Focus on Calumet
A bi-weekly update on economic development opportunities in Calumet County
and the region for businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities.
|
|
Robots Could Displace 20 Million Jobs by 2030, but Wisconsin Might be Less at Risk: State Ranks 25th on Robot Vulnerability Index
|
|
The adoption of robots could displace 20 million manufacturing jobs worldwide by 2030, according to a new report from
Oxford Economics
.
The same report also suggests Wisconsin is at a lower risk of losing jobs to robots than many surrounding states.
The England-based firm’s estimate is based on the continuation of a number of existing trends, including robots becoming cheaper than human labor, increasing robot capabilities, and increasing demand for manufactured products. Since 2000, the report estimates 1.7 million jobs have been lost to automation after accounting for off-shoring and globalization of supply chains, including 550,000 jobs in China and 260,000 in the U.S.
Most of the projected job displacement going forward is also expected to come in China, which could have another 14 million robots in use by 2030. The report also notes that the displacement of jobs is not evenly distributed among or within countries. In lower income regions, the report suggests each additional robot will displace 2.2 jobs over the long-term, while 1.3 jobs will be displaced in higher income regions.
Oxford Economics created a robot vulnerability index to measure the potential impact within countries. The index is based on an area’s dependence on manufacturing employment, current robot adoption, and the productivity of its manufacturing workforce. The index lists Wisconsin as one of a number of low vulnerability states in the U.S. while Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan are all upper-medium to high vulnerability.
Oxford has not released the complete data for the index, but the firm said Wisconsin ranks 25th in the country. Indiana is the fourth most vulnerable to job displacement from robots behind Oregon, Louisiana, and Texas.
|
|
The 64-page report from Oxford Economics is available
here
.
Note: Research on the number of human jobs being replaced by robots is still a moving target, but this study is good news for WI. The article goes on to say that due to Wisconsin’s mature manufacturing industry, fewer future jobs will be lost to robots than in other manufacturing-dependent states like Indiana.
|
|
Legislative Update on Economic Development Programs
|
|
The state budget was passed by the legislature in late June and signed into law by Governor Evers on July 3 with 78 partial vetoes. Several economic development-related efforts were included in the budget that will have a positive impact on Calumet County and the State of Wisconsin overall.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
:
- Invests an addtional $570 million in K-12 student education.
- Provides an additional $3 million in each year of the biennium for Career and Technical Education grants.
- Provides an additional $2.76 million in each year of the biennium, for a total of $5.5 million for grants to local youth apprenticeship consortia.
- Provides an additional $500,000 in each year of the biennium, for a total of $1 million for the Technical Education Equipment Grant program.
- Provides an additional $25 million over the biennium for the Wisconsin Technical College System.
TRANSPORTATION:
- Provides over $465 million overall for transportation projects in the state.
- Increases funding by $320 million for the State Highway Rehabilitation program.
- Increases funding for large highway projects in southeastern and northeastern Wisconsin, including I-41 improvements between Appleton and Green Bay.
- Provides $30 million in bonding authority for the freight rail preservation program.
BROADBAND
- Provides $48 million over the biennium to expand the Broadband Expansion Grant program to reach more underserved areas in the state.
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM:
- Invests $8.8 million over the biennium to create the Dairy Innovation Hub.
- Adds staff and equipment at DATCP to speed up the approval process for industrial hemp growers.
- Provides the UW System with an additional $58 million over the biennium.
- Provides $1 billion for new campus buildings across the UW System.
- Maintains the freeze on in-state tuition.
|
|
Transportation Economic Assistance (TEA) Grant Enhancement Bill
|
|
One of the economic development priorities not addressed in the state budget bill is the WI DOT Transportation Economic Assistance program. A bill to address this issue is anticipated to be introduced with bi-partisan support soon.
The TEA Grant program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT), was created in 1987 to provide funding for transportation improvements critical to economic development projects that retain and create jobs in Wisconsin. The program was established to respond quickly to economic development opportunities that support business investment across the state. After a recent legal review of the program, the DOT determined it did not possess the statutory authority to provide grant funding for jobs
retained
– and going forward could only support projects that create new jobs.
This change has diminished the value of TEA Grants as an economic development tool. It is also in direct conflict with Wisconsin’s growing workforce shortage, which makes it necessary for state programs and policies to recognize that job retention is just as important as job creation.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Association provides updated information about the status of economic development legislative issues.
|
|
SBDC’s Dave Stauffacher Receives 2019 State Star Award
|
|
UW-Green Bay Outreach Specialist (Cofrin School of Business) Dave Stauffacher, a business counselor for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) was named the 2019 State Star Award winner for the State of Wisconsin. In April, Stauffacher celebrated his third anniversary with UW-Green Bay’s SBDC.
