Get to know: Ben Nelson
Executive director, Kewaunee County Economic Development Corp.
Ben Nelson’s first few months on the job as executive director of the Kewaunee County Economic Development Corp. have been busy.
In the past two months, the KCEDC announced an economic development partnership with the Greater Green Bay Chamber and that the vacant Kewaunee Power Plant took on a new owner, which plans to complete the plant’s decommission in 10 years — decades ahead of schedule.
“The amount of progress we’ve had in just these few months is amazing,” Nelson says.
When Nelson joined the KCEDC, he sought ways to boost the organization’s economic development efforts. The KCEDC and Greater Green Bay Chamber had worked together previously and to Nelson, forming a partnership made sense.
“I’m the only full-time employee, and capacity is definitely a challenge. We looked at how we could position ourselves for the long term for success, and working with the chamber was a natural,” he says. “We gain access to their Startup Hub instead of re-creating the wheel with our own entrepreneurial program, for example.”
Kewaunee County has a lot of buildable land, which provides the chamber with more options when working to attract or retain businesses.
As for the nuclear plant, EnergySolutions purchased the plant from Dominion. The Salt Lake City-based company plans to hire up to 200 people and to decommission the plant within the next eight to 10 years.
“That opens up new development opportunities that we didn’t think we would have access to for 40 or 50 years, but suddenly they are within reach,” Nelson says.
— MaryBeth Matzek
Bright lights
Jones Sign Co. of Green Bay played a role in developing the signs for the new Resorts World casino in Las Vegas. As part of the project, Jones Sign installed 40,000 square feet of exterior LED video displays. Resorts World is a $4.3 billion resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
jonessign.com
Big Cheese
The New North is now home to the Cheese Capital of the World and the birthplace of the world’s longest string cheese. Two communities with a rich tradition in cheesemaking — Plymouth and Weyauwega — set out to make their mark in recent months.
Plymouth — home to Sargento, Sartori, Masters Gallery and Great Lakes Cheese — put up a new arch at the east end of the city’s downtown and painted logos on two railroad trestles in the city, declaring it the Cheese Capital of the World. An estimated 15 percent of all cheese consumed in the United States moves through Plymouth.
The Weyauwega Star Dairy created a 3,832-foot piece of string cheese that it wove through the Waupaca County city’s downtown, capturing the title of the world’s longest piece of string cheese.
Increasing investment
Early-stage Wisconsin companies raised more than $483 million in 2020 in at least 114 deals — the most money raised in a year since the Wisconsin Technology Council began collecting data in 2008.
The money came from a mix of venture capital and angel investors, crowdfunding campaigns and accelerator programs, according to a report from the council.
While investment has increased in Wisconsin, it’s still behind its Midwest neighbors. Venture capital firms invested $293 million in Wisconsin companies in 2020, compared with more than $3 billion in Michigan startups, $2.5 billion in Illinois firms and $1.8 billion in Minnesota companies.
wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
