— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Maci Camara, member engagement manager and Eau Claire office director for BioForward Wisconsin.
The Madison-based biohealth industry group last month announced plans to expand into Eau Claire, tapping Camara to lead the new office and related efforts to reach new areas of Wisconsin.
BioForward Wisconsin is the lead organization in Wisconsin’s regional tech hub effort, spearheading the Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub coalition’s efforts as it prepares to submit its Phase II application next month.
Camara discusses this ongoing effort and potential impacts in the state, sharing her perspective on opportunities for developing the state’s biohealth industry.
“For a while it’s just been Madison, it’s been Milwaukee, but now we’re in this really exciting position where we can start engaging with other regions throughout the state,” she said. “We want to extend our support and resources to biohealth innovators and manufacturers in the northwest and western regions of Wisconsin.”
The state’s tech hub designation is focused on personalized medicine, and Camara says the Eau Claire move supports the group’s goal of developing related applications in the state. She notes the region is boosted by UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout in Menomonee and UW-La Crosse as well, offering opportunities for more collaborative research.
“There’s a lot of resources in this area, and I’m really excited to help see where I can provide support in those areas, and how we can make innovation easier,” she said.
Listen to the show here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2024/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-maci-camara-bioforward-wisconsin/
See the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts: https://www.wisbusiness.com/category/podcast/
See more on the tech hub effort: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/wisconsin-lands-one-of-31-regional-technology-hubs/
See the Eau Claire office announcement: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/bioforward-elevates-wisconsin-biohealth-ecosystem-with-eau-claire-office-launch/
— In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” Director General Dennis Yen-Feng Lei of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago discusses U.S.-Taiwan trade relations.
Lei focuses on trade relationships between Taiwan and Midwest states in particular, noting the country recently signed economic agreements with leaders in Michigan and Indiana, as well as educational memorandums of understanding with Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota.
“We have a very promising future, our office is trying to increase more Taiwanese companies here, and also ask more American companies to invest in Taiwan,” he said.
Bilateral trade between the United States and Taiwan reached $135.6 billion in 2022, marking an annual increase of 19%, according to figures provided by the Lei’s office. Meanwhile, U.S. imports of integrated circuits from Taiwan increased by 50.6% in 2022, for an increase of $2.7 billion.
Taiwan is the 9th largest trading partner for the U.S., and the 8th largest source of imports to the United States, Lei noted.
The interview was recorded before the recent presidential elections in Taiwan, in which Democratic Progressive Party candidate and current Vice President Lai Ching-te was chosen to lead the country.
Watch the show here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2024/talking-trade-with-director-general-dennis-yen-feng-lei-of-the-taipei-economic-and-cultural-office-in-chicago/
— State unemployment held at 3.3% in December as the state hit a new record high for jobs, according to the latest Department of Workforce Development update.
Total nonfarm jobs in Wisconsin reached 3,026,500 last month, marking an increase of 42,700 jobs over the year. The health care and social assistance industry was responsible for 12,400 of those new jobs, according to the DWD report.
Meanwhile, the state unemployment rate remained below the U.S. rate of 3.7% in December. And Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was unchanged over the month at 65.9%, above the national rate of 62.5%.
DWD Chief Economist Dennis Winters touted the strong jobs figure and low unemployment during an online briefing, noting 2023 “ended on a good note.”
“The way things are shaking up for 2024, we expect the same thing,” he said yesterday.
See the release: https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/press/2024/240118-december-state.htm
— In a recent global survey, ManpowerGroup found 70% of responding employers are “urgently recruiting” or plan to hire people with skills related to sustainability.
The online surveys of 39,000 businesses and 5,000 workers around the world were conducted by the Milwaukee-based workforce solutions company and compiled into the report, “A People-First Green Business Transformation.”
Riccardo Barberis, president of the company’s Northern Europe division, says “it’s critical” to bring workers along as businesses ramp up sustainability efforts.
“Investments in green technology will only get us halfway if employers fail to properly skill and reskill workers to operate in a greener future,” Barberis said in a statement. “Prioritizing workforce development must be a core pillar of net-zero strategies.”
Based on the survey’s findings, the supply of workers with “green” skills is far oustripped by demand, with only one in eight workers reporting having more than one such skill.
These can include a wide range of aptitudes, ranging from those needed for established green industries such as solar or wind energy to those suited for more evolving areas such as vehicle electrification, according to the report.
Certain industries are prioritizing skills like these more than others, ManpowerGroup found.
The report shows 81% of respondents in energy and utilities are looking to hire “green” talent, while information technology is just below at 77%. Other top industries in this category include financials and real estate, 75%; industrials and materials, 74%; and transport, logistics and automotive, 73%.
The report also reveals a generational gap, with 66% of Generation Z and 64% of Millennial respondents believing sustainability efforts will enhance their work. For Baby Boomers, that figure was 44%.
See more results here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/demand-for-green-skills-grows-as-companies-strive-to-achieve-sustainability-goals-302038170.html
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— State health officials have rolled out new universal blood lead testing guidelines for young children, with a goal of simplifying the process of determining who should be tested.
And Dems and OB-GYN Dr. Kristin Lyerly are calling on Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to schedule before the current session ends a bill to expand Medicaid coverage of postpartum care to 12 months.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
Sign up here: http://forms.gle/o8FtqTLviGJPja8C9
#TOP STORIES#
# Sprecher acquires L.A.-based energy drink brand, adds first chief marketing officer
# Vote to oust utility regulator tied to low-income program, solar financing tool
# Madison-based video game studio Lost Boys Interactive cuts 125 jobs
#TOPICS#
# CONSTRUCTION
– Three Leaf pitches 220 apartments in fastest-growing part of Oconomowoc
# EDUCATION
– Planting a tradition: UW-River Falls team wins National Forage Bowl Competition
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=54&yr=2024
– UW fired Joe Gow as chancellor. Can it also revoke his tenure?
# ENTERTAINMENT & THE ARTS
– Travis Scott in superstar mode at Fiserv Forum, but ticket sales soft
# ENVIRONMENT
– Water quality on Mississippi River ‘improving, with a ways to go’
# FINANCIAL SERVICES
– Educators Credit Union to build new headquarters to Mount Pleasant
# LEGAL
– Wauwatosa investment advisor charged with wire fraud after allegedly stealing clients’ funds
# MANUFACTURING
– Maysteel Industries acquires Colorado-based manufacturer
# NONPROFIT
– Give BIG Green Bay selected 50 nonprofits to represent 2024’s giving campaign. Here’s how it works.
# REGULATION
– Hard Rock Casino project one step closer to final approval
– Wauwatosa adds height limit for some properties, lifts housing cap on others
# RETAIL
– Faces Eyewear leaves City Center Plaza for new Grand Chute location: The Buzz
# SPORTS
– Milwaukee Bucks executive Raven Jemison named president of Kansas City pro women’s soccer club
# UTILITIES
– Evers appoints PSC staffer to commission after Senate rejects Huebner
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Allspring Global Investments: Plans move to downtown Milwaukee
