On Tuesday afternoon, Quad – the global marketing company, which owns Milwaukee Magazine – launched its new location, Quad MKE, with an open house event. City and state officials, nonprofit partners, artists and activists, visited the new space at the Century City Tower (4201 N. 27th St.), where they heard from Brandon Ramey, the site director of Quad MKE, about the new space.

“We opened the doors to Quad MKE late last year, and we have been gaining momentum ever since because of all the partners here,” Ramey said.

Quad MKE is a recruitment, training and retention hub which opened as a way to “create a pipeline into entry-level manufacturing careers as well as administrative and creative agency positions within Quad, then to retain and develop that talent.” The location offers training for Quad recruits, including hard manufacturing skills, financial literacy, work culture training and more. It offers free transportation to any Quad location in greater Milwaukee.

“We’re here for the long term,” said Joel Quadracci, the CEO of Quad. “I’m being aspirational, but that’s what it takes to build a community.”

The space includes new artwork by acclaimed Milwaukee artists Vedale Hill and Reginald Baylor, including a mural made up of quotes from Milwaukee Public School elementary students who worked with SHARP Literacy, an organization that promotes STEAM education. 

“We also wanted to make this a fun place,” Quadracci said. “We’re very much a company that believes in surrounding people with wonderful art. … [It’s] even more wonderful to have it created by local artists here.”

Lafayette Crump, Milwaukee’s commissioner of city development, spoke at the event as well. “We have been working to move this neighborhood and the entire city forward and we’re excited to see what Quad is doing here,” Crump said. “All of these investments, by Quad and by others, are having such a tremendous impact on the area.”

Crump was followed by Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary-Designee Amy Pechacek, who emphasized the importance of Quad’s work to help people overcome barriers to joining the workforce, including the company’s involvement in apprenticeships.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson was slated to attend the event, but was unable due to the Common Council’s sales tax increase vote on Tuesday. In a press release, Johnson said, “Quad is a respected corporate partner in Milwaukee, and it’s great news that they’re building upon their already-strong presence in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor.”

The event also highlighted the work of the BrandLab, which opened its Milwaukee office with the support of Quad. The BrandLab connects young talent from “Indigenous, Black, Brown, AAPI and Hispanic/Latinx backgrounds” to internships and sustainable careers in advertising and marketing careers. “I am so proud of this organization; I am so proud of the partnership we have with Quad,” said Kelli Williams, the BrandLab’s CEO.

In part of its efforts in the neighborhood, Quad is also revamping the nearby Melvina Park at 2900 W. Hopkins St. The company donated $500,000 to the redevelopment project, and part of its donation will be used for event programming after the park’s opening, which is set for this fall. “We invested in the park because we recognize that it’s another layer in that community and a great place to hang out with your family is important,” Quadracci said. “Everything together stacks up to create community.”

The Quad MKE event also highlighted the work of several other community organizations that Quad partners with, including Running Rebels, SHARP Literacy and JobWorks MKE. The event closed with a tour of the Century City Tower, which houses many other groups, including 30th Street Corridor, Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, Young Enterprise Society and more.

“Building community is what today is all about,” Ramey said. 

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