The Marinette County Association for Business and Industry has made significant strides in recent years in fostering local economic development. But, Executive Director Robert Pontius says if that trend is to continue, the organization will need to become much larger than it currently is. Pontius presented a draft expansion proposal to the Marinette County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. He says the expansion would focus on adding people, not programs, to broaden MCABI’s reach.
The expansion options presented show MCABI growing from two to six or seven full-time employees and adding a second office location in central Marinette County. To make any of this possible, the county’s financial contribution would have to increase from the current $83-thousand annually to anywhere from $500-thousand- to $725-thousand per year. County Administrator John Lefebvre says he’s viewed the plan and he’s hesitant to make that large of a commitment at once, but instead suggested a “phasing-in” approach.
Pontius says MCABI’s next steps in expanding would be to rewrite the organization’s bylaws, obtain the necessary additional staff and funding, and develop their metrics of success