Skip to main content

Category: Business/Technology

Farm checks to city folk highlight excess

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

More than 100 people who live in Madison cashed hundreds of thousands of dollars in farm subsidy checks from the federal government last year. The checks were sent straight to their urban homes ? some of them fancy places on the lake, in Maple Bluff and Shorewood Hills ? regardless of need, high prices for crops or whether the recipients are even farmers. It?s a system ripe for savings as Congress and its “supercommittee” try to stem the federal government?s chronic budget deficit and soaring debt.

The owner of a Shorewood Hills home valued at $1.1 million received several hundred dollars in farm subsidies last year. So did a retired UW-Madison physics professor and a former high-ranking local government bureaucrat, according to EWG data and State Journal research.

Biz Beat: State losing tech, finance jobs

Posted on
Capital Times

When the monthly jobs numbers come out these days, the Internet comment boards heat up fast over whether Gov. Walker has the state on course — or not. Unfortunately for the governor, the numbers announced Thursday showed the state losing nearly 10,000 more non-farm positions in October, the fourth straight month of declines….Over the past year the state has lost 5,200 professional and business services positions, including nearly 3,800 science and tech jobs.

Campus Connection: UW Law School plans to better connect with business world

Posted on
Capital Times

The University of Wisconsin Law School is launching a new initiative in an attempt to better connect with the business world. “At a state level, I think there is a misperception in a variety of communities that the law school is either indifferent to business law or is hostile to it, and that?s just not true,” says Jonathan Lipson, a UW-Madison professor of law and the director of the school?s new Business Law Initiative.

Gilles Bousquet: International education is critical

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

International education is more than learning a second language or becoming well-versed in world geography. In today?s new economy, it is all about preparing our young people to live, work, lead and compete in an interconnected, interdependent world. In a word, it is about employability. It also is about making sure that home-grown employers ? private, public and nonprofit alike ? can locally recruit the talent they need to fuel their growth in today?s increasingly global marketplace.

Fines reduced for operator of Campusdrank.com

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

A former UW-Madison student who faced more than $400,000 in fines for operating an illegal liquor delivery business got his penalty reduced to about $3,000. The city of Madison filed a 575-count complaint against Danny Haber in May 2010 for operating Campusdrank.com, a website that sold and delivered alcohol to customers, mainly to UW-Madison students. The complaint charged Haber and fellow student Matthew Siegel for selling alcohol without a license and to underage customers.

Biz Beat: Report rapping area business growth cost $140,000

Posted on
Capital Times

The Madison area pretty much stinks compared to several peers when it comes to creating private sector jobs and generating new companies, according to a $140,000 study. It found the Madison region lagging in income growth, ethic diversity and the number of young people putting down roots here. Other black marks include the high cost of living, lack of broadband access and limited access to investment capital. But the report lauded the area for its high quality of life, the easy availability of health care and the large amount of research and development at UW-Madison.

After a quarter century, American Girl dolls are still wildly popular

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

?American culture is better off for Pleasant Rowland and the creation of American Girl,? said Deborah Mitchell, UW-Madison School of Business senior lecturer in marketing. ?There?s never been a time in our history when there?s been a greater need for girls to have an expanded view of who they are, where they?ve been and what they could be.?

UW-Meriter feud escalates into court battle

Posted on
Madison.com

A feud between UW Health and Meriter Health Services has escalated into a court battle, with UW?s doctor group filing a lawsuit Friday against Meriter over Meriter?s decision to stop providing doctors to oversee patients at night who are treated during the day by UW doctors. The UW Medical Foundation filed the suit in Dane County Circuit Court. It says Meriter made it harder for UW to fill the night coverage gap by refusing to let more UW doctors work at Meriter and by hiring some of the UW doctors.

National Endowment for the Arts chairman to visit Madison

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

When Rocco Landesman was an English major at UW-Madison in the late 1960s, he starred in Shakespeare?s “Richard II” and worked as the fine arts editor for the Daily Cardinal. On Tuesday, he?ll return to Madison ? now as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Tony-winning Broadway producer, investor and co-owner of the one-time Kenosha Twins minor league baseball team will be part of an afternoon panel at Goodman Community Center discussing how Madison can better leverage the arts for economic development.

EPA Administrator to visit campus Nov. 15 at Union South

Posted on
Daily Cardinal

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, one of Newsweek?s “Most Important People in 2010,” will speak at Union South Nov. 15. Jackson will discuss challenges facing environmental laws as well as the EPA?s efforts to respond to President Barack Obama?s request that federal agencies work with American businesses to help create jobs.

