Business Notes Oct. 16 – 30

• The Coyote Roadhouse in Baileys Harbor began going smoke-free for daytime and dinner hours Oct. 19. Smoking will be permitted only at night after the kitchen closes. The owners and staff would like to thank all of their customers for their cooperation during this transition. For more information call 920.839.9192

• The Peninsula Music Festival (PMF) is pleased to announce the hiring of Laura Ashley as Assistant Director. She replaces Mary Bell, who held the position for six years.

Ashley is a 2002 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration. She previously held an Arts Management Internship at Peninsula Players and also was employed for one year as the Marketing Assistant at the Door Community Auditorium.

“I am very pleased to have Laura join our organization as a full time management employee,” PMF Executive Director Sharon Grutzmacher says. “I look forward to working with her towards the continued success of the Festival.”

For more information about the Peninsula Music Festival, visit http://www.musicfestival.com or call 920.854.4060.

Door Peninsula Winery was nominated for the 2009 Manufacturing Awards of Distinction by Advance, the economic development arm of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

Door Peninsula Winery, along with other manufacturers, will be recognized in categories based on company size, industrial technology, sustainability and exporting at the Manufacturing Awards of Distinction banquet on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay. Len Nelson of WAPL will serve as master of ceremonies and Dick J. Leinenkugel, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, will be the keynote speaker and award presenter. The cost to attend is $45 per person or $350 for corporate tables of eight. Contact Jessica Beckendorf at [email protected] or 920.496.2113 to secure reservations. For online reservations, visit http://www.advancegreenbay.org.

The Manufacturing Awards of Distinction event began in 1999. Now in its 10th year, the event has honored close to 50 companies from Brown, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto and Shawano counties.

• American Folklore Theatre (AFT)’s Board of Director has recently announced the appointment of Dave Maier as the theatre company’s new Managing Director.

Maier has served as the company’s Assistant Managing Director for the past two years where he oversaw various marketing, community outreach and box office technology responsibilities. He assumes his new role in February 2010.

“Dave’s love of AFT, his theatre and business background, and his experience as our Assistant Managing Director make him the perfect choice as our new Managing Director,” says Mary Seeberg, president of AFT’s Board of Directors.

Maier will succeed M. Kaye Christman, who is retiring at the end of the 2009 season after serving as AFT’s Managing Director for the previous 12 years. Maier’s background includes extensive artistic and theater management experience with several west coast theatres. He graduated from the American Conservatory Theater (ACT)’s Advanced Training Program in San Francisco, and spent the next 10 years with ACT as a professional actor, conservatory trainer, director and literary coordinator. Maier lives in Sturgeon Bay with his wife, Barbara Cihlar.

For more information on American Folklore Theatre, call 920.854.6117 or visit http://www.FolkloreTheatre.com.

• The Door County Economic Development Corporation and the UW-Green Bay Small Business Development Center will be offering free, one-on-one business counseling sessions on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 9 am – 5 pm, for any new or existing business owners in Door County.

Chuck Brys, Business Counselor for the Small Business Development Center, will be providing advice on business planning, financing and other issues. Brys is a CPA and former Chief Financial Officer for several Wisconsin companies, with over 30 years of business experience and knowledge to share with local entrepreneurs.

Individual, confidential sessions will be held at the Door County Business Development Center, 185 East Walnut Street, Sturgeon Bay. An appointment is required and can be made by contacting Janet Frick- Warecki at 920.743.3113 x 200 or via email at [email protected].

• Baylake Bank recently announced that Rick Hearden has been hired as Senior Vice President – Director Middle Market Banking and that John Hauser has returned to Baylake as Senior Vice President – Treasury/Risk Management/Strategic Planning after a brief time away from the organization.

Hearden, who obtained a B.B.A. from St. Norbert College, M.B.A. from University of Notre Dame, and also completed the Wisconsin Bankers Association Commercial Lending School, will be based out of the Green Bay City Center.

Hauser earned a BA in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, and MBA in Finance, Investments and Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also completed the Graduate School of Banking, and holds Series 7 and Series 66 licenses. He is on the Sturgeon Bay School Board of Directors, Door County YMCA Board of Directors, and Sturgeon Bay Board of Review. He has also served on the Door County Library Board, Sturgeon Bay City Council, Sturgeon Bay Utility Commission, Peninsula Players Theater Foundation Board, and more.

Hauser is located at the Baylake Bank Sturgeon Bay Financial Center, 217 N. 4th Avenue; phone 920.743.5551. For more information visit http://www.baylake.com.