April 11, 2025

By Lane Kimble

MADISON, Wis. — As the coach bus rolled smoothly westbound on I-94 Thursday morning, Steve Baas pondered the analogy he was about to deliver to the group riding on it, hoping they understood its weight.

“In a lot of ways, (roads are) like gravity,” Baas said.  “It’s really, really easy to take for granted but you ignore it at your own peril.  And without it you are completely screwed.”

Indeed, the only direct and practical way the 35 leaders would make their way from Milwaukee to Madison was on the interstate freeway designed, built, and maintained by WTBA members.

The journey Thursday was the latest “City Exchange” day for The Hoan Group; an independent organization that connects up-and-coming business and community leaders in Milwaukee and Madison.

While the group’s overall mission on this trip was to learn about real estate and housing challenges in both communities, Baas–WTBA’s Executive Director–reminded them of a key tenet through another good analogy.

“The growth of this corridor… and the connections between Milwaukee and Madison are dependent on the road you are driving on right now,” Baas said.  “This is the artery that feeds all the capillaries of economic growth in Waukesha, Dane, Jefferson and Milwaukee counties.”

The Hoan Group includes people involved in commercial and residential development, construction, banking, and communications.  President Ian Abston says the group’s average age is 43 and only one person per company can participate.  He knows members are spending their most valuable resource on this trip: time.

“They know they’re going to get on a bus, they’re spending a whole day away from their team, their emails,” Abston said.  “But what they’re getting out of it is connectivity to other leaders, time away to think big, and they’re going to be introduced to a whole bunch of similar people in situations in Madison as well.”

The bus stopped at Madison’s future Public Market site, the state Capitol, and several downtown venues for panel discussions, questions and connections.

Even though Baas’ role transitioned from speaker to listener after his brief remarks on the bus, Abston views his involvement–and the transportation industry’s buy in–as a key force in the group’s overarching goal of pulling us all together.

“It’s not just Steve’s title.  It’s Steve’s love for the area, his expertise and his knowledge,” Abston said.  “He’s got so much access and credibility, not only in Milwaukee and Madison but also in D.C. that things are going to get solved in ways because we’ve not solved them (that way) before.”