In Business Madison

In Business Madison Celebrating more than 47 years of editorial excellence, In Business Madison is the premier business media outlet serving Wisconsin's Capital Region.

Sign up for a free subscription at ibmadison.com! In Business Madison is the premier business media outlet serving Wisconsin's capital region. Celebrating more than 45 years of editorial excellence, our nationally acclaimed editorial department covers the companies and people shaping the business community through news, analysis, and in-depth profiles — online and in print. We provide interview-st

yle reporting on business best practices by industry, as well as profiling new businesses in the marketplace and honoring the stakeholders who built the business community with awards programs and special events. IB also publishes a morning and afternoon e-newsletter every weekday featuring the latest local, regional, and national business news stories.

Our community is full of inspiring nonprofit organizations working tirelessly to serve Dane County and now you can help ...
11/26/2025

Our community is full of inspiring nonprofit organizations working tirelessly to serve Dane County and now you can help make an even bigger impact. Explore our annual Nonprofit Wish List from the 2025–26 In Business Madison Guide to Giving and see the specific items, volunteers and in-kind support local organizations need to continue their missions.

Whether you’re an individual donor, a business looking to give back or simply hoping to lend a hand, there’s meaningful work to be done. Let’s come together and turn wish lists into realities.

🔗 https://www.ibmadison.com/industries/nonprofit_wishlist/

Featured in the nonprofit profiles:
• Canopy Center Inc.
• Catholic Charities Diocese of Madison
• Chrysalis, Inc
• Focused Interruption
• GiGi's Playhouse - Madison
• Girl Scouts of Wisconsin - Badgerland Council
• Make-A-Wish Wisconsin
• Mercy Dental Missions
• Northside Planning Council
• Olbrich Botanical Gardens
• Operation Fresh Start
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul - Madison
• The Playing Field
• The River Food Pantry
• The Salvation Army of Dane County
• United Way of Dane County
• Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
• Wisconsin Early Childhood Association

Photograph by Sharon Vanorny

Heads up, Madison! Ticket sales for the 2025 Business of the Year Awards end December 5. If you want to be in the room w...
11/25/2025

Heads up, Madison! Ticket sales for the 2025 Business of the Year Awards end December 5. If you want to be in the room when the winners are announced on December 11 at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, now’s the moment to lock in your spot.

🔗 Secure your tickets today: https://www.ibmadison.com/events/business-of-the-year-awards/

At a time when retiring baby boomers are stressing the labor needs of key sectors such as manufacturing and construction...
11/25/2025

At a time when retiring baby boomers are stressing the labor needs of key sectors such as manufacturing and construction, the latest figures on Wisconsin’s efforts to prepare young people for occupations in these industries bodes well for the state economy.

According to the recent study, “Mastering Apprenticeships: Wisconsin’s Efforts to Prepare Skilled Workers,” by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, participation in Wisconsin’s registered and youth apprenticeship programs soared to record levels in 2024, and its per capita concentration of registered apprentices compares favorably to most other states.

As of January, Wisconsin ranked 11th nationally with 2.4 apprentices per 1,000 residents, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

With that ratio, Wisconsin outpaced both the 50-state median of 1.7 and the neighboring states of Illinois (1.7), Minnesota (2) and Michigan (2.1). Among contiguous states, Wisconsin lagged only Iowa, which has 3 active apprentices per 1,000 residents.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Joe Vanden Plas
Photograph by Getty Images

Many Wisconsin companies rely on H-1B visas to hire employees in specialty occupations. On Friday, Sept. 19, President T...
11/24/2025

Many Wisconsin companies rely on H-1B visas to hire employees in specialty occupations. On Friday, Sept. 19, President Trump signed a presidential proclamation imposing a new $100,000 fee on some petitions for H‑1B work visas. This proclamation, “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” took effect on Sunday, Sept. 21.

The text of the proclamation does not clearly address every H‑1B scenario. Immigration experts still have many questions about its application, and interpretation of the proclamation is still evolving in some areas. The information below is based on the proclamation text and clarifications issued by the White House and three relevant government agencies prior to Sept. 24, 2025.

