Wisconsin

Wisconsin business leaders have a message for fellow employers. Encourage your workers to vote

Published

2 years ago

April 19, 2024

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Wisconsin business leaders have a message for fellow employers. Encourage your workers to vote

A group of Wisconsin business leaders is pushing for more employers to encourage voting and other civic engagement.

The nonpartisan civic engagement group, the Wisconsin Business Leaders For Democracy, advocated for Wisconsin businesses to allow for voting during work time, facilitate voter registration and encourage poll working.

Among the speakers at a roundtable discussion Friday were Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee Election Commissioner Claire Woodall, business leaders including Greg Marcus, CEO of The Marcus Corp.; Tom Florsheim, CEO of Weyco Group; and Paul Miller, cofounder of Colectivo Coffee.

“I know how critically important it is to have people across our city to be engaged in our electoral process,” Johnson said at the event. “Everybody in this community should raise their voice to vote … none of this works unless we have an engaged democracy.”

Here are the main takeaways from the event.

Poll workers needed in Milwaukee’s elections

Woodall said the biggest need for local elections is workers at the polls, particularly in early afternoon shifts.

She said the Milwaukee elections take about 2,300 poll workers and the city battles issues with workers not showing up for shifts.

“We’re still seeing large numbers of people who, life happens, maybe they aren’t feeling well,” Woodall said. “They wake up and they decide not to come to work. So then we’re left scrambling.”

Many of the attendees said they encourage workers to become poll workers and Woodall said the city has a permanent position dedicated to training poll workers at off-site locations, like businesses with groups of interested employees.

Among those encouraging workers was Colectivo’s Miller, who employs about 500 workers in Wisconsin. Woodall referenced that one of the company’s cafés had its entire staff work at the polls and Miller said that they encourage poll workers by paying the difference between poll worker pay and their typical daily pay.

Combatting misinformation key to public safety, mayor says

David Irwin, president and CEO of gThankYou, a provider of gift certificates for food items, raised the topic of distrust in elections during the event. He noted the need for the business community to combat misinformation to maintain trust in elections.

Irwin, who said he typically supports “right of center” politicians, said he viewed some of the misinformation coming from his political community.

“A lot of the people who have been kind of part of my political community for the last couple of decades, I view, as having been on kind of the wrong side of spreading disinformation and sowing undue lack of confidence in our elections,” he said. “We need to really, as leaders of business or anything, we need to fight misinformation and we need to encourage anyone … to seek out the truth.”

The topic was raised again when Irwin was in discussion with Johnson, when he asked the mayor his thoughts on public safety around elections.

Johnson stressed the need for the public to understand and trust the electoral process as one that is fair and safe.

“Folks have to first understand that and know that,” he said. “We want people engaged in our electoral process.”

What local businesses are doing to encourage civic engagement

Almost all of the business leaders emphasized the work they’ve done to facilitate voter engagement in their workforce.

Tom Florsheim, of the shoe company Weyco Group, said his company has given paid time off to vote; offered on-site voter registration; and paid time off for working at the polls.

Others like Lori Richards, president and CEO of Mueller Communications, said her company gives 24 hours of paid time off for activities like poll working.

“We believe that companies are in a unique position, because the large number of people we employ, to really have an impact on civic engagement in Milwaukee,” Florsheim said.

Marcus stressed the need for further civic engagement and took note of primary elections decided by smaller groups of voters who may advance candidates who don’t represent larger community interests.

“Our system is not delivering the results that we want,” he said. “If we delivered this as companies, our customers would be screaming at us.”

How Milwaukee, Wisconsin businesses can do more. There’s a toolkit

The Wisconsin Business Leaders For Democracy promoted a civic engagement toolkit the group designed. That toolkit had been incorporated by almost all of the attendees of the roundtable event and was positioned as a strong step forward for other businesses looking to build on it.

The toolkit, while not updated yet for the upcoming November election, provides a suggested timeline for how businesses should share information on elections. For example, the April election iteration had communication plans for five weeks before, two weeks before, one week before and the morning of the election. Those plans were centered around either making a plan to vote early or on election day.

Additionally, the plan offered links to information on working the polls and email templates for a company’s human resources departments to send to employees.

The toolkit can be downloaded from the group’s website and Florsheim said it will be updated for the November election soon.

