Port Blues Factory plan tweaked, CEO named

Developer Gertjan van den Broek on Tuesday announced that he is tweaking plans for the proposed Blues Factory entertainment complex on Port Washington’s lakefront to include second-story offices and has hired Matthew Hermans as chief executive officer of the business.

Construction of the Blues Factory is expected to begin by next April with a grand opening in spring 2021, van den Broek said, adding he is making changes to the design of the building, both to accommodate renovations to the adjoining Port Harbor Center and to help deal with rising construction costs.

The basic idea of a staggered height building with two stories on the west end and a glassy one-story restaurant on the east end will remain, he said, adding he will look at softening the exterior.

“Everything’s on the table,” he said. Whether that includes the factory-like appearance of the west side of the structure remains to be seen, he said, adding, “We’ll take a look at everything.”

Van den Broek said he is considering the potential to combine the banquet hall and entertainment facility on the first floor of the building.

With the potential for the banquet facility to be on the first floor, van den Broek said, he is looking to create a mezzanine level with office spaces along the perimeter of the building.

Combining the banquet facility and entertainment area could help decrease construction costs and increase use of the space, he said, while offices would help provide a steady revenue stream.

“We have to get the costs and revenue to match to make this a viable project,” he said.

Quality office spaces are “a missing piece of downtown,” van den Broek said, noting there are only a limited number of these spaces.

Hermans, who lives in the Port Washington area, will help design the building and will operate the facility when it is constructed, van den Broek said.

Hermans, a musician and businessman, will work hand-in-hand with the people who will operate the restaurant, entertainment venue and event spaces in the building, he said.

Van den Broek said he has been working with Hermans on creating the business plan for the Blues Factory, noting that Hermans has “an experienced track record of bringing new, innovative businesses to fruition and seeing them flourish.”

Hermans most recently worked for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee in business development and new product innovation, van den Broek said.

Hermans, who has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration, has also worked for Rockwell Automation, consulted with multi-national Fortune 500 companies and turned unprofitable operations profitable, he said.

“What this project (the Blues Factory) does is combine his passion for music and desire to contribute to the community,” van den Broek said, noting Hermans is an accomplished guitarist.