The owner of an iconic local custard stand who also serves on a powerful Assembly committee has emerged as the community’s most influential person based on a three-month analysis by journalism students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Michael Schraa, the owner of Leon’s Frozen Custard and the delegate from the state’s 53rd Assembly district, was ranked at No. 1 on the Oshkosh 100. His influence, the students concluded, derives from his dual role in contributing to the local culture and in helping to set statewide taxing and spending policy from his post as a member of the Republican majority on the Joint Finance Committee.
The class turned up a large number of Oshkosh “power couples,” including two sets in the top 10, Bill and Beth Wyman and Kris and Sarrah Larson. Both the Wymans and the Larsons operate local hospitality businesses and contribute to the community in a variety of unpaid roles. The Wymans own The Waters, and the Larsons have major ownership interests at Becket’s Restaurant and Ski’s Meat Market.
The others who made the top 10 are City Manager Mark Rohloff, school Superintendent Stan Mack, Oshkosh Area Community Foundation President Diane Abraham and UWO Chancellor Andrew Leavitt.
Other UWO employees on the list are Director of Admissions Jill Endries, at 26, followed closely by Director of Residence Life Thomas Fojtik, who also chairs the city’s Plan Commission. Oshkosh Student Association President Jordan Schettle was the only student to make it on the list, ranking at No. 56. Fritz Niebergall, a Sodexo chef at UWO, took spot No. 82.
Although these people may not directly influence the Oshkosh community, they all play a large role in the lives of UWO students; since the university is an important part of the city, the people who are responsible for the overall well-being of its students are seen as influential.
The bar and dining area was covered in nine of 100 spots on our list of the most influential people of Oshkosh. Just making the top 10 is Kris and Sarrah Larson, owners of Becket’s and Ski’s Meat Market. Later in the list, we some of the people behind some of the most well liked establishments in the city. At 48 and 49 are Aaron and Jason Baer, owners of the New Moon Café and Cranky Pat’s Pizzeria & Pub respectively. At 63 and 64, we see Ardy and Steve Davis, owners of Ardy & Ed’s Drive in. Lower on the list at 74 is Adam Carlson, the general manager of Gardina’s Wine & Café as well as McKnight & Carlson Wines. At 91, we have the Supple family, owners of establishments such as Fratello’s Waterfront Restaurant.
The Oshkosh media only has one spot in the top 20 and that is Karen Befus, coming in at number 20, who is the general manager and ad director at the Oshkosh Northwestern the community’s largest print operation. The majority of media names to make the list lead Oshkosh’s marketing and public relations firms like: Brenda Haines of Blue Door Consulting, number 38, Diane Penzenstadler of 44 Degrees North Advertising, number 66, and Zack Pawlosky who runs Candeo Creative, number 58. Eric Hoopman who owns Dealerfire, another marketing firm in Oshkosh, cracks the top 30 as he comes in at number 25.
Bill Kiefer, assistant news director of Fox 11 in Green Bay and a UW-Oshkosh alumnus, and Justin Mitchell, founder of the Oshkosh Independent an online news site dedicated to the community, round out the media spots coming at numbers 39 and 40 respectively.
For Oshkosh’s education systems, two out of 10 total representatives landed in our top 10: Superintendent of the Oshkosh Area School District Stan F. Mack II ranked at No. 3, and Beth Wyman, a major advocate for improvement in the city’s public schools, co-founder of the Oshkosh4Education project and co-owner of two businesses within Oshkosh, followed closely at No. 6. Three Oshkosh school board members, Barbara Herzog, a highly-involved volunteer and former administrator at OASD, Steve Eliasen, executive director of a major youth sailing and skiing program in Oshkosh, and recently-elected Jim Evans, owner of art supply store Art Haus in downtown Oshkosh, appeared on the list, ranking No. 31, No. 95 and No. 50, respectively. Others include OASD Director of Curriculum and Assessment Julie Mosher at No. 37, retired educator and coach Greg Weisse at No. 43, Director of Choirs at North and West High School Bridget Duffy-Ulrich at No. 57, President of Lourdes Academy Bob Biebel at No. 68 and Director of the Communities program at Oshkosh North High School Julie Dumke at No. 92.
Our nonprofit organizations have helped many people in our community. Diane Abraham made the number four spot for all of her contributions through the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, which has over 650 charity funds. We have Terri Green at number 32, for helping with food insecurity in our community through the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry and she has also been involved in other Foundations in the area.
Dr. Jeffrey McLaughlin, the Medical Director at the Kennedy Center, which is the largest hip and knee center in Wisconsin, comes in at 35 for improving peoples’ lives so they can be active again. At number 75 is Ron Griffin, a retired veteran, who volunteers all of his time in order to help fellow veterans through the Military Veterans Museum and at spot 85 is Rodney Frazier, an entrepreneur, who helps train those with disabilities so that they can gain experience for future employment.
