Source: Abigail Becker | The Capital Times

As citizens seek more transparency from government and less red tape and regulation, it’s nice to see that our state government has taken the idea of reform seriously and have solid results to show for it.

One such example is the Office of Business Development, where directors have been proactive in reaching out to business owners across the state for their ideas and input on regulatory reform. Housed in the Secretary’s Office at the Department of Administration to serve the citizens of Wisconsin, they work with leadership at all state agencies to solve problems and assist business in navigating to a variety of state and business resources. As business ombudsmen they have a customer service focus and span the public-private divide helping both business owners and government, with a focus on minimizing government impact so businesses can focus on true business activities. Through their outreach with Chambers of Commerce, Trade Associations and other business groups they’ve given more than 1200 presentations across Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Business owners have brought over 1200 distinct issues to them seeking assistance.

On the issue of rulemaking, reducing unintended consequences and negative effects in particular, the Office of Business Development’s experience working with industry resulted in a proposal for an improved website to gather public comment. It is crucial that industry and agency representatives work together to develop better rules.

The newly created centralized site for public comment on agency rule drafts is located at the Legislature’s website www.legis.wi.gov. There you’ll find significantly improved public access to review rules and have an opportunity to comment on them before they are adopted. Information about public hearings on rules is also readily available at this site. A quick reference guide to using the site is located on the Office of Business Development webpage.

Working together we can help move Wisconsin forward! Please contact us:

• If you have an issue that needs some additional attention (Request Help)
• Would like to recommend a rule change (recommend a rule change)
• To schedule a presentation for your trade association or community business group

Due to overwhelming interest from companies seeking to do business with Foxconn, Thursday’s Madison-area informational session for contractors has been relocated to Middleton Performing Arts Center at Middleton High School.

New Location: Performing Arts Center at Middleton High School, 2100 Bristol Street, Middleton, WI 53562

The event takes place on August 2, 2018. Registration is at 9:00 a.m. and the session will take place from 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Dozens of area construction-related companies that want to learn more about becoming a vendor, subcontractor, supplier or professional service provider during the construction phase of the Foxconn project will take part in an informational session with M+W|Gilbane, the professional construction manager on the project.

Enter directly at the Performing Arts Center at Middleton High School. When you arrive at the main address, continue past the swimming pool entrance, following along Lee Street and look for a distinctive glass exterior. This is the entrance to the PAC. There is also a large sign in front of the entrance. There is ample parking directly in front of the facility or in the adjacent lot that serves the high school, stadium and Baumann Aquatic Center. Additional parking is available off Clark Street next to the Middleton Alternative Senior High School.

Madison, WI – The Madison MSA was named the top metro for quality of life and industry diversity out of 383 Metro MSAs in the 2018 Metro Rankings Report published in the July/August 2018 issue of Business Facilities Magazine, a bi-monthly magazine specializing in the site selection marketplace. Madison also achieved the #5 ranking for Economic Growth Potential (Mid-Sized Metros).

“These impressive rankings for the Madison Region/MSA demonstrate our commitment to excellence in our legacy industries of manufacturing and agriculture throughout our rural counties while building world-renowned bio-tech, info-tech, health and fin-tech sectors in Dane County,” MadREP president Paul Jadin said. “The report validates that, as we build our industry sectors, our commitment to ensuring the overall quality of life for residents of the Madison Region is not lost.”

Business Facilities is a national publication that has been the leading location source for corporate site selectors and economic development professionals for more than 50 years.

To view the complete 2018 BF Rankings Report, including state, metro and international results, visit businessfacilities.com.

The Madison MSA was also recently named the top metro for industry diversity in the Industry Diversity Rankings published by Emsi Developer, a data reporting tool designed for economic development organizations. According to Emsi, diverse economies tend to have lower unemployment rates, less volatility and recover quicker in the event of a downturn.

About Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP)
MadREP is the economic development agency for the eight-county Madison Region, founded by business and community leaders to create a dynamic environment where people and businesses prosper. MadREP and its partners aim to proactively and strategically position the region to take advantage of economic and business development opportunities. Visit madisonregion.org for more information.

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