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M Club Hy Popuch Memorial Service Award

CRAIG R. KASTEN, BUS AD '75

Mequon, Wis.

Back then, he was a grade-school kid catching as many ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵbasketball games as he could on his nine-volt radio. Now, he’s a CPA and entrepreneur who has contributed more than $2.5 million to help ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵstudent-athletes be their best. Indeed, Craig Kasten dons the blue and gold in an unbeatable fashion.

The West Allis, Wis., native was the first in his family to graduate from college and set out to do his best after graduation, applying his father’s lessons — the value of hard work and making the most of the well-rounded education he received at Marquette. 

“Preparation is always the key to success,” he says. “In the case of my ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵexperience, gaining the appreciation for an education that addresses all aspects of life was most important in preparing me for my personal journey.”

Craig’s professional journey led him to explore using technology for solving problems — the focus of many companies he has founded, including Wonderbox Technologies, Scion Dental and American Therapy Administrators. From developing solutions for delivering health care benefits to all citizens at affordable costs to employing more than 700 people in southeastern Wisconsin through his enterprises, Craig has achieved success in many ways.

So it’s no surprise that he contributes financially to help others and his alma mater succeed. He is a generous benefactor of the Blue & Gold Athletics Scholarship Fund and has made it possible for countless student-athletes to achieve their dreams of attending Marquette. To provide them with top-caliber facilities, Craig was a lead donor in building the Al McGuire Center, where a practice gym proudly bears his name. And to celebrate and promote the rich tradition of ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵathletics, Craig sponsored Dwyane Wade’s induction into the M Club Hall of Fame.

Fun facts about Craig:
Hometown: West Allis, Wis.
Favorite movie: Field of Dreams
Someone alive or dead he’d like to have dinner with: His wife, Hank Aaron, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan
Favorite ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵmemory: “The beginning and the end. First bus trip “downtown” as a freshman commuter student and my mother crying at my graduation ceremony.”
In grade school, Craig wanted to be a newspaper reporter, mainly to cover sports.
Most influential person in Craig’s life: His father