Monday, January 22, 2018

Focus on Calumet A periodic update on economic development opportunities in Calumet County and the region for businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Focus on Calumet!  This online publication will be distributed periodically to keep you informed about opportunities and accomplishments in local economic development programs. One year after the Calumet County Board created this position we’ve achieved some successes together. Some exciting opportunities are within reach, while others will stretch our capabilities – but together we can accomplish great things!

2017 Highlights of the Calumet County Community Economic Development Program (Part 1) Business retention visits were made to seven major Calumet County employers in partnership with the Fox Cities Regional Partnership. Visits resulted in the following types of business needs being addressed: Support for employee recruitment and retention Financial assistance through grant applications and local government TIF development Member of the training team for employee onboarding Focused employee survey research and analysis for several large and small employers to assist employee recruitment and retention efforts Individual meetings with all cities and villages in the county were held to understand local community economic development priorities which resulted in the following services being provided upon request of the local communities: Brillion – technical and grant-writing assistance on a proposed $8M Main Street Square Project to build a new city hall and a 32-unit apartment complex; support for the ongoing partnership between the city and Ariens Company to acquire the shuttered Brillion Iron Works property Chilton – assistance with reopening the closed grocery store and redevelopment of a city-owned brownfield site Hilbert – support for the village’s Economic Development Plan, recruitment efforts for a convenience store, and housing development project New Holstein – assistance with hiring an environmental consultant and ongoing assistance with the Tecumseh redevelopment project Sherwood – property listing and developer recruitment as part of the village’s downtown redevelopment plans Stockbridge – support with business development requests Any business, entrepreneur, or community that wants help with an economic development project is encouraged to contact us using the information provided below.

Governor Walker's Workforce Agenda Low unemployment rates throughout most of the state are causing concerns for employers about the growing need to meet the workforce challenges of today and tomorrow. Many Wisconsin companies considering expanding are concerned about having a large enough pool of potential workers to fill those future jobs. To help address the workforce challenge, Governor Walker unveiled his Workforce Agenda – a three-pronged strategy that calls for more worker training, removal of barriers to work and a national campaign to attract and retain talent. A key component of the Governor’s agenda is a $6.8 million budget request being considered by the Legislature for a talent attraction campaign targeting Midwestern millennials, Wisconsin alumni, and veterans transitioning to civilian life. The Assembly Jobs and Economy Committee held a public hearing on the assembly bill, AB-811 on January 10. The companion bill in the Senate is 2017 Senate Bill 679.   More information about these bills can be found here .

FoxConn Supply Chain Opportunities Development of the 20 million sq. ft. Foxconn campus in Kenosha County is expected to support 13,000 direct jobs, and the $10 billion investment is also expected to support 10,000 direct construction jobs over the life of the construction. Foxconn’s Wisconsin location is also expected to create a significant potential market opportunity for other Wisconsin businesses who make products that may be consumed by Foxconn, such as packaging. Calumet County businesses that want to explore opportunities to become part of the Foxconn supply chain, which was developed by NewNorth, are encouraged to register in the Foxconn Supplier Directory, a free online platform dedicated to organizing suppliers across the state who are interested in serving as a potential supplier. Business officials can use this link and search for Foxconn in the search box.

International Trade Opportunities

C alumet County Economic Development together with the Northeast Wisconsin Regional Economic Partnership (NEWREP) is now offering free export counseling for businesses interested in learning more about how to export products. The International Business Consultant, Greg Miller, has 17+ years working in both international trade and economic development. Miller will thoroughly prepare and assist businesses with all the steps necessary, from exporting basics to getting businesses in front of foreign buyers who want to purchase products or services from NE WI businesses. To set up a meeting, please contact Mary Kohrell at [email protected] or 920-849-1680.

Have a startup, product, or idea? Want free help?   gBETA is accepting applications through February 2.  Program dates are February 22 - April 20. gBETA is a program of nationally ranked, startup accelerator, gener8tor . gBETA is a free accelerator for early-stage companies with local roots. Each program is capped at five teams, and requires no fees and no equity. Participating companies receive: Access to a community of entrepreneurs including their fellow cohort members, as well as gener8tor and gBETAalumni. A formal relationship with at least 2-3 mentors with relevant expertise. Introductions to the gener8tor network of successful entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists and technologists. Individualized coaching and mentorship from the experienced gener8tor team. Office space. $1M+ in deals and perks from vendors like SoftLayer, Rackspace, Amazon, PayPal, Zendesk, and Microsoft. To learn more, sign up for office hours or email Adrienne Palm. Want to participate? Apply gBETA Northeast Wisconsin is made possible through the generous support of Microsoft, UW-Oshkosh Business Success Center, Fox Valley Technical College, and a coalition of Wisconsin institutions including WiSys, UW-Green Bay Cofrin School of Business, Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation, and Fox Cities Regional Partnership.

Please forward to others you think would benefit from this newsletter. Want to get on the mailing list? Email us here .

Calumet County Community Economic Development contact information: Mary Kohrell, Community Economic Development Director (920) 849-1680 | [email protected] Connie Leonhard , Program Assistant (920) 849-1450 x4| [email protected]