CEC announces acquisition of Select Sound Service

Hiawatha, IA, May 16, 2019 – Communications Engineering Company (CEC), a nationally recognized technology systems integrator, today announced the acquisition of Select Sound Service Inc.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, Select Sound Service has over 60 years of experience in deploying and integrating technology and sound solutions for hospitals, long-term care facilities, and education systems.

With the two organizations having tightly aligned product portfolios and company visions, in addition to a combined 130+ years of experience, this strategic investment will position CEC to offer a wider selection of technology solutions and enhanced customer service experiences to its clients in Iowa and the southern half of Wisconsin.

“Bringing CEC and Select Sound Service together made sense, and the positive impact on our employees and our customers is extremely exciting,” says Matt Dlouhy, CEO at CEC. “Both companies value the quality of employees we have and focus on delivering the very best to our customers. Together, our force has increased in size and quality, as well as in the technology tools we leverage in achieving our customers’ business objectives.”

Dennis Sanford, CEO at Select Sound Service, says, “The impact that our customers and employees will realize from this merger is phenomenal. The vision that both companies have for our customers, employees, and the future of the industry will now be tremendously enhanced.”

Both organizations are authorized Rauland (a division of Ametek) resellers. Combining their manpower brings the healthcare market’s industry-leading Responder nurse call system to hospitals throughout this multi-state territory. Standardized care continues to be a key focus for healthcare’s integrated delivery networks, and the ability to provide a consistent experience for staff and patients across multiple facilities via the technologies utilized will be vastly improved with both companies operating as one.

About CEC

Established in 1946, CEC has evolved from a small two-way radio shop into a nationally recognized technology integrator with eight offices across Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Its success is driven by its mission: to make technology simple for its customers. It combines alignment with manufacturers that offer the best solutions in the industry along with in-house experts on staff who effectively lead technical and custom integrations. CEC specializes in finding creative solutions to meet its customers’ business objectives through solution design, integration, installation, and preventative maintenance. The company has five core areas of focus: audio/video, fire & security, healthcare communications, information technology, and two-way radio communications. To learn more, visit www.cecinfo.com.

About Select Sound Service

Select Sound Service Inc. was founded by Robert Paquette Sr. in 1958 in the basement of his Milwaukee, WI, home prior to moving all operations to its current Milwaukee and Madison offices. After many years of successfully providing and managing sound and audio equipment for musical acts throughout the Milwaukee area as the lifeblood of this family-owned and family-operated company, leadership saw a unique opportunity in the evolving healthcare market. Select Sound became a Rauland distributor in 1984. For the last 35 years, its team hasn’t looked back. While audio and sound are still areas of expertise and a significant revenue stream, the backbone of the company is installing and supporting Rauland nurse call systems throughout the lower half of Wisconsin. To learn more, visit www.selectsoundservice.com.

MGE Announces Goal of Net-Zero Carbon Electricity by 2050

“We believe it is important to articulate a long-term goal that is both visionary and based on the
best climate science available,” CEO says.

Madison, Wis., May 14, 2019—Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) today set a new goal of net-zero carbon electricity for its customers by 2050, said Jeff Keebler, MGE Chairman, President and CEO.

“In creating an energy future for our customers and shareholders, we need ambitious and crucial reductions in carbon emissions that align with the work of the scientific community, specifically the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its assessment of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050,” Keebler said.

MGE already has been on a path to reduce carbon, having reduced carbon dioxide emissions 23% since 2005 and targeting carbon reductions of at least 80% by 2050 from 2005 levels.

“Since introducing our carbon reduction targets, we have always said that if we can go further faster by working with our customers, we will. We believe it is important to articulate a long-term goal that is both visionary and based on the best climate science available. Our net-zero carbon goal is aggressive, and it will require technologies not yet commercially available or cost-effective, but it is where we need to be,” Keebler said.

MGE’s mission continues to be safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity for all customers. Through the application of science and investment in the technologies of today and tomorrow, the company will continue to fulfill its mission.

Climate Science Partnership
MGE also announced it will be working with scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences to help evaluate the company’s net-zero carbon goal in the context of the analyses done by the IPCC. The university will provide expert input and perspective to ensure MGE’s goal is consistent with the IPCC assessment.

In 2015, the company announced its Energy 2030 framework, which was informed by community input and laid out its foundational objectives for building your community energy company for the future:

• Provide customers with options they want today and in the future,
• Help customers use energy efficiently and control future costs for all customers,
• Transition MGE to a more environmentally sustainable energy supply,
• Provide a dynamic electric grid that can integrate all energy technologies to serve customers, and
• Ensure that new and changing technology serves all customers equitably.

