Opportunity for Local Business Owners

An informational session on the role of messaging in your business will be available to local businesses courtesy of Tom Beckman of 28 Power Communications. There will be two sessions, both on Tuesday, July 29th. The first will be from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM and the second session will be from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Below you will find a short description of the event, as well as a link that will bring you to the registration page. 

During this session, Tom Beckman of 28 Power Communications will explore the role of messaging in your business – and help you harness the power of media to grow your unique brand. With action-oriented strategies and a fun, television interview exercise, this event is designed to give you the skills and confidence to bring your business to the forefront of your market! 28 Power Communications is a Madison-based PR and Communications firm best known for helping companies around the world reach key audiences and use media to differentiate themselves from their competition.

Here’s a link to register:

http://dreambank.amfam.com/stores/dreambank/564

MadREP Supply Chain Mapping

We would like to alert you to a new service that we think will be valuable to your individual businesses and to the overall industry. In order to grow existing businesses and attract new companies to our area, Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) has undertaken an initiative to map the supply chains of industries in our regions. In order to do so, they need local companies to participate and provide them with their supply chain information. In return for participating, the business will have their supply chain information mapped free of charge and benefit from possible economic growth. Below you can find out more information about MadREP’s initiative and supply chain mapping in general.

Supply chain mapping is the process by which the transfer of goods, services and money both into and out of an organization is represented as an abstract design or on a map.  

According to MadREP, this practice can be especially useful to individual businesses because it allows them to analyze a variety of factors that can impact the profitability of that business, such as transportation costs, the potential for supply disruption, and opportunities to modify inventory based on turn-around of goods, among other things. The business can then use this information to gain a strategic advantage.

MadREP hopes to collect individual supply chain information so they can identify supply chain gaps and disconnects across an entire industry.

Supply chain gaps occur when a number of businesses in the region source certain products or services from businesses outside the region. Once these gaps are identified, MadREP can use the information to recruit new suppliers to the region, resulting in investment and jobs.

Supply chain disconnects are where businesses in the MadREP region are buying products or services from outside the region, even though those items could be sourced from existing businesses within the region. MadREP will identify those disconnects and play matchmaker for those businesses on both sides of the transaction, thereby benefitting both parties and the region as a whole.

In order to map the supply chains, MadREP will be using a program called Sourcemap. Sourcemap is crowd-sourced and cloud-based. And unlike other supply chain mapping programs, there is no cost to businesses in our region that participate; this a free service sponsored by MadREP. Therefore, all businesses must do is upload their information and it will be mapped and available to them free of charge.

Here is a screenshot example of a simplified Sourcemap, showing the suppliers for our sample company, Vandelay Industries, and their customers. In the live web-based application, clicking the node for any supplier or customer reveals company-specific information, including its relationship with the sample company.







For a short video demonstrating how MadREP is partnering with BioForward to map the bioscience industry in our region, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYdtUNzuRK4&feature=youtu.be .

To register and begin using Sourcemap and uploading your supply chain information, please navigate to: https://mysourcemap.com/madrep .

**Please note that any information you provide will be kept confidential and only shared with MadREP for the purposes of advancing regional economic development. 

Please direct any questions to Gene Dalhoff at gdalhoff@madisonregion.org

A New Source Connecting the Entrepreneurial Community

 

 

Innovation Abounds in the Madison Region. MadREP Connect Brings it Together

Greetings and welcome to the first MadREP Connect newsletter. Brought to you by the Madison Region Economic Partnership, MadREP Connect is a new online portal connecting entrepreneurs in the eight-county Madison Region to resources, information, activities, experts, and each other.

On the site, you'll find start-up resources, events, and a Q&A portal that gives you the opportunity to get answers to your most pressing questions from our network of mentors and experts.

This bi-weekly newsletter will bring you a digest of related resources and activities, all in commitment to driving entrepreneurial success in the Madison Region.

We invite you to explore the site, ask a question, post an answer...and get connected.

111,700 Sq Ft Office/Warehouse Available in Waunakee

 

For Sale or Lease

 

111,700 Sq. Ft.

