Business Writing 1
[Blogger's Note: I'll let the news articles speak for themselves. We're very excited about the opportunity that the Marcus project brings to our community. It was fun to work on a project where the elected officials, staff, developer and the prospect we're all striving for the same goal. Now only if the economy will cooperate and help us get that building permit issued...] 
This report highlights the findings of the 2009 First Business Economic Survey of Dane County, which was conducted by the University of Wisconsin’s A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research in September and October of 2009. This was the seventh year for the study. The survey was sent to 4,568 businesses in Dane County that were reported to have five or more employees and was addressed to the CEO, CFO, President, and/or business owner.
Roy Thilly, president and chief executive of WPPI Energy, will step down as the public power company’s leader in early 2011.
The emerging clean energy economy is creating well-paying jobs in every state for people of all skill levels and educational backgrounds. This emerging sector is poised to expand significantly, driven by increasing consumer demand, venture capital infusions, and federal and state policy reforms.
2010 IEDC Leadership Summit
The Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest – the nation’s first statewide, tech-based business plan competition – is accepting entries online for the 2010 competition. Entries will be accepted now through 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010. The contest’s grand prize is worth $50,000 in cash and services.
Madison, Wis. - Madison Area Technical College has launched an Insurance Certificate Program to respond the needs of the growing insurance industry in that state.
Let's go girls...do your best to support your local economy and shop 'til you drop!
Some good reading for anyone interested in what branding is and why communities need to be involved in it...
Wave Wind, LLC, a leading wind energy service provider, has been selected by Suzlon Energy Limited, one of the world's leading wind turbine suppliers, to erect 11 2.1 MW Suzlon wind turbines for Amayo II, the second phase of a 63 MW wind energy project in Nicaragua. The $55 million project, which is being developed by Consorcio Eólico Amayo S.A. (Amayo S.A.), an international wind project development consortium, is the second project Wave Wind has supported in Central America.
Wave Wind, LLC, a leading wind energy service provider, recently hosted Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), a global leader in industrial manufacturing, on a business development tour of Wisconsin. The tour, which was arranged by Wave Wind following its recent agreement to purchase six 1.65 MW wind turbines from HHI, featured a visit with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, meetings with other leading Wisconsin businesses, and a survey of potential wind development sites in the state. 
The Department of Commerce has authorized Next Generation Manufacturing grants to help Wisconsin manufacturers improve performance, stimulate growth and respond to new challenges as the economy recovers from the recession.
Celebration is the theme of the 2010 Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission calendar, led off by Sherry Bahr’s exuberant “Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival Carnival Ride,” shown above. The calendar is available at more than a dozen locations throughout the County. Go to the commission’s website for a full listing of where you can pick one up.
Local and national cyclocross enthusiasts say the Madison area is becoming a center for this arduous and wacky sport -- and the Planet Bike Cup at Sun Prairie's Angell Park Speedway, now in its seventh year, is drawing more amateur and professional cyclocross racers than ever.
Company pursuing alternate options for new Madison-area entertainment destination
The new Copps grocery store in Sun Prairie opens for business at 6 a.m. Saturday and will feature more fresh produce, more prepared foods and a full-service Roundy’s pharmacy, said parent company, Roundy’s Supermarkets, based in Milwaukee.
MADISON — August 11, 2009 — Associated Bank announced today the company’s plans for celebrating the grand opening of its new branch in Sun Prairie, Wis.
A new national survey of manufacturing executives found that most believe the U.S. economy would improve over the next six months, even as nearly half expected their own firms’ performance to decline.
After 4 ½ years, a Sun Prairie store specializing in Brett Favre memorabilia will close on July 31st. The business will continue as an online outlet ( http://www.fan4ever.com/ ), operating from the back of a framing store owner Brian Anderson will open in Columbus.
Company: Continental Mapping Consultants, Inc.
With the success we've had using this blog to track news articles relating to economic development in Sun Prairie, I've decided to expand our use of this handy dandy, no-cost tool for sharing information between individuals in some of our special areas of interest. 
For local and regional technology based manufacturers on the eastern portion of Dane County, Wisconsin including Madison, we have been facilitating a High-Tech Breakfast meeting on the third Thursday of every month. Meetings are from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. at Market Street Diner in Downtown Sun Prairie. Its a quick, efficient networking event that continues to pick up momentum. The agenda consists of ordering something to eat, everyone introducing themselves, a brief presentation on a targeted company (what they do, what issues they are facing, etc.), and wrapping up with a speaker on a topic selected by the attendees. Topics have included the federal stimulus package, avaiable resources through the UW Small Business Develeopment Center, sales and use tax, and research and development tax credits. In order to help attendees keep track of information or updates on these topics, we've created a blog to allow for information to be posted and shared.
More recently, we've rolled out a third blog for the Wind Power Happy Hour, a group created to promote networking and resource sharing between organizations and companies interested in the wind energy supply chain. Our first few events have been well attended and have included companies all the way from Milwaukee. Manufacturing companies, attorneys, consultants, utility professionals, renewable energy advocates, state government agencies, university representatives have all attended so far. The primary objective of this group is to encourage existing manufacturing companies here in Wisconsin to consider how their product might fit into wind generation products and equipment. In addition, the group allows manufacturers to network with other groups and organizations involved in the wind industry. The format is largely informal, but we are trying to incorporate presentations from specific companies and resource groups once every three months or so.
Blogging allows for a highly cost effective and efficient means of sharing data. It also provides an great way of tracking interest in the topics presented and the actual use of the blog sites. By using code provided by Google Analytics (no charge), I am able to track visits by frequency, geographic location, duration and repeat visits. It allows me to see what search engines and specifically what search terms are used to generate hits to each blog site. This information is only a fraction of the data that is gleaned by Google and provided in a readily accessible online report format that I can pull at any time. For private businesses, there are commercialization tools that are extremely useful. All this is made possible by simply adding several lines of HTML code to the site you wish to track. This can be done with regular websites too, not just blog sites.
Data Driven Survey Reveals the Best Communities across the Country
Since this past April, about a dozen "high-tech" manufacturing companies located from Madison to Columbus have been gathering once a month for breakfast at Market Street Diner (110 Market St.) in Downtown Sun Prairie. Their goals: networking, finding out about each other's products, and learning more about how to improve their business.
Leaders from Wisconsin's municipally owned electric utilities recently garnered recognition at the national level, bringing home four prestigious awards from the American Public Power Association (APPA). The APPA is the service organization for the nation's more than 2,000 community‐owned electric utilities that serve more than 45 million Americans.
I'll post additional information on pending events as soon as we have them determined. And I'll try to keep this blog more current this month.
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