OUR MEMBERS

Joined YES! in: 9/1/2010 – Original member

Employer & Job Role: Realtor with Realty Executives Platinum. Helping clients sell fast & buy smart!

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Board of Trustees for Watertown Regional Medical Center, GLOW (Giving Ladies of Watertown)

How you came to Watertown:Born & raised, left for college and worked in Milwaukee after graduation but came back to grow a career in my hometown.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown:The sense of community, family and friends, recreational opportunities, safe place to live with easy access to metropolitan cities.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Promoting and bringing awareness to various social, economic, philanthropic and recreational opportunities that Watertown has to offer. Offering support and feedback to community leaders. Acting as a positive influence and utilizing the power of accountability to reach community goals.

Joined YES! in: 9/1/2019

Employer & Job Role: Project Manager at MarketReach Inc.

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Hope Church Volunteer, Community Event Volunteer, Former Watertown Historical Society Board Member, Leadership Watertown Class of 2019

How you came to Watertown:I was born and raised here. All of my immediate family lives in town, so I left for a few years to attend college at UW-Madison and I came right back!

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: The feeling of home. I left in college to ‘get away’ and realized how much I was missing our community and the people in it. There is a lot of good here. The more I get involved, the more I realize how much people care about making Watertown the best it can be.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: I hope to get people excited about Watertown and all it has to offer again! There is so much here, and the events that YES! offers the community are proof of that. I look forward to being an advocate for the community and all of the positivity there is here.

Joined YES! in: 4/1/2021

Employer & Job Role: Insurance Agent at Rural Mutual Insurance – Brandon Mueller Agency LLC

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Riverfest Volunteer (finance department); Board of Directors State Bank of Reeseville

How you came to Watertown: Born and raised. Moved back right after college.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown:The people

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Promoting events in the city and updates to the city to show it is not only a great place to visit but a great place to live.

Joined YES! in: 8/1/2019

Employer & Job Role: Brand Manager at Illuminus and Bridal Stylist at Sandra D’s Bridal Boutique

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Lebanon Fire Department Auxiliary, Volunteer for Main Street Program Events (Wine Walk, Beer Walk, Riverfest Food Booth)

How you came to Watertown:I grew up in Lebanon which is not far from Watertown. Since I grew up in Lebanon, I went to school and now work here.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown:Watertown is a giving community-whether it’s through time, talents or monetary gifts. Many in the community will do anything to help each other and make Watertown better.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: With being in Marketing, I hope to use my skills to help bring awareness of the events that we have and promote positivity throughout the community.

Joined YES! in: 5/1/2013

Employer & Job Role: CFO at Illuminus

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): St. John’s Lutheran Church Finance Committee, Watertown-USTA Youth Tennis, Various Not-for-Profit Boards

How you came to Watertown: Born and raised here so after moving back to WI we decided to live and raise our family here.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Drawing attention to the awesome opportunities for fun and activity in our city.  Leveraging relationships with other Watertown supporters to engage the community and encourage people to see the wonderful place Watertown is to live that might not have seen it otherwise.

Joined YES! in: 10/1/2014

Employer & Job Role: Berres Brothers Coffee Roasters – Project Manager

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce, Watertown YMCA, Giving Ladies Of Watertown, Watertown Humane Society

How you came to Watertown: Born and raised in Watertown, returned after graduating college.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: I enjoy getting to know all the volunteers who make Watertown a better place; the parks; being able to leave my vehicle running at the gas station in the dead of winter and not worrying about it being stolen; the fun and creative activities that community members come up with to enhance our lives with and the dedication of many long term businesses owners.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: It is very important and rewarding for me to give back to the community that I grew up in. I enjoy supporting necessary causes with like-minded friends. I take great pride in making Watertown a place other graduates want to come back to because it has so much to offer. Being a part of the YES! Organization as a force multiplier allows me to achieve some of these personal goals and aspirations. I have a lot of passion and energy for making Watertown better. I believe many of my ideas and efforts can make Watertown a desirable destination. Much of my network finds value in the information I share with them about all of the work being done behind the scenes to improve Watertown’s reputation. YES! will benefit from a new audience through shared communication and participation. I can help YES! live out its mission by helping generate, organize and execute successful ideas, partnerships, events, promotions and projects. I will always be a positive influence to the group and to all members of the community. I can deliver fresh, encouraging messages to a new target audience that will help muster support for YES! initiatives.

