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Dean Basten '89, Managerial Accounting
Hometown: Appleton
Secretary/Treasurer of Miron Construction Co., Inc.
Family: Wife Kim (De Grave '88, education), children Zach (17), Tanner (15) and Mackenzie (12)

"They were great at teaching us the basics of debits and credits, but also 'the real world'"
The owners of Miron Construction must think highly of Dean Basten. He’s the first non-family member in the 90-year history of the family-owned firm to be named a company officer.
      As Secretary/Treasurer, Basten oversees accounting and finance. Neenah-based Miron does the largest volume of any general contractor in Wisconsin and has expanded operations throughout the Midwest with regional offices in Wausau, Madison and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The firm put $420 million of construction in place over the past fiscal year.
      Basten says he is especially proud of projects on the campus of his alma mater. Miron won the state contracts for two current projects — the Kress Events Center (above) and the University Union — and was the general contractor for past campus remodeling including the Laboratory Science Building and the final addition to the Weidner Center. Miron also built the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, a community arena that is home to Phoenix men’s basketball.
      “Certainly there is a lot of pride being involved in projects at UW-Green Bay,” Basten said. “Everything is done through a public bid process, but we try to be a little bit more aggressive for certain projects like the Kress Events Center — a high-profile venue that will improve the campus, from student life to athletics. For me, it’s very exciting to be a part of that.”
      Following college graduation with a managerial accounting degee, Basten worked for the regional CPA firm Schenck and Associates, and had Miron Construction as one of his clients. When Miron owners created a new position within the organization — a chief financial officer — they recruited Basten and he accepted the offer in 1998.
      “It was a position I could make my own,” he recalls, “and it was one of the few companies, because of its ownership, values and culture, that I would consider.”
      With his promotion from CFO to Secretary/Treasurer in 2001, Basten also reviews contracts, manages risk and oversees human resources. He also got a greater say in the overall direction of the company and a chance to enter into the contractual side of the business and sign his name “a hundred times a day.”
      Being “adopted” into the Miron family legacy is one of his “proudest professional accomplishments,” he says. “It’s because of the trust they have placed in me.”
Accounting family:
“What I remember about UW-Green Bay is the talented group of professors in accounting, especially Dr. Zehms, Marilyn Sagrillo and Ann Selk. Dr. Zehms’ tests were grueling. It was a tight group, and the faculty created activities to get us to know each other. They were great at the basics of debits and credits, but they also did a great job of teaching us the real world.”
Other memories:
“The Dick Bennett Era, the Rathskeller, and the cubbies outside of the classrooms.”

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