Nicole Ryf credits waitressing at the former Heinemann’s Restaurant with cultivating her work ethic and teaching her flexibility and multitasking.

Ryf took the waitressing gig when she was ready for a job at age 16 but was too young to work at Hooligan’s Super Bar, the legendary Milwaukee hangout her parents owned.

“I actually really, really like waitressing, and I still think today that customer service is a big part of who I am, and that’s No. 1 for me,” Ryf said. “I can talk to anybody, because I learned that at a young age.”

Ryf, 42, brought a customer-service mentality and more than a decade of economic development experience to the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, where she started in July 2023 as president.

Ryf said she’s been interested in development since she was a child, and she loves to see progress in communities. Her first exposure to community development was when her father, John Sidoff, was involved with the business improvement district around Hooligan’s on Milwaukee’s east side.

“What attracts me to economic development the most is I really love problem solving for people and making a difference,” she said. “I love driving around seeing projects I worked on come to fruition. It’s very tangible.”

KABA recruited Ryf from the Waukesha County Center for Growth, where she was the executive director.

Prior to the Waukesha County organization, Ryf’s most extensive experience was six years on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s economic development staff, ultimately as director of business and community development. She also had stints at the Hampton Roads Alliance economic development organization in Virginia and as the first economic development director for the Wisconsin city of Evansville in Rock County.

At KABA, Ryf filled a position vacated by Todd Battle, who in late 2022 left to join Zilber Property Group of Milwaukee. Battle was a tough act to follow: During his tenure, KABA supported efforts to attract Haribo of America’s first U.S. candy manufacturing facility, developed the Salem Business Park and encouraged several Illinois employers to relocate to the area.

Ryf said she is thrilled to build on KABA’s successes.

She quickly made a positive impression on the private organization’s board, which credits her for attracting new business prospects and cultivating relationships with business leads, including Eli Lilly and Co.

“From our perspective, she’s hitting it out of the park,” said KABA board member John Swallow, who is president and CEO at Carthage College.

Although Ryf doesn’t view her role as recruiting businesses from Illinois, many Kenosha County projects involve companies from south of the border. KABA gets leads from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and the Milwaukee 7 regional economic development group. Ryf said KABA also gets direct leads from site selectors, including those she knows from her previous positions.

She describes KABA’s role as providing wraparound service to businesses that are considering Kenosha County or have decided to locate there. Swallow said Ryf excels at meeting with prospects’ leaders and helping them make connections for workforce, project permitting and local government agencies.

Read more at the Milwaukee Business Journal.