FOXCONN CLOSES ON PURCHASE OF 'FOXCONN PLACE RACINE'

Foxconn Technology Group recently purchased the office building at 1 Main Street in Racine for $6.25 million. The company plans to develop "Foxconn Place Racine and Wisconn Valley Innovation Center" and support about 125 Foxconn employees at the location. “Foxconn’s purchase of One Main Centre is in line with our continued efforts to create a vibrant environment in Wisconsin for smart city solutions that will revolutionize how we live, work and play,” said Dr. Alan Yeung, Foxconn Director of U.S. Strategic Initiatives. This is the second building Foxconn has purchased in the City of Racine. In December, the company bought an office building at 601 Lake Avenue, which it has said will be tied to the company's Smart City research efforts. Read more in the Racine Journal Times .

FOXCONN OFFICIALS COMMUNICATING WEEKLY WITH EVERS ADMINISTRATION

State Revenue Secretary Peter Barca recently sat down with the Racine Journal Times to talk Foxconn, sharing that he and several other members of the Evers Administration are in regular, weekly contact with Foxconn executives. “They’ve been very candid with us, which is nice, in terms of sharing with us (information about) things that are coming up,” Barca said about Foxconn officials. "For Barca, the company’s decision to move from manufacturing large screens to smaller screens here has not shaken his confidence in the future of the project . He pointed to Foxconn’s investments in other parts of the state, along with investments in the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a partnership in a venture capital fund with Advocate Aurora Health, Johnson Controls and Northwestern Mutual as evidence of the company’s commitment to the state ." Read more in the Racine Journal Times .

INVESTOR: "WE'RE STILL A BELIEVER"

As reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal, investment group Nordic Realty Partners recently acquired a second property near Foxconn's development site in the Village of Mount Pleasant. The group expects that Racine County will see a boost from the company's planned advanced manufacturing facility and innovation campus. "Our research from what we've done on the ground and what we've done here in Texas is even if (Foxconn) ends up building only half of what they said they would, that would still be a major corporate relocation," said Adam Cibik, Nordic Realty Managing Principal. " We're still a believer in Racine. We've done a tremendous amount of research ." He added, “On the ground, we’ve seen no slowdown.” More information is available in the Milwaukee Business Journal .

"THERE'S ENOUGH BUSINESS TO GO AROUND" MANUFACTURING LEADERS, FOXCONN GATHER IN MILWAUKEE

In February, manufacturing professionals met in Milwaukee to talk shop and explore advancements in the industry during the Manufacturing Matters conference. Bill Mitchell, CEO of Foxconn distribution company Aguila and Vice President of Business Operations for Foxconn, delivered the conference's keynote speech and encouraged flexibility and cooperation among manufacturers. "I think there's enough business to go around for everybody , and if we can come together with people who might be in a competitive space, and work together and learn from each other, then we're all going to get better ," said Mitchell. Click here for more information.

INTRODUCING: GREATER RACINE COUNTY

With the goal of attracting new residents and workforce to Racine County  to meet the needs of our business community, Racine County, RCEDC, and Real Racine have launched  Greater Racine County (GRC) talent recruitment initiative to highlight the unique reasons why Racine County is a great place to live, work and play. We are pleased to share with you the launch of our social media channels ( Facebook ,   Twitter ) and  website , which we encourage you to engage with and explore.  In addition, we are excited to launch the Greater Racine County job board - which provides a free, user-friendly way for you to highlight the opportunities at your business and to reach potential employees.  To streamline your talent recruitment and retention efforts, register and create a profile on the site today at  Jobs.GreaterRacineCounty.com , the area’s one-stop employment and information portal.

UPCOMING MEETINGS / EVENTS On March 18, 2019 , Village of Mount Pleasant officials and project partners will host a monthly Foxconn Project Briefing at 6:00 p.m. in Ebe Auditorium at Mount Pleasant Village Hall (8811 Campus Drive, Mount Pleasant). Upcoming meetings and events can be found in the  event calendar  on our website, FoxconnRacineCounty.com .