 

Office/Warehouse

 

 

201 Raemisch Road

Waunakee, Wisconsin

• Tilt-up panel construction
• Est. 12,000 sq. ft. office, est. 16,500 A/C, drop ceiling, concrete floor areas on 1st & 2nd floors
• Warehouse has 26’ eave height, 24’ clear height
• Column spacing 40’ x 37’
• Energy efficient concrete walls, 6” roof insulation, 6 new gas heaters and T-8 lights in warehouse
• Average annual gas bill: $18,154 or $.16/sq. ft. (2010-12)
• 11 dock doors
• 5” mesh reinforced concrete slab.
• New ESFR sprinkler system
• Lot size: 360,823 sq. ft.
• Zoning: I-1 Light Industrial
• Sale Price: $4,850,000
• Lease Rate: $4.25/sq. ft. 3net
• Available January 31, 2014

For details, contact Northland Real Estate, Inc. (608) 223-9330

 

All information is from sources deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy thereof, and is submitted subject to prior sales, errors, changes or withdrawals, without notice. 

Waunakee's Creative Economy Initiative Honored by Wisconsin Rural Partners

STEVENS POINT - Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. awarded the Top Rural Development Initiatives for 2014 at a ceremony at the Holiday Inn, Stevens Point on Friday, May 2, 2014.  The awards were presented by Wisconsin Rural Partners president Dennis Deery and award judging panel members at the Wisconsin Rural Summit.    

The seven efforts receiving Top Initiative awards are:

• Bayfield Regional Food Producers Cooperative- Cooperative Marketing, Bayfield - The FPC has grown to 22 farm and business members with products including: beef, fish, poultry, pork, lamb, vegetables, coffee, cheese, bakery, flour, lacto fermented foods, fruit, and spritzer.  The organization has also grown to include a very successful Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program and a recently implemented Wholesale Program, both serving a wide area.

• Door County Transportation Consortium:  Door-Tran Inc. -  This comprehensive rural transportation program – a consortium of 43 organizations -  has grown to include Door-to-Door (D2D – the county’s first transportation system), vouchers, veterans transportation and many volunteer-driven services.

• Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College Sustainable Agriculture Research Station, Hayward - The Station provides educational opportunities in sustainable agriculture and food preservation and also offers programs such as Renewable Energy Sustainable Development, Community Supported Agriculture and the LCO Farmers Market.

• Meadow Park Estates Reclamation, Rockland - A number of critical and beneficial partnerships were harnessed to revive a dormant development and create 14 units of housing resulting in an increase of $2 million in additional tax base and housing for 50 new residents, which is more than 8% growth for the small village.

• Food Enterprise Center – Sue Noble, Viroqua - The Food Enterprise Center in Viroqua creates amazing opportunities for food entrepreneurs and social investors by providing infrastructure for innovative food and wellness/exercise-related businesses to startup and expand.  The center now houses more than 10 food and wellness-related businesses which employ at least 45 people.

• Village of Waunakee Creative Economy Initiative, Waunakee - In the first year of Waunakee’s Creative Economy Initiative (CEI), numerous project partners concentrated on completing a local asset inventory, discovering the creativity, artistry and innovation already existing in the Village.  Subsequent work resulted in the annual Imagination Celebration in 2012 and 2013, an event meant to connect people through creativity, and attended by over 1,200 people each year.

• W3: Working for Whitewater's Wellness, Whitewater – Through W3 an exemplary community-based wellness coalition was created, which now includes the Whitewater Unified School District, the City of Whitewater, Fort HealthCare, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  In four years the coalition has launched or supported a number of effective initiatives, designed to make sure that residents of Whitewater live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives

Complete descriptions of the 2014 Top Rural Development Initiative winners and a list of all 29 nominations are available.

Wisconsin Rural Partners is a statewide non-profit organization that develops rural networks and leaders, and provides a voice for rural Wisconsin.  WRP is the federally-recognized State Rural Development Council for Wisconsin.

This is the fourteenth year that Wisconsin Rural Partners has recognized Wisconsin's Top Rural Development Initiatives.  The program is designed to identify, highlight, and share innovative models, practices and programs that have a positive impact on rural Wisconsin communities.  Wisconsin Rural Partners created the program to provide a mechanism for rural communities to learn from each other.

Contact: Ricky Rolfsmeyer, 608-967-2322; ricky@wirural.org
Dennis Deery, dennis@wirural.org

Waunakee in the Member Spotlight of WPPI Energy's Power Report

New customers and new construction projects made last year one of the busiest years in Waunakee Utilities' 99-year history, and 2014 is expected to bring just as much activity. Read all about it in the WPPI Energy Power Report link below.

Member Spotlight: Waunakee, Wisconsin.

