« Back Register now for the Small Business Academy and attend free workshops to start or grow your business Wisconsin is a great place to expand your company We’re here to help Wisconsin businesses and communities find success At the Wisconsin Economic Summit 2024 in La Crosse retired chair and CEO of American Family Insurance spoke about how the company transformed its culture seen as stodgy and change-resistant in 2010 used forced and planned innovation to remake itself in recent years becoming an industry leader and transforming its culture retired chair and CEO of the Madison-based insurer helped drive those changes and spotlighted the benefits of the firm’s innovation crusade for those attending WEDC’s third annual Wisconsin Economic Summit in La Crosse Oct one industry expert wrote in a trade publication that American Family was a “sleepy Midwestern mutual famed for its remarkable inability to modernize.” “It was a gut punch to the leaders of American Family where we realized that not only were we seeing things that weren’t the greatest as an organization but actually the industry was seeing it as well and that we needed to actually do some pretty substantial things to see our trajectory change,” said Salzwedel who retired in 2021 after a decade leading the company The insurer was struggling with legacy technology that was based on what Salzwedel called “spaghetti logic.” “If you start making a change in one side of this technology stack and you need to change a rate or change a product on the other side it had to go through all this technology spaghetti in order to get to the other side,” he said The company invested heavily in its technology platforms to simplify them and make them more responsive Data and analytics became a central part of the turnaround It started a data and analytics lab and support the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s data science programs “This gave us signals in terms of data coming into a home that were important to us as we started doing product development,” he said Tech changes also enabled American Family to be more agile in product offerings “This type of a technology stack became the basis for our artificial intelligence changes at the organization as well,” he added The company also refined its product lines jettisoning long-term care and health insurance Another major obstacle in American Family’s transformation was corporate culture “Part of the issue with American family had been over the years that in order to get along at American Family and to move along And individuals that pushed that culture were kind of pushed out of American Family,” Salzwedel said Attracting top talent helped drive the cultural change As the company entered into a merger and acquisition phase It acquired Boston-based digital insurer Home Site which had a philosophy when it came to new hires: “If you want Einstein which was once 100% driven by its agent network identified ways to generate revenue through direct-to-consumer sales balance its heavy reliance on auto insurance in its portfolio It also fortified its brand awareness through its Dream Fearlessly campaign sponsorship of the Milwaukee Brewers’ American Family Field the American Family Championship golf tournament and investments in Atlanta United Football Club As a result of thoughtful innovation and investment a company that in 2010 had a market in 19 states the same expert who pointed out the company’s sleepiness has praised its innovation under Salzwedel all of this leads us to: Where do we sit as a state Where do we sit as economic developers in the state of Wisconsin?” Salzwedel concluded In telling the story of innovation in Wisconsin “We can lean into the fundamentals that we are privileged to have right here,” he said—many of which are reflected in the American Family story.” 608.210.6700 ©2025 Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Statement of Non-Discrimination MADISON (WLUK/AP) -- A University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh student and a UW-Green Bay alumnus are among three Universities of Wisconsin regents appointed Friday by Gov as well as earning a master's degree and a law degree at UW-Madison Nixon is currently a commercial lawyer at Godfrey & Kahn for the firm's Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Team "I am honored that Governor Evers asked me to serve the University and the people of Wisconsin," he said in a statement I attended the Manitowoc County Center and have degrees from UW-Green Bay and UW-Madison to an institution that has done much for me and my family." Nixon's appointment fills the vacancy created by the expiration of the term of Bob Atwell of Green Bay Evers questioned Atwell's integrity during a question-and-answer session with reporters following an LGBTQ+ flag raising outside the state Capitol on Friday "When we have these games being played with Board of Regents members "I know Bob Atwell and as I said before he is - was - a person of extraordinary integrity Something happened along the way that caused that not to happen I do believe at some point in time he'll decide to get off (the board)." Atwell didn't immediately return email and voicemail messages seeking comment Friday The Legislature's two-year session ended this spring and lawmakers aren't expected to return to Madison until January Asked about the prospects of the Senate returning earlier for a confirmation vote Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu's office said in a statement that Evers had only just announced the appointment and "it is imperative that appointees demonstrate that they are qualified and will prioritize students' education." It did not elaborate The ruling came in a lawsuit Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed to force conservative Fred Prehn off the state Natural Resources Board clearing the way for Evers appointees to take majority control of the board in January 2023 Desmond Adongo is the non-traditional student regent where he is double majoring in economics and environmental studies He also has a certificate in geographic information systems Adongo was a learning and development operations coordinator at Foot Locker Inc "I am excited and humbled to be nominated for the non-traditional students' Board of Regents role," he said in a statement I hope to bring a unique perspective to enhance and prioritize all student experiences on every UW campus regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances I look forward to collaborating with faculty and promote a vibrant and meaningful culture where current and future students are endowed with the tools for success." Adongo's appointment fills the vacancy created by the expiration of Jennifer Staton's term The third regent appointed is Jack Salzwedel He served as chair and CEO of American Family Insurance from 2011-2021 He earned bachelor's degrees in business administration and biology from Wartburg College in Waverly lived and worked in the state of Wisconsin for most of my life I consider it an immense honor and privilege to be selected to serve on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents," he said in a statement is very importantand I look forward to serving the university system and all the people affiliated with it for the betterment of our great state." Salzwedel's appointment fills the vacancy created by the expiration of Mike Jones' term Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. 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Volume 12 - 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00514 The neural mechanisms associated with obesity have been extensively studied but the impact of maternal obesity on fetal and neonatal brain development remains poorly understood we aimed to detect potential neonatal functional connectivity alterations associated with maternal adiposity quantified via body-mass-index (BMI) and body-fat-mass (BFM) percentage based on seed-based and graph theoretical analysis using resting-state fMRI data Our results revealed significant neonatal functional connectivity alterations in all four functional domains that are implicated in adult obesity: sensory cue processing some of the detected areas showing regional functional connectivity alterations also showed global degree and efficiency differences These findings provide important clues to the potential neural basis for cognitive and mental health development in offspring of obese mothers and may lead to the derivation of imaging-based biomarkers for the early identification of risks for timely intervention Through imaging the offspring’s brain at the earliest time possible these findings provide strong initial evidence of the in utero effects of maternal adiposity on offspring brain development Although our