FRI AM News: WisBusiness: the Podcast with Ashley Oppermann, EVA; Wisconsin Defense Industry Council holding first meeting next week

February 16, 2024

— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Ashley Oppermann, founder and CEO of a startup called EVA, or Electronic Veterinary Assistant.

This veterinary practice management software uses conversational AI to record the physical exam and history into electronic medical records, giving veterinarians a new tool for invoicing, scheduling and other tasks.

“The key feature is this conversational AI, so it helps with ascribing and saving veterinarians that time throughout the day,” she said, adding she hopes this will help alleviate burnout in the field.

Oppermann is a veterinary medicine student at UW-Madison, where she got the idea for launching a company during a business management meeting.

“What can I do, how can I contribute?” she said of her thought process at the time. “I went back that summer and started working at the vet clinic … I just noticed the veterinarians were writing notes from their patient appointments over the lunch hour, or they were coming in over the weekend or staying after hours. I was like, there has to be a better way.”

She’s been working on growing the early-stage business since 2022, and is currently seeking investment funds as she develops an initial version of the software product. Future plans include launching a “minimum viable product” within 10 weeks and hiring more staff in sales and technical development.

Meanwhile, Oppermann says she wants to do some beta testing with select vet clinics, which are currently on a waitlist. The full software suite is expected to be finished within a year, around the time when she plans to graduate.

“And then see where it goes from there, if it becomes my full-time situation or if I hire somebody on to take on more of the sales and fundraising-type role and I continue with my goals in the veterinary medicine field,” she said.

Oppermann also shares her thoughts on the gBETA Kenosha program, which has been helping her as she grows the business and makes industry connections.

Listen to the podcast.

See the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts, and listen to an earlier podcast on gBETA Kenosha.

— The newly formed Wisconsin Defense Industry Council is hosting its first event next week aimed at strengthening and supporting Wisconsin businesses involved in the defense industry.

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce aim to boost the state’s defense manufacturers and contractors by launching the council, which was announced in December. The group’s first meeting is slated for Tuesday at Fairbanks Morse Defense in Beloit with a briefing on the U.S. Navy submarine industrial base and keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, on the agenda.

The primary goal of the new group is to make sure Wisconsin is seen as a leader in the defense industry, WMC spokesperson Nick Novak told WisBusiness.com.

“The three things we want to do is just advocate for the defense industry here in Wisconsin and showcase our capabilities that we have here,” he said. “And then be that resource to the defense industry in connecting them with the different people and different organizations in Wisconsin that are doing good work on behalf of the industry.”

There is no comprehensive membership list for the WDIC available yet since the council is still open to new members, but Fairbanks Morse Defense CEO George Whittier is chairing the council while Pindel Global Precision CEO Bill Berrien is the vice chair.

Novak also stressed the importance of bolstering the defense industry as other countries pose a mounting threat to America.

“When you see what’s going on between Israel and Gaza and Hamas, you see what’s going on in Ukraine and what Russia is doing; China continues to flex its muscles on the worldwide stage,” he said. “I just think that there’s a time in which the U.S. needs to have national security as a focus, and that time is certainly now.”

Novak also noted Wisconsin currently ranks 30th of all states in total U.S. defense contract spending, but often ranks first in manufacturing jobs per capita, though it’s sometimes beat out by Indiana.

Wisconsin is currently home to several major manufacturers with Department of Defense contracts, including Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fairbanks Morse Defense, Plexus Corp. in Neenah, Oshkosh Defense, Vortex Optics in Barneveld, and National Presto Industries in Eau Claire.

See a flier about the event.

— Utilities already doing business in Wisconsin would have the right of first refusal to construct, own and maintain a new transmission line that connects to one of their existing ones, under a bill the Assembly approved by voice vote.

The heavily lobbied bill has pitted those who argue it would bring continued stability to the state’s transmission system against those who believe it would stifle competition and lead to higher costs for ratepayers.

Several lawmakers yelled “no” during yesterday’s vote. A group of Republicans went to the front of the chamber and asked to be registered as “nos” on the bill. WisPolitics could not immediately confirm a full list of lawmakers who registered against.

Rep. Nate Gustafson, who registered against the bill, in a statement said he hoped the proposal would “die a swift death” in the state Senate.

“Competition drives excellence, and the legislation that was steamrolled through the Assembly today kills competition,” the Fox Crossing Republican said.

Megan Novak, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin, in a statement argued yesterday’s action “doubles down on government monopolies, ends competitive bidding, and guarantees even higher utility bills many Wisconsinites cannot afford.”

“Far too many Wisconsinites are already grappling with the consequences of rising energy costs, but today’s vote robbed ratepayers of much needed relief,” Novak said. “Our legislators tilted the field in favor of crony capitalism and against the best interest of Wisconsinites.”

Majority Leader Tyler August ahead of the Assembly session told reporters he expected a voice vote on the proposal. The Lake Geneva Republican said voice votes are the default position for bills that come to the floor. He said there hadn’t been requests for a roll call.

August also wouldn’t say if he thinks the measure will clear the Senate.

“I’ve talked to the Senate majority leader, but I gave up trying to predict what the Senate does a long time ago,” he said.

AB 470 was drafted in anticipation of new transmission line work coming into Wisconsin. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the regional electric grid that covers the upper Midwest, has approved $10 billion in work on new transmission lines over the next decade, with Wisconsin expected to see about $2 billion of that.

WisPolitics reported earlier this month that groups spent 2,234 hours over the last half of the year lobbying the legislation, nearly double the effort they put in on the second most lobbied bill over the period.

— State health officials have announced $830,000 in grants from Wisconsin’s JUUL settlement funds for 13 recipient organizations.

The two-year grant funding will be used to address youth and young adult vaping in the state, according to yesterday’s release from the state Department of Health Services. That will include community- and school-based programs aimed at reducing or preventing vaping, public health research and efforts to limit access to certain nicotine products.

All of these efforts are targeted at teens and young adults up to age 24, the release shows.

The Vaping Prevention and Treatment Initiatives grants are funded by a settlement with e-cigarette maker JUUL, which the state Department of Justice announced in 2022. Wisconsin will get at least $14.7 million over five to 10 years for prevention and cessation programs.

Under the settlement, the Washington, D.C.-based business is also required to conduct a retail compliance check program in the state for two years, according to a DHS fact sheet on the deal.

“E-cigarettes continue to put the health of kids in Wisconsin at risk,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said today. “As these grants show, the funds we’ve secured from JUUL are supporting efforts to combat the vaping epidemic.”

See the full list of recipients in the release, and see more on the settlement.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— UW-Green Bay has announced a new online AI certificate program, offering insights on how the technology can be used and its impacts on society.

The six-week course is meant for business professionals and other leaders, according to yesterday’s release. The spring 2024 will run from March 11 to April 19, with four modules covering the foundations of AI, its applications in business, ethical and social considerations and implementation.

See more on the course.

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