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About that iButtonLink Announcement…

An aspiring musician tells his friends that he performed to a standing-room-only crowd at Carnegie Hall. Needless to say, they’re impressed. “It’s great that your songs drew such attendance,” they observe.  

“Why, yes,” the musician replies, “it must have been my music, although I suppose the free tickets and fifty-dollar gift packages might have had something to do with it.”  

In November, to much fanfare, UW-Whitewater proudly announced a new tenant for the publicly-funded Innovation Center. (I’ve reproduced the press release, in full, below.)

In those eight paragraphs and three-hundred seventeen words, one reads about what a great deal it is, how much space they’ll occupy, how long they’ve been in business, and that they’ll move a handful of employees over from East Troy.  

All this is meant to show how very skillful the tech park’s leaders have been in landing someone, anyone, to move into the Innovation Center.  

It’s just that there’s one relevant and material aspect of the relocation that the university’s press release conveniently omits – that iButtonLink also received a one-hundred thousand dollar ($100,000) public loan from Whitewater’s Community Development Authority.  

See, from the 12.18.13 CDA packet, the notes from the 11.20.13 CDA meeting, at Item 8(3), loan approved unanimously.   

Maybe it’s not just the music…

Press release immediately below – 

iButtonLink, a research and manufacturing company focused on networked sensor solutions, is moving its operations to the Whitewater University Innovation Center.

The company signed a five-year lease on Thursday and will occupy five suites (4,063 sq. ft.) on the Innovation Center’s first floor, making it the largest private tenant in the building.

“We are excited at this opportunity,” said Rob Olson, iButtonLink CEO. “For a technology company like ours, the ability to collaborate with the university, the excellent labor pool in Whitewater, and the great support of the community all enable us lead in the ‘Internet of Things’ space.”

“iButtonLink will bring new energy and technological expertise to the community,” said Richard Telfer, UW-Whitewater chancellor. “I am particularly excited about the company’s plans to engage UW-Whitewater students, faculty and staff members in its business operations.”

Much of that collaboration will happen because of iButtonLink’s participation in the Whitewater Incubation Program. The program is designed to provide coaching, mentoring, and support services to businesses linked to the Innovation Center. UW-Whitewater faculty experts and students assist with growth opportunities, business plans, and marketing and branding.

Founded in 2003, iButtonLink produces and distributes high-quality sensors and solutions that can be outfitted to fit any business needs. Products include temperature, humidity, voltage and light sensors, to name a few. iButtonLink serves clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small start-ups, and its products have been used in the harshest environments around the world, from the Antarctic to the African savannah.

“iButtonLink is a great addition to the Innovation Center,” said Jeffery Knight, chairperson of the Whitewater Community Development Authority. “They will add a well-established product line and also create a research facility for future product development. Our building and their needs are a perfect fit together.”

Olson said the company and its 10 employees expect to relocate from the current headquarters in East Troy to the Innovation Center sometime in December.

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