previous study focusing on the prefrontal network may provide a clue for part of the later cognitive differences that may be experienced by children born to mothers with higher adiposity there are likely more widespread functional connectivity alterations that deserve further and more systematic exploration we hypothesized that all detected functional connections and global connectivity measures showing categorical differences between normal and high BMI groups would show significant correlations with BFM percentage of the mothers measured at early pregnancy Forty six pregnant women were originally enrolled for this study, which was approved by the local institutional review board. Informed consents were obtained from the pregnant mothers. Subjects were prospectively enrolled from a larger longitudinal study of pregnant women (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01131117) Inclusion criteria for the pregnant women were: pre-pregnancy self-reported BMI = 18.5–24.9 (normal BMI and weight) or BMI > 25 (high BMI; 14/15 subjects BMI ranged from 30 to 35 resulting in an obese classification); second parity singleton pregnancy; ≥ 21 years of age; conceived without assisted fertility treatments Exclusion criteria were: preexisting medical conditions; medical complications during pregnancy; medications during pregnancy known to influence fetal growth; smoking or alcohol drinking All enrolled women had their body composition assessed using air displacement plethysmography (Bodpod United States) and BMI measured within the first 10 weeks of gestation during their first research visit Maternal IQ (MIQ) was assessed using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI except for one subject who did not complete the IQ assessment Total gestational weight gain was measured at 36 weeks of gestation Birth weight and length of the infants were obtained and head circumference was measured at age 2 weeks Only infants born full-term (≥37 weeks of gestation) with size at birth appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and without medical conditions known to influence growth and development were included in the study 43 had 3D T1 and RS-fMRI data prior to quality control but 5 of them were later excluded due to excessive motion during the RS-fMRI using criteria specified in the data analysis section The remaining 23 infants born to normal-BMI mothers and 15 infants born to mothers with high BMI were included in the data analysis MRI examination of the brain was conducted in the Department of Radiology at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Infants were fed 15∼30 min prior to the scan and immobilized using a MedVac Infant Immobilizer (CFI Medical Solutions United States) was placed on a foot to monitor oxygen saturation and heart rate and mini-muffs and a headset were placed over the ears to protect the infants from the noise generated during the scan The MRI examinations were performed on a 1.5 Tesla Achieva MRI scanner (Philips Healthcare A pediatric 8-channel SENSE head coil was used which included sagittal 3D T1 weighted reconstructed to 3 planes and axial susceptibility weighted imaging sequences This conventional neonatal MRI protocol was used for the investigators to potentially exclude subjects with apparent brain abnormalities The 3D T1 weighted images acquired at 1 × 1× 1 m3 resolution were also used in the subsequent data analysis for imaging registration a single-shot gradient echo T2∗-weighted EPI sequence with TR/TE 2400 ms/50 ms acquisition voxel size 2 × 2 × 4 mm3 reconstructed to 1.251 × 1.251 × 4 mm3 and 150 volumes (scan duration of 6 min) was used to acquire the RS-fMRI data the confound regression strategy consisted of motion scrubbing plus a 36-parameter nuisance signal model; 9 regressors [i.e. and six parameters corresponding to rigid-body motion correction] Nuisance regression was performed via linear regression Five subjects were excluded based on excessive motion (i.e. The total number of volumes (or degrees of freedom) was controlled across subjects using the participant with the fewest number of volumes post-scrubbing (n = 102 time-points) Excess volumes were discarded starting from the end of the functional time-series There was no significant difference in mean FD between infants born to normal BMI (n-BMI standard deviation = 0.40) and high BMI (h-BMI standard deviation = 0.37) mothers; t(36) = -0.27 functional-to-anatomical and anatomical-to-standard transformations were combined and then applied to the functional data The functional data were finally resliced to 3 × 3 × 3 mm3 resolution with additional smoothing (FWHM = 8.0 mm) Nodal degree describes the information communication ability of the node within the network and is defined as the number of links connected to the node Nodal efficiency characterizes the efficiency of parallel information transfer of the node at the local level and is defined as the average of the inverse shortest path length computed at the neighborhood of the node The correlation matrices were positive-binarized and thresholded across subjects using the sparsity metric (0.05–0.5 in 0.05 increments) The sparsity metric makes use of subject-specific connectivity strength thresholds in order to match the ratio of actual edges-to-maximum possible edges in the network ensuring the same number of edges for each network and thus allowing for an examination of the relative network organization Nodal degree and efficiency measures were computed for each sparsity increment with the area-under-curve (AUC) scalar serving as input to subsequent analyses we tested for differences in nodal degree/efficiency between groups and calculated their relationship with respect to other participant characteristics including network or global efficiency and small-worldness Global efficiency measures the global efficiency of parallel information transfer in a network The local efficiency of the network measures how efficient communication is among the first neighbors of a given node when it is removed Small-world networks have a shorter characteristic path length than regular networks (high clustering and long path lengths) but greater local interconnectivity than random networks (low clustering coefficient and short path lengths) The small-world metric supports both specialized/modularized and integrated/distributed information processing and maximizes the efficiency of information transfer at a relatively low wiring cost The demographic information for the infants (and their mothers) included in the data analysis is listed in Table 1 The two groups of infants were not different in gender weight/length/age/head circumference at the time of MRI The two groups were significantly different in maternal body-mass-index (BMI) and BFM percentage Gestational weight gain was also different between the two groups in line with the US Institute of Medicine weight gain recommendations Demographic information (mean ± standard deviation) for the neonates born to mothers with normal or high body-mass-index (BMI) Figure 2. Box plots showing the functional connectivity differences (in z scores) between the two groups for the 17 detected connections (A) and corresponding scatter plots for the correlations between functional connectivity and maternal fat mass percentage (B). See Table 2 for details of statistics Table 2. Summary of seed-based brain functional connectivity results for neonates born to normal or high BMI mothers (see Supplement A for abbreviations of the AAL regions) we did not detect any significant group differences in global efficiency or small-worldness Summary of graph measure results – node degree centrality for neonates born to normal or high BMI mothers Figure 3. Regions showing significant nodal degree centrality differences between the two groups (A) and their correlations with maternal fat mass percentage (B). See Table 3 for details of statistics Summary of graph measure results – nodal efficiency for neonates born to normal weight or high BMI mothers Figure 4. Regions showing significant nodal efficiency differences between the two groups (A) and their correlations with maternal fat mass percentage (B). See Table 4 for details of statistics When we assessed the relationships between the observed functional connectivity alterations and other participant characteristics, only gestational weight gain showed widespread associations (p < 0.05) with the cluster-level functional connectivity measures (Supplement B) The other participant characteristics demonstrated minimal relationships with all three connectivity measures we detected significant functional connectivity alterations in a cohort of neonates born to mothers with high BMI (14/15 obese) compared to those born to mothers with normal BMI The nineteen