FRI AM News: WisBusiness: the Podcast with Serafino Fabiano, Eli Lilly and Company; State joins lawsuit targeting Trump administration over family planning funding

August 28, 2026

— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Serafino Fabiano, associate vice president and site lead for Eli Lilly and Company’s Kenosha facility.

After the company acquired the property in 2024, the pharmaceutical company announced plans for a $4 billion investment in Wisconsin for the injectable medicine production site.

“In 18 months, we were able to move from the acquisition to the FDA approval and make medicine for our patients,” Fabiano said. “And I would say that the best is yet to come. If you drive by our site you will see cranes still being raised, so definitely exciting times ahead for Lilly Kenosha, our patients and our community.”

Fabiano discusses the company’s strategy around injectable drugs and supporting treatments for people with diabetes, obesity and other conditions.

“Since November of last year, we are actively making medicine for our patients, specifically we are making Zepbound and Mounjaro,” he said of the Kenosha facility’s work.

The facility is expected to support 750 “highly skilled jobs” such as operators, technicians, engineers and scientists, while the construction phase alone will support thousands of jobs over multiple years. Plus, the company is hiring local contractors for security, groundskeeping and other services.

Fabiano says southeastern Wisconsin attracted the company’s attention due to its strategic location, skilled workforce and “supportive ecosystem” for drug production.

“We are advancing in Wisconsin innovative manufacturing capabilities,” he said. “We are building capacity for the medicines of tomorrow, creating high-quality jobs and ensuring also that patients here and around the world have access to life-changing treatments.”

The investment in the state comes amid rising demand for these drugs, Fabiano explains, adding the company’s pipeline is being strengthened through projects like the Kenosha site. He said the company aims to “be sure we can reliably provide today’s medicine” while preparing for coming breakthroughs in the pharmaceutical field.

Eli Lilly and Company has committed more than $50 billion since 2020 to expand its manufacturing capacity around the world, Fabiano added.

“This has been an interesting and exciting ride,” he said. “We are at the beginning of the journey. This investment reflects the company’s confidence in Wisconsin people, talent, ecosystem and future.”

Listen to the podcast here and see the full list of WisBusiness podcasts.

— Wisconsin has joined 22 other states in suing to block Trump administration rules threatening to cut off family planning funding unless recipients show they’re aligned with the president’s policies on issues such as DEI and gender-affirming care.

“The Trump administration is again abusing its authority by conditioning federal funding on falling in line with parts of its ideological agenda,” Dem Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. “Title X funding should not be influenced by this kind of partisan interference.”

The restrictions, published in a new rules package last month, include moving the funding away from contraception and toward family planning and abstinence, while calling for an end to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and requiring the recognition of only two genders.

The suit argues the new conditions were unlawfully imposed and conflict with laws and regulations that require providers to offer a broad range of contraceptive methods and to serve all patients, including those who are LGBTQ+, in a nondiscriminatory manner.

According to the state Department of Justice, Wisconsin’s Title X funding served more than 7,300 people last year.

— The state collected $450.8 million more in tax revenue for 2025-26 than expected, the Department of Revenue announced.

The agency yesterday released preliminary figures showing the higher-than-expected collections were driven largely by the income tax, with an additional $231.1 million in revenue than what the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had projected in January.

Wisconsin also collected $83.9 million more in corporate taxes and $79.9 million in sales taxes than what the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had projected in January.

The DOR report didn’t provide any factors that contributed to the higher tax collections. Nor did an LFB memo sent to lawmakers summarizing the numbers.

LFB Director Bob Lang told WisPolitics no one economic factor spurred the higher collections. He noted strong income tax collections can often spur higher sales tax revenue as people have more money to spend.

Final numbers for 2025-26 will be released in mid-October as part of the state’s Annual Fiscal Report, which will also take into account departmental revenues and expenditures during the fiscal year.

— Total assets for Wisconsin’s 114 state-chartered banks rose to $75.2 billion on June 30 from $71.5 billion at the same point last year, the Department of Financial Institutions reports.

The state agency yesterday announced a “sound” second-quarter performance for these banks, noting net loans increased by 5.75% over the same period to $55.1 billion, an increase of $3 billion over the year.

And while net operating income increased from $392.5 million to $504.5 million, the past due ratio also rose from 0.99% to 1.06% over the 12-month period captured in the DFI release.

DFI Division of Banking Administrator Kim Swissdorf says growth in both earnings and capital has “contributed to overall financial stability” for banks in the state.

“Although past due metrics have risen modestly, the improvements to earnings and capital, along with stable liquidity levels, provide additional protection against potential future credit risk,” she said in the release.

— The marketing firm Derse is planning to build a new $48 million international headquarters in Oak Creek, with up to $1.25 million in tax credit support from the state.

WEDC yesterday announced details for the project, which is expected to create 65 jobs. It will consolidate two of the company’s eight locations, currently in Milwaukee and Illinois, into a single facility in the Oakview Business Park.

Construction is expected to finish by late next year, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

The company, which builds exhibits for trade shows and manages other events, can earn the performance-based tax credits by hitting job creation and capital investment benchmarks.

See the release.

— The Wisconsin Technology Council will hold the Launch Wisconsin conference Oct. 6 at Marquette University, putting a spotlight on emerging technologies and startup companies in the state.

The conference, previously known as the Early Stage Symposium, will feature a panel discussion on “frontier technology” in Wisconsin, ranging from AI and quantum computing to advanced manufacturing, energy and more.

It will also feature live presentations from entrepreneurs, as well as the returning “Investor Intros” segment to give startup leaders the opportunity to connect with investors.

Maggie Brickerman, president of the Tech Council, says the rebranded conference will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, established companies and other leaders in the state’s startup ecosystem.

“It’s an opportunity to highlight technologies that could define Wisconsin’s future while putting emerging companies directly in front of people who can help them grow,” she said in the release.

See the release.

Get more information and register here.

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