Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Amanda Finn

The Little Potato Co. is forking over more than $20 million to spread its roots to Wisconsin.

Officials from the Canada-based company — which specializes in cultivating the petite creamer potato — announced Thursday they will open a U.S. head office and packing facility in DeForest that is expected to employ 130 people by 2019.

“Overall it makes a lot of sense because of the jobs it’s going to provide for our community, the stature it provides, and it helps us out to show that we can collaborate … with businesses that will complement The Little Potato Co. and others to come,” said DeForest Village President Judd Blau.

Sandy Gleddie, vice president of operations for The Little Potato Co., said the 130,000-square-foot facility will hire 50 people when the building opens in January and the staff will grow to 130 in the next two to three years.

The $20 million project is being assisted by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. with $740,000 in business development tax credits, which are earned through investment and job creation requirements, according to the company and WEDC.

“By locating its U.S. headquarters in DeForest, The Little Potato Co. leverages Wisconsin’s strong agricultural history and global leadership in food processing, tapping exceptional educational resources and an unmatched supply chain,” WEDC secretary and CEO Mark Hogan said in a statement.

The Little Potato Co. considered several locations before choosing Wisconsin for its first U.S. facility.

The criteria included finding a quality potato growing region, access to transportation routes and the availability of workers, according to the statement. Wisconsin farmers grew potatoes on 62,500 acres last year, ranking No. 3 in the nation, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

But the feeling of home is one of the things that ultimately sold the location to The Little Potato Co.

“We decided to stay in Wisconsin because we really, truly felt at home as soon as we came,” Gleddie said. “The same things that are important to you guys are important to us.”

Read the full article.

Excerpted from Area Development Magazine

A company that provides integrated solutions, National Decision Support Company is opening new research and development headquarters in in Madison, Wisconsin. The company’s new software development headquarters is located in the historic Jackman Building, which overlooks the Wisconsin State Capitol in downtown Madison.

“With over 2 million monthly transactions being generated by more than 100 health systems using our flagship solution ACR Select, and our recent expansion into new clinical areas through CareSelect, our development needs are growing rapidly,” said Michael Mardini, CEO, NDSC. “By creating a dedicated R&D headquarters in Madison, we’re able to attract top talent and create the collaborative atmosphere required for an agile development team.”

“We selected Madison to capitalize on its reputation as a technology startup hub and access to qualified talent,” said Tom Conti, Vice President of Product and Technology.

The company’s clients include healthcare providers globally, and its solutions are delivered through partnerships with leading EMR providers, including Epic and Cerner.

“Our software teams are comprised of young, talented people who value the quality of life Madison has to offer and are truly excited to be in an environment suited to software development,” said Conti. “Many of our implementation and support staff are also local and use the space, helping to connect our product to customer experience. The collaboration and energy created by a dedicated development facility, coupled with the rich talent pool the area has to offer, will enable NDSC to continue its rapid growth.”

Read the full article.

Excerpted from WisBusiness.com
By Polo Rocha

Kerry Frank gets apologies these days from those who doubted she could streamline the airline industry.

That’s because Frank’s company, Beloit-based Comply365, now has most of the U.S. market locked down on one of its airline software products, which digitizes flight manuals for pilots.

“Some people in the beginning were really tough on me,” said Frank, the company’s CEO. “They really challenged me to be better, and so today, we are one of the best companies in brand. When you go through hard times, it makes you either cave in or dig in deeper. And it made me dig in deeper, to be even better.”

The company now has about 70 employees and has raised about $15 million, much of that from Columbus, Ohio-based Drive Capital. Comply365 spokeswoman Gina Duwe said about 840,000 employees use the company’s software in several industries, most of them logging on with their mobile devices.

Comply365’s office is in Beloit’s IronTek building, a renovated industrial warehouse that city officials hope will become a tech hub. And at its entrance is a wall that lists Comply365’s wide range of customers, including 10 Fortune 500 companies.

Frank’s first product essentially digitized the old 50-pound bag of documents, such as flight manuals, that pilots had to carry around. Comply365 is among the companies that airlines turn to so they can set up electronic flight bags equipped with tablets.