detected functional connectivity alterations cover all four hypothesized domains that are critically implied in adolescent/adult obesity mechanisms including sensory cue processing (particularly visual ones) three of the nineteen regions involved in these alterations showing local functional connectivity changes also demonstrated significant global degree and efficacy differences This overlap suggests that there are likely more widespread local connectivity changes associated with these regions that are statistically undetectable based on the current sample size but their collective effects cascade to produce significant global connectivity property changes as measured by global nodal degree and efficiency all the functional connections and most of the nodal degree/efficiency measures detected to show significant group differences also quantitatively correlated with measures of maternal adiposity we speculate that these traits are likely transferred to the offspring through genetic and/or environmental pathways leading to the high heritability of the obesity trait and related cognitive/mental phenotypes across generations we detected functional connectivity alterations in neonatal offspring of high BMI mothers in all four hypothesized domains providing a strong neural basis for the across-generation transmission of maternal adiposity related outcomes two functional alterations-between the right caudate and right inferior orbital frontal cortex; and between the right superior temporal gyrus and right putamen were observed in neonatal offspring of mothers with high BMI global degree/efficiency changes were also detected for the middle orbital frontal cortex indicating wide-spread disruption of functional interactions associated with reward-processing regions in the offspring of mothers with high BMI Our findings of changes in reward-related functional connectivity in neonatal offspring of mothers with high BMI suggest that such reward-circuits alterations are likely programmed early-on and can be observed as early as in neonates there is a clear left hemisphere bias in the cognitive control regions detected in this study showing differences in functional connectivity with reward processing regions which is in line with the left hemisphere bias in the adult functional brain topology related to cognitive control it is possible that the observed functional alterations in neonatal offspring of mothers with high BMI may evolve with age and parallel or precede detectable structural changes later in their life the earlier detection of such functional alterations may provide a new way for early identification of risks and help design potential interventions Limitations of this study included the relatively small sample size preventing us from detecting likely more widespread and subtle functional connectivity differences between groups The existence of below-threshold connectional differences can be partly reflected by the detection of a range of regions showing global degree and/or efficiency changes with or without concurrent observation of local clusters showing connectivity differences studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate and expand the current findings Another limitation of the current study relates to the lack of follow-up behavioral measures (which are ongoing) in cognitive and/or emotional control domains potential direct links between maternal adiposity-related brain functional alterations and behavioral outcomes could be established we found significant relationships between gestational weight gain and cluster-wise functional connectivity alterations This is not surprising since gestational weight gain highly negatively correlated with maternal BMI in the current study (r = -0.60 The minimal effects of other potential confounding variables may need to be confirmed in future studies with larger sample sizes another limitation of the current study is the potential sleeping stage differences among subjects Given the practical difficulties of implementing concurrent EEG during MRI scans of naturally sleeping infants rigorous control of sleeping stage differences in our analysis could not be achieved and future studies are needed to address this issue by comparing whole brain functional connectivity patterns of neonates born to mothers with normal or high BMI we detected a range of functional connection differences covering all four functional domains of circuits that are critically involved in the etiology of adult obesity These findings provide important clues to the potential neural basis for cognitive and behavioral differences previously reported for children born to obese mothers The fact that functional connectivity differences can be observed as early as the neonatal period strongly indicates early-life programming of the neonatal brain in response to maternal obesity future work should concentrate on validating such measures and potentially build novel biomarkers for effective identification of risks and on the design of possible intervention strategies This study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institutional Review Board (IRB) with written informed consent from all subjects All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki AS and WG performed data analysis and wrote part of the manuscript AA and TB contributed in the study design and edited the manuscript and AR contributed in data analysis and reviewed the manuscript performed data acquisition and some of the analysis This study was supported in part by USDA-ARS Project 6026-51000-010-05S at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center Lyon Award at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute XO was also supported by NIH COBRE grants P20GM121293 (Center for Translational Pediatric Research at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute) and P30GM110702 (Center for Translational Neuroscience at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest We would like to thank the staff of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center Clinical Research Core and the MRI team at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Department of 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Wei Gao, V2VpLkdhb0Bjc2hzLm9yZw== Xiawei Ou, b3V4aWF3ZWlAdWFtcy5lZHU= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish By continuing, you agree to Art & Object's Terms of Service and acknowledge you've read our Privacy Policy Want to become a seller? Inquire Here 1931 to Odin and Ardis (neé Drake) Hole She married Walter Salzwedel in a double ceremony with Walter’s brother Donald and bride Genevieve Salzwedel in Rosholt WI Mary’s Hospital and The County Home both in Wausau.  She also worked in ginseng and was a bookkeeper for her and husband’s business Morning Glory Dairy.  She loved dancing and Latisha Debroux; many great grandchildren She is preceded in death by three brothers Gloria and Linda Hole and Genevieve Salzwedel; a brother-in-law A private family service will commence at Restlawn Memorial Park.  In lieu of flowers memorials can be directed to Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home The family would like to extend thanks to Aspirus Wausau Hospital Hospice and ICU for their care and compassion for Lila and the doctors and nurses that have taken care of her through the years Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com    Wisconsin passed away quietly at Marshfield Medical Center surrounded by his loving family on November 25 Funeral Services will be held 11:00 AM Thursday 2020 at Christ Lutheran Church (1208 W 14th St) in Marshfield Visitation will be held from 4:00 PM -7:00 PM Wednesday December 2 2020 at Hansen-Schilling Funeral Home and again one hour prior to service at the church on Thursday.   1933 to William and Rose (Meyers) Salzwedel in the Town of Rock.  He was married to the love of his life Velda (Kiddoo) on June 27 1950.  Together they celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary this past June.  Elroy worked for Eddie Madison repairing car radiators on the south end of town.  There he basically taught himself how to work on cars and teach his sons along with having a small dairy farm in the Town of Lynn.  He also began his 38 years of working at Hub City Foods later Fleming.  Dad made many memories and many friends.  Together Elroy and Velda raised 10 children and Jeffrey (Melissa).  Grandpa Elroy was also blessed with 32 grandchildren and 10 step-grandchildren.  Elroy was preceded in death by his parents Fix It" and some of his inventions should have been patented.  Daddy was a very special man and his best fur-friend Spirit.  The kids would always say that dog was the 11th child - he sure loved that dog!  Daddy always loved to tell his children and grandchildren so many stories.. you haven't lived!  