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Regional Roundup » 11
By Pam P ir man
Survey says:
Business looks to New North to spread the word
The New North region
is well recognized within its own
boundaries, but a majority of local
business leaders believe the time is
right to spread the word about the
region to other areas, according to
results of The Business Pulse, a survey
of chief executive officers and other
leaders in Northeast Wisconsin. The
survey is conducted quarterly by
IntellectualMarketing for Green Bay-
based Nicolet National Bank.
More than 60 percent of survey
respondents say the New North is not
well recognized or well understood
outside the region. The results do
not surprise Jerry Murphy, executive
director of New North, Inc.
“Much of our focus in the past four
years has been on connecting internal
resources, building relationships and
establishing our brand within the
18-county region,” says Murphy. “To
a great extent, we’ve accomplished
those things. Now, we can begin
implementing strategies specific to
other geographies, and we are well
underway with plans to do so.”
Survey respondents say marketing
the region to attract new businesses,
as well as connecting economic
development resources in the region,
are the primary charges of New North,
Inc. Tony Hozeny, communications
director for the Wisconsin Dept. of
Commerce, says his agency strongly
supports the role of New North.
“Regional economic development
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organizations such as New North,
Inc., are a vital component of our
efforts,” says Hozeny. “They have first-
hand knowledge of what’s happening
on the ground, and are in a great
position to reach out locally and at
the state level. We are enthusiastic
partners in their work.”
Murphy is pleased to see business
leaders understand the organization’s
role.
“With the startup of any new entity,
there are questions about how will
things work, who will be doing what,
and what are you trying to achieve.
Clearly, those questions have been
answered for our stakeholders,” he says.
The organization should also
play a role in creating new market
opportunities for existing businesses,
according to nearly 20 percent of
respondents representing employers
with fewer than 100 employees.
“This fits well with what we can
offer those smaller organizations who
don’t have internal market development
capabilities,” says Murphy.
When it comes to innovation,
research and development activities,
65 percent of respondents say private
business dominates these efforts, rather
than higher education or government.
Jeff Lindsay, director of solution
development for Innovationedge,
Inc., Neenah, sees some evidence of
collaboration among the three sectors.
“The Fab Lab at Fox Valley Technical
College is a great example of higher-
development organizations
such as New North, Inc., are a
vital component of our efforts.”
— Tony Hozeny, Wisconsin
Department of Commerce
» 18
The Nicolet Bank
Business Pulse
New North Survey
How is the New North viewed outside
the region?
4% New North is recognized and well
understood outside our market
29% New North is recognized but not
well understood outside our market
67% New North is not recognized or
well understood outside our market.
What is the primary charge of New North?
27% Linking regional economic
development resources to fulfill a
common regional agenda
25% Marketing the region to attract
new businesses within targeted
industries to the area
16% Addressing long standing
challenges to business development
with the direct involvement of
private business
16% Developing new market
opportunities for existing
businesses and industries in
Northeastern Wisconsin
9% Marketing the region to attract
new, diversified human resource
talent to the area
8% Bringing business leaders
together with education/training
institutions to address regional
workforce challenges
New North innovation, research and
development tend to be dominated by:
65% Private Businesses
21% Universities and Colleges
14% Government, other than public
educational institutions
ed and the private sector coming
together to drive innovation,” says
Lindsay. “Creating opportunities and
helping entrepreneurs results from the
involvement of all three, but right now
it is mostly in the private realm.”
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