CEO and Founder of Basics, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Arn Quakkelaar is the founder of Basics Milwaukee, designed to connect inner-city needs to suburban resources through many avenues. He is currently responding to calls from city and government leaders who are asking pastors to help them solve community problems. His goal is to provide a future and hope to those broken by physical and spiritual poverty. He also founded Genesis in Milwaukee, a non-profit organization whose focus is to reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and restore individuals returning to Milwaukee from prison to becoming self-sustaining, productive citizens. As the International Vice-President of Global Technical Support for Rockwell Automation, he established 91 technical support centers in 28 countries. As a father of five boys, husband of Norma for 56 years, and grandfather of many, his family-focus is helping to sharpen the focus of The Oasis Project. His advice to the founders of The Oasis Project is to “look for gaps” in our community and then seek to meet needs created by those gaps.