Building a better block: Hemp is key ingredient in Sativa's Z Panels
INSIGHT PUBLICATIONS
WITTENBERG -- Entrepreneur Zachary Popp is taking the phrase “building a better mousetrap” to heart — but in his case, it’s creating a better construction material. His Wittenberg company, Sativa Building Systems, creates unique patented Z Panels, made of a proprietary blend of hemp and lime.
The panels take the place of materials for above-grade wall construction, exterior sheeting, insulation and sheetrock. The product is also resistant to mold, fire, pests and rot.
It started 12 years ago when Popp, a father of seven, discovered mold in his daughter’s room. Having grown up with a father in the construction business, Popp set out to find a solution...
Midwest nice: Cordero Barkley of TitletownTech INSIGHT PUBLICATIONS
GREEN BAY -- Venture capital and the Midwest don’t often go hand in hand, but Cordero Barkley and the team at TitletownTech are on a mission to change that. Born and raised in Racine, Barkley moved to the New North to attend the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on a basketball scholarship and never left.
Today, as a partner at Green Bay-based venture capital fund and studio TitletownTech, Barkley’s eclectic background in athletics, wealth management, investing and youth mentoring coalesces into a job he thought only existed in coastal economies. Barkley sat down with Insight to share his story and why he thinks the Midwest may just be the nation’s next tech startup hot zone..
Get to know: Jesus Nanez of Wisconsin Small Business Development Center
INSIGHT PUBLICATIONS
Jesus Nañez has entrepreneurship in his blood. By the age of 10, he was running a neighborhood lawn care business. (“I had flyers. It was legit,” he says.) He’s owned a remodeling company and a cleaning business. He currently owns a restaurant with more than 50 employees and manages several rental properties.
Combining his passions for entrepreneurship and small business consulting, Nañez in April accepted the role of program outreach manager with the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship at the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The Wisconsin SBDC is a statewide network supporting entrepreneurs and business owners through free consulting and educational programs...
DC Farm for Vets helps veterans with training and produce sales in Door County
WLUK
DOOR COUNTY -- For some area veterans, finding a place to cope with wartime experiences can be a challenge -- but in Door County, a group is using produce as a way to grow more than just vegetables.
Army veteran and DC Farm for Vets founder Jacob VandenPlas says he feels right at home at the 40-acre plot of land northeast of Forestville.
"I fell in love with farming when we bought the farm here and got things kicked off," he said. "And it helped me. It was very therapeutic. Getting your hands in the dirt and being able to watch something grow from seed to your dinner table, was very rewarding."
Red wine made by Algoma's von Stiehl Winery scores big in national competition
GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE
ALGOMA - A recent addition to von Stiehl Winery's portfolio of red varietal wines was rated one of the top wines in a national competition.
The Algoma winery’s 2019 Teroldego scored 96 points out of 100 in the still wines (vintage/nonvintage) category at this year's USA Wine Ratings International Competition in San Francisco. Only three other wines scored higher, with one receiving 98 points and two others 97s, with eight other wines from the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Italy, Portugal and South Africa scoring a 96.
The Teroldego is von Stiehl's newest creation focusing on varietals not common to Wisconsin. The Teroldego grape is a lesser-known one, grown almost exclusively in Italy with less than 2% coming from outside that country. The grapes for this wine came from the Clarksburg region in California. The winery describes its Teroldego as a full-bodied, dry, soft wine that pairs well with cured meats, pizzas and pastas, like many other Italian red wines...
'We solve problems': Zepnick Solutions of Green Bay does right for customers, employees
GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE
GREEN BAY -- When Jody Zepnick, founder and CEO of Zepnick Solutions in Green Bay (www.zepnick.com), decided to start the business in 2000, he wanted to make it employee-centered.
“One of the challenges I faced was to focus on developing an environment where people would enjoy coming to work; to develop a structure where we would do what was right for employees and customers and not always worry about the bottom line,” Zepnick said.
That goal led to a company that now has 50 employees, offices in Green Bay and Cincinnati, and growth plans that include a third location in Denver and others after that. It also has a team of employees who enjoy working together to provide solutions for companies in the food, paper and consumer goods industries...
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Manitowoc Minute's Charlie Berens launches card game on Kickstarter
WBAY
MANITOWOC -- Holy smokes. Wisconsin’s Charlie Berens -- a comedian, creator of “Manitowoc Minute,” best-selling author, and Midwestern fashion model -- is adding game maker to his resume.
Berens has launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce “Card Sale,” a card game he created with fellow Wisconsinite Dane Schaefer.
“Card Sale” is on Kickstarter with a goal of raising $11,700 by September 30.
Schaefer calls the game a “comical mashup of ‘Shark Tank’ and a highly competitive neighborhood yard sale.”....
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Coworking spaces meeting demand in Sturgeon Bay
DOOR COUNTY PULSE
STURGEON BAY -- Chad Ladick went home one day in June last year and told his wife, Jan, that they should buy the former Nicolet National Bank building in Sturgeon Bay.
The vacant, 36,000-square-foot building at 217 N. 4th Ave. had been for sale for more than two years after Nicolet moved across the street into a new building.
“She said, ‘No. What are you thinking?’” Chad said.
“I was also six months pregnant,” Jan said.
The couple had gotten married the year before. They had a new baby on the way, and the pandemic was still raging. They had recently finished a project in Egg Harbor at 7818 Hwy 42, across from Greens N Grains, buying and completely gutting the cabin-style building. Jan opened another Door County Massage location on the first floor, and the second floor became a short-term-rental unit....
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Wisconsin's "Project Pitch It" TV show looks for young entrepreneurs
WBAY
GREEN BAY -- Wisconsin’s own “Shark Tank” is preparing for its 7th season on television, and it’s looking for teens (and others) with big ideas.
Each week on “Project Pitch It,” kids ages 13 to 18 with a product and a dream face a panel of financial experts for an award ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 in cash. They also receive mentoring and guidance to help make their dreams a reality.
“Project Pitch It” show creator and executive producer Bev Greenberg says 90% of the show’s 144 entrepreneurs (of all ages) from its first six seasons are still in business and created over 400 jobs. Two-thirds of businesses featured are women- and/or minority-owned....
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