Social Media University Milwaukee (SMUM), a collaborative effort presented Wednesday by Trivera Interactive of Germantown and other local sponsors, inspired participants to buzz about the event and its content all day long, both out loud and via Twitter.

The event at the Italian Community Center featured local presenters discussing topics pertaining to the world of social media and using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and other social media avenues as marketing tools to drive results to a company's bottom line. The presenters and members of the featured panel brought real-life examples of how social media tools have worked for them.

The all-day event originally put a cap on attendance at 350 available seats, but lifted that cap and registered 376 people to attend, said Tom Snyder, president, chief executive officer and founder of Trivera Interactive.

The huge turnout for an event about social media was generated through social media.

Local restaurants including Swig, Water Buffalo, AJ Bombers, Stack'd Bar, IronHorse Hotel, and Streetza Pizza were able to take advantage of the crowd of people by Tweeting their lunchtime specials to participants of SMUM.

Featured breakout sessions included topics such as blogging, using Web 2.0 to change your marketing strategies, finding and fueling fans with Facebook, leveraging LinkedIn and viral video strategies. The keynote address was given by Jay Steinfeld, CEO and founder of Blinds.com. Steinfeld founded his Houston, Texas-based company out of his basement and, using social media and other technology, has grown it into the largest online retailer of shades and blinds.

A constant SMUM hashtag on Twitter documented the feedback of the event. Visit #SMUM to read that feed.

BizTimes Milwaukee Reporter Alysha Schertz, attended SMUM and interviewed both Snyder and Seinfeld. Click on the video to see the footage.

Buffalo Water Beer Company announced this week the creation of a new autumn recipe Bison Blonde All Malt Lager Beer.

"As you'll see, our Blonde got a bit of a tan, and it's time to let this genie out of the bottle," said Craig Peterson, founder and chief executive officer of the Milwaukee brewery. "We brewed this batch with a slight recipe change to bring out the satisfying lagered malt goodness people expect in an Autumn brew. We added a finely crafted toasted malt to this batch, hoping to create a beer with a little extra warmth for these chill summer days. Let's call it a 'Septemberfest' beer."

The brew pours with a faintly amber glow, adding a new visual appeal to the firm's signature Blonde Lager. "We super-lagered the beer for added flavor richness and complexity," Peterson said.

The beer's production was strictly limited to 500 cases, and will only be available in bottles. The cases and the bottles will feature distinctive hand-applied orange labels to distinguish them from the traditional recipe Blonde Lager.

A community profile conducted by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Milwaukee affiliate indicated that more women in Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha counties are putting off needed preventative breast cancer screenings due to economic hardships and changing health insurance plans.

"Prevention in these economic times kind of falls by the wayside," said Jessica Bergstrom, associate researcher for the Center for Urban Population Health, a partnership of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Aurora Health Care, and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, which collected and analyzed data for the profile.

The study covered the Komen affiliate's eight-county area of southeastern Wisconsin. In addition to numerical data, researchers conducted 23 interviews with key informants to get a fuller picture of the data. Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha were identified as key target areas of focus for the next two years.

According to Bergstrom, the results indicated that health care providers are concerned about their patients' ability to get screening or testing, and the purpose of the study is to help prompt remedies for some of those concerns.

The results will be used by the Komen affiliate to direct its funding over the next two years and to help identify the community's greatest needs, Bergstrom said.

In southeastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Waukesha and Racine Counties have  the most number of women being diagnosed and dying from breast cancer.

“The stakes are enormous for women in southeastern Wisconsin,” said Sally Sheperdson, executive director of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Milwaukee Affiliate. “In our service area alone, there will be more than 1,300 women diagnosed with breast cancer by the end of 2009. More than 260 women will die. These numbers are quite simply unacceptable. The Milwaukee Affiliate's plan to address these devastating numbers is straightforward. We will continue to support programs which provide access to services and breast health education, so more women are getting mammograms, being diagnosed early, and surviving longer.”

Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee recently announced the recipients of its annual Commitment to Justice Awards. The awards recognize outstanding members of the community for their lifetime commitments to the community, volunteerism and humanitarian efforts. Peter Goldberg of the Milwaukee public defender's office was selected for the Lifelong Commitment to Justice Award; Victoria Wellens, of the Wisconsin Humane Society will be honored posthumously the President's Award; Stephanie Saniter of the Hope House of Milwaukee was selected as the recipient of the Future of Change Award; and Maureen Kane of MMK Design was selected for the Business Humanitarian Award. The recipients will be honored at the 20th annual Commitment to Justice Award ceremony at the downtown Hilton City Center on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Alverno College, Milwaukee, recently held its ninth annual University of Cyber Challenge, where girls in grades seven through twelve were introduced to cutting-edge technology, and received instruction from Alverno teachers on the basics of web design, digital photography, magazine editing, and filmmaking. The week long program also gave the girls an opportunity to visit the Bradley Center, the Pettit National Ice Center, Comedy Sportz, and the Silverbrook Program Center in West Bend. According to Girl Scouts of Wisconsin South East CEO Molly Fuller, the girls range from ages 11 to 17 and are very diverse.

"The girls benefit(ed) from great technology instruction, as well as an opportunity to learn about other cultures and a chance to experience college life," she said.

Name:  Scott Leland
Title:  President
Company:  Player Map Inc.
Company address:  234 Broadway #107 Milwaukee, Wis.
Company web site:  www.playermap.com
Industry:  Sales performance

Education:  Bachelor of arts degree in people, religion and society (specialized major created for me) from Iowa State University, and an MBA from Drake University

Family: My wife, Jane, and 12-year-old son, Isaac

Hobbies and Interests: "I enjoy travel, exercise, reading, sports, and Harley-Davidson."

