10/10/2018- There are plenty of ideas on how to promote economic development in Marinette County, but now it’s time to put those wheels in motion. The county’s Development Committee met Tuesday to discuss the best mechanism to prioritize potential economic development ideas and how to finally take action on those needs. County Board Chairman Mark Anderson says September’s round-table discussion with business leaders revealed economic development starts with community development, and he thinks the county should bring in a third party to clean-up the county’s image and attract more people to the area.
Another consideration is the lack of available skilled workforce, which is only expected to become more apparent as Fincantieri Marinette Marine seeks to add 400 more jobs in the next year and a half. Anderson plans to go high-tech to solve that issue by encouraging UW-Green Bay, Marinette Campus and NWTC to develop an artificial intelligence innovation center.
County Supervisor Rick Polzin agrees the county should seek more input from local educational resources, but he’s not on-board with Anderson’s suggestion to bring in a consulting firm.
The full County Board is expected to discuss their takeaways from the economic development round-table at their meeting later this month. The Development Committee will then schedule a special meeting to discuss the priorities identified and what their next steps should be.