more smokestacks,” Tegen reflects. “Then it was transitioning more to let’s make sure that we’re supporting and we’re retaining our local businesses and helping them grow.And obviously as we’ve been talking now, housing is that big thing.” Manitowoc stands at the intersection of old and new. The city that once built the cranes that constructed America now builds something equally ambitious: a model for industrial communities facing modern realities. With brownfield sites becoming housing, Quality of life improvements round out the strategic vision. “That’s going to be the parks projects, that’s going to be the continued investment in downtown, the continued use of things like a revolving loan fund to help small and new, unique businesses get started, whether it’s downtown or outside of downtown,” Tegen explains. The philosophy shift proves instructive for similar communities. “When I started in this industry, it really truly was all about jobs. We want to get 13 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 MANITOWOC, WI
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