Mr. Jim Janik, Wayland Academy Class of 1974
Wayland Trustee
Chairman of the Board of Douglas Dynamics Inc.

Jim Janik grew up in Beaver Dam and attended Wayland Academy as a day student, graduating in 1974. While a student at Wayland, Jim played football, basketball, and baseball. He was named the football team’s most valuable player, selected for the All-Conference basketball team, and was the number three baseball hitter in the conference. Jim also earned the Wiseheart Cup award, the highest honor for a male student-athlete, recognizing him for his outstanding leadership and sportsmanship throughout his athletic career at the Academy.

After Wayland, Jim studied business at the University of Wisconsin and went on to work for John Deere in Horicon, returning to UW-Madison shortly after to complete his master’s degree in marketing. Jim worked for John Deere in Horicon for several years, which took him to postings in Memphis, Dallas, and Baton Rouge.

In 1992, Jim began working at Douglas Dynamics in Milwaukee—North America’s premier manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment. In just eight years he was promoted to president and CEO of the company. While CEO, Jim took Douglas Dynamics public on the New York Stock Exchange, completing the initial public offering (IPO) in May 2010. During his tenure, Jim was an Ernst and Young, National Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist (2016), and through his leadership, the company was ranked #5 in Fortune Magazine’s “100 Fastest-Growing Public Companies” in the world in 2016 (Facebook was #3) and was recognized in the “Top 10 companies to work for” list by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for 15 years in a row, amongst many other accolades. In 2019, after nearly 30 years at Douglas Dynamics, Jim retired as president and CEO and continues to serve as the Chairman of the Board.

Jim has served on Wayland’s Board of Trustees since 2003, contributing invaluable advice, direction, and perspective, and giving of his time, talent, and treasure.

Last year, Jim and his wife, Susan, donated $1.25 million to update the locker room facilities in Wayland’s field house. The field house, officially named the Janik Field House in their honor, is a facility Jim recalls watching being constructed on Park Avenue and all the excitement, professional sports teams, and business it brought with it. Janik Field House is the home of Wayland’s Big Red basketball, powerlifting, and volleyball teams but is used daily by all students for sports practices, fitness, and recreation. It is also a community venue for men’s and women’s club and boys’ and girls’ youth sporting events and tournaments throughout the year.

In 2022, Jim helped establish Wayland’s Athletic Hall of Fame and serves as the committee chair.

Jim and his wife, Susan, live in Scottsdale, Arizona.