Ho-Chunk’s Dan Brown Elected to Chamber Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Feb. 23, 2017)

Contact: Erik Greenfield, Communications Manager, 608-443-1952 (office), 608-669-7884 (cell)

MADISON – Today the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced the election of Dan Brown, Executive Manager of Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, to its board of directors. Brown joins 48 current business and community leaders representing a broad cross-section of the Greater Madison economy on the Chamber board.

Dan Brown has worked for the Ho-Chunk Nation for more than 23 years and has been the Executive Manager of Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison since 2000. He also served a four-year term as an elected legislator for the Ho-Chunk Nation from 2007 to 2011 and was subsequently elected to serve as Vice President by the Legislature.

“Seats on the Chamber board do not open up very often. In fact, this year there is only one seat available, and the board wanted to seize this opportunity as a way to honor and recognize the Ho-Chunk Nation’s rich history and vital role in building this community,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “Dan Brown’s experience and business perspective will be a tremendous asset to the Chamber board, and we look forward to working with him as we write the next chapter in Greater Madison’s story.”

“I am honored to join the Chamber board and represent Ho-Chunk Gaming in Greater Madison’s business community in a new way,” Brown said. “I want to thank the members of the board for valuing the qualities I bring to this role, and I am excited to continue to work on the important issues facing our regional economy and the Ho-Chunk people.”

Click here for the full roster of the Greater Madison Chamber Board of Directors.

About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 10,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

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Wegner CPAs Announces New Staff

Madison, WI – Wegner CPAs is pleased to introduce the new, talented employees that have joined our firm. Each person brings unique expertise and will enhance our service to clients in the departments they join.

Zak Bloom, CPA, Director of Local Government Services

Zak is the newest member of our leadership team as the director of local government services and comes to us with 14 years of experience working for municipalities in Wisconsin. He will be instrumental in expanding our utility and municipal audit practice with his knowledge and expertise in this industry.

Carrie Shefchik, Supervisor-Accounting; Madison

Our accounting solutions team is pleased to welcome Carrie Shefchik. She comes to us with over 15 years of experience providing accounting to a variety of business clients. She will work with our team to provide outsourced accounting and QuickBooks software support to current and future clients.

Seth Kuehnel, CPA, Supervisor-Tax; Milwaukee

We welcome Seth to our expanding tax and business services team. He joins us with six years of experience in public accounting and will work out of our Waukesha office. Seth offers expertise in a variety of tax and accounting services for individuals and businesses. In addition, Seth is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and offers accounting software support.

Whitney Mauger, CPA, Supervisor-Tax; Madison

Whitney is a new supervisor in our tax and business services department. She comes to us with over six years of experience in public accounting. She enjoys working with a wide variety of clients and has expertise in the manufacturing and supply chain industry. Whitney will assist with tax planning, tax compliance, and multi-state returns.

Ryan Stucki, Staff Accountant-Tax; Baraboo

Ryan joins us as a staff accountant in our tax and business services department after having recently graduated from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a bachelors degree in accounting. Ryan will work with individual and business clients in our Baraboo office assisting them with tax planning and preparation.

Ying Zhang, Staff Accountant-Audit; Madison

Ying is a new staff accountant in our assurance department. She has a masters of professional accountancy from DePaul University. Ying also has her masters of science in financial analysis from the University of San Francisco and her bachelors degree in economics from Xiangtan University. Ying will work with our nonprofit clients performing audits and completing appropriate tax returns.

Mindy Peterson, Bookkeeper; Baraboo

Mindy joins us as a bookkeeper in our Baraboo office with 26 years of varied bookkeeping experience. She will perform outsourced accounting for our business and nonprofit clients. Mindy is also a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and will provide training and technical support.

Kimberly Brewer, Administrative Assistant; Madison

Kimberly comes to us with a background in municipal government and an associates degree in business management. She will assist our managing partner, firm accountant, and HR manager. We are very excited to have additional support in Madison to enhance our focus on firm-wide programs, policies and strategic initiatives for Wegner CPAs.

Wegner CPAs also welcomes five interns to our Madison office who continue to pursue degrees at local and state universities. We are happy to be developing these new staff in the early stages of their accounting careers and help them succeed in the future.

