State and Federal Agencies need cybersecurity internship applicants. The Wisconsin Department of Administration is hosting a 1-hour cybersecurity educational and screening program for students, graduates, and individuals with IT skills that are interested in learning more about paid cyber security internships.  The event will be held December 5th at 2:00 p.m. at Edgewood College in L2 above the Library (The address is 1000 Edgewood College Drive).

Come learn which State and Federal Agencies have multiple cyber security internship opportunities. If you are a private company with interest in partnering with the DOA and Cyber Education Wisconsin Initiative on similar cyber internship programming, you are also encouraged to attend.

For more information on this partnership and the market opportunity for cyber-security professional employment needs and opportunities, please check out the links below:

http://cybereduuat.wi.gov/

https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2018/11/what-higher-ed-can-do-to-address-the-shortage-of-cybersecurity-professionals?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ER

The much anticipated historic Garver Feed Mill is pleased to announce three new tenants.

Perennial, a yoga, meditation and wellness community located in Fitchburg for the past 7 years will open a second location, Perennial-EAST, at Garver Feed Mill. Owner Megan Grace is intentionally designing the space, and what it offers, to help people embody and go deeper into their purpose. Megan says she knew from the first moment she saw the Garver building that she wanted to create another space for Perennial. “People are hungry for Truth, to align with their natural path, and to do their unique part on the path of sacred service,” says Grace. “The outpouring of support and excitement has been so validating and I know Perennial-EAST has found it’s perfect home.”

Briar Loft, a boutique floral business that is owned by Ariyl Doran and Alicia Bossher, will join Perennial East at Garver. Ariyl has been refining her floral design style alongside the team at Madison’s Daffodil Parker for the past eight years. Alicia is a spreadsheet-loving go-getter who couldn’t pass up the opportunity to start a beauty-generating small business. The collaborative team will provide wedding and event floral design at Garver along with personalized arrangements for local offices, restaurants, hotels, and homes.

Also adding a second location in the Madison area is Surya Cafe, curated by Chef Lauren Montelbano. Chef Lauren creates food with a commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of the planet and all whom she serves. She draws on her extensive travels and training and yogic beliefs, and it comes alive at Surya Cafe in the form of conscious, plant-based cuisine that impresses even the most avid meat-eaters. Montelbano says “I’m excited to see Surya Cafe flourish in this beautiful historic building with a past rooted in the processing of plants. With our plant-to-plate approach, and an interior that will prove to be an extension of the adjacent Olbrich Gardens, I think we will be a celebrated addition to the community at Garver.”

The co-location of food and wellness businesses under one roof provides an ideal and vibrant platform for them to build on their strengths and collaborate. Perennial East, Surya Cafe and Briar Loft join an impressive list of local businesses including Nessalla Kombucha, Kosa Wellness, Sitka Salmon, Ian’s Pizza, Calliope Ice Cream and Underground Catering. The Garver Feed Mill will also feature a unique event space for public and private events. More information is available at www.GarverFeedMill.com.

Restoration of the Garver Feed Mill, located next to Olbrich Botanical Gardens, started in late 2017 and is scheduled to be complete by Summer 2019. The developer, Baum Revision, focuses on impactful projects in urban environments that represent the principals’ commitment to social responsibility, preservation, and sustainability. Bryant Moroder, a member of the Garver Feed Mill development team commented, “After years of work and collaboration with our partners, we’re excited to see this phase of the project deliver the economic activity in the community we had envisioned”. Moroder added, “Since we started, two of our future tenants have needed additional space and only a couple of spaces in the building remain.”

Architectural rendering available to download: https://app.box.com/s/yl5uvvrapv0xbz5aygc0g7r6przjrhd2

The Sauk County Development Corporation, in partnership with Alliant Energy, the County of Sauk, City of Baraboo, City of Reedsburg, Village of Prairie du Sac, Village of Sauk City, Village of Spring Green, and Village of West Baraboo contracted with Vierbicher Associates to complete a housing study and needs assessment to guide immediate and future housing actions in Sauk County. The study assessed the existing housing supply, identified issues and gaps related to housing, established a demographic profile of the communities, projected current and future demand for housing using available data, and identified potential financing opportunities to achieve the partner communities’ housing goals.