Favorite book and/or movie: "'Out of Africa' because it's all about passion  - personally and professionally."

Favorite musician/band: "U2 – 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.'"

Favorite place to visit/vacation: "Hong Kong - the sights, the people and the energy."

Favorite local restaurant: "Metro Bar & Cafe - good food, fun people."

Words to live by: "Envision, empower, elevate - we can all continue to grow."

What is your core philosophy for doing business? "For myself, listen first, act second, excel always. For my clients, see it. Create it. Win it."

Who is your role model and why? "Abraham Lincoln, because despite repeated failure, personal challenges and professional criticism, he never quit or surrendered his beliefs."

What was the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?  “Arriving in Shanghai, I was greeted at the airport and whisked to my hotel in a limo, greeted by name at the hotel entrance by the hotel manager, escorted past the front desk directly to a stunning penthouse suite. I am thinking, 'Nice!' At checkout, I am asked, "How was your concert Mr. Leland?" It seems I received all the special treatment because the hotel mistakenly thought I was a rock star!"

Bucyrus CEO, Baird executive named to Northwestern Mutual board

Timothy Sullivan, the chief executive officer of South Milwaukee-based Bucyrus International Inc., and Mary Ellen Stanek, managing director and director of asset management for Milwaukee-based Robert W. Baird & Co., were named to the board of trustees for Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.

"Northwestern Mutual is fortunate to bring these two prominent Milwaukee businesspeople onto its board of trustees," said Northwestern Mutual chairman and CEO Edward Zore. "These professionals bring a proven track record with their success in business and financial management."

Stanek is responsible for the development and portfolio management of all proprietary asset management services in her position at Baird. Additionally, she serves as the president of the Baird Funds. She previously served as president and CEO of Firstar Investment Research & Management Company.

Sullivan has served as president and CEO of Bucyrus since 2004, after holding various management positions with the company since joining in 1976. He also served as president and chief executive officer of United Container Machinery, Inc. in Glen Arm, Md., from January through December 1999, rejoining Bucyrus in January 2000.

Holloway appoints himself and Mayo to RTA board

Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway has appointed himself and Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Michael Mayo Sr. to the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority (RTA) board.

The RTA is working to establish a commuter rail service in Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee counties (KRM).

Previously, Holloway said he would appoint himself and another member to the RTA board to vote against anything related to the KRM because he was upset that Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a 0.5 percent sales tax increase for Milwaukee County to the fund the Milwaukee County Transit System, which the governor approved a rental car tax increase to pay for the KRM.

Holloway says solving the Milwaukee County bus systems financial woes should be the first priority before establishing a commuter rail service. Holloway said he is calling on the governor and the state Legislature to develop a new funding plan to provide a dedicated funding source for Milwaukee County buses.

"To be clear, I am not opposed to the KRM line," Holloway said. "In fact, I support it. But supporters of the KRM must first fix the bus system, otherwise the KRM will never happen. The federal government is unlikely to approve any funds for the KRM without dedicated funding for buses. The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission believes it would be embarrassing for the feds to approve funding for shiny new trains when our bus system is crumbling. They just won't do it. It's clear that the Governor's veto of dedicated funding for mass transit in Milwaukee County is jeopardizing not only our bus system, but the KRM line as well."

Skylight Opera Theatre board elects interim president

The Skylight Opera Theatre's Board of Directors named Terry Kurtenbach as its interim president.

"It is our fervent hope that we can begin to communicate the sense of the Board's passion and commitment to the artistry of the organization and begin to address concerns of the artist community," Kurtenbach said

Previous board president Suzanne Hefty submitted her resignation.

"I was planning to step down as president at the annual meeting scheduled for Sept. 9," Hefty said. "I am now convinced that stepping down earlier will help provide continuity for the coming year."

The board also voted to retain current management. Board member Tessa Bartels was elected vice president of artist relations.

Building and Construction

KPH Construction Corp., Milwaukee, recently made some changes to its staff. Steve Madziarczyk was promoted to vice president of construction, Eric Premo was promoted to project manager, Leo Talsky was promoted to business development and director of mentoring and incubator program, Adam Batchelder was promoted to assistant project manager, and Levi Jungbluth was recently hired as a project engineer.

Education

Michael Brown, Pharm.D., was recently selected as chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. He will also serve as an associate professor in the department. Brown previously served for nine years at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy as an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems and as director of the Pharmaceutical Care Learning Center.

Engineering

Ruekert/Mielke, Inc., Waukesha, WI recently announced that Thomas Koepp, P.E., supervisor, Kyle Flamank, P.E., project manager, and Paul Shulman, senior water technician, all in the Water Supply/Wastewater Department, have earned their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional designation. Combined, they have 59 years of work experience.

Government Organizations

Commissioners of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District recently elected Dale Richards, former Oak Creek Mayor, as chair of the MMSD Commission. Wallace White, principal and CEO of W2Excel, LLC, was also unanimously elected to serve as vice chair of the Commission.

Insurance

Rhonda Kirkwood was recently named to Sheboygan-based ACUITY's board of directors. Kirkwood is principal of Kirkwood Consulting, Inc. in Milwaukee and brings her experience as both a corporate leader and entrepreneur to ACUITY's Board.

“If ever there was a time to engage brain and close mouth, to educate ourselves on the issues of the day, and to recognize that hasty proclamations and actions often carry dire unintended consequences, it is now.”

~Susan Marshall, consultant and founder of Executive Advisor LLC in Oconomowoc.

Read the full Milwaukee BizBlog: Let's teach critical thinking