Road America, the world-renowned motorsports facility in Sheboygan County, released the 2022 Economic Impact Numbers. The total economic Impact of Road America each year is $254 million throughout Sheboygan County.

Economic Progress Updates

March 13, 2023

Economic Impact Numbers of Road America Announced

Road America — Road America, the world-renowned motorsports facility in Sheboygan County, is more than just an exciting place to watch races. It is also a significant economic driver for the state of Wisconsin.

The Washington Economics Group (WEG) was retained by Road America as independent consultants to estimate the comprehensive economic impacts associated with the ongoing operations of Road America on both Sheboygan County as well as the entire state of Wisconsin. These include both qualitative and quantitative categories of economic impacts. According to the Study, the total economic Impact of Road America each year is $254 million throughout Sheboygan County. Of this total, $181 million (or 71 percent) is due to direct economic effects, with $73 million (or 29 percent) attributable to indirect and induced economic effects. In addition, this economic activity supports 2,975 jobs, generates $83 million in Household Income, $131 million in GDP, and $34 million in Federal, State & Local Fiscal Revenues throughout the County.

WEG also quantified the estimated Impact of Road America’s planned capital expenditures through Spring 2024. These include paving and routine repair costs, the construction of new infrastructure and fencing, improvements to the spectator areas, and remodeling of the bathrooms and other facilities. These improvements will attract even more annual visitors once completed in 2024, further contributing to the annual impacts.

“We are proud to be a part of the Sheboygan County community and to make such a positive impact on the local economy and a significant tourism driver for the state of Wisconsin,” said Road America President and General Manager Mike Kertscher.

$27M Senior Affordable Housing Complex Coming to Sheboygan River Watch Neighborhood

WHBL — A new 83-unit senior affordable housing project, along with 18 live/work three-bedroom units with underground and at-grade parking is all but certain for Sheboygan’s River Watch neighborhood on the former Koepsell property. A direct referral to the Finance and Personnel Committee was posted on Thursday that authorizes an agreement between GenCap Emem, LLC and the City of Sheboygan to construct the development beginning no later than December 31 this year at a cost of $27,125,559.

The project is to be built on land between Illinois and Indiana Avenue, bordered by South 10th Street to the west and the riverfront on the east. Rates on the units will be subject to income and rent restrictions and subsidized by 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

The City recently conducted an Affordable Housing Market Study that identified a need for housing that’s affordable to individuals and families with low and moderate income, and this is expected to at least partially fill that need.

Van Horn Purchases David Hobbs Honda Dealership in Glendale

Van Horn — Van Horn Automotive Group has purchased David Hobbs Honda of Glendale, located at 6100 North Green Bay Avenue. The acquisition marks the first Honda dealership for Van Horn Automotive Group, bringing their total number of dealership locations to sixteen throughout Wisconsin and Iowa.

Van Horn Automotive group has been growing strong with six acquisitions in as many years, and a recent move to increase their employee ownership stake (ESOP) from 30% to 77%. “We are very excited to make this deal for a number of reasons,” said Jeff Niesen, President of Van Horn Automotive Group. “For starters, we’ve been looking to add Honda to our factory brand offering for several years. Honda is one of the most successful and reputable import brands in the US. Secondly, we’ve been looking for an opportunity to enter the Milwaukee market and expand our customer base. We’ve been selling vehicles to the Milwaukee area for a number of years, but haven’t had a dealership point to service those vehicles.”

Van Horn Automotive Group intends to make immediate changes to grow the capacity of the Honda dealership. “We intend to increase our pre-owned vehicle selection to over 200 units, to provide more options for the Glendale and Greater Metro Milwaukee area,” said Adam Gaedke, Chief Operating Officer of Van Horn Automotive Group. “As new Honda vehicles become more readily available from the factory, we intend to ramp up our new car inventory accordingly. Furthermore, as the only Employee Owned auto group in the state of Wisconsin, we look forward to providing more job opportunities for the community.” Part of the buy-sell agreement will require Van Horn to build a new state-of-the-art Honda facility within the next three years.

In celebration of this new store opening, Van Horn will donate $100 to Horizon Home Care & Hospice Meals on Wheels program for every vehicle sold from Van Horn Honda of Glendale from March 8 through April 8, 2023.

Lakeshore Community Job Fair

MANITOWOC COUNTY, March 8, 2023 — The Lakeshore Community Job Fair invites businesses, organizations, and job seekers from the counties of Manitowoc and Sheboygan to network and explore job opportunities. The Spring 2023 Lakeshore Community Job Fair will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Manitowoc Campus, 705 Viebahn Street, Manitowoc.

The Lakeshore Community Job Fair is a partnership among several organizations in Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties to help employers connect with job seekers by hosting two community job fairs, one in the fall and one in the spring. For the last 20 years, the Lakeshore Community Job Fair has brought businesses and job seekers together, resulting in over 3,000 job matches.

The job fair is a collaborative effort between The Chamber of Manitowoc County, Progress Lakeshore, Sheboygan County Chamber, Lakeshore Technical College, Lakeland University, Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, and the Sheboygan County Job Center.

Learn More

Employer Registration is currently open. For more information and to register please visit The Chamber of Manitowoc County website or click here.

Calling All Sheboygan County Employers

SCEDC – The SCEDC wants your company to be on the shortlist for talent search on the new Someplace Better website! By filling out this survey and telling us what occupations your company hires, you will be part of a new county-wide employer database. This survey contains a comprehensive list of occupations, you will be asked to check all of the occupations hired by your business.

Fill out the Survey