Category: Archived Press Releases
Photo by Richard Hurd
Chamber Announces Madison Common Council Endorsements
MADISON – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced today its endorsement decisions for Madison Common Council. With representation from some of Greater Madison’s most prominent – as well as emerging – companies, an endorsement from the Chamber Board signals a candidate’s strength on business issues and vision to grow Madison’s economy.
Chamber President Zach Brandon noted that the Spring Election will be an important instrument in determining the future course of Greater Madison’s economy.
“This is an important time in Madison’s history and we need to be sure our elected leaders are focused on helping us seize this unique moment and reach our fullest potential,” said Brandon. “We are energized and grateful to the many qualified and passionate individuals who are seeking to serve our city and support the growth of its diverse business community.”
The Chamber endorsed the following candidates for Madison Common Council:
| District 1: Matt Brink | District 9: Paul Skidmore | District 14: John Strasser |
| District 3: Amanda Hall | District 10: Maurice Cheeks | District 17: Joe Clausius |
| District 5: Shiva Bidar-Sielaff | District 11: Chris Schmidt | District 18: Peng Her |
| District 7: Steve King | District 12: Larry Palm | District 19: Mark Clear |
| District 8: Zach Wood | District 13: Sara Eskrich | District 20: Matt Phair |
While many of the candidates on the list are incumbents who received Chamber endorsements in previous elections, there are several new candidates that bring their own focused lens to economic development and business both within their respective districts and throughout the region. The Chamber did not endorse in every race. In some cases, no endorsement was made because more than one candidate met criteria for endorsement. A good example is District 16, where two candidates – Denise DeMarb and Tiffany Tobias – have a positive agenda for business and economic growth.
Similar to the 2013 Spring Election, the Chamber’s endorsement decisions closely mirror candidates endorsed by the Building Trades of South Central Wisconsin. Brandon was pleased by the positive statement the candidate alignment represents for the endorsed candidates.
“Both the Chamber and our friends at the Building and Construction Trades are focused on improving our economic competitiveness to support our unparalleled quality of life here in Madison,” said Brandon. “An endorsement by both the business community and private sector unions is truly a powerful statement that an individual is committed to help Madison’s employers and employees prosper.”
Attached is the press release from the Building and Construction Trades Council regarding their candidate endorsements.
About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with more than 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 8,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.
Contact: Gillean Kitchen, Director of Advocacy, at 608-443-1963
Click here for an electronic version of this press release.
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Photo by Richard Hurd
George Nelson Future Madison Leadership Award Recipient on the Passing of Community Icon
MADISON – On the eve of receiving the George Nelson Future Madison Leadership Award, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce President Zach Brandon reacted to the passing of this community icon:
“You cannot look at Greater Madison without seeing the fingerprints of this civic leader everywhere, on everything. Last night, Greater Madison lost one of the foundational beams of what makes our region great. Just one of us will never be able to fill the void left by George Nelson. It will take all of us.”
George Nelson was a long-serving board director of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and a former chairman.
About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with more than 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 8,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.
Contact: Jo-ell Carson, Communications Director, at 608-443-1952 or 608-213-1799
Click here for an electronic version of the press statement.
Photo by Richard Hurd
Chamber Announces Keynote Speaker and Reimagined 100-Year Old Book of Business Promotion for Region’s Premier Networking Event
MADISON – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced bestselling author, national TV host and international speaker, Steven Johnson, will keynote the 62nd Annual Dinner Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center. Steven’s first speaking engagement in Greater Madison comes weeks before the launch of his upcoming book, How We Got to Now, and the debut of his six-part PBS series of the same name scheduled for October.
“We discovered that exactly a century ago, our predecessor, the Madison Board of Commerce composed a beautifully written book of business promotion outlining this region’s attributes and the incredible potential yet to be realized,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “These words ring as true today as they did a century ago. The Annual Dinner with Steven’s keynote will not only be an understanding of how we got to now but where we go from here.”
Brandon said the search for a high-caliber speaker was a short one as Steven’s thought leadership on innovation and idea creation became the perfect fit. Steven work centers around the power of great ideas and why and how they happen. His bestselling book to date, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, was also the subject of his popular TED talk attracting more than 2.6 million views.
Steven’s last book, Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age, proposes that a new model of political change is on the rise and transforming everything from local government to classrooms to health care.
