Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
A Wisconsin State Journal Editorial

Forget about Madison vs. Middleton. Or Verona vs. McFarland. Or even Dane County vs. Rock County.

Instead, let’s focus on the Madison region’s strategy for economic growth. And in doing so, we must recognize the inescapable truth that national and even global competition for economic vitality is far more important than localized “we’re better than you” squabbles.

Such thinking is the core building block of Advance Now, a five-year strategy for economic growth put forth recently by the eight-county MadREP initiative. (Full disclosure: State Journal publisher Bill Johnston is co-chair of the Advance Now initiative.)

The result of that months-long effort is a five-year plan — a call to action, really, for the Madison region to move forward together when it comes to matters of economic interest. There is much to like about the plan, including the importance it puts on public-private partnerships.

But, ultimately, it is still just a plan, words put on paper. Now is the time for motivated business leaders, elected officials and regular citizens to turn the plan into action. Not next year, or sometime down the road. It’s a competitive world out there, and the Madison region needs to act now.

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Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Mark Cullen and Gary Wolter

Most people living in this region would agree we have a lot going for us. National rankings repeatedly tell us we’re doing things right when it comes to our quality of life.

But have the high rankings we’ve received for quality of life made us less sensitive, maybe even oblivious, to the low rankings we’ve received for business vitality?

Recent research data suggests the Madison region — Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock and Sauk counties — is lagging behind peer regions in business start-ups, job creation, and per-capita income. These economic development activities are important because they provide the tax base to support the schools that educate our children and the government services that help enhance our quality of life.

So the real question is: Why haven’t we been able to leverage our enviable quality of life, highly educated workforce, and world-class research into a more flourishing, competitive economy?

Because we haven’t collectively turned our attention to developing our many advantages while many other regions have been collaboratively planning and investing in economic growth initiatives for years, even decades. Communities such as Des Moines, Iowa, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Lincoln, Neb., have surpassed us in creating jobs and income even though they often have much less to work with than our region. The numbers are embarrassing.

The recession has changed everything, giving us a sense of urgency and the recognition that we are stronger working across municipal boundaries in an increasingly global economy. We have a clear choice: become more aggressive and regional in our approach to economic development or fall further behind in economic competitiveness.

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Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

About 300 elected officials, company heads and community leaders from south central Wisconsin were told Wednesday it’s time to stop resting on their laurels, get past any rural-urban conflicts of the past and work as a team if they want to spark the area’s economy in the coming years.

Advance Now, the eight-month project to create a plan to spur economic growth for the eight-county Madison region, presented its recommendations and promised a series of goals that include:

• Increasing the number of businesses by 5.2 percent in the next five years.
• Compiling a list of “shovel-ready” sites for development.
• Matching local company needs with training and education programs.
• Increasing access to capital and developing a regional system to bring innovations to market.
• Closing racial and geographic achievement gaps.
• Increasing the number of minorities in leadership positions.
• Creating a regional brand identity and a national public relations campaign.

In a presentation at the Sheraton Madison Hotel, Mac Holladay, chief executive of Market Street Services, exhorted local leaders to set aside any bickering of the past.

“This is not a partisan politics game,” Holladay said sharply, drawing applause. “It is time for you all to stop yelling at each other and start talking to each other … (or) this place is going to fail.

“The silos need to come down. The boundaries don’t matter.”

Holladay’s Atlanta consultant firm has been working on Advance Now with MadREP, the economic development partnership for Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock and Sauk counties.

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Excerpted from Janesville Gazette
By Jim Leute

City and community leaders turned ceremonial shovels of dirt Tuesday on a four-acre parcel that later this year will be home to the Janesville Innovation Center.

They hope the business incubator will hatch companies that might someday fill 225 acres of city-owned land a few hundred yards away.

In 2010, the federal Economic Development Administration awarded the city $1.2 million for the 22,000-square-foot project on Venture Drive.

The city is kicking in $850,000 for the facility that will offer a combination of manufacturing and office space for lease to new and growing businesses.

