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.

Several businesses that started as pop-ups are making moves to established locations, to the benefit of Madison diners.F...
06/20/2025

Several businesses that started as pop-ups are making moves to established locations, to the benefit of Madison diners.

For sommelier MJ Hecox, owner of new wine bar GlouGlou, “this was NEVER — all caps — NEVER the plan,” she said. But her work running local wine events was so well-received, she made the decision to pursue a brick-and-mortar location.

GlouGlou, at 11 N. Allen St. on the near west side, was most recently The Heights cafe. In recent months, Cafe Domestique moved in — its third location — to serve coffee in the morning until 3 p.m. GlouGlou joined for evening pop-up events and now calls the space permanent.

The landlord and Heights owner Evan Gruzis was waiting for the right business partnership, Hecox said.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by IB Madison Staff
Photography (submitted photo)

In early 2022, as fundraising for The Center for Black Excellence and Culture was in its early stages, Dr. Alex Gee lame...
06/19/2025

In early 2022, as fundraising for The Center for Black Excellence and Culture was in its early stages, Dr. Alex Gee lamented the lack of cultural grounding or space that feels like a cultural home for Madison’s Black residents, one that tells the story of their transcendence, survival, and perseverance.

“Those things aren’t told and when they aren’t, you don’t feel like a space is home,” hold told IB Madison.

With today’s announcement that the center’s capital campaign has reached its $31 million capital campaign goal for a fully funded, debt-free facility, Black residents will finally have such a space and perhaps local business operators will have more success in recruiting and retaining Black employees.

That’s not the main reason for pursuing this project, but it could be one of the ancillary benefits. The main reason, as Gee explained in a press conference and tour of the facility, is for Black Madisonians to have another space of their own to work, socialize, learn, and flourish.

The official announcement came on Juneteenth Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, and comes one year after ground was broken on the new center, located at 655 W. Badger Road. More than 500 people were in attendance that day, and the sense of anticipation for the center’s December 2025 opening is building as the finishing touches are put on the facility.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Joe Vanden Plas
Photograph by Patricio Crooker

In the heart of downtown Madison, a new construction project is challenging conventional building methods while addressi...
06/18/2025

In the heart of downtown Madison, a new construction project is challenging conventional building methods while addressing urban housing needs. Madison native Nate Helbach, co-founder and CEO of Neutral and not yet 30 years old, is spearheading the adoption of mass timber construction with his 517 W. Main St. project.

“This project is a rare example of ‘middle housing’ bringing gentle infill density to the urban downtown,” Helbach said in an email interview. “Historically, urban zoning in the United States prioritized either high-rise apartment developments or single-family home zones,” rather than focusing on medium-density housing.

The 517 W. Main St. development will include 33 rental apartments, ranging from studios to two-bedroom units, to downtown Madison’s housing inventory. The four-story building includes underground parking and will feature a café on the ground floor. Construction began in fall 2024 after the property was acquired earlier that year, and is expected to be finished in August.

Despite recent zoning changes across many U.S. cities aimed at promoting smaller multi-dwelling projects, few developers pursue these opportunities due to their complexity relative to their size, Helbach noted.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Jason Busch
Photography by Neutral

President Donald Trump’s April executive orders aimed at reinvigorating what he called “America’s beautiful clean coal i...
06/16/2025

President Donald Trump’s April executive orders aimed at reinvigorating what he called “America’s beautiful clean coal industry” might not have the desired effects thanks to the changing economics of energy, according to local energy executives and environmental advocates alike.

The orders, which will likely face a court challenge, are so sweeping they appear designed to take the country back to the regulatory framework in existence before the Obama administration began the transition away from coal. But with hundreds of coal-fired power plant closings having already taken place, and more being planned, their economic viability is an open question.

Environmental groups charged the orders, if fully implemented, would increase pollution, carbon emissions and utility bills for homeowners and businesses.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Joe Vanden Plas
Photography by iStoc

While Judy Faulkner is best known as the billionaire founder and CEO of Epic Systems, she is also an enthusiastic suppor...
06/13/2025

While Judy Faulkner is best known as the billionaire founder and CEO of Epic Systems, she is also an enthusiastic supporter of the arts — and has made routine visits to Madison’s annual Art Fair on the Square to acquire works for the company’s immense Verona campus.

I recently came across a post on Instagram where Madison artist Joseph Taylor, who works with reclaimed wood and creates sprawling nature landscapes, underwater worlds and fantastical space scenes, shared that has officially become the largest collector of his work — most recently making a major acquisition for its Sci-Fi building.

The electronic health records company’s themed campuses, including the Wizards Academy, the Storybook campus (with buildings inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” and other tales) and the Farm campus, which includes a barn, are open for prescheduled, self-guided tours. Visitors will also find a treehouse and the former Ella’s Deli carousel housed on the Epic campus.

The company sees these unique spaces as a way to encourage innovation and productivity in its employees, a philosophy noted in a recent Harvard Business School case study about the company, which Joe Vanden Plas wrote about for this month’s issue.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Katie Dean
Photograph by Kim Bauer
Artwork by Joseph Taylor

Curiosity and a can-do attitude catapulted Brenda DeVita to her leadership role at American Players Theatre, where for o...
06/11/2025

Curiosity and a can-do attitude catapulted Brenda DeVita to her leadership role at American Players Theatre, where for over three decades she has worked to instill a deep sense of community and encourage the candid exchange of ideas across all levels of the organization.

Driven by a zeal for classic theater and language, DeVita has aimed to preserve the mission of the nearly 50-year-old company to reach broad audiences with an emphasis on Shakespearean works, and also to expand APT’s goal to incorporate more diverse voices, increasing its focus on equitability. Her transformational leadership has centered on programs that increase employees' sense of belonging and empowerment, while amplifying the scope of APT's shows for broader representation and more universal appeal.