We always said Dad could talk to any stranger he would meet anywhere.  He was never afraid to stop on the side of a road and change someone's tire.  Not everyone is as blessed as Velda and his 10 children and family to have had such a special man in our lives.  We will always carry you in our hearts forever Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Gesche Funeral Home & Cremation Service Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors the daughter of Hubert and Clara (Irving) Bauer Barb grew up in Faribault and attended Faribault Senior High School She worked as a line worker for Mercury Minnesota for many years This is where she met the love of her life Gary Salzwedel and they were united in marriage on July 19 playing games with her special friends at The Emeralds and spending time with her friends and family She was preceded in death by her parents; and brothers at Parker Kohl Funeral Home and Crematory of Faribault with Bernadette Tatge Pastoral Minister at Divine Mercy Catholic Church officiating Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M on Saturday prior to the service at the funeral home The family would like to thank the staff at St Croix Hospice and the Emeralds at Faribault for their care of Barb Funeral arrangements are being completed with the Parker Kohl Funeral Home of Faribault The very rural location of the community and the limited availability of materials, technologies, and trades required an in-depth exploration of local potential. Red brick facades have a long tradition in the local landscape and among the resident craftsmen. Floor PlanThe reinterpreted execution of the brick facade gives the building a distinctive character as a place with a special purpose while also fitting into the existing overall image of the Hanseatic city with medieval buildings. A concrete band divides the volume and contrasts with the warm color of the brick facades. © Till SchusterLocally based carpentry firms collaborated in the joint planning and realization of the self-designed benches and cabinet furniture the simple precast concrete elements dominate and contrast with the finely detailed impact wall made of warm-toned solid wood slats You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email She was born the daughter of Peter and Irene (Kaech) Gerber on December 22 She was a 1942 graduate of Monroe High School Florence was united in marriage to George F Florence was employed many years at Swiss Colony She was a longtime member of the Monroe United Methodist Church Women of the Moose Lodge #599; she also volunteered at the Monroe Clinic Hospital and at the Red Cross blood drives for over 30 years Florence has left this world to be with her Lord and joins her parents; husband Per Florence’s wishes no formal services will be held A private family graveside service will be held in Greenwood Cemetery with Pastor Jeff Meyer officiating Shriner Hager Gohlke Funeral Home is assisting the family Condolences may be sent to the family at: shriner111.com The family would like to extend a special thank you to the kind and caring staff at Aster Assisted Living and SSM Hospice Home Young Zane Salzwedel is cycling his way to the top as prepares to compete in the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Luoyang The Selborne College pupil won the African Championships earlier this year and has been in Europe for the last two months touring from Belgium Ireland and the Netherlands in the Junior Tour of Assen Salzwedel said he feels privileged and proud to represent SA as this is one of his biggest dreams individually in the scratch race and in the ‘Madison’ he will partner with Rhys Burrell from Gqeberha They are the SA and African Continental Madison champions preparing and perfecting his craft in East London hasn’t been smooth sailing given the onslaught of vandalism and theft at the Amalinda Cycling Track which has severely hampered the city’s capacity to grow Border cycling a report presented at a council meeting in July highlighted the city’s failure to maintain 53 sports facilities The report pointed out inadequate ground maintenance lack of security and insufficient supervision It recommended hiring accredited security services to protect these facilities Eastern Cape Cycling president Stephan Salzwedel noted that local cyclists have struggled for more than 13 years to secure municipal support for the Amalinda track the only cycling facility within a 300km radius Salzwedel criticised the municipality for not allowing local sports bodies to manage the security which he believes would bring greater accountability and long-term leases to sports bodies might be a more effective solution Stephen said: “We are limited with our resources and facilities The track is in poor condition which makes it difficult to use as the Eastern Cape Cycling Amathole district to secure the place as a tenant and to get a lease The constant vandalism of facilities has started to affect many talents like Zane and restricted their practising and preparing for races “Weve got so much untapped talent out there but unfortunately at this stage don’t have the proper facilities to implement programmes for children to flourish from.” Zane has found some alternative training methods such as motor pacing Cyclists in motor pacing have to cycle behind a motorbike and try to match the intensity of speed that they could expect in a race has many dangers and risks of severe injuries Zane and his dad remain optimistic about his capacity to excel in China Stephan said: “Amathole Cycling is extremely proud of Zane’s achievements.” In need of funding for Zanes trip in China his mother and siblings have held bake sales For those who want to contribute towards raise Zanes funds for his trip please contact Celeste Salzwedel and website in this browser for the next time I comment Recaptcha Change Image Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The high number of African Americans in U.S prisons and jails today is an impediment not only to social justice but to the future of business in the country the top executive of one of Wisconsin’s largest companies said Tuesday in Milwaukee During his speech at an event honoring the Deloitte Wisconsin 75 top privately and closely held companies in the state chairman and chief executive officer of American Family Insurance said there are more black American males in the penal system now than were enslaved at the height of slavery “And it’s something that needs to be addressed because as a business this is an important issue for us not just as a ‘feel good,’” Salzwedel told about 175 attendees — most of them fellow business leaders — at the Saint Kate hotel “This is an important issue for us as we think about our markets Said Salzwedel: “I truly believe that if people will be looking back 50 years from now at this time right now that they’ll look at what’s going on with the mass incarceration movement right now and they’ll look at us the same way that we look back 100 years and look at slavery And I know that’s a controversial thing to say who has been chairman and CEO of Madison-based American Family since 2011 said it may be up to private companies in the U.S to address social concerns the government is unable to handle “We feel very strongly that some of these types of social issues are not going to be addressed by our politicians but actually the business community could take stands on some of these hot issues and can be leaders as we think about this going forward,” Salzwedel said In November, the board of American Family will be traveling to Montgomery, Alabama, to tour the National Museum for Peace and Justice a museum opened last year on the site of a former warehouse where enslaved African Americans were imprisoned “It’s going to be a changing event for our board as they view this issue differently than they maybe have viewed it in the past,” he said “And I think it’s important for us as businesses overall to be willing to look at these issues and make stances on it.” American Family is the fourth-largest company on the Deloitte Wisconsin 75 list with revenue of about $10.2 billion in 2018 FULL COVERAGE: Deloitte Wisconsin 75 Salzwedel noted that the national organization the Business Roundtable recently updated its “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” so that it no longer says a company’s principal role is to serve shareholders to be run for the benefit of all stakeholders — customers “This is a start for us as businesses in terms of how we deal with our communities and how we deal with our people," said Salzwedel “I think it’s an amazing step and actually a great first step and I think we do need to hold our feet to the fire in terms of making sure we deliver on those