When it’s finished in November, the innovation center will feature nine office suites and four production areas that range from 4,000 to 6,000 square feet. Movable walls will separate the production areas.

“Flexibility with those production areas is the name of the game,” said Vic Grassman, the city’s economic development director.

Grassman said a flexible building and environment will support local businesses and lead to the creation of new companies and jobs in Janesville.

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MadREP, the economic development partnership for the eight-county Madison Region, announces the launch of the Advance Now Strategy, a comprehensive, action-oriented economic development plan that will serve as the region’s consensus blueprint for driving economic growth over the next five years.

MadREP will unveil the Advance Now Strategy at a Community Leadership Summit on Wednesday, April 25 from 3-5pm at the Sheraton Madison Hotel (706 John Nolen Drive, Madison). Leading economic development strategist Mac Holladay will join members of the Advance Now Strategy Committee to share the goals, objectives, and actions that will shape our region’s future. Paired with a detailed implementation plan that includes such metrics as per capita income, educational attainment, and number of business establishments, the Advance Now Strategy promises to move the Madison Region forward with a shared vision for economic growth.

“The development of the Advance Now Strategy is only the beginning. The real work starts now,” notes Mr. Holladay, President & CEO of the Atlanta-based economic development consulting firm Market Street Services.  “The Madison Region is poised for positive development and job creation, but it will require the commitment and collaboration of leaders from both the public and private sectors. The future of this region relies on the aggressive and continued implementation of this strategy over years to come.”

The Strategy will outline specific steps to move the Madison Region forward in five key goal areas:

• Advance Economic Competitiveness
• Advance Human Capital
• Advance Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Advance the Madison Region’s Story
• Advance Regional Cooperation, Leadership, and Diversity

This visionary game plan is built upon eight months of research (including a Competitive Assessment, Target Cluster Analysis, and Marketing Review), public- and private-sector participation, and input from 2,000+ citizens.

“Advance Now marks the largest comprehensive economic development initiative yet undertaken in the Madison Region,” says Jenn Post Tyler, Interim Executive Vice President of MadREP. “This strategy positions the Madison Region to reverse negative trends in our rate of business growth and job creation. MadREP looks forward to collaborating with implementation partners across the Madison Region to carry this strategy forward and enact real change for our region’s economy.”

The Advance Now Strategy will also position the Madison Region to charter an Economic Development District designation with the federal Economic Development Administration, opening much needed funding opportunities. 

The public may register for the April 25 Community Leadership Summit at advancenow.madisonregion.org.

ABOUT ADVANCE NOW
The development process for Advance Now involves two research phases and two action phases, resulting in a holistic, transformational economic development strategy that builds on the Madison Region’s specific assets, and a tangible implementation plan that will guide strategic efforts and outcomes. Advance Now will unite fragmented economic development efforts with a comprehensive action-oriented blueprint that will enable the Madison Region to compete on a larger scale in today’s global marketplace.

The Advance Now Development Process

Phase 1) Competitive Assessment: Analyzes the region’s position in the economy (Sept-Oct 2011)
Phase 2) Target Cluster Analysis: Identifies existing and emerging targets to pursue (Nov-Dec 2011)
Phase 3) Core Strategies: Combines research with action items (Jan-Feb 2012)
Phase 4) Implementation Plan: Includes capacity assessments, measurement tools, and action plans (Mar-
                Apr 2012) The Implementation Plan covers the years 2013-2017.

MadREP is partnering with the Atlanta-based economic development consulting firm Market Street Services, led by founder and CEO J. Mac Holladay, to develop Advance Now. The entire process is overseen by a 24-member Strategy Committee of public- and private-sector leaders and elected officials, and a 15-member Technical Workgroup of regional economic development professionals.

More information about Advance Now, including downloads of all the research and reports released to date, are available at advancenow.madisonregion.org.

Support for Advance Now is provided by American Family Insurance, Madison Gas & Electric, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.