Economic Development Feature
By road, rail and water: Pandemic Drives Strong Demand for Transportation, Logistics Solutions
Insight Publications
When you’re sitting in the comfort of your home, few tasks feel easier than buying an item online — one click and wait for a package to arrive on your doorstep in an ever-decreasing window of time.
What not so long ago was an expectation of receiving orders within two days from e-commerce behemoths like Amazon has given way to people wanting to get their items on the next day — or even on the same day. Swift delivery doesn’t just magically happen but instead requires both manpower and sophisticated logistical operations.
“We’ve got to make sure from tracking and visibility to freight and transit that we are able to digitally supply that to all of our customers as it relates to e-commerce,” says Dave Geyer, executive vice president and group president of transportation and logistics for Green Bay-based Schneider.
If e-commerce was on fire before the pandemic, it’s become an inferno in the past year. Looking at the 2020 holiday season alone, online shopping in the United States totaled $188.2 billion, an increase of 32.2 percent over 2019, according to Adobe Analytics...
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Economic Development Feature
Information highway: Data Analytics Programs Help Meet Industry 4.0 Demand
Insight Publications
The future of manufacturing is here, and it requires talent with technology training. The NEW Manufacturing Alliance and local colleges and universities are responding with programs to get people the skills they need for next-generation roles.
Data analytics is one of the top technology-related skill sets needed at manufacturing companies, according to an Industry 4.0 study by NEWMA, says Ann Franz, the organization’s executive director. The 2019 study was funded as part of an Industry 4.0 grant from Microsoft and conducted by St. Norbert College.
Industry 4.0 refers to the way advanced manufacturing systems are becoming interconnected and gaining a greater ability to use and analyze information to drive production.
This growing tech connection means Northeast Wisconsin manufacturing companies are seeking new tech talent or working to train incumbent workers in new skills, particularly those who can synthesize the data collected from the increasingly tech-oriented and connected operations. Data analytics allows companies to act on information rather than a gut feeling, Franz says...
Read More 2> Expansion and Business Development in the New North
Plastics factory in the works for Wrightstown
The Brillion News
WRIGHTSTOWN - The Wrightstown Village Board will consider a proposal by a Maribel company to engineer a new rail spur into the Wrightstown Industrial Park to serve a new plastics factory that could be built on Quality Court, south of the Bellin Health clinic.
Via Rail of Maribel also would handle development of an application to the state Department of Transportation for a "TEA" (Transportation Economic Assistance) Grant.
According to a proposal from Via Rail to the village, Alliance Plastics needs rail service to off-load plastic resin for their manufacturing processes...
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Encourage Educational Attainment
Women's Leadership Academy inspires women to achieve
NBC 26
APPLETON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- A business out of Appleton is inspiring professional women to achieve their greatest potential. New Sage Strategies created the Women's Leadership Academy.
After a year of navigating a global pandemic, the lessons are invaluable.
Vicki Tandeski is the Chief Information Officer at Ariens Company in Brillion, and has worked there for more than six years.
She enrolled in the Women's Leadership Academy as a way to continue her personal development....
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New North Region Stepping Up to the COVID-19 Challenge
Green Bay making plans for $25 million in COVID-19 relief money
WLUK
(WLUK) -- While many individuals will see payments resulting from the recently passed COVID-19 relief bill, cities are expecting some extra money as well.
Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich says the city is receiving about $25.23 million from the plan. According to a news release, the city is waiting for specific rules from the U.S. Treasury Department to learn exactly what the money can be used for. However, Genrich expects local governments will be allowed to upgrade water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure; cover revenue losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic; and extend aid to individuals, businesses, and some economic sectors in need of assistance...
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Expansion and Business Development in the New North
Charter plans expansion along east shore of lake
Tri-County News
Officials of Charter Communications, Inc. have announced plans to deliver gigabit high-speed broadband to approximately 143,000 unserved Wisconsin homes and small businesses, as estimated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The proposed area of expansion includes a large portion of Calumet County
along the east shore of Lake Winnebago. As part of this effort, more than $668
million will be invested in Wisconsin, which includes an expected private investment of at least $500 million by Charter and more than $168 million in
support won by Charter in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity (RDOF) auction.
The effort is part of the company’s recently announced expected investment of approximately $5 billion—offset by $1.2 billion in RDOF support—to expand Charter’s network to what the FCC estimates to be more than 1 million homes and small businesses in lower-density, mostly rural communities across 24 states that do not have access to broadband service of at least 25/3 Mbps.
The new initiative is in addition to Charter’s existing network expansion plans and builds upon the company’s long track record of expanding broadband
access to unserved and underserved locations...
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Encourage Educational Attainment
Drive to succeed : Ahnapee Automotive Gives Students A Head Start on Their Careers
Insight Publications
Students have an opportunity to learn in-demand skills and earn college credit while still in high school thanks to Ahnapee Automotive, an educational initiative through the Luxemburg-Casco School District.
Students from Luxemburg-Casco, Denmark and Kewaunee high schools can earn an automotive maintenance technician technical diploma from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College at the same time they are finishing their high school careers. After graduation, students can then begin working or continue their schooling. If they want to pursue additional automotive technician education, they can enter year two of NWTC’s two-year automotive technician diploma program or the second year of NWTC’s associate degree in automotive technology.
“The students actually walk across our graduation stage (to receive their technical diplomas) before they walk across their high school graduation stage,” says Gene Francisco, associate dean of trades and engineering technologies at NWTC.
The students not only earn the technical diploma, they get on-the-job experience and can get their foot in the door at a potential employer, he adds. “Employers are looking to hire them as soon as they start in the program,” Francisco says. “There’s a big demand out there for auto technicians...
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