Starting in June 2025, I became a part of the "Journalism Focus Group" of the Intuit RPO Onsite Team. Although I'm sure issues of "Beyond The Desk" may be retrievable, at least theoretically, but I'll track my contributions here for posterity. Evidently, because of my choice of feature article for this first issue, I am now on the "Milwaukee Spots" beat for the rest of my run here...
9.1.25
Once each year, Historic Milwaukee hosts Doors Open Milwaukee, a city-wide immersive experience of behind-the-scene tours and insider tales of more than 150 sites, buildings, and other locations all around the Milwaukee Metro.
In recent years, I have seen The Worlds Largest Theater Organ at a Carmex Warehouse in Franklin, the view from the top of the Northwestern Mutual Tower, stories of the time the Pro Bowlers Association (PBA) hosted a match at Holler House, and a walking tour of Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum (by far my favorite walkabout in Milwaukee!)
Doors Open is happening September 27th and 28th, and you can see all of the available locations this year starting on September 1st at their website.
Tours are free - you just need to secure tickets (starting September 10th {or 3rd if you sign up to be a Member!}) for some of the most popular locations, but there are a lot of locations all around the city where no tickets are required, so once the map goes live, check out what’s near you (or a bit of a drive - it’s usually worth it!), and get out exploring!
August 1, 2025
There’s nothing like the artificially cooled air of museum air conditioning to beat the summer heat. And there’s no better price that you’ll find to enjoy that cool air (plus the loads of exceptional exhibits!) than FREE!
So here’s your guide to some of the best that Milwaukee has to offer for the… frugal… visitor:
The Milwaukee Public Museum (800 W Wells St.) - Free to visitors on the First Thursday of every month, thanks to Kohl’s. Enjoy some kitschy and classic exhibits of natural history and modern anthropology before the museum moves location in early 2027.
Milwaukee Art Museum (700 N Art Museum Dr.) - Every Thursday, museum admission is pay-what-you-wish from 4pm - 8pm. Classical and modern collections, I recommend the excellent collection of 20th Century Haitian Art, one of the best in the world.
Boerner Botanical Gardens (9400 Boerner Dr., Hales Corners) - Free admission on the last Thursday of the month through October 2025. Also enjoy the Wednesday Garden Walks for just $5, tours at 6pm led by a different local expert each week.
Wehr Nature Center (9701 W College Ave, Franklin) - No admission, but parking (normally $5) is free on the last Thursday of each month.
Admittedly, the AC at these last two is not great, but just a few ideas to get you started on some summer fun that won’t break the bank.
July 1, 2025
Hello, I’m Joel! I began working with the Intuit team about a year ago, but my connection with Manpower Group goes back a bit longer. I was placed in a temporary position by Manpower in 2007, and ended up spending over a decade with the boutique private staffing firm in downtown Milwaukee. I’m originally from a small town in Southern Wisconsin, and have lived mainly around the Midwest since then: Minneapolis, Omaha, Chicago, and now here! I’m a fan of horror genre everything (especially zombies!), games of all sorts, and Nottingham Forest. I’ll cover Team Building Efforts for the newsletter.
The Team Building Focus Group is organizing a PrideLuck Potluck on July 3rd at noon in the Connection Point to celebrate the culmination of Pride Month and the Fourth of July holiday! Sign-ups for dishes were distributed via email, and everyone is encouraged to to wear either your favorite (work appropriate) All-American or Pride Colors gear for the day. In other news, Roselyn Colon has taken over running the Intuit Movie Club. For July, they are currently taking suggestions for a “Summer Themed Movie”, so feel free to send your suggestions in for their meet up later in July.
Sanger House Gardens
Just a short eleven minute walk out the front door of MPG HQ sits Sanger House Gardens, a delightful summer afternoon walk break destination for anyone seeking a new spot to spend some time amongst beautifully curated flower and plant gardens.
Across the Schlitz Park lot, and a block north of the Lonchera El Tapatio Taco Truck, at 1823 N. Palmer Street, the Sanger House Gardens are open to the public every day between 8:30am until 6:00pm, except when they are hosting a special event (which is rare on weekdays!).
The gardens were designed and built by Steve Bialk and Angela Duckert over the past 25 years, and the property itself has a rich Milwaukee history, as the former home of a Milwaukee County Sheriff and a Milwaukee Mayor!
In recent years, Sanger Gardens has also offered up their Carriage House as a unique airBnB, so if you are hosting out of town guests, they’ll be close to work! I highly recommend a visit - well worth the walk up Brewer’s Hill (besides, it’s downhill on the way back to HQ!)
