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By Jeff Holmquist & Steve Dzubay, RiverTown Staff
Gov. Jim Doyle and newly-appointed Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce made stops in New Richmond and River Falls Monday to announce training grants and tax credits for area colleges and a business in River Falls.
At his first stop in New Richmond, Doyle spoke to a crowd of local officials, legislators, Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College staff and students in the machine tool classroom at the school.
Standing among large pieces of manufacturing machines, Doyle said Wisconsin is poised to meet the challenges faced by a declining national economy.
Job and business growth will come in the manufacturing sector, he said, because there will always be a demand for actual products.
"As a country we have to get back to the basics," he said. "You have to have an economy that is based on producing something. That's what's going to take us into the future."
The technical college system's ability to work with manufacturers to meet their needs for training and re-educating the workforce will play a significant role in Wisconsin's continued economic strength.
"I believe very strongly that the technical colleges are at the heart of what we're trying to do in this state," Doyle told the crowd.
Doyle announced several targeted grants that will help train more than 400 employees in the coming months. The grants fall under the Workforce Advancement Training Grant program, established in 2005.
A $43,000 grant will allow WITC to work with Federal Foam Technologies in New Richmond and Northwire in Osceola to train 47 employees in areas of productivity and quality.
A $150,000 award will allow WITC, Chippewa Valley Technical Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Stout to work with area plastics businesses on training programs for 328 employees. Included among the participating businesses are Phillips Plastics Corporation, Contour Plastics, ITW Engineered Fasteners and Vital Plastics.
"I congratulate the businesses that sit down together and decide what they need, " Doyle said of the training partnerships that have been developed. "This is exactly the Wisconsin common sense way of doing things -- all working together to make sure people are getting the skills they need."
A final $18,000 grant will allow WITC and CVTC to work with OEM Fabricators to train 40 employees in leadership and management.
During a short question-and-answer session at WITC, Doyle said he is committed to providing opportunities for all of the states residents to attend higher education in order to prepare for higher-paying jobs.
He said he will support efforts to expand financial aid availability for those who need help paying for schooling. He also touted the state's under-utilized apprentice program as something he'd like to see "scaled up."
After his stop in New Richmond Doyle headed to River Falls where he praised the arrival of River Falls Air Motion Systems to western Wisconsin as "just the type of high-tech firm that will make a difference."
"It's so important to get back to the basics," Doyle told a group of about 60 people gathered on AMS's production floor. "We need an economy that actually makes things."
Flanked by his new Secretary of Commerce, Richard Leinenkugel, Doyle presented AMS owners Steve & Kathy Metcalf and partner Hans Ulland with a ceremonial check signifying the $250,000 in tax credits the company will receive for building within Wisconsin's "Technology Zone".
Doyle said Wisconsin's exports have grown 80 percent since he became governor 5 years ago. Competition is going to get even more fierce but Doyle said he's confident "we can compete successfully with anyone else in the world."
AMS opened in early August, occupying a $3.5 million, 36,000-square-foot energy-efficient facility in River Falls Whitetail Ridge Business Park on the city's north side. The firm relocated from Arvada, Col.
AMS manufactures ultra-violet drying/curing systems for the printing and packaging industries.
River Falls offered AMS an incentive package that includes $300,000 worth of land and about $100,000 in site improvements. The city will recover its investment over the next decade through tax-increment financing. The developer's agreement also commits AMS to generating 15-20 new full-time jobs over the next five years.
The firm is awaiting a high level of LEED certification for its building. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a third-party certification program created by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Among the building's features are skylights, motion-sensor lights, low-maintenance landscaping, rain sensing sprinklers, a reflective roof, geothermal heating/cooling, super insulated wall panels and super-high-speed air hand dryers in the restrooms.
Metcalf has said the company employs a mix of engineers, field technicians and skilled electrical and mechanical workers.
Doyle left River Falls about 11:50 a.m. in the back of a unmarked State Patrol squad car, bound for Chippewa Falls.
There he was to award another $250,000 Technology Zone grant to Great Northern Corp., a 46-year-old firm that provides custom packaging and distribution services and employs 712 workers across the state.
Contact Jeff Holmquist at jholmquist@rivertowns.net or 715.246.6881. Contact Steve Dzubay at publish@rivertowns.net or 715.426.1054.
Published 09:28 Oct-07-08
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