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Grant County WI

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Grant County Wisconsin

Twenty Years

Posted on November 26, 2019

Twenty years ago, I was on paternity leave after the birth of our first child. I had just accepted an offer of a new job and I was nervous about the new venture. I would soon be taking the helm of the Grant County Economic Development Corporation. My first official day was December 2nd, 1999. I was already getting calls asking about projects and training, like the Community Leadership Alliance and whether I wanted to be a part of this new inaugural program on leadership training.

To step back a bit and to tell the story right, I was working in Madison, commuting daily from Boscobel to my job with the Wisconsin Department of Commerce where I worked with two economic development programs. I enjoyed the job and the people, but did not like the time commuting. My wife was expecting our first child and saw the employment ad in the paper for the Director of economic development. She asked if I should apply. Well, I did apply and was interviewed (somewhere in that time frame my daughter was born). On my last day of work before beginning paternity leave, I received a call from Dick Rogers, who chaired the hiring committee. He offered me the job. So I gave the Department of Commerce my notice and began my leave and prep for my new position at the same time.

My first day on the job, I had a meeting with the Fennimore economic development group at 7:00 a.m. That evening I had my corporation’s annual meeting in Platteville. I got home a bit after 11:00 p.m. that night. I recall that day as being a wild rush and at times, intimidating but enjoyable. That first day on the job was one of the longest that I would ever have in this job.

Those twenty years have flown by. Working with a huge number of businesses, entrepreneurs, elected officials, and everyday people truly make this job exciting. One of this job’s perks is that it is never the same day twice. I think back on the people I have met and worked with, some of which are no longer with us. The lessons and experience remains in my head and I pass that knowledge along. Twenty years is a long time in the economic development realm. Rarely do you see a person lasting that long in one position. The corporation was founded in 1986 with the first director hired in 1987. I am the third to hold this position. It is remarkable for a county economic development corporation to have only 3 directors in 30+ years.

On December 4th Grant County EDC will have its annual board meeting in Kieler, at 6:00 p.m. Tim Jacobson will be our keynote speaker and will discuss the Decoding the Driftless film series. I look forward to adding new memories with new and familiar faces. I may even bring my daughter, who is a sophomore at U.W. Platteville, along to embarrass. Thanks to all who have supported economic development in our communities and county.

Ron Brisbois, Executive Director – GCEDC

Filed Under: Economic Development, Grant County WI

Agricultural Diversity, a Grant County Economic Asset

Posted on October 18, 2019

As the fall harvest begins, I always appreciate the diversity of economy here in Grant County. Corn silage is being harvested; a final cutting of hay is being planned; soybeans are turning; and our seed corn companies are hard at work. Our farmers are a resilient lot, with depressed prices being paid and the weather not being ideal, unless you like rain and mud. Our dairy farmers are seeing some improvements in milk pricing, but the stability of that improved pricing remains unknown. Several of our dairy farms are beginning to explore the idea of direct marketing their milk and dairy products to the public as a way to add value to their farm.

Egg production in the county and region continues to grow. With any growing industry, we see ancillary businesses showing up to support and benefit from that industry. There is now an “egg washing” business being constructed in Muscoda to benefit from the egg production. Hopefully, we will see data soon from the state or federal government on how many eggs are being produced in Grant County and southwest Wisconsin. Such data is very useful in economic development. We can market to Additional businesses that would support this growing industry.

Our cheese industry is solid and shows signs of growing. Saputo’s plans in Lancaster continue to develop. Other businesses have contacted us to research opportunities. Like with the egg business, dairy businesses attract other food processing industries. It is common to see industrial clusters, or groups of businesses that commonly support the other. As an example, we have cow and goat dairy farms. Then, we have a cheese plant to process the milk, whey plants to process the liquid whey, warehousing, trucking, and companies that service these industries. Food production is a powerful industry and one that handles economic ups and downs well.

Last week my Board of Directors was treated to a tour of the Tranel Family Dairy Farm. This organic dairy farm milks over 500 head. It was a fun and very educational tour. My Board really enjoyed the opportunity to learn. Organic is what I call a double diversity factor for Grant County. We have such diversity in our agriculture economy with the “conventional” farming and “Organic” farming. Anything raised conventional now has an organic side. Obviously dairy, but crop production, egg production, beef, swine, and even our seed companies have organic production to meet the market demand.

So far this year, I have been working with 40 different prospective businesses, with 18 of the 40 directly relating to our agriculture industry cluster. I love the diversity, power, and prosperity this brings to our economy.

Ron Brisbois, Executive Director – Grant County Economic Development Corp.

Filed Under: Economic Development, Grant County WI

Tourism and Economic Development

Posted on July 17, 2019

As summer progresses and we dodge the raindrops, we have noted a nice increase in tourism into our county. Marketing to visitors or tourists is an ongoing process. Marketing never takes a holiday. Though we have seasons and spikes in people visiting our county, our marketing efforts are truly year round. Some people plan their visits well in advance, while others are more “spur of the moment”.

