Mead & Hunt acquires “boutique” transportation consulting firm Sabra & Associates, Inc.

Mead & Hunt, a large, well-known national architecture-engineering firm, has acquired Sabra & Associates, Inc. (SAI), a multi-disciplinary consulting firm with a strong emphasis on the transportation sector.

SAI has a heavy presence in the mid-Atlantic states with five offices spanning the area, including offices in Columbia, MD, Washington, DC, Vienna, VA, and two in Baltimore, MD. They have 120 team members.

This move gives both firms the opportunity to provide clients expanded consulting resources and service areas. SAI brings sophisticated multi-modal transportation planning, travel demand modeling, GIS, traffic engineering, and highway design and construction inspection to Mead & Hunt’s Transportation team, which excels at roadway and bridge design and construction inspection.

In addition, SAI brings strength in urban transit, freight logistics, signals and intelligent transportation systems planning and design, which is vital to many of our clients across the country. The two firms offer complementary services, making this combination beneficial for SAI and Mead & Hunt clients alike.

“The convergence of SAI and Mead & Hunt’s areas of expertise supports clients and communities by creating greater access to vital transportation services nationwide,” said Rick Plymale, Vice President for Mead & Hunt’s Transportation. “I’m confident that together we can do more for our clients than either of us could alone.”

The two firms are an ideal cultural fit, with both fostering people-first values. According to Andy Platz, Mead & Hunt’s CEO, “Keeping all of our clients, employees and communities at the forefront of our decisions is key to our overall success.”

Similarly, Ziad Sabra, former owner of SAI and now Mid-Atlantic Business Unit Leader at Mead & Hunt stated, “We remain committed to retaining the close client relationships we’ve fostered over the past several years, and we look forward to maintaining these relationships well into the future. Above all, this allows us to offer expanded resources to our clients and offers our employees additional opportunities to grow.”

Mead & Hunt is an employee-owned consulting firm and remains strong on ENR’s Top 500 design firm list with a national ranking of 119 in 2019. The firm employs nearly 900 employees from 35+ offices located across the nation. They were named by Zweig Group as one of the Best Firms to Work For, and by CE News as one of the top 10 engineering companies to work for in the nation.

Media Contacts:

• Andy Platz, CEO/President, andy.platz@meadhunt.com, 608-443-0600
• Rick Plymale, Vice President/Transportation, Richard.plymale@meadhunt.com, 681-313-4615
• Meghan Stiklestad, Marketing Director, Meghan.stiklestad@meadhunt.com, 608-443-0378

M3 Expands to Rockford, Illinois

M3 Insurance is excited to announce its expansion to Rockford, Illinois.  Effective July 1, 2019, M3 opened its sixth location with an office at 4320 Spring Creek Road, Rockford.

This new location allows us to maintain and expand our client, community, and insurance carrier relationships in the Rockford marketplace. We have assigned M3 account executives who specialize in employee benefits and property and casualty to serve the market.

“M3 Insurance is always looking for ways to better serve the needs of our clients by providing them with world-class resources and individual, personalized attention, and this expansion is just another example of that commitment,” said Mike Victorson, president and CEO. “We look forward to building long-lasting and meaningful relationships with business partners and being a positive member of the Rockford community.”

M3 Insurance is a member of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

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About M3

M3 Insurance offers insight, advice and strategies to help clients manage risk, purchase insurance and provide employee benefits. We are committed to being experts in both the products we represent and the industries we serve. Our people advance M3’s competitive advantage in the marketplace, and our focus on community builds better places to live and work. M3 is consistently ranked a top 100 broker in America and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018.

UW Credit Union Opens Branch in Verona

MADISON, WI – July 15, 2019 – A new UW Credit Union branch opened today in Verona.

UW Credit Union launched its newest location at 651 Hometown Circle in Verona, a 5,000-square-foot facility with updated branch architecture reflecting the credit union’s refreshed branding. Moving away from the traditional teller line, the branch features teller pods, making it easier to interact with members and demonstrate how to access online banking features on mobile devices. This is the credit union’s 27th location in Wisconsin.

UW Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in Wisconsin, allowing it to offer extensive and convenient services to a growing membership of more than 250,000 members. The Verona branch employs 11 people, including two teller interns through the Young Apprenticeship Program at Verona High School, in which students receive high school credits along with wages.

“We’re proud to be joining the Verona community,” said Paul J. Kundert, UW Credit Union president & chief executive officer. “As a financial leader we know we can help our new members achieve their financial dreams. From high schoolers to empty nesters, we lend a hand to improve their lives at every step of their life’s journey.”

