Last week's announcement of Isthmus' sale made headlines far beyond the state's borders. While I would love to say it was because people love Madison and Isthmus, a large part of it had to do with one of our new owners, Mark Tauscher, who was a beloved pro football player in his former life. Missing from the headlines was the group of pros who helped us get this deal done. Without them, there wouldn't have been any headlines last week. I want to take a moment and recognize the people who were instrumental in starting a new chapter in Isthmus ownership: Pete Oettinger at Wegner CPA, Cathy Durham at Capital Valuation Group and Steve Tumbush at Murphy Desmond.
There is nothing better in life than when a person looks across the table and says, "I believe in you." Jim McNulty at Oak Bank did that to me, Mark and our partner Craig Bartlett. Since Isthmus was not "free," we needed a lending partner. Our situation was not easy coming out of a recession, but Jim and the owners of Oak Bank were willing to look beyond numbers and believe in our ideas. If you are starting a business or buying one, I suggest you start at Oak Bank.
Finally I have to thank Isthmus' administrative director, Kathy Bailey. If I spend the rest of my life at Isthmus, I still won't know how the business runs as well as she does. We are lucky to have her as our own, and if anyone tries to steal her, hired Isthmus thugs will find you.
Thank you again to all the people who reached out to us last week. We are excited about the road ahead and hope you are too.
