Get to know: Matt Valiquette
Executive director, Bay Area Workforce Development Board
Whether unemployment is high or businesses are scrambling for talent, the Bay Area Workforce Development Board is there to help people find the job or training they need through several programs and services. With employers desperate now for workers, Executive Director Matt Valiquette is leading the effort to reach out to marginalized populations and set them up for success in the workforce.
“I recently drove from Green Bay to Oshkosh and it seemed every business along 41 had ‘now hiring’ signs out,” he says. “There’s such an acute need. It’s not a surprise since the demographics have been moving that direction, but the pandemic just exacerbated everything.”
Valiquette stepped into the top role at the Bay Area Workforce Development Board last January when long-time Executive Director Jim Golembeski retired. A 10-year veteran of the Green Bay-based organization, Valiquette says he knew what he was getting into.
Serving 11 counties, the board provides wrap-around care to dislocated employees and their spouses to help them find a path back to the workforce. When Neenah Paper announced the closure of its Appleton paper mill this past summer, Valiquette says the organization sprang to action and began working with the dislocated employees.
Another outreach program involves working with county departments of children and family to identify youth as young as 14 and begin discussing what life may look like after high school, whether it’s postsecondary education or entering the workforce.
“We can tailor our strategies to meet the unique goals of the youth involved,” he says. “It has done a lot in helping these students plan for the future.”
Covering a large geographical area means the organization needs to remain flexible, Valiquette says. “What works for us in Green Bay isn’t going to work for us in Florence County,” he says.
bayareawdb.org
— MaryBeth Matzek
Fun, sustainable design
Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s new PawPrint pet food packaging papers provide pet food brand owners with functional yet visually attractive pet food packaging to help replace single-use plastic with a more sustainable alternative. The specialty papermaker has facilities in Kaukauna, De Pere, Mosinee and Rhinelander.
ahlstrom-munksjo.com
Powered by caffeine, determination
Regional women business owners can tune into Strong Women Strong Coffee sessions produced by the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. for a boost of confidence.
The free virtual program provides a forum where women business owners can share their journeys and attendees can build and grow meaningful connections, whether they’re entrepreneurs or long-time business owners.
In September, WWBIC’s Appleton office will offer two programs:
9:30 a.m. on Sept. 15 and 8 a.m. on Sept. 29.
wwbic.com/news-events/strong-women-strong-coffee
International recognition
gener8tor, a nationally ranked business accelerator program, ranked No. 35 on Fast Company’s 2021 Best Workplaces for Innovators list. More than 1,500 companies applied to be included on the list and 100 were accepted. Judges highlighted gener8tor’s efforts to help communities invest in their best and brightest, including the program it developed with New North, Inc. and Microsoft to retrain workers for new careers after losing their jobs during the pandemic.
gbetastartups.com
