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Category: Business/Technology

Adidas takes no responsibility for alleged labor violations

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Daily Cardinal

Adidas claimed innocence in a statement Thursday, as the university?s primary licensing partner responded to allegations of unfair labor practices that provoked demonstrations in November from a UW-Madison student organization that proposed the university to break ties with the company. SLAC members will protest outside Chancellor Ward’s office in Bascom Hall Friday at 10:40 a.m. before the Labor Licensing Policy Committee meets at 11 a.m. where Ward will respond to adidas’s statement.

Campus Connection: Adidas sticking to its guns in dispute with UW-Madison

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Capital Times

Adidas is forcing the hand of University of Wisconsin-Madison leadership. The apparel giant met the Thursday deadline set by UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward to respond to allegations of sweatshop abuses at a factory Adidas subcontracted with in Indonesia. But a statement released by the company Thursday evening makes clear that Adidas still isn?t willing to admit to any wrongdoing. If recent history is any indication, this stance will likely lead UW-Madison officials to start the process of ending its lucrative contract with Adidas.

City faces stiff competition in bid to keep high school basketball tournaments in Madison

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Wisconsin State Journal

With the WIAA weeks from a decision, Madison is stepping up efforts to keep the state boys and girls basketball tournaments ? and the estimated $9 million in spending they generate ? here.UW-Madison is pursing options to make the Kohl Center available on the WIAA?s preferred dates and hoteliers are preparing a proposal to make the event more affordable to visitors, officials said.

Comedy Central: Madison?s booming comedy scene is no laughing matter

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Wisconsin State Journal

Considering Madison?s small size relative to booming metropolises like New York City and Chicago, the city has a fairly storied comic history. A pair of UW-Madison students founded the satirical newspaper The Onion here in 1988. The late Chris Farley got his start locally at Ark Improv Theatre. Film trio Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker (“Airplane,” “Kentucky Fried Movie”) grew up in the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood and attended UW-Madison. Even “The Daily Show” can trace some of its roots to the city. UW-Madison graduate and former Onion editor Ben Karlin played an instrumental role in developing the show?s political tone after joining the staff in 1999 (Karlin has since departed the program).

UW-Madison awaits response from Adidas

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WKOW-TV 27

UW-Madison expects to receive an official response from Adidas Thursday to a Worker Rights Consortium report that details how an Indonesian factory with ties to the company shut down its facility without paying workers a year?s worth of wages. According to the 26-page report, 2,700 of the factory?s workers were not paid around 3.8 million dollars after the factory owner fled the country. Those workers made clothing for several apparel companies, including Adidas, which has a contract to provide equipment to UW-Madison sports teams and make commercial Badger gear.

Apple iPads won’t help our failing schools

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Daily Cardinal

Apple, over the past couple of weeks, has begun to unveil its strategy for getting into the textbook business. It hopes to electronically transform this industry, similar to the other sectors it has systematically revolutionized since the turn of the century. It is no secret that educators and academic institutions are looking for ways to invigorate the classroom experience and to capture the attention spans of today?s students.

A proposal for the downtown neighborhood may include demolishing Mifflin Street housing

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Daily Cardinal

City officials heard a proposal for improving the downtown area Tuesday, including possible plans to demolish Mifflin Street housing, replacing it with high rise apartments. In addition to the Mifflin neighborhood changes, aspects of the Downtown Plan that affect students directly include paths along the Lake Mendota shoreline and behind Langdon Street.

Giving ethanol a good name: Advocates tout increase in production, jobs for state

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Wisconsin State Journal

….”That?s the new frontier,” said Gary Radloff, director of Midwest Energy Policy Analysis for the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative at UW-Madison. What?s exciting for ethanol plants is that much of the progress is taking place under their roofs. “So the ability to take advantage of that pre-existing infrastructure is good business and good environmental consideration. We don?t need to reinvent the wheel,” said John Greeler, director of education and outreach at the UW?s Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.

