100 leaders sparking growth and change in Wisconsin’s Capital Region
It was a gorgeous September evening when In Business Madison hosted more than 200 people at Blackhawk Country Club to celebrate the 2026 Power 100.
This annual event, Exec Connect, is a networking event for top business and community leaders. It also serves as an occasion to honor 100 outstanding individuals who make Wisconsin’s Capital Region a vibrant place to live and work.
An outdoor patio overlooking Lake Mendota buzzed with conversation and connection as people from education to finance to real estate to nonprofit work mingled with elected officials, biotech leaders, healthcare executives and philanthropists. The mood was festive and optimistic.
In creating this year’s list, In Business Madison’s editorial staff considered people whose work over the last year has spurred innovation and development, like fusion industry entrepreneurs Kieran Furlong of Realta Fusion and Greg Piefer of Shine Technologies. The new director of the Dane County Regional Airport, Mark Papko, made the list, as he leads the development of a new master plan for the transportation hub, a key component of the area’s business and tourism growth.
At the same time, we honored repeat honorees who continue to make major contributions to economic development in Wisconsin’s Capital Region, like Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner, BioForward Wisconsin CEO Lisa Johnson and Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce President Zach Brandon.
Regular readers will also recognize Rev. Alex Gee, who opened the Center for Black Excellence & Culture this year, John Burke of Trek, which just celebrated 50 years of business and Downtown Madison Inc.’s Jason Ilstrup, who champions economic development in the heart of the city.
Those are just a few of the influential people on this year’s list. Click through the slides to see the full collection of honorees.
