Dan Olszewski, Director, University of Wisconsin-Madison Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship
The 2022 Disruptor 50: How we chose the list of companies
CNBC
Category: Business/Technology
Fast-growing Milwaukee Tool is adding 1,000 state jobs in the next three years as it ramps up technologies used by workers in skilled trades
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Milwaukee Tool has a presence on college campuses including Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
New college graduates with degrees in supercomputing, artificial intelligence are in hot demand. ‘War for talent’ gives grads many options.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison research has shown that the majority of bachelor’s degree holders in the state tend to remain here, and that Wisconsin has a relatively low rate of out-migration, also known as “brain drain.” But the number of college-educated workers coming into Wisconsin isn’t that high, according to the research, so the state suffers from a lack of “brain gain.”
The solutions won’t come easily. And there’s probably no “silver bullet” for the entire state, as every region is different, said Matt Kures, a community development specialist with UW-Madison Extension.
Are you muted? Not exactly, finds UW-Madison privacy researcher
Spectrum News
An investigation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found when using video chat platforms, your microphone is still on when you’re muted.
Critical forecast tool upgraded just in time for 2022 Atlantic hurricane season
New York Post
A crucial tool that meteorologists use to forecast hurricanes is being upgraded just in time for the start of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.
The University of Wisconsin announced the significant upgrade to the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT) and says it will use full-resolution images from weather satellites, better identification of the storm eye location and the ability to analyze hurricanes occurring outside tropical regions.
ADT was developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS).
“The ADT itself is not a prediction tool, but it does help describe the current state of tropical cyclone intensity, which provides the critical starting point for both forecaster and model-based predictions of future track and intensity,” says senior scientist Christopher Velden, who leads the CIMSS Tropical Cyclone Group.
Will Elon’s Twitter Deal Die—And Why Doesn’t The Stock Price Match His $54.20 Offer?
Forbes
Quoted: “The market sees a possible concern as to his mercurial nature,” says David P. Brown, a University of Wisconsin professor who studies securities markets. “Even if he is doing his due diligence.”
As pandemic changes become permanent, some rural communities are booming
ABC Action News
Quoted: Steven Deller, who studies rural economies at the University of Wisconsin, says many smaller cities and towns have moved away from the traditional methods of marketing to outsiders.
“Rather than focus on promoting businesses they’re looking at making their communities a better place to live, to attract people,” he said.
American families need to earn $35.80 an hour just to make ends meet. Few earn that.
CBS News
Noted: An hourly wage of $35.80 equates to about $74,400 in annual income. The average hourly wage stood at $31.73 in March, or about $66,000 annually, according to the latest government data. That means many families are falling behind in their ability to afford the basics, said Marjory Givens, co-director at the County Health Rankings, which is a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
UW ag experts say spring planting dates still on track
Wisconsin State Farmer
Although April has been cold and wet, University of Wisconsin-Madison agronomists say farmers shouldn’t start stressing out just yet.
“Despite the fact that we are about two weeks behind where we were a year ago, we are still on track for maximum yields for corn and soybeans,” says Shawn Conley, UW Soybean and Small Grains Extension Specialist.
According to Joe Lauer, UW-Madison Agronomy Professor, “last year we were earlier than normal – in fact, it was one of the earliest planting seasons on record.”
Opinion: Cooperation between U.S. public and private sectors will be critical in the years ahead
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Tana Johnson is a faculty member in the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How Wisconsin’s colleges and businesses can partner to transform the state’s workforce
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In the last few years, northeastern Wisconsin workers and companies have told us they want education targeted for today’s students, employees, and parents. They want education that leads directly to good jobs. We agree. On April 11, our two campuses, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, announced a plan to meet their needs.
UW-Madison moves forward with overhaul of Farm and Industry Short Course
Wisconsin Public Radio
Cheri Klussendorf graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Farm and Industry Short Course in 2002.
The 16-week on-campus certificate program is where she met her husband, Ryan, and where she decided to take a chance on dairy farming.
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Robert Yablon, Kurt Paulsen, Lisa Johnson
PBS Wisconsin
Here’s what guests on the April 15, 2022 episode had to say about the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling on legislative redistricting, the difficulties faced by homebuyers and a model for K-12 summer school programming in Green Bay.
