Midwest Prototyping becomes first independent additive manufacturer to achieve ISO 9001:2015 Certification

Midwest Prototyping Achieves ISO 9001 Certification | July 11, 2017

BLUE MOUNDS, WI – Midwest Prototyping, LLC, announced today its operations have been certified compliant with the ISO 9001:2015 standard, an internationally recognized achievement for operational excellence. One of the nation’s largest additive manufacturers, it’s the first independent service bureau to achieve ISO 9001:2015 certification.

“For us, obtaining ISO certification is a natural next step,” said Steve Grundahl, President and founder of Midwest Prototyping. “As our operations and the additive manufacturing industry have continued to grow, we’ve seen an increasing number of production and end-use orders for printed parts. This [ISO 9001 certification] is a critical step to create a manufacturing facility for 3D printed, end-use products. If we are going to compete with traditional manufacturing processes, we need to meet them at their level.”

Midwest Prototyping has spent close to 18 months working to ensure its quality management system meets the extensive criteria associated with the standard, which centers on enhancing customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. National Quality Associates, Inc., an independent accredited registrar, verified Midwest Prototyping’s compliance to the standard.

“At its core, ISO 9001 is a business improvement standard,” explained Nate Schumacher, Project Leader and ISO 9001 implementation coordinator. “Realistically, what we’ve done is taken our existing QMS and reshaped it to let us take a closer look at our operations at every level, allowing us to improve them as we continue to grow.”

Centered in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization which develops and publishes International Standards in collaboration with 163 national standards bodies. Its documentation provides guidelines that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.

Founded in 2001, Midwest Prototyping is one of the nation’s largest independent additive manufacturing service bureaus. Named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing privately held companies for the last 5 consecutive years, the Blue Mounds-based organization was recently a 2016 Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year award winner. Offering multiple 3D printing technologies, urethane casting, and extensive finishing services, Midwest Prototyping has consistently provided quality products and unrivaled customer support, enabling clients of all industries to make better parts, faster.

For more information, visit www.midwestproto.com.

Madison HealthTech Company Creates Roadmap for Success

Datica, the industry cloud platform for digital health applications, today announced its Digital Health Success Framework (DHSF). Digital health developers can use the detailed guide to take products from napkin scribble to market without any snags.

Launched in 2013, Datica has spent the past four years working with digital health companies that range from single-founder startups to Fortune 100 pharma companies and hospital providers. Patterns from thousands of conversations have emerged around topics like technology, cloud infrastructure, data exchange and compliance.

“Unlike other industries where a pathway to success is straightforward, the healthcare industry has unique considerations not found elsewhere,” said Mark Olschesky, Datica’s chief data officer. “The DHSF takes those specific complexities, details the timelines and benchmarks for each, then simplifies the success process in an intelligent way that developers can clearly comprehend.”

According to research and data analytics firm CB Insights, increases in digital health funding continued for the seventh straight year in 2016 with venture deals reaching $6.5B. Those financial deals have financially supported companies that want to “remedy the pain points of healthcare.” Investors distributed the majority of those funds to early-stage, seed and Series A companies. Yet, Datica has seen many of those well-intentioned companies struggle to reach market adoption. Research by Accenture in 2015 showed that more than 50 percent of all digital health startups are likely to fail within two years following their launch.

Datica’s mission is to reduce that 50 percent rate. The Digital Health Success Framework plays the role of helping teams understand the major considerations which contribute to business risks and product burdens. “We’ve seen hundreds of digital health companies pass by in our position as a top startup incubator. Most of them struggle to understand what challenges stand between them and market adoption,” explained Joe Kirgues, co-founder of Gener8tor, a nationally ranked accelerator. “Datica’s Digital Health Success Framework can help organizations understand the unique considerations required for new products, which will help the healthcare ecosystem only get better at delivering stronger patient outcomes through new innovation.”