We find that though the Internet is “King” and web marketing is effective, many people still want that paper flyer or magazine in their hand to review while planning their day or week. This is why we still see many requests for Grant County Activity Guides and other printed materials. Annually, we mail out over 800 planners to all four corners of the United States and even some to Canada. We like to report where our planners are being mailed, too. Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota are always common, but the southern states are also one of our biggest requesters for guides. The guides we mail out, coupled with the guides other chambers send, and what is dispersed at the Kieler rest center total around 20,000 annually. The new ATV/UTV maps have become one of our biggest demands recently. A lot of those maps are being sent to Illinois and Iowa. Still, many of our brochures, maps, and planners are sent to locations in Wisconsin, too. I always enjoy the annual request from 4th grade students from around the state who are assigned to do a report about a particular county. The lucky ones get Grant County. They are lucky because we have so much information about Grant County and our historic sites. When we receive a request, that recipient gets a lot of information about our fine county. We have received many “thank-you” cards and emails stating that our county sent them the most information.

Having an effective website is the other part of good marketing. I always feel that a visitor or person wanting information needs to be able to find that information with no more than 3 clicks of a mouse when on our website. The www.Grantcounty.org/tourism site is the county’s tourism website that we manage. We work to keep that information current and work closely with our webmaster, Webwise Design of Fennimore. Making sure information and web links are current and accurate is one of the more laborious tasks we have but it needs to be done to provide a quality experience for our visitors. People can learn about our communities and our county. They can see what we have for hotels, campgrounds, dining, and even download a copy of the travel planner and other maps. Some visitors want things available on their smart devices, so we work to give them that option as well as the paper versions.

Our website serves the visitors who want more information, as well as businesses, potential businesses, and entrepreneurs. Sometimes the person who is visiting will become the person who will want to site a business in Grant County.

We develop various marketing campaigns using tools such as Google Adwords, to drive more web traffic to our website. With the Hickory Grove Golf Course available for sale, we are utilizing Google to try to find a buyer that will retain it as a golf course by targeting people who may be interested in owning a golf course.

Marketing is not a passive event. It does not just happen. Whether it is in print or on a website, marketing is needed to share information and to attract new visitors to our county.

Ron Brisbois, Executive Director of Grant County Economic Development Corp.

Filed Under: Economic Development, Grant County WI, Tourism

To ATV or Not to ATV – Is that a question?

Posted on May 30, 2019

Would you, should you,  could you? Yes! you should consider ATV’ing in Grant County! True, we don’t have “Trails” but we have some of the best “Routes” around. Grant County has coastal (river) waters along the west and north, which provide miles of Driftless scenery and unique hilltop views.

County Roads, designated by an alphabet letter, are open throughout the County. Many township roads are also open. You can travel from northern Grant County to Hazel Green, Platteville, Potosi, Cassville, and points in between. Routes connect to the Cheese Trail for an even longer ride.

Want a map? Give me a call at (608)822-3501 or email contact@grantcounty.org. We look forward to seeing you!

Filed Under: Grant County WI, Tourism

Welcome to Grant County Wisconsin!

Posted on July 7, 2014

There are numerous Economic Development and Tourism opportunities in Grant County. We invite you to look through our newly revised website and take a look at all that southwest Wisconsin has to offer.

The Economic Development area of the website includes all kinds of information for companies and industries looking to develop a new business or relocate or expand an existing business. There are vacant industrial properties and commercial buildings of all sizes available for sale, rent or lease. People of the southwest Wisconsin area have a high work ethic and are excellent employees. Contact Ron Brisbois, Director of the Grant County Economic Development Corporation for information about business development information for Grant County.

If you are looking for things to do in Grant County, the Tourism area of the website is an excellent resource. If you are interested in historical sites, seasonal outdoor activities, specialty wine and cheese shops, fun day trips, good restaurants or comfortable places to stay, the Grant County Tourism Council can provide the information you need.

We extend a handshake and welcome you to Grant County Wisconsin!

 

Filed Under: Economic Development, Grant County WI, Tourism, Uncategorized

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Contact Information

Grant County Economic Development Corporation
Ron Brisbois, Executive Director
1800 Bronson Boulevard
Fennimore, WI 53809
Phone: 608-822-3501
Toll-Free: 1-866-472-6894
Fax: 608-822-6019
Email: gcedc@grantcounty.org

Community Links

Bagley
Bloomington
Blue River
Boscobel
Cassville
Cuba City
Dickeyville
Fennimore
Hazel Green
Lancaster
Livingston
Montfort
Mt. Hope
Muscoda
Platteville
Potosi
Woodman


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Grant County Economic Development Corporation
Ron Brisbois, Executive Director
1800 Bronson Boulevard
Fennimore, WI 53809
Phone: 608-822-3501
Toll-Free: 1-866-472-6894
Fax: 608-822-6019
Email: gcedc@grantcounty.org

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