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John W. Mellowes

BizTimes Staff
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John W. Mellowes

CEO
Charter Manufacturing | Mequon

John W. Mellowes is CEO and a fourth-generation family owner of Charter Manufacturing Company Inc., a Mequon-based group of metals manufacturing businesses. Under Mellowes’ leadership, Charter Manufacturing and its businesses have acquired Lokey Metals, Cobra Metal Works, Aarrowcast Inc., and Niles Iron & Metal Co. In 2023, Charter Steel broke ground for a 55-acre solar array at its Saukville plant, which is expected to offset its reliance on the grid by 8%. The company reports annual sales of nearly $2 billion.

Education: Bachelor’s, Princeton University; MBA, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

What would you like to change about Wisconsin: “Fostering a more civil and constructive political environment. A focus on responsible problem-solving over divisive rhetoric would greatly enhance our ability to tackle the pressing issues of our time.”

Favorite Wisconsin destination: “Lambeau Field. As a lifelong Packers fan, there’s nothing quite like experiencing a game at this iconic venue on a warm Sunday afternoon in the fall. The energy, the tradition and the community spirit make it my favorite Wisconsin destination.”

Playlist for commute/run: “I regularly listen to podcasts during my commute or free time. My go-to choices include insightful discussions on business and technology as well as updates on my favorite sports teams.”

Favorite movie: “’The Dawn Wall.’ It’s a powerful true story about rock climber Tommy Caldwell, who overcame tremendous adversity to achieve something extraordinary.”

2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile

Manufacturing
CEO
Charter Manufacturing Inc.
Mequon

John W. Mellowes assumed leadership of Charter Manufacturing Inc. in 2013, succeeding his father in that role. Mellowes represents the fourth generation of family leadership of the Mequon-based metals manufacturing businesses; he is the great-grandson of Charter founder Alfred Mellowes.

The Charter family of companies includes Charter Steel, Charter Wire, Charter Dura-Bar and Charter Aarrowcast. Its customers include automakers, automotive suppliers and off-highway equipment manufacturers. The company has more than 2,500 employees. In 2022, it ranked No. 25 on Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75 list of the state’s largest private companies, based on sales revenue. The company’s revenue has exceeded $1 billion in recent years.

Under Mellowes’ leadership, Charter Dura Bar acquired iron distribution business Lokey Metals in Fort Worth; Charter Automotive acquired assets of Cobra Metal Works; and Charter Manufacturing acquired Aarrowcast Inc., a Shawano-based maker of gray and ductile iron castings.

It has also consolidated operations. In 2020, Charter Automotive exited its U.K. facility, consolidating business and assets into its Milwaukee and Changzhou, China, operations. The following year, it divested of its Charter Automotive China operations.

Mellowes serves on the board of regents of the Milwaukee School of Engineering and is a former board member of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee.

Education: Bachelor’s, Princeton University; MBA, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Mark Matthiae

BizTimes Staff
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Mark Matthiae

President and founder
Crystal Finishing Systems | Schofield

Before the age of 18, Mark Matthiae was already running his first business, an autobody shop in Marathon, Wisconsin. Twenty years later, in 1993, he set out on another entrepreneurial journey when he and his wife, Laurie, founded Crystal Finishing Systems. The business got its start operating out of a 3,500-square-foot facility, with three employees and one spray line. Since then, the company has grown to four facilities, more than 950 employees and annual sales of more than $250 million. Mark remains president of the family-owned firm, while Laurie has retired.

The company’s services include liquid painting, powder coating, anodizing, metal fabrication and plastic and fiberglass painting. It also provides trucking and warehouse services. Based in Schofield, the company has additional locations in Mosinee, River Falls and Senatobia, Mississippi. In 2022, Matthiae told a local news outlet the growing company planned to invest $20 million in its facilities and equipment and add 400 positions to meet customer demand.

Crystal Finishing Systems has been named among the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies for multiple consecutive years, and in 2016 Matthiae was named Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration.

Matthiae is also a co-founder of the Crystal Training Institute, an 82,000-square-foot sports training facility that opened in 2022. Located in Mosinee, the facility allows athletes in central Wisconsin to train year-round.

