BioLife Plasma Services Coming Soon

BioLife Plasma Services is coming to Madison, WI, and we want to see you on January 30, 2021 for our Grand Opening from 11-5 (4122 East Towne Blvd.)

Building a New Kind of Ballet: Madison Ballet’s New Choreography Workshop Series Beginning January 23, 2021

MADISON, WI –  Madison Ballet is collaborating with three up-and-coming dancemakers for a New Choreography workshop series that gives local dancers the chance to be a part of building a new ballet from the ground up. With no clear return to live theater performances in the coming months, Madison Ballet is using this limitation as an opportunity to create the company’s first-ever new digital works intended to be released online in spring 2021. As a prelude to the production, the company is offering a virtual workshop series featuring three Madison-based dancer/choreographers: Darwin Black (January 23), Jacob Ashley (January 30) and Rachelle Fochs (February 6).

In these 2-hour workshops, each choreographer will use dancers as both a medium and muse, exploring the interplay of themes, music, and steps to create a “sketch” of a new work. While the spring production lineup is yet to be announced, these workshops will help inform and inspire this exciting new facet of Madison Ballet’s popular repertoire series.

Offered in addition to regular School of Madison Ballet classes, each workshop includes a short warm-up class and concludes with all new choreography online via Zoom. Dancers age 9+ with previous ballet experience welcome.

Darwin Black | January 23rd, 12pm – 2pm

Darwin Black of Newark, NJ started his dancing at the age of 16. In 2006, he graduated from Newark Arts High School under the direction of Ronnie D. Carney and Kim Richardson. After a year of training at Alvin Ailey American Dance as a Fellowship Student under the Oprah Winfrey Scholarship, he began his professional career with the Miami Contemporary Dance Company, and later joined The Sacramento Ballet. Mr. Black danced as a freelance artist for Alaska Dance Theatre, Lustig Dance Theatre, Montgomery Ballet, Nimbus Dance Works, and Momix. Later he joined TU Dance under the leadership of Tony-Pierce Sands & Uri Sands for four seasons. Mr. Black began spreading his wings into choreography with his first original work, “OFF THE BASE” premiered at The Cowles Center March of 2017. 

Jacob Ashley | January 30th, 12pm – 2pm 

A Chicago native, Jacob Ashley began his dance training at the Chicago Academy for the Arts under the instruction of Randy Duncan, Guillermo Leyva, Sandra Kaufmann, and the late Anna Paskevska. After attending Columbia College Chicago’s modern dance program, he began his professional career as an apprentice for Luna Negra Dance Theater. Mr. Ashley has been a member of Madison Ballet for 10 years, as well as a guest artist for companies such as Ballet Chicago, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and San Diego Opera. This workshop will be his first foray into choreography with Madison Ballet.

Rachelle Fochs | February 26th, 12p, – 2pm

A Madison native, Mrs. Fochs’ training began in 1999 with Madison Ballet. She was later accepted on full scholarship to The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, and continued her training around the country, including at Ballet Chicago and Miami City Ballet School. She began her professional career with Sacramento Ballet, in 2007, she returned to Madison Ballet, performing soloist and principal roles until her retirement in 2016. She continues to share her love of all things ballet as a Ballet Master and Director of the School of Madison Ballet. She has recently begun to choreograph, creating new works for Madison Ballet, Madison Gas & Electric’s GENRE2030 film series, Capital City Theatre’s “Find Your Light” workshops, and several works set on students of the School of Madison Ballet.

Registration Information

Registration for each standalone class is $20 and can be purchased online at https://www.madisonballet.org/choreography-workshop or by calling (608) 278-7990.

For nearly 40 years, Madison Ballet has been an integral part of the vibrant Dane County arts community. Full scale productions of inspiring traditional ballets, innovative contemporary performances, and the timeless holiday tradition of The Nutcracker reach more than 13,000 people each year. The School of Madison Ballet empowers students of all ages and skill levels with the poise, confidence, discipline, and fundamental life skills intrinsic to the study of dance. Outreach programming, presented in partnership with dozens of local school and community groups, enriches thousands of young people’s lives by introducing them to the joy of dance.

Greskelly Diaz Penaranda Joins EXIT Realty HGM in Madison

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Susan Harrison
Senior Vice President
EXIT Realty Corp. International
sharrison@exitrealty.com
888-668-3948

Greskelly Diaz Penaranda Joins EXIT Realty HGM in Madison

Madison, WI (Grassroots Newswire) January 12, 2021 – EXIT Realty HGM is pleased to announce that Greskelly Diaz Penaranda has joined its growing team of dedicated real estate sales professionals.

