Marinette, Florence and Oconto counties are tackling the same economic development challenges as larger communities: housing shortages, broadband expansion and downtown revitalization. But the Northwoods bring unique considerations, from weather‑influenced tourism fluctuations to a heightened need for collaboration.
Case in point: The village of Lena’s new market-rate apartments are a response to Saputo Cheese USA’s hiring needs in the area, despite the forthcoming closure of its Green Bay plant. The village approved a new, three-phase development for 80 market-rate apartments, with phase one’s two, 10-unit buildings completed and filling up now, says Jayme Sellen, executive director of Tourism & Economic Development Corporation for the Oconto County Region (TEDCOR).
“This is an outgrowth of a need by the county’s largest employer,” she says. “They need to hire 100 to 120 people. This gives them an opportunity to attract new people to the area.”
Sellen is the first to acknowledge that, when it comes to housing, the pace can’t be fast enough.
“As soon as you build it, you need to build another one,” she says.
In Marinette County, housing is also on the top of municipalities’ minds, says Autumn Timblin, the county’s development and tourism director. Both Peshtigo and Wausaukee are working on housing projects through the Thrive Rural Wisconsin program offered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and applied for by Inventure North. WEDC, Marinette County’s economic development department, the two municipalities and Inventure North are working together to secure more housing for the region.
“We’re at an exciting point with Wausaukee as they had a property identified and worked with Cedar Corporation to draw plans for a project with 70 units, a combination of single family and multifamily,” Timblin says. “It’s now at a point for an RFP going out. We’re really hoping to see some developers respond.”
Broadband: Internet for all
Broadband internet is an equally hot topic, with progress happening in many communities. Whether it’s a necessity for telehealth, remote work, small business operations or even basic safety, the need is clearly there. The Florence County/Forest County/Sokaogon Chippewa Community Broadband Coalition secured $72 million for broadband expansion. The money is part of more than $1 billion the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has allocated as part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
“It’s 2025 and it’s not asking too much to have electricity and internet connectivity at a camp,” says Eric Printz, Florence County’s director of economic development.
He says people over age 60 make up more than 50% of the county’s population, a group for whom telehealth needs to be a viable option. He also wants remote workers to consider living in the county and contributing to the tax base, and that requires reliable internet.
He says that while the local industrial park has fiber, that is the exception. Printz recounts a local sawmill that struggled to adopt cloud-based software, resorting to Starlink as a workaround. Small businesses are impacted by the lack of internet connectivity, too.
“Most of our businesses have 12 to 15 employees or fewer, and we have a lot of people who work out of their homes,” Printz says. “Why should they have to pay rent somewhere just to have [reliable] internet?”
Between the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and BEAD, there are great steps for connectivity for Florence County and many others.
“In the Northwoods, you may want to get away and disconnect. But that [mindset] changes if you can’t use Google Maps or access 911 service,” Timblin says.
Revitalizing downtown identities
Whether it’s beautifying the village of Lena through a marketing campaign or stringing lights downtown in advance of the annual Thunder on Main event that draws more than 6,000 people, beautification from the inside out is ongoing.
TEDCOR recently completed five‑year downtown revitalization plans for Lena and Suring, funded by a USDA grant. They’re aimed at optimizing infrastructure, reducing vacancies, beautifying the area, identifying service/goods gaps and restoring commercial zoning to some rental properties.
“Suring has no grocery store, and the closest grocery store is over 10 miles away,” Sellen says. “We’re asking how we provide that need for individuals, especially an older demographic?”
The 40,000-square-foot former hospital is in excellent condition, prompting the creation of an ad hoc task force to determine how to market the facility the city has owned for more than 20 years. Sellen secured a grant through the Bay‑Lake Regional Planning Commission to fund an asbestos abatement study, a crucial step to making the property more appealing to developers, she says.
“Once we can figure out the cost, we hope to find funding to remove [the asbestos] and make the building more marketable as it could be condos, apartments, mixed-use development,” Sellen says. “It’s not even a mile away from the bay, and I’d love to see the building rejuvenated.”