The proclamation applies only to H‑1B petitions filed after Sept. 21, 2025, for foreign workers (“beneficiaries”) who are outside of the U.S. at the time of H‑1B petition filing, with some exemptions for beneficiaries working in the national interest.

The $100,000 fee must be paid in addition to regular H‑1B petition filing fees (typically $3,380 for large private employers), and it is due at the time of initial H‑1B petition filing. It is not an annual subscription fee, as announced when the proclamation was signed.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Nicole S. Schram

When 250,000 visitors descended on Green Bay for the NFL Draft last spring, they experienced something that many Wiscons...
11/21/2025

When 250,000 visitors descended on Green Bay for the NFL Draft last spring, they experienced something that many Wisconsin residents still lack: seamless, reliable internet connectivity.

The $21 million network investment that powered that event represents more than infrastructure. It’s a blueprint for addressing one of our state’s most pressing economic challenges.

Nearly 22% of Wisconsin residents still lack access to reliable internet, leaving over 421,000 homes and businesses unserved or underserved, according to a November 2024 Wisconsin Public Radio report.

That places Wisconsin among the states with the lowest (45th) broadband access in the nation. While rural areas bear the brunt of Wisconsin’s digital divide, urban areas are not immune, as nearly 27% of Milwaukee households still lack reliable internet access, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in April 2023.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Andy Brady

🥁 Drumroll, please… We’re excited to announce the finalists for this year’s Business of the Year Awards! Congratulations...
11/20/2025

🥁 Drumroll, please… We’re excited to announce the finalists for this year’s Business of the Year Awards! Congratulations to the incredible organizations recognized for their leadership and impact. We can’t wait to celebrate with you at the awards ceremony when the winners take the stage!

👉 Check out our finalists: https://www.ibmadison.com/events/business-of-the-year-awards/

👉 Get your tickets: https://pro.pickurtix.com/e/ib-business-of-the-year/tickets

The 2025 In Business Madison Business of the Year Awards, taking place Dec. 11 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, are presented by SVA, A Professional Services Company, with major support from Old National Bank and the Wisconsin Family Business Center, and additional support from Stafford Rosenbaum LLP.

Abbott and Exact Sciences announced a definitive agreement on Thursday for Abbott to acquire Exact Sciences in a deal wo...
11/20/2025

Abbott and Exact Sciences announced a definitive agreement on Thursday for Abbott to acquire Exact Sciences in a deal worth $21 billion.

Madison's Exact Sciences is a cancer screening and precision oncology diagnostics company that developed Cologuard and Oncotype DX tests. With the acquisition, the companies plan to “accelerate innovation, expand access to life-changing diagnostics and help more people detect and manage cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages,” Exact Sciences said in a statement.

As of 8:37 a.m. Central, Exact Sciences soared 17.8% to $101.51 while Abbott fell on the news and then recovered some of those losses, down around 1% overall to $125.35.

The Wall Street Journal called the deal “among the biggest in life sciences this year.”

Exact Sciences Cologuard test has become a leader in the market for its noninvasive colorectal cancer screening process.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Photograph by Paul Escalante / UW–Madison Biochemistry

For 58 years, the Alliant Energy Center’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum has been the stage for concerts, sporting events, f...
11/19/2025

For 58 years, the Alliant Energy Center’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum has been the stage for concerts, sporting events, family shows and memories that come with them.

With those memories fading in an admittedly dated venue, Dane County is seeking a private sector partner to provide capital investment and lead major renovations to the Coliseum. Redevelopment proposals are due Nov. 21.

Modernizing the Coliseum won’t come cheap. An analysis by real estate consultant Hunden Partners, a destination real estate development consultant, said renovations could cost about $125 million. Without them, by 2030, the venue is projected to lose over $1 million per year.

