Category Archives: Economic development that works
Buffet, buddies grind jobs sausage at Kraft Heinz
As Wisconsin has witnessed in the last couple of months, big corporations like Kraft Heinz and Tyson Foods with a wide footprint of facilities are forever rationalizing their physical and human resources. That’s just what they do. To gain a … Read the rest
Will Gov. Walker lead on big issues back home?
Let’s take Gov. Walker at his word that he is not going to be lured away from finishing out the remaining three years of his second term. He is right on that there is “plenty of work to do” in … Read the rest
WEDC needs to pivot, but survive
If you take a deep dig into almost any human organization – be it a bank, a business, a non-profit corporation, a newsroom or a government agency – you will find plenty of examples of decisions gone awry. Most go … Read the rest
Business climate up; major issues ducked
In terms of the pressing strategic issues of the state, it’s hard to know what to make of the Walker administration and last two GOP-controlled legislatures. On the big issues -- health care costs, university governance and organization, job creation … Read the rest
Help Ray Cross reposition UW System
Ray Cross’ stated willingness to resign as president of the University of Wisconsin if the GOP-controlled legislature and Gov. Walker don’t relent on the $300 million cut to his budget demonstrates just how much he needs to reposition the university … Read the rest
UW shows tin ear on engineering demand
The recent public disagreement within UW System on decentralized engineering degrees demonstrates one more time why its Madison-centricity is a bad idea. Business leaders in northwestern Wisconsin have stated plainly and simply that they need more engineering graduates to propel … Read the rest
Amidst ‘distractions,’ what happened to job creation?
Job creation was the central debate topic in the just-concluded campaign for governor of Wisconsin, so the question has to be asked: how did that issue fade so fast from the radar screen of the state’s political leaders? Remember the … Read the rest
Beyond happy talk on economic collaboration
There is a sad but true piece of reality that needs to be injected to the happy talk on the subject of collaboration in Wisconsin for economic development. Even thought the standard rhetoric extols the virtue of collaboration on a … Read the rest
Walker, Burke cite clusters as roadmap out of economic swamp
Where do Gov. Walker and his Democratic challenger stand on “clusters? It’s not a hot button campaign issue, yet almost all economic strategists have come around to clusters as the best organizing concept for how the economy works. It means … Read the rest
Reverse the Wisconsin brain drain
The University of Wisconsin System is in some stage of denial about the magnitude of the brain drain of college graduates from the state. System is pushing for more dollars for a talent creation initiative in the 2015-2017 state budget, … Read the rest
