Lighting a Fire for Entrepreneurs: Artisan Forge Studios gets economic development award

Artisan Forge is more than a collection of artists’ studios: It’s a small-business hub, an ever-changing gallery, a hive of creative activity, and an entrepreneur’s dream come true. In less than three years ...

Pursuing Entrepreneurial Excellence

Eau Claire consultant Dawn Garcia has tips for turning your idea into a profitable business

There is little doubt about the entrepreneurial passion in the Chippewa Valley, and with that comes the need for local consulting expertise. Dawn Garcia, founder and principal of Pursuit of Excellence in Eau Claire, has more than a few tips for local businesses ...

Little Business Leaders

local inventor creates contest for young entrepreneurs

Kim Nimsgern, the Menomonie-based inventor of the Click n Curl and creator of Casual Panache Inc., has found a way to support and inspire young female entrepreneurs in the Chippewa Valley ...

Grab a Cup, Grow an Idea

1 Million Cups meetings designed to inspire entrepreneurs

For many of us, coffee is much more than a hot beverage that provides a quick pick-me-up: It’s a caffeinated catalyst for relationships and opportunities. That idea is the nucleus of 1 Million Cups ...

Passion for Health Becomes Business

skin care line a result of natural ingredients, family support

Tracy Adkins did not set out to start a business. In fact, the last thing this mother of five young girls was seeking was a way to make life busier – she was simply hoping to cure her toddler’s eczema without harsh steroids ...

Got An Idea? You Can Win Big

the annual idea challenge helps spur entrepreneurs

Have you got a great business idea burning a hole in your brain? Since 2007, the Idea Challenge, an annual contest sponsored by the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corp., has been boosting local entrepreneurs. If you’ve got an idea, you can submit an application to the program anytime ...

Rolling With It: UW-Stout class helps farmer with fence cart invention

The Discovery Center at UW-Stout takes pride, among its varied services, in helping entrepreneurs flesh out ideas for products or businesses. “We have a good process – an initial feasibility study – that asks people the right questions. We can get a good idea if it’s going to fly or not,” said Roger Gehring, a development engineer with the Discovery Center ...

Get Ready To Launch

UW-Eau Claire's entrepreneurial training program helps budding businesspeople prepare their plans for success

On a Tuesday evening, they leave their day jobs and families behind. They gather – this week, there are 14 of them – in a small classroom on the UW-Eau Claire campus, toting binders, notebooks, and – most importantly – dreams. These dreams of forming new businesses or expanding existing ones will be examined, amended, and honed ...

Another Dynamic Success

new firm flexes its muscles in fitness equipment industry

In a former life, I was a gym rat. Bar bells, weights, clangs, and grunts. Few women subscribed to this lifestyle then. The places were filled with testosterone and iron, black-colored equipment. They were dark, dank, and messy. Sometimes, this neatnik got a workout simply by putting things back where they belonged ... no matter how much they weighed ...