The Wisconsin Business Council (WBC) is a new organization formed to work with citizens and policy-makers to develop a pro-business, pro-employment agenda that makes Wisconsin a better place to start a business, expand a company and find exceptional investment opportunities.
You might think such an organization would be redundant. After all, isn't that the job of the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC)?
In reality, the WMC has narrowed its agenda to fighting taxes, loosening regulations, spending millions of dollars to elect conservative politicians and serving as a counterweight to the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), otherwise known as the teachers union.
The WMC also has become the loudest critic of Wisconsin as a place to do business.
The direction of the WMC prompted some of its board members to abandon the organization in recent years and created the need for a new organization of business people devoted to developing and promoting the state's business climate from a quality-of-life perspective. Enter the WBC.
The WBC is off to an impressive start with an all-star board of directors: chairman
Scott VanderSanden, president, AT&T Wisconsin; secretary and general counsel Patrick Farley, partner, Axley Brynelson; Tom Cardella, Eastern Division president, MillerCoors; Joe Fazio, chief executive officer, Commerce State Bank; William Johnson Jr., president, Johnson Timber Corp.; Marc Marotta, partner, Foley and Lardner; Steve Martenet, president, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; Phillip Prange, president, Wisconsin Business Council; Mark Rose, CEO, Discover Mediaworks; Randy Satterfield, vice president, American Transmission Co.; Paul Senty, vice president, Park Bank (of Madison); Neal Verfuerth, president, Orion Energy Systems; and Jim Villa, president, Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin (CARW).
And then check out the WBC's advisory board: Michael Cudahy, philanthropist and founder, Marquette Electronics; William Ryan Drew, executive director, Milwaukee County Research Park Corp.; William "Butch" Johnson, CEO, Johnson Timber; James Klauser, retired senior vice president, Wisconsin Energy Corp.; Michael Knetter, dean, University of Wisconsin School of Business; Fred Luber, CEO and chairman, Super Steel Products Corp.; and James Senty president, Midwest Natural Gas and chairman, Park Bank (of Madison).
I spoke with several members of the new WBC board who told me they were attracted to the nonpartisan mission of the organization to work in a holistic way to make Wisconsin a better place to do business, work and play. They do not believe Wisconsin's businesses can only thrive at the expense of its educational system, its workforce, its environment or its infrastructure. In fact, our businesses need those things to thrive.
The WBC board has some capable people from both the left (Marotta) and the right (Klauser and Prange) of the political spectrum, and some very bright people in between.
"What was most attractive to me was this was going to be a bipartisan effort," VanderSanden said.
"The Wisconsin Business Council was established because we believe there are mutually beneficial solutions to the challenges we face today. If the current economic downturn has made one thing clear, it’s that a flourishing private sector is critical for family-supporting jobs and a robust tax base," said Prange, who also owns the Gateway Ventures consulting firm.
"One thing that attracted us to the organization is that it is bipartisan and it supports businesses, but not to the detriment of the citizens of Wisconsin," Fazio said.
Understand, the WBC has some immediate detractors who have a vested interest in defending the status quo of the "us vs. them" mentality, including one Milwaukee radio host who already is calling on his listeners to boycott the businesses represented on the WBC board.
Whatever. It's time our for state to move on to the 21st century with some new ways of formulating and implementing public policy. Let's go forward, Wisconsin! For more information, visit www.wibusiness.org.
Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.
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WMC Calls for Renewed Focus on "Moving Wisconsin Forward"
A Fresh Approach to Creating Jobs in Wisconsin
MADISON – In order to create jobs for Wisconsin families, the state's largest business group Monday called for bi-partisan support for the "Moving Wisconsin Forward" plan developed by the business community.
"The 'Moving Wisconsin Forward' plan represents a fresh approach to public policy," said James S. Haney, WMC president. "The plan calls for investing in our people, promoting innovation and job creation, investing in infrastructure, fostering a competitive business environment including tax relief, and improving public systems."
Click here to go to the "Moving Wisconsin Forward" briefing center to see the video and read the plan.
Click here for the "Moving Wisconsin Forward" plan.
The WMC board of directors approved the "Moving Wisconsin Forward" plan earlier this year. WMC has been promoting the plan at the Capitol. "Moving Wisconsin Forward" is an ambitious effort on the part of the entire Wisconsin business community to develop a vision for economic renewal and job creation for our state.
"Clearly, the business community is united in offering ideas to help grow our economy," said Thomas J. Boldt, CEO, The Boldt Company, Appleton, and WMC board chairman. "We need a balanced approach that focuses on fundamentals to recover from the current recession."
Developed over three months after dozens of listening sessions around the state, "Moving Wisconsin Forward" represents the best thinking of more than 700 business and community leaders from throughout Wisconsin. The plan was developed with input from more than a dozen local chamber of commerce boards, 24 statewide business associations, political leaders, labor leaders, University of Wisconsin System leaders, vocational and technical system leaders, and other educators.
"The goal is to position Wisconsin to lead the way out of the current recession, creating a prosperous future for our families and our communities," said Richard A. Meeusen, Chairman, President and CEO, Badger Meter, Inc., Milwaukee, and a member of the WMC board of directors.
Recently, Governor Jim Doyle and the Legislature approved elements of the "Moving Wisconsin Forward Plan," including angel investor tax credits and an exclusion for reinvested capital gains.
