Thrive Economic Development (ThriveED) President Deb Reinbold recently sat down with Mike Ward, senior vice president of business and community development at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to discuss the remarkable economic growth and investment taking place in Jefferson County and across Wisconsin. The interview explores the factors fueling this expansion, such as collaboration between state and local organizations and strategies for workforce development in rural areas.
Deb Reinbold: The past year has been a banner year for Wisconsin’s economy, with $2.4 billion in planned capital investments. What do you think were the key drivers of this growth?
Mike Ward: It is a combination of factors. One is Wisconsin’s core business factors remain strong. Our reliable power and water supplies, manufacturing tax rate, excellent workforce, strong education system and well-run communities provide opportunities for growth. Additionally, the need to reshore supply chains post-COVID, alongside federal legislation, has been a catalyst. Finally, there are a lot of technological advancements in clean energy, automation and artificial intelligence (AI), some of which are further supported by fiscal stimulus. It means expansions and investments can make sense for a variety of reasons.
DR: Collaboration between state and local organizations has been essential to these successes. Can you share some examples of how partnerships with local entities like Thrive Economic Development have driven impactful projects?
MW: Collaboration has been key, especially when businesses are new to the state or country. When local organizations like ThriveED bring together city, county, technical colleges and the UW system, and state agencies such as the Department of Transportation and Department of Workforce Development, this sends a strong message of support, which eases decision-making for businesses. ThriveED has also extended collaboration to address housing and childcare challenges, signaling long-term commitment to solving economic issues, which resonates with dynamic firms.
DR: Jefferson County is establishing itself as a food and beverage hub with major investments from Kikkoman, Palermo’s Pizza, and others. What makes this industry a strong focus for the region?
MW: In general, Wisconsin benefits from agricultural, research and supply chain strength in this area. Jefferson County adds location with a relative balance of access to large markets and suppliers. There’s also a great workforce and wonderful communities in Jefferson County where healthy collaborative business and government interactions and a demonstrated effort to think creatively and proactively about tough issues like housing are also key to making the region attractive to food and beverage businesses.
DR: With job creation being a key aspect of recent investments, how is the state preparing to meet the demand for skilled workers, particularly in rural areas like Jefferson County?
MW: Through the Workforce Innovations Grants and other programs, WEDC and DWD are supporting innovative local pilot projects in areas such as training, housing, childcare and transportation. We’re eager to see whether the successes of those programs can be reproduced statewide. This year, WEDC also worked with the Legislature and Governor Evers to update our tax incentive programs so businesses can make needed capital investments to increase productivity while maintaining their current workforce. And WEDC has launched an aggressive talent attraction program, drawing on the positive exposure Wisconsin is getting through things this year’s “Top Chef” season as well as partnering with local talent attraction efforts.
DR: Jefferson County is home to several smaller communities. What strategies are being used to ensure that rural towns in the county, like Jefferson, benefit from the broader economic momentum in the region?
MW: Wisconsin created an Office of Rural Prosperity that is helping drive that effort, which helps us adjust our existing programs to remove barriers for rural communities, for example, reducing or eliminating match requirements. They also are experimenting with technical assistance programs, everything from their innovative Thrive Rural effort funded by a large national foundation to a grant to help co-ops get started or expand statewide. They also are helping deal with issues like broadband access, grant writing capacity and communities of practice around rural housing or the arts economy.
DR: How important are WEDC’s performance-based tax credits for attracting and retaining businesses?
MW: Incentives send a strong message that the state is a supportive and welcoming place for businesses. It’s important to remember that businesses weigh a number of factors when they’re looking to locate or expand in our state, including the availability of a skilled and trained workforce, housing and quality of life, educational opportunities and infrastructure. That’s why WEDC – and all of state government – are focusing on making the smart investments across the board that will strengthen our communities and make Wisconsin an attractive place to live, work and do business.
DR: Wisconsin’s rural population growth is second in the Midwest. What strategies are being used to ensure that rural areas, including Jefferson County, remain competitive in attracting new businesses?
MW: As I mentioned, Governor Evers created the Office of Rural Prosperity in 2020 to ensure that our rural communities have access to the resources they specifically need to grove. Beyond that, in the last few years, WEDC has initiated several programs to make our communities more attractive, such as the Main Street Bounceback Grants that enabled more than 9,500 new and existing businesses to fill in vacant downtown spaces across the state.
More recently, WEDC has launched the Vibrant Spaces Grant program, which focuses on creating outdoor community gathering spaces that can be used for a variety of purposes. And our newest effort is the Small Business Development Grant program. It’s aimed at ensuring communities can continue to grow their downtowns with successful small businesses and keep their main streets fully occupied and people engaged. Our hope is that we see innovation we can learn from and then expand the program in a more meaningful way.
DR: Wisconsin was recently designated as a Regional Technology Hub for its biohealth industry. How do you see regional hubs impacting economic growth, especially in areas like Jefferson County?
MW: The Regional Tech Hub will bring a lot of research, workforce training and attention to what is already a strong Wisconsin industry cluster. Jefferson County will find itself right in the middle of the epicenters of this cluster – Dane County and Greater Milwaukee. Firms will begin to want to locate near this hub of talent, research, innovation and supply chain. Jefferson County will be an obvious choice to consider as that effort gets underway.
DR: There’s a lot of momentum in Wisconsin’s economy right now. What are your top priorities for WEDC in the coming year, and how can Jefferson County continue to benefit?
MW: In terms of top priorities, I would say WEDC plans to:
- Continue modernizing our existing programs, such as the Business Development Tax Credit, which now allows companies to invest in productivity improvements while keeping their current workforce, as well as supporting company-owned housing and childcare investments.
- Launch new efforts and tools to reflect a new economy, such as our recent $100 million Wisconsin Investment Fund, our new Green Innovation Fund and our recent Solar for All allocation.
- Test new ways to do economic development and then share that learning. This can be innovation related, but it can also be around ensuring that economic development is creating an economy for all our citizens and that no one is being left behind.
Jefferson County can keep being both proactive and collaborative, doing its own innovation as well as being open to partnering with the state as we do the same. You already have a great track record of doing just that.