As ATP gears up for its new season — starting this month with William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and continuing through November with a mix of classic and contemporary shows — DeVita looks back on a storied career and forward to cultivating the next generation of talent.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Brittney Kenaston
Photograph by Patricio Crooker

Meet IB Madison's Professional for the Month for June! It's Ben Engelke, director of business development for JP Cullen....
06/10/2025

Meet IB Madison's Professional for the Month for June! It's Ben Engelke, director of business development for JP Cullen. In addition to his biz dev work -- which he calls the high point of his career so far -- he also loves to bake with his kids and "nerd it up" playing tabletop role-playing games like D&D.

Read more about Ben at ibmadison.com.

At a time when the founders of Apple and Microsoft saw their net worth expand exponentially following initial public off...
06/09/2025

At a time when the founders of Apple and Microsoft saw their net worth expand exponentially following initial public offerings, Epic Systems CEO Judy Faulkner was determined to keep her company private.

This and other key judgment calls are explored in a new case study from Harvard Business School chronicling the history of Epic Careers, the Verona electronic health records (EHR) giant. “Epic: The Future of Health Information Technology,” was published in March and speaks to the company’s pioneering position.

Authors Regina Herzlinger, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, and Brian Walker, an executive fellow there, recount the history of medical records and Epic’s role in the transition to electronic records.

They declined to be interviewed for this article. Faulkner, who leads a company with over $4.9 billion in annual revenue, 14,000 global employees and which has played a significant role in the Madison area’s economic growth, also declined to be interviewed.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Joe Vanden Plas
Photograph by Kim Bauer

Exact Sciences Chairman and CEO Kevin Conroy delivered a message about the company’s scientific and business journey Thu...
06/06/2025

Exact Sciences Chairman and CEO Kevin Conroy delivered a message about the company’s scientific and business journey Thursday, describing it as an evolution that may not have happened without federally funded university research.

Conroy, who gave the keynote address during the annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference at Monona Terrace, said partnerships established with the Mayo Clinic, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Epic Systems have contributed to Exact Sciences’ emergence as a global leader in cancer diagnostics.

The two-day conference, presented by the Wisconsin Technology Council, explored the ripple effects of recent cuts to federal research grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health, among other topics. Many of the grants support university research, which Conroy said is embedded in the cancer screening products being developed by Exact Sciences, a firm he has led since 2009.

It has been 16 years since the once failing and nearly defunct firm was moved from Boston, Massachusetts, to Madison. In that time, Conroy has led the company through the development and commercialization of Cologuard — its non-invasive colorectal cancer screening test which has been used to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC) 19 million times since its launch in 2014 — and other screening products designed to detect cancer at earlier and more treatable stages.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Joe Vanden Plas
Photograph by Joe Vanden Plas

06/04/2025

Do you know a financial or technology leader who deserves recognition? The nomination window is closing fast!⏰
Nominate here by June 6: https://www.ibmadison.com/events/executive-excellence/nominate/

The Executive Excellence: Finance & Technology Awards is presented by Forvis Mazars US. It is sponsored by JG Development and UMB Bank. It is supported by Johnson Financial Group and WICPA.

On the quest for the perfect nonalcoholic Old Fashioned, Firoz Khimani took to heart the adage, “If at first you don’t s...
06/04/2025

On the quest for the perfect nonalcoholic Old Fashioned, Firoz Khimani took to heart the adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” In fact, it took him over 100 taste tests to land on a recipe deemed just right.

Khimani founded Fitchburg-based Mock and Co. in 2024 with a narrow focus and high standards for quality control. The company’s sole product, the Wisconsin Old Fashioned, is produced in small batches, and Khimani tastes each batch himself.

Launching a small canned beverage business hasn’t been easy, but Mock and Co.’s goals for controlled growth, slow expansion of its product line and prioritization of local and regional relationships are paying off.

Mock and Co.’s signature product was largely inspired by Khimani’s personal experience seeking nonalcoholic beverages that were both tasty and easily enjoyed in social settings — beverages he said there is a dearth of right now.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Brittney Kenaston
Photograph by Patricio Crooker

A colorful, butterfly-like mural on a new building encapsulates the Bayview development’s cultural diversity and communi...
06/03/2025

A colorful, butterfly-like mural on a new building encapsulates the Bayview development’s cultural diversity and community connection. It’s a place where people come together, according to resident Amelia Corea and her husband Jose, who said they helped name the mural “La Mariposa de la Vida” (“The Butterfly of Life”).

Redeveloping the site at the corner of West Washington Avenue and Regent Street has been a long time coming, said Alexis London, executive director of the Bayview Foundation Inc. The nearly 60-year-old nonprofit organization provides housing and social services for its residents, creating a safe, stable and connected community.

The original housing structures, built in the 1970s, offered affordable units but lacked much-needed infrastructure and amenities, so in 2018, the nonprofit’s leadership put together a team that envisioned a newer, brighter Bayview. Years of planning and design work and three-and-a-half years of construction went into the project. Central to each step were the voices of residents — voices London said are often underrepresented in redevelopments like these.

“We all had (a say) about what we wanted, what we would like to see,” said resident Assita Diarra. “What would be realistic, and what could be kind of a dream.”

That community engagement, coupled with the nonprofit’s unique programming and services, have created a neighborhood that bolsters Madison’s affordable housing, celebrates cultural diversity and gives Bayview residents a sense of belonging.

Read more at ibmadison.com.

Written by Brittney Kenaston
Photography by Sharon Vanorny

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