After years of delay, plans to expand Milwaukee’s downtown convention center have finally been set in motion.
The Wisconsin Center District’s $420 million expansion project, which will double the size of the Wisconsin Center, got the green light in April, even as the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the nation. Its financing package was later approved in October as the final step needed for WCD to issue bonds to fund the project.
Garnering necessary support from both its 17-member board of directors and governance committee – plus backing from the city of Milwaukee to rely on the state’s moral-obligation pledge – was a heavy lift for WCD, especially during a year plagued by uncertainty and loss.
But with president and chief executive officer Marty Brooks at the helm, the project gained the momentum it had never been able to muster, at what was considered an especially pivotal moment for the potential success of the Wisconsin Center and its impact on the surrounding community.
“What was most important for us to do was to provide our board members with the information that supported the need for the convention center and how the project itself, both short- and long-term, serves as an economic engine – a real catalyst – especially now with the impact COVID has had on the economy,” said Brooks, calling the project “shovel-ready.”
In recognition of his central role in advancing the Wisconsin Center expansion project, Brooks is BizTimes Milwaukee’s Best in Business 2020 Community Leader of the Year.
WCD, along with local groups VISIT Milwaukee and Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, have long pushed for a Phase III expansion of the 22-year-old venue as an effort to attract more large-scale events and sharpen Milwaukee’s competitive edge against peer cities.
In the face of an economic downturn and concerns over a sluggish recovery for the meeting and convention business, Brooks and his team had to strengthen that case and make a “passionate plea” that the project couldn’t wait any longer.
Had the district waited to move forward, the bonds for the project may not have been issued until 2024, with construction not starting until the following year and the opening delayed until 2027 or 2028. That timeline would miss the boat on the industry’s projected full return by mid-2023, said Brooks.
WCD estimates the expansion will attract an additional 100,000 out-of-state visitors to Milwaukee annually, generating an economic impact of $12.6 billion over 30 years and supporting approximately 2,300 full-time equivalent jobs statewide.
As the timeline stands, a groundbreaking is anticipated in December 2021, with the new addition opening in the first quarter of 2024.
Brooks was a newcomer to Milwaukee when he took over at WCD in January 2018. During the interview process, he was aware that the convention center expansion was a top priority.
However, in his first couple months on the job, he noticed WCD was playing a backseat role in securing capital and political support for the expansion. The effort was largely being driven by MMAC and VISIT as well as its lobbying firm, even though the expansion itself would be funded and operated by the district.
“I got very involved to understand what had been done, the history of the project and, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the team that was in place over the next several months, took the leadership role in organizing the efforts to move this project forward,” he said.
About a year into his role, Brooks also set out to “to shake up the culture” at WCD. A 2019 employee engagement study found most staff – then 80 full-time and 175 part-time – didn’t have a personal connection with or pride in the organization, and there wasn’t much focus on the guest experience.
“While we may be a government agency, our business is hospitality and how we treat people and how we respond to people’s request is important,” he said.
Brooks said employees have embraced the change, which helped facilitate the recent progress of the expansion project.