Biz Beat: Mid-rise rises behind Acacia House

Posted on

It took a couple of years to complete the deal but a new $5 million, mid-rise apartment is going up behind the historic Acacia fraternity house on the UW campus. A groundbreaking ceremony is Thursday at 229 W. Lakelawn Place, just off Langdon Street at 4 p.m. The five level building has 14-units and 59 bedrooms of student housing, along with 20 moped and 61 bicycle parking spots. No vehicle parking is provided.

Campus Connection: Evolving from Brew City to Water Town

Posted on
Capital Times

Milwaukee is developing a reputation as a leader in freshwater research and technology. The Chronicle of Higher Education is the latest publication to take note. An article posted over the weekend states Lake Michigan is not “just a pretty backdrop and source of recreation here but a strong economic driver, with more than 130 water-technology-related businesses in the region bringing in $10.5-billion annually in revenue.” That number is huge. UW-Madison, for example, is one of the leading research institutions on the planet, and it brings in only a fraction of that — approximately $1 billion per year — in research dollars.

Developer pushes ahead with big Bishops Bay plans

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

If successful, Bishops Bay could be the largest single source of new homes in Dane County, at a time when almost no one else is building anything new. UW-Madison real estate expert Morris Davis said the local market was ready for new construction.

“In two years, we’re going to start needing more housing units,” said Davis, an associate professor of real estate and urban land economics. “You figure this project will take up to (20) years. That’s an awfully long time. (The county’s excess inventory) should be completely cleared up within two to three years.”

City approves $100M clinic

Posted on
Badger Herald

The Madison City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to provide a $1.3 million loan to allow the development of a new University of Wisconsin clinic that will allow doctors who promote and treat digestive health to reach more patients.

City officials warn bar owners that new ID policies could be discriminatory

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Madison officials say bar policies that deny entry to anyone without a valid driver?s license or passport could be discriminatory, and the city is working on educating bar owners about what is and isn?t acceptable.

“It?s been clearly documented who does and doesn?t have driver?s licenses in the state of Wisconsin,” said Mark Woulf, alcohol policy coordinator for Madison, citing a vast divide between blacks and whites. “That alone raises eyebrows and could easily be determined to be discriminatory.”

Tech execs say more needs to be done to help firms, keep them in Madison

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

It isn?t hard to find skilled scientists and engineers in Madison or to bring them here from other parts of the country. It isn?t even much of a problem to land $1 million or so to start a company here. But what is very difficult is bringing in enough money to take a company beyond the startup stage, and that?s where the state needs to step in. That was the message from executives of several of the Madison area?s most successful tech companies at a panel discussion Wednesday at the Early Stage Symposium at Monona Terrace.

Chris Rickert: There are better things to struggle for than door-buster deals

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

People lucky enough to live in America?s major metropolitan areas have the chance this month to witness two key manifestations of our newly invigorated class war.

….Some retailers can do between 25 percent and 40 percent of their annual sales during the holiday shopping season, according to the National Retail Federation. Indeed, Black Friday takes its name from all the black ink needed to record profits during the holidays, according to Jerry O’Brien, executive director of the UW-Madison Center for Retailing Excellence.

TIF approved for University Crossing

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Madison will deliver $1.37 million in public assistance to the developers of the $21.9 million University Crossing mixed-use project on the West Side. The City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the tax incremental financing (TIF) loan to GI Clinic LLC, which is building a 60,000-square-foot digestive health clinic and 265 parking stalls on the former Erdman properties at University Avenue and Whitney Way. The clinic and parking will be leased by the UW Hospital and Clinic Authority.

Madison’s Freakfest Attendance, Arrests Down

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

Freakfest, Madison?s annual downtown Halloween party, attracted at least 5,000 fewer people this past weekend, but still got approval from the event?s organizer. Frank Productions, the company that operates Freakfest, sold 26,000 tickets to Saturday night?s event held on State Street. Various factors influenced this year?s attendance, but fewer ticket sales don?t mean the company will stop running the event, said Charlie Goldstone, of Frank Productions.

$4.6 million grant will help Stratatech start clinical trials of skin substitute

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Madison-based Stratatech Corp. is getting a $4.6 million grant to help fund the start of clinical trials of ExpressGraft, a skin substitute designed to heal diabetes-related foot ulcers. Founded in 2000 based on discoveries at UW-Madison, Stratatech makes tissue products described on the company’s website as “nearly identical” to human skin. The company has 32 employees and will likely add more staff in 2012, Allen-Hoffmann said, but she could not yet estimate how many.

Local stores move opening hours earlier for Black Friday shopping

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Waking up early for some of the best deals of the holiday shopping season may be on its way out. Now, it?s a matter of staying up.

“It’s a huge day,” said Jerry O’Brien, executive director of the Center for Retailing Excellence at UW-Madison. “There’s too much risk for a retailer not to jump on board (a midnight opening) right now.”

