Small Street Journal: June 7, 2019

     The Eau Claire law firm of Weld Riley S.C. is pleased to announce John Behling, a partner with the firm, has been elected to serve as president.

As part of a planned transition, the previous president and firm founder, Steve Weld, is stepping down from the presidency. Weld will continue to co-chair the labor employment law section for the foreseeable future at the firm and plans to continue to represent numerous clients.

"This is a great honor and I'm very proud to lead this firm into the future. Steve has set a great example and we'll continue to provide our clients with the very best legal representation for decades to come,” attorney Behling said.

Behling practices in the areas of Frac Sand, Mining and Minerals, Government Relations and Administrative, Cooperative, Municipal & Environmental law. John is currently the President of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and was previously an aide to Governor Tommy Thompson in both Wisconsin and Washington.

While in the Thompson administration, Behling was the Governor's policy advisor on labor, employment and regulatory issues. Behling was appointed to serve in the office of the Secretary at the Department of Commerce. In that role, he assisted businesses working to expand or relocate in Wisconsin. Behling is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in political science and economics. He also attended Georgetown University of Economics and received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

"John has been serving as the Vice President in the firm for more than a decade and is well versed in the practical aspects of running a 21st century law firm. He is the right choice and I'm happy to know the firm is in great hands for the future," Steve Weld commented.
 
     Attorney Daneille Strong has been awarded a Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

"I am incredibly humbled to have been selected to receive the Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award. To stand amongst the other honorees was inspiring,” Strong said.

According to the university, the Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award acknowledges the special achievements and great promise of alumni who are within 15 years of their graduation from UW-Eau Claire.

Strong was the first in her family to graduate college. After attending UW-Eau Claire and receiving her degree in criminal justice in 2005, Strong earned her law degree from Hamline University School of Law. While in law school, Strong earned a summer clerkship at Weld Riley, S.C., where she was then hired full time after graduation and has practiced for the past 10 years. She was elected shareholder in 2014, and her practice focuses on creditors’ rights, collections and foreclosures, and worker’s compensation defense.

In addition to her legal practice, Strong has been active in the Eau Claire community, both professionally and personally. She was named Outstanding Young Professional by the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce in 2017, and has spearheaded fundraising drives for the area’s homeless children program. She has also volunteered as Membership Advisor for UW-Eau Claire’s chapter of Alpha Xi Delta for 10 years.

Strong added, “My time at UW-Eau Claire was both fulfilling and motivating; it gave me not only memories but a future. I am proud to represent both the motto of “Excellence” and “the Power of [AND].”

     Paul Rudersdorf, president and CEO of Security Financial Bank (SFB), is pleased to announce that Melody Sheehan has been appointed senior credit officer for the bank. With this promotion, Sheehan will be responsible for the development and enforcement of the credit quality of the loan portfolio and the credit culture for the bank.
 
“Melody is an asset to Security Financial Bank, and her knowledge and expertise will be instrumental in leading SFB to a new level,” Rudersdorf said. “We congratulate her on this well-deserved promotion and look forward to watching her continued success."
 
Sheehan, who has been with SFB since 2011, most recently served as the director of credit and loan administration before her promotion. She has 16 years in the financial services industry.
 
Sheehan received a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is currently enrolled in the Graduate School of Banking. 

     HSHS Sacred Heart Foundation and HSHS St. Joseph’s Foundations are excited to announce that Charter Bank has gifted $400,000 to help fund a mobile mammography bus that will travel to rural areas and outlying clinics to bring much-needed imaging services to women in those areas.

“We are incredibly grateful for this generous gift from Charter Bank,” said Andrew Bagnall, president and CEO, HSHS Western Wisconsin Division, which includes HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals. “Because of our mission, we have an obligation to create better access to high-level mammography services, resulting in earlier detection which saves lives.”
 
A mobile mammography unit is the most effective way for HSHS to provide advanced imaging to women who may not have the opportunity to travel for this type of service. The mobile mammography bus is expected to serve at least 2,500 women annually in our outlying communities.
 
“Charter Bank is committed to the health and well-being of this region,” said Paul Kohler, president and CEO, Charter Bank. “We know that early detection saves lives, and we know that there are women who are not currently accessing this screening. We want to be part of the solution to provide more birthdays, more anniversaries, and more celebrations.” 
 
