Rick Schmidt Steps Down as President of CG Schmidt, Retains Role as CEO and Chairman

MILWAUKEE, WI, October 6, 2021 ‐ CG Schmidt announced today that Richard L. Schmidt, Jr., President
& CEO, and fourth generation of family leadership for the 101‐year‐old construction management firm
headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, will step down as President but retain the roles of Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) and Chairman, while his brother Eric Schmidt, who currently serves as Senior Vice
President for the company, will assume the role of President. The transition will take effect January 1,
2022.

Read more here

Vogel Bros. Building Co.: $22 million Octopi October Expansion

WAUNAKEE, WIS. – Octopi and Partners begin a $22 million expansion! “This growth, this development is great for (Octopi), it’s great for our community, it’s great for our people.” said Chris Zellner, Waunakee village president.

The groundbreaking celebration happened on Friday October 1, 2021 at 12:00 noon CDT. Octopi kicked-off the beginning of construction on a new 200,000 square foot (sf) facility at 1130 Uniek Drive, Waunakee.

The new facility, developed by SARA Investment Real Estate of Madison, will be leased to Octopi Brewing expanding operations from their main building across the street. The new distribution center, to be completed in the summer of 2022, will house a variety packaging line, shipping, and receiving operations for Octopi. The building features 14 loading docks, a 14,000 sf cooler, a 5,000 sf freezer, and 113,000 sf of open warehouse space. The building has been designed by Aro Eberle Architects and Vogel Bros. Building Co is Construction Manager.

Isaac Showaki, President of Octopi Brewing indicated “This distribution center is critical to the continued growth of Octopi Brewing.”

“It’s humbling to be part of a project for a company that’s just going gangbusters,” said Christina Ballweg, SARA’s executive vice president, who led the groundbreaking activities on Friday.

“Vogel Bros. is excited to support Octopi’s exceptional growth,” said Pete Vogel, CEO and President. “Octopi is a perfect example of our team’s Ideal Customer! They are fast growing and focused on meeting their customers’ rapidly changing needs. We are honored to be their construction partner.”

Vogel Bros. Building Co. (www.vogelbldg.com ) is a fifth-generation construction services company with offices in Madison, WI and Lakeland, FL. As an award-winning company, Vogel Bros. has earned recognition for completing large-scale complex projects, encouraging innovation, embracing new technologies, and making a difference in our communities. We owe our success and longevity to the values established by the Vogel family that have been shared through the generations and are embodied in our employees. Vogel Bros. mission is to continually improve our services in order to enhance the lives of the people in the communities we serve.

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.