A People on the Move spotlight
Chris Worrell has been named lead concierge at the soon-to-open luxury apartment building The Buckler Apartments, in downtown Milwaukee. He will lead and train The Buckler concierge team. Worrell has more than 10 years experience in customer service roles including patient services representative for the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association and concierge for Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Ill. He answered a few questions for the Milwaukee Business Journal. New position: Lead concierge, The Buckler Apartments, Milwaukee Hometown: Chicago Education: Associate degree in art, Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown, Iowa What attracted you to this new opportunity:“The Buckler is committed to providing an unmatched living experience for downtown residents, with a strong emphasis on client service and comfort. This is a great opportunity to help people and put my decades of customer service experience to work in an exciting new environment.” Thoughts on your position:“A-level service is one of the hallmarks of The Buckler, and around-the-clock concierge service is just one of the amenities that sets it apart. As lead concierge, I know I will be the first person a resident or customer encounters upon entering the premises and how they are treated will create their overall impression of our community.” First job:“I worked as a shipping and receiving associate for the Lord & Taylor department store located in downtown Chicago at Water Tower Place.” Career advice:“Work hard. Treat everyone with respect and greet everyone with a smile.” Personal hero:“My grandfather and my mom” Last book read:“Shaq Uncut: My Story” by Shaquille O’Neal Person you would most like to meet: President Barack Obama Family:“I’m married with a daughter and son, ages 8 and 3, respectively. I’m also the oldest of seven children in my family, which consists of four girls and three boys.” Favorite vacation spot:“The beautiful island of Jamaica, my family’s homeland.” Most meaningful accomplishment:“Marrying the most beautiful, compassionate and loving woman. I am also blessed to have an opportunity to raise two awesome children.” Favorite film:“A Thin Line between Love and Hate” starring Martin Lawrence. Favorite Milwaukee restaurant:“China Chef located in South Milwaukee – the best Chinese cuisine in town.” Likes about Milwaukee:“Milwaukee has a lot of incredible architecture and hidden gems in the downtown area – I’m excited about helping residents of The Buckler get to know the city even more.” What you most like doing in your free time:“In my free time, you’ll more than likely find me attending a live sporting event or watching one at home with my son.”
Nov 6th, 2015 by Dave Reid
The Tamale, Guey! Local blog explores South Side Latin-American cuisine
If you’ve ever wondered about the best places to find Mexican cuisine in Milwaukee – be they food trucks, taquerias or grocery stores – you owe it to yourself to head over and take a peek at The Tamale, Guey!, a blog written by Milwaukeean, Kate Wolf. The blog, which recounts Wolf’s adventures eating and drinking at a variety of South Side establishments, aims to offer Milwaukeeans a way to find an appreciation for the diversity of neighborhoods in the area, while showcasing the delicious Mexican fare they offer. “It’s easy to see the South Side as this big homogeneous place,” Wolf notes, “But, looking at it that way makes it difficult to understand and appreciate all the really unique parts, including the food. There are so many things to try beyond the burrito.” The idea for the blog began five or six years ago, while Wolf was still a student at UW-Milwaukee, majoring in gender studies. Wolf had just spent two academic terms in Lima, Peru. And, when she returned, she didn’t know exactly how to make the best use of her experience. What she did know is that she didn’t want to lose the Spanish language fluency she’d developed while studying there. So, she sought out an internship at the United Community Center. “Taking the bus from the east side to 10th and National was a really eye-opening experience,” she recalls. “In addition to the commercial corridor, I saw so many family owned businesses, and I really fell in love with the vibrancy of the area. I missed the food, the chaos of Lima, and it really filled the gap that I was feeling since I got back.” Some days, Wolf notes, she’d walk over to El Rey to get groceries when she finished her work at the UCC, an experience she says opened her eyes to the richness of Latin-American culture in the city. “I had gotten to know Peruvian food fairly well,” she says. “I’d eaten it and researched it. And I gained a number of skills – being able to identify different ingredients and having an understanding of the food relationships between the Latin American countries – and I was really excited to get to know Mexican food and culture in the same way.” So, she began exploring various ethnic cuisines on Milwaukee’s near South Side, including various incarnations of Mexican and Mexican-American food. “It was fun. I was always finding new places. And I could go out every day and find a new spot to eat,” she says. Spots like El Cabrito taught her more about the variety of ingredients that appear on authentic tacos. “There weren’t lettuce or tomatoes,” she explains. “Instead, there were fresh ingredients like cilantro and onion; El Cabrito serves pickled vegetables with their tacos; a condiment often enjoyed in parts of northern Mexico, like the state of Jalisco.” As the years passed, Wolf began to realize that, despite its plethora of dining options, the south side wasn’t necessarily recognized […]