The fossil fuel divestment debate on college campuses
Wisconsin Public Radio
There is a growing movement of climate change activists on university campuses pressuring their schools to divest from the oil and gas industries. But is fossil fuel divestment effective or a distraction? We talk to the moderator of an upcoming UW-Madison panel discussion of the issue.
What the 2022 bird flu outbreak means for Wisconsin poultry
PBS Wisconsin
Noted: The virus’s spread has accelerated northward with the spring migration of many North American bird species, explained Ron Kean, a poultry specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension.
What if the government filled out your tax form for you?
Wisconsin Examiner
Quoted: “I do believe the U.S. has one of the more convoluted structures and also requires a lot more effort to understand,” says Cliff Robb, who teaches about personal finance and human behavior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.. “It forces individuals to engage much more directly with the tax system than other industrialized countries.”
Even for people who don’t pay fees to a tax preparer or for tax prep software, there’s a significant “opportunity cost” to filing, he says.
“Most people are going to take a weekend or a couple of days,” says Robb. And it’s not just time. “It creates more stress than is necessary, I believe.”
Through a government subsidy, millions are now getting free or low-cost internet
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: “It’s a very limited stopgap,” said Barry Orton, professor emeritus of telecommunications at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Team at UW–Madison creates material six times tougher than Kevlar
Spectrum News
A team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created a material that is tougher than Kevlar, which is found in bulletproof vests.
It’s a project they hope can help save lives.
The material in small scale is almost comparable to the look of electrical tape. However, it’s much different and much stronger. So what’s inside that makes it so strong? Engineering and physics assistant professor Ramathasan Thevamaran has the answer.
“It’s a nano fiber mat made out of carbon nanotubes and Kevlar nano fibers,” Thevamaran said.
‘Buyer beware’: Many CBD products in Wisconsin not accurately labeled, new study finds
Wisconsin Public Radio
A University of Wisconsin-Madison study finds many cannabidiol, or CBD, products sold in southwestern Wisconsin don’t deliver what they promise on the label. One of the study’s authors says a lack of regulation and oversight is to blame.
Racial disparities in homeownership are a statewide problem in Wisconsin. Milwaukee’s affordable housing plan is one effort to address it.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Written by Joe Peterangelo, a senior researcher for the Wisconsin Policy Forum and Ned Littlefield, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a research fellow with the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
UW-Madison working to bring bird flu vaccine to market amid outbreaks
CBS 58
If you’ve been paying more for eggs recently, you have the bird flu to thank, according to egg producers.
UW-Madison scientists say they are fighting back.
Across the nation, tens of thousands of birds have had to be put down in recent weeks as the bird flu ravages flocks, and farmers say while it’s already making eggs expensive, it won’t stop there.
UW-Madison scientists say this is an issue that comes and goes, which is why they’re looking to bring a vaccine for the birds to market.
“Knock on wood, we’ve been doing okay in Wisconsin. We’ve had two outbreaks here in Wisconsin,” said UW-Madison Poultry Specialist Ron Kean.
After Foxconn’s pledges have failed to materialize, a former executive is hired by UW-Madison College of Engineering
Wisconsin Public Radio
Former Foxconn executive Alan Yeung has been hired by the University of Wisconsin-Madison to “jump-start technology entrepreneurship efforts” within its College of Engineering.
Yeung was heavily involved in Foxconn’s failed pledges to invest $10 billion into a high-tech manufacturing hub in Racine County and donate $100 million to UW-Madison.
An announcement posted Thursday by UW-Madison’s College of Engineering announcing Yeung’s hire lists him as an author, college alum and technology executive — it has no mention of Foxconn.
Business Class: Madison startup develops conversational AI tech for healthcare uses
Wisconsin State Journal
The report touted Madison as a center for research (the third category), but suggested that in order to keep up with the country’s emergent AI industry, local business leaders should forge more corporate research partnerships with UW-Madison, promoting entrepreneurship and encouraging local job retention and attraction.