LifeGen Technologies to be sold to Utah company

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

LifeGen Technologies, a Madison company studying the genes associated with aging, will be purchased by Nu Skin Enterprises, of Provo, Utah, for $11.7 million. The letter of intent announced Thursday includes LifeGen?s genetic research, patents and tissue bank and says the transaction is expected to be completed before the end of 2011. UW-Madison School of Medicine professors Richard Weindruch and Tomas Prolla founded LifeGen in 2000.

Biz Beat: School cuts were big piece of job losses

Posted on
Capital Times

“Clearly, the recovery has lost some of the strength seen in early 2011, when jobs grew steadily through the first six months of the year,” says a new report from the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, a UW-Madison think tank. The COWS report notes Wisconsin now has a jobs deficit of 195,300 — the difference between the number of jobs Wisconsin has now and what it needs to return to pre-recession levels.

“The jobs deficit should be a national and state priority,” the group says. Whether Republican, Democrat or Wall Street occupier, nobody is arguing that point.

On Campus: Spooked Downtown landlords put limits on residents for Freakfest

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Some Downtown landlords ? spooked by Freakfest ? are putting limits on the number of guests some of their residents can host this weekend. Madison Property Management last week alerted residents of three properties near the State Street event that they need to wear wristbands for entry into their apartments Friday and Saturday and can only have two guests, said Kari Stopple, vice president of Madison Property Management. She said exceptions would be made for people who already planned to have more guests.

Roche Madison sold to California firm

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Roche Madison, formerly part of Mirus Bio Corp., has been purchased by Arrowhead Research Corp. of Pasadena, Calif. Roche Madison, 545 Science Drive in University Research Park, has more than 40 scientists who will stay with the company, according to Monday?s announcement. Mirus Bio was founded in 1995 based on UW-Madison research and developed a platform using RNA interference technology that turns off certain genes, for use in drug discovery. That division was split off and sold to Roche in 2008 for $125 million.

Galleries, walkways open to students

Posted on
Badger Herald

Since the groundbreaking ceremony of the Chazen Museum of Art?s expansion more than two and a half years ago, a diverse assortment of art lovers have anxiously awaited the opportunity to experience the new addition. This weekend marks the end of a long construction period, as the Chazen opens its doors to students, faculty and the community.

Biz Beat: Student apartments eyed at Brooks and Dayton

Posted on
Capital Times

While few developers are building single-family homes or condos these days, the market for student housing on the UW campus seems immune from the economic downturn. To that end, developer Joe McCormick is pursuing a new five-story, 14-unit apartment project at the corner of North Brooks and West Dayton streets. The project, which was presented to the city Urban Design Commission this week, totals 38 bedrooms in a mix of unit sizes.

Biz Beat: Soglin says food and music could offer economic opportunity

Posted on
Capital Times

Mayor Paul Soglin has thankfully yet to claim he?s “focused like a laser” on creating jobs. But Soglin wants to make sure economic issues are front and center in a city often rapped for working against, not with, the private sector.

“I?m trying to get us to the point where everything we do, we think about the economic implications,” Soglin told the city Economic Development Committee Wednesday evening. It hasn?t always been that way. Buoyed by the twin pillars of state government and the UW-Madison, the city has historically been insulated from economic realities.

Biz Beat: Desperate times demand a ‘laser focus’ from politicians

Posted on
Capital Times

Given the depth of the Great Recession, it?s no longer enough for politicians to say they are working to improve the economy. No, these desperate times require a “laser focus” on job creation. And nobody is tossing around the term “laser focus” more than Gov. Scott Walker.

Quoted: UW-Madison physics professor Thad Walker, who says he’s been amused by the growing use of the term “laser focus” by public officials.

R

Soglin pushes to ?end the uncertainty? for Downtown Plan, zoning code rewrite

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The Downtown Plan, the first in 20 years, addresses issues from land use and design to transportation, recreation and culture. The plan envisions more public access to the city?s lakefronts, including a major park at John Nolen Drive and Broom Street and a walkway connecting James Madison Park and UW-Madison?s Memorial Union, principal planner Bill Fruhling said.

High-tech machines show a new age of vending

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Kyle Rampone went for the Sour Patch candy, while Ben Overeem chose the Jack Link?s beef jerky. The products were free, but the UW-Madison students weren?t impressed with the price. Rampone, 19, from New Berlin, and Overeem, 19, of Green Bay, retrieved their selections from a vending machine that looked more like a giant iPhone or iPad.

Tech and Biotech: Washington connections could boost Wisconsin business chances overseas, a tech leader says

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The Wisconsin Technology Council says it has signed an informal agreement with a Washington, D.C. investment firm, Monument Capital Group, giving the firm a “virtual presence” in Wisconsin. What that really means is: “They just want to stay in touch with what?s happening in the R&D (research and development) world here, primarily in defense and homeland security,” Tech Council president Tom Still said. He said Monument wants to look at possible involvement with companies as varied as startup level to those ready for merger or acquisition. Still also plans to funnel information to the firm about pertinent research at the UW-Madison.