Nov 6th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Taking the Pulse of the 2016 Milwaukee Elections
A political drama could unfold soon in Milwaukee: A veteran African-American leader may shake up a citywide election by challenging an entrenched incumbent. But it won’t be state Sen. Lena Taylor taking on Mayor Tom Barrett, despite reports she was flirting with a bid. Instead, insiders expect former state Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler to run against City Attorney Grant Langley. That’s not to say that Taylor is entirely satisfied with Barrett and Langley. In fact, she said in an interview, “The mayor is doing a horrible job on many fronts,” particularly in confronting urban poverty and the plight of the black community, while the city attorney’s office deserves “someone more engaged.” Nonetheless, Taylor says she’s turning down supporters who encouraged her to seek citywide office, opting to stay in the Legislature instead of taking on either Barrett or Langley. Earlier this year, the smart money was on Langley to retire after a record 32 years as Milwaukee’s top lawyer. He was even believed to be grooming a successor: Then-Deputy City Attorney Danielle Bergner, lured back to city service after a stint in the private sector. Others — including Butler, Taylor, former Municipal Judge Vince Bobot and Ald. Tony Zielinski — might have run against her, but most would not have challenged Langley. But all that changed in August, when Bergner returned to private practice. With no other obvious successor within his office, insiders say Langley is now leaning toward seeking a ninth term. He did not return calls seeking comment. Butler confirmed he is seriously considering a race and expects to decide soon. He was elected to the municipal and Circuit Court benches before then-Gov. Jim Doyle appointed him to the high court — and before now-Justice Michael Gableman thwarted Butler’s bid for a full term in a nasty 2008 race. Meanwhile, Taylor’s decision leaves Aldermen Bob Donovan and Joe Davis Sr. as Barrett’s most prominent announced challengers in the Feb. 16 primary. Campaign finance reports show that, as of June 30, Donovan and Davis were almost evenly matched in dollars — which is bad news for both of them. Donovan’s $38,743 and Davis’ $36,414 would be ample cash for an aldermanic race, but those sums were dwarfed by Barrett’s $636,197. Fundraising likely would have been an issue for Taylor as well, particularly this close to the election. Donovan needs money not only to run for mayor, but also to seek re-election to his Common Council seat. Davis says he’s giving up his seat to focus on his mayoral campaign — a point underscored by longtime aide Sherman Morton’s candidacy to succeed him. In the race for what is likely to be the only open seat on the council, eight candidates have emerged so far, led by Morton, former Barrett aide and two-time County Board hopeful Cavalier “Chevy” Johnson, and community activist Tracey Dent, a two-time state Assembly candidate. In other council races, the most formidable challengers fall into four groups: Courthouse refugees: Insiders expect Supervisor Khalif Rainey to join the […]
Nov 5th, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
West Wisconsin Avenue office building scheduled for December sale in online auction
A lender that took over an eight-story office building on West Wisconsin Avenue last month now plans to sell it through a mid-December online auction. The building is at 211 W. Wisconsin Ave. in MIlwaukee and has the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as its main tenant. The federal agency occupies 78 percent of the roughly 102,000-square-foot building, and Kaplan University occupies a smaller first-floor retail space. A lawsuit filed in 2013 resulted in the building going to a court-ordered auction in September. That auction drew three bidders, including the mortgage fund that holds the debt on the building. That fund won the auction with a $14 million bid and took ownership of the property in October. It wasted little time scheduling online bidding to sell the property on Auction.com. The auction will run between Dec. 14 and Dec. 16. The building’s net operating income is listed at more than $1 million. The starting bid has not been determined. A marketing blurb on Auction.com plays up the recent developments on the west side of downtown, particularly the projects planned by the Milwaukee Bucks owners around a new downtown arena. The loan servicer for the property hired Marcus & Millichap to market the property leading up to the auction, said Joe Powers, of the real estate firm’s national office and industrial properties group in Brookfield. Powers also marketed the building prior to the September court-ordered auction. Auction.com has become more widely used in the Milwaukee area for selling lender-owned properties. The Shops of Grand Avenue, which abuts the Wisconsin Avenue office building, was sold through the website a year ago. Bidding is set to end Thursday afternoon for the Broadway Commons building on Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward. As of 9:30, the price of that office and retail building had reached $3.05 million.
