Platteville Optimist Club

Left: Lindsay Hollingsworth, Professor of Education and UWP Associate Director of the School of Education Center: Les Hollingsworth, Professor of Marketing and Director of UWP School of Business Right: Les and Lindsay Hollingsworth with Optimist President Terri Ellis Dynamic husband and wife duo, Lindsay and Les Hollingsworth, spoke to the Platteville Optimist Club on January 16th, 2026, about their roles in two of UWP's pre-professional schools at the University of Wiscon

Amy Coffey and Barb Stockhausen Fellow Optimist Barb Stockhausen talked about the tax ramifications of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that was passed by Congress on July 3.  The bill includes some challenging changes and will require more thinking and work by the tax filer.   Whereas lots of the income data was included on the W-2, there is an expectation that the taxpayer will be more responsible for maintaining records to receive many of the credits.  The entire bill relies o

L-R: Optimist Member Bob Hundhausen, Ironman Competitor Mandi Jacquinot, Optimist President Terri Ellis Our speaker on December 12, 2025 was Mandi Jacquinot who spoke about her love for running and competing in marathons and Ironman competitions. Originally from Decorah, IA, Mandi played volleyball and softball in High School but never considered herself an "athlete". She started running during her college years at Loras College in Dubuque, IA. After she graduated, she si

Royal Palmer Doreen Hlavaty, Royal, President Terri Ellis Royal Palmer Royal Palmer, co-owner of the Driftless Market & Deli spoke to us about the challenges of being a small business owner in rural Wisconsin.  In late 2019, Royal left his job with Target Corporation in Minneapolis and moved to Platteville with his husband Tony.  Together with Royal’s sister Robin and her husband they purchased the Driftless Market in February of 2020. The timing of the purchase could no