WISCONSIN MANUFACTURERS INVITED TO SUPPLY CHAIN WORKSHOPS
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), in collaboration with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing & Productivity, Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the state's regional economic development organizations, will host six informational workshops throughout the state on supply chain readiness .

Info sessions will be held in Pewaukee, Platteville, Sturtevant, Green Bay, Madison and Superior. Additional details on dates, times, and locations are available at WisconnValley.WI.gov .


The Supplier Readiness Series will include information to help manufacturers respond to industrial innovation trends that are impacting the industry, including updates to statewide resources designed to help improve productivity, prepare for Industry 4.0 and establish a path for global competitiveness.

Once Foxconn's Wisconn Valley Science & Technology Park is fully operational, the company is expected to make $4.26 billion in supplier purchases annually, with roughly one-third being sourced from Wisconsin .

The informational sessions are free, but advanced registration is required. RSVP here .
VIDEO: WISCONN VALLEY
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PARK
This video illustrates how Foxconn Technology Group's Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in the Village of Mount Pleasant may appear upon completion.
SOUTHEASTERN WI HOUSING SUMMIT DESIGNED TO PREPARE FOR FOXCONN
This week, Racine County and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority held a Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit . This information-sharing event focused on discussing housing solutions for the region, bringing together area municipal leaders, community leaders, housing developers, builders and financial institutions.

As reported in the Racine Journal Times, experts have calculated that " 10,484 housing units will be needed to house all 13,000 future Foxconn employees."

Panelists at the Summit discussed the opportunities that economic development projects, like Foxconn, bring to a region and how municipalities can assist private developers in expanding housing options.

Learn more about the Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit in the Racine Journal Times .
DELAGRAVE: "HOUSING SUMMIT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY FOR STRATEGY PLANNING"
Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave recently shared his perspective about how economic investments in Racine may impact the community. Specifically, he discussed ongoing efforts to plan for additional housing opportunities that will become necessary as the local workforce increases.

"Because of Foxconn’s development and other new investments in our community, Southeastern Wisconsin will soon see an influx of new workers," said Delagrave. "We want to make sure that we are positioned to attract as many of those new workers to live in Racine County as possible. More people choosing Racine County translates into greater economic development for our county, and more customers for our local businesses."

"To date, a team of consultants has led a housing initiative to determine best practices for residential growth. That team has worked diligently to present their findings to local municipalities and developers, and they have found that the best first step is for communities to join forces to develop realistic, achievable and unified regional land use and development goals."

The full commentary is available in the Racine Journal Times .
FOXCONN COMMITS TO HIRING 3,000 VETERANS; BEGINS MILITARY VETERAN RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
Foxconn Technology Group (Foxconn) this week announced the launch of a military veteran recruitment campaign to hire 3,000 veterans. Foxconn will attend 20 veteran career fairs across 13 stats in the coming months to recruit, interview and hire former military personnel as part of the company's commitment to hire 13,000 employees for its Racine County advanced manufacturing campus.

Hiring men and women who have served the country makes good business sense. Every year, some 250,000 Americans transition from the military to civilian life and Foxconn understands how this transition is an important time in the life of any veteran and their families,” said Christopher “Tank” Murdock, Special Advisor to Foxconn’s Wisconsin operations and a retired Navy Captain.

“As Foxconn’s presence in Wisconsin continues to grow, we are continually looking for men and women who are mission-focused, motivated, and team orientated to contribute to our vision of building a vibrant environment for talent, innovation and business across the state.”

More information is available here .
IN FOXCONN, OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINORITIES AND WOMEN IN STEM FIELDS
Opus Dean of Marquette University's Opus College of Engineering Kristina Ropella expressed her views on opportunities for women and minorities in engineering positions for Foxconn.

"Marquette University and other universities and colleges in the region will step up, training more engineers with diverse backgrounds to fill these higher-paying jobs,"said Ropella. "While it will be a challenge to rise as a community and prepare a diverse workforce to meet the demands of our new neighbors,  I am convinced we can do it through innovative programs and creative collaborations ."

Read more from Ropella in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .
STILL: "FOXCONN MOTIVATING RIGHT PLAYMATES"
Tom Still, Wisconsin Technology Council President recently shared his thoughts about the relationships Foxconn is building in Wisconsin.

"The truth be known, Foxconn founder Terry Gou and his team of 'new kids' are pushing the older crowd to do more," said Still. "Wisconsin and especially the Milwaukee region have always boasted a cadre of national and global companies. Few of those companies, however, have elected to invest in the venture capital asset class most likely to spark young companies."

