WisBusiness: $1 million offered to help student entrepreneurs

UW-Madison business students with hopes of opening a business could have more opportunities for start-up financing, thanks to a gift from a local businessman.

Bruce D. Neviaser, chairman and founding director of the Great Lakes Companies Inc. has pledged $1 million to the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship in the UW-Madison School of Business to honor his father, Daniel H. Neviaser, a prominent Madison businessman and civic leader.

The gift will provide seed capital for business school students to finance promising business ventures through the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, where Neviaser has been heavily involved with students and its advisory board. The funds will be invested and managed by the University of Wisconsin Foundation as a permanent endowment fund.

Dan Neviaser has been a prominent figure in the Madison business community since moving here from Virginia in 1960. He owns and operates hotels, including the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Madison, as well as numerous office buildings, commercial and retail buildings. He was part owner and board chairman of several television stations in Texas, as well as a director and charter member of Telstar, Inc., a director of the Milwaukee Bucks and a partner in the Golden State Warriors basketball team.

Business School Dean Michael M. Knetter said, “We are honored by the association with Dan because of his record of giving back to the community. We have been a major beneficiary of his wisdom, energy and ability to bring people together to make progress. I believe there is no better way to honor Dan Neviaser than to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship in university students. Dan loves the challenge of business and creating value for customers and investors.”

One graduate, Marsha McVicker, a successful Chicago area entrepreneur, said recently that Neviaser’s advice and support made it possible for her to negotiate many business challenges. “Dan is the reason I have my company and my sanity. He is a true mentor who has taught me a lot about business, but probably more about life. He always is my first call whenever I feel overwhelmed.”