The Wausau Incubator's turnaround post-COVID

As one of the incubator's biggest champions looks to step back, Romey Wagner leaves the incubator in a good place

Anyone who knows Romey Wagner knows that he has been one of the most enthusiastic voices in support of the Wausau Business Incubator.

And if that name is a surprise to you, it was to me too. It was called the Wausau Entrepreneurial and Education Center when I first came back to town as a reporter in 2014. But in the beginning it was called The Wausau Business Incubator, and that is once again its name. (Wagner says that’s because the board chose the new name when entrepreneur was a popular buzz word at the time. But now it’s come full circle to its original name.)

Data shows the incubator has made a comeback in recent years, after tenant occupancy had dropped during COVID. That’s because new business creation dropped off a cliff in 2020. Readers were asking me what happened to the new business stories - the problem is, there weren’t any new businesses being formed to write about.

But as the incubator regains its previous occupancy, now being largely managed by the MCDEVCO organization under Kimm Weber (who along with Dan Weber owns Timekeeper Distillery), its main cheerleader has been working on passing on the torch.

Today, Wagner still handles some administration and maintenance work at the center. But he was once the main driver of the organization, and the chief mentor to the owners of businesses who started at the incubator.

He’s looking for someone to replace him and then he will finally retire, Wagner tells The Wausonian.