Verona branch lobby hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Branch drive-up hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

The credit union celebrates its new location with a bevy of grand opening events from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday, July 26. The Verona Area Chamber of Commerce will officially welcome the credit union to the community with a ribbon cutting at 1:30 p.m. Creative appetizers will be served by local grocer Miller & Sons Supermarket and Kona Ice of Madison will be dishing out its popular Hawaiian-style shaved ice. Also, the popular rideshare program Madison BCycle will offer test rides of its fun, new electric bikes. UW Credit Union is a major sponsor of Madison BCycle, one of the leading programs of its kind in the country.

One of the highlights of the grand opening is a food drive, Monday, July 22 through Friday, July 26, benefitting Badger Prairie Needs Network, an all-volunteer food pantry and one of the largest in Dane County. The nonprofit fuels an average of 1,200 persons each month and 13,000 individuals each year.

“The food drive reflects UW Credit Union’s vision of helping people, serving the community, building partnerships and making a difference in Verona,” commented Brand Day, the new Verona branch manager. “We’re excited to partner with Miller & Sons and Badger Prairie Needs Network for a hometown grand opening event that celebrates Verona by connecting with our neighbors.”

About UW Credit Union
UW Credit Union is a growing, federally insured financial institution and a leading provider of a full range of financial services to University of Wisconsin communities. UW Credit Union’s over 600 employees serve the financial needs of more than 250,000 members through world-class technology systems, and through a convenient network of 27 branch locations and over 100 ATMs. With assets totaling $3 billion, UW Credit Union is ranked nationally among the leading credit unions. Founded more than 85 years ago by members of the University of Wisconsin community, UW Credit Union continues to operate as a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative with locations in the Madison, Milwaukee, Stevens Point, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Whitewater and La Crosse areas.

Thysse Breaks Ground on $10 Million Facility in Oregon, Wisconsin

OREGON, WI, June 6, 2019 — Thysse held a ceremonial groundbreaking in Oregon, WI, earlier this week on the site where the company will open their new headquarters next year. 150 guests and employees attended the event.

PR-Thysse-Groundbreaking-fnl

Two Community Banks Officially Merge

For Immediate Release

Contact:

SBCP Bancorp, Inc.: Jim Tubbs, (608) 798-3961

Union Bancorp of Evansville, Inc.: Steve Eager, (608) 490-2251

Two Community Banks Officially Merge
State Bank of Cross Plains Grows to 15 Locations in Three Counties

JUNE 1, 2019, MADISON, Wisconsin – With the merger closing on May 31, State Bank of Cross Plains (SBCP) and Union Bank & Trust Company (UB&T) officially begin operating as one organization on June 1. The merged financial institutions will expand SBCP’s presence from 10 locations in Dane County to a combined 15 locations operating in Dane, Rock, and Green counties, with total assets topping $1.25 billion.

“It became clear early on in the process that both banks shared the same set of core values and priorities, with a strong focus on putting people first,” said Jim Tubbs, President & CEO of State Bank of Cross Plains. “Every decision attempted to improve circumstances for our customers and the employees who assist those customers. Our shared philosophies helped fuel our enthusiasm as we did the hard work behind the scenes to merge both operations and our bank families in a way designed to make this transition seamless to the people we serve.”

Indeed, SBCP’s Tubbs and former UB&T President Steve Eager report very little disruption to the customers and the communities familiar with both banks:

• No layoffs.

• 15 of the merged 16 locations stay open. Both organizations had branch offices in Oregon less than a quarter mile apart. Staff will eventually combine into the former UB&T location at 883 N. Main Street. The SBCP location at 744 N. Main in Oregon will close in July.

• Nothing changes regarding loans. Existing loans will not be sold. Customers keep the same loan terms and continue to work with the same local lender. However, combined capital will enable more opportunities for business and personal loans from the now larger State Bank of Cross Plains.

• Relationships handled by either bank’s Wealth Management group will continue to be handled in the same professional manner as always. This applies to investment management, comprehensive financial planning services, and our most important role as a trusted fiduciary. In addition, clients will have an opportunity to continue working with their same Trust Officer/Wealth Manager team of choice.

• The Ag Services division has grown. More people were added to this team to support existing crop insurance contracts and local lending as this product grows more fully into Dane County, led by Steve Eager.

• Actual changes? Routing numbers for former UB&T checking and savings accounts will be updated as they get incorporated into the SBCP system in September. At that time, the bank will replace debit cards and offer the opportunity to order new checks.

“I’ve known the leaders at State Bank of Cross Plains for decades and have always respected them,” shares Eager. “When my family chose to reduce our level of involvement at UB&T, it gave us all peace of mind to know we could hand the reins over to another bank who also believes in growing local businesses and truly cares about helping the people and families who live and work in these communities.”

State Bank of Cross Plains offers a full range of business, agricultural, and personal financial services, including business, real estate, ag, and consumer lending; crop insurance; wealth management; and financial advisory services.

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