Wisconsin has touted its cheese curds until the Holsteins came home.
So who can blame outsiders for associating our fine state with foam cheddar hats, tractor pulls and cow-patty bingo?
"Some of the stereotypes are true, and there’s a reason we have this image," admits New North, Inc. executive director Jerry Murphy, who hails from Milwaukee but spent 19 years in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, so he knows rural when he sees it.
"But we’re significantly more than that, too," he adds. "We’re north of what you expect."
The New North, Inc., a team of 18 counties in Northeast Wisconsin, is taking that slogan — "north of what you expect" — and running with it.
The 501(c)3 nonprofit aims to better the economies of and encourage cooperation among the 18 counties it represents: Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Marquette, Menomonie, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago counties.
Northern Wisconsin has gotten a bum rap over the years. Its reputation as "the middle of nowhere" even has many of its own residents in the south of the state believing all that’s up here is frozen tundra and a few Packers sweatshirts.
New North aims to recreate the area’s image by promoting its industries — manufacturing companies, paper and plastics converters, food processors, metal benders, foundries, construction firms, engineering companies, metal casting companies, technology firms and architecture firms. Specifically, in the case of renewable energy, New North is promoting itself as "part of the supply chain" for the manufacturing of wind turbines.
"We’re promoting the heck out of the businesses we’ve identified as part of that," says Murphy.
Not only are New North businesses hidden gems, the people are pretty special, too, says Schenck Business Solutions President Bill Goodman.
"In the New North, we have an abundance of highly trained, very dedicated professionals," he says.
Schenck has six offices in the New North — Green Bay, Appleton, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Sheboygan and Manitowoc.
"Over many, many years, our employees have demonstrated their commitment to building relationships and providing high quality, innovative and timely service," says Goodman.
Goodman said Northeast Wisconsin’s valuing of families, quality of life and integrity help make its people a cut above those in other parts of the country. In fact, his professional colleagues from other states are awed by the workforce he has in Northeast Wisconsin.
"I love it when I’m talking to my CPA leaders and they just envy the abundance of highly trained, dedicated employees we have here," says Goodman.
Carol Van Vreede, president of Skyline Exhibit Resource in Green Bay, agrees with Goodman.
"There’s a community-minded energy present in the New North," she says. "Neighbors support local nonprofit events as well as making efforts to buy from the local business community."
Van Vreede also enjoys the opportunity to network, and says the New North region offers plenty of networking opportunities.
AHEAD Human Resources and AHEAD Staffing owner Jim La Court of Green Bay believes Northeast Wisconsin’s economy is faring much better than that of other areas. His human resources outsourcing business has increased 30 percent a year every year since he started the franchise in 2002, and those in his immediate circle are doing better than ever, as well.
"Every single business I have as a client has been growing — every single one," says La Court.
New North encourages business owners considering expanding within or to Wisconsin to take a better look at the state’s upper right-hand corner. If they do, they’ll find a strong economy, good education system, low crime, friendly people and lots of eager, skilled workers, says the New North.
• Manufacturing: One quarter of jobs in New North counties are in manufacturing plants. That compares with 19 percent of jobs in the state and 11 percent of jobs in the nation. Around 10,000 manufacturers in the state employ 600,000 people — more than 48 other states.
• Dairy: New North counties produce $6.3 billion in dairy products every year — 30 percent of the state’s output.
• Tree-related companies: Forestry-related companies are huge — the New North takes in $8 billion a year from paper, pulp and cardboard; $5 billion in converted paper products (products in which paper is turned into something else, such as diapers or tissue); and another $5 billion in printed products.
• A hard-working workforce: Wisconsin workers lose fewer hours to strikes, weather and health than the national average.
Apparently, people in the business of promoting the area aren’t alone in thinking the New North is pretty special:
• Forbes magazine ranked Appleton the 16th best metro area in the United States for doing business.
• Inc. Magazine ranked Green Bay fourth overall; third for mid-sized cities; 23rd for fastest, most sustained growth and 29th in the nation for balanced economy and growth.
• Inc. ranked Sheboygan in the top 15 percent for fastest and sustained growth.
• Entrepreneur magazine ranked Green Bay fifth in the category of the best small city in which to do business.
• Expansion Management magazine includes five New North communities in its four- and five-star areas under the categories of affordable housing, good public schools, peace of mind, balanced standard of living, broad opportunities for adult education, reasonable traffic and commuting, good commercial air access, high adult education level, and a young, reasonably priced workforce. Appleton, Green Bay and Sheboygan received five stars, and Oshkosh–Neenah and Fond du Lac received four stars.
• The Fox Cities made the America’s Promise Alliance’s list of the 100 Best Communities for Young People three times, and Greater Green Bay made it twice.
As for the claims of frozen tundra up in Northeast Wisconsin, well, maybe it’s another kind of climate that makes it stand out — a climate of honesty among the people and businesses, Goodman suggests.
"In many parts of the country you hear about ethical challenges that businesses face, and it’s extremely rare for New North based companies to be involved with those kinds of ethical dilemmas or business scandals," he says.
In conversation with his national colleagues, Goodman finds that they’re experiencing "an entirely different environment" than he finds here in the New North.
Take that, California.
