Focus on Calumet
A periodic update on economic development opportunities in Calumet County
and the region for businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities.
Monday, July 9, 2018
Foxconn Opening Innovation Center in Downtown Green Bay
Foxconn Technology Group is opening an innovation center in downtown Green Bay, creating up to 200 high-tech jobs by the end of the year.

Foxconn Tech Group Founder and CEO Terry Gou made the announcement June 29 in front of the WaterMark, the six-story, 75,000-square-foot office building the company is buying to house its innovation center. Employees in Foxconn’s Green Bay office will focus on developing applications for the new AI 8K+5G display technology the company is developing. The June 29 announcement came one day after Foxconn officially broke ground for its $10 billion Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Racine County, where the company will manufacture LED screens.

“The Foxconn ripple effect has arrived in Green Bay, Brown County, and the New North,” said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. “The cutting-edge technology that will be developed and worked on here will be used around the world.” 
Foxconn Founder and CEO Terry Gou receives a Green Bay Packers jersey from Gov. Scott Walker after announcing the company will open an innovation center in downtown Green Bay.
Business Updates
High Cliff Banquets and Event Center held its grand opening on June 24, with the ceremonial events captured by the Heart of the Valley Chamber of Commerce.  This celebration was the culmination of a months-long construction project that resulted after High Cliff Restaurant, which closed in late December, was purchased by new owners Jeff Luniak, Operations Manager, and Dan Rippl, President, of High Cliff Golf Course. The overall project included remodeling of the new 3 Putt Pub in the former High Cliff Restaurant basement, and the new Banquet and Event Center upstairs.  
Ariens Company has announced that it will exit the direct marketing business in an effort to focus on its core power equipment business. The company signed agreements for the sale of two of the three brands that make up the division and continues to explore options to divest the third and final brand. The announcement affects 150 employees located in Janesville, WI. All transactions are expected to be complete between the end of August and December 2018. The business will continue to operate as usual, and all employees will retain positions, until that time. Earlier in June, Ariens also announced the closure of its Auburn, NE, manufacturing plant to leverage its local manufacturing footprint. The shutdown is expected to be complete sometime between August and October 2018. 
Grant Opportunity for Program to Help Entrepreneurs Start, Acquire, or Expand a Business
Whether your business is growing or brand-new, writing a business plan is critical to building a profitable venture, especially to attract financing from lenders or investors. 

The Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP) is eight efficient sessions to help you develop a plan for a thriving, profitable business. In this program, you will learn to identify customers, determine their needs, and analyze that information into a feasible plan for starting or growing your business. Topics included in the program are:
  • Organize and better manage your business
  • Identify opportunities and market your business
  • Understand and get your business financials in order
  • Get funding for your business
  • Write a detailed, comprehensive business plan
  • Network with other entrepreneurs
  • Develop a network with small business support services
Start Ups and Small Businesses Fail for Very Different Reasons
From lack of product-market fit to disharmony on the team, business research firm, CBInsights, broke down the top 20 reasons for startup failure by analyzing 101 startup failure post-mortems. After compiling their list of startup failure post-mortems , one of the most frequent requests was to use these posts to figure out the main reasons startups failed. Startups, corporations, investors, economic development folks, academics, and journalists all wanted some insight into the question: “What are the reasons startups fail?”

So they gave those post-mortems the CB Insights’ data treatment to see if they could answer this question. After reading through every single one of the 101 post-mortems, they learned there is rarely one reason for a single startup’s failure. However, they began to see a pattern to these stories. 
Youth Apprenticeships Good for Students and Employers
Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship program is a part of a statewide School-to-Work Initiative. It is designed for high school students who want hands-on learning in an occupational area at a worksite along with classroom instruction. This one or two year elective program combines academic and technical instruction with mentored on-the-job learning The program has grown by leaps in bounds in recent years, with high schoolers from Calumet County having numerous opportunities to participate in Youth Apprenticeship programs.
 
One such effort took place in Hilbert High School during the past school year, and participants recently shared their experience with the Hilbert School Board.
Read more about the students’ experiences at Atrium Post Acute Care, Gruett’s Inc., Classic Gears and Machinery, and Verve Credit Union, as reported by Ed Byrne of the Brillion News.
Photo Credit: Ed Byrne, Brillion News
Pictured l to r: Shania Schmitz, Kyle Krueger, Bryce Gruett, and Skyler Schmid.
Community Resource Forum Scheduled for July 18
Progress Lakeshore is hosting a Community Resource Forum for Manitowoc County businesses and community development specialists, and they’ve invited participation from Calumet County. The forum will provide important information about how WHEDA’s business financing can be integrated with other state, local, and private financing to help communities achieve their visions for housing and economic development. The event will take place at Orion Energy Systems, 2210 Woodland Drive, Manitowoc beginning with an 8:00 am registration and agency presentations from 8:30 to 11:30 am. The program is co-hosted by WHEDA and Progress Lakeshore. Pre-registration is required. Click here to register or receive more information.
Available Property
The City of New Holstein is working with Stantec to redevelop the former manufacturing facility for Tecumseh Engines and most recently Heus Manufacturing. The 40 acre property includes over 400,000 sq ft of existing facility space potentially suitable for redevelopment. More information available here .
Free Business Counseling Offered
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. 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, contact Mary Kohrell using the information provided below. T he next sessions will be held on July 17 and August 15.
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