Milwaukee Biz Blog

The status of women - here in Wisconsin and around the world - comes under scrutiny in October as we marked the observance of World Poverty Day on Oct. 17. Poverty remains one of the most challenging problems in Wisconsin and across the globe, and women and girls are disproportionately impacted. 

Being deeply affected by poverty, women also hold great potential to eliminate it. When women are afforded equality of opportunity, the potential for economic growth is striking. Women remain the missing piece in solving the poverty puzzle. 

Throughout childhood, U.S. poverty rates are the same among boys and girls, but once they enter the childbearing years, 20.6 percent of women live in poverty, compared with 14 percent of men. Elderly women are 70-percent more likely to be poor than elderly men.

In Wisconsin, more than 589,000 people (247,031 of whom are women) and 28 percent of single mothers live in poverty. The numbers get a lot worse in Milwaukee County, where 38.8 percent of families led by single mothers live in poverty.

For women and their families, poverty means more than having little or no income. It means missing opportunities because they lack power and voice. It means missing out because they are undercounted, undervalued, underserved and underrepresented.

As long as social, cultural and economic barriers exclude women from full participation in public life, the solutions to the poverty puzzle remain elusive.

Investing in women and girls is the answer. According to an article in New York Times Magazine, "There is a growing recognition among everyone from the World Bank to the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to aid organizations like CARE that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism … The world is awakening to a powerful truth: Women and girls aren’t the problem; they are the solution."

The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee understands that investing in women-led organizations and creating long-term solutions to problems in our communities is an important step to eliminating poverty. The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee prioritizes investments in programs that build economic opportunity for women and girls and combats poverty. Since 1986, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee has invested more than $15 million in nonprofits working on the frontlines to improve the economic status of women and create a brighter future for girls. Engaging women in organizing and advocacy efforts toward economic self sufficiency, promoting employment through housing mobility, leadership development, and reducing teen pregnancy are among the programs we have supported through the years.

On World Poverty Day, the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee calls on local, national and world leaders to empower the women that power the global economy - we can’t afford not to. There is no such thing as a "gender-neutral budget." The impact of every fiscal policy, be it taxation or resource allocation, must be assessed in terms of its impact on the lives of both women and men.

Furthermore, our leaders must eliminate the gender gap in wages, improve childcare options and flexibility for working mothers and facilitate women’s access to fair credit and finance.

Elaine Maly is executive director of the Women'’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee Inc., the largest permanent resource in Wisconsin dedicated exclusively to funding and advocacy for the emerging needs of women and girls.

Chicago's failed bid to be the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics was a terrible loss for:
(A) Chicago
(B) Milwaukee
(C) The Midwest
(D) President Barack Obama
(E) America
(F) All of the above

The correct answer is (F). Make no mistake and accept no spin, the Obama administration suffered a substantial wound on this one. As I wrote last week, the president was making a serious political miscalculation by going to Copenhagen, Denmark, to accompany his wife and make a personal pitch to the International Olympic Committee on behalf of Chicago's bid to host the 2016 games - unless his administration had a strong premonition that his appearance would seal the deal.

By going to Denmark, Obama put his signature on the whole thing, win or lose.

As he prepared to fly to Denmark, Obama's critics pounced on him, saying he was taking his focus off of more serious things such as the economy, health care reform, the Middle East and Afghanistan. The critics implied that Chicago's Olympic pitch was not worthy of the president's time.

They were wrong. It was. And that's what makes the snub even more painful for … America.

Some of the shrillest critics rejoiced in Obama's failure. One giddy local talk show host even put a headline on his blog that read, "Barack, Michelle, and Oprah, Oh My!" For some, it has become more important that Obama fail than for their country to succeed.

And make no mistake, the Olympic fiasco is a failure for America, Obama and, to some degree, Milwaukee.

Don't think so? As the clock ticked down on the IOC's decision, I put out a call seeking comments from Milwaukee's business and civic leaders, some of whom lean politically to the left and others no doubt lean to the right. Every one of them was preparing to celebrate Chicago's selection to host the 2016 games.

They had no doubt whatsoever that the new development and infrastructure improvements of an Olympics in Chicago would spill over into southeastern Wisconsin. I asked them to share with us their thoughts if Chicago won the games and their thoughts if Chicago lost the games.

