When it comes to the economy in the M7 region, manufacturing is still number one. It is the largest single sector, accounting for 16 percent of all jobs. That’s a statistic that makes the metro region the second highest manufacturing employer in the United States, and largely defines the region for new or reocating businesses and investors.
Those jobs are diverse too, ranging from basic “job shops” to high-tech precision manufacturing. It’s the latter where the region’s specialties lie, in the three core areas of engine and equipment manufacturing, automation manufacturing and medical technology.
Nine regionally-based manufacturers – A.O. Smith, Briggs & Stratton, Harley-Davidson, Johnson Controls, Joy Global, Modine Manufacturing, Rexnord, Rockwell Automation and Snap-On – are part of the Fortune 1000 list (with Johnson, Rockwell and Harley in the Fortune 500).
The seven counties are aided in their efforts to recruit and maintain jobs of all kinds by the Milwaukee 7 (M7), an organization created in 2005 to build diverse businesses and talent in the region. Jim Paetsch, vice-president of corporate relocation, expansion and attraction, said the M7 region has a lot to offer companies in the global economy – especially as the demands increase for skill in precision manufacturing.
“That’s where our workforce lines up with the needs of global companies,” he said.
The region’s infrastructure and location also offers companies reasons to relocate here. General Mitchell International Airport offers 200 daily departures to 90 North American locations, with direct service to all major U.S. business cities, and 20 daily direct flights to Europe. A robust network of higher education institutes, including five university engineering schools and four technical schools, ensures companies will be able to find highly trained employees at all levels. Lower leasing rates and a reduced cost of doing business also make the city an alternative to nearby Chicago, so companies can enjoy the benefits of proximity to the larger city without its disadvantages.
Paetsch said the M7’s job-creating efforts are succeeding beyond expectations. According to the M7’s website, more than 9,900 jobs have been created or retained in the region since 2005, totaling more than $513 million in direct payroll and $730 million in capital investment.
Additionally, the organization says they have already beaten their job creation goals for 2010 through 2014, having exceeded their goal of 6,440 by 300 to date, with most of 2014 still ahead.
The region boasted several significant victories in 2013.
LED lighting manufacturer Kenall decided to move its entire factory to Kenosha, which Paetsch said will provide more than 400 new jobs immediately, and likely grow to 600 in the next few years.
Thanks to the M7’s efforts coordinating economic incentives, Argon Industries, a Milwaukee-based metal parts fabricator, will consolidate its two SE Wisconsin plants into a larger facility on Milwaukee’s northwest side, allowing it to more than double its employment from 70 to 150 in the next three years. And German manufacturer PTF Pfuller will open its very first U.S. operations office in Sturtevant this year, choosing the region for its central location and potential for growth.
“These are exactly the kind of jobs we want,” Paetsch said, “with lots of highly trained talent.”
