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— In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” outgoing MMAC President Tim Sheehy discusses his 31-year tenure with the Milwaukee chamber and the importance of business exports.
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce in October announced former Republican state Sen. Dale Kooyenga of Brookfield will take over as the group’s president early next year.
Sheehy said one of his most important accomplishments while leading the MMAC has been helping more Wisconsin governors and mayors to understand the competitive global environment for corporate investment, as well as related opportunities.
“One of the things I’ve learned from the countless trade missions that I’ve been on to Canada, South America, Mexico, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, is that every day those regions are getting up and competing for capital investment and jobs,” Sheehy said.
He also touts the strength of Wisconsin’s workforce and talent pool, noting it helps attract investments by large manufacturers such as Haribo, which has a large production facility in Pleasant Prairie. And he touches on international transportation infrastructure development in the state as well.
“Something like 86% of the companies in Wisconsin that export are small or mid-sized companies, maybe exporting to one or two markets primarily, but as they start to expand, they need the service providers here that have that expertise to help them do that along with the physical infrastructure,” he said.
Given the global uncertainty linked to conflicts in the Middle East and tensions between China and Taiwan, Sheehy said some businesses are turning inward to focus on domestic markets rather than opportunities overseas.
“I think that’s a mistake,” he said. “And so, I think the message I would leave is, it’s a tough world out there, but buckle up and go at it and you’re going to be better for it.”
Watch the full interview here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/talking-trade-with-tim-sheehy-metropolitan-milwaukee-association-of-commerce/
“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe and find more episodes here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/category/talking-trade/
— Hunters registered 16% fewer deer during this year’s opening weekend than in the same period of 2022, with warm conditions and a lack of snow cover contributing to the decline.
Department of Natural Resources Deer Program Specialist Jeff Pritzl yesterday said the lower total was expected as last year’s colder weather was more favorable for the start of the nine-day gun deer season.
The agency announced 92,050 deer were registered over the past weekend, compared to 103,623 for opening weekend of last year. The total for bucks, 51,870, was 13% lower than the comparable figure from last year, 56,638.
Speaking yesterday during an online briefing, Pritzl noted this year’s overall total is 10% below the five-year average.
He said the decline was led by fewer antlerless deer being killed in the Central Farmland Zone, which stretches across the middle of the state and contributes the most deer to the annual total. The Northern Forest Zone also had fewer deer registered, which Pritzl said was a “pretty standard” response to last year’s more severe winter.
“Central Forest is pretty stable actually, and they’ve been for quite some time,” he said. “And the Southern Farmland, they’re down but not as much as what we saw in some of the other parts of the state … No real surprises I think is really the theme.”
He added about half of the annual gun hunt harvest total is usually registered during opening weekend, but that can vary.
“If we look county by county, there seems to be sort of a trend from east to west, that the eastern counties, the eastern side of the state, had a little bit stronger harvest compared to last year and the five-year average,” he said. “And the further west you went in the state, the harvest relative to last year faded off.”
Total year-to-date sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports and conservation licenses reached 774,369 as of midnight Sunday, according to the DNR release, with 421,525 of those being for gun hunting only. The total figure is 0.61% lower than at this point last year.
This year’s gun deer season runs through Sunday.
See the DNR release: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/85096
— DNR says two firearm-related hunting incidents occurred over the weekend — four fewer than during last year’s opening weekend.
On Saturday morning, a 53-year-old man in Forest County shot himself in the foot while walking to his tree stand on public land, according to the agency’s report. He was adjusting the shoulder sling of the rifle and accidentally pulled the trigger. He was then transported to a hospital for the injury.
And on Sunday morning, a 62-year-old man in Adams County shot a 47-year-old woman who was walking a dog. He believed the animal was an antlerless deer, according to the DNR, and fired once, hitting the woman in the abdomen. She was then transported by air to a hospital for treatment.
During yesterday’s DNR briefing, Hunter Education Administrative Warden Lt. Mike Weber was asked by a reporter if the man involved in the second incident will face charges, since he was shooting from inside a vehicle.
“In this circumstance, you know, the person was a disabled hunter. Obviously in Wisconsin, we have many opportunities for a disabled hunter, which allows them to hunt from a vehicle,” he said. “But as far as the charges go, again the investigation is ongoing and that won’t come, you know, until the investigation is complete.”
Watch the online briefing here: https://wiseye.org/2023/11/21/news-conference-wisconsin-dnr-gun-deer-season/
— Stakeholders urged lawmakers to amend a GOP proposal to limit how much land foreigners can buy in Wisconsin, arguing the current version of the bill would harm the agriculture and paper industries.
