Outlook Magazine - Fall 2023

Leading With...

Pregont serves as a guest speaker for classes, was the 2011 Cabot Executive in Residence, and has served as a spokesperson and external stakeholder for academic programs. Prent has co-developed a medical device class and offers an annual scholarship through the Foundation. When the pandemic hit, Prent donated 3,000 face shields to help protect UW-Stout students’ health while working in var ious campus labs, supporting hands-on applied learning experiences. Prent has more than 2,000 global employees, has hired more than 30 UW-Stout graduates over the years and hosts two interns each semester. “When I applied for and was accepted to UW-Stout, I had no idea how great an impact this choice would have on my career in business. I am indebted to UW-Stout. I believe it is the finest applied learning institution in America,” Pregont said. “It is important as an alum to continue to give back. Through support, we can advance not only the lives of students and graduates but com Goss began the journey of creating KUL MOCKS in 2019, when she was pregnant with her first child. She didn’t feel comfortable consuming traditional nonalcoholic beverages, which still contain a small amount of alcohol. She spent that summer and fall mixing her own mocktails from scratch. Then, she and her hus band, Nate (’13) , a packaging alum, looked into starting a beverage company. “Almost four years later, we’ve overcome the pandemic, doubled our craft mocktail lineup, welcomed our second baby into our family and KUL MOCKS has grown into an emerging national brand in one of the hottest categories in adult beverages. As consumers continue to moderate their alcohol consumption, we’re on a mission to keep the party going – helping every one feel a part of the social drinking experience,” Goss said. “My education and experiences at Stout allowed me to grow into where I am today.” panies in America as well.” An entrepreneurial spirit

The Alumni Association celebrates this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Joe Pregont (’81) , for his “quiet, strong philan thropy;” and Danielle Bauer Goss (’13) , who has received the inaugural Trailblazer Alumni Award. Pregont, an industrial technology alum with a packaging concentration, is CEO of Prent Cor poration in Janesville, a global leader in custom thermoform packaging for the medical, electron ics and consumer industries. “The many accomplishments throughout his career and his passion for providing UW-Stout students with scholarships, professional devel opment opportunities and innovative campus laboratories are why we chose Joe as our Distin guished Alumni Award recipient,” said Alumni Association Board President Nikki Westvig Stephany (’04) . Goss, a dietetics alum and registered dietitian from River Falls, is founder and CEO of KUL MOCKS, one of the leading alcohol-free, ready to-drink mocktail brands on the market. Created with health and wellness in mind, KUL MOCKS is sold at more than 1,000 retail locations across the country. “We proudly present the Trailblazer Alumni Award to Danielle Goss, a true entrepreneur. She began her own consulting company in dietetics, developed employee wellness programs and most recently established KUL MOCKS. She continues to make us Stout proud,” Stephany said. Pregont and Goss, who are honored to have received their awards, will be honorary marshals during the homecoming parade on Saturday, Oct. 14. A philanthropic leader Pregont and his wife, Tina, donated $1 million to the Stout University Foundation’s Pathways Forward campaign in 2020. Their gift included $500,000 in new lab equipment for the renamed Prent Packaging Laboratories and $500,000 to establish the Prent Packaging Equipment and Technology Fund.

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(Top) Joe Pregont and his wife, Tina (Bottom) Danielle Goss

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OUTLOOK 2023