Of course, we posted their comments about Chicago's defeat on our web site.

Now, I'd like to share with you some of the comments they prepared for the moment had Chicago been successful in its bid. Taken in sum, they dramatically illustrate what could have been:

"Milwaukee will shine in the glow of the international spotlight placed on Chicago, and we will work to use that light to our economic development advantage. If it speeds up rail connections, all the better. Be the first time I rooted for a Chicago sports win!"
Tim Sheehy, president, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce

"For too long, we've been unable to come to a decision on whether to expand our transit options, invest in our facilities, parks and public infrastructure. Well, in 2016, the world is coming to dinner and it is time for us to start to set our table. We can certainly host events and training facilities, athletes and visitors all in wonderful venues across our region. And we can also show the world that we can 'just do it' in Milwaukee and regain our place as a city on the move."
Julia Taylor, president, Greater Milwaukee Committee

"The games will be the most significant impact on our local economy in recent history as investments in Chicago will undoubtedly spill over on to infrastructure and amenities north of the state line."
Jim Villa, president and CEO, Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin

"The world's eyes are now squarely focused on Chicago and the larger region. There is no question that we now have a great opportunity at our doorstep to tell our story to the world."
Dean Amhaus, president, Spirit of Milwaukee

"Hopefully by 2016, we'll have a rebuilt I-94 corridor and additional rail options between Milwaukee and Chicago. Together with Mitchell International Airport serving as another gateway, we should be positioned to capture some of the Olympic excitement in the form of additional economic impact for the region."
David Fantle, vice president, Visit Milwaukee

"The Olympics will put metro Milwaukee and our Midwest region in the global limelight as a major destination and an economic contender. That visibility will translate into jobs and economic growth ... if we are prepared to capitalize on it."
Kerry Thomas, executive director of Transit Now

"We couldn't be more pleased by Chicago's win today. We've been supportive of Chicago's bid from the outset and now we look forward to working with the organizers, Mayor Daley and their entire team to see what supporting role Milwaukee can play in the games."
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett

"Mitchell International Airport has already been called Chicago's third airport so we fully expect to bring thousands of Olympic visitors through the Milwaukee gateway And with Wauwatosa native Pat Ryan heading the Olympic effort for Chicago, Milwaukee has a great friend in the games who will look for opportunities for our community to get involved."
Milwaukee County Supervisor Scott Walker

"This Olympic decision is great news for Milwaukee County. I am pleased that President Barack Obama led our nation's final push to secure these games for Chicago. The total economic impact from the games is expected to be $22.5 billion. If we can capture just one percent of that impact, that's still a $225 million boost to the economy in Milwaukee County. Ten percent is $2.25 billion. The positive effect this will have on our economy and sales tax collections should not be underestimated.
Milwaukee County Executive Lee Holloway

"Commuter rail will allow our city to demonstrate to the world the assets and opportunities in Racine. Our chances of bringing Olympics tourists and Olympics spill off into Racine diminishes tenfold if we do not have commuter rail."
Racine Mayor John Dickert

"This economic impact will probably be bigger than a Super Bowl that the Packers play in. It's a unique situation. The Metra comes right into Kenosha, and (Olympic athletes') families may look to have their residences here and take the train right into the Olympic areas."
Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser

Ouch. The Midwest has never hosted the Olympics. And that's a shame.

Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.

We need real reform in the financial markets. This reform should include how we regulate and how we audit and enforce these regulations.

Reform will not prevent another crisis that we have just witnessed or the S&L/Mutual Savings Bank crisis some three plus decades ago or frauds such as Madoff's. But reform can catch these problems before they get out of hand, which will reduce the impact on our economy.

