In Business

“I was told I would likely never walk again,” he recalled.

But Ryan did walk again and trained his was to onto the field and into the Cincinnati Bengals training camp. And although his goal to be a professional football player didn’t come to fruition, Englebert realized that training was about more than physical strength and endurance, it was also psychological. It was about life lessons, and character building, and from that was born his training company, ETS Performance.

MIDDLETON–Middleton Dentist Dr. Chris Kammer established Victorious Dental at 8313 Greenway Blvd, Ste. 20 to focus on an alternative approach to dental care which treats tooth decay and preserves teeth rather than the more conventional method of drilling and filling them.

Kammer has been a dentist in Madison and Middleton for decades and says he has done just about everything in the field. About 15 years ago he became interested in the connection between mouth health and overall health. Kammer was fascinated by the correlation between poor dental health and increased risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes. 

Kammer founded an organization called the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health, which is made up of health professionals dedicated to expanding awareness of the relationship between oral health and whole-body health. Kammer says about 1000 people attend the annual meetings.

MIDDLETON–Delayed by not deterred, the co-developer of the Middleton Market looks forward to leasing apartments by February and opening the area’s “first of its kind” food hall/market later next summer.

The approximately $42 million mixed-use development at 7622 Lisa Lane, displaces the Bowling Green baseball diamonds on the city’s north side. However, it will add a European-style food hall and 263 apartments, said Robin Pharo, owner of Treysta Group, which is co-developing the project with Cardinal Capital Management.

The COVID pandemic slowed construction progress this year as limitations were put on the number of workers at the site and materials were in short supply, but Pharo hopes having an effective vaccine should help restore the economy next year.

“The food hall market vendors are on hold due to COVID. A bunch had signed up but…no one is making firm commitments, everyone is waiting for the restrictions and COVID to be gone,” she said. 

MIDDLETON – It was sunshine and smiles Tuesday when city, school and utility officials broke ground for a five-megawatt solar array at Middleton Municipal Airport-Morey Field.

Mayor Gurdip Brar proclaimed Oct. 29, “Solar Power Day” in Middleton to commemorate the second solar project the city and Middleton Gas and Electric (MGE) have partnered on since a 500 kilowatt array was installed in 2017 on the Municipal Operations Center’s roof.

The city will buy .5 megawatts produced by the 17,000 solar panels bringing it closer to its goal of using 100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources. The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District will purchase a one megawatt which will be used at eight schools, said Perry Hibner, a school district spokesman. The remainder of the array’s output is available to residential customers on a subscription basis for up to one-half of their annual electricity usage through MGE’s Shared Solar program.

MIDDLETON–The developer behind Greenway Station, Jeff Strauble, is proposing a 12 to 14-story residential development on the east side of Pleasant View Road tucked between the Pleasant View Golf Course and Greenway Boulevard. The plan commission reviewed the conceptual proposal at its Oct. 8 meeting.

Joe Lee from JLA Architects provided an overview of the proposal. He pointed out that the initial concepts for a multi-family development at this location were four to five stories with about 250 units. He said because of a bike path constructed across the southeast portion of the site, the topography and road constraints, they needed a design with a smaller footprint.

To keep the density they would need five or six stories, according to Lee. Because that necessitates a different type of construction used for taller buildings it makes sense economically to go higher, he said. 

MIDDLETON–After years of planning and designing Dwell at Middleton Market broke ground Sept. 18. The project is a $50 million mixed-use development with 263 apartments and 31,000 square feet of commercial space in two buildings being developed by Treysta Group and Cardinal Capital Management.

Located west of Parmenter, the project will feature a European style food hall expected to house 15 food-related businesses. Treysta Group president Robin Pharo thanked the City of Middleton for its support at the ground breaking.

“Without their support and the great staff there this would never have gotten off the ground,” Pharo said.

Middleton Mayor Gurdip Brar recalled the daunting process Pharo endured to get to that point.

“The city works really hard to make sure the development going in is right,” Brar said.  

Despite the project having a thorough original design it was not a slam dunk when it came to the city’s planning committee, Brar said.

Zerology Aims to Revolutionize 

by Cameron Bren

MIDDLETON–Transportation tech start-up company Zerology founded in Middleton aims to revolutionize car and ride sharing with fleet of electric vehicles and integrated app that focuses on efficiency to reduce emissions and traffic congestion. 

Zerology founder and CEO Shree Kalluri said he saw two emerging trends that could be converged with the right platform. The increase in ridesharing app usage and the decrease in cost of electric cars meant something new could be done.

The company is bringing a fleet of electric vehicles to Middleton and Madison that can be rented for personal use or by businesses and organizations. 

Kalluri explained the app, rolling out in January, will also be integrated with B-Cycle and Madison Metro to provide users all possible options, whether that is the most economical one or the one with least environmental impact. 

MIDDLETON–Dozens of people turned out on Aug. 22 for State Bank of Cross Plains “grand reopening” of its Middleton branch. The celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the new, two-story, 10,400-square-foot “bank of the future.”

Located at 8301 University Ave., the new space replaces an older SBCP branch that previously anchored the same corner lot–at the intersection of University Ave. and Deming Way–since 1995. Event speakers included State Bank of Cross Plains president & CEO, Jim Tubbs; Iconica president & CEO, Jim Pientka; Middleton Chamber of Commerce interim executive director, Curt Fuszard; and State Bank of Cross Plains senior vice president–commercial banking, Jeffrey Zwettler.

MIDDLETON–Ted Speerschneider, who left the Falbo Brothers Pizza Franchise to start his own pizza place, Red’s, returns to the company partnering for Red’s Falbo Bros.

“I was Falbo’s, I became Red’s and now I am Red’s Falbo,” Speerschneider said.

He closed Red’s on Parmenter Ave. and moved his staff and equipment into the location on Allen Blvd. on Aug. 1.

Speerschneider started the first Falbo Brothers Pizza franchise in Middleton in 2003.  “We’ve been at this for over 15 years in Middleton making pizza and selling it by the slice,” he said.

The Middleton man said he does the most he can to give back including being a platinum sponsor at high school for over 10 years.

“We try be your local place for people to come and get a slice of pizza and get involved in the community,” Speerschneider stated. “That’s what our niche has been for the last 15 years.”

MIDDLETON–Jill Enerson was fresh off a divorce and trying to find a way to make more money to support her three daughters when she decided to launch Auntie Jill’s Custom Cheesecakes 10 years ago. Now the Middleton woman has won a blue ribbon in the Taste of Madison Homestyle Desserts category, and earned a place at the prestigious and highly sought-after event.

“I thought about doing Taste of Madison for four years and finally decided to put in an application,” she said of her entry.

In July she went to the pre-judging where more than 30 restaurants were presenting their creations. Enerson chose to do frozen cheesecake on a stick. “Everything at fairs is on a stick, so we might as well join them,” she laughed.

Auntie Jill’s quickly became a family affair with daughters Arianna, 22, and twins Addalie and Annaliese, 16, by her side in the kitchen. Enerson said the girls have been her biggest fans and provided the best quality control.