Independent Business Association of Wisconsin upcoming events

Leadership Circle: The Power of Delegation (Friday, October 30, 2026)

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:30:00 GMT

The Power of Delegation

Friday, October 30th

8:30am-10:30am

Dale Carnegie Training

10909 W. Greenfield Ave, Suite 207

West Allis, WI 53214

Please use this link, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCQBZMG to confirm your attendance for this session.

Overview:

What if I delegate and lose control?

How can I be certain the quality of work won’t be compromised?

Once decisions have been made by a group of individuals, the next step is to determine, “Who will do what, when, and to what standard?” Delegation is the process of sharing responsibility for results. Leaders determine the ultimate objective to be met and the resources available, yet they share and collaborate on the plan of action.

After completing this session, we can demonstrate the steps of the delegation process to train and develop valuable team members while maintaining accountability and control.

At the end of this session, you will be able to:

Delegate tasks and responsibilities to develop and train others
Plan and prepare for a delegation meeting
Communicate clear performance standards for follow-up and accountability
Identify elements of, and apply the empowerment cycle
Use Human Relations principles to coach toward empowerment

IBAW Members Only | Free to Attend | Registration Required

Please use this link, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCQBZMG to confirm your attendance for this session.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to call our office at (414)771-3200 or contact the instructor Steve Bobowski at (414)324-9935 or Steve.bobowski@dalecarnegie.com.

Networking at Beyond Vision (Wednesday, November 04, 2026)

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Networking at Beyond Vision

Wednesday, November 4th, 2026 | Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: Beyond Vision

1540 S 108th St West Allis, WI 53214

Networking at Beyond Vision

Join IBAW members and fellow business leaders for an evening of networking, a behind-the-scenes look at Beyond Vision, and a guided facility tour.

Meet new people and experience the relationships and collaboration that make IBAW valuable.

Our host, Beyond Vision, will share an overview of its business and mission, followed by guided tours of the facility. Discover how Beyond Vision combines manufacturing and business services with meaningful employment opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Beyond Vision

1540 S 108th St West Allis, WI 53214

*Doors open at 4:30 PM

5:00–7:00 PM

Complimentary appetizers and beverages will be provided.

IBAW members, guests, and prospective members are welcome!

IBAW Sales & Revenue Academy (Friday, November 06, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 06:00:00 GMT

IBAW Sales & Revenue Academy

Build a better pipeline. Close more business. Create a sales system that scales.

CTaccess, 275 Regency Court, Suite 201, Brookfield, 8:00am-9:30am

Eight months. Eight focused sessions. Four experienced faculty. One stronger revenue engine.

Sales growth shouldn't depend on luck, random referrals or heroic individual effort.

The IBAW Sales & Revenue Academy is an eight-month, cohort-based development program designed for professionals responsible for generating revenue.

From building a stronger pipeline and nurturing opportunities to closing deals, growing existing accounts and using AI to sell more efficiently, you'll develop practical skills you can put to work immediately.

And you won't just learn about sales.

You'll build a better way to sell.

This Isn't Another Networking Event

The Sales & Revenue Academy replaces the traditional drop-in roundtable with an intentional development experience.

You'll join a cohort of up to 24 professionals who will learn together from November through June.

Each 90-minute session combines expert instruction, practical application and peer learning. Between sessions, you'll put what you've learned into practice and return ready to share, refine and build on it.

Over eight months, you'll create your own Sales & Revenue Playbook, filled with the strategies, tools and processes you can continue using long after the Academy ends.

What You'll Learn

Turn Customers Into Growth Engines

November 6 | Julie Collins

Learn how to create customer experiences that drive retention, expansion, referrals and advocacy, turning the customers you already have into a meaningful source of future revenue.

Nurture the Deal

December 4 | Craig Lowder

Learn how to keep qualified opportunities moving by building value, maintaining momentum and creating an intentional follow-up process that moves prospects toward a decision.

Close With Confidence

January 8 | Steve Bobowski

Learn how to recognize buying signals, navigate objections, ask for the business and create a close that sets the stage for repeat business and referrals.

Hunt Bigger: Winning the Whales

February 5 | Julie Collins

Identify the accounts worth pursuing and develop a deliberate strategy for opening doors, elevating your positioning and winning larger, more strategic opportunities.

