Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to partner with Commerce Deputy Secretary Dave Storey and meet with several business executives from Minnesota-headquartered companies that currently have operations in Wisconsin. These "headquarter calls" are part of what we do during our annual marketing missions to the Twin Cities and Chicago metro areas. While Forward Wisconsin's primary goal is business attraction, we also integrate a business retention component into our marketing missions and tradeshows.

As Dave and I met with these business people, from large national and international firms, and thanked them for doing business in Wisconsin, we were reminded again and again that how a firm chooses their location is based on more than just business costs. True, business costs are very important and financial, training and technical assistance programs offered by state and local governments are a factor as well. Yet, one thing we heard consistently was about the excellent work ethic of Wisconsin workers and the quality of the Wisconsin workforce. While Forward Wisconsin markets this as an asset of our state, it was refreshing to hear it firsthand from these corporate executives.

Not surprisingly, we also found out as we were doing these meetings that business people just want to be heard, appreciated and wanted by the state and community they are located in; or the one they are considering for a location. As economic development professionals, government leaders, elected officials and others that work in business development, we all need to be reminded of that on occasion. Sometimes we can be in such a rush to talk about the programs we offer, the business cost advantages, and the "data", that we don't show enough, in a visible and verbal manner, that we genuinely care about the people we are dealing with and their goals and objectives.

A simple "thank you" for being here, a comment like "we would really love to have you in our community" or a quick phone call to check-in on how they and their business is doing can make a huge difference. At the end of the day, it seems incredibly obvious but corporate executives that make business location decisions are people, just like you and I, and they want to feel wanted, heard and appreciated.

Thank you for your ongoing support,

"Brain drain" is term we all hear about and it has become a popular phrase in conversations across Wisconsin. There is much discussion as to what makes our best and brightest young professionals choose where to live as they head out into the labor force. Competitive Wisconsin, a consortium of state leaders that work together to focus attention on the state’s competitiveness, also wanted more insight into the "brain drain" issue.

To gather more information, Competitive Wisconsin asked the Wisconsin Alumni Association(WAA) to survey UW-Madison alumni from all across the country. The purpose of the survey was two-fold. The first goal was to gain a general understanding of what factors influence UW- Madison alumni, aged 22-45, to choose to live where they do. The second goal was to, more specifically, understand what makes people choose to stay or not to stay in Wisconsin as post-graduate adults in the workforce; or, if they've already left Wisconsin, what would make them come back.

At Forward Wisconsin's Annual Reception on October 24, Mark Menzel, WAA's Director of Marketing and Research, outlined the results of the survey that was emailed to over 43,000 alumni. About 60 percent of those alumni currently resided in Wisconsin and 40 percent were members of WAA chapters in Chicago, the Twin Cities, New York, Los Angeles, D.C., Denver and Boston. Over 10 percent completed the survey with about 60 percent of the respondents being from Wisconsin and 40 percent from outside the state.

Mark was generous enough to share the presentation with us that he and WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner gave to Competitive Wisconsin on September 13. The results may surprise you. If you are interested in obtaining the complete survey document, you can email Mark Menzel.

The Wisconsin Buildings and Sites database, powered by the LocationOne Information System (LOIS) software, now houses over 3,200 available buildings and sites from across the state. While it continues to be a growing and successful resource for Wisconsin communities, economic development groups, real estate brokers, site selection consultants, business executives and property owners, we are always looking to improve the system.

In the coming weeks, Forward Wisconsin will be providing two opportunities for you to give input regarding your experience in using the Wisconsin Building and Sites database. Later this month, we will be distributing an e-survey to local LOIS administrators and economic development professionals to get their feedback on the database and the LOIS software. We encourage those groups to take a few minutes and complete the survey.

In addition, on December 5, Forward Wisconsin Web Marketing Specialist Sharon Seffrood will be attending the quarterly LOIS Advisory Council meeting. The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from the 15 states that use LOIS, as well as the company that maintains the system. The group gets together to learn about upcoming changes to LOIS and members also recommend potential changes and upgrades to the system. Sharon is always open to ideas from users to bring to the meetings.

Feel free to contact Sharon Seffrood at 608.261.2501 or via email, at anytime with your comments, questions and suggestions regarding Wisconsin's Building and Sites database.

On November 12-15, CoreNet (Corporate Real Estate Network) Global will hold its fall Summit in Florida. CoreNet Global is the international professional association of over 7,000 site consultants, corporate real estate executives and real estate industry service providers. Pepi and Jan will participate in the conference and also call on select companies in the Orlando area.

The Midwest Food Processors Association will bring its convention to the Fox Valley on November 29-30. The convention will host food processors as well as food-related supply and process equipment firms from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Pepi and Jan will oversee an exhibit and attend the various sessions.

For more information on either of these events, contact Jan Alf at 262.691.7873 or via email at jalf@execpc.com.