Civil and Municipal - Mar 2023

16 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 Other business developments that stand out include Community within the Corridor which involve Que El-AminQue El-Amin and his team transforming an underdeveloped area of North Milwaukee into a $68.5 development with the help of a grant from WEDC. It’ll house 197 apartment units, 35,000 feet of commercial space, and a creative corridor. Flavor Temptations run by Sara and Partha Parthasarathy also represents a business success story. Sara and her husband, Partha, are Indian immigrants living in Madison, WI who sell pre- packaged Indian recipe kits. Flavor Temptations is offered in over 50 school districts in the Midwest, California, and Utah as a diverse school lunch option, as well as in more than 70 grocery stores. They were able to shift to online sales during the pandemic with the help of a WEDC grant. Business View: What makes Wisconsin unique/exciting for investing/business growth? Targeted growth sectors? WEDC: The answer lies in Quality of Life which encompasses so many vital elements crucial for our residents. Chief among these is access to recreational activities, highly rated education and healthcare systems, and lower rental/ home rates compared to national averages. Wisconsin has also been rated Eighth Best State to Live for Millennials due to career opportunities and the low cost of giving access to a skilled workforce. We have 90,000+ open jobs, proximity to colleges and universities that offer high concentrations of young, educated potential employees, State and Local Incentives, Entrepreneur and small business grant programs, talent attraction, and retention programs as well as a diverse business development grant program to offer our residents. Business View: Could you identify some of your key growth sectors? WEDC: In terms of sectors that we see the most growth, Life science, water technology, and manufacturing take the state lead. We have over 15, 000 freshwater lakes and we are very familiar with water that is used for agriculture, and power generation among others throughout the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin has generations of agricultural and food science leadership and has developed the science and engineering expertise in the food and beverage sector as a result of this in-grained tradition and knowledge. In the manufacturing realm, the state supports 95,000 manufacturing-based jobs and excels in the sector creating goods of the highest standards. Business View: How can you summarize what the next year looks like? WEDC: Looking ahead, WEDC will continue to build relationships and support Wisconsin communities by focusing on some of the bigger challenges – workforce, sustainability, and competitiveness. We intend to focus also on keeping the conversation flowing through an open exchange of ideas with all communities and providing actionable solutions to help the Wisconsin economy thrive.