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June 1, 7:30am
Get Moving Middleton
Hilton Garden Inn
June 1, 5:30-7pm
Grand Re-Opening & Ribbon Cutting
Middleton Jewelers (6629 University Ave)
June 8, 5-7pm
Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting
Cabinet City by Dream (6649 University Ave)
June 12, 11:30am
Ambassador Committee
Gilda's Club
June 14, 8am
Ask the Expert: Employee Retention - Register
Edgewood College - Deming Way Campus
June 14, 12pm
Golf Committee
Pleasant View Clubhouse
June 15, 4-6:30pm
Business Social Hour - Register
alphagraphics (3223 Parmenter St)
Stop by for some savory appetizers, a cool down sweet treat and refreshing drinks while you connect with other business professionals.
June 20, 11:45am
Lunch & Learn: Confident Speaking - Register
Middleton Community Bank (Monona Bank)
June 21, 12pm
Economic Development Briefing: Middleton Center Tour - Register
Middleton Center
June 29, 5:30-7pm
Ribbon Cutting
Noteworthy Venues & Events with Intelligence (Barn, 6991 County Road K)
July 6, 7:30am
Get Moving Middleton - Register
Hilton Garden Inn
View the Full Calendar
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Forward Service Corporation
4600 American Parkway
(608) 244-3526
fsc-corp.org
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I Love Tacos
2644 Branch Street
(608) 841-1833
www.ilovetacosmiddleton.com
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Reliable Property Services
5440 Willow Road, Ste 122, Waunakee
(608) 709-5545
www.rpswi.com
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Wells Fargo
1241 John Q Hammons Drive
(608) 833-3864
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Wilson Law Group
7633 Ganser Way, Suite 100
(608) 833-4001
wilsonlawgroup.com
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Members on the Move
Announcements|Awards|Hires & Promotions
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Good Neighbor Fest Gears Up for 5K, The Middleton Good Neighbor Festival will have a 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, August 26, beginning at 9:30am.
River Valley Bank Appoints New Board Member, River Valley Bank welcomed Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Raymond Allen to their board of directors.
Canstruction 2017 a Huge Success, Hosted by Middleton Outreach Ministry, 15 teams from businesses, churches, schools and organizations around Dane County built giant structures made of canned goods and competed for awards in this year's Canstruction Madison.
Million Dollar Renovation at Baymont Inn & Suites Madison, The Baymont Inn & Suites has completed a 1.6 Million Dollar Renovation.
Easter Seals Golf Outing for Kids, The Easter Seals Golf Outing for Kids, presented by the Bank of Wisconsin Dells, returns on June 28 for its 17th year.
ALTUS Announces May Sale, ALTUS Commercial Real Estate is pleased to announce that Jeff Jansen has completed the sale of 1850 Ludden Drive, Cross Plains.
Coldwell Announces April 2017 Stats, Coldwell Banker Success is pleased to share the April 2017 real estate statistics for the Middleton area.
Fearing's Contributes to Winning Projects, InBusiness hosted the 10th Annual Commercial Design Awards on April 4 and two projects Fearing's contributed to won awards.
Bauer Selected By World-Renowed Diamond Setter, Jacob Bauer of Bauer Jewelers in Middleton has been selected by the world-renowed diamond setter Alexander Sidorov to attend a pave diamond setting class.
Area Travel Agent Honored Nationally, Debbie Chase of Middleton Travel was singled out from thousands of travel professionals across the US to receive a Travel Leaders "Employee of Excellence" Award.
NARI Remodeling Company Receives Top National Award, The National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI) announced the National CotY (Contractor of the Year) Winners, of which on company is a member of NARI Madison.
2017 Travel Leaders "Agency of Excellence" Awards Announced, Middleton Travel has received the coveted "Agency of Excellence" award, which is presented to the top echelon of Travel Leaders agencies.
Five Recipients Win The Alliance Health Transformation Awards, Five awards were given to individuals or organizations that have significant contributions to transforming health care in their community.
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6/2-6/3
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Attic Sale, Attic Angel Community
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6/4
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Summer Movie Series: Zootopia, The Orpheum Theater
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6/4
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Spring Fling Party for the Arts, Rhapsody Arts Center
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6/6
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Financial Statements Workshop, SCORE Madison
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6/7
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Reason to Hope Breakfast, Alzheimer's Association
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6/9
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Bridges Grief Support Group, Agrace
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6/10-6/11
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Middleton Unity Art Events, Middleton Library
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6/14
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Girls Night Out at Craftsman, Middleton Outreach Ministry
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6/15
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Strategies for Big IDEAS, SVA
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6/15
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Gilda's Backyard BBQ, Gilda's Club
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6/17
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Cops & Bobbers Fishing Day, Middleton Optimists
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6/20
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Women in Business Breakfast, SVA
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6/21
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The Longest Day - Alzheimer's Association
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6/21
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Understanding Cash Flow in Your Business, SVA
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6/21
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Pie & Ice Cream Social, Middleton Historical Society
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6/22
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Planning for Strategic Growth, M&M Office Interiors
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6/22
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Outing on Lake Mendota, Holy Wisdom Monastery
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6/24
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CURVE Pop-Up Shop, Z.Bella Boutique
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6/24
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Grand Opening, Middleton Center
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6/26
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Golf Outing, Madison West Towne Middleton Rotary Club
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6/27
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Dane County Small Business Awards, UW Madison SBDC
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7/1
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Night at the Madison Mallards, REACH-A-Child
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How Did You Get From There to Here?
