Visit WisPolitics-State Affairs for premium content,
keyword notifications, bill tracking and more
A survey of Madison-area businesses shows labor shortages having a big impact on future growth. In the survey, nearly one-third of respondents said they were held back from expanding their workforce this year due to talent shortages. The Fall 2021
Private sector employment in Wisconsin increased 5.3 percent over the 12-month period ending June 2021, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Based on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector employment
WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes says the agency is exploring how to better support small rural manufacturers in Wisconsin. “What kinds of resources do they have? And how can we partner with resources like the tech colleges or the
The head of ThedaCare’s Rural Health Initiative hopes to provide preventative care services to hundreds more farms after the program recently expanded to cover seven Wisconsin counties. “I think the potential is really unlimited at this point,” Program Manager Rhonda
After Dane County’s health department has moved to again extend its mask mandate with a new exception, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is raising critical questions. The extension, announced last week, came after officials at Public Health Madison &
A total of 8,524 homes were sold in Wisconsin in October, marking a 12.3 percent decrease from October 2020, according to the latest Wisconsin Realtors Association report. The total number of statewide home listings also fell to 23,446 for a
A team of UW-Madison students is getting a $250,000 award for carbon dioxide sequestration research through a global competition backed by the Musk Foundation. The XPRIZE for Carbon Removal Student Competition recently announced $5 million in awards for student teams.
A biotech startup called Geno.Me has landed $400,000 in seed funding from Gateway Capital, an early-stage investment firm based in Milwaukee. The company’s platform connects electronic health record data with genomic information from services like 23andMe, MyChart and Anscestry.com in
The head of global markets for Sartori Cheese sees great potential for expanding product exports, despite certain trade barriers and distribution issues. “Cheese demand is there and it’s growing, and continues to be growing significantly,” said Sam Allison, global markets
The state Public Service Commission will be awarding up to $215,000 in December through Refueling Readiness Grants. The program helps fueling facilities stay open during power outages and weather emergencies. Fourteen applicants are requesting a total of around $275,000, a
The Young Enterprising Society’s Blueprint program is putting a focus on developing ideas and market validation for products being developed by participating entrepreneurs. YES co-founders and brothers Khalif and Que El-Amin discussed the program yesterday during the Early Stage Symposium,
An angel investor with Wisconsin Investment Partners urges startup founders to prioritize business development expertise as they build out their team. “One of the earliest people I like to see come in is somebody who has a real good sense
— Milwaukee-area businesses are seeking innovative proposals to solve a wide array of industry challenges such as improving health literacy, maintaining company culture with a remote workforce, automating product identification and more. Company representatives described the problems they need solutions
A report from Forward Analytics finds that hiring local workers to construct new solar energy projects could generate twice as much economic activity in the state as relying on out-of-state labor. Using the example of a 150 megawatt solar farm
While transportation officials and scientists in the state continue autonomous vehicle research, local officials are expressing concern about the potential risk and costs associated with self-driving vehicles. Andrea Bill, traffic safety engineer research program manager for UW-Madison’s Traffic Operations and
Higher COVID-19 death rates in rural Wisconsin counties illustrate how demographic trends, vaccine resistance and disparities in health care access are contributing to the pandemic’s impact in the state. An analysis of COVID-19 deaths in all 72 counties found that
The head of Fairbanks Morse Defense says the Beloit company is “in for a rocky next couple months” after recently enacting a COVID-19 vaccination policy. George Whittier, the company’s CEO, discussed workforce-related issues yesterday during Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce’s Business
A lawyer with Michael Best Strategies says companies that import from China would benefit from submitting comments as federal officials consider reinstatements of certain tariff exclusions. “This is an invaluable opportunity for Wisconsin companies who import from China to be
Michigan-based Dickinson County Healthcare will be joining Marshfield Clinic Health System next year, expanding the health system’s reach outside of the state. “We are excited to extend care for the first time beyond the borders of Wisconsin,” said Dr. Susan
— The Creative Destruction Lab accelerator program is giving UW-Madison students a chance to join in the process of helping companies grow. The program works with seed-stage science and technology companies to help them “accelerate massively,” according to Shabaka Gibson,
A survey of Madison-area businesses shows labor shortages having a big impact on future growth. In the survey, nearly one-third of respondents said they were held back from expanding their workforce this year due to talent shortages. The Fall 2021 Business Survey, which got responses from 305 businesses in the
Private sector employment in Wisconsin increased 5.3 percent over the 12-month period ending June 2021, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Based on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector employment in Wisconsin reached 2,470,486 in the second quarter of this
WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes says the agency is exploring how to better support small rural manufacturers in Wisconsin. “What kinds of resources do they have? And how can we partner with resources like the tech colleges or the university system to make sure that we’re providing the support
The head of ThedaCare’s Rural Health Initiative hopes to provide preventative care services to hundreds more farms after the program recently expanded to cover seven Wisconsin counties. “I think the potential is really unlimited at this point,” Program Manager Rhonda Strebel told WisBusiness.com in a recent interview. Through the initiative,
After Dane County’s health department has moved to again extend its mask mandate with a new exception, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is raising critical questions. The extension, announced last week, came after officials at Public Health Madison & Dane County had previously said they had no plans to
A total of 8,524 homes were sold in Wisconsin in October, marking a 12.3 percent decrease from October 2020, according to the latest Wisconsin Realtors Association report. The total number of statewide home listings also fell to 23,446 for a decrease of 7.2 percent between October 2020 and October 2021,
A team of UW-Madison students is getting a $250,000 award for carbon dioxide sequestration research through a global competition backed by the Musk Foundation. The XPRIZE for Carbon Removal Student Competition recently announced $5 million in awards for student teams. The Madison team is getting the largest possible award for
A biotech startup called Geno.Me has landed $400,000 in seed funding from Gateway Capital, an early-stage investment firm based in Milwaukee. The company’s platform connects electronic health record data with genomic information from services like 23andMe, MyChart and Anscestry.com in hopes of furthering medical research. Individuals who share their data
The head of global markets for Sartori Cheese sees great potential for expanding product exports, despite certain trade barriers and distribution issues. “Cheese demand is there and it’s growing, and continues to be growing significantly,” said Sam Allison, global markets manager for the Plymouth-based cheese producer. He spoke yesterday during
The state Public Service Commission will be awarding up to $215,000 in December through Refueling Readiness Grants. The program helps fueling facilities stay open during power outages and weather emergencies. Fourteen applicants are requesting a total of around $275,000, a release from the agency shows. Funds will go toward the
The Young Enterprising Society’s Blueprint program is putting a focus on developing ideas and market validation for products being developed by participating entrepreneurs. YES co-founders and brothers Khalif and Que El-Amin discussed the program yesterday during the Early Stage Symposium, held in Madison by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Like many
An angel investor with Wisconsin Investment Partners urges startup founders to prioritize business development expertise as they build out their team. “One of the earliest people I like to see come in is somebody who has a real good sense about business development,” said WIP co-manager Bob Wood. “If that’s
— Milwaukee-area businesses are seeking innovative proposals to solve a wide array of industry challenges such as improving health literacy, maintaining company culture with a remote workforce, automating product identification and more. Company representatives described the problems they need solutions for during the fourth annual Reverse Pitch Milwaukee event, held
A report from Forward Analytics finds that hiring local workers to construct new solar energy projects could generate twice as much economic activity in the state as relying on out-of-state labor. Using the example of a 150 megawatt solar farm being built in rural Wisconsin, the report estimates that hiring
While transportation officials and scientists in the state continue autonomous vehicle research, local officials are expressing concern about the potential risk and costs associated with self-driving vehicles. Andrea Bill, traffic safety engineer research program manager for UW-Madison’s Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory, noted ongoing research efforts in Madison and Racine
Higher COVID-19 death rates in rural Wisconsin counties illustrate how demographic trends, vaccine resistance and disparities in health care access are contributing to the pandemic’s impact in the state. An analysis of COVID-19 deaths in all 72 counties found that rural areas tend to have higher rates than urban ones,
The head of Fairbanks Morse Defense says the Beloit company is “in for a rocky next couple months” after recently enacting a COVID-19 vaccination policy. George Whittier, the company’s CEO, discussed workforce-related issues yesterday during Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce’s Business Day event in Pewaukee. As a recently rebranded company with
A lawyer with Michael Best Strategies says companies that import from China would benefit from submitting comments as federal officials consider reinstatements of certain tariff exclusions. “This is an invaluable opportunity for Wisconsin companies who import from China to be able to engage in,” said Sarah Helton, a partner with
Michigan-based Dickinson County Healthcare will be joining Marshfield Clinic Health System next year, expanding the health system’s reach outside of the state. “We are excited to extend care for the first time beyond the borders of Wisconsin,” said Dr. Susan Turney, CEO for MCHS, in a statement. “Together, we will
— The Creative Destruction Lab accelerator program is giving UW-Madison students a chance to join in the process of helping companies grow. The program works with seed-stage science and technology companies to help them “accelerate massively,” according to Shabaka Gibson, director of CDL-Wisconsin. The nonprofit organization has 10 sites around