Stauffacher is a senior business consultant serving clients in Northeast Wisconsin, which includes Brown,
Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, and Shawano counties.
America’s SBDC “State Star” is a yearly award for SBDC employees with exemplary performance who significantly contribution to their state or regional SBDC program. The Wisconsin’s State Star must demonstrate meet the following criteria: impact on clients, innovative approach, team spirit, and willingness to go the extra mile.
Each year, America’s Small Business Development Center (ASBDC) Network recognizes top performers nationwide at its annual conference.
|
|
Cedar Corporation to Assist with CDBG CLOSE Economic Development Plan
|
|
Cedar Corporation will enter into a contract with Calumet County to lead the county’s economic development planning work. The company was selected after they were determined to be the best fit for the county’s needs after a competitive proposal process. A committee of local city and village officials who participated in the planning process joined county pesonnel in selecting Cedar.
Cedar Corporation, based in Menomonee Falls, will assist with the development of an Economic Development Plan to review workforce and senior housing needs in the county, and will also explore properties deemed to be affected by slum and blight, while also building a strategy to help secure funding to assist in future project implementation.
Work on the plan is expected to begin in September and conclude by April 2020. The project is being funded through the county’s CDBG – CLOSE program, which was created as a result of the state’s closure of the CDBG Revolving Loan Fund program.
|
|
City of New Holstein Approves TID Plans
|
|
A series of actions taken at last Wednesday’s meeting of the New Holstein Common Council could pave the way for future redevelopment of the former Tecumseh Products Company site.
Alderman approved four different resolutions dealing with four different Tax Incremental Districts, including the termination of one TID and the creation of a new one.
Maureen Holsen of Ehlers – the public finance company which assists government entities with such planning – spent about a half hour reviewing the proposals prior to aldermen unanimously approving each of them.
|
|
Note: New Holstein has created an Environmental Remediation TID, a special TID designed to assist in the clean-up of contaminated brownfield sites. This is great news for New Holstein. It’s the second such TID created in Wisconsin, both in Calumet County.
|
|
Brillion Multi-Family Project Receives WHEDA Tax Credits
|
|
June 27, 2019
A 40-unit apartment complex will be constructed in downtown Brillion on the corner of Center Street and North Custer Street next to Dollar General after all.
|
|
A 40-unit apartment complex project in Brillion will move forward after the private developers received a $500,000 tax credit.
(Photo by Dave Norby, Brillion News)
|
|
After some concern earlier in the year that a failed application for a tax credit would put an end to the plans, the news took a turn for the better earlier this month. The site's developer, Andy Dumke, had applied for the tax credits worth $500,000 for the estimated $6 million building.
"For two years he didn't make the cut," Redevelopment Authority Commission (RDA) Chairperson Beth Wenzel said during Monday night's city council meeting.
A little good fortune came Dumke's way this time around.
"It just so happened, he found out two weeks ago, some other project left ... and gave back their grant money," Wenzel said.
The project will now hopefully break ground later this year and be completed in 2020, Wenzel says.
The tax credit was a necessity for the project to move forward.
|
|
Sargento Receives Pair of Recognitions
|
|
Sargento Foods Inc. recently received two honors for product innovation from Food Processing magazine and the American Business Awards.
|
|
Food Processing recognized the Sargento innovation team as Research and Development Team of the Year in the large company category. Winners were determined by hundreds of votes from Food Processing readers on each nominated organization’s innovation strategy and processes.
“This recognition is an honor and testament to our strategic approach to innovation,” said Kristi Jankowski, executive vice president—innovation at Sargento Foods. “We strive to stay at the forefront of trends in cheese, packaging and R&D, while also ensuring we take the time to do things right. It’s all baked into a rigorous product development process that we continue to hone and evolve as consumer tastes and our business changes.”
In addition to the Food Processing honor, the 17th Annual American Business Awards
® named Sargento Sweet Balanced Breaks
® the winner of a Silver Stevie
® Award in the New Product: Consumer category.
|
|
Sargento's R&D Team (from left) Mihir Sainani, Deb Berg, and Paul Groth.
|
Sargento's Innovation Team was recently recognized as Food Processing magazine's Research and Development Team of the Year.
|
|
The American Business Awards recognize the successes of U.S.-based organizations, this year attracting more than 3,800 nominations across a wide range of categories.
