Jerry
Jendusa’s newest venture is called STUCK, but the veteran entrepreneur,
business adviser and community leader seems anything but mired in the muck of
underachievement.
The
UW-Milwaukee graduate grew EMTEQ from a basement start-up to an international
aerospace company over 18 years before it was sold, along with another aviation
firm, to BE Aerospace for a combined $470 million in 2014.
Not one to
rest on his laurels, Jendusa promptly co-founded STUCK LLC to provide business
advisory services to companies looking to grow. STUCK has also launched an
early stage investment fund and incorporates a philosophy that successful
business founders should give back to the community when they reach the
promised land of profitability.
It’s all
part of the message Jendusa will deliver during the June 2-3 Wisconsin
Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Madison, where he will be a keynote speaker and
one of many examples of the innovation economy in southeast Wisconsin.
Read this commentary in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel here.
Still
flying high in New Berlin, EMTEQ is an industry leader in airplane cabin
comfort and lighting, exterior lighting, aircraft systems design and more.
Founded in 1996, it has weathered recessions and dramatic changes in the aviation
industry, not the least of which was the downturn following the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“It
was a challenging time to be scaling up an aviation company,” Jendusa
recalled.
The
company grew nonetheless through three acquisitions and the addition of six
offices in the United States and three other countries. EMTEQ had 630 employees
and more than $100 million in annual sales when it was acquired. Jendusa’s role
in navigating that growth explains why he serves as co-chairman of Scale Up
Milwaukee, among other community endeavors.
Scaling
young companies will be among the themes of the 13th annual Wisconsin
Entrepreneurs’ Conference, which will be held at Madison’s Alliant Energy
Center. The theme of “Launch, Grow, Succeed” will bind together several
speakers, 15 panel discussions and the finalist round in the Governor’s
Business Plan Contest. Some examples:
■”Scaling
Your Business: How To Foster a Culture of Growth and Spur Rapid Scaling”
will feature Brian Schupper, the director of Scale Up Milwaukee, as well as
executives from a diverse group of companies.
■”Are
You the ‘It’ In IOT?: Fitting Your Company Into the Internet of Things”
will be led by David Vasko of Rockwell Automation. It will underscore how
Wisconsin companies are using machine-to-machine communications to move, track
and market goods and services. The panel is a follow-up to the March 23
Wisconsin Tech Summit, which was held at the GE Healthcare Institute in
Waukesha.
■”Water,
Power, Food and Data” will provide an overview of the work of four
Milwaukee-area clusters: The Global Water Council, the Midwest Energy Research
Consortium, FaB (Food and Beverage Wisconsin) and The Milwaukee Institute.
■”The
ABCs of Accelerators: Finding What’s Right For You” will feature leaders
from accelerators such as Gener8tor, which operates in Milwaukee and Madison,
as well as other places where young companies can get a strong start.
Other
topics will include how to build the right business team, marketing young
firms, understanding key business metrics, learning when to “fail
fast” or pivot with young companies, equity crowdfunding, social media for
start-ups and the details of how to measure business valuation, find investment
dollars and generally fund an emerging business.
The
Governor’s Business Plan Contest, which began in January with nearly 250 ideas,
now includes 25 finalists competing for cash and other prizes. Eight of the top
25 hail from southeast Wisconsin.
The growth
of the Milwaukee area as a start-up and scale-up hub is becoming more evident.
While it’s not proceeding quickly enough to please everyone, the foundation for
more success stories is being laid.
That’s due
to a combination of factors: Promising business ideas; colleges and
universities that stress entrepreneurism; a bench of C-level leadership; and
partnerships that match private, nonprofit and public players. Milwaukee won’t
be “stuck” so long as it continues to produces more EMTEQs and Jerry
Jendusas.
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