August 3, 2018 at 3:50 p.m.
Area poised for joint community development effort
New directors leading three key agencies
Area poised for joint community development effort
By Jamie Taylor and Heather Schaefer-
But while the rest of the country has begun to claw out of that economic canyon, the northern part of the state has struggled to keep pace.
One of the biggest drags on job growth in this area is a lack of skilled workers, state officials have repeatedly said. With the state unemployment average sitting at 2.8 percent, it appears there has been little movement of qualified candidates from the southern part of the state to the northern region.
Enter three women who have been chosen in the last few months to lead local organizations key to revitalizing the local economy.
In April, Stacey Johnson succeeded Roger Luce as executive director of the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation. In mid-June, Lauren Sackett was named the executive director of the Rhinelander Area of Chamber of Commerce and last month Brittany Beyer took the reins of the Grow North economic development corporation.
Grow North is a private/public 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to economic development in eight counties of northern and northeastern Wisconsin - Forest, Florence, Marinette, Lincoln, Langlade, Oconto, Oneida, and Vilas.
The Oneida County Economic Development Corporation acts as an economic development coordinator for all of Oneida County. The organization assists individuals investigating the feasibility of going into business, works with existing business to expand and retain economic viability and works to attract new business in an effort to expand our economic base and provide employment alternatives to the citizens of Oneida County, according to its website.
The mission of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce is to advance the general welfare and prosperity of the greater Rhinelander area. As such, it strives to be a leading voice for local business and community development, according to its website.
All three women took different routes to their current positions.
Sackett was promoted to executive director this summer after working for the chamber in various capacities since 2014.
On the other end of the spectrum, Johnson began her career in central Florida in the early 2000s in retail banking, residential and commercial lending and domestic and international business development.
According to a press release announcing her hiring, Johnson "has been (recently) working with local nonprofits and foundations on multiple large-scale development projects, implementing her passion for community development and her vision for sustained economic growth in the Northwoods."
Beyer came to community development after earning a BFA in Dance Performance from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts, where she began her career as a professional dancer touring in both the United States and Europe. Finding a deepening interest in arts management, she eventually returned to NYU and continued her studies, receiving a master's degree in Art and Public Policy where she focused on Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship, according to a press release announcing her appointment at Grow North. She spent almost two decades in New York City working within the arts and culture field before relocating to the Northwoods to become the executive director of the Warehouse Art Center in Eagle Rivers in 2016.
She was named to helm Grow North in early July.
All three women were invited to the July 17 meeting of Forward Rhinelander, a group of business and civic leaders focused on promoting the Rhinelander area and growing its economy, to share their thoughts on community and business development.
While each woman used different verbiage, all three directors echoed the same refrain - a regional, cooperative approach is the best option for moving the Northwoods forward.
In her remarks, Johnson mentioned she didn't necessarily agree with the naysayers, who were offering rather dismal reports on the area's economic prospects, when she first moved to the Northwoods.
"I didn't want to see that," she said. "I thought if people came together and started breaking down these silos of towns and silos of counties, if you look at the Northwoods as a whole, we have all the tools to be successful here. We just lack the ability to work together in the past."
To that end, Johnson said she wants to help eliminate duplication of effort and assist various community groups in coordinating their projects. She added that she likes what she she is seeing with Forward Rhinelander's efforts to think outside the city limits for the betterment of all.
Sackett noted the current chamber membership totals about 360, including a few businesses and organizations that have been involved for several decades.
"Our four oldest members actually joined in 1950," Sackett said. In addition to numerous businesses, several non-profit organizations are also chamber members, she noted.
According to Sackett, the primary focus for the chamber is producing the annual area guide, which is shipped all over the state through other chambers and tourism visitor centers, as well as part of packets sent out to individuals or businesses looking to relocate to the area.
"Last year, in 2017, we mailed out over 730 information packets across the country," Sackett said. "Of those, 60 of them were relocation packets. Those are specifically for people looking to relocate to the area, and we tailor those specifically to information they are looking for."
She said the chamber works with several nearby towns to help promote recreational opportunities, with the approach being what helps them also helps Rhinelander and Oneida County.
Last to speak was Beyer, who is just settling in to her position.
"It's been an interesting time of change, as all three of us kind of floated into our positions pretty recently," she said, in introducing herself to the Forward Rhinelander members.
The primary mission of her organization is to be an asset to local economic development groups, she explained.
"Stacey (Johnson) has a real small staff; she is only one person with a part-time person," Beyer said. "There are a lot of economic development corporations that are only one person and they're part-time. They can only do so much. So it is my job to hear what they're doing and sense what they need in support."
Beyer also said Grow North is working with area school districts to implement Career Connect which will serve as a shortcut for students to internships or even paying jobs before they finish their education.
The goal is to have the program up and running in one year, she said.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at jamie@rivernews online.com.
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