BizNews Greater La Crosse with Vicki Markussen

What began as a casual way to improve baseball and softball players during the pandemic has become a regional destination.Garage Ball just reopened in its new Highway Z location on Brice Prairie. Owner Brian Meeter joins to talk about how interest in the indoor batting cages took off, demand grew for other services and how they’re ensuring this facility stays in demand.

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Many businesses hit a point where they need to grow. They’ve either saved up for years, asked friends and relatives to help, or they got bank funding. What banks can't finance, a company out of Minneapolis called Hill Capital just might. That's their specialty. Come learn how business can get connected and thrive with Hill Capital owner Patrick Donahue.

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Phil Humphrey, the owner of 608 Brewing Company in La Crosse joins to discuss how they started, have grown and the effects of the pandemic, plus the challenges of operating in the ever-evolving craft beer industry. Humphrey also discusses the exciting future of the company, including the plan to open a new location in Holmen, as well as how proposed brewing laws in Wisconsin could affect the business.

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Pepsi is celebrating 125 years as a beverage company. Along with that, Gillette Pepsi has been alongside Pepsi for more than 80 years. While delivering product to stores remains the same, the amount of products they now carry means soda is a small fraction. Megan Howard, Vice President of Human Resources talks how they are working extra hard to keep their people happy.

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What causes someone to leave most of her possessions in California and move back home to La Crosse? Faith, literally. Faith Anderson dreamed of owning a cafe. She moved home with no plan but, with a great friend, three months later, she finds herself co-owner and manager of Bluebird Bakery & Cafe. Listen to how the company grew to the point of adding a drive through in Onalaska and how a group of owners comes to agreement on what’s next.

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Brian Meeter has only been with the La Crescent Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism for six months, but he already knows what makes it special. The new executive director joins to talk about life on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River. Meeter discusses the campaign La Crescent is launching to draw in more people and promoting walkability to restaurants, new businesses starting up, attracting bike races and much more.

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Talking to Judson Steinback, co-owner of Coulee Region Ecoscapes, reveals a very deep individual — from his Waldorf teaching days to a very sick child to being a musician to knowing native plants, how they grow, and how to minimize harm through landscaping. Oh, and he’s also a world-record canoeist, and don’t get him talking about fishing. In this podcast you’ll learn how to handle plants, grass and water in your yard, as well as what it was like to spend more than two weeks in a canoe with three other guys, breaking the record for shortest canoe trip down the Mississippi River.

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Many businesses would be envious of the budget Haleigh Doyle has, as head of marketing at Explore La Crosse - also known as the La Crosse Convention and Visitors Bureau or the tourism bureau. The more successful she is, the greater her budget. She gets to attract people for our birding, our outdoor activities, our festivals and more. From printed tourism guides to sharing visitors' Instagram posts to working with social influencers, come hear how Haleigh is bringing in people who spend money at our hotels, shops, restaurants, convention centers, meeting rooms, and more. 

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Oh the things you can see in Holmen! Village President Patrick Barlow joined to talk about how their plan for growth years ago is paying off, as homes continue to be built. And, with them, businesses follow. Barlow discusses where all this growth is going, the infrastructure needs, how it is getting paid for and more.

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From a local grocery store in 1920 to a regional manufacturer of sausage, hotdogs and more, Bakalars Sausage owner Mike Bakalars gives us an inside scoop on how the sausage gets made. Bakalars is growing through acquisition — taking on more markets and products and expanding distribution. Learn more about La Crosse-based Bakalars and the snap they give to any Minnesota Vikings.

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