20 Oct Tom Still: An Entrepreneur’s Entrepreneur
Aaron Olver
Director, University Research Park
When Tom Still took over the Wisconsin Technology Council in 2001, it wasn’t clear what kind of organization it would become or even what it would do exactly. Fresh off moderating a series of Wisconsin Economic Summits organized by the University of Wisconsin, Tom was up for the challenge.
I met Tom not long afterwards when we teamed up to create the Governor’s Business Plan Contest. Having persuaded the governor to propose a statewide business plan contest as a candidate, I found myself appointed to a role in the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and charged with actually making it happen. With a $3.2 billion budget deficit and a hiring freeze, implementing the idea could have proven impossible. But Tom had also been contemplating a business plan contest and approached me about joining forces: the Wisconsin Technology Council would manage the program, the Department of Commerce would serve as lead sponsor, and the governor would hand out the awards. Recently, I had the opportunity to welcome an entrepreneur who won a year of free rent at University Research Park in the twenty-second year of the competition. I still find it thrilling. There’s no match to the energy of Wisconsin’s entrepreneurs.
Under Tom’s leadership, the Wisconsin Technology Council created the premier statewide conferences aimed at entrepreneurs and investors, the Early Stage Symposium and the Wisconsin Entrepreneur’s Network. These events bring together hundreds of people interested in high growth potential startups each year. And for me, these events extend some of the conversations from the Wisconsin Economic Summits that catalyzed a bipartisan interest in economic development twenty-five years ago.
When the Department of Commerce and a bipartisan group of legislators created Wisconsin’s Angel and Venture Capital Tax Credit program (known then as Act 255 and now as the Qualified New Business Venture program), Tom became an ardent champion for the initiative. Over the years, the Wisconsin Technology Council has carried the torch, advocating for improvements and expansions to the program. And to build on the success of the Act 255/QNBV program, the Wisconsin Technology Council, Department of Commerce, and Department of Financial Institutions worked to create the Wisconsin Angel Network to bring investors off the sidelines to avail themselves of the new tax credits.
The Tech Council launched the Wisconsin Innovation Network lunches to bring networks together around the state and the Wisconsin Tech Summit to help bring startups together with major manufacturing and corporate players.
Since 2001, Tom Still has been innovating and creating new programs and initiatives to foster entrepreneurship, investment, and growth across Wisconsin. He is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur.
Now Maggie Brickerman has been named to named to carry the work forward. With her own impressive background as an entrepreneurial leader at Gener8tor, Maggie will bring additional innovation and her own personable style of leadership to drive the organization forward.
I wish Tom the best in the next chapter and can’t wait to see how the Wisconsin Technology Council continues to evolve to serve Wisconsin under Maggie’s leadership.
Aaron