EXECUTIVE SUMMARY February 2018 — For state and local organizations that incorporate business recruitment and retention into their economic development strategies understanding business migration is important. Regions often compete to have businesses relocate in their community with the goal to increase job and income growth. Economic development resources are devoted to incentive packages that can […]
October 2017 — Economists have long known that entrepreneurship in the form of business start-ups is vital to a vibrant and strong economy (Conroy and Deller, 2015). Wisconsin, however, tends to compare unfavorably to other states in terms of entrepreneurship. The Kauffman Foundation has been monitoring entrepreneurial activity for a number of years and their […]
(Image Source: Caique Morais / Unsplash) June 2015 — The University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality recently studied the retail market of 13 Greater Minnesota cities where a Walmart Supercenter opened between 2000 and 2008. Their research explores which types of retail and consumer services businesses have coexisted with the retail giant, as identified […]
March 2015 — Do downtown storefront improvement projects provide an adequate return to the property owners, outside investors, or public funding entities? If so, what are the returns in both economic and other terms? This article summarizes findings from 24 case studies of storefront improvement projects in Wisconsin over the past 15 years. While not […]
October 2013 — Embracing the internet can help downtown businesses grow and compete. This article summarizes the responses to a survey concerning access to and use of broadband in downtown districts. The sample consists of the 35 responses received from downtown development and Main Street professionals in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio. This was not a […]