Pandemic Fad or Here to Stay? Impacts of Remote Work on Employees, Businesses and Communities

The movement of employees to remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been well-documented. Indeed, the Census Bureau recently reported that the number of people working primarily from home tripled between 2019 and 2021. This shift certainly caused hardship among some employees but was widely embraced by many others. With the World Health Organization noting that the pandemic is nearing its end, employees, businesses and communities face questions regarding the future of remote work. This webinar explores trends in remorse work and offers insights into questions about the future of remote work.

2022 Northwoods Economic Development Summit

Summary Date: Wednesday, October 12 | Location: Nicolet College Theatre, Lakeside Building. Special Guest: Neel Kashkari, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Sponsors: Grow North, The Lac du Flambeau Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Nicolet College, Baylake Regional Planning Commission,  North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, and University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension […]

A Broader Vision of Quality of Life as Economic Development Policy

Over the last couple of decades, community economic development practitioners and researchers have explored the importance of quality of life on economic activity and population growth. Dr. Amanda Weinstein discusses her work on the importance of quality of life for Midwestern communities and shares what this might mean for a broader set of economic development policy recommendations.

WIndicators: Returns to Higher Education

With rising costs to students and soaring debt levels, many people are questioning the value of pursuing higher education. Nationally, a person with a bachelor’s degree will earn about $560,980 or 37.8% more than a person with a high school degree, even while accounting for lost years of work while obtaining the degree.

How to Utilize Data for Community Economic Development (Part II)

Building on the data sources described in Part 1, this session explores how to use data once you have extracted it. Real-world examples will be shared to demonstrate how data can be used in applications related to commuting patterns, retail surplus and leakage, workforce development, housing analysis, and industry expansion and retention.

How to Access Data for Community Economic Development (Part I)

This session provides an overview of data sources to help guide community economic development efforts at the local and regional levels. Topics covered include labor force characteristics, demographics, measures of industrial concentration, sales tax collections, and housing data options.

The Hotel Industry: Recovery and Future Development in Our Communities

Hotels provide an important service to our communities and represent a significant economic engine for jobs, business income, and taxes. They often serve as a gateway to a community, influencing perceptions of the local community. During the pandemic, the hotel industry experienced significant challenges, including changes in travel behaviors, both in the US and in Wisconsin. In this webinar, we discuss the hotel industry during and after the pandemic with three industry experts, Michael Lindner, Bill Elliott, and Richard Sprecher.

The Rise Of Entrepreneurship During the Pandemic

Summary June 2022 — Dr. Tessa Conroy discusses entrepreneurial activity in Wisconsin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entrepreneurship is a key part of any healthy economy but ensuring that new business activity leads to significant economic impact by creating high-quality jobs can be difficult. Learn about entrepreneurial activity in the state and hear discussions on what […]

WIndicators Volume 5, Number 3: Farm Household Income

As a growing number of Wisconsin farms struggle to survive, many farm households (families) are dependent on off farm income to offset weak and unstable farm sourced income. Over the five-year average (2016-2020) average household income for Wisconsin farm operators is $98,353of which $20,210 comes from farming activities, and the remaining $78,143 comes from off farm sources. One strategy to ensure the continued operation of most Wisconsin farms is to focus on enhancing off farm employment opportunities.

Rural Innovation Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY May 2022 — Innovation moves the economy forward. Innovations are new products, processes, or services that create value for customers. Innovations often signal an improvement over a past model or way of doing things. Innovations can be significant, disrupting the status quo. Many innovations, however, are modest, offering small increases in quality of […]

Creative Economy Summit

The Creative Economy Summit focuses on the work needed to incubate and support talent, increase creative work incubation, lead to business creation and retention, engage all Wisconsinites in creative opportunities, and provide the public and private leadership necessary to invest in a sustainable 21st-century economy. The Summit features ideas, information, research, resources, and case studies of creative investment, businesses, infrastructure, and partnerships throughout the state.

WIndicators Volume 5, Number 1: The Rise Of Entrepreneurship During the Pandemic

Entrepreneurial activity increased sharply in Wisconsin in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entrepreneurship is a key part of any healthy economy but ensuring that new business activity leads to significant economic impact by creating high quality jobs can be difficult. Communities can take a lead role in a range of strategies that help entrepreneurs grow and be successful to make the most of this opportunity to improve their economies.

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