WisBusiness WED News Summary

— Superior-based Fasetto has come a long way since an older version of its product got called “the ugliest wearable” at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Just look at the latest reviews from this month’s 2016 CES show, where Fasetto was determined to return with a revamped product. VentureBeat called the updated Link product “pretty incredible,” while PC Perspective called it the “most groundbreaking storage product” at the show. And ZDnet called Fasetto a “small company with a big idea.”

The big idea for its Link product, expected to launch this fall, is to replace the SD cards that cameras store photos and videos on — and being able to stream those files on multiple devices.

A typical user, for example, could easily share a video they took and stream it on their iPad or smart TV. Professional photographers could have all of their photos automatically sent to the tiny Link box as they’re taken, and they’d be able to instantly pull up those photos on any device to edit files. That removes the hassle of using SD card readers, hooking up cables to a computer or having to worry about whether files are compatible on different devices.

“We’ve eliminated that,” co-founder and CEO Coy Christmas said. “The information is stored online and is accessible on everything.”

See more on Fasetto in a new WisBusiness.com story:

http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=363875

— Baby Boomers are retiring, Gen Xers are well into raising families and now Millennials — that huge group of (more or less) 20-somethings — are making waves. They’re also grabbing the attention of marketers, employers and mayors who want them to call their towns and cities home — in large part because by 2020, they will be half the workforce.

But this latest cohort of Young Whippersnappers is different, says Ian Abston, co-founder of NEWaukee and an expert on young professionals who spoke to a Wisconsin Innovation Network luncheon on yesterday.

For starters, he said, Millennials value experiences over “stuff,” are more tolerant than their predecessors, are marrying and having kids later, want to start their own businesses and would prefer to dwell in “cool and quirky” places rather than take a job someplace they perceive as dull.

“Sixty two percent prioritize living in a vibrant community over a higher-paying position,” he said. “We’ll find that before we sign the contract for a job.”

See more on the panel:

http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=363874

— Former state Revenue Secretary Roger Ervin is leading an international organization through a rebranding and restructuring that will bring its headquarters to Madison.

Ervin is the president and CEO of International Relief and Development, which provides relief and development programs in war zones and other vulnerable areas. Although a judge has now ruled in its favor, IRD saw negative headlines during a months-long dispute with a federal aid agency that alleged IRD misused government funds.

The organization, having lost a good chunk of business, is now rebranding into a new three-pronged group called Blumont.

“It was better for us to take the really important and valuable assets of IRD and reorganize it into something that we think is going to be a highly powerful and impactful international development service provider,” Ervin said.

See more on Ervin’s efforts:

http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=363873

— A new MadREP survey shows 52 percent of respondents needing more employees, while only 4.5 percent saying their employment needs are dropping.

The Madison Region Economic Partnership last year contacted 2,500 businesses throughout the eight-county region, with 247 of them responding. The survey will help MadREP get a better grasp of the issues companies in the area face, said MadREP president Paul Jadin.

The survey showed most of the respondents were locally oriented, with 21 percent having a national primary market and 4.5 percent saying they had an international one. Also, 71 percent of respondents had fewer than 50 employees, while 20 percent had 50 to 199 employees and 9 percent had 200 or more.

Fifty-six percent of respondents also planned expanding in three years, with those responses totalling $270 million in possible investment and 1,126 new jobs. And about 73 percent of respondents said they have launched new products in the past five years.

“Overall, the survey delivers favorable results in terms of the well-being of Madison Region businesses, a majority of whom are expanding, hiring a strong local workforce, and innovating,” the group wrote in an executive summary of the results. “Potential areas for growth include an increased focus on international sales.”

See the release:

http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=363870

See the executive summary:

http://www.wisbusiness.com/1008/160126MadREP.pdf

— An Assembly panel will hold an executive session this morning on a bill that would make it a crime to provide fraudulent information to WEDC.

The bipartisan bill would punish those who make false statements or misuse WEDC awards with a Class E felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $50,000 or both.

The Assembly Committee on Jobs and the Economy will also hold a public hearing on four economic development bills. Two bills relate to industry clusters, with one bill creating new research tax credits and the other letting WEDC award contracts to nonprofit organizations such as the Water Council in Milwaukee.

Another bill would expand the amount of help companies can receive under the Qualified New Business Venture program, and the fourth would create a grant program that the state’s Arts Board would oversee.

— James D. Temmer will be the new president of the Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin next month.

Temmer will replace Ran Hoth, who’s been president and CEO since 1997 and will remain in the CEO role until October. Temmer will start as president on Feb. 22 and will take over the CEO rule after Hoth leaves.

Temmer was executive director of the Milwaukee Bar Association and was executive director of the Charles Allis/Villa Terrace Art Museum.

See more:

http://www.bbb.org/wisconsin/news-events/news-releases/2016/01/better-business-bureau-serving-wisconsin-announces-new-president/#sthash.qCmUC7pr.dpuf

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