Recent News

Proponents of esports see the competitive video gaming industry as poised for expansion in the state of Wisconsin.  “We don’t think of kids playing video games — we think of esports as a growing economic sector and a fast economic sector,” said Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce Governmental Affairs Senior Vic...Continue Reading

The small businesses in downtown Menomonie have been affected by the ongoing pandemic. COVID-19 has changed the way that businesses operate as owners and employees adapt. “At the beginning, it was rough for everyone,” said Dustyn Dubuque, executive director of Downtown Menomonie, “but many businesses began to pivot their model. Som...Continue Reading

Finding the energy to work out can sometimes feel insurmountable. But two Chippewa Vallians are absolutely blazing the fitness trails with their new Menomonie franchise, FIRE Fitness. Andrea Jewett and Beth Westlund, childhood pals, were members of the FIRE Fitness camp teams in Weston and Marshfield. ”We just loved it so muc...Continue Reading

GOP and Dem Joint Finance Committee members agree that a big investment in broadband is needed in rural areas.  But that was the extent of agreement. During a Milwaukee business panel, Joint Committee on Finance members Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee, and Jessie Rodriguez, R-Oak Creek, debated which provisions in the Gov. Tony Evers’ ...Continue Reading

Wisconsin Farmers Union has launched a new resource for anyone seeking to learn more about how farming and labor intersect. The Farmer-Labor Podcast is an educational, documentary-style series that explores power in the farm economy: how farmers build it, how workers build it, and why they need to continue t...Continue Reading

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced a $100 million investment in Wisconsin’s economic recovery as part of the state’s funds received under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act. The investment aims to ensure businesses and communities across Wisconsin have additional support and resources to bounce back from the coronaviru...Continue Reading

MADISON, WI. APRIL 13, 2021 – Help make Wisconsin’s downtowns vibrant and dynamic places to live, work and do business by submitting your best idea to the Wisconsin Main Street Downtown Pitch Contest. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will award $10,000 to bring the winning idea to life. “Small businesses ancho...Continue Reading

Republicans and ag groups have rolled out legislation aimed at expanding the state’s farm exports by at least 25 percent in coming years. State Rep. Tony Kurtz of Wonewoc and Sen. Joan Ballweg of Markesan in a press conference promoted the bill as a means to help raise ag prices an...Continue Reading

Ryan Sterry, career and technical education coordinator at Menomonie High School (MHS), has many reasons to be proud of the programs he leads. However, he realizes that maintaining quality is not accomplished by sitting still. In early April, with the cooperation of school administration, local industry and Chippewa Valley Technical College...Continue Reading

University of Wisconsin-Stout student Dominic Yates spent a year writing news articles for the Eau Claire-based digital publication Chippewa Valley Post and said he learned more about working in the news world than he would have in the classroom. “It was overall a great experience,” said Yates, a junior majoring i...Continue Reading

WISCONSIN — A Wisconsin non-profit with a goal of helping people find jobs is making a big impact on veterans across the U.S. Onward and Upward is a non profit with Prosperity Pathways. It’s an employment alternative to those facing homelessness and joblessness. It’s been around since 2015 and a larg...Continue Reading

About two months after graduating in 2020 from University of Wisconsin-Stout — as the impact of the pandemic shut down businesses across the country — Emma Sisk had a full-time job. The Plymouth, Minn., native not only found work within her food science and technology major, but she was hired b...Continue Reading

For her senior capstone project, Michaela Cook is designing a concept retail and office space for a fashion label. Her layout will address COVID-19, the impact of which promises to change how work and shopping spaces will be used for years to come. She wanted to design a space that consider...Continue Reading

MADISON, WI. APRIL 6, 2021 — A new report from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) sets out a comprehensive strategy for investing in people to help Wisconsin recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes announced. The report, Wisconsin Tomorrow: Building an Economy for All...Continue Reading

While the pandemic caused massive supply chain disruptions that hindered the global distribution and logistics landscape, it also shined a spotlight on the industry’s importance, which only stands to grow in the coming years. Consider its impact on Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), located on the Kentucky side of the Ohi...Continue Reading

The generation landscape for utilities is in a state of constant change. The decarbonization movement is driving difficult decisions as coal-fired power plants close amid the transition to renewable generation. But there is opportunity within that disruption. Decommissioned power plant sites offer industrial developers a great deal of opportunity — specifically...Continue Reading

The Menomonie Area Chamber & Visitor Center is pleased to announce award recipients for the 2020 Annual Awards. Each year, a slate of incredible businesses, organizations and individuals are selected for the Chamber’s awards, which are historically presented at the Annual Banquet. This year, the Chamber is offering a hybri...Continue Reading

The stratospheric rise of the cloud over the past few years caught many off guard and created an arms race among the cloud providers, with data center development underpinning the effort. These cloud providers were anticipating ever-increasing demand for the cloud by globally creating a robust and redundant network of massiv...Continue Reading

The Ins and Outs of Data Centers I think one of the misconceptions about the data center business is that it’s a niche space. And the reality is it's become a very large industry and investment. And one of the things that we reference in talking to our clients is th...Continue Reading

In a year full of turmoil and strife caused by an unexpected pandemic, data centers were quickly recognized for their crucial presence in all lives, for maintaining communication and knowledge during a period of sudden change for humanity. Data center operators and major services held fast throughout the troubled, early day...Continue Reading

Destination Medical Center (DMC) is a unique 20-year, public-private partnership and economic development initiative in Rochester, Minnesota, home to Mayo Clinic. Launched in 2013, the $5.6 billion plan is the largest in Minnesota’s history and one of the largest initiatives currently under way in the U.S. The partnership combines May...Continue Reading

Of course, the big factor impacting office and industrial parks going into 2021 is COVID-19. The pandemic has reduced business production and workforce (through illness, social distancing, and remote working), disrupted the supply chain and cash flow, and brought about significant investments in technology. Across the nation, the demand for suburba...Continue Reading

AD: How has COVID-19 changed the employee experience in manufacturing, and what facets of this should organizations retain going forward? Zenk: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees have been experiencing a drastically different work environment. Thousands of manufacturers across the U.S. and around the world were deemed essential during the pandemic...Continue Reading

It’s déjà vu all over again. Only the project numbers are different where Ohio and Texas — the 2020 Governor’s Cup winning states for per capita and total projects respectively — are concerned. They’re down a bit from the previous year, but impressive nonetheless for a year all states endure...Continue Reading