UW?s tradition of controversial architecture

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Badger Herald

On Jan. 10, without notice, the 150-year old oak tree next to the Union Theater was removed. The tree, as well as the glass box theater addition and the ultimate financing of the entire renovation, have stirred a year-long debate. Looking back at the Memorial Union building?s 84-year-long history, the fuss is nothing new.

Executive Q&A: Google exec learns from entrepreneurs

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Wisconsin State Journal

Q: Tell me about Google?s office in Madison. How many employees are there and what do they do?

A: The reason we have an office here is that this is the regional epicenter for really smart people from the UW-Madison. The office is growing. A couple of years ago, there were fewer than 10 employees. Now, there are a couple dozen, mainly engineers who are part of Google Platforms. They are focused on networking, storage software and advanced development projects. They?re the guys behind the scenes that make the lights go on. The second group here is working to get small businesses online. They are working with the chambers of commerce to get companies on Google Places and to set up Google+ pages. … We want to make as much information in the world as accessible as possible. If not, it?s a missed opportunity.

Campus Connection: Sweatshop allegations against Adidas will test UW-Madison

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Capital Times

The pressure continues to mount on University of Wisconsin-Madison officials to cut ties with Adidas. On Thursday, the Worker Rights Consortium released its final report outlining alleged sweatshop abuses at a factory the apparel giant subcontracted with. Adidas supplies UW-Madison?s 23 sports teams with equipment, uniforms and footwear — and also sells apparel to Bucky backers — in a deal that?s worth about $2.5 million annually to the university.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained? New state-backed venture capital fund pushed

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Capital Times

The lack of investment dollars for new business ventures has long been an issue in Wisconsin. It has become even more pressing in a state that has lost jobs for the past five straight months while the nation as a whole has been adding them. Legislators from both sides of the political aisle are now pushing for some kind of taxpayer-backed venture capital fund that would invest in promising young companies in fields such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals or medical equipment. The hope is those investment dollars will help firms flourish, hire more employees, grow the tax base and improve the overall economic climate.

HotelRED celebrates grand opening, neighborhood support

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Wisconsin State Journal

Of the 48 rooms in HotelRED, 30 are equipped with balconies offering views of the UW Field House and Camp Randall Stadium. Each room in the stylishly designed boutique hotel has a kitchenette, bathrooms with seven-head showers, natural light from large bay windows, and artwork with a distinct Madison flare. But perhaps most importantly, HotelRED, at 1501 Monroe St., now has overwhelming support from the Vilas Neighborhood Association.

New stem cell classroom at MATC triples student capacity

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Wisconsin State Journal

With seven biosafety hoods, plenty of space and a big screen to project images from microscopes, a new stem cell classroom at Madison Area Technical College is a major advance from the cramped quarters where students previously learned how to grow the cells. The expanded space, dedicated Tuesday, means up to 24 students can be trained each semester, up from eight before. The added capacity could supply more workers for the burgeoning stem cell industry in Madison and around the country.

Walker unveils new council to prep students for college, jobs

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Wisconsin State Journal

Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday he is creating a new council to help better prepare students for college and careers. The move comes after Walker and the Legislature last year cut $71 million over two years from funding for Wisconsin?s technical colleges, whose primary mission is to train students for available jobs. Democrats and others criticized that cut and a $250 million reduction in funding for the University of Wisconsin System as harmful to worker training efforts.

Walker unveils new council to prep students for college, jobs

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Wisconsin State Journal

Gov. Scott Walker announced Monday he is creating a new council to help better prepare students for college and careers. The move comes after Walker and the Legislature last year cut $71 million over two years from funding for Wisconsin?s technical colleges, whose primary mission is to train students for available jobs. Democrats and others criticized that cut and a $250 million reduction in funding for the University of Wisconsin System as harmful to worker training efforts.

Tech and biotech: Bio bigwigs to converge on San Francisco this week

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Wisconsin State Journal

An elite group of up-and-coming biotech companies from around the country – as well as a number of the nation?s biggest, most successful health-related firms – will be making presentations this week to the investment community at the 30th annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Monday through Thursday. Cellular Dynamics International, the Madison company founded by UW-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson, will be among them. It will be the second year that CDI has been invited to participate in the event, considered the biggest and most prestigious in life sciences in the U.S., said CDI chief executive Robert Palay.

