WisBusiness.com’s Post

This week’s episode of “WisBusiness.com: the Podcast” is with Ryan Keepman, CEO of Evans Transportation Services. He discusses the company’s recent #expansion into #Mexico and growth over the past several years, with #revenues 💰 rising from $80 million to $400 million since 2018. The Delafield-based transportation and logistics firm projects 24% growth this year alone, and Keepman attributes that to both the company’s evolving #culture and bringing in new #technologies. 🎙 “Our business is #people,” he said. “We don’t own any trucks. We are an #intermediary of services, so putting an emphasis on our people, our culture, ensuring that they had the ability to grow … Finding the right people, building a culture around those people to empower them. Building more and better #leaders, as cliche as it sounds.” 🔎 Read more and listen to podcast, sponsored by University of Wisconsin-Madison, at https://lnkd.in/gU5h3pHP

#Milwaukee’s local #economy “took a step back” in May after positive momentum was seen in April, according to the latest Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce report. Just seven of the 23 #economic factors MMAC tracks saw year-over-year improvement in May, compared to 10 positive indicators in April. And only three of the region’s 10 key sectors added jobs over the year in May, as government jobs grew 2.6% and construction, mining and natural resources employment grew 1.9%. Over the same period, six of City of Milwaukee's major industries 📉 lost jobs over the year, with the largest decline seen in information, with a 6.7% drop. Professional and business services lost 3.9% of its jobs over the year, MMAC found. 🔎 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gpxWMnnJ

Scientists at University of Wisconsin-Madison this summer are testing a device that senses #soil #nutrients, which could help 🚜 #farmers make better decisions when #fertilizing. The sensor #technology created by engineers at the university can be used for real-time monitoring of #nitrates in soil, which are essential for growing 🌾 #crops. But excess #nitrate can move from soil into #groundwater, where it can pose a threat to human health and the #environment. Joseph Andrews, an assistant professor of #mechanicalengineering who led the research, says these sensors can help farmers “make more precise decisions” on how much #fertilizer they need by showing them the nutrient makeup of their own soil. They can help monitor nitrate leaching and guide efforts for reducing that process. 🌱 Read more: https://lnkd.in/ghTK3C74

The share of #Wisconsin’s 🔌 #electricity generation coming from coal is set to drop from 27% in 2022 to just 13% in 2030, according to a draft report from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The #PSC recently released a draft copy of its latest Strategic Energy Assessment, covering the state’s electricity supply over the coming six years. As a result of planned #coal retirements and new projects, natural gas is projected to rise from 22% to 28% of state energy generation. When combined into one #fossilfuel category, coal and #naturalgas together would go from 49% to 41% between 2022 and 2030. 🔎 Read more: https://lnkd.in/eSPf3cmz

The Medical College of Wisconsin will lead a health screening initiative as part of the Wisconsin BioHealth Tech Hub effort thanks to newly announced 💰 federal funding. The U.S. Economic Development Administration last week awarded $49 million to the state-based effort, led by the 18-member Tech Hub Consortium, including #MCW. The college then rolled out details for the #CAREScan Mobile Screening project, one of the main efforts being supported with the Phase 2 funding. This effort will initially provide #lung, #colon, #breast, #prostate, and #liver #cancer screening, and will ultimately screen for other diseases as well, according to the release. It will also use #AI-based telehealth services developed by a MCW spinoff biotech company called Nexus-MD Inc. These will be offered through a neighborhood-based framework to advance access to #healthscreening, MCW says. This approach is meant to build trust within communities that are historically #underserved by medical screening services, with community outreach being conducted in partnership with Milwaukee-based #InPower and Madison-based Wisconsin Health Literacy. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gzNFi9EF

🎉 The #Wisconsin BioHealth Tech Hub is set to get about $49 million to boost technological innovation, the @U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Economic Development Administration announced today. The state was previously allocated $350,000 in planning funds for the public-private partnership. The latest #investment is part of $504 million in implementation #grant funding for distribution to 12 #techhubs across the United States. The implementation grant amounts will be finalized in the coming months. ✨️ U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, in a press call with Missy Hughes, CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and Lisa Johnson, CEO of Madison-based BioForward, Inc., said the effort “has the potential to revolutionize healthcare as we know it.” Read on! https://lnkd.in/gJQH4Eia

💰Bankers predict overall stability in the state #economy over the next six months, according to the latest Wisconsin Bankers Association survey. That’s a shift from the last three surveys conducted in late 2022, mid-2023 and late last year, when surveyed #bankers were much more likely to say the [#Wisconsin] economy would weaken in subsequent months. The latest online survey was conducted between May 21 and June 21 with 66 respondents, according to a release from #WBA. It found 70% of respondents expect the state economy to stay the same over the coming six months while 23% expect it to weaken and 8% expect it to grow. In the last survey near the end of 2023, the breakdown was 47%, 44% and 9%, respectively, reflecting an improvement in bankers’ outlook. 🔎 Read more at https://lnkd.in/gijQPYg4

Milwaukee-area restaurateur and MKE 2024 Host Committee member Omar Shaikh wants the upcoming Red, White and Brew welcome party to “set the tone for the entire week” of the 2024 Republican National Convention. “It’s going to be very important,” he told WisBusiness.com. “It’s a party that we really want to show a ton of #hospitality to every visitor … it didn’t matter to me whether it’s the #DNC or the #RNC anytime we get new people coming into our city, it’s really important that we show them hospitality and make them feel welcome.” The host committee earlier this week announced a group of local business leaders called the #414Council will help host convention delegates and other partner organizations on July 14 at Henry Maier Festival Park in #Milwaukee. The convention will take place July 15-18. 🔎 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gzRKpWpF