Breakfast Speakers Showcase Services
At WCEDA's monthly business briefs breakfast on Friday, June 11, speakers Ray Tierney, BT Squared, John Choren, MSOE Rapid Prototyping Consortium, and Mary Regel, Wisconsin Bureau of Export Development discussed topics from business disaster planning, to rapid prototyping as an economic development tool, to what services are available to Wisconsin companies that export or wish to export.
Co-hosted with the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), WCEDA's June Business Briefs Breakfast showcased a multitude of information that many manufacturing and non-manufacturing businesses may want to take notice of as we they start to ramp up production in light of the economic recovery.
“Disaster Recovery Plans and Why Every Company Needs One!!
Ray Tierney, with BT Squared, a civil & engineering firm, provided attendees with a template for developing a disaster recovery plan. Ray outlined the importance of having such a plan, and why keeping it current and safe can save a company from going out of business after incurring many types of disasters from theft and vandalism to natural disasters. With 24 years of experience with things like - hazardous substance spills, emergency response, legacy environmental liabilities, and Disaster Recovery Planning, as well as having previously managed the Remediation and Redevelopment Program from the Wisconsin DNR before starting BT Squared nearly 20 years ago - a 50+ person civil and environmental engineering firm with offices in Madison, Milwaukee, Lake Delton, and Chicago, Ray is equipped to help companies plan for the unforeseen and the unthinkable.
Download a disaster recovery template. 
“Rapid Prototyping: How to Verify and Get New Product and Designs to Market Faster”
“The International Opportunity: Why Companies Should Export”
Mary Regel, Director of the Wisconsin Bureau of Export Development, explained the importance of exports to Wisconsin's economy and outlined the services offered through her office. Directed at helping companies that export build their market share, and new companies carve out their niche in the export market, there are opportunities for Wisconsin companies to bring their products into the global market. Prior to joining the the Bureau of Export Development in 1987, Mary served as the the Western Hemisphere Specialist and has held several positions at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, served as the founding President of the State International Directors Association (SIDO) and is a member of the Governor's Wisconsin International Trade Council, the Wisconsin District Export Council, the Milwaukee World Trade Association, the Wisconsin World Trade Center, and the International Institute.