Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

At age 25 with nearly 200 employees, Raven Software is the Madison area’s Big Kahuna in the digital game development business and is credited with a good share of its growth.

But it is far from the only game studio.

For example:

• Human Head Studios, created in 1997 by former Raven staffers, has nearly 50 employees. Two of its current projects are creating Dungeon Defender II for the Playstation 4, and developing a prototype for a new type of cloud-based game platform in a project with Shinra Technologies.
• Filament Games, an educational games developer founded in 2005, has 59 employees and recently moved to 316 W. Washington Ave. It has won a contract with the National Safety Council to teach new safety features in cars.
• PerBlue makes mobile games. Founded in 2008, PerBlue has 30 employees and is working on a mobile role-playing game, expected to be released later this summer.
• Sky Ship Studios is a small, independent company that came together in the past year. Its eight employees are working on their first game, Gloom.

There are at least 15 game development startups in the Madison area, said Constance Steinkuehler, co-director of the UW-Madison’s Games+Learning+Society center and an associate professor in digital media.

The center itself has 17 full-time game designers, creating games that are learning tools — whether it’s learning about the environment, mindful meditation or the difficulties of navigating through graduate school.

Steinkuehler worked for the White House in 2011-12 as a senior policy analyst in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. “Video games have now hit the mainstream in a big way,” she said.

She said Raven has “played a really big, positive role” in developing the local game development ecosystem.

Steinkuehler said the center is working to establish a game design curriculum, similar to those at the UW-Whitewater and UW-Stout campuses. Interest in the field “is taking off like wildfire,” she said.

That’s evident at Madison Area Technical College and Herzing University, which already have game development studies.

Jeff Dewitt — who worked at Raven and two other local game studios — teaches animation and concept development at Madison College. The program accepts 18 students every fall, and there’s a three-year waiting list. Some applicants have advanced degrees in other fields. “They realize working in games is a legitimate opportunity now,” he said.

At Herzing’s Madison campus, not only are college-level game design courses available, but an eight-week summer course for high school students is in its third year.

The high schoolers get an introduction to the field, including designing their own game. “We’re starting the pipeline for the professional community,” he said.

Pederson said he thinks Madison “has grown to the point of rivaling Chicago for game development,” though Wisconsin did not make Fortune.com’s list, in February, of the top 10 states for video game development. The game industry directly employs more than 42,000 people in 36 states, the article said.

Read the full article. 

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

Sub-Zero Group, maker of the upscale Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen appliances, will build a $62 million addition onto one of its Fitchburg plants and plans to hire 300 employees over the next three years.

Sub-Zero officials chose the Fitchburg site in July over a location in Kentucky that has been the anticipated home of a new dishwasher line for eight years.

Instead, the company’s new Cove dishwashers will be built here, along with expanded production for Wolf ranges.

The project includes the purchase of 33 acres, expanding Sub-Zero’s Fitchburg campus, southeast of the intersection of McKee and Verona roads, to 99 acres. It will add 400,000 square feet to the existing Wolf factory, more than doubling the size of the building to 755,000 square feet.

A total of at least $5 million worth of state and local incentives is part of the deal.

Site preparation is just beginning. The project, being built by Ideal Builders, is expected to be completed in fall 2016, with the Cove dishwashers debuting in 2017.

Privately owned Sub-Zero Group — one of Dane County’s largest employers — has been talking publicly about adding a line of dishwashers to its stable of high-end refrigeration and freezer units, ranges and wine coolers since 2007. But the plan was to manufacture the dishwashers in Richmond, Kentucky. The company had an 80,000-square-foot building constructed in Richmond, but it has sat vacant all this time, said Chuck Verri, vice president of human resources.

Verri said several factors prompted Sub-Zero Group to choose the Fitchburg location over Richmond, but the biggest was a new contract with Wolf employees.

“The six-year labor agreement extension that we received with Wolf (employees) last year was absolutely critical. It was the linchpin,” Verri said.

“We have an outstanding work force, Madison has a great labor pool for us to draw from, we have the land, and the assistance program. All of those pieces of the puzzle made the picture.”

As for the employee count, a presentation by Sub-Zero Group to the city of Fitchburg showed the company has a total of 1,052 employees in Fitchburg: 384 office staff; 316 in the Sub-Zero factory; and 352 in the Wolf factory.

“I think it’s huge that the company is investing in this community, in this future, versus going overseas or going down South. Sub-Zero has made a commitment to the community that’s pretty huge, I think,” Sullivan said.

Fitchburg Mayor Steve Arnold said he is delighted that Fitchburg won the project but not surprised.

