42 30WEST August 2015

Each spring, Madison’s InBusiness magazine features anew class of 40 outstandingbusiness professionals

younger than 40 making their marks in thegreater Madison area. This year’s “40Under 40” list included two 1995 Ocono-mowoc High School graduates, Tim Eiringand Mike Wagner.We reached out to Tim and Mike and

asked them about growing up in LakeCountry, the inspirations behind theirprofessional and personal success storiesand the advice they would give the nextgeneration of up-and-coming go-getters.

Tim EiringTim Eiring started working for Mil-

waukee-based Centare Holdings Inc., asoftware development and business-coach-ing firm in 2003 as a Java developer. Fouryears later, Eiring transitioned to the oper-ations side of the company when he be-came director of client solutions.In 2012, when the business expanded to

the Madison area, Eiring took advantageof a tremendous opportunity and becamethe vice president of operations for theMadison region. That first year, the Madi-son branch generated more than $1 mil-lion in revenue. In 2014, with a staff of 15,revenues hit $3.2 million.“It has been an interesting journey, to

say the least. When I started at Centarethere were 25 employees. Now we havearound 130 staff across three branches. It’scool to be a part of something so success-ful,” adds Eiring.

Geared for successEiring grew up close to the Oconomo-

woc Library and City Beach on Lac LaBelle. “It was great; I was super fortunateto grow up near the water. I sailed as a kidand played baseball and soccer throughhigh school,” he adds.When Eiring was just 14 years old, he

saved up enough money to buy his firstBMX off-road racing bike. “I was verycompetitive. My brother and sister gotinto it, and it became a family affair, andwe traveled the country,” explained Eiring.After graduating from OHS, Tim went

on to study management informationsystems and business at the University ofWisconsin-Oshkosh. “I learned how towrite software, which prepared me reallywell for my career,” he says.Tim and his wife, Kristyn, moved back

to the Oconomowoc area seven years ago,where they are raising their daughtersLauren, 6, and Leah, 4. “We’re an activefamily, so we like that we’re super close tothe lakes, parks and bike trails,” says Tim.“I remember when I was a kid I wanted

to get out of Oconomowoc because I sawit as this small town. As I matured, I real-ized how really special it is. My advice isto spread your wings and learn and experi-ence things, but don’t be afraid to comeback.“The Lake Country area is so beautiful,

and Oconomowoc is great place to raise afamily,” says Tim. “I have a decent groupof friends that I grew up with that alsomoved back to Oconomowoc. Now ourkids are going to school together.”

Best in the bizOconomowoc’s Tim Eiring and Mike Wagner make Madison’s 40 Under 40 list

By Rebecca Seymour

“It has been an interesting journey,to say the least ... It’s cool to be a part

of something so successful.”— Tim Eiring

lakecountrynow.com 30WEST 43

44 30WEST August 2015

Mike WagnerBefore taking on his current role as

business development and marketingexecutive for MobileIgniter in Madison,Mike Wagner spent nearly two decadesassisting software startups grow new ideasinto viable businesses.His success as chief marketing officer

for Madison’s AltusMedical Group landedhim on the coveted In Business maga-zine’s “40 Under 40” list in spring. “I wantto help startups grow to long-standingbusinesses. I’m pretty stoked about thisnew project. MobileIgniter is the leader inthe ‘Internet of Things’ space here in theMidwest — connecting physical productswith the cloud to provide real-time in-formation, such as location and envi-ronmental conditions, to mobile devices,”he explains.Wagner’s professional ventures have

taken him to both coasts, working withstartup and venture-backed companies todevelop successful business developmentstrategies in Washington, D.C., and Seat-tle. He wasn’t surprised when he foundhimself living and working in Madison twoyears ago.“I always envisioned myself coming

back to Wisconsin. I find a sense of peacewhen I think of growing up in a smallcommunity. I love the lakes and the peo-ple,” he admits.Wagner grew up on Lac La Belle in

Oconomowoc. “Sailing was my sport, andI started racing when I was 10. My sum-mers were spent living on the water, and it

definitely shaped my quality of life,” hesays. “My dad lives on Fowler Lake andmy mom on Pewaukee Lake. I still spenda lot of my time in the summer on thelakes.”

Entrepreneurial spiritAfter Wagner graduated from OHS in

1995, he went on to earn degrees in fi-nance and the business management En-trepreneurship Program at the Universityof Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He worked for acouple of years in Madison and thenmoved to Washington, D.C., to earn hisMBA in management of global informa-tion technology at American University.“I had the opportunity to be around a

lot of self-made, successful individualswhen I was growing up in the Lake Coun-try area and especially when I was in-volved in regattas. I felt drawn to thesepeople, and I was inspired by their en-trepreneurial spirit,” explains Wagner.A measure of Wagner’s success is his

ability to connect people, taking the ideasborn by startups and growing them intosuccess stories. He attributes his success toseeking mentors as he was coming up.“I reached out to people I’ve known my

whole life and asked them for their advice.It gave me the ability to network andconnect with people. The winds are al-ways changing, and you have to make yourown success,” says Wagner. “If you knowyou want to work in a certain area, sur-round yourself with people who will pointyou in the right direction.”

“If you know you want to work in a certain area,surround yourself with people who will point you

in the right direction.”— Mike Wagner

lakecountrynow.com 30WEST 45