Wisconsin Union: Distinguished Lecture Series Speaker and Onion.com Founder Scott Dikkers Knows How to Write Funny and Build Brands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 4, 2021

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

DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES SPEAKER AND ONION.COM FOUNDER SCOTT DIKKERS KNOWS HOW TO WRITE FUNNY AND BUILD BRANDS

Comedy empire creator will talk about building a world-renowned brand, fake news, marketing, and a work culture of honesty and creative freedom

MADISON – Scott Dikkers made a business out of mocking popular culture and producing news satire in creating the world’s first humor website TheOnion.com and helping establish the Onion newspaper. Patrons can attend a talk by this comedy empire-founder on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in Shannon Hall at Memorial Union as part of the free Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) Committee’s lecture series. 

During the talk, called “The Funny Story Behind Funny Stories,” Dikkers will share his story of building a world-renowned brand with almost no marketing budget and developing a creative culture of brutal honesty and freedom.

The Onion began as a small campus publication in 1988 in Madison, Wis., created by University of Wisconsin-Madison students Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson. Dikkers began his involvement with The Onion by creating cartoons for the first few issues and helping the students name the publication. He says that by the third issue he became the de facto editor.

After the first year, its founders sold The Onion to multiple people, including Dikkers. Dikkers founded TheOnion.com in 1996. Today, readers can access The Onion solely online where its legacy of making fun of everything and providing fake news unapologetically and intentionally continues.

His talent for humor sprang from a challenging childhood during which he sought escape through comedy and writing. As a child, he endured bullying and watched his parents’ marriage dissolve all while experiencing hardships caused by poverty. Dikkers, who has brought laughter and levity into people’s lives for decades, attempted suicide at eight years old.

He climbed his way through his pain with the help of Mad, a satirical magazine, which in part inspired his passion for comedy. He channeled this love for comedy and finding the humor in the mundane into the creation of a popular comic strip, called Jim’s Journal, and a career in voice acting, before joining The Onion team.

Today, he is the longest serving editor-in-chief of The Onion and the author and co-author of many books, including “Our Dumb World,” “Our Dumb Century,” and “Outrageous Marketing,” and currently hosts “The Comedy Insider Podcast.”

Seating for this free event is available on a first come, first served basis. Dikkers’s talk will be followed by a 30-minute question and answer session.

Additional WUD DLS lecture opportunities include a lecture, question and answer session and book signing with Dr. Reuben Jonathan Miller, Ph.D., on Nov. 9. Dr. Miller is a sociologist, criminologist, social worker and University of Chicago associate professor whose 2021 debut book “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration” compiles 15 years of research on life after prison.

The WUD DLS Committee brings engaging and influential people to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus to encourage thought-provoking conversations. WUD includes 11 committees and six Wisconsin Hoofers clubs that program thousands of events each year.

More information about the upcoming DLS event is available here.

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About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee contributes to the educational experience of University of Wisconsin–Madison students, Wisconsin Union members and community members by bringing engaging and influential people to campus. Founded in 1987, the series aims to expose the campus community to a diverse and vibrant array of people, backgrounds, and ideas. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/dls.
[Note: Click here to download a photo of Scott Dikkers. Photo by Nicki Fietzer.]

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/scott-dikkers.

WPS Health Solutions: Army veteran Eric Bebee saluted for Operation Fan Mail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

Army veteran Eric Bebee saluted for Operation Fan Mail
WPS Health Solutions and Green Bay Packers honored Bebee Oct. 3

MADISON, Wis.—Oct. 4, 2021—The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions paid special tribute this week to Army veteran Eric Bebee and his family in conjunction with the Oct. 3 game against Pittsburgh. Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, marks its 15th season in 2021.

Bebee, originally from Birchwood, Wis., enlisted in the U.S. Army after seeing news coverage of the 9/11 attacks 20 years ago. At the beginning of his military career, he was in the infantry, serving as a rifleman, machine gunner, and Fire Team Leader. He finished his Army career as an Information Technology Specialist, helping troubleshoot computer and network issues, operating and maintaining radios, and facilitating battalion communications.

During his time in the Army, he traveled all over the world. He was stationed from 2003–11 in Germany, deploying from there to Afghanistan three times. He was then stationed at Fort Hood in Texas, from where he deployed to Afghanistan once more, as well as Liberia, Africa, in 2014 as the Lead Information Technology Specialist in support of Operation United Assistance to assist with the Ebola Outbreak Crisis.

In 2016, Bebee transitioned from active duty to the Iowa Air National Guard, and he and his family now live in Hornick, Iowa. He works full-time as a cyber security manager at the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa, as a Department of Defense civilian during the week. He serves as a traditional Air Guardsman on drill weekends. During his time in the military, he has received five Army commendation medals, three Army achievement medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, and an Iowa Air Guard Commendation medal.

Bebee met his wife, Patricia, while stationed in Germany, and their family includes their daughter, Suriana, and their son, Wyatt. After Patricia became a U.S. citizen in 2018, she also enlisted into the Iowa Air National Guard to serve her country.

As the honoree for Operation Fan Mail this week, the Bebee family also received four tickets to the game and a $150 Packers Pro Shop gift card, courtesy of WPS.

The program, which debuted in 2007, is designed to honor families with a member who is on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The Packers and WPS Health Solutions will host a family at each 2021 home game and recognize the members on the video boards during pregame activities. A total of 140 individuals, families, or groups have been recognized through the program since it began.

The Packers and WPS Health Solutions invite interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular family should be saluted this year. Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, or sibling.

Essays can be sent to Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628 or online at packers.com/lambeau-field/operation-fan-mail.

