Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

By Katherine Michalets Freeman Staff BROOKFIELD — Imagine an employee who is using the workers' compensation he is receiving because of a work- place injury to get prescrip- tion painkillers, which he is then selling to co-workers. This was a situation that attorney Charles Palmer advised a client on and is similar to scenarios playing out in the area as the abuse of prescription drugs and use of heroin increases. "By the time you have an addict, it's too late," Palmer, a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Wauke- sha, said. "You need to catch this early." Catching an employee who is illegally using a substance can be difficult, and how the company can then respond is complex. A panel of experts shared their insights and advice during a Waukesha County Business Alliance AMP! meeting recently in Brookfield. Wisconsin Attorney Gener- al Brad Schimel first addressed the audience by explaining the extent of heroin use and opiate abuse in Wisconsin and the area. "It's the worst public crisis I've seen," he said. "It's a full- blown health crisis. It's also an economic crisis for our state, as well as the nation." There are about 163,000 i n t r av e n o u s drug users in Wisconsin, Schimel said, explaining that the state's resources are overwhelmed with the prob- lem. "This addiction is more powerful than anything we've seen," he said. Among those dealing with opiate and heroin problems, Schimel said, are intelligent people who had perfect grade-point averages. He said he knows a man who owns three restaurants and interviews about 300 peo- ple every year for staff posi- tions because so many people are fired for drug use or because they don't show up to work because of their addictions. Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper said addressing the problem is comparable to a marathon and not a sprint. A heroin addiction can cost a person about $100 to $150 per day, and painkillers cost even more. "You are going to be steal- ing from your employers, I can assure you. You are going to be stealing from your fam- ily," she said. Palmer said firing an employee for using drugs can be difficult. He recommends wording employee policies to say that the illegal use of a substance versus use of an illegal substance may result in termination of employ- ment. This wording would ensure that if people are abusing their prescription, they may face termination. He advises company repre- sentatives to seek legal advice should they suspect an employee of illegally using a substance, because there are other laws that may apply and must be evaluated, such as the Americans With Disability Act and the Fami- ly and Medical Leave Act. "You can fire people but it depends on the timing and the details under which it occurs," Palmer said. Michael Borkowski, a doc- tor of occupational medicine for Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, recom- mended that employers work closely with an occupational wellness doctor to help select the correct drug tests to per- form and a medical review officer to analyze the drug tests. If an employee is arrested on suspicion of drug use or dealing, Palmer said, employ- ers cannot fire that person for that reason because they are innocent until proven guilty. He encourages employers to do their own research to determine whether the sus- pected employee was dealing onsite. But, he said, it's important for a company not to try and act like a police officer because of other potential unintended legal consequences. When discussing suspi- cious activity with employ- ees, Borkowski advised using a caring tone. Although the employee may seem to be high on drugs, she may in fact be diabetic and suffering from low blood-sugar levels, he said. Email: kmichalets@conleynet.com Page 6 • Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove OCTOBER 2015 18 Full-size Doors On Display, Our Installers Are Licensed & Bonded 16'x7', 25 Gauge...Non Insulated Steel $ 725 Lifetime Door Co. TRUCKLOAD SALE on Garage Doors & Door Openers Installed Tax Included $ 895 • Lifetime Warranty • Other Sizes Available • 2000 Garage Doors in Stock Special! - Take down and haul away old door for FREE! 16x7 SAVE $ 240 NOW Model 8365 ORDER A LIFTMASTER 1/2 HP GARAGE DOOR OPENER & GET 2 REMOTES & KEYPAD. $ 329 Installed Tax Included • Two-Sided Pre-Finished Galvanized Steel • R-10 Insulated • 5 colors to choose from 12645 W. Townsend (2 blocks N. of Burleigh, enter off 124th St. only) Free Estimate 262-783-4004 Monday - Friday 7am-5pm www.lifetimedoor.net 2 4 6 0 0 8 0 1 1 Full Year Warranty, parts and service on installed operators. 241686018 Business editor To subscribe, call 262-542-2500 or go online at: gmtoday.com/subscribe Katherine Michalets The FREEMAN Waukesha County's Daily Newspaper From businesses large to small, she covers them all. Katherine Michalets/Freeman Staff Brian McKaig, vice president of marketing and communications for United Way of Greater Mil- waukee and Waukesha County, left, asks questions regarding the effects of drug use in the workplace of an expert panel: Charles Palmer, partner with Michael Best & Friedrich, second from left; Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper, second from right; and Michael Borkowski, doctor of occupational medicine for Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin, right. Schimel Signs of workplace drug problems Job performance and workplace behaviors may be signs indi- cating possible workplace drug problems. Here are some signs to watch for. Job performance Inconsistent work quality Poor concentration and lack of focus Lowered productivity or erratic work patterns Increased absenteeism or on the job "presenteeism" Unexplained