The project was divided into four different phases: Engagement, Assessment, Strategy, and Implementation. The planning process involved using the insights gained from the engagement and assessment phases to develop a list of specific needs for each partner community, along with the strategies needed to address those needs. The project team prepared a summary of future market demands for 5, 10, and 15-year increments that identified the number and type of units, along with the generational impacts that influence housing preferences. The strategies included in the Plan were drafted to:

• Streamline the development process
• Support development of housing types that are not in sufficient supply
• Encourage development of housing options that support the preferences of desired demographics
• Identify specific long-term strategies to match housing demand with appropriate supply
• Identify target performance measurements, benchmarks, and milestones for strategic housing initiatives
• Outline a plan for future housing study updates

SCDC Executive Director Ed White states; “I believe this study accomplished the mission of laying out the housing issues in Sauk County and we will work with the County and the six communities to fine tune specific strategies to help them address their individual housing issues.”

The report can be found here.

The 2018 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium attracted a mix of 524 investors, entrepreneurs and others Nov. 7-8 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, where a combination of company pitches, speakers, panel discussions and workshops focused on ways to enhance venture and angel capital investing in Wisconsin.

Forty companies presented to investors during separate presentation tracks over the two days. Scores of investors from Wisconsin, the Upper Midwest and beyond were on hand to hear those presentations and to meet with companies one-on-one during the “Investor Intros” segment on Nov. 8. Presenting companies were selected from a larger pool vetted by the Wisconsin Technology Council, which hosted the annual symposium, and the conference steering committee.

The conference also featured keynote presentations by two speakers: Aaron Kennedy, the founder of Noodles & Co., who talked about his experiences in building that company as well as lessons he learned while serving as Colorado’s chief marketing officer; and Kelly Fitzsimmons, a serial entrepreneur who delivered a brutally honest talk about success, failure and bouncing back from the depths of adversity.

Mike Partsch, the first Chief Venture Officer to be hired by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, was introduced to a luncheon crowd during an on-stage conversation. Terry Sivesind, an entrepreneur, investor and mentor who co-founded MERLIN Mentors in Madison, was honored as the winner of the annual “Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education” award. Veteran investor John Neis, who has been a part of Venture Investors LLC since its inception, was inducted into the Tech Council’s “Investor Hall of Fame.”

The annual Wisconsin WOMEN reception, held Nov. 6 before the formal start of the conference, attracted 90 people to hear Demetria Menard speak about education and entrepreneurship.

“The quality of presenting companies seems to get better each year as emerging companies in the region and the state mature,” said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council.

Visit www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com to read a conference wrap-up.

This year, the Wisconsin Games Alliance (WGA) built upon the momentum of M+Dev 2017 and welcomed over 400 game developers, designers and enthusiasts to the Alliant Energy Center for a day of networking and learning. Guests traveled from states away, leading Milwaukee Magazine to declare that this year, the “M” in M+Dev clearly referred to Midwest.

University students, including a group from UW-Stout’s Game Design and Development program, soaked up the opportunities to speak directly with speakers. The packed house enjoyed two keynotes from national industry leaders: Alyssa Finley, former director of production at the recently shuttered studio Telltale Games, and Tim Gerritsen, studio head at Madison’s Fantasy Flight Interactive and a founding member of the WGA.

“Our goal was to highlight the quality and quantity of talent available in the Wisconsin game development and interactive media industries,” said WGA Executive Director Tyler Krucas. “From interesting and educational talks on pertinent topics to fun social gatherings, there was something for everyone in the industry at the conference. Game development continues to grow at a rapid pace here in Wisconsin, and M+Dev offers each attendee opportunities to network with and learn from the bright and passionate people that make the state such a great place to create games. I look forward to seeing how the connections made and knowledge gained at the conference positively impact the Wisconsin game development community over the next year. Following on the successful inaugural M+Dev conference in 2017 was a tall order, but M+Dev 2018 came together to carry on the tradition of what we hope will be a staple in the wider Wisconsin tech industry for years to come.”