STURGEON BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOUNDATION, INC.

The Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation, Inc. began as a group of concerned citizens who wished to preserve the historical landmarks of the city of Sturgeon Bay and its surrounding area in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin.

Founding members have now grown to include many local citizens and visitors of the county who are engaged as interested participants, volunteers, board members and donors.

In addition to the researching, applying for and receiving State and National Historic Register listing of the 1901 Teweles and Brandeis Granary, organizers of the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society were instrumental in protecting the 1931 Michigan Street Steel Bridge, also on the State and National Register of Historic Places. Other projects for the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation include the Potawatomi Fire Tower. Projects of interest include the Cardy Paleo-Indian Site. SBHSF is currently working to identify and catalog structures of historical significance within Sturgeon Bay.

SBHSF STAFF

Nicole Matson, Director of Operations
Nicole comes to the organization with a bachelor’s degree in business, education, and psychology from SUNY Albany. Born and raised on Long Island in New York, she moved to Wisconsin in 2010 and has called Sturgeon Bay home since 2015. Her experience in planning, communication, and coordination has helped Door County non-profit organizations fulfill their missions, most notably as co-creator and lead of the Climate Change Coalition’s Door County Big Plant. Since joining the Door County Granary project in 2022, Nicole has worked to secure funding and coordinate with the City of Sturgeon Bay, WI DNR, USDA, and the State Historic Preservation Office to ensure the Granary project is successful in its preservation, restoration, repurposing, and renovation efforts. Nicole appreciates the opportunity to enhance Sturgeon Bay’s rich history with the Granary’s historical and architectural texture and is eager to share the Teweles and Brandeis Grain Elevator story with the community and visitors alike. Beyond SBHSF, Nicole volunteers her spare time to the Sturgeon Bay School District, and enjoys the perks of living in Door County with her husband and two daughters.

Contact Nicole: nicole@doorcountygranary.org or 920-241-6819

SBHSF BOARD OFFICERS & BOARD

Laurel Duffin Hauser – President
Laurel recently retired as the executive director of Crossroads at Big Creek, a learning center and nature preserve in Sturgeon Bay. She has served as a City of Sturgeon Bay alderperson and co-chaired the committee to redesign Sturgeon Bay’s West Waterfront. She has been involved in efforts to save the Door County Granary since reuse was first envisioned. 

Laurel worked for many years as the director of charitable giving for the Door County Land Trust. Preservation of both land and history are passions of hers, as is writing. She served as editor of the Washington Island Observer and occasionally contributes freelance writing to local publications. Laurel founded and co-chaired the Sturgeon Bay Skatepark Initiative and has served on numerous local nonprofit boards. She and her husband John raised two children in Sturgeon Bay.

Matt Young – Vice President
Matt is excited to help preserve and share Sturgeon Bay’s unique history. He was born and raised in Sturgeon Bay. He spent his formative years exploring and fishing the shore from Potawatomi Park to the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor. He currently lives on the west side with his wife and son. 

Matt is employed as the Finance Director at Little Sweden Resort in Fish Creek. Previously he was the General Manager at Young Automotive, his family’s business which has a more than 50-year history in Sturgeon Bay. 

In 2011, Matt paired up with Laurel Hauser and a group of dedicated teens to form the Sturgeon Bay Skatepark Initiative. Together they organized and led a grassroots capital campaign to fund Door County’s only public skatepark. It is widely regarded as the most-used park in Sturgeon Bay.

Kelly Catarozoli - Treasurer
Kelly is a Wisconsin native with family roots in Door County. Her first home was built in 1848. She courageously bought it at the age of 20 and lovingly restored it. She has a background in interior design and worked for over 10 years with custom home builders and remodeling contractors in the Milwaukee area. In addition, she was a licensed real estate agent. She spent five years living in Portland, Oregon, working in marketing for Better World Club before moving to Sturgeon Bay in 2013. The move was motivated by a desire to be near family and pursue her entrepreneurial dreams.

Kelly purchased a foreclosed bed and breakfast, Leathem Smith’s historic home, and after extensive renovations, reopened it as The Foxglove Inn. The inn has proven to be a successful venture and provides a viable path to maintaining an historically significant building in downtown Sturgeon Bay.

Kelly feels strongly about community involvement. She served two terms on the Sturgeon Bay City Council and continues her commitment as an active participant in the place she loves.

Kelly Avenson
Kelly is an Iowa native who found her place in Door County, Wisconsin, after fulfilling an internship as the sought-after Resorter Reporter photographer in 2007. Kelly continued to freelance for the Door County Advocate while opening a portrait studio in an old carriage house on Jefferson Street. A few years later, she bought a historic 3rd Avenue building and exposed the original brick and pulled down the drop ceiling to expose the beautiful, original 13-foot ceilings. That building has since been a photography studio, a makerspace, a music venue and is currently an artist collective.  

Kelly has always had a love for architecture and the character and craftsmanship of old homes and enjoys the challenge of breathing life back into structures that others may view as blight.  

As an entrepreneur of many endeavors, Kelly understands the importance of a community valuing its history, charm and what makes it unique. It is that charm that draws people to a place, makes them take the road “less traveled” to visit or plant their roots. They – we all – want to experience and be surrounded by something special, something that isn’t everywhere USA.

Phil Biebl
Phil was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Phil has been connected to Sturgeon Bay ever since he was a little boy. Phil’s parents bought cottages here in 1959 and he has been coming to Door County ever since. Phil and his two sisters still own the old, seasonal cottages. He and his spouse have been permanent homeowners in Sturgeon Bay since 2003, having built a home within walking distance of the family cottages.

Phil got his BS in Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an Associate Degree in Graphic Design from Madison College. Phil worked full-time as a graphic artist for Wisconsin Public Television and for UW-Madison’s College of Engineering for over 30 years, retiring in 2017.

Phil plays piano, continues to create art, and has a vast collection of original Beatles memorabilia! He also enjoys traveling and history and is proud to be a part of the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation team. 

Niki Kaftan
Niki’s family has been visiting Door County for generations. There was always a love for the history, art and natural beauty of the area. She studied art, animation and computer graphics in Wisconsin and California. Since moving permanently just north of Sturgeon Bay, Niki has been interested in supporting the efforts to preserve the special places in that town. She is an artist and created a photo collage poster of the granary.

Beth Renstrom
Beth is a lifetime Sturgeon Bay visitor, a homeowner since 2010, and a permanent resident since 2017. Beth is excited to be a member of the Granary Fundraising committee and honored to be on a team dedicated to historical preservation.  Beth worked in technology for 23+ years, starting during the dot.com boom at a Deloitte and Touche start up, then moving to PeopleSoft, and finally Oracle. Starting in Sales as a Solutions Consultant, and then moving to Product Management for the remainder of her career, she managed global teams that determined short-term and long-term product and marketing strategies for $100 million dollar product lines. Beth retired from Oracle in 2018 but continues to consult with them on an as-needed basis.  Beth and her husband Jay love history, art, travel, the outdoors and pickleball.

Deb Whitelaw Gorski
Deb joined the board in Dec 2022 because of her love for Sturgeon Bay and historical preservation. A “westsider” who has raised her family in Sturgeon Bay since 1990, she often wanders the waterfront and bridges. She recently retired as the Rehab Manager at Door County Medical Center, is a part-time substitute teacher at Sturgeon Bay Schools, a Big Sister, and a member of the Big Brother Big Sister Advisory Board. Deb has previously served on the boards of Leadership Door County, the YMCA, and Money Management Counselors and has been involved with the Crossroads Trail Run since its inception. 

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