• First, we must restore confidence to the secondary mortgage market. Liquidity in mortgages provided by the secondary market is essential to our economy. Banks and S&Ls should not be holding mortgages for long periods of time and should have a market to which they can sell.
  Require escrow for real estate taxes and homeowners insurance for all homes where the home buyer does not have a 20-percent down payment.
• Require that the buyer have a 20-percentcash down payment or that another entity, such as a mortgage insurer, the VA, FHA or Farmers Home Loan Agency, is covering the 20-percent difference between appraisal and mortgage.
• Forbid financial institutions from lending borrowers their 20-percent down payments.
• Ensure that income and assets listed are verified.
• Ensure that appraisals are realistic
• License all appraisers and mortgage brokers nationally, or at the very least, create a standardized system for appraisers and mortgage brokers, including the personnel of any firm issuing paper to be sold on the secondary market.
• Strictly regulate mortgage insurance companies. There have been too many incidents where these firms have had conflicts of interest (using subsidiaries as collateral) or have made risky business decisions that affect their contingent liability funds.
• Require that all use the standardized underwriting and forms issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
  Make full disclosure and other paperwork simple to understand. Reduce this paperwork to one or two pages that are understandable.
• Where possible, require that homeowners with less than a 20-percent down payment receive counseling so that they have a budget and so the mortgages they receive are fair, that charges required of them are reasonable and that the property they are buying is worth what they are paying.
• Restrict such practices as "interest only mortgages," balloon mortgages or variable mortgages with teaser rates.

In regards to regulation of the financial industry, it is important to separate the audit and enforcement functions from the influence of politics and business as much as is possible. Politics influences enforcement.

A recent example was the firing of Gary Aguirre, an Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) attorney lauded for his excellent work. He was fired because he wanted to interview John Mack for allegedly giving inside information to Pequot, a hedge fund. (I could have used examples from both Democratic and Republican administrations).

The New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq, the Federal Reserve Bank and the SEC did little to go after abuses on Wall Street. For years, Eliot Spitzer was a lonely crusader against Wall Street abuses.

"Self-regulation" by the industries themselves has been not been successful. The Federal Reserve failed to stop abuses in the banking industry through its audits. Their "objective" is to protect banking, but too often this means avoiding confrontation by the few banks that control most of the country's assets.

My suggestion is to create an independent agency that has many features of an inspector general or the General Accounting Office. Fund their budget for seven years at a time. Give a single 10 or 12-year year term to its leadership. Forbid its civil servants from becoming lobbyists or working in the industries they have regulated for five years.

This will not be perfect, but it will go a long way in isolating political influence on the agency.

Furthermore, I suggest that we separate regulation and oversight by an industry's function. Credit, life, health and property-casualty insurance companies manage risk; banks, S&Ls and mutual savings banks lend money. Mutual funds and annuities deal in collective investments. Money managers, hedge funds, financial advisors and stock brokers manage money or offer advice.

Multiple and contradictory regulations need to be reduced, but there should continue to be competition in enforcement. National tests, continuing education and licensing should be national. Licensing by states based on the national model should continue.

Bob Chernow is a futurist who predicted the S&L/mutual savings bank crisis, the future of mortgage backed bonds and the recent sub-prime crisis. He works in the financial industry. His opinions are his own.

An attorney is trained to understand that witness statements do not equal the facts. Similarly, Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates do not equal facts. They are opinions and, if politically motivated, are biased.

Let's look at the facts: In a 2008 letter to Sen. Jeff Plale, the DOT estimated that the cost of replacing the Hoan would be $220 million. Now, after one year of deflation, the DOT has inflated the Hoan repair costs to $240 million, as reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday. To put this into perspective, the entire Marquette Interchange project cost over $800 million. So, the DOT is estimating that the cost to repair an existing bridge is more than one-fourth the cost to build the Marquette, which included the construction of 20 new bridges, some as tall as the Hoan. The DOT also believes, according to Monday's article, that the cost to simply re-paint the Hoan will cost $40 million.

The DOT also gives "facts" from both sides of its mouth. In December of 2002, DOT officials concluded that the Hoan could not accommodate a bike lane because the 6 lane bridge with shoulders was nearing capacity and could not be reduced to four lanes. Now, in 2009, the DOT is proposing a four-lane boulevard with no shoulders and a roundabout to accommodate the 46,000+ daily traffic count. Imagine 120,000 trucks each year trying to navigate a roundabout. Trucks will likely take both lanes to navigate turns, if it's even possible at all.

More facts: the original Marquette Interchange was planned at $1.4 billion and included the replacement of ramps and the 794 connector to the Hoan. After robbing money from the transportation funds to balance deficit budgets, the current administration required DOT to reduce the scope of the Marquette Interchange to approximately $800 million instead of the $1.4 billion by cutting out this connector work. It's no wonder they got done early and under budget as DOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi touted; they did less.

