SEEK, Inc. CEO and founder to speak at winter 2004 commencement
Released: December 13, 2004
Carol Schneider, CEO and founder of SEEK, Inc. in Grafton, will address the more than 660 students graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, in the DLK/Kachel Fieldhouse.
Of the graduates, 96 will receive their master’s degrees, 565 will receive their bachelor’s degrees and 177 will graduate with honors from the colleges of Arts and Communication, Business and Economics, Education and Letters and Sciences.
Amy Lester, a Greenfield native graduating magna cum laude from the College of Education, will be the student speaker.
Schneider, a 1958 UW-Whitewater alumna, founded SEEK, Inc., in 1971 with just $500 from her personal savings account. Today, the staffing services company enjoys sales of more than $36 million from 14 offices throughout Wisconsin, with additional branches in Reno, Nev., Charlotte, NC and Bensenville, Ill. Throughout the expansion, SEEK has remained a “family business” with Schneider’s husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons all taking active roles in the company.
Schneider has received numerous honors, including the 2000 Woman of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Women Entrepreneurs and the 2002 Distinguished Alumni Award from UW-Whitewater. She has also been featured in several business news publications, including the April 2002 cover story of Corporate Report Wisconsin.
As a person who totally embraces the concept of community involvement, Schneider has also given back to the community. She helped found the Ozaukee Workforce 2010 program and created Ozaukee Workplace Learning. Schneider was also the driving force behind the Ozaukee County Transportation Management Association, which resulted in public transportation for Ozaukee County.
- Melissa DiMotto,dimottom@uww.edu
