Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

Another young Madison tech business is getting a running start through the TechStar accelerator.

Codiqa (CODE-ih-kuh) is part of the current class at TechStars Cloud in San Antonio, Texas.

Codiqa is a software tool that makes it easier for anyone to create a mobile app or mobile website.

Ben Sperry and Max Lynch started the company about a year ago. They had worked for Madison mobile game developer PerBlue and were playing around with the idea for Codiqa on the side.

TechStars Cloud runs from mid-January through mid-April, giving advice, mentorship, and access to investors. “We’re not just surrounded by awesome mentors and companies here with us in Texas but also connected with those outside of here,” Sperry said.

Two other Madison companies, Murfie.com and Vidmaker, participated in TechStars programs in 2012. Spill, launched at the UW-Madison in 2009 but no longer based here, also is a TechStars grad.

Sperry said his company will stay in Madison after TechStars. “I think Madison is only just beginning its growth as a tech city and an entrepreneurial place to grow,” he said.

Read the full article.

PRESS RELEASE: January 24, 2013

MadREP, the economic development partnership for the eight-county Madison Region, announces Gene Dalhoff as its Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Dalhoff comes to this new position with significant experience in economic development and regional collaboration, having served most recently as executive director of the Sauk County Development Corporation and previously as executive director of the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce.

As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Dalhoff will serve as MadREP’s primary liaison to local economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, education and workforce development partners, and government entities. He will play a key role in the implementation of the five-year Advance Now Strategy for economic growth, which hinges on regional collaboration and shared vision. He will manage the organization’s region-wide business retention and expansion effort, as well as monitor and report on regional economic data and performance outcomes. He will also lead the pursuit of a federally-approved Economic Development District designation for the Madison Region, positioning local communities to be more competitive for funding opportunities from the Economic Development Administration.

“Gene is extremely well-suited to fill this role in the Madison Region,” notes MadREP president Paul Jadin. “He has a nuanced understanding of the purpose and efficacy of regional cooperation and is able to forge outcome-driven partnerships across municipal and sector boundaries. His familiarity with the many economic development partners in the Madison Region will greatly benefit MadREP’s work in the eight counties we serve.” 

Dalhoff joins MadREP with an established understanding of the Advance Now Strategy based on his active involvement as a member of the Economic Development Professionals Workgroup that provided technical oversight to the strategy’s development.

In addition to Dalhoff’s previous leadership positions with the Sauk County Development Corporation and Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce, he is also a past president of the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Executives and has served on boards for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Athens Institute for Organization Management, and the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin.

“I have dedicated much of my career to economic development efforts in south central Wisconsin, and I look forward to continuing my work in this new capacity,” comments Dalhoff. “I am committed to reinforcing existing ties and establishing new relationships with economic development partners across the eight-county Madison Region as we collectively work toward moving our economy forward.”
Dalhoff will begin his post at MadREP in mid-February 2013.

ABOUT GENE DALHOFF
Prior to joining MadREP in February 2013, Gene Dalhoff served as executive director of the Sauk County Development Corporation (SCDC). In that role, he promoted economic development efforts in Sauk County and SCDC member communities by facilitating business start-ups, job retention, company expansions, and recruitment of businesses. Before his tenure at SCDC, Dalhoff served as the executive director of the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce for fifteen years and before that as the director of community relations and marketing at a college, communications specialist with a state department of commerce, independent strategic planning facilitator/consultant, and account representative for a variety of periodicals. Dalhoff’s education includes a M.A. in anthropology and B.B.A. in business administration/marketing, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he is a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organizational Management program.  He has served on boards for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Athens Institute for Organization Management, the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, as president for the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Executives, and as a founding member of the Sauk County Institute of Leadership.  A product of the upper midwest, Dalhoff has resided in Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois in addition to living for eight years in Madison and seventeen years in the Baraboo area.  Dalhoff and his wife have three children and two well-fed, spoiled dogs.

ABOUT MadREP
MadREP is the economic development partnership for the eight-county Madison Region with a vision to create a dynamic environment where people and businesses prosper. In April 2012, MadREP launched Advance Now: Madison Region’s Strategy for Economic Growth, a comprehensive economic development strategy that serves as a consensus blueprint for the Madison Region’s collective economic development efforts. MadREP will partner with public- and private-sector entities from across the region to implement Advance Now during the years 2013-2017.The Madison Region includes Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, and Sauk counties.

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Excerpted from Janesville Gazette
By Stan Milam

Fast food fans who enjoy White Castle Sliders and McDonald’s Big Macs can thank a Whitewater manufacturer for the taste and consistency of the burgers.

Provisur Technologies is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of grinding machines used by processors who supply ground beef and other food products to the fast food industry. The grinders are precision machines built to exacting standards demanded by the fast food companies.

Provisur benefits from the vision of Tony Weiler. Sixty years ago, Weiler, the owner of a machine shop in Palmyra, saw a need for meat grinders to support area meat processors. Many of the grinders manufactured by Provisur still carry the Weiler brand…

Sales figures are not publicly shared, but Provisur had a good year in 2012, said Provisur plant manager Robin Hancock.

“I say good because 2011 was an extraordinary year,” he said. “But we remain strong and competitive.”

Read the full article.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation today announced certification of five emerging Wisconsin companies for Early Stage Business Investment tax credits.  WEDC certified:

• Kayo Technology, Inc, Madison;
• Wellbe, LLC, Madison;
• Wellintel, LLC, Shorewood;
• Mobileigniter, Inc., Madison;
• Nextt, Madison.

The Early Stage Business Investment program certifies companies as Qualified New Business Ventures, which makes investors in the company eligible for a 25 percent tax credit on the amount they invest in the business to assist the companies in raising early stage capital. Since the program’s inception in 2005, more than 215 companies have been certified through the program, leveraging $637 million in private investments.

Read the full article.

The Madison Region is included in a special advanced manufacturing section of the January 2013 issue of Site Selection magazine.

Excerpted from Site Selection

The eight-county region around Madison, Wisconsin – comprised of Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock and Sauk counties – is home to state government, a world-class university, and a diverse and rapidly expanding advanced manufacturing sector. This key industry honors our strong production heritage while embracing innovation and important research coming out of our university and technical college systems.

Read the full article.

The State of Wisconsin is also profiled in the issue.