Joel Plant, a city of Madison alcohol policy coordinator and staffer under former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, has been hired as CEO of Frank Productions, Inc., the company announced Thursday.
The announcement of Plant’s hiring comes just weeks after city officials gave preliminary approval to a major redevelopment project in the 800 block of East Washington Avenue, which includes an approximately 40,000-square-foot music venue to be operated by Frank Productions. “We’re on a big growth spree with the new music venue opening up and just with business overall, and we needed help in getting organized to keep the growth going and to stay successful,” says Fred Frank, the company’s current CEO. “[Plant] has the skillsets that we’re looking for.”
The proposed venue will have a bar and is in the process of getting approval for a liquor license, Frank says. Plant, who staffed the city’s Alcohol License Review Committee, will help guide the company through the licensing process.
Plant, who holds a law degree from UW-Madison and a master’s from Arizona State, left his job in the mayor’s office in 2010 to serve as chief of staff for the Milwaukee Police Department. During that time, he also taught as an adjunct professor at the UW Law School and served on several boards of directors for community-based organizations. Plant has also worked as a management consultant for public and private sector companies throughout the U.S., according to a release.
“With [Plant’s] legal skills and his knowledge of how these things work and his experience…[he] will be invaluable to us,” Frank says. “He’s going to bring a lot of knowledge to the organization.”
Plant’s relationship with Frank Productions began more than a decade ago when Cieslewicz’s office and the Franks teamed up to improve Madison’s annual Halloween celebration on State Street, which had been marred by drunken rioting in years past. They rebranded the event as Freakfest in 2006, and Frank Productions has worked with the city to put on the annual event ever since.
Plant and the Franks stayed in touch, and earlier this year the Franks contacted Plant to discuss “strategic planning and growth potential opportunities,” Plant says. “Long story short, we got to ‘yes’ pretty quickly.”
As CEO, Plant hopes to help Frank Productions formalize its strategic vision for growth as well as foster team and leadership development and communication strategy.
“There’s a strong synergy between my background in organizational management and team development and [the Franks’] expertise [in the entertainment business],” Plant says. “Plus, they’re just fun to work with.”
Frank and his brother, Larry Frank, who is COO, will continue to work for the company. When asked if official titles would change, Fred Frank says it’s possible, but noted that the company does not put much emphasis on such designations.
“Everything we do over here is a team effort,” he says. “But maybe my [new] title would be ‘catch-all.’”
