Contact: Tom Still or Joy Sawatzki at 608-442-7557
www.WiTrepsConference.com
MADISON – Two new elements will mark the final phases of the 2015 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest at the 13th annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, to be held June 2-3 at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center.
Learn more and register for the two-day event at www.WiTrepsConference.com. “Early bird” registration is open through May 14 and special hotel rates apply through May 15.
-The presentations by the contest’s “Diligent Dozen” will include an offer from Honkamp Krueger & Co. to provide a free tax analysis for entrepreneurs registered for the full conference. The analysis would cover 2014 tax returns for entrepreneurs regardless of incorporation status. The presentations will take place from 3:15-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, and will represent the final 12 out of a field that began with about 240 entries in January.
-The Governor’s Business Plan Contest awards ceremony the following day, June 3, will kick off with a conversation with Jonathan Zuckerbrod, who is driving technology as a part of the marketing efforts of the Milwaukee Bucks. Zuckerbrod, who previously worked for Thrillist Media Group and GroupMe, will discuss the team’s statewide outreach plans in the wake of the Bucks’ turnaround 2014-2015 season.
The Business Plan Contest awards ceremony, which will begin at noon, is sponsored by Ascendancy Advisors with support from PowerBuy 4 You. Reed Hall, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., will join in presenting the awards. In addition to the BPC award announcements, the luncheon will also feature a presentation by the 2015 winner of the Wisconsin YES! youth business plan contest, which is sponsored by WEA Trust and IBM.
Produced by the Tech Council, the conference is one of the largest events of its kind in the Upper Midwest. More than 500 people are expected to attend the two-day conference, to be held June 2-3 at the Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, just off Madison’s South Beltline. Additional speakers and features will be announced in coming weeks, all under the theme of “Nurturing Entrepreneurial Roots.” Other highlights:
– A keynote presentation by Jerry Jendusa, co-founder and former CEO of EMTEQ and now a principal with STUCK LLC
– The 2015 Ken Hendricks Memorial “Seize the Day” award recipient Jim Berbee, founder of Berbee Information Networks Corp.
– Fifteen panel discussions for emerging companies on how to “Launch, Grow and Succeed,” including a special June 2 plenary session to be announced
– Innovation Showcase featuring more than 45 companies from around the state
– Plenty of chances to connect with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors over food and refreshments
Sponsors so far include: Aberdean Consulting; Alliant Energy; American Family Insurance; American Transmission Co.; Ascendancy Advisors; AT&T; Baird Capital; Baker Tilly; BDO; BloodCenter of Wisconsin; BMO Harris Bank; City of Fitchburg; Concordia University; CORE Business Consulting; Cresa Madison; Dedicated Computing; DeWitt Ross & Stevens; Exact Sciences; Filament Games; Fine Point Consulting; First Business Bank; Godfrey & Kahn; Google; Group Health Cooperative; HP Enterprise Services; Madison College; Madison Gas & Electric; Makin’ HEY! Communications; Marquette University; Marshfield Clinic Applied Sciences; Michael Best & Friedrich; Mid-West Energy Research Consortium; Midwest Prototyping; MIOsoft; Murphy Desmond; Neider & Boucher; Nelson Schmidt; NEW Capital Fund; New Horizons of Wisconsin; Nordic; PowerBuy 4 You; Quarles & Brady; RDC National Inc.; Red Arrow Productions; Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.; Rockwell Automation; Safenet Consulting; The Business Journal; Tweedee Productions; University Research Park; Uber; UW-Madison Discovery to Product (D2P); UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations; UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation; Venture Investors; Whitewater University Technology Park; Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.; WIN-Lake Superior; Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.; Wisconsin Technical College System; and WTN Media.
For more information, visit www.witrepsconference.com or call 608-442-7557.
