Working to Change the World

At ManpowerGroup, we believe meaningful, sustainable employment has the power to change the world.

We are proud to advance the work of the MMAC to make Milwaukee a region of choice, championing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our workplaces so that all people can unleash their potential and thrive. manpowergroup.com

Continued from page 9 hundreds of students to career pathways they never knew existed. metamorphosed from an abandoned highway spur into an exciting destination featuring restaurants, apartments and cultural attractions. Development continues with plans for a new 10-story commercial building and a 205-room hotel.

MMAC regularly convenes human resource officers to assess trends, discuss policies and share insights. In addition, it is investing in proprietary workforce analytics to provide its members with detailed, real-time information on the regional labor market. MMAC is working with Microsoft and the Argosy Foundation to implement computer science courses in high schools that didn’t have them, and has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the state’s Department of Workforce Development on a diverse internship program.

Business executives and philanthropists are rallying behind a fundraising effort to expand Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, a tuition-free, public charter high school founded. The $25 million capital campaign will fund a new facility for the high school – increasing the number of students it serves from 325 to 500 – and will repurpose the existing facility as a middle school. Similar philanthropic funding efforts are underway at other area schools.

Bronzeville

A little farther north from the Deer District is Bronzeville, which is undergoing its own transformation, including the Bronzeville Center for the Arts, which will be housed in a renovated, 50,000-square-foot building, and the Bronzeville Creative Arts and Technology Hub, a $20 million mixed-use development that will feature affordable apartments and production space for filmmakers, musicians and other creatives. Bronzeville is also the new home to the Dohmen Company Foundation and two of its affiliates – Food for Health, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent and reverse diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other chronic conditions; and Food Benefit Co., a forprofit company that provides healthy food and wellness services to employees.

The Avenue

In the heart of Milwaukee’s downtown, a former shopping mall is becoming a residential, office and retail center. It’s home to several prominent employers including the MMAC, Graef, Good Karma Brands and Herzing University. In addition to being a corporate office center, The Avenue features a Market Hall featuring 24 food vendors plus venues for recreation, entertainment and the arts.

Tangible Results

The business community’s commitment to building an equitable and sustainable economy has produced results. Between 2018 and 2021, out-of-state investment in Wisconsin’s commercial real estate increased seven-fold – from $175 million to $1.3 billion.

Several major developments are transforming the downtown:

The Deer District

The Deer District became a national landmark when the Milwaukee Bucks won the National Basketball Association championship in 2021. Television broadcasts showcased the tens of thousands of fans surrounding Fiserv Forum, promoting an area that has

The Avenue is part of a larger transformation in the area. Just across the street, the Milwaukee Symphony renovated an ornate, 1930s movie theater to create its new home – the Bradley Symphony Center. Adjacent to The Avenue, the HUB640 building will soon be home to a new headquarters for Fiserv, the world’s leading payments and financial services technology company, which will have approximately 800 corporate employees. It will also be home to a new Kohl’s department store – the first large-scale traditional store to move into the area in more than a decade.

Nearby, Milwaukee Tool is expanding its corporate operations to accommodate the company’s rapid growth. The company is redeveloping a vacant building that will eventually house 1,200 employees. In addition to its investment in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Tool is developing a $100 million, 216-acre manufacturing and research campus in suburban West Bend

The Iron District

Near Marquette University on the west end of downtown, an estimated $160 million is slated to be invested in the Iron District, which will include affordable apartments, a 140-room hotel, a performance venue for up to 3,500 people and an 8,000-seat soccer stadium that will host professional soccer and will be the home field for Marquette’s soccer and lacrosse teams. Nearby on campus, Marquette is also set to open a $60 million, 100,000-square-foot College of Business Administration facility in 2023 and is planning a new student wellness and recreation center, among other projects.

The Harbor District

South of downtown, Komatsu Mining Corp. is moving into its new $285 million headquarters and manufacturing plant in Milwaukee’s Harbor District. The new campus includes 170,000 square feet of office space, a 20,000-square-foot museum and training building and 410,000 square feet of manufacturing space. River1, a $100 million development, includes office buildings, apartments, retail space and a hotel. It is also the home of the new corporate headquarters for Michels Corporation, one of the nation’s premier energy and infrastructure construction companies.

Other Public and Private Investments

In addition to the investments occurring in specific areas, several significant developments are occurring throughout the city. For example, work has been completed on the 25-story, 259-unit Ascent apartment tower, the world’s tallest timber-structured building, which has catapulted Milwaukee to the forefront of this new building technology.

Other major additions to Milwaukee’s economy include:

● A $456 million expansion of the Wisconsin Center convention facility, which will significantly expand its size, allowing it to host two major events simultaneously.

● The 44-story Couture at the Milwaukee lakefront, which will feature 322 luxury apartments and retail space when it opens in 2024.

● The $400 million renovation and expansion of Children’s Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin’s research facility at the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.

● A new $118 million chemistry building on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that will serve as a gateway to the university’s STEM offerings.

Regional Activity

In addition, businesses are making significant investments in other areas of the Milwaukee Region:

● Waukesha-based energy firm Generac is investing $53 million in its Wisconsin facilities, creating more than 700 jobs.

● HARIBO, a German-based confectionary firm known for its gummi bears, is about to begin production at its first manufacturing facility in the United States. The $242 million development is expected to ultimately create more than 400 full-time jobs.

● Grand Craft Boats is moving its headquarters and production operations from Holland, Michigan to Genoa City in Walworth County.

● Sweden-based ABB Inc. is building a new manufacturing facility, research and development labs, a training center and offices for the company’s U.S. motions business in suburban New Berlin.

● Amazon continues to expand in Kenosha County with its fourth building in the area. When completed, Amazon’s presence will include 3.3 million square feet and 3,400 employees.

● Snap-on Inc. has begun a 26,000square-foot expansion of its tool plant on Milwaukee’s far northwest side to accommodate growth in the company’s hand-tool business.

● The $120 million, 25-acre Poplar Creek Town Center in Goerke’s Corners will include hotel, retail, office, residential and recreational areas when completed

Creating an Inclusive & Sustainable Future

As the pandemic confirmed, things change and they can change fast. Milwaukee’s common-sense approach to work, quality of life and sustainable economic growth helped it weather the recent global crisis better than many urban areas. The commitment of its leaders to build on that foundation with initiatives that will benefit all of its residents will make it a destination for years to come. To that end, the MMAC will continue to advocate for sustainable tax, legislative and regulatory policies that will enhance the region’s livability, turbocharge its vibrancy and make it even more accessible and affordable. It is currently working with legislators from both sides of the political aisle to find a solution that will allow more of the revenue collected from taxes to remain at the local level and under local control to preserve quality-oflife services in the Milwaukee Region.

Connecting Clients to Creative Legal Solutions

DeWitt attorneys see things differently while creating solutions to meet client needs. At DeWitt, we utilize our creativity to offer proactive and effective legal advice in more than 30 areas of law while serving publicly and privately held companies, individual clients, family-owned businesses, municipalities and more. With attorneys practicing in Wisconsin and Minnesota, our firm handles matters for clients nationwide.

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