 million pounds of coal per year.

“Alliant Energy is proud to assist Dane County in achieving its clean energy goals through the Yahara Solar Project,” said JP Brummond, Vice President of Customer and Community Engagement for Alliant Energy. “We’re constantly looking for new ways to serve our customers and build stronger communities. This unique partnership extends Dane County’s position as a renewable energy leader and showcases Alliant Energy’s creative solutions for renewable energy development.”

Alliant Energy selected SunVest Solar headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin to build, operate, and initially own the project. SunVest Solar has been the #1 solar developer in Wisconsin since 2015 and is ranked in the top 10 solar developers nationwide by Solar Power World magazine.

“SunVest Solar applauds the commitment Dane County has made to renewable energy and shares in its vision for an energy-independent future,” said Kirk Kindred, President of SunVest Solar, LLC. “The Yahara Solar Project is SunVest’s largest solar project in Wisconsin to date. We look forward to working with Dane County and Alliant Energy as the project comes to life.”

The Yahara Solar Project is Dane County government’s largest renewable energy project, nearly double the size of the solar installation at the Dane County Regional Airport—a 9-MW project that began operation in December 2020.

Alliant Energy will deliver the power generated to its customers, and Dane County in return for leasing the land will receive the renewable energy credits (RECs). Under an innovative deal structure, the County continues to own the land, and Alliant Energy leases the land, with payment made in RECs. This allows the County to reach its renewable energy goals for decades to come without any increase in energy costs. The RECs will offset the County’s greenhouse gas emissions without any increase in energy costs helping the County to achieve its renewable energy goals under the adopted Climate Action Plan.

The solar project will create approximately 70 jobs during peak construction. According to the National Solar Jobs Census, there were nearly 3,000 people employed in the solar industry in Wisconsin in 2020. 

Converting over 90 acres of agricultural land previously used for growing corn and soybeans to solar energy production and additional acreage on the site to prairie grass plantings will produce additional environmental benefits. Transforming the land to energy production will cut water runoff volume by about 325,000 cubic feet or roughly 3.5 Olympic-size swimming pools, reducing phosphorus runoff to area waterways by 370 pounds annually. Not tilling the land will boost habitat for dwindling pollinator populations and sequester 72 tons of soil carbon or the equivalent emissions of over 8,000 gallons of gasoline burned annually.

Dane County gets more power from solar than any other county in the state. Dane County generates power at 16 county-owned facilities, including the Dane County Regional Airport Solar Project and soon to be constructed Yahara Solar Project. An interactive “Clean Energy” map showcasing all of Dane County’s existing projects can be accessed here.

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UW–Madison Research Drives Recommendations for Enhanced Leadership Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2022

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

UW–MADISON RESEARCH DRIVES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCED LEADERSHIP EDUCATION

MADISON – University of Wisconsin–Madison team members collaborated for months with a common goal: determine how to further strengthen leadership education at UW–Madison.

Leadership advocates from across campus convened to facilitate UW–Madison’s participation in the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL), an international research program focused on understanding how higher education can help students develop leadership skills.

Through the study, the group aimed to learn how the University can help prepare students to thrive in a changing society and an evolving global economy through the development of leadership skills.

The group provided a survey on leadership to UW–Madison undergraduate students and doctor of pharmacy students. About 5,000 students completed the survey, giving the group insight into students’ attainment of leadership skills, their access to leadership education and their experiences with leadership.

An MSL coalition of UW–Madison administrators, faculty and staff members then formed to interpret the results of the survey in collaboration with survey and data analysis experts.

Key findings from the survey included but are not limited to:

• UW–Madison students are in line with other universities’ students in acquiring leadership skills.
• UW–Madison students are gaining leadership skills at a level consistent with students in previous years.
• Students’ involvement in community service, organizations, student groups, mentoring and leadership training increased their leadership skills acquisition
• Demographics were generally not a factor in student opportunities for involvement in the above activities and usually not a factor in the acquisition of leadership skills, with the exceptions of international student status and GPA.

From these and other findings, the coalition developed the following recommendations to improve leadership education at UW–Madison:

• Identify benchmarks that allow UW–Madison to determine student success relative to peer institutions and to previous UW–Madison students
• Establish infrastructure, such as programming and staffing, that supports leadership skills development best practices
• Expand leadership research and assessment.
• Develop and/or connect complementary classroom and out-of-classroom learning programs
• Encourage both classroom and out-of-classroom leadership learning programs based in leadership theories
• Incorporate learning opportunities into the UW–Madison experience that are strongly associated with leadership skills-building in impact learning environments and work experiences

“UW–Madison is committed to preparing the next generation of leaders to make a positive impact in the world,” said Mark Kueppers, director of the Center for Leadership & Involvement (CfLI). “The Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership provides critical data to improve leadership programming in and out of the classroom.”

Current leadership opportunities for UW–Madison students include coursework offered by multiple schools and colleges as well as co-curricular opportunities that include but are not limited to more than 900 registered student organizations, hundreds of on-campus student employment positions, intramural sports, volunteer opportunities, learning opportunities through the Willis L. Jones Leadership Center, the Leadership Certificate Program, adventure-based team-building workshops through Adventure Learning Programs (ALPs), and leadership skills development through the students-run Student Leadership Program (SLP).

The CfLI team will help establish working groups to address these recommendations and work across campus to make data-driven leadership education enhancements. In addition, UW–Madison staff, faculty and students can contact CfLI at cfli@studentlife.wisc.edu for leadership consultative support.

The CfLI team encourages staff, faculty and student leaders to review the MSL report, reach out with any questions they may have about leadership development, and to use the results to inform leadership education. The team also encourages current students to explore some of the existing leadership opportunities on campus here.

The MSL study effort included facilitation leadership from Kueppers and Greg Harrington, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin­–Madison and chair of the Pieper Family Foundation Endowment for Servant Leadership; administrative support from CfLI staff; and data analysis support from the UW–Madison Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement.

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About the Center for Leadership and Involvement

The Center for Leadership & Involvement (CfLI) assists University of Wisconsin–Madison students in intentionally connecting with the far-ranging leadership opportunities throughout campus, including student organizations. The Center supports students in making meaning of their leadership experiences and in developing leadership capacity and the ability to affect positive change. Learn more about CfLI at cfli.wisc.edu.

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/msl-2021.