You own your authentic heritage. It’s a competitive advantage. Let me help you own and tell that story — like I’ve done countless times in my professional career.
Here are some my favorite examples.
Long Live, Bucyrus: Partnering to Preserve Our City’s Manufacturing History
Challenge
South Milwaukee was a company town for more than 120 years. The shovels that dug the Panama Canal were made here, along with those used in most major earth-moving projects of the 20th Century across the globe. It employed thousands, including entire families. It attracted countless immigrants to our city. Our downtown and entire neighborhoods grew around it. Then it was sold. And in 2011 the Bucyrus name was literally ripped from the downtown buildings where thousands of people worked. Within five years, the new owner had moved most of the local manufacturing out of state and vacated most of the sprawling South Milwaukee campus … leaving a hole in the middle of the city center and risking that the name “Bucyrus” would soon be forgotten.
Insights
Communities own their history story, and they must lead the way in ensuring it is kept alive and made relevant for future generations. And it has to be about more than putting names on buildings and venues. It is done best when it is intentional, strategic and told in partnership with the people who helped shape the story.
Solution
As mayor, I forged and strengthened a partnership with the Bucyrus Foundation to deliver more than $12 million in new grants for the city. It started with a small contribution to assist us with a downtown development strategy for the city. Another $2 million followed for the Bucyrus Club, a new event center, restaurant, and museum in the former Bucyrus employee club, and Bucyrus Commons, a beautiful new downtown outdoor event venue. Then came $10 million for even bigger investments in South Milwaukee schools, downtown and city redevelopment, local nonprofits, and more.
Results
The investment South Milwaukee has made in its history has likely not been done to this level anywhere in the state. The Bucyrus Club and Museum opened in 2021, allowing a longtime local resident an opportunity to relocate this thriving business and add dozens of jobs downtown, and giving a home to thousands of Bucyrus artifacts left in limbo when the company sold. Bucyrus retirees also planned, built and staff the museum. A vacant space in the heart of the city was reborn into Bucyrus Commons, which opened in 2023, immediately welcoming a weekly farmers’ market and other special events while immersing attendees in Bucyrus history. And South Milwaukee High School’s renovated Bucyrus Stadium opened later the fall, ensuring students also know the story of the company. And the $10 million legacy grant is funding various initiatives across the city – and will for more than a decade.
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Happy 125th Birthday, South Milwaukee!
Challenge
The City of South Milwaukee had a key anniversary coming up (125 years) but lacked a plan to commemorate that milestone. Without someone stepping up to lead the effort — and help from others — it was possible the anniversary would go unnoticed, and an opportunity to bring the community together around its shared history would be lost.
Insights
Communities must embrace anniversaries as opportunities to tell their unique history stories and celebrate the people, places and organizations that make it special today. Be creative in telling that story, engaging residents and non-residents alike, of all ages, with a variety of activities. When it comes to history storytelling, have a plan and work the plan, and enlist a committee of people to help. Ensure the anniversary celebration lasts all year — and beyond.
Solution
I worked with the current South Milwaukee mayor to form a 125th Anniversary Committee and continue to proudly serve as it rebranded as the Celebrations Committee after the anniversary. The committee settled on a plan of events throughout the second half of 2022. It included injecting the anniversary into popular existing activities — such as a “pop-up theater” event during our Heritage Week — and creating new events to celebrate the milestone (historical trolley tour, large gala event, etc.). We also launched an Open Doors South Milwaukee event that now continues annually, using the anniversary as a way to celebrate the city’s art, architecture, culture, history and people through behind-the-scenes accesss to buildings across the city.
Results
Thousands of South Milwaukeeans join in the anniversary celebration at the various events, increasing community pride and educating residents and others about our city’s history. The legacy of our work is still felt, as the Celebrations Committee continues to plan community events (outdoor movies, Halloween and Christmas festivities, Open Doors, etc.).
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Hey, Turkeynecks! Celebrating Da Crusher
Challenge
Most older adults in South Milwaukee have a Crusher story, a memorable interaction with this larger-than-life former professional wrestler, an iconic figure in the early days of the sport. Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski – who was born, raised and died in South Milwaukee – was famous for his gruff persona where opponents were “turkeynecks,” female fans were “girlies,” and his training was done by lugging a beer keg on his shoulder while running along Grant Park Beach. His antics were legendary, but they were confined to memories of those who saw him wrestle and YouTube videos – and were little known by anyone under the age of 40.
Insights
Your community’s history is not always about old buildings, legacy companies or famous politicians. Sometimes your community’s most famous people are its most unique. Have fun celebrating them too – and get behind (or get out of the way) those in the community who are leading the effort.