How to register to vote in Wisconsin (you’ll need a have a photo ID)

Here’s how to register and vote in Wisconsin.

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Wisconsin

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Published

9 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Nearly all artificial Christmas trees in the world today are made in China. And with that comes an up to 30 percent tariff rate on imported Christmas products — including artificial trees.

Kris Reisdorf is co-president of the Racine- and Sturtevant-based home and garden store Milaeger’s. On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Reisdorf said tariffs are affecting their prices on artificial trees, but she’s mitigating most of the rate hike through negotiations with manufacturers and by taking on lower profit margins herself.

“We are doing our fair share in making Christmas affordable,” Reisdorf said. “When the average person is thinking 30 percent (tariffs), that’s not by any means what they’re really paying.”

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Milaeger’s “almost real” trees range from under $100 to well over $3,000. Reisdorff said she’s raised prices for all artificial trees by only around $20 compared to last year.

Residorf said tree sales are largely stable despite the uptick in tariff pricing.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll last year found that 58 percent of Americans were buying artificial trees instead of real ones. That’s up from 40 percent in 2010.

Greg Hann owns Hann’s Christmas Farm in Oregon. Hann also sits on the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association Board and is president-elect of the National Christmas Tree Association.

Hann told “Wisconsin Today” the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a surge in business for real evergreen trees and that demand has been holding relatively steady ever since. That said, Hann acknowledged real Christmas tree sales are up for him and fellow growers this year. He attributed the increase in sales to the tariffs and the fact that farmers’ supplies are finally catching up to the higher demand brought on by COVID-19. Nearly all real trees come from the United States or Canada, according to Hann.

Hann said a recent survey by the National Christmas Tree Association found 84 percent of Christmas tree growers nationwide have kept prices the same over the last two years, and that includes his own farm. Being grown locally in Wisconsin, Hann said his business is largely unaffected by tariffs.

“It’s kind of nice to have a good supply with a stable price in this economy,” he said.

Reisdorf said that some artificial tree manufacturers are moving operations outside of China to places like Cambodia. But most other countries in the east are also facing tariff threats.

Instead, Reisdorf said artificial tree importers are lobbying President Donald Trump to lower his 30 percent tariffs on Christmas products like trees and ornaments, because those kinds of goods aren’t coming back to be made in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Hann said his organization is lobbying to have tariffs on artificial trees increased to 300 percent. He said the added tariff costs help create an “even playing field” between real and artificial trees, since farmers have to pay farm staff and cover fertilizer costs.

But it isn’t always about the cost. Reisdorf said artificial trees have the benefit of lasting “forever,” essentially.

Hann said many of his customers come to the farm looking to keep up the Christmas tradition of picking out their own family tree.

“They’re looking for that fragrance of a real tree,” he said. “They want to start that tradition of the family together. They pick the tree, they take it into their house.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

Published

21 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin Badgers starting center Jake Renfro is using a medical hardship year and entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.

Renfro, a sixth-year senior in 2024, battled numerous injuries this season, limiting him to only four games after having season-ending surgery. He was a full-time starter for Wisconsin in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season except for the team’s bowl game due to injury.

Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Renfro had played for head coach Luke Fickell at Cincinnati for three seasons. He played in seven games as a freshman in 2020, making six starts at center. He then was the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2021, earning All-AAC honors before missing the entire 2022 season due to injury.

Now, he’s set to come back to college football for a seventh year, rather than turn pro, and will look to do so at another school.

“I want to thank Coach Fickell, the entire coaching and training staff, my teammates, and the University of Wisconsin for everything over the past three seasons,” Renfro wrote. “I am grateful for the support, development, friendships, and memories I have made during my time in Madison. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal and use a medical hardship year to continue my college football journey. I will always appreciate my time as a Badger.”

Renfro was one of the biggest supporters of Fickell publicly, being a vocal leader on the team as the starting center.

With his departure, Wisconsin could need a new starting left tackle, left guard, and center next season, depending on whether Joe Brunner heads to the NFL or returns for another season.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Sisters Alicia and Lizzy Andrew will face each other in the NCAA volleyball tournament regional semifinals.
Alicia is a redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin, while Lizzy is a sophomore middle blocker for Stanford.
Alicia and Lizzy Andrew have similarities on and off the court as they each contribute to college volleyball powerhouses.

