Michael Somers

The Construction Classroom

Mike is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in Business Management. He has over 30 years construction experience as Owner and Manager of construction businesses in Wisconsin. Mike has served on the ABC Wisconsin Board of Directors and was the driving force behind the creation of the ABC Heavy Equipment Operator Apprenticeship program, having taught the program for several years. Currently, Mike teaches several Construction leadership and management courses for ABC Wisconsin. In addition, he continues to travel throughout the United States and Canada teaching construction professionals and sharing a lifetime of “real experiences” in and personal enthusiasm for construction.

URL http://www.constructionclassroom.com

Aaron Mills

Daaxit

Aaron Mills is the president, CEO and owner of Daxxit (Contractor Financial Services). He is an experienced and proven executive with an MBA with over 25 years of expertise in setting and evolving strategies to manage companies through rapidly changing and fast-paced environments. He provides financial oversight by ensuring financial integrity for all accounting records to owners, regulatory agencies, and shareholders. Mills works with company owners to enhance profitability by providing financial transparency for decision making, controlling expenses, and managing assets and liabilities.

Adam Mueller

Wipfli

Adam Mueller, CPA, is a senior manager in Wipfli’s assurance and accounting group, specializing in construction entities. Mueller is a member of both Wipfli’s Construction and Real Estate Technical Issues Committee and its internal team dedicated to audit quality. His 17 years of experience include serving contractors of many different types and sizes, emphasizing the development of strong accounting and reporting practices to foster strong relationships with sureties, bonding agents and bankers. Mueller is a frequent speaker and author on numerous accounting-related topics.

Angela Wilcox

Stevens Construction

Brian Goodhart

Wipfli

Chris Sioco

Parachor Consulting

Chris Sioco is a former engineer turned tax consultant who is solely focused on helping small to mid-sized businesses claim the R&D tax credit, one of the most lucrative and misunderstood tax credits in the Internal Revenue Code. He was formerly a consultant with one of the largest R&D tax credit firms in the nation, and has worked with many different industries to claim the R&D tax credit, but with a special focus on construction, architecture and engineering businesses. By utilizing his engineering background, he is able to more closely relate to the needs of his clients and understand the technical work they are performing, which is critical in performing R&D tax credit analyses.

Dan Bergs

Wegner CPAs

Dan Bergs is a senior manager in Wegner CPAs’ tax and business services department. Dan joined Wegner CPAs as an intern in 2008 and started full-time after graduation in 2010. He specializes in working with individual and business clients providing them with a variety of tax and accounting services. Bergs specializes primarily on serving individuals and businesses in individual and business income tax planning and preparation; corporate, S Corporation and partnership tax returns; outsourced accounting and bookkeeping; entity planning for new businesses; QuickBooks consulting; and sales tax and multi-state tax.

Dan Muxfeld

Dan Muxfeld has taught Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid since 2015. Since then, he has led more than 200 Mental Health First Aid trainings. Muxfeld has taught a wide variety of audiences, including school, government, business and non-profit organizations. Muxfeld brings energy, enthusiasm and humor to the classroom. He is one of the highest ranked trainers in Wisconsin.

Denita Schreier

WDS Construction

Denita Schreier, CMA CCIFP, has been in the construction industry since 1995. Her career started as a regional controller for the Pennsylvania office of an ENR top 300 contractor, eventually being promoted to corporate controller over four regional offices. In 2005, she started her own consulting practice, helping construction companies make better use of their financial and project management software, preparing financial statements, creating process efficiencies and improving job cost reporting. In 2013, she was hired as CFO for WDS Construction, which later that year added a development arm, JCW Development. Earlier this year, Schreier was promoted to executive vice president over both companies. Schreier is currently Vice President of the Madison CFMA chapter, and a board member of the Wisconsin Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

Don Moen

ABC of Wisconsin

Don Moen, with a degree in safety from UW-Platteville, has more than 35 years of construction-related safety experience. He was head of the safety and human resources department for a Fortune 200 company’s construction division in eight locations across the U.S. He managed the operations, safety and HR for his own construction and manufacturing company in Wisconsin and Minnesota and is an OSHA-authorized instructor.

