Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

It’s not just Madisonians who are coming to see the area as a burgeoning techno-hub.

A study by the Brookings Institution shows the economy of the Madison metropolitan area is more technology-forward than all but nine other metro regions in the U.S.

The study, Digitalization and the American Workforce, ranks Madison as No. 10 of the top 100 metropolitan areas nationwide, in terms of both the number of computer-oriented jobs available as well as the adoption of computer technology in the workplace, in general.

That puts Madison closer to the sphere of longtime tech hubs San Jose, Boston and Austin — listed as the top three regions in the Brookings assessment. Madison is the only Midwestern metro among Brookings’ top 20, and it ranks ahead of areas such as Washington, D.C.; New York City; Chicago; and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“These numbers really point to Madison’s increased consequence in tech. That the region fares so strongly on its share of highly digital workers underscores that it is emerging as a major U.S. tech pole in the Midwest,” said Mark Muro, senior fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and co-author of the study.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 6, 2017

The Mid-America Economic Development Council presented its annual Economic Development awards at the 2017 Mid-America Competitiveness Conference & Site Selector Forum, held December 3-5 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago. Award entries were accepted in two markets per category – large market (annual marketing budget over $100,000) and small market (annual marketing budget under $100,000).

MadREP had winning entries in two categories: Annual Report and Workforce Development, for its annual Madison Region Economic Development Guide & Annual Report as well as the Inspire Madison Region program.

Recognition was presented to:

Deal of the Year – Selected from major projects announced in late 2016 or 2017 in the Mid-America region.  Recognizes outstanding achievement in the location of a new or existing business, a type of economic development project having a major impact on a Community or Region, or the exhibiting of excellence by an economic development organization.

• Winner – Consumers Energy Switch Data Center – Flint, MI

Entrepreneurial Award – Unique approaches to enhancing the Entrepreneurial culture in your city or region.  Unique approaches for assisting young companies through the start-up/early stage of a business life cycle.

Small Division:

• Winner – Startup South Bend – Elkhart Website – South Bend, IN

Large Division:

• Winner – Greater Des Moines Global Insurance Accelerator Creation – Des Moines, IA

Marketing Program – An overall comprehensive marketing program to market a community, county, state, or region to a prospect.

Small Division:

• Winner – Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber – Victory for the Valley – Warren, OH
• Finalist – Greater Ann Arbor Region Winter Campaign – Ann Arbor, MI
• Finalist – Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce Property Catalog – Flint, MI

Large Division:

• Winner – Consumers Energy – Energy Profile Program – Flint, MI

Business Retention & Expansion – Specific initiatives that are designed to retain or expand existing industries.

Small Division:

• Winner – City of Madison Northside Business Walk – Madison, WI

Annual Report – A regularly published document that addresses economic development issues and/or informs readers of an organization’s activities.

Small Division:

• Winner – Madison Region Economic Development Guide & Annual Report – Madison, WI
• Finalist – Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce – Building the Future:  2016 Annual Report – Flint, MI
• Finalist – Green County Development Corporation 2016 Annual Report – Monroe, WI

Large Division:

• Winner – Greater Des Moines Partnership Maximizing Momentum Video – Des Moines, IA
• Finalist – Greater Dubuque Development – 2016-2017 Annual Report – Dubuque, IA
• Finalist – Together We Are Greater — GREATER MSP Annual Report – Saint Paul, MN

Workforce Development – Activities to attract new workforce, strengthen the skills of existing workforce or encourage retention of youth in a specific area.

Small Division:

• Winner – Madison Region Economic Development Partnership – Inspire Madison Region – Madison, WI
• Finalist – Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber – Community Connectors – Warren, OH
• Finalist – Kossuth/Palo Alto County Economic Development Corporation – Summer Intern Program – Algona, IA

Large Division:

• Winner – Greater Dubuque Development – Opportunity Dubuque – Dubuque, IA
• Finalist – Greater MSP – Make It. MSP. – Saint Paul, MN

Mid-America EDC is a multi-state association dedicated to being the leading resource for making contact with site selectors, advancing regional economic development programs, and accessing thought leadership. For many years, The Mid-America Economic Development Council has sponsored the annual Economic Development Awards competition to recognize and stimulate the creative use of quality marketing by economic development organizations throughout the twelve-state Mid-America region in promoting their respective communities. The Mid-America Economic Development Council’s awards partner is Conway Inc., and all first place award winners will be highlighted in an ad in the January issue of Site Selection magazine.