Nov 5th, 2015 by Dave Reid
New craft brewery to open in Menomonee Valley in 2016
A Milwaukee-area brewmaster with West Coast experience plans to open a new craft brewery, tasting room and beer garden in the Menomonee Valley. Kevin Wright is building out a new brewery called Third Space Brewing at 1505 W. St. Paul Ave. in Milwaukee, down the street from Sobleman’s. Wright plans to lease the space, a former manufacturing facility, and employ four or five upon opening in summer 2016. Wright, a Milwaukee native, spent six years as head brewer for Hangar 24 Craft Brewery in Redlands, Calif., a 40,000-barrel-per-year operation. Wright said his brewery will blend West Coast brewing styles with Midwest tastes as he hopes to introduce new styles to Milwaukee beer aficionados. “Our ownership team is excited to join the growing craft beer scene in Wisconsin and play our part in the resurgence of Milwaukee as a leading city for brewing in the U.S.,” Wright said. “The growth of craft beer and craft breweries here confirms our belief that Milwaukee beer drinkers are seeking new local craft options.” Wright has enlisted several local companies to lead the project: architect Dan Beyer, developer Steve Looft and Quality Tank Solutions in Oconomowoc for the brewing equipment. Wright, who graduated from the Master Brewing program at the University of California-Davis, has several awards and one gold medal from the Great American Beer Festival under his belt. The brewery will start out with a 30 barrel brewhouse, which will have the flexibility to run small experimental batches, but also to scale up with demand, Wright said. Third Space Brewing is the second craft brewery trying to open in the Menomonee Valley, along with City Lights Brewing Co.
Nov 4th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Harley-Davidson organizational change results in departure of top marketing officer Mark-Hans Richer
Harley-Davidson Inc. said Wednesday that it has changed its organizational structure, promoting the leader of its Latin America region to a new leadership position in a move that results in the departure of senior vice president of marketing, Mark-Hans Richer, from the Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer. In a statement, Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) thanked Richer for his contributions to the company. “In his time with the Harley-Davidson, Mark-Hans was instrumental in achieving our transformational goals, including expanding our reach to both core and outreach customers,” the statement said. The organizational change includes the promotion of Sean Cummings to senior vice president of global demand. In his new post, Cummings will lead the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia-Pacific regional teams, and “go-to-market” functions that principally includes marketing, retail and sales operations. Cummings joined Harley-Davidson in 2014 with more than 30 years of international experience in the power sports and recreational products manufacturing industry. “The changes are an important piece of the company’s recently announced plan to build on its leadership position in the market and grow demand, with a key objective to lead in every market,” the company’s statement said.
