CRW • Corporate Report • Wisconsin's Business Magazine

Business, at its very core, is a simple process. It’s providing a quality product or service to a happy customer time and time again. But it’s often the intangibles that separate a good business from a great business. In that respect, it is your reputation, your integrity, your value in the eyes of your peers (and even your competition) that matters. The opinion that others have of you can propel you toward success.

In June, almost 170 business people from around the state – all finalists in the Best of Wisconsin Business Award voting – were on hand for a gourmet luncheon at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Although there could only be one top winner in each of this year’s 30 different categories, the entire room was filled with top-level nominees.

This year marked the fifth year of the annual Best of Wisconsin Business Awards, and more than 2,600 individuals cast their votes online during a two-month period.

Congratulations to all the winners and their employees for a job well done. To get votes from our readers — truly Wisconsin’s executive-level audience – is an accomplishment, whether your company received the top platinum award for its category or was simply in the top three.

Thank you to our readers statewide for taking such an active part in the voting, and to our winners, many of whom eschewed one of the first perfect days of early summer to join us indoors. We also would like to thank the Kalahari Resort for once again hosting our luncheon and our co-sponsor Charter Business, for its support. Watch for balloting to open early next year for the 2010 Best of Wisconsin Business Awards.

But until then, join us in celebrating with the 2009 winners...

Best of Wisconsin Business Award Winners for 2009
The platinum award winner is listed first in bold type, and rank from last year is in parenthesis.

Best Accounting Firm
Schenck Business Solutions, Appleton (2)
Baker Tilly (formerly Virchow Krause), Madison (3)
Clifton Gunderson LLP, Milwaukee (1)
Schenck is a full-service CPA and business consulting firm with 64 shareholders, more than 500 employees and 9 locations throughout Wisconsin. Founded in 1930 as a sole proprietorship, Schenck is an independent firm associated AGN International Ltd, giving Wisconsin clients the world at their fingertips.

Best Advertising Agency
Stephan & Brady Inc., Madison (1)
Jacobson Rost, Sheboygan (New)
Glowac, Harris, Madison Inc., Madison (2)
Stephan & Brady is a full service marketing communications agency based in Madison. Their mission is to become their clients’ Chief Customer Officer. They serve as an impartial, third-party resource that keeps their clients’ customers needs and desires at the center of every marketing decision and every point of communications contact, to help maximize communications effectiveness and their clients’ return on investment. Stephan & Brady’s client list includes Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Church Mutual Insurance Company, National Honey Board, Miller Brewing Company, Baker Tilly and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Best Air Charter Company
Heartland Aviation, Eau Claire (1)
Wisconsin Aviation, Watertown (2)
Air Wisconsin, Appleton (New)
Heartland Aviation, Inc. is a full service provider of Air Charter, Aircraft Maintenance and FBO Services located in Eau Claire. Heartland has been serving clients since 1961 and has become the air charter operator of choice for customers in the Wisconsin, Minneapolis and Chicago markets.

Best Architectural/Design Firm
Keller Inc., Kaukauna (2)
Mead & Hunt Inc.,  Madison (3)
HGA Architects & Engineers, Milwaukee (1)
Keller, Inc. is a commercial design/build firm with offices in the Fox Cities, Milwaukee and Wausau. Keller is a 100-percent, employee-owned company, with 200 employee owners. 

Best Commercial Interior and Design Firm
HGA Architects & Engineers , Milwaukee (2)
Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP, Milwaukee (1)
Strang Inc. , Madison (New)
HGA is an integrated architecture, engineering, interior design and planning firm that helps prepare its clients for the future. With offices in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn.; and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif., the nationally recognized firm has developed expertise in the healthcare, corporate, arts, community, higher education and science/technology industries since 1953. HGA’s culture for interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing and design investigation enables its clients to achieve success with responsive, innovative and sustainable design. Visit www.hga.com.

Best Business Bank
M & I Bank, Milwaukee (1)
Associated Bank, Green Bay (2)
Johnson Bank, Racine (3)
Founded in 1847, M&I Bank is the largest Wisconsin-based bank, with $61.8 billion in assets. The diversified financial services corporation is headquartered in Milwaukee and  has 193 offices throughout Wisconsin, plus offices in several other states. M&I also provides trust and investment services.

Best Credit Union
UW Credit Union, Madison (2)
Summit Credit Union, Madison (New)
Landmark Credit Union, New Berlin (3)
UW Credit Union is a growing, federally insured financial institution that provides customized financial products and services to meet the money management goals of its members. It was founded in 1931 by university faculty and now has more than 131,000 members and assets of $1.2 billion. There are 16 full-service branches serving the Madison, Milwaukee, Whitewater, Green Bay and Stevens Point areas along with six campus locations throughout the state.

