Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/303615
By Katherine Michalets Special to The Freeman BROOKFIELD – Reaching temperatures of 700 to 800 degrees in the oven's dome, thin-crust pizzas at Blaze Pizza are cooked in 180 sec- onds or less. Not only are customers able to watch their pizzas grow golden brown inside the oven, they can also select from an array of vegetables, meats, sauces and cheeses for toppings. The one-and-a-half- year-old restaurant chain is part of the fastest growing category of the food industry – fast casual dining. John Walch purchased the franchising rights for Blaze Pizza for Wisconsin and opened the location in Brook- field last November. He has the rights to open five others in the state and is planning to focus on the metro Milwau- kee and Madison areas. A second location in the metro Milwaukee area is in the works, Walch said, but couldn't be more specific about the location. He said he hopes to open it by fall. Prior to running the Blaze Pizza, Walch owned 25 Pan- era locations in Wisconsin and Illinois with his business partner, who has since retired. After the Panera locations were sold, Walch began to search for the next big thing in restaurants. He found Blaze Pizza and knew that it would be well-received in the area because of its fresh ingredients, unique- ness and fast-casual approach. "I loved the quality of the product, which is important to me, and no one else is doing it," Walch said while sitting in the brightly paint- ed restaurant. He grew up with a family-run restaurant in the Mequon-Thiensville area and continues to reside in Ozaukee County. The Brookfield Blaze Pizza location employs 35 people. When the employees heard a significant number of people wanted green olives as a top- ping, which the restaurant didn't carry, they began to stock the ingredient. Since opening in Novem- ber, Blaze Pizza has had to overcome a couple of obsta- cles, including the harsh win- ter and educating people about how pizza can be made so quickly. "I think people like the ability to control what they want," Walch said. The work environment at Blaze Pizza is focused on hav- ing fun making pizzas and offering good customer ser- vice, Walch said. Once people begin to build their pizzas, they start having fun, said restaurant General Manager Gary Snyder. "They are artistic," Snyder said of customers designing their own pizzas. "They know what they want to do and they do it." It's enjoyable making the customers happy, Snyder said. Blaze Pizza also offers fundraising opportunities for local organizations. Twenty percent of sales can be donated during a selected time to an organization or group. http://blazepizza.com By Matt Masterson Freeman Staff BROOKFIELD – Pewaukee- native and NFL defensive end J.J. Watt spoke to over 250 busi- nessmen and women at the Brookfield Suites Hotel and Convention Center on April 2 as part of the Waukesha Coun- ty Business Alliance's AMP! series. Watt spoke about integrat- ing his personal motto, "Dream Big Work Hard," into the business world, as well as finding motivation from unusual places and surround- ing himself with the right peo- ple. He also talked about the importance of remembering your roots and the place you came from. "I don't care how big you get, how famous you get or how successful you get," Watt said. "If you forget how you got there, you'll lose it all." The 2012 NFL Defensive Player of the Year said he still conducts his offseason work- outs at Pewaukee High School. Parents describe Watt's charitable organization The former University of Wisconsin football star also runs a charitable organiza- tion, the Justin J. Watt Foun- dation, which provides fund- ing for middle schools so they can offer after-school athletic activities for their students. "It all came about because as a sophomore (at UW), J.J. heard a story about a kid who hadn't been participating in after-school sports," Watt's father, John, said. "His school lost its funding, so he came home and subsequently got himself in a little bit of trou- ble. J.J. said, 'Well, I think there is something I can do about this.'" Watt started the foundation as a junior at UW, and in the four years since, it has raised nearly $1 million – over half of which has already been put back into schools. The foundation also runs an annual 5K run/walk fundrais- er, which will be held at Waukesha County Technical College on June 21. In the three years it has been run, the event has grown from 100 to 750 par- ticipants and has helped raise over $40,000. "Why should (kids) get shut down before they even get a chance? They should not be hindered by what the schools cannot provide," said Watt's mother, Connie, who runs the foundation. "We just want to make sure that if we can do something about it, we defi- nitely want to take the oppor- tunity." The foundation has given money to dozens of middle schools and organizations in Wisconsin – including over $40,000 to the Milwaukee Pub- lic Schools for football and wrestling equipment – but has also spread the wealth to Illi- nois, Alabama and Texas, where Watt plays for the Hous- ton Texans. Kelley praises NFL star According to Suzanne Kel- ley, president of the Waukesha County Business Alliance, Watt's speech drew the largest audience of the year for the monthly series. "He has messages that res- onate with business people as well as the younger generation about working hard, commit- ment and ethics," she said. "It is great to get a local guy with his background and his cal- iber, to have him bring his message to our organization." jjwfoundation.org www.waukesha.org Email: mmasterson@conleynet.com Page 4A • Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove MAY 2014 MARK PATTON JAMES RICCABONI PAT BITTERBERG STEVE BAUMAN WISCONSIN'S ALL-TIME LEADING SALES GROUP! $965 MILLION CAREER SALES $56 MILLION SOLD IN 2013 shorewest.com DIRECT: 262/786-4001, ext. 122 HOTLINE: 262/814-1400 + 5 Digit PIN INTERNET: bitterberg.shorewest.com E-MAIL: bitterberggroup@shorewest.com LEADING REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OF THE WORLD TM RELOHomeSearch.com LuxuryPortfolio.com LeadingRE.com PERFORMANCE COUNTS TM BROOKFIELD 4690 Bradon Trail East $949,900 PIN 77215 BROOKFIELD 3625 Wolf Trap Court $849,500 PIN 65025 MENOMONEE FALLS N86 W15190 Menomonee River Pkwy $189,000 PIN 35345 MENOMONEE FALLS W170 N7774 Overlook Court $625,000 PIN 38325 MENOMONEE FALLS W207N5486 Carters Crossing Cir. $699,000 PIN 87475 236958005 LUXURY PORTFOLIO LUXURY PORTFOLIO LUXURY PORTFOLIO LUXURY PORTFOLIO Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities E LM G ROVE Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities E LM G ROVE DOORS OPENING JUNE 1 ST Call to Schedule your Personal Tour 05+,7,5+,5*,05+0=0+<(30;@790=(*@*/60*,+0.50;@ 7SLHZLZ[VWI`V\Y:HSLZ6MÄJL4VUKH`-YPKH` HTWT >H[LY[V^U7SHUR9K ^^^OLYP[HNLZLUPVYJVT 7YP]H[L:[\KPV6ULHUK;^V)LKYVVT(WHY[TLU[Z 237947008 *Expires 5-31-14 Cannot be duplicated. Not redeemable for cash. Limit 1 per customer. WWW.GRASCHFOODS.COM Celebrating 57 Years! Blazin' hot Fast casual pizza restaurant finds success in Brookfield Submitted photo Pewaukee native and NFL star J.J. Watt shakes hands with Suzanne Kelley, president of the Waukesha County Business Alliance, after his speech April 2 at the Brookfield Suites Hotel and Convention Center. Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Julie Evans, right, makes a Link In pizza as Colin Leedale prepares the oven area at Blaze Pizza in Brookfield. Steam rises from pizzas being baked in the ovens at Blaze Pizza in Brookfield. Julie Evans makes a Link In pizza at Blaze Pizza in Brook- field. A Green Stripe pizza sits in the foreground as Colin Leedale works with other pizzas in the oven. A Link In pizza at Blaze Pizza in Brookfield. Dreaming Big, Working Hard Watt shares philosophy for success at Business Alliance event At a glance What: Blaze Pizza Where: The Brownstones, 17500 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday Info: http://blazepizza.com