Steve Richman, group president of Milwaukee Tool, joined BizTimes associate editor Arthur Thomas on stage at the Next Generation Manufacturing Summit earlier this month to discuss the company’s growth, managing supply chain challenges and recruiting people to southeastern Wisconsin. 

BizTimes MKE: Milwaukee Business Insights

Milwaukee Tool's Steve Richman on helping supply chain teams avoid burnout and much more |Ep. 92

Andrew Weiland, Alex Zank and Arthur Thomas from BizTimes Media get together to discuss the news of the week, including the state of Wisconsin looking to sell the former Department of Natural Resource headquarters building at the northeast corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and West North Avenue. Alex discusses what some real estate analysts see for the property and Andrew points out the property has "tremendous potential."Insider Spotlight Stories:- Ball Metalpack to add 50 jobs at Milwaukee plant to support new production line- Van Horn Development, town of Sheboygan pursuing 99-acre mixed-use project at I-43 and Highway 42- Passenger traffic at Mitchell Airport dipped 4.3% in AugustOther stories in this episode- State wants to sell former DNR office building at King and North- The tremendous potential of King Drive

Weekly Debrief: Former DNR headquarters on King Drive is for sale, what could it become?

Lauren Anderson, Arthur Thomas and Andrew Weiland discuss news from the week, including Foxconn&apos;s plans to buy a car plant in Ohio instead of making electric vehicles in Wisconsin and Fiserv&apos;s decision to expand in New Jersey. 

Weekly Debrief: Foxconn picks Ohio, Fiserv expanding in New Jersey

BizTimes associate editor Lauren Anderson joins Arthur Thomas to discuss her recent BizTimes Milwaukee cover story exploring the financial challenges facing the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Read the story here.

Why UWM's mounting challenges matter for businesses in southeastern Wisconsin | Ep. 89

BizTimes Media reporter Maredithe Meyer joins editor Andrew Weiland and associate editor to spotlight BizTimes Insider stories from the week and discuss her coverage of the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan County. Insider Spotlight Stories:- Health benefits consulting firm mueller QAAS sold- Metro Milwaukee export rebound lags Midwest and still down from 2018- Generac buys former American Family Insurance Office building in Pewaukee for $6.75 millionOther stories in the episode: - Milwaukee-area businesses enjoy Ryder Cup boost- See photos from Ryder Cup&apos;s opening ceremony at Whistling Straits- Sheboygan-area businesses cash in on Ryder Cup tourism- Wisconsin is a major golf destination

Weekly Debrief: Wisconsin on the world stage with Ryder Cup

Keith Duplain, president of St. Louis branded portfolio at Caleres, and Bob Steffes, vice president of manufacturing at Allen Edmonds, joined BizTimes associate editor Arthur Thomas on the BizTimes MKE Podcast to discuss the company’s journey since Caleres acquired Allen Edmonds and over the course of the pandemic. They also discussed Allen Edmonds’ partnership with the PGA of America to make the company’s shoes the official dress shoe of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. 

Why Allen Edmonds is hiring, making sneakers and partnering with the Ryder Cup | Ep.87

Milwaukee Mitchell Airport director Brian Dranzik joins BizTimes editor Andrew Weiland to discuss the airport&apos;s rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, the addition of new flights and carriers, the potential for more international travel, and the latest on efforts to relaunch Midwest Express. 

Brian Dranzik on MKE's international travel future and new carriers, flights | Ep. 86

Lauren Anderson, Andrew Weiland and Arthur Thomas of BizTimes Media get together to discuss the news of the week. After highlighting some of this week&apos;s BizTimes Insider Only stories, the group discusses President Joe Biden&apos;s decision to mandate vaccines for employees at companies with more than 100 employees. The group then discusses Arthur&apos;s story looking at which parts of Milwaukee County grew over the past decade and which parts lost residents. Insider Story Spotlight:- Church taking over vacant office building in Park Place office park in Milwaukee- Which banks gained market share as Wisconsin deposits climbed $21.5 billion?- Wisconsin is a major golf destination (link coming Sept. 13). Other stories in this episode:- How many Wisconsin workers could be impacted by Biden&apos;s new vaccine mandate?- Census data shows split between growing downtown area and declining lower-income neighborhoods in Milwaukee

Weekly Debrief: Vaccine mandates and digging deep on Milwaukee's population changes

Lauren Anderson and Andrew Weiland join Arthur Thomas on the BizTimes MKE Podcast Weekly Debrief. After highlighting some of the top Insider Only stories from the week, the group dives into discussing the long-awaited return of Summerfest to Milwaukee&apos;s Lakefront. After taking a year off from the pandemic, Summerfest shifted to a September timeslot this year. Unfortunately, it seems its traditional timing around the Fourth of July would have been better as the Delta variant continues to spread. Lauren shares some of her impressions from attending opening day and Andrew points out that just having the festival is a big deal, even if crowds are smaller this year. The group also discusses some remarks from Marcus Corp. CEO Greg Marcus on the role vaccines and vaccine mandates will play in the reopening of the economy. Insider Spotlight stories:- Cobalt Partners now owns all the land for its next massive development project in Greenfield- Residential brokerage Compass lands top agent whose high-profile clients include Bucks players, corporate leaders- Badger Fund of Funds achieves first exit with Madison-based Curate acquisitionOther stories in the episode:- See photos of Summerfest opening day- Marcus Corp. CEO says vaccine requirements key to economic recovery 

