Seven receive entrepreneurial achievement awards

Seven University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni and faculty were honored this week for their outstanding entrepreneurial achievements.

The awards ceremony, which took place on Wednesday, April 25 at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, is designed to recognize the vision and leadership of UW–Madison alumni and faculty who have made a significant impact with their own entrepreneurial pursuits.

“In light of the many economic challenges we face today, the study and practice of entrepreneurship is more critical than ever before,” says Interim Chancellor David Ward. “UW-Madison is prepared to respond to that need because of our strong and vibrant culture of entrepreneurship among our faculty, staff and students.”

Ward adds: “We have created this prize to honor talented and creative alumni and faculty who have had great success as entrepreneurs, who have been instrumental in creating jobs and who offer models for our students. These alumni and faculty have inspired us, and they serve our students by mentoring them and shaping their aspirations.”

The 2012 recipients are:

• Rajiv Batra, co-founder of Palo Alto Networks. Batra has also worked with other Silicon Valley software engineering companies including serving as Vice President of Engineering at Peribit, which was acquired by Juniper Networks in 2005, co-founding VitalSigns Software and serving as vice president of Engineering at Bay Networks.
• Jon Hammes, chairman and chief executive officer of Hammes Company, the nation’s leading developer of healthcare facility solutions. He has been responsible for the development, ownership and management of an extensive real estate portfolio in the healthcare industry. His company has also been involved in the development of sports facilities such as UW–Madison’s Kohl Center and the Lambeau Field renovation.
• Sheldon B. Lubar, founder and chairman of Lubar & Co., a Milwaukee-based private investment firm active in corporate acquisitions and venture capital investment. He formed Lubar & Company while also serving as chairman and CEO of Mortgage Associates (1966-1973) and president and chairman of the executive committee of Midland National Bank, (1975-1977), both of Milwaukee. He served as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, director of the Federal National Mortgage Association and commissioner of the White House Conference on Small Business.
• Thomas Rockwell “Rock” Mackie, who co-founded TomoTherapy Inc. in 1997 and has served as chairman of the board of directors since 1999. TomoTherapy Inc. develops, manufactures and markets the TomoTherapy radiation therapy treatment platform, in use by hospitals and cancer centers worldwide. Mackie served as president of TomoTherapy from 1997-99. Since 1987, Mackie has been a professor in the departments of Medical Physics and Human Oncology at UW–Madison, where he established the TomoTherapy research program. In 1992, Mackie also co-founded Geometrics Corporation (now part of Phillips Medical), which developed a highly successful radiotherapy treatment planning system
• Stephen Siegele, founder of Advanced Delivery & Chemical Systems, a worldwide leader in advanced chemicals and delivery hardware serving markets in Asia, Europe and the U.S. and Fluorine On Call, a private company that designs and manufactures high-purity fluorine generators. He is currently working on another startup company.
• Toni Sikes, founder of the Guild, Inc., spent more than 20 years developing companies and products that marketed the work of artists through directories, e-commerce and catalogs. At the Guild, Inc., she raised $40 million from leading venture capital firms during the dot.com years. Her interest in entrepreneurship led her to the investment world, where she focuses on raising venture capital for IT start-ups and early stage IT companies in the Midwest.
• Matthew Younkle, president of Y Innovation, LLC, an invention and new products incubator, and past president and founder of Laminar Technologies, LLC, the developer of the TurboTap line of beer-dispensing products. Laminar was a 2005 winner of the Chicago Innovation Awards, and TurboTap was named a top invention by both Popular Science and Time magazines. He has been awarded 13 U.S. and international patents.