Mark Binversie #220, Cedarburg, WI – Mark’s hometown is Kiel WI. Mark’s journey of life has taken him many directions: Selling Harvestore silos in the 80’s in Ohio, owning a Dairy Farm (which had a major barn fire) and then spending 99% of his career in the banking industry at Firstar bank in Manitowoc, WI for 15 years managing the Ag Loan department which grew to be the largest Ag bank in Wisconsin and the 10th largest in the nation. It was a great challenge as they worked with farmers helping to develop the FSA guarantee program to offset price swings and high Interest rates (Prime rate peaked at 22%).

Then in 1996, Mark and 3 other employees from Firstar Bank in Manitowoc had the opportunity to start the Investors Community Bank (ICBK) from scratch. Mark served as President until December 2022 when they merged with Nicolet Bank of Green Bay. ICBK started with 6 million of capital, working out a department storefront. The company grew over the years to 160 employees and 1.6 billion in total assets. ICBK’s niche was agriculture which grew from an idea to 1.4 billion in agriculture loans. The farming industry forced ICBK to raise capital to keep up with the strong loan demand. Our market had developed to cover Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and the UP.

In 2017, needing capital (stock) they decided to go Public (ICBK) thus giving Mark the opportunity to experience ringing the bell on Wallstreet. This created liquidity for stockholders and allowed them to work with larger client’s financial needs. ICBK was a tremendous opportunity for Mark, being able work in a career that he loved and be a small part of ever-changing AG industry. Mark is married to Sandy and has 4 sons and 2 grandchildren. He still plays softball 2 times a week in over 55 and over 65 leagues. He also still enjoys showing and caring for a Registered Holstein cow.

Paul Wegmann #221 – Paul currently lives on the home farm near Bloomington, WI with his wife, Maria, of 15 years. They have three adult daughters and four grandchildren. The oldest daughter and their 5-year-old granddaughter live in the St. Louis area. The next daughter lives with her husband in Waunakee WI. And their youngest daughter lives with her husband and three boys ages 6, 4, and 1 in Hudson, WI.

Paul’s wife is now retired after a long career in nursing. Two years ago, Paul retired from Foremost Farms cheese factory in Lancaster after 28 years. They plan to rent out the farm for 2025.

Paul wishes their grandchildren lived closer to Bloomington. Since retirement they have spent a lot of time taking care of their elderly parents. Lions Club, parish council and farming have kept Paul busy. Paul remembers that Beta Gamma was fortunate to have a wonderful cook named Annie Kemnitzer. She had to put up with so much, yet she kept us well-fed. Our chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho had a lot of positive energy. I think other organizations were somewhat jealous of us.

Mark Keesey #222 – Mark currently lives in Waukesha, WI (since 2011) with his wife of 41 years.
During these years, Mark and his wife had 3 children and now 7 grandchildren. One family lives in
the Houston, TX area (2 grandchildren), another family lives in the Detroit, MI area (3 grandchildren),
and the last family lives in the Milwaukee area (2 grandchildren). Anyone that has family distributed across the country understands how “fun” holidays can be!

Mark is originally from Orfordville, WI. He graduated with an Ag Engineering degree in 1981 (pledging in 1979). During his time on campus with the Chapter, Mark served as the Chapter Chaplin.

Mark has been involved in the quality, continuous improvement and leadership processes spanning his 39-year professional career (retiring in April 2021). He had valuable experience as both a Quality Practitioner as well as at a leadership level arising from his various roles at UFE Inc., Johnson Controls, Magnetek, Cooper Industries, and Eaton Corporation (27 yrs). He had extensive experience in both manufacturing and office processes from working in numerous industries including automotive, electrical power management and distribution, HVAC components, and injection molding. His expertise included daily problem solving, process improvement, leadership coaching / mentoring, and design project management.

Mark now spends his time keeping up with the grandchildren (especially the ones in the Milwaukee area), playing pickleball, camping, and traveling (mainly the US).