Joined YES! in: 5/1/2013

Employer & Job Role: Dealer/Partner at Grinwald Ford, Inc.

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Watertown Country Club, Immanuel Lutheran Church & Main Street Task Force

How you came to Watertown: Watertown was my home growing up, and I went off to attend UW-Eau Claire, completing my Accounting degree in 2007 (CPA; 2009). Post-college life took me to various positions in Phoenix, Minneapolis and Madison before coming back home with a widened perspective of the world around us.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: My wife (Kim) and I enjoy raising our three children (Tahlia, Evelina & Bronson) here and utilizing the excellent schools & the park system which Watertown is fortunate to have. If we’re not doing that, you’ll probably find me on the golf course!

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: YES! Watertown is about bringing like-minded people together to promote positive and engaging change in the area. As residents of Watertown, ALL OF US are the change agents for making this community a better place for everyone to enjoy.

Joined YES! in: 10/1/2014

Employer & Job Role: WUSD – Principal at Webster Elementary

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Watertown Park & Rec Commission, Watertown Booster Club

How you came to Watertown: My family moved to Watertown 45 years ago.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: I love the small town feel of our big town.  The location between Madison and Milwaukee is great!  I also love the schools!

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: I love to see people get involved in our community.  This is a very active and fun group. I enjoy seeing so many people make connections and work to make Watertown a great place.

Joined YES! in: 5/1/2013

Employer & Job Role: Oswald/Konz Financial Group – Owner

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Elks Club, Watertown Main Street Program (Board Member), Watertown Parks & Recreation (Board Member)

How you came to Watertown: Attended college in Whitewater & met my spouse there. We discovered and appreciate the size and location of Watertown and access to other communities.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: The small town feel and the parks in our city, as well as the proximity to Madison & Milwaukee areas. The opportunity to kayak the Rock River.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Being a force multiplier. The opportunity to join with like-minded people to improve our local community. Being part of “building” something from the ground up, with the opportunity to develop a lasting legacy.

Joined YES! in: 9/1/2010

Employer & Job Role: Owner & President of Thermo-Tech Mechanical Insulation

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Greater Watertown Community Health foundation board and vice-chair, Glacial Community YMCA (WTN & OCN) board and treasurer, Thrive•ED Economic Development board and chair, Watertown Regional Medical Center JV board, Watertown Unified School District board, WHS Tech Ed Partnership Team, Maranatha Business Advisory Council

How you came to Watertown:A Wisconsin native, after graduating from UW Madison (B.S. ChE ‘95) and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (M.B.A. ‘02), I spent ten years out-of-state working in various roles in the petrochemical & plastics industries. I moved to Watertown in 2005 to buy and operate a long-standing area business, Baker-Rullman Manufacturing, which I sold at the end of 2019. I then purchased another area business, Thermo-Tech Mechanical Insulation, at the beginning of 2021 where I still enjoy learning its nuances and making improvements where I can.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown:I judge success by the brevity of my morning commute to work. And although in my 25+ year career it’s never been more than 20 minutes, in Watertown, I’ve been able to get it down to 5! Watertown is almost the perfect blend of small town character with small city amenities.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: The economic, social, educational, and physical health of the Watertown community is my hobby and my passion. The more people working to improve each of them, the better off we’ll be.

Joined YES! in: 9/1/2010

Employer & Job Role: American Family Insurance – Agent/Owner

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): YMCA Board (Chair)

How you came to Watertown: Moved in December of 2009 to take over an American Family Insurance office.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: I love the people! We have made lots of great friends here. We enjoy the parks and great family atmosphere.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: By having a place to collaborate with such involved people. We are able to help share what we are working on and help each other, through supporting their work and efforts.