disappearances from the job site Carelessness, mistakes or errors in judgment Needless risk taking Disregard for safety for self and others; on-the-job and off-the-job accidents Extended lunch periods and early departures Workplace behavior Frequent financial problems Avoidance of friends and colleagues Blaming others for own problems and shortcomings Complaints about problems at home Deterioration in personal appearance or personal hygiene Complaints, excuses and time off for vaguely defined ill- nesses or family problems — Source: National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc . ELM GROVE — The United States Golf Association has leased an office in Elm Grove two years before the U.S. Open Championship will be held at Erin Hills. The temporary office will house full-time staff who will support the operations of the 2017 international sporting event. Janeen Driscoll, director of public rela- tions for the USGA, said the organization generally creates an office two years prior to each U.S. Open. The 2,366-square-foot office in Elm Grove will be located at 12700 W. Blue- mound Road. "As you might surmise, moving our pre- mier golf championship to a new area of the country each year essentially means we must create a new campus from scratch," Driscoll said in an email. "The golf course becomes our stadium, and our planning necessitates staff and feet on the ground." Eric Steimer has been established as the staff member in charge of the championship. He will coordinate activities from the Elm Grove office including ticket sales support, community relations, vendor relations, cor- porate hospitality support and eventually the overall build of the championship site in 2017. www.usga.org — Katherine Michalets, Freeman Staff By Katherine Michalets Freeman Staff HARTLAND — Consumers may like to find a broad selection of fresh items fat their local grocery store, but not all of it will be sold before it goes bad or approaches its expi- ration date. Recently, Sendik's Food Markets announced it is pioneering a program in the Milwaukee area that will transform food waste into usable energy. The InSinkErator's Grind2Energy system was to be installed in all 12 Sendik's Food Markets metro-area stores by the end of September, including Hartland, Elm Grove and New Berlin. According to the announcement, the Grind2Energy system diverts food waste from landfills, grinding and storing it in tanks on the property. Organic food items, even fryer oil, meat and deli items, can be added to the Grind2Energy. That broken- down waste is then transported to an anaero- bic digester facility where it is converted into biogas and fertilizer. The resulting biogas will be sold to We Energies. "This program is popular with the associ- ates at our stores and blends seamlessly into our operations," said Nick Balistreri, Sendik's family co-owner, in a statement. "It's really a win-win for everyone con- cerned." Sendik's is not the only Milwaukee area grocer to explore other uses for its food waste. Roundy's has a pilot program in place at one of its Milwaukee stores that is using the same partner and technology as Sendik's has. "We will be adding another store to this pilot program in the near-term," said James J. Hyland, vice president of investor rela- tions, corporate communications and public affairs, for Roundy's. "We are currently investigating other pilot programs with vari- ous vendors regarding organic waste dispos- al." Hyland said there are three other actions taken with fresh food items that are no longer salable: most highly perishable pre- pared or cooked ready-to-eat foods are dis- carded as required by the food code; close coded raw meats or produce are donated to food pantries when applicable; and nonper- ishable foods, such as bakery, that are close or outdated are donated to food pantries. A call to Clint Woodman of Woodman's was not returned before deadline. Reducing greenhouse gases According to Sendik's announcement, food waste is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases in the U.S. with more than 36 million tons sent to landfills each year where it decomposes and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The company esti- mates that the annual impact of utilizing the Grind2Energy system at all 13 locations will result in the elimination of 4.7 million car miles' worth of greenhouse gas emissions. The food scraps will create enough natural gas annually to heat 1,500 homes for one month and generate more than 407,000 pounds of nutrient-rich fertilizer. For the past several years, Sendik's stores have been composting their food waste. The Grind2Energy program was first tested in the Mequon store in November, which before using the system needed eight 30-yard trash compactor trucks a month to handle its waste, Balistreri said. Now the store only needs one trash compactor truck per month. So far in 2015, more than 332 tons of food scraps have been transformed into renew- able energy, Balistreri said. Food that is still edible is donated to the Wisconsin branch of Feeding America, the nationwide network of local food banks. www.sendiks.com Email: kmichalets@conleynet.com Submitted photo Sendik's Food Markets is installing the InSinkErator's Grind2Energy system in all 12 of its metro-area stores to turn food waste into usable fertilizer and biogas. Food that is still edible is donated to the food pantry. Panel describes drug use in the workplace U.S. Golf Association to open office in Elm Grove ahead of U.S. Open Turning food waste into energy Schimel, Opper, others urge employers to be vigilant, proactive Sendik's launches program to transform unsaleable food products BUSINESS

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