Doug Witte

Boardman Clark

Eric Bauer

Brickl Brothers

Erik K. Eisenmann

Husch Blackwell

Erik Eisenmann is a partner with Husch Blackwell and specializes in offering practical, effective advice on the many labor and employment issues that arise in the workplace. He counsels employers of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, often helping them draft and enforce employment contracts, restrictive covenants and other workplace agreements. He assists clients in the financial services, manufacturing, healthcare and cannabis industries, among others. Eisenmann is chair of Husch Blackwell’s Labor & Employment practice group.

John Folsom

Wegner CPAs

John Folsom is a partner in Wegner CPAs’ Tax and Business Services Department. He joined the firm in 2013 with more than 20 years of public accounting experience. Throughout his career, Folsom has gained extensive experience in business profitability consulting; projections and budgeting consulting; reviews and compilations for businesses in a variety of industries; audit and tax preparation engagements for the construction industry; income tax preparation and planning for businesses and individuals; and developing and presenting educational seminars for businesses.

Josh Levy

Husch Blackwell

A member of Husch Blackwell's Real Estate, Development & Construction team, Josh leads the firm’s Construction practice. Josh has represented clients for more than 29 years in the complete array of construction services and litigation. Josh provides contractors, designers, owners and developers with tremendous experience and knowledge in all areas of construction. Josh trains companies in his own version of best practices he has named "Breachless Execution." The Breachless program implements the Law in Action approach taught at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Josh helps clients and industry groups appreciate the benefits realized if all parties to a project understand their obligations, execute their responsibilities, collaborate on problem solving and minimize the disruption caused by disputes. Additionally, as an American Arbitration Association Arbitrator Josh uses that experience as a foundation to leverage his exposure to a variety of construction challenges when helping clients avoid risks in project performance.

Karen Breitnauer, J.D.

M3 Insurance

Karen Breitnauer is a senior compliance attorney and director of employee benefits compliance at M3 Insurance. She is responsible for providing compliance information and guidance to clients through education and consultation. In her role she serves as the senior legal staff resource for public and private sector entities on specific compliance topics. Those topics include health care reform, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, ERISA and more.During the past decade, she has focused on the compliance efforts of M3 clients through group speaking engagements, creation proprietary educational materials, and individual client compliance reviews. During the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), she served as M3’s lead resource and an industry expert.

Ken Collins

Ken Collins Coaching

For nearly 40 years I've had my boots on the jobsite as a construction industry professional. Throughout that time, I've learned firsthand how the construction industry builds America's infrastructure through talented people working together.At the foundation of my philosophy is a "people first" approach. By empowering key contributors, sharing life experiences and continuously learning while I teach. I develop connections across generations of talent, providing personalized, relevant guidance to forward-thinking organizations.With diverse experience, creativity and trust, I immerse myself into companies at every level; working to identify the specific organizational needs and institute the strongest, sustainable solutions. I look forward to lacing up my boots to bring knowledge, instill best practices and inspire positive cultural improvement within your business.

URL http://www.KenCollinsCoaching.com

Kenneth LaBelle

Burns & Wilcox

Kenneth LaBelle is a professional liability broker with more than a decade of dedication to the field of cyber liability. LaBelle began his insurance career with Burns & Wilcox shortly after graduating from the University of Michigan-Flint, with a bachelor’s degree in actuarial mathematics. Prior to becoming a broker, he was the national practice leader of a team dedicated to placements and consultation regarding cyber insurance products. LaBelle has awards for Top Specialist Broker by Business Insurance Magazine and Top Professional Liability Broker by the Kaufman Financial Group. His featured publications include National Underwriter and Agent’s Market Source. LaBelle has instructed numerous seminars across the country as a licensed continuing education instructor to promote the changing landscape of the cyber and privacy insurance marketplace.

Mark J. Goldstein

Goldstein Law Group

Mark J. Goldstein graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School and has more than 25 years of legal experience – in the courtroom, employing strategies for staying out of court and with transactional matters. He created Goldstein Law Group in 2008 after more than 15 years of practice. Goldstein is a frequent speaker and author on topics ranging from labor and employment law to business planning and change and process management. Goldstein is also actively involved in various boards and civic organizations.

