Join Us for Design Wisconsin 2026!
May 29-30, 2026
Oshkosh Corporation
1917 Four Wheel Drive
Oshkosh, WI, 54902
Celebrate Wisconsin's Legacy of Industrial Design and Fashion Design Innovation & the Impact of Stout Alumni Designers
UW-Stout's School of Art & Design presents the 5th Annual Design Wisconsin event showcasing the impacts of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin's culture, commerce, community, and brand—past, present, and future. This year, we're expanding to include UW-Stout alumni designers' impact in our neighboring state to the west, Minnesota!
It is a little-known secret that Wisconsin is a hub for product innovation, and it's our mission to showcase and celebrate prominent Wisconsin-based industrial design and fashion design teams and their work. We hope this format will inspire participants and strengthen connections within these industry communities, as well as cultivate new ones!
The event includes an open house of major Wisconsin and Minnesota Design/Manufacturer groups, which in the past have included TREK, Milwaukee Tool, Kohler, Mercury Marine, Polaris, Fiskars, Oshkosh, and many more.
This is a FREE event on May 29-30, 2026 at Oshkosh Corporation in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Event Schedule
Friday, May 29
Oshkosh Corporation
- Noon-6:00 p.m. | Vendor Set-Up
- 6:00-9:00 p.m. | Kick-Off Party for Vendors, Design Professionals & Recent Graduates
- RSVP Required: RSVP through DesignWisconsin registration
- Location: Back Patio of Oshkosh Corporation (light food and drinks will be provided)
Saturday, May 30
Oshkosh Corporation
- 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast, Design & Product Showcase, and Networking
- 9:00 a.m. | Welcome & Opening Remarks
- 9:15 a.m. | Keynote I: Chad Smith and Mark Charniak - Oshkosh Industrial Design
- 10:00 a.m.-Noon | Vendor/networking/truck experience/VR
- Noon | Lunch
- 1:00 p.m. | Keynote II: Charles Austen Angell - Modern Edge
- 1:45 p.m. | Student Merit Award Presentations
- 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Ice Cream Truck/ Workshops/Breakout sessions (30 minutes each)
- 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 | Student Portfolio Reviews
- 4:45 p.m. | Closing Remarks
Featured Speakers
Information Coming Soon!
Student Portfolio Reviews
Student attendees are encouraged to share their professional portfolio with industry professionals as part of Design Wisconsin to get constructive feedback on what’s working well and what could be improved to strengthen your portfolio. These one-on-one portfolio reviews will last roughly 20 minutes.
Participating Organizations
The real stars of the show will be the Wisconsin-based Industrial Design teams in attendance to display their works and talk shop! Design Wisconsin is current confirmation participating organizations. Don't get left out of the show. Contact us to be a featured vendor!
Additional Information for Attendees
Travel & Transportation
Air Travel
Oshkosh Corporation is located in Eastern Wisconsin. The nearest airport is Appleton International Airport (ATW) located about 20 miles north.
Transportation
- More details to come!
Hotel Accommodations
More information to come.
Past Design Wisconsin Events
4TH ANNUAL DESIGN WISCONSIN @ UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
Noah Anderson ('13)
Sherry Eckholm (’95)
Jacquelyn Koyen ('12)
Angelena Kraemer ('11)
Michael Leighton ('02)
Gregor Mittersinker
Kiki Redhead ('02), CMG
Brynn Wildenauer ('18)
Featured Speakers
Noah Anderson ('13)
Senior Footwear Designer
Red Wing Shoe Company
Noah Anderson is a Senior Footwear Designer working across the full portfolio of brands owned by Red Wing Shoe Company. An alumnus of UW-Stout’s Industrial Design program, Noah has spent more than 10 years in the footwear industry with Red Wing, expanding his role to include a focus on trend and color research, material development, and design for multiple consumers in the Workwear, Lifestyle, and Accessories space. Noah enjoys the creative challenge of stewarding the legacy of a brand rich with history while seeking to inspire a continuously innovative approach.
Sherry Eckholm (’95)
Director of Strategy
Loft Design
Sherry Eckholm is the Director of Strategy at Loft Design, bringing over 30 years of experience in user-centered research, product strategy, and innovation leadership. She has assisted Fortune 500 companies and disruptive startups in delivering market-defining products, services, and ecosystems across various sectors, including life sciences, medical instrumentation, pet care, wellness, consumer electronics, and premium appliances. Respected for her cross-functional expertise and forward-thinking approach, Sherry translates complex business systems, technical requirements, and institutional knowledge into compelling product strategies while unlocking new value propositions through design.
Jacquelyn Koyen ('12)
Senior CMF Designer
Spectrum Brands
Jacque Koyen is a Senior Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Designer at Spectrum Brands, specializing in haircare, breakfast, and food prep categories for Remington, Black + Decker, PowerXL, George Foreman, and Russell Hobbs. With over 10 years of experience in CMF and industrial design, she translates macro trends and consumer insights into innovative, marketable product designs. Jacque collaborates closely with cross-functional teams and vendors to ensure seamless execution, bringing products to life through thoughtful color, material, and finish selections. With a background in industrial design and a passion for storytelling through aesthetics, Jacque excels at balancing brand identity with forward-thinking design solutions.
