— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Ross Larson, a software engineer with Madison-based Paradigm and board member for Forward Festival.
He previews this year’s event series, which focuses on Wisconsin’s tech sector and entrepreneurs with more than 50 individual events held Aug. 17-21 in the Madison area.
“It’s made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs,” Larson said, noting the events include “bringing together people, networking, hands-on learning, conversations, workshops, making connections. Trying to be the community that we want to be.”
He noted several events are related to AI — ranging from the AI Summit being held at 100State to programs focused on how to best leverage the technology. But many gatherings have a different focus such as government contracting, patents, the environment and more.
“There’s a wide variety of different subjects, because every entrepreneur is different and so not every entrepreneur’s needs are going to be the same,” Larson said.
In addition to hosting a discussion on how to avoid burnout for solo startup founders and business owners, he’ll be moderating a fireside chat during Forward Festival about AI and inclusivity featuring insights from tech leaders on how the technology is transforming the industry.
“It is a revolution … that is hitting and helping people in different ways and at different angles, and I wanted to bring people together for a kind of frank and honest discussion about that,” he said.
Larson highlights the importance of connecting with the human side of entrepreneurship, noting the issue of mental health and burnout in this space doesn’t always get much attention.
“Sometimes that labor has a cost, and we wanted to ensure that the people that are working so hard to make these things happen … that they’re trying to do that in a way that is sustainable,” he said.
As part of Forward Festival, WisPolitics is holding an Aug. 19 luncheon at the Madison Club, featuring a conversation with WEDC Secretary and CEO John Miller.
See details on all events and register here.
Listen to the podcast here and see the full list of WisBusiness podcasts.
— SEIU Wisconsin is calling for the start of contract negotiations after the National Labor Relations Board certified a union election for hundreds of nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison.
The board’s regional office this week ruled against objections made by the employer, according to the union’s release. The move officially certifies the election in which nurses last month voted by an 89% margin in favor of unionizing, the announcement notes.
Zach Zahalka, a nurse in the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab, said forming a union represents an extension of his profession’s patient advocacy role. He noted organizers have begun circulating surveys to determine negotiation proposals.
“We urgently have to solve the crisis of understaffing and loss of experienced nurses at St. Mary’s,” Zahalka said in a statement, adding “SSM needs to stop trying to undermine our union” and focus instead on improving patient care through better staffing and retention.
The union says staffing levels at the hospital are 40% below average for the Madison area.
SSM Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the board’s decision.
Of the 853 eligible voters in the June 11 election, a total of 574 ballots were counted, and 511 nurses voted in favor of unionizing, according to details from NLRB.
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.
— About 59% of state residents who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program get benefits through the program, according to a new Urban Institute report.
The group yesterday issued the report, which estimates participation rates across various programs that make up the U.S. “safety net,” ranging from the SNAP food stamps program to others that help cover the cost of home heating and cooling, childcare and more.
The report shows about 1.2 million people in Wisconsin are eligible for SNAP, making up the largest eligibility pool among the programs included in the analysis.
The next largest is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, with 682,000 eligible in the state. Of the eligible households, just 27.4% participated in the program in 2023, the latest year covered in the report.
Meanwhile, just under 50% of the 146,000 people eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children get benefits from the program. It provides a monthly benefit covering certain foods for children through age 4 and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or postpartum and meet certain eligibility requirements.
The lowest participation rate captured in the report is for public and subsidized housing assistance with 23.4% of the 288,000 eligible households.
See the report for Wisconsin.
— U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil’s Stop Insider Trading Act has passed the House over the objections of Democrats who argued the bill fails to stop congressional stock trading.
The federal bill passed 232-198 this week, with 13 Democrats in support. Speaking on the floor ahead of the vote, the Janesville Republican touted the bill as the first curbing congressional stock trades to make it to the floor.
“Today, every American will know where their member stands,” Steil said. “If you want to day trade, there’s a place for that. It’s called Wall Street. If you want to come to Washington, you should be working on behalf of the American people.”
The bill would bar members of Congress and immediate family members from buying new individual stocks and require members to provide notice of their intent to sell stock at least a week in advance.
But it would not require members to divest of their existing stock holdings or limit them from trading other securities. It also would exempt family members who trade for a living from the trading ban. Experts WisPolitics spoke to in January called the latter provision a glaring loophole.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, called the bill “Velveeta to real Wisconsin cheese.”
“It still allows members to hold stock. It still allows members to buy stock with dividends. It still allows family members to buy stocks for others for any reason,” Pocan said. “It’s basically the opposite of a real stock trading ban from members of Congress.”
The bill lacks a clear path forward in the Senate, where Democrats have opposed adding new voting restrictions and where broader stock trading legislation that would apply to the president and vice president has been introduced.
See more from the WisPolitics DC Wrap.
— June cargo volumes through the Port of Green Bay have doubled from last June, signaling a busy start to this summer’s shipping season.
Port Director Dean Haen calls the greater activity “an encouraging sign” for continued momentum for the northeastern Wisconsin port.
“We’re seeing increased activity across several key commodities and continued growth in international shipping, highlighting the Port’s important role in supporting regional industries and supply chains,” he said in a statement.
A total of 273,708 metric tons of cargo moved through the port last month, marking an increase of about 99% from June 2025’s total of 137,747 tons.
Top commodities for the month included cement, coal, gypsum, limestone, salt, petroleum products, wood pulp and paper reels. Port officials note most of these have seen greater volumes this year, with coal in particular seeing 396% greater shipping year-to-date.
Twenty-four vessels came to the port last month, bringing this year’s total to 39 so far.
— Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau Executive Director Carol Fahrenkrog has been tapped by Gov. Tony Evers to chair the Wisconsin Coastal Management Council.
The council advises the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and sets policies for its work, which aims to “protect and improve access” to the state’s Great Lakes coasts. The bureau says Bayfield has long been represented on the council, noting the involvement of former Bayfield Mayor Larry MacDonald.
Fahrenkrog says she’s “honored” to lead the council’s efforts to protect the state’s coastal resources.
“Lake Superior’s clean water and coastal resources are among Bayfield’s most important environmental and economic assets,” she said in a statement. “We must preserve them for future generations while continuing to improve public access to the water.”
— UW-Green Bay Prof. Rasoul Rezvanian has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to teach and conduct research in Azerbaijan, with a focus on economics and business administration.
The university yesterday announced the award, which makes Rezvanian a three-time Fulbright scholar, according to the release. Previous appointments included working in Azerbaijan in the late 1990s in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union, and teaching finance in China in the mid-2000s.
Through the latest award, Rezvanian will spend nine months in the country’s capital of Baku, teaching courses in corporate finance, banking and financial markets, while studying Azerbaijan’s banking sector.
“In many places and especially in developing countries, students are eager to learn and looking for guidance, and you can help shape their futures — not only academically, but as people,” he said in the release. “That’s what makes the Fulbright experience so meaningful.”
TOP STORIES
Mining company’s project in Wisconsin takes part in fast-tracked federal permitting process
National Labor Relations Board certifies St. Mary’s nurses union
TOPICS
AGRIBUSINESS
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CONSTRUCTION
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ENTERTAINMENT & THE ARTS
HEALTH CARE
– Medical College plans Wisconsin’s first trauma recovery center at ThriveOn King
MANUFACTURING
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NONPROFIT
– Bernie’s Book Bank establishing permanent Milwaukee-area hub
REAL ESTATE
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TOURISM
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UTILITIES
– USDA invests $8 million in Cedar Grove water upgrades
PRESS RELEASES