Mark Johnson

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.

Mark A. Johnson has a wide range of experience representing businesses in matters involving labor and employment law. Mark has represented employers in hundreds of cases in federal and state courts and before federal and state administrative agencies in Wisconsin and throughout the country. His practice also includes advising employers on how to avoid litigation. Mark is a frequent speaker on topics related to litigation and labor and employment law.Mark has extensive experience defending employers against claims of employment discrimination and retaliation under federal and state law. He has also represented clients in ERISA litigation in courts throughout the country. Mark regularly counsels employers and tries cases involving covenants not to compete and non-disclosure agreements. Areas of focus include wage and hour, hiring and discharge, arrest and conviction record, employment contracts, covenants not to compete, downsizing, fiduciary duty of loyalty, non-disclosure agreements, employee handbooks, harassment claims and investigations, retaliation, union organizing, unfair labor practices and arbitration.Mark is admitted to practice in Wisconsin and before numerous courts, including the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mary Jo Spiekerman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Hausmann-Johnson Insurance

With over 20 years of human resources management in numerous industries, Mary Jo Spiekerman is uniquely qualified to advise the clients of Hausmann-Johnson Insurance on human resources related issues. She provides guidance on complex employment topics such as employee relations, talent management, recruitment, onboarding, and training. Mary Jo and her team help “lighten the load” for clients that may otherwise spend a lot of time, effort, and energy attempting to do their own risk management and employee benefits administration.Mary Jo is especially excited about the journey Hausmann-Johnson has taken to become designated as a Great Place to Work by the Great Place to Work Institute. She began studying the process over 10 years ago and when she joined Hausmann-Johnson she knew the pieces were in place to catapult the agency onto the list of the Best Places to Work in Insurance, which was achieved in 2015 and 2016.Mary Jo is a graduate of Marian University with degrees in Business Administration and Human Relations. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Community Support Network and serves as a consultant to the Personnel Committee of her village board. When she’s not working she takes the time to relax with family and friends at her cabin on the Wisconsin/Upper Michigan border.

Mimi Millen

Mimi Millen, M.Ed, MS-Counseling, is a trainer and mental health counselor with 35-plus years of experience. She has taught Mental Health First Aid since it was first offered by Journey Mental Health Center roughly eight years ago. Prior to becoming a mental health counselor, she was a full-time trainer in alcohol and drug prevention programs for five years and led seminars and workshops on a variety of topics, such as communication, wellness and creating community. As a mental health counselor, Millen worked primarily with low-income adults dealing with depression, anxiety and trauma as well as a variety of other mental health disorders.

Mindi S. Giftos

Husch Blackwell

Mindi S. Giftos is the office managing partner for Husch Blackwell’s Madison office. She works closely with clients to leverage, protect and enforce their valuable technology and intellectual property rights, comply with evolving and complex privacy regulatory requirements, and, when necessary, quickly and effectively respond to data security incidents. Giftos is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP), so she also frequently assists clients with their data privacy compliance requirements and programs in the U.S. and abroad, including HIPAA, CCPA, CPRA and GDPR. She also co-leads the firm’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity and IoT (Internet of Things)/Blockchain teams.

Robert Sanders

Husch Blackwell

Although he is a skilled trial attorney, Robert Sanders' first aim is to help clients stay out of the courtroom. He has extensive experience in drafting workplace policies and employee handbooks, with the objective of reducing uncertainty about correct procedures and lowering the chance for a claim or lawsuit. Robert also regularly counsels companies on employee discipline and discharge, leave and accommodation issues, discrimination claims, wage and hour disputes, and unfair labor practice charges. He understands how high emotions can be in these cases, and he handles these situations thoughtfully. Robert is a skilled negotiator who is practiced in dispute resolution techniques.Robert is also well prepared to handle matters that go to trial: he has tried cases before administrative agencies and state and federal courts, including federal jury trials.

Sarah Evans

CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP

Sarah Evans, CPA, brings 30 years of state and local tax (SALT) experience to her clients, with a special focus on sales and use tax and property tax. Her experience includes nexus studies, coordination of sales tax audits and reverse audits as well as research, planning, and compliance related to sales and use, property, income, and franchise taxes. Evans previously served as a corporate tax consultant for a large manufacturing corporation in the Milwaukee area. Earlier in her career she was employed by a large multi-national public accounting firm and provided a broad range of tax services to corporations as a member of the firm’s large public/multinational team.

