EAU CLAIRE — Helping businesses find and keep employees in a tight labor market is the goal of two local entrepreneurs with startup businesses in Eau Claire.
Founders of a local recruitment marketing agency and an app that strengthens ties between young workers and their employers were among those who appeared in a Thursday virtual event meant to help connect nascent businesses with resources.
“So if you haven’t noticed yet, for the first time in our lives, job candidates have all the power,” Justin Vajko, head of local agency Dialog, said on a Zoom videoconference with business leaders from the Eau Claire area.
Vajko started offering his services for recruitment and employer branding about two years ago, aiding companies who wanted videos, social media posts and help with job websites. He’s currently the lone full-time employee, but brings in contractors to help with the workload.
Vajko’s ask for the local business community was to simply introduce him to recruiters, public relations agencies, human resources consultants and others who could help connect his business to companies in need of his services.
“I’d love an introduction with those individuals,” he said.
Emily Elsner-Twesme’s pitch for her app, Empower, is that it could help trim turnover by building relationships between young employees and the companies they start their careers at.
“Let’s talk about the costs of rehiring and retaining employees,” she said, citing the months of time it often takes to recruit and train workers.
Her idea is to save companies those costs by improving retention, beginning with employees who are still in college. Starting in December, Elsner-Twesme began working with interns and small businesses to develop Empower.
For the young workers, the app provides live webinars, training sessions and other resources to help them grow their professional skills. For their supervisors, the app will have results of employee surveys, methods for informal check-ins with younger workers and other ways to respond to their needs.
Elsner-Twesme sees her app as a more cost-effective, convenient, streamlined alternative for businesses, as opposed to hiring a consultant, handling the work in-house or going through another online service.
To reach her planned fall 2023 launch, she’s seeking $300,000 to help with development, creating content, marketing and operational support.
Elsner-Twesme and Vajko spoke Thursday during WiSys VentureHome-Eau Claire’s pitch event for participants in its Level Up! program. It was the culmination of the five-month program that gives entrepreneurs free programming and resources to grow their scalable business ideas.
“What we really seek to do is help the company founders that come into our program level up from where they started,” said Ann Rupnow, manager of the entrepreneurship program at UW-Eau Claire.
The university is a partner with downtown co-working space CoLab to run WiSys VentureHome-Eau Claire, a startup hub. Since the hub opened in 2020, there have been 24 local startups that have graduated from its Level Up! program.
The class that graduated last week had four members — Vajko, Elsner-Twesme and two others.
Andrew Gehrke used his experience working at an Eau Claire cocktail bar to make a premium syrup for use in whiskey Old Fashioned drinks. He’s looking to make and sell the syrup to neighborhood bars and restaurants and consumers where they may not have the time or experience handy for making the ingredient themselves.
To that end, he founded the Eau Claire Cocktail Company and he hopes to begin selling his syrup locally late this year.
“If I can establish a well-known local brand, we’ll see where it can go from there,” he said.
For his venture, Doug Rhoten is focused on helping companies ensure their websites comply with online privacy laws around the world.
“Privacy professionals cannot keep up with the pace of business and are scared of missing something,” he said.
He’s the founder of Cereus, an online tool he developed with Ben Anderson and Phil Guimond that can quickly scan and audit websites to check for privacy vulnerabilities or shortcomings.
During Thursday’s pitch event, Rhoten said he’s looking for early testers of the product and will be seeking funding for it very soon.
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WiSys VentureHome-Eau Claire is already seeking its next group of entrepreneurs looking to take part in the Level Up! program.
Applications are due by Sept. 18 for the program that will begin in November.
Those interested can sign up or learn more at venturehome.org/eauclaire.
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