Jim and Geri Grine from the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra and Youth Symphony Orchestra are on the list at numbers 51 and 52. They have made an impact for hundreds of student musicians at North and West High School and at UWO.
From the religion sector of Oshkosh, Ralph and Carol DiBiasio-Snyder are co-pastors from the First Congregational Church. They have been at the church since 1988 and are on the list at number 42.
The business portion of the list includes a mix of influential businessmen/women, as well as city planners who decided when and where to bring new establishments to the city. Leading this section at No. 11 is Charles Szews, CEO of Oshkosh Corp. At the 22 spot we see Wendy Hielsberg, the executive director of the Oshkosh Convention and Vistitors Bureau.Next up at No. 23 is Rob Kleman, Senior Vice President of Economic Development. Art Dumke, another local developer, checks in at No. 30 on the list. The Leatherman family, Dennis and Karlene, are No.’s 46 & 47, respectively as the Oshkosh Farmers Market Managers. Allen Davis, Community Development Director, rounds out the business portion of the list at No. 72.
The public safety division of Oshkosh was represented on our list through five very important individuals. Scott Greuel, the chief of the Oshkosh Police Department, ranks highest at spot No. 5. Chief Timothy Franz of the Oshkosh Fire Department lands in the top 20 at spot No. 19. Following close behind are Chief Joseph LeMire of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Police Department at spot No. 24 and Christian Gossett, the Winnebago County District Attorney, at spot No. 28. Winnebago County Sheriff John Matz also makes the list at No. 71.
Arts and entertainment are both prominent in Oshkosh, and six people from the industry made it on our list. Michael Dempsey heads up Waterfest and is also a banker for many local businesses and finds himself at 16. Justin Mitchell, at no. 40, is a co-founder of the Oshkosh Music Artist series as well as the Oshkosh Independent. Jason and Aaron Baer own the New Moon cafe and are 48 and 49 on our list, followed closely at 51 by Gail Panske, and an art professor at UWO and Jim Evans, . Guy Dark and Nicole Rae, a radio DJ (96.9) and musician (The Traveling Suitcase) respectively, are on our list at 62 and 73 for their role in influencing the very booming local music scene.
The legal community is represented by Winnebago County Attorney General Christian Gossett, at number 28, local attorney Cathy Scherer, who made the list because of her avid volunteer work.
The list was developed by the following students: Jacob Batterman, Tori Cavitt, Zach Cook, Alex Crowe, Charlene Dungan, Gary Flick, Ann Jarzynski, Stephen Knoll, Alissa Knop, Kaitlyn Murray, Jenna Nyberg, Greg Peterson and Tim Schuetz.
Michael Schraa, the owner of Leon’s Frozen Custard and the delegate from the state’s 53rd Assembly district, was ranked at No. 1 on the Oshkosh 100. His influence, the students concluded, derives from his dual role in contributing to the local culture and in helping to set statewide taxing and spending policy from his post as a member of the Republican majority on the Joint Finance Committee.
The class turned up a large number of Oshkosh “power couples,” including two sets in the top 10, Bill and Beth Wyman and Kris and Sarrah Larson. Both the Wymans and the Larsons operate local hospitality businesses and contribute to the community in a variety of unpaid roles. The Wymans own The Waters, and the Larsons have major ownership interests at Becket’s Restaurant and Ski’s Meat Market.
The others who made the top 10 are City Manager Mark Rohloff, school Superintendent Stan Mack, Oshkosh Area Community Foundation President Diane Abraham and UWO Chancellor Andrew Leavitt.
Other UWO employees on the list are Director of Admissions Jill Endries, at 26, followed closely by Director of Residence Life Thomas Fojtik, who also chairs the city’s Plan Commission. Oshkosh Student Association President Jordan Schettle was the only student to make it on the list, ranking at No. 56. Fritz Niebergall, a Sodexo chef at UWO, took spot No. 82.
Although these people may not directly influence the Oshkosh community, they all play a large role in the lives of UWO students; since the university is an important part of the city, the people who are responsible for the overall well-being of its students are seen as influential.
The bar and dining area was covered in nine of 100 spots on our list of the most influential people of Oshkosh. Just making the top 10 is Kris and Sarrah Larson, owners of Becket’s and Ski’s Meat Market. Later in the list, we some of the people behind some of the most well liked establishments in the city. At 48 and 49 are Aaron and Jason Baer, owners of the New Moon Café and Cranky Pat’s Pizzeria & Pub respectively. At 63 and 64, we see Ardy and Steve Davis, owners of Ardy & Ed’s Drive in. Lower on the list at 74 is Adam Carlson, the general manager of Gardina’s Wine & Café as well as McKnight & Carlson Wines. At 91, we have the Supple family, owners of establishments such as Fratello’s Waterfront Restaurant.