promises.” a native of DeForest who started his career with American Family as a claims adjuster in 1983 said attracting and retaining a diverse workforce is “critically important” to the company “How do we view diversity inclusion as an organization We know that team performance increases as you have more diverse teams in your organization That’s been proven,” Salzwedel said “But there’s also a front-end investment that’s needed.” That’s a key reason American Family has been scouting locations in the city of Milwaukee for opening a technology hub Milwaukee’s population is more racially diverse than Madison’s It’s up to the company to make a diverse workforce feel welcome The company has about 13,800 employees nationwide “Ten years ago we were losing people from the organization because they didn’t fit into the mold of the American Family of the past 85 years,” Salzwedel said “So there were ways they just self-selected out of the organization because they weren’t comfortable.” Then he flashed a photo of Albert Einstein featuring the scientific genius' wild head of white hair “We have a saying at American Family that is basically you’ve got to put up with the hair,’” Salzwedel said Salzwedel also suggested that $15 an hour — a minimum amount sought in many efforts to raise wages — may not be enough “I will just say livable wage at $15 an hour to me doesn’t seem like much of a livable wage,” he said “So we’ll be looking at moving that up significantly with our plans for 2020.” Salzwedel was the keynote speaker at the 17th annual Deloitte Wisconsin 75 event in which clients of the accounting and consulting firm are ranked by annual revenue. The companies on the list represent various industries Among this year’s 75 were five that received Distinguished Performer awards These special awards recognize how companies are successfully addressing challenges around local and global competition and staying accountable to their communities and employees Paul Gores can be reached at  paul.gores@jrn.com.  Follow him on Twitter @pgores German coach and the man behind British Cycling track success died on Wednesday The cycling world has reacted with shock and sadness to the news that well-respected coach Heiko Salzwedel has died at the age of 64 Reports in Germany have confirmed that Salzwedel died in a Berlin hospital on Wednesday The German coach was an instrumental figure within the sport and worked with generations of riders including Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish Salzwedel was a coach at several national federations including Australia and Russia but he was perhaps best known for his track role at British Cycling with the former East-German having three stints at the organisation during their golden age of success on the track He started at British Cycling in 2002 but left two years later before returning in 2008 and remaining in Manchester until after the London Olympic Games in 2012 A third term began in 2014 and ran until around late 2017 and during that period he coached the men’s team to gold in the team pursuit at the Rio Games. He went on to play an important role in Wiggins' successful 2015 attempt on the UCI World Hour Record Several former riders took to social media on Thursday to share their messages of condolences and pay their respects "Our legendary coach passed away last night Heiko created a pathway for myself and many others leading us to the Olympic Games and Tour de France Our many memories training in East Germany Cottbus will stay with us forever Our sincere condolences to his family," wrote former Australian rider Pat Jonker "After Barcelona Heiko lead the National & AIS Road program out of AIS Canberra & continued to help me & many other cyclists with his wealth of knowledge in cycling After winning gold in the Road Race in Barcelona Olympics Ros Kelly organised funding so the Women's Road Program could be full time and female cyclists receive support to perform at an international level Andrew Logan was appointed Women's Road cycling coach & worked in with Heiko designing training and racing plans for Female cyclists providing us with the support we needed to compete against the best in the World intelligent coach & we shared many great times together at the AIS and on training camps & competitions both within Australia & around the World "He was a person with great strength of character & good humour who fully supported the athletes he worked with He will be missed by many people in Australia (not just in the cycling community) & worldwide explaining that Salzwedel was "one of the first coaches who believed in my potential and for this I will always be grateful".  who has been highly critical of British Cycling A maverick who didn’t always fit with BC  box culture (in a good way) Embodied one of my favourite quotes “never do a job you aren’t prepared to loose” Salzwedel had worked at the Brandenburg Cycling Association he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France With the help of the excellent editorial team he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners — “Cheeseheads love STUPID FUN,” Kenny Salzwedel insisted to his wife But who would come to an outdoor party on Jan And so was born the New Year's Day bash at the Barefoot Bay Tiki Bar at the Victorian Village Resort in Elkhart Lake who is not a native Wisconsinite but trusted in the judgment of her husband The Salzwedels already were sold on the tiny resort community about an hour north of Milwaukee when they bought the resort in 1999 as they owned a house on the 300-acre lake They spent millions restoring and expanding the historical property “I planted every flower on the place,” Judy Salzwedel said during a tour of the 11-acre grounds Elkhart Lake also boasts the Osthoff and Siebkens resorts and all three date to the days when tourists reached the village by train and stagecoach suites and condos with lakeside balconies and such amenities as indoor and outdoor pools restaurants with gourmet cuisine and watersport rentals Elkhart Lake is a year-round getaway that continues to build its winter convention business and it warms my heart to see kids from big cities where they never get to play outside after dark like we did as kids The Potawatomi Indians were the first to revere the spring-fed which they said made them “rejuvenated and handsome again” after they bathed in it The AAA Four-Diamond Osthoff Resort borrowed from Native American traditions and healing techniques from around the world when creating its luxurious Aspira Spa The extensive list of salon and spa services includes a sacred waters massage a wild camomile and ancient cedar body treatment and chromatherapy The feng shui-designed spa offers a candlelit meditation room where guests are soothed by the sound of trickling water and suites where couples or friends can enjoy massages and other services together and interesting stories abound as to how they came to be German entrepreneurs arrived in the late 1800s built hotels and cottages and soon attracted visitors from Chicago director of tourism for Wisconsin's Elkhart Lake for wives and children to stay the entire summer and husbands to commute by train on weekends Otto Osthoff came and bought what had been farmland after a doctor recommended the lake as a place for his wife to recover from a nervous breakdown Herman Siebken purchased what had been known as the Belleview House in 1916 and the Siebken House soon offered such entertainment options as swimming lessons a movie theater and concerts by visiting German musicians Lynn Shovan opened the Lake Street Cafe 18 years ago and she and her business partner have built an inventory of more than 600 wines and dinner favorites include roasted Brussels sprouts and orecchiette pasta with Italian sausage and beef ragu opened the village's first wine shop five years ago after marrying a man from Wisconsin Despite her background working in high-end restaurants Her shop features a bar where customers make new friends as they sample wine selling for as little as $5 a glass and snack on locally-produced cheeses including a crowd-pleasing blue cheese studded with juniper berries So with an infrastructure of natural scenery Elkhart Lake was blessed yet again in the early 1950s Military members had come home from World War II having been exposed to European cars that were “low-lying and built for speed,” Eickhoff said People who were scouting locations flew over the area and thought it would be a good place for a road race board member of the Historic Race Circuits of Elkhart Lake The inaugural 3.35-mile race was held on July 23 Cadillacs and Jaguars and about 5,000 spectators The crowd had grown to 100,000 by the time the final races were held in 1952 and village leaders deemed the event held on public