EXIT Realty HGM, located at 4211 W. Beltline Hwy, Madison, Wisconsin is a proud member of EXIT Realty Upper Midwest’s rapidly expanding network of independently owned and operated brokerages across the region.

About EXIT Realty: EXIT Realty is a company founded and built on human potential. A full service, forward-thinking, real estate franchisor with offices across North America, EXIT has to-date paid out more than a half a billion dollars in single-level residual income to its associates. The Expert Marketing Suite™ including geolocation Smart Sign™ technology gives sellers an edge in a competitive marketplace. The Focus on Good Health blog promotes wellness at work and home. A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to its charitable fund. To-date, more than $6 million has been pledged to charity. For more information, please visit www.exitrealty.com and www.joinexitrealty.com.

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Brian Duffy Named CEO of Per Mar Security Services

Contact:
Cassondra Billingsley, Per Mar Security Services
563-549-6635

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2021

Brian Duffy Named CEO of Per Mar Security Services

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Per Mar Security Services, the largest family owned full service security company in the Midwest, is pleased to announce that Brian Duffy has been promoted from Chief Operating Officer of Per Mar to President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2021. Brian Duffy becomes the third generation of the Duffy family to lead Per Mar. The company was founded by John and Eleanor Duffy in Davenport, Iowa in 1953. Michael Duffy will continue with the company as Chairman of the Board.

“I’m very proud to have Brian be the third generation of the Duffy family to lead Per Mar,” said Michael Duffy, chairman of the board. “I have total confidence in Brian’s judgement and his ability to make the right decisions in addressing any challenge that would face our company. Making the right judgement or solving a problem is never difficult if you have the best interest of our team members and customers at heart, which he does. He understands that while we may be confronted with short-term challenges or issues, we will never make a decision that benefits our company at the expense of team members or customers. Taking care of our team and customers short-term is what drives our long-term success and he understands that fact.” 

In his role as President and Chief Executive Officer, Brian Duffy will assume responsibility for the long term vision and ongoing strategic plan ensuring the viability and success of the organization. He will continue to be responsible for all operations in the company, and be working closely with the division heads and support groups.

Brian Duffy joined Per Mar full-time in 2012 as General Manager of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa branch.  Previously he worked for Capital One Financial in Richmond, Virginia. Since joining Per Mar, he has taken on new roles and responsibility including President of the Electronic Security Division and most recently Chief Operating Officer.

Brian Duffy is an active member of numerous security associations locally and nationally. He serves on the board for NetOne and Junior Achievement of the Heartland. In addition, he is active in the North Scott Rotary Club and the Notre Dame Club of the Quad Cities. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Brian Duffy graduated from University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

About Per Mar Security Services

Established in 1953, Per Mar Security Services is the largest, family-owned, full-service security company in the Midwest with more than 2,500 team members, operating in 25 branch locations. The company provides full-service security solutions for homes and businesses including security officer services, smart home automation, burglar and fire alarms, access control, security cameras, alarm monitoring, investigative services and background checks. For more information about Per Mar Security Services, please visit permarsecurity.com.

Jihan Bekiri joins WPS Health Solutions as new Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

Jihan Bekiri joins WPS Health Solutions as new Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

MADISON, Wis.—Jan. 12, 2021—WPS Health Solutions announces Jihan Bekiri (she/her/hers) has been hired as the new vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The new VP-level position will lead the company’s efforts to create a more inclusive workplace.

“Over the past 10 months, WPS has been on a journey to build a sustainable and effective diversity, equity, and inclusion program,” says WPS President and CEO Mike Hamerlik. “We’ve made great strides and are now positioned to continue forward with a strong, experienced leader. We created this new role to demonstrate our commitment to building a culturally aware and inclusive workplace.”

Bekiri began her role on Jan. 11. She arrives at WPS after focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion at American Family Insurance and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in Madison. She graduated with honors from Marquette University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, followed by earning a Master of Science in International Development from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom with distinction. Bekiri is also a certified diversity executive and practitioner from the Institute for Diversity Certification.

“I’m honored to be selected as the first VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at WPS. The creation of this position speaks volumes to the commitment WPS has in this important focus area. I look forward to working alongside the leadership team and employees alike to continue the work they have started,” adds Bekiri.

About WPS Health Solutions

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation utilizes “WPS Health Solutions” to refer to our entire enterprise. Within our enterprise, there are three divisions, including Government Health Administrators, Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. WPS Government Health Administrators manages Medicare Part A and Part B benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and WPS Military and Veterans Health serves millions of members of the U.S. military and their families through TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation has been based in Madison, Wis., for nearly 75 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.