Northwestern Mutual recruiting thousands of financial professionals in 2010

To meet Americans’ growing need for financial guidance, Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual plans to recruit more than 2,300 financial representatives and more than 2,500 financial representative interns in 2010.

This projection comes on the heels of a record-setting recruiting year for Northwestern Mutual, which recruited 10 percent more financial professionals in 2009 than in 2008.

“There’s a high-demand for trained financial professionals and our forecasts show that this demand will continue to climb in the foreseeable future,” says Michael Van Grinsven, Northwestern Mutual field recruitment director. “With all the market uncertainty and confusing options, people are seeking guidance and clarity in their long-term planning.”

Northwestern Mutual’s reputation as an industry leader was highlighted again in 2009 when it was recognized as one of the “Best Places to Launch a Career” and the “Best Place to Start an Internship” as a financial representative by Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine.

To reach young professionals and college students, Northwestern Mutual is also launching “Dress to Impress,” a Facebook application that lets users rate people’s style as “career-makers” or “deal-breakers.” From business suits to boxer shorts, the humorous game has users dress themselves in various apparel options to make a more serious point: The market for today’s top careers is very competitive.

“The turbulent economy is giving us an opportunity to take better looks at better people and the talent pool of quality applicants today is a real benefit for strong, growing companies like Northwestern Mutual,” says Van Grinsven. “We’re looking for professionals who are confident, entrepreneurial and prepared to build lasting relationships with clients.”

MOVERS

>> R.A. Smith National has promoted Paul Taivalkoski to survey operations manager and added Nicholas Fulton as a civil engineer in the firm’s transportation division.

>> The Board of Directors at North Shore Bank has elected Jay F. McKenna executive vice president and chief operating officer and Andrew S. Wallach III chief financial officer of the institution. McKenna previously served as its senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. Wallach was previously senior vice president.

>> Mortenson Construction has added Adeola Giwa as a field engineer and Ryan McDonald as a preconstruction manager.

>> The Schroeder Group, S.C. has added Attorney Beth Zimmermann to its staff.

>> James A. Holmes, CPA, managing shareholder and president at Vrakas/Blum, S.C, has been named a board member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Charitable Gift Planning Advisory Council; Michael J. Kuhn, CPA, shareholder, has been named a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

>> C.H. Coakley & Co. Inc. has hired Bill Hagenau as the SAM (storage and move) marketing manager.

>> Davis & Kuelthau has added Attorney Matthew K. Impola to its Corporate and Real Estate Practices Group.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

CALEDONIA: CalStar Products Inc. opened its first green brick and paver plant on January 11. The first of its kind in
the nation, the Caledonia plant takes to commercial scale a new process that combines innovations in material science and manufacturing. Using fly ash from a nearby We Energies power plant as the body and binder of the products, CalStar is able to reduce the energy required for brickmaking by 85 percent versus kiln-fired clay brick. At the same time, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by a similar 85 percent in generated carbon dioxide during production.

GLENDALE: Bayshore Town Center has won a Silver U.S. Design and Development Award in the International Council of Shopping Centers U.S. Design and Development Awards competition. Bayshore Town Center’s award is in the Expansion of an Existing Project category. This category recognizes and honors retail properties for their overall design qualities and creativity in development as it relates to a project involving an entire shopping center, such as an enclosure, or a single facet of a center, like an addition.

WASHINGTON, DC: Deloris Sims, chairman and CEO of Legacy Bank in Milwaukee, attended a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House in December to discuss key community bank issues and additional ways community banks can help both their local economies and the nation recover from the economic crisis. Sims also voiced concerns that community banks continue to face overly aggressive examinations that can hinder small-business lending. “Our nation’s more than 8,000 Main Street community banks continue to serve the needs of their local customers and are critical to our nation’s economic recovery,” she said.