Finally, going outside of the normal transportation planning process, the DOT arrogantly hired HNTB to plan alternatives to the Hoan and its connectors without consulting with the communities this would impact. Is it because the DOT no longer had the needed money to re-deck not only the bridge but also the work that had been cut out of the Marquette Interchange?

Fact: The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), the federally designated planning agency for this region, has completed and published its official report for transportation planning through the year 2035, which retains the Hoan Bridge and the 794 freeway as part of an important transportation corridor. This report followed the normal channels with DOT experts taking factual information gained from traffic counts, holding open meetings and getting all the information to form these recommendations.

So, for those who don't want to be irresponsible by not getting the "facts" when planning for the Hoan Bridge, let's include all of the facts. The DOT has done an end-run around the normal planning process and appears to be providing inflated estimates that advance an agenda. MMAC (Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce) sent a letter to the Governor asking to study this new agenda. My office did check the facts regarding ownership of the land below the Hoan. It was not surprising to find that most of this land is owned by the City of Milwaukee on both the north and south portions of the bridge. The city also owns much of the land used by the Port of Milwaukee that relies heavily on the Hoan for ingress and egress.

My office will continue to feed oxygen to this fire by asking questions about the reason for the HNTB study. It is notable that the DOT is not solving their deficit surrounding the Zoo Interchange or the I-94 corridor. Perhaps DOT thought that the south shore communities would be the least likely to object. If so, I am hopeful that the Coalition to Save the Hoan will show the DOT they were wrong.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik represents the county's Eighth District.

As the next chairman of the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corp. (FCEDC) board of directors, it is my job to look to 2010 and assess, with staff, what the near future will hold for our communities, our businesses and our residents. The outcome of the vote by Mercury Marine's union on Sunday will most assuredly affect our future.

This is a difficult situation for everyone involved, especially the employees who will be casting their vote. I truly empathize with them for they must feel like the weight of the world is on their shoulders. It is not only their job at stake, but the jobs of approximately 4,000 of their neighbors in Fond du Lac County who work for companies who are suppliers to Mercury Marine or work for organizations who will be greatly affected by the potential loss of the company. The responsibility of each voting employee is incredible.

It is important that everyone understand the impact of Mercury Marine on Fond du Lac County. All told, an estimated $353 million in annual income in our county is on the line, and it is an impact that extends far beyond the boundaries of Fond du Lac County. In the seven-county region (Fond du Lac County and its adjoining counties), the direct and indirect impact is expected to result in the loss of almost 8,000 jobs and $450 million loss in annual earnings. Bump the scope to the state level, and loss climbs to over 11,000 jobs and $600 million in annual earnings.

As incoming chair of FCEDC, I have to look at how it would affect our business climate. Approximately 1,000 companies in Wisconsin provide products or services to Mercury Marine, 250 of which are in Fond du Lac County. Among the hardest hit industries will be local governments, restaurants, health care and a wide-range of manufacturing businesses.

Our stakeholders are also the citizens of Fond du Lac County.  So how does this decision affect us as individuals?  Mercury Marine is a significant water and sewer customer of the City of Fond du Lac. If no new customers took their place, the water and sewer rates would possibly have to increase by up to 5.5 percent, which equates to approximately $44 a year for the typical residential customer. In addition, Mercury pays over $620,000 in total property taxes, $219,000 of which is to the City of Fond du Lac. If the buildings were vacated, the value would decrease significantly leaving the other property taxpayers in the city, county, school district, and technical college district to pick up the difference.

The negative impact will be felt in all communities in Fond du Lac County. Nearly 400 of Mercury Marine's employees live in Fond du Lac County communities outside the Fond du Lac zip codes. The potential loss of population could impact some of the smaller communities quite severely. For example, Oakfield is home to many Mercury Marine employees and their families.  The loss of the company could directly affect over 12 percent of the 1,038 residents. This is not taking into account supply chain and those additional job losses previously mentioned.

The list goes on - property values, the impact on the area technical college system, the effects of higher unemployment rates, etc., but you get my point. The vote of the workers is a responsibility I wouldn't wish upon anyone, but it is a challenge they face none-the-less. I would like to personally thank each and every one of the employees for making an educated decision based on facts, integrity and conviction.

Russell Kamphuis is president and chief executive officer of the Bank of Oakfield and currently serves as vice chairman for the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corp.

