Many of us in Appleton mourn the passing of Tom Scullen, the visionary Superintendent of the Appleton Area School District for the past 12 years. His influence on education in Appleton has been profound. As one small example, it was largely through his support that the Classical School was able to be created and to succeed under Wisconsin's charter school law. Over 300 students in grades K-8 are now enrolled and doing well. Other charter schools have been advanced as well. And the core schools of Appleton have been strengthened in many ways. Education in Appleton is one of the many positive things about this community, and Tom Scullen has played a major role in crafting and guiding our systems.

Tom was a kind and down-to-earth man who really cared about people. He was known for his integrity, vision, and dedication. He will truly be missed.

Richmond Terrace is a large new complex of condos on Richmond Street, just a block or so north of College Avenue. Someone moving to Appleton wants to know if it's a good place to live. Any of you have experience with the place? My concerns is the lack of greenery around the complex and the placement of a big section of the condos immediately next to busy Richmond Street, and the proximity of a railroad track where trains cross regularly, including late at night and early in the morning, I believe. But maybe it's fine. Comments?

Took my family to Milwaukee's Miller Stadium today to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Milwaukee Brewers. The stadium is just about 90 minutes away from Appleton. It's a beautiful stadium and great baseball park. Traffic getting home wasn't bad at all, either. Here are a few photos (click to enlarge):

A May 16 press release from the Wisconsin Technology Council indicates that two different projects associated with Appleton are among 26 finalists among nearly 300 competitors for the Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest. They now enter Phase III of the competition, and if successful, they would gain access to funds to help them commercialize their new business plans.

The first two finalists are both listed as from Appleton: AMW NF Nonwovens (with a proposed nanotech products business), represented by Bob Waldron of Appleton, and DLJ Solutions/Benequant (with a proposed health data business), represented by Deb Matz of Appleton. Congratulations to the finalists!

I don't know Deb or DLJ Solutions yet, but I do know the Fox Valley firm, AMW & Associates. The proposed new operation, AMW NF Nonwovens, is a company that would use nanotechnology to produce environmentally friendly nonwoven fabrics from biogenerated polymers (e.g., corn derivatives, other biobased polymers) in partnership with another high-tech nanofiber company. The environmentally-friendly nanofiber fabrics they would produce could become industrially important in several ways.

I had lunch recently with two of the founders of this successful and exciting firm and was impressed with their technical capabilities, their network with innovators across Wisconsin and elsewhere, and their efforts to build new business. I think hey are a great example of entrepreneurs in the Fox Valley.

Here is a portion of the Wisconsin Technology Council news release:

From energy to health care, Business Plan Contest finalists capture best of Wisconsin technology

MADISON -- Twenty-six entries from 16 communities are competing in the finalist round of the fourth annual Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest, contest producers announced Wednesday.

The contestants have survived two rounds of judging in the contest organized through the Wisconsin Technology Council, which is producing the contest in conjunction with its membership subsidiary, the Wisconsin Innovation Network, the Wisconsin Angel Network and other statewide affiliates. The contest began in late January with nearly 300 entries statewide.

"Not only was the quantity of entries up this year, but so is the quality," said Mark Bugher, chairman of the Tech Council. "The business plans in the final round reflect some of Wisconsin's core technology strengths, as well as the fact that entrepreneurs can be found in all corners of the state."

The 26 remaining plans include ideas for products or services in energy generation or conservation, "green" building, disease management, information technology systems and security, drug research and production, nanotechnology products and personal safety.

Contestants have submitted a 20-page business plan for review by a panel of 65 judges established by the Tech Council, which is the independent, non-profit and non-partisan science and technology adviser to the Governor and the Legislature. Each plan describes the core product or service, defines the customer base, estimates the size of the market, identifies competition, list members of the management team and provides key financial data.

The finalists' executive summaries as well as those filed by semi-finalists are available for inspection by accredited investors through the Wisconsin Angel Network, which has 24 member angel networks, private equity funds or corporate strategic partners.

More than $160,000 in cash and in-kind prizes have been pledged for the 2007 contest thus far; first prize in the statewide contest will be worth at least $50,000 in cash and services. Prize winners will be announced June 12-13 at the annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee.

Cities with finalists in the contest are: Appleton, DePere, Greenville, Hubertus, Kaukauna, Madison, Marshfield, Menomonee Falls, Milwaukee, Montello, Oconomowoc, Oneida, Pleasant Prairie, Sheboygan, Shorewood and Wauwatosa. Entries were submitted in four categories: Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Information Technology and Life Sciences.

Reporters wishing to contact individual contestants or learn more about their plans should contact Tom Still or Joe Kremer at 608-442-7557.

Sponsors thus far for the 2007 BPC are: Aberdean Consulting LLC, American Transmission Co., Associated Bank, Axley Brynelson LLP, The Boldt Company, CG Schmidt Co, Foley & Lardner LLP, J.P. Cullen & Sons, Johnson Block CPAs; Loughrin Accounting & Tax Service, Madison Gas & Electric Co., Makin' HEY! Communications, Mason Wells Private Equity, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Quarles & Brady LLP, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C.,

Smith & Gesteland LLP, State of Wisconsin Investment Board, University Research Park, Wisconsin Department of Commerce, WisBusiness.com, Wisconsin Angel Network, Wisconsin Realtors Association, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, and the Wisconsin Technology Council.