streets and roads too dangerous to continue A course was proposed to be built on private property and Road America opened for business in 1955 The original race circuits are now listed on the state and national registers of historic places and 14 historical markers commemorate such spots as Dicken's Ditch and Kimberly's Korner Road America is a year-round venue that offers a four-mile road course and a go-cart track running the gamut from NASCAR to indie car to motorcycle races to ziplining to geocaching to off-roading Estimated economic impact of what has become known as “American's National Park of Speed” is $100 million a year Even when the icy grip of winter keeps holding on One sure sign for me was when my animal waterer that froze at the end of January finally thawed It’s a relief to not have to carry 5-gallon pails uphill 182 steps we’re still waiting for the crocuses and daffodils to push through the earth A sign of spring in the woods is the waking up of the bears Black bears have become a common sight in western Wisconsin over the past 20 years but there’s a healthy population of bears that live in many areas of Wisconsin Black bears spend spring and summer bulking up insects and whatever else they can scavenge When the weather turns cold and the food supply is gone they go to their winter dens and hibernate Dens can be holes in the ground under an embankment or tree root Loren Salzwedel of rural Ettrick came across a bear den while deer hunting in late November with a bear lying in the entrance He placed a trail camera near the den in the middle of February “What I saw last week was a big back clump laying outside the den,” Salzwedel said He returned a few days later to pull the video card from the camera with his son Kyle Clearly mindful of the adage of not poking the bear Salzwedel said they had a plan in place if things went sour The reason one bear was sleeping near the entrance may have been a space issue There were five bears that spent the winter there.  Salzwedel said the first bear peeked out of the den on Feb 18 but didn’t come out until March 5 They were captured on the camera until March 17 when they moved on “Living in the country can be truly incredible at times,” Salzedel said During hibernation — during the coldest part of winter in January — females give birth The mothers wake up to take care of the cubs The cubs weigh 2 to 3 pounds after a month and can crawl By March the cubs are walking around and ready to brave the outside when the bears end hibernation Bears do go in and out of sleep over the winter Mothers ingest their cubs’ urine and feces and may eat a little snow Even though a bear may lose up to 30% of its body mass over the winter Bears have the remarkable ability to recycle their own water They can also extract the nitrogen in urea to keep muscle and organ mass Another hibernator emerging to face spring was captured on a camera by Bill Quackenbush of Black River Falls the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer at Ho-Chunk Nation A sow he called Buffy and her two yearlings came out of their den near Millston in good shape The yearlings will hang out with their mother until this fall Quackenbush said the bears hang out near their home “They are off checking out everyone’s feeders and old deer carcasses and such now “They stay busy now with stump-pulling and grub hunting until other food becomes available.” If only I could sleep most of the winter and wake up slimmer and trimmer Chris Hardie spent more than 30 years as a reporter He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won dozens of state and national journalism awards He is a former president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker If you're one of the MLS fans who remembers Dave Salzwedel it might be because of the heroics the former San Jose Clash goalkeeper pulled off 23 years ago on this day Salzwedel kept a clean sheet against Tony Meola's New York MetroStars over 90 minutes then scored the decisive goal in the 11th round (!!!) of the old-fashioned MLS shootout to give the Clash a 1-0 victory as both teams opened their second MLS seasons at Spartan Stadium He even saved a penalty in the non-penalty tiebreak (Check out the video below to see how that's possible.) Getting the better of one of the all-time United States goalkeeping great would be one of the high points of Salzwedel's MLS career. He won only six more games for the Clash in 1997, and although he was picked up by the New England Revolution in the 1998 Supplemental Draft he would be released without making an appearance who also scored a goal during the shootout was just two years into an 11-year MLS career Other notable players on the pitch that day? Current Portland Timbers manager Giovanni Savarese and a 22-year-old Eddie Lewis, who was just beginning his ascent to a successful career that eventually led to Europe and the US national team Not to mention legendary Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira she was the daughter of the late Spurgeon Cade and Martha Harward Glosson She was a homemaker and enjoyed working on the farm alongside her husband and doing the bookkeeping Flinchum’s hospitality shone forth as she invited friends and strangers to her table serving homegrown food and welcoming conversation She was a longtime member of Flint Hill Baptist Church and formerly served as a Sunday School Teacher she was predeceased by her husband of 62 years Ricky Flinchum and wife Gloria of Carthage; three daughters Melanie Smoak and husband Charlie of Carthage Betsey Bailey and husband Dean of Carthage Mary Salzwedel and husband Todd of Robbins; 11 grandchildren A funeral service will be at 11 am Saturday at Flint Hill Baptist Church with Reverend William Hancock officiating; with burial following in the church cemetery The viewing will be one hour prior to the service on Saturday from 10 am until 11 am at the church The family will receive friends before and after the service In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Flint Hill Baptist Church; 923 Flint Hill Church Road; Robbins, NC 27325 Online condolences may be offered at www.pinesfunerals.com Fry & Prickett Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Mrs Lawsuit: Iowa coach told to wear slimming undergarmentsDESDUBUQUE — A former Clarke University softball coach is suing the school claiming she was fired because she rejected efforts by the school to make her appear more feminine Jaclyn Salzwedel filed the lawsuit last week in Dubuque District Court against the university; its athletic director Curt Long; and its vice president for student life Salzwedel’s lawsuit says she was hired in August 2010 and usually wore long cargo shorts often worn by men She also eschewed makeup and wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail Zanger told Salzwedel that she wanted to work on Salzwedel’s professional image such as by wearing high-heeled shoes and more feminine clothing Another female coach was selected to be Salzwedel’s mentor and Long and Zanger also hired a consultant to talk with Salzwedel about her appearance The lawsuit says Salzwedel was told to wear body-slimming undergarments and advised to not wear a “chunky” watch Salzwedel said she later told Long that she was not comfortable with the changes she was asked to make “just hours after the softball season ended.” She said she was not given a reason for her firing Salzwedel’s record at Clarke after three seasons was 40-90 Salzwedel is seeking an unspecified amount for lost wages Gladys Salzwedel plays Mega Millions and Powerball religiously Her persistence paid off in October when she won $5 million on a Mega Millions ticket Mich., matched the five white balls drawn Oct Matching the five white balls usually wins a $1-million prize but Salzwedel purchased an optional Megaplier She purchased her $2 ticket at the Admiral gas station “I checked my Powerball ticket the Monday after the drawings but I was in a rush so I stuffed the Mega Millions ticket back in my purse," Salzwedel told the Michigan Lottery I saw a story on the news that there was a big winner sold at the Admiral and it hit me that I hadn’t checked my ticket I called for my husband to get the ticket out of my purse and look it over When he came into the living room where I was he said: ‘You’d better sit down.’ When he told me I’d won Salzwedel is a home health nurse and plans to retire with her winnings share some with her family and her church and take a trip “It’s such a blessing to win and be able to retire without having to worry about robbing Peter to pay Paul," she said.  "God is so good." The Volante University of South Dakota's Independent Student Newspaper Ten young women filled the stage in Farber Hall The moment they’d been waiting for had finally arrived weeks of practicing and countless hours of anticipation ended as the Miss USD competition began a local qualifier for the Miss South Dakota competition was held last Sunday Junior criminal justice major Emma Salzwedel took the crown in her first time competing for the title “My family has so many pictures of my face in total shock,” Salzwedel said It was just exhilarating knowing after that moment open to women between the ages of 17 and 25 consists of several events including a private interview talent competition and evening wear and onstage question presentation said these events help judges get to know the young women and understand how they could fulfill the role of Miss USD Wintle also said Miss USD is a chance for these young women to reach their academic goals and earn scholarships.  “The underlying purpose behind the entire organization truly is helping young women pursue their education and then pursue their goals and impact their communities along the way,” Wintle said the participants discuss their social impact initiatives Salzwedel said her initiative is all about social stereotyping specifically in the realm of pageantry.  “I want to use my platform to get a new image of pageant girls out there,” Salzwedel said “I want to show people that you have to be intelligent you have to be up-to-date on current events and you have to do a lot of work to be a titleholder.” Salzwedel studied up on the Miss America organization but her involvement with the Miss South Dakota organization started when she was 13 When she competed for Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen she started competing for Miss South Dakota and won that title in 2018 Wintle said her involvement in the Miss USD and the Miss South Dakota organizations has “transformed” her life “Once I started competing in the organization and the way I’ve seen it transform my life has been really incredible.” Sazwedel said the Miss USD competition is about more than wearing a crown “It is definitely a confidence booster walking around in a shiny crown but it is empowering to know you were chosen to represent whatever title you were given,” Salzwedel said “I am incredibly honored to be able to represent our little liberal arts school here and just kind of put us on the map in whatever way I can https://volanteonline.com/eedition/ Along the Kiwanis Trail with Adrian College Professor Janet Salzwedel Janet Salzwedel, a professor of biology Adrian College used her sabbatical not to travel to distant places but rather chose to conduct research close to home She wanted to learn about the vegetation along the Kiwanis Trail She believed she might use that knowledge to teach the local community about the plants along the Kiwanis Trail and inspire local stewardship of the native diversity The workshop sponsored by Grand-Raisin Cluster of the Stewardship Network on Saturday is a manifestation of an unfolding of that vision The workshop will start at the parking lot at the corner of Riverside and Bent Oak streets Participants will walk north 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) north to Valley Road and the St John’s Lutheran Church parking lot (3448 N Participants can retrace the trail or arrange a ride back Toilets are available at the end of the walk Salzwedel inventoried the plants along both sides of the former Detroit-Toledo-Irontown rail line now popular City of Adrian walk/bike/run trail railroad right-of-ways host a rich collection of native prairie plants The trail crosses springs and creeks that feed the River Raisin There are a variety of wet and dry habitats that can be experienced along the trail When I visited the Kiwanis Trail with Salzwedel in June 2016 she explained that few people know what invasive species are why they are a threat to native diversity and what could be done about them “The trail is very busy but few people slow down to see the natural springs wetlands and great variety of plants along the way,” she said She reached out to the Stewardship Network in June 2016 when her sabbatical proposal was accepted She had been on the email list for some time She has been teaching Botany and Microbiology at Adrian College since 1993 On her sabbatical she cataloged the plant species along the trail to make a record of what native plants can be found and assess the extent of invasive plant spread her research on the trail is going to new lengths Supervising Adrian College students with a college sponsored research stipend they are studying the impacts of garlic mustard on soil health.  “The literature shows garlic mustard to have allelopathic effects to out compete other plants.”  Through chemicals secreted in their roots and leached when they decay alter the soil chemistry making it unsuitable for other flora This may explain why removing the plant when it first appears in an area can effectively stop its spread.  “This (research) is an attempt to see why garlic mustard is so competitive,” Salzedel said Their research could help people working to protect ecological diversity far beyond Lenawee County As for local efforts to care for native ecosystems, many lead volunteer workdays. The Stewardship Network maintains a searchable events calendar.  In addition to these hands-on learning opportunities, starting in early Spring 2017, The Conservation Stewards Program will be offered in the area Local professors such as Janet Salzwedel will help teach the program intended to build local capacity for caring for native landscapes.   Janet Salzwedel is was named a USDA National Needs in Biotechnology fellow when she was a doctoral student at Michigan State University She has applied her knowledge in plant-microbe interactions to teach and advise health professions students Michigan State University’s Integrated Pest Management website provides an extensive yet easy to read overview of garlic mustard photos and contacts for more information.  Check out the Environmental Studies & Sustainability B.S Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work This information is for educational purposes only Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress We comply with the Federal Trade Commission 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) No. 9 auto insurer American Family on Wednesday announced the company’s transition plan for CEO Jack Salzwedel to yield the reins to President Bill Westrate in 2022 Westrate will become CEO-elect in January 2021 and take over as CEO on Jan American Family said Salzwedel had been working on the transition plan with the board for two years American Family said the company was “transformed” under Salzwedel’s tenure the son of an American Family agency owner started his career at the company as a claims adjuster in 1983 He later owned an American Family agency and progressed into sales management and executive roles before becoming CEO in 2011 Salzwedel’s decade at the company saw it buy the General and Ameriprise insurance companies and merge with the carrier Main Street America “The changes enabled American Family to grow from a regional insurer – pegged by one industry expert as ‘sleepy’ – to a hard-charging national enterprise,” American Family wrote Wednesday “It has expanded its operating states from 19 to 50 and has seen its policies in force grow to more than 12 million and employees to approximately 13,500.” The insurer also switched formats to become a mutual holding company during that time “Bill is a superb fit for American Family’s next CEO,” American Family board presiding director Paul Shain said in a statement “He brings incredible knowledge of the industry and the company to this role “He has a focus on operational execution that is critical as the enterprise continues to leverage its acquisitions of the past several years He is the perfect leader to continue the journey that American Family has embarked upon under Jack’s leadership.” American Family held 2.28 percent of the private passenger auto market an 0.38-percentage-point increase in share that left it the ninth-largest carrier in the country The company on Wednesday also called itself the 13th largest property and casualty insurer and No “Staying true to who we are as a mutual company owned by our policyholders we have intensified our focus on meeting their needs and preferences both in the short-term and long-term,” Salzwedel said in a statement Wednesday blessed with employees and agency owners who care for our customers American Family also highlighted Salzwedel’s focus on “social justice equality and equity,” and also a “career-defining period in Milwaukee where he arrived to rebuild community relationships and enhance insurance availability to the city’s Black community.” American Property Casualty Insurance Association CEO David Sampson pointed out that Salzwedel cared about “leadership development social equity and inclusion issues long before it came to the front of national consciousness in 2020.” Westrate joined American Family as an actuary in 1996 and rose to become vice president of the actuarial and personal lines divisions executive vice president of personal lines and commercial-farm/ranch until ascending to chief operating officer in 2014 honored and prepared to serve the customers employees and agency owners of American Family as their CEO,” Westrate said in a statement our board and executives in leading the company’s growth and transformation “Our foundation as a mutual company is rock-solid our people and commitment to an inclusive and diverse culture will continue to fuel our success.” “Westrate to succeed Salzwedel as American Family CEO in 2022” American Family CEO Jack Salzwedel and President Bill Westrate are shown Here's more about the scholarship recipients The HVK Scholarship was awarded to a single student, Spencer Kaufmann of Etude High School. This scholarship acknowledges students who best demonstrate academic excellence the ability to affect change and the qualities of leadership. Kaufmann received a scholarship of $100,000 collaborating and challenging himself on a daily basis.”  