Noel named 2016 Laureate — Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame

For the City Times

John Noel was recently recognized as a Distinguished Laureate at The Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held in Milwaukee.

This honor is reserved for the best of the best business savvy, entrepreneurial visionaries and those who show exemplary community spirit.

It all began when Noel opened a small travel insurance company in the basement of his home in 1985. Travel Guard International quickly expanded through acquisitions and soon grew to become the most respected name in travel insurance and emergency-assistance in the world.

Noel is known for making business decisions with his employees in mind, and has created — and maintained — thousands of job in Central Wisconsin.

“Without John and Patty Noel’s entrepreneurial spirits and desire to serve their community well, the Stevens Point business atmosphere, educational scene and art influences could be shaped quite differently,” a news release from Junior Achievement of Portage & Wood Counties District reads in part.

The Noel’s are well-known for their philanthropy, and includes Operation Bootstrap, the Portage County Cultural Festival, the Noel Compass Scholar Program at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, the Boys and Girls Club of Portage County.

In 1993, the Noel’s also established the Make a Mark Foundation, an organization that works with AIDS-afflicted orphans in sub-Saharan Africa.

The first Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame was held in 1990, and has grown to be a well-known honor bestowed only upon the most excellent leaders in the business world. The stories of these men and women come to life in a highly interactive showcase exhibit at the Junior Achievement Kohl’s Education Center in Milwaukee.

Many Laureates are inventors, entrepreneurs, CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies and small business owners who share a commitment to excellence, a drive and a passion to achieve.

Junior Achievement educational programs work to partner almost 3,000 local students with business professionals who volunteer their time to lead hands-on programming centered around entrepreneurship, fiscal literacy and work-readiness skills. The groups runs entirely on donations from area residents, foundations and local businesses.

Local teachers can request a JA program in their classroom by visiting wisconsin.ja.org.

For more information on Junior Achievement of Portage & Wood Counties, contact Serena Sblendorio, District Director at [email protected]