There’s hardly an institution more synonymous with knowledge than the library. Although we live in the golden age of the internet, the library persists—offering guidance and opportunities to learn. With that, there was not a more fitting space to honor a foundational member of BDT’s organization: Milt Riseman. Milt joined the BDT team on the ground level as an advisory board member. He brought years of business and financial experience to the team, including his role as President and Chief Operating Officer of American Business Financial Services, Inc. This April, we recognized his contribution by dedicating our office’s library, now known as “Milt’s Library.”
Milt cared deeply about our mission to improve benefits sectors through private sector strategies such as data sharing. He offered the team and President and CEO Ginger Zielinksie hands on support as BDT grew rapidly. He recognized the incredible impact BDT was poised to make and devoted countless hours to helping it become the organization it is today. During the dedication, Milt’s colleagues on the BDT Board shared,“Milt’s experience and knowledge is only paralleled by his enthusiasm and commitment to sharing it with those around him. In some ways, it was as if he was born wise—always meant to share and teach others.”
In attendance at the dedication in April was Milt’s wife, Judy, son Alex, his wife Lori, and Milt’s grandchildren. Alex remarked at how touching it was to see his dad through our eyes, in a new light.“You just think of him as your dad, you don’t always see the other business side of him. But to be here in the library, seeing the amazing work he did to help BDT grow, it’s really something special.”
The library ensures we always have Milt’s spirit in our organization as we move forward. Likewise it offers our staff a quiet place to rest their minds, reflect and recharge their batteries as needed. Next time you come visit, we hope you will take a moment to visit Milt’s Library and experience it for yourself.
