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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

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

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

You Can’t Afford NOT to have an EAP

Over the past couple of months, CEDC has been discussing ways to improve and grow our quality workforce. Throughout many of our Business Retention and Expansion (BEAR) visits with local employers, the topic of worker depression and mental health arises in the conversation as an issue. That is in part why CEDC has organized a series of BEAR Lunch & Learns centered around the Support for Communities Program and Better Utilizing EAPs called Your Company CAN Afford an EAP. Chippewa Valley Employers are seeing more mental health issues in their workforce than ever before. Author Dr. Susan Strauss - a national recognized expert on workforce who has conducted research, written over 30 books, book chapters, and journal articles on workforce depression - notes that many Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s) continue to be underutilized [...]

You Can’t Afford NOT to have an EAP2022-06-21T14:37:00-05:00

Water’s Edge Cheese Curds Expands to Downtown Chippewa Falls

This week, Water’s Edge Cheese Curds made their official debut in the city of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin by hosting the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation's (CEDC's) Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) Visit and a tour of their production facility. CEDC's BEAR Visit program is aimed at recognizing and supporting the accomplishments of our local businesses. We understand that 80 percent of all jobs created in a community are those from existing businesses whom we support and encourage. The BEAR Visits also open up a dialogue for everyone present to engage in a conversation about the supply chain, workforce, the business climate, and other economic issues. Over 12 years ago, Water’s Edge Cheese Curds started in a small building in Jim Falls, Wisconsin. Beginning as a secret recipe in the kitchen of a Northwoods Wisconsin supper [...]

Water’s Edge Cheese Curds Expands to Downtown Chippewa Falls2022-03-09T09:29:54-06:00

Water’s Edge Cheese Curds BEAR Visit

CEDC Investors and Stakeholders are invited to join us at a BEAR Visit at Water's Edge Cheese Curds to welcome them to the city of Chippewa Falls! Expanding from Jim Falls, the company produces beer-battered cheese curds for wholesale purchasing and is opening their new production and distribution facility.

Water’s Edge Cheese Curds BEAR Visit2022-03-09T09:37:28-06:00

BEAR Lunch & Learn: OSHA & EPA’s Impact on Small Businesses

Most OSHA and EPA laws were created to regulate large businesses, yet 99.5% of U.S. businesses consist of less than 250 employees. In this BEAR Lunch & Learn, find out from Cory White, co-owner of Small Business EH&S, the three ways that these laws negatively effect small businesses and what you can do to ensure the safety of your employees. Registration is limited; reserve your seat today! Tickets cover the cost of lunch. To learn more about what Cory does, visit his website here.

BEAR Lunch & Learn: OSHA & EPA’s Impact on Small Businesses2021-12-30T09:43:15-06:00

CEDC Speaks at Local Workforce Solutions Summit

CEDC’s Charlie Walker was invited to participate in the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Solutions Summit at the Pablo Center. As part of a breakout panel discussion, he highlighted the collaboration between CEDC and Momentum West in developing the regional economic development organization’s video series. The Workforce Solutions Summit is specifically designed to provide area employers with practical solutions. The Regional Talent Initiatives panel also consisted of Alms Creative owner William Alms, UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank, Jenny Radcliffe of Dairyland Power, and Brian Elwood of Xcel Energy. Over 40 attendees participated in the panel discussion. The importance of communicating to the next generation of talent cannot be overemphasized. CEDC Executive Board Member Maureen Carlson was instrumental in launching the promotional video series when she chaired the Momentum West Board of Directors. Maureen continuously [...]

CEDC Speaks at Local Workforce Solutions Summit2021-12-03T11:13:39-06:00

BEAR Discussion with Lona Cook from Cook Chiropractic Center

Join CCEDC and Lona Cook from Cook Chiropractic Center in Chippewa Falls, WI, we believe everyone deserves to live in their fullest expression of life. When there is disconnection or pain in the mind, body, or spirt it an cause problems on many levels of your well-being

BEAR Discussion with Lona Cook from Cook Chiropractic Center2021-04-27T10:53:58-05:00
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