Economic Development

Hundreds Gathered at Monona Terrace to Celebrate Economic Development + Diversity

Jessica Reilly · Sep 2, 2022 ·

The 2022 Madison Region Economic & Development Diversity Summit returned for an in-person summit for the first time since 2019. After a three year wait, the Madison Region Economic Partnership and the Urban League of Madison gathered professionals from the Madison Region together to discuss pressing topics at the intersection of diversity & inclusion and economic development.

The 9th annual summit featured nationally renowned keynote speakers, engaging breakout sessions, and thought-provoking conversations that inspired, educated, and challenged attendees on issues of workforce, community, and economic development.

The morning was kicked off by the first keynote speaker, the award-winning novelist and poet Javier Ávila, who performed his one-man show “The Trouble with My Name.” The performance incorporated comedy, poetry, and clever storytelling highlighting the American Latino experience and the difficulties he faced when relocating from his native Puerto Rico to the unfamiliar state of Pennsylvania. The performance provides a fascinating perspective of American Latinos who struggle to dispel misconceptions about their identity and place in the world. One of the biggest difficulties he faced was having his name pronounced correctly by his peers. Dr. Ávila informed attendees that names, like our culture and our heritage, matter too much to live in ignorance.

In between speakers several breakout sessions were held by economic development leaders of the Madison Region. Topics covered included racial disparities in home ownership, addressing cultural conflict in the workplace, creating spaces for people to thrive, financial literacy in the workplace, providing equitable career-based learning, and the South Madison renaissance.

The day was capped off by an energetic keynote presentation from Justin Jones-Fosu, CEO of Work. Meaningful. Justin taught attendees how to apply everyday diversity that leads to collaboration and innovation on a deeper level. We can leverage the power of listening to appreciate and apply different perspectives that create sustainable cultures of high-performance amongst employees in the workplace.

If you missed out on this highly educational and inspirational experience, we hope you’ll join us for the 10th annual Madison Region Economic Development & Diversity Summit in May of 2023!

WCLO: Rock County Jumpstart hosts Black Business Month luncheon

Jessica Reilly · Jul 22, 2022 ·

WCLO

Rock County’s black businesses accelerator is highlighting the good work done by local individuals to foster the growth of Black and Latino-owned businesses.

Rock County Jumpstart Executive Director Genia Stevens says Madison Region Economic Partnership President and CEO Jason Fields will be the keynote speaker for the annual Black Business Luncheon.

Stevens says the event will take place at noon on August 12th at the Beloit Historical Society.

Stevens says several awards will be given out, including the Legacy Award, Business of the Year, Lotus Award, Peer Mentor of the Year, and Mentor of the Year.

While the tickets – which include lunch from Backyard Barbecue – are free, they do need to be reserved in advance on the Rock County Jump Start website.

Originally published on wclo.com.

Reserve Tickets Here

Justin Jones-Fosu to Speak on Sustainable Excellence and Bring Passion to Your Work

Jessica Reilly · Jul 20, 2022 ·

Justin Jones-Fosu MBA, CSP, is a full-time father with ventures in keynote speaking, social entrepreneurship, and meaningful work research. Currently, Jones-Fosu is the founder and CEO of Work. Meaningful. where he works to help others shift their perspective on their own work from finding work that they are passionate about to bringing passion to the work they are currently doing.

Jones-Fosu’s inspiration to start Work. Meaningful. came from his own experiences working in the business world. He started a dishwashing business at 14 and eventually landed a leadership position at a top financial firm.

At his firm, Jones-Fosu began experiencing the same workplace emotions that plague much of the workforce today – wondering whether there was any meaning to his work and looking forward to the weekend and vacations more than going to work. To combat this, Jones-Fosu asked himself two questions: “Who is the only person I can control?” and “What do I want to get out of this experience?”

These two questions helped shift Jones-Fosu’s perspective and his approach to work. Once he made the shift from trying to find his passion to being passionate about where he was at, the promotions and leadership positions began coming in droves.

After more than a decade in leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies, Jones-Fosu, pivoted to using his experience and research to help organizations create new rhythms of sustainable excellence, profitability, and engagement to inspire peak performance, well-being and empowerment for their employees.

