Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Jim Lindenberg
President/CEO, Lindy Enterprises (JML Holdings, Master Z’s)
Jim Lindenberg’s philanthropic reach spreads far and wide.
Schools and libraries, family programs and youth sports leagues – Lindenberg has supported dozens of causes in the greater Milwaukee area throughout his career.
“When you look at his charitable giving and his commitment to the different communities, they’re very widespread,” said Brian Dorow, a longtime friend of Lindenberg’s and dean of criminal justice at Waukesha County Technical College. “It’s always nice to have Jim supporting your initiative or program because you know it will become a success. Once he believes in it, he will start opening doors through his network to also come and support it. So you get a nice backing behind you when Jim is supporting your cause.”
For his community contributions, Lindenberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award from BizTimes Media at its annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards program.
Lindenberg’s giving has been intertwined with his career as a serial entrepreneur.
In 1994, Lindenberg started World Class Wire & Cable Inc. in Waukesha, later selling the company to Glenview, Illinois-based Anixter International Inc. for $60 million. In 2009, he purchased the Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer team, saving it from the brink of extinction. During that time, Lindenberg launched an associated nonprofit, Wave of Hope, that distributed more than $250,000 over four years to other nonprofits in the region.
“I’m proud of that because it went on to help so many families and organizations,” he said. “That was neat to have an avenue to really help the City of Milwaukee and families in southeastern Wisconsin.”
Lindenberg went on to own sports memorabilia store Legends of the Field, along with Master Z’s, a retailer of recreation room products and furniture. He also started Lindy Enterprises Inc., a business consulting company, and operates JML Holdings, a real estate investment firm.
In each of his businesses, Lindenberg said, he has maintained a commitment to sponsoring charitable events and encouraging his employees to get involved with causes that matter to them.
“Each business along the way has had the same atmosphere and the same philosophy – helping the community, getting involved with the community,” Lindenberg said.
Many recipients of Lindenberg’s giving have been related to families, sports and youth programs. Some of them include the Arrowhead Scholarship Fund, Arrowhead Stadium of Dreams, COA Youth & Family Centers, Greenfield High School lights, LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club, New Berlin Eisenhower High School lights, New Berlin West High School football stadium, North Lake concession stand, North Lake smart boards and computer lab, Positively Pewaukee, Wisconsin State Fair Youth Foundation, and many others.
“I’ve always loved kids and families and I played a lot of sports and I coached youth sports for over 16 years,” said Lindenberg, the father of five children. “It’s just a great age. Every kid needs a little something different. So my slant tends to be family-oriented and kid-oriented, but there are so many great causes.”
Lindenberg attributes his philanthropic proclivities to his parents’ influence and the charitable spirit of other Wisconsinites.
These days, Lindenberg serves on Cardinal Stritch University’s board and two boards at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, both alma maters of his. Lindenberg said his current focus is on encouraging entrepreneurship in the region.
The consistency of his commitment to giving back, paired with a genuine concern for others, puts Lindenberg in rare company, Dorow said.
“He’s just a great guy,” Dorow said. “You’d want him as your dad, your brother, your friend; he’s just one of those great guys – and with no agenda. He doesn’t expect anything in return.”
