The Mequon-Thiensville Community Foundation (MTCF) is pleased to announce that Steve Peterman is this year’s recipient of the Pillar of the Community award. According to MTCF Board President Lori Lorenz “I can’t imagine a more deserving individual to receive this award. From his humility to his leadership and commitment to service, Steve is a true unsung hero of Mequon-Thiensville. The impact he has had epitomizes what it means to be a Pillar of the Community.”
Steve grew up in Glendale and attended Nicolet High School where he first fell in love with architecture. After becoming a licensed architect in 1977, he worked in the field for 50+ years, eventually starting his own firm, then merging it into TWP Architecture where he served as president for the last 11 years of his career. Blend his love of architecture, his natural leadership abilities and his love of community, and you have the making of a man who has left an indelible mark on all things he touched throughout our community.
Steve and his wife Darcy moved to Mequon in 1970 and shortly thereafter he joined the Mequon Jaycees – a civic and leadership organization that no longer exists locally but was very active at the time. According to Steve, joining the Jaycees was the best decision he ever made, as it connected him to the community and nurtured a love of service.
Steve’s dedication to his community is boundless, giving endless hours to numerous boards and causes he believed in, including the M-T Chamber of Commerce (where he was named Citizen of the Year), the Mequon Architectural Review Board, the M-T Sunrise Rotary Club, COPE Services, and Advocates of Ozaukee. Other pro-bono offerings include designing sound baffling systems for both the River Barn Park Pavilion and the Reuter Pavilion in Rotary Park; developing plans for future phases and needs of the Reuter Pavilion; and creating new dormitory spaces to separate male and female sleeping quarters for both fire stations in Mequon.
But Steve’s greatest impact on the community perhaps stems from his 35 years of active membership with the M-T Sunrise Rotary Club. A charter member of the club, Steve is very proud of the work that came out of that group. But Steve’s not only a charter member; he’s the only charter member who is still actively involved in the club, living out its motto: “service above self.”
In those 35 years, Steve has been quite active, serving on the Board, as president, and as a chair and member of countless committees. In fact, his dedication to service was recognized early on in 2004, when Steve was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship award by the Sunrise Rotary – the highest honor awarded to a Rotarian. Steve’s involvement in projects over the years is far too voluminous to list, but undeniably, his lasting imprint can be felt throughout Mequon and Thiensville.
According to Connie Pukaite, past Mequon mayor, past POTC award recipient, and fellow Rotarian, “Steve downplays his pivotal roles in creating the Rotary Riverwalk and the M-T Town Center Gateway. He not only helped design those projects and raise the funds to build them, but he literally put blood, sweat and tears into their construction. I don’t have the right words to convey how many of the best things in Mequon and Thiensville have resulted from Steve Peterman’s creative, selfless and steady service.”
Ask those who know him, and the same words tumble forth: humble, natural leader, dedicated volunteer, creative problem-solver, class act. Ask Scott Humber, CEO of Lakeside Development, and he echoes these sentiments: “I’ve known Steve for over 40 years in a business capacity and whenever there was a problem, Steve was the go-to guy. Never blaming others; just asking ‘what do we need to do to get this done?’” Then Humber added “I certainly know why you picked him to be Pillar of the Community, because that he is.”
Suffice it to say, we are all lucky the Peterman’s chose Mequon to lay down roots 55 years ago as we have all benefitted from Steve’s commitment to pay service to the community he loves.
Steve and his wife Darcy have three grown children and four grandchildren. Steve will be honored at MTCF’s signature annual fundraiser, the Pillars of the Community Luncheon, on June 10th at the River Club of Mequon. To be a sponsor, purchase tickets, or donate, visit the Pillars of the Community event page.