Abston creating a true melting pot

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Ian Abston often meets older business leaders and Millennial employees and hears concerns about who will lead Wisconsin into the future. The older leaders ask who the next generation of leaders will be, and the younger ones question when it will be their turn.

“They both want the same thing, but building trust is a big issue. And Milwaukee is a small big city but everybody has their circles,” he said. “My goal is to get people together, regardless of their backgrounds and their professions.”

In 2016, Abston established the Hoan Group, named for the well-known Milwaukee bridge connecting downtown with the city’s south side. His efforts resulted in a diverse group that gives more than 80 well-established leaders an opportunity to come together wtih small-business owners, emerging corporate leaders and non-profit executives.

Abston said the Hoan Group’s success lies in its approach to building relationships and trust. Its gatherings sometimes stretch over several hours. Dinner and wine help people feel comfortable taling about difficult realities.

In 2017, he brough his idea from Milwaukee to Madison. Despite being in the same state, these two cities have generally operated separately. Now, though, Madison leaders are traveling to Milwaukee and vice versa through a program called NOLAN. These leaders include women, people of color and people of different sexual orientations and generations.

“Our goal is to unify the next generation of business leaders in each community and we’re doing it at a younger age now,” Abston said, adding he is confident that Milwaukee and Madison will be unified in many ways just a decade from now.

“People who would not traditionally connect are now connecting and learning from each other, gaining new perspectives and merging their business objectives as a result of Ian’s vision and work,” said Denise Thomas, president and owner of The Effective Communication Coach LLC.

Thomas noted that Abston was not solicited or summoned to set up the organizations, and that his selfless work is increasing diversity in ways that are measurable.

“Milwaukee is diverse. Ian’s leadership is what transforms it into inclusiveness resulting in prosperity and growth,” she said.

A former Eagle Scout, Abston sits on the board of the Salvation Army of Greater Milwaukee, is a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and, in 2014, was appointed to the Governor’s Talent Development Workforce Committee.