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About Wegner CPAs

Headquartered in Madison, WI, Wegner CPAs brings a unique perspective to the practice of accounting and business consulting.  The firm specializes in family-owned businesses, cooperatives, manufacturers, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and school districts with a complete range of accounting, audit, tax, and consulting services across the lifecycle of the organization. For more information, visit www.wegnercpas.com or call 888.204.7665.

Breunig Named Mortgage Underwriter

Settlers bank board of directors and executive management are pleased to announce that Mary Breunig has been selected as Mortgage Underwriter.  Mary joined Settlers bank in 2015 as Mortgage Operations Processor, and has more than 20 years of financial industry experience. Mary is a graduate of Edgewood College with a B.S. in Business Administration/ Economics.

Gregory Banks Grows Commercial Card Payment Solutions at Wisconsin Bank & Trust

Madison, Wisconsin, February 17, 2017 — Wisconsin Bank & Trust is pleased to announce Gregory Banks has joined the bank and its parent company in a role dedicated to Commercial Card Payment Solutions. As a Solutions Consultant, Banks is responsible for selling, growing, and maintaining business credit card relationships for the Wisconsin market. He partners with Wisconsin Bank & Trust’s commercial relationship managers and treasury managers to ensure that Wisconsin Bank & Trust’s commercial clients are able to take full advantage of the best Electronic Accounts Payable, Commercial Card, and Purchasing solutions available today.

“Greg has extensive experience managing merchant services and other business solutions for area banks,” said Craig Aderhold, Executive Vice President and Senior Commercial Banker for Wisconsin Bank & Trust. “His expertise in partnering with businesses and financial institutions and his knowledge of secure, efficient credit card transactions will be of tremendous value to our customers.”

Prior to joining Heartland, Banks was a senior business consultant for area banks with First Data in Madison.

Banks holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management. His community involvement has included working as volunteer project manager for the “Field of Dreams” and soccer program for at-risk youth for the Nehemiah Community Development Corporation. Banks also was formerly a volunteer with Big Brother Big Sister of Madison and as a mentor for Ascend Mentoring Positives at Middleton High School. He formerly served on Madison’s Commission for People with Disabilities.

Banks is based at Wisconsin Bank & Trust’s Main Banking Center at 119 Junction Road in Madison. He can be reached at (608) 203-1215 or gbanks@wisconsinbankandtrust.com.

Photo: Gregory Banks, Solutions Consultant, Wisconsin Bank & Trust

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About Wisconsin Bank & Trust
Wisconsin Bank & Trust (WBT) is a community bank with assets of more than $1 billion serving customers in the Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Monroe and southwest areas of Wisconsin. From 18 banking centers and a mortgage loan production office, WBT offers a wide range of commercial, personal and small business banking, wealth management, and mortgage lending services. The bank is a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF), which has assets of more than $8 billion. WBT is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and an Equal Housing Lender. Learn more at www.wisconsinbankandtrust.com.

About Heartland Financial USA, Inc.

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is a diversified financial services company with assets exceeding $8 billion. The company provides banking, mortgage, private client, investment, insurance and consumer finance services to individuals and businesses. Heartland currently has 108 banking locations serving 85 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.

Kirsten Pedersen joins NGL as Vice President Actuary

The Board of Directors for National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL), a mutual insurance company located in Madison, Wis. with over 100 years in the industry, appointed Kirsten Pedersen, FSA, MAAA to the position of Vice President Actuary.

Pedersen is responsible for the product and business development area of Actuarial. This is a newly created position to support the growth of NGL.

“Kirsten comes to NGL with over 20 years of experience in financial services. She is a knowledgeable life insurance expert with a strong background and demonstrated achievements in meeting the evolving business and market needs,” said Tim Heaton, Senior Vice President Strategic Services at NGL. “Kirsten’s role at NGL aligns with our commitment for growth with our current and potential new product lines.”

Pedersen joins NGL from CUNA Mutual Group where she was Vice President, Compliance/Life Product Executive. Previously she worked at Penn Mutual Life and AIG. Besides managing product development and compliance, she held multiple senior leadership positions, including being responsible for operations and underwriting.

“I’m excited to join the team at NGL. I look forward to working with new and existing partners on the development and enhancement of our partnerships and products,” said Pedersen.

Pedersen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

About NGL

Since 1910, National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL), a mutual insurance company, has been located in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products including specialty and student insurance. Additional information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

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