WPS launches MedEncentive digital health pilot; first trial to be sponsored by commercial health insurer

For WPS Health Solutions

DeAnne Boegli
DeAnne.Boegli@wpsic.com
Phone: 608-977-7343

For MedEncentive

Jim Dempster
jdempster@medencentive.com
Phone: 405-319-8454

WPS launches MedEncentive digital health pilot; first trial to be sponsored by commercial health insurer

Madison, Wis. and Oklahoma City – June 4, 2020 – In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, WPS Health Solutions, a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin, and MedEncentive, developer of a breakthrough digital health service, announced a partnership today, to conduct a pilot of the MedEncentive Mutual Accountability and Information e-Therapy (e-MAIT) Program. The purpose of the pilot is to demonstrate the program’s health-improvement and cost-containment capabilities to health insurers, researchers, policymakers, and the general public.

Starting immediately, a subset of WPS’s employee health plan will be covered by the e-MAIT Program. Health and cost outcomes from this covered group will be compared to the balance of the WPS employee health plan, in a multiyear controlled trial.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is transforming how healthcare and health insurance will be delivered,” said WPS Chief Strategy Officer John Stephens. “Part of this transformation is the acceleration of digital health. MedEncentive has developed a promising digital health solution that we believe will improve health and lower costs. WPS is committed to being a health insurance leader in the post-COVID-19 era, and it is for this reason that we are proud to be sponsoring this important demonstration with MedEncentive.”

In a five-year study, recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Medical Internet Research and certified by the Validation Institute, the e-MAIT Program was found to be associated with significant reductions in hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and per-capita expenditures, which produced a large return on investment for the health plan sponsor.

“As the first controlled trial sponsored by a commercial health insurer, this pilot is an important step toward our goal of widespread and universal adoption of our program,” said MedEncentive CEO Jeff Greene. “WPS is to be commended for its leadership and commitment to excellence.”

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.

About MedEncentive LLC

MedEncentive offers a health-improvement, cost-containment service to employers, insurers and governments, based on the Company’s web-based and mobile-enabled incentive system.  This patented system, called the Mutual Accountability and Information Therapy (MAIT) Program, has been proven to improve health and health care, and lower costs, an objective often referred to as the “Triple-Quadruple-Quintuple Aim.” What makes the MAIT Program unique is how it offers financial incentives to both patients and doctors for holding each other accountable for assimilating “information therapy.” To learn more, visit www.medencentive.com.

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Central Storage Leads Again in Commercial Solar

Media Contact:
Kelly Williams
(608) 333-6651
kscocos@csw-wi.com

Central Storage Leads Again in Commercial Solar

MADISON, Wis. – A new 653 kWdc solar energy installation at Central Storage & Warehouse’s Caledonia, Wisconsin location now makes the refrigerated warehouse company the largest privately-owned host of commercial rooftop solar power generation in the state. At its three southern Wisconsin facilities, Central Storage now utilizes more than 2,140 kWdc of solar. The only business with more installed rooftop capacity is publicly-owned Target.   

The family-owned business has consistently championed sustainability, and has found rooftop solar to be profoundly impactful in recent years. The company’s first solar installation, a 741 kWdc system atop its Madison warehouse, was the largest installation in the state at the time of completion in 2016. The business case validated by that original system led to a subsequent 746 kWdc installation at Central Storage’s Pleasant Prairie facility in 2018. The Caledonia facility is the company’s third installation, and its leadership team expects further solar expansion in coming years.

“Solar has become a significant part of our overall business strategy. We not only want to increase our environmental sustainability, but we also want to demonstrate effective cost controls to our customers and our employees. These investments support our values and are helping us mitigate risk for the future,” said John Winegarden, CEO of Central Storage & Warehouse.

With the addition of the latest installation, the use of solar-generated power across all of its locations is expected to save Central Storage more than $13.5 million in electricity costs over the next thirty years.

RENEW Wisconsin, a renewable energy advocacy agency, has tracked commercial adoption of solar statewide. Heather Allen, Interim Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin said, “Solar is an incredible opportunity for businesses right now. In a time of economic uncertainty, investing in renewable energy helps protect a business from future energy costs and can help keep operating budgets affordable. It’s really exciting to see renewable energy leaders like Central Storage & Warehouse stepping up to the plate continuously. It’s an investment that not only helps their company, but it also contributes to our state’s renewable energy goals. That has an impact for all of us.”