WISC-TV now providing news services for Fox 47

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Wisconsin State Journal

There are some new faces on the Fox 47 9 p.m. news. The Madison television station WMSN, Channel 47, has ended the agreement it had since 1999 for WKOW-TV Channel 27 to provide it with news. As of Jan. 1, WISC-TV Channel 3 is serving as the news source for the local Fox network affiliate.

Campus Connection: Report could force UW to cut ties with Adidas

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Capital Times

The days of University of Wisconsin sports teams? uniforms being stamped with the familiar Adidas logo may be numbered. On Thursday, the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) released a document that further outlines alleged sweatshop abuses at a factory Adidas subcontracted with in Tangerang, Indonesia. The memo also picks apart the apparel giant?s assertion that it wasn?t producing at the factory when the alleged violations took place, and therefore isn?t responsible for any wrongdoing. In recent years, similar findings by the WRC have led UW-Madison to end licensing agreements with Nike and Russell Athletic. But those deals — worth between $40,000 and $50,000 each — were relatively minor compared to the current arrangement between UW-Madison and Adidas, which pays the university roughly $2.5 million annually in both royalties and equipment.

Merger with Pamida to let Shopko expand to smaller towns

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Wisconsin State Journal

Jerry O?Brien, executive director of the Kohl?s Center for Retailing Excellence at UW-Madison, believes the move to focus on smaller communities could be a boon for the Shopko brand and its customers.”To find new places right now with the growth that Target and Walmart have had is very challenging,” O?Brien said. “I think it?s really good for these towns. Some of these more outlying towns are not very well served. This will be fun to watch.”

Anthony Schweitzer: NCAA should buy American-made goods

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Wisconsin State Journal

Periodically we read about laborers in foreign countries working in bad conditions to make uniforms and sports equipment for our university teams, such as UW-Madison, and being cheated out of wages. Since UW alone purchases over $2 million per year, what would happen if all NCAA teams were required to buy American?

Wisconsin fans flock to Union South to watch Rose Bowl

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Wisconsin State Journal

If there were any doubts about fans? enthusiasm over the Badgers? second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance, they were put to rest by the turnout for Monday?s Rose Bowl watch party at Union South. Badgers fans flocked to Union South in larger-than-expected numbers to cheer on Bucky. Riley Garcia, general manager for restaurants at Union South, said the university was planning for between 300 and 1,000 guests. Instead his staff of eight student employees – diminished by students who hadn’t returned from winter break – hosted closer to 1,500 fans.

Two injured after early-morning downtown shooting

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Daily Cardinal

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said that there was a tremendous police response resulting in the 100 block of State Street closing down, restaurants closing early, and the presence of a police mobile command post, which is only used during extreme circumstances. UW-Madison senior Lisa Anderson, who lives on the 100 block of State Street, discovered the scene after leaving her apartment for Ian?s Pizza around 2 a.m. Police questioned her since the 100 block was closed to pedestrians. In response to Anderson?s safety concerns, police said it was safe at the time and to return to her apartment. Anderson said it was “kind of unsettling” not knowing the details of the incident. She also reported seeing overturned tables and broken glass in Frida?s later Sunday morning.

Santa Monica Bar Is Haven For West Coast Badgers Fans

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WISC-TV 3

PASADENA, Calif. — While the University of Wisconsin football players had to travel far from home as they gear up for next week?s Rose Bowl matchup, some Badgers fans call the Los Angeles area home. For many California-based Badgers fans, it might seem tough to get into the team spirit when Bucky is so far away. That?s why so many West Coast UW alumni are so excited to welcome the Badgers back to their home for the Rose Bowl. In fact, there?s even a bar in Santa Monica that is about as Badgers-crazed as a fans can get on the West Coast.

