Contact: Betsy Lundgren
blundgren@thrivehere.org
608.443.1961 (o) | 202.714.1374 (c)
MADISON, Wis. – Thrive, the economic development partnership for the eight-county Madison Region, today announced its implementation plans for the Advance Now Strategy that was unveiled in 2012. The plan includes a new name and logo that better communicate the dynamic counties it serves and the collaborations it is fostering to move the region’s economy forward. Thrive now will be known as the Madison Region Economic Partnership (MREP), the organization said. The announcements were made at the annual State of the Madison Region Summit, held Thursday in Madison.
The summit focused on MREP’s Advance Now Strategy, the five-year plan for driving economic growth in the region that includes Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Sauk and Rock counties. MREP spearheaded the development of the Advance Now Strategy to spur growth through a comprehensive blueprint for economic development. The strategy includes five interrelated goal areas: economic competitiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship, human capital, marketing, and leadership and diversity.
MREP convened leaders from the region into workgroups for each of the five goals. The workgroups are helping to steer strategy implementation and providing key recommendations to MREP. Workgroup reports were a main feature of the summit and included the following highlights. The full report, including the most recent economic data about the region, can be found at thrivehere.org/workgroup-reports.
With the guidance of the Economic Competitiveness workgroup, MREP will gather and analyze economic, value chain, and industry cluster data to ensure sound economic development decision-making, and work to deliver economic development training of local elected officials and future community leaders. MREP staff provided additional recommendations to enhance the region’s economic competitiveness through a regional business retention and expansion plan, and an international trade development program.
MREP’s initial priorities within the Innovation & Entrepreneurship goal will stem from the workgroup’s key recommendations around the creation of an asset-based regional support system focused on expanding mentorship through programs like UW’s MERLIN mentor program and establishing more innovative spaces like Sector67.
MREP will pursue better alignment of education and workforce development efforts with economic development initiatives in sectors targeted for growth within the Human Capital goal. It also will strengthen partnerships between educators, parents, students and businesses. On the workgroup’s recommendation, parent engagement will be a top priority because of the help parents give their children in evaluating career options.
MREP will launch a strategic marketing and public relations campaign to promote the Madison Region based on the Marketing workgroup’s recommendation to focus the story using examples from the unparalleled strength of the region’s agriculture, advanced manufacturing and life science industries, technological innovation from those industries, and the strength of the region’s workforce, education system, and quality of life.
MREP will benchmark and report annual on issues of diversity and inclusion among the region’s medium and large-sized private-sector employers, based on recommendations of the Leadership & Diversity workgroup. It also will partner with the Urban League of Greater Madison to scale initiatives such as the annual Workplace Diversity & Leadership Summit to all eight counties of the region. The workgroup also recommends linking emerging leaders with volunteer leadership positions across the region, and providing them with regular networking and social events that cross county lines.
“Our five Advance Now workgroups have made great progress and are continuing to do exceptional work on behalf of the people and businesses of the eight-county Madison Region,” notes Bill Johnston, Chairman of the MREP Board of Directors. “The workgroup recommendations are emblematic of the partnership called out in our new name and are essential to our continued success. The recommendations contained in our 2013 State of the Madison Region report chart an exciting course for the growth and expansion of businesses in the region. We are grateful for the outstanding work of leaders from throughout the region.”
“As we collaborate with our workgroups, we’re engaging every day with business owners and community leaders to solve the problems that stand in the way of their ability to expand, create jobs and thrive,” Jadin said. “These problem-solving collaborations, whether they span the entire region or affect just one community, are among the most important elements of our ongoing success.”
In addition to Jadin, summit attendees heard from Mac Holladay, a dynamic, nationally recognized economic development consultant who has worked with communities throughout the country and drove the process that developed the Madison Region’s Advance Now Strategy. Gary Farmer, the immediate past chairman of Opportunity Austin, the economic development effort that drove the revitalization of that Texas region’s economy, also spoke.
About the Madison Region Economic Partnership
MREP is the economic development partnership for the eight-county Madison Region, founded by business and community leaders to create a dynamic environment where people and businesses prosper. Thrive’s mission is a five-plank platform that includes: 1) Advance economic competitiveness; 2) Advance innovation and entrepreneurship; 3) Advance human capital; 4) Advance the Madison Region’s story; and 5) Advance regional cooperation, leadership, and diversity. Through these five goal areas, MREP and its partners aim to proactively and strategically position the region to take advantage of economic opportunities while enhancing quality of life. The Madison Region includes Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, and Sauk Counties.
