MadREP in the News

Check out the Madison Region Economic Partnership's recent newsworthy economic development activities.

Sun Prairie Star: MadREP pilot project encourages Madison area van pooling

Jessica Reilly · Mar 31, 2022 ·

To help both existing employees and would-be employees who are facing transportation challenges getting to work, the Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) is partnering with Commute with Enterprise to provide an innovative and sustainable shared mobility option: workplace van pooling.

“MadREP’s pilot will provide a $500 grant per van per month for up to three van pools to help underwrite the cost to our partners,” said MadREP President and CEO Jason M. Fields.

“Each vanpool program is customized to the specific needs of its five or more van poolers,” Fields added. “The remaining cost will be covered by company, the vanpool riders, or a combination of the two as determined by each company.”

“With record low unemployment and in an effort to keep their shifts full, many employers are looking into providing benefits they may not have considered before,” said MadREP vice president of talent & education Gene Dalhoff. “Our pilot project is meant to provide an incentive to companies to explore the feasibility of using employee van pools to help with employee retention and attraction.”

“Dane County’s rapid growth requires innovative solutions to address public transportation needs outside of Madison and I applaud MadREP’s pilot workplace van pooling program to open up more options for employers to connect their employees to work in a way that is better for the environment,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi.

“Making these connections will help Dane County stay on track with our climate action plan to reduce emissions and ensure that Dane County continues to be a great place to live and work,” Parisi added.

Commute with Enterprise also provides 24-hour roadside assistance, liability insurance and scheduled maintenance. And as part of Enterprise’s Complete Clean Pledge, Commute with Enterprise provides best practices for cleaning and Complete Clean Starter Kits for new Commutes.

“This pilot project, although limited in size, is meant to serve as a proof of concept to help demonstrate the benefits to companies of such a program,” said Fields. “Our goal will be to secure additional funds to grow the program exponentially over the next 12-24 months.”

Companies and commuters in the Madison Region interested in joining the program can visit commutewithenterprise.com/commute/en/partners/madrep.html.

MadREP is the economic development agency for the eight-county Madison Region, founded by business and community leaders to create a dynamic environment where people and businesses prosper. MadREP and its partners aim to proactively and strategically position the region to take advantage of economic and business development opportunities; learn more at madisonregion.org.

Article originally published on hgnnews.com.

Wisconsin State Journal: Madison companies, colleges work to embrace the metaverse

Jessica Reilly · Mar 7, 2022 ·

Wisconsin State Journal | Emilie Heidemann

UW-Madison engineering major Alex Janis uses her hands to bend an aluminum rod, testing how much force it takes to change the shape of the malleable metal. But while the pressure she feels in her hands is real, the aluminum rod exists only in her perception.

That’s because Janis is conducting the experiment inside a virtual reality simulation at UW-Madison’s makerspace on North Randall Avenue. She joins dozens of other students as they navigate this strange, disorienting digital world using hand controllers and headsets that look like large, clunky goggles.

What the students see inside their headsets can be projected onto a screen, offering others a chance to view the video game-like virtual space developed by Madison startup EduReality. The company is one of several Madison-area businesses and colleges building and exploring what many futurists and technology experts see as the next big advance in the internet — the “metaverse.”

“It did seem real,” said Janis, 19, who grew up in Waunakee. “I haven’t done that experiment yet in the class, and I’m excited to, but it’s really cool that you can make a simulation that accurate.”

Over time, the goggles are likely to become less bulky and virtual reality programs more sophisticated in their aesthetic and purpose, said EduReality co-founder Clayton Custer.

EduReality launched in 2021 after Custer and his co-founder, Taylor Waddell, felt they were missing out on hands-on learning experiences amid online courses at UW-Madison — so they built their own.

Other Madison metaverse technologies so far include a mobile application that allows users to create digital art galleries; simulations that help prospective paramedics respond to a patient going into cardiac arrest; and work meetings held on Mars (figuratively, that is). One UW-Madison course even allows students to take a tour of the human brain.

