The New North:Business intelligence findings to be presented at St.Norbert College

De Pere, Wis.: A presentation into results from a recent New North Business Intelligence survey provided by Jamie Lynch, director of the Strategic Research Institute at St. Norbert College, will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 20, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the F. K. Bemis International Conference Center, 299 Third St., on the St. Norbert College campus in De Pere.

In addition, New North invites business leaders to participate in a facilitated discussion on how to navigate the future and to hear examples of successful, innovative approaches being used by other companies and organizations.

The cost is $25 and includes a continental breakfast. For tickets, go to www.snc.edu/go/newnorth.

In a 2018 effort by the New North Inc. to develop and promote the business interests of northeast Wisconsin, New North’s Business Intelligence Committee (BIC) partnered with the Strategic Research Institute (SRI) at St. Norbert College to conduct a study of business perception and risk.
The survey was designed to assess perception by regional business and nonprofit leaders of general economic climate, recent changes to business practices and future business priorities, particularly around innovation and talent needs.

The program will open with a welcome message from Brian Bruess, president of St. Norbert College. New North Inc. Executive Director Jerry Murphy and John Kreul, CIO of the Bemis Company and chair of the New North BIC, will follow with a discussion of goals in conducting the research.

Two expert panels – focused on Innovation & Technology and Leadership & the Talent Gap – comprise the bulk of the program. Each panelist will present his or her thoughts, participate in a roundtable discussion and take audience questions.

Oliver Buechse of Advancing AI Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization focused on creating awareness of digital disruption for stakeholders in the state, will moderate both panels.

The panel on Leadership & the Talent Gap will feature Mary Goggans of Encapsys LLC and Dean Stewart of the Center for Exceptional Leadership at St. Norbert College. Goggans is president at Encapsys, a global innovator and manufacturer of encapsulated products based in Appleton. Stewart is the executive director of St. Norbert’s Center for Exceptional Leadership, which was created in 2016 to provide developmental opportunities for business leadership in the New North region.

For the panel on Innovation & Technology, Buechse will be joined by panelists Joe Bashta of Axicor, Mitch Weckop of Skyline Technologies and Alan Gonzalez of Nemak. Bashta has spent more than 30 years in the technology industry, currently serving as CEO of Axicor, an AI solutions company based in Green Bay. Weckop has been CEO of Skyline Technologies, a full-service IT consulting firm in Green Bay, since 2010. Gonzalez is process and tooling manager for vehicle structures at Nemak, a Sheboygan-based provider of innovative lightweighting solutions for the global automotive industry.
Kreul then will return to the stage to wrap up the program by discussing what was learned at the event and what actions the New North Business BIC might undertake moving forward.

The event is co-sponsored by New North and St. Norbert College.