Judy Newman

Regional economic development group Thrive rebrands

host.madison.com — Thrive, the eight-county economic development group for south-central Wisconsin, is now the Madison Region Economic Partnership. The new name, a new logo, and the next round of plans for growth were unveiled Thursday at the organization's State of the Region summit, along with a report showing the Madison area is not keeping up with peer regions in jobs, income or population gains.

Tech and Biotech: A mobile app developed at UW-Whitewater is endorsed by a national parks group

host.madison.com — Families can register their children for soccer leagues, schedule art classes and plan boat outings in local parks using a mobile application developed by a UW-Whitewater professor and his company. The app, Strive, was introduced Thursday at the Whitewater campus.

Local home builders say they are hurting for workers

host.madison.com — Home builders in the Madison area say just as in other parts of the country, they're having trouble finding employees in the trades to work on their projects. Even Parade of Homes houses are feeling the crunch.

Biotech firm with Madison operations is purchased by Japanese drug company

host.madison.com — Takeda America Holdings, part of the Japanese drug giant Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., said Tuesday it will buy Inviragen, a Fort Collins, Colo., vaccine development firm with operations in Madison and in Singapore. Takeda will pay $35 million at the outset, with future payments of up to $215 million based on progress reaching commercial milestones.

Chief Executive magazine rates Wisconsin higher than last year

host.madison.com — Wisconsin ranked 17th -- its best showing yet -- in Chief Executive magazine's 2013 Best & Worst States for Business. That's up from 20th in 2012; 24th in 2011 and 41st place in 2010.

Tyler Huebner to be new leader of RENEW Wisconsin

host.madison.com — Renewable energy nonprofit RENEW Wisconsin has named Tyler Huebner as its executive director, starting June 1. Huebner has worked for the Wisconsin Division of Energy Services and the U.S. Department of Energy managing weatherization assistance programs. He has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Iowa and a master's degree from Stanford University in civil and environmental engineering.

Wisconsin Bank & Trust to open suburban Milwaukee office

host.madison.com — Wisconsin Bank & Trust will open a mortgage lending office in Brookfield in mid-June, with 12 to 18 employees. It will be the first entry into the Milwaukee market for the Madison-based bank, which has 10 other locations around the state. The bank recently announced it will open mortgage lending offices in Madison and Green Bay this spring.

Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce sets out two-year plan

host.madison.com — With hopes of revving up the area's economic engine and raising the community's visibility, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce on Monday released its "advocacy agenda." The six-page document, called Path to Progress, lays out a "sense of direction of where we're going to head over the next two years," Chamber president Zach Brandon said in a meeting with the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board.