All those who testified at yesterday’s Assembly Agriculture Committee hearing spoke in opposition to AB 349, which would reduce the maximum amount of agricultural or forestry land that foreigners can acquire, own or hold in the state. The current cap of 640 acres would be dropped to 50.
Lead author Rep. Jon Plumer cited land purchases in the United States by countries such as China, and added events like the COVID-19 pandemic and wars in Israel and Ukraine highlight flaws in the global economy and the U.S.’s increased dependence on foreign governments.
“It is well past time that we limit the amount of agricultural land foreign governments can own in our state and ensure Wisconsin’s agriculture bounties will be used to benefit Wisconsin residents,” the Lodi Republican said.
Jason Mugnaini, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s executive director of government relations, argued the bill would have a detrimental effect on agriculture, noting there are longstanding farms in the state that are not run by U.S. citizens.
“While we share the concerns of the author, the reality of the unintended impacts of this legislation before us poses an equal threat to legacy industries like agriculture and forestry production, that are already here and operating in the state of Wisconsin,” Mugnaini said.
Mugnaini shared U.S. Department of Agriculture data showing 128 properties, including those owned by German and Dutch nationals, would have been prohibited under the bill. He said WFB would support the bill if it included an agricultural use and research exemption for top trading partners and those seeking to establish farms in Wisconsin.
Mugnaini praised a provision to eliminate a use exemption for electric generation in the bill. He added WFB would be unlikely to support a proposal that would reestablish or uphold exemptions that allow foreign entities to acquire Wisconsin farmland for solar power, which he argued is a greater threat.
Chair Travis Tranel, R-Cuba City, noted the bill was referred to committee over the summer and questioned what the disagreement was with the bill’s authors.
Mugnaini said he had spoken with Plumer and hadn’t been able to have further conversations, noting lawmakers are “busy right now” as Plumer shook his head from the corner of the room.
Wisconsin Paper Council President Scott Suder argued it would be “counterintuitive and counterproductive” to limit companies’ abilities to expand their operations. He argued the bill should be amended to apply to foreign adversaries, instead of all foreigners.
The former GOP state rep argued NATO allies such as France, Finland and Canada aren’t engaged in nefarious conduct and don’t pose any security threats.
“Although I might agree that the cuisines of lutefisk and escargot may be a threat to our taste buds, their country of origin, nonetheless, are from our allies,” Suder said.
A series of ag groups have registered in opposition to the bill, including: the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation; the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association Inc.; the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association and the Wisconsin Pork Association.
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— SHINE Technologies of Janesville has announced a new supplier agreement with Nucleus RadioPharma, a contract development and manufacturing firm based in Minnesota.
<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>
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#TOP STORIES#
# Groups urge Evers to block land exchange for proposed golf course along Lake Michigan
# Black Friday marks Wisconsin mall changes. Not all are dying
# Kohl’s store sales slump in third quarter as strategy shift continues
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Wisconsin farmers make progress on harvest
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1015&yr=2023
– New members join Wisconsin farm bureau’s YFA committee
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1016&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Milwaukee wants to join an EPA initiative to replace lead service lines
– Plans for parking structure would ease pressure on Milwaukee timber tower
# ENVIRONMENT
– Rare sighting of ancient murrelet in Wisconsin draws birders in Chequamegon Bay
# FOOD AND BEVERAGE
– What makes a Wisconsin supper club a Wisconsin supper club?
– Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette adding location on Milwaukee’s east side
– BelAir Cantina to open at Titletown as Green Bay Packers begin prep for NFL Draft
# HEALTH CARE
# Germantown-based MGS shifts focus to solely serve customers in the health care industry
# MANAGEMENT
– Kohl’s Corp. parts ways with president and chief operating officer after 8 months
#-Kohl’s president Dave Alves departs company
# NONPROFIT
– Sherman Phoenix launching $2 million capital campaign
# POLITICS
– Lawmakers won’t release gaming funds over disputes tied to tribal sovereignty
– Two tribes were denied funding with ‘no justification,’ Evers says
# REAL ESTATE
– Last homes in new Whitefish Bay subdivision to hit the market for $2M+
# REGULATION
– Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupe sickens 4 people in Wisconsin
# RETAIL
– New Whole Foods Madison store to open in December
– Kohl’s won’t add new president as CEO seeks connection to stores, supply chain
– Glendale-based men’s footwear company Solwerk launches with guidance from industry veteran
# TRANSPORTATION
– Milwaukee airport concourse roof project will get $5.1M from feds
– Wisconsin could see one of the busiest Thanksgivings on record for holiday travel
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
AbbyBank: Announces new VP/Commerical Loan Officer for the Green Bay market