For more information on the Digital Health Success Framework, visit http://www.datica.com/dhsf. The free resource charts dozens of important considerations for digital health teams along a four-year timeline, ranging from HIPAA compliance to pilot strategies.

About Datica
Datica is the platform for digital health success. We solve the problem of HIPAA compliance in the cloud, and enable secure data exchange between digital health and EHRs. Customers and partners across healthcare trust Datica to ensure the barriers for digital health are removed so innovation can happen faster. For more information please visit http://www.datica.com.

Per Mar Security Services Hires First Student through “Grow Our Own Program”

Contact:

Suzette Sawvell, Per Mar Security Services

563-549-6610

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 10, 2017

 Per Mar Security Services Hires First Student through “Grow Our Own Program”

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Per Mar Security Services, a leading provider of total security solutions for residential and commercial clients based in Davenport, IA, announced it has hired its first student, Luis Miranda, through its “Grow Our Own Program”.

Per Mar’s “Grow Our Own Program” is a program where Per Mar employees reach out to local high school students, visit their classrooms, and tell them about Per Mar and employment opportunities. The program was started by Carri Waack, HR Coordinator for Per Mar. Waack saw an opportunity to reach out to high school students and inform them of what Per Mar has to offer as far as careers beyond high school.

Waack met Miranda through the “Grow Our Own Program” at Moline High School in Moline, IL. After learning more about Per Mar and job opportunities, Miranda told Waack that he was interested in becoming a Security Officer at Per Mar after graduation. Miranda had thorough background check and interviews, was hired, and is now in Security Officer training.

Waack said, “I think this is a great program. Not only does it educate the students on what Per Mar does and has to offer, it may also help a student decide on a field they would like to go into after college. I am very glad to have met Luis as he is an outstanding young man, and I am excited for his future with Per Mar!”

Miranda is thrilled to be a part of the Per Mar team, saying, “Working for Per Mar has been a great experience! I am really enjoying it, and I look forward to having a long career at this company.”

Since the launch of this program, Per Mar has worked with local high schools around the Quad City, Des Moines, and South Bend areas. Per Mar’s goal is to expand the program and offer the program to other communities in which the company serves.

If you are interested in having Per Mar visit your high school through the “Grow Our Own Program”, please reach out to Carri Waack at cwaack@permarsecurity.com.

About Per Mar Security Services

Established in 1953, Per Mar Security Services is the largest, family-owned, full-service security company in the Midwest with more than 2,400 team members, operating in 23 branch locations and 18 satellite locations. The company provides full-service security solutions for homes and businesses including security officer services, smart home automation, burglar and fire alarms, access control, security cameras, alarm monitoring, investigative services and background checks. For more information about Per Mar Security Services, please visit permarsecurity.com.

NGL announces executive promotions of Endres-Tankersley, Grann and Olson

The Board of Directors for National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL), a mutual insurance company with over 100 years in the industry, appointed three NGL Officers to Assistant Vice Presidents.

Recent promotions include Lois Endres-Tankersley, Assistant Vice President & Director of New Business Support, Jessica Grann, Assistant Vice President & Director of Corporate Communications and Judy Olson, Assistant Vice President & Director of Partner Support.

Endres-Tankersley oversees agent and partner contract administration and mail distribution centers. Endres-Tankersley joined NGL in 1983.

Grann oversees and leads the marketing communications team and manages all aspects of the NGL brand. She has more than 15 years of broad marketing experience encompassing strategic planning, creative design, media planning and purchasing, direct marketing, public relations and sales promotions. Grann joined NGL in August 2004.

Olson focuses on building and maintaining relationships with NGL’s Marketing Partners. She leads the Partner Support Team and Salesforce administration. Olson joined NGL In January 2008.

