Johnsonville Ventures

Ralph and Shelly Stayer retain ultimate authority. Kevin Ladwig, the managing director, handles day-to-day sourcing and execution. The structure reflects a typical founder-family office — deal flow runs through a trusted lieutenant, but allocation calls stay with the principals.

The office manages capital generated by Johnsonville, LLC, the Sheboygan Falls-based sausage manufacturer. Ralph Stayer owned and ran Johnsonville for decades; his wife Shelly now serves as chairwoman. The operating company remains privately held, and the ventures arm invests proceeds and other family assets separately.

Public record indicates the office concentrates on direct investments — seed-stage consumer and food startups, plus commercial real estate. There is no evidence of a fund-of-funds program or external LP commitments, consistent with a single-family office that prioritizes control over diversification.

The office does not publicly advertise co-investment opportunities. Its network ties — the Naples Children & Education Foundation, Boston College trusteeship, Brewers ownership — suggest the Stayers encounter deal flow through peer relationships, but there is no record of a formalized co-investment program open to outside GPs.

The Brewers stake functions as both a prestige asset and a long-duration holding. Small-market MLB franchises rarely trade, and ownership connects the Stayers to a concentrated group of civic and business leaders across Wisconsin — a network that likely yields deal flow beyond what the investment team sources independently.