TITLETOWN (NBC 26) — The 2022 New North Summit highlighted some of the best in business in Northeast Wisconsin. It brought in close to 600 individuals from CEOs of startups to professors, all are leaders in the flourishing Northeast business world.
It was also the perfect networking opportunity. New North President and CEO Barb LaMue pointed out the amount of business that gets done right on the atrium floor that day.
“So much of, you know, growing a business is those connections, making those connections, meeting people and talking to their founders,“ Abi Barnes said. She's the CEO and co-founder of Amulet, a digital health company. She was also on a panel today alongside Peter Romanesko of Demiplane and Alex Tyink of Fork Farms, all are startups funded by TitletownTech.
The connections Barnes made are what helped her bring Amulet to Wisconsin. But as a New York native, why bring her business to the Midwest?
"There are opportunities that exist in Wisconsin, that would not be available to us I think if we were in San Francisco," Barnes said. "Also as far as cost, the cost of living, relative to the quality of life.“
Demiplane is a digital tabletop gaming company. Think Dungeons and Dragons online. It matches game masters and players into groups. His company began in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and though he's worked with people across the nation, he still calls the area home base.
“There's a fertile ground of experience, and just an amount of business owners and successful businesses that are in Wisconsin, that are really willing to go out and help new businesses get started and share what they've learned,” Romanesko said.
Another special moment of the summit was the unveiling of artwork by local artist Gregory Frederic, a painting titled "The Real Up North." Frederic is from Haiti but has made Wisconsin his home, and he wanted to show that the area is much more than just football. So, it features activities like biking and hiking, as well as some Wisconsin favorites, like cherries from Door County and, of course, cheese.
"Ok, we have the football, yes, we know how to catch a ball, we can out beat you, no worries, but we have a lot of other things happening," Frederic said. "We have a great community, people get together, people are doing things together here."
He says the piece will be displayed at the NWTC in Green Bay.
