As I was perusing a recent article in In Business Magazine I was once again amazed at the size and influence that Epic has on Madison’s business community.  You would think the story has gotten old by now, but it absolutely has not.  Epic has annual sales in the range of $1.75 Billion dollars.  One of Epic’s core principles is to never sell out.  It is amazing to have such an enormous privately held company.  Nearly half of all Americans have a medical record filed in Epic’s software.
In my mind the best thing about Epic is that they attract the best and brightest in technology and when these brilliant minds decide to leave Epic, many have decided to put roots in Madison and start new businesses, or join start ups. Â We used to have all this talk about “Brain Drain” from the UW. Â Students would come to UW for an education and then leave for the coasts or other hot job markets. Â With Epic, we have the opposite. Â Epic attracts the best and brightest and they stay in Madison.
The start up scene is what really grabs my attention. Â As a lifelong entrepreneur, I am simply fascinated with all of the fresh ideas and successful start ups that are popping up. Â Last week’s 11 day Forward Fest showed off so many great companies. Â Startup accelerators are certainly adding fuel to this entrepreneurial fire. Â Gener8tor is considered one of the best start up accelerators in the country, and they too call Madison home.
In our commercial real estate brokerage business we simply love to help these entrepreneurs succeed. Â As entrepreneurs ourselves, we understand all of the challenges that businesses face and we love to leverage our expertise for these clients.
These are very exciting times to live, work, and play in Madison, WI!