UW football team reaps benefits with Rose Bowl ‘gift suite’

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Wisconsin State Journal

Three weeks ago, in the wake of the University of Wisconsin football team?s win in the Big Ten Conference title game, players and coaches were ushered into a banquet room at Camp Randall Stadium decked out like the set of “The Price is Right.” Inside there was an array of items such as tablet computers, flat-screen televisions, recliners and Rose Bowl-themed items such as custom bar stools. Everyone was allowed to choose one of the more expensive pieces or a hodgepodge of smaller items. This shopping spree, known as the “gift suite,” is offered annually to all 10 schools participating in Bowl Championship Series games.

On Campus: Ducks will wear ‘the most advanced football uniform ever assembled’ at Rose Bowl

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Wisconsin State Journal

They will have wings. They will shine like a mallard?s feathers. They will do just about everything but take flight. The uniforms the Oregon Ducks will wear to the Rose Bowl are “the most advanced football uniform system ever assembled,” according to uniform designer Nike. Nike unveiled the new uniform designs Tuesday with the flourish of a bird shaking its tail feathers.

Quoted: Justin Doherty, UW associate athletic director

Biz Beat: Jobs report notes high number of Wisconsin layoffs

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Capital Times

There are more mixed signals on the Wisconsin jobs scene. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday released a report showing Wisconsin with the second-highest number of unemployment claims from mass layoff events in the nation last month. A “mass layoff” is any event affecting at least 50 workers, according to the BLS. Its mass layoff report for November estimated Wisconsin with 90 such events in the month, impacting 9,359 individuals.

“The tilt against manufacturing over the last few months is hitting Wisconsin pretty hard,” says Laura Dresser, a labor economist with the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, a UW-Madison think tank.

AT&T faces ‘difficult decisions’ after T-Mobile deal fails, experts say

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Wisconsin State Journal

AT&T may very well look for a smaller wireless company to buy now that it has given up on plans to acquire T-Mobile USA, or it may just wait for a new administration in Washington, D.C., two UW-Madison School of Business finance experts say. “They?ve got some difficult decisions to make. The government now has set the bar,” said Jim Seward, director of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. Assistant professor Oliver Levine said he thinks AT&T may wait until a new president is elected before trying another merger. “In a different political environment … they may try to do it again,” Levine said.

Sen. Mary Lazich: Self-funded UW athletics a boon for economy

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Capital Times

The UW athletic department is self-funded. The athletic department operating budget does not receive state aid. During the 2010-2011 academic year, the athletic department revenues were $81.7 million. The largest chunk, $27.3 million, was ticket sales, and its share of Big Ten Conference revenue was $23.3 million. Other revenue is derived from private and corporate gifts, $13.8 million, and concessions, $6.8 million. The athletic department?s revenue covers salaries, operating expenses, and athlete scholarships.During recent years, returns on investments have been twofold. UW teams have been very successful on the field. On-field success leads to more merchandise sales, more paid attendance, and more television and postseason revenue. Businesses throughout the state, including bars, restaurants and clothing stores, benefit from UW athletics.

According to an April 2011 study by NorthStar Economics Inc., the UW athletic department has a total economic impact of nearly $1 billion on the state of Wisconsin. The NorthStar study revealed 8,853 jobs were created and supported, and nearly $53 million of tax revenue was generated by the athletic department.The last line of a popular song played at UW sports games is, ?When you say Wisconsin, you?ve said it all.? The self-funded athletic department might not literally do it all; however, it has a significant impact on the state?s economy, without costing taxpayers a dime.

Expanded alcohol sale hours won’t apply in Madison, police say

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Capital Times

A new Wisconsin law expanding the hours alcohol can be sold by retailers won?t apply in the city of Madison, according to the Madison Police Department. That?s because municipal ordinances can be more restrictive than the state law, according to the language in 2011 Wisconsin Act 97, which amends the state statutes regarding how many hours in a day a business can sell alcohol.

Biz Beat: Walker’s budget cuts are costing state private jobs, report warns

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Capital Times

A liberal-leaning Milwaukee think tank is out with a new report blaming state budget program cuts and public worker paycheck reductions for exacerbating Wisconsin?s job struggles. The report from the Institute for Wisconsin?s Future says the reduction in take-home pay for tens of thousands of public employees is now hurting the private sector, as are the drastic state budget cuts for K-12 education. Steve Deller, an economics professor at UW-Madison, says that reducing spending during a deep recession can often make things worse, as this blog chart suggests.

