REGIONAL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
A package of
multi-million dollar federal EDA grants will support a 30,000-sq. foot business incubator in Portage's industrial park as well as mobile industrial training from Madison Area Technical College. In a broad sense, both projects are part of the federal government's efforts to help the area recover from the 2008 floods. The Portage project is projected to create 720 jobs and generate $25 million in private investment over its three-year duration. Reedsburg's grant was expected to create 600 jobs, Waterloo's 136.
Sample the pig! Mountin's Piggly Wiggly held Dodge County’s largest sample fest recently as part of
Thrive's work in value-added agriculture, promoting the local sales of locally-produced foods under the
Something Special from WisconsinTM brand. Check out the
video and the
pictures from the event.
On a related note, the State of Wisconsin is considering a bill to promote the local sales of locally-produced items.
Read more here.
The Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has developed a brief online questionnaire to provide an opportunity for the public to express their opinions about the
future of rail in Wisconsin. Responses to the questionnaire will contribute to the development of policies and recommendations for the Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030, the state’s long-range plan focused on freight, intercity passenger and commuter rail transportation. WisDOT will use the results of the questionnaire to help make decisions about the future of rail in Wisconsin. Click this link,
State Rail Plan 2030 Questionnaire, to enter and submit your responses. For more information on Wisconsin’s statewide rail plan: Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030, WisDOT Bureau of Planning & Economic Development, P.O. Box 7913, Madison, WI 53707; (608) 266-8108;
email; or
website.
Mentor Worldwide LLC's donation of a $16 million manufacturing facility to the new
Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will help fuel the nonprofit's mission of accelerating biomedical discoveries to delivery as treatments and cures.
Madison ag-tech company
Local Dirt has drawn investment from Peak Ridge Capital. Local Dirt is an agriculture logistics company that uses its unique software platform to help buyers and sellers access local food markets. Heather Hilleren, founder of Local Dirt, also noted Thrive's involvement in the success of this capital venture. “Thrive has had a long time partnership with Local Dirt. After development of the preliminary software, Thrive went out to get feedback from farmers, buyers and distributors to understand the needs of Wisconsin’s local food system. This feedback is what shaped what Local Dirt is today, helping hundreds of farmers and hundreds of businesses find and buy local food.”
The City of Madison and Madison citizens are rallying around
Madison's application to Google to become the chosen test city for
Google's ultra-high speed fiber network. Thrive is supporting the application by helping coordinate the City's video application. There are several ways you can get involved in this application process very quickly and easily--show your support by:
visit the madfiber.net website and entering your location on the pin map
visit the madfiber Flickr groups page to upload your video or photo supporting Google Fiber in Madison--you can also find video on the YouTube page
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