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News from around Western Wisconsin

 

Governor welcomes biotech firms to Hudson

Hudson Star-Observer, RiverTowns.net

Gov. Jim Doyle used a visit to Hudson recently to welcome eight biotechnology companies to Wisconsin - three of which will be located in Hudson.

The setting for his speech on Wisconsin initiatives to attract start-up firms to the state was the Rapid Diagnostek Inc. facility at 1301 Gateway Circle.

The promising maker of a portable device for quickly analyzing blood, urine and saliva samples moved to

Hudson last year, lured by financing made available through Wisconsin's tax credit program for "angel" investors.
In February, Doyle expanded the investor tax credit law as part of an early economic recovery bill. The enhancements included:

• Raising the cap of tax credits for angel investments from $1 million to $4 million;
• Tripling the annual pool of credits available for angel credits from $5.5 million to $18.25 million per year, and venture credits from $6 million to $18.75 million; and
• Allowing angel investors to claim the entire 25 percent credit on their investment in the first taxable year.

Also in attendance were the officers of RJA Dispersions LLC, a custom manufacturer of nano-particle and pigment dispersions used in digital imaging and electronic signs.

RJA Dispersions is relocating its operations this week from Maplewood, Minn., to a 6,500-square-foot space in the River Bluffs Business Center in Hudson's St. Croix Business Park.

VitalMedix, a company developing a drug for treating shock from rapid blood loss, will be moving to Hudson because it could not find financing in Minnesota.

The Wisconsin Department of Commerce certified the company as a qualified new business venture eligible for up to $1 million in angel or early-stage investment.

Read more

  

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NDT Solutions flying high

New Richmond News

Non Destructive Testing Solutions Inc., which has its corporate office in The Creamery building in New Richmond, Wisc., is a growing business with some high-powered customers.

NDTS works with the likes of Boeing Company, NASA contractors and military clients to create inspection equipment for space vehicles and aircraft. They also have clients around the globe.

"We provide solutions to our customers," said Jesse Skramstad, founder of NDTS. "And we've been growing in a distressed economy."

According Skramstad, the company helps create testing systems that use technology like ultrasound, "eddy current" and thermography (infrared) to look deep within parts.

The company specializes in systems that inspect carbon fiber composites that are being used more extensively in modern aircraft.

"We've kind of got our niche," Skramstad said. "We've fallen into that field somehow or other."

In fact, their reputation for inspection expertise has been growing steadily.

Their high-tech scanners help manufacturers pinpoint problems in the production process that can lead to defects in parts and materials. The inspections can help avoid problems with parts that are eventually installed in airplanes and space craft. The equipment can also help detect problems with the bonding quality of two parts that are connected together.

"We can detect defects that the human eye can't detect," Skramstad said.

Read more

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Terminal expansion is under way

The Chronotype, Rice Lake Online

Construction of a 2,600 square-foot addition to the terminal and improvements to the fueling systems are in progress at the Rice Lake Airport. The projects are part of a $320,000 financing package announced earlier by Gov. Jim Doyle. Also funded was an upgrade to the airport's security cameras.

Photo: Matthew Werner, Flickr

The governor's action releases $256,000 in state funds for the projects and the city of Rice Lake is contributing $64,000.

David Montesinos, project manager with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, said the project will provide the

airport with more revenue generation facilities, which will decrease the airport's dependence on state and local funding, and provide increased security.

The projects should be completed by the next summer.

Read more

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Fiberstar, Inc.: A Bright, Orange Future

St. Croix Economic Development Corporation

Ten years ago Dale Lindquist started searching for a leading edge technology. As a former executive for Heartland Fibers and Willmar Poultry Co., which is now Life-Science Innovations, he knew that food and biotech were on his shortlist.

"It was a purposeful hunt for new bio-technology," he says. "I contacted ag research universities and asked if they had something patented and ready for licensing and commercialization. When I contacted the University of Minnesota, they told me about a technology that immediately grabbed my interest," says Lindquist, who is an alumnus of the U of M.

The U of M had patented a process to produce a high surface area product from natural, renewable plant left-overs from agricultural processing. But the bio-processing technology had already been licensed to Fiberstar, so Lindquist called the company hoping for a sublicense.

The owner, Bob McIntosh, said he wasn't interested, but was looking for someone like Lindquist to launch and run the company. McIntosh remains a shareholder and board member.

"I knew this was what I wanted to do," says Lindquist, president and CEO of Fiberstar, located in the Technology Innovation and Business Center in River Falls. "Plants are being realized for their potential as very important factories ... it's all unfolding before our very eyes how important these natural materials are. That's where I wanted to play in my sunset years-making a difference for people, creating a return for shareholders and opportunities for employees."

