— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Dan Butkus and Scott Rolfs, two members of a coalition pushing for greater regulation of wake-enhanced boating.
Butkus is the president of lake group association Wisconsin Lakes and Rolfs is president of Lakes At Stake Wisconsin, which was formed last year in response to concerns about the impacts of wake-enhanced boats on lakes in the state. The growing coalition now has dozens of member organizations and recently released a series of policy positions they’re backing.
These include: keeping wake-enhanced boating activities at least 700 feet from any shoreline; restricting such activities to water 30 feet or deeper; requiring boats moving between lakes to prove they have decontaminated their ballast tanks to prevent the spread of invasive species; and preserving local municipalities’ ability to enact more restrictive local ordinances.
“We had so many people on Wisconsin lakes, whether they be fishermen, sailors, people who own properties on lakes, boaters, canoeers, you name it — who were seeing really detrimental effects from wake surfing and wake boat use,” Rolfs said.
He argues “there’s a very significant majority of people out there who want some type of common sense reform” to address these concerns.
Wake boats can take on hundreds of gallons of water in their ballast tanks, pushing the craft downward into the water to create a large wake for water sports. Rolfs says these boats have only been used on Wisconsin lakes over the past 10 years or so, highlighting “negative impacts” such as shoreline erosion, damage to piers and docks and disruption to underwater fish habitats.
“We’ve also seen issues with hazardous wakes, where people have been out in their boat recreating, maybe they’re on a dinner cruise or something, having some beers, and these waves hit extremely hard against other boats,” he said. “We have incidents that have happened where people have been injured, broken bones, etcetera.”
Butkus says coalition members are “looking to shared use” of Wisconsin’s resources, not an outright ban for wake-enhanced boats.
“Many people have found it difficult to share the lake when lake boats become present,” he said. “Anglers, [canoeers] kayakers, paddle boarders — you know, I own property in south central Oneida County on a lake … when these guys come out, we have to go in.”
The coalition now has dozens of members and continues to add more, ranging from fishing groups to environmental advocates and conservation groups such as Wisconsin’s Green Fire.
Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.
— In the latest episode of “WisBusiness: the Show,” manufacturing leader Buckley Brinkman discusses the role of AI in the industry as well as services available for manufacturers.
Brinkman is the executive director and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity. He says the WCMP aims to help small and medium businesses “stay competitive and up-to-date” with the latest industry standards.
“We’re measured on our results by the people who back us, so we end up in perfect alignment with the manufacturers that we’re dealing with … We’re really good at lowering the risk and making it more comfortable for manufacturers to take that first step or that next step with what they’re trying to accomplish with new technology,” he said.
He says AI has made for “an exciting time” as it’s reducing barriers to entry for those looking to explore applications of the technology.
“It’s a technology where you don’t need to have a lot of experience doing coding — in fact, none — you just have to be able to ask good questions of the piece of software on the other end,” he said.
Brinkman expects AI to have a big impact in manufacturing by improving owners’ manuals, human resources and customer outreach with relatively little investment, while also being used in analyzing industrial data to “increase output, to improve quality and generally make the operation run more smoothly.”
The show, which is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council, also highlights past and upcoming Tech Council events happening in Wisconsin.
Watch the show here and find more episodes.
See more from the WCMP in recent WisBusiness.com coverage.
— Wisconsin’s clean energy and clean vehicle industries supported 73,639 jobs last year, an increase of 3.1% over the year, according to the latest Clean Jobs Midwest report.
Clean energy alone added jobs “almost four times faster” than the state economy overall last year, the report shows. Wisconsin is ranked No. 17 nationally for clean energy jobs, and job growth in this area is projected at 3.9% for 2024.
Ian Adams, managing director for the nonprofit Evergreen Climate Innovations, spoke yesterday during an online briefing on the report’s findings. Now in its ninth year, the report was created by Evergreen and the national group E2, which stands for Environmental Entrepreneurs.
Adams noted the Midwest has more than 760,000 clean energy jobs, and the regional industry grew by 4% in 2023, adding more than 28,000 jobs.
“The biggest sector in midwestern clean energy is energy efficiency, with over 500,000 jobs, and that’s consistent year-to-year,” he said. “The fastest growing sector is the clean vehicle space, which saw an increase of 9%. That’s really driven by the electric vehicle sector.”
