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A Day in the Life of a Founder

What it's like to be a HATCH or BEAR  finalist I arrive while the sky is still deciding between gold and indigo, the river breathing its cool across the street. The venue is a local treasure- a family-run roastery that turns into a candlelit listening room at night- brick walls warm with history, string lights threaded like constellations. It’s intimate the way a good idea is intimate: close enough to hear a heartbeat, big enough to hold a room’s attention. Name tag, handshake, another handshake. Early evening is for orbiting, they told us, and so I orbit: investors in soft blazers, judges with notebooks like shields turned into harps, mentors whose eyes crinkle with the kind of experience you can only earn by surviving. I mention my company in a sentence, then again [...]

A Day in the Life of a Founder2025-10-21T16:20:29-05:00

BEAR ’25: Wisconsin’s Statewide Pitch Showcase Tackles Mid-Stage Capital Gap- Connecting Scaling Businesses with Growth-Ready Investment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 15, 2025 BEAR ’25: Wisconsin’s Statewide Pitch Showcase Tackles Mid-Stage Capital Gap-  Connecting Scaling Businesses with Growth-Ready Investment Holcombe, WI – Positioned at the forefront of Wisconsin’s growing startup success story, the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation’s BEAR ’25 (Business Expansion and Retention Pitch Showcase) took place this week in Holcombe, bringing together second-stage companies and the investors, lenders, and business champions ready to fuel their next phase of growth. As a statewide initiative, BEAR was designed to address a persistent challenge: the lack of accessible capital for companies that have moved beyond early traction but need resources to scale sustainably. According to a recent report from the Wisconsin Technology Council, more startups across the state are entering a growth-ready phase, reflecting a shift from ideation to execution. However, this [...]

BEAR ’25: Wisconsin’s Statewide Pitch Showcase Tackles Mid-Stage Capital Gap- Connecting Scaling Businesses with Growth-Ready Investment2025-09-08T16:48:49-05:00

SBDC Celebrates New On-Campus Location at UW-Eau Claire

The Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire has officially moved onto campus, making it easier for Blugold students and faculty to support entrepreneurs and drive small business growth throughout the Chippewa Valley. On June 5, the SBDC transitioned from its former location at 221 W. Madison St. to Schneider Hall, home of UWEC’s College of Business. To mark the occasion, the SBDC joined the College of Business, Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, and Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce in hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) was proud to attend alongside community and business leaders to show support for this important partner. “We’re often described as one of UW-Eau Claire’s best-kept secrets when it comes to supporting small businesses,” said Harlie [...]

SBDC Celebrates New On-Campus Location at UW-Eau Claire2025-08-05T12:15:48-05:00

Sarah Kowal Blogging for CEDC-From Founder to Capital Connector: A Western Wisconsin Entrepreneur Comes Full Circle with BEAR ’25

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 [...]

Sarah Kowal Blogging for CEDC-From Founder to Capital Connector: A Western Wisconsin Entrepreneur Comes Full Circle with BEAR ’252025-07-31T16:47:34-05:00

Celebrating the Core

Over the past year, we have been continuously reminded that economic momentum doesn’t come from policies or plans alone but from our stakeholders and communities. Chippewa County's strength wasn’t built from the top down but from the inside out. This understanding has guided the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) as we worked to shape a stronger future, always keeping the community at the center of everything we do. Each May, during Economic Development Week, CEDC gathers for its Annual Meeting to celebrate the vital role the organization continues to play in creating strong, thriving communities. This gathering is one of Chippewa Valley’s most significant business networking/connecting events that serve as a moment to reflect on the past twelve months of local progress, connection, and shared success. The economic development organization highlights its focus [...]

Celebrating the Core2025-05-01T14:13:50-05:00

BEAR Team Visits Red Cedar Agronomy

The Chippewa Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) actively engages with local businesses through its Business, Expansion, and Retention (BEAR) Program. An important part of this program is our BEAR VISITS where CEDC staff, board members, and stakeholders visit our local employers. These business expansion and retention visits are important to economic development because they help strengthen local businesses, help identify any challenges small businesses may be facing, and provide support solutions to better ensure entrepreneurs long-term success. By maintaining existing businesses, communities can retain jobs, generate economic stability, and foster growth and development. Led by CEDC Board Member Karen Smith of Security Bank, a BEAR VISIT was organized and held at Red Cedar Agronomy. Red Cedar Agronomy, owned by Agronomist Jake Zwiefelhofer, is an independent agronomy service providing Pioneer Seed, Pattern Ag Soil Sampling, [...]

BEAR Team Visits Red Cedar Agronomy2024-06-28T14:10:41-05:00

WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes Visits Chippewa County Businesses

WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes Along with CEDC President CEO Charlie Walker visits a Chippewa Falls business KYMA Battery Technologies for a retention and expansion update while also celebrating Healthcare Workforce Training Institute grand opening. The Dove Healthcare Community Foundation received a Capacity Building grant from the WEDC. The grant assists the Institute in providing virtual and hybrid training programs for students who would otherwise be unable to access their services. This $75,000 state grant helped to expand the Chippewa Falls Healthcare Workforce Training Institute’s Education Center located on the campus of Dove Healthcare facility site in Chippewa Falls. The newly expanded Chippewa Falls Healthcare Workforce Training Institute provides training for individuals pursuing careers as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) or Certified Medication Aides, as well as those seeking Community-Based Residential Facility trainings [...]

WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes Visits Chippewa County Businesses2023-10-03T14:35:32-05:00

Time is Running Out; the Annual Meeting is Almost Here!

CEDC embodies Wisconsin's spirit of innovation, devoted to recognizing and celebrating the remarkable achievements of local businesses and entrepreneurs. To actively promote and highlight the collective successes we have accomplished together, fostering a vibrant and prosperous community, CEDC is proud to host its Annual Meeting on August 24th, 2023. Last year CEDC was proud to award Northern Crossarms Co., Inc. as the recipient of the 2022 Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) Award. Continuously demonstrating their worthiness of this recognition, Northern Crossarms Co., Inc. has shown remarkable ingenuity in addressing the issues associated with wet treated wood decks, such as shrinking, cupping, warping, and twisting during the drying process, leading to uneven gaps and spaces, even in newer decks. Thanks to the dedication and expertise of Pat Bischel and their team of fifty skilled [...]

Time is Running Out; the Annual Meeting is Almost Here!2023-08-01T15:51:17-05:00

Learning over Lunch: Real Estate Wire Fraud

With a rise in electronic payments across the world, homebuyers and consumers need to be especially careful when working with their lenders and realtors to make sure that they don't release funds or personal information to the wrong person. According to a 2021 American Land Title Association (ALTA) survey on Wire Fraud, over 13,000 homebuyers/potential homebuyers were scammed out of a total of over $200 million. In addition, the losses due to fraud have risen due to the pandemic, from $1.8 billion in 2019 to $3.3 billion in 2020. To help the community better understand wire fraud, title insurance, and the other risks that come with the purchase of property, Knight Barry Title Group asked the CEDC to bring people together at the Willow in Chippewa Falls to learn about how to prevent [...]

Learning over Lunch: Real Estate Wire Fraud2022-06-28T11:39:37-05:00
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