One raw material that showed promise was a food ingredient made from orange pulp, which is now called Citri-Fi®. Citri-Fi is primarily used in food processing-from managing moisture and reducing saturated fat, trans fat and calories while maintaining or improving taste, texture and cost. Used in products from meat, bakery and dairy to prepared foods, sauces, dressings and deli products, Citri-Fi is GRAS, non-GMO, all-natural, non-allergenic, kosher-parve, and halal.

A Favorable Climate

Initially, Fiberstar sought funding to complete commercialization for Citri Fi. Its strong water-binding properties come from processing that creates an open porous fiber matrix, resulting in an all-natural ingredient used in moisture management from muffins to frozen foods. It is also a fat replacer that reduces costs from more expensive oils or as an emulsifier or a phosphate, gum or chemical stabilizer replacement.

Lindquist, who wanted operations in Wisconsin or Minnesota, noticed a difference in business development between the sister states.

"We spent almost a year and a half looking for funding in Minnesota, but essentially what they had to offer was a list of empty buildings for rent and workforce training opportunities for employees," he said.

The climate was definitely more favorable in Wisconsin.

"You had economic development folks saying, ‘You tell us what you need and we'll tell you which communities in northwestern Wisconsin can help.' We asked for $500,000 in funding, and got it in 45 days." Lindquist noted that most northwestern Wisconsin counties pool their economic development funds because they believe it creates a spillover advantage for other communities in the region rather than an advantage in just one community.

Read more (pg. 4)

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Freight Rail Award to WWRTA

Chippewa County EDC

Governor Jim Doyle today announced state awards that will be used to construct freight rail-related facilities, and preserve and upgrade rail infrastructure as part of overall efforts to support job growth and Wisconsin's agricultural economy.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is administering seven grant awards totaling $27,213,138 to be distributed through the state's Freight Railroad Preservation Program (FRPP). Locally a $1,001,008 grant is being made to the Wisconsin West Rail Transit Authority to fully fund planned rehabilitation on the Cameron to Barron and Cameron to Rice Lake lines in Barron County. This is in addition to the $ 3,136,760 awarded for this project in state Fiscal Year 2009. The 20 percent match will be provided with federal and local funds. WisDOT and the Transit Authority plan to complete the acquisition of this Canadian National Railroad line early next year. Rehabilitation work is expected to begin in the spring of 2010.

The WWRTA was formed in 2001 to preserve and strengthen rail service in the region. Their goals are to increase total railcar volume on the two branch lines currently owned by Union Pacific (UP) and Canadian National (CN) and to rehabilitate the track in Chippewa and Barron counties. The transit authority's efforts helped bring short-line operator Progressive Rail to Wisconsin. Since November 2004, Progressive Rail had provided freight rail service as the Wisconsin Northern Railroad and leases and operates the UP line between Cameron and Norma and the CN line in Barron County.

View article

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Featured Technology

The SMARTT Network Technologies section fosters early-stage business and technology activity in Western Wisconsin.

Genetic Constructs Encoding Carotenoid
Biosynthetic Enzymes

Description of Technology: This invention is in the field of microbiology. More specifically, this invention pertains to nucleic acid fragments encoding enzymes useful for microbial production of functionalized carotenoid compounds.

Market Potential: Carotenoids represent one of the most widely distributed and structurally diverse classes of natural pigments, producing pigment colors of light yellow to orange to deep red. Eye-catching examples of carotenogenic tissues include carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, and the petals of daffodils and marigolds. Carotenoids are synthesized by all photosynthetic organisms, as well as some bacteria and fungi. These pigments have important functions in photosynthesis, nutrition, and protection against photooxidative damage. For example, animals do not have the ability to synthesize carotenoids but must instead obtain these nutritionally important compounds through their dietary sources.

It is clear that scientific understanding has yet to reveal all of nature's untapped diversity, in order to industrially duplicate the wide spectrum of carotenoids that can be readily produced by nature. In light of these needs, the problem to be solved is to isolate and functionally characterize the nucleic acid sequences of those genes involved in C.sub.30 carotenoid biosynthesis in Methylomonas for their use in carotenoid production.

See full description of this technology and other Bio-Agriculture technologies

 

Off the Shelf - Networking event

If you'd like to speak with others who are interested in early-stage technologies and new product development, or if you want to connect with people who may have expertise that you're seeking, join us at Off the Shelf, a free networking event for proven innovators in Western Wisconsin.

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