The Oshkosh media only has one spot in the top 20 and that is Karen Befus, coming in at number 20, who is the general manager and ad director at the Oshkosh Northwestern the community’s largest print operation. The majority of media names to make the list lead Oshkosh’s marketing and public relations firms like: Brenda Haines of Blue Door Consulting, number 38, Diane Penzenstadler of 44 Degrees North Advertising, number 66, and Zack Pawlosky who runs Candeo Creative, number 58. Eric Hoopman who owns Dealerfire, another marketing firm in Oshkosh, cracks the top 30 as he comes in at number 25.
Bill Kiefer, assistant news director of Fox 11 in Green Bay and a UW-Oshkosh alumnus, and Justin Mitchell, founder of the Oshkosh Independent an online news site dedicated to the community, round out the media spots coming at numbers 39 and 40 respectively.
For Oshkosh’s education systems, two out of 10 total representatives landed in our top 10: Superintendent of the Oshkosh Area School District Stan F. Mack II ranked at No. 3, and Beth Wyman, a major advocate for improvement in the city’s public schools, co-founder of the Oshkosh4Education project and co-owner of two businesses within Oshkosh, followed closely at No. 6. Three Oshkosh school board members, Barbara Herzog, a highly-involved volunteer and former administrator at OASD, Steve Eliasen, executive director of a major youth sailing and skiing program in Oshkosh, and recently-elected Jim Evans, owner of art supply store Art Haus in downtown Oshkosh, appeared on the list, ranking No. 31, No. 95 and No. 50, respectively. Others include OASD Director of Curriculum and Assessment Julie Mosher at No. 37, retired educator and coach Greg Weisse at No. 43, Director of Choirs at North and West High School Bridget Duffy-Ulrich at No. 57, President of Lourdes Academy Bob Biebel at No. 68 and Director of the Communities program at Oshkosh North High School Julie Dumke at No. 92.
Our nonprofit organizations have helped many people in our community. Diane Abraham made the number four spot for all of her contributions through the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, which has over 650 charity funds. We have Terri Green at number 32, for helping with food insecurity in our community through the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry and she has also been involved in other Foundations in the area.
Dr. Jeffrey McLaughlin, the Medical Director at the Kennedy Center, which is the largest hip and knee center in Wisconsin, comes in at 35 for improving peoples’ lives so they can be active again. At number 75 is Ron Griffin, a retired veteran, who volunteers all of his time in order to help fellow veterans through the Military Veterans Museum and at spot 85 is Rodney Frazier, an entrepreneur, who helps train those with disabilities so that they can gain experience for future employment.
Jim and Geri Grine from the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra and Youth Symphony Orchestra are on the list at numbers 51 and 52. They have made an impact for hundreds of student musicians at North and West High School and at UWO.
From the religion sector of Oshkosh, Ralph and Carol DiBiasio-Snyder are co-pastors from the First Congregational Church. They have been at the church since 1988 and are on the list at number 42.
The business portion of the list includes a mix of influential businessmen/women, as well as city planners who decided when and where to bring new establishments to the city. Leading this section at No. 11 is Charles Szews, CEO of Oshkosh Corp. At the 22 spot we see Wendy Hielsberg, the executive director of the Oshkosh Convention and Vistitors Bureau.Next up at No. 23 is Rob Kleman, Senior Vice President of Economic Development. Art Dumke, another local developer, checks in at No. 30 on the list. The Leatherman family, Dennis and Karlene, are No.’s 46 & 47, respectively as the Oshkosh Farmers Market Managers. Allen Davis, Community Development Director, rounds out the business portion of the list at No. 72.
The public safety division of Oshkosh was represented on our list through five very important individuals. Scott Greuel, the chief of the Oshkosh Police Department, ranks highest at spot No. 5. Chief Timothy Franz of the Oshkosh Fire Department lands in the top 20 at spot No. 19. Following close behind are Chief Joseph LeMire of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Police Department at spot No. 24 and Christian Gossett, the Winnebago County District Attorney, at spot No. 28. Winnebago County Sheriff John Matz also makes the list at No. 71.
Arts and entertainment are both prominent in Oshkosh, and six people from the industry made it on our list. Michael Dempsey heads up Waterfest and is also a banker for many local businesses and finds himself at 16. Justin Mitchell, at no. 40, is a co-founder of the Oshkosh Music Artist series as well as the Oshkosh Independent. Jason and Aaron Baer own the New Moon cafe and are 48 and 49 on our list, followed closely at 51 by Gail Panske, and an art professor at UWO and Jim Evans, . Guy Dark and Nicole Rae, a radio DJ (96.9) and musician (The Traveling Suitcase) respectively, are on our list at 62 and 73 for their role in influencing the very booming local music scene.
The legal community is represented by Winnebago County Attorney General Christian Gossett, at number 28, local attorney Cathy Scherer, who made the list because of her avid volunteer work.
The list was developed by the following students: Jacob Batterman, Tori Cavitt, Zach Cook, Alex Crowe, Charlene Dungan, Gary Flick, Ann Jarzynski, Stephen Knoll, Alissa Knop, Kaitlyn Murray, Jenna Nyberg, Greg Peterson and Tim Schuetz.