16 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Driven to Help Our Community Thrive TIM CULLEN Owner, Bushwood Golf Range and President, Rock Aqua Jays Water Ski Club Forward Janesville Board of Directors If you have spent any significant amount of time in Janesville, chances are you have run into Tim Cullen. Perhaps you have collaborated with him through his role in marketing. Or more recently you might have hit a bucket of balls with him at Bushwood Golf Range on the northwest edge of Janesville. Maybe the most likely of all is interacting with Tim through his roles with the Rock Aqua Jays over the past four-plus decades. He wears many hats and is passionate about local business. What motivated you to become more involved with Forward Janesville? I wanted to learn more about our local businesses and all the ways we can best support them and the residents. FJI is great because we are able to assist our community in so many ways—such as through public education, housing, local elections and more. There are so many fantastic businesses in town that could use more local support. If we can work more with these business instead of going out of state, or even the city, we all benefit. Your most recent entrepreneurial endeavor was overhauling Bushwood Golf Range. Why did that business speak to you? I bought the 22-acre land in May of 2018 as I was primarily interested in the storage units. The old Hackbarth Hills clubhouse, mini golf and golf range came with it. The clubhouse had been vacant for 10 years and was in desperate need of some repair. The golf range looked more like a meadow at the time. It took some time to clean and update things, but I enjoyed the work. It’s been fun to watch it gain traction as more and more golfers learn about it. You’ve been involved with the Rock Aqua Jays since nearly 1979. How/why did you get involved? My family joined way back in the late 1970s—I think because it gave my mom a break in a house full of boys. The Rock Aqua Jays is the most successful water ski show team in the world because its members have good core values, a great work ethic and fantastic support from both the city of Janesville and the residents. It’s a true passion of mine for sure. I’m no longer skiing in the show but have stayed heavily involved, now as president. It’s still crazy to me to run into fellow residents who have never been to a water ski show. So that’s one of my missions—get everyone to at least one show. KELSEY HOOD-CHRISTENSON President & CEO, Family Services of Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Government Relations Council Member Folks who have worked with and for Kelsey HoodChristenson describe her as a “doer.” Once she is informed about an issue that she is passionate about, she naturally wants to jump in and get to work. It’s a trait that helped her go from answering hotlines for Family Services 13 years ago to rising to become the organization’s President and CEO. It’s also a reason she sits on Forward Janesville’s Government Relations Council. What value do you find in being part of FJI’s Government Relations Council? I value our involvement with Forward Janesville because the success of the families we serve is absolutely integrated with all the other sectors in our community – housing development, childcare, local businesses. At Family Services, we work directly with families to build resilience after experiencing trauma and/or poverty, but that direct Between its Board of Directors, Government Relations Council and Ambassador group, Forward Janesville relies on roughly 100 volunteers to help us advance the initiatives of our member businesses, execute successful events, keep a pulse on the business community, and more. We are talking about go-getters who are not only passionate about their work but also about the local business climate and about their communities. Meet three of those highly active volunteers – Board member Tim Cullen of Bushwood Golf Range; Government Relations Council member Kelsey Hood-Christenson of Family Services of Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois; and Ambassador Dennis Riley of Contour Consulting.
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