For more information about The Mid-America Economic Development Council and to view more information about this year’s winning award entries, please visit www.midamericaedc.org.

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Bill Novak

Research has been a big deal at UW-Madison for decades, and the university continues to rank among the top schools in funding for research and development.

The National Science Foundation released its annual Higher Education Research and Development report, and UW-Madison came in at No. 6 for 2016, the same ranking the university had the year before.

Almost $1.16 billion was spent on research in all fields at UW-Madison in 2016, with about half of the money coming from federal coffers.

“The increase in expenditures and maintaining our ranking is good news for UW-Madison, showing the needle is moving in the right direction after a four-year decline in research expenditures,” said Marsha Mailick, UW-Madison vice chancellor for research and graduate education.

Besides federal money, UW-Madison gets research grants from state and local governments, industry, non-profits, and foundations, especially the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and the UW Foundation.

Research from UW-Madison has been responsible for creating over 360 startup companies in Wisconsin, the university said.

“Our faculty are the reason why UW-Madison is a top-tier university,” Mailick said. “They are pioneers – researchers and scholars who change the world with their accomplishments.

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Excerpted from Janesville Gazette
By Neil Johnson

Tech companies such as Foremost Media are a growing force downtown. Local officials estimate that such businesses now employ about 300 people as larger companies move out of basements and small office startup spaces elsewhere in the city.

Those businesses have emerged as one driver of downtown revitalization, along with the nascent redevelopment of retail and office spaces and large-scale plans such as the city’s ARISE riverfront strategy. Some tech firms saying they’re seeing 15 percent to 20 percent growth per year.

CEOs at three downtown tech companies—SHINE Medical Technologies, N1 Critical Technologies and Foremost Media—talked this week about what it’s like to work and grow downtown and the prospects for other high-tech startups there.

“I’ve never seen momentum in downtown Janesville like it is now,” said Jon Ballard, who co-owns Foremost Media.

At the Wednesday talk, which was open to the public, city Economic Development Director Gale Price asked the three CEOs what drew them downtown—and what they think might bolster downtown’s power to draw more tech firms.

Ballard, SHINE CEO Greg Piefer and N1 Critical Technologies CEO Nate Ellsworth all said a leading reason they moved downtown was the city’s willingness to invest in their growth through tax increment financing incentives. They also noted that city officials have worked closely with them on their plans.

All the CEOs said they believe the city’s focus on revitalizing downtown through ARISE will help tech companies such as theirs recruit and retain workers.

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Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

It’s not just Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn that is considering opening operations in the Madison area.

In the first 10 months of this year, 38 companies have been interested enough in the possibility of setting up shop in this area that they have asked the Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) to find potential sites in the eight-county region to suit their needs.

That’s up nearly 50 percent from 26 site searches MadREP fielded in all of 2016, which was a sharp jump from the five to 10 searches a year before that.

“It’s not just an upturn. I would call it an explosion,” said Michael Gay, MadREP senior vice president of economic development.

In the last year and a half, the area has won several projects. The Little Potato Co., of Canada, chose a DeForest site last year for its $20 million U.S. base and packing facility. In June, Drexel Building Supply, of Campbellsport, decided to stay in state to build a lumberyard and showroom, in Columbus.

What’s sparking the sudden surge of interest in south-central Wisconsin?

“I think there’s no question the Madison region is on the national radar screen a lot more than it was a few years ago,” Jadin said. The area’s growing reputation as a technology hub and the strength of the University of Wisconsin are contributing to that, he said.

There’s also been a pointed effort by MadREP to reach out to site selectors, who are participating more and more in a company’s selection process, Jadin said. “We’re doing very, very direct marketing to site selectors,” he said.

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