Best Financial Services Firm
Clifton Gunderson, LLP, Milwaukee (1)
Baker Tilly, Milwaukee (formerly Virchow Krause) (2)
Robert W. Baird (3)
Clifton Gunderson Financial Services (CGFS) offers an objective solution to clients’ financial planning and investment management needs. Comprised of three businesses, Clifton Gunderson Financial Advisors LLC, CG Brokerage LLC and CG Risk Management LLC, CGFS professionals find the solution for any client need from the proper investment choices to the right college funding vehicle or the appropriate insurance policy.

Best Insurance Firm or Agency
The Murphy Insurance Group, Waunakee (2)
American Family Insurance, Madison (1)
M3 Insurance Solutions Inc., Madison (New)
Founded in 1990 by Steven J. Murphy, The Murphy Insurance Group has steadily grown and consistently surpassed the industry benchmarks to become a leader of risk management for business insurance in the state of Wisconsin. The Murphy Insurance Group is an independent insurance agency which takes a specialist approach to dealing with Risk Management. Sales and service associates are specialized into departments, allowing thorough knowledge in each area.  This specialization also allows the staff to spend more time focusing on service instead of just on products.  Consulting on coverage and providing risk and claim management are tools that ultimately keep clients’ insurance costs lower than the average.
 
Best Commercial Real Estate Firm
Inland Companies, Milwaukee (New)
T. Wall Properties, Madison (New)
First Weber Group Commercial Realtors, Madison (1)
Inland Companies Inc. is recognized as one of the largest full-service commercial real estate companies in Wisconsin. With offices in Milwaukee and Madison, Inland Companies provides their clients with comprehensive expertise in commercial real estate brokerage, property management, investment sales, real estate development, construction and facility maintenance services. Inland employs more than 100 professionals and handles over 10 million square feet of office, industrial, retail and multi-family projects worth nearly $700 million in value.

Best Law Firm
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Milwaukee HQ (3)
Foley & Lardner LLP, Milwaukee (1)
DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C., Madison (2)
Across a history that began in 1848, Michael Best has earned a reputation for goal-driven legal representation. Through more than a century and half of business and technological evolution, top regional, national and global businesses have sought their candid, informed counsel. Today Michael Best provides legal services to established businesses, emerging technology companies and individuals navigating important legal and business issues.

Best Engineering Firm
Mead & Hunt Inc., Madison (1)
Strang Inc., Madison (New)
Somerville Inc., Green Bay (New)
Mead & Hunt Inc. provides professional consulting services in architecture, engineering, planning and historical preservation to federal, state and local government agencies, and to utilities, contractors and industrial and commercial clients. It was founded in 1900 and is employee-owned and privately held. It has tripled in size during the past 10 years and had annual billings last year of more than $41.7 million. Mead & Hunt has nearly 400 employees in 10 states with headquarters in Madison.

Best General Contractor
JH Findorff & Son Inc., Madison (New)
C G Schmidt Inc., Milwaukee (New)
Miron Construction Company, Neenah (1)
J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. is one of Wisconsin’s leading builders. With offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Findorff currently employs an average of 600 construction professionals and tradespeople, and completes more than $300 million in construction annually.

For more than 100 years, Findorff employees have demonstrated leadership, integrity and innovation on thousands of projects throughout Southern Wisconsin. Findorff also prides itself on remaining at the forefront of cutting-edge construction processes, equipment and technology.

Best Staffing Firm
Creative Financial Staffing, Madison (1)
The QTI Group, Madison (3)
Landmark Staffing Resources Inc. (2)
Creative Financial Staffing helps clients staff accounting and finance departments. The niche firm, affiliated with Baker Tilly, offers temporary employees for both short-term and long-term accounting and finance positions. The firm recruits and places direct-hire accounting professionals with capabilities at the executive, management, associate and accounting clerical levels.

Best Janitorial Service
ServiceMaster Building Maintenance, Madison (2)
K-tech Kleening Systems, Schofield (New)
CleanPower, Wauwatosa (3)
ServiceMaster Building Maintenance cleans more than 300 facilities encompassing 6 million square feet per day and maintains a workforce of more than 250. ServiceMaster Building Maintenance provides commercial and janitorial services to a wide range of facilities throughout the Madison area, the Fox Cities and Green Bay. The firm’s goal is to provide the highest quality cleaning services that will exceed clients’ expectations. Of the more than 4,400 ServiceMaster franchises throughout the United States and Canada, ServiceMaster Building Maintenance is in the top 30 as far as volume and was selected as one of the top five commercial franchises six times in the last eight years.