Retail Rally - Education Series

March 3rd Schedule – WWBIC Madison
Registration – 7:30am - 8am
Networking is encouraged during intermissions
Session 1: 8am - 9am

Customer Service at its Best
How can you differentiate your store from the competition? EXCEPTIONAL OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY SERVICE! Learn how to train and motivate your retail team so they deliver memorable customer service with every sale. Find out how you can turn casual shoppers into regular patrons.

Session 2: 9:30am - 10:30am
Boosting Brick & Mortar Sales with an Online Store
Complementing your brick and mortar sales with a smart-looking and high functioning online store can not
only increase your bottom line, but add credibility to your business. Learn how to create an online “shopping
cart” that is customer-friendly, features your top sellers, and reflects your store’s visual brand.

Session 3: 11am - 12pm
Retail Panel Discussion and Dialogue
Marketing Tips, Lessons Learned, and Answers to YOUR questions!
___________________________________________________________________

June 23rd Schedule – WWBIC Madison
Registration – 7:30am - 8am
Networking is encouraged during intermissions
Session 1: 8am-9pm

Retail Marketing & Branding – Are you keeping up?
There are SO many ways to reach out to your target market these days, how do you know where to put your time and money? Learn how to evaluate the effectiveness of your “brand” and how to create a marketing plan that is right for you. Learn how to get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to investing in marketing strategies.

Session 2: 9:30am - 10:30am
Efficient Inventory Controls, Management and I.T.
Overwhelmed with the task of taking inventory every year? Are poor inventory systems keeping you from
buying right and getting strong sell-through? Learn how new software systems can make your inventory
management and purchasing decisions easier and more profitable.

Session 3: 11am - 12pm
Retail Panel Discussion and Dialogue
When to Grow Your Business, Lessons Learned, and Answers to YOUR questions!

*Coffee and light refreshments will be made available throughout the morning.
FEE $20/session – 3 sessions for $50
Reduced fee scholarships available. Please contact WWBIC at 608.257.5450 for details.

http://retailrallymke.wordpress.com/

Second Round of Wisconsin Fast Forward Grants Open for Applicants

Yesterday, the Office of Skills Development announced the second round of Grant Program Announcements for worker training grant funding opportunities made possible through the Wisconsin Fast Forward legislation signed into law by Governor Walker in 2013.

Up to $15 million was made available during the 2013-15 biennium to address employer needs for skilled workers with demand-driven workforce training.  The program encourages and enables employers to develop customized, skilled and semi-skilled labor training solutions to develop a localized workforce when the skill shortage is supported by labor market information.

This second round of Wisconsin Fast Forward Grant Program Announcements (GPAs) makes up to $7.5 million available for competitive worker training grants in manufacturing, construction, health care, information technology, financial services and transportation, logistics, and distribution occupations. In addition, $500,000 will be made available to small businesses in any industry with 50 or fewer full-time employees to develop employer-specific training programs.

Applications for the grants will be due later this spring. Employers can access the online application, along with instructions and additional details about each GPA at WisconsinFastForward.com.  DWD's Office of Skills Development (OSD) is administering the grant program and will be the point of contact for inquiries.  Additional announcements will be made in the future to address needs and opportunities presented through employer inquiries and economic research by DWD and the strategic partners.

Anyone can sign up through WisconsinFastForward.com for the program's newsletter. The newsletter will provide regular program updates, including announcements of grant awards as well as future funding opportunities.

Tourism/Community Betterment Grant Funds Available

The Tourism/Community Betterment Fund is a grant program established by the Village of Waunakee intended to fund tourism projects (events that will bring visitors to the Village of Waunakee) or betterment projects (events that will improve the quality of life for the residents of the Village).  The grant program is administered yearly by the Waunakee Economic Development Commission (WEDC).  Any funds not awarded in a particular year will be carried over for consideration in future year award cycles.

How much can an organization receive?
The grants are intended to assist in the start-up and development of new events, so preference is given to new applications.  First time applicants are eligible to receive up to $2,000; Grant requests for recurring projects or events may receive up to $1,000 in the 2nd funding year, and up to $500 in the third year.

How do we apply?
Applications and further guidelines/requirements can be found by clicking the following link: www.waunakee.com/tourismgrant.

Applications are due to Village Hall by March 15th.  Grant awards will be made in April, and recipients will be notified of the WEDC decision by April 30.

Questions?
If any questions arise during the application process, please contact Stephen Bechler at adminintern@vil.waunakee.wi.us or by telephone at (608) 850-2830.