FRI AM News: WisBusiness: the Podcast with Adam Nelson, Kelmann Restoration; Tech Council panel explores water concerns around data centers

May 1, 2026

— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Adam Nelson, general manager of Kelmann Restoration.

The property damage restoration business this week announced it will relocate its headquarters to Milwaukee, bringing teams from Wauwatosa, West Allis and New Berlin into a centralized location.

“We’ve been expanding, we’ve been growing, we’ve been out of space now for years,” Nelson said, adding “this is a true headquarters for us with our plans for the future … our plan is just to keep growing across the state.”

Construction on the 92,000-square-foot facility is underway, including a 20,000-square-foot expansion, and the company aims to move in by the fall. It will have space for 135 employees, and company leaders say they aim to add at least 10 new jobs.

The $6 million project includes all Wisconsin-based construction companies and subcontractors, Nelson added.

He says the condensed presence in greater Milwaukee will act as an “anchor” for the company’s future growth efforts, in addition to bringing more operations in-house including the Kelmann Cares Foundation.

As the business eyes other locations in the state for possible expansion down the road, Nelson notes every community has its own unique needs and challenges. Kelmann Restoration also has locations in Sheboygan and the Madison area.

“We strive to be a community member,” Nelson said. “Part of our plan of expansion, especially from the Sheboygan location, was we want to learn Sheboygan. We didn’t come there to bring Milwaukee to Sheboygan … We want to work with their subcontractors, we want to invest in the location.”

The discussion also explores the impact of extreme weather events in Wisconsin, including major floods causing millions in property damage.

“From a business standpoint, we want to make sure that we invest in resources to handle these types of things, that we are able to service our community,” Nelson said.

Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness podcasts.

— While data centers are touting closed-loop cooling systems that require relatively little water, an environmental law expert with Marquette University says this approach is simply shifting water usage into the power generation sector.

Dave Strifling, an associate professor of law and director of the university’s Water Law & Policy Initiative, spoke yesterday during the Wisconsin Technology Council’s 2026 Wisconsin Tech Summit in Oshkosh.

Deploying a newer closed-loop system means a hyperscale data center in the state may go from using up to 5 million gallons of water per day to consuming that amount over a year or longer, Strifling explained. But that reduction is only possible with much more energy being used to power those systems.

“Water use and energy use are intertwined … Power generation also requires a lot of water use, in fact it’s the number one user of water in Wisconsin and probably in the United States as well,” he said. “So this is not a small amount of water that we’re talking about, even though we’ve shifted it to the power generation side of the equation.”

Even though this “indirect” water usage by data centers with closed-loop cooling isn’t happening on-site, Strifling raised the question of how to account for that additional water consumption.

An executive with WEC Energy Group yesterday said that concern is “a fair position to take” with respect to current generation technologies, such as coal-fired plants and some natural gas facilities that create steam to spin a turbine and create electricity.

But Rich Stasik, the utility’s vice president of state regulatory affairs, argued the natural gas plants the utility is installing now are “more state of the art” and require far less water. For example, its combustion turbine design doesn’t rely on steam, he noted, describing it as “essentially a jet engine” that spins to generate electricity.

“So we’re also very mindful of that … Not only in rates of water usage per megawatt-hour generated, it’s going way down projected in the future even with data centers, the absolute amount of water that we expect to use over the next five to 10 years is going to be significantly less than it is today, because of the evolution of the technology,” he said yesterday.

The latest Marquette Law School Poll found public opinion is turning against data centers in the state, with 70% of respondents saying the costs of these massive projects outweigh the benefits, Strifling noted.

“And the number one reason that they gave for having that opinion was water use,” he said. “Not energy use, not rising electrical rates, not the need for additional generation capacity, but water.”

Yesterday’s discussion also touched on environmental concerns with another form of data center cooling technology that immerses the entire server structure into liquid to manage temperatures.

Nur Bernhardt, vice president of Cloverleaf Infrastructure, noted major companies such as 3M have been developing the technology for this process — but there’s a catch.

“The downside or the issue with that is those are highly dependent on forever chemicals … the kinds that never degrade and stay in our water system,” he said yesterday, adding it has its uses but isn’t “a technology that companies are looking at for wide-scale adoption.”

Strifling said most water-related concerns around data centers are more focused on the quantity of usage rather than water quality issues. Still, he added “if you bring PFAS into the mix, some eyebrows will certainly start to go up in terms of what we need to look for in the effluent from those facilities.”

— U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden is targeting “bureaucratic hurdles” in the VA home loan program with newly introduced legislation.

The Republican congressman and former U.S. Navy SEAL senior chief recently introduced the VA Home Loan Affordability Act, which aims to speed up processes within the Department of Veterans Affairs Home Loan program. Van Orden represents the 3rd CD in western Wisconsin.

His office says the legislation would reduce “unnecessary delays” while streamlining the home loan process for veterans and updating the program to fit the more competitive housing market.

In a statement on the bill, Van Orden said the VA Home Loan program is one of the best ways to expand economic opportunities for veterans and their families, arguing “it must keep pace” with the housing market.

“This is a decisive step to strengthen a program that has already helped millions and ensure it continues delivering for the next generation of American heroes,” he said.

See the release.

— The Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health is urging policymakers to support poverty-reducing policies for kids to limit the negative health consequences such as anxiety and depression.

The office recently issued a report on financial hardship and its impacts on childhood mental health, which shows 40% of kids in the state live in low-income households. About a third of both rural and urban children get healthcare from BadgerCare Plus, Wisconsin’s Medicaid program.

Children experiencing financial hardship are much more likely to be bullied and develop substance use problems, in addition to having a higher risk for anxiety and depression, the report shows. That’s especially true for those facing poverty at early ages.

“Because childhood poverty can alter brain architecture, these mental health risks could follow children into adulthood if early intervention and prevention are not prioritized,” authors wrote.

They’re calling on policymakers in the state to back policies such as child tax credits, earned income tax credits, universal school meal programs and lower fees for children’s mental health services.

“Such policies lessen financial strain; increase access to mental health care; improve school climate; and reduce stigma and bullying,” they wrote.

The report also urges support for funding “proven preventative practices” like safety net programs to cover housing, food and child care. It points to research showing programs that reduce financial insecurity for parents can lead to better health outcomes for their kids.

Authors also reference the “sharp rise” in out-of-pocket costs for behavioral health in recent years, noting having a child with mental healthcare needs can further stress families’ financial situation.

“Because financial insecurity is linked with poorer academic, cognitive, and social outcomes, safety net programs that alleviate hardship are long-term investments in kids,” authors wrote.

See the report.

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