Best Business Telecommunications Firm
TDS Telecom, Madison (1)
AT&T (2)
Verizon Wireless (3)
TDS Telecommunications Corp. markets communication services to business and residential customers in 30 states through its brands TDS Telecom® and TDS Metrocom®. With nearly 1.2 million access line equivalents in service, TDS Telecommunications Corp. connects customers to phone, broadband and digital television service in hundreds of rural, suburban and metropolitan communities. TDS Telecom-munications Corp. is the eighth-largest wire line company in the nation; employing approximately 2,730 people. The company is headquartered in Madison. TDS Telecommunications Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Inc.

Best Information Technology Company
Clifton Gunderson Information Technology Services, Milwaukee (1)
CDW Corporation, Madison (3)
Heartland Business Systems, Neenah (2)
Clifton Gunderson Technology Solutions provides business software, communications, networking and infrastructure, content management and storage, application delivery and security to businesses in Wisconsin, Arizona and Illinois.

Best School for On-Line Education – New Category
Herzing University Online, Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater
Lakeland College, Sheboygan
At Herzing University Online, the school’s main goal is to provide a quality education at a superior value so students can begin the career they’ve always wanted, or advance in their current field. Herzing’s flexible course structure lets students log into class when it’s convenient for them, so they can pursue their education while tending to other personal or professional obligations. A regionally accredited* university with over 40 years of success, Herzing offers diplomas and degrees in business, technology, health care, design, and public safety, in addition to graduate-level studies. It’s Herzing Online’s commitment to providing a career-focused education and outstanding student service that allows it to boast that 97 percent of our available 2008 graduates found work in the field they studied at Herzing University Online. 

* Herzing University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association. (www.ncahlc.org or 800.621.7440)

Best School for Continuing Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison (1)
Madison Area Technical College, Madison (3)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee  (2)
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s executive education programs meet today’s ever-changing business demands while enhancing organizational effectiveness and leadership capacity. Ranked  No. 2 internationally for both “value for the money” and “food and accommodations” by the Financial Times of London (2008), its 200-plus open-enrollment courses expand students’ knowledge, delivering intelligent decision making and innovative problem solving tools to help  implement viable changes within workplaces. Understandably, it’s difficult for busy professionals to leave the office for long training sessions, and companies may not be able to afford lengthy, expensive classes. That’s why they offer two- and three-day budget-friendly courses to accommodate demanding work schedules.

Network within these limited-enrollment courses and discuss work-related challenges with expert faculty. Connect with peers from around the country and learn how other leaders are handling similar challenges in new ways. Visit www.exed.wisc.edu/ for program overviews, planning calendars, lodging information and online registration.

Best Conference Center
Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center, Madison (1)
Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells (2)
Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee (3)
The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace® Community and Convention Center is located in the heart of Madison’s vibrant downtown on the shore of Lake Monona, two blocks from the Capitol. This spectacular multilevel structure features public promenades, meeting rooms with striking lake views and the attached Hilton Madison Monona Terrace. Gracing the rooftop are 68,000 square feet of gardens that may be reserved for events, in addition to the Lake Vista Café.

Monona Terrace has a well-earned reputation among convention and meeting professionals as one of the finest venues in the U.S.  Adding to its appeal, in 2007 Monona Terrace became the first U.S. convention center “green building” certified at the Silver Level by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) program.

Meeting space includes a 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 14,000-square-foot ballroom, 320-seat multimedia lecture hall and 20 additional meeting rooms totaling more than 28,000 square feet. Special amenities include a greeter at the main entrance to assist guests, business center, gift shop, art/exhibit area and expansive areas for registration and information needs.  Monona Terrace is where business and inspiration meet! 

Best Hotel for Business Meetings and Travel
Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells (1)
The Pfister, Milwaukee (2)
Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, Madison (New)
Garnering the platinum award for the fourth year, the Kalahari offers the most meeting space of any hotel plus the many diversions of the Dells. Built in 2000 and expanded in several phases over the years, Kalahari’s Wisconsin Dells property brings “a world away” experience to travelers throughout the Midwest. With everything-under-one-roof convenience, Kalahari features 750 African-themed guest rooms and suites, a 100,000 sq-ft. state-of-the-art convention center and Wisconsin’s largest indoor waterpark at 125,000 square feet.

