New North Summit celebrates region’s progress
While the pandemic has tested individuals, businesses and communities, it’s a test we’ve passed, New North, Inc. President and CEO Barb LaMue said at the New North Summit in June.
The trials of COVID-19 required the economic development organization to improvise and innovate. New North challenged itself to move as quickly as the crisis, creating resources, collaborating with other organizations and partnering with Microsoft and startup accelerator gener8tor to launch the New North gener8tor Upskilling program to help reskill workers in industries hit hardest by the pandemic.
Through it all, Northeast Wisconsin emerged stronger and more united than ever, LaMue said. “To quote Vince Lombardi, the measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”
The summit, held at Lambeau Field, was themed “Playbook for Recovery” and featured talks from the offense, defense and special teams players of the year, as well as Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, Gov. Tony Evers, and keynote speaker Tim Moore, an Emmy Award-winning director and author.
Murphy discussed the Packers’ partnership with Microsoft and the success of the Titletown District. He noted that collaboration and the strength of the region as a whole is what makes New North special.
Reflecting on the past year, Murphy said the Packers played an important role in distracting people from the struggles of the pandemic, as well as recruiting its players to share public service announcements about the importance of pandemic precautions.
As for quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team, “We remain committed to having him as our quarterback for 2021 and beyond,” he said, also reiterating the team’s commitment to Head Coach Matt LaFleur and General Manager Brian Gutekunst.
Kim Bassett, president and CEO of Bassett Mechanical and Offensive Player of the Year, recounted how her company helped both employees and customers through the pandemic. Bassett Mechanical strived to keep associates safe, educated and informed. The company helped customers by staying on top of regular maintenance as well as emergency calls.
Bassett Mechanical also participated in a face mask campaign and helped procure nearly 18,000 nose clips that were inserted into masks to help keep people safe. Throughout the pandemic, the business has strived to show flexibility, care and compassion.
“My predecessors and I have grown over the years to build a family-oriented culture where we put people first, treat them like family and live our core values on a daily basis,” Bassett said.
ThedaCare President and CEO Imran Andrabi, Defensive Player of the Year, shared how the health care organization navigated COVID-19 and adapted to keep individuals, communities and staff members safe.
It’s remained vital to think ahead, from determining staffing needs and the number of beds needed to moving quickly to deploy more telehealth solutions. Community support also was critical, and ThedaCare relied on partners including
YMCAs, the United Way and Boys & Girls Clubs to provide child care for front-line workers.
Andrabi reminded attendees that this isn’t over yet and that society needs to get comfortable living with a “both-and” scenario. “We have to figure out a way to celebrate who we are and to learn how to live with this lingering issue of COVID.”
Joe Kirgues, co-founder of startup accelerator gener8tor, Special Teams Player of the Year, said the organization’s upskilling program helped people when they were feeling small and bolstered their confidence both through providing them new skills and connecting them to in-demand jobs. Employers can support the program through providing coaching, mentoring and job opportunities, he said.
Evers closed with the message that the pandemic has shown that Wisconsin perseveres and stressed the importance of continuing to get people vaccinated. Other keys to growth in the state include support for entrepreneurship through the new $100 million venture capital fund, the Wisconsin Fund, investment in infrastructure and higher education, and broadband expansion, a message WEDC’s Hughes echoed.
The region received good news on that front with the recent announcement that New North received a $500,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to conduct a broadband gap analysis for the 18 counties of the region. It will be used for regional broadband data analysis, mapping and cost modeling for each county in the region.
“Folks, it’s 2021. High-speed internet is no longer a luxury. It’s a necessity,” Evers said.
