Wisconsin Bank & Trust’s Commercial Card Nationally Ranked Fifth Year in a Row

CONTACT:
Shawn Kesler
Regional Marketing Officer, VP 414.394.5946
SKesler@htlf.com

Brent Giles President and CEO 608.203.1224
BGiles@wisconsinbankandtrust.com

WISCONSIN BANK & TRUST’S COMMERCIAL CARD NATIONALLY RANKED FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW

JUNE 29, 2020 — MADISON, WI – Wisconsin Bank & Trust, a member of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF), announced today that for the fifth year in a row it has been ranked among the top U.S. commercial credit card issuers for purchase volume growth.

The Nilson Report ranked Heartland’s commercial credit card program among the top 35 Purchasing Card programs, with over $453 million in purchasing card volume in 2019, a growth of 53.9 percent over the previous year. The Nilson Report is a leading publication covering payment systems worldwide for 50 years. Earlier this year, Heartland Financial USA, Inc. was also named by Forbes as the 40th best bank in America.

“Today, more than ever, we understand the importance for our clients to manage cash flow, maintain relationships with vendors, and negotiate favorable terms. It is an honor to be recognized as a leader in the commercial credit card space as we provide solutions that meet the needs of our clients, and the marketplace,” said Brent Giles, President and CEO. “We’re grateful to our clients for choosing Wisconsin Bank & Trust as their partner, and we remain committed to innovating solutions for today’s dynamic environment.”

Even before the pandemic, the Association of Financial Professionals 2019 Electronic Payments Survey shared that 47 percent of companies surveyed said “Cost Savings” is a top benefit of sending electronic payments, and 53 percent of companies surveyed said “Speed of Settlement” is a top benefit of receiving electronic payments. With this method of payment rapidly becoming more common, Wisconsin Bank and Trust is helping clients reduce operating costs, increase fraud protection and provide more streamlined payments processes.

About Wisconsin Bank & Trust

Wisconsin Bank & Trust (WBT), a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc., (NASDAQ: HTLF), is a business-focused community bank with assets of more than $1 billion. With fifteen banking centers, Wisconsin Bank & Trust serves customers in the Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Monroe and southwest areas of Wisconsin. WBT offers a wide range of personal and business banking, private client and mortgage lending services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinbankandtrust.com or call 608.203.1214. Wisconsin Bank & Trust is a member of the FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

About Heartland Financial USA, Inc.

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is a diversified financial services company with assets of

$13.2 billion. The company provides banking, mortgage, private client, investment and insurance services to individuals and businesses. Heartland currently has 114 banking locations serving 83 communities in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and California. Additional information about Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is available at www.htlf.com.

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WPS Military Salute Award winners announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

WPS Military Salute Award winners announced

MADISON, Wis.—June 25, 2020—WPS Health Solutions announces two winners of the WPS Military Salute Award who have helped their communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic this year. Each winner will receive a $1,000 prize to be donated to the winner’s charity of choice that is assisting in the fight against COVID-19. In addition, each winner will receive $500.

The winners are Army veteran JD Engelhardt of Madison and Beau Alan Krostag of Pittsville. Krostag is a Sergeant First Class in the Wisconsin National Guard.

WPS established the award to recognize active-duty military and veteran doctors, nurses, public safety professionals, and others who are helping their communities get through the pandemic.

Nominations were accepted through June 1 and the winners were determined by a committee of WPS employees.

About the winners:

With unwavering commitment to the health and welfare of the people in his community, Engelhardt’s leadership and volunteer efforts made a huge impact, according to Will Atkinson, who submitted the nomination.

An employee of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and described as a “linchpin” in Dane County and surrounding communities, Engelhardt leveraged his personal and professional networks to help his neighbors in need. He immediately started connecting people and organizations with available resources.

One of these initiatives was when the Medical College of Wisconsin had raw materials to make medical-grade masks, but no longer had the volunteer force to put them together for distribution. Engelhardt had the supplies—enough to make 3,500 masks—sent to him. In a span of two weeks, he worked with multiple organizations to mobilize volunteers to assemble the masks.

“I try to do what I can to make my community a better place and to that end try to build a network to help support different nonprofits, groups, and people around me,” Engelhardt said.

Engelhardt’s $1,000 donation will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County.

Krostag’s support and dedication to the electoral process during a global pandemic strengthened the democratic election process for the people in Wood County.

Krostag was among members of the Wisconsin National Guard assigned to check IDs, register voters, and clean and sanitize voting polls during the April election.

“Thanks to the efforts led by SFC Krostag, the people of Wood County, Wisconsin, were able to exercise their right to vote,” Amy Callender, wrote in her nomination.

His $1,000 donation will go to the Pittsville Area Neighbors Shelf, the food pantry in his hometown.

About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans, and their families. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions) has been based in Madison, Wis., for more than 70 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

Overture Center announces preservation plans

Madison, Wis. — The COVID-19 pandemic has had a worldwide impact on businesses and individuals. The arts industry thrives on bringing people together through the arts. Closures were necessary to protect public health, and while state economies are reopening, the entertainment and hospitality sectors are expected to be the last to recover.