Matthiae is also involved in various civic and charitable organizations, serving as a founding board member of the Ministry Health Care Foundation and on the board of Northcentral Technical College.

Mark Grosskopf

BizTimes Staff
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Mark Grosskopf

President and CEO
New Resources Consulting  |  Milwaukee

Mark Grosskopf leads Milwaukee-based management and information technology consulting company New Resources Consulting. After joining what was formerly New Resources Corporation in 1995, he bought out the partners in 2003, relaunched the business and became president and CEO.

The company has since grown organically and through a series of acquisitions, expanding from a team of less than 20 to more than 200 employees and consultants. With its sole location in Milwaukee, New Resources Consulting has provided IT support to more than 250 organizations in a variety of industries, including medical, finance and insurance. The firm was recognized among the Future 50 fastest-growing privately held businesses in southeastern Wisconsin in 2024.

Grosskopf also serves as president, CEO and owner of additional New Resources companies, including Inflection Point Solutions, which works with water and wastewater treatment agencies across the United States to implement industry best practices and make better use of technology to improve operations.

A proponent of Milwaukee’s startup community and angel investor, Grosskopf was an early investor in startup accelerator gener8tor, which is based in Madison and has a significant presence in Milwaukee.

Paul Manley

BizTimes Staff
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Paul Manley

President and CEO
MGS Mfg. Group | Germantown

Paul Manley has spent more than 28 years at MGS Mfg. Group, serving as its president and chief executive officer since 2020. Based in Germantown, MGS is a vertically integrated provider of manufacturing solutions for complex, high-precision plastic components. It operates 12 locations globally.

Under Manley’s leadership, MGS acquired Denmark-based Winther Mould Technology, a health care tooling manufacturer, and Denmark-based Technolution, a consultancy and development company focused on the pharmaceutical and medtech industries, in 2023. Also under his direction, the company has pivoted to work solely with customers in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic and medical technology industries. Previously, MGS also served the automotive and electronics markets.

The company is currently building a 120,000-square-foot innovation center on its Germantown campus, which will feature workspaces dedicated to ideation and product development, tooling development, automation and part and process validation. The center consolidates the company’s existing Germantown Global Automation Center and Menomonee Falls Sampling Facility into a single campus.

Manley joined the firm in 1996 as an accounts payable clerk and worked his way up through the organization to become chief financial officer in 2009, CFO and chief operating officer in 2013, president in 2016, and president and CEO in 2020.

Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Judy Faulkner

BizTimes Staff
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Judy Faulkner

Founder and CEO
Epic Systems  |  Verona

Few Wisconsin companies have had as significant an impact on a community in recent history as Epic Systems. The health care technology company is credited with contributing to a massive population increase in the city of Verona and helping keep young people in Dane County after they graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Epic employs roughly 13,000 people, making it one of the largest employers in the county.

Judy Faulkner co-founded Human Services Computer, which would later become Epic Systems, in 1979 with an investment of $70,000 from friends and family. In 2023, it came in 143rd on Forbes’ list of America’s largest private companies, with a reported $4.6 billion in revenue.

Epic’s electronic health records software is widely used in hospitals and clinics worldwide; more than 325 million patients have a current electronic record in Epic, according to the company.

Called the “most powerful woman in health care” by Forbes, Faulkner has an estimated net worth of $7.8 billion. She has pledged to give 99% of her assets to philanthropy.

Education: Bachelor’s, Dickinson College; master’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile

Emerging Industries | Technology
Founder and CEO
Epic Systems | Verona

In 1979, Judy Faulkner co-founded Human Services Computer, the health care technology company that would later become Verona-based Epic Systems. Launched in a basement in Madison with an investment of $70,000 from friends and family, the company grew to fill the 136th slot on Forbes’ 2021 list of America’s largest private companies. Epic’s electronic health records software is widely used in hospitals and clinics worldwide; the company says it holds the records of more than 300 million patients. Epic reported revenue of $3.8 billion this year.

The company prides itself on having built all of its software in house and having never made an acquisition; it also invests about a third of its operating expenses into research and development.

With her family, Faulkner, whose net worth is estimated at $6.6 billion, owns 47% of the company.

In 2015, she signed the Giving Pledge, agreeing to eventually give 99% of her assets to philanthropy.

Epic has had a massive impact on the Madison area, particularly over the past 15 years. It is credited with recruiting and helping retain young people after they graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, helping mitigate the boomerang effect in the city. Today, the company employs roughly 10,000 people, making it the second-largest employer in Dane County behind the university.

Education: Bachelor’s, Dickinson College; master’s in computer science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Michael Clayton

BizTimes Staff
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Michael Clayton

President and CEO
VBA  |  Milwaukee

Michael Clayton joined Milwaukee-based software company VBA as its chief executive officer and 12th employee in 2013. Today, the fast-growing firm, which develops cloud-based health benefits software, has more than 125 employees. In August 2023, the firm received a $156 million private equity investment led by Spectrum Equity, a growth equity firm based in Boston and San Francisco, and in 2024 the company moved its headquarters from Germantown to Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood.

Clayton, who was elected to the VBA board of directors in 2020, oversees VBA’s operations, has full profit and loss responsibility and leads its overall strategic plan development and execution.

Previously, Clayton was a partner in The Capital Executive Group LLC. As part of CEG, he was executive vice president, office of the chairman for Woods Equipment Company. Earlier, he worked for Textron’s Jacobsen Division, Deere & Company, Case Corporation/CNH Global NV and Ford Motor Company.

He currently serves on the board of directors for the Health Care Administrators Association.

An avid marathon runner and cyclist, he’s completed over 20 marathons, including those in Chicago, Boston and New York City, and bikes across the state of Iowa annually as part of the RAGBRAI bicycle tour. He’s helped fundraise for American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Children’s Hospital, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through some of his marathon and biking events.

Education: Bachelor’s, University of Northern Iowa; MBA, Penn State University

Jeff Lonigro

BizTimes Staff
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Jeff Lonigro

President and CEO
Bemis Manufacturing Co. | Sheboygan Falls

Jeff Lonigro joined Bemis Manufacturing Co. in 2019, becoming the second non-family chief executive officer in the company’s 120-year history. The Sheboygan Falls-based plastics and consumer goods manufacturer is in its fourth generation of family ownership.

Known as a market leader in the manufacturing of toilet seats, Bemis also provides precision parts and custom injection molding; it has more than 250 active and pending design and process patents. In addition to its U.S. operations, it has manufacturing facilities in the U.K., Mexico, France and Canada. The company has more than 2,000 employees located across those five countries. Under Lonigro’s leadership, Bemis acquired Bio Bidet, an Illinois-based manufacturer of bidets, in 2021.

Prior to joining Bemis, Lonigro served as vice president of Trilliant Food and Nutrition in Little Chute. Before that, he worked for more than 20 years at Glenview, Illinois-based ITW, a Fortune 300 global multi-industrial manufacturing company. At the end of his tenure, he was group president of ITW’s global industrial-welding platform. Previously, he spent 20 years at Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, based in Appleton.

Bemis sits on the board of directors for Bemis Manufacturing Co. and the Bemis Family Foundation.

Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Tina Chang

BizTimes Staff
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Tina Chang

Chairman, CEO and owner
SysLogic  |  Brookfield

Tina Chang is widely recognized as a leader in Milwaukee’s technology sector, having served since 1996 as chief executive officer of SysLogic, a Brookfield-based information systems consulting and services firm. During her tenure, she has spun off three technology startups: SysSpark LLC, Cyberspect LLC and WillBridge Ltd.

Outside of SysLogic, she serves on the boards of Strattec Security Corp., Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Central States Manufacturing and Weyco Group, is an investor in Milwaukee-based online sports game Cover5 and is a partner of cybersecurity and information security company Ghostscale.

SysLogic has been a recipient of the Future 50 award (recognizing the fastest-growing companies in southeastern Wisconsin) multiple times, as well as the Wisconsin Small Business Innovation Award in 2010.

Chnag has won numerous awards for her leadership, including the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame Peak Performer award, United Performing Arts Fund Civic Partnership Award and Professional Dimensions Sacagawea Award.

She’s served on many nonprofit boards including Alverno College, Children’s Wisconsin, Milwaukee Police Department Foundation, Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation, Wisconsin Policy Forum, Teach for America, Waukesha County Business Alliance and the YMCA-Metro Milwaukee.

Education: Bachelor’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile

Emerging Industries | Technology
Chairman, CEO and owner
SysLogic | Brookfield

Five years after joining SysLogic as its first employee in 1996, Tina Chang was appointed chief executive officer of the Brookfield-based information systems consulting and services firm. She is now also chairman and sole owner of SysLogic. During her 26 years with the company, she has led the spinoff of three startups, SysSpark LLC, Cyberspect LLC and WillBridge Ltd. She has won numerous awards for her leadership and serves on the boards of Weyco Group and Strattec Security Corp. and numerous nonprofit organizations.

Education: Bachelor’s, UW-Madison

First job: “I did a stint as a hand model for jewelry catalogues. It made me recognize we all have unique and natural strengths we can play up and compete on.”

Two business leaders you’d like to have dinner with: “MC Hammer. I’d love to hear his personal story of how he made it big, lost it big, and what he would do differently (or not) if he could do it all over again. (And) Jeff Bezos. We started our businesses in the same year (one of us obviously did better). I would go year by year to understand who and what influenced him to make the next move, and what tradeoffs he had to make, both personally and professionally, along the way.”

Favorite restaurant: “Elsa’s on the Park. I order the Daisy Mae Burger with homemade chips 100% of the time.”

Toughest business challenge: “Running and leading a business as a female in a male-dominated business world. I’m still working through it.”

William Kress

BizTimes Staff
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William Kress

Chairman and CEO
Green Bay Packaging | Green Bay

William Kress represents the third generation of Kress family leadership of Green Bay Packaging Inc., a pulp and paper company founded by his grandfather, George Kress in 1933.

Kress has spent his entire career at GBP, having joined the family business as a sales trainee in 1979 after college. Kress held several leadership roles before becoming president in 1995. He was named CEO in 2001 and later elected chairman in 2019.

Reporting more than $2 billion in annual sales, GBP has about 5,300 employees across its 41 locations in 16 states. The vertically integrated manufacturing company includes corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands and a sawmill facility.

In 2024, GBP acquired SMC Packaging Group, a Springfield, Missouri-based provider of corrugated packaging, point-of-purchase displays, protective shipping cartons, and ancillary packaging supplies.

The company also recently broke ground for a new 270,000-square-foot facility in Germantown, which is expected to create another 20 jobs in the area.

Kress currently serves on the boards of Green Bay Packaging, the Green Bay Packers and the De Pere Cultural Foundation and advisory boards for Associated Bank and Junior Achievement.

Kress received the Rotary Club of Green Bay’s Free Enterprise Award in 2016, was named TAPPI/PIMA Executive of the Year in 2022 and received the Environmental Citizen of the Year Award by the Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin in 2022.

Education: Bachelor’s, University of Colorado Boulder

2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile

Manufacturing
Chairman, president and CEO
Green Bay Packaging Inc.  |  Green Bay

William Kress represents the third generation of family leadership at Green Bay Packaging, serving as chairman, president and chief executive officer of the pulp and paper company.

During his tenure, the company has expanded through a series of acquisitions, including Franksville-based Midland Packaging and Display and Germantown-based Great Lakes Packaging Corp. in 2014; Waukesha-based Baird Display in 2015; and Fort Atkinson-based Wisconsin Packaging Corp., Traverse City, Michigan-based Grand Traverse Container Inc. and Aurora, Illinois-based Citadel Industries Inc. in 2018. That same year, the company broke ground on a $500 million new paper mill and expansion project in Green Bay, while its sales and distribution center in Downers Grove, Illinois, also commenced construction of a new 170,000-square-foot complex. With more than 3,700 employees, the company has operations across 37 locations in 16 states.

The company recently announced plans to build a new 600,000-square-foot “super plant” corrugator plant in Fort Worth, Texas. It has also expanded in recent years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Geneva, Ohio. Its products include shipping containers, folding cartons and coated label products. Its Green Bay mill recently achieved net-zero water in its production of 100% recycled containerboard, using a reclaimed water system.

Kress serves on the boards of the Green Bay Packers and advisory boards for Associated Bank and Junior Achievement. In 2016, he received the Rotary Club of Green Bay’s Free Enterprise Award.

David Kohler

BizTimes Staff
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David Kohler

Chair & CEO
Kohler Co. | Kohler

David Kohler leads Kohler Co., a Sheboygan County-based manufacturer of kitchen and bath products, cabinetry, tile and lighting, engines, generators and more. Kohler was named president and chief executive officer of Kohler Co. in 2015 and was also elected to board chair and CEO in 2022. He is the fourth generation of the Kohler family to lead the company since its inception in 1873 and the ninth person to lead the company.

One of the largest employers in the state, Kohler Co. has nearly 40,000 employees across its operations. Under David Kohler’s leadership, the company acquired KLAFS, a German-based manufacturer of saunas and steam rooms, in 2023. In 2024, the company spun off its energy business as a separate company, with California-based Platinum Equity serving as the majority investment partner.

Kohler started at Kohler Co. working on the front lines of its manufacturing divisions. He rejoined the company as director of fixtures marketing in 1993 after working at Dayton Hudson Corp. Since then, he’s held various roles including vice president of sales, sector president of K&B Americas, group president of K&B Group, executive VP and president and COO.

He sits on the boards of Kohler Co., Old Course Ltd., Interface Inc., Interceramic, Discovery Energy LLC and the Green Bay Packers. He also serves on the board of Kohler Foundation and the advisory board of the Duke University Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics.

Kohler was the general chairman for the 2015 PGA Championship and the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, held in 2021.

Education: Bachelor’s, Duke University; master’s, Northwestern University

2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile

Manufacturing
Chair and chief executive officer
Kohler Co.  |  Kohler

David Kohler represents the fourth generation of family leadership for the Kohler Co. One of the largest employers in the state, Sheboygan County-based Kohler Co. has roughly 40,000 employees across its operations. David Kohler, who has been with the company for three decades, was named president and chief executive officer in 2015. He was also elected to board chair and CEO in September of this year, following the death of his father and Kohler Co. executive chairman Herbert Kohler Jr. that same month. In his role, he oversees the company’s three business groups – kitchen and bath, power and hospitality.

Under David Kohler’s leadership, the company acquired Clarke Energy Ltd., a UK-based provider of engineering, construction, installation and maintenance of power plants that use gas engines, in 2017. In 2021, Koher Co. acquired Curtis Instruments and Heila Technologies. Kohler Co. surpassed $8 billion in annual revenues in 2021.

David Kohler was general chairman for the 2015 PGA Championship and was general chair for the 43rd Ryder Cup in 2021, both of which were held at Whistling Straits, owned by Kohler Co.

In addition to Kohler Co., Kohler serves on the board of directors of Old Course Ltd, Interface Inc., Interceramic and the Green Bay Packers. He also serves on the board of the Kohler Foundation and on the advisory board of the Duke University Fuqua Center on Leadership and Ethics.

Education: Bachelor’s, Duke University; master’s, Northwestern University

Joe Kirgues

BizTimes Staff
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Joe Kirgues

Co-founder
gener8tor  |  Madison

Joe Kirgues co-founded gener8tor, an accelerator that invests in high-growth startups, in 2011. The company has since graduated over 1,400 startups, which have gone on to raise $1.3 billion in follow-on financing and create nearly 10,000 jobs. Gener8tor operates 285 accelerators in 46 communities, including several Wisconsin cities, as well as Anchorage, San Juan and Luxembourg. In addition gener8tor offers corporate programming, a speaker series, conferences, skills accelerators and fellowships. Kirgues manages the company – including its 125 employees – alongside business partner and co-founder Troy Vosseller. Kirgues previously served on the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. board of directors and currently serves as co-chair of WEDC’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee. Earlier in his career, Kirgues got his start as an associate at Quarles & Brady LLP.

Education: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; J.D., University of Wisconsin

2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile

Emerging Industries | Startups
Co-founder
gener8tor | Madison

University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni Joe Kirgues and Troy Vosseller teamed up in 2012 to found gener8tor, a startup accelerator designed to help Milwaukee- and Madison-based entrepreneurs launch and scale their businesses. In the decade since, gener8tor has graduated 938 startups from its 104 annual accelerator programs, and 34 of its alumni companies have been acquired. gener8tor has 140 full-time employees, accelerators in more than 41 cities with more than $1.2 billion in total funding across 22 states and two countries; and more than 90 programs and conferences among startups, artists, musicians, corporations and job-seekers. In Wisconsin, gener8tor’s programs have helped bring millions in investment to a state that has historically lagged in venture capital. Earlier in his career, Kirgues worked as an associate at Quarles & Brady LLP.

Education: Bachelor’s, Marquette University; J.D., University of Wisconsin

What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?
“Gilles. Never forget to make sure the shake machine is fully closed before you pour in 20 gallons of shake mix.”

What piece of advice has had the most significant impact on your career?
“Don’t self defeat.”

If you could have dinner with any two business leaders, who would you choose and why?
“Taralinda Willis from Curate and Chris Campbell from ReviewTrackers. We have a history of celebrating founders who successfully build and exit companies from scratch and we owe them a dinner.”

What are some of your favorite destinations/places to visit?
“gener8tor markets across the country.”

What is one book you think everyone should read (or podcast everyone should listen to) and why?
“Fareed Zakaria’s GPS. Best interviews from global leaders.”

What’s your hobby/passion?
“Helping people build something larger than themselves from scratch.”

What is your favorite Wisconsin restaurant and what do you order there?
“Carnevor. Twin lobster tails and the amazing sides whose recipe Omar won’t share.”

What would people be surprised to learn about you (fun fact)?
“I can wiggle my ears one at a time.”

What was your first car? How long did you drive it for?
“Toyota Camry. Way, way too long.”

If you could take a one-year sabbatical, what would you do?
“I’m worried I’d end up working on some new project instead.”

What’s the toughest business challenge you’ve had to overcome?
“The insecurity that comes with holding conviction that you believe is true but others are certain is wrong.”

What advice would you give to a young professional?
“Don’t self defeat.”

What has been your/your company’s most significant success over the last 12 months?
“Helping hundreds of people go from unemployed/offline to employed/online through our Skills Accelerator partnership with Microsoft.”

What is one thing you would change about Wisconsin to make it even better?
“Wisconsin has to get excited about its next generation. If we choose not to invest in our best and brightest we should expect brain drains that encourage our emerging talent to build their careers elsewhere. We need to get our pension funds and balance sheets committed to investing alongside venture capitalists into our own.”

As you enter your office, what would you choose to be your walk-up or theme song and why?
“A Yung Gravy song because he worked at gener8tor before deciding to make very unexpected music.”

Is there a nonprofit cause that has special meaning to you?
“The United Way. When we ran an emergency response program to help people during COVID it was the one place we knew would help people we were engaging that could not afford food or shelter.”

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken?
“Starting gener8tor.”

What’s at the top of your bucket list?
“Being grateful for every day and taking none of it for granted.”

What has you most excited about the future?
“Our incredible team and the inspiring people going through our accelerator.”

Nadiyah Johnson

BizTimes Staff
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Nadiyah Johnson

Founder and CEO
Jet Constellations  |  Milwaukee

Nadiyah Johnson is founder and chief executive officer of Jet Constellations, a Milwaukee-based software company that provides tech solutions in the medical, financial and socially responsible industries. Through Jet Constellations, Johnson promotes STEM education in Milwaukee, consults tech-oriented startups and supports Milwaukee’s ecosystem of entrepreneurs. The company’s social impact arm, Milky Way Tech Hub, is focused on making Milwaukee a tech hub where people of color can thrive in the field of technology. In 2024, it launched a new accelerator in collaboration with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and the nonprofit Milwaukee Turners. Milky Way Tech Hub enjoys the backing of major corporate partners, including Northwestern Mutual, Milwaukee Tool and American Family Insurance.

Johnson played an influential role in having Gov. Tony Evers declare October “Wisconsin Tech Month.” The month launched in 2021 with 40 events, and today it has over 50 corporate partners and hosts more than 100 events with over 1,000 attendees.

Prior to founding Jet Constellations, Johnson worked for GE Healthcare and was a computer software instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

Johnson served as a Wisconsin delegate representing Milwaukee at this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Education: Bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate, Marquette University

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