CSW worked with SunPeak, a Madison-based commercial solar developer and construction company on all three of its solar projects. “Many businesses with heavy power loads during the day are good candidates for solar. We see an especially strong match with refrigeration businesses like Central Storage because their energy needs are especially high in the summer, which is exactly when solar production is greatest,” said Mike Riverun, SunPeak’s Director of Project Development. “Before solar, Central Storage was shifting its power loads to off-peak periods to take advantage of lower electricity rates. Now they can utilize more power during peak generation periods without incurring higher costs.”

Riverun also echoed sentiments by Allen, “The economics of solar are very favorable right now, especially with federal and state incentives still available. There are some very powerful tools to help businesses take advantage of solar. With a lot of uncertainty in the business community right now, we are seeing many industries thinking more broadly on how to cut costs.”

CSW’s investment in solar supports other energy efficiency initiatives, including a full transition to LED lighting across all facilities and the implementation of refrigeration controls to reduce overall energy use.

“Every little bit helps. We’ve been in business for seventy-three years and we’re extremely grateful for that. We’re humbled by the support we’ve received from our customers, our community and our employees. We feel like this is a way we can give back to everyone,” said Jack Williams, VP of Operations for Central Storage.

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Central Storage & Warehouse is a family-owned provider of temperature-controlled warehousing for food manufacturers and distributors. Established in 1947 and based in Madison, WI, the company has grown to over 20 million cubic feet of storage across six sites in four cities. CSW was a 2017 Wisconsin Family Business of the Year award winner, and the judges found notable the company’s embrace of new technologies and commitment to employees, the community, and the environment. CSW’s latest investment in clean energy once again embodies these values. For more information, please visit www.csw-wi.com.

SunPeak is a full-service solar photovoltaic developer specializing in commercial and industrial applications. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, the company works across the nation helping businesses, health care facilities, municipalities and educational institutions reduce electrical costs and enhance sustainability efforts using solar energy. SunPeak uses a value-added, comprehensive approach with its customers, partnering with them from the earliest stages to educate, assess, design, construct and ultimately maintain a solar installation through the expected thirty-year life of the system. For more information, please visit www.sunpeakpower.com.

Five Area Nonprofits Receive Relief Grants from State Bank of Cross Plains

May 28, 2020, MADISON, Wisconsin— State Bank of Cross Plains (SBCP) has disbursed $20,000 in Relief Grants to five nonprofit organizations with missions aimed at helping communities cope with economic uncertainty due to COVID-19 by providing humanitarian support in various forms. The five nonprofits equally sharing these funds include:

• Waunakee Neighborhood Connection Corp.
• Mount Horeb Community Foundation
• Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM)
• Home of Our Own Inc. in New Glarus
• Community Action Inc. of Rock and Walworth Counties in Beloit

“Without question, there are hundreds of worthy organizations who could benefit from this support,” says SBCP President and CEO Jim Tubbs. “With limited funds available through this particular grant program, we tried to identify nonprofits who could make a large impact across our entire footprint to help as many people in the communities we serve as possible.”

State Bank of Cross Plains applied for and received the grant funding through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago’s COVID-19 Relief Grant Program for members to use in support of small businesses and/or nonprofit organizations affected by the pandemic. FHLBank Chicago’s goal was to rapidly deploy relief funds where they are most urgently needed, tapping into the independent community banks who have a pulse on local communities throughout Wisconsin and Illinois.

“These grants are just one part of our overall effort to investigate and act on the opportunities available to help our customers and the communities we serve as a whole navigate this current economic crisis,” Tubbs explains. “Our work is definitely not done.”

Early on in March, State Bank of Cross Plains made a donation to the United Way of Dane County to support their efforts toward helping the homeless and keeping food pantries fully stocked and operational. In addition to these charitable endeavors, SBCP has been extremely active assisting more than 1,045 area small businesses successfully apply for Paycheck Protection Program Loans, which helped secure more than 12,300 jobs.

“The dedication of our bank family to process so many loan applications far exceeded my wildest expectations of what we could accomplish together,” shared Tubbs. “Our focus was to step up and help people complete this process so that the small business owners, their employees, and all the members of the community they serve could worry less and concentrate more on the important stuff.”

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State Bank of Cross Plains is known for our modern, progressive approach to supporting businesses and consumers by offering services more typical of larger financial institutions in an environment that values one-on-one personal relationships and community involvement. State Bank of Cross Plains is a $1.3 billion institution, offering a full range of business and personal financial services including business, real estate, and consumer lending, as well as wealth management and financial advisory services. We now also provide Crop Insurance and Ag Lending Services. SBCP has 15 convenient locations in Dane, Rock, and Green Counties. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.