Tom Still: Road to widespread electric vehicle use is long, but bumps can be smoothed
Wisconsin State Journal
“So, how are we going to decide where to put these charging stations? The way I think about it and the way we’re looking at it, at least from a research perspective, is related to something (we call) an origins destination study,” said David Noyce, a professor in the UW-Madison College of Engineering who specializes in transportation planning and the future of on-the-road vehicles.
Electric vehicle experts encourage Wisconsin lawmakers, officials to prepare for expanding charging infrastructure
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: Panelist David Noyce, who is the executive associate dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Engineering, said consumer worries about not being able to recharge an electric vehicle — what the industry calls range anxiety — is still one of the biggest barriers to electric vehicle adoption.
Noyce said vehicle makers are working to improve batteries as a remedy to this problem. But he said making charging stations more available is the other half of the solution.
“That’s where the emphasis is going on as we speak,” he said during the panel. “The federal government has jumped into the fray here … because of the market demand, but as well as climate goals, decarbonization, reduction in the use of fossil fuels and so forth.”
Barron’s 100 most influential women in finance: Katy Huberty
Barron's/Marketwatch
Katy Huberty has spent two decades at Morgan Stanley analyzing technology hardware stocks. Her coverage has included Apple, Dell Technologies, and Seagate Technology Holdings, among many others. Now director of equity research for the Americas, Huberty is thinking about how to scale her IT hardware team’s data-heavy approach to stock analysis to all of Morgan Stanley’s 49 research teams.
A Morgan Stanley lifer, Huberty, 44, joined the firm after college at the University of Wisconsin. Today, she sees technology diffusing into every corner of the market.
Former Foxconn exec Alan Yeung hired by UW-Madison’s College of Engineering
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has hired one of Foxconn’s most prominent former Wisconsin executives.
Part of the deal former Gov. Scott Walker and Foxconn executives struck with Wisconsin included a promise to give UW-Madison $100 million. But that money never showed up. And the Foxconn project has only faltered since it was announced.
Now Alan Yeung has joined UW-Madison’s College of Engineering as an entrepreneurship consultant. He’ll be helping the college “commercialize research, and connect with industry and entrepreneurs,” said Renee Meiller, a spokeswoman for the College of Engineering.
A UW study found inaccurate labels on some CBD products. Here’s what that means for you.
Spectrum News
A new study by researchers at the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy found inaccurate labels on some non-prescription CBD products sold in the Badger State.
JetBlue starts Milwaukee flights as Wisconsin airports recover from COVID-19
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: Laura Albert is a professor of industrial and systems engineering with University of Wisconsin-Madison. She said business travel in particular is slower to return to pre-pandemic levels.
“We found ways to do things remotely that are quite effective,” Albert said. “There’s not a substitute for everything, but some of that, I think, will stick around, and that might affect where routes are selected, because a lot of routes follow where business travel is needed.”
Market volatility caused by war in Ukraine has Wisconsin farmers, agriculture companies on edge
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: Wisconsin producers primarily grow winter wheat, which is planted in the fall and harvested in the summer, making it unlikely farmers will plant more this spring in response to potential shortages or to capitalize on higher prices, Paul Mitchell, director of the Renk Agribusiness Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said.
But farmers in the state will likely spend more time managing the wheat fields they do have planted this spring, he said.
“More fertilizer, maybe more concerned about fungicide applications if you’re looking at a problem with disease. That’s what we might see, is farmers more willing to spend money on managing the planted crop for winter wheat,” he said.
Coming together: Dairy farmers debate plans for overseeing US milk supply
Wisconsin Public Radio
Noted: Instead of limiting milk production, the plan focuses on reducing the negative impacts of uncontrolled expansion and sending stronger market signals to farms about whether they should produce more milk. The group worked with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to create models for what a mandatory management program could look like and how it would affect farmers’ and consumers’ prices.
Black households never recovered from the Great Recession, a UW-Madison report on racial wealth gaps suggests
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A new report is highlighting how much the Great Recession widened racial wealth gaps, particularly on the basis of income and homeownership.
“Racial Disparities in Household Wealth Following the Great Recession,” authored by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Fenaba R. Addo and Duke University Professor William A. Darity Jr., found that Black and Latino households continue to lag behind white households in wealth and income statistics.