“Economic modeling shows that the extreme cuts to state and local programs cost thousands of jobs and put Wisconsin in a weak position to create jobs,” says Deller, who appeared at the Capitol on Tuesday with Norman and Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, to introduce the IWF report.

The Growing Demand for Global Talent

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Chronicle of Higher Education

The following is a guest post by Gilles Bousquet, the dean of the Division of International Studies and vice provost for globalization at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is also chair of the Statewide International Education Council and co-chair of the University of Wisconsin System Task Force on Economic Development and Globalization.

At a roundtable discussion last spring in Milwaukee hosted by the Wisconsin International Education Council, the vice president of global human resources at Johnson Controls told educators: ?Our talent development and acquisition activities across the organization are the most critical factors for us as a company to grow and to thrive. So, it is all about people.? At a series of meetings I had with business officials in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai in November, executives at several American companies ? including giants like 3M and Caterpillar in addition to up-and-coming ones like Madison-based Promega and TrafficCast ? vigorously repeated that same message.

Venture capital has hope as GOP gives up on controversial portion

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Wisconsin State Journal

Kevin Conroy, president and CEO of Exact Sciences, a Madison-based cancer research company, said Wisconsin has one of the best research institutions, UW-Madison, and does some of the best scientific research, but despite that opportunity, lags in funding and opportunities for venture capital. UW “is consistently ranked No. 2 in total federal research dollars, second only to Johns Hopkins University, and Wisconsin inventors are awarded patents at a higher rate than the national average,” Conroy said. “But we rank very low in terms of venture capital dollars invested and new company formation.”

Few business owners publicly choose sides in recall effort

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Wisconsin State Journal

“If you look broadly across the state, it?s still really rare for a retail establishment to take a stand,” said Dan Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at UW-Madison. The standard business maxim is that there?s little upside to mixing politics and commerce, although there are notable exceptions, Olszewski said.

Wisconsin couple click at Google

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin?s loss, Google?s gain.Matt and Reena Vokoun grew up here South Milwaukee and Town of Delafield, respectively, graduated from college here, met each other in their mid-20s at a birthday party in San Francisco and are doing very, very well for themselves – in California.

CDI announces launch of neuron product

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Wisconsin State Journal

Cellular Dynamics International is out with a new product: stem cell-derived neurons. The Madison company, founded by UW-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson, says it is the first commercial release of human brain cells, created through the company?s stem cell technology, in large enough quantity, quality and purity for use in life science research.

Former city employee George Austin is mover and shaker for high-profile developments

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Wisconsin State Journal

He?s not an architect, developer or politician, but George Austin has left an imprint on Madison?s landscape like few others. As a former city Planning and Development director and a private consultant since 1998, Austin led the most complex, iconic projects in the city, including Monona Terrace, Overture Center and the recently opened Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery ? a half-billion dollars in construction in the past 15 years.Now, Austin, 59, is engaged in two more high-profile initiatives within a block of the state Capitol, both presenting the sort of challenges that confronted previous big efforts.

Delta adds non-stop flights for Rose Bowl

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Capital Times

Delta Air Lines announced on Monday that it has added two non-stop flights from Madison for fans headed to the Rose Bowl. The Delta flights from Dane County Regional Airport to Los Angeles International Airport will leave on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, and return overnight Jan. 2/3 and early the afternoon of Jan. 3.

Brad Basten: Walker spends $4 million on nothing

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Wisconsin State Journal

I am confused about Gov. Scott Walker?s inspiration for taking money from UW-Madison, one of the premier educational institutions in the world working on advancing human knowledge in breakthrough subjects you can?t even pronounce, then letting Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation give $4 million to a group of overpaid “experts” at Spectrum Brands who can?t make batteries or waffle irons without going bankrupt and losing the stockholders? money.