15 Years of NEWaukee
Over the past 15 years, NEWaukee has grown and evolved, but all of our core values have stayed the same. Our past has informed and provided for our present, and our present is leading us towards some thrilling new projects in the future—one of which is our brand new website!
As we step into the next 15 years with a focus on marketing, experience design, and community-building, we look back on our major achievements, biggest milestones, and people and places we loved:
Major Milestones, Past Projects, and People We Loved in the Past 15 Years:
2009
The very first NEWaukee meetup at The Garage became a regular series taking folks around the city every other Thursday.
2011
Urban Island Beach Party is a surprisingly wild success & turns the social movement into an official organization!
2012
NEWaukee creates Young Professional Week creating a signature showcase of what Milwaukee has to offer for the next generation.
2014
NEWaukee celebrates its 5 year anniversary at Hot Water Wherehouse & February 13th is proclaimed officially NEWaukee Day across the city of Milwaukee by Mayor Tom Barrett.
The inaugural Milwaukee Night Market launches to revitalize West Wisconsin Avenue.
2015
First ever Empty Storefronts Conference is created, which is now known as Urban Spaceship Conference & the launch of the Urban Spaceship Community.
Young Professional Week goes statewide in partnership with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
Co-Founder Ian Abston departed from NEWaukee to found the Hoan Group.
2018
NEWaukee partners with Amanda Daering to create Newance, a recruitment firm focused on helping brilliant people solve interesting problems.
2019
NEWaukee celebrates its 10 year anniversary at the Best Place.
2020
In response to the pandemic, NEWaukee pivots to become an engagement agency focused on helping our clients connect to new audiences & communities.
2021
NEWaukee partners with MATC to bring Gap Year to life & to bring an underserved population into higher education.
NEWaukee partners with North Shore Bank to create the Inaugural Southside Dining Week.
NEWaukee launches the first Founder/Fest & Milwaukee Founders Community.
NEWaukee & its partners create Rivet, a B2B SaaS platform focused on workplace connection.
2022
NEWaukee partners with Discover Wauwatosa for the Inaugural ART 64 contest & the winning artist is awarded a $20,000 grand prize.
NEWaukee partners with Tsunami Express Car Wash in their expansion across the midwest.
2023
NEWaukee partners with Harley-Davidson in their 120th anniversary celebrations.
NEWaukee & Newance purchase property in Bay View & begin renovation to convert into an official clubhouse.
Co-Founder Jeremy Fojut departed from NEWaukee to pursue civic passions.
2024
NEWaukee & Newance move into a new clubhouse called The Howie!
NEWaukee relaunches its website along with new lifecycle marketing services.
Newance launches fractional people operation services.
Our 15th anniversary isn’t just about a nostalgic retrospective—it’s also about charging forward into the future with energy and enthusiasm. Here are 15 projects or ideas that are coming up soon or already being rolled out that we’re excited about:
15 Future Projects or Ideas We’re Excited for:
1. New NEWaukee website!
You’re already here! Check out our beautiful new website, which showcases what we do best and the amazing projects and people we’ve worked with.
2. Official opening of The Howie
The Howie is our brand new clubhouse in Bay View in Milwaukee! Besides hosting happy hours, events, and guests, The Howie is a fantastic place to cowork, connect, and collaborate with a team. Ours or yours!
3. Milwaukee Founder’s Community Inaugural Founder Retreat
The first ever MFC Founder Retreat is an all-inclusive, two-day retreat experience designed for startup founders in the Midwest to rest, recharge, and reconnect.
4. Tsunami Express Grand Openings across the midwest
Our fantastic client Tsunami Express is opening new car wash locations across the midwest, and we’re helping to create an immersive and exciting grand opening experience.
5. Baird Associate Resource Group Strategic Planning Summit & Roadshow
We’re assisting Baird with taking their amazing initiatives and company culture on the road, as well as designing and implementing their Associate Resource Group Strategic Planning Summit.
6. Sargento Roadshow
We’ll be helping Sargento Cheese showcase their company culture in a tangible (and tasty!) way throughout 2024.
7. Cities Forward
Advancing voter access during this historic election is a priority for Cities Forward, which is why we’re helping them create ONE MKE, a nonpartisan effort to share resources and tools with Milwaukee residents.
8. Be Kind Parklet in Pulaski with North Shore Bank
We’re helping North Shore Bank stand up their latest Be Kind parklet installation to remind people to always move with compassion and joy!
9. Expanding Urban Spaceship Community across the state with WTBA
Urban Spaceship Community is ready to blast off, and we’re going to be helping with expanding the group across the state of Wisconsin with a partnership with the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association.
10. SaaS Club connecting startup founders to corporate clients
We’re eager to help The Milwaukee Founders Community (MFC) in pioneering a new program and coalition designed to facilitate partnerships between B2B SaaS startups and C-Suite individuals.
11. 4th Edition of Southside Dining Week
North Shore Bank’s Southside Dining Week returns in Fall 2024, and we are thrilled to be showcasing this amazing sampling of Milwaukee’s southside food scene for the fourth time!
12. 3rd Edition of Art 64
Discover Wauwatosa’s exciting live-painting competition for a $20,000 grand prize returns for the third year, this time presented by North Shore Bank!
13. The groundbreaking of FPC Live’s new venue
We’ll be assisting FPC Live with the introduction and groundbreaking of their upcoming music venue in Milwaukee, which will bring new musical acts, jobs, and events to the city.
14. The 10th Edition of Milwaukee Night Market
It’s hard to believe the Milwaukee Night Market is turning ten! Westown will be hosting Night Market during the summer 2024 season, featuring vendors, entertainment, food, and drink.
15. The groundbreaking of Harley-Davidson’s Davidson Park
We’ll be helping Harley Davidson create fun new activations and installations for their new Davidson Park this summer.
