By Zach Brandon and Tim Sheehy
As business leaders of Milwaukee and Madison, we bet every day on the future of this great state. Our members are among the most innovative and dynamic businesses in Wisconsin and are creating jobs at a robust pace in important sectors like advanced manufacturing, bioscience, food production, digital technology and water.
Our economy is built on a strong foundation of industry and agriculture that has produced a high quality of life and made Wisconsin a great place to raise a family. That has been our brand for generations, but we are now becoming equally known as a place where innovation thrives.
That innovation and the state’s future talent flow from the University of Wisconsin System, forming the genesis of the Wisconsin Idea. The idea is based on producing seekers – lifelong learners, makers and problem-solvers who possess a relentless curiosity and are dedicated to taking the uncharted path forward. A plaque mounted on the front of UW-Madison’s Bascom Hall reads, “We believe that the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.” Nothing defines the seeker better than that.
Seeking is the foundation of entrepreneurship and Wisconsin is an entrepreneurial state, exemplified by companies like Harley-Davidson, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, Oshkosh Corporation and Culver’s. All of them were named after either their founders or the communities in which they were founded. It is a good bet that the next great entrepreneur will emerge from the UW System. Others agree, which is why UW-Madison ranks 14th in the nation for venture capital-backed entrepreneurs.
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