MADISON — It did not take long for Alicia Andrew to text her younger sister after watching the NCAA volleyball selection show with her Wisconsin teammates in a lounge area in the south end zone of Camp Randall Stadium.

“I was like, ‘Girl!’” Andrew said. “She’s like, ‘I know! I’ll see you in Texas! And I was like, ‘I’m so excited!’”

Andrew will not see her younger sister in the Gregory Gym stands like any other family members, but rather on the court as an opposing player in the Badgers’ NCAA tournament regional semifinal match against Stanford.

Alicia Andrew is a 6-foot-3 redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin. Lizzy Andrew is a 6-foot-5 sophomore middle blocker for Stanford. The sisters will play against each other for the first time with a spot in the NCAA regional finals on the line.

“Certainly when you’re having two high-level Division I starters on teams that are top five, top 10 in the country playing the same position, that’s pretty unique,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “They’re both talented and competitive. But I also know that the players aren’t going to make it about themselves or the person that’s on the other side of the net. They’re parts of teams that are trying to move on and move forward and play great volley.”

Alicia has naturally fielded questions about the sibling rivalry, but she is “not reading too much into rivalry stuff and just playing this sport.”

“It’s another game,” she said after a recent UW practice. “Yes, it’s her across the net. But it’s a business. We both want to move on to the next round.”

Both players have played key parts in their respective teams’ path to this stage.

Alicia, after transferring from Baylor, is the only UW player to appear in all 98 sets this season and one of five to appear in all 30 matches. She is second on the team with 111 blocks, barely trailing fellow middle blocker Carter Booth’s 119.

“Really wants to be good for the people around her,” Sheffield said of Alicia. “Wants to do her job. Takes pride in her job. There’s a maturity, but yet there’s a playfulness that is a really good balance for her. Love coaching her. She’s wired the right way. She really is.”

Lizzy, meanwhile, ranks seventh in the country with a .441 hitting percentage in 2025 after earning a spot on the all-ACC freshman team in 2024. She also has experience playing with the U.S. U21 national team.

“I’m so proud of how hard she worked and her journey to Stanford,” Alicia said. “She puts in so much work, and she just loves the sport of volleyball. And I have loved watching her grow. It’s been fun to see her get better and better every year. And this past season, she’s been playing lights out.”

That pride has turned Alicia into a frequent viewer of ACC volleyball, of course whenever it has not conflicted with the Badgers’ own matches.

“We try to watch as many of each other’s games as we can, and I always just love watching her play,” she said. “I’m so proud of her. She’s just worked her tail off at Stanford, so to see her excel has been so fun.”

The Andrew sisters — Alicia, Lizzy and Natalie, who is on the rowing team at the U.S. Naval Academy — competed together in high school. (They also have a younger brother, William.) Competing against each other is a new concept for them, though.

“We’re not huge trash talkers, neither one of us,” Alicia said. “So I think that she’s going to play her game. I’m going to play my game. We’re going to have our heads down. There might be some looking across and smiling because we make the exact same expressions and quirky faces and reactions.”

The sisters don’t look the same – Lizzy has blonde hair and Alicia has brown hair. But Alicia quickly sees the resemblance with those on-court mannerisms.

“If there’s a silly play or if there is like a really unexpected dump or something, she’ll turn around and make the exact same face that I will,” Alicia said. “And it’s funny watching her on TV because I’m like, ‘Wow, that looks scary familiar.’”

They have some similarities off the court, too.

“We’re just goobers,” Alicia said. “We just like to have a good time together. Obviously she’s my little sister, but we have always been a close family — like all the siblings — so I feel like we’ve done all the things together growing up in all the sports.”

The Andrew parents are perhaps the biggest winners of the NCAA tournament bracket.

“My parents were super excited,” Alicia said. “They don’t have to split the travel plan, so they can save some frequent flyer miles there and both be in Texas. … They’re always trying to coordinate all the schedules.”

The Andrew family made T-shirts for the unique sisterly matchup. (Alicia thinks she is getting one considering they asked her and Lizzy for their shirt sizes in the family group chat.) The shirts are black, too, so there is no favoritism between Wisconsin and Stanford’s variations of cardinal red.

“They have a Stanford ‘S’ and a tree on it and then a Wisconsin ‘W’ and a little Badger on it, too,” Andrew said. “They’re really excited about these shirts. They’re being non-biased; they’re repping both daughters.”

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