Liz Poeschl

Liz Poeschl. Photo courtesy of NEWaukee.

Where do you work and what makes your role awesome?

I work at FOCUS Training as their Business Development Manager. There are a lot of things that make this role awesome. We are headquartered just west of the Summerfest grounds in a beautiful exposed brick, open concept office space. The people all genuinely love working with each other and we have a fun, relaxed environment while we work hard to do great things. In my role, I work with area businesses to provide leadership training and development solutions for every level of their organizations. We believe that everybody has the potential to be a leader and we love to partner with businesses to bring training in-house or provide opportunities for select employees to work with a variety of industries by taking part in our Accelerate or Elevate Institutes. I’ve been in training and development roles for a number of years and I love watching people that may be apprehensive about training being engaged and showing the most growth throughout a program. It’s really a testament to the dynamic training we provide for people.

What do you love most about Milwaukee?

That’s really tough to narrow down- in a broad sense, my favorite thing is summer in Milwaukee. There’s a festival or outdoor event almost every single day- the Newaukee Night Market, Chill on the Hill, the South Shore Frolics and storming the Bastille at Bastille Days are on my can’t miss each year. You can’t beat running along the lakefront on the Oak Leaf Trail or grabbing a beer at one of the many beer gardens.

What is one word that you would use to describe Milwaukee?

Accelerating

I see Milwaukee becoming more of a destination for startups and young talent. With the introduction of large companies like Foxconn and Amazon in addition to newer businesses like Bright Cellars and Scanalytics to our area, Milwaukee will be a more attractive city to move to or stay in. Programs like The Commons are helping lead the charge by partnering with local businesses and students in the area to foster the mindset of collaboration and innovation. We have the perfect storm of opportunities and excitement driving us forward now I believe in five years, Milwaukee won’t be as underrated as a city as it is today.

What local restaurant is at the top of your list?

The Noble. The menu changes daily and it’s hands down some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. The ingredients are unique without being too kitschy and out there. Don’t go in expecting a basic grilled chicken dish- keep an open mind and trust the chef. I don’t even look at the menu ahead of time anymore because my expectations upon seeing the name of a dish have always been far exceeded. If you’re there when they have the buffalo pork “wings,” get them. You won’t be disappointed. And save room for the cream cheese butter cake as your dessert, because it’s amazing.

What neighborhood do you live in and why do you love it?

My husband and I bought a house in Bay View in 2014 and we absolutely love the neighborhood. We’re within walking distance to some of the best bars and restaurants in the city and there’s always something going on to keep the neighborhood fresh and exciting. Depending on our mood, we can check out the Avalon’s atmospheric theater, walk through the businesses participating in Gallery Night or go to one of our awesome seasonal street festivals like Mitten Fest, Bay View Bash or the South Shore Farmer’s Market. We run down the lakefront almost every day and in the summer bring our kayaks out onto the water. The neighborhood has everything we could want.