About WPS Health Solutions

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 3,100 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

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Ryan Pelz Joins M3 as Account Executive

Ryan Pelz recently joined M3 Insurance as an employee benefits account executive. In this role, he consults with and advises mid to large market clients on the design, implementation, and management of their business insurance coverage.

Pelz comes to M3 from Quartz Health Solutions, Inc. where he had served as a large group account executive since 2009. Prior to that, he worked for MercyCare. Pelz’s significant knowledge and experience, particularly in the Southcentral Wisconsin and Northcentral Illinois markets, are in strong alignment with the ongoing growth and evolution of M3’s employee benefits division.

Naviant, Inc. Acquires Business Process Automation Provider in Roseville, CA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media contact: 
Jenifer Hein | +1 888.686.4624 | JHein@Naviant.com 

Naviant, Inc. Acquires Business Process Automation Provider in Roseville, CA  

ROSEVILLE, Cali.; VERONA, Wis.; MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio; OREM, Utah; SYRACUSE, New York — October 1, 2021 —Naviant, Inc., a leading provider of intelligent automation solutions by Hyland, Kryon Systems, and ABBYY, announced today that it signed an agreement to acquire NEKO Industries. NEKO is a business process automation provider based in Roseville, CA, and a licensed reseller of OnBase by Hyland. 

As a top Hyland partner, Naviant has been named an OnBase Platinum and Diamond Support partner consistently year after year with a thriving and happy client base. “We are committed to providing the same outstanding support and delivery of services our clients have grown to expect, and we look forward to personally welcoming NEKO Industries clients and staff into the Naviant community,” said Michael Carr, President & CEO, at Naviant. 

“Hyland is in full support of this acquisition, and we see Naviant as an exemplary model of a partner that provides excellent delivery and support to their clients. Recently, Naviant was honored by Hyland as the Top Customer Growth Partner of the Year and  #1 Partner in Marketing Excellence,” said Eric Miller, Assistant Vice President of channel sales at Hyland. 

John Edmondson, Partner at NEKO Industries, said, “Our core values align well with Naviant’s, and I am excited about the synergies this acquisition will provide for our clients. As a leading partner in the west for intelligent automation solutions, Naviant will bring extended capabilities in intelligent capture and robotic process automation (RPA) technology.”

Michael Carr added, “We are extremely pleased to bring NEKO’s exceptional client base and talent into the Naviant family. As we continue to expand our US footprint west spanning all time zones, this acquisition allows us to better support and deliver solutions to our clients.”

About Naviant 
Business processes and solutions that empower better and faster decisions are what we do best. As a nationally recognized intelligent automation solutions integrator and business process consulting organization with over 30 years of experience headquartered in Verona WI, our clients do more with less by streamlining processes and gaining visibility into the information they need to make better decisions. As a long-standing key partner of Hyland, Naviant helps organizations operate more efficiently using Hyland’s OnBase enterprise information platform, Brainware intelligent capture platform, the Hyland Cloud, and Hyland RPA, as well as the ABBYY intelligent capture and Kryon RPA platforms. Naviant’s “process-first” approach brings focus to the importance of process improvement prior to implementing best-in-class enterprise content management (ECM) solutions and technology. Naviant is a top-tier partner for Hyland’s OnBase, an enterprise information platform for managing content, processes, and cases, that combines ECM, case management, business process management (BPM), records management, compliance, and capture functionality on a single platform. In addition, Naviant also partners with Kryon Systems for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to enable organizations to drive business agility and efficiency by offloading repetitive high-volume work to a digital workforce (aka software robots).  To learn more about Naviant, visit Naviant.com. Process focus. Excellence. 

Oak Bank’s Great Pumpkin Give Away is Back

Donations received for more than 30,000 pumpkins have gone directly to area nonprofits.

Fitchburg, WI – It’s a sure sign of fall in Fitchburg! After being canceled last year due to the pandemic, the Oak Bank Annual Great Pumpkin Give Away is back and will be held next Saturday, October 9.

Families can enjoy a variety of activities at the Great Pumpkin Give Away, including hanging out with local mascots, taking a ride on a tractor-drawn wagon, and other family-friendly activities.

“We are thrilled we can host this event and safely celebrate the fall season in person,” said Terry Taylor, President at Oak Bank. “Being able to participate in some fun traditions, like finding that perfect pumpkin, helps lift everyone’s spirits as we continue to find our way out of the pandemic.”

More than 30,000 pumpkins have found their Halloween homes at the Annual Great Pumpkin Give Away since 2000. The joy of finding that perfect pumpkin has a ripple effect beyond the day of the event. Cash donations collected for the pumpkins are given to a chosen local nonprofit organization. This year, the Madison Reading Project is the recipient.

Madison Reading Project’s mission is to connect the community with free books and literacy enrichment programs that ignite a love for reading. They partner with over 100 local schools and organizations and give over 70,000 free books every year to kids in Dane County to fill their homes with high-quality reading material.

“Madison Reading Project’s goals align with Oak Bank’s commitment to providing resources to everyone and making a significant impact in our community,” said Taylor. “It is an honor to join our friends and neighbors in helping Madison Reading Project empower families to read through the fun tradition of the Great Pumpkin Give Away.”

The Annual Great Pumpkin Give Away will take place on Saturday, October 9, from 9 a.m. to noon at Oak Bank, 5951 McKee Road in Fitchburg. For more details, visit Oak Bank’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/oakbank/.

Click here to watch a video highlighting the event.

Click here to download photos from previous years.

About Oak Bank
Oak Bank has been deeply rooted in the Fitchburg community and Madison area for 21 years, meeting the financial needs of homeowners and businesses by offering top-notch service, quick answers, and unique solutions, all while supporting over 100 local nonprofits each year. Visit oakbankonline.com to learn more.

Media Contact:
Karen Virnoche
608.441.6000
kvirnoche@oakbankonline.com