Jan Alf Named Interim Director

As most of you know, Pepi Randolph has resigned from Forward Wisconsin to take a new position with the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation. All of us at Forward thank Pepi for his leadership these past two plus years and wish him well in his new position.

This is a pivotal time of the year for our organization. The Governor has included funding in his 2007 – 2009 Biennial Budget for Forward Wisconsin at the previous level as well as additional marketing funds for the Department of Commerce, some of which would support Forward’s marketing efforts. The Forward Wisconsin Board of Directors is taking this opportunity to revisit the “model” upon which to base the structure, mission and operation of Forward Wisconsin. We expect to publicly disclose this conceptual model later this spring.

At that time we will seek input from the various parties involved in economic development throughout the state. It will be the beginning of the process to evaluate how to best carry out Forward Wisconsin’s mission, not the final product. We will seek input from the Wisconsin Economic Development Association, the regional marketing groups and others actively involved in promoting Wisconsin’s economic vitality.

The Board has named Jan Alf “Interim Director” to be responsible for the day-to-day direction of Forward Wisconsin staff and activities. Please welcome Jan to this new challenge. Please don’t hesitate to contact Jan or other Forward staff with any comments or questions. Please watch this newsletter for periodic updates as we move through this exciting time. And, thank you for your continued support – it is very much appreciated.

Jerry Franke, Forward Wisconsin Vice Chairman