More than 2,400 people attended the 15th annual BizExpo, a daylong southeastern Wisconsin business-to-business conference presented by BizTimes Media, was held Thursday, May 30, at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.
Kicking off BizExpo was the Women in Business Breakfast, which featured a panel discussion of women who lead Milwaukee area organizations and made dramatic changes at some point during their careers, and concluded with the presentation of the Woman Executive of the Year Award to Mary Lou Young, the retired CEO of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County.
The exhibit floor at BizExpo featured more than 100 exhibitors, and ran all day until 4:30 p.m. Also held throughout the day were 18 strategy seminars, free for all attendees.
The annual Bravo! Entrepreneur and I.Q. (Innovation Quotient) Awards luncheon featured Brad Hollister, the chief executive officer of Madison-based SwanLeap, which is the #1 ranked company on the Inc. 5000 list, who gave the keynote presentation. Top entrepreneurs and innovators in the region were presented with their awards, and Paper Machinery Corp. co-founder Donald Baumgartner received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Concluding BizExpo was the After Hours networking session from 5-7 p.m.
Check out some photos of BizExpo below:
- BizExpo 2019
- BizTimes Media’s Women in Business breakfast.
- BizTimes owner and publisher Dan Meyer speaks during the Women in Business breakfast the morning of BizExpo.
- 2019 BizTimes Media Women in Business event panelists Julie Waterman, owner of Indulgence Chocolatiers; Kathy Thornton-Bias, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee; Maggie Fernandes, software developer with MacGregor Partners; and Deborah Allen, president and CEO of DNA Network LLC, with panel moderator Molly Dill, former managing editor of BizTimes Media.
- Mary Lou Young, retired CEO of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and recipient of the 2019 Woman Executive of the Year.
- Women in Business panelists Kathy Thornton-Bias, Julie Waterman, Maggie Fernandes, Woman Executive of the Year recipient Mary Lou Young, panelist Deborah Allen and BizTimes Media managing editor Molly Dill.
- Mary Lou Young, retired CEO of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and Dan Meyer, owner and publisher of BizTimes Media.
- Dan Meyer, owner and publisher of BizTimes Media, and Lifetime Achievement Award winner Donald Baumgartner, co-founder of Paper Machinery Corp.
- Tara Froemming, of Staff One Ltd.; David Schuelke, of Spring Bank; and Nick Froemming, of Staff One Ltd.
- Joel Benz, of Waukesha State Bank; Sheila Buechel; Rick Moon, of Lunar Communications; and Kevin Waldvogel, of Artmor.
- The recipients of the 2019 Bravo! Entrepreneur and I.Q. Awards, which were presented at a luncheon during the annual BizExpo event.
- BizTimes owner and publisher Dan Meyer speaks during the Bravo! Entrepreneur & I.Q. Awards luncheon during BizExpo.
- Brad Hollister, co-founder and CEO of SwanLeap, spoke during the Bravo! Entrepreneur and I.Q. Awards luncheon, which was held during the 2019 BizExpo event.
- Khalif and Que El-Amin, owners and founders of the Young Enterprising Society, were the recipients of the 2019 Bravo! Entrepreneur Regional Spirit Award.
- Donald Baumgartner, founder of Paper Machinery Corp. and recipient of the 2019 Bravo! Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Patrice Van Hyle, of PVA Translate LLC and Valerie Hofmaier of Zilli Hospitality Group.
- Manny Lara, of Advocate Aurora Health; Larry Presberg, of PAI; and Eric Venn, of The Venn Group.