"Growth, hope and opportunity for our families will result from bi-partisan support for 'Moving Wisconsin Forward,'" said Michael J. Dougherty, President and CEO, D & S Manufacturing Company, Inc., Black River Falls, and a member of the WMC board of directors. "We can have well-funded schools, great roads, strong communities and vital services if we commit ourselves to growing our economy."
In the last 12 months, Wisconsin has lost 133,800 jobs, reports the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Of those, 61,000 jobs were lost in the high-wage, high-benefit manufacturing sector. Since 1998, Wisconsin has lost 159,900 manufacturing jobs.
"Wisconsin's economy will recover more quickly if policymakers use 'Moving Wisconsin Forward' as a blueprint for economic growth," said Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce President Paul F. Jadin, who is a member of the WMC board of directors.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
James S. Haney, (608) 258-3400
New business group silent on bad budget
By State Rep. Robin Voss
An editorial printed Monday by the Leader-Telegram offered a favorable opinion of the newly formed Wisconsin Business Council and suggested that my criticisms of the group are purely rooted in the fact that the organization may not be Republican. If creating a better economic climate in Wisconsin is the main goal of the WBC, I will support them wholeheartedly because creating jobs and growing the economy is not a partisan issue.
However, my concern with this group is the fact that it didn't come together earlier to protest a budget that has severely injured Wisconsin's economy. It truly does call into question the group's purpose.
As a small-business owner myself, I agree with this paper's opinion that a "strong business community is necessary for a strong economy." It's important that as many job creators and economic development experts as possible are at the table to guide Wisconsin's policymakers down the path of economic prosperity.
Chief Executive Magazine ranked its "best and worst states for business" this year and Wisconsin came in at 43. Forbes also ranked Wisconsin 43rd. According to a Wisconsin Policy Research Institute report, Wisconsin ranks 47th in five-year change in personal income. Even before the recession began, according to the same report, from 2000 to 2005 job growth was zero. From 2005 to 2007, it was 0.7 percent compared to the national average of 1.7 percent.
The list of worrisome statistics about our state's economic health goes on and on, while we continue to fall behind our Midwestern neighbors in every standard of job creation and retention. This is the result of having no plan followed by poor economic policies. Gov. Jim Doyle has never presented a clear vision of how he wants to grow jobs. Instead, he has created numerous commissions to give recommendations but rarely made use of that guidance.
Frankly, one has to wonder if Doyle understands or cares about the economy after seeing his most recent budget. In the worst recession in a generation, he raised taxes on all Wisconsin job creators. The employers we rely on to provide family supporting jobs will now pay higher income taxes, higher corporate taxes, and higher capital gains taxes. This will certainly cost Wisconsin many more jobs.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel printed an article Tuesday headlined, "Business leaders decry tax increases in state budget." It states that company owners and leaders of business groups say that "Wisconsin's new budget on the whole solidifies the perception of the state as a tax-happy, business-unfriendly place." As one business owner said in the article, "They've sure given a lot of people the impetus to get the hell out of here."
And a lot of them are. Briggs and Stratton went to Georgia and Gardner Denver went to Louisiana. In total, Wisconsin has lost 133,000 jobs this year, hundreds of those occurring at Hutchinson Technology Inc. in Eau Claire. As the ranking Assembly Republican on the state Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, I heard from literally dozens of businesses throughout the budget process who were absolutely outraged at the policies being proposed and predicted that if they were enacted, more job losses were on the way. I didn't, however, hear anything from the Wisconsin Business Council. It seems they were too busy fundraising for memberships.
Now that this budget has passed and job creators are behind the eight ball, I don't know what the WBC thinks it can do to fix Wisconsin's economy. The damage has been done. My skepticism of this group has much more to do with timing than it does with partisanship. Their absence during the creation of an economy-killing budget increases the chance that I will believe the Capitol scuttlebutt that a $10,000 membership in the group gets a business a seat at Doyle's dinner table. That's a sad price for any business to have to pay when jobs are on the line.
Rep. Vos, R-Racine, represents the 63rd District in the state Assembly, which includes portions of western and northern Racine County.
Steve, your bias is unzipped. Why would you refer to WMC as narrowing it's collective agenda. In business and in general it is focusing on the highest priorities. Also loudly missing is the same critique of the barely mentioned WEAC.
However, I'm was glad you brought this new group to my attention. I firmly believe recognition of issues is the start to resolving them AND if we can do it positively; all the better yet. I went to the website to see their positions and action items/steps. See who is involved.... and then the light came on.
Very disappointing Steve. You have narrowed your journalistic curiosity to left and right when analyzing this group. Truly they are smart to put on a happier positive face but they are WMC with a different color suit. Each of the entities represented has major interest in future state projects, future regulations, future state contracts and future education spending or needs state supported something to expand their business. The possible exception is Jim Villa but it could be we just don't know what CARW is looking for.
I'm sure these are all great leaders and entrepenuers. And if I had the chance to get the Gov's ear; I would jump at it myself. But let's not get pulled around by the nose. This is merely a different name and approach for the same ends, getting money/business/regulation/deregulation from the state.
But Steve, I think I can help with the story. Possibly the bigger and more driving question to ask; why does Wisconsin need all these groups to promote/spin Wisconsin's business climate. Should not our state government be responsible for this task. If all these groups see a hole in our business climate of such a scale.... And ALL the trade journals for business are unanimously placing Wisconsin in the bottom 10.... And businesses that are here are risking major turmoil and expense to move out... And we can not get our arms around our major cities education and crime.... And we can not balance a budget honestly.... And....
If we keep our head in the sand; all we accomplish is exposing our rears...
WHO WE VOTE FOR MATTERS