Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

MadREP is calling together a group of UW-Madison graduate students and young professionals to find out what they think the Madison area offers them — and what it lacks.

“The UW is putting a number of resources into these people, training them in truly world-class programs. So if we can get their input about what would make them stay in the Madison region, that would be a big return on our investment,” said Jenn Post Tyler, interim executive vice president of MadREP, the eight-county economic development group that includes Madison.

MadREP is working with Atlanta consultant group Market Street Services on Advance Now, a plan for growing the region’s economy.

Read the full article

Excerpted from National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Story of the Week
By Andrea L. Dono

A stroll through downtown Beloit, Wisconsin, reveals a historic town brimming with flowers and a scenic river filled with kayakers. Recovering from a tough reputation and a weak business mix, this Main Street has been able to cut its 19 percent vacancy rate to 7 percent and contribute to a 192 percent boost in property values.

Twenty-three years ago, the Downtown Beloit Association (DBA) formed to reshape the town’s destiny. Unique pieces of industrial art and industrial buildings that now house mixed-use projects provide clues to a city that had to chart a new course when manufacturing jobs disappeared and malls lured businesses away. DBA set out to create a sustainable funding base through a business improvement district and to become a Wisconsin Main Street community. The district today is devoid of chains and filled with contributors to a strong local arts economy, which has been a strong catalyst in Beloit’s comeback.

Read the full profile

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Barry Adams

SHINE Medical Technologies of Middleton said Tuesday it will construct an $85 million manufacturing plant in Janesville that will employ more than 100 people with average salaries of $60,000 a year.

The company, which produces medical isotopes and cancer treatment elements, selected Janesville over Chippewa Falls, Stevens Point and locations in Louisiana and New Mexico.

Construction on the 35,000- to 50,000-square-foot facility won’t begin until the company gets approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a process expected to take 18 to 24 months, according to Greg Piefer, SHINE’s founder and chief executive officer.

“The community is great. Janesville has a lot of good people, the city leadership was really willing to work with this, and they were adaptive to our needs,” Piefer said. “There’s a feeling there that the city is trying to reinvent itself and we can be a part of that story.”

Read the full article

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
Editorial Page

J. Mac Holladay, a consultant from Atlanta who’s helping to launch the Advance Now economic development initiative in Madison, is what we like to call a quote machine. A few choice offers from Holladay at last week’s community feedback session:

• On public-private partnerships: “Economic development is a team sport. There’s plenty for everybody to do.”

• On the need to engage: “Our only enemy is the status quo.”

• On why a regional strategy is crucial: “You’ve got more to sell together than you do separately.”

• On telling the Madison region’s story more effectively: “If you’ve done it, it ain’t bragging.”

Holladay engaged easily with his audience at the second of three such community events designed to formulate, adjust and eventually launch a clear strategic direction for economic development for this eight-county region.

But more important than Holladay’s one-liners is his track record of success around the country. He has helped guide similar plans in places such as Nashville, Tenn.; Austin, Texas; Richmond, Va.; and Charleston, S.C. All are thriving, appealing destinations in many regards.

If Madison and MadREP, the Chamber of Commerce offshoot that is behind the Advance Now initiative, can get some of the magic dust that Holladay and his company have been spreading around the country, we’ll all be pleased. Of course, it’s not magic at all, but a lot of hard work and focused efforts from many players, public and private.

Read the full article

Excerpted from Wisconsin State Journal
By Judy Newman

Kraft Foods will cut 1,600 positions in North America and consolidate offices as it prepares to split its business in two.

Madison will be among the locations losing jobs — about 12 positions will be cut. But Madison will continue to be the base for Kraft/Oscar Mayer as well as one of two management centers for its grocery business, the company said Tuesday.

Keeping the headquarters is “great news for the Madison region,” said Jenn Post Tyler, interim executive vice president of MadREP, the region’s eight-county economic development group. “I think it’s a vote of confidence that signals to other businesses and even entrepreneurs in these areas.”

A Kraft spokesman said fewer than 15 Kraft/Oscar Mayer employees in Madison were slated to lose their jobs. Division President Nick Meriggioli told Mayor Paul Soglin 12 jobs will be cut.

“The news that Madison will continue to be home to Oscar Mayer is certainly in part because of the excellent work done in Madison,” Soglin said in a statement. “Over 100 years ago, Oscar Mayer recognized that Madison is a great place to establish a business, and we look forward to his namesake company remaining in the city for years to come.”

Read the full article