Blueprint365

11/19/2024

The Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) announced in a press release Monday the resignation of its President and CEO, Jason Fields, effective December 1, 2024. Details:

Photo supplied. The Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) announced in a press release Monday the resignation of its President and CEO, Jason Fields, effective December 1, 2024. Fields has been with MadREP for four years. Under Fields’ leadership, MadREP has expanded its partner base, suppo...

11/12/2024

About 160 people attended the first-ever Wisconsin Indigenous Housing and Economic Development Agency conference, where more entrepreneurs than expected pitched business ideas and plans for future events already got underway. Omar Waheed has the recap:

Becky Albert-Breed (Cedar Growth) speaks on a panel as Cheryl Cloud (WINLF) listens. Photo supplied. A first of its kind conference on Indigenous housing and economic development was held in Bowler last week. Around 160 Native Americans from tribes all around the country came out to North Star Mohic...

10/29/2024

SPONSORED | Don't miss Murder Girl, a gripping new play debuting at Madison's Forward Theater from November 7-24! Written by Heidi Armbruster, this dark comedy mixes mystery, humor, and social commentary, exploring complex relationships and our struggle for connection in today’s world. Set in a remote Wisconsin supper club, Murder Girl invites audiences to question reality, trust, and community.

Discover more about this captivating whodunit at Madison365: Read the full article here

Special promotional content provided by Forward Theater Company. By Mike Fischer Late in Heidi Armbruster’s “Murder Girl,” the wickedly good whodunit receiving its world premiere through Forward Theater’s next production, a 30-something named LeeAnn marvels at how easily gossips turn “shre...

10/01/2024

Indigenous Biz Con returns to Milwaukee this month to bring Wisconsin’s Native American business community together. Details:

Photo courtesy Indigenous Business Group. Indigenous Biz Con (IBC) returns to Milwaukee this month to bring Wisconsin’s Native American business community together. This year’s theme will be “Revitalizing traditions, Driving innovation,” with opportunities  for Indigenous business owners to...

09/27/2024

CONGRATULATIONS to our founder and fearless leader, Henry Sanders, on being named one of the Madison area's POWER 100 by InBusiness Magazine!

09/20/2024

In Wisconsin, people of color are about half as likely than white people to own a business, and those businesses earn less on average.

Those are a few of the key takeaways from a study released earlier this year from University of Wisconsin Extension as part of The Wisconsin Economy series.

Graphic by Patrick Farabaugh. In Wisconsin, people of color are about half as likely than white people to own a business, and those businesses earn less on average. Those are a few of the key takeaways from a study released earlier this year from University of Wisconsin Extension as part of The Wisc...

09/10/2024

REGISTER NOW for the state's premier professional development, networking and community building event, produced by the team behind Madison365 and presented by UW Credit Union. Learn more about 365 Leadership Summit and its origins here, then register today!

The 365 Leadership Summit, billed as the state’s premier professional development, community building and networking event, got its start thanks to a basketball game. Madison365, a nonprofit media outlet focused on communities of color across Wisconsin, published its first list of Wisconsin’s mo...

09/04/2024

It's time again! Nominations for the sixth annual 365 Leadership Community Choice Awards are open NOW until September 20! Nominate your peers (or yourself) in one of 24 categories, from Rising Star to Salon of the Year to Athlete of the Year. Click here:

It's time for the sixth annual 365 Leadership Community Choice Awards - and we need YOU to tell us who should be in the running! Based on your nominations, we will announce finalists and people across Wisconsin will vote for the winners. When we say Community Choice, we mean it! Click the link

09/04/2024

Clothes with a message and a cause. Madison-based clothing brand Holy Godz merges spirituality and fresh fits to spread awareness and reach the youth with affordability and style. Kingston Robertson founded Holy Godz to following his own past troubles. Holy Godz is fueled by Robertson’s own faith and determination to find a better life, but his journey starts back in high school. Omar Waheed has the whole story here:

Clothes with a message and a cause. Madison-based clothing brand Holy Godz merges spirituality and fresh fits to spread awareness and reach the youth with affordability and style. Kingston Robertson founded Holy Godz to following his own past troubles. Holy Godz is fueled by Robertson’s own faith ...

09/03/2024

Pa Lee Moua holds a doctorate in Leadership Studies, has spent over 20 years in higher education, and over five years in K-12 leadership. Most recently, she was named the Executive Director of the Schreiber Institute for Women’s Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. But it wasn’t a steady, traditional path that brought her to these professional successes. In fact, when she was young, she didn’t even know if college was in the cards for her at all. Rodlyn-mae Banting has the full profile here:

Pa Lee Moua holds a doctorate in Leadership Studies, has spent over 20 years in higher education, and over five years in K-12 leadership. Most recently, she was named the Executive Director of the Schreiber Institute for Women’s Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. But it wasn’t ...