Mark states one of the most impactful experiences he had with pledging (and Chapter life) is the lesson of teamwork (“many hands make light work”) which he used to great effect throughout his professional career.

Tom Hamm #223, Platteville, WI – Tom graduated in 1980 and married his wife, Debbie, in 1981. After graduation they moved to New York where Tom was born and raised. They dairy farmed there for 5 years. In 1986 they moved back to Wisconsin to take over Debbie’s parents’ dairy farm. They sold the cows in 2011 and now are cash grain farming.

Tom is now semi-retired. When he’s not planting or harvesting, he’s usually helping someone else. He says there is a lot less stress helping someone else than doing his own work! Tom has gone on many Mission trips to Romania and Mexico. All have been rewarding beyond description and he plans to continue to
make these trips. The people he works with are unselfish, hardworking and a blast to work with.

Tom says growing up in agriculture and joining
AGR set him up with a good life in agriculture which helped enormously
in aiding others around the world.

Scott Laufenberg #224 – Scott has lived in DeForest WI since 1982 with his wife of 42 years
Julie. Scott and Julie have two daughters and one grandchild. Older daughter Jamie and her husband live in Appleton, younger daughter Linsey and her husband live in Madison with our granddaughter Constance.

Scott grew up on the family farm in Iron Ridge WI. Scott pledged in the spring of 1979 and graduated from UWP in December 1981 with a degree in Technical Agriculture. Scott served as assistant pledge trainer and social chairman as an undergrad. Scott has remained active in Alpha Gamma Rho serving on the Alumni Board three different times from 1991 – 2023 serving as President for two terms and chaired fund raising for the house addition in 2007. Scott currently chairs the Scholarship Committee and maintains donation records and the Giving Tree.

Scott spent his working career in the Animal Health Industry with Fort Dodge and Boehringer Ingelheim managing the dairy business in the upper Midwest for the last 20 years. Time at the family farm was a big part of life for many years till the farm was sold in 2005 with dad and uncles all retiring.

Scott retired January of 2021 spending time with his adult children and now with our granddaughter. Scott remains active with AGR and is on the board of directors for the Waunakee Gun Club, Scott keeps busy with the club, hunting and traveling with Julie and the kids Scott and Julie are now spending more time at the lake house in Door County and enjoying a slower pace.

Many life lessons were learned at AGR the most rewarding was working with a great group of brothers during the house remodel project.

John Massey #225, Hollandale, WI – John has worked in Madison Public School District teaching special education since 2001. John also worked at a sourdough bakery but retired after 20 years and moved from Madison to Hollandale.

Changes brought on by the Covid pandemic. He lives in the country and spends time taking care of the house and land. He enjoys chain sawing wind-fallen trees, cutting them into firewood and biking. John has taken bike trips the each of last two summers and is planning another trip this summer.

Terry Pink #227, Felton, CA – After graduating from UW-Platteville, Terry moved to California, where he built a rewarding career with Pacific Scientific. Over the years, Terry worked on cutting-edge projects
involving extremely fast-acting explosives designed to save lives, including automotive airbags, aircraft ejection systems, and missile-to-missile interception technologies, among many other applications.

He and his wife, Sarah, have been happily married for 41 years. They have two children and two wonderful granddaughters who are the light of their lives. Now retired, Terry spends time helping Sarah with her floral business, assisting on the family farm, and traveling to visit their granddaughters. Before COVID, playing hockey was Terry’s favorite hobby and a great way to stay active. These days, Terry enjoys focusing on
family and community.

Terry states the leadership skills he developed through Alpha Gamma Rho have been invaluable in both his professional and personal life, giving him the confidence and experience to succeed
in his career and beyond. Terry also stated he is forever grateful for the lifelong connections and lessons AGR provided.

Mark Fassler #228, Dixon, IL – Mark and is wife, Margaret have four grown daughters; Sarah, Abby, Emily, and Rebecca, as well as 6 grandkids.

