In Business

The Middleton Chamber of Commerce will host its 61st Annual Celebration Thursday, Jan. 31 at the Marriott Madison-West in Middleton.

This year’s theme is “Get In The Game,” and the festivities will begin at 5 p.m. and continue until 10. There will be countless things to do, watch and eat, and some of the Milwaukee Brewers’ racing sausages will attend as well.

The Annual Celebration brings together both chamber members and the community at large. It features food and beverages from 14 chamber members and the Marriott, a silent auction with more than 100 packages donated by chamber members, a paddle raffle (1-15 chance) to win packages worth over $1000, entertainment and games, and more.

The chamber has released a promotional video about the event, which can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk-BxUiNiU4.

Register to attend at middletonchamber.com.

After nearly 40 years of service in the telecom industry, Al Ripp, market manager for TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS®) has retired. His last day with TDS was Dec. 31.

When Ripp looks back on his career in telecommunications, he says it’s the customers and fellow employees who stand out.

“Nothing is more rewarding than working with customers who say your guys did a really good job,” Ripp said. “Just as rewarding is seeing a person join the company and grow into a great employee and leader.”

As a young man, Ripp got his start washing vehicles for Mid-Plains Telephone Company in 1974. During his tenure at TDS, he held a number of different positions before being named general manager in the late 1990’s. Then, in 2007, Ripp was named market manager for TDS covering Dane County and eventually working throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Hallman/Lindsay Paints donated more than $5,500 to local food pantries across Wisconsin in honor of its customers during this past holiday season. In each community where Hallman/Lindsay has a store location, including the City of Middleton, a local food pantry received a donation.

“As a local Wisconsin business, we are a part of the community,” says Tim Mielcarek, owner of Hallman/Lindsay. “We consider it part of Hallman/Lindsay’s mission to contribute to the places where we live and work.”

In December, John DeVries, manager of the Hallman/Lindsay store in Middleton, met with Debbie Kutchin from Middleton Outreach Ministry to deliver the company donation.

“Food prices continue to rise, and we know that food pantries are also continuing to see increases in demand,” said DeVries. “Middleton Outreach Ministry provides much-needed assistance in this community, and we are happy to support their work.”

Annemarie Spitznagle keeps a notebook. She has since she was a kid.

“My mom found lists and notes to myself everywhere,” Spitznagle said of her childhood.

More than a journal or diary, the notebooks have been like close friends, the kind who listen patiently and reserve judgment. The contents of Spitznagle’s notebooks have changed as she’s grown up and her interests have evolved. But through it all, two themes have remained constant: home and cooking.

Spitznagle, the daughter of an Air Force pilot, was born in Japan but raised in Louisiana. It was in Louisiana Spitznagle’s identity took hold in her family’s Cajun culture. Central to her family’s way of life was food. In a Cajun home, the kitchen is court and food is king.

“I’d come home from school, drop off my backpack and join my mom in the kitchen,” Spitznagle said.

Meals took hours to prepare and almost as long to enjoy with one another. Spitznagle was in charge of desserts.

Most wine collectors die with stockpiles of vintages held safely in storage. But not Finn Berge, wine enthusiast and owner of Barriques Market cafés. When Berge is gone he wants people to remember him and think, “At least he drank well.”

He buys bottles of wine to be used. In Berge’s opinion, wine is meant for drinking, ideally with great food and friendly company. And 22 years of tasting and buying wine has only cemented this belief.

Today Berge is a successful businessman - he owns six Barriques throughout the Madison area including one in Middleton’s Cayuga Court - but this wasn’t always the case. His success is more than two decades in the making, with ups and downs and turns unforeseen.

There’s an old saying about going to dinner and a show. When Rod Ladson is the chef, dinner is part of the show.

“In high school I wanted to be a comedian,” reflects the jovial culinary maestro. “I was in drama all four years. I loved to be on stage and be in the limelight.”

For nearly five years now, Ladson has been center stage as executive chef at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, 8390 Market Street in Greenway Station.

He treats the 1940s-themed restaurant like a theater. The bartenders are called “bootleggers.” All servers have a role to play. The kitchen is like a sweltering green room accented by bubbling saucepans and the perpetual clattering of dishes.

A United States District Court judge in July of 2012 ruled that the City of Middleton’s police force did not discriminate against a local nightclub because of its clientele’s race.

West, a provider of technology-driven communication services, on Nov. 14 announced the expansion of its Middleton office and the addition of 100 full-time positions before the end of the year.  West hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Wisconsin Trade Center Building, 8401 Greenway Boulevard with Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, Middleton Mayor Kurt Sonnentag, and Middleton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vann Nutt in attendance.

“As a company that provides sales and customer service support to industry leaders in financial and health care sectors, West Corporation had a choice.  I’m thrilled they chose to expand here in Wisconsin,” Governor Scott Walker said in a West Corporation press release.  “It is our goal to clear the way for companies like West Corporation to build their businesses, which will bring more than 100 full-time positions to the Middleton area.”

West is expanding by 100 full-time Sales Associates and Account Management positions.

Traveler’s Hearth Café and Games has closed its doors just a few months after opening for business.

Jim Mirkes and his son, Tim Mirkes, ran the gaming coffee house together at 2831 Parmenter Street. On Nov. 26, the management posted a message on the Traveler’s Hearth Facebook page confirming the closure.

“It is with a heavy heart that we must announce that [we] have permanently closed the doors of Traveler’s Hearth Café & Games,” the message stated. “We are working to keep our absence from being a permanent one, but for the time being, we cannot continue operation[s]. It is our dearest hope that we may be able to return to the Madison area in the future and continue to provide a venue for great coffee, great games, and great friends.”

The site was formerly the Blue Spoon.