When I was building WeatherVane Creamery (note: website intentionally frozen in time), I was trying to do more than just open a vibrant Wisconsin-themed deli in River Falls- I was painting a vision. I wanted people to see what I saw: a vital, community-centered, proudly Wisconsin space that could become something special right now, not “someday.”  

And thankfully, people did see it. I built an advisory board of experts, restaurateurs, and dairy industry insiders. I crowdfunded. I launched investor dinners. I had the American Cheese Society’s stamp of approval. I got a ton of media coverage. It was alive and moving, being the scrappy Western Wisconsin founder working tirelessly to rally Cheeseheads.  

What I didn’t have… was a clear investor path.

Ask any rural founder in these parts, and they’ll likely tell you a familiar story- one I also lived. If you’re not in Milwaukee or Madison, it’s tough. I was told more than once, “Investors usually put money into places they can visit on the weekend.” There were no clear investor programs for my kind of business, and support organizations were often centered in the big cities or neighboring Minnesota. Over the border, the Twin Cities had programs everywhere. Here? It was on me.  

So, I went all in. I networked like mad. I called landlords, was turned down for loans, and I followed up every “no” with a new strategy. I flew to Seattle and pitched to Howard Schultz of Starbucks in front of thousands of shareholders. People told me things wouldn’t work, but every few “no’s” came with someone generous enough to offer options- like local funds or economic development organizations. I clung to those rare yeses like oxygen.  

One of the most pivotal came from Charlie Walker, Executive Director of the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation (CEDC). Charlie saw WeatherVane’s local media coverage and personally reached out to offer me a fully financed location in Chippewa Falls. I was stunned, honored- and determined. I knew in my gut that WeatherVane belonged in River Falls. I’d done the research, I knew the traffic flow, and I trusted the community. But I never forgot Charlie’s offer-and what it signified: here was someone who believed in making Western Wisconsin viable for entrepreneurs right now.  

Years later, that offer would come full circle.  

Today, I get to collaborate with Charlie and lead CEDC’s impactful pitch programs, including HATCH, which supports startup-stage ideas, and the Business Expansion & Retention (BEAR) Pitch Showcase, the event for second-stage/growth-stage companies ready to scale. Companies with $500,000+ in revenue, who are hiring, expanding, pushing forward- but still facing some of the familiar barriers I did.  

BEAR isn’t an idea showcase- it’s a platform for real traction. And for founders like me, past and present, that’s everything.  

Shortly after my initial investor backed out and my crowdfunding campaign hit some speed bumps, I attended a 1 Million Cups event in St. Paul. I stood up, nervous but determined, and asked a question from the audience. That’s when I first met Patrick Donohue, who was then in the early days of building Hill Capital Corporation.

We stayed in touch, and as Hill Capital began taking shape, our shared passion for Midwestern founders and unsung business communities kept bringing us back together. I shared my hard-earned Western Wisconsin investor connections and early insights into what founders in our region needed—because I’d lived it. I knew the gaps, the pain points, and the scrappy tenacity it takes to raise funding.

Later, I was honored to become a Hill Capital Ambassador, supporting second-stage founders alongside Patrick and his team. For the past five years, I’ve helped during the due diligence process, identified early-stage red flags, supported great concepts, and lent strategic support to the portfolio companies.

And now, to be able to help bring Hill Capital into BEAR ’25 as one of our featured investor groups, alongside BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation, Tundra Angels, Wisconsin Investment Partners, and Nesnah Ventures is such a full-circle moment for me.  It reflects just how far we’ve come in building real channels for founders in our region—and how powerful it can be when economic developers, funders, and entrepreneurs actually align.

Founders: If your company is growing and ready, this is your moment.  

Investors and advisors: If someone came to mind while reading this, please nominate them.  

As someone who learned through sheer determination and a little duct tape how to create a platform when it didn’t exist, it’s an honor to now help build one for the next generation of Wisconsin businesses.

If I could offer one piece of advice to the entrepreneurial community, it would be this:  

Don’t wait for gatekeepers to come find you- go knock on the doors that are already open.

BEAR is one of those doors.  

🟢 Apply or nominate by this Friday, August 1st, 2025: https://chippewa-wi.com/event/bear-2025-pitch-competition/

#BEAR25 #WesternWisconsinFounder #WisconsinIsOpenForBusiness #CEDC #SecondStageSuccess #PitchToGrow #ScaleUpWI #HomegrownGrowth