Angelena Kraemer ('11)
Director of Design and Merchandising
Ashley Furniture Industries
Angel Kraemer is the Director of Design for Domestic Casegoods at Ashley Furniture, leading a team that develops innovative, trend-forward bedroom and entertainment furniture. Starting as the department’s first intern in 2006, she grew through the company, gaining global experience in China and Southeast Asia. Angel has led some of Ashley’s most successful product launches, including the ground-breaking Urbanology collection and the highest-selling bedroom group in company history. Her work has earned her Ashley’s Silver Award and the prestigious STEP Ahead Emerging Leader Award. Angel also contributes to marketing, vendor training, and industry education, including serving on the University of Wisconsin Stout’s Program Advisory Committee.
Michael Leighton ('02)
Director of Industrial Design, CMF & Sculpting
Polaris Industries
After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2002 with a degree in Industrial Design and a minor in Business Management, Michael has focused his career on developing brand-centric product experiences, holding both business and design leadership roles at organizations ranging from the music and bicycle industries to material science and innovation Fortune 500 companies. Michael is currently the Director of Industrial Design and Colors, Materials, Finishes and Graphics at Polaris Industries in Medina, Minnesota.
Gregor Mittersinker
Founder & Creative Director
Loft Design
Gregor Mittersinker is the Founder and Creative Director of Loft Design, with over 30 years of experience leading design and innovation efforts across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He fuses user experience, engineering, and data science to create comprehensive product ecosystems, successfully launching over 500 products worldwide. Gregor’s work spans regulated industries and consumer markets and has earned over 100 patents and accolades from Fast Company, IDEA, Red Dot Design, Core77, and Good Design. A champion of design that bridges insight and execution, Gregor helps brands transform complex challenges into scalable innovation.
Kiki Redhead ('02), CMG
Global CMF & Trend Manager
Sherwin-Williams
Kiki Redhead leads all CMF & Trend initiatives for Sherwin-Williams Industrial & Performance Coatings, including the DesignHouse in Minneapolis, MN. She collaborates with OEM Industrial, Product Design, and Architectural customers on coatings development and trends including ideation of aesthetics, performance, and sustainable solutions for manufacturing. In addition to her 20+ years of visionary CMF expertise, which includes owning global color and trend agency Colour Couture from 2008-2018, Kiki is known as an International powerhouse desired for her tri-level trend forecasting methodology, implementation, and distillation of mega, macro, and micro trends.
Brynn Wildenauer ('18)
Senior Architectural Color Designer
Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings
Brynn Wildenauer is a Senior Architectural Color Designer for Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. Specializing in color, material and finish development for architectural building products. Brynn brings a discerning eye and a solution-driven approach to every project. Her passion for innovation and dedication to the dynamic world of color and design drive her work. Brynn works collaboratively with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth execution, transforming products through intentional development.
3rd Annual Design Wisconsin @ Milwaukee Tool
Tim Albrecht
Wendy Gavinski
Featured Speakers
Tim Albrecht
Group President - Hand Tools, Storage, PPE & Channel Marketing
Milwaukee® Tool
Tim began his career at Milwaukee@ in 2007, when he accepted a Western Regional Sales position for the newly acquired Stiletto Tools business based in Winton, California. Later that year, Tim moved to Wisconsin to begin his first marketing role, where he managed Channel, Brand, and Product Marketing for Stiletto Tools. As the country moved into a recessionary period in 2008, the market for premium titanium hammers became extremely challenging. It was at that time that Tim further researched hand tools and involved a small project team to rally around disrupting a stagnant market and delivering solutions to our core users. This project led to launching the first eight (8) Milwaukee@ branded hand tools in 2010. Over the years, this small start-up category within Milwaukee@ has become larger and more complex. It now includes Hand Tools, Storage, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), with thousands of innovative products. Hundreds of dedicated employees support this business unit globally, including manufacturing sites in the USA, PRC, and Vietnam.
Wendy Gavinski
Founder & CEO
DSG Outerwear
Wendy Gavinski is the visionary founder and CEO of DSG Outerwear, a company she launched in 2010 out of a personal need for women-specific outerwear in snowmobiling and skiing. Her frustration with the limited and non-feminine options available led to the creation of DSG Outerwear, which quickly resonated with the female audience upon its debut. Wendy's entrepreneurial spirit drove the company's expansion into a comprehensive outerwear line by 2011, featuring unique designs with feminine fits and quality materials. Under her leadership, DSG secured significant distribution deals, including with Yamaha Motor Corp. and Western Power Sports. The brand diversified into hunting apparel, influenced by the successful advocacy for the Blaze Pink Bill, and later ventured into fishing and heated apparel lines. Wendy's commitment to functional, fashionable, and inclusive women's outerwear has solidified DSG Outerwear's position in the market, making it a pioneering force in women's outdoor apparel.
2nd Annual Design Wisconsin @ Trek USA
Featured Speakers
Past details will be added soon.