We've been told on talk radio for years that Wisconsin is a terrible place to do business. You know the drill. Wisconsin is a tax hell hole. Wisconsin does nothing to encourage entrepreneurship or development of new businesses.

We often accept these notions as fact, shrug our shoulders, grumble a little bit and try to get about our jobs as best we can. And we wonder why we stay here.

Every now and then, however, we get a wakeup call from across state lines that lets us know that hey, maybe we aren't so bad off after all. In the latest case of sunshine, the call comes from across the national border.

The headline on a news story in a recent edition of the New Brunswick Business Journal proclaims, "Culture of investment thrives in Wisconsin."

What's this? How can that be? What in the world are these Canadians talking about?

The subhead on the news story gets even more jiggy: "Capital markets New Brunswick Securities Commission turns to U.S. state as a prime example of fostering investment growth."

What's this? How can that be?

The lead of the story entices further: "New Brunswick has found a model for promoting entrepreneurship in a U.S. state whose economy has traditionally relied on farming, mining and forestry. Wisconsin's love affair with startups and investors - which has transcended the business community and made its way to the state legislature - has had the New Brunswick Securities Commission and other interested parties playing copycat."

You don't say.

The story says Rick Hancox, executive director of the New Brunswick Securities Commission, recently returned from a trip to Wisconsin, his second in three years, to learn how Wisconsin's economy "has benefited from new investor and entrepreneur networks, research and development commercialization programs, aggressive tax reform and a governor's business plan competition."

Wisconsin? Really?

The story says, "Hancox got turned onto Wisconsin years ago when commission employees had begun scouring the globe for examples of jurisdictions fostering investment growth. After months of eyeing examples out of the United Kingdom and Australia, staff was continually pointed by experts to Wisconsin - a place where declining traditional sectors could not continue to be relied upon heavily to backstop the economy."

The story notes how State Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield) drafted Act 255 to provide generous tax credits to investors pumping money into high-tech companies in pre-commercialization mode.

"Meanwhile the business community was lining up to take part and arms-length agencies were being formed to push Gov. Jim Doyle's 'Grow Wisconsin' initiative beyond government," the story sates.
Do tell. To read the entire story, visit http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/journal/article/714051.

The New Brunswick story comes on the heels of the news that VitalMedix, a Minneapolis biotech startup company, is moving to Wisconsin within 90 days. VitalMedix lead investor Charlie Goff said Wisconsin's investment tax credits "had everything to do with" the move. The company is negotiating leases in Hudson and New Richmond.

VitalMedix is developing a drug that has the potential to allow humans to endure severe blood loss and deter organ damage during resuscitation. The drug could be tested on humans as early as next year.

According to The Associated Press account of the story, "Despite a huge budget deficit, Wisconsin this year doubled the cap on the amount of credits to $8 million, raised the cap on eligible angel investments to $4 million and tripled the total credits available each year to $37 million."
Who knew?

Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.

On April 28, 2009, Milwaukee was named a United Nations Global Compact City, one of only 14 in the world, one of two in North America. Local media provided some coverage of this honor, and the announcement event, held at Discovery World, was well attended by senior representatives from business, government, academia, and community organizations.|

While this is a significant distinction for the region, it is not an award to be hung on the wall at City Hall. Rather, it is a commitment - a responsibility taken on by a group of people and organizations, including the scientists at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Great Lakes Water Institute, companies involved with the Milwaukee 7 Water Council, local and state government, and various community organizations such as the Spirit of Milwaukee, the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the World Trade Center Wisconsin.

So what is the UN Global Compact and how does it relate to Milwaukee? This United Nations initiative strives to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The Global Compact is a framework for businesses, based on fundamental ethics and stating ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption.

The UN Global Compact Cities Programme offers city leaders an alternative governance approach that seeks to find solutions to seemingly intractable urban issues by identifying, harnessing, focusing, and applying existing local capacity. By becoming a member of the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme, it is the expectation of the Milwaukee region to begin to share our knowledge, expertise, and innovations related to water technology with the rest of the world. We want to help make a difference in global water quality.

It is quite a responsibility to solve a variety of problems associated with the maintenance and improvement of water quality, covering all facets of the water cycle and related issues, such as health issues, urban environment issues, improved food production environments, and technology development, and policy formation. But it is a responsibility this region has the unique ability to address.