For additional information, contact Marketing Communications Manager Ian Folger at 608-826-3515. 

Ed Janairo Selected as Wisconsin Union’s Chief Business Officer

May 27, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Office: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

ED JANAIRO SELECTED AS WISCONSIN UNION’S CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER

MADISON – Ed Janairo will join the Wisconsin Union team as the Union’s chief business officer June 1.

In this position, Janairo will lead long-range financial planning for the Wisconsin Union and the allocation of financial resources in the organization. He will also supervise the Union’s financial services, human resources and business intelligence divisions.

Janairo brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education leadership. He most recently held the position of interim campus dean at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County.

Other past positions include campus administrator and associate dean for administration and finance at University of Wisconsin Colleges; business and technology dean for Lakeshore Technical College; and assistant campus dean for administrative services for UW-Sheboygan.

“Ed Janairo’s broad range of skills and experience in finance and administration will enable him to forge new, innovative paths and make an immediate positive impact,” said Mark Guthier, associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs at UW-Madison and Wisconsin Union director. “Not only is Ed a talented higher education professional, but he also believes in the importance of education outside of the classroom and shared governance, two principles that we value at the Wisconsin Union.”

Janairo earned a bachelor’s degree in the program of liberal studies from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Kentucky, and a master of business administration from Morehead State University. He also anticipates earning a doctorate in urban education with a specialization in adult, continuing and higher education from UW-Milwaukee in 2021.

In joining the Wisconsin Union team, Janairo will use his experience, talent and education to help the Wisconsin Union team make a difference and fulfill the organization’s mission to welcome, engage and connect the campus community.

Wisconsin Union team members have created experiences for a lifetime and student leadership opportunities for more than a century. The Union is a membership organization that invites all, including those with no UW-Madison affiliation, to join and enjoy its services, events, activities and buildings, called Union South and Memorial Union.

“I’m excited to be part of the Wisconsin Union team and be part of UW-Madison,” Janairo said. “It’s an honor and privilege to serve in richly historied institutions and to serve such an important mission.”

For more information about the Wisconsin Union, visit union.wisc.edu.

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About the Wisconsin Union

The Wisconsin Union enhances the lives of members and visitors through recreational, cultural, educational and social opportunities. Formed in 1907, the Wisconsin Union is a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Union and its tradition of providing experiences for a lifetime: union.wisc.edu. 

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/ed-janairo.

Endres Manufacturing Wins Project of the Year Award

Endres Manufacturing Company was presented with the prestigious Project of the Year Award in May for their work on The Cosmos project in Madison, Wisconsin. The award was given by the Steel Plus Network in the “Medium Project” category. Endres is one of Wisconsin’s largest and most highly respected structural steel fabricators. Endres won the highly sought-after award over other nominees including Pittsburgh Steel, Lainco, Beauce Atlas, Rampart Steel, and Benson Steel.

One of the most complicated and largest projects ever taken on by Endres, The Cosmos is a magnificent highrise, eight-story building located in the Capitol East District on the 800 block of East Washington Avenue in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The Cosmos, which is also referred to as the Gebhardt Building, is a 148,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that houses both office and retail space and the three-story Sylvee, a 2,500 person capacity concert venue and the location of Endres’ 2018 rocking holiday party. Endres supplied all of the structural steel as well as the stairs, railings, and other miscellaneous metals. The project consisted of 1,000 tons of steel and 5,400 labor hours.

Endres was extremely excited to be given this opportunity because being the supplier of choice for their customers is something they take great pride in. The general contractor on the project, Miron Construction, sought out Endres due to their long work history together and their confidence in Endres to get the job done right and on time. The job included a pair of 75 foot long girder trusses, one of which ended up weighing close to 40 tons. To add to the complexity, the building includes three separate tenants and all materials and labor needed to be separated by area. The concert venue, The Sylvee, is the largest tenant and uses space from the first to the third floor. Frank Productions, one of the largest concert promoters in the US, located their new offices there. Lastly, Gebhardt Development owns and leases a bank of offices at the top level of the structure. There were a variety of miscellaneous metals required such as catwalk and chain-link fence framing, and internally lit handrails around the darkened concert venue. The concert venue included unique challenges such as sound isolation connections requiring special materials and design. While it was a very challenging project, it provided a great sense of satisfaction and pride upon completion.

The Steel Plus Network Awards Ceremony has been a tradition for the last 25 years. Steel Plus Network is a business network bringing together the most dynamic fabricators and suppliers of structural steel from all across North America.