Our Staff
Paul Hasenberg – Assistant Store Manager
If you are unable to find the general manager of the store, chances are you’ll be able to find the assistant store manager, Paul Hasenberg. A Madison native, Paul joins the Fresh Madison Market team with twenty-five years experience in the grocery store business. He began his career at Kohl’s Grocery Store in Madison while he was attending MATC. He was promoted to produce manager after a year and his MATC studies were put on hold. He has been in grocery store business ever since.
He is looking forward to his new role and is hoping to build new relationships with his customers and employees to help make your visit to our store a great experience. In his words, “I look forward to the challenges of being a member of a cutting-edge retailer with so much to offer!”
An avid sports fanatic, Paul enjoys playing golf, softball, basketball and bowling. He also enjoys spending time with his family, wife Robin and two sons, Alex and Ashton.
Kim Korte – Customer Service Manager
Kim Korte knew from an early age that she wanted to be involved with food and hospitality, although from the business end, not necessarily in the kitchen. As Fresh Madison Market’s customer service manager, Kim will strive to make every customer leaving our store feeling that they have had a good shopping experience. She looks at customer service through the eyes of her customers and keeps in mind what she likes and dislikes from her shopping experiences. She carries these beliefs into her management style.
Kim holds a bachelor degree from UW – Stout. She has held various positions in customer service including a pool/golf course bar and restaurant manager at a private country club. Before joining the Fresh Madison Market team, she was a food service director in the corporate dining cafes at two of Madison’s largest corporations.
Kim is a self-confessed “home body.” She likes to entertain and cook at home. When not at work or home, she enjoys walking her dog, perusing Madison’s many farmers’ markets as well as Target and State Street! She also likes to travel and stay in touch with family and friends.
Jake Parchem – Dairy/Frozen Food Manager
Jake Parchem grew up in Baraboo, WI. For the last 12 years, Jake worked at Pierce’s Marketplace in Baraboo where he saw a continuation of professional growth. He began his career as a stocker, then held the lead stocker position for two years, moved into the night manager position for eight years and lastly, served as the dairy/frozen food manager for two years. This perseverance and dedication caught Jeff Maurer’s attention when Jeff was at Pierce’s Market. He decided he needed Jake’s experience and dedication on the Fresh Madison Market team.
Jake enjoys how the dairy/frozen food department operates to best serve customers and enjoys finding creative ways to showcase the department’s offerings.
Aside from managing his own department, Jake is currently a student at the UW-Madison with a focus on art education. (He has also attended UW-Baraboo and UW-Whitewater). Jake is a painter preferring oil paints for his works of art. He was the project leader of the art murals painted in the store by UW art students and actually painted several. Please check them out when you are in the store!
Greg Smart – Culinary Manager
A native of northern Wisconsin, Greg Smart didn’t start off wanting to be a chef! He went to college with the best intentions of majoring in music. But, due to the lack of food offerings and variety on campus, he started dabbling in cooking.
After college, Greg began his culinary career in Eugene, Oregon where he trained at the Valley River Inn and Sweetwaters. While there, he learned basic French technique within a Pan-Pacific and “fusion-cuisine” framework. He also learned the skills of carving and the presentation of produce, chocolate, pulled sugar and pastry.
While in Oregon, he combined his love for wine and food by putting together wine tasting parties for friends and attending local events as a personal chef. Greg was also influenced by the area’s innate interest and abundant inventory of organic and locally grown food.
After Greg left the Valley River Inn, he became the assistant chef at Market of Choice, later becoming their head chef at two of their locations.
Family and a sense of home called Greg back to Madison after his time in Oregon. Since then, he has served as the executive chef for the Wisco Hotel Group on Madison’s west side and also as the executive chef at the Blue Marlin.
When not in the store cooking up new recipes, Greg enjoys participating in city bands and orchestras in Wisconsin and Oregon. He also serves as a chef coach and judge in educational culinary competitions in Eugene and Madison. He loves checking out local wine and specialty shops and can often be seen roaming the local farmer’s markets.
Alex McGinn – Meat/Seafood Manager
Alex McGinn, Fresh Madison Market’s meat and seafood manager, is a Madison native. He grew up on the east side and attended Madison East High School. After high school, he attended MATC and obtained his degree in small business management. He worked full-time while he was in school. His hard work paid off when, at age 20, he purchased his first home.
Alex began his retail career at Jacobson’s Bros. Meat and Deli on Sherman Avenue in Madison. At age 15, he started in the meat department. Just four years later, he was the assistant store manager. After ten years at Jacobson’s Bros. Meat and Deli, Alex began working for Jeff Maurer at Pierce’s Northside Market in Madison as a meat cutter. When Fresh Madison Market came to fruition, Jeff knew his new team could benefit from Alex’s dedication and knowledge.
In his spare time, Alex enjoys playing sports – basketball, volleyball and softball. He collects and loves to play guitars. He likes to spend time with his parents and black Pomeranian dog, Sparx.
Danny Breunig – Produce Manager
As the newest member of the management team at Fresh Madison Market, Danny Breunig brings with him former produce experience and knowledge, a laid-back management style and an understanding of the downtown lifestyle. He joined Fresh Madison Market as the assistant produce manager when the store opened and was recently named department manager.
He has worked in the grocery business for many years. He started at Brennan’s on the north side of Madison in the produce department. He later went to Pierce’s and worked in their produce department. He did this while attending MATC. In his senior year at MATC, he participated in Delta Epsilon Chi (Marketing Club) and placed third at the International conference in business-to-business marketing. After he graduated, he became a full-time member of Pierce’s staff.
Thanks to his previous experience, the most important thing to Danny is that his produce department exudes quality. He is a strong believer in bringing in fresh produce to the department and supporting Madison’s local growers whenever possible. His goals are to keep offering Fresh Madison Market’s customers the freshest produce available and expanding the organic section.
Danny grew up in Waunakee and has lived in the downtown Madison area for the past three years. In his free time, he enjoys spending time at family gatherings and following Wisconsin sports.
