— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Julia Steege-Reimann, owner and operator of Voyageur Extended Stays in Madison.
She discusses the company’s plans to open a new 21-unit apartment project in downtown Madison called The Medallion later this summer. The business offers furnished apartment rentals for stays of one month or longer, and Steege-Reimann says she aims to act as an “ambassador” for the local community.
“Everything from resident gatherings and get-togethers to our welcome package, which features cheese from local cheese shops, discount cards for local businesses,” she said. “We’re intentionally a small business, so we can provide that personalized and curated attention to detail.”
Steege-Reimann and her husband Kristopher co-own the business, relying on their experiences as world travelers to inform their approach to hospitality.
“We traveled quite a bit in our twenties … everywhere from remote parts of Alaska to South America, and we’ve lived in cooperative housing before,” she said. “So we know what it’s like to be a newcomer, and we also know what it’s like to have housing help you feel a sense of belonging and comfort.”
The business in early 2020 purchased its existing 25-unit apartment building called the Wilson, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The original plan was to renovate it into a boutique hotel, but Julia and Kristopher pivoted to the current model when it became clear that nurses and other traveling medical professionals presented an emerging customer base.
“Now a good chunk is still traveling medical professionals, but we have all sorts of people,” she said. “People coming for medical treatment, people going through a divorce, people renovating a home … people coming to do a Broadway show, or be a ballerina dancer.”
Listen to the podcast here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-julia-steege-reimann-voyageur-extended-stays/
See the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts: https://www.wisbusiness.com/category/podcast/
— In the latest edition of “Talking Trade,” Croix Valley Foods owner Damon Holter discusses the company’s history, successes and plans for future expansion.
The Hudson-based business operates out of a 20,000-square-foot facility where it makes barbecue sauces, steak sauces, marinades, dry rubs and bloody mary seasonings.
“It’s been very successful, and we continue to thrive here in the U.S. and abroad,” Holter said.
He highlights the company’s efforts to reach international customers after realizing “the competition in the grocery industry is really cutthroat,” with relatively small margins. After being approached by a distributor in Canada, the company turned to buyers in the hardware and home improvement industry, Holter explained.
“Basically anywhere that people are selling grills and grilling accessories, so we saw the success in the Canadian market and we decided to pivot our business here in the U.S. to do the exact same thing,” he said. “It really increased our business tremendously.”
Holter also touches on the company’s participation in professional barbecue and steak competitions in other countries, which further catapulted efforts to reach new markets such as parts of Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.
“We’ve utilized the lessons that we’ve learned and the relationships we’ve built with other people across the world — especially those that are passionate about cooking, and competition cooking specifically — to be able to take our business from where we were a few years ago to really the next level,” he said.
Watch the show here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/talking-trade-with-damon-holter-croix-valley-foods/
“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe and find more episodes here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/category/talking-trade/
— Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul have joined a multi-state coalition in opposition to a settlement over PFAS contamination in drinking water, arguing water providers could end up footing the bill for future contamination.
The coalition in a motion to intervene argues the settlement with 3M doesn’t do enough to hold the company accountable for the contamination caused by its use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The chemicals, found in products like nonstick pans, food packaging and firefighting foam, are linked to several diseases and cancers in humans.
Under the settlement, water providers would withdraw a plethora of lawsuits targeting 3M in exchange for the company paying them up to $12.5 billion. It would apply to nearly every public water provider in the country, including those who have not sued the company or have yet to test for PFAS in their water.
Attorneys general from 18 states, plus Washington, D.C., the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico, in the brief filed in South Carolina district court note that unless water providers proactively opted out of the settlement agreement, they would have to abide by it — regardless of whether they have sued the company or tested for PFAS.
The coalition also noted a provision in the settlement they argued would negatively impact those who didn’t opt out of the settlement ahead of time by shifting billions of dollars in costs to them instead of 3M.
The coalition gave the hypothetical of cancer cases in a community stemming from 3M’s PFAS contamination, arguing if a public water system won a case against 3M, the company could seek compensation for any amount it owed to the victims.
“The results could well be ruinous for communities because many public water systems
are owned by public entities,” they argued.
See the brief: https://www.wispolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/230727Brief.pdf
See the motion to intervene:
— Haribo’s Pleasant Prairie production facility has now begun operations, the German candy company announced.
The company’s first North American production site is a 500,000-square-foot factory that makes its Goldbears gummy bear candy. Nearly 200 employees currently work at the facility, and the company plans to hire hundreds more there in the years to come as it expands its presence in Kenosha County.
In the first phase of its Pleasant Prairie project, Haribo developed a production facility, administrative offices and a warehouse, the release shows. The business says “future phases are in development” and will include new technologies being implemented at the site.
“At HARIBO we think in generations,” Haribo of America Chief Financial Officer Wes Saber said in the release. “We are in the U.S. for the long-term and are honored to be part of the Pleasant Prairie community.”
See the release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/haribo-opens-first-factory-in-us-introduces-new-gummi-innovation-for-summer-wild-berry-goldbears-301887187.html
— The Department of Workforce Development has received about $800,000 in federal grant funding to expand the state’s apprenticeship programs.
According to the agency’s announcement, the U.S. Department of Labor funds will help the state promote apprenticeship opportunities, create new opportunities for “emerging-sector” workers to participate, expand partnerships with the state Department of Corrections, update technology and more.
DWD earlier this year announced the state hit a new record in 2022 for apprenticeship participation with more than 15,900 apprentices.
See the release: https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/2023/230726-expanding-apprenticeship.htm
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— Members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors have announced an inquiry into possible contract violations resulting from SSM Health’s decision to stop providing gender-affirming surgeries.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
Sign up here: http://forms.gle/o8FtqTLviGJPja8C9
#TOP STORIES#
# Blue-green algae blooms on large, shallow lakes may be related to drought conditions
# WARF joins $8M seed round for high-tech imaging firm co-founded by UW postdoc
# Vintage Spirits frets over its fate as developer plans student housing
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Traders on edge as weather threatens corn yields
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=716&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Habitat for Humanity continues to build in Midtown, with help from Sargento and Bucks’ Connaughton
# EDUCATION
– Dual enrollment among state high schoolers doubles over past decade
– Carroll extends president’s contract – Gnadinger to serve university for another four years
# ENVIRONMENT
– Extreme heat and humidity is hitting Wisconsin. But climate experts say it’s nothing unusual for summer.
# HEALTH CARE
– Wisconsin doctor is first openly gay person to lead American Medical Association
– Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin moving ahead with $70 million Sheboygan project
# LABOR
– Four local manufacturers get more than $372,000 in Fast Forward grants to train workers
# MANUFACTURING
– Why Harley-Davidson stock jumped despite a disappointing quarter
– Survey finds Wisconsin, Midwest manufacturers continue to face challenge of retention
# POLITICS
– Milwaukee County Board passes 0.4 percent sales tax hike
– Evers, Kaul join coalition to reject 3M’s proposed deal to address PFAS pollution
# REAL ESTATE
– Irgens trying to sell former M&I headquarters building in downtown Milwaukee
– Three empty Waukesha County buildings to reopen as coworking space
# TECHNOLOGY
– What does AI mean for women in tech in Wisconsin?
# TOURISM
– Hotel occupancy spikes during Harley-Davidson event as summer business stays steady
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Dept. of Natural Resources: Asks public for help completing surveys of deer and game birds