In Wisconsin, the clean vehicle industry had a 10% increase over the year, adding 601 jobs to reach 6,719.
Meanwhile, energy efficiency dominates the state’s clean energy industry, making up 56,868 of the total jobs captured in the report. The report also highlights a 4.7% increase in solar jobs in the state, reaching 4,372, and a 4.9% increase in wind jobs, up to 1,977.
The report notes small businesses are driving the sector, as 69% of clean energy businesses in the region employed fewer than 20 people.
Isaiah Ness, CEO of Green Bay’s Sun Bear Industries, yesterday discussed the company’s mission to integrate renewable energy with housing for economically disadvantaged, tribal and other minority communities.
“Not only creating jobs but keeping cash flow and creating opportunity within these communities, so that it can be reciprocated and you can see the true benefit of what’s going on, as far as development long-term,” he said.
See the report.
— Total employment in Wisconsin set yet another record in September as the state unemployment rate held at 2.9%.
Wisconsin employment hit 3,059,700 last month, marking the fifth consecutive monthly record high for this figure, the state Department of Workforce Development announced yesterday. That increased 7,700 over the month and 16,800 over the year, the agency’s figures show.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained unchanged over the month and was 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 4.1%. And Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate ticked up to 65.6% as the national rate stayed at 62.7% for September.
DWD Chief Economist Dennis Winters said the number of unemployed people in Wisconsin has held near historic lows for some time, declining slightly to 90,100 in September.
“We don’t see that, short of a major recession, to increase anytime soon,” Winters said yesterday during an online briefing. “And we don’t have any visions of a recession on the horizon anywhere at this point.”
He added Wisconsin “appears to be in a strong situation” going into the final months of 2024.
See the release.
— Krier Foods of Random Lake has won this year’s Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest for its Jolly Good Soda product.
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce yesterday announced the craft soda brand beat out other finalists through multiple rounds of voting. More than 130 different products were nominated, according to the WMC release, and about 150,000 votes were cast in this year’s contest.
Zach Malin, senior vice president of business development for Krier Foods, says “it’s an honor” to be chosen as the contest’s winner.
“Jolly Good soda is an iconic Wisconsin brand that has and continues to create memories for families across the state,” he said in a statement. “The employees who help produce Jolly Good everyday are extremely proud of the company’s family heritage, Wisconsin ties, and being able to put a smile on our friends, families, and neighbors.”
See the release.
Top headlines from the Health Care Report…
— Children in Wisconsin are falling behind the national level for a number of childhood vaccines, according to CDC figures released by state health officials.
For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.
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TOP STORIES
Landmark climate law helps boost clean energy jobs to 73K in Wisconsin
Total pay for Wisconsin CEOs ranged from $1 million to $28 million
After losing major contract, Husco adds $200M in new business, hiring 250
TOPICS
AGRIBUSINESS
– Rachel LaCount appointed director at Wisconsin Farm Bureau
CONSTRUCTION
– Offices seek high class space, chances for renovation
– St. Aug Prep breaks ground at former Cardinal Stritch University
– Emem Group expands with new construction firm
EDUCATION
– ‘Planners are dreamers’: UW-Milwaukee launches equity center for urban planning
– More Madison students joining after-school activities like fall sports
– University’s $80M recreation center nears completion
ENVIRONMENT
– October deer hunt offers community, accessibility to hunters with disabilities
FOOD & BEVERAGE
– Nostalgic soda bubbles up to win Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin
HEALTH CARE
– Sixteenth Street switches maternity hospitals in a blow to Ascension
LEGAL
– Milwaukee-area attorney sentenced to 16 months in prison for failing to pay taxes
– Owner of Milwaukee prenatal services business accused of defrauding Medicaid of $3.7 million
– Packers sue Green Bay to halt city plans to move Heritage Trail Plaza
MANAGEMENT
– Milwaukee Film begins nationwide hunt for new executive director
MANUFACTURING
– Husco secures $200 million in new projects, plans major capital investment
POLITICS
– Outside groups have spent nearly $11M in races for the Wisconsin Legislature
REAL ESTATE
– UWM sells former chancellor’s home. Take a peek inside
SMALL BUSINESS
– Downtown food vendor inspired by ‘Happy Days’
PRESS RELEASES
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