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From Tim Sheehy, MMAC President
First LEARN. Draw on the experience of our health care members and employers who have faced this crisis in other countries/states. Second, ASSESS. Consult a diverse team of CEOs from small, midsize and larger employers across industries (a subset of the board elected by the membership) and evaluate the best available information. And third, LEAD. Respond, communicate and take the actions necessary that balance the health risks with the economic risks of the coronavirus. It has been and it will continue to be a challenge to find the right path forward.
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The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce remains open for business, as we have been for 158 years. But as our region, our country and our world face an unprecedented challenge with the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19, we will be working very differently for the foreseeable future.
Starting today, the MMAC employees are working from home, with our physical office closed for at least the next two weeks and perhaps much longer. MMAC and its Milwaukee 7 Economic Development Partnership employees will stay on the job and continue working remotely to meet your needs – a task now more important than ever. This is a significant challenge, but we will help you get through it. When there is a recovery and a return to growth, we will be here every step of the way. From MMAC President Tim Sheehy MMAC’s leadership is closely monitoring developments regarding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19,) which was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday.
While there have been a relatively limited number of positive cases identified in Wisconsin to date, this is a quickly evolving situation. We know that the Milwaukee Region’s business community and our citizens should plan for the outbreak to spread quickly, and to rapidly change our routines in response.  MILWAUKEE – The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) is pleased to welcome accomplished chamber of commerce executive Robert H. Recker as MMAC Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer for the Milwaukee 7 Economic Development Partnership (M7.)
Recker, who most recently worked for the Greater Memphis Chamber in Tennessee, will lead development efforts for MMAC and M7. This combined focus will allow both organizations to fund long-term strategies for the Milwaukee Region in areas such as:
Recker will play a leading role in the upcoming MMAC/M7 Prosperity 2025 fundraising campaign, which was announced at the M7 Annual Meeting in January with a lead investment of $2 million from WEC Energy Group Executive Chairman and M7 Co-Chair Gale Klappa. “We’re excited to welcome Robert to our team, and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” MMAC President Tim Sheehy said. “While the Milwaukee Region is experiencing a moment of opportunity right now, we also must prepare for trends and circumstances that could disrupt our economy. To have the resources it takes to be ready, we must connect missional investors throughout our region to the work they make possible. Robert’s skill set is ideally suited to this role, and I know he’s eager to get started.” View the full study: homecrewadvantage.com
MILWAUKEE -- An independent study released today by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) shows that the Milwaukee Brewers’ Miller Park has generated $2.5 billion in economic output over the last 20 years. With the five-county sales tax that supported Miller Park’s construction set to sunset shortly, MMAC President Tim Sheehy said the study’s findings are a welcome validation of a successful public-private partnership. “Twenty years ago, MMAC made the case to our members and to state policymakers that keeping Milwaukee a major-league city was a wise investment,” Sheehy said. “This independent study shows that the actual return on that investment has exceeded our expectations.”  MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee 7 Economic Development Partnership has recognized the Racine County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC) with its inaugural Excellence in Economic Development Award, M7 officials announced on Wednesday.
The award, which recognizes outstanding economic development projects and partnerships that have contributed to the economic vitality of the Milwaukee Region, was presented during M7’s annual meeting at Northwestern Mutual’s headquarters in downtown Milwaukee. RCEDC President Greg Barron, Executive Director Jenny Trick and members of the RCEDC staff were present to accept the award. “Racine County has been a valued and trusted M7 partner over the years, with a mission of connecting communities, facilitating jobs and growing businesses,” M7 co-chair Gale Klappa said. “We thank the team in Racine for all of its hard work and the exceptional contributions it is making to our region’s economic growth and prosperity.” Jonas Prising: MMAC takes critical steps to build a more diverse & inclusive business community12/10/2019
By MMAC Chair Jonas Prising - Chairman &CEO of ManpowerGroup
Metro Milwaukee’s economic trend continues on a sluggish path as less than half of the monthly indicators tracked by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) pointed upward in August. Nine of 23 indictors pointed upward in August, marking the sixth time in the past nine months that positive trending indicators accounted for less than half of the total.