“They make terrific products, hire skilled workers from around the region. Every municipality in the region rises and falls together. We all benefit from Sub-Zero.”

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Excerpted from Madison Magazine
By Brennan Nardi

In case you haven’t noticed, a startup scene is surging all across Madison. Ideas are taking shape at coffee shops and on campuses, in coworking spaces and accelerators. Emerging new companies and academic spinoffs are launching products and services. They’re attracting consumers and clients and finding and growing resources to give their dreams a go. If local entrepreneurs and civic and business leaders capitalize on the city’s size, location and unique culture—and make inclusivity a priority—Madison has all the makings of becoming a startup city.

PRESS RELEASE

Chickasha, OK — HSI Sensing announces the opening of a new development lab in Madison, Wisconsin that the company says will focus on manufacturing technology, processes, and efficiencies. HSI chose Madison as its first location outside of Oklahoma because of the region’s capacity for research & development, its talented engineering and manufacturing workforce, and the collaboration opportunities with both industry and academia.

“We are very excited about our new location,” says HSI Sensing president Ryan Posey. “The engineers we’ve hired are top notch, and they bring skill sets that will help drive HSI’s growth.”

The 5,800-square-foot development lab in Madison is located at 4009 Felland Road and opened on July 6 with three engineering employees. HSI anticipates adding 15 additional jobs in the next 2-3 years.

“With the company’s focus on innovation, R&D, and precision manufacturing, it is a perfect fit for this region,” says Paul Jadin, president of the Madison Region Economic Partnership, which assisted HSI with their location and expansion search. “The talent pool and industry partners available in this area will provide a solid foundation for the company’s success as it expands in Wisconsin.”

The opening of the Madison facility marks HSI Sensing’s first expansion outside of its 55,000-square-foot facility in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

ABOUT HSI SENSING

Headquartered in Chickasha, Oklahoma, HSI Sensing (Hermetic Switch, Inc.) is the innovative leader in the engineering and precision manufacturing of custom reed switch and sensor technology. The industry experts in solving problems for customers in challenging design applications, they also precision manufacture those solutions to ensure consistent, unmatched quality.

HSI’S SPOT ON IS THE NEW STANDARD IN LEVERLESS LIMIT SWITCHES

Since 1968 HSI Sensing, an ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100 registered company, has been the premier choice for custom and standard reed switches, proximity sensors, and other sensing technologies for an array of industries including fluid control devices, reed relays, implantable medical devices, aerospace, heavy equipment, communications, transportation, and more. Their products are used in a variety of applications including commercial and military jet engines, security systems, commercial lawn

mowers, external defibrillators, implantable medical devices, space station equipment, animal tracking, and more. HSI Sensing is a privately-held company wholly owned by the employees. For more information about HSI Sensing, please call 405.224.4046 or visit www.hsisensing.com.

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Excerpted from Watertown Daily Times

The city of Waterloo has been accepted into the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Connect Communities Program, an initiative that works with communities to advance downtown and urban corridor revitalization efforts.

Waterloo is one of 18 communities around the state that have been added to the program this year, bringing the total number of participants to 52.

The Connect Communities Program, which was launched in January 2014, provides access to resources and training to help communities pursue revitalization and redevelopment efforts. Since its inception, participating communities have reported adding 175 net new businesses and more than 500 jobs, as well as $30 million in private investment.

“The WEDC congratulates the city of Waterloo for being accepted into this program,” said Reed Hall, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). “A vibrant downtown is key to the overall economic health of the community and we applaud Waterloo for taking this step toward making its business district even stronger.”

“We have high hopes for the success of the new Connect Communities members”, added WEDC Community Development Director Jason Scott. “We have heard from communities around the state that this program has provided them with the guidance and assistance they need as they continue to strengthen their downtowns.”

Connect Communities participants benefit from a variety of assistance and resources simply by being part of a broad-based network of communities with similar objectives, but specific program services include:

• A ListServ/network group to get new ideas from staff and other participating Connect Communities.
• Participation in Main Street workshops focused on a downtown revitalization topic.
• An on-site visit from one of WEDC’s community development staff to assist in identifying needs and offering assistance.
• Training for downtown director or board president.
• Roundtable discussion groups on pertinent topics.
• Access to WEDC’s downtown development online library.
• Access to resources and training materials developed for Wisconsin Main Street communities
• Invitation to the annual Main Street Awards program, plus eligibility to nominate a project for a Connect Communities award.
• Quarterly webinars/regional training.

Applicants had to explain the type of activities or assistance that they hope to undertake as part of the program, and identify a local team that will be responsible for carrying out activities and participating in program events and training.

Read the full article.