Goodwill Recycles Christmas Lights

Media Alert

December 8, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jill Carlson
Communications Coordinator
Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin
jcarlson@goodwillscwi.org
Office phone: 608 246-3140 x 1120
Cell phone: 608 228-3047

Goodwill SCWI Recycles Christmas String Lights

It happens every year, those darn strings of Christmas lights won’t light! They worked when you put them away last year!!

Now what do you do with them? You can’t put them in your trash or recycle bin and community recycling centers are open limited hours or don’t accept lights at all.

Goodwill SCWI offers an easy way to recycle strings of Christmas lights – just take them to the donation center at any of the 13 Goodwill SCWI locations (goodwillscwi.org/locations). We take it from there to ensure the lights are recycled.

“Goodwill responsibly recycles the strings of lights and keeps them out of the landfill,” Jill Carlson Goodwill SCWI Communications Coordinator, said. “Plus, we recycle the lights year-round.”

Oh, and since you’re going to Goodwill, bring along any gently used items that you no longer need or want to donate to our retail store. That will free up space in your closet for all the Christmas gifts you’ll receive!

Proceeds from the sale of donated items in our stores support job skills training and gives people right here in our own community confidence and independence through the Power of Work.

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Summit Donates $2 Million to the Center for Black Excellence

Largest donation in credit union’s 86-year history

MADISON, WIS. — Summit Credit Union, Wisconsin’s second largest credit union, today announced a $2 million donation to launch The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in South Madison. It is the first company to contribute to the multi-million-dollar effort and the largest gift in the history of the credit union founded in 1935.

“This Black-led, Black-inspired and Black-designed center aims to create a space that uplifts the Black Community and Black-owned businesses, especially those run by women,” said Kim Sponem, CEO and President. “The time is now for all of us to join the Black community to transform Madison from one of the worst cities for Blacks to live in, to one of the best.”

Sponem said Summit Credit Union strongly supports the center’s unique blend of building Black wealth in its planned incubator and co-working spaces, and its art events and community services spaces.

Summit Credit Union has dedicated itself to the financial wellness of its members for 86 years and has been firmly focused on women’s financial empowerment for 12 years.

The Center is slated to open in 2023. For more information, visit the Center for Black Excellence and Culture.

Casetta After Dark

On Saturday nights at Casetta Kitchen, employees Seanna Whalen and Nick Larke transform the bustling, subway-tiled lunchtime sandwich spot into Lady Bird, their recurring pop-up dinner. These ephemeral candlelit parties offer a five-course prix fixe menu for $50, a reasonably priced and interesting selection of wines, and one of the most exciting dining experiences in Madison.

The Lady Bird concept was born in Chicago, where Whalen and Larke were laid off from their restaurant jobs at the start of the pandemic. Looking for a sense of community in the isolation of lockdown, they hosted dinner parties in their apartment building’s backyard. After the city’s lockdown ended, they both worked to open Rose Mary restaurant in the West Loop, but still longed for the sense of connection that their backyard dinners provided.

In July 2021, they sat in the same backyard and wondered, in Whalen’s words, “Why are we working so hard for someone else when we used to do these dinners that brought us so much joy?” Like many in the restaurant industry during the pandemic, they were asking themselves what mattered most. Larke said he wanted time to be creative and Whalen realized she wanted “community.”

Read more at Isthmus

Honkamp Krueger Acquires Nigl Accounting LLP

MADISON, Wis. (Dec 1) — On December 1, 2021, Honkamp Krueger & Co., P.C. (HK), a Top 100 CPA and business consulting firm in the U.S., acquired Nigl Accounting LLP, a local CPA firm located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Greg Burbach, Honkamp Krueger’s CEO, states, “We’ve been serving clients in Wisconsin for over 20 years. Partnering with another established Wisconsin firm was a natural step in our firm’s growth. Nigl Accounting LLP’s management and staff are innovative and client-focused and will be a great match for our culture at HK.”

Chuck Nigl, former partner of Nigl Accounting LLP, and now partner with HK, adds, “Through our partnership with HK, our firm is now able to provide more breadth and depth to our clients, having over 40 different professional services and national resources to offer. The team is looking forward to the future as part of the HK family.”

