Last week, we brought together 11 diverse Milwaukee business owners to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on their organizations, what they are doing to pivot, the lessons they’ve learned and the silver lining they see from all of this. 

The response was amazing, breaking our daily downloads record on the GoGedders Podcast. It was also just fun to do. It gave me an excuse to have a couple drinks and (virtually) see some truly awesome people on a Friday afternoon. So, we did it again. And plan to keep doing it as long as this situation lasts. 

This week’s episode is special. It kicks off with Alex Lasry, Senior VP of the Bucks and Chair of the 2020 DNC, who talks candidly about the initial reactions from the Bucks and the DNC as the news broke. We also talk about what the future looks like for the rest of the NBA season and the DNC, which is now rescheduled for August. 

We also heard from local business leaders Kira Lafond, Denise Thomas, Khalif El-Amin, and Mike and Monica Jurken on how they have adapted, what it has been like going through COVID-19 and what the future looks like. 

We close the episode out hearing from President of Marquette University Dr. Michael Lovell. It was interesting getting his perspective on what went on at Marquette behind the scenes, the abrupt end to the Big East Tournament, moving classes online and more. 

Then, after talking some MU hoops, we cap it off with CJ Krawczyk who started a GoFundMe on his 46th birthday to help save six great local restaurants. To date, he has raised over $25,000! 

All in all, these episodes show the raw, uncut side of what our city’s leaders are going through during the pandemic. They also give me hope and make me feel grateful to be a part of this city and to have so many great people coming together to help get through this.