Category: Business/Technology

Madison has the ninth strongest economy in the U.S., according to Policom Corp.â??s 2010 rankings. The survey examines 23 measures of economic strength over a 20-year period. Data from 1989 to 2008 involving 366 metropolitan statistical areas was considered for the latest report. “While most communities have slowed or declined during this recession, the strongest areas have been able to weather the storm,” said William Fruth, president of Policom, based in Palm City, Fla. Madison has a diversified job base, with the state capital, UW-Madison, and employment strength in insurance, finance, technology and meat processing, Fruth said.

Dear Editor: As business and civic leaders, biking enthusiasts, local elected officials, and transportation experts, we joined together to learn how to make biking better here at home.

If youâ??ve got a chance this afternoon, head to the Pyle Centerâ??s Alumni Lounge at 702 Langdon St. at 4 p.m to hear Richard Longworth.

A veteran Chicago writer and teacher, Longworth has made a splash in economic development circles with his book “Caught in the Middle: Americaâ??s Heartland in the Age of Globalism.” The Iowa native and Norrthwestern grad Longworth knows his stuff. He notes the Midwest was once a center of innovation and industry for the 20th century. Think cars and rubber; agriculture and chemicals.

When people think of cheese, they think of Wisconsin: the dairy cows grazing on green grass next to a little red barn, a small family cheese factory where mom and dad turn out a few pounds of cheese a day, buying handmade cheese at a farmersâ?? market, a cheese maker cutting a wedge of cheese from a block of cheddar.

All true, but it doesnâ??t really portray Wisconsin or U.S. cheese making in 2010 as a walk through the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center on Wednesday and Thursday of this week would quickly show.

Echometrixâ??s products are based on technologies developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and licensed from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

….In a better economy, the areaâ??s proximity to the Capitol, UW-Madison and Williamson Street businesses might have been enough to spur development, but going forward, observers acknowledge there are physical limits and negative perceptions that must be surmounted. And, with tight financial markets that have dampened building plans nationally, many also suggest that the city may need to provide developers with some financial kindling to spark development.

Inspired by his solution for one of the computer industryâ??s biggest problems, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Guri Sohi decided to pursue a strategy thatâ??s gaining popularity in Wisconsinâ??s academic circles: starting a company.

Itâ??s not up and running yet, but Sohi says heâ??s deep into the details of a developing a business plan for the firm.”Iâ??m very excited about the technology we have. It goes counter to four decades of thinking,” said Sohi, a computer science professor and former head of the schoolâ??s computer sciences department.

Judging from the numbers, you might think there arenâ??t a lot of Guri Sohis in Wisconsin.Professors at UW-Madison – the stateâ??s biggest research engine – started just six companies in fiscal 2008, according to the recently released Association of University Technology Managers survey of licensing activity.

With Madisonâ??s application submitted to become the pilot city for Google Fiber â?? an experimental high-speed Internet connection â?? to increase support, city officials unveiled a Google Fiber ice cream flavor Friday.

The Urban Design Committee granted initial approval of the Charter Street Heating Plant upgrades on Wednesday. The project includes demolishing the current coal-burning Charter Street Heating Plant and replacing it with an environmentally friendly biomass plant.

While the UW-Madisonâ??s effort to condemn property owned by the Brothers Bar & Grill chain has grabbed plenty of attention, a prominent campus-area landlord is also bumping up against the universityâ??s thirst for real estate.

For months, Otto Gebhardt has been seeking city approval for a new 87-unit, high-rise student apartment building at 1208 Spring St. Three aging rental houses on the property now would be torn down. Gebhardt and others have been quietly redeveloping other properties in the area between Randall Avenue and the Park Street viaduct.

The owners of Brothers Bar and Grill have agreed to drop their lawsuit against the UW Board of Regents, ending a lengthy legal battle just one day before their scheduled trial.

Brothers Bar and Grill dropped a lawsuit Tuesday against the UW System Board of Regents contesting the boardâ??s use of eminent domain to condemn the barâ??s property, just one day before the parties were set to meet in court.

The owners of a popular campus-area bar have agreed to drop their lawsuit and accept the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s $2.1 million offer for their property.

The owners of a popular campus bar have decided to dismiss their lawsuit that sought to stop the University of Wisconsin-Madison from taking their property through eminent domain.

The owners of a popular campus bar have decided to dismiss their lawsuit that sought to stop the University of Wisconsin-Madison from taking their property through eminent domain.

A face off between a popular downtown Madison bar and the University of Wisconsin-Madison wonâ??t happen after all.

MADISON, Wis. AP – A fight between a popular bar and the University of Wisconsin-Madison heads to a courtroom Wednesday in a case that will test the schoolâ??s power to take private property for a public use.

But the Virent story shows whatâ??s possible when lab smarts of the university are blended with the financial savvy of business. There is a lesson here for the Milwaukee region as it works to develop a more nimble and robust economy. [The editorial mentions that Virent was born to commercialize ideas formed at UW-Madison.]

When he founded Phoenix Nuclear Labs LLC five years ago, Greg Piefer wanted to do something simple – like detect nuclear weapons.

But a worldwide shortage of a radioactive isotope used in medical imaging tests has drawn the 33-year-old nuclear engineer, who holds a doctorate in nuclear engineering from UW-Madison, to a more complicated task.

Although hopes of an NCAA title for Wisconsinâ??s largest university were dashed this weekend, officials are confident the city of Madison has what it takes to make a solid run at another title: Test city for Googleâ??s upcoming ultra high-speed Internet experiment.

Assessing the impact of the Great Recession on Wisconsin is turning into a tale of Madison and everybody else.

While Madison has certainly taken some lumps over the past two years, its unemployment rate has remained among the lowest in the nation.

A program meant to help students explore the riggers of business startups will take place the week of June 20 on the UW campus. Due to generous donations from program sponsors, there is no cost to participants. From new fuel alternatives to embryonic stem cells, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is an international leader in scientific research.