Will Allen, founder and chief executive officer of Milwaukee's Growing Power Inc., has been invited by former President Bill Clinton and Yale University to speak about sustainable foods.

Clinton invited Allen to participate in a panel discussion titled "The Future of Food," on Friday, Feb. 13, at the University of Texas Austin. Actress Drew Barrymoore also will be featured on the panel, which will speak in front of 1,000 college students and 200 university presidents and chancellors from across the nation.

The conference is part of the Clinton Global Initiative, which is sponsored by the Clinton Foundation. Allen and the others will address issues of food security and food justice in a world threatened by economic and political upheaval, global warming, overpopulation and outmoded food policies.

The moderator for the discussion will be Raj Shah, the director of agricultural development for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other panelists include: Barrymore, who has been named an ambassador against hunger to the U.N. World Food Program; Emma Clipinger, a student at Brown University; Peter McPherson, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges; and film director Morgan Spurlock.

Following that discussion, Allen will appear at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., on Monday, Feb. 16, for a special address to the faculty, students and guests of the Yale Sustainable Food Project.

The Yale Sustainable Food Project directs programs that "support exploration and academic inquiry related to food and agriculture," and also manages a sustainable dining program and an organic farm on the Yale campus.

"It's pretty clear that food, pure and simple, is not being taken for granted anymore,” Allen said. “Conferences like these, sponsored by some of the most important institutions in the world, suggest it has finally sunk in. We need to address hunger as a global threat."

Baensch Food Products recently released a new Valentines Day-themed label for its Ma Baensch herring product that highlights the nutritional benefits of the fish. 

According to Kim Wall, president of Baensch Food Products, herring offers health benefits that people may not even know about.

"Ma Baensch is naturally low fat, rich in calcium and is an excellent source of Omega 3s, which medical research has shown to be vital in the battle against heart disease," Wall said.

Baensch Food Products introduced the new product label for its 12- and 24-ounce glass jars of Ma Baensch herring. 

The wine sauce and sour cream and chive varieties will feature the updated label, which includes the company's new tagline, "Ma Baensch - Kiss of Health Since 1932."

The lips depicted on the graphic on the label are Wall's lips.

"To better educate consumers about these benefits, highlight the company's long history and give Ma Baensch packaging a fresh look without compromising our brand standards, we added the new tagline and lips to the label," she said.

U.S. Cellular recently presented the staff of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee with 44 phones, and one year of free service, as part of its commitment to supporting youth in Wisconsin.

"To make sure we keep our kids safe at all times, we need to be able to communicate quickly and easily," Jim Clark, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, said. "These phones will give us all some peace of mind."

In the last three years, U.S. Cellular has awarded more than $1 million in charitable funds and United Way donations to nonprofits serving economically disadvantaged youth, families and seniors in Wisconsin.

"We're grateful for the opportunity to support the great work that the Boys & Girls Clubs do for our communities," said Kathy Hust, regional vice president for U.S. Cellular.

Name:  Edward Chaltry

Title: Chief technology officer

Company: Centare Group Ltd.

Company address:125 N. Executive Drive Suite 104, Brookfield, WI 53005

Company web site: http://www.centare.com/

Industry: IT services

Education: B.S. in computer science, UW-Madison

Family: Married to Holly; father of four (Justin, Samantha, Rachel and Daniel).

Hobbies and Interests: "Cooking, technology, motoring in my Mini Cooper. I also spend part of my summer volunteering for our church's REC mission trip."

Favorite book and/or movie: "Lord of the Rings."

Favorite musician/band: Queen

Favorite place to visit/vacation: Cancun, Mexico

Favorite local restaurant: Eddie Martini's ("Great food, awesome service.")

Words to live by: "The Serenity Prayer does a good job of summing it up. 'God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other…'”

What is your core philosophy for doing business?
"Show excellence in everything you do and show respect to everyone you come in contact with. Focus on your competitive advantages and consider outsourcing the rest.  This philosophy has served us well as we enter our 10th year of business at Centare Group."

Who is your role model and why?