Solution
A local resident brought forward an idea to the city: “Why don’t you have a Crusher statue?” So he set out to raise $40,000 to fund a bronze Crusher, and he did in just a few months, as the effort went viral. The city did its part, helping him find a home for the statue in the heart of our downtown and helping prepare the location for installation.
Results
The statue was unveiled in 2019 in front of 10,000 fans at Crusherfest, a weekend celebration of the “Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous” and wrestling (as well as plenty of beer, sausage and polka). The event has returned to South Milwaukee twice since then, and the statue remains a focal point of the new energy in our downtown.
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Building a Working Museum: Bringing High Life History (And an Archive Collection) to Life
Challenge
As chief archivist at MillerCoors, I was faced with a mandate to move our expansive Miller Brewing Co. archives collection out of our substandard off-campus storage facility, to make way for a new development. It involved finding a new home for thousands of physical items, including many one-of-a-kind pieces, that would save us money, give us more space, and better preserve the items for the long term.
Insights
Artifacts are a critical part of any archive collection – but they do little good in telling a story if they merely sit on a shelf collecting dust. Preservation is important. But so is showcasing your history. Find a way to do both.
Solution
We fought for a solution that did all of that, partnering with our Facilities team to bring the collection back on campus, converting an underutilized basement training center into a combination storage space and museum experience for employees and others.
Results
Welcome to the Miller History Center, which opened in 2019 to both showcase the rich and authentic heritage story of the brewery while giving the archive collection the long-term home it deserved. The museum put hundreds of items on display while also carving out climate-controlled storage space and workspace for company archivists.
It was a night to remember … an example of the type of gathering I can help deliver for you.
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160 Years of Beer: Commemorating a Milestone Miller Brewing Co. Anniversary
Challenge
Miller Brewing Co. blew out its 150th anniversary, spending millions on activations that included an all-employee Bon Jovi concert at Miller Park. The party was still being talked about years later … as Miller 160 approached. With a newly launched archives function, the challenge became how we celebrate this anniversary in a fun, engaging and lasting way, while also driving sales – with a fraction of the budget from 2005.
Insights
If approached strategically and planned and executed as a cross-functional team, anniversaries are opportunities to reinvigorate your existing customers, attract new ones, engage your employees, and remin0d the community about your important role in past, present and future.
Solution
It started with developing a strategic plan to celebrate the anniversary with a series of activations aimed at various audiences over the course of 2015. Every tactic flowed from that plan. Then we dove into branding, creating a mark that would be used across the various anniversary celebrations – including apparel and other items at the Miller Tour Center, an employee holiday ornament, and at a community event where local political leaders proclaimed the history of Miller in Milwaukee. We partnered with our brewery team to create a beer keg time capsule. We created a history video for sharing with our employees, distributors and the general public. We built mobile history displays for tour guests to enjoy at the Miller Inn. And we commissioned “Miller: Inside the High Life,” a beautiful coffee table history book with a local photographer and author.
Results
We achieved our goals of engaging multiple audiences in the story of Miller’s 160 years in Milwaukee. We built employee pride during a difficult time in the business, equipped our distributor network to use the history story to sell more beer, and connected with community leaders to remind them of our impact. We garnered significant local media coverage for our efforts. Sales were strong for 160th anniversary branded items and the book.
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Stronger Together: The Value of Collaborations in Telling Your History Story
Challenge
Every company, community and organization has a history to celebrate. But how do you maximize your investment in the telling of that story, amplifying it with the right audiences in the most effective – and cost-effective – way possible? And how do you tell a broader story that provides more context than just your part of the tale? That was the challenge facing the Miller Brewing Co. archives team, which had plenty of stories to tell, storytellers to tell them, and images and artifacts to share … but not always the platform to most effectively communicate that story.
Insights
Building and leveraging strong partnerships in history storytelling can be a win-win, allowing both parties to more thoroughly tell their story and to more people using new venues. And the return on investment with this approach is almost always higher than companies or organizations going it alone.
Solution
Here are some of the history stortyelling partnerships I have led:
- Partnering with Milwaukee County Parks to brand and decorate the popular South Shore Park Miller 1855 Beer Garden;
- Partnering with the Wisconsin Center District to commission Miller-themed murals for its newly named Miller High Life Theatre; and
- Partnering with the Milwaukee County Historical Society to populate and open its Brew City MKE beer history museum in downtown Milwaukee.
Results
The South Shore Beer Garden is one of the county’s most popular since it opened in 2015, and the Wisconsin Center District recently announced it was extending its partnership with Miller Brewing Co. through 2026, ensuring the history of the brewery will come to life in those venues for years to come. Brew City MKE had a successful multi-year run in what would later become the 3rd Street Market Hall, attracting thousands of visitors to immerse themselves in Milwaukee beer history.
Brooks Communications + Community 