About National Guardian Life Insurance Company

Since 1910, National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL), a mutual insurance company, has been located in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products including specialty and student insurance. Additional information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

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Gallagher Graduates from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Intensive Entrepreneurship Training at Babson College

For Immediate Release – June 29, 2017

Gallagher Graduates from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Intensive Entrepreneurship Training at Babson College

National program helps entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity

Madison, WI –  Laura Gallagher, Wisconsin Trailblazer, Founder and CEO of The Creative Company, and Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Regional Ambassador joined one hundred and forty-five entrepreneurs when she received a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Babson College and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses in May, 2017.

Her cohort of one hundred and forty-five entrepreneurs represented 38 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The small businesses in the national group at Babson represent a total of $174M in revenues and over 3,000 jobs from a broad range of industries including manufacturing, construction, retail, services, and non-profit organizations. The graduates join over 850 businesses that have successfully completed the Babson cohort and over 8,000 businesses served through the 10,000 Small Businesses program across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the UK.

The #10KSB initiative is a national program created to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital, and business support services.

“We’re proud of our graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative. These entrepreneurs put forth incredible effort to complete this program and we are confident their efforts will continue in growing their businesses. We are excited to watch their many successes,” said Kerry Healey, President of Babson College.

Babson has been partnering with Goldman Sachs and others on the 10,000 Small Businesses program since 2010, and has helped train over 250 faculty and staff who deliver the program primarily at community colleges throughout the United States, as well as through the national blended learning program at Babson College. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing access to education, capital and business support services.

For 11 weeks since February, these small business owners connected with peers and worked together through practical business education delivered through a blend of online and in-person sessions.

“I applied in November of 2016, went through three interview rounds and accepted the full scholarship – as well as the challenge – in January of 2017. The program is as rigorous as they say it is. The expectations are high. But, you are alongside your comrades in business,” said Gallagher. “The average age in our group was 47 years old. I’m 49. In my growth group of 8, we represented technology, construction, science and manufacturing. Everything at Babson is by design. I had a coach, a growth group (8), a section (39 people), a cohort (146) and I’m now part of a national network of business owners who have also been trained on the growth strategies as well as business fundamentals. This was an all hands on deck experience. I am grateful to Goldman Sachs, my professors at Babson, my peers and the incredible support I received from my team at The Creative Company. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn and grow.”

“The program is designed to be highly participative and immediately impactful, emphasizing peer-to-peer and experiential learning focused on their specific business,” said Babson Professor Richard T. Bliss, National Academic Director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. “These business owners represent the best of the U.S. economy, and this program helps them grow their businesses, create new jobs, and strengthen our communities.  Nearly 70% of participants increase revenues and 50% create new jobs just six months after graduating.”

10,000 Small Businesses offers qualified business owners:

• Guidance in creating a customized growth plan that includes opportunity identification and feasibility analysis, financial management, leadership, negotiations, and marketing.
• One-on-one business counseling and a network of peer support from other small business owners, as well as leaders in the business world.

About Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is based on the broadly held view of leading experts that greater access to this combination of education, capital and support services best addresses barriers to growth for small businesses. 10,000 Small Businesses is guided by an Advisory Council on which Babson President Kerry Healey serves and is co-chaired by Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein, Bloomberg L.P. founder, president and CEO, and 108th Mayor of the City of New York Michael R. Bloomberg, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City’s Dr. Michael Porter.  The National Urban League and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are also represented on the Advisory Council, among other groups.

To apply for the 10,000 Small Businesses business and management education program, please visit www.10KSBapply.com.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The to​p​-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action®​ as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

About The Creative Company, Inc.

The Creative Company is Wisconsin’s leading PR and Digital Agency where missional leaders of NPOs and companies go when they need to build, grow or change their story. Clients experience a responsive, connected, creative and data centric results-orientated leadership team of marketing professionals who believe that one person can change the world.  The Creative Company has also been recognized as one of the best places to work in Dane County, as a finalist for the Torch Award for Business Ethics and Integrity by the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin, and one of the best Ad Agencies in Wisconsin. The Creative Company is located just 6 blocks west of the Wisconsin State Capitol in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.