The report was published this month through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty and used Survey on Consumer Finances data to come to its conclusions.
Mental Health First Aid training for WI Ag Community set for April 12
Wisconsin State Farmer
There is no doubt that farming can be extremely rewarding, yet also stressful and demanding. Various risk factors including weather, economic uncertainty, as well as, ever-evolving supply and demand changes, can take a toll on farmer’s mental health.
In order to address some of these issues, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension will be offering virtual and in-person educational programs to help the Wisconsin agricultural community identify and respond to a variety of behavioral health challenges.
War puts Ukraine’s farmers in peril, threatens world food supplies
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Tractor prices are up as much as 20% from two years ago, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. Used equipment is difficult to find and expensive.
“Supply chain disruptions have created chaos in new-and-used machinery markets,” UW Extension said in a report last fall.
After detecting bird flu in Wisconsin, poultry expert discusses transmission, safety steps
Wisconsin Public Radio
After state agriculture officials confirmed the presence of bird flu in Wisconsin, one poultry management expert shared safety tips for poultry farmers and what risk exists to humans.
Ron Kean, a faculty associate and extension specialist in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, also explained what costs farmers can and cannot get covered if the flu hits their farm.
Pressure for changes in Kohl’s corporate operation intensifies
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: Hart Posen, a professor of management and human resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said while concerns of negative effects from a buyout aren’t unfounded, he sees it as a positive story in an industry that has had few positive stories in the past decade.
“This is all happening because Kohl’s is, of department store retailers, one of the best positioned department store retailers,” Posen said. “This is (a) department store that has real potential. Some folks think they can pull more out of it, which may or may not be true.”
Twin 22-year-old UW-Madison grads lead a growing startup that sells data tracking corporate jets, politicians’ stock trades
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A small Madison startup launched only two years ago to provide free alternative data for investors says it now has 340,000 registered users.
Twin brothers James and Chris Kardatzke debuted Quiver Quantitative in February 2020 while they were students at University of Wisconsin-Madison studying finance, economics, and statistics. They graduated that year and gave their full attention to running the business which now has six full-time employees, with plans to hire a few more soon.
UW-Madison engineers create method for improving 3D metal printing
WisBusiness
Engineers at UW-Madison have created a new method for improving the quality of 3D-printed metal products.
Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, can create complex metal structures with greater ease than traditional manufacturing processes, a release from the university shows. But the process often introduces defects such as tiny cracks and pits in the materia
Wisconsin has fewer dairy farms. So how are they producing more milk?
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: The consolidation of farms seen across agriculture is a big part of why the state has fewer licensed dairy producers, according to Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“In many cases when farms sell out, most of their cows may go to other dairy farms. And so the remaining farms have gotten a little bit larger,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson said in 2005, the average herd size in Wisconsin was 82 cows per farm, and in 2020, that average climbed to 177 cows per farm. In other words, the average more than doubled over 15 years.
Wisconsin companies, city of Madison join challenge to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: Tom Eggert, a retired sustainability professor who taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said customers, employees and investors are pushing businesses to make commitments to reduce their emissions.
“You start with maybe a lot of greenwashing, but we’ve seen over time that the infrastructure gets created underneath those goals, underneath those targets, to be very credible, when people then question them on what they’re doing,” said Eggert. “I would say companies in Wisconsin, companies in the United States, companies around the world are on a continuum from complete greenwashing at one end to complete transparency and viable targets on the other.”
Madison media company puts lens on equity in STEM fields through exhibit
Wisconsin State Journal
Now, thanks in part to a $5 million UW-Madison grant meant to facilitate anti-racism in higher education, Represented Collective has launched a project called “Legendary” — a portion of the money is funding an interactive exhibit at nine Dane County libraries that spotlights the women who made STEM history, but weren’t celebrated for their accomplishments as much as their male counterparts.
For global brands, pulling out of Russia is a complicated decision
Marketplace
According to Enno Siemsen, a professor of operations management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, if the conflict is short and companies want to reopen their operations, “all the investments you’ve made over years are basically gone. If you want to reenter the Russian market, you’re starting more or less from scratch.”