With renovations, however, the facility would generate over $1 million in yearly profit, according to Hunden Partners.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Joe Vanden Plas
Photography courtesy of Alliant Energy Center

People are literally running out the door at Fontana Sports Specialties — the venerable, locally owned outdoor store on ...
11/18/2025

People are literally running out the door at Fontana Sports Specialties — the venerable, locally owned outdoor store on Henry Street, directly off of Madison’s State Street — but the exodus is for a cause.

Each week, starting in the spring and running through the fall, Fontana hosts a Wednesday run for $5 per person, with the proceeds going to some of Madison’s well-known nonprofit organizations. The regular event debuted in 2025, and plans are for it to continue.

“For decades Fontana Sports has taken pride in getting people outdoors and supporting our community,” said owner Elizabeth Ganser, whose grandparents started the business in the southern Wisconsin town of Fontana, back in 1949, originally as a military surplus store.

“The weekly $5 5K was an idea to show people you can absolutely get outdoors and be active in a downtown setting. There's no better setting than our downtown Madison,” Ganser said. “Anytime we can get people outdoors doing something active that promotes community, it's a great win.”

The Fontana Run, which begins at 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday from Fontana’s storefront at 216 N. Henry St., started May 7 as a fundraiser for the Groundswell Conservancy, whose mission is to preserve and protect natural green places in Wisconsin. From there, Ganser’s store hosted runs to benefit other area environmental groups such as the Ice Age Trail Alliance, the River Alliance of Wisconsin and the Clean Lakes Alliance.

(Additional organizations referenced in the story include Dane County Humane Society (), Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin, Centro Hispano of Dane County, FairShare CSA Coalition and Active Youth Wisconsin.)

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Scott Ball
Photography courtesy of Scott Ball

On a recent October afternoon, I stopped by Madison College’s Goodman South campus for a reception for the new president...
11/14/2025

On a recent October afternoon, I stopped by Madison College’s Goodman South campus for a reception for the new president of the school, Jennifer Berne. Community members and business leaders — including folks from UW Health, the Urban League of Greater Madison , One City Schools, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and many more — were all on hand to welcome and hear from the new president.

Berne shared that since July, she has been busy visiting all seven Madison College campuses in the 12-county district — the school has locations in Fort Atkinson, Portage, Reedsburg and Watertown, in addition to Madison — for her “100 Conversations” initiative. Berne has met with workforce, community and education partners, staff, students and others to gain their diverse perspectives and learn about their needs.

Creating a shared sense of identity among all of the campuses is one of her goals, Berne said, in addition to ensuring that students complete their degrees.

“Students do not realize the benefit of higher wages, healthier families and community vibrancy, if they only access and complete courses,” Berne said. “To truly realize that potential… and create the opportunity for equity among all subgroups in a population, students must complete a course of study, a degree or certificate or the first 60 credits of a baccalaureate degree.”

Berne said the college’s first responsibility “is to shepherd students toward completion. This is what our community, those who fund us, those who support us, like you, like me, expect and should demand.”

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Katie Dean

🏗️ Big ideas are being built!The In Business Madison Real Estate & Construction Symposium, presented by Reinhart Boerner...
11/13/2025

🏗️ Big ideas are being built!
The In Business Madison Real Estate & Construction Symposium, presented by Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. with supporting sponsor Hooper Corporation, will bring together industry leaders, developers and professionals who are shaping the future of our region’s skyline and communities. Join us in February 2026 — event details and registration information coming soon!

With roughly 30 years under his belt at local manufacturer Stoughton Trailers, including more than a decade at its helm,...
11/12/2025

With roughly 30 years under his belt at local manufacturer Stoughton Trailers, including more than a decade at its helm, President and CEO Bob Wahlin is looking to secure the future of the business his family founded for the next generation.

With plans to keep the business under family ownership, Wahlin is confident that Stoughton Trailers, LLC — which makes dry vans, refrigerated trailers, grain trailers and more — is well-positioned to weather immediate challenges like tariffs and a freight recession.

In fact, with a recently completed new headquarters, the company is anticipating better years ahead for the next crop of leaders and employees.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Brittney Kenaston
Photograph by Patricio Crooker

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