Get to know: Jim VandeHei
Co-founder & CEO, Axios
From underachieving party boy to White House political correspondent, Jim VandeHei is the first to admit his path to media entrepreneurship may be a surprising one, but one from which he hopes others can learn.
After a year studying at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, VandeHei was sitting at a 1.4 GPA and on the verge of academic suspension.
“I didn’t put a whole lot of work into the scholastic part of my academic career,” the Oshkosh native says. “On paper, I was not the obvious person to bet on.”
But after graduating from UWO with a degree in journalism, VandeHei went on to co‑found two major media startups — Politico and Axios — the latter for which he serves as CEO.
VandeHei shares the lessons he has learned leading media-revolutionizing companies in his new book, “Just the Good Stuff: No-BS Secrets to Success (No Matter What Life Throws at You),” which was released in April.
The New York Times Bestseller presents action-oriented chapters organized into sections such as “Work Stuff,” “Boss Stuff” and “Tough Stuff.” VandeHei offers readers insights into his leadership style, including chapters on radical transparency and toxic insecurity.
“This is the hard stuff. No one taught me how to fire people with grace or how to deal with my own insecurities. My hope is anyone from a college grad to a rising CEO will find real utility in it,” he says. “And worst-case scenario, it’s all my life lessons so my kids can read it when I’m dead.”
VandeHei hopes business leaders, both new and tenured, understand the profound influence they have on those around them and act accordingly.
“Never underestimate how contagious we are,” he says. “If you are in a position of leadership we have such an obligation to live up to that calling and set the tone.”
— Amelia Compton Wolff
Cheese, please
Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, home of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, will host the annual Wisconsin Mac & Cheese Festival Saturday, July 27. Created by Outlier Events, Mac & Cheese Fest is making its Fox Cities debut and will showcase more than 50 one-of-a-kind mac and cheese dishes crafted by local and statewide vendors, accompanied by a selection of more than 150 beers, ciders and seltzers. Attendees will receive food and drink sampling tokens with their tickets, as well as a drink sampling cup. The event also features live music, yard games, inflatables and carnival attractions, balloon twisters, face painters, caricature artists and more. Tickets and information at wisconsinmacandcheesefest.com.
Historic Biathlon Championships
Ariens Nordic Center in Brillion will host the first-ever U.S. Biathlon Midwest Regional Summer Biathlon Championships July 20-21, as well as the U.S. Biathlon Masters Nationals and North American Masters Championships Feb. 14-16, 2025. The U.S. Biathlon Midwest Regional Summer Biathlon Championships will be the first-ever summer biathlon regional roller ski championships in the Midwest, welcoming all Youth, Junior, Senior and Masters biathletes for two events on roller skis. The U.S. Biathlon Masters Nationals and NorAm Masters Championships have been created in collaboration with Biathlon Canada to bring together the largest population of Masters athletes to one event. More information can be found at ariensnordic.com.
Rising Starrs
The Bart and Cherry Starr Museum at Rawhide Youth Services in New London officially opened to the public June 21. Rawhide Youth Services, which the couple helped found in 1965, worked closely with the Starr family, the Green Bay Packers and the NFL to curate the exhibits that celebrate the life and legacy of the former Packers quarterback and his wife. On display is Bart Starr’s MVP Corvette (his infamous donation that helped fund Rawhide), Super Bowl I and II championship rings, NFL memorabilia, handwritten love letters, personal tokens that reflect Bart and Cherry’s story and more. Learn more at rawhide.org.
