Door County industry leaders in manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, energy and tourism are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in a local Asset Mapping Discovery Forum on Wednesday, November 7, from Noon – 2 pm at NWTC – Sturgeon Bay, 229 North 14th Avenue.
The local forum is being held as part of the collaborative Lakeshore Industry Cluster Initiative for the Manitowoc, Door, Calumet, Kewaunee and Sheboygan County regions. The purpose of the Asset Mapping Discovery Forum is to discuss proposed regional strategic goals for economic development, consider the unique “Quality of Place” in the region, begin the process of analyzing local resources and conduct asset mapping of the area to understand and leverage the unique competitive advantages that Door County brings to the regional economy.
This is one of four Asset Mapping forums occurring around the five-county region, in partnership with Vital Economy, an economic development consulting firm which specializes in industry cluster initiatives. The information gained from these forums will be used by the Lakeshore Industry Cluster Teams to assist in developing action plans to improve our business climate and increase economic activity in the region.
Co-Chairs for the four target industry clusters that are the focus of the five-county Lakeshore Initiative will be:
- Manufacturing – Tim Reis (Manitowoc Company) and Michael Davel (N.E.W. Industries)
- Energy – Merlin Raab (Wisconsin Public Service Corporation) and Andy Onesti (Manitowoc Public Utilities)
- Agriculture – Toni Sorenson (GreenStone Farm Credit Services/Soren’s Valhalla Orchards) and Andy Barta (Rio Creek Feed Mill, Inc.)
- Tourism – Jennifer Laughlin (Renard’s Cheese) and Dave Sanderson (Blue Harbor Resort)
There is no cost to participate in the November 7 forum, and lunch will be provided. Contact Bill Chaudoir for more information about the Lakeshore Industry Cluster Initiative and to RSVP for the November 7 event.
The Door County Economic Development Corporation has joined with colleagues from Northeast Wisconsin to launch the Lakeshore Industry Cluster Initiative for the aforementioned regions. The initiative will engage business leaders within Industry Cluster Networks to analyze and leverage assets and opportunities for additional business growth and development. National and global trends will be evaluated and prioritized against the region’s assets and unique competitive opportunities. The process will help to identify and target regional assets and resources that can improve the competitiveness of each of the targeted industry clusters.
The Door County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) is a public/private partnership dedicated to improving the economic vitality of the county and its residents. Founded in 1989, DCEDC has been successful in helping existing businesses create and retain thousands of jobs through a myriad of programs and initiatives. Additionally, DCEDC places strong emphasis on fostering entrepreneurial instincts in county residents as well as those who vacation on the Door County Peninsula. Door County Economic Development Corporation offices are located within the small business incubator DCEDC founded in 1997 at 185 East Walnut Street in the Sturgeon Bay Industrial Park.
