A first-responder analogy seems appropriate for Madelon Kuchera who has built a professional life going where there’s the most disorder. That’s meant a lot of running toward, and making sense of, regulatory chaos confronting big-ticket industries. “Always go where there’s chaos in industry,” the good-natured Kuchera says with a laugh during a lively interview with […]
Features Region: Midwest
Sarah Barry Nupdal – Bell Bank
What do Oprah Winfrey and North Dakota’s Bell Bank have in common? That would be Bell Bank’s charitable Pay It Forward program, inspired by the TV icon 16 years ago. Since its inception in 2008, more than $15 million in charitable donations have been given by the Fargo financial institution, making headlines in the process […]
Gordon Repp – LaSalle Investment Management
Gordon Repp loves the sigh of relief that he hears when industry regulators conduct a routine audit at LaSalle Investment Management. He fully expects the firm will get a clean bill of health, given the attention his team devotes to improving operations. After 30 years in the industry, Repp, the general counsel at the Chicago-based […]
Brandie Ekren – Lansing Board of Water & Light
They were once a sight as familiar as a milkman or mail carrier. Someone would pull up in a truck or van outside a building once a month, check the dials and numbers on the electric meter and drive off to their next stop. And while meter readers have yet to go the way of […]
Mike Traxinger – Agtegra Cooperative
Mike Traxinger’s world went whizzing by him at the age of 13. Sliding across the 4-H showgrounds on his belly, he had a mouthful of dirt and was desperately clinging on to other end of the rope around his prized heifer as she dragged him back to the barn. The moral of the story, of […]
Michael Winschel – Risk International
Knowing where risk hides and understanding how to manage it are two different things, and neglecting to manage risk can become very costly. Yet where to turn for risk management assessments and options for solutions is an intricate and nuanced challenge. Independent expertise providing knowledgeable, unbiased opinions and recommendations that deliver cost-effective results can be […]
Corey Perman – R1 RCM
Rules aren’t always to be railed against. Adhering to them can give a company a competitive edge, especially when it stays ahead of the curve. Which is no small feat for a company that manages revenue cycles and provides physician advisory services for some of the nation’s most prominent health care companies. From patient admissions […]
Chad E. Walker – Morton Salt
Even salt, the rudimentary staple, can become stale. That goes not just for the condiment—but the company that sells it, too, says Chad Walker. Brands, like anything else, must be nurtured, says the general counsel and chief compliance officer for the iconic Morton Salt company—you know, the one in the round blue container emblazoned with […]
Jennifer Smestad – Otter Tail Corporation
There’s a lot to be said of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Located in Otter Tail County, it has more than 1,000 lakes; 13,500 friendly people live there; and Otter Tail Power Company produces energy at a cost 30 percent lower than the national residential average. That doesn’t happen by accident. Working with a legal team of […]
Amanda Demas – BMO Harris Financial Advisors
General counsel and vice president of BMO Harris Financial Advisors since October 2015, Amanda Demas recalls how with a previous firm she witnessed an aggressive middle-aged son bringing his very elderly mother into an office and practically strong-arming her into restructuring her portfolio to his favor. “Prior to then, his mother was always on top […]