Kaufmann has taken classes and worked in project blocks throughout high school that have allowed him to explore his interests in electrical engineering, CAD design and automotive design. He will study mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota. His career goal is to make a difference through a career in engineering.  RDK Scholarship winners are Annika Nelson, Baxter Salzwedel and Sherahan Tahiri.In addition to the HVK Scholarship the foundation awarded the equally prestigious Ruth DeYoung Kohler Scholarship for Artistic Excellence to three students.  Here's more about the RDK Scholarship recipients: daughter of Jessica and Christopher Nelson has been involved in music throughout her school experience. In addition to being active in jazz she has earned top honors at the district and state level in both flute and guitar.  Since committing to classical guitar performance Nelson has pursued further instruction and performance opportunities well beyond Plymouth High School Andrew Zohn and Professor Rene Izquierdo.  The sheer beauty of her classical guitar performance captivated the foundation’s scholarship committee. Believing that music is a shared human experience that can truly change one’s perspective Nelson strives through performance and teaching to make an impact on the world through music.  Nelson will attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to major in classical guitar performance and music education Salzwedel, son of Jesse and the late Mary Salzwedel, not only participated in art in school, his business, The Mad Patcher is a thriving online apparel business.  His vision for his work is to be sustainable philanthropic and individually unique.  His passion for the pieces he creates as well as his business that gives back to the community impressed the scholarship committee.  Salzwedel upcycles thrift clothing and re-imagines and embellishes each item donating 25% of his profits back to various charitable organizations worldwide.  Salzwedel plans to study fashion design at Columbia College Chicago with a plan to grow the Mad Patcher brand.  More: Sheboygan's John Michael Kohler Arts Center has landed a $1 million grant. Here's what it will be used for. More: Jake's, A Lakeland Community in Sheboygan has its grand opening this week. Here's who will lead the downtown hub. has devoted time and energy to the study and exploration of the written word.  Tahiri’s body of written work impressed the scholarship committee because it was written from the heart A school counselor of Tahiri’s said “she demonstrates her creativity and natural talents through her writing — creating stories characters and scenery. Her skillset and interest in a plethora of media arenas is most impressive.”  Tahiri feels strongly that the arts play a role in forming who you are and that when represented in the media through good storytelling it allows all stories to be told and heard.  Tahiri plans to pursue a major in television writing and production at Dodge College of Film and Media at Chapman University in Orange the Ruth DeYoung Kohler Scholarship or other Kohler Foundation programs private foundation dedicated to supporting arts education and art preservation initiatives in Wisconsin Morgan Salzwedel figured she would blaze her own trail on some other campus California Lutheran University was her parents’ school her uncle Joel played basketball and her aunt Jodi played soccer But the University Chapel was also where her parents were married and where she was baptized “The second I got on campus,” Salzwedel said Her only previous visit to campus came in 2003 a goalie who played in the first seasons of Major League Soccer was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame who was a defender for the Live Oak-Morgan Hill High girls soccer team near San Jose hoped to step into her father’s footsteps While she has made an impact at Rolland Stadium this fall the team in which she has carved out a role on wears shoulder pads rather than shin pads “I definitely would say that I’m keeping a legacy going,” Salzwedel said “but I’m also creating my own legacy Salzwedel became the first female player in the Cal Lutheran University football team’s history on Oct when she dressed for the 43-41 win at Pomona-Pitzer She became the first woman to score a point for the program a week later when she converted a point after touchdown in the 42-20 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps she’s a football player,” Cal Lutheran football coach Ben McEnroe said “It doesn’t matter what sport you play She didn’t come here to do anything for the first time She came to help our football team.” converting 11 of 11 on the season over the past three games ahead of Saturday’ season finale against rival Redlands for the Smudge Pot “She’s proven herself,” McEnroe said We’ve had some inconsistencies at the position The ball is in the same place in the net every time she kicks it.” Salzwedel joined the football team in September She sent McEnroe an email after she was placed on CLU’s JV soccer team and joined the team after a tryout She had kicked for Morgan Hill for three years converting 110 of 115 PATs and 5 of 8 field goals in two varsity seasons after a football player spotted her playing soccer and encouraged her to join the team “Just swinging at the ball and hitting it is the same as soccer but it’s definitely different technique,” Salzwedel said “You need to hit it in the right spot on the football.” Her high school debut on JV was “rough.” The highlight of the season was the two tackles she made on the kickoff team “I freaking crushed them into the sidelines,” Salzwedel said I got up and started screaming like a girl “It was just great to be able to do that.” She improved enough to kick for a high-scoring varsity team that had back-to-back nine-win seasons kicking in relative anonymity because of her first name “Going through high-fives at the end of every single game that’s a girl!’ ” Salzwedel said when people knew I was in the league.” McEnroe said adjusting the football team’s male-dominated environment to include a female player “wasn’t as complicated as it seems.” using separate coaches’ lockers upstairs from the locker room then joins the rest of the team when they are ready “Our guys have accepted her and they’re very conscious and protective of her,” McEnroe said “It’s worked out well so far.” Salzwedel simply finds the nearest women's bathroom “She’ll come out 10 minutes later in her football uniform,” McEnroe said “She’s pretty unflappable.” Salzwedel’s parents and her high school coach Dave Salzwedel has spent more than a decade battling a series of brain tumors he suffered some complications from the second surgery that have affected his motor skills and speech The daughter was thankful to share the moment with her father “He just said how much he was proud of me and that this was just really awesome,” Morgan said “That moment … couldn’t have been more perfect Having everybody who is most important to me there was awesome.” Salzwedel may have some decisions to make soon CLU will host a pair of NCAA Division III women’s soccer tournament games Saturday Salzwedel plans to meet with CLU women’s soccer coach Frank Marino about her future in the program who handles field goals and kickoffs for the Kingsmen Salzwedel will have to extend her comfortable range out from 35-40 yards to 40-45 yards to compete for a bigger role going forward “Just like every other position,” McEnroe said “it’s up for competition.”