A troubling headline from the past week: Deadly Fish Virus Found in Little Lake Butte des Morts. Due to the recent outbreak of the VHS virus, many fish are dying in Little Lake Butte des Morts (the body of water between Wisconsin's huge Lake Winnebago and the Fox River that runs through Appleton north to Green Bay). It's a genuine crisis for the region. In addition to the trauma to aquatic life, there is also an impact on recreation for humans. In addition to decreased fishing opportunities, the crisis also requires the closure of the Menasha docks that connect Little Lake Butte des Morts and the Fox River to Lake Winnebago, limiting the potential for boating and other activities.

My initial reaction was to wonder about a potential link to the disruptive dredging of the lake bottom that has been done in the past year, but I think that may not be the case since there are other places being affected as well. However, I am concerned about the impact of dredging. In the name of protecting the environment, Little Lake Butte des Morts has been heavily dredged in the past year in an attempt to suck up old sediments to remove PCBs that were deposited decades ago. And when I look over Little Lake Butte des Morts and observe the dredging, I am honestly stunned at how disruptive it is. Huge mounds of the lake bottom are sucked up through pipes and pumps driven by noisy, fume-spewing engines running 24-hours a day on barges on the lake. The noise and the fumes are an environmental insult. And then I see giant mounds of lake and river sediments pile up on the acres of land set apart for sediment processing. The sediments are dewatered and then hauled away to be landfilled elsewhere, adding to the environmental impact.

You don't need to have a Ph.D. in biology to know that sediments along the bottom of a lake and river play a critical role in aquatic ecosystems. These sediments are filled with many forms of life in balance with other systems. While the dredging must have some kind of impact on water life, the outbreak of the virus in these recently dredge waters is probably just a coincidence since other parts of the US have been affected as well.

The VHS virus does not pose a direct health risk to humans. It is a foreign virus that has been introduced into North America for several years, and may have been brought into our waters from the ballast of a boat or some other means. There have been some infected fish found in the Great Lakes system, which is a great concern. Not much is known about the conditions that allow the virus to prosper, but further research is underway.

Meanwhile, we will have a long struggle on our hands as we work to contain the outbreak and limit is effect over the coming years. Aquatic life in our waters will suffer. This is very troubling news.

A sweet friend of my family asked me to take a couple photos of her at City Park before going to a local prom. The Ring Dance scultpure in City Park makes a nice background for photos. Here are a couple results, used with permission.

On Tuesday night, May 15, at about 5:30 pm, I saw my first major funnel cloud. I was driving northbound along Highway CB between Highway II and Highway 441 in the Town of Menasha, when I looked over my right shoulder and saw a beautiful, distinct funnel cloud forming out over Neenah, probably close to Lake Winnebago, I think about 1.5 miles away. It was dropping from low-hanging clouds and had a kink in it. It wasn't quite touching the ground - the lowest part was perhaps 250 feet or so above ground. But it was there and beautiful, though frightening. I couldn't stop my car where I was to take a photo, but went to the Jacobsen Street intersection and turned around, but by then there was very little left of the funnel cloud - just a dull finger of cloud poking down sideways from the main layer. I thought this would be on the news but no one I've talked to heard about it.

Anyone else see it?

I've never seen one before, so this was an interesting moment. Thank goodness it didn't do any damage below. The Fox Valley has been very fortunate in that regard over the years.

During a recent tennis tournament, I had the pleasure of chatting with Sue Russo, the owner of Spa BenMarNico, an establishment with three locations in the Fox Valley. The spa has been invited to operate from a prime location inside the new Copperleaf Hotel, right in the heart of Appleton. The other two locations are in the popular Bridgewood Resort and Hotel in Neenah, and N474 Eisenhower Dr. next to Regal Cinemas. The latter facility is Salon BenMarNico and Expresso Bar, offering the nice mix of a coffee bar and salon.

I was impressed with how much work and investment is required to launch this kind of business. So many details need to be considered, including decor, lighting, music, as well as products, services, staffing, etc. The business is doing well and is a tribute to the vision, commitment, and years of experience and preparation of the owner.

The owner noted that she was worried about losing customers when the economy slows, but today's stressful economic climate results in even more people needing the help that her spas offer, so business has been surprisingly strong.

I'm personally fascinated with the growth of the spa market. Kudos to our local entrepreneurs who can make these dreams become reality!

If you visit Spa BenMarNico, be sure to say hello from Jeff!

Here are a few shots from the south shore of the Fox River during an April 29 walk along the trail between the College Avenue bridge (near the Banta Bowl) and Lawe Street. The last two photos show some of the wild life: a male red-winged blackbird on a power line, and a shy woodchuck (taken from far away with my 10x zoom).