Nov 4th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Former Antiques on Second building sold, apartment rehab starts next week
Keystone Development LLC bought the former Antiques on Second building in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood and plans to start construction next week to convert it into apartments. The five-story historic building at 1039 S. Second St. will be converted into 55 apartments and renamed the Shoe Factory Lofts. Eight of those will be market-rate and the remainder will be workforce housing reserved for lower-income residents, said Cal Schultz, president and owner of Oshkosh-based Keystone. He said rehab work will start next week and will take about a year to complete. Keystone will use low-income housing tax credits and historic restoration tax credits to finance the development. Schultz said the affordable pricing of the apartments combined with their historic character will give them a niche in the increasingly crowded Walker’s Point apartment market. There is a lot of activity in the area, including construction for the first of 120 planned apartments across the street from Keystone’s building. “We still think there’s a very strong demand even with some of the construction going on and with some of the proposed housing,” Schultz said. Milwaukee brokerage RFP Commercial represented the building seller, Milwaukee-based Horsfield Investments LLC, in the sale. The building for about five years has been leased to the Antiques on Second store. The store’s owners, Brian and Cheryl Belli, moved their store into a Milwaukee building they bought and rehabbed at 1512 W. Pierce St., Brian Belli said. They are open for business in that new location and still plan to convert its upper floors into event space, he said. The move is accompanied by a name change for Antiques on Second, Belli said. “We are officially Antiques on Pierce,” he said.
Nov 4th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Summerfest names new VP of marketing
Milwaukee World Festival Inc. has quickly filled the vacancy left by the departure of John Boler, the vice president of marketing. The organizer of Summerfest announced Wednesday it has hired Sarah Smith Pancheri, a former Summerfest veteran, as the new vice president of sales and marketing, effective Dec. 1. Pancheri returns to the organization after an eight-year break, with positions at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and at Marquette University. “We enthusiastically welcome Sarah back to the Summerfest family,” said Don Smiley, president and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival. “She was a valuable member of our team in the past, and we believe her recent experience will enable her to successfully lead our sales and marketing efforts as we approach the 50 th anniversary of Summerfest in 2017, and for many years thereafter. Sarah is a passionate, well-rounded executive, and I am personally thrilled that she is joining our team.” Boler moved on to become vice president of brand engagement for Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee.
Nov 4th, 2015 by Dave Reid
Developer plans to convert Grainery Building into apartments
A Walker’s Point neighborhood warehouse and office building would be converted into apartments under a new proposal filed with city officials. LCM Funds 20 LLC, a group led by developer David Winograd, is proposing to convert the six-story Grainery Building, at 720 W. Virginia St., into “quality, market-rate apartment units,” according to a filing with the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals. That project would cost more than $4 million, the filing said. The plans do not provide information on how many apartments would be created within the building, which assessment records say has around 62,000 square feet. Winograd, who operates D & K Management Services LLC, could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday. The Grainery Building, which has an alternate address of 401 S. 7th St., is within The Tannery office park, which is north of West Virginia Street and west of South Sixth St. It is used mainly as a warehouse, with around 16,000 square feet of office space, according to assessment records. The building’s current zoning height restrictions amount to a hardship for the apartment renovation plans, which include adding another floor, the filing said. That additional floor needs zoning board approval. “As the property currently stands, it is difficult to make it financially viable to convert this property into apartment units as the floor size and layout of the building does not allow for an acceptable amount of units to be built,” the filing said. “One additional floor would allow us to add enough units to continue on with the redevelopment in an economical manner,” it said. The additional story would raise the building height from 85 feet to 92 feet. The project also would require a new roof, which would be more cost-effective to build on top of a new level, the filing said. The board will consider the proposal at its Nov. 12 meeting. The building is near the River Place Loftsapartments, which Peter Moede is developing at 625 W. Freshwater Way. That development’s 64-unit first phase, a converted five-story former tannery building now known as The Beam House, opened this summer. The entire River Place Lofts development is to feature four converted buildings, totaling 175 apartments, on 5 acres south of the Menomonee River Canal and north of The Tannery.