Of more than 123,000 women in a 60-mile radius of HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals who are eligible for mammography screenings, fewer than 25 percent are anticipated to receive those screenings. According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. This would mean that 12,000 women in our area will potentially miss early detection and either have or develop breast cancer, but wouldn’t make this discovery until it has developed to an advanced stage.
 
“Early detection continues to be the best defense against breast cancer,” said Ken Brown, director of imaging services for HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals. “The ability to take this technology to women outside of the medical facility and to their location will increase the opportunity for women to access screening mammograms easily.”
 
The mobile mammography unit is scheduled to begin operation in spring 2020 and will make regular visits to communities with Prevea Health clinics, including Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Cornell, Menomonie, Mondovi and Arcadia. 
 
Both hospital Foundations are currently looking for additional donors for this project. For more information, visitwww.sacredhearteauclaire.org/Giving or www.stjoeschipfalls.org/Giving.

     There is always a great need for whole blood from healthy donors. It’s a valuable resource that’s in short supply. To help bridge that gap, HSHS St. Joseph’s and Sacred Heart Hospitals are hosting American Red Cross blood drives at the two hospitals. 

On June 21, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital is hosting a blood drive, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in McDonald Hall, 2661 County Hwy I, Chippewa Falls. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-733-2767 or visit www.RedCrossBlood.org and enter “St. Josephs” (no apostrophe).

One June 27, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is hosting a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Rotunda, 900 West Clairemont Ave. Eau Claire. To schedule an appointment, call 715-717-4074 or visit www.RedCrossBlood.org and enter “Sacred Heart Hospital.” 

Eligible donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health and feeling well.

     Paul Kohler, president and CEO of Charter Bank, Eau Claire, will serve as the 2019-2020 chair-elect of the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA).
 
The Wisconsin Bankers Association is the state’s largest financial industry trade association, representing nearly 235 commercial banks and savings institutions, their nearly 2,300 branch offices and 23,000 employees. Kohler will serve as the chair of the association in 2020-2021.
 
Also serving as officers on the WBA Board are: Chair Mark Meloy, CEO of First Business Bank, Madison; Vice Chair Ken Thompson, president and CEO of Capitol Bank, Madison; and Past Chair Dave Werner, president and CEO of Park Bank, Milwaukee.
 
Joining the board for three-year terms are: Alvaro Araque, executive director – market director banking, JPMorgan Chase Bank, New Berlin;Mark Erickson, regional president, MidWestOne Bank, Osceola; Timothy Kotnour, president & CEO, State Bank Financial, La Crosse; and Mark Wierman, president, Ixonia Bank. James Chatterton, president, National Exchange Bank, Fond du Lac was selected to serve the one-year unexpired term left vacant by Thompson’s selection as Vice Chair.
 
Those continuing their terms on the board are: Christopher Del Moral-Niles, executive vice president/CFO, Associated Bank, Green Bay;Donna Hoppenjan, president & CEO, Mound City Bank, Platteville; Jerry Jacobson, president, Northwestern Bank, Chippewa Falls; Daniel Peterson, president/CEO, The Stephenson National Bank and Trust, Marinette; Thomas Reil, president, Waldo State Bank; Scot Thompson, president/CEO, Denmark State Bank; and Tom Van Pelt, president/CEO, Citizens State Bank, Hudson.

     Proposals to bring passenger rail service back to parts of western Wisconsin will be the topic on “The West Side” at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 3 on 88.3 WHWC-FM/ Menomonie-Eau Claire and 88.7 WRFW-FM/ River Falls.
 
Host Dean Kallenbach welcomes three members of the West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition, which has been exploring options for developing a passenger rail line between Eau Claire and the Twin Cities.  Those guests are Scott Rogers, governmental affairs and workforce director at the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce, who chairs the coalition; Mark Quam, who also represents Wisconsin in a nationwide organization called the Rail Passengers Association; and Rob Kreibich, the director of the New Richmond Chamber of Commerce.  Also joining the conversation will be Jim Coston, executive chair of Corridor Rail Development of Chicago, which has been working with the WCWRC in developing the passenger rail plans.