Spring tech kickoff draws hundreds (Madison.com)

[The following are excerpts from the online article that appeared in Madison.com on March 28, 2014.]

Around 250 techies, entrepreneurs and their supporters partook of pizza and beverages, and shared news of their latest ventures Wednesday night at Madison’s Spring Tech Kickoff and Capital Entrepreneurs Open Social.  It was the largest event yet for Capital Entrepreneurs, founded in 2009 as a resource for budding business starters

While the new generation of tech entrepreneurs is commonly seen as recent college grads in their 20s, and while many of these startups in Madison have come from alums of electronic medical records giant Epic Systems Corp. in Verona, not all fit that mold.

One example is 32auctions, a website for conducting online silent auctions. 32auctions was created in April 2009 by Steve Klodd, 39, of Madison, and Curt Pederson, 44, of Sun Prairie, then info tech employees of American Family Insurance who became friends working on a project together.  In five years, the website has hosted more than 13,000 silent auctions worldwide, Klodd said, for a wide variety of causes, from fundraisers to help people with health emergencies to Fortune 500 companies trying to raise money for United Way.

Klodd and Pederson are still the only employees, available to answer clients’ questions, no matter where or when. “For us, it brings great satisfaction to know that the thing we’re doing every day is helping people,” Klodd said.

Read the full article at Madison.com at: http://host.madison.com/business/technology/biotech/tech-and-biotech-spring-tech-kickoff-draws-hundreds/article_2e91fb7b-e596-5992-a7c6-a48158de00b7.html

Blogger's Note: A great example of entrepreneurship from Sun Prairie.  Congratulations Curt and Steve on a great article and a great business idea!

ITS Compliance Receives $5.75 Million in Growth Equity Investment (ITS Compliance Press Release)

SUN PRAIRIE, WI - March 17, 2014 – ITS Compliance Inc., an outsourced provider of compliance, safety, and asset management services for truck fleets, today announced it received an aggregate investment of $5.75 million from Argentum and First Analysis, leading private equity growth investors. The investment will support ITS’s continued growth by enabling the company to broaden its services offerings, enhance its software platform, and expand its infrastructure.

 

ITS’s technology-enabled solutions, including fuel tax reporting, safety services, and asset management, help private fleets, for-hire carriers, and third-party logistics companies comply with federal, state, and local regulations, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. Since 1983, ITS has delivered compliance services to hundreds of fleets across numerous industries.

 

“We are very pleased to partner with Argentum and First Analysis and welcome their involvement with ITS, given their expertise, contacts, and investing experience in the logistics and transportation services space and with technology-enabled service companies,” said Jim Matras, ITS’s founder and CEO. “This transaction will enable us to strengthen our capabilities and invest in infrastructure, which will allow us to better serve our existing customers and pursue exciting new growth opportunities.”

 

Dixie Burbank, ITS’s Chief Operating Officer, added, “This capital will enable us to deliver new features  and modules to our clients and enable us to continue to increase the ROI our clients realize from using our services.”

 

Blogger's Note: Glad to have this growing company located in Downtown Sun Prairie!

Sun Prairie's New Wal-Mart Opens on Redeveloped Site of Original Store (City of Sun Prairie)

Sun Prairie's new Wal-Mart opened this morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce.   Photos of the event are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stechschulte/sets/72157639801228173/ 

Blogger's Note: The redevelopment of the site of the original store was significant step in maintaining our Main Street corridor.  Thanks to Wal-Mart for their investment here, and to everyone who helped make this project happen.

Top Ten Economic Development Stories for the City of Sun Prairie in 2013 (Sun Prairie Star)

The City's agreement with 2G Engineering to redevelop a vacant building on Capitol Drive was the year's top story for 2013.  Read the full article at:  http://www.hngnews.com/sun_prairie_star/news/business/article_ea01bab8-7550-11e3-83e7-0019bb30f31a.html

Blogger's Note:  Thanks to everyone who invested in our community and our economy in 2013, and we look forward to keeping the momentum going in 2014!