The pandemic has seriously impacted Overture Center financially. The financial impact of the pandemic for our fiscal year ending June 30, 2020 will be in the millions.

The Executive Leadership Team has evaluated several options aimed at financial preservation. As we created this framework for the future, it was critical to support all the people involved, from our employees to our patrons. We also considered how to best address the needs of our building and our resident arts companies while recognizing their independence. The framework for our plan to move forward was approved by Overture’s Board of Directors.

Overture Center Board Chair, Betty Harris Custer, said, “The uncertainty of this pandemic means that we need to consider several short- and long-term scenarios as we make our plans. We need to be nimble, yet we must be positioned for success. We are doing everything we can to secure a positive future for Overture and our employees.”

Read more here

WPS Health Solutions honors commitment to 29 summer interns—virtually

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

WPS Health Solutions honors commitment to 29 summer interns—virtually

MADISON, Wis.—June 23, 2020—With many businesses around the nation canceling, postponing, or shortening their internship programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program at WPS Health Solutions has continued forward—virtually.

The WPS summer intern class of 2020 at WPS is comprised of 29 interns working remotely across nine states. The interns are getting a unique chance to see what business is like when it isn’t business as usual.

The program is being led by Corporate Recruiter Devon Witt and Talent Acquisition Director Tina Wallace. Although the goals of the program remain steadfast, the way it looks this year is very different.

Witt adjusted the program so interns can still gain the opportunities they need to advance their education and careers.

“Many schools were still requiring that the student complete an internship to graduate next year, so I’m proud of WPS and the managers for honoring the commitment made to the interns,” she said. “We had one intern who had multiple internships cancel on her for this summer, but she finally found a home at WPS.”

After finishing their spring semester of classes online, collaborating in a virtual environment isn’t anything new for these interns. WPS was equally as equipped and ready to move onboarding, training, team-building activities, and project work to a remote environment. At its peak, approximately 93% of all WPS employees were working remotely during the pandemic; a voluntary return-to-office program currently is underway.

Managers and the technology team worked together to identify equipment needs for each intern and coordinated the shipments. WPS technology experts then helped the interns resolve any issues with setting up their computers and programs.

In addition to equipment, Witt took extra steps to make sure the interns felt welcomed and connected.

“Starting in March, every other week, I would email them updates on the exciting happenings at WPS. We also mailed a ‘Final Exam Gift,’ which included a 2020 intern T-shirt (designed by last year’s intern class), a gift card, and a personalized note to each intern before kicking things off this summer.”

The Talent Development team conducted the onboarding in two sessions. This is the largest intern class to date, almost twice as large as last year.

Each intern will focus on four main components through the internship program:

• Gaining skills in their functional area of study.
• Gaining exposure to a corporate culture through professional development trainings hosted by the Talent Development team, Executive Speaker Series, as well as day-to-day meetings.
• Gaining project-management and team-building skills by working on the Pay-it-Forward project. The collaborative effort will give next year’s interns new resources based on best practices from the 2020 class.
• Gaining public speaking and leadership skills by presenting their Pay-it-Forward project and everything they have learned to their managers and the executive team.

“All of the interns had a great attitude and outlook coming into the program, so I’m excited to see where the summer takes us,” Witt said.

About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans, and their families. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions) has been based in Madison, Wis., for more than 70 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

DeWitt Law Firm Pledges $100,000 to Increase Access to the Justice System

CONTACT: 
Michelle M. Friedman
262-754-2877 | mmf@dewittllp.com

DeWitt Law Firm Pledges $100,000 to Increase Access to the Justice System

MADISON | MILWAUKEE | MINNEAPOLIS – DeWitt LLP announced today it is donating $100,000 towards assisting with the pursuit of greater access to justice for communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The law firm is committing $20,000 annually for the next five years to organizations that assist individuals who have historically been under-represented in the justice system. DeWitt’s pledge is a commitment to support local communities and an acknowledgement of today’s powerful call for change, equality, and justice.   

As a law firm, DeWitt recognizes that among the inequities that exist in our society today are the injustices suffered by those who cannot access the legal system, which often prevents equal justice from being realized. The justice system favors those who are represented, and justice for those without representation is a fleeting hope.      

“While DeWitt has long volunteered time through various non-profits to offer citizens legal assistance in the pursuit of justice, we feel it is imperative to further the cause, especially now, by lending our financial support,” said Bradley C. Fulton, President & Managing Partner at DeWitt. “As a law firm, we understand that not everyone has access to justice and this pledge aligns well with our commitment to respect the law, while helping to pursue true equality within our justice system. It is our hope this donation is a small step towards supporting the system’s much needed transformation,” he added.

About DeWitt

DeWitt LLP is one of the ten largest law firms based in Wisconsin, with an additional presence in Minnesota. It has nearly 140 attorneys practicing in Madison and Metropolitan Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a variety of legal areas and has the experience to service clients of all scopes and sizes. The firm is known for its work in several areas, including intellectual property, patents, trademarks and copyright law, civil rights litigation, construction litigation, corporate law, employment, environmental, employee benefits, estate planning, family law, government relations, health care, litigation, real estate, and tax law. More information is available at dewittllp.com.

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