2022 Westown Association Annual Meeting

On Tuesday, November 8, Westown Association held its 2022 Annual Meeting, presented by We Energies Foundation. Dozens of downtown leaders and stakeholders gathered at the historically renovated St. James 1868 to celebrate the organization’s accomplishments in 2022 and recognize this year’s award recipients.

During the event, Stacie Callies, Westown’s Executive Director, and Jeff Sherman, Westown’s Board President, recalled the numerous announcements of new developments and businesses relocating to downtown’s premier neighborhood west of the Milwaukee River. The organization also brought back the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin St. Patrick’s Day Parade to downtown Milwaukee and hosted its first full season of the Milwaukee Night Market which attracted over 100,000 visitors to the neighborhood in 2022.

The Westown Board of Directors re-elected four members for a three-year term including Kim Guerrero of Colliers, Joan Johnson of the Milwaukee Public Library, Pat Kressin of GRAEF and Nick Kotsonis of Crivello Carlson, S.C. George Meyer, chief executive office emeritus of Kahler Slater, was recognized for his dedicated service on the Westown Association Board of Directors over the last 21 years.

Guests of the event also heard from Coach Shaka Smart and Megan Duffy on what Marquette Basketball fans can expect for the 2022-2023 season. Moderated by Bryan Dee of 620 WTMJ, the Marquette head coaches discussed what makes Marquette University and their programs special, how they’ve built their teams around leadership and community and the future of basketball and business in Milwaukee. The segment is available to listen to here.

2022 Westown Achievement Awards

Westown Association also recognized the individuals that have positively impacted both the organization and neighborhood. The recipients of this year’s Westown Achievement Awards are:

Outstanding Member Award – Presented to Nick Kotsonis of Crivello Carlson S.C. for being a dedicated member of the organization and serving on the Board of Directors, as well as donating a significant amount of pro bono legal expertise in drafting and reviewing contracts connected to production of the Milwaukee Night Market, event sponsorships and organizational documents.

Community Impact Award – Presented to Hempel Real Estate for their efforts in revitalizing a main corridor of West Wisconsin Avenue through a total investment of $120 million in The Avenue development and its adjacent projects. Hempel’s Milwaukee President, Courtney Morris, invests time and resources in the Westown Association by serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, as well as sponsoring the organization’s events.

Westown Champion Award – Presented to NEWaukee for being a continuous cheerleader for the neighborhood, actively advocating for its development and incorporating innovative ideas to advance Westown including introducing the NEWaukee Night Market in 2014 which served as a catalyst for the development that is currently occurring on West Wisconsin Avenue.

Debra Usinger Community Partner Award – Established in 2012 after Debra’s passing, this award has been given to individuals who worked with Debra in reaching the goal of making Westown a better place. This year’s recipient, Peggy Williams-Smith of VISIT Milwaukee, was recognized for her 25 years in the hospitality industry, advocating for the city of Milwaukee, laying the foundation for Milwaukee to land the RNC 2024 and positioning Milwaukee as a world-class convention and leisure travel destination.