UW-Whitewater, eInnovate promote state tech network
Released: December 1, 2003
Business experts at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater have teamed with eInnovate, a Milwaukee technology development group, to bring a jolt of collective energy to Wisconsin’s technology business sector.
The partnership, which began this fall, will help eInnovate develop a new set of online products that foster greater networking, awareness and idea sharing among technology employees and entrepreneurs. It will also be engaged in a little myth-busting on the idea that technology businesses aren’t thriving in the land of beer and cheese.
“We want to shatter the rust belt image and show there really is technology growth happening in Wisconsin,” said Michael Burnham, president of eInnovate. “I would like to reduce the brain drain and get Wisconsin technology graduates to think about Milwaukee before heading off to Chicago or the coasts.”
The organization began four years ago in the height of the dot.com boom as a way to provide professional support for technology upstarts in southeast Wisconsin. It also has “sister” associations in Racine and Madison. The not-for-profit association now has more than 250 members, monthly events and holds an annual e-Forum that awards innovative companies. The next eForum is December 9.
But the organization is looking to take the next big step with help from UW-Whitewater business and technology staff. Burnham said eInnovate is working with the university to help revamp some of its services and approaches. Projects include:
• Redesigning the Web site to create a “corporate look and feel” and allow for internal management of dynamic information, including the events calendar and news updates;
• Developing marketing strategies that will help grow awareness and membership of the group through print materials, media and greater sponsorships;
• Assembling a list of economic development resources available for tech companies;
• Reviewing the group’s overall organization, including questions about committees, advisory boards and legal bylaws.
Project coordinator Robert Horton, chair of UW-Whitewater Information Technology and Business Education, said the partnership is exciting for the university in many ways. It’s the most comprehensive partnership he has seen, given the number of departments and individuals involved, and will provide ample educational experiences for students.
It’s also a test project for the new Business Outreach Services office at UW-Whitewater, which promises to take a more full-service approach to state business challenges. This project is paid for entirely through a technology grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, but Horton said the plan is to demonstrate the model will work on a cost recovery basis.
“This is a hand-in-glove approach to business services that can be beneficial to a lot of Wisconsin companies,” Horton said. “We are trying to reinvent our business outreach services to tackle larger business problems. The eInnovate project will be a model for how it can be done.”
Burnham said the need for a professional network is acute in the tech sector, where new companies emerge as rapidly as industry standards get overturned. A recent survey by eInnovate, WE Energies and the Wisconsin IT Leadership Association identified 640 technology companies in southeast Wisconsin. This sector could grow stronger by sharing ways to market services, find new employees and gather seed capital, he said.
“People don’t need to be right next door if a community can be developed electronically,” Burnham said. The group’s Web site can be found at: http://www.einnovate.org/
- Brian Mattmiller ,npa@uww.edu