“August’s trend can largely be attributed to two main patterns,” said Bret Mayborne, the MMAC’s economic research director. “Job gains across major industry sectors were increasingly uneven and manufacturing and production indicators posted continuing year over-year declines.” 64 of Milwaukee’s leading employers make initial commitment; full MMAC membership invited to join MILWAUKEE – A group of 64 of Metro Milwaukee’s leading employers are pledging to increase diversity in their workforce and management, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) announced at its All Member Meeting on Thursday night.
Representing more than 128,000 employees in the region, these companies made the first round of commitments to the MMAC’s “Region of Choice” pledge in front of more than 1,400 Milwaukee business and community leaders during Thursday’s meeting at Fiserv Forum. MMAC now is opening the pledge to all its member companies and beyond. New collaboration to help Milwaukee Region companies attract, retain and train talented workers Responding to Milwaukee Region companies’ urgent need to for talented employees, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) and Milwaukee 7 Economic Development Partnership (M7) are convening employers in collaborative solutions. For more than a decade, MMAC has been working to find ways to restructure our state and local tax system in a way that encourages economic growth. For nearly a year now, we have been facilitating discussions with county and municipal leaders throughout Milwaukee County on ways we might make progress toward that goal locally. The Move Forward MKE proposal, announced today with support from MMAC, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theo Lipscomb and the mayors of every municipality in Milwaukee County, was a major step toward that goal.
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THE AGENDA: Legislative update by Steve Baas - Senior VP of Government Affairs The state legislature’s budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance completed its work last week, and the budget heads to the full legislature for approval next week. Some highlights of the committee’s work as it pertains to MMAC’s public policy agenda are included:
 Manufacturers lead list with 12 winners, affirming region’s strength
MILWAUKEE -- The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) and its Council of Small Business Executives (COSBE) have announced the 2019 Future 50 awards winners. Each year since 1988, the Future 50 awards have recognized 50 of the fastest-growing companies in the seven-county Milwaukee Region. Twelve of the 50 firms on this year’s list are manufacturers, providing yet another indication of the Milwaukee Region’s continued strength in manufacturing. The construction industry also was well-represented with 10 winners, while 8 business/professional services firms made the 2019 list.
Since its launch in November 2015, the Export Development Grant Program has grown regional exports by providing financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises in the seven-county Southeastern Wisconsin region to enter new international markets.
THE AGENDA: Legislative update by Steve Baas - Senior VP of Government Affairs A big “thank you” to the Wisconsin legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance members who stepped up last week to eliminate more than $1 billion in new taxes that had been included in the governor’s budget proposal. The two largest tax hikes removed included a proposal to scale back the Manufacturing Activities Tax Credit (MAC) by more than $500 million and a proposal to increase capital gains taxes on individuals by more than $500 million.
The MAC has been one of Wisconsin’s most effective tools to attract and retain high-paying manufacturing jobs. Scaling it back would have done significant damage to our economic competitiveness. Similarly, increasing capital gains taxes would make Wisconsin a less attractive place for individuals to invest in new businesses and innovation. MMAC applauds the finance committee for its action on these items, and their appreciation for the need to maintain a strong toolbox of public policies that help keep Wisconsin competitive in the national and global marketplace for jobs and talent. THE AGENDA: Legislative update by Steve Baas - Senior VP of Government Affairs
THE AGENDA: Legislative update by Steve Baas - Senior VP of Government Affairs After failing in their attempts to pass a business property tax hike last year, a coalition of legislators is back to try again this year. The so-called “Dark Store” bills they are pushing would empower local municipal assessors to double-tax businesses by allowing business value and profitability (which is already taxed by the state) to be included in the assessed value of their real estate for property tax purposes as well.
This tax assessor empowerment act is being pushed in the name of prohibiting businesses from lowering their property tax assessments by comparing new buildings with vacant or dilapidated properties. That justification is a myth, however, since such apples to oranges comparisons are already prohibited by state law. Over the past decade, commercial and manufacturing property owners in Wisconsin have seen a more than 2 percent increase of their share of the statewide property tax burden, while residential homeowners have seen a reduction in their share of the tax burden. MMAC will continue its fight against this proposed business property tax again this session. Now is no time to be giving local tax assessors more tools to burden the businesses that fuel their local economies. THE AGENDA: Legislative update by Steve Baas - Senior VP of Government Affairs
MMAC supports the growth of high-performing schools, regardless of their sector or governance structure. We hope legislators were listening to this powerful testimony -- and look for ways to expand, rather than restrict, high-performing education options in our region.
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