Skye P. Parr

Husch Blackwell

Skye P. Parr is an associate with Husch Blackwell who has experience working on a broad range of legal issues for a variety of industrial sectors. In particular, she has reviewed product liability and labeling for a large national chemical and consumer manufacturer. Skye has also assisted with complex, innovative matters of labor and employment, real estate, insurance and intellectual property. Parr has a background as an English teacher, advocate and volunteer, and has mentored and tutored students in Watts, California, as a corps member of the City Year program. She also spent a year in Palmira teaching English to more than 100 vocational students as part of Colombia’s National Training Service.

Steve Bench

Generational Consulting

Steve Bench, founder of Generational Consulting, LLC, is a nationally recognized speaker who has shared his message with audiences across the country, earning the nickname “The Millennial Guy.” Prior to founding Generational Consulting, Bench was program director for Business World, where he worked with thousands of teenagers every year and those millennials have informed and inspired his presentations.

Ted Hayes

M3 Insurance

Ted Hayes consults with businesses, school districts and municipalities throughout the United States to conduct security assessments, provide armed intruder/active shooter training, and to develop safety programs and risk management strategies. In 2001, Hayes and Waukesha County Sheriff Bill Kruziki authored the book, “Not In MY School! A Pro-Active Guide to School Violence Prevention” and in 2014, Hayes authored his second book, “If it’s Predictable, It’s Preventable – More than 2,000 Ways to Improve the Safety and Security in Your School.” During the fall of 1998, Hayes was a featured presenter at the Wisconsin School Safety Summit hosted by Attorney General James Doyle. Hayes has served on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) and is a member of the WASBO Safety and Risk Management Committee.

Tina Nazier

Wipfli

As the leader of Wipfli’s Construction and Real Estate Performance and Strategy team, Tina Nazier focuses her talent in helping clients effectively address their strategic, cultural, people, and operational challenges. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in strategy, leadership, professional coaching, organizational and cultural development, succession planning, change management and performance improvement, Tina helps leaders and organizations overcome the major issues that create roadblocks to reaching their full potential.

Uche Okoroha

Parachor Consulting

Uche Okoroha is a licensed attorney with expertise in contracts, tax law and project management. Okoroha has spent the entirety of his career focusing on complex legal issues affecting contractors and design professionals. Prior to founding Parachor Consulting, Okoroha served as the national accounts manager for a large insurance corporation, where he structured professional service agreements to minimize risk and liability concerns. Okoroha built upon his experience in legal analysis and his education in tax law by transitioning into the position of senior project manager at a national tax consulting firm. Subsequently, Okoroha founded Parachor Consulting, positioning himself to impact the long-term success of the organizations he works with by delivering substantial tax credits that allow businesses to reinvest in their growth.

Michael Somers

The Construction Classroom

Mike is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in Business Management. He has over 30 years construction experience as Owner and Manager of construction businesses in Wisconsin. Mike has served on the ABC Wisconsin Board of Directors and was the driving force behind the creation of the ABC Heavy Equipment Operator Apprenticeship program, having taught the program for several years. Currently, Mike teaches several Construction leadership and management courses for ABC Wisconsin. In addition, he continues to travel throughout the United States and Canada teaching construction professionals and sharing a lifetime of “real experiences” in and personal enthusiasm for construction.

URL http://www.constructionclassroom.com

Michael Somers

The Construction Classroom

Mike is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in Business Management. He has over 30 years construction experience as Owner and Manager of construction businesses in Wisconsin. Mike has served on the ABC Wisconsin Board of Directors and was the driving force behind the creation of the ABC Heavy Equipment Operator Apprenticeship program, having taught the program for several years. Currently, Mike teaches several Construction leadership and management courses for ABC Wisconsin. In addition, he continues to travel throughout the United States and Canada teaching construction professionals and sharing a lifetime of “real experiences” in and personal enthusiasm for construction.

URL http://www.constructionclassroom.com