Wisconsin farms are feeling the squeeze of a tight labor market
Wisconsin Public Radio
As Wisconsin farms prepare for the upcoming growing season, some producers are having a hard time finding enough workers.
Claire Strader is an organic vegetable educator for FairShare CSA Coalition and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension in Dane County. Last fall, she started hearing from farmers who were worried about a potential labor shortage.
“They knew that they were going to be losing workers from their farms because those workers were telling them that as they were moving on to other opportunities,” Strader said. “Those farmers, in particular vegetable farmers, were telling us that they were in a crisis looking for workers.”
Advanced GOES-T weather satellite with UW-Madison ties launches from Cape Canaveral
WISC-TV 3
UW-Madison scientists and engineers helped develop the first weather satellites that served as the precursors to the GOES series.
GOES-T weather satellite with UW-Madison ties set to launch Tuesday
WISC-TV 3
An important new weather satellite will head to space Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and meteorologists in Madison will be watching the launch very closely.
‘Mapping Dejope’ project seeks to make Indigenous histories in Madison available digitally
Wisconsin Public Radio
Signs are static.
They can, of course, convey concise and relevant historical information. But they are limited to one point in time, said Kasey Keeler, an assistant professor of civil society and community studies and American Indian studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
That’s why Keeler is leading a project, “Mapping Dejope: Indigenous Histories and Presence in Madison,” which will make Indigenous history of the area digitally accessible.
Experts warn of possible cyber attacks
WAOW
Experts said America could see a potential for cyber attacks from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
A UW Madison professor said though nation-state attacks don’t seem to be Putin’s goal at the moment, now is a good time to take stock and put added security in place.
“I think we have to be careful generally, but I think it wouldn’t be a bad time for companies and individuals to take security precautions seriously,” said Yoshiko Herrera, Professor for the Department of Political Science at UW Madison.
Herrera recommends backing up hard drives and making sure you have secure passwords in place.
Experts weigh in on stock market impacts from Putin’s actions
WAOW
Quoted: “Stock markets tend to react very quickly, but then unless there’s some real material damage, you’re gonna get a reversion.” said Mark Copelovitch, Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs at University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Warming trends in Wisconsin are upending winter activities and ways of life
Wisconsin Public Radio
Noted: Scientists say the last two decades have been the warmest on record in Wisconsin. Among them is Steve Vavrus, a senior scientist with the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“No season has been immune to the warming trend,” he said. “Winter has warmed the most. That has been true in the past, and it’s expected to be true in the future.”
Report: Amount of Wisconsin land being farmed declines in 2021
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: Heather Schlesser is an agriculture educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension in Marathon County. She said the state has seen many producers transition out of dairy farming, which requires a lot of land for growing feed.
“They were transitioning out of dairy, making that decision to retire because they’re getting older. Or maybe they’re still younger, but they’re switching into beef production,” Schlesser said. “You can only do that for so long before you’re like, ‘You know what, I really don’t need this land. I don’t want to deal with the renters anymore. There’s no one new coming on the farm.’ And then they’re just deciding to sell it off.”
Extension Farm Management webinars to address transition planning
Wisconsin State Farmer
Intentional conversations around farm succession and developing future plans for the farm provides a better chance of transition success. University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension will provide resources during the webinars to assist families in transition discussions and planning for the future.
What’s in a name? Wisconsin cheesemakers find their own way around territorial claims
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: America’s Dairyland continues to set the bar high, and some of the credit can go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research, which just added a cheese cave and copper vats to continue helping cheesemakers develop recipes and grow.
“This is part of our new building,” said Andy Johnson, who also holds the role of program coordinator for the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program. “Outside of Europe, the ripening caves, there is nothing like it particularly for research and development. We have 10 different ripening rooms or aging caves, each with their own controlled environment. We’ll be able to make any style of cheese.”
Baby’s First Years Study and the Child Tax Credit
WORT FM
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and other universities recently published the findings of a four-year study called Baby’s First Years, which looked at the impact of “poverty reduction on family life and infant and toddlers’ cognitive, emotional, and brain development.”