08/23/2024

NEW PODCAST: The Wisconsin Diverse Entreprise Network is a new platform designed to help big businesses find great vendors and help small businesses land big contracts. Beyond that, it offers mentorship and technical assistance to startups and small businesses across the state. A joint effort of the Ethnic and Diverse Business Coaltion (EDBC) and the New North, WiDEN hopes to have 1,000 businesses on the platform by the end of the year. Today, on a special episode of 365 Amplified, we talk to Marjorie Rucker of the EDBC and Glossy Bird Management owner Stephanie Comer. Her business has benefitted from WiDEN and she’s a member of the outreach team about the platform. She talks with us about how it works and how you can get involved. Listen here or your favorite podcast app!

Listen now: The Wisconsin Diverse Entreprise Network is a new platform designed to help big businesses find great vendors and help small businesses land big contracts. Beyond that, it offers mentorship and technical assistance to startups and small businesses across the state. A joint effort

08/23/2024

Tou Yeng Pheng Yang started The Official Cleaners and now employs two of his brothers and two of his sisters -- and they all manage to get along. With a growing client list, Yang is looking to become the best in Milwaukee. Robert Chappell reports:

Joseph Yang, Tou Yeng Pheng Yang, Johnny Yang. Photo by Glenda Mitchell. Tou Yeng Pheng Yang’s parents always stressed the importance of going to college. As salutatorian of his class at the Hmong American Peace Academy, Yang enrolled at Marquette, intent on becoming a dentist. Then, he had a real...

08/21/2024

An expo or art fair can be a big opportunity for a small business, but can also take a lot of time and effort. Our Rodlyn-mae Banting spoke to some event-organizing pros to get some tips and tricks to make the most of your vending experience.

Whether you’re new to the vending scene or have been participating in markets for years, there’s always room to streamline the process, from before you even submit an application all the way to breaking down your setup day-of. Blueprint365 spoke with Ashley Shaw Adams and Ollie DiPietro, the org...

08/21/2024

At the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Jamie Haack is the first Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and looks to make not only the art center but all of Sheboygan a place where Black & brown professionals can thrive. Rodlyn-mae Banting reports:

Photo supplied. The 2020 uprisings following former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd sparked a racial reckoning for many—individuals, communities, and institutions began to question their role in advancing racial justice, and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (...

08/20/2024

Kevin Wilmott II, a veteran of the Madison entertainment scene, opened Gamma Ray Bar June 1 at the spot once known as The Frequency, the Rainbow Room and Barleypop Live. He aims to create a space with a focus on inclusion: “I want Gamma Ray to become one of those legendary spots where rising stars get their chops, and where folks from all walks of life come to be entertained and inspired." He spoke with our Robert Chappell:

Kevin Wilmott II. Photo by Ian DeGraff. More often than you’d think, an entrepreneur isn’t a young up-and-comer just out of business school. Rather, most entrepreneurs spend a career getting really good at something, then do that thing for themselves. That’s the case with Kevin Willmot II – ...

08/19/2024

Shear Images by Carla moved downtown Appleton to accommodate the addition of the founder’s daughter, and became a gallery space for another daughter’s artwork. All three spoke with our Robert Chappell:

Carla, Allayah and Alexsis Manns. Photo by John Romero Nance. Allayah Manns didn’t expect to join the family business. Her parents came to Appleton from Mississippi in the early 1990s to plant a church, Appleton Sanctuary Outreach, where her paternal grandmother was senior pastor until she passed ...

08/15/2024

The tourism industry in "Indian Country" is growing -- and important to the state's overall tourism economu. In fact, international tourists who visit "Indian Countrry" stay longer and spend more, and new businesses are cropping up to make the most of it. Our Robert Chappell has this report:

Fishing guide Ryon Alloway is a relatively new entrant into the Native American tourism space. Photo by Patrick Farabaugh. Ryon Alloway’s dad wasn’t much of an outdoorsman, so it was his uncles and older cousins who took him out fishing on the lakes around Forest County in Northern Wisconsin. Wh...

08/14/2024

Stevens Alexis loved the idea of bringing a pedal pub to Manitowoc, but couldn't find the right one ... so he built his own. Omar Waheed has the story:

Photo by John Romero Nance. This story first appeared in Blueprint365's print edition. Request your complimentary copy at Blueprint365.org/Subscribe. Manitour Pedalers, a pedal pub tour company based in Manitowoc, started after Stevens Alexis and Sarah Musial took a trip to Madison in 2023. After se...