MON AM News: Sheboygan County launches accelerator for packaged retail startups; Revenue agents seize beer from Bangstad’s brewing company

June 15, 2026

— Sheboygan County officials have launched a new startup accelerator for local entrepreneurs, seeking to drive business growth in the area of packaged retail goods.

The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation on Friday launched the Consumer Packaged Goods Blueprint Program alongside local entrepreneurship resource company Startups Built Simply. The inaugural cohort includes companies developing food and beverage products, skincare brands, apparel and more.

Ray York, a business counselor for the SCEDC, says the program aims to give startup founders “the tools and strategic foundation” needed to build sustainable companies.

“This partnership demonstrates how focused mentorship, practical education, and access to resources can turn promising ideas into structured businesses that grow alongside our community,” York said in a statement.

The six-week program includes training sessions on business metrics, brand messaging, pricing strategies and other topics, in addition to personalized coaching and other resources.

Founders with “strong market potential” will get grants through SCEDC with funding from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., meant to support initial product creation and accelerate growth.

Lee Veldkamp, founder of Startups Built Simply, says the program will be “demystifying” the business development process to ensure good ideas get a fair chance.

“Many creative founders have exceptional products but lack the capital and a clear roadmap needed to scale,” Veldkamp said.

Participating entrepreneurs include:

*Cheri Meyer, of Meyer Cocktail Co., offering ready-to-drink bottled craft cocktails.

*Evan Philibeck of Buck in a Hat, selling hunting hats tailored to “the outdoor subculture.”

*Drew Mueske of Crunch Collab, which makes health-focused granola bars.

*Mary Motiska of Wonderfully Made, offering skincare products for younger customers.

*James Kaczmarowski of Glitch Gin, which makes gin with a “fruit-first” formula.

See the release.

— The Department of Revenue confirmed it had “inspected” Minocqua Brewing Company locations after video shared online showed law enforcement removing beer from the brewery’s Minocqua address.

Video posted by the Lakeland Times’ Facebook account shows law enforcement removing cardboard trays of beer from the Minocqua taproom and loading them into an SUV.

Brewery owner and Democratic guv hopeful Kirk Bangstad also shared video of law enforcement inside the Minocqua location.

In a statement, a DOR spokesperson confirmed that Division of Alcohol Beverages officials conducted an inspection of the Minocqua Brewing Company’s premises Thursday.

“Based on a complaint the division received last year, the department has been discussing concerns with the Minocqua Brewing Company and its legal counsel for several months toward reaching a path toward compliance. This inspection was planned and coordinated with Minocqua Brewing Company’s legal counsel well in advance,” the statement reads.

The state agency declined to offer further details due to an ongoing investigation.

Bangstad wrote on Substack Friday that state officials seized around $25,000 worth of beer from his Minocqua and Madison taprooms after inspecting a Madison warehouse the brewery had built to distribute beer brewed in Illinois.

Bangstad said state officials told him the beer was seized due to failure to pay $500 in excise taxes. He further claimed that state and federal permitting delays had prevented him from making the payment.

The DOR’s statement does not discuss why the inspection was conducted but notes:

“Wisconsin also has laws that protect the state’s brewers and brewing industry by preventing out-of-state alcohol beverages brewed in Illinois or other states to be sold in Wisconsin without the appropriate permit or license.

“These state laws ensure that no permit or license holder gains an unfair advantage by bypassing tax obligations or by evading safety protocols.”

Bangstad said his attorney will be filing an emergency injunction in Dane County Circuit Court to return the beer to his taprooms and that he will also sue DOR.

He claimed without evidence that the Tavern League of Wisconsin had helped state agents orchestrate the seizure and insinuated Gov. Tony Evers was also somehow involved.

“Since my liquor lawyer has never seen this level of punishment being exacted on any of his other brewery clients before in his career, I can’t help but wonder if there’s someone directing these enforcement agents to come down on me extra hard as a way to ‘teach me a lesson,’” he wrote.

Bangstad declared his intention to run for governor last month but was found ineligible for the ballot by the Wisconsin Elections Commission after agency staff found numerous errors in the nomination papers he submitted ahead of a June 1 deadline.

He told WisPolitics last week that he would sue to force his way onto the ballot.

— Union organizers are touting a “landslide” victory as 89% of participating SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital nurses in Madison voted in favor of unionization, while their employer said it had hoped for “continued direct engagement” with nurses instead.

SEIU Wisconsin, the state’s largest healthcare union, says last week’s union election was the state’s largest in the private sector in at least 26 years. The final vote count was 511-63, according to details provided by the union.

The union says the nurses are looking forward to working with SSM Health leadership on “solutions that raise standards for patient care and the nursing profession” in the region.

Following the vote, next steps include nurses filling out surveys to determine contract proposals and forming a negotiating committee.

“Nurses are calling on SSM to stop wasting precious resources on delay tactics and begin good faith contract negotiations as soon as possible,” the union said in a release. “SSM Health is now required by federal labor law to sit down and negotiate a union contract with the nurses.”

In a statement on the vote, SSM Health expressed gratitude to nurses who took the time to consider the “factual, educational information” it provided ahead of the National Labor Relations Board election.

“We would have preferred an outcome that allowed for continued direct engagement with our nurses,” the health system said. “Regardless, we remain committed to continuing to collaborate with our entire team to maintain a compassionate, high-quality, healing environment where we all can do our best work in living out our Mission to provide exceptional care for our patients.”

The statement notes that’s been the health system’s mission for more than 100 years and “one we hope SEIU Wisconsin will continue to respect.”

Nurses involved in the labor effort were targeting “extreme understaffing” issues at the Madison hospital as well as uncompetitive pay, according to the union. SEIU previously alleged SSM Health executives were engaged in “scare tactics” to discourage the union effort.

The union argues SSM Health has “more than enough resources” to negotiate a contract that addresses nurses concern, with $12.6 billion in operating revenue and $493 million in profits in 2025.

Amber Brown, a nurse in the hospital’s cardiac intermediate care unit, says the union effort aimed to ensure the nursing profession is sustainable.

“In order to be fully present with our patients, we need full staffing, resources, and support,” she said in a statement. “With our union, nurses will be a part of the conversation and what we say will matter.”

SEIU last week also urged SSM health to “drop their unfounded objection” to charge nurses participating in the election, arguing they’re not considered supervisors under federal law. The health system did not address this demand in its statement.

See the NLRB case file.

See the union’s release.

— UW-Eau Claire recently wrapped up its second annual Brain Injury Intensive Comprehensive Treatment Program, offering recovery resources and other help for a dozen participants with brain injuries.

The university announced last week’s five-day program provided valuable experience for students across various disciplines including speech language pathology and neuroscience.

Participants learned about the science of brain injuries and coping strategies, working together on advocacy projects as well as creative expression through writing and photography, and discussion related mental health challenges.

Called Brain In-Com for short, the program is co-sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin. The faculty lead, Dr. Jerry Hoepner, is a professor of speech, language and hearing sciences at the university. He says the second annual gathering has been “fantastic,” stressing the benefit for students.

“We filled all our spots and have three caregivers attending as well,” he said in the release. “We also expanded our reach throughout the state, welcoming attendees from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Rapids, Wausau, Gillett, Eau Claire and Eleva.”

See the release.

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