Being an official member city of the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme (UNGCCP) provides us with the global resources of the United Nations. To date we have identified 50 UN agencies and affiliated organizations around the globe that are dealing with water issues. As a member city, we will certainly be working with a number of these, linking our scientists and R&D engineers with other experts around the globe.

So what does this mean? Yes, it is an important issue, and yes, it is nice that Milwaukee has received this designation, but what does this mean for your company?

How many times have you been traveling overseas when someone asks where you are from and you answer, "Chicago" or "north of Chicago?" Milwaukee is more widely known than most local residents are aware, but obviously nowhere near as well known as the major metropolises of the United States. Even if people have heard of Milwaukee, they do not necessarily know where it is located geographically.

Jeffrey Joerres, chairman and chief executive of Manpower Inc., a Fortune 200 international employment services firm headquartered in Milwaukee, considers this to be a combination of old and new. "These industry advances set Milwaukee as a contemporary city that is not locked into the traditional Midwest ideals. Although Milwaukee has the values and work ethic of traditional Midwest, these traits are not mutually exclusive. We are both firmly rooted and rapidly growing into the future," Joerres said.

This designation, combined with the work associated with it and the Milwaukee 7 Water Council, will help to increase the brand awareness of Milwaukee as a forward-thinking city, as well as to educate the world as to our physical location, tying us in the minds of the global community to one of the largest sources of freshwater and the most advanced freshwater technology worldwide.

One of the key benefits of working with the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme is the exposure of our local scientists and engineers to other scientists and engineers who are currently working with additional UN offices or affiliated organizations on water related projects. The opportunity to work with the best, helping to solve one of the world's greatest challenges and being affiliated with or able to leverage the nation's first ever School of Freshwater Science, all while sharing results globally, presents a unique situation for researchers. This leads to a cycle of growth – where the talent goes, so do industry and money, which attract more talent, and the sequence is repeated.

Just as important as talent attraction is talent retention. We have a solid pool of scientists and engineers working in both academia and the private sectors in Milwaukee. Efforts to keep this pool of talent here are certainly facilitated by the confluence of events, capped by the UNGCCP. Moreover, we have an unprecedented set of opportunities to present our young engineers and scientists, from internships to job opportunities in a rapidly growing field.

Richard Meeusen, chairman/president/CEO of Badger Meter and co-chair of the Milwaukee 7 Water Council, has said, "Our vision is that, someday, when a young entrepreneur has an idea for a water technology company, all his relatives, friends and neighbors will say, 'Go to Milwaukee.'"

If this is where the best are, where the most opportunities are, this is where the students will stay after graduation and where they will choose to go to graduate school.

Not only will students stay here for the educational opportunities, but the advances in freshwater technology will generate new capital and create new jobs in the Milwaukee region. Following the cycle of talent and industry, companies will invest in the research and development of new water technology, bringing cash and private equity to help the industry grow.

The Water Council has already begun to make connections with the investment community. From angel investors to private equity, venture capital, and global exchanges, we are beginning to hit the radar screens of the investment community. Investment groups from Chicago, San Diego, New York, Zurich, and Hong Kong are just a few of the interested parties. The UNGCCP is a global megaphone announcing to the world that we here in the Milwaukee region have the resources, talent, capabilities, and expertise to help solve global water problems. Investors are always on the lookout for opportunity. We have that opportunity here. This is beginning to bring the investors. Investors in water lead to other investors, and the community grows. The money grows, which attracts the talent and entrepreneurs, and so forth. Again, the cycle repeats itself.

New opportunities will rise as a result of this industry. The water industry is made up of many types of traditional businesses and disciplines - engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, and so on. The breakthroughs many of the technology companies will develop may have multiple applications, both in the water industry and beyond.

Some have said that water is the next oil. It is not. It is far more valuable. We lived without oil for millennia, and should we need to, we can do it again. Water, however, is an absolute necessity for the sustainability of life. When NASA explores other planets, the first step in the search for life is determining whether water is present. Water cannot be created. Water cannot be destroyed. But it can be polluted, ruined for human consumption. There is a finite amount of water on this planet; it must be explored for, conserved and sustained. The initiatives of the Milwaukee region in the water industry are diving right in and doing just that.