“These remain our objectives as we continue to build customer and shareholder value on our path to deep decarbonization,” Keebler said. “As your community energy company, MGE has a history of engaging our customers and communities. We actively continue work to deepen that engagement to achieve our goals. Our net-zero carbon goal is a reflection of our commitment not only to long-term sustainability, rooted in the latest climate science, but also a reflection of our commitment to our customers and communities.”

Key strategies for deep decarbonization include reducing the carbon intensity in electricity generation through adding significant new renewable energy resources and reducing the use of fossil fuels; continued work to help customers with energy efficiency; and electrification, including transportation.

“We are excited about our path, our progress and our ultimate vision. To us, this is what it means to lead and to serve,” said Keebler.

About MGE
MGE generates and distributes electricity to 153,000 customers in Dane County, Wis., and purchases and distributes natural gas to 161,000 customers in seven south-central and western Wisconsin counties. MGE’s parent company is MGE Energy, Inc. The company’s roots in the Madison area date back more than 150 years.

Contact
Steve Schultz
Corporate Communications Manager
608-252-7219 | sbschultz@mge.com

Thysse Groundbreaking Scheduled

For Immediate Release
Brooke Barney
Thysse
608.249.6951

Rendering of Thysse’s new headquarters, a 95,500 square-foot building being developed by Newcomb Construction, OPN Architects and Thysse Design. Rendering by Thysse Design

OREGON, WI, May 7, 2019— Thysse, a third-generation design, printing and manufacturing company, will break ground on its new location at 1:00 pm, June 4, 2019. The groundbreaking ceremony will feature staff and family members, government and local business leaders, the general contractor, and architect team.

“Thysse was originally recruited to move to the Village of Oregon’s Business Park in 2012,” Jason Thysse shared. “We moved here with 13 employees and we plan to move into the new building with over 100 employees. Our company has grown exponentially in the seven years we have been here. We wanted to exhaust all efforts to stay in Oregon and the Village Staff, Board and Chamber of Commerce helped make that happen.”

The new, two-story, 95,500 square foot project will be the third expansion for the company within the last seven years. The move will bring all employees back under one roof from their current two locations, with room to grow. Newcomb Construction will be creating the building using their tilt-up concrete process. 100 insulated wall panels will be fabricated onsite using Lycon concrete from just two blocks away.

Highlights of the new building include:
• Two-story lobby with prominent out-of-doors views
• Large employee breakroom with fireplace lounge and sliding glass partition to walk-out patio
• Second floor gathering room with balcony and open bridge to gallery space
• Lots of natural light, LED lighting and in floor radiant heating to provide comfortable office environment

The building is projected to be completed by July 2020.

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About Thysse
Thysse is a third-generation, innovative company in Oregon, WI, specializing in visual communication. We are
a design, printing and manufacturing company that hires architects, and we have the imagination and tools
to customize projects, whatever they may be. We think about how your story is being told through your
direct mail, your catalog, your fleet vehicles, your apparel, the sign outside your door, and the design of the
lobby inside your door. We call it where you go with your brand. For more information about Thysse, please
visit www.thysse.com.

Attic Angel Takes Other Senior Facilities Under Its Wing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information: MaryAnn.Drescher@atticangel.org or 608-662-8907

Attic Angel Takes Other Senior Facilities Under Its Wing

Attic Angel Association – the umbrella organization that owns and oversees Attic Angel Place and Attic Angel Prairie Point senior living – has broadened its wingspan to include another corporation: Attic Angel Management Services.

Attic Angel’s expertise and success come from a long and pioneering history of serving seniors since its first nursing home opened in 1953. The new management services corporation provides consulting and management services to other long-term care providers in and around Madison. The relationship will result in greater efficiencies and quality of services to other organizations while sharing the expenses of overhead costs, according to President/CEO Mary Ann Drescher.

The first facility to sign on is Faith Living Center, a 20-unit Community-Based Residential Facility (CBRF) in Sun Prairie. Attic Angel will provide oversight for regulatory compliance while assisting with shared services such as finance, marketing and human resources.

Scientific Survey Research Firm Merges with Civic Engagement Technology Company

NRC and Polco merger offers local governments the best in performance management research and civic engagement services.

Digital engagement platform Polco and survey research firm National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) are pleased to announce their merger. Together, NRC and Polco offer the best in civic engagement through resident surveys and communication technology to local governments and other public sector entities.