The metaverse combines “aspects of artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality, along with social media, online gaming and other services,” Lyron Bentovim, CEO of Glimpse Group, a publicly traded startup focused on building and creating the metaverse, recently told Forbes.

More recently, researchers have touted the metaverse as the next age of the internet, as well as a climate of software and platforms that aren’t dependent on traditional business models like advertising to buy and sell products. Some view it as a decentralized, unregulated, dystopian hub where scams could run rampant, but also a nearly physical “place” where people can escape pandemics, social unrest and war.

As more companies and schools adopt such technologies, government and business leaders should consider the metaverse’s economic consequences — who might get left behind — as well as the shifting workplace landscape that the pandemic has influenced and accelerated, said Madison Region Economic Partnership president Jason Fields.

The builders

Arch Virtual, nestled in a small office above a restaurant in the village of Oregon, has created software that several Madison businesses and educational institutions use for training and workforce recruitment.

Jon Brouchoud, Arch Virtual CEO, said the company started out in 2014 with an interest in architecture — “how three-dimensional worlds visualize building designs.” But once the now-discontinued Oculus Rift virtual reality headset was released in 2016, Arch Virtual quickly made a name for itself, even allowing company employees to have work meetings on other planets, Brouchoud said.

Wisconsin State Journal: Madison women-, Indigenous-led businesses take part in Packers mentorship initiative

Jessica Reilly · Feb 21, 2022 ·

Wisconsin State Journal | Emilie Heidemann

In order to honor his Indigenous roots, Alejandro Miranda Cruz named his Madison-based film company after the eagle — a symbol of omnipotence for the native Sierra Madre Occidental peoples of Mexico.

The director co-founded Bravebird with producer and partner Noel Miranda in 2015. Since then, the duo has had the goal of bringing the perspectives of underrepresented voices into their projects. Such have included a visual profile of nonprofit Centro Hispano of Dane County, the “Why I Love UW” series and a feature-length film, “Trace The Line,” which depicts four artists navigating the throes of the early pandemic.

This is especially important to Alejandro, having previously pursued an acting career in Los Angeles — he recalled being typecast for delinquent roles, and seeing a lack of diversity on camera and behind the scenes of various productions.

But 2020 was an unkind year to Bravebird, as it was for the rest of the film industry — and for minority-led small businesses in general. Projects dried up and the company’s freelance ecosystem dwindled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Noel said.

While the health crisis delivered major blows to most small businesses, those owned by people of color were hit hardest, according to an analysis published in April 2021 by the Federal Reserve. Among the 10,000 businesses the Fed surveyed in fall 2020 (all with fewer than 500 employees), 95% said their operations were negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Waunakee Tribune | Legislative Opinion: Update on county broadband efforts

Jessica Reilly · Feb 16, 2022 ·

The Oregon Observer | The Stoughton Courier Hub | Waunakee Tribune

Recently, there have been historic amounts of funding to expand broadband access throughout the country as well as Dane County. As a newly created Broadband Task Force, we’ve been navigating the intricacies and complexities of providing affordable, reliable internet access to every resident and business in Dane County.

Many of the funds for broadband expansion are offered through matching grants. Local governments applying for these grants need to demonstrate a lack of acceptable service.

If you’ve listened to any news segment regarding broadband access, you’ve likely heard that the current maps that show where there is service are inaccurate, which further obstructs the application process.

To bolster the effort to create more accurate maps of service coverage and speeds, the Broadband Task Force invited MadREP to present on their speed test efforts. We encourage members of the public to take two minutes to complete the test.

The more data that is collected the fuller our picture of broadband access issues in Dane County can be shown, and that information will be utilized by many organizations and units of government to expand access to provide affordable, reliable service to every resident.

The speed test is at madisonregion.org/industry-and-innovation/broadband/

In addition to needing accurate data, the task force also needs to hear from the public. Bit by bit we are putting together the full picture of broadband and access in Dane County, but the missing piece remains the feedback from those who struggle and are faced with a lack of service every day.