Profiles on the vo
cational journey
 Interview by Ramona Larrow
Ramona is the Sales Manager for Days Inn & Suites and Best Western West Town Suites. Her days are filled with networking, bringing new business into the hotels, building relationships and having fun--doing it all with a finesse most people can't comprehend. When she isn't working, she enjoys downtime with her husband/best friend, reading almost anything that catches her interest, cooking, writing, and crocheting; she also owns Altered Words, a freelance copy-writing services company.
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Meet: Tom Brown
Owner, Interstate Batteries
Describe a typical day in the life of a small business owner?
A typical day for me would be working out early which helps clear my mind for the day ahead. I open the store and registers, check email, phone messages, prepare and prioritize the day's deliveries. I also order batteries or supplies as needed, receive, and stock the floors for the drivers to pick from. I answer phones and messages from both entities and greet and service the needs of walk in retail customers. In addition, I stack and prepare old battery cores for shipping to the lead smelter. Since we deal in hazardous materials this is an important process we go through to make the batteries as safe as possible for handling. I then pay bills, monthly sales tax, payroll, schedule any maintenance for vehicles, and prepare deliveries for the next day.
What are the most interesting aspects of what you do?
The daily interaction with customers whether on the phone or in the retail store. Every customer has a different expectation, so each one is unique.
What are some important factors that contribute to your success?
I have been with Interstate Batteries since 1987, starting as a warehouse/delivery person. Then route manager, distributorship manager, and then sales rep for the area. This made the next step of business owner much easier. I knew the model very well, and understood the factors to make it successful. Willingness to get my hands dirty, whether stacking cores, cleaning batteries, loading batteries, cleaning floors, or running routes is probably the biggest factor to my success. I enjoy working alongside my crew in all duties of the day.
Do you think the dynamic of having your wife work with you has been positive or more stressful? Does it solidify the partnership between you or do you think it makes it harder than having "strangers" working with you?
Let's just say the learning curve was a long winding one. We do just about everything together away from work, so certainly to work together was stressful at first. I think our partnership is better because of it. I did some of the bookkeeping early on when she commuted to Brookfield for her own business. I would have farmed that part out to a payroll company had she not committed fully to it. We both have a great appreciation for what each other does. You learn over time how to interact in situations, but there are still stressful moments here and there.
What takeaways from your experience as a sales manager for Interstate Batteries did you bring into your current roles as business owner? Do you think it prepared you for the task?
As I mentioned earlier, having known the Interstate Battery System helped immensely. Not only from the training and experience, but also the fact that I worked the area that I was buying into. A fair amount of my current customers are from my days in sales. I worked for, and met, many Interstate Distributors, most of who border my territory. Interstate has a business model for us to follow, but working for many successful ones along the way helped me when I started in Madison. Most distributors come from within the ranks as well, sort of a family.
During our coffee meet we spoke lot about the impact of social media on our businesses and customer expectations. Do you think social media has bettered how businesses deal with customers or worsened the experience?
I would say both. The fact that I can advertise right to someone's phone, on Facebook, or through email was a game changer. But like anything new, it has it's downside. You try to limit the downside as much as possible. Thanks to my crew and the great job they do, we've had very little of the negative side. I think it's been a benefit for us.
What advice would you give the child version of yourself?
Whatever job you do, do it to the best of your ability, and earn your respect that way. Learn from the setbacks, don't sulk over them. Be positive, but humble. My dad was the hardest working man I ever met, and so I guess he helped me with many lessons both good and bad. After my first week of work at Interstate, my boss fired the guy who was training me. I came in that day to say I was quitting so I felt obligated to stick it out for a little while at least. Funny how things work out!
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5NINES, LLC
ABR Employment Services
Accu-Clime Mechanical Services LLC
Adecco Group
AERIE Preferred Financial Group
Berndt CPA LLC
Bishops Bay Country Club
Boardman Clark, LLP
Brandon Eyes
Captain Bills Seafood
Career Momentum, Inc.
Cat Care Clinic
Chalmers Jewelers
Charles Schwab
Chartwell Wisconsin
Clasen's European Bakery
CLM Prescriptives, LLC
DirectNetworks, Inc.
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First Weber Group -
Wills
Freska Mediterranean Grill
Greene-Niesen Insurance
Agency, Inc.
Group Health Cooperative of South Central WI
Hubbard Avenue Diner
Incredible Windows! LLC
James A. Lord, DDS, S.C.
Magic Wash Car Wash
Megna Financial, LLC
Middleton Ford
Middleton Travel Inc.
Monks Bar & Grill
Muscular Dystrophy Association of Southern Wisconsin
National Mustard Museum
Nonn's
Optimist Club of Middleton, Inc.
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Pipers Mechanical Inc.
Prairie Cafe and Bakery
Preferred Realty Group
Purple Cow Organics, LLC
Radisson Hotel
Rush Wisconsin Soccer Club
Sam Simon Real Estate -
G. Simon
Sam Simon Real Estate LLC
Select One Mortgage
Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH)
Stark Company Realtors -
Selin
T. Anton Investment House, Inc.
Villa Dolce
Wegner CPAs
Wisconsin Bank & Trust
Wisconsinmade.com
Wolff Kubly Hardware &
Time Center
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Habitat for Humanity of Dane County
LegalShield - Gene Sarmiento
WBUW CW57
Wegner CPAs
10 Years
Greene-Niesen Insurance Agency
Sam's Club
Villa Dolce
35 Years
Optimist Club of Middleton
65 Years
Bruce Company
Middleton Ford
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Thank You for your continued support!
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