“Community leaders need good data, both to make immediate decisions and to measure performance over time. We are bringing together two companies, under one roof, that have each defined public engagement,” said CEO Nick Mastronardi. “It’s time to expand the ways organizations communicate with their stakeholders and serve their needs.”

NRC and Polco have combined at a pivotal time. Shoehorning tech platforms into civic applications they were not designed for has led to increased polarization and fractured communications. “Now, more than ever, local government officials must understand residents’ needs,” said Tom Miller, current Polco Board Director and Founder of NRC. “City staff have become more tech savvy and reliant on data. They need better and more accessible information to succeed in creating the livable communities that residents deserve and expect.”

Mastronardi agrees that Polco and NRC’s joint services are essential for today’s decision-makers. “Well designed platforms, structured communications, and quality data can bring communities back together and also highlight new opportunities for cities to increase resident satisfaction and quality of life. There are a lot of thoughtful people who are busy and can’t always make it to a town hall or city council meeting. But now they can lend their voices in a civil, organized way.”

About National Research Center, Inc. (NRC)

Both companies share the mission to help communities move forward through resident input, which has motivated National Research Center over the last 25 years. NRC has become a thought-leader in the survey industry and the gold standard for public opinion research and evaluation methodology.

NRC staff are leading experts and experienced practitioners. They are authors of numerous articles and books, and public speakers who present research findings and facilitate trainings for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the American Evaluation Association (AEA), and National League of Cities (NLC), to name a few.

Hundreds of public-sector organizations across the country use NRC surveys for performance measurement, budgeting, strategic planning, and decision-making. NRC’s nationwide, benchmark database holds hundreds of thousands of resident opinions – making it the largest of its kind.

NRC is also a long-standing Strategic Partner of ICMA, a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Transparency Initiative, a Corporate Partner of the Alliance for Innovation (AFI), and has been named a Top Local Government Vendor by Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL).

The firm will continue to provide clients with top-quality survey research, consulting, and benchmark comparisons. Now the merger creates new opportunities for NRC to produce actionable results in convenient and innovative ways.

About Polco

Polco represents the next generation of civic engagement and communication technology. The four-year-old technology company tripled in size over the last two years. They have worked with  cities in more than 23 states.

Polco’s online platform takes policy polling to the next level. Their unique verification capabilities  and key design features add reliability to results and foster civility. Polco produces organized data, dashboards, and maps in real-time for city officials. The platform is especially useful for clients with immediate decision-making needs, including local and state governments, special districts, schools and universities, and nonprofit organizations.

Polco also takes special measures to preserve respondent privacy. After verifying respondents, Polco only shares aggregated, de-identified results with city officials. Individual level data are never shared with the city or any third party.

This award-winning civic engagement platform has been profiled in numerous publications, including Governing Magazine. Polco is also the only technology firm ever to be named a Savings and Solutions Enterprise Partner for the National League of Cities (NLC).

Polco staff have strong backgrounds in city management, public policy, communications technology, data, and software engineering. The team itself has been a major component to Polco’s ingenuity and fast-growing success. “We are committed to continue working hard to put the best products, technologies, and services into the hands of city officials. We truly want to give them and their residents a great experience, and to empower communities to take next steps confidently,” Mastronardi expressed.

NRC and Polco: Merger for the Future of Civic Engagement

Moving ahead, National Research Center and Polco will continue to provide the staple services and features they are known for. Current surveys being conducted by NRC will remain unchanged, and clients will keep the same access to the Polco platform.

Now NRC and Polco are looking toward the future. Their combined R&D team is already working on digital reports, interactive dashboards, new uses of Polco’s online engagement tool, and other innovations.

Miller observed, “Both companies saw clearly the synergies of merging, as the world of survey research and resident engagement are melding. Rapid policy sounding and long-term performance trends are equally essential to the success of our public-sector clients.”

Polco and NRC plan for new and expanded services to make surveys and polls easier to administer, promote faster feedback, and produce deeper analytics. Cities, towns, and counties may also be able to host two-way communications more frequently.

As the technology and survey industries evolve, Polco and NRC promise to move forward with the needs of their public-sector and non-profit clients first in mind.

“Some of these changes are inevitable,” said Mastronardi. “We are committed to doing it the right way that’s best for cities and residents.”

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For more information about Polco and National Research Center, Inc. (NRC), visit them online at www.polco.us and www.n-r-c.com.