Build a Pipeline of Qualified Prospects

March 5 | Lori Highby

Stop relying on random referrals and sporadic prospecting. Learn how to identify the right prospects, create visibility where they spend their time and build a repeatable lead-generation engine.

AI + Tech for Smarter Selling

April 2 | Lori Highby

Learn how to use AI, automation and sales technology to research prospects, personalize outreach, improve follow-up, manage opportunities and eliminate low-value work without losing the human element that drives relationships.

Lead the Sale From First Conversation to Yes

May 7 | Steve Bobowski

Learn how to intentionally guide a prospect through discovery, value creation, decision-making and close while maintaining momentum throughout the sales cycle.

Build a Sales System That Scales

June 4 | Craig Lowder

Turn individual sales activity into a repeatable system by defining your process, establishing meaningful KPIs, managing pipeline performance and creating accountability.

More Than Eight Classes

Throughout the Academy, you'll:

• Learn from four experienced sales and revenue leaders

• Apply practical tools, frameworks and techniques

• Learn from the experiences of your cohort

• Complete real-world implementation activities between sessions

• Build your personal Sales & Revenue Playbook

• Strengthen your sales process from prospecting through customer growth

• Earn an IBAW Sales & Revenue Academy Certificate of Completion*

*Certificate requirements include attendance at a minimum of six of the eight Academy sessions.

Who Should Attend?

The Academy is designed for professionals who carry responsibility for generating revenue, including sales leaders, business development professionals, account executives, salespeople, business owners and marketing leaders supporting revenue growth.

Whether you're responsible for your own number or helping an entire organization improve sales performance, you'll leave with strategies you can immediately put to work.

Your Investment

IBAW Members: $1,200

Non-Members: $1,500

Your registration includes all eight Academy sessions, program materials, implementation tools, your Sales & Revenue Playbook and participation in the Academy cohort.

Enrollment is for the complete eight-month Academy. Individual sessions are not available for purchase.

Enrollment is limited to 24 participants.

The Academy begins November 6, 2026.

Stop treating sales as a collection of activities. Build a revenue system.

Monthly Breakfast Meeting: Wisconsin's Food and Beverage Economy: Issues and Opportunities (Friday, November 20, 2026)

Fri, 20 Nov 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Wisconsin's Food and Beverage Economy: Issues and Opportunities

Friday, November 20th, 2026 | Time: 7:00 am - 9:00 am

Location: The Wisconsin Club, 900 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee

IBAW is pleased to announce Nick Novak, President, Midwest Food Products Association as one of November's Monthly Breakfast Meeting speakers.

Midwest Food Products Association (MWFPA) is the voice and resource for the food manufacturing industry in the region, representing companies in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and surrounding states.

Novak most recently served as Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) – the combined state chamber and manufacturers’ association. In this role, he led a team that oversaw media relations, event promotions and execution, and membership communications. Novak also worked closely with WMC’s government relations team to advance probusiness policies with state legislators.

In nearly a decade with WMC, Novak progressively took on more responsibility and spent the last five years as a trusted member of the executive team charged with organizational strategy and growth. In addition to time with WMC, he spent his career focused on public policy and advocacy, including roles in the Wisconsin State Capitol, several political campaigns and with a construction industry group.

Novak oversees day-to-day operations and is responsible for the strategic direction of MWFPA.

Nick will also be joined by our other panelists, Jorge Azevedo, CEO, Fermented Food Holdings and Arnold Cozart, Plant Manager – Milwaukee, General Mills. Attend and listen to their engaging discussion about workforce, ingredient/labeling regulations, packaging/sustainability trends, AI and more.

Featured Speakers:

Nick Novak, President, Midwest Food Products Association
Jorge Azevedo, CEO, Fermented Food Holdings
Arnold Cozart, Plant Manager – Milwaukee, General Mills

Advanced registration and payment is required.

MEETING AGENDA:

7:00 am - 7:30 am - Check in, coffee, networking

7:30 am - Plated breakfast, continued networking at the table

8:00 am - 8:45 Main Program

8:45 am - 9:00 am - Audience Q & A

9:00 am - Program ends followed by networking

PLATED BREAKFAST INCLUDED!

Attire: Business Professional

Please note:

No refunds/credits can be issued for those unable to attend 24 hours before the event. Due to venue policy, "No shows" are charged / invoiced.

