The New North is having a moment. And if you attended the 2024 New North Summit June 6 at Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay, you got a taste of it.
“The words I keep hearing from many of you is ‘this moment.’ We are in such a moment, and it’s palpable among you,” New North, Inc. co-chair Sachin Shivaram of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry told more than 600 attendees who gathered for this year’s event.
The annual summit — themed “Leaps, Leaders, Legacies” in anticipation of the 2025 NFL draft — convened business, education and community leaders from around the 18-county region and state to connect, share economic development updates and celebrate successes.
“This region has transformed in the past eight years in a way no one in the state thought it would,” said outgoing New North, Inc. co-chair Michelle Schuler of Microsoft.
This year’s summit highlighted collaborative work in the areas of veteran recruitment, AI advancements, broadband deployment, talent attraction, leadership development, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), state and federal partnerships, and industry alliance programs.
Mary Goggans, retired president of Appleton-based Encapsys, LLC, a world-recognized microencapsulation company, will replace Schuler as New North, Inc. co-chair. Goggans pointed to the region’s three-year gain of 14,000 new residents as a result of New North’s talent attraction campaigns such as More YOU in NEW, Cool Stuff, New North Hires Heroes and the newest series geared toward young professionals and outdoor enthusiasts: Find Your True North.
Four keynote presenters with ties to the region offered leadership perspectives at the national level.
Tech trailblazer Mary Snapp, vice president of strategic initiatives for Microsoft, gave the morning’s first keynote address centered on “the promise and the perils” of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its economic implications for the region.
Snapp discussed the new AI economy, which includes chips, tooling, applications, developers, distributions and, of course, data centers, including the Mount Pleasant data center campus announced by Microsoft in May.
The data center, which will be the largest in the world when complete, is a $3.3 billion investment over three years that will result in 2,000 permanent jobs. Snapp credited Wisconsin’s business leaders and government officials for making the “massive undertaking” a reality. Projects such as this, Snapp said, historically stall out during the permitting process.
“But you all cleared that permitting process in 60 days,” she said. “That hasn’t happened before, and it’s really because of all of you.”
Former Green Bay Packers safety and originator of the “Lambeau Leap” LeRoy Butler, Chicago-based actress and writer Lachrisa Grandberry and Axios co-founder and Oshkosh native Jim VandeHei provided additional keynote addresses.
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes touted the success of the state overall, but particularly the growing New North region that will take center stage in hosting the draft, which is expected to have a $94 million economic impact on the state.
Schreiber Foods, a global food and beverage company committed to enhancing its company-wide diversity, was honored with the 2024 New North Workplace Excellence Award. Sponsored by Keystone Partners, the award recognizes organizations that are improving business outcomes through people practices.
With 10,000 employees and 40 locations worldwide, Schreiber Foods experienced unprecedented growth between 2022 and 2024. The manufacturer credits lowered turnover in plant locations, revamped benefit practices, more flexible scheduling, an increased emphasis on training and development, and a work environment where employees can thrive as critical factors in its recent success.
Schreiber has seven business resource groups (BRGs) to support its employees and broaden awareness of other cultures. The company has increased ethnic minority and female representation among U.S. salaried and home office hourly employees, while also decreasing ethnic minority and female turnover.
“Schreiber’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce is one that all companies should seek to emulate,” said Barb LaMue, president and CEO of New North, Inc. “Exceptional people and business practices are central to the New North Workplace Excellence Award, and Schreiber is outstanding in both areas. We truly are fortunate to have their leadership in our region’s business community.”