Fueling the future: How one Madison company’s new technology could revolutionize travel
WKOW-TV 27
Quoted: UW-Madison Environmental Science expert Andrea Hicks says the news is fantastic.
“It’s really, really exciting, actually,” Hicks said. “We need to reduce the environmental impact of aviation.”
Aviation, Hicks explains, puts a considerable amount of carbon dioxide into air every year. “Biofuels” like the ones being produced at Virent are one solution.
“What’s really exciting is these are ‘drop in replacement’ biofuels,” Hicks said. “What that means is you can use them just the same way you use traditional aviation fuels, but they’re made from plants. And that has a lower carbon footprint. So there’s less environmental impact. It’s really, potentially the future of sustainable aviation.”
University collaborates with Racine, Gateway Technical College to study autonomous vehicles
The Badger Herald
The University of Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Lab is studying autonomous vehicle technology using a new autonomous shuttle called the Badger.
Report: Too much manure and fertilizer is being spread in some areas at the expense of water quality
Wisconsin Public Radio
Noted: The report found nitrogen from manure and fertilizer exceeded rates recommended by University of Wisconsin scientists in eight of the nine counties. In four counties, nitrogen from the two sources went more than 50 percent beyond proposed rates, including Kewaunee County where it was applied at nearly double recommended levels. Residents there have long struggled with nitrate contamination of private wells.
New report: Wisconsin doesn’t have enough land for all the manure
Wisconsin Examiner
A new report by the Environmental Working Group and Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) has found that in nine counties, animal manure is over-applied to farmland, exacerbating rural Wisconsin’s water quality struggles. According to the report, four counties applied manure at more than 50% above the rate recommended by University of Wisconsin researchers to minimize pollution.
Large department stores like JC Penney have left behind Wisconsin small towns, but Kohl’s remains a vital community asset
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: What’s not good is to be the town that’s only a short ways from a retail hub because people will easily go there instead of shopping locally, according to Steven Deller, a professor and community development specialist with University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension.
“You don’t try to compete head-on with a Walmart because they will chew you up and spit you out,” Deller said. However, businesses can gain customers from being in the same plaza as one of the big chains, or at least near it.
Early-stage companies had a record year in Wisconsin. Here’s how some of the top companies did.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Fetch Rewards has offered customers incentives for purchasing products from partner brands like General Mills, Frito Lay and Unilever. Points earned on purchases can be redeemed for gift cards from Amazon, Target and Starbucks.
“We see a huge opportunity in that there’s probably 100 million U.S. households we should be very well plugged into, but today we only have 13 million active monthly users,” said company founder and CEO Wes Schroll.
Schroll started the company in 2013 when he was a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It’s now valued at more than $1 billion, making it part of an elite group of startups called “unicorns.”
Clipping the governor’s control of federal funds
Wisconsin Examiner
Quoted: Menzie Chinn, an economist with the Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is skeptical of the idea that federal pandemic relief spending is the primary cause of recent inflation.
“It’s certainly part of the explanation – but other economies (UK, Euro Area) have also seen an acceleration of inflation,” Chinn says, with higher oil prices, continued supply disruptions and other factors being the main contributors. “One could argue that part of the inflation is due to too little spending, say, on childcare support, which would enable parents to work.”
Mark Copelovitch, a La Follette School political scientist whose work looks at the intersection of economics and politics, says that the ability of the U.S. to finance its debt at virtually no interest shows that the marketplace — essentially, the world’s lenders — isn’t worried about the sustainability of the economy.
On inflation, he considers shortages such as in semiconductors, a key component of cars, or the spike in energy prices, not pandemic relief aid, as leading culprits for rising prices. “Most of what’s driving the inflation is global supply chain issues during a pandemic,” Copelovitch says.
He credits pandemic relief, in the form of direct aid to households as well as other forms of support as well as directly to the state, for preserving incomes, keeping businesses going in the pandemic, and enabling the economy to recover much more quickly than it might have otherwise.
“The reason we have this big surplus now in Wisconsin and elsewhere is because all the other things basically prevented people’s incomes from going down — which meant tax revenue didn’t crater like we worried it was going to,” Copelovitch says.