For this article, I interviewed Brian Kohlmann, Director of AI, Emerging Technology, and MarTech at Bader Rutter.
Bader Rutter is a 53 year old, Milwaukee based, business-to-business agency serving agriculture, food and beverage, manufacturing and more.
Brian has worked for Bader Rutter for 15 years and originally launched the AI, Emerging Technology, and MarTech practice he leads.
Over a 30 year career, Brian has worked in the marketing, data, and technology spaces from the early days of personalized direct mail to today’s multi-agent AI workflows.
If you’ve ever driven on Water Street in downtown Milwaukee, there’s a really good chance you’ve driven by Bader Rutter without knowing it.
I know. I’ve done it.
But on the day of my interview with Brian Kohlmann, Director of AI, Emerging Technology, and MarTech at Bader Rutter, I did not pass by. I successfully arrived at my destination.
As I walked in, it looked more like a cafe for creative co-working than a B2B marketing agency. Residing in the building Laacke & Joys used to occupy, you get beautiful Milwaukee cream city brick along with matching views of Water Street and the riverfront.
Brian greeted me in the cafe. Then, we walked through the space to a room called the Library. To me, it was speakeasy meets thinking space, fully equipped with comfy furniture and tucked away from the hustle of the rest of the office.
And so thinking is what we did. And a lot of talking.
One swig of coffee and the conversation launched.
Even though he thinks a lot about AI in his daily work, Brian is totally anti-hype.
Every project at Bader Rutter starts with a business problem. The problem is what inspires and directs the do-we-have-something-already or do-we-build-something-new decision process.
For Brian, this process is kept intentionally simple.
Which, is refreshing for me.
Because I’ve been writing and talking about the executive AInxiety most of us are avoiding.
Brian sees this avoidance all the time and describes it like this.
AI hype gets pushed down on leadership.
Which then gets pushed down to the team.
“Use AI!” For something. Anything. Cut costs. Personalize content. Go. Now.
In the midst of the scramble, everybody gets AInxious.
Nobody wants to pick the wrong direction or make the wrong investment.
Brian’s fix? Take a breath.
You see, Brian started in personalized direct mail. Back then, that was cutting edge magic. Today, he’s driving AI. Leading edge, but still just a tool.
Start with the problem, not the “magic.”
Is Milwaukee a place for tech?
We also shifted to this topic.
Brian’s answer to the question on Milwaukee’s tech scene: you betcha! And he adds, “come on in, the water’s fine!”
He’s worked in and with other places in other cities. What does he love most about working in tech in Milwaukee? The people.
Because he knows the AI hype will keep coming. And Brian will keep working with people, talking through the problems, and making decisions in the best interest of both.
Brian and I get into all of this and more, in depth in the audio interview.
Take a listen below or on Spotify.
And let me know what you think about AInxiety in the comments.
Love you, Milwaukee.