Nov 3rd, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Bohdan Zachary of KCETLink in Los Angeles
Bohdan Zachary of Los Angeles independent public TV outlet KCETLink is likely the next general manager of Milwaukee Public Television, replacing the retiring Ellis Bromberg. Zachary was one of four candidates who visited Milwaukee the week of Oct. 19 for public forums with each of the finalists. The board of Milwaukee Public Television’s owner, Milwaukee Area Technical College, has scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday morning to vote on hiring Zachary, according to a document posted in advance of the meeting. Zachary is senior vice president of broadcasting, programming and syndication at KCETLink. KCETLink includes what was once KCET-TV, the Los Angeles outlet that exited PBS in 2010 after station officials battled PBS officials over dues and other issues, according to the Los Angeles Times. Zachary has worked for KCET for 18 years. He previously held positions of director and producer and content producer for E! Entertainment Television and content producer at Interactive Network. Prior to that, he founded North South Films in California. The starting date for the new MPTV general manager will be Nov. 16 and his annual salary will be $150,000, according to a memo to the MATC board. Bromberg announced in February that he planned to retire on June 30. However, he agreed to continue running Milwaukee Public TV when MATC officials decided to reopen the search for his successor. Bromberg has led Milwaukee Public Television for about 15 years. The other three finalists to replace Bromberg were Wisconsin Public Television executive Kathy Bissen, Tacoma (Wash.) public TV executive Edward Ulman and Illinois Public Media executive Robert Culkeen.
Nov 3rd, 2015 by Dave Reid
South side apartment building adding more units
An apartment building created within a former movie theater on Milwaukee’s south side would add more units under a new proposal. The four-story Historic Mitchell Building, at 601-615 W. Historic Mitchell St., has 36 units that opened in2014. Those market-rate units were created by Mitchell Street Group LLC, led by Randy Thelen, president of Elkhorn-based home builder Thelen Total Construction Inc., and Geoff Stone, co-owner of Gato City LLC, a Milwaukee rental property management firm. Now, Mitchell Street Group is seeking Historic Preservation Commission approval to make additional improvements to the building, which include converting part of the street-level retail space into five residential units, according to documents filed with the commission. The building’s operations once included the Juneau Theatre, which opened in 1910 as a vaudeville house. It operated as a movie house until 1965, according to cinematreasures.org. The commission is to review the plans at its Monday meeting.
Nov 3rd, 2015 by Jeramey Jannene
Developer plans to convert Grainery Building into apartments
A Walker’s Point neighborhood warehouse and office building would be converted into apartments under a new proposal filed with city officials. LCM Funds 20 LLC, a group led by developer David Winograd, is proposing to convert the six-story Grainery Building, at 720 W. Virginia St., into “quality, market-rate apartment units,” according to a filing with the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals. That project would cost more than $4 million, the filing said. Drawings filed with the plans suggest that around 60 to 70 apartments would be created within the expanded building, which assessment records say has about 62,000 square feet. Winograd, who operates D & K Management Services LLC, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The Grainery Building, which has an alternate address of 401 S. 7th St., is within The Tannery office park, which is north of W. Virginia St. and west of S. 6th St. It is used mainly as a warehouse, with around 16,000 square feet of office space, according to assessment records. The building’s current zoning height restrictions amount to a hardship for the apartment renovation plans, which include adding another floor, the filing said. That additional floor needs zoning board approval. “As the property currently stands, it is difficult to make it financially viable to convert this property into apartment units as the floor size and layout of the building does not allow for an acceptable amount of units to be built,” the filing said. “One additional floor would allow us to add enough units to continue on with the redevelopment in an economical manner,” it said. The additional story would raise the building height from 85 feet to 92 feet. The project also would require a new roof, which would be more cost-effective to build on top of a new level, the filing said. The board will consider the proposal at its Nov. 12 meeting. The building is near the River Place Loftsapartments, which Peter Moede is developing at 625 W. Freshwater Way. That development’s 64-unit first phase, a converted five-story former tannery building now known as The Beam House, opened this summer. The entire River Place Lofts development is to feature four converted buildings, totaling 175 apartments, on 5 acres south of the Menomonee River Canal and north of The Tannery.
Nov 3rd, 2015 by Dave Reid