“There are other solutions in the marketplace, but this one seems to have taken hold,” Ware said.

Comply365 moved from Roscoe, Ill. to Wisconsin in 2012 after Gov. Scott Walker personally called Frank and convinced her to come.

“That was really crazy to me because we only had 17 employees,” Frank said.

Frank, who was featured in Walker’s next State of the State address, said she was drawn by “the vision and passion for a state to support bringing high-tech companies.” WEDC also awarded the company $150,000 in tax credits, though Frank said those incentives didn’t play a significant role in her decision. Comply365 surpassed the 35 jobs it was required to add.

And though Frank acknowledged it can be a struggle to find talent, she said they “absolutely are planning to stay in Wisconsin.”

“People are leaving Silicon Valley faster than they’re coming in,” Frank said. “We’re really hoping to take advantage of that. People want to come back to the Midwest.”

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Excerpted from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Kathleen Gallagher

Gener8tor, a start-up training program that operates in Milwaukee and Madison, was named one of the top 16 accelerators in the country Friday by the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.

The annual rankings are compiled by Yael Hochberg, an entrepreneurship professor at Rice University and researcher at MIT, and colleagues at the University of Richmond and MIT. They are an important measure used by high-potential start-ups to determine which programs they want to aim to join.

“There are new accelerator programs popping up every month,” Hochberg said in a news release. “Our goal is to generate a larger conversation about what makes some seed accelerators more successful and help entrepreneurs find the right fit for their start-up.”

The 38 start-up companies that have graduated from gener8tor’s programs since gener8tor was founded in 2012 have gone on to raise more than $75 million in financing and create more than 400 jobs, said Joe Kirgues, gener8tor co-founder.

The Seed Accelerator rankings are based on detailed confidential data related to portfolio outcomes, project managers said. About 150 accelerators were invited to participate in the rankings, they said.

Gener8tor is currently running a three-month class with five start-ups in Madison.

Read the full article.

PRESS RELEASE: February 25, 2016

Companies operating in Wisconsin now have a new tool—an official “Made In Wisconsin” logo—to help market the origin and quality of their products, thanks to a new program from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

“When we say a product is made in Wisconsin, that’s saying more than just where it was produced,” said Kelly Lietz, WEDC’s vice president of marketing, speaking at the Manufacturing Matters! Conference in Milwaukee. “It speaks to the attributes of the product itself. It’s a reflection of the quality of our natural resources and the honesty, hard work and innovative minds of our people.”

WEDC introduced the In Wisconsin® brand in 2012 to provide a platform for marketing business opportunities and successes in the state. “We’ve always recognized the potential for the brand to reach a much wider audience through the cooperative efforts of Wisconsin businesses,” said Lietz.

Lietz points out that WEDC is approached regularly by companies interested in displaying a “Made In Wisconsin” logo on their products. WEDC worked with a small number of Wisconsin companies that approached the agency with this request to develop a pilot program that included the necessary application process steps and logo options.

Alan Petelinsek, owner of Sussex-based Power Test and a pilot program participant, said, “The Made In Wisconsin label shows the pride that has gone into our products. Letting people know that they are produced in Wisconsin helps us share that our work is done with a level of craftsmanship that is widely known and appreciated.”

The Made In Wisconsin logo can be adapted to reflect applicants’ production processes. Options include:

• Made In Wisconsin
• Manufactured In Wisconsin
• Produced In Wisconsin
• Built In Wisconsin
• Grown In Wisconsin
• Invented In Wisconsin
• Designed In Wisconsin
• Engineered In Wisconsin
• Brewed In Wisconsin

There is no cost to use the logo. Companies that wish to participate fill out a simple application stating how they will use the logo and certifying that the product or service on which they seek to use the mark fulfills program requirements. Once an application is approved, the company can download high-resolution image files for the specified use.

The Made In Wisconsin Program complements the Wisconsin Department of Trade, Agriculture and Consumer Protection’s Something Special From Wisconsin™ Program, offering companies two ways to show their state pride.

For more information, view the Madison in Wisconsin video or visit Made.InWisconsin.com.

Contact: Kelly Lietz, 608.210.6858
kelly.lietz@wedc.org