Weekly Debrief: The best thing about Summerfest this year is that it's happening

Editor Andrew Weiland and real estate reporter Alex Zank join BizTimes associate editor Arthur Thomas to talk about the week&apos;s news. First up is the news that the 100 East office building is in foreclosure. Alex describes what office brokers and industry experts expect to see as the building, once one of the premier office properties in the city, emerges from the process. Then the group discusses news that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will be leaving office, at some point in the near future, to become ambassador to Luxemburg. Alex talked with leaders in the business community for their take on what qualities the next mayor of Milwaukee should have. 

Weekly Debrief: 100 East's uncertain future and the next mayor of Milwaukee

BizTimes&apos; Lauren Anderson, Brandon Anderegg and Andrew Weiland join Arthur Thomas to discuss the week&apos;s news, including the announcement of 53 Wisconsin companies on this year&apos;s Inc. 5000 list. The group takes a closer look at Frontdesk and Parts Badger, two of the southeastern Wisconsin companies on the list. Then they participate in a brief mock draft to select another eight companies that are significant for the future of southeastern Wisconsin. 53 Wisconsin companies make 2021 Inc. 5000 listFrontdesk raises $7 million, aims for profitability in 2022A cut above: Despite challenges, PartsBadger posts impressive growth$1.55 million PartsBadger expansion to create 26 jobs

Weekly Debrief: 10 important companies for southeastern Wisconsin's future

BizTimes Milwaukee editor Andrew Weiland and reporter Brandon Anderegg talk about two of the biggest local business stories of the week: Generac&apos;s purchase of the former American Family Insurance office building in Pewaukee to expand its operations and the city of Milwaukee&apos;s move to ban dockless scooter operations downtown and in nearly neighborhoods because too many people were riding them on the sidewalks.

Weekly Debrief: Generac expanding to Pewaukee, Milwaukee bans scooters in downtown, nearby areas

In mid-July, Hartland-based Fathom Digital Manufacturing Corp. announced plans to go public via a special purpose acquisition corporation or SPAC. On the latest BizTimes MKE Podcast, Fathom CEO Ryan Martin talks about why the company is going public and why a SPAC was the right vehicle to do it. SPACs have received a lot of attention over the past year as a vehicle to take companies public without the same level of scrutiny involved in a traditional IPO, but Martin said Fathom is different from many of those businesses. “I personally believe a lot of those companies, they’re based on very forward projections, based on a future state that at scale they’ll reach profitability and that their value proposition will eventually resonate with customers,” he said. Going public will help give Fathom better brand recognition and afford it the ability to use its stock as currency in acquisitions, Martin said. 

Why Hartland-based Fathom is going public via SPAC│Ep. 80

Arthur Thomas, Lauren Anderson and Andrew Weiland from BizTimes Media discuss worrying trends in the COVID-19 pandemic. With the CDC changing its recommendations on wearing masks, Lauren and Andrew highlight numbers for southeastern Wisconsin. They also discuss how local health systems have begun mandating vaccinations and whether more employers will move in that direction going forward. Ascension Wisconsin requiring all employees to get COVID vaccineChildren&apos;s Wisconsin, Medical College of Wisconsin mandate COVID-19 vaccine for all employeesProHealth Care mandates COVID-19 vaccine for its employeesViewpoints: To compel worker vaccinations, or not

Weekly Debrief: COVID numbers heading in the wrong direction

Beth Ridley and Lauren Anderson join Arthur Thomas to talk about diversity and inclusion coverage from the July 19 issue of BizTimes Milwaukee. Beth works as a consultant helping companies with D&I issues. For the issue, she wrote a column highlighting how she is focusing on having tough conversations when the opportunity arises. She also discussed how these conversations can help companies foster a more inclusive culture. Lauren, an associate editor at BizTimes, discussed some of her coverage from the issue, including a story that takes stock of how well companies are doing on their D&I commitments made in the summer of 2020. The D&I coverage in the July 19 issue is part of BizTimes&apos; Business Cares series and was supported by the 45 companies represented on the cover of the print edition. More information about the Business Cares series, including additional coverage, is available here.Coverage mentioned in this episode:Beth Ridley: Fostering a culture of inclusionSo your company denounced racism. Now what?BizCompass: What does Milwaukee need to do to attract and retain diverse talent?Previous D&I focused podcasts:Beth Ridley on lessons learned from diversity series podcasts

Having tough conversations and tracking D&I progress in metro Milwaukee│Ep. 78

The BizTimes MKE podcast, powered by BizTimes Media, is designed to keep you informed and provide ideas and strategies to help improve your business. Each episode features thought-provoking insights and best practices from business and community leaders.