The Center for Michigan, 12.17.09
Nine months ago, Tera Johnson officially launched a dream, presiding over the first shift at her new $14 million Wisconsin Specialty Protein whey-processing plant in Reedsburg near the University of Wisconsin.
Johnson expects to generate $7 million in 2010 sales and is confident of a profit. She credits low-interest equipment loans and other forms community-based start-up support for helping nurture her new business amid an economic storm.
And starting a business near a university town, with its rich science, agribusiness and economic development resources, was an added boost for Johnson. It's a dynamic that entrepreneurs and leaders across the Big 10 region increasingly are trying to foster as a way to enrich and diversify the Midwest economy.
In the Madison market, an aggressive long-range strategy has aimed at growing young businesses without sacrificing quality-of-life factors that draw both an elite workforce and an educated, affluent consumer base.
Nine months ago, Tera Johnson officially launched a dream, presiding over the first shift at her new $14 million Wisconsin Specialty Protein whey-processing plant in Reedsburg near the University of Wisconsin.
Johnson expects to generate $7 million in 2010 sales and is confident of a profit. She credits low-interest equipment loans and other forms community-based start-up support for helping nurture her new business amid an economic storm.
And starting a business near a university town, with its rich science, agribusiness and economic development resources, was an added boost for Johnson. It's a dynamic that entrepreneurs and leaders across the Big 10 region increasingly are trying to foster as a way to enrich and diversify the Midwest economy.
In the Madison market, an aggressive long-range strategy has aimed at growing young businesses without sacrificing quality-of-life factors that draw both an elite workforce and an educated, affluent consumer base.