Be sure to experience Justin Jones-Fosu’s dynamic and engaging presentation at the Madison Region Economic Development & Diversity Summit taking place on Tuesday, August 16 at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center (One John Nolen Drive, Madison, 53703) from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Tickets are on sale now at madisonregionsummit.com.

Javier Ávila to Bring His Unique Blend of Social Justice and Storytelling to the 2022 Summit

Jessica Reilly · Jun 27, 2022 ·

The 9th annual Madison Region Economic Development & Diversity Summit returns for an in-person gathering of business and community leaders committed to advancing workforce diversity, social justice and economic inclusion. Hosted by MadREP and the Urban League of Greater Madison, participants will hear from dynamic national, regional, and local speakers while engaging in ample networking opportunities.

One of the featured keynote speakers at the Summit will be Dr. Javier Ávila. Dr. Ávila is a man of many talents, all of which are on display in his one-man show, “The Trouble with My Name”, where he skillfully combines poetry and comedy to shed light on the American Latino experience.

While Dr. Ávila’s show has been a raging success with 150 shows in 22 different states, he has also experienced success in other avenues, most notably in academia where he was the first Latino to be named Professor of the Year for the state of Pennsylvania. Dr. Ávila is also an award-winning novelist having won the ICP Book of the Year Award and the Pen Club Book of the Year Award for his novels El Papel del Difunto and La Simetría del Tiempo, respectively. This will be Dr. Ávila’s first performance in Wisconsin.

The Madison Region Economic Development & Diversity Summit will take place on Tuesday, August 16^th at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center (One John Nolen Drive, Madison, 53703) from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at this link. Purchase your tickets by July 1st to take advantage of the early bird special. On July 2^nd, ticket prices will increase from $199 to $249.

Reserve Your Spot Today!

Business Facilities | STEM Leaders: This Will Be On The Test

Jessica Reilly · Jun 7, 2022 ·

Business Facilities | Nora Caley

Madison, WI: Helping Students Get An Early Start

To help students discover if STEM courses interest them, in 2015 the Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) launched Inspire Madison Region, a software component of the web-based program Xello, which the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) made available to all public school districts. While Xello allows students to learn about specific occupations based on interests and abilities, the Inspire Madison Region component enables students to connect via the interactive platform with mentors and career coaches. Students also participate in job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships at local employers.

“Through the connections Inspire provides, MadREP is facilitating student awareness of local career opportunities and growing the future workforce in the Madison region,” said Gene Dalhoff, Vice President of Talent and Education. Through Inspire Madison Region, 70,000 students can connect with 500 career coaches as well as over 400 companies, many of which offer career-based learning experiences for students.

Another MadREP and Wisconsin DPI program, Wisconsin Pathways—Madison Region, is a region-wide effort to deliver high-quality career pathways in high schools. The pathways focus on occupations associated with high-skill, in-demand industry sectors. Students complete a pathway by taking a sequence of aligned courses, earning an industry-recognized credential, enrolling in dual college credit classes, participating in career-based and work-based learning experiences, and accessing related Career and Technical Education (CTE) student organizations.

Dalhoff said the pathways offer benefits for high school students and for employers. Students gain education and training that align with the needs of the local job market, and a high school diploma with at least one industry-recognized credential. Employers gain partnerships with a greater number of schools.

Another recent effort is the expansion of Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) in school districts throughout the Madison Region. Fab Labs provide the physical space, equipment, instruction, teamwork, and other resources necessary for students to explore STEM-related topics and engage in projects.

MadREP is working to engage with even more students in the region. “Looking to the future, we will prioritize growing opportunities to support the BIPOC community through economic development strategies and policies that prioritize funding STEM-related endeavors,” said Jason M. Fields, MadREP’s President and CEO. “Students of color need to see themselves reflected in the industry to believe it is possible.”

Originally published on BusinessFacilities.com.

Economic Development

Madison, WI: Helping Students Get An Early Start

Madison RegionEconomic Partnership

Madison Region
Economic Partnership