Wisconsin Rapids-WI

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 shares. “But our relationship with the city has just been wonderful. We closed on that purchase on April 15 of last year, and I’m happy to say we have it full, with users already identified for the outlots, which is pretty unheard of. To assemble all of those pieces, it takes a lot of teammates putting the puzzle together.” Four national tenants will occupy the box at 1100 E Riverview Expressway—Harbor Freight, Big Lots, Marshalls, and Five Below. A Tidal Wave Car Wash is one of two pad site users situated out front on the property, with the other not yet announced. “If there was any kind of general theme or tone to how the city does business, I’d say they were welcoming, fair, responsive, and pro-business,” offers Richards. “I’ve probably made deals in 75 different markets around the country, and I can’t think of a better, more enjoyable experience or project to work on than this Shopko. A lot of that comes from the tenants we secured—they were thrilled to open their first store in that marketplace and fill that niche. It’s this great domino effect where when you get some activity, it spurs other investments. It’s exciting to see.” “I’ve heard from some of our local small businesses that Tom came into the community and formed great relationships with them,” shares the Mayor. “So, they’ve enjoyed working with him also.” The Workforce Development Board for Wisconsin is also keen to collaborate by partnering with the school district and Mid- State Technical College to host seminars and job fairs to support recruitment for Shopko. As far as putting the infrastructure in place to support the business growth they desire, Blaser says the city is “always investing” in assets like roads, trails, and high-speed internet for the long term. “We do a couple million dollars’ worth of road projects,” he reports. “My belief is you know infrastructure is going to need replacing and repair, so it’s better to invest the city’s money there than to chase those one-off projects that are going to result in future expenses for taxpayers.