Best Health Insurance Plan
Dean Health Plan , Madison (1)
Group Health Cooperative, Madison (New)
Physicians Plus, Madison (2)
Dean Health Plan offers an entire range of fully insured and self-insured products that are offered to the commercial, Medicare and Medicaid markets. Dean Health Plan has a combined member enrollment of 265,000 members and is the largest HMO in Wisconsin, operating since 1983.

Best Dental Insurance Plan
Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Stevens Point (1)
Humana Inc., Waukesha (2)
Ameritas Group, Madison (New)
Delta Dental of Wisconsin is a not-for-profit dental service corporation offering benefit services, claims processing, and plan administration to employers throughout Wisconsin since 1962. The company is headquartered in Stevens Point, with sales offices in Milwaukee and Madison, and provides benefits and services to more than 1.2 million subscribers and their family members. Delta Dental administers dental benefits for more Wisconsin companies than any other insurance carrier.

As a member of the nationwide Delta Dental Plans Association, the company is able to offer the same dental benefits to all employees of Wisconsin-based companies wherever they are located in the United States. The Delta Dental Plans Association is the largest dental benefits system in the nation. Its member companies provide benefits to over 51 million people in 93,000 groups across the United States.

Best Hospital/Medical Center
UW Health, Madison (1)
St. Mary’s Hospital, Madison (3)
Meriter Hospital, Madison (2)
Based in Madison with strong ties to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW Health includes:

• UW Hospital and Clinics, a regional academic medical center nationally recognized for outstanding care and service, and American Family Children’s Hospital, a dedicated pediatric facility, together totaling 493 beds;
 
•  UW Medical Foundation, a large group practice with approximately 1,100 world-class physicians in 98 specialties; and

• The UW School of Medicine and Public Health with its core missions of education and basic, translational clinical and population research.
 
Best Green Initiatives Company – New Category
Tri-North Builders, Madison
Hunzinger Construction Company
Johnson Controls Inc., Milwaukee
Founded in 1981 in Madison, as a General Contracting firm, Tri-North Builders has grown to become one of the largest construction companies in the United States. With a focus in Commercial, Healthcare, Hospitality, Institutional, and Retail construction, the firm currently works in all 50 states and Canada. Tri-North has three offices to better serve their clients in Madison, Milwaukee and Dallas.

Best Performing Arts Venue
Overture Center for the Arts, Madison (2)
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton (1)
Marcus Center for the Performing
    Arts, Milwaukee (3)
 
Best Golf Course
Bishops Bay Country Club, Middleton (New)
Trappers Turn Golf Club, Wisconsin Dells (New)
Sentry World Golf Course, Stevens Point (3)

Best Business Cellular Phone Company
U.S. Cellular (1)
Verizon Wireless (2)
AT&T (New)

Most Admired Small Wisconsin Company – New Category
Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP, Milwaukee
Mead & Hunt Inc., Madison
Keller Inc. , Kaukauna
With offices in Milwaukee and Madison, Plunkett Raysich Architects provides planning, architectural and design services. The firm’s latest service offerings include land planning and facility maintenance. Its commitment includes creating quality architecture that combines function with imagination. PRA’ s buildings are inviting, inspire the people who use them and have a sense of place in the community they serve.

The firm’s history reaches back over a century, touching the lives of more than 1,000,000 people each day within the hospitals, schools, senior care facilities, churches, municipal buildings and offices the firm has designed throughout the Midwest. PRA connects people with the places that provide them service each and every day.

At Plunkett Raysich Architects, the firm’s passion is great design. They take pride in bringing together physical elements with pure imagination to compose a facility brand that opens minds. Creating spaces that invite people in and inspire all who occupy them. PRA’s belief is that practical can complement innovative. Environments are made for people and they believe their vision is matched only by their client’s aspirations.

Because great design is more than passion, it’s their work. Plunkett Raysich Architects. Intelligent design. Inspired results. To see their  design work, visit www.prarch.com.

Most Admired Large Wisconsin Company – New Category
Baker Tilly (formerly Virchow Krause), Madison
Harley Davidson Inc. , Milwaukee
SC Johnson, Racine
The 17th largest CPA and consulting firm in the U.S. according to Public Accounting Report’s “Top 100 of 2008,” Virchow Krause has changed its name to Baker Tilly as part of an agreement to become the exclusive U.S. branded firm in the Baker Tilly International network. Baker Tilly delivers the experience you expect from a full-service accounting and advisory firm. Its focus on industries and technical specialization is made stronger by an informed business perspective. With offices in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and New York, Baker Tilly has more than 1,300 professionals, 152 partners and 486 CPAs.

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