Join Login

Category: Member News

Learn who’s growing, changing, moving and more! Stay on top of what’s new with your neighboring businesses. We share news releases and announcements from your peers in the Madison area. Want to toot your own horn? Use our Submit Member News form to share your own stories.

Photo by Richard Hurd

Goodman Community Center Executive Director departing

Madison, WI June 12, 2020 – After more than 31 years of dynamic leadership, Becky Steinhoff has decided to step down as Executive Director of the Goodman Community Center.

“The board of directors will forever be grateful for her vision and dedication that gave our community this great gift,” said GCC Board President Souphaphone Maddox. “Under Becky’s leadership, the Center has grown from a small neighborhood center into a beautiful and important resource the greater Madison area cherishes. People from all walks of life and all ages come for programs, services and resources that make their lives – and our community – stronger.”

Read more

Photo by Richard Hurd

Timpano Group launches survey project to explore workforce strategies beyond the pandemic

Contact: Melanie Schmidt, Timpano Group president, mschmidt@timpanogroup.com, 608-695-7320

Madison, WI – June 12, 2020 – Timpano Group has joined forces with Blue Rock WI to explore workforce strategies through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is designed to gather insights from employers and employees about reactions to the pandemic, impressions about remote working as a viable path for progress, and general opinions about what should shape new norms in management.

The project involves surveys open for public input through June 22, interviews, and secondary research. Data gathered will be distilled into an informational report available free for interested parties across sectors, sizes, and industries at the end of the month.

Links to the surveys can be found at https://bit.ly/workbeyondcovid. Responses are confidential and anonymous.

Timpano Group Chief Strategist Melanie Schmidt shared that the project was borne from a perceived gap in actionable information from which organizations could figure out their particular path forward. “We want to move beyond platitudes and surface strategies that can inform better ways of innovating organizational performance,” said Schmidt. “That kind of constructive innovation means asking people working in organizations how they would do things differently based upon what they’ve learned and experienced in the last several months.” Schmidt continued by asserting that the pandemic shone a spotlight on challenges already existing in organizations and this project will provide inspiration for organizations needing to move beyond the pandemic response.

For more information, contact Melanie Schmidt at insights@timpanogroup.com or via phone at (608) 695-7320.

About Timpano Group: Timpano Group is a creative consultancy focused on helping organizations align their strategies, systems, people, and processes to achieve intended results. President and Chief Strategist Melanie Schmidt facilitates progress for her clients across sectors in organizations of varying sizes and interests. She lends particular expertise in strategic thinking, practical planning, talent management, and change leadership. More information is available online at www.timpanogroup.com.

Photo by Richard Hurd

WPS Health Solutions partners with TriWest Healthcare Alliance to begin health care delivery in VA Community Care Network Region 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli, Director of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Solutions partners with TriWest Healthcare Alliance to begin health care delivery in VA Community Care Network Region 4

MADISON, Wis.—June 11, 2020—WPS Health Solutions has joined TriWest Healthcare Alliance in beginning health care delivery under the new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care Network (CCN) in Region 4, encompassing 13 western U.S. states. WPS is a subcontractor, providing claims processing services for the contract.

Health care delivery began June 8 in Montana and Eastern Colorado and will expand to 11 more states by the end of August 2020.

“WPS is pleased to be able to continue to support our veterans, TriWest, and the Department of Veterans Affairs with the highest level of service,” said Rani Connely, Vice President for WPS Military and Veterans Health.

The Region 4 team at WPS consists of about 350 people, including remote claims processors and staff in West Frankfort, Ill., and Rothschild, Wis., along with business and technology staff in Madison.

The Community Care Network (CCN), created by the MISSION Act of 2018, is a network of credentialed community health care providers that work with VA medical professionals. The purpose of CCN is to help ensure veterans are provided the care they need when they are unable to receive that care at a VA medical facility. CCN is designed to strengthen partnerships with community care providers, ensure robust care coordination, and improve veterans’ access to health care they have earned through their service.

Once fully implemented by late August 2020, CCN will replace the Patient-Centered Community Care (PC3) Program as the preferred national network VA uses to purchase care for veterans in their community. TriWest’s current network serves as a critical bridge until CCN is fully deployed to ensure veterans continue to receive the care they need.

“VA deserves enormous credit for its collaboration and steadfast approach in staying focused on the tasks at hand in launching the new community care network despite the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said David J. McIntyre Jr., TriWest President and CEO.

For more information, please visit: www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE

About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans, and their families. Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions) has been based in Madison, Wis., for more than 70 years. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.