“The 62nd Annual Dinner will unveil a reimagined book of business promotion and weave a fascinating tale using the insight of our past as foresight for our future,” said Brandon. “Moving from a state of unrealized perfect to a state of FUTURE PERFECT will be the theme of the 62nd Annual Dinner. FUTURE PERFECT will also be our call to action.”
The 2014 book of business promotion will only be available to those attending the dinner. The 62nd Annual Dinner will be held Sept. 18, 4:30–8:30 p.m. at Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center. Registration opens to the public today at greatermadisonchamber.com. In 2013, the 61st Annual Dinner sold out to an unprecedented 1,000-person crowd.
The Annual Dinner is supported locally by our gold sponsors: American Family Insurance, Alliant Energy Corp., Ho-Chunk Gaming, Madison, TDS, UW Health, WPS Health Insurance and silver sponsors: BMO Harris Bank, Godfrey & Kahn S.C., Nordic, Oakbrook Corporation, The QTI Group Inc., Summit Credit Union and Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.
About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with more than 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 7,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.
Contact: Jo-ell Carson, Communications Director, at 608-443-1952 or 608-213-1799
Click here for an electronic version of the press release.
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Photo by Richard Hurd
Chamber Announces Early-Stage Companies Joining Summer Delegation to Pitch Investors in Silicon Valley
MADISON – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced the remaining early-stage companies joining the summer delegation to pitch in front of prominent venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. The four fast-growing businesses were selected by partner organizations and join Brian Jensen, president of Fishidy and winner of the inaugural Pressure Chamber, which debuted at neXXpo: Business in Fast Forward.
Trip participants include:
- Catalyze – Customized healthcare apps with built in HIPPA security and data requirements
Travis Good, MD, CEO and Co-founder - EatStreet – Mobile platform that aggregates a variety of local restaurants into a single source for delivery or takeout orders
Matt Howard, CEO and Co-Founder - Fishidy – Map-based social platform for fishing aficionados of all levels
Brian Jensen, President - MdotLabs – Mobile platform that analyzes big data to detect and block fraud of online advertising
Paul Barford, Chief Scientist and Co-founder - Propeller Health – Wireless sensor that attaches to rescue inhalers and syncs with smart phones to track usage of inhaled medications for respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD
Mark Gehring, Co-Founder
“We are confident these five companies will leave a positive, lasting impression on Silicon Valley while gaining key connections and exposure at a critical time in the growth of their business.” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “We are proud to be connecting the coast to a small sampling of the high-caliber innovation happening throughout Greater Madison.”
The delegation kicks off June 24 with a tour of the Facebook campus. Following the June 25 investor meetings, the Chamber will host a reception, sponsored by Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), which will include attendees from other Bay-area investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders including organizations that have ties to Greater Madison such as Google, Zendesk and The Badger Entrepreneurship Forum.
“There is a remarkable story unfolding in Greater Madison and we are looking forward to sharing it in Silicon Valley just as we have in Austin at SXSW, the White House Business Roundtables and the Quebec City Conference to name a few,” said Brandon. “As with any great novel, our story keeps getting better knowing that the best is yet to come.”
The Chamber’s summer delegation is supported locally by Michael Best & Friedrich, State of Wisconsin Investment Board, 4490 Ventures, Kegonsa Capital Partners, Venture Investors, Lindsay Stone & Briggs, Accelerate Madison, Capital Entrepreneurs, Great Oaks Venture Capital and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with more than 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 7,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.
Contact: Jo-ell Carson, Communications Director, at 608-443-1952 or 608-213-1799
Click here for a pdf version of the press release.
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Photo by Richard Hurd
Federal Ruling that Wisconsin’s Gay Marriage Ban is Unconstitutional
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (June 6, 2014)
MADISON – As one of the first business organizations to publicly oppose Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban in early 2006, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce released the following statement by President Zach Brandon:
“Any barrier to the recruitment and retention of talent is a headwind in our efforts to build a greater Madison. This decision puts this barrier behind us and the wind at our backs.”
The Chamber board of directors opposed the Wisconsin constitutional amendment in 2006 citing economic development impacts that would hinder the region’s ability to compete for growth opportunities and talent.
About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with more than 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 7,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.
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