Russ Meerdink

After stints on Capitol Hill as a Congressional aide and as a Foreign Services Officer with the United States Agency for International Development, Russ returned to Wisconsin to enter the commercial real estate business.  In 1986 he founded Meerdink & Associates, Inc.

Over the years, the company has served hundreds of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to "mom and pops."  Over the years, Meerdink has sold or leased hundreds of millions of dollars worth of real estate.  "I think we have sold more commercial real estate by accident," he sometimes jokes, "than some of our competitors have sold on purpose."

Most of the Meerdink firm's deals fly below the radar.  "We learned a long time ago that our clients want discreet service.  They want to share their plans with us in private and know that we won't be spreading them all over town or to the newspaper."

But some of Meerdink's projects have changed the landscape in the Fox Cities.  He assembled the investors and conceived the ideas for much of the development around the Fox River Mall.  He was the one who built Mall Drive.

But his greatest satisfaction has come from helping scores of young entrepreneurs get started in business or expand.