WAUWATOSA – After more than 27 years in leadership positions at the Milwaukee Regional Innovation Center and its predecessor organization, the Milwaukee County Research Park Corporation, Guy Mascari, current Executive Director, will retire at the end of 2022.
Since joining the organization in 1995, Mascari has helped grow the Milwaukee County Research Park into the largest office and technology cluster in the Milwaukee area, with over 2.1 million square feet of space in 18 separate buildings, that include a GE Healthcare facility, two hotels, café and fitness center, and apartments.
He also guided the Technology Innovation Center, the region’s only full-service business incubator, to national prominence. Entrepreneurs and start-up businesses that Mascari mentored have achieved great success. With a combined valuation of over $650 million, these companies have added over 1,500 jobs to the local economy.
At the time Mascari joined the organization, the survivability of the Research Park was in question. There were doubts that there would be follow on opportunities to the first new building in the park, a corporate headquarters for Prime Care Health Plan. Working with local public officials and the real estate development community, Mascari successfully repositioned the Park by significantly changing and simplifying the land acquisition process and opening development to multiple organizations, a model that was adopted
by other science parks throughout the Country.
As the organization achieved financial independence and stability, Mascari, working with a Board of Directors, expanded its scope of operations which now includes university scholarships for Milwaukee County minority students, support for the All-In Milwaukee program for first generation collegians, and a scientific equipment grant program for STEM institutions.
In addition, he created an Angel Investment fund that has invested over
$300,000 in nine new start-up businesses.
“The past 27 years have been extremely rewarding for me in large part due to the outstanding people I have had the privilege of working with including staff, board members, those in the real estate development community, and the courageous individuals that have started companies,” Mascari said. “I sincerely appreciate all that they have done to make Research Park a great success.”
Prior to Joining the Research Park, Mascari was a commercial property specialist with the James T. Barry Company and worked for Kahler Slater Architects. He gained valuable leadership experience as an officer in the US Navy.
Mascari has lent time and expertise to several local organizations. He is past president of the Wauwatosa West Allis Chamber of Commerce, a member of Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce Small Business Committee, a founding board member of Milwaukee Venture Partners and Wisconsin Innovation Academy, a new STEM charter school, and a board member of Wisconsin Procurement Institute.
The organization’s Chairman Bill Mastoris, Executive Vice President – Customer Service and Operations WEC Energy Group, has appointed a committee to conduct a nationwide search and select a successor to Mascari.
For further information contact Guy Mascari at 414-778-1400 or at gtm@mcrpc.org.
