BizNews Greater La Crosse with Vicki Markussen

Several more stores are leaving Valley View mall and headed to Onalaska. The city may be landlocked, but that doesn’t mean redevelopment isn’t happening. Mayor Kim Smith joins to talk about:

• the last big box store getting filled in
• the OmniCenter being constantly full
• Don’t assume that ice is permanent
• Fundraisers for dogs, and parks
• Upcoming planning
• New Businesses going in
• And the new City Administrator, in addition to other staffing changes

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More than 200 people in greater La Crosse can also call Luxembourg home thanks to dual-citizenship. As a result, they have a coveted passport to tracing their lineage to Luxembourg. In August, 25 students from La Crosse’s newest sister city, Junglinster, visited La Crosse in the first trip of an ongoing summer exchange. We talked to one of their teachers and chaperone, Marc Zimmer, about how Luxembourg is calling its descendants home to the world’s wealthiest country, what made it wealthy, and what the students are learning while in La Crosse.

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Matt Curtis grew up singing. He didn’t know it could make him a lot of money starting in college. Curtis began recording different tracks to Gregorian chants while attending Viterbo. He pursued his signing career at the same time. Some investments took off, and he found himself holding millions of dollars. He moved back home and started to diversify — buying rental property, converting an old church into a performance hall and a historic home into a wedding venue. As if that’s not enough, he’s the new owner of Apothik Food Truck and Restaurant. Listen in to hear his path.

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La Crosse's Jackson Plaza, at 19th and Jackson streets, took on a new owner when the tenant, Kat Soper and her husband, with Palm and Pine, took on ownership. There are nearly 20 small, locally owned businesses in the strip mall from candy to Indian food to coffee to vacuum sales and repair, marketing, and a child care center.

The group banned together and is hosting a block party Wednesday. Kat talks about the party, why they bought the building and how Palm and Pine Yoga is doing. 

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What do you do when a customer doesn’t pay you after your custom create a CBD cream to treat neuropathy? You sell it — and fast. Conquer Products in Mabel, Minn., uses its health product manufacturing expertise to now launch its second product — Favor Colostrum powder. You can buy the health superfood on Amazon, which is an entirely different experience.

Head of marketing and Favor Colostrum co-founder Abby Rhude joins Vicki Markussen to talk about the business mistake into a business life of heath products with the newest launch of colostrum powder.

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Two guys walked into Features in Wests Salem. They walked out. But the idea they sparked got built in May. Owners Jenn & Jason Slusser join to talk about the opening of the new Features Fieldhouse last spring with the idea that parents can bring their kids to play and practice sports, while they enjoy the restaurant and bowling alley. Hear how Features attracted the La Crosse Showtime basketball team, and more, to fill the space.

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Filling your own need is often a place where entrepreneurs start a business. That’s what happened with the Anderson family in La Crescent. Kelsey and her husband Raymond had day-jobs, but their love for coffee caused them to start first a coffee trailer and now an actual coffee shop on Walnut Street in downtown La Crescent.

Kelsey Anderson joins Bizcast about how Affogato (off-a-GOT-o) Lane Coffee got its start and how helping La Crescent business have been.

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You may have a yearning to feel the wind in your hair as co-owner Brody Meier of Harley Davidson La Crosse Area talks about why he and his partner chose to own a Harley franchise and what it is like to be at the 120th Anniversary.

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Nick Roush, co-owner of Root Down Yoga, joins to tell his story of a yoga studio with sold-out sessions. Its sense of community draws people, then, as Roush describes, the pandemic changed everything. Hear how his wife, co-owner Mandy’s transformation, sparked this business that created transformation in other lives. It’s closure during the pandemic and its hopeful slow upward path to reestablish the community it created. 

Tune in to learn more.

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The Parenting Place’s Michelle Sampson joins, as the organization receives a second year of $400,000 from the City of La Crosse’ ARPA funding to help with the childcare crisis. The nonprofit organization identified what’s pulling workers from centers - leaving many without care for their children so they, in turn, can work. The shortage began as the number of licensed childcare providers decreased steeply around 2015. Then the tight labor market pulled employees away.

As you’ll hear in the podcast:

• the business model is tough for child care centers
• Regulation costs money
• La Crosse’s costs are much lower than true costs
• This is reflected in wages
• Employees feel undervalued

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