Economic expert urges central Wisconsin to build on strengths to compete globally

Posted on
Wausau Daily Herald

Much of what the early speakers at a University of Wisconsin Marathon County conference on the economy chose to emphasize already is well known here.

Leaders need to focus on advanced manufacturing, health care and other service industries while playing to the fact that Wausau could develop into a transportation hub for the state, said Michael Knetter, president and CEO of the UW Foundation in Madison and former dean of UW-Madison?s business school.

Another great team

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This is Wisconsin at its best: A team that includes the state?s four largest engineering schools and several large Milwaukee-area employers is working on a new project that aims to make Wisconsin a leader in the creation of “microgrids,” energy islands that can function off a main power grid.

Wisconsin’s economy has a long climb to prosperity

Posted on
Capital Times

….Getting more money into the venture capital pipeline could help turn more of the research at the UW-Madison into functioning companies that could produce a product, generate sales and hire employees.

The UW-Madison remains among the top five universities in the nation in terms of landing research dollars but those dollars have been slow to translate into start-ups. A 2010 report from the Chronicle of Higher Education showed the UW-Madison with just one new company formed ? despite $1.1 billion of research spending here.

Quoted: Tim Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at UW-Madison

Top Fed official says chance of another recession is low, despite ‘disappointing’ recovery

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The slow pace of the nation?s economic recovery is “disappointing” but the U.S. is not likely to head into another recession, a top official of the Federal Reserve Bank told reporters in Madison on Monday. Nationwide data on consumer spending, housing and manufacturing over the past three months have been lower than officials might like to see but are “still broadly consistent with economic growth at a moderate pace,” said Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Richmond, Va. Federal Reserve Bank. The chance of a return to a recession “looks low now,” he said.

Lacker spoke to about 100 students, economists and finance executives at the UW-Madison. A native of Lexington, Ky., Lacker received his doctorate degree in economics from the UW-Madison.

Emily Lilburn: Solar farm in Wisconsin is good news

Posted on
Capital Times

Dear Editor: I am a student at UW-Madison, where students learn every day about the dangers of fossil fuels. Hearing about Convergence Energy?s solar farm was such a bright spot for me. It is one of the largest solar projects in the state, uses local businesses, and allows individuals to buy a stake in the project. Right now, our government is backing off on environmental protection for no good reason.

Which Wisconsin colleges offer the biggest paydays? (The Business Journal)

Posted on

PayScale Inc. has the answers. The Seattle company, which surveys compensation, has ranked hundreds of schools by the median salaries of graduates when they are at mid-career. PayScale also ranks the schools based on average starting salaries for graduates. The top school in Wisconsin turned out to be the Milwaukee School of Engineering, with graduates on average starting careers at $54,100 a year. That’s well ahead of the second-ranked school in the category, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. UW-Madison grads start at $46,900 a year, on average.

State, cranberry industry look to capitalize on growing demand in China

Posted on
Wausau Daily Herald

CRANMOOR — Gong Ruina, a graduate student at Beijing Sport University and world-champion badminton player, said harvesting cranberries is more difficult than it looks.

“It?s fun to do once, but it?s hard to imagine people doing it all the time,” said Gong, who spoke with a Daily Tribune reporter with the help of an interpreter. Gong was one of about a dozen participants of the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Chinese Champions Program who visited Elm Lake Cranberry Co., 5865 Elm Lake Lane, on Tuesday to learn about the cranberry industry and its growing importance in a global market.

Campus Connection: UW-Madison business professor loses battle with cancer

Posted on
Capital Times

Mason Carpenter, a professor and associate dean within the Wisconsin School of Business, died on Thursday at the age of 50 after a battle with cancer, the university announced. Carpenter was a professor of strategic management, the M. Keith Weikel Professor in Leadership and the associate dean of evening and executive master of business administration programs in the business school.

StubHub sees record demand for UW-Nebraska matchup

Posted on
WKOW-TV 27

This weekend (Saturday, October 1) is the highly-anticipated Wisconsin-Nebraska football game. Ticket brokers say they?re seeing record demand. The online broker StubHub says it?s the most demand it?s seen for a Badger home game in the company?s history. It says the game is the top selling event on its website this week.

College senior starts student social events site (AP)

Posted on
Madison.com

A new business designed to help college students track and share social events on and around campus has launched at seven campuses in Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin this year and plans are to expand to as many as 300 schools. Fampus, the creation of Brittany Brody, a University of Wisconsin-Madison senior, combines campus and community calendars with social networking tools. The name comes from the company?s motto: find fun fast on campus. The website service is operational for students there and at a half dozen other campuses including Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.