Joined YES! in: 8/1/2022

Employer & Job Role: Account Manager, Nordic Consulting

How you came to Watertown: Moved here from Madison in March 2022 – my husband was born and raised here so we are connected to the area.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: We have a lot of family and friends here; I enjoy the small town feel and close connections we have.  I love that Watertown has easy access to surrounding areas – Madison, Milwaukee, etc.  I am also eager to explore everything the community has to offer – from great recreational resources to the local businesses and events.  .

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: I hope to contribute to the growth and vibrancy of Watertown through supporting and spreading awareness of social, economic and educational events, as well as promoting positivity and a sense of community.

Joined YES! in: 10/1/2022

Employer & Job Role: Watertown Regional Medical Center / Executive Director – Human Resources

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Coach children’s baseball and softball teams, Church Council Member – Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church

How you came to Watertown: Born and raised in Watertown & wife, Emily, is from Watertown so in 2016 we moved back to Watertown to stay

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: I have been attending YES! events for years as a guest. There is so much energy and fun at each of the events and I never really thought about the causes the events were supporting. As much as I want to be a bigger part of those events, I am interested in learning more about the city of Watertown that I grew up in.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Passion to see Watertown grow and develop and excited to be part of that change. I have high energy and willingness to give back through yes! activities and initiatives. 

Joined YES! in: 12/1/2022

Employer & Job Role: Watertown Family Practice Associates, S.C. & Practice Administrator

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Watertown Area Chamber Ambassador, Watertown Leadership

How you came to Watertown: I was born and raised right here in Watertown.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: I’m hoping I can contribute to yes! in a way that will help bring our community together and promote a positive environment for our city and the people in it.

Joined YES! in: 3/1/2023

Employer & Job Role: Senior Mortgage Processor, Summit Credit Union

How you came to Watertown: Moved in late 2020, early 2021. Grew up in Lake Mills.

What do you enjoy about Watertown: I enjoy that Watertown has the small town vibes and atmosphere while still having the conveniences of a larger city.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: I joined yes! to learn more about all of the great things Watertown has to offer while also sharing these things with the community I live in. 

Joined YES! in: 9/1/2010

Employer & Job Role: Hafmeister Funeral Home & Cremation Service

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Watertown Chamber of Commerce (Past President), Watertown Main Street Program, Marquardt Foundation Board, OPEC, Watertown Moose Lodge.

How you came to Watertown: Birth.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: Great sized community located between to larger cities. Big, but not too big and has great schools, parks & people.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Continue backing agendas, people and causes which promote the City of Watertown.

Joined YES! in: 9/1/2010

Employer & Job Role: Family Physician at Watertown Family Practice Associates

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Tour da Goose, YMCA Task Force, WRMC Medical Staff, Volunteer Sport Coach

How you came to Watertown: Came to Watertown to pursue independent group medical practice due to geographic proximity to Illinois and Minnesota between families.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: We enjoy the big, small town aspect of Watertown. Everything you need is here, but in a small town way of life. We also love the proximity to Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: I hope to continue to promote the positive aspects of Watertown by supporting initiatives brought forth to YES!, volunteering time to support local causes and helping organizations and those in need of support.

Joined YES! in: 5/1/2013

Employer & Job Role: Total Waste Solutions, President & Chief Audit Officer

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Founding member of yes! Watertown and current vice president/secretary, chairman of the Watertown Park, Recreation and Forestry Commission, member of the City of Watertown Plan Commission, serving on the Main Street Program board of directors and co-Founder and president of Coach J’s JamFest.

How you came to Watertown: Moved here in 1983

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown:  Terrific sense of community, great schools, great park system.  Safe place to raise a family and opportunities to get involved.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Force multiply with other successful people to help continue making Watertown a destination to live and prosper.

Joined YES! in: 9/1/2010

Employer & Job Role: Chief Development Officer at Maas Brothers Construction

Other Community Involvement (orgs, clubs, groups): Watertown Redevelopment Authority, Glacial Heritage Development Partnership

How you came to Watertown: Grew up here and returned shortly after getting married.

What Do I Enjoy About Watertown: The citizens of the community take pride in supporting each other.

How you hope to make Watertown a better place through YES!: Working through YES! to show people that our community is vibrant and can support positive change.