For more information about this acquisition, contact Mike Welbes, VP, director of mergers and acquisitions, at 888-556-0123 or mwelbes@honkamp.com.

EUA Expands Reach and Services through Merger with Performa

Integrating the two firms gives EUA a stronger national footprint and provides additional resources and service offerings to clients of both firms

MILWAUKEE, WI, December 1st, 2021 — Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), a leading architecture and design firm has expanded its reach and service offering by announcing a merger with Performa, a De Pere, WI and Atlanta, GA based Architecture + Engineering firm. EUA and Performa have agreed in principle to combine firms as of January 31, 2022.

“First and foremost, Performa and EUA are a great cultural match. Over the last year of working closely together on several projects, we’ve seen that each firm has tremendously talented people, and a deep respect has grown from that.” said Rich Tennessen, CEO of EUA. “With this merger, EUA will be able to serve an even broader national footprint, offer more diverse and enhanced capabilities to our clients and retain and attract talent in our markets.”

Performa is a fully integrated architecture and engineering firm that gives purpose the space to thrive™. Since 1995, Performa’s planners, architects, interior designers and engineers have provided clients with transformational outcomes, delivering work in over 46 states. The integration of Performa’s 50-person team brings EUA new service offerings in mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural engineering. The De Pere and Atlanta studios will continue to offer integrated engineering with gradual and deliberate growth through other offices based on talent and client needs. Performa has worked with clients throughout the U.S., including Schneider, Green Bay Packer’s Titletown District, Oshkosh Corporation and St. Norbert College.

EUA believes that design elevates people’s potential and also works with a range of private and public organizations throughout the U.S., including, Comcast, Baird, Effectv, Irgens, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Ascension, GE Healthcare, Johnson Controls and Northwestern Mutual.

To deliver projects with the best talent, EUA and Performa have strategically partnered on several projects over the past year. These clients include Howard-Suamico School District, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Baker Tilly and FORE Development, among others. Through this experience, the firms have recognized similar cultures, work styles and values. Regarding this merger and the shared experience, Doug Page, Performa CEO said, “We’ve always maintained the highest regard for EUA and after working with their leadership and teaming together for over a year, we’ve learned that our values, vision, and cultures are closely aligned. We’re excited to elevate our combined firm value for clients and expand the opportunities for our team members to grow and develop.”

EUA’s core strengths are in architecture, planning and interior design for industries such as education, workplace, healthcare, senior living, industrial, mixeduse, community, aerospace and science + technology. Combining with Performa’s strengths in architecture and engineering in the corporate office, industrial + manufacturing, higher education and faith and mission-based markets, will give EUA an even stronger regional and national presence.

Doug Page is joining EUA’s Board of Directors as Vice President and leader of the De Pere and Atlanta Studios. Additional Performa owners Brian Netzel and Matt Marek will become EUA shareholders. Looking at the long-term impact of this merger, Kristin Dufek, President of EUA said “EUA succeeds because of our exceptional people who trust and challenge each other, guiding the way we serve our clients, and I don’t see this changing. This is a meaningful opportunity for both our firms, I’m excited for what the future holds.”

This merger, when completed, will make EUA an architecture, engineering and interior design firm with over 100 years of experience and over 250 employees in Milwaukee, De Pere and Madison, WI, as well as Denver, CO and Atlanta, GA markets.

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Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) is best known for designing environments that elevate people’s potential. Nearly 180 employees in Denver, Milwaukee and Madison demonstrate unparalleled commitment to the markets, communities and clients they serve. The respected 114-year-old firm specializes in several markets including aerospace, education, workplace, industrial, healthcare, senior living, mixed-use, community and science + technology. For additional information, please visit the firm’s website at eua.com.

Performa Inc. was founded in 1995 as a privately-owned service corporation. Performa is a purpose-driven, fully integrated architecture and engineering firm that gives purpose the space to thrive™. The firm is headquartered in De Pere, WI, with an office in Atlanta, GA. For additional information, please visit the firm’s website at performainc.com.

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If you would like more information or imagery, please contact Megan Kocchi, EUA Marketing Leader, at 414.298.2204 or megank@eua.com.