This designation as part of the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme helps to make Milwaukee a destination. "Milwaukee now has the opportunity to be recognized on a global scale. Its image will appear in places and on lists that it never appeared before," Joerres says.

We are the "it" spot for the moment. This is more than a project, more than an honor. "This is not just a one-time award. This is a commitment to how we conduct ourselves and living a certain way," added Joerres. This is a sign that Milwaukee is changing, growing, that we are well on our way to reaching our goal of becoming the Silicon Valley of water technology.

Christian Bartley is the chief executive officer of the World Trade Center Wisconsin.

In a weak economy, there is a tendency for many businesses of all sizes to "cocoon," to turn in on themselves and cut or reduce any or all external activities.
Some cocooning may be beneficial, especially if management takes some of the "down time" to reflect on ways to improve business by analyzing issues and policies affecting stakeholders, including employees, identifying vulnerabilities that may threaten growth, and recommending ways to enhance the organization's brand and reputation.
After this reflection and analysis is concluded, it is time to reset ways to work with clients to implement communications strategies and tactics to improve business practices by highlighting opportunities, addressing problems, and suggesting ways to improve future effectiveness.
Now is the time to audit all communications and improve their effectiveness. Here are some questions to ask:
How am I benefiting from my peer networking?
How can we improve and perhaps shorten our sales presentations?
How are we tracking and utilizing our business referrals?
How can we improve the effectiveness of our media advertising?
How can we better benefit from our civic involvements?
How can we improve our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in the communities we serve?

If we go forward with the premise that PR is "Performance Recognized," what are we doing to take better advantage of our public relations efforts to get recognition for this performance?
And last, but not least, what are we doing about getting better engaged in social media? How are Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, Skype, You Tube, Delicious, etc., playing into your communications strategies?
These are all cost-effective and innovative ways of broadening your communications scope, while, at the same time, getting you out of your business cocoon.
We hope you are now convinced that "cocooning" is not a good business posture in this, or any economy.

Alan Gaudynski is a veteran public relations consultant in Pewaukee.

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.

In today's hyper-paced world of instant news and fear-driven headlines, it's easy to get somewhat jaded about where we are headed as a country and as business professionals.
Try as we might to remain objective, we are continually bombarded with the next shocking headline forecasting our impending doom, and slowly (or maybe quickly) our attitude heads south. It's almost like we are programmed for negative news.
So, I thought it might be useful to bring a different, more positive perspective to the table to balance the picture a little.
I recently witnessed a fascinating two-hour lecture given by a marketing/economics professor at New Mexico State University. He reminded me of some of my old professors from engineering school … rumpled suit, exaggerated expressions, hair uncombed … a lovable curmudgeon is how you might describe him to a colleague or spouse.
One of his key points was that in the next 10 to 20 years, a "ton" of wealth is going to be transferred from the boomers' parents to the boomers, resulting in a huge boost to the economy.
Boomers' parents didn't invest heavily in the market, so their wealth is very liquid, ala CD's, real estate (homes that are paid off) and cash. I think that had something to do with a Great Dep/Recession?
I thought about my own parents. My Mom passed a couple of years ago, Dad still in the house that is paid for, no debt, all their assets in the bank in cash, and I realized this old "bird " might be on to something.
It was one of those "Aha!" moments … not to be confused with senior moments, which are occurring on a more frequent basis these days.
Turns out that TRILLIONS of dollars are involved. WOW! What a stimulus plan, eh.? (I can't help it the Canadian still comes out from time to time.)
My point is the only thing we know for sure is that none of us REALLY do know what will happen  in the future, and maybe, just maybe, it will be positive and not negative.
Don't misunderstand my message. We have a lot of challenges ahead of us, and you must acknowledge those issues.
My point is that I'd much rather face them with an optimistic attitude than a  pessimistic attitude. I believe it's kind of like the famous self-fulfilling prophecy ... If you think you can't, you won't … and if you think you can, you will. Didn't someone famous say that a long time ago?…Henry Ford?
So, maybe I'm dead wrong, or half-right or both? And since no one really knows for sure, I'm on the side of choosing optimism, aka a very powerful recovery like we have never seen before in this country, and with a little luck, maybe I'll be right!

Gary Billington is vice president of client relations at Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP in Milwaukee.