" It took the arrival of Foxconn, the world’s leading contract manufacturer of consumer electronics, to open more homegrown corporate eyes to taking on more risk by making technology investments at home and abroad."

For more from Tom Still, click here .
REINVENTING RACINE: FORMER RACINE YMCA TO BECOME APARTMENTS
Photo: Gregory Shaver for the Racine Journal Times
A California development team, Mt. Royal Investment Group, will convert the former Racine Downtown YMCA building (401 Wisconsin Ave, Racine) into 52 apartments in a redevelopment fueled by Foxconn's investment in the Racine community.

As reported by BizTimes , “I decided to focus, for now, on the downtown area of Racine, knowing that Mount Pleasant is more developed and closer to the Foxconn site, and that Kenosha is ahead of Racine in development,” said Tim Ryan, part of the development group. “Racine really caught my eye as the next up-and-coming location . The harbor is absolutely beautiful and downtown has all of the makings for a great center of town for eating, shopping and entertainment.”

“My partners and I are excited about being part of the growth that is coming to Racine . I see the downtown being an attraction for younger millennial types. There has been a new migration back to the urban cities in the past 10 years that America hasn’t seen since the early 1900s.”

Learn more about this development in BizTimes .
FOXCONN RFP CALLS FOR INNOVATIVE UPGRADES TO FOXCONN PLACE CHIPPEWA VALLEY IN DOWNTOWN EAU CLAIRE
Foxconn today announced it has issued a Request for Proposal for design/build firms to provide design services to modernize and enhance Foxconn Place Chippewa Valley. The company is looking for a firm that can develop a state-of-the-art co-working space that reflects the innovative and cutting-edge technologies that the company's transformational Wisconn Valley project and AI 8K+5G ecosystem will inspire and enable.

“This announcement is another step forward in Foxconn’s commitment to creating talent and innovation hubs across Wisconsin,” said Dr. Alan Yeung, Director of U.S. Strategic Initiatives, Foxconn.

“Foxconn Place Chippewa Valley will be home to 150 employees working together with our partners to create and apply technological solutions in a real-world environment to meet the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow . Foxconn Place Chippewa Valley will connect West Central Wisconsin to the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Mount Pleasant, allowing businesses, talent and academia in this region to be a part of this transformational project.”

Read the full announcement here , and find additional information about the Request for Proposal at WisconnValley.WI.gov .
INVITATIONS TO BID ON WORK ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOXCONN PROJECT
There will soon be several invitations for companies to bid on work associated with the Foxconn development in the Village of Mount Pleasant.

Invitations to bid include:

  • Foxconn’s Industrial Construction Work Phase 1, Area 1 of Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park, Mount Pleasant, WI. Reference: Bid Release 3a – Site Utilities and Logistics Job No. V08108. More information here.
  • Foxconn’s Industrial Construction Work Phase 1, Area 1 of Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park, Mount Pleasant, WI. Reference: Bid Release 3b – Site Roadways and Associated Storm Drainage Job No. V08108. More information here.
  • Foxconn’s Industrial Construction Work Phase 1, Area 1 of Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park, Mount Pleasant, WI. Reference: Bid Release 3c – Electrical Substation Job No. V08108. More information here.

To stay updated on bid opportunities as they become available, sign up to receive notifications from Wisconn Valley News.
UPCOMING MEETINGS / EVENTS

On September 17 , the next monthly Foxconn Project Briefing will take place at 6:00 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Village Hall (8811 Campus Drive). A live stream of the meeting will be available on our website, FoxconnRacineCounty.com . Questions can be submitted at the meeting, via Facebook Live or in advance on the website.

  • September 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Gateway Technical College's SC Johnson iMET Center (2320 Renaissance Blvd).
  • September 18 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Milwaukee Public Library's Villard Square Branch (5190 N 35th Street).
  • September 19 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha (1330 52nd Street).
  • September 20 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at (Corinne Reid Owens Transit Center, Liberty Street).

  • September 19 from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. at the Waukesha County Technical College (800 Main Street, Pewaukee).
  • September 20 from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (30 S. Hickory Street).
  • September 24 from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Gateway Technical College's SC Johnson iMet Center (2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant).
  • September 25 from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (2740 W. Mason St., Green Bay).
  • September 26 from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce office (501 E. Washington Ave., Madison). 

Upcoming meetings and events can be found in the  event calendar  on our website, FoxconnRacineCounty.com .