Photo by Richard Hurd

Lift Consulting, LLC Launches New Company, Pareto’s Talent

Pareto’s Talent, a Lift Consulting, LLC company
434 S. Yellowstone Dr.
Madison, WI

Contact: Laura Mael, Chief People Officer
                Laura.mael@sandler.com
                608-561-7714

Lift Consulting, LLC Launches New Company, Pareto’s Talent

Madison, WI June 8, 2020 – Lift Consulting, LLC, has launched a new company with a focus on connecting high performing, driven individuals with organizations where their talents are needed, recognized, and rewarded. Today more than ever, companies are reconsidering their workforce – what roles, what skills, and how an ideal employee fits into a landscape that is changed. Now more than ever is the time for individuals to know their professional story and share it with a company that needs to and wants to listen to it. Pareto’s Talent is the place to start.

“Nurturing talent is all we do. If an organization needs a firm that is in-tune with the newest procedures, technology, and talent, that is us. If not, we are likely not the best fit”, says Matthew Pletzer, CEO Lift Consulting, LLC, and Pareto’s Talent.

Marketplace veteran Laura Mael will lead Pareto’s Talent. As Chief People Officer, Laura’s role will be to ensure clients professional stories are well-crafted and that they have the structural components (resume, cover letter, etc.) needed to obtain employment. With the passion and experience to help individuals navigate career transitions successfully, “clients know that working with me is a relationship based on hard work and a genuine passion for partnering together to reach their career goals,” says Mael.

Individuals will have the option of participating in a subscription-based service (available in four levels – Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze) or standard ala carte career services including, but not limited to:

  • Career Coaching
  • Resume and cover letter development
  • Interview coaching and practice
  • Targeted job notifications
  • Personalized customer assessment results and development plans
  • On-going connection to a career development professional
  • Pareto’s Talent Certification

Pareto’s Talent is a Lift Consulting, LLC company, led by CEO, Matt Pletzer, and CPO, Laura Mael, and provides talent strategy for individuals and organizations. Pareto’s Talent, based on the Pareto Principle that states that for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Pareto’s Talent focuses on working with individuals who want to be the 20% cause that creates 80% of the effect and connects them to an employer that can support that.

For more information, contact Laura Mael, CPO Pareto’s Talent at laura.mael@sandler.com or phone or text at 608.561.7714 or go to www.paretostalent.com.

Photo by Richard Hurd

Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County: Summer 2020 Digital Experience

In order to bridge the gap between youth and the dwindling paid opportunities available, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County will host a completely virtual alternative “internship experience” program. Boys & Girls Clubs staff will guide a cohort of 50 students through career exploration, skill building and networking, through a collaborative project-based learning model. 

Local career partners will submit sample projects that teams of students will work on throughout the duration of the summer. Projects will mirror the work assignments an intern might take on during a conventional summer internship program. This experience will be crafted with the needs of our youth and our employer partners in mind, while incorporating the essential internship best practices we believe in. 

This is where you can support us! We need employers to support our youth this summer in four important ways:

  1. Sponsor a student stipend!
  2. Submit a micro internship project 
  3. Volunteer your time and host a youth professional development session
  4. Join in our informational interview/networking events to help interns build connections

Our organization has cancelled our summer internship programs, or is on a hiring freeze and cannot hire summer interns. Are we able to support?

This program is NOT a typical internship commitment. We are looking for organizations who can support by providing us with some of the tools that fuel a summer internship, without the expectation that you are hosting an intern, or putting them on your payroll. 

Additionally, you can choose to sponsor the wages of our summer interns this summer. A donation of $3,000 can ensure 5 interns are paid this summer!

What is a micro internship project? 

Typically, micro internships are short term, paid assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. Once employers submit their micro internship projects to us, we’ll be assigning these to working groups of interns who will spend 5 weeks collaborating to complete this project for your organization! 

These projects don’t have to be current. They can be mock projects, past projects already completed that have learning value, or simulations of the type of work your organization does. Just know that if you are submitting a real time need, we can’t guarantee the final product as these are simulated experiences.

Did you have an idea of a project in mind for interns this summer, that is no longer feasible? Do you have additional needs with the impact of COVID19? Are there projects that have been pushed from your to do list, but that a group of paid interns could support? These all make great micro internship projects! 

What does it mean to volunteer for a professional development session? 

We want our youth to learn and grow this summer, just as they would in a typical summer internship! We’re looking for professionals who could connect with our interns through a 1 hour lecture, discussion, or panel to teach our interns something new! 

Think back to when you started your career. What do you wish you would have known? Is there a specific skill or area you’re particularly passionate about? Whether it’s those basic career topics such as negotiating wages or time management, or more specific skills that apply to your type of work, we want our interns to learn from you! 

How do we get involved? 

Review our other resources, including our sample micro internship templates in this folder! If you’re feeling ready to commit, fill out our application here!

For more information, you can reach Taylor at tjackson@bgcdc.org or (410) 897-2705.

Please also consider sponsoring our talent this summer by donating to our Move4BGC fundraiser today