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Ducati Milwaukee

Fighting for fair market value — and winning

%
annual tax savings

Ducati Milwaukee suspected its assessed property value exceeded fair market value — but it didn’t have the time, resources or expertise to successfully win an appeal. Wipfli did.

The Challenge

Ducati Milwaukee believed it was overpaying taxes due to an inflated property value assessment. It sought a property tax reduction but lost the appeal. The dealership staff didn’t have the time, resources or expertise to win the case. Ducati Milwaukee didn’t give up. It enlisted Wipfli — a firm with deep experience in commercial real estate, appraisals and valuation — to review its case and pursue an appeal.

The Solution

In Wipfli, Sebastian Ernst found a partner who could manage it all. Wipfli’s HR professionals interviewed and hired manufacturing staff for the new plant, and an accounting and finance team from Wipfli established a U.S. back office. Sebastian Ernst outsourced all its non-revenue-generating functions to Wipfli, including payroll, bookkeeping, tax services and financial reporting. Wipfli also set up an online portal so Sebastian Ernst’s management team could access the plant’s financial and administrative information from anywhere, at any time.

With Wipfli, we were able to get our U.S. operations up and running quickly and cost-effectively.
Alfred Dittrich, General Manager at Sebastian Ernst Company

The results

As a result of Wipfli’s analysis, Ducati Milwaukee received a 25% reduction in its assessed market value, leading to a 25% annual tax reduction. With significant savings, Ducati Milwaukee is reinvesting in the business and finding new ways to provide exceptional personal service.

Services Engaged