In Business Madison

On Jan. 20, the day President Donald Trump took office for the second time, he issued an executive order aimed at quashing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs in the federal workforce. The very next day he doubled down, issuing an executive order titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," revoking Executive Order 11246, a landmark directive signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. The second Trump order not only ends DEI practices in the federal government, it specifically affects federal employers, agencies, contractors, and subcontractors. In the days since Trump's flurry of orders, administration personnel have already begun terminating federal employees whose work responsibilities included administering DEI programming. The second order “[encourages] the private sector to end” what it describes as “illegal DEI discrimination and preferences,” asserting that these policies “violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws. “Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex,” the Jan. 21 order states. Read more at ibmadison.com.

Tickets on sale now! Visit ibmadison.com/recs for the full schedule. The In Business Madison Real Estate & Construction Symposium is presented by Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. It is also sponsored by First Business Bank and Investors Associated, LLP. It is supported by Colliers, FLOOR360, Hausmann Group, HOOPER, and Ideal Builders.

In Business Madison’s Editor-in-Chief Katie Dean returns to her alma mater Madison West High School for a tour of recent taxpayer-funded upgrades. Read more at ibmadison.com.

There is nothing like a pandemic to temporarily short-circuit a career, which Hayley Sperling well knows. But the experience of losing a job can convince someone to take a chance, which is what Sperling did when she joined Sam Hoisington on the Madison Minutes newsletter in 2021. After just two years, Madison Minutes — a daily email newsletter focused on city news and events — netted about 18,000 subscribers, had an open rate of over 60%, and became an attractive acquisition target for City Cast, a national network of daily local news podcasts. City Cast executed an “acquihire,” part acquisition, part hire of Madison Minutes personnel in 2023. Its podcasts enabled Sperling, now executive producer, to drill deeper into local stories while continuing to grow the newsletter. Read more at ibmadison.com.

An almost century-old Madison building at 1925 Winnebago St. sings its history through a vaulted roof, its interlocking timbers painted by an artisan just before his death. Once a sanctuary for the 1,000 parishioners of the Madison Gospel Tabernacle, the sweeping space has been transformed by young people pursuing a new beginning. The vision for the future Atwood Music Hall began with Toffer Christensen, co-owner of neighboring event venue the Bur Oak. He saw the project’s potential to fill a gap in the community cultural scene — creating a facility grand enough to accommodate large crowds but sufficiently flexible to suit smaller gatherings — and provide collaborative opportunities with organizations that prepare youth for diverse career paths. One of these organizations is Operation Fresh Start (OFS), a nonprofit that offers education, mentorship, and employment training to young adults, which was housed on the site from 1980 to 2018. Students from OFS’ roughly three-year-old Build Academy program helped lay the groundwork — literally — for the new event space as part of their training for work in the trades. The fruits of their labor, and the efforts of onsite professionals, will be an asset to community culture and a boon to area workforce development. “When we launched Build Academy, our goal was to open doors for young people into the trades, and provide a pathway to meaningful … careers,” said Brian McMahon, OFS’ executive director. “What’s cool about this is we couldn’t have imagined a better scenario than seeing … emerging adults who are training, working on a building that once housed our mission. So it’s truly a full-circle moment.” Read more at ibmadison.com

Hilary Pham may not be able to sew, but that hasn’t stopped her from creating more options for people with adaptive clothing needs. Equability LLC, the company she founded in 2020 and officially launched in Madison just under two years ago, offers a service, rather than a product, distinguishing it from other adaptive clothing companies. While some businesses sell clothing with built-in features that accommodate disabilities, Equability adapts clothing people already own. Read more at ibmadison.com

Congratulations to Vern Stenman for being named the 2025 In Business Madison Forty Under 40 Alumni of the Year! In his role as president of Big Top Sports, Vern has been instrumental in adding Madison Mallards baseball, Madison Night Mares softball, and Forward Madison FC to Madison’s summertime entertainment. His gift for promotion extends to making the Duck Pond at Warner Park and Breese Stevens Field treasured venues. Celebrate with Vern and all of the honorees here: https://lnkd.in/gDNXKNkZ The In Business Madison Forty Under 40 is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Southern Wisconsin. It is also sponsored by JG Development, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Summit Credit Union, and Town Bank. #IB40U40 #ConnectWithIB

Should early child care be considered a public good and therefore worthy of more public investment from the state government? With child care becoming more expensive and inaccessible, the question hangs over Wisconsin’s biennial budget wrangling. Gov. Tony Evers has proposed spending $500 million over the next two years on the state’s Child Care Counts program to pay early childhood educators a more competitive wage and attract more educators to the profession, and to fill an estimated 33,000 open seats in child care centers. “Early childhood is the smartest investment that we can make as lawmakers, and we have to start addressing the high cost and unavailability of child care for families,” said state Sen. Kelda Roys, D–Madison, who represents the 26th Senate District and serves on the Joint Finance Committee, which reviews the state's revenue and appropriations. “This is an issue that affects every family with young kids. It affects every employer in the state and it affects our economy as a whole, but most importantly it affects kids and their trajectory in life. “We know that 90% of brain development happens in the first five years, and yet we invest the least amount of money at that point in a kid’s life.” Read more at ibmadison.com Photos by Sharon Vanorny

Our March issue is out! This month, we look at whether the state is making the most of its opportunity to invest in early child care, the transformation taking place at Atwood Music Hall, how the Trump administration's executive orders will impact local DEI efforts, and much more. Read the issue: https://lnkd.in/g3fj9zCJ

Honor the rising stars who are redefining success and innovation in Wisconsin's Capital Region! Purchase your Forty Under 40 tickets here: https://lnkd.in/gDNXKNkZ The In Business Madison Forty Under 40 is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Southern Wisconsin. It is also sponsored by JG Development, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Summit Credit Union, and Town Bank. #IB40U40 #ConnectWithIB