The Sweet Balanced Breaks
® entry focused on the growing momentum, variety, and sales success of the product line, which allows customers to embrace the perfect balance of indulgence and nutrition. This is but the latest accolade for Sweet Balanced Breaks
®, which also earned an IRI New Product Pacesetter award in 2017.
For more than 60 years, innovation has been at the center of the business and culture of Sargento. Sargento continues this legacy today through its 32-member Innovation
Team which has led to many dairy industry firsts.
|
|
Stockbridge Manufacturing Dedicated to Continual Improvement
|
|
A bell rings at Stockbridge Manufacturing, alerting others that they have an order.
Stockbridge Manufacturing Inc. located at 831 S. Military Rd (Highway 55) was started in 1969 at the same location, making similar parts as they do now. In April of 2018, it was purchased by local residents Nick Ruppenthal and Joe & Wendy Behnke.
Stockbridge Manufacturing welds, assembles, and machines parts for food and paper manufacturing, along with assembling and installing safety guarding. Their customers span from the Northeastern Wisconsin area to both coasts. The company is dedicated to continuously improving their business processes, including training all members of their team on the continuous improvement process.
|
|
|
Additionally, Stockbridge Manufacturing is deeply invested in the community and its employees. They recently formed an alliance with Stockbridge High School to provide equipment at the high school level to provide experience to the high school students, in addition to having high school students come tour the business. In the future, they strive to constantly be improving and doing new types of work to new customers along with nurturing the connection between their business and the high school.
|
|
Ms. Fit Seeks to Help Women on their Wellness Journeys
|
|
Ms. Fit Health and Wellness Studio is located in the heart of Chilton and seeks to provide a judgement-free area for women to work out and grow in their wellness journey.
Jen Casper, owner, joined Ms. Fit as a client in 2015. She has continued her call to help women grow throughout the last four years by providing workout classes, personal training, and a supportive place for women.
The facility itself, located at 14 N. State Street offers a group training studio, a personal training area, and an area specifically for kids to play while their moms are working out. Through Ms. Fit, many women within the community have been able to realize the connection of food and exercise.
Casper sees the future of Ms. Fit to be able to offer women a full gym and the ability to further offer fitness help 24 hours of the day.
|
|
|
Digital Transformation Series Begins July 10
|
|
The Schneider School, in partnership with
Advancing AI Wisconsin
,
presents six seminars designed for business leaders, innovators, and change agents whose industries are being challenged by the rapid pace of technological advancements. The Digital Transformation Series aims to build a solid understanding of the nature and impact of new technologies so leaders can create value and shape the future of their organizations. Information about the series is available
here
.
Thought leaders from throughout the region will explore a range of topics monthly from 3:00-5:00 pm in the Fort Howard Theater on the St. Norbert College campus. The series begins on July 10, 2019, with
The Invisible War at Your Doorstep - Cyber Threats and Defensive Options for Businesses.
- Dirk Mahling, Wisconsin Cyber Threat Resource Alliance
- Jerry Eastman, Wisconsin Cyber Threat Resource Alliance
|
|
Explore Starting a Business
|
|
The complimentary “Explore Starting a Business” session provides a look inside at what it takes to launch a startup and small business. Explore key factors in starting and growing a business. Begin to determine if you have a feasible idea, learn about critical questions to consider, and additional entrepreneurship training opportunities. Whether you are looking to turn your side hustle into a full-time gig, grow your small business, or scale a startup, this session will help you understand your next steps. Get more details and register
here
. The closest session is on July 10 at 5:30 pm at the Fox Valley Technical College Venture Center in Appleton.
|
|
Free Small Business Counseling Available
|
|
Once a month, a counselor with the Green Bay Small Business Development Center meets with entrepreneurs and existing business owners at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton; he is also available to meet with Calumet County entrepreneurs and businesses on a periodic basis at other locations in the county or his office as schedules permit. These free, individual business counseling sessions are held to help answer questions and put businesses and entrepreneurs in a better position to make the best decisions for themselves and their businesses.
To schedule an appointment with the business counselor, contac
t
Mary Kohrell
using the information provided below. The next regularly scheduled session will be held on Tuesday, July 16.
|
|
Please forward to others you think would benefit from this newsletter.
Want to get on the mailing list? Sign up
here
.
|
|
If you receive a forwarded copy of this newsletter and no longer want to receive it, please contact the person who e-mailed the newsletter and ask to be removed from their list; do not use the unsubscribe feature.
|
|
Calumet County Community Economic Development contact information:
Mary Kohrell,
Community Economic Development Director
Connie Leonhard
, Program Assistant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