"My Dad is my role model, for a number of reasons. First, I had the pleasure of working with him at his job (at a printing company) in my teenage years.  His reputation for working hard was well known, and they were big shoes to fill. He always gave 110 percent while on the clock and he expected as much from everyone he worked with (as well as his son!). Second, even though he worked many hours to support our family, he was always the first to volunteer his time. He volunteered at church, scouts (our scout master for years), as well as community organizations. Finally, while he was firm with his children, he always trusted us to do the right thing."

What was the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

"A few years ago I attended one of my employee's wedding. It was an outside wedding on a hot summer day. I wore a dark sport coat … bad idea. When we moved inside to the reception, I realized that my undershirt, shirt (and even tie) were completely soaked through. I had to run to a local Kmart to buy a polo shirt to change into (in the parking lot). Lesson learned."

Obama appoints Immelt to Economic Recovery Advisory Board

President Barack Obama today signed an executive order establishing the new Economic Recovery Advisory Board, which will include General Electric Corp. chief executive officer Jeffrey Immelt, who previously served as the president of GE Healthcare in Waukesha.

Modeled on the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board created by President Dwight Eisenhower, the Board will provide an independent voice on economic issues and will be charged with offering independent advice to the president as he formulates and implements his plans for economic recovery.

The Economic Recovery Advisory Board will provide regular briefings to the president, vice president and their economic team. The board will be established initially for a two-year term, after which the president will make a determination on whether to extend the work of the board.

Obama said the members of the board are private citizens outside the government who are qualified on the basis of achievement, experience, independence and integrity.

Paul Volcker will serve as chairman, and Austan Goolsbee will serve as staff director and chief economist.

Grebe is new chairman of GMC

Michael Grebe, president of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, was installed as the new chairman of the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC) on Monday.

The GMC's annual meeting took place at the University Club, where Grebe was installed to succeed outgoing GMC chairman Ed Zore, chief executive officer of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.

Grebe, who is a retired chief executive officer and partner of Foley & Lardner LLP, will serve a two-year term on the GMC board.

Key topics of discussion at Monday's meeting will include regional transit and water. Badger Meter Inc. chief executive officer Rich Meeusen will provide an update on the progress of the Milwaukee 7 Water Council.

Chancellor Carlos Santiago of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will present the latest information on the developing UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.

Zimpher to take high-profile post in New York

Nancy Zimpher, former chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will soon become the chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest university system in the nation.

Zimpher, 62, will leave her post as chancellor of the University of Cincinnati to assume her new post in Albany, N.Y. She will oversee 64 university campuses.

Building & Construction

Mortenson Construction, Brookfield, recently announced the additions of Mike Hector and Patrick Whaley as field engineers on the Wisconsin team. 

Distribution

Jerry Weidmann, president of Wisconsin Lift Truck Corp., Brookfield, was recently elected to serve as membership chairman of the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association.

Education

UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education has added Kathy Bornheimer, owner of K.B. & Associates, Milwaukee, to the advisory board of the Career Transition Center.

Health Care

Mark Schaefer, president of Froedtert Hospital's Volunteer Associates, was recently named president-elect of the Wisconsin Hospital Association's (WHA) Volunteers.

Melanie  Hinojosa, a sociologist with expertise in racial and ethnic health disparities, was recently named assistant professor of family and community medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at The Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa.

Five best selling business books from 800 CEO Read:

1. "Power of Feedback," by Joseph R. Folkman

2. "What Got You Here Won't Get You There," by Marshall Goldsmith, Mark Reiter

3. "100 Best Business Books of All Time," by Jack Covert, Todd Sattersten

4. "The Go-Giver," by Bob Burg, John David Mann

5. "Strengths Finder 2.0," by Tom Rath

Courtesy of 800 CEO Read

Marquette University’s College of Business Administration faculty and area business leaders engaged in an Economic Leadership Forum recently at Marquette’s Alumni Memorial Union. Marquette's new James H. Keyes Dean of Business Administration, Linda Salchenberger, moderated the panel of industry leaders and Marquette faculty experts, including Abdur Chowdhury, professor, economics; David Clark, chair/professor, economics; David Krause, director, Applied Investment Management Program; Jim Imhoff, CEO, First Weber Group Inc.; and Mary Ellen Stanek, managing director and director of asset management, Robert W. Baird and Co.

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