Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

Madison is getting a new tech business accelerator: gener8tor.

Its goal: To provide money and mentoring to young tech companies early on, before they’ve gotten any other outside investment, and give them a running start, said Joe Kirgues, a co-founder of gener8tor.

Gener8tor has offices in Madison, at 1 E. Main St., and in Milwaukee. It picks up where 94Labs left off; 94Labs also had Madison and Milwaukee offices and closed its doors in March after about a year.

In fact, two of gener8tor’s organizers, Kirgues and Joel Abraham, were with 94Labs. Joining them in the new project are Dan Armbrust, president of Granite Microsystems, and Troy Vosseller, founder of Sconnie Beer and co-founder of Sconnie Nation.

“We got together and decided we wanted to work to help startups in the state,” said Kirgues, a Milwaukee native and a UW-Madison law school graduate.

Like 94Labs, gener8tor offers an intense, 12-week “seed” mentorship for companies chosen to participate then moves promising businesses into a longer, 12-month to 30-month accelerator program.

Read the full article

   

MadREP was named the gold winner in the “Best Economic Development Agency” category at Corporate Report Wisconsin’s 2012 Best of Wisconsin Business Awards.

Nearly 3,000 Corporate Report Wisconsin readers cast their votes online to determine the top three Wisconsin businesses in each of 25 categories. MadREP was honored among fellow category nominees The New North and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Develompent Authority (WHEDA).

MadREP and the other winning organizations received their awards at a luncheon on Friday, June 8 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison. The ceremony was emceed by Roger Putnam, co-founder and chief exectuive officer of Putnam Roby Willamson Communications.

 

MadREP Interim Executive Vice President Jenn Post Tyler accepting our Best of Wisconsin Business Award.

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Gayle Worland

The amount of money that nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Dane County — and their audiences — poured into the local economy in 2010 was nearly double that of many other communities of comparable size, according to a new national study.

Groups ranging from tiny dance companies to the region’s symphony orchestra helped generate more than $145.5 million, compared to the median $78 million spent in similar communities with populations of 250,000 to 500,000 people, according to “Arts and Economic Prosperity IV,” touted as the largest study ever of its kind.

The study also found that audience members for arts events, performances and museum exhibitions in Dane County spent on average $26.21 beyond the price of a ticket for things such as transportation, meals and souvenirs. For attendees who come from outside Dane County, that additional spending figure rose to $43.78.

The $145 million economic input total “is exciting,” said MadREP interim executive vice president Jennifer Post Tyler, who along with other local officials will be unveiling the study results in a press conference Monday.

“It’s a recognition of how this sector has grown in our county,” she said. “And I think there’s still potential for these organizations to continue to generate more economic impact.”

Read the full article

• Read the full Arts & Economic Prosperity IV study
• View the summary of findings

The President and CEO of MadREP will be a proven, highly-skilled leader in the field, with extensive experience implementing comprehensive community and economic development strategies and bringing diverse local leaders and constituencies together in a public-private partnership for sustainable success. The President and CEO will demonstrate the highest levels of integrity, honesty, and openness to create strong and enduring relationships with key leaders in the local, county, state and federal arenas.

Download the full job description or visit The QTI Group website.

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

The 2012 Greater Madison Area High-Tech Directory is out, and it lists 580 companies in the technology field, including computer hardware and software, bioscience and medical devices.

About 30,300 jobs, or 10 percent of the region’s workforce, is in the high-tech area, according to a survey by Madison Gas & Electric, which compiles the directory, including about 1,500 jobs added between 2007 and 2011.

Read the full article