Monthly Breakfast Meeting: The Future of Conservatism (Friday, December 18, 2026)

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 13:00:00 GMT

The Future of Conservatism

Friday, December 18th, 2026 | Time: 7:00 am - 9:00 am

Location: The Wisconsin Club, 900 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee

IBAW is pleased to announce Hon. Scott Walker, 45th Governor of the State of Wisconsin and President, Young America's Foundation as December's Monthly Breakfast Meeting speaker.

Scott’s reforms took power from the hands of big government special interests and put it firmly into the hands of the hard-working people of Wisconsin and those that they elect to run their local governments. Those reforms, known as Act 10, have saved taxpayers more than $16 billion dollars. More importantly, they allow local and school officials to staff based on merit and pay based on performance. That allows them to put the best and brightest in the classroom.

During Governor Walker’s tenure, Wisconsin enacted more common-sense conservative reforms than any state in the nation. They targeted him and he won becoming the first Governor in American history to win a recall election.

Now, Scott serves as President of Young America’s Foundation (YAF). They train the next generation of leaders in the fight for freedom. YAF conducts programs at the Reagan Ranch, Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home, Virginia offices, Washington, D.C., and at regional sites across the nation. YAF also hosts more conservative campus lectures than any other organization.

Featured Speaker:

Hon. Scott Walker, 45th Governor of the State of Wisconsin and President, Young America's Foundation

Advanced registration and payment is required.

MEETING AGENDA:

7:00 am - 7:30 am - Check in, coffee, networking

7:30 am - Plated breakfast, continued networking at the table

8:00 am - 8:45 Main Program

8:45 am - 9:00 am - Audience Q & A

9:00 am - Program ends followed by networking

PLATED BREAKFAST INCLUDED!

Attire: Business Professional

Please note:

No refunds/credits can be issued for those unable to attend 24 hours before the event. Due to venue policy, "No shows" are charged / invoiced.

Monthly Breakfast Meeting: WI's New Federal Tax Credit Opportunity to Support Students (Friday, January 15, 2027)

Fri, 15 Jan 2027 13:00:00 GMT

WI's New Federal Tax Credit Opportunity to Support Students

Friday, January 15th, 2026 | Time: 7:00 am - 9:00 am

Location: The Wisconsin Club, 900 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee

Access to a quality education is critically important to the future of Wisconsin's workforce, which means it is also critically important to the future of our independent businesses. With the election of a new Governor, Wisconsin has a chance to make an important course-correction and opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. Taxpayers in states that have opted in can claim a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 for cash donations to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGO's). Those SGO's in turn issue scholarships to public, charter, and private school students from households with incomes up to 300% of the county median.

In effect, this program creates system for funding qualified education expenses such as tuition, tutoring, materials, and transportation that has no impact on the personal bottom line of those who choose to donate (as long as they have a federal tax liability of at least $1,700). In October 2025 the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) launched Pay It Forward Wisconsin, Inc. as its vehicle to operate as an approved SGO in SE Wisconsin.

Join us to hear from Dale Kooyenga, MMAC President & CEO, about his vision for how Pay It Forward Wisconsin can help ensure access to quality education across the region and why it is so important that Wisconsin opt into this federal tax credit program.

Featured Speaker:

Dale Kooyenga, President & CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC)

Dale Kooyenga is president & CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC). He is also a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and is currently serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Kooyenga has served in the U.S. Army for over 21 years and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq.

He maintains his CPA license and has over twenty years of experience as a CPA, including 10 years at KPMG and twelve years working as a CFO for start-up, early stage and private equity companies. Prior to joining MMAC, Kooyenga was elected and served in the Wisconsin State Assembly followed by four years of service as a Wisconsin State Senator. He played NCAA Division III basketball at Lakeland University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He obtained an MBA from Marquette University.

Advanced registration and payment is required.

MEETING AGENDA:

7:00 am - 7:30 am - Check in, coffee, networking

7:30 am - Plated breakfast, continued networking at the table

8:00 am - 8:45 Main Program

8:45 am - 9:00 am - Audience Q & A

9:00 am - Program ends followed by networking

PLATED BREAKFAST INCLUDED!

Attire: Business Professional

Please note:

No refunds/credits can be issued for those unable to attend 24 hours before the event. Due to venue policy, "No shows" are charged / invoiced.