WI

Small business owners Todd and Michelle Trotter are cleaning up Milwaukee’s buildings—and in the process extending a helping hand to its people.

A business is only as good as the employees who work there. In order to staff their business with the cream of the crop, Jill and Craig Treadway took a unique approach to their hiring process that has paid off in spades.

JT Engineering, an engineering consulting firm based in Hobart, WI, was established in 2005 by Jill Treadway, the principal owner, and specializes in design, construction and program management services at the local, state and federal level.

Melanie Lichtfeld, owner of Lichtfeld Plumbing in Madison, WI, is the self-proclaimed Latrine Queen. Although it’s a title she bestowed on herself, it’s one she’s fought long and hard for. Since she began running this family-owned business in 1981, she’s been struggling to gain respect in a decidedly male-dominated field.

Lichtfeld noted that despite her vast competency when it came to plumbing, most men would ignore or refuse to acknowledge her.