Mark attended UW-P his freshman year and pledged AGR at that time. He then transferred to Iowa State where he lived in the AGR house for the next three years. Mark graduated from ISU in 1982 with a degree in Animal Science. He worked for ADM in feed sales in Iowa after graduation and returned home to farm with his dad and brother in 1985. They grew a little over 4,000 acres in a 50/50 corn bean rotation.

Mark recently retired from farming and has rented the ground out and is preparing for their equipment sale in December. Mark and Margaret have a little house in Green Lake, WI where we love to go and boat on the lake during the summer. They also are planning on traveling to Florida this winter. One memory he has from his pledge class is the large spaghetti dinner the active’s served them followed by a brutal marathon run they had to do!

Dr. Michael Fisher #175 – Mike is married to Lori and they live in rural Dodgeville. Email: swda@mhtc.net.

Mike is originally from Milton, WI. His big brother was Kim Viesselman. Mike graduated in 1980 with a degree in Agriculture Education. As an active, Mike served as Noble Ruler. Then as an alum he served as Alumni Secretary.

Mike’s career includes attending Grad School at UW Madison studying Agronomy, teaching HS agriculture and adults at Madison College in Deforest, WI for 2 years, attending Marquette University School of Dentistry obtaining a DDS Degree, residency in general practice at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio and as owner
of Southwest Dental Associates in Dodgeville, WI for 30 years, now retired.

Mike’s hobbies include commercial real estate, farm land ownership, Golden Retriever Rescue volunteer driving and railroad history. Mike remembers being homesick during his freshman semester. If not for pledging AGR that semester he thinks that he would have dropped out. Having pledged AGR kept his focus on staying in school. Mike says that it has been a great ride!

Daniel McGowan #176 – Dan is originally from Marseilles, IL but now lives in Stillwater, MN. Dan graduated in 1979 with a degree in Ag Business & Accounting.

Dan is married to Marcia (44 years) and they have 2 daughters; Angela 40 and Lauren 37. Angela and her husband, Brian, and their 2 daughters live in Angola, NY. Lauren and her husband, Zachary, and their four sons (soon to be 5) live in Afton, MN.

Dan’s career path included working for Ralston Purina, Ag Processing in Omaha and Countrymark Coop in Indianapolis. Countrymark was purchased by Land O’Lakes, which brought them to Minnesota. His corporate career included roles in Credit Management, Controller/Accounting, General Management and Operations. In 2004 Dan left “Corporate America,” and purchased a residential cleaning franchise, MaidPro, and went into business for myself. In 2019 Dan sold the business and retired.

Dan’s hobbies are fishing, spending time at the cabin and hanging out with the grandkids.

Bob Pauli #177 – Bob is originally from Belleville, WI and now lives in Littleton, CO. He graduated in 1979 and majored in Soil and Crop Science.

Bob is married to Janet and they have two sons, ages 35 and They both live in the Des Moines, IA area.

During his working career Bob had roles with Golden Harvest, dairy farming, and then 38 years with Pioneer Hi-Bred (now Corteva). Positions held at Pioneer included field research and global regulatory science.

He says, retirement is on the horizon. Bob’s hobbies include: Outdoor activities, woodworking, wine making, gardening, and travel.

Wayne Gerlach #178 – Wayne lives in Cascade, WI which is also his original hometown. He graduated in 1979 and majored in Animal Science.

Wayne married Susan in 1983. We were blessed with two daughters Alicia and Andrea, who live in Marshfield and Plymouth, WI. Upon graduation Wayne tool a position with Kraft in Galena, IL. Then In 1982, due to his father’s poor health Wayne went back home to manage the dairy farm, which he still owns and operates. He says, hopefully retirement is in the near future.

Wayne’s enjoys history documentaries, especially about the civil war. He also enjoys snowmobiling and is president of the local snowmobile club. He and Susan like to visit regional historical sites when then travel to visit their daughter in Marshfield.

A favorite AGR memory is during a pledge lineup, the late Bob Cotter, was asked to recite the Greek alphabet. Bob replied: “In Order?” And proceeded to randomly recite all the letters! Also, driving down the railroad tracks with my car full of AGR’s. Wayne says being an AGR member was one of the greatest experiences of his life and he believes he is better for it.

Kim Keesey #180 – Kim lives Bowling Green, KY. He is originally from Orfordville, WI. Kim graduated in 1979 with a degree in Ag Education. As an undergrad Kim served as Vice Noble Ruler.

Kim has been married to Sue for 39 years. They have two children: Matt (37) who resides in Green Bay, WI. He and Jenna have two boys, Benny (4) and Charlie (2). And Christina (35) who lives in Newburgh, IN with her husband Sam. They also have two children; Elayna (7) and Luke (5).

Following graduation Kim took a position with Ralston Purina in Fond du Lac, WI. In 1989, Kim took a role Church & Dwight where he worked for 18 years, holding several roles from corporate marketing to sales management. In 2007, he did a brief stint for a regional feed
company in Ohio and in 2009 went to work for Balchem. He worked for Balchem 13 years as a regional sales manager.

On June 10th of 2022, he officially retired after 43 years of working. He joined the Beta Gamma Alumni board in June of 2023. Kim enjoys golfing, pheasant hunting with his GSP, and spending more time with family.

George Kilbride #181 – George graduated from UWP in 1979 with a degree in Ag Mech. Originally from Montello, WI, George now lives in Sun Prairie, WI with his wife, Leslie. Married for 37 years, Leslie is a from a central California citrus farm girl. She is a glass fusion artist and donated some of her art to the eta Gamma 50th anniversary silent auction. They have two sons; Forrest (33) who is a construction manager for Kiewit Power building power plants all over the country and Lance (31) who is a project manager who lives in the
pacific northwest building rail and highway bridges. Neither are married and no grandchildren yet.

George began his career with FMC-Ag Machinery Division working with tomato harvesters, tree shakers and
spray equipment. He moved all over the country and spent some time overseas. George worked for 14 years as an employee and 7 years as dealer in central California. During the 2nd half of his career he worked with 2 European farm equipment manufacturers establishing dealer networks, company stores and parts distribution in the western region of the US: Seven years with Hardi Sprayers out of Denmark and the last
14 years with Krone North America. Upon retirement George and Lesle moved back to Wisconsin to help take care of George’s elderly mother. Wisconsin weather and customs have been an adjustment for Leslie no mountains and beach on the same day anymore.

George enjoys travel, golf, staining glass and helping Leslie in her glass fusion studio. Plus, he dabbles a little in the machinery business. George says, after spending most of his career on the west coast he has found it satisfying how easy it has been to reconnect with his AGR brothers after moving back to Wisconsin. George adds, as a pledge it was incredible how many people you got to know well in a short amount time. And yes, skip out to Iowa state was pretty darn fun too-what I remember of it!

Joseph Green #209 – Originally from Eldridge, IA, Joe and his wife, Trina of 43 years, live in Lena, IL. Joe graduated in 1980 with a degree in Ag Mech. Joe and Trina had two children: Joe, deceased in 2013, and Kate of Lena, IL. They have three grandchildren.

Joe began his career with JI Case/International Harvester as a field service manager for Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota. This led to advanced positions in the ag equipment spere with several other companies in Wisconsin and Illinois. Joe also cofounded two companies: Green Harvest Solutions – high density compacting of materials such as wood fiber and Advanced Agriculture Inc – a regenerative custom cropping company that currently owns or rents and custom farms 2,400 acres in NW Illinois.

Joe enjoys working in his home fabrication shop and working on the home farm in NE Iowa maintaining buildings, making maple syrup and preparing for the farm’s 175th anniversary since the granting of the original land patent in Joe is generation six and he is teaching generation eight to make syrup these days.

His favorite AGR memory is chasing cattle in NE Iowa with his pledge brothers.