The task force has been and continues to encourage members of the public to contact them with comments, suggestions, and concerns related to affordable reliable internet access. To provide an opportunity for members of the public to speak directly to the task force, the task force will be holding two virtual public hearings.

The first hearing will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28 (register at bit.ly/228BBTF), and the second is set for 9-11:30 a.m. Friday, March 4 (register at (bit.ly/34BBTF)

In addition to the public hearings, residents can provide testimony through the following means: Call 608-266-5758, email Dane.Broadband.Task.Force@countyofdane.com or write to: Dane County Board of Supervisors, 210 MLK Jr. Blvd. Room 362, Madison WI 53703.

District 36 County Board Supervisor Melissa Ratcliff,

Chair of the Dane County Broadband Task Force

District 37 County Board Supervisor Kate McGinnity,

Vice-Chair of the Dane County Broadband Task Force

Article originally published on stoughtonnews.com, oregonobserver.com and hngnews.com/waunakee_tribune.

Cap Times: American Family sets $23 minimum wage, 34% higher than local average

Jessica Reilly · Feb 11, 2022 ·

The Cap Times | Natalie Yahr

American Family Insurance group announced Wednesday that it is raising the minimum wage at its five companies to $23. That’s well above minimums set by many national chains and local employers, and 34% higher than the median entry-level position in the county.

The move marks the second time in just over two years that the group has raised the minimum. In January 2020, they announced an increase to $20.

The group has more than 13,200 employees at its five companies: American Family Insurance based in Madison; CONNECT in DePere; Homesite Group in Boston; The General in Nashville, Tennessee; and Main Street America Insurance in Jacksonville, Florida.

In a press release, American Family chief people officer Tracy Schweitzer said the move was a way to stay competitive in a tight labor market. Employers across the country have struggled to retain and attract employees over the last year, as would-be workers look for new opportunities or stay home to care for their families.

“This increase recognizes the importance of having top talent to provide exceptional service to our customers, while helping employees develop successful careers here,” Schweitzer said. “We believe by investing in our employees, we’re investing in our communities.”

A survey by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, conducted in summer of 2021, found that 14.5% of private-sector employers had raised base wages because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The increase puts the company’s base wage well above that of many major U.S. companies. Costco raised its company-wide minimum to $17 an hour last year. Amazon picked $15 in 2018, and Target followed in 2020. Walmart, the country’s largest employer, announced last year that Sam’s Club’s employees, who make up about a third of its more than 1.5 million workers, would get a starting wage of $15 an hour, but Walmart’s minimum remains $12.

Some of the biggest employers in the Madison area have set similar minimums. UW Health and the University of Wisconsin-Madison start employees at a wage of at least $15, but the minimum doesn’t apply to temporary workers or hourly student workers. At Exact Sciences, it’s $17, spokesperson Scott Larrivee said.

In Dane County, the median hourly wage for an employee with up to three years of experience is $17.20, according to an analysis of job postings using an economic modeling software called Emsi. The analysis, shared with the Cap Times by the Madison Region Economic Partnership, finds that “typical compensation” for such employees ranges from $14.62 to $19.78 an hour. Due to the above-average cost of living in the county, employees making the $17.20 median wage “feel like” they’re making $16.44.

The new minimum for American Family group employees is 34% higher than that median.

Though some employers have raised wages, the analysis finds that the median advertised wage for such listings has changed little since February 2020, and it’s fallen about 17% since February of 2019.

The minimum wage for non-tipped employees in Wisconsin is the federally set minimum wage of $7.25. Thirty states and the District of Columbia have set minimum wages higher than the federal rate. According to a Living Wage Calculator developed by MIT, a single adult in Madison with no children would need to make $15.50 to cover all their expenses. In a Madison family with two working adults and two children, each adult would need to earn $23.50 an hour to cover the family’s expenses without public assistance.

Article originally published on captimes.com

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