Building a better metro: Enhancing Milwaukee’s best assets & reducing its biggest liabilities

By Tim Sheehy

MMAC President

MMAC's Blueprint for Economic Prosperity outlines the strategies and actions MMAC is engaging in to enhance our assets and reduce our liabilities. Our Blueprint for Economic Prosperity has four core objectives: to deliver a talented workforce; support a thriving economy; develop a distinctive place to live; and support the success of our diverse population. These Blueprint goals are updated on a biannual basis, and our program of work is under regular review by the board.

"The end game is to move the needle on the measures we use to mark metro Milwaukee’s progress."

The end game is to move the needle on the measures we use to mark metro Milwaukee’s progress. Measures like the growth in our gross regional product, an increase in the educational attainment of our adult population, and positive net migration into the region. Ultimately, our vision is to help create a globally competitive region, home to high-value jobs, that support a vibrant quality of life for all.

In late 2017, MMAC surveyed its board and members. Your vital feedback is reflected in this 2017-2019 agenda. The MMAC value proposition is to take action on this agenda and get results.

We are starting with plenty of momentum. A 30-year high in downtown development, the largest foreign direct investment in U.S. history, a bustling downtown landscape, a region rippling with jobs. We are also facing a period of significant urgency. A strained workforce, a big gap in educational outcomes for low-income students, and racial disparity are holding the region back.

While 2017 marked the Association’s 156th anniversary, the most important work is in front of us. Thank you for your continued investment, and please encourage your peers to join us in the effort to keep the momentum going.