DOUBLE-BARRELLED STRATEGY Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation balances attracting outside investment, g r o w i n g a n d g a r d e n i n g ex i s t i n g b u s i n e s s e s words by T O M G I F F E Y
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conomic development programs can sometimes be described as a shotgun approach: spreading your efforts as far and wide as possible in an attempt to stir up positive economic activity. Charlie Walker, president and CEO of the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation, said his agency prefers a different kind of shotgun strategy. “It’s a good ol’ double-barrel approach: Continuing to work on the sense of place and continuing to bring people and capital here,” he said. Ensuring Chippewa County is a good place to work, live, and play is a critical component of 21st century economic development. Long gone are the days of simply chasing smokestacks and luring employers alone. Today, like communities nationwide, Chippewa County is attempting to cater to workers themselves. “Talent goes with quality of place,” Walker said. “It’s no longer just about being close to your market, it’s about being where your talent, your workforce wants to be.” And many workers want to be in a place like Chippewa County: Unlike many counties in the Midwest, Chippewa County continues to gain population. “We live in an area where it’s fun and enjoyable,” Walker said, noting
that public investments have been directed into parks, trails, and other amenities in order to make the Valley a good place to live. “Way before that became a popular trend in the economic development arena, the Chippewa Valley knew that.”
involved the expansion of existing businesses. Last fall, Eau Claire-based OakLeaf Clinics broke ground on a $6 million clinic near Lake Wissota. And Nordson Extrusion Dies Industries, which has been in Chippewa Falls since 1971, is in the process of building a new $17 million facility in the Lake Wissota Business Park. Walker pointed to Chippewa County’s efforts to foster EDI’s growth as representative of 80 percent of what the agency does: helping those existing businesses. In this case, creating a new, modern building will help the firm be more efficient and help retain and recruit. “Lately, you’ve seen companies make major investments in their facilities, putting in health clinics to reduce costs, modernizing and upgrading their equipment, but also doing so to attract talent,” he said. “You’re seeing them redesign their lunch rooms, their work stations. All this is being done in part
BUILDING THE FUTURE Considering these assets – combined with a strong Wisconsin work ethic – it’s not a surprise that businesses want to locate in Chippewa County. Consider Fleet Farm, which opened a multimillion-dollar distribution center early last year in the Lake Wissota Business Park. When the project began, Walker said, the company projected it would have 320 employees within five years. But after just a year and a half of operation, they already employ over 400 Chippewa Valley residents, Walker noted with pride. Two other recent projects have
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for talent retention and attraction.” Other big plans may come to fruition in 2019. “We have three projects that are looking at making major investments in Lake Wissota (Business Park),” Walker said. One of them – dubbed Project 1212 – is poised to build a 125,000-square-foot facility that would improve the efficiency of an existing Chippewa Valley company, Walker said. With luck, details of the proposal will be announced by June 1. The 150-plus acres Lake Wissota Business Park, which is on Chippewa Falls’ northeast side, is already roughly half occupied and is filling faster than anticipated, Walker said. With an eye to the future, Chippewa County leaders are in the process of exploring where to create the next new state-ofthe-art business/industrial park.
BEYOND THE VALLEY Ensuring a strong economy for Chippewa County requires looking beyond the region for both investment capital and export markets. The Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation is working to do both. The relative strength of the U.S. economy compared with others around the world makes American markets attractive for international investors, and Chippewa County is no exception. “It’s a great opportunity for some existing companies in the Chippewa Valley that are looking
