BizNews Greater La Crosse with Vicki Markussen

Here's a rare inside look into being an  entrepreneur – La Crosse's Hunt & Gather Grazing Boards owner Emily Boland, one of many who started during the pandemic. It started with eating cheese and drinking wine. Boland found inspiration in food. She turned it into a business for friends. Eighteen months later, her meat and cheese boards produce more than 400 a holiday. She’s a hit with UW-La Crosse. She’s networking with fellow businesses. She’s adjusting prices for food increases. She’s donating back to the community. 

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La Crosse ARPA dollars working to upskill workers. Workforce Connections Executive Director Teresa Pierce is the guest to talk about how City of La Crosse ARPA funds as well as state and federal funds are being used to get low-wage employees into more skilled jobs. You’ll have a better understanding of who’s still unemployed and how others can connect with the programs available.

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If your goal was to fill hotel rooms and generate tax dollars for the community, how is greater La Crosse doing? AJ Frels, executive director of Explore La Crosse — the county tourism bureau — joins BizCast. Frels talks about the different ways greater La Crosse attracts tourists and how those areas are performing. Plus, learn what cool technology they’re using to track visitors and how the organization is using social media influencers. 

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Sheri Miller, the owner of PKC3 in Onalaska – an accounting firm — joins. PKC3 shares what signs in the economy to watch for to really hold on to your cash. Also discussed were five things you should do to recession proof your finances, plus new and expiring tax credits that could impact how much you pay or get returned on your tax forms. PkC3 also addresses what you can do to make your taxes easier.

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A conversation with Chris Roderique, the owner of Piggy’s Restaurant and Lounge, as well as a Uno Venti, in La Crosse. The restaurant opened its lunch buffet for the first time since the pandemic. Vicki and Chris talk about how the drop in business travelers and remote workforce impact his decision. Plus, Roderique is helping an entrepreneur inside Piggy's and has put his building, not his businesses, on the market. As part of adapting, Roderique is offering a chef the use of his upper restaurant on Sundays. SAGRA Food and Wine offers rustic Italian dishes on Sundays. This partnership helps owner Mitch Weber learn the operations side of making great food at a restaurant. In putting the building up for sale, Roderique says Piggy's and Uno Venti are willing to tenant to anyone wanting to purchase the historic building.

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Vicki talks with Jake Erickson, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse. The B-G-C with Congressman Ron Kind just announced $1.5 million in federal funding to expand the B-G-C’s Erickson Club location to include a Workforce Readiness Center.

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