Jeff Sherman: Wringing Out the Good in His People

Jeff Sherman is a dynamo I met last night in Milwaukee. He runs a website about the city called onmilwaukee.com, and has racked up an impressive record of achievement in his 33 years. The site has become the city's meeting place, and the most important source of local news here. Jeff built it up back in 1998, when few believed they could make a go on the web. With a partner, he worked for little or no pay and kept at it, putting up good content, posting stories about local people, soliciting opinions of local leaders, and doing what the web rewards you for. Providing quality content in large doses. Last night over beers at the Nomad World Pub, we talked about our businesses and about what it takes to be successful.

Jeff has twelve employees, and for every month of the year, he asks one of them to take on their own special fundraising event. He let's them run it, take credit for it, and so each month there will be another event that brings attention to the website and helps out a local cause. They just did a cheese carving event where they brought 80-pound blocks of cheese to a warehouse and had sculptures carved out of cheddar.

Meeting Jeff was inspiring; he loves this city and he is one of the reasons the city is dynamic and full of energy.