Fox Valley groups actively work for new jobs, starting wth wind energy companies

From an article by Larry Avila in the Appleton Post Crescent:

Bringing jobs to a region is like bringing a harvest to market.

Before that can happen, a field must be prepared, seeds planted, and crops tended to grow and mature into a bumper crop.

The same approach is taken by economic development groups, which are under constant pressure to recruit innovative companies to the region to provide high-paying jobs that support families well into the future.

It's these same groups that also are under the gun to convince existing Fox Valley employers to expand as well as keep those in operation from moving elsewhere.

"What we're really trying to do is leverage all the regional resources and use what we have to create what constitutes a healthy economy," said Jerry Murphy, executive director of The New North Inc., an economic development organization representing an 18-county region of northeastern Wisconsin.

Murphy said New North's goal is to encourage business investment, which is a key ingredient for job creation.

"In order for jobs to be created, there has to be someone making an investment," he said. "So the kinds of things we're trying to do really are designed not only to encourage it, but accelerate it."

One New North initiative is Wisconsin Wind Works. With the nation seeking alternative energy sources, New North evaluated the resources of northeastern Wisconsin and compiled a list of companies that could produce components for electricity generating wind turbines.

Its research not only found companies that could make all of the parts and components, but businesses that also could install and maintain the massive turbines.

The regional program has since blossomed to an online statewide directory, which features more than 280 businesses that can serve the wind power-generating industry in an assortment of capacities.