Jeff Grahl has been named vice president of operations at Peter Schwabe, Inc., a design/build firm in Big Bend. The firm also has hired Teri Lynch as marketing manager and Dave Bever as chief estimator. Grahl has a 15-year background in construction and real estate development, and was the founder and president of Construction Aspex, Inc., the construction arm of Centres, Inc.
John L. Stearns has been named president of Ideal Financial Services. He joined the firm in 1993 as a loan officer. In 1996 he was promoted to the position of manager and vice president.
Marie Crockett will lead New School Development Consulting, a newly created consulting service providing support to charter school developers. The operation has been created by YW Community Education Center, a subsidiary of YWCA of Greater Milwaukee.
Tim Oleszczuk has joined the investment-banking firm of Grace Matthews as principal. Grace Matthews, with offices in Milwaukee and Boston, specializes in mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance advisory services. Oleszczuk will manage sell-side assignment, management buyout and capital raising efforts for the firm. Oleszczuk brings 12 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance involving such diverse industries as telecommunications, publishing, insurance, manufacturing, retailing, information technology and professional services to Grace Matthews. Prior to joining Grace Matthews, Oleszczuk managed the Milwaukee office of Resource Financial Corp., where he was vice president and general counsel. Oleszczuk previously served as shareholder and corporate attorney at Godfrey & Kahn of Milwaukee, where his legal practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and insurance law. Oleszczuk holds a B.B.A. and M.B.A., both Summa Cum Laude, in finance and risk management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan.
McCloud Construction, Inc., a full-service construction firm based in Brookfield, has named Gary S. Kautzer as executive vice president and David A. Schultz as vice president and Fox Valley manager. Kautzer joins McCloud from General Electric Company’s Medical Systems division in Waukesha, where he served as a corporate facilities and real estate executive. He will have responsibility for the company’s day-to-day operations and will reinforce the firm’s overall performance, growth and strategic direction. Kautzer holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and earned a BS in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Schultz assumes overall responsibility of business development in the northeastern Wisconsin market and will manage construction operations in the region from the firm’s Neenah office. Schultz has moved to McCloud from C.R. Meyer and Sons Co. of Oshkosh where he spearheaded business development efforts. He was instrumental in founding the firm’s Healthcare Group, which designs construction service delivery around the unique service needs of the medical marketplace. Schultz earned his BS in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a Wisconsin-licensed architect.
Rudolph J. Valenta has been named vice president for sales and marketing for Eltosch North America in Brookfield. Valenta, a 35-year veteran of the printing industry, was most recently corporate sales manger for MAN Roland, Inc., where he has also held various sales, product management and technical training positions. Valenta is president of the Lithographers Club of Chicago, serves on the board of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation and was appointed to the President’s Council of the Environmental Protection Agency for the PIA in Washington, D.C. Eltosch North America Inc. is a manufacturer of high-performance UV, infared and thermoair drying systems.
Barb Schumann has been named sales director of the Shorewest Realtors Downtown Milwaukee office. She brings more than 15 years of real estate experience to her new position. Schumann works in Shorewest’s office at 1028 E. Juneau Ave.
Mike Steiner recently joined R.A. Smith’s public works division as a project engineer. Steiner has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Marquette University.
Chris Rakowski has been promoted to the position of assistant vice president, director of operations, at Senior Residential Care of America, a West Allis-based builder and operator of assisted living senior group homes in Milwaukee County. She began her employment with the company as an operations manager. The firm also has hired Todd R. Luft as assistant vice president, director of marketing. He holds an BBA in business administration with a major in marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and has been in marketing for 13 years.
Dan DiComo has joined Eppstein Uhen Architects in Milwaukee as a senior project manager in the firm’s corporate office and industrial studio. He relocated from the Detroit area.
Dale Resch has been named residential service manager at Roman Electric Co. Resch, a journeyman electrician, has been with Roman Electric for 14 years. Prior to that he served four years in the Navy as an electrician.
Lynn Carey has been appointed regional director for organizational development at the Covenant Healthcare System. She most recently served as the director of educational services